User:Kamek98/Shogun 2/Choshu/Battle of Nichita Village

Battle of Nichita Village
Part of the wars of the Chōshū Domain during the prelude to the Boshin War
Date 10 May 1865 Location Somewhere in Tsushima Island (exact location unknown) Result Phyrric Chōshū victory
Belligerents
Chōshū Domain	Tsushima-Fuchū Domain
Commanders and leaders
Mōri Tanefusa	Sō Yoshiakira
Strength
1230	1050
Casualties and losses
645	762

The Battle of Nichita Village was fought between the armies of the Chōshū Domain and the Tsushima-Fuchū Domain on 10 May 1865 during the prelude to the Boshin war. The battle concluded in a phyrric victory for the Chōshū Domain.

Background

Imperial-loyal Domains and Shogun-loyal Domains

In the year 1864, towards the end of the Edo period and before the Boshin war, domains in the Han system began warring amongst themselves. However the daimyos domains had begun conspiring against all influence of Shogun control and a lot of domains began to only take orders from Emperor Meiji. As a result, most domains identified themselves as Imperial-loyal or Shogun-loyal and most domains fought to expand the influence of their allegiance throughout Japan. Although Japan was once again in a state of feudalism, it was not recognized as a civil war until 1869 when the Boshin war broke out between the official Imperial forces and the official Tokugawa shogunate forces.

Throughout 1864, the Imperialist Chōshū Domain had established a strong Imperialist "territory" along the western coast of Honshu after capturing the provinces of Nagato, Suo, Aki, and Bingo as well as eliminating the Shogun-loyal Iwakuni Domain. The provinces of Iwami and Bitchu were turned into Imperial-loyal provinces because, after being defeated in war, the Matsuyama Domain (who controlled Bitchu) and the Tsuwano Domain (who controlled Iwami) had become the Chōshū Domain's vassals.

The island of Kyushu was quickly being overrun by Imperial influence as the Oka, the only Shogun-loyal domain in Kyushu, were suffering major defeats to the hands of the Saga Domain and the Satsuma Domain.

Declarations of war

Tsushima Island, also Tsushima Province, was the only province under the control of the Tsushima-Fuchū Domain. The Tsushima-Fuchū Domain was loyal to the Tokugawa shogunate and quickly saw the northwestern portion of Japan fall to Imperial influence. The Tsushima-Fuchū Domain was under control of the Sō clan, who through much of the 1800s did not have good relations with the Mōri clan, and they viewed the situation of the Chōshū Domain expansion as threatening.

All was relatively quiet for the Chōshū Domain since the Battle of Fuchū Castle in November of 1864. This changed when the Tsushima-Fuchū Domain declared war on the Tsuwano Domain for "allowing further expansion of Imperial influence through Japan, more importantly near Kyoto, and for cooperating and accepting the views of the traitor Chōshū Domain and adopting their views on who controls Japan." The declaration of war was made on February 4th, 1865.

As a response to the declaration of war on their vassal Tsuwano Domain, the Chōshū Domain had declared war on the Tsushima-Fuchū on the 9th of February.

Preparation

Perhaps the Tsushima-Fuchū were not expecting the Chōshū to take action against them if they declared war on the Tsuwano. This is believed due to the fact that the Tsushima-Fuchū did not make any military movements following the Chōshū's declaration of war on the 9 February. In fact, the first military movement was made by the Chōshū.

The Chōshū Domain had recently been investing in naval research and had already assembled a navy under the command of Ijuin Takasaki. An invasion force was assembled after the declaration of war and the daimyo controlling the Chōshū Domain had decided to personally lead the invasion force on Tsushima Island/Tsushima Province.

Ijuin Takasaki had transported the army via his Chōshū naval fleet to Tsushima Island sometime in late April.

The battle

The Tsushima-Fuchū had prepared their own army for the defense of the island too. It may have been the intended army that would have been used to invade Iwami Province if it wasn't for the Chōshū intervening. Word had reached Tsushima city that the Chōshū had landed. In response, the Tsushima-Fuchū began advancing from the city towards the Chōshū army as late as May 8th, 1865.

The armies clashed around at a village somewhere in the middle of Tsushima Island. The village has no official records. In fact, the only name given to the village was by Mōri Tanefusa in his journal, Sensō no jānaru, which he called "Nichita Village".

The Tsushima-Fuchū army had been led by Sō Yoshiakira from the so-called village towards the Chōshū who had been marching from a nearby forest. In between the village and the fields is said to have been a field where the two armies engaged in a vicious gunfight.

Multiple times, Ijuin Takasaki's navy bombarded the Tsushima-Fuchū (so the location of the battle couldn't have been far from a coastline) causing more contributions to their casualties.

In the end, Sō Yoshiakira ordered his army to retreat to Tsushima Castle. The battle has been official identified as a phyrric Chōshū victory due to the massive amount of casualties on both sides.

Aftermath

Following the battle, the Chōshū sieged Tsushima Castle but were quickly defeated by the Tsushima-Fuchū. However, Sō Yoshiakira was slain during the siege.

After being pushed back, the Chōshū lost another battle against the Tsushima-Fuchū in the First Battle of Tsushima Fields. Sō Shinsaku (who had taken position as the daimyo of the Tsushima-Fuchū Domain) managed to shoot and kill Mōri Korenobu during the battle.