Night Attack - Yochi

Japanese: 夜討 - ようち

(1) A form of battle in which an enemy castle, mansion, or camp is attacked at night. Typical examples include the night attack on Takamatsudono during the Hogen Rebellion and the attack on Kira's residence by the Ako Roshi. In medieval samurai society, it is said that normal daytime battles were subject to certain rules, such as the date, time, and location of the battle, but night attacks, in which the enemy invades without announcing their identity under the cover of darkness, do not conform to these rules at all. However, night attacks were not completely lawless or despicable acts, and were considered one of the warrior's arts, and thus had a different legitimacy to daytime attacks.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

(1)夜間，敵の城，館，陣などに討ち入る戦闘形式で，保元の乱での高松殿への夜討，赤穂浪士の吉良邸討入りなどはその典型である。中世の武士社会では，通常の昼間の戦闘には合戦の日時，場所の指定など一定のルールがあったとされるが，夜陰に紛れ名のりもあげず侵入する夜討は，こうしたルールにまったく適合しない。しかし夜討がまったくの無法や卑劣な行為であったわけではなく，武者の芸の一つに数えられていたように，それ自身，昼とは別の正当性をもつものであった。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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