Chapter 60: Furuwatari War Part IV - The Tokugawa Civil War
Chapter 60: Furuwatari War Part IV - The Tokugawa Civil War
Many of the conflicts within the greater Furuwatari War were defined more by historic rivalries between different families and family members and opportunism rather than the general anti-Azuchi sentiment expressed by Keizan, Hojo Ujinobu, and other prominent rebels as well as those nearly took up arms against Nobutomo like Sakuma Moritora. None of these conflicts reflected this more than the events that took place in the lands of the Tokugawa clan through the internal rebellion of Matsudaira Mitsutada and Tadayuki against clan head Tokugawa Tadayasu. Tadayasu, in addition to being the head of the clan, was also the most senior descendant of the illustrious Tokugawa Ieyasu as his grandson through Ieyasu’s second son Nagayasu (徳川長康). However, Nagayasu, who died before his father, was not a favorite of Ieyasu despite the former becoming the heir following the seppuku of Ieyasu’s firstborn Nobuyasu (徳川信康) on Ieyasu’s own orders to appease Nobunaga. Rather, Ieyasu took a greater liking to his third son, Matsudaira Ietada (松平家忠), and granted him Okazaki Castle and Mikawa Province to govern as his deputy. This favoritism left an impact beyond Ieyasu’s own passing in 1616, as Ietada initially controlled political affairs on behalf of the young Tadayasu. Eventually, however, Tadayasu nudged Ietada aside from central power and the resentful Tokugawa head would sideline Ietada’s son Mitsutada from politics in Sunpu. This sowed the seeds for the eventual collaboration of Mitsutada and his younger brother with Ujinobu, Keizan, and the other anti-Azuchi rebels.
Portrait of Tokugawa Tadayasu
The brothers planned on rising up after Furuwatari Nobuhira and Keizan took Gifu, hoping to be able to focus on invading the neighboring province of Tootoumi without fear of a rear incursion from Owari province. When this didn’t happen, Mitsutada and Tadayuki nevertheless took up arms after seeing Hojo Ujinobu and various other daimyo taking up arms. Tadayuki, however, would stay behind in Okazaki Castle and prepare defenses against an expected invasion by the Oda after the fall of Furuwatari Castle and the deaths of Keizan and Nobuhira. Mitsutada himself would proceed with the original invasion plan in coordination with Takeda Nobumichi in Kai with the assistance of his uncle Matsudaira Tadateru (松平忠輝), who had joined their cause. Mitsutada and Tadateru marched into the province with an army of 7,000 in late February 1638, first targeting Mitake and Horikawa Castles (三岳城, 堀河城). These two fell in a matter of a few weeks. The next prize that was eyed was Hamamatsu Castle (浜松城), controlled by Tadayasu’s younger brother Tadamasa (徳川忠昌) and a garrison of 2,000. If this castle fell, the rest of the province was likely to follow. A brutal siege began on March 28th, with waves of ashigaru assaulting the castle and cannonfire utilized as well. However, Tadamasa possessed more cannons that were strategically placed in the castle and showered the besiegers with cannonballs, arrows, and arquebus fire. As a result, Hamamatsu Castle was able to hold on until Tadayasu arrived with an army of 11,000 a month later. Tadayasu forced the end of the siege and pushed back the rebel army, securing the castle and delivering much-needed supplies as the surrounding countryside had been plundered by Mitsutada’s men. Contrary to Mitsutada’s expectations, the main Tokugawa army was not tied down by the simultaneous invasion of Suruga province by Takeda Nobumichi, the latter facing a smaller army led by Tadayasu’s half-second cousin Tadatoshi (松平忠利) [1]. As a result, Mitsutada was forced to retreat near Horikawa Castle. Tadayasu pursued the rebels but the latter had set up in a defensible position and successfully held their ground against the numerically superior enemy.
Compared to the rebel offensive, however, the defense of Mikawa province from the east proved to be a losing battle. In early spring, Murai Sadamasa led an army of 6,000-7,000 consisting of his retinue and samurai from Mino and Owari provinces. In Sadamasa, Matsudaira Tadayuki faced a more experienced and superior counterpart, for the former was a veteran of the Iberian-Japanese War and had served under Oda Tadataka and Kanbe Tomoyoshi. Using his experience fighting Spanish-aligned indigenous forces and taking individual villages in the Luzon jungles and country, the Oda general instructed smaller contingents of several hundred men to split off from the main army to tactically replicate the enemy he had fought in Luzon, in this instance against Tadayuki in Mikawa province. These smaller forces proved effective in undermining supply lines and communications within Mikawa province, seizing key agricultural villages from the Tokugawa rebels, and weakening individual garrisons man by man through numerous skirmishes and hit-and-run raids. Meanwhile, Sadamasa’s main army entered the town of Toyota (豊田) [2] where they began to construct a new castle without embarking upon any sieges or offensives. After a month, an impatient Tadayuki already dealing with Sadamasa’s other forces poking holes in the rebel strength and defenses decided to drive out Sadamasa by force. This, however, played right into Sadamasa’s hands, who had expected such a move and had prepared defenses around the incomplete fortification. At the Battle of Toyota (豊田の戦い) on April 22nd and April 23rd, the two armies clashed but ultimately Tadayuki had too few men to crack Sadamasa’s defensive position and incurred heavy losses after two days of fighting before being forced to retreat. Afterwards, leaving a half-complete Toyota Castle (豊田城) in trusted hands, Sadamasa began to besiege nearby castles. They surprisingly fell quickly as the Oda’s guerrilla contingents had already sapped the surrounding country of resources and even captured several towns, and Tadayuki’s western defenses began to crumble with the rebel lord too weak to march against Sadamasa.
