Siege of Takamatsu 備中高松城の戦い (1582)

Siege of Takamatsu (1582) | Stories Preschool

In the 1582 siege of Takamatsu (備中高松城の戦い), Toyotomi Hideyoshi laid siege to Takamatsu Castle, which was controlled by the Mōri clan. He diverted a nearby river with dikes to surround and flood the castle, leading to a relatively speedy surrender. He also constructed towers on barges from which his arquebusiers could keep up a constant rate of fire and be unhindered themselves by the flooding. As the battle grew more intense, the garrison received reinforcements from the Mōri, Kikkawa and Kobayakawa clans, and Hideyoshi sent for aid from his lord Oda Nobunaga. In response, Nobunaga sent a contingent of men west, to make their way to Takamatsu, while he himself stopped at the Honnō-ji for a time; during this stay, he would be betrayed and killed by Akechi Mitsuhide.

Edo period portrait of Takamatsu submerged in water

( Click image to enlarge)

Hideyoshi soon learned of the death of his lord, which encouraged him to hurry the arrangement of surrender terms. Shimizu Muneharu, the castle's commander, was forced to commit suicide in a boat on the artificial lake created by the flooding, in full view.

HISTORY

Siege of Takamatsu (1582)

In the 1582 siege of Takamatsu, Toyotomi Hideyoshi laid siege to Takamatsu Castle, which was controlled by the Mōri clan. He diverted a nearby river with dikes to surround and flood the castle, leading to a relatively speedy surrender. He also constructed towers on barges from which his arquebusiers could keep up a constant rate of fire and be unhindered themselves by the flooding.