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What was the Battle of Okehazama?

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Statue of Tokugawa Ieyasu in ornate robes holding a bow, with arrows on his back, at the Tosho-gu shrine in Nikko, Japan. — Tokugawa Ieyasu Statue of Tokugawa Ieyasu at the Tōshō Shrine in Nikkō, Japan.

The Battle of Okehazama was a pivotal conflict in 1560 during Japan's Sengoku period. In this engagement, Oda Nobunaga led his forces to a decisive victory by routing the significantly larger army of the warlord Imagawa Yoshimoto.1

This victory was a major turning point that elevated Nobunaga from a local warlord in Owari province to a serious contender for national dominance. While Tokugawa Ieyasu is famously associated with the later Tokugawa shogunate and his alliance with Nobunaga at battles such as Nagashino, the Battle of Okehazama specifically established Nobunaga's reputation as a formidable military strategist.12