For years, Lord Ueda has been looking for an excuse to go to war with his neighbor and rival, Lord Tomada.  Until now, their conflict has been limited to minor skirmishes between small parties of samurai.  Unfortunately for Ueda, Tomada is a politician of the first order, and has so far been able to keep his numerically inferior army out of a major conflict.

In the turmoil of Sengoku Japan, excuses for war are easy to find, however, and it is not long before Lord Ueda has his.  The northwestern corner of Tomada's fief is home to a small Ikko-Ikki temple, called the Daifukuji.  It is open season on the Ikko-Ikki throughout Japan, and Ueda plans an attack on them in an attempt to draw out Tomada, who has an uneasy truce with the Ikko-Ikki.

As soon as Ueda's intent is clear, Head Abbott Babu of the Ikko-Ikki sends word to Tomada, asking for help.  Although the alliance is shaky, Tomada sees it as his only chance to destroy Ueda and so gathers his army and quickly marches them to the Daifukuji.

It is dawn the following day when the two armies face each other.  Ueda deploys his forces on the plains surrounding one of his border castles, while Tomada, taking control of both his men and those of the Daifukuji, arranges his troops in a long, thin line, bolstered only by the monks themselves, and his hatamoto.

However, unknown to both Tomada and Ueda, a third party has come to join the action.  Lord Gomo, a minor Daimyo, having just heard about Ueda's "invasion", has performed a night march, and has just arrived on a hill overlooking the plains about the Daifukuji.  Neither of the hostile lords can divine Gomo's intent, and so they both send a Tsukai off with a message, proposing an alliance with Gomo.  The side that can convince Gomo to join will certainly have the advantage in the impending battle.

The battlefield:  Ueda approaches from the top.
 
The right flank of the Tomada/Monk alliance.
 
Lord Gomo's men approach the battlefield.

 The battle lines had been drawn.  Ueda ordered his men forward.  Both he and Tomada kept a wary eye on Gomo, who for now sat quietly on his hill. . .