Battle of Utsunomiya Castle

Utsunomiya castle during the Edo period.

Date	10–14 May 1868
Location
Result	Imperial victory

Belligerents

Imperial Army

Tokugawa shogunate

Commanders and leaders

Ruler: Meiji Emperor
Army: Kagawa Keizo, Ijichi Masaharu

Shogun: Tokugawa Yoshinobu Army: Takenaka Shigekata, Otori Keisuke, Hijikata Toshizo, others.

Strength

Unknown

2,000

Casualties and losses

Unknown

The Battle of Utsunomiya Castle (宇都宮城の戦い, Utsunomiyajō no tatakai^?) was a battle between pro-imperial and Tokugawa shogunate forces during the Boshin War in Japan in May 1868. It occurred as the troops of the Tokugawa shogunate were retreating north towards Nikkō and Aizu.

In early spring 1868, former Tokugawa retainers under Ōtori Keisuke and Hijikata Toshizō left the shogun's capital of Edo en masse and gathered at Kōnodai (). There were small numbers of men of Aizu under Akizuki Noborinosuke and Kuwana troops under Tatsumi Naofumi also present, as well as a handful of surviving shinsengumi, such as Shimada Kai. While many of their numbers were samurai, there were also many members of other social classes present, particularly under Ōtori's direct command. Their objective was Utsunomiya, a castle town on the road northward to Nikkō and Aizu, which was a position of vital strategic importance. The daimyō of Utsunomiya, Toda Tadatomo, was absent, as he had been charged by Tokugawa Yoshinobu with traveling to Kyoto and submitting a letter of apology and submission. Upon his arrival in Ōtsu, Toda was met by Satsuma-Chōshū forces and placed under confinement, as such a message reaching the ears of Emperor Meiji might have resulted in a premature pardon that would have complicated the alliance's anti-Tokugawa military objectives. This left Utsunomiya in the hands of Tadatomo's retired predecessor, Toda Tadayuki, who also advocated surrender, but was not involved in the efforts of the former Shogunate.

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