Imagawa Yoshimoto

Imagawa Yoshimoto (今川 義元, 1519 – 1560) was a Japanese daimyō in the Sengoku period. A powerful warrior, Yoshimoto controlled Suruga, Tōtōmi, and Mikawa Provinces, and was in constant conflict with the Oda clan who ruled over Owari Province to his west, first fighting Oda Nobuhide and then his son Nobunaga.

History

In 1560, Yoshimoto decided to attempt to march on Kyoto and seize control of Japan's central government by raising 25,000 troops for his invasion. The march had to go through Owari to reach the capital, though Yoshimoto's forces outnumbered Nobunaga's almost 10 to 1. His invasion of Owari had significant early successes in taking several forts, with Imagawa clan troops quickly taking the Oda clan's border fort of Washizu while Matsudaira Takechiyo led the Matsudaira clan to capture the outnumbered frontier fort of Marune.

Yoshimoto was with only a few thousand troops, with the rest of his men spread out, when they decided to rest and celebrate their future win at the small gorge of Dengakuhazama. While there, a rainstorm hit, allowing Nobunaga's forces to position themselves for a direct assault against Yoshimoto and his forces. At first, Yoshimoto assumed it was a drunken brawl between his men, realizing only too late he was under attack. Nobunaga's vassals Mōri Yoshikatsu and Hattori Kazutada killed and beheaded Yoshimoto, and his surviving men either surrendered or fled.

Appearances

• Echoes of History – Shadows (mentioned only)