Oda Nobunaga

Introduction

Sometimes referred to as “the man of the revolutionary temperament of the Sengoku Period”, Oda Nobunaga started as a small daimyo of the Owari Domain (present-day western Aichi Prefecture). Gradually, he defeated all rivals who lined up before him and seized Kinai (the central part of Japan) and rose as the conqueror both in his accomplishment and popularity. Although Nobunaga dies just before the unification of the country, his will was passed on to Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu. How did Nobunaga live through the turbulence of the Sengoku Period and become the central figure of history? What actions did he take? Let us look into his life in detail. 

Childhood as “Owari’s Great Fool”

Nobunaga was born in 1534 in Shobata Castle of the Owari Domain.  His father Nobuhide was an influential figure in the region belonging to the family of three magistrates of Kiyosu. His mother Dota Gozen was the daughter of a local clan of the Mino Domain. Nobunaga, whose childhood name was “Kippōshi” was the eldest child, and he had 11 other brothers. Times must have been tough for many of his brothers died at a very young age.  

According to “Shinchō Kōki” (the biography of Nobunaga), Nobunaga had a peculiar taste since childhood; he flaunted around in a flamboyant women’s kimono and often surprised his surroundings with strange behavior. From this he was referred to by people as an “utsuke”, a word used to describe someone who is foolish and lacking in common sense. Nobunaga’s mentor, Hirate Masahide was distressed by Nobunaga’s actions. No matter how much Masahide punished him, Nobunaga would not change his attitude, and his reputation continued to go downhill. Nonetheless, Masahide was devoted to the Oda family, and he made arrangements so that Nobunaga could marry Princess Nō, the daughter of Saitō Dōsan of the neighboring domain.

However, Nobunaga showed no signs of improvement in behavior, and finally Masahide commits suicide. Theories of the reason for suicide vary and the true reason remains a mystery; he may have tried to teach Nobunaga a lesson through his death, or he may have become involved in a confrontation between vassals. 

In 1522, his father dies at the young age of 42. Since his father had both the looks and ability which expanded his sphere of influence, Nobunaga was greatly affected by his death.  It has been said that during his funeral, Nobunaga threw a handful of incense at Nobuhide’s mortuary tablet. He must have been quite agitated by the untimely death of his father. Nobunaga immediately succeeds to the family head, and at last he begins his journey into the turbulent Sengoku Period. 

Gaining Fame at the Battle of Okehazama following the Succession for Head of the Family 

Great difficulties awaited Nobunaga who had just succeeded to the family head. Nobuhide’s death resulted in the disorder of the Oda family, and enemies attempted to take over the family’s territories. Another big loss for Nobunaga was the death of his father-in-law. Dōsan had been in a confrontation with his son, Yoshitatsu and ends up getting defeated in battle. Yoshitatsu, who had never thought well of Nobunaga, begins to bear his fangs towards him. Moreover, Imagawa Yoshimoto gained power, taking the offensive in the east, and the forces of the Oda family were driven away from Mikawa. Furthermore, Nobunaga’s brother Nobukatsu raises a rebellion and the family is torn apart. However, Nobunaga makes it out of all this trouble; he had no other choice but to murder Nobukatsu and defeat the military governor of Kiyosu. 

However, this did not mean the end of the crisis. Yoshimoto was about to advance from the east to head to the Owari Domain with a massive army of 25,000 men. Behind this action was Yoshimoto’s desire to win back the territories of eastern Owari which had been taken away from him due to Nobuhide’s conspiracy in the past.  Some say that the reason for this invasion was for him to become a conqueror, but the latest historical approach reveals that an attempt to win back Owari seems more likely.

In 1560, the Imagawa army divides their unit and advances on Ōdaka Castle and Narumi Castle, followed by Yoshimoto’s main force. Nobunaga, on the other hand, had only 2000 soldiers which meant that he was nowhere near ready for a proper battle. And so, he decides to wait patiently for the right time. At midnight, he received the news he had been waiting for that the main force of the Imagawa army was rushing to the ally’s fort surrounding Ōdaka Castle and Narumi Castle.

This is where Nobunaga dances “Atsumori” from the dance program, “Kōwakamai”. “Human 50 years. Anything is but a dream and illusion under heaven. Once given life, there is nothing that will perish”. What this means is that “human life lasts for only 50 years and is nothing compared to the heavens. It is decided that humans will eventually die”. This verse seems to express Nobunaga’s thoughts that people should make the best out of each moment instead of looking at the dark side.

Nobunaga leaves his castle immediately, leading his army force. He presumed that if the enemy’s main force was at the front, Yoshimoto’s army would be right behind it. Nobunaga’s force manages to pass through the front lines and advance to the east. Perceiving that Yoshimoto is in Okehazamayama (Okehazama Mountain), he rushes to the enemy’s headquarters. With this unexpected attack, he succeeds in defeating Yoshimoto. Nobunaga made a stunning victory despite being outnumbered by his enemies.

