//
Local history covering 6 eras from prehistoric to contemporary.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
宇喜多秀家陣跡
Ukita Hideie from Bizen Province (present-day Okayama), served as Vice Commander of the Western army, and brought the largest army on the Western Front, consisting of over 17,000 soldiers. Hideie was able to escape the battle and travel all the way to Satsuma Province (Kagoshima) before eventually being apprehended. He was spared a death sentence but was exiled to Hachijojima where he spent the rest of his life.
Higashi and Nishi Kubizuka
On opposite sides of the train tracks, two shrines commemorate the sites where two large mounds of the severed heads of fallen soldiers were buried. As per traditional Japanese concepts of reverence for the dead, these shrines are dedicated to all who fell in the battle, not solely forces of one side.
国指定史跡 関ヶ原古戦場 開戦地
A marker dedicated to where the first shots of the battle were fired. It also has benches and information boards that detail the order of battle and positions.
大谷吉継の墓 Ōtaniyoshitsugu no haka
One of the westernmost memorial markers in the town, this spot marks both the encampment and final burial site of Ōtani Yoshitsugu, one of the Western Alliance's main commanders. When he realized the defections of Kobayakawa Hideaki and others and the increasingly small likelihood of Western victory, he committed seppuku, or ritual suicide. Best reached by bicycle (although it is within walking distance, it just takes longer to get to than most other sites), but the final stretch up the mountain must be walked.
小早川秀秋陣跡
Infamous traitor to the Western Army, Kobayakawa Hideaki is considered by many historians to have tipped the battle in the Tokugawa (Eastern army's) favor. He defeated Otani Yoshitsugu and then attacked Ukita Hideie's army, throwing them into dissarray and eventual defeat. After the battle, he was made leader of Bizen Province, the province previously lead by Ukita Hideie who he betrayed and attacked, along with Mimasaka Province (both in Okayama). It is said that he went mad after the battle due to his betrayal leading to his death in 1602 at the age of 21.
床几場 Shōgiba
Also called "Tokugawa's Final Encampment", this is the spot where Tokugawa Ieyasu held a council meeting after the end of the battle and was presented with the decapitated heads of the enemy's leaders. A small shrine marks the spot.