The Day of Battle

September 15, 1600

At 8 a.m., the Battle of Sekigahara began, with the Eastern Army led by Ii and Fukushima launching the first attack. Ukita and Ishida’s Western Army retaliated, leading to a fiercely contested struggle with neither side gaining a clear advantage. To rally his troops, Lord Ieyasu advanced his headquarters to the center of the battlefield.

However, the Kobayakawa forces, who had promised to defect to Ieyasu’s side, remained unmoved.

Lord Ieyasu is getting impatient. Then he made a bold decision: he ordered gunfire to be directed at the Kobayakawa position. Finally, unable to resist the pressure, 15,000 Kobayakawa soldiers charged down Mt. Matsuo, attacking the Western Army’s Otani unit, which had been putting up strong resistance.

By 3 p.m., the Western Army had collapsed, securing victory for the Eastern Army.