[Gifu ]Taiga Drama "What to do about Ieyasu "11 camp sites of warriors who participated in Sekigahara, the battle that divided the country

Sekigahara, where the decisive battle to divide the country took place in the final stages of the Warring States Period, is located in the southwestern corner of Gifu Prefecture. On a plain surrounded by numerous small mountains, the Eastern Army led by Tokugawa Ieyasu and the Western Army led by Ishida Mitsunari clashed on October 21, 1600. On October 21, 2020, the Gifu Sekigahara Battlefield Memorial Museum opened on the site of Ieyasu's last encampment, allowing visitors to experience the history of the Battle of Sekigahara with all five senses. The museum not only displays valuable materials and artifacts, but also has a hands-on corner where visitors can touch swords, flintlock rifles, and other weapons.

"Facility Information "
Facility Name Gifu Sekigahara Ancient Battlefield Memorial Hall
Address: 894-55, Sekigahara-cho, Fuwa-gun, Gifu Prefecture
Phone number 0584-47-6070
Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (admission until 4:30 p.m.)
Closed: Mondays (or the following weekday if Monday is a national holiday)/December 29-January 3
Admission: Adults=500 yen/High school and university students=300 yen/Junior high school students and younger=free
Access 10 min. walk from JR Tokaido Main Line "Sekigahara Station "
Official website https://sekigahara.pref.gifu.lg.jp/

After experiencing an overview of the history of the Battle of Sekigahara at the Gifu Sekigahara Ancient Battlefield Memorial Museum, visitors can experience the historical romance even more deeply by walking around the actual site of the battle. The Sekigahara Tourist Association introduces model courses for historical walks according to purpose and time required. "There are five courses: ", ", ", ", ", ", ", ", and ". This article focuses on the "march course ", which takes about 6 hours to complete and gives a full picture of the battle, and introduces the remains of the camps of the generals who participated in the Battle of Sekigahara.

"The starting point of the march course "is the site of the camp of Tadayoshi Matsudaira and Naomasa Ii. Ii Naomasa, who encamped with Matsuhira Tadayoshi, Ieyasu's fourth son, was one of "the four Tokugawa Heavenly Kings "and a fierce general called "the Red Devil of Ii ". He was dressed in red armor and waited for the start of the war. Around 8:00 a.m., when the morning fog began to lift, the Ii forces opened fire on the western army, and the fierce battle began.

"Facility Information "
Facility Name Ruins of Tadayoshi Matsudaira and Naomasa Ii's camp
Address: 908-3, Oaza Sekigahara, Sekigahara-cho, Fuwa-gun, Gifu Prefecture
Access: JR Tokaido Honsen Line "Sekigahara Station "3 min. walk from the station

The site of Tanaka Yoshimasa's camp is located south of Tokugawa Ieyasu's last camp. It is said that Yoshimasa Tanaka clashed with the soldiers of Ishida's army, who were attacking from the foot of Mount Sasao. It was Tanaka Yoshimasa who captured Ishida Mitsunari, who was defeated in the decisive battle.

"Facility Information "
Facility Name: Yoshimasa Tanaka Camp Site
Address: 959-2, Oaza Sekigahara, Sekigahara-cho, Fuwa-gun, Gifu-ken
Access 10 min. walk from JR Tokaido Main Line "Sekigahara Station "

Tokugawa Ieyasu first set up his headquarters before the decisive battle on a hillside halfway up Momokubari Mountain. He watched the battle from about 3 km east of Sasao Mountain, where Mitsunari Ishida had set up his headquarters. However, frustrated by the back-and-forth battle, at around 11:00 a.m., he marched west from Mt. By firing from the site of Tokugawa Ieyasu's last position to Mt. Matsuo, he encouraged Kobayakawa Hideaki to betray the Western Army, leading to a successful victory in the decisive battle.

