A Revolutionary New Tactic that Shaped the Era

Even after the death of Takeda Shingen, the Takeda clan, under the leadership of Katsuyori, remained a formidable force. In 1575, the Takeda army, with 15,000 men, launched a fierce assault on the Tokugawa-occupied Nagashino Castle in Mikawa. In response, an allied force of 38,000 men from Oda and Tokugawa hastened to its aid. The two armies faced off at the Battle of Shitaragahara.

Katsuyori led the Takeda’s renowned cavalry, one of the strongest in the world, to charge against the Oda-Tokugawa alliance. However, Nobunaga and Ieyasu had a plan. They set up barricades to block the cavalry and arranged 3,000 matchlocks in three lines to launch a devastating volley. This unique tactic was designed to annihilate the cavalry, and they used tactic unmatched anywhere in the world.

In the face of this groundbreaking strategy, the Takeda cavalry fell helplessly. Many of Takeda’s seasoned generals, such as Yamagata Masakage and Baba Nobuharu, were lost in the battle. Katsuyori, with only 3,000 soldiers left, was forced to retreat to Kai. This resulted in a major victory for the Oda-Tokugawa alliance, freeing Lord Ieyasu from the long-standing threat of the Takeda clan.

It seemed that Nobunaga’s unification of Japan was now within reach.