Difference between revisions of "Siege of Iwaya"

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* ''Date: [[1586]]''
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* [[Shimazu Yoshihiro]] (50,000) vs. [[Takahashi Shigetane]] (760)
* ''Location: [[Chikuzen province]]''
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** ''Date: [[1586]]''
* ''Siege''  
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** ''Location: [[Chikuzen province]]''
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** ''Castle Siege''
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** ''KIA: Takahashi Shigetane''
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*''Japanese'': 岩屋城の戦い ''(Iwaya jou no tatakai)'', 岩屋城攻め ''(Iwaya jou seme)''
  
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The [[1586]] siege of [[Iwaya castle]] was a battle which took place as part of [[Shimazu clan]] efforts to take control of all of [[Kyushu]].
  
[[Shimazu Yoshihiro]] (under the command of Shimazu Yoshihisa) (50,000) vs. [[Takahashi Shigetane]] (under the command of [[Otomo Yoshimune]]) (760)
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With the defeat of the [[Ryuzoji clan|Ryûzôji clan]] at [[Battle of Okitanawate|Okita-nawate]] in [[1584]], the Shimazu returned their full attention to their push into [[Otomo clan|Ôtomo clan]] territory. Iwaya was located in [[Daizaifu (city)|Daizaifu]], in the south of [[Chikuzen province]], and was controlled by one of the pillars of the Ôtomo house, [[Takahashi Joun|Takahashi Shigetane (Jôun)]] and his son [[Tachibana Muneshige]], with a force of some 760 men. Jôun rejected the Shimazu calls for their capitulation, believing that reinforcements from [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]] and the [[Mori clan|Môri clan]] would arrive soon.
  
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After holding out for two weeks against enormous odds, Shigetane, aware of the futility of further resistance, committed suicide. When the Shimazu heard of his end, they are said to have prayed for his spirit, so impressed were they by his bravery. In the end, the defenders of the castle were destroyed entirely; however, the attackers suffered considerable losses as well. Hesitant to get involved in a lengthy engagement, the Shimazu then left it up to their newly acquired retainers of northern Kyushu to besiege Muneshige's [[Tachibana castle]] for him.
  
With the defeat of the Ryuzoji at [[Battle of Okitanawate|Okitanawate]] in [[1584]], the Shimazu returned their full attentions to the Otomo and began to push deeply into their territory. A drive into Chikuzen Province resulted in the Siege of Iwaya in 1586. Iwaya was held by one of the pillars of the Otomo house, Takahashi Shigetane (Shoun), and some 760 men. After holding out for two weeks against enormous odds, Shigetane, aware of the futility of further resistance, committed suicide. When the Shimazu heard of his end, they are said to have prayed for his spirit, so impressed were they by his bravery.  
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This siege caused the Shimazu invasion of [[Bungo province]] to be delayed; Toyotomi Hideyoshi would arrive the following year and seize Kyushu for himself before the Shimazu were able to complete their own conquest of the island.
  
KIA: Takahashi Shigetane.  
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{{stub}}
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==References==
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*"[http://www.shuseikan.jp/word/sengoku06.html Iwaya-jô seme]," ''Satsuma Shimazu-ke no rekishi'', [[Shokoshuseikan|Shôkoshûseikan]] official website.
 
    
 
    
 
[[Category:Battles|Iwaya]]
 
[[Category:Battles|Iwaya]]
 
[[Category:Sengoku Period|Iwaya]]
 
[[Category:Sengoku Period|Iwaya]]

Latest revision as of 21:14, 15 December 2015

The 1586 siege of Iwaya castle was a battle which took place as part of Shimazu clan efforts to take control of all of Kyushu.

With the defeat of the Ryûzôji clan at Okita-nawate in 1584, the Shimazu returned their full attention to their push into Ôtomo clan territory. Iwaya was located in Daizaifu, in the south of Chikuzen province, and was controlled by one of the pillars of the Ôtomo house, Takahashi Shigetane (Jôun) and his son Tachibana Muneshige, with a force of some 760 men. Jôun rejected the Shimazu calls for their capitulation, believing that reinforcements from Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the Môri clan would arrive soon.

After holding out for two weeks against enormous odds, Shigetane, aware of the futility of further resistance, committed suicide. When the Shimazu heard of his end, they are said to have prayed for his spirit, so impressed were they by his bravery. In the end, the defenders of the castle were destroyed entirely; however, the attackers suffered considerable losses as well. Hesitant to get involved in a lengthy engagement, the Shimazu then left it up to their newly acquired retainers of northern Kyushu to besiege Muneshige's Tachibana castle for him.

This siege caused the Shimazu invasion of Bungo province to be delayed; Toyotomi Hideyoshi would arrive the following year and seize Kyushu for himself before the Shimazu were able to complete their own conquest of the island.

References