"Facility Information "
Facility Name: Ruins of Tokugawa Ieyasu's last camp
Address: 959-2, Oaza Sekigahara, Sekigahara-cho, Fuwa-gun, Gifu Prefecture
Access 10 min. walk from JR Tokaido Main Line "Sekigahara Station "

Hosokawa Tadaoki was stationed at the foot of the Okayama beacon fire, south of the Aikawa River, which flows east of the battlefield. Before joining the Battle of Sekigahara, his wife, Galacha Hosokawa, refused to be taken hostage by Mitsunari Ishida in Osaka, and took her own life. For Tadaoki Hosokawa, the Battle of Sekigahara may have been a battle of mourning for his wife.

"Facility Information "
Facility Name: Hosokawa Tadaoki Camp Site
Address: 811-104, Oaza Sekigahara, Sekigahara-cho, Fuwa-gun, Gifu Prefecture
Access 7 min. walk from "Sekigahara Station on JR Tokaido Honsen Line "

Nagamasa Kuroda and Shigekado Takenaka, whose fathers had both served as military strategists for Hideyoshi Toyotomi, joined the eastern army and encamped in Okayama in the eastern part of Sekigahara. From this small mountain, a panoramic view of Nanguyama, Matsuoyama, Sasaoyama, the Nakayama Road, the Kitaguni Road, and the Ise Road can be seen, making it an ideal location to assess the war situation. The Okayama Beacon Fire Station (Noroshiba) was set up in the camp, and the beacon fires were raised at opportune moments, contributing greatly to the victory of the Eastern Army.

"Facility Information "
Facility Name Ruins of Nagamasa Kuroda and Shigekado Takenaka's camp
Address: 732-27, Oaza Sekigahara, Sekigahara-cho, Fuwa-gun, Gifu Prefecture
Access Approximately 2 minutes by car north of R21 Sekigahara Bypass Ruiryu

The decisive battle of the Battle of Sekigahara took place in the countryside at the southeastern foot of Mount Sasao, where Mitsunari Ishida had his main camp, and northwest of the site of Ieyasu Tokugawa's last camp. In the morning of the day, the battle progressed in favor of the western forces, but the situation changed drastically when Kobayakawa Hideaki switched sides to the eastern forces. The eastern army quickly gained the upper hand, and the western army was defeated after several hours of hard fighting. At the site of the fierce battle, a large stone monument, a flag with the crests of the Tokugawa and Ishida families, and a rest area have been erected. The plain, which now has a peaceful atmosphere, became the site of a defining moment in Japanese history.

"Facility Information "
Facility name: Battleground
Address: 1202, Oaza Sekigahara, Sekigahara-cho, Fuwa-gun, Gifu
Access 20 min. walk from "Sekigahara Station on JR Tokaido Honsen Line "

Mitsunari Ishida, who led the Western Army, set up his headquarters on Mount Sasao, a small mountain northwest of the battlefield. At the foot of the mountain, there is a reconstructed bamboo fence and a horse-proof fence that were built during the battle to defend against attacks by the eastern forces. Ishida Mitsunari prepared for the outbreak of the war with an ironclad defense, with Shima Sakon stationed in front of the fence.

Shimazu Yoshihiro (島津義弘) encamped in the forest of Shinmei Shrine, about 800 meters south of Mount Sasao. With his forces positioned almost in the center of the Western Army's line, Shimazu did not make any notable moves during the battle, but around 14:00, when Kobayakawa Hideaki turned on him and the forces of the East and West were reversed, Shimazu's forces were isolated in the midst of the enemy. It is said that when the defeat of the Western forces became certain, they boldly broke through the enemy and marched southward along the Ise Highway at once.

"Facility Information "
Facility Name Shimadzu Yoshihiro Camp Site
Address: 1869-3, Oaza Sekigahara, Sekigahara-cho, Fuwa-gun, Gifu-ken
Access 15 min. walk from JR Tokaido Main Line "Sekigahara Station "

It is estimated that the battle of Sekigahara began around the entrance to Nishida Athletic Plaza, with Mt. On the day of the battle, the Matsudaira and Ii troops of the Eastern Army advanced in front of the Ukita troops of the Western Army and opened fire, which was the signal for the start of the battle. Masanori Fukushima, who had been deprived of a major role as the spearhead by the Matsudaira and Ii forces, fired a volley of shots at the Ukita forces in exasperation, and the battle began with both forces in turmoil.

