Changes

* [[Amako Haruhisa]] (20,000+) vs. [[Mori Motonari]] (8,000)

* [[Amako Haruhisa]] (20,000+) vs. [[Mori Motonari]] (8,000)

** ''Date: [[1540]]''

** ''Date: [[1540]]''

   

   

Amako Haruhisa, who had been steadily advancing the power of the [[Amako clan|Amako]] (reaching as far west as Harima in [[1538]]) invaded the [[Mori clan|Mori]] lands of Aki Province and forced Motonari to retreat within the walls of Koriyama. Haruhisa, who was determined to eliminate the Mori (a long-time thorn in the Amako's side) once and for all, burned Yoshida (Koriyama’s town) but was unable to dislodge Motonari from Koriyama itself nor entice him to come out. For his part, Motonari contented himself with making small night-time raids on the Amako's supply trains as Haruhisa settled in for a siege. A relief army under [[Sue Harukata]] was sent by the Ouchi and forced Haruhisa to retreat with some loss when the latter was attacked by both Harukata and Motonari. This victory, and the death of the former Amako Daimyo Tsunehisa the following year, would encourage the Mori and Ouchi to invade the Amako's [[Izumo province]] in [[1542]]. That campaign, however, was destined to end with Haruhisa raising a victory cry (see [[First Battle of Gassan-Toda]]).  

[[Amako Haruhisa]], who had been steadily advancing the power of the [[Amako clan|Amako]] (reaching as far west as Harima in [[1538]]), invaded the [[Mori clan|Môri clan's]] lands in Aki Province in 1540.  Although usually described as the Siege of Koriyama Castle, or the Battle of Yoshida-Koriyama, the affair was in fact a campaign with a number of phases and battles that lasted for the better part of six months. 

 

Môri Motonari had for a time been aligned with the Amako and had been instrumental in the capture of [[Kagamiyama Castle]] [鏡山城] in 1523, the same year the Motonari was named as the head of the Mori clan.  By the end of the decade Motonari had cut his ties with the Amako and realigned himself with the [[Ouchi clan|Ôuchi]].  Taking advantage of the growing weakness of the [[Takeda clan (Aki)|Takeda]], Motonari grew ever more powerful in Aki Province. 

 

By 1540, the old lord of the Amako, [[Amako Tsunehisa|Tsunehisa]] had nominally retired and turned over the leadership of the clan to his grandson, [[Amako Haruhisa|Haruhisa]] (also known as Akihisa.) In that year Haruhisa planned a powerful campaign to destroy Motonari and bring Aki under the sway of the Amako.  To this end he gathered an army of some 30,000 men from eight provinces (Bitchu, Bizen, Inaba, Iwami, Izumo, Higo, Mimasaka and Aki itself.)

The initial phase of the campaign, initiated in the 6th month, involved an attack by the troops of [[Amako Kunihisa]], his brother [[Amako Hisayuki|Hisayuki]], and Kunihisa's son [[Amako Masahisa|Masahisa]] on the domain of Motonari's ally, the [[Shishido clan|Shishido]].

In the 8th month Haruhisa's main force departed Izumo and advanced into the vicinity of Motonari's Yoshida-Koriyama Castle and established a headquarters at [[Kazagoshimayama]] [風越山]. Haruhisa's principal commanders included [[Kamei Hidetsuna]] [亀井秀綱], [[Kikkawa Okitsune]] [吉川興経], [[Kokushou Hisazumi]], [黒正久澄], [[Misawa Tameyuki]] [三沢為幸], [[Takahashi Mototsuna]] [高橋元綱], [[Takao Hisatomo]] [高尾久友], [[Yonehara Tsunahiro]] [米原綱寛] and [[Yubara Munetsuna]] [湯原宗綱].  Meanwhile, Motonari evacuated over 5,000 of Yoshida's citizens inside the walls of Koriyama.  The castle's walls were defended by around 3,000 soldiers.  Urgent requests for aid were dispatched to the Ôuchi in Suo Province.

 

Two days after arriving, the Amako launched an attack on Koriyama that ended in failure.  The Amako then burned Yoshida and various other structures around Koriyama.  Motonari responded by sending out a small picked force to engage the enemy and then retreat.  The Amako chased the raiders, only to fall into an ambush Motonari had laid out.  In the course of the ensuing struggle, Takahashi Mototsuna was slain.  In a further action at the end of the month, the so-called [[Battle of Ikenouchi]] [池の内の戦い], Môri general [[Awaya Motoyoshi]] led a sortie out of Koriyama and killed Yubara Munetsuna.

 

On the 11th day of the 10th month Motonari decided to risk a general engagement with the Amako over the objections of his retainers. Kodama Narimitsu [児玉就光], Kunishi Motosuke [国司元相] and [[Watanabe Kayou]] [渡辺通; the reading of his given name may also be Touru] were placed in one ambush with 500 men and Katsura Motozumi [桂元澄] and Awaya Motozane [粟屋元真] were established in another with 200.  Motonari himself led the main part of the army and directly engaged the Amako in a hard-fought struggle.  The ambush troops then emerged on either side of the Amako and threw them into disorder.  The Mori chased the Amako back to their headquarters and caused them significant damage, including the death of Misawa Tameyuki.

 

The Ôuchi relief army, consisting of 10,000 men led by [[Sue Harukata]], finally departed Suo Province in the 11th month, pausing on [[Miyajima]] at offer prayers for victory at the Itskushima Shrine before landing in Aki and marching for Koriyama.  They arrived outside Koriyama on the 3rd day of the 12th month, four months after the siege had begun. A series of skirmishes ensued between the opposing armies.  Combat intensified in the following month, the 1st of 1541, and largely to the detriment of the Amako.  By this time the Amako force that had threatened the Shishido arrived and became heavily engaged in an attack by the Môri and Ôuchi on the Amako's headquarters on Tenjinyama [天神山].  In this action Amako Hisayuki was killed by an arrow and the Amako suffered heavy losses.  In the wake of this, the Amako retainers, noting the army's dwindling supplies and poor morale, elected to retreat.  The Môri and Ôuchi duly pursued but were hindered by snow.

 

 

 

 

==References==

==References==

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[[Category:Battles|Koriyama]]

[[Category:Battles|Koriyama]]

[[Category:Sengoku Period|Koriyama]]

[[Category:Sengoku Period|Koriyama]]