After defeating his greatest enemy, Nobunaga had his sights set on the Mino Province. The Saitō clan lost their head, Yoshitatsu, and the still-young Tatsuoki succeeded to the family head. Nobunaga used a scheme to have the vassals switch sides and in 1567, he finally succeeded in driving Tatsuoki out of the Mino Province. Nobunaga moved his headquarters from Mino to Inabayama Castle and changed its name to Gifu Castle. The first kanji character of “Gifu” comes from the name of a mountain called Qishan in which King Wen of Zhou rose to action at its foothills and accomplished the unification of China. From this, we can see that Nobunaga was aiming to unify Japan and become a conqueror. 

Ashikaga Yoshiaki and Oda Nobunaga

When Nobunaga was still fighting against the Saitō clan in Mino, a major incident occurred in Kyoto. The 13th shogun of the Muromachi shogunate, Ashikaga Yoshiteru was assassinated by the Miyoshi Sanninshū (the three retainers of the Miyoshi Clan) who had been controlling the Kinai region. Yoshiteru had two younger brothers who had become monks, but one was murdered and the other escaped. The one who survived was Ashikaga Yoshiaki. Yoshiaki moved from Wakasa to Oumi and eventually arrived in Echizen. From here he hoped to make it to the capital with the help of daimyo, Asakura Yoshikage and his military power. However, things do not go according to plan; the daimyo had just only lost his eldest son and had given himself over to debauchery. Day after day, Yoshiaki pleads with Yoshikage to raise an army to head to the capital, but asking someone who had lost all aspirations was hopeless.

It was in 1567 that good news reached the disappointed Yoshiaki. He hears that “Oda Nobunaga, who had just conquered Mino can help”, and he asks to meet him in Mino. Nobunaga, who was only in his mid-30s, was full of enthusiasm. He accepts Yoshiaki’s request and promises him that he will raise an army to go to Kyoto. With this, he made Yoshiaki stay in Mino. 

And in the following year, a huge army of 60,000 soldiers leaves Mino. By having his younger sister Oichi no Kata marry Azai Nagamasa of Kita Oumi, Nobunaga had already secured a route to advance his army. Meanwhile, Rokkaku Yoshikata of South Oumi who had been in touch with the Miyoshi Sanninshū shows signs of resistance. However, Nobunaga eliminates this obstacle with ease and reaches the suburbs of Kyoto. The Miyoshi Sanninshū were planning to support Ashikaga Yoshihide of Awa to make him the 14th shogun but with such a large army ahead of them, they lost their will to fight. They escaped from Kinai and retreated to Shikoku. In the end, Yoshiaki successfully entered the capital, became the 15th shogun and was to work toward reviving the shogunate. Nobunaga also restored peace in Kinai with his military powers, and one by one subjugated regions of the country. 

The commonly accepted theory up until now is that Nobungaga used Yoshiaki to make himself the conqueror and to unify Japan. This is why shoguns were considered nothing but puppets, but this might differ greatly from the truth; Nobunaga may have aimed for reviving the shogunate by making Yoshiaki the new shogun. What this meant was that once the management of the shogunate gets going, he was planning to withdraw from any interference with politics. This theory is evidenced by the fact that Nobunaga immediately returned to Gifu after Yoshiaki became shogun, and was not appointed to any vital post of the shogunate. It might be fair to say that Nobunaga did work vigorously for an ideal world of peace by restoring the authority of the shogun. 

Oda Nobunaga who became the Effective Ruler

At first, Yoshiaki had deep respect and trust for Nobunaga who had made him a shogun and even called him “Father”; however, it did not take very long for cracks to start appearing in the relationship. This was due to Yoshiaki’s pride and self-esteem. Although Yoshiaki would have had an ideal image of a shogun, merely exerting power did not win him supporters. Promoting his favorites, and making an unjust ruling in mediation would have increased dissatisfaction among warriors. Additionally, the vassals were at fault for putting Yoshiaki aside and having their way with politics. The ideal shogunate politics that Nobunaga had aimed for was not being practiced and gradually the shogun and shogunate lost their prestige. 

Nobunaga, who was not able to bear this any longer, purposely touched him in the sore place by giving him admonitions in the form of a document. According to Nobunaga, “If a shogun chooses the wrong path, it is the vassal’s duty to correct his mistakes”. However, this hurt the pride of Yoshiaki who had very high self-esteem. He would have also considered this action to be insolent towards the shogun. His dissatisfaction gradually took the shape of an anti-network in order to defeat Nobunaga. 

