Siege of Odani Castle

The 1573 Siege of Odani Castle (小谷城の戦い, Odani-jō no Tatakai) was the last stand of the Azai clan, one of Oda Nobunaga's chief opponents.[1]

Siege of Odani
Part of the Sengoku period
Date1573
Location
Odani Castle, Ōmi Province
Result

Oda Nobunaga victory

Belligerents
forces of Oda Nobunaga forces of Azai Nagamasa
Commanders and leaders
Oda Nobunaga Azai Nagamasa †
Strength
30,000 5,000

Nobunaga took Odani Castle from Azai Nagamasa, who, left with no other option, committed suicide along with his father. Azai knew from the beginning that he would lose the battle, so he gave his wife Oichi (Nobunaga's sister), and their three daughters back to Nobunaga, saving them from death.[2] Two of Nagamasa's daughters would later marry into powerful families. Their escape from the besieged castle became a fairly common sentimental scene in traditional Japanese art.

Before Azai Nagamasa committed seppuku he decided to make one last siege on Nobunaga's main camp; in the end, however, he failed and was instead captured.

The battle has been featured in the game Samurai Warriors 2. In the game, however, both the Azai and Asakura clans are destroyed during the Odani siege. Historically, the Asakura clan was destroyed before the Azai at the Battle of Ichijodani.

References
  1. Turnbull, Stephen (2000). The Samurai Sourcebook. London: Cassell & C0. p. 224. ISBN 1854095234.
  2. Turnbull, Stephen (1987). Battles of the Samurai. Arms and Armour Press. p. 65. ISBN 0853688265.

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