Battle of Sekigahara
1600 CE · Sekigahara, Japan
The Battle of Sekigahara was fought in 1600 CE in Sekigahara, Japan between Eastern Army of Tokugawa Ieyasu vs the Western Army loyal to Toyotomi Hideyori; decisive Tokugawa victory that led to the Tokugawa shogunate.
Battle of Sekigahara: quick facts
- Date
- 1600 CE
- Location
- Sekigahara, Japan
- Belligerents
- Eastern Army of Tokugawa Ieyasu vs the Western Army loyal to Toyotomi Hideyori
- Commanders
- Tokugawa Ieyasu vs Ishida Mitsunari
- Result
- decisive Tokugawa victory that led to the Tokugawa shogunate.
- Era
- ⛩️ East Asia
- Quiz difficulty
- medium
What happened at the Battle of Sekigahara?
Often called the greatest samurai battle in history, Sekigahara pitted Tokugawa Ieyasu's Eastern Army against the Western Coalition loyal to the Toyotomi clan. The defection of several western daimyo during the battle turned the tide decisively in Tokugawa's favor. The victory allowed Ieyasu to establish the Tokugawa Shogunate, which ruled Japan in relative peace for over 260 years.
Did you know?
At Sekigahara, the Western daimyo Kobayakawa Hideaki sat on a hilltop for hours refusing to commit to either side. Tokugawa Ieyasu finally ordered his men to fire on Kobayakawa's position, which prompted him to switch sides.
Sources and further reading
- Battle of Sekigahara on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.