52. Mount Tobisu dawn moon (Tobisuyama gyogetsu)

This scene at the flanks of mount Tobishu is part of the Battle of Nagashino in 1575. Nagashino Castle, Mikawa Province, was under siege of Takeda Katsuyori. Tokugawa Ieyasu and Oda Nobunaga send troops to alleviate the siege, and Katsuyori is defeated. The victory of Western-style tactics and firearms over Takeda's cavalry charge is often cited as a turning point in Japanese warfare. The general wearing the Scull Uma-jirushi is supposed to be Toda Hanbei Shigeyuki, a retainer of Tokugawa. Stevenson* suggests that Yoshitoshi perhaps mistook him for another Tokugawa general, Sakai Tadatsugu. This would explain the dark blue Sakai mon that is visible next to the Tokugawa crest. (printed June 1887)