Siege of Shiroishi

The siege of Shiroishi, in 1600, was one of several feudal Japanese battles leading up to the decisive battle of Sekigahara which ended the period of over 100 years of war, and was immediately followed by the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate.

Siege of Shiroishi
Part of the Sengoku period
Date 1600 Location Shiroishi castle, near Sendai Result Eastern Army victory, Castle falls to Eastern army
Belligerents
Eastern Forces loyal to Tokugawa Ieyasu	Western Forces loyal to Ishida Mitsunari
Commanders and leaders
Date Masamune Mogami Yoshiaki	Uesugi Kagekatsu Naoe Kanetsugu

Shiroishi was a castle just south of the city of Sendai, controlled by a retainer of Uesugi Kagekatsu, who in turn was one of the chief supporters of Ishida Mitsunari.

Date Masamune and Mogami Yoshiaki, daimyō of large nearby domains, laid siege to this castle, beginning the conflict in the north between the representatives of Ishida and Tokugawa. Its capture would also mark the first contribution of Date Masamune to the Sekigahara campaign.

This would be followed by two counter-sieges on the part of Uesugi Kagekatsu and Naoe Kanetsugu against the castles of Hataya and Kaminoyama.

References

• Turnbull, Stephen (1998). 'The Samurai Sourcebook'. London: Cassell & Co.