World History
The Battle of Sekigahara was fought between the forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu and those of his opponents. His decisive victory ensured his appointment as shogun of Japan and the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate that ruled Japan until 1868.
By mid-16th century, the Ashikaga Shogunate of Japan was in terminal decline and civil wars raged in the land as rival nobles or daimyo sought to replace it. The second of the powerful lords, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1535–98), almost accomplished the task.
As he neared death, and with his son Hideyori too young to exercise power, he appointed a council of five regents to rule on the boy’s behalf, hoping that they would checkmate one another. Tokugawa Ieyasu was one of the regents.
Ieyasu had helped Hideyoshi in his campaigns and had been rewarded with extensive landholdings in the agriculturally rich Kanto Plain area where he had built a formidable castle at the port of Edo (modern Tokyo). Ieyasu did not participate in Hideyoshi’s attempted conquest of Korea, remaining in Japan to consolidate his holdings.
The balance of power among the five regents soon dissolved with four of the five regents aligning against Ieyasu. An adroit politician, Ieyasu was able to crack the formidable coalition by securing the secret support of many of the lords ostensibly loyal to the other regents, who moreover were rivals of one another.
The showdown occurred on October 21, 1600, at the Battle of Sekigahara. Ieyasu won decisively, partly through to the defection of some of his opponents’ forces. The victory made him military master of Japan. Eighty-seven daimyo houses were extinguished, the remainder, including Toyotomi’s fief, dramatically reduced, allowing Ieyasu to expand the land he directly controlled and to reward his supporters.
In 1603, the emperor acknowledged the fait accompli by appointing Ieyasu shogun. He would consolidate his power during his remaining years with laws that secured obedience to the surviving daimyo and by retiring in 1605 in favor of his son, while remaining behind the scenes to ensure the stability of the shogunate.
In 1614, he launched a final massive campaign, mobilizing 180,000 troops against Hideyori at his stronghold, Osaka castle, defended by 90,000 men. The castle was taken and Hideyori was killed. These two campaigns ensured the supremacy of the house of Tokugawa.
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- Toyotomi Hideyoshi - Japanese General
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World History
Battle of Sekigahara
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| Battle of Sekigahara |
The Battle of Sekigahara was fought between the forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu and those of his opponents. His decisive victory ensured his appointment as shogun of Japan and the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate that ruled Japan until 1868.
By mid-16th century, the Ashikaga Shogunate of Japan was in terminal decline and civil wars raged in the land as rival nobles or daimyo sought to replace it. The second of the powerful lords, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1535–98), almost accomplished the task.
As he neared death, and with his son Hideyori too young to exercise power, he appointed a council of five regents to rule on the boy’s behalf, hoping that they would checkmate one another. Tokugawa Ieyasu was one of the regents.
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Ieyasu had helped Hideyoshi in his campaigns and had been rewarded with extensive landholdings in the agriculturally rich Kanto Plain area where he had built a formidable castle at the port of Edo (modern Tokyo). Ieyasu did not participate in Hideyoshi’s attempted conquest of Korea, remaining in Japan to consolidate his holdings.
The balance of power among the five regents soon dissolved with four of the five regents aligning against Ieyasu. An adroit politician, Ieyasu was able to crack the formidable coalition by securing the secret support of many of the lords ostensibly loyal to the other regents, who moreover were rivals of one another.
The showdown occurred on October 21, 1600, at the Battle of Sekigahara. Ieyasu won decisively, partly through to the defection of some of his opponents’ forces. The victory made him military master of Japan. Eighty-seven daimyo houses were extinguished, the remainder, including Toyotomi’s fief, dramatically reduced, allowing Ieyasu to expand the land he directly controlled and to reward his supporters.
In 1603, the emperor acknowledged the fait accompli by appointing Ieyasu shogun. He would consolidate his power during his remaining years with laws that secured obedience to the surviving daimyo and by retiring in 1605 in favor of his son, while remaining behind the scenes to ensure the stability of the shogunate.
In 1614, he launched a final massive campaign, mobilizing 180,000 troops against Hideyori at his stronghold, Osaka castle, defended by 90,000 men. The castle was taken and Hideyori was killed. These two campaigns ensured the supremacy of the house of Tokugawa.
- Edo Period In Japan
Edo Period in Japan The Edo period in Japanese dates between 1600 and 1867. It denotes the government of the Tokugawa Shogunate from Edo. The shogunate was officially established in 1603 with the victory of Tokugawa Ieyasu over supporters of Toyotomi...
- Japanese Invasion Of Korea
Japanese Invasion of Korea Japanese warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi dreamed of conquering China and launched two invasions of Korea, in 1592 and 1597, in order to do so. Although he ultimately failed, the wars inflicted terrible devastation on Korea. Because...
- Shimabara Rebellion
remain of castle destroyed in shimabara rebellion The Shimabara Rebellion of 1635 was the last major uprising against the Tokugawa Shogunate, which Tokugawa Ieyasu had established after his victory at the Battle of Sekigahara (1600). He was appointed...
- Japan Tokugawa Bakuhan System
Tokugawa Bakuhan System The Tokugawa shoguns were the de facto rulers of Japan from 1603 to 1867, when emperors, symbolic rulers of the country, bestowed the title of shogun on the Tokugawa clan. After the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, the first shogun,...
- Toyotomi Hideyoshi - Japanese General
Toyotomi HideyoshiToyotomi Hideyoshi was a Japanese lord who completed the unification of Japan begun by Oda Nobunaga and launched two invasions of the Korean Peninsula. Hideyoshi was born the son of a peasant and became a soldier in the army of Oda Nobunaga...