Siege of Inabayama Castle

Gifu Castle tenshu, 2012

Date	13–27 September 1567
Location	Mt. Inaba, Mino Province, Japan
Result	Oda victory

Belligerents

Oda clan

Saitō clan

Commanders and leaders

Oda Nobunaga
Kuroda Kanbei

Saitō Tatsuoki
Takenaka Hanbei

Strength

13,000+

Castle garrison

The Siege of Inabayama Castle (稲葉山城の戦い, Inabayama-jō no Tatakai^?) of 1567 was the final battle in Oda Nobunaga's campaign to defeat the Saitō clan in their mountaintop castle and conquer Mino Province, Japan. It was a short two-week siege, fought between 13 and 27 September 1567, or in the Japanese calendar: from the 1st to 15th day of the 8th month, in the 10th year of the Eiroku era, according to the Nobunaga Chronicle. The siege ended in a decisive battle and victory of Nobunaga's combined forces, and resulted in the subjugation of the Saitō clan, their vassals, and allies. This victory was the culmination of Nobunaga's Mino campaign, waged intermittently over the previous six years, and brought an end to a rivalry between the Oda clan of Owari Province and the Saitō clan of Mino, which began over twenty years earlier between Nobunaga's father, Oda Nobuhide and Saitō Dōsan.

Due to the weak leadership of the Saitō, many samurai leaders defected to Nobunaga before the battle, while others willingly submitted afterward. With this victory, Nobunaga took control of the expansive and fertile Mino Province and gained numerous supporters and resources. Nobunaga had the former Saitō castle repaired and renamed it Gifu Castle, a firm base from which to expand north into the Hokuriku region and to make his drive toward Kyoto. Gifu Castle functioned as his primary residence and military headquarters until he moved to the partially completed Azuchi Castle in 1575.

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