| The battle at 0800 began with a spirited Tokugawa attack and developed into a general melee conducted under a driving rain. Ieyasu moved his headquarters forward at 1000 and anxiously eyed Kobayakawa, whose ranks had not moved since the start of the action. No real advantage was being enjoyed by either side, and Hidetada was still mnay hours away. The bright spot was that just as [[Kikawa Tsunie]] had promised, the Mori, largely positioned on the eastern slopes of Mt. Nangu, had yet to make any moves. Finally, at noon, Ieyasu ordered rifle fire directed at Kobayakawa's position and this did the trick - Hideaki ordered a general advance against Ishida's forces, and the battle turned in Ieyasu's favor. By that late afternoon, the Battle of Sekigahara was decided and Ieyasu was able to view the many heads taken and also to greet his son Hidetada very icily when he finally arrived. Over the next few days Ishida Mitsunari and a number of other chief 'western' commanders were caught and executed in Kyoto. | | The battle at 0800 began with a spirited Tokugawa attack and developed into a general melee conducted under a driving rain. Ieyasu moved his headquarters forward at 1000 and anxiously eyed Kobayakawa, whose ranks had not moved since the start of the action. No real advantage was being enjoyed by either side, and Hidetada was still mnay hours away. The bright spot was that just as [[Kikawa Tsunie]] had promised, the Mori, largely positioned on the eastern slopes of Mt. Nangu, had yet to make any moves. Finally, at noon, Ieyasu ordered rifle fire directed at Kobayakawa's position and this did the trick - Hideaki ordered a general advance against Ishida's forces, and the battle turned in Ieyasu's favor. By that late afternoon, the Battle of Sekigahara was decided and Ieyasu was able to view the many heads taken and also to greet his son Hidetada very icily when he finally arrived. Over the next few days Ishida Mitsunari and a number of other chief 'western' commanders were caught and executed in Kyoto. |
− | With the defeat of the Western cause, Ieyasu was the undisputed master of Japan. While he had never declared his intention to rule the country, this was the abiding effect of Sekigahara. In the aftermath of the battle, he used his power to redistribute lands to those who had supported him, and reduced the lands of those who had not. For instance, he reduced the [[Mori clan|Môri clan's]] holdings from 1,200,000 ''koku'' to just under 370,000 while granting [[Maeda Toshinaga]] an additional 360,000 ''koku'', making the [[Maeda clan]] the wealthiest ''daimyô'' in Japan behind Ieyasu himself. Some of the 'western' ''daimyô'' he left untouched (such as the [[Shimazu clan|Shimazu]]), while others he stripped of all lands ([[Ukita clan|Ukita]], [[Chosokabe clan|Chôsokabe]], and [[Miyabe clan|Miyabe]], for instance). Meanwhile, those ''daimyô'' who were killed in battle, or who committed suicide shortly after their defeat, such as [[Otani Yoshitsugu|Ôtani Yoshitsugu]] and [[Uda Yoritada]], had their lands confiscated entirely (rather than being left in the hands of their heirs).<ref name=pitelka80>Pitelka, 80.</ref> To an extent, he made his decisions in these matters with the understanding that Toyotomi Hideyori was still alive and well in the mighty Osaka Castle. | + | With the defeat of the Western cause, Ieyasu was the undisputed master of Japan. While he had never declared his intention to rule the country, this was the abiding effect of Sekigahara. In the aftermath of the battle, he used his power to redistribute lands to those who had supported him, and reduced the lands of those who had not. For instance, he reduced the [[Mori clan|Môri clan's]] holdings from 1,200,000 ''koku'' to just under 370,000 while granting [[Maeda Toshinaga]] an additional 360,000 ''koku'', making the [[Maeda clan]] the wealthiest ''daimyô'' in Japan behind Ieyasu himself. Some of the 'western' ''daimyô'' he left untouched (such as the [[Shimazu clan|Shimazu]]), while others he stripped of all lands ([[Ukita clan|Ukita]], [[Chosokabe clan|Chôsokabe]], and [[Miyabe clan|Miyabe]], for instance). Meanwhile, those ''daimyô'' who were killed in battle, or who committed suicide shortly after their defeat, such as [[Otani Yoshitsugu|Ôtani Yoshitsugu]] and [[Uda Yoritada]], had their lands confiscated entirely (rather than being left in the hands of their heirs).<ref name=pitelka80>Pitelka, 80.</ref> |
| Meanwhile, [[Kato Kiyomasa|Katô Kiyomasa]] and [[Date Masamune]], among others, led Tokugawa-loyal forces in wiping out the last vestiges of opposition, in various corners of the archipelago.<ref name=pitelka80/> | | Meanwhile, [[Kato Kiyomasa|Katô Kiyomasa]] and [[Date Masamune]], among others, led Tokugawa-loyal forces in wiping out the last vestiges of opposition, in various corners of the archipelago.<ref name=pitelka80/> |
| + | Though Toyotomi Hideyori and his supporters remained alive, and would a decade later become (or, remain) the chief remaining threat to Tokugawa hegemony, at this early stage, Ieyasu was still in a position to operate out of [[Osaka castle]], and to claim some degree of authority as one of Hideyoshi's named and sworn regents for the young Hideyori. Residing not at Edo but at Osaka for some five months in late 1600 until 1601/3/23, Ieyasu employed this source of authority as he ordered various ''daimyô'' to accede to having their fiefs reduced or confiscated. His presence in Osaka also gave him proximity to the Imperial Court. |