Lecture 20: 1600 Sekigahara—Samurai Showdown
x 2WDQL¶VPHQIRXJKW¿HUFHO\EXWWKH\ZHUHYDVWO\RXWQXPEHUHG²D
disadvantage that multiplied when the minor lords who had also
been delaying now followed Kobayakawa’s lead, switched sides,
and threw their lot in with Tokugawa.x $WWKHRWKHUHQGRIWKHOLQH6KLPD]XKDG¿QDOO\MRLQHGWKHEDWWOH
but it was much too late, and the tide was now turning against
Ishida. With Tokugawa’s forces pressing in from the front and
Kobayakawa’s from the side, Ishida’s lines began to buckle, and
individual commanders and units started to break away. By early
afternoon, the victory would be Tokugawa’s.Outcomes
x After Sekigahara, Tokugawa’s power was unrivaled. He
redistributed land to reward his lords and punish his enemies. The
still preadolescent son of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, in whose name
Ishida had fought, was granted a large territory and allowed to
live in Osaka castle. In 1615, however, trumped-up charges were
brought against him, the castle was besieged, and the last members
of the Toyotomi clan were either killed or committed suicide.x In 1603, Tokugawa took the title of shogun and effectively became
WKHUXOHURIDXQLWHG-DSDQ,QKHRI¿FLDOO\UHWLUHGDOWKRXJK
he continued to manipulate events behind the scenes. The dynasty
that he founded, the Tokugawa shogunate, continued to rule Japan
for approximately 250 years.Bryant, Sekigahara 1600.
Sansom, A History of Japan, 1334–1615.
Turnbull, Battles of the Samurai.Suggested Reading