Oda Nobunaga was a powerful daimyo who nearly completed the unification of Japan in the late 16th century during the Sengoku period. He rose to power in the Owari province and defeated several rival clans through decisive military victories. However, in 1582 his general Akechi Mitsuhide betrayed and attacked Nobunaga at Honno-ji temple in Kyoto, forcing Nobunaga to commit seppuku. Though Mitsuhide briefly took control, he was soon defeated by Nobunaga's general Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who went on to greatly expand Nobunaga's territories and further the goal of unification.

1. ODA
NOBUNAGA
1534 - 1582

2. Contents
• Historical Context
• Early Life
• Unification ofOwari Province
• Rise to Power
• Campaign against rival daimyōs
• Coup at Honnō-ji and death
• Death by Seppuku
• Nobunaga, Hideyoshi and Ieyasu
• Policies
• References

3. Historical
context
• The goal of national unification and a return to the
comparative political stability of the earlier Muromachi
period was widely shared by the multitude of
autonomous daimyōs during the Sengoku period. Oda
Nobunaga was the first for whom this goal seemed
attainable. Nobunaga had gained control over most
of Honshu (see map below) before his death during the
1582 Honnō-ji incident, a coup attempt executed by
Nobunaga's vassal,Akechi Mitsuhide. It is not certain
whether Nobunaga was killed in the attack or
committed seppuku.The motivation behind
Mitsuhide's betrayal was never revealed to anyone who
survived the incident, and has been a subject of debate
and conjecture ever since the incident.[1]

4. • Following the incident, Mitsuhide declared himself master over Nobunaga's domains, but was
quickly defeated byToyotomi Hideyoshi, who regained control of and greatly expanded the Oda
holdings. Nobunaga's successful subjugation of much of Honshu enabled the later successes of his
allies Hideyoshi andTokugawa Ieyasu toward the goal of national unification by subjugating
local daimyōs under a hereditary shogunate, which was ultimately accomplished in 1603 when
Ieyasu was granted the title of shōgun by Emperor Go-Yōzei following the successful Sekigahara
Campaign of 1600.The nature of the succession of power through the three daimyōs is reflected in
a well-known Japanese idiom:
"Nobunaga pounds the national rice cake, Hideyoshi kneads it,
and in the end Ieyasu sits down and eats it."[2]

5. • Oda Nobunaga was born on June 23, 1534, in the Owari
domain, and was given the childhood name of Kippōshi.[3]
He was the second son of Oda Nobuhide, a deputy
shugo (military governor) with land holdings in Owari
Province.[3] He is said to have been born in NagoyaCastle,
although this is subject to debate.Through his childhood
and early teenage years, he was well known for his bizarre
behaviour and received the name of Owari no
Ōutsuke , The Big Fool of Owari). He was known to run
around with other youths from the area, without any
regard to his own rank in society.With the introduction of
firearms into Japan, however, he became known for his
fondness of tanegashimi firearms.An imagined portrait of Oda Nobunaga,
by Jesuit painter Giovanni Niccolò, 1583–1590.
Early Life

6. Unification
of Owari
Province
• In 1551, Oda Nobuhide died unexpectedly. Nobunaga was said to have acted
outrageously during his funeral, throwing ceremonial incense at the altar. [4]
Hirate Masahide, a valuable mentor and retainer to Nobunaga, performed
seppuku to startle Nobunaga into his obligations. [5] :68
Succession dispute
• Although Nobunaga was Nobuhide's legitimate heir, some of the Oda clan
were divided against him. Collecting about a thousand men, Nobunaga
suppressed those members of his family who were hostile to his rule,
including his younger brother, Oda Nobuyuki.Then in 1556, he destroyed a
rival branch located in Kiyosu Castle. [6] :276
• Although Nobuyuki and his supporters were still at large, Nobunaga took an
army to Mino Province to aid Saitō Dōsan after Dōsan's son, SaitōYoshitatsu,
turned against him.The campaign failed, as Dōsan was killed in the Battle of
Nagara-gawa, andYoshitatsu became the new master of Mino in 1556. [5]
Elimination of Nobuyuki
• In 1557, Nobunaga's brother, Nobuyuki, was defeated in the Siege of Suemori
by Ikeda Nobuteru. [5] :69
• In 1558, he protected Suzuki Shigeteru in the Siege ofTerabe. [5]
• By 1559, Nobunaga had eliminated all opposition within the clan and Owari
Provice. [6]

