Campaign

4 primary works • 7 total works

Nagashino 1575

by Stephen Turnbull

Published 1 March 2000

Osprey's examination of the campaign at Nagashino in 1575. When Portuguese traders took advantage of the constant violence in Japan to sell the Japanese their first firearms, one of the quickest to take advantage of this new technology was the powerful daimyo Oda Nobunaga. In 1575 the impetuous Takeda Katsuyori laid siege to Nagashino castle, a possession of Nobunaga's ally, Tokugawa Ieyasu. An army was despatched to relieve the siege, and the two sides faced each other across the Shidarahara. The Takeda samurai were brave, loyal and renowned for their cavalry charges, but Nobunaga, counting on Katsuyori's impetuosity, had 3,000 musketeers waiting behind prepared defences for their assault. The outcome of this clash of tactics and technologies was to change the face of Japanese warfare forever.

Osaka 1615

by Stephen Turnbull

Published 1 June 2006

In 1614, Osaka Castle was Japan's greatest fortification, measuring approximately 2 miles in length with double circuits of walls, 100 feet high. It was guarded by 100,000 samurai, loyal to their master: the head of the Toyotomi clan, Toyotomi Hideyori. The castle was seemingly impenetrable, however the ruling shogun of the age, Tokugawa Ieyasu, was determined to destroy this one last threat to his position as Japan's ultimate ruler. This book explores the complex background of this bitter struggle, as well as the battle experiences of the opposing forces, in a compelling exploration of the conflict that led to the eventual triumph of one dynasty over another.

Samurai Invasion of Korea 1592-98

by Stephen Turnbull

Published 2 July 2008

The invasions of Korea launched by the dictator Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1592-1593 and 1597-1598) are unique in Japanese history for being the only time that the samurai assaulted a foreign country. Hideyoshi planned to invade and conquer China, ruled at the time by the Ming dynasty, and when the Korean court refused to allow his troops to cross their country, Korea became the first step in this ambitious plan of conquest. In 1592 a huge invasion force of 150,000 men landed at the ports of Busan and Tadaejin under the commanders Konishi Yukinaga and Kato Kiyomasa. These two Japanese divisions rapidly overran their Korean counterparts, taking the principal cities of Seoul and then Pyongyang and driving the remnants of the Korean Army into China. The Japanese division under Kato Kiyomasa even started to advance into Manchuria. However, the Korean strength was in their navy and the vital Korean naval victory of Hansando disrupted the flow of supplies to the invasion forces, forcing them to hold their positions around Pyongyang. In 1593, the Chinese invaded capturing Pyongyang from the Japanese and driving them southwards. This phase of the war ended in a truce, with the Japanese forces withdrawing into enclaves around the southern port of Busan while the Ming armies largely withdrew to China. In 1597, following the breakdown in negotiations, the Japanese invaded again with a force of 140,000 men. However, the Chinese and Koreans were now better prepared and the advance came to a halt south of Seoul, and then forced the Japanese southwards. In November 1598 Hideyoshi died, and with him the enthusiasm for the military adventure. The Japanese council of regents ordered the withdrawal of the remaining forces, and the naval battle of Noryang, which saw the Japanese fleet annihilated by the Korean admiral Yi-Sunshin, proved to be the last significant act of the conflict.

Mongol Invasions of Japan 1274 and 1281

by Stephen Turnbull

Published 10 January 2010

From his seat in Xanadu, the great Mongol Emperor of China, Kubla Khan, had long plotted an invasion of Japan. However, it was only with the acquisition of Korea, that the Khan gained the maritime resources necessary for such a major amphibious operation. Written by eastern warfare expert Stephen Turnbull, this book tells the dramatic story of the two Mongol invasions of Japan that pitted the masters of the steppes against the noble Samurai. Using detailed maps, illustrations, and newly commissioned artwork, Turnbull charts the history of these great campaigns, which included numerous bloody raids on the Japanese islands, and ended with the famous kami kaze, the divine wind, that destroyed the Mongol fleet and would live in the Japanese consciousness and shape their military thinking for centuries to come.

Kawanakajima 1553-64

by Stephen Turnbull

Published 19 November 2003

Kawanakajima is unique in history. In the space of 12 years, between 1553 and 1564, this valley deep in the mountains of central Japan witnessed no less than five battles between two of Japan's greatest warlords. Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin were both descended from great families and were highly skilled tacticians. Stephen Turnbull chronicles the see-saw struggle between two men who epitomize the warrior daimyo from Japan's 'Warring States' period.

Kawanakajima is unique in history. In the space of 12 years, between 1553 and 1564, this valley deep in the mountains of central Japan witnessed no less than five battles between two of Japan's greatest warlords. Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin were both descended from great families and were highly skilled tacticians. Both had taken the tonsure and risen to high rank in their respective Buddhist sects. When Shingen attempted to seize control of Shinano province they were set on a collision course. Stephen Turnbull chronicles the see-saw struggle between two men who epitomize the warrior daimyo from Japan's 'Warring States' period.

The Gempei War 1180–85

by Stephen Turnbull

Published 28 July 2016

Internationally renowned samurai expert Dr Stephen Turnbull delves into a pivotal era of Japanese history in this highly illustrated account of The Gempei War a conflict that defined the age and the ethos of the samurai.
Never before had there been a large-scale clash between two rival samurai families, the Taira and the Minamoto, and never again would the result of a war in Japan be quite so dramatic. Fought to gain control over the emperor it would end with imperial power being totally eclipsed in favour of the military might of the samurai class and the establishment of the position of Shogun – Japan's military dictator. Turnbull examines the events of the five-year long conflict, revealing the changes that the war inflicted on Japanese culture and the establishment of many of the traditions of the samurai.

Tannenberg 1410

by Stephen Turnbull and Richard Hook

Published 30 May 2003

By 1400 the long running conflict between the Teutonic Knights and the Polish-Lithuanian kingdom was coming to a head. In June 1410 Ladislos II of Lithuania invaded the Order's territory with an army of 10,000. It included many of the Teutonic Knights enemies - Poles, Lithuanians, Russians, Tartars and Cossacks. The armies clashed on the rolling hills of Tannenberg, although neither side could gain any decisive advantage. The Hochmeister then led his remaining reserve against the Lithuanian King's contingent in an attempt to pierce the enemy line. His charge failed and he and many of the Order's leading officer's were surrounded and killed. The Teutonic Knights never recovered from this disastrous defeat, which marked the beginning of a terminal decline in this once great Order.