"Facility Information "
Facility Name Kaisenchi
Address: 2368-1, Sekigahara-cho, Fuwa-gun, Gifu-ken
Access Approximately 2 minutes drive north from Matsuo intersection of R21

Yukinaga Konishi of the Western Army encamped in a position adjacent to the battlefield. The west bank of the Nashiki River, which runs along the foot of the Kitatenma Mountain, was an important place to hold the Northern Highway in the north and the Nakasendo in the south. As soon as they heard the gunshots fired by the Matsudaira and Ii forces, they raised a beacon fire from Mount Tenma to warn the western forces of the coming battle. It is said that when they received news of the defeat of Otani's army at the end of the battle, they fled across Mount Tenma to the Kasuga area in Ibi-gun.

"Facility Information "
Facility Name Kitatenma Mountain, Yukinaga Konishi's camp site
Address: 2368-1, Sekigahara-cho, Fuwa-gun, Gifu-ken
Access Approximately 2 minutes drive north from Matsuo intersection of R21

At the foot of Mount Minamitenma, southwest of Yukinaga Konishi's camp, was Hideie Ukita, deputy commander-in-chief of the Western Army. He commanded the main force of the Western Army with approximately 17,000 soldiers. With the opening beacon of the war, they were assaulted by the Fukushima unit of the Eastern Army, but continued to fight evenly in the morning. When the western army was defeated, Hideie wandered around in the mountains and then secretly went to Satsuma, apparently relying on the Shimazu clan. Fortunately, he escaped death, but was exiled to Hachijojima Island, where he is said to have spent the rest of his life.

"Facility Information "
Facility Name Minamitenma Mountain, Ruins of Hideie Ukita's camp
Address: 4146-1, Oaza Sekigahara, Sekigahara-cho, Fuwa-gun, Gifu Prefecture
Access Approximately 2 minutes drive north from Matsuo intersection of R21

Yoshitsugu Otani, a member of the Western Army, took up a position at the western edge of the Sekigahara battlefield. About 10 days before the battle began, he began to build a camp on a steep slope in the mountains above the grounds of Wakamiya Hachiman Shrine. It is said that he used his military genius to anticipate the treachery of Kobayakawa Hideaki and set up camp in front of Matsuo Mountain. Despite his illness, he dressed for death in order to honor Mitsunari Ishida and took his own life under the stalemate in the battle. It is said that the news of Yoshitsugu's suicide spread quickly among the western forces, prompting the defeat of the various units.

"Facility Information "
Facility Name Yoshitsugu Otani Camp Site
Address: 30-1 Yamanaka, Sekigahara-cho, Fuwa-gun, Gifu Prefecture
Access 20 min. walk from Hiratsuka Tamehiro Monument into the mountains.

Masanori Fukushima of the Eastern Army took up a position at the southern edge of the Sekigahara battlefield. It is said that he attacked Ukita's forces without a moment's delay while being outflanked by Ii Naomasa, the leader of the eastern forces. The 800-year-old "Tsukiminomiya Osugi "cedar growing in the precincts of Kasuga Shrine at the site of the camp is also depicted in "Sekigahara Gassen Zu-byobu ".

"Facility Information "
Facility name: Fukushima Masanori's camp site
Address: 111 Matsuo, Sekigahara-cho, Fuwa-gun, Gifu Prefecture
Access 5 min. walk south on R21 Matsuo

Perhaps the greatest milestone in the life of Tokugawa Ieyasu was the Battle of Sekigahara, which divided the country. Warlords from all over the country converged on Sekigahara, and the battle determined the subsequent history of Japan. Even today, historical traces remain at the site of the battle. We focused on the model course introduced by the Sekigahara Tourist Association at "and the march course at ", and introduced the camp sites of the 11 generals and the historical traces of the battle.