7. Rise to
Power
Battle of Okehazama
• In 1560, ImagawaYoshimoto gathered an army of 25,000 men [7] and
started his march toward Kyoto, with the pretext of aiding the frail
Ashikaga shogunate.The Matsudaira clan of Mikawa Province also
joinedYoshimoto's forces. Against this, the Oda clan could rally an army
of only 2,000 to 3,000. [8] [9] Some of Nobunaga's advisers suggested "to
stand a siege at Kiyosu". Nobunaga refused, stating that "only a strong
offensive policy could make up for the superior numbers of the enemy",
and calmly ordered a counterattack. [6]
• Nobunaga's scouts reported thatYoshimoto was resting at the narrow
gorge of Dengaku-hazama, ideal for a surprise attack, and that the
Imagawa army were celebrating their victories whileYoshimoto viewed
the heads. Nobunaga moved towards Imagawa's camp, and set up a
position some distance away. An array of flags and dummy troops made
of straw and spare helmets gave the impression of a large host, while the
real Oda army hurried round in a rapid march to get behindYoshimoto's
camp.The heat gave way to a terrific thunderstorm. As the Imagawa

8. • samurai sheltered from the rain Nobunaga deployed his troops, and when the storm
ceased they charged down upon the enemy in the gorge, so suddenly thatYoshimoto
thought a brawl had broken out among his men, only realizing it was an attack when two
samurai charged up. One aimed a spear at him, whichYoshimoto deflected with his sword,
but the second swung his blade and cut off Imagawa's head. [10][11]
• Rapidly weakening in the wake of this battle, the Imagawa clan no longer exerted control
over the Matsudaira clan. In 1561, an alliance was forged between Oda Nobunaga and
Matsudaira Motoyasu (who would become (Tokugawa Ieyasu), despite the decades-old
hostility between the two clans. Nobunaga also formed an alliance withTakeday Shingen
through the marriage of his daughter to Shingen's son.A similar relationship was forged
when Nobunaga's sister Oichi married Azai Nagamasa of Ōmi Province. [6]:277-78 [12]
• Tradition dates this battle as the first time that Nobunaga noticed the talents of the
sandal-bearer who would eventually becomeToyotomi Hideyoshi.

9. Siege of Inabayama Castle
• In Mino, SaitōYoshitatsu died suddenly of illness in 1561, and was succeeded by his son, Saitō
Tatsuoki.Tatsuoki, however, was young and much less effective as a ruler and military
strategist compared to his father and grandfather. [8] :57
• Taking advantage of this situation, Nobunaga moved his base to Komaki Castle and started
his campaign in Mino at the 1561 Battle of Moribe.[5] :216 By convincing Saitō retainers to
abandon their incompetent and foolish master, Nobunaga weakened the Saitō
clan significantly, eventually mounting a final attack in 1567 when he captured Inabayama
Castle.[6] :278
• After taking possession of the castle, Nobunaga changed the name of both the castle and the
surrounding town to Gifu. Remains of Nobunaga's residence in Gifu can be found today in
Gifu Park.[13]
• Naming it after the legendary Mount Qi in China, on which the Zhou dynasty started,
Nobunaga revealed his ambition to conquer the whole of Japan. He also started using a new
personal seal that read Tenka Fubu [14] which means “All of the world by force of arms" or "Rule
the Empire by Force".[8] :278