Compared to the rebel offensive, however, the defense of Mikawa province from the east proved to be a losing battle. In early spring, Murai Sadamasa led an army of 6,000-7,000 consisting of his retinue and samurai from Mino and Owari provinces. In Sadamasa, Matsudaira Tadayuki faced a more experienced and superior counterpart, for the former was a veteran of the Iberian-Japanese War and had served under Oda Tadataka and Kanbe Tomoyoshi. Using his experience fighting Spanish-aligned indigenous forces and taking individual villages in the Luzon jungles and country, the Oda general instructed smaller contingents of several hundred men to split off from the main army to tactically replicate the enemy he had fought in Luzon, in this instance against Tadayuki in Mikawa province. These smaller forces proved effective in undermining supply lines and communications within Mikawa province, seizing key agricultural villages from the Tokugawa rebels, and weakening individual garrisons man by man through numerous skirmishes and hit-and-run raids. Meanwhile, Sadamasa’s main army entered the town of Toyota (豊田) [2] where they began to construct a new castle without embarking upon any sieges or offensives. After a month, an impatient Tadayuki already dealing with Sadamasa’s other forces poking holes in the rebel strength and defenses decided to drive out Sadamasa by force. This, however, played right into Sadamasa’s hands, who had expected such a move and had prepared defenses around the incomplete fortification. At the Battle of Toyota (豊田の戦い) on April 22nd and April 23rd, the two armies clashed but ultimately Tadayuki had too few men to crack Sadamasa’s defensive position and incurred heavy losses after two days of fighting before being forced to retreat. Afterwards, leaving a half-complete Toyota Castle (豊田城) in trusted hands, Sadamasa began to besiege nearby castles. They surprisingly fell quickly as the Oda’s guerrilla contingents had already sapped the surrounding country of resources and even captured several towns, and Tadayuki’s western defenses began to crumble with the rebel lord too weak to march against Sadamasa.
Portrait of Murai Sadamasa
By the late spring, the Mikawa rebels were surrounded on all sides, although Mitsutada and tTadayuki kept hope that they could reverse their fortunes with Tadayasu still dividing men between campaigns against Mitsutada and Takeda Nobumichi. Around this time, however, an army from the north led by Inaba Norimichi (稲葉紀通) crossed into Mikawa province. Tadayuki would march directly against Norimichi in an attempt to secure northern Mikawa but would subsequently die in the battle to follow, leaving Mikawa Province leaderless. Many of Mitsutada’s retainers, seeing the writing on the wall, began to surrender as the rebel leader rushed back from Horikawa Castle, leaving his uncle behind to deal with Tadayasu. It was too late, however. Sadamasa had begun to reunite pieces of his army back together when he decided to march on Okazaki Castle after the diversion northwards and subsequent defeat of Tadayuki’s main army, so Mitsutada intercepted him at the Battle of Yanagawase (柳川瀬の戦い) on June 17th. The Tokugawa rebel army, exhausted from the rushed march, were easily routed and Mitsutada barely escaped with his life. Accompanied now by only his most trusted retainers and guards, he tried to flee eastwards to the Hojo but was caught and killed along the way. The Mikawa rebellion completely collapsed in the absence of his two main leaders and after a long siege, Tadateru was forced to surrender and commit seppuku. Although it would take a few months before the rebellion was completely cleaned up in the province, it was effectively over by early July. By this time, Takeda Nobumichi had also been overwhelmed through the collaborative efforts of the Oda and Tokugawa. Nobumichi’s lands would eventually be awarded to Tadatoshi, whose former family name of Hisamatsu (久松) was also resurrected as he was made an independent daimyo, albeit one with direct blood relations with Tadayasu.
Tokugawa Civil War (Salmon=Oda-Tokugawa forces, blue=rebel forces)
Tadayasu would split his efforts between reintegrating Mikawa province and shifting men towards invading the Hojo from its most vulnerable western flank. At this stage, however, the war was very obviously going in the favor of one side across the board in both the Oshu and Kanto regions.
[1]: Tokugawa Ieyasu’s mother married Hisamatsu Toshikatsu (久松俊勝) after the assassination of Ieyasu’s father Matsudaira Hirotada (松平広忠) while Ieyasu was a hostage of the Oda clan and mother and son reunited only after the death of Imagawa Yoshimoto at the Battle of Okehazama before which Ieyasu had become a hostage of the Imagawa clan.
[2]: Same Toyota where the OTL car manufacturer came from.
[1]: Tokugawa Ieyasu’s mother married Hisamatsu Toshikatsu (久松俊勝) after the assassination of Ieyasu’s father Matsudaira Hirotada (松平広忠) while Ieyasu was a hostage of the Oda clan and mother and son reunited only after the death of Imagawa Yoshimoto at the Battle of Okehazama before which Ieyasu had become a hostage of the Imagawa clan.
[2]: Same Toyota where the OTL car manufacturer came from.
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