In 1570, Nobunaga defeated the Azai and Asakura allied forces in the Battle of Anegawa but this is where his hardships began. The remnants of the Miyoshi party land in the Settsu Province, and he heads to the battlefield in order to defeat them. However, Kennyo of Osaka Honganji Temple rises to oppose him and the Ikkō Ikki (uprising of Ikkō sect followers) begins to attack him from behind. Furthermore, there was movement from Azai and Asakura who were waiting for an opportunity to advance to Kyoto. Nobunaga somehow overcomes this crisis, but finally Yoshiaki begins to act behind his back. He had sent letters to various regions concerning the defeat of Nobunaga and had formed the so-called anti-Nobunaga network. Takeda Shingen of the Kai Province responds to this, and heads to the west with a great army. While Nobunaga was in the toughest situation of his life yet, Yoshiaki openly raises an army and confines himself in Masashima Castle of Uji. What he hadn’t expected was the death of his reliable ally, Shingen. With his death, Yoshiaki is instantly surrounded by the enemy force. Although his life was spared, he was banished from Kinai. This brought an end to the Muromachi shogunate which had lasted for 250 years. 

Next, Yoshiaki sought support from the Mōri clan of the Chūgoku Region. He continued to act behind Nobunaga’s back but he was no longer a threat to Nobunaga who had built a solid military force. After defeating Azai and Asakura, Nobunaga suprresses the Ikkō Ikki. In 1575, he manages to drive Shigen’s successor, Katsuyori away at Nagashino・Shitaragahara. This victory was only possible for Nobunaga who had taken control of Kinai which was the economic center and obtained a large number of guns. 

The next year, Nobunaga had the glorious Azuchi Castle built in Oumi as headquarters. It was obvious to anybody that he had become the effective conqueror of Japan. In addition, he was appointed by the Imperial court as the minister of home affairs and minister of the right, making him the top of all warrior clans. By destroying the Takeda clan in 1582, the forces of the Oda clan expanded from the Kanto region in the east to the Chūgoku region in the west. 

The Greatest Treason of the Sengoku Period “The Honnōji Incident”

The year 1582 was to become a year of great meaning to Nobunaga who had destroyed the Takeda clan in February and was near victory against Uesugi in the Hokuriku region. Furthermore, he had appointed his third son Nobutaka as the general for invading the Shikoku region and his departure was drawing near. In the Chūgoku region, his retainer Hashiba Hideyoshi was making progress with attacks. He pressed hard on the Mōri clan which was already near its decline. 

Although Nobunaga had transferred the headship of the Oda clan to his eldest son Nobutada, he was reaching his final stages leading up to unifying Japan.
One of them included the Imperial visit of Emperor Ōgimachi to the Azuchi Castle. It can be said that this was when Nobunaga wanted to make a point that his existence was powerful enough to surpass that of the Emperor.  

Little did Nobunaga know that somebody was harboring feelings of anger and dissatisfaction toward him. This figure was the Oda clan retainer, Akechi Mitsuhide. There are many theories behind his reasons, but it seems that Mitsuhide had a good reason why he could not forgive Nobunaga. When Tokugawa Ieyasu visited Kinai for a victory celebration, Mitsuhide was exempt from having to entertain the guest. Instead, he was ordered to reinforce Hideyoshi’s army in the Chūgoku region. 

Meanwhile, Nobunaga leaves Azuchi to head to Kyoto. The purpose of this leave has not been made clear, but Nobunaga may have headed to Hideyoshi’s camp to encourage his troops. Simultaneously, his eldest son Nobutada led several soldiers to head to Kyoto as well. 

Mitsuhide, who had arrived at Kameyama Castle of Tanba, spends some time at the castle by holding a renga party (linked verse gathering) before departing with an army of 13,000 soldiers. Usually, they would have headed toward the west but for some reason, he led his army towards the east. So that his subordinate officers and soldiers would not get suspicious, it appears that he told them “they were going to go show their military uniform to Uesama (Nobunaga)”. 

Soon after, the Akechi army arrives in the suburbs of Kyoto and surrounds the Honnōji Temple where they attack all at once. There were only 50 or so attendants around Nobunaga and the outcome was already clear. Nonetheless, Nobunaga took his bow and arrow to fight back, resisting with great courage. When the bowstrings snapped, he started fighting with a spear but after getting wounded, he realizes that his life is coming to end. He shuts himself inside the castle where he kills himself inside the flames. It is said that he was 49 years old. 

Summary

Nobunaga probably was the most powerful and charismatic figure in Japanese history. Replacing old values with a forward-thinking and logical approach, it only took him one generation to become the conqueror. What should also be noted is his excellent grasp of economic issues. Abolishing checkpoints, fostering economic activity and free trade through “Rakuichi Rakuza” and associating with merchants of Sakai to transfer vast amounts of supplies are all of his achievements. Furthermore, with Nanban Bōeki (trade with Westerners), he was able to import raw materials for gunpowder from overseas. From all his achievements, Nobunaga helps us realize that economic power is indeed an important factor in politics and war. His way of thinking can be applied to the modern political sense of today.