Battle of Shizugatake

Battle of Shizugatake
Part of the Sengoku period
Ukiyo-e print of the Battle of Shizugatake by Utagawa Toyonobu
Date June 10-11, 1583 Location Shizugatake, Ōmi Province, Japan 35°30′21.3″N 136°11′33.8″E / 35.505917°N 136.192722°E / 35.505917; 136.192722 Result Decisive Hideyoshi victory
Belligerents
Forces of Hashiba Hideyoshi and Oda Nobukatsu	Forces of Shibata Katsuie and Oda Nobutaka
Commanders and leaders
Hashiba Hideyoshi Oda Nobukatsu Niwa Nagahide Ikeda Tsuneoki Ikoma Chikamasa Nakagawa Kiyohide † Hashiba Hidenaga Hashiba Hidekatsu Hashiba Hidetsugu Hori Hidemasa Katō Yoshiaki Fukushima Masanori Katō Kiyomasa Horio Yoshiharu Takayama Ukon Kuroda Yoshitaka Kuwayama Shigeharu Gamō Ujisato Akamatsu Norifusa	Shibata Katsuie † Oda Nobutaka † Takigawa Kazumasu Sakuma Morimasa † Shibata Katsumasa Shibata Katsutoyo Fuwa Naomitsu Anegakōji Yoritsuna Hara Nagayori Ogawa Suketada Murai Nagayori defected: Maeda Toshiie Maeda Toshimasu Maeda Toshinaga Kanamori Nagachika
Strength
50,000 men	30,000 men
Casualties and losses
4,000-6,000	8,000
class=notpageimage| Location within Shiga Prefecture Show map of Shiga Prefecture Battle of Shizugatake (Japan) Show map of Japan

The Battle of Shizugatake (賤ヶ岳の戦い, Shizugatake no Tatakai) took place during the Sengoku period of Japan between Toyotomi Hideyoshi (then Hashiba Hideyoshi) and Shibata Katsuie in Shizugatake, Ōmi Province over a period of two days beginning on the 20th day of the fourth month of Tenshō 11 (equivalent to 10-11 June 1583 on the Gregorian calendar).^[1] Katsuie supported Oda Nobutaka's claim as successor of Oda Nobunaga in a succession dispute within the Oda clan that benefitted Hideyoshi.

Katsuie and Sakuma Morimasa attacked fortifications loyal to Hideyoshi at Shizugatake, defeating Nakagawa Kiyohide, but the other sieges by Toshiie and Kazumasu stalled. Katsuie ordered Sakuma to retreat but was ignored, and Hideyoshi launched a surprise counterattack that routed Sakuma and forced him to retreat. Hideyoshi pursued Sakuma and successfully besieged Kitanosho Castle which led to the suicide of Katsuie and Oichi.

The Battle of Shizugatake allowed Hideyoshi to consolidate his position as Oda Nobunaga's successor, and was one of the last challenges to his rule along with the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute in 1584. George Sansom states the Battle of Shizugatake "must be regarded as one of the decisive battles in Japanese history."^[2]