Battle of Tedorigawa 1577 AD - Uesugi's Finest Hour

 

In 1575, Oda Nobunaga was one of the most powerful Daimyos of Japan.

 His victory at the battle of Nagashino meant that one of the major players in central Japan, the Takeda, were effectively neutralized.

 But the end of the Takeda threat meant that now there was nothing left standing between the Oda and one of the legendary clan leaders of the Sengoku Jidai, Uesugi Kenshin … Uesugi Kenshin was one of the most gifted and colorful leaders of Medieval Japan.

 Renowned for his administration skills and prowess on the battlefield, his many followers considered him to be the avatar of the Buddhist god of war, Bishamonten, thus calling him “God of War”.

 In all respects, Uesugi was part of the “old guard” of the Sengoku period.

 His rivalry with Takeda Shingen was legendary and after many campaigns against Shingen and the Kanto region, he now commanded a battle hardened, experienced army.

 At first, Uesugi Kenshin was allied with Oda Nobunaga during the days of his rivalry with the Takeda.

 But after Katsuyori’s crushing defeat at Nagashino and his subsequent demise, Uesugi changed his policies and was no longer interested in being allied

 to an ambitious and expansionist Oda Nobunaga.

 In a complete U-turn, he severed ties with Oda Nobunaga,

 and allied himself with Takeda Katsuyori.

 At this time, Oda Nobunaga was continuing his consolidation of power, fresh from his big triumph at Nagashino.

 During what would become a ten-years long siege of a formidable stronghold of Ishiyama Hongan-ji, he waged war against a network of fortifications, temples and communities of the Ikko-Ikki, a confederation of peoples backed by a Buddhist sect that opposed the rule of samurais.

 Wanting to check Oda’s expansion, Uesugi Kenshin allied himself with the Ikko-Ikki in 1575.

 Now, only a spark was needed to ignite the fire of war in central Japan once again.

 With Nobunaga tied down at the formidable stronghold of Ishiyama Hongan-ji, Uesugi had plenty of time to plan and act against his powerful neighbor.

 The conflict between Oda and Uesugi finally erupted after a coup and a civil war that followed within the Hatakeyama clan in the Noto province.

 A pro Oda general killed Hatakeyama Yoshinori, who was the lord of Noto, and replaced him with Hatakeyama Yoshitaka, an Oda puppet ruler.

 Kenshin was not a man

 who deliberated for long and immediately mobilized his army against the usurper.

 With around 20.000 men he intervened by invading the Noto province.

 Then he marched straight against the Castle of Nanao which was under the control of Hatakeyama Yoshitaka, and besieged it.

 While being under siege, Hatakeyama send urgent messages to Oda Nobunaga requesting immediate assistance against the Uesugi .

 Nobunaga’s response was instant.

 He dispatched 3 of his greatest generals with a combined force of around 32.000 in order to assist the cornered Hatakeyama.

 Amongst those generals was his future successor, the famous Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of the three so called unifiers of Japan.

 Nobunaga would soon arrive with an 18,000-strong contingent.

 But, before his relief force was able to assist the besieged Hatakeyama though, Uesugi Kenshin was able to storm and occupy Nanao, apparently with the help of a traitor who opened the gates of the castle but also due to a disease outbreak among the garrison that claimed the very life of Hatakeyama Yoshitaka.

 After the fall of the Castle, the Hatakeyama switched their allegiance and joined Uesugi.

 In the meantime, the Oda generals entered the province of Kaga and crossed the Tedori river with 32.000 men, poised to reach the Noto province when they were informed about the fall of Nanao Castle and the switch of the Hatakeyama allegiance.

 This meant that their whole strategic planning needed to be immediately re-evaluated.

 The Oda forces backtracked the way they came across the other side of the Tedori river and eventually merged with Oda Nobunaga’s contingent, who by then had arrived in Kaga.

 The combined Oda army now numbered around 50.000 men, a formidable force for the period.

 Meanwhile, Uesugi Kenshin, now bolstered his ranks with Hatakeyama troops, advanced towards the Oda positions and encamped around Matsuto Castle which was located in the immediate vicinity of the river.

 His army now numbered around 30.000 men.

 The two armies faced each other across the Tedori river.

