Battle of Sekigahara Historic Site 関ヶ原古戦場

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Battle of Sekigahara Historic Site 関ヶ原古戦場

Sekigahara saw one of Japan's most pivotal battles on Oct. 21, 1600 (Sept. 15 of Keicho 5) between Tokugawa Ieyasu's Eastern Forces and Toyotomi Hideyoshi loyalist Ishida Mitsunari's Western Forces. Ieyasu's victory in the Battle of Sekigahara sealed Japan's historical fate for the next 250 years. The former battlefield is dotted with monuments indicating the positions of various warlords during the battle.
This photo shows Mt. Momokubari where Tokugawa Ieyasu first set up his base camp for the Battle of Sekigahara. It is next to busy Route 21. A short distance east of Sekigahara Station. The former Sekigahara battlefield has numerous monuments.

Banners and a monument mark the spot on Mt. Momokubari where Tokugawa Ieyasu's first base camp was established during the Battle of Sekigahara on Sept. 15, 1600.

Ieyasu and his troops were here from about 6 am to 10 am on the day of the Sekigahara battle. He later moved closer to the front line as the battle was going his way. This is a National Historic Place. 桃配山　徳川家康最初陣跡

Steps going up to Tokugawa Ieyasu's first base camp at Momokubari during the Battle of Sekigahara on Oct. 21, 1600 (Sept. 15 of Keicho 5). Today it's just a small hill. The highway seemed to have cut through most of it.

Steps going up to Tokugawa Ieyasu's first base camp during the Battle of Sekigahara.

At the top, see the two large rocks which served as a table and bench for Ieyasu. 家康の腰掛岩と机石

Monuments marking Tokugawa Ieyasu's first base camp during the Battle of Sekigahara. The banners have the Tokugawa family crest.

View of the Sekigahara battlefield from Tokugawa Ieyasu's first base camp at Momokubari.

Monument marking Tokugawa Ieyasu's first base camp during the Battle of Sekigahara.

Another smaller monument marking Tokugawa Ieyasu's first base camp during the Battle of Sekigahara.

Sign explaining that the two rocks below were said to be used as a bench and table for Ieyasu.

Behind the monuments is a trail probably used by Ieyasu's troops on Mt. Momokubari-yama.

Panoramic view of where the Battle of Sekigahara started. Most battle monuments are within walking distance from the train station, but they are numerous and spread over a wide area.The battle started at the foot of the hill on the left of the road. The small hill on the right was where Shimazu Yoshihiro was stationed. Mt. Ibuki is in the background in the middle.

The battle started at the foot of the hill on the left of the road. The small hill on the right was where Shimazu Yoshihiro was stationed. Mt. Ibuki is in the background in the middle.

Path to the Kaisenchi or site where the battle started, at the foot of the hill straight ahead. 開戦地

Banners mark the site where the battle started.

Monument marking the site where the Sekigahara battle started. 開戦地

Monument marking the site where the Sekigahara battle started at 8 am on Sept. 15, 1600 (Oct. 21 Western calendar) with Ii Naomasa firing upon Ukita Hideie.

Banner with Ukita Hideie's crest.

Path to Konishi Yukinaga's station, near where the battle started.

Monument for Konishi Yukinaga's station. 小西行長陣跡

Area around Konishi Yukinaga's position.

Site where the battle started and Mt. Matsuo in the background.

Mt. Sasaoyama, Ishida Mitsunari's base camp, as seen from the final battlefield. 笹尾山

Foot of Mt. Sasaoyama, Ishida Mitsunari's base camp. 笹尾山石田三成陣跡

Foot of Mt. Sasao, Ishida Mitsunari's base camp. 笹尾山石田三成陣跡

Defensive barriers on Mt. Sasaoyama, Ishida Mitsunari's base camp. 笹尾山石田三成陣跡

Ishida Mitsunari's banner with his family crest.

Barriers and steps looking down the slope.

Steps up to the top of Mt. Sasaoyama.

Lookout deck on Mt. Sasao. 笹尾山

Mt. Sasaoyama and stone marker. 笹尾山

Mt. Sasaoyama and stone monument marking Ishida Mitsunari's base camp.

Top of Mt. Sasaoyama

Top of Mt. Sasaoyama and stone monument

Lookout deck with a bird's eye view of the battlefield.

Map on lookout deck.

Sekigahara Battlefield, now occupied mainly by rice paddies, a school, and homes. 関ヶ原古戦場

Sekigahara Battlefield and Mt. Matsuo 関ヶ原古戦場

Map of battlefield for Western Forces. Also see Ishida Mitsunari Birthplace in Nagahama, Shiga.

