Which 1582 battle saw Toyotomi Hideyoshi defeat Akechi Mitsuhide shortly after Oda Nobunaga’s death?

The Battle of Yamazaki saw Toyotomi Hideyoshi defeat Akechi Mitsuhide shortly after Oda Nobunaga’s death in 1582. Mitsuhide had attacked Nobunaga at Honnō-ji and then tried to consolidate power before Hideyoshi could return from western Japan.

Hideyoshi moved his army rapidly after making a settlement with the Mōri clan, whose forces he had been fighting. He reached the area south of Kyoto and confronted Mitsuhide near Yamazaki. Hideyoshi’s larger and better-positioned army defeated Mitsuhide, who fled toward Sakamoto and was killed soon afterward.

The victory allowed Hideyoshi to present himself as Nobunaga’s principal successor. It did not instantly make him ruler of all Japan, because other generals still held substantial power. Nevertheless, Yamazaki was crucial: it gave Hideyoshi political momentum and helped him dominate the succession struggle that followed Nobunaga’s assassination.