Battle of Okehazama (2/2)Oda Nobunaga wins an unexpected victory! ?

Oda army 2,000 men vs. Imagawa army 45,000 men. Since it is written in Nobunaga's "Nobunaga Koki", it is possible that the number of Imagawa troops was "increased" (some say it was around 25,000 people), but in any case, a small number of people defeated a large number of people. I'm sure I did. How was that possible? I would like to summarize the possible causes.

Reason for victory #1

Thorough information management
Nobunaga did not divulge his strategy to anyone, as evidenced by the small talk he had held at the meeting the day before. It may be said that information management to prevent tip-offs was one of the reasons for the victory.

Reason for victory #2

The fall of Fort Marune and Fort Washizu and the rise of Masatsugu Sasa and Shiro Chiaki were bluffs.
There is a theory that Yoshimoto was caught off guard by intentionally letting Fort Marune and Fort Washizu fall to the Imagawa army and defeating the small advance troops. Additionally, the movement of the advance troops may have led to information such as the location of the Imagawa army's formation.

Reason for victory #3

The good fortune of sudden heavy rain
This can only be described as Nobunaga's strong fortune, but the sudden torrential rain mixed with hail gave Nobunaga a boost. For the Imagawa army, the storm was coming head-on, so by the time the weather improved, they would have been exhausted and would not have noticed the approach of the Oda army. It must have been just luck.

Reason for victory #4

Dispersed the Imagawa army
In the first place, among the 45,000-strong army, there were many cargo soldiers who were used to secure logistics. Also, the Imagawa army was dispersed by Nobunaga, such as the fort attack force and the main force. There is a theory that the number of troops who were actually working with Yoshimoto was around 5,000 to 6,000 people. In reality, the difference in strength may have been smaller than expected.

Movements of Motoyasu Matsudaira, who was also active in Okehazama

Now, what did Motoyasu Matsudaira, later known as Tokugawa Ieyasu, another famous person who took part in the Battle of Okehazama, do when Yoshimoto was defeated? According to "Matsudaira Ki" and other sources, Motoyasu carried military provisions to Otaka Castle, captured Marune Fort, and then defended Otaka Castle. There, they received a call informing them of Yoshimoto's death, so they hurriedly retreated.

While being attacked by the surrounding Oda forces, he desperately returned to Mikawa Province and arrived at his family temple, Daiju-ji Temple. It seems that the situation was extremely difficult, and Motoyasu considered suicide at this time, but was reprimanded by his subordinates and decided against it. After the Imagawa family withdrew from Okazaki Castle, Motoyasu entered the castle on May 23rd.

Before the Imagawa family, the Matsudaira family was the lord of Okazaki Castle, and Motoyasu was born there. After regaining Okazaki Castle, Motoyasu began to pacify Nishi Mikawa. For a while, they fought alongside the Imagawa family against Nobunaga, but in 1562 they reconciled by concluding the Kiyosu Alliance through the mediation of Nobumoto Mizuno.

Nobunaga and the Imagawa family after the Battle of Okehazama

The Battle of Okehazama brought the military commander Oda Nobunaga to the public's attention. After subduing Mino, Nobunaga continued to make strides towards conquering the nation.

On the other hand, after Yoshimoto's death, the Imagawa family was succeeded by his son Ujimasa Imagawa, but the family weakened as many of their senior vassals were killed in the Battle of Okehazama. It was destroyed in 1569 by Takeda Shingen's invasion of Suruga and Ieyasu's invasion of Totomi Province. It can be said that the Battle of Okehazama was a battle that divided the fate of the two families.