Siege of Odawara (1561)

1561 siege in Japan

For other battles with this name, see Siege of Odawara.

First Siege of Odawara

Part of Sengoku period

One corner tower of Odawara Castle today
| Date| 1561

|

Location|

Odawara Castle, Sagami Province, Japan

35°15′2.99″N 139°9′13.00″E﻿ / ﻿35.2508306°N 139.1536111°E﻿ / 35.2508306; 139.1536111
Result|

* Hōjō victory
* Uesugi withdrawal, castle town burned

Belligerents
Uesugi clan forces|  Hōjō clan forces
Commanders and leaders
Uesugi Kenshin
Uesugi Norimasa
Satomi Yoshihiro
Oda Ujiharu
Utsunomiya Hirotsuna
Satake Yoshiaki
Oyama Hidetsuna
Nasu Suketane
Ōta Sukemasa
Mita Tsunahide
Narita Nagayasu|  Hōjō Ujiyasu
Hōjō Ujimasa
Hōjō Ujiteru
Hōjō Tsunashige
Strength
90,000–113,000[1]|  15,000

class=notpageimage|

Location within Kanagawa Prefecture

Show map of Kanagawa Prefecture

Siege of Odawara (1561) (Japan)

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Campaigns of the Hōjō clan

* Arai
* Edo
* Nashinokidaira
* Kamakura
* Ozawahara
* Musashi-Matsuyama 1537
* Kawagoe (1537)
* Kōnodai 1538
* Kawagoe (1545)
* Suruga-Sagami
* Odawara 1561
* Musashi-Matsuyama 1563
* Kōnodai 1564
* Hachigata 1568
* Odawara 1569
* Mimasetoge
* Kanbara
* Nirayama
* Fukazawa
* Omosu
* Kanagawa
* Tenshō-Jingo
* Hachigata 1590
* Odawara 1590
* Shimoda
* Oshi

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Campaigns of Uesugi Kenshin

* Suruga-Sagami
* Kanto
* Amakazari Castle
* Kawanakajima
* Odawara
* Minowa
* Tonegawa
* Tedorigawa

In the 1561 siege of Odawara, a battle of Japan's Sengoku period, Uesugi Kenshin attacked Odawara castle. This was the first of several sieges which would befall Odawara castle, the home castle of the Hōjō clan.

## Background

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In 1559, Kenshin was pushed once again by Uesugi Norimasa to take control of the Kantō back from the Hōjō, and in 1560 he was able to comply. In August of the same year, he put southern Echigo under control of a five-man council for broad mobilization, as well formed a small investigative council for any kind of unrest.[2] In 1561 he marched to Odawara.

## Siege

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Uesugi Kenshin was at the height of his campaign against the Hōjō clan, as he captured several of their castles. Kenshin was successful in taking a number of castles from the Hojo clan, like Numata Castle and Umayabashi Castle.[3]

Later, Kenshin besieged the Hōjō's main castle, Odawara Castle. The Uesugi breached the defenses, and burned the castle town. However, Kenshin would withdraw after two months. This came as the result of a lack of adequate supplies, and the reappearance of Takeda Shingen, Kenshin's long-time rival, who was threatening his territories.

## Aftermath

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The Odawara castle itself however remained unconquered; this ended the first of three sieges of the Odawara castle.

## References

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1. ^ "「関東の覇権を賭けて上杉謙信とバトル". Nonobono Hihonshi. 14 August 2021. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
2. ^ Goldsmith 2008, p. 211.
3. ^ Turnbull 1998, p. 89.

## Sources

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* Goldsmith, Brian (2008). Amassing Economies: The Medieval Origins of Early Modern Japan, 1450–1700. ISBN 9780549851158.
* Turnbull, Stephen (1998). The Samurai Sourcebook. London: Cassell & Co.

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