The Fall of Gifu Castle
The Infallible Gifu Castle Fell in Half A Day's Severe Fighting
On this day in August 23, 1600, Fukushima Masanori and Ikeda Terumasa combined their armies and stormed Gifu Castle, as a prelude to the Battle of Sekigahara.
With the outbreak of hostilities around the nation, Oda Hidenobu was aware that the Eastern troops would not be long in coming and that they would cross the Kiso River, and so he ordered fortifications be established along the riverside provincial borders and around Gifu Castle. This weakened the main defences of the castle, and only managed to temporarily thwart the Eastern troop’s advances. The lord of Kiyosu Castle, Fukushima Masanori, attempted to cross the Kiso River near the Nakashima district (modern-day Ichinomiya, Aichi Pref.), but were prevented by the large enemy numbers on the opposite side. Instead, they went south.