10 Amazing Rarely Mentioned Battles Of Japan's Civil War Era

The infamous 'One-Eyed Dragon', Date Masamune, almost didn't get the chance to become so infamous. One of his earliest challenges came about when the neighboring Nihonmatsu-Hatakeyama clan kidnapped Masamune's father and in the ensuing fighting Masamune's gunners accidentally killed said father. Masamune swore vengeance on his father's kidnappers and declared war on them.

Considering the Nihonmatsu's subterfuge they were surprisingly able to win a lot of support in the war due in no small part to Masamune's lack of political tact. A coalition of Masamune's neighbors including the powerful Hatakeyama, Soma, Ashina, and Satake clans combined forces to bring a swift end to the Date clan.

Masamune chose to defend his territory at the strategically defensible Hitadori bridge – also called Hitotori. The fighting was brutal and Masamune's warriors were outnumbered more than four times over. With over 30,000 soldiers pressing in on his mere 7,000 it certainly didn't help when Masamune's own aunt defected to the coalition, taking her entire castle and army with her. It does make sense, of course – her son was the lord of one of the coalition clans.

Once the coalition forces overwhelmed the bridge, Masamune had little choice but to mount a last-stand in his castle of Motomiya which was quickly put to siege. Should the coalition win it would have proved the end of the Date clan. But the following morning a large chunk of the besiegers simply packed up and left the field, returning south. Apparently the Satake lord had received news that his own lands were under attack from a neighbor. The rest of the coalition decided they weren't strong enough without him and they also packed up and left, saving the Date clan from total ruin.