The Siege of Odawara

In 1590 (Tensho 18), Toyotomi Hideyoshi attacked and destroyed Hojo Ujimasa and Ujinao, father and son, whose main castle was in Odawara (Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture). The Later Hojo clan, whose ancestor was Ise Shinkuro Nagauji (Hojo Soun), took advantage of the turbulent times of the Warring States period and ruled the Kanto and Izu regions for five generations. However, due to the changes in the political situation in the center, they became independent and controlled the eastern provinces. Hideyoshi, who had already pacified Kyushu and set out to unify the country, often urged Ujimasa and his men to go to Kyoto, but they would not consent. Taking advantage of the fact that Ujinao, who was at odds with the Sanada clan over the ownership of Nagurumi Castle in Kozuke (Gunma Prefecture), sent troops, Hideyoshi ordered the whole country to attack the Hojo at the end of the previous year, 1589, mobilizing the daimyo and navy of the western provinces and assigning Tokugawa Ieyasu to the vanguard, attacking from the Tokaido and Tosando roads, and surrounding and attacking subsidiary castles such as Yamanaka, Ashigara, Nirayama, Iwatsuki, Hachigata, Hachioji, Tatebayashi, and Oshi. In March 1590, Hideyoshi set up his own headquarters on Ishigakiyama, across the Hayakawa River from Odawara Castle, and surrounded the Hojo forces, who were besieging them from land and sea, demonstrating his military might. The attack, which lasted for about 100 days from the end of March, destroyed the morale of the Hojo army, and with the betrayal of senior vassal Matsuda Norihide and others, Hojo Ujimasa and others finally surrendered at the end of June. Hideyoshi forced Ujimasa and his brother Ujiteru to commit suicide, pardoned the head of the Hojo clan, Ujinao, and exiled him to Mount Koya, and executed senior vassals Matsuda Norihide and Daidoji Masashige. After the war, he gave all of the Hojo clan's former territories to Ieyasu, and disowned him from his former territories of Suruga, Totomi, and Mikawa, forcing him to move to Edo. During this battle, Date Masamune also joined Hideyoshi and surrendered, and this battle marked the completion of the unification of Japan.

[Ikuo Fukuda]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

1590年（天正18）、豊臣秀吉(とよとみひでよし)が小田原（神奈川県小田原市）を本城とする北条氏政(ほうじょううじまさ)・氏直(うじなお)父子を攻撃し滅亡させた戦い。後北条(ごほうじょう)氏は戦国時代の風雲に乗じた伊勢新九郎長氏(いせしんくろうながうじ)（北条早雲(そううん)）を祖とし、5代にわたって関東と伊豆一帯を制覇した戦国大名であったが、中央の政治情勢の推移から独立し東国を抑えていた。すでに九州を平定して全国統一に乗り出した秀吉はしばしばその上洛(じょうらく)を促したが、氏政らは肯(がえん)じなかった。上州（群馬県）の名胡桃城(なぐるみじょう)の帰属をめぐって真田(さなだ)氏と対立した氏直が出兵したことを機として、秀吉は前年1589年末に天下に北条討伐を命じ、西国の大名や水軍をも動員し、先鋒(せんぽう)には徳川家康をあてて東海道、東山道から進攻させ、山中、足柄(あしがら)、韮山(にらやま)、岩槻(いわつき)、鉢形(はちがた)、八王子、館林(たてばやし)、忍(おし)などの支城を包囲、攻撃させた。秀吉は、1590年3月、自ら小田原城を望む早川対岸の石垣山に本営を構え、籠城(ろうじょう)策をとる北条方を陸海から包囲して武威を示した。3月末から約100日に及ぶ攻撃のため、北条軍の士気は阻喪し、とくに重臣松田憲秀(まつだのりひで)らの内応もあったため、6月末についに北条氏政以下が降伏した。秀吉は、氏政と弟氏照(うじてる)を自決させ、当主氏直を許して高野山(こうやさん)に追放、松田憲秀、大道寺政繁(だいどうじまさしげ)の重臣を斬(き)った。また戦後、北条氏の旧領をすべて家康に与え、駿河(するが)、遠江(とおとうみ)、三河の旧領から絶縁させて江戸に移らせた。この戦陣中、伊達政宗(だてまさむね)も秀吉に来応して屈服、この戦(いくさ)によって天下統一が完成した。

［福田以久生］

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