The Battle of Sattatoge (the period of the Northern and Southern Courts) (薩た峠の戦い (南北朝時代))
The Battle of Sattatoge (also referred to as the Battle of Mt. Satta) was a battle fought between the troops of Takauji ASHIKAGA and Tadayoshi ASHIKAGA at Sattatoge (Satta-toge Pass) in Suruga Province (Shimizu Ward, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture) in December 1351, during the period of the Northern and Southern Courts.
At the occurrence of the Kanno Disturbance, the Northern Court (Japan) was split into the Takauji ASHIKAGA faction and Tadayoshi ASHIKAGA faction. The conflict continued even after the premeditated murder of KO no Moronao and his brother KO no Moroyasu by the Tadayoshi faction, and in 1351, Tadayoshi fled from Kyoto with busho (Japanese military commander) who belonged to his faction, including Tadatsune MOMONOI, Takatsune SHIBA and Tokiuji YAMANA, and reached Kamakura City via Hokuriku Region and Shinano Province. After making peace with the Southern Court (Japan), Takauji was given an order from the Emperor Gomurakami to search out and destroy Tadayoshi ASHIKAGA and Tadafuyu ASHIKAGA. He left Yoshiakira ASHIKAGA in Kyoto, and took the Tokai-do Road eastward with Yoriaki NIKI, Yoshinaga NIKI, and Kunikiyo HATAKEYAMA. Tadayoshi advanced westward with troops of Noriaki UESUGI, Yoshifusa ISHIDO and Yorifusa ISHIDO. The two forces plunged into a battle at Sattatoge, Suruga Province, which was a dangerous spot on the Tokai-do Road. After winning the battle, Takauji and his troops successively defeated the troops of Tadayoshi in the battle of Hayakawajiri, Sagami Province (Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture) and other battles, and the following year, in 1352, Tadayoshi surrendered to Takauji. Tadayoshi was confined to the Enfuku-ji Temple on the precincts of the Jomyo-ji Temple, and died suddenly on March 20. It is generally believed that he died of illness, but "Taiheiki" (The Record of the Great Peace) exceptionally states that he was murdered by poisoning.