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Battle of Itsukushima

Type Event Region Japan Time 1555

In 1555, Mōri Motonari lured Takeda forces with a feigned surrender and surprised Tō Haruyoshi near Itsukushima (Miyajima), defeating a larger army a…

Timeline

  1. 1555Itsukushima · Aki ProvinceTō Haruyoshi held Itsukushima and Oshibata with the remnants of the Ōuchi clan, some 20,000 strong; Mōri Motonari had only a few thousand men, so he feigned surrender and weakness, luring Tō's forces into complacency and dispersed deployment.
  2. 1555Oshibata · Aki ProvinceMōri's forces landed at night from behind and struck Tō's main camp. Tō Haruyoshi fought back in haste, but his army routed; Tō Haruyoshi took his own life, and Ōuchi rule in Aki collapsed.
  3. 1555Aki Province · Aki ProvinceAfter the Battle of Itsukushima, Mōri Motonari quickly swept away the remnants of the Tō clan, controlling Aki and surrounding key positions, laying the foundation for the subsequent unification of the Chūgoku region; his "Lesson of the Three Arrows" also became a later political symbol.

Sources