Siege of Minowa

The 1566 siege of Minowa was one of several battles fought by the Takeda clan in their campaigns to seize the lands of the Uesugi clan, during Japan's Sengoku period. After a period of intense hand-to-hand fighting, Minowa Castle's lord, Nagano Narimori, was killed, and the castle fell.

Some years before, Nagano Narimasa, lord of Minowa castle and faithful retainer to the Uesugi, died; in order to protect the region from the depredations of the Takeda, the Nagano family kept his death a secret until his heir could settle into power. The Takeda attacked in 1566, and were held off for a time, with the young heir, Nagano Narimori, and famous swordsman Kamiizumi Hidetsuna, leading the defence. Intense hand-to-hand fighting eventually led to Hidetsuna leading a bold charge from the castle, which was initially successful. However, Narimori was killed soon afterwards, and the defence fell apart.

References

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