April 21, 1583 · Ōmi Province Theater
April 21, 1583
With Akechi eliminated, the real contest for Nobunaga's legacy was between Hideyoshi and the senior general Shibata Katsuie, who backed a rival claimant among Nobunaga's grandsons. Hideyoshi again showed the speed that had won Yamazaki, doubling back from a separate campaign with a forced march to catch Katsuie's forces off balance near Lake Biwa and rout them. Katsuie retreated to his castle at Kitanoshō and, with his wife Oichi — Nobunaga's own sister — committed suicide as the fortress burned rather than surrender.
Commanders