On 28 June 1575 Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu used lines of fences and massed gunfire to destroy the feared cavalry of the Takeda clan at Nagashino, in Mikawa Province, central Japan.
Fences and guns
Nobunaga massed arquebusiers behind wooden palisades and streams, using protected, sustained gunfire against the Takeda horsemen. The Takeda army was led by Takeda Katsuyori, son of the celebrated warlord Takeda Shingen.1
The battle became a symbol of how firearms were changing samurai warfare. Our article on the Battle of Nagashino covers the tactics and the aftermath. › Battle of Nagashino, 1575
Also on this day
1922: Battle of Dublin. A week of street fighting in Dublin opened the Irish Civil War, pitting the new Provisional Government against anti-Treaty IRA men holding the Four Courts.
Frequently asked questions
When and where was the Battle of Nagashino?
It was fought on 28 June 1575 near Nagashino castle in Mikawa Province, central Japan, during the Sengoku period of civil wars.
Who fought at Nagashino?
The allied forces of Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu faced the Takeda clan under Takeda Katsuyori, son of the celebrated warlord Takeda Shingen.
How did Nobunaga use firearms?
He massed arquebusiers behind wooden palisades and streams, using protected, sustained gunfire against the Takeda cavalry.
Notes
A number in the text points to a note; each note names the works that paragraph draws on, listed in full under Sources.
Based on your country, which we do not store · why? ·
Relive the great battles
Echoes of Battle brings the great battles of history to life, scene by scene on the real map. Enlist below and we will send word to your inbox the day it launches.
