Siege of Odawara (1561)

The 1561 Siege of Odawara, a battle of Japan's Sengoku period, was the first of several sieges which would befall Odawara castle, the home castle of the Hōjō clan.

First Siege of Odawara
Part of Sengoku period
One corner tower of Odawara Castle today
Date 1561 Location Odawara Castle, Sagami Province, Japan Result Hôjô victory Uesugi withdraw, castle town burned
Belligerents
Uesugi clan Nagao clan	Hōjō clan forces
Commanders and leaders
Uesugi Kenshin Uesugi Norimasa	Hōjō Ujiyasu Hōjō Ujimasa
Strength
18,000	15,000

Uesugi Kenshin was at the height of his campaign against the Hōjō clan, as he captured several of their castles. In 1561 he besieged the Hōjō's Odawara Castle. The Uesugi breached the defenses, and burned the castle town. The castle itself however remained unconquered; Kenshin would withdraw after two months. This came as the result of a lack of adequate supplies, and the reappearance of Takeda Shingen, Kenshin's long-time rival, who was threatening his territories.

This ended the first of three sieges of the Odawara castle.

References

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