Battle of Nagashino, 1575

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Oda Nobunanga and Tokugawa Ieyasu versus Takeda Katsuyori: An army under Takeda besieges a castle when it is assailed by a much larger army under Oda/Tokugawa. Will Takeda’s samurai overpower Oda/Tokugawa’s relatively untested arquebuses performing volley fire?.

Significance

This battle is often cited as an important one in warfare because it is one of the first instances firearms were fired in volleys. However, many authors suggest the importance of the arquebus in this battle is overplayed:

That the battle lasted eight hours suggests that the bow, sword and spear must also have played their part in the Oda-Tokugawa victory. Nevertheless, it is certain that the arquebus was central to the battle’s outcome, its correct application as a volley-firing weapon, combined with an excellent defensive arrangement, causing a high level of casualties and dealing a crushing blow to a force that was employing traditional methods of warfare. (McNab, 107)

Nagashino remains an interesting case study for the study of new technology in warfare, the arquebus only being introduced to Japan a few decades earlier. Both sides possessed the arquebus and yet the technology only helped one in any way. In this battle, we can see how the existence of technology is not itself a means of effecting change on the battlefield. For example, Oda-Tokugawa had to overcome a significant deficiency in the technology (that gunpowder does not work when it is wet), by putting in the effort to keep it dry. They also had to utilize the technology with the correct tactical application (volley fire), and as a suitable part of a larger battle plan (supporting defensive operations along the enemy’s main axis of attack).

Analysis

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By definition, the Takeda clan was outnumbered overwhelmingly but this does not mean victory was unattainable. Takeda vainly attacked on a wide front for too long even though the Oda/Tokugawa left flank was not defended by a palisade or river. Takeda and his soldiers attacked bravely nonetheless except Takeda lost his nerve at a critical moment in the battle when his adversaries were prepared to withdraw themselves. If the battle continued as it was going, Takeda would have lost and there was no way he could have predicted Oda/Tokugawa timely decision to withdraw. Both Oda and Tokugawa could be criticized for their mediocre performance in this battle but this would be unfair. They were fighting as a coalition; much like the Allies in World War II, they united to field superior numbers with conservative victory as the goal. Like many battles, the majority of casualties on the losing side were sustained in the flight.

Notes

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Kure, Mitsuo. Samurai: An Illustrated History. Boston: Turtle, 2001.

Ledbetter, Nathan. “The Battle of Nagashino.” The Samurai Archives. http://www.samurai-archives.com/ban.html (accessed July 26, 2008).

McNab, Chris. “Nagashino, 1575.” In Battles that Changed Warfare 1457 BC – AD 1991, 98-107. London: Amber, 2008.Turnbull, Stephen. Battles of the Samurai. New York: Arms and Amour, 1987.

          Samurai Warfare. London: Arms and Armour, 1997.

          The Samurai Sourcebook. London: Arms and Armour, 1998.

Arquebusiers: http://www.geocities.com/azuchiwind/oda14.htm

Cavalry: http://www.takeda.ro/e_takeda_spirit.htm

Infantry: http://samourais.free.fr/S_Ashigaru.html

Map of Japan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sengoku_period

Map of the world: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_map_projections

Oda Nobunaga: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oda_Nobunaga

Takeda Katsuyori: http://www.samurai-archives.com/katsuyori.html

Tokugawa Ieyasu: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Tokugawa_Ieyasu.jpg

If you enjoyed the Battle of Nagashino 1575 battle animation, you may also enjoy these other battle animations:

Battle of Sekigahara, another battle fought by Tokugawa Ieyasu:

Battle of Panipat 1526, another battle featuring an attack against a prepared defensive position loaded with firepower during the Gunpowder Era:

Battle of Tuyuti 1866, another battle featuring an ill-advised frontal assault against superior numbers:

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