After the death of Nobunaga, Hideyoshi HASHIBA, who defeated Katsuie SHIBATA, the head of retainers of Nobunaga, at the Battle of Shizugatake, rose in power, then Ieyasu dispatched reinforcement to Nobuo ODA, who called himself the successor of Nobunaga, in the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute (between Hideyoshi and Nobuo ODA) in 1584.
信長死後、織田家筆頭家老であった柴田勝家を賤ヶ岳の戦いで破った羽柴秀吉が台頭すると、天正12年（1584年）の小牧・長久手の戦いにおいて信長の後継者を自称する織田信雄に対して家康は援軍を派遣する。