Siege of Odawara (1590)

The third siege of Odawara (小田原征伐, Odawara seibatsu) occurred in 1590, and was the primary action in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's campaign to eliminate the Hōjō clan as a threat to his power. The months leading up to it saw hasty but major improvements in the defense of the castle, as Hideyoshi's intentions became clear. Thus, despite the overwhelming force brought to bear by Hideyoshi, the siege saw little actual fighting.

Siege of Odawara
Part of the Sengoku period
Moat of Later Hōjō era`s Odawara Castle
Date May - August 4, 1590 Location Odawara Castle, Sagami Province, Japan Result Siege succeeds; Toyotomi victory
Belligerents
forces of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu	Hōjō clan army
Commanders and leaders
Toyotomi Hideyoshi Tokugawa Ieyasu Ishida Mitsunari Oda Nobukatsu Maeda Toshiie Uesugi Kagekatsu Kobayakawa Takakage Gamō Ujisato Sanada Masayuki Ukita Hideie Hosokawa Tadaoki Chōsokabe Motochika Kuroda Kanbei Ii Naomasa Shimazu Hisayasu	Hōjō Ujimasa † Hōjō Ujiteru † Hōjō Ujikuni Hōjō Ujinao Kaihime Narita Nagachika
Strength
Army of the Tōkaidō:170,000 Army of the Tōsandō:35,000 Navy:10,000–20,630 220,000 total	82,000
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown

The massive army of Toyotomi Hideyoshi surrounded the castle in what has been called "the most unconventional siege lines in samurai history." The samurai were entertained by everything: from concubines, prostitutes and musicians to acrobats, fire-eaters, and jugglers. The defenders slept on the ramparts with their arquebuses and armor; despite their smaller numbers, they discouraged Hideyoshi from attacking. So, for the most part, this siege consisted of traditional starvation tactics. Only a few small skirmishes erupted around the castle, as when a group of miners from Kai Province dug under the castle walls, allowing men under Ii Naomasa to enter.[1]

After three months, the Hōjō surrendered by losing the will to fight by the sudden appearance of Ishigakiyama Ichiya Castle.[2] Tokugawa Ieyasu, one of Hideyoshi's top generals, was given the Hōjō lands. Though Hideyoshi could not have guessed it at the time, this would turn out to be a great stepping-stone towards Tokugawa's attempts at conquest and the office of Shōgun.

In addition to taking Odawara Castle, Hideyoshi also defeated the Hōjō at their outposts at Hachiōji Castle, Hachigata Castle, and Shizuoka in and near the southwestern part of the Kantō region. The Chiba, allies of the Hōjō in Shimōsa, also saw Sakura Castle fall to Honda Tadakatsu and Sakai Ietsugu of the Tokugawa army during the campaign. Chiba Shigetane, daimyō of the Chiba, surrendered the castle to the besieging forces on the condition that his clan would not be abolished. While the Chiba were consequently divested of all of their holdings, many of their senior members were taken into service by Tokugawa retainer Ii Naomasa, thanks to aid he had received many years earlier from the clan during the occupation of Takeda Katsuyori's Tsutsujigasaki Castle.[3]

The tea master Yamanoue Sōji was at the service of the Odawara lords. He was sentenced to death in a tortuous way.