Siege of Hasedō

The Siege of Hasedō (長谷堂城の戦い) was one of a series of battles fought in the far north of Japan's main island of Honshū (the Tōhoku region) contemporaneous with the famous and decisive campaigns between Tokugawa Ieyasu and Ishida Mitsunari further south.

Siege of Hasedō
Part of the Sengoku period
Picture of the Siege of Hasedō
Date 1600 Location Hasedō castle, near Yamagata Result Eastern Army victory, Siege fails
Belligerents
Eastern Forces loyal to Tokugawa Ieyasu: Forces of Mogami Yoshiaki and Date Masamune	Western Forces loyal to Ishida Mitsunari: Forces of Uesugi Kagekatsu
Commanders and leaders
Mogami Yoshiaki Shimura Takaharu Rusu Masakage Magoichi Saika Sakenobe Hidetsuna Nanbu Toshinao	Naoe Kanetsugu Maeda Toshimasu Suibara Chikanori Amakasu Kagetsugu Kasuga Mototada Kamiizumi Yasutsuna † Honjō Shigenaga
Strength
Mogami: 7,000 Date: 3,000	20,000
Casualties and losses
623 killed	1580 killed

Prelude

Over the course of the year 1600, Naoe Kanetsugu, a general loyal to Ishida Mitsunari, would lead a campaign in Tōhoku, which included the siege of Hasedō castle, near Yamagata, which was his ultimate goal. Hasedō was held by Mogami Yoshiaki and the castle garrison led by Shimura Takaharu and backed by a Tokugawa-loyal army of the Date clan. Twenty thousand of Uesugi Kagekatsu's men moved towards Yamagata from the north, while Naoe Kanetsugu began his siege on Hasedō.^[1]

Battle

Date's general Magoichi Saika decided to head for the Kagekatsu's north garrison at Yamagata Castle, as Date Masamune army under Rusu Masakage relieved his uncle in Hasedo Castle. (Date Masamune sent Rusu Masakage as his representative.^[2])

Date's forces broke through Maeda Toshimasu forces at the central garrison, but more Uesugi reinforcements arrived to continue the siege of the castle. After Toshimasu defeat, Naoe Kanetsugu decided to head for the front lines, leaving the defense of the Uesugi north garrison to Kagekatsu; Having received reinforcements of 100 horsemen and 200 arquebusiers, he laid siege to Hasedō for fourteen days before Date Masamune forces arrived to relieve the castle.

Rusu Masakage led the relief force to the castle and defeated Uesugi's force led by Suibara Chikanori and Amakasu Kagetsugu as they attempted to penetrate the castle's defenses.

Sakenobe Hidetsuna joined Hasedō castle as reinforcement under the order of Mogami Yoshiaki.^[3] He started a night attack upon the military camps of the Uesugi clan and damaged them.^[4]

The castle was finally relieved by Date forces, causing Naoe Kanetsugu to declare an all-out attack on Hasedō. Kasuga Mototada was the vanguard, and charged the castle, but was forced to retreat due to heavy arquebus fire. After Uesugi forces failed, Maeda Toshimasu was appointed to lead the Uesugi rear guard during the retreat. Later, an army from the castle garrison charged north and then began attacking the retreating Uesugi's forces. Rusu Masakage pushed on towards the Uesugi main camp, and Kanetsugu made preparations to withdraw to the southwest. Maeda Toshimasu reappeared in an attempt to guard Kanetsugu's retreat, but Masakage reached both of them at the main camp. He first defeated Toshimasu, and he then proceeded to defeat Kanetsugu before he could escape.

However, in November 5, news arrived of Tokugawa Ieyasu's victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, and so Naoe called a full withdrawal of all his forces back to Yonezawa, putting an end to Uesugi's campaigns in the north.^[1]

A small besieging force remained, and fighting continued, in which Naoe's general Kamiizumi Yasutsuna was killed.

References

1. "日本の城がわかる事典「長谷堂城」の解説". kotobank. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
2. "Rusu Masakage". kotobank. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
3. "Sakenobe Hidetsuna Page5" (in Japanese). Mogami Yoshiaki Historical Museum official. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
4. "最上家の武将たち" (in Japanese). 山形おきたま観光協議会. Retrieved 24 October 2021.

• Turnbull, Stephen (1998). The Samurai Sourcebook. London: Cassell & Co.

38°12′45.6″N 140°16′20.76″E