Battle of Kizakihara

• Itô Yoshisuke vs. Shimazu Yoshihiro
• Date: 1572
• Location: Hyûga province
• Japanese: 木崎原の戦い (Kizakihara no tatakai, or Kizakibaru no tatakai)

The Battle of Kizakihara (or Kizakibaru) was a Sengoku period battle fought between the Itô and Shimazu clans at Kizakihara in Hyûga province (today, Ebino City in Miyazaki prefecture). It ended in the effective destruction of the Itô clan.

Following Yoshisuke's capture of Obi, the Itô consolidated their hold over southern Hyûga and, along with the armies of their allies in the Sagara clan, began advancing into territory traditionally held by the Shimazu. Yoshisuke desired to expand Itô influence into Ôsumi province, and to this end supported clans within the borders of that province hostile to the Shimazu. Takahisa was nonetheless able to subdue Ôsumi and in 1572 was in a position to challenge Yoshisuke in open battle at Kizaki plain, on the Ôsumi-Hyûga border. Takahisa died that year, but his second son, Shimazu Yoshihiro, managed to drive the Sagara into withdrawal by giving the impression he had larger forces than he actually did. The Itô then attempted a night siege of Yoshihiro's fortress at Kakutô and failed; as they retreated, the Itô forces were pursued and destroyed by the Shimazu. A great many of the Itô's most significant leaders, including their overall commander Itô Sukeyasu, were killed, marking the fall of the clan.

The other major opposition to Shimazu control of Ôsumi - that is, the Nejime and Kimotsuki clans - were defeated the following year, and so Itô Yoshisuke fled to Bungo province, leaving the Shimazu to re-establish their control of all three provinces (Satsuma, Ôsumi, and Hyûga).

References

• "Kizakibaru no tatakai," Satsuma Shimazu-ke no rekishi, Shôkoshûseikan official website.