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Thread: Front Line General in Feudal Japan?

  1. #1

    Icon5 Front Line General in Feudal Japan?

    So, If I've learned anything about winning battles in TW:S2, I've learned your general can't rush to the front lines, or your push for Kyoto may be cut short rather quickly......This makes me curious, was there ever a legit general or ruler (not just a swordsman) that was known for this brash, highly risky behavior of exposing himself on the front lines?

  2. #2
    Hazbones's Avatar Senator
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    Default Re: Front Line General in Feudal Japan?

    Oh Lord, here come the Oda praises...

    A good general in the Sengoku period, would never be in the front lines of fighting in a field battle. If he did, either A) He was a terrible commander or B) He was dumb enough to let the enemy sneak all the way to his rear and surprise him in his maku (field HQ).
    There are several siege battles fought during the period though where generals were caught in the thick of fighting trying to stem the tide of the enemy trying to overrun his castle. Takeda Nobukata (of the Wakasa Takeda Clan) was renowned for fighting in the front with his men and on several occasions had near misses from arrows that missed him by inches but killed people standing next to him. I have read some historical accounts written by his enemies that say they were so close to him in the fight that they could remember the type and color of his armor distinctly. Of course his men loved his bravery but in hindsight, he was stupid for endangering his entire clan if he was to be killed.

    There was a very simple flow of battle that all Sengoku commanders knew and understood...
    1) Open battle with an exchange of arrows (in the later period it was gunfire),
    2) Archers/Gunners withdraw then came the "push of pikes"
    3) Battle then culminated with a cavalry charge (either to wipe up the fleeing enemy or execute a flank attack to break the stalemate of pikes)

    Generals of primary units (i.e. a whole formation like a sonae) were surrounded by their guard units and never led their men from the front (generally speaking). Those that did venture forward were swiftly used as target practice (Kumagai Motonao and Takeda Motoshige both come to mind).
    Last edited by Hazbones; December 31, 2017 at 11:42 AM.

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