Monument for the final battle, about 1 km in front of Mt. Sasaoyama, where the fighting was the fiercest. 決戦地The left banner has the Ishida Mitsunari's crest and the right banner has the Tokugawa crest.

Monument for the final battle. By 1 pm, Ishida's Western Forces fell apart, and Ishida fled the scene at 2 pm. 決戦地

Battlefield as seen from the final battle site. Thousands died here. The battlefield is a small plain surrounded by hills and mountains.

Tokugawa Ieyasu's Final Base Camp at Jinbano 陣場野　徳川家康最後陣跡

Tokugawa Ieyasu's Final Base Camp at Jinbano. At 10 am, he moved here from Mt. Momokubari to be closer to the front line. 陣場野　徳川家康最後陣跡

Tokugawa Ieyasu's Final Base Camp at Jinbano 陣場野　徳川家康最後陣跡

Illustration of Tokugawa Ieyasu's Final Base Camp where he inspected the heads of his defeated enemies.

Inside Tokugawa Ieyasu's Final Base Camp

Marker for Tokugawa Ieyasu's Final Base Camp

Ii Naomasa and Matsudaira Tadayoshi's position, near Sekigahara Station. And also next to Higashi Kubizuka.

Monument marking Ii Naomasa and Matsudaira Tadayoshi's position.

Monument marking Ii Naomasa and Matsudaira Tadayoshi's position. 井伊直政・松平忠吉陣跡

East Burial Site, where the decapitated heads of the Western force leaders were buried. 東首塚

Memorial tree

Well where the decapitated heads of Western Force leaders were washed.

East Burial Site, where the decapitated heads of the Western force leaders were buried. 東首塚

Memorial shrine

West Burial Site for the corposes of West Forces leaders. Nishi Kubizuka 西首塚

West Burial Site, Nishi Kubizuka 西首塚

Monument at West Burial Site, Nishi Kubizuka 西首塚

West Burial Site, Nishi Kubizuka 西首塚

Monument at West Burial Site, Nishi Kubizuka

Site of Todo Takatora and Kyogoku Takatomo's position now within the grounds of junior high school. 藤堂高虎・京極高知陣跡

Site of Todo Takatora and Kyogoku Takatomo's position.

Banners mark the site of Todo Takatora and Kyogoku Takatomo's position.

Monument marking the site of Todo Takatora and Kyogoku Takatomo's position.

Banners with Kyogoku Takatomo's crest.

Rear view of monument marking the site of Todo Takatora and Kyogoku Takatomo's position.

Site of Todo Takatora and Kyogoku Takatomo's position.

Site of Fukushima Masanori's position. 福島正則陣跡

Fukushima Masanori's position and shrine.

Monument marking Fukushima Masanori's position.

Signs show the way and distance to the various monuments.

Path to Shimazu Yoshihiro's position.

Hill where Shimazu was.

Shimazu Yoshihiro's position.

Monument for Shimazu Yoshihiro from Satsuma (Kagoshima). Ishida asked for his assistance at 10 am, but was refused.

Monument for Shimazu Yoshihiro's position.

Shimazu Yoshihiro

Site where the battle started as seen from Shimazu Yoshihiro's position.

Path to/from Shimazu Yoshihiro's monument.

Art park to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the battle in the year 2000. Near the Shimazu position.

Sekigahara Town History and Folklore Museum 関ヶ原町歴史民俗資料館Near Tokugawa Ieyasu's Final Base Camp.

Sekigahara Town History and Folklore Museum 関ヶ原町歴史民俗資料館

Explanatory map of the Battle of Sekigahara

Statue of Lord Takenaka Hanbei 竹中半兵衛重治

Inside Sekigahara Town History and Folklore Museum 関ヶ原町歴史民俗資料館

Unique helmets worn by warlords on the battlefield.

Conch shell for battle.

Cannon

Ishida Mitsunari, age 41 at the time of the battle

Illustration of Mt. Matsuo where Lord Kobayakawa Hideaki was based.

Warlord banners

Warlord banners, left to right: Kuroda, Fukushima, Honda, and Tokugawa.

Profiles of neutral armies

Profiles of Western Forces

2nd floor

Weapons used in battle

Samurai armor with matchlock gun bullet holes.Created by an experiment with matchlock gun fired at the body armor at over 50 meters aways, piercing both the front and back body armor.

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