 The renowned Uesugi Kenshin was about to clash with the powerful and undefeated Oda Nobunaga.

 For their contemporaries, it would have been fair to assume that whoever won this battle would have been the undisputed master of central Japan and probably the strongest warlord of the whole of Honshu (the biggest Japanese island).

 The Oda were planning to overwhelm the Uesugi with their long range weapons and avoid engaging in close quarter combat since the main bulk of their army was composed of Ashigaru.

 On the other hand, Uesugi Kenshin needed to find a way to close the distance with the enemy, and bring the killing power of his veteran but outnumbered Samurai army to bear upon his adversaries in close quarters.

 On top of that, choosing the place and time of the engagement at a river crossing would have been really tricky.

 The grandmaster Kenshin anticipated a night time crossing by the Oda army so he made sure to provoke it at an opportune moment… During the night of November 13th 1577, Uesugi Kenshin arranged his army in a way that concealed its’ actual numbers and arrangement, detaching a small contingent and sending it to march up along the Tedori river.

 It was “obvious” that the Uesugi were attempting a night-time flanking move.

 Nobunaga noticed the movement of the Uesugi detachment and smelled blood… It was the “perfect” opportunity for his army to cross the Tedori river and engage his weakened and divided enemy as soon as possible.

 Oda Nobunaga ordered his generals to commence the attack by charging straight across the river and engaging the Uesugi on the opposite bank.

 The vanguard of the Oda army numbering a few thousand men, rushed across the Tedorigawa and charged against the Uesugi men who were slowly moving to counter them.

 The Oda Ashigaru moved vigorously against their enemies

 believing that they have caught them off guard.

 And so it seemed for a while with the Uesugi men attempting to defensively hold their advance.

 While the Oda lines were slowly being reinforced by a steady influx of incoming troops from the opposite bank, the sound of men wading through water filled the plain.

 Suddenly and with the front lines of both armies fully engaged, a strong current of river water came down upon the Oda soldiers.

 Hundreds of men were carried away by the torrent and the rest were isolated with the river now behind them and the attacking Uesugi to their front.

 As it turned out, the Uesugi detachment was a numerically insignificant decoy force that was used by Kenshin in order to fool Oda Nobunaga into attacking his lines.

 The torrent of water that created so much trouble to the attacking Oda was a further trick up Uesugi ’s sleeve, caused by the release of the river’s flood gates which was the actual objective of the decoy force.

 The remaining Oda Ashigaru stood no chance against the veteran Uesugi samurai, they soon broke and fled back across the flooded river.

 Nobunaga’s casualties were reportedly about a quarter of his total force, while Uesugi’s casualties were negligible.

 After his defeat, Nobunaga in a state of shock gave the order to retreat back into Omi province, his massive army was, for once, humbled.

 It would turn out to be his first and final loss.

 The clash at Tedorigawa turned out to be a decisive victory for Uesugi Kenshin despite his inferior numbers.

 The legendary commander entrained a massive blow to Oda Nonunaga’s reputation and confidence and reminded him that he was not invincible.

 This victory further solidified Uesugi ’s newly conquered territories in Noto and drastically shifted the balance of power in favour of the Uesugi clan.

 Kenshin, instead of directly marching against Kyoto, brought his army back into Noto province and ordered the repair of Nanao castle, as he himself went back into Echigo.

 In October of 1577, Uesugi Kenshin arranged to put forth a massive army in order to continue his offensive against Nobunaga.

 And then in 1578, Kenshin entered into a formal alliance with the great loser of the battle of Nagashino and a sworn enemy of the Oda, Takeda Katsuyori.

 But it was not to be…

 During the spring of 1578, not even a year after his triumph at Tedorigawa, Kenshin΄s health had deteriorated significantly.

 After he had suffered a seizure, he lingered for 13 days until, on April 19th 1578, the legendary Daimyo died.

 Probably due to a lifelong habit of heavy drinking.

 Just before his death, Uesugi Kenshin wrote the following poem :

 Even a life-long prosperity is but one cup of sake; A life of forty-nine years is passed in a dream; I know not what life is, nor death.

 Year in year out-all but a dream.

 Both Heaven and Hell are left behind; I stand in the moonlit dawn, Free from clouds of attachment