Imagawa Yoshimoto's grave at Okehazama

Imagawa Yoshimoto (今川義元, Imagawa Yoshimoto^? 1519-June 12, 1560) was one of the leading daimyo (feudal lords) in early Sengoku period Japan. Events 1381 - Peasants' Revolt: in England, rebels arrive at Blackheath. The ( were powerful territorial lords who ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings Based in Suruga Province, he was one of the three daimyo that dominated the Tōkaidō region. was an old province in the area that is today the eastern part of Shizuoka prefecture. The was originally an old Japanese geographical region that made up the Gokishichidō system and was situated along the southeastern edge of Honshū, its name literally He was one of the dominant daimyo for a time until his death in 1560

Early Life

He was a third son of Imagawa Ujichika. was a Japanese Daimyo of the Sengoku period. He was the 10th head of the Imagawa clan of Suruga Province. He was sent to a temple as a young boy where his name was changed to Baigaku Shōhō. Unrest broke out when his older brother Ujiteru died suddenly (some say he was poisoned) in 1536. was a Japanese Daimyo of the Sengoku period, who ruled the Imagawa clan of Suruga Province. His elder half-brother, Genkō Etan, tried to seize the heirship but the clan split into two factions. Yoshimoto's faction demanded that since Yoshimoto's mother was the consort of Ujichika, he was the rightful heir. Genkō Etan's faction demanded that since he was older, he was the rightful heir. Genkō Etan's mother was a concubine and a member of the Kushima family, but they were defeated and killed in the Hanakura-no-ran (Hanagura-no-ran). He changed his name to Yoshimoto at this point and succeeded the clan. Relations with the Hōjō clan worsened when he married Takeda Nobutora’s daughter (Ujizane's mother). He repelled the Hōjō, and wrested control of a wide area including Suruga, Totomi, and Mikawa provinces.

Battle of Okehazama

Main article: Battle of Okehazama

In May or June 1560, after forming a three-way alliance with the Takeda and the Hojo, Yoshimoto headed out to the capital with Matsudaira Motoyasu of Mikawa. The took place in June 1560. In this battle Oda Nobunaga defeated Imagawa Yoshimoto and established himself as one of the front-running warlords in the  was the founder and first Shogun  of the Tokugawa shogunate Despite having a strong force of 25,000, Yoshimoto deliberately announced that he had 40,000 troops. While this statement put fear in a lot of factions, Oda Nobunaga of Owari Province saw through it. ( June 23, 1534 &ndash June 21, 1582) was a major Daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history was an old province of Japan that is now the western half of present day Aichi Prefecture.

With many victories, Yoshimoto's army was letting its guard down, celebrating with wine, song and sake. A surprise attack by the Oda army following a downpour left Yoshimoto's army in complete disorder, and Yoshimoto himself was killed.

Imagawa Ujizane succeeded to family headship after Yoshimoto's death, but the Imagawa clan fell from power, and eventually became retainers of the Tokugawa clan. was a Japanese Daimyo who lived from the mid- Sengoku through early Edo periods He was the son of Imagawa Yoshimoto, and the father of Imagawa Norimochi The was a powerful Daimyo family of Japan. They descended from Emperor Seiwa (850-880 and were a branch of the Minamoto clan (Seiwa Genji by the

Yoshimoto’s officers

_{The following table denotes officers who do not have their own wikipedia article}

Appearances in popular fiction

For information on Imagawa Yoshimoto in popular culture, see Japanese historical people in popular culture.  was the founder and first Shogun  of the Tokugawa shogunate Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period, in the service of the Imagawa clan (???? - 1560 was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period. Born the son of Matsui Sadamune, he was a retainer of the Imagawa clan. was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period, who served the Imagawa clan. Yasutomo was an officer under the Imagawa clan After the Imagawa was greatly defeated at the Battle of Okehazama, he was one of very few retainers who still stood strong with Ii Naomori (井伊直盛 1506&ndash June 12, 1560) a retainer of the Japanese clan of Imagawa in the Sengoku period of the 16th century Many significant Japanese historical people appear in works of popular culture such as Anime, Manga, and Video games.