Draft:Battle of Kinugasa Castle

• Comment: Please use reliable secondary sources. Ratnahastin (talk) 03:40, 20 May 2024 (UTC)

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Overview

The Battle of Kinugasa Castle was a battle between the Taira, Edo and Chichibushi clans (the later two being branches of the Taira clan) against the pro Minamoto Miura clan that took place on August 26, 1180 (Jishō calendar) (September 17, 1180) at Kinugasa Castle in Sagami Province, which is now Kinugasa Town, Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture. It was one of the battles in the Genpei War, a civil war over control of the Imperial Family and Japan.

Battle of Kinugasa Castle
Part of Genpei War
Monument of the Kinugasa Castle
Date August 26, 1180 Jishō calendar Location Kinugasa Castle, Sagami Province (modern day Kinagusa Yokosuka) Result Taira clan victory
Belligerents
Taira clan	Miura clan (pro-Minamoto)
Commanders and leaders
Hatakeyama Shigetada Edo Shigenaga Shigeyori Kawagoe	Miura Yoshizumi Yoshiaki Miura  †
Units involved
"several thousand"/2,000	450

Background

On August 22nd the Miura Clan heard of Minamoto no Yoritomo raising an Army, and Miura Yoshizumi with other Miura clan members left to meet up with Yoritomo but couldnt arrive due to heavy rains and had to camp by the Sakawa River. Yoshizumi then sent his retainers to burn down the houses of the Taira forces, thus the Taira forces began the attack on Yoritomo's forces, fearing the Miura forces would be able to reinforce Yoritomo if they waited any longer. This began the Battle of Ishibashiyama, which Yoritomo where lost and had to flee. The next morning the Miura party had heard of Yoritomo's lost and had decided to go back home. Hatakeyama Shigetada, a general on the side of the Taira clan, set out with 500 men upon hearing of Yoritomo's army's uprising, and on the 24th, he met and fought a battle with the Miura clan, who had roughly 300 men, and were on their way back(Battle of Kotsubosaka/Kotsubo). In this battle, more than 50 of Shigetada's retainers were beheaded, the Hatakeyama forces retreated, and the Miura clan had won and although some of them had been killed, they managed to reach their base in Miura.

On the 26th of August, Hatakeyama wants to get back at the Miura for the Battle of Kotsubo, which he had lost. He sends Shigeyori Kawagoe and Edo Shigenaga a message saying that they should gather an army from their provinces and come to meet him. Although Shigeyori is the second son of the Chichibu family, he inherited the family leadership. Soon after, in the hour of the rabbit (6:00), rumors of this happening spread to the Miura, and the entire family retreated, and set up camp in Kinagusa Castle. (although it is speculated that they were unprepared for a Battle/Siege).

the Battle

The eastern gate (main gate) is manned by Miura Yoshizumi and Sawara Yoshitsune, the western gate by Wada Yoshimori and Kaneda Yoritsugu and the middle gate by Nagae Yoshikage and Otawa Yoshihisa.

Exhausted from the previous battle in Kotsubo pass and running out of arrows, the Miura clan abandoned Kinugasa Castle at night and escaped, heading for Awa Province to join Yoritomo's new call to arms, after he had recovered from Ishibashiyama and his allies defeated the Taira at Hashidayama. On the 27th Kinugasa Castle was captured by the Taira army.

According to the Azuma Kagami , Miura Yoshiaki wrote:

"As a vassal/retainer of the Genji clan (Minamoto clan) for many generations, I am fortunate to be living in an era when our noble lineage is being reborn. I have already lived for more than 80 years, I do not know how much longer I can expect to live. I now wish to throw my old life into the service of the military, and to ask for the merits of my descendants. You (rest of the Miura clan) should all leave quickly and inform the Minamoto of the whereabouts of Shigetada. I alone shall remain in the fortress."

While the rest of the Miura clan abandoned the Castle, the 89-year-old Miura Yoshiaki remained behind. The Miura retainers, reluctant to leave Yoshiaki behind, carry him in a Palanquin and try to leave the castle. However, as the enemy approached, they abandoned the palanquin and fled. Yoshiaki was stripped of his clothes by the Taira and was killed by his grandson's (Hatakeyama Shigetada's) army (son of Hatakeyama Shigeyoshi, who was married to the daughter of Miura Yoshiaki).

Aftermath

The Miura and Yoritomo forces then regrouped as a large army, even gettiing Chiba Tsunetane and Kazusa Hirotsune on their side, the two major powers on the Bōsō Peninsula. On October 2nd, the army, with Toyoshima Kiyomoto and Kiyoshige, father and son, also joining Yoritomo's camp, now numbering over 30,000 elite soldiers at this point, cross the Ōi River and Sumida River and proceed to Musashi Province. There they met Adachi Tomoto, who welcomed them. On October 4th, on the Nagai Ferry (ferry that has been taking passengers across the Edo river for nearly 400 years), Hatakeyama Shigetada, Edo Shigenaga and Kawagoe Shigeyori (men who killed Miura Yoshiaki) surrender to Yoritomo. The Miura forces were there, and Yoritomo tells them that they must not hold grudges, or else the Minamoto clan will not achieve their goals. So the Miura agree and say they do not have any ulterior motives, and discuss their next moves with the rest of the party.

References

https://www5a.biglobe.ne.jp/~micro-8/toshio/detail/kotubo.html (Battle of Kotsubo)
Azuma Kagami (in Japanese)
English translation of The Tale of the Heike (archived)