Last Stand at Domyoji

After my rematch with Richard on Monday (see Sanada's Death Ride at Domyoji), I enjoyed another rematch with Peter (see first game at BatRep: Domyoji 1615 Game #2) on Thursday.  As in my rematch with Richard, Peter and I swapped sides to try our hand at commanding the other army.  Peter would take command of the Osaka Army while I took the reins of the Tokugawa Army.  Peter's riveting account of the rematch can be read and enjoyed at Rematch of the Battle of the Tombs.  I wonder if we saw the battle similarly?

Let's find out!

As a reminder, opening dispositions are as illustrated in the map below:

Initial dispositions

Tokugawa Army advances toward the enemy.

Wasting no time, Susukida attacks!
After disordering the enemy with arquebus fire,
Susukida leads an attack with his Samurai
but his attack is repulsed with heavy losses.

Losses were heavy on the defender as well.
Susukida follows up by sending his Ashigaru forward.

Persistence pays off!
The Tokugawa Right is driven back. 

Osaka Ashigaru pursue scattering the remnants of enemy
 Ashigaru spear and sending the Teppo reeling backwards.
Katsushige's Samurai are destroyed!

Still Osaka Ashigaru pursue swinging around to hit
one of Tadaaki's Ashigaru spear.
Likely surprised by enemy coming onto a flank, 
these spearmen retreat passing through Tadaaki's command.

Osaka continues pursuit but the rampage is finally halted
when the spearmen crash into a solid wall of spears and then...

Susukida's spearmen are forced to retreat. 
The Tokugawa Right has collapsed!

Emerging from the ford through the Ishigawa River,
Takamasa leads a cavalry charge into the enemy rear.
This outcome was never in doubt.
The Osaka spearmen are cut down.  No chance of escape.

Ack!  What a start to battle!  The battle has only begun, and the Tokugawa Right and Center have been laid wide open by Peter's successful attacks.  With the loss of the Samurai and suffering from three sequential pursuits, I am already down five points on the Breakpoint Clock.  How do I recover from this mess?

I grab a tourniquet, stop the bleeding, and attack, I guess!  Well, before I can regroup, Peter's Osaka Army beats me to the punch!

Kitigawa's Ashigaru spearmen attack from the woods
trampling Masamune's Teppo before they get off a meaningful volley.

What the Osaka may not have foreseen was the ability of
Masamune's cavalry to counterattack.
Osaka Ashigaru are driven back in disorder.

In pursuit, the enemy falls under the hooves of
Tokugawa cavalry and are destroyed.

Masamune's success leads to a chain reaction from the enemy.
First, Sanada leads a countercharge but is repulsed...

Then, one of Sanada's body of Ashigaru spear attack.
They, too, are repulsed!
Perhaps this battle is turning around?

On the other side of Emperor Ojin's Tomb,
Masamune attacks with both Ashigaru and Samurai.

Osaka Teppo are driven back from the tomb.
Tokugawa fail to pursue!
The Osaka Army is being pushed back
nearly to the gates of Osaka Castle!

Battle lines drawn with much of the Osaka Army
pushed back to the brink.

OK!  Even though the Tokugawa Army took some tough licks at the beginning of the fight, the situation looks to have stabilized, and the Tokugawa are taking the fight to the enemy.  Now thoughts turn to whether I can drive them from the field. 

Peter has other plans!
Kitigawa's Samurai attack both of Masamune's foot.

Kitigawa's Samurai scatter the Ashigaru and
send the enemy Samurai scurrying away to the rear.

What remains of the Tokugawa Left is in retreat! 

Kitigawa's Samurai catch Masamune's Samurai
but heroic actions compel the Osaka to retreat!

Back on the Tokugawa Right, Tadamasa and his Samurai
 cavalry charge into Susukida's Samurai foot.
Weakened from earlier fighting, Susukida is sent packing.

Tadamasa pursues and Susukida's Samurai retreat off table. 

Back on the Tokugawa Left, Kitigawa has not given up his
pursuit of Masamune's Samurai. 
This time, Masamune's Samurai are caught and dispatched!

Even with the Tokugawa Army nearing the breaking point,
the Osaka Left has been vanquished and the
Center has been pressed back to the brink.
One good shove might break the enemy!

Unfortunately for Tokugawa, Osaka gets the next shove! 
Tadaaki's Ashigaru are pushed back. 

Masamune charges in leading his Samurai horsemen.
Sanada is forced to recoil but...

he countercharges when Masamune fails to pursue.

With Ashigaru spear in support, Sanada's charge is repulsed.
Masamune fails to pursue again!

Sanada orders one more attack to break the Tokugawa line.

This time, success!
Masamune and his Samurai turn to flee and Tokugawa Ashigaru
 are scattered as Sanada's Ashigaru advance into the gap.
The Tokugawa Army is broken!

Well!  That did not end as I expected!  I thought that the Tokugawa Army might have the upper hand until...they did not!

Great game, Peter, and very well played.  Thank you!  The Butcher's Bill shows that Tokugawa suffered more losses than the Osaka.  Peter's opening attacks really caught the Tokugawa Army off guard and reaped a pile of points as they slashed their way through the enemy battle line.  I thought I had the battle turned around near the end, but it was not to be.  Controlling both tombs, Peter is awarded a Major Victory.

Butcher's Bill

Game duration was about two-and-a-half hours.  

With this defeat, the five-game series shows the score as three victories for the Tokugawa Army against two victories for the Osaka Army.  What looked like a tough situation for the Osaka Army in the first three games, proved to be winnable in the final two games.  Richard and Peter learned a lot from their first games and put those lessons to work.  I may not have learned as much...

Anyway, this was a terrific series of battles, and I enjoyed them a lot.  Thanks to everyone taking a command in one of the games.  What is next on table?  Not sure but my WotR rebasing is almost complete, and I have a few new ideas to test out next time these Medieval armies take to the table.