10. Campaign in Kyoto
• In 1568, AshikagaYoshiaki went to Gifu to ask Nobunaga to start a
campaign toward Kyoto.Yoshiaki was the brother of the murdered
thirteenth shōgun of the Ashikaga shogunate, Yoshiteru, and wanted
revenge against the killers who had already set up a puppet shōgun,
AshikagaYoshihide. Nobunaga agreed to installYoshiaki as the
new shōgun and, grasping the opportunity to enter Kyoto, started his
campaign. An obstacle in southern Ōmi Province was the Rokkaku clan.
Led by RokkakuYoshikata, the clan refused to recognizeYoshiaki
as shōgun and was ready to go to war. In response, Nobunaga launched a
rapid attack, driving the Rokkaku clan out of their castles. [6] :278-9
• On 9 Nov. 1568, Nobunaga entered Kyoto.Yoshiaki was made the
15th shōgun of the Ashikaga shogunate. However, Nobunaga refused any
appointment fromYoshiaki, and their relationship grew difficult, though
Nobunaga showed the Emperor great respect.[15] [6] :279-281
Oda Nobunaga armour

11. CAMPAIGN
AGAINST
RIVAL
DAIMYŌS
Japan around 1582.
The areas in purple show the areas controlled by
the Oda in 1560, and the grey area were the
territory Nobunaga controlled at the time of his
death in 1582.

12. Battle of Anegawa
• The Asakura clan was particularly disdainful of the Oda clan's
increasing power. Furthermore, AsakuraYoshikage had also
protected AshikagaYoshiaki, but had not been willing to
march toward Kyoto.[6] :281
• When Nobunaga launched a campaign into the Asakura
clan's domain, Azai Nagamasa, to whom Nobunaga's sister
Oichi was married, broke the alliance with Oda to honor the
Azai-Asakura alliance which had lasted for generations.With
the help of Ikko rebels, the anti-Nobunaga alliance sprang
into full force, taking a heavy toll on the Oda clan. At
the Battle of Anegawa,Tokugawa Ieyasu joined forces with
Nobunaga and defeated the combined forces of the Asakura
and Azai clans.[6]:282
• The Enryaku-ji monastery on Mt. Hiei, with it sōhei (warrior
monks) of theTendai school who aided the anti-Nobunaga
group by helpingAzai-Asakura alliance, was an issue for
Nobunaga since the monastery was so close to his
base of power. Nobunaga attacked Enryaku-ji and
razed it in October 1571, killing "monks, laymen,
women and children" in the process.The whole
mountainside was a great slaughterhouse, and the
sight was one of unbearable horror.”[6] :284

13. Siege of Nagashima and Ishiyama Hongan-ji
• During the siege of Nagashima, Nobunaga inflicted tremendous
losses to the Ikkō-irri resistance who opposed samurai rule.The
siege finally ended when Nobunaga surrounded the enemy
complex and set fire to it, killing tens of thousands.[5] :221-25
• He later succeeded in taking their main stronghold at Ishiyama
Hongan-ji after an 11-year siege that ended with its surrender.[16]

14. Battle of Nagashino
• One of the strongest rulers in the anti-Nobunaga alliance wasTakeda Shingen, in spite of his generally peaceful
relationship and a nominal alliance with the Oda clan. In 1572, at the urgings of the shōgun, Shingen decided to
make a drive for the capital starting with invadingTokugawa territory.Tied down on the western front, Nobunaga
sent lackluster aid to Ieyasu, who suffered defeat at the Battle of Mikatagahara in 1573. However, after the battle,
Tokugawa's forces launched night raids and convincedTakeda of an imminent counter-attack, thus saving the
vulnerableTokugawa with the bluff.This would play a pivotal role inTokugawa's philosophy of strategic patience
in his campaigns with Oda Nobunaga. Shortly thereafter, theTakeda forces were neutralized after Shingen died
from throat cancer in April 1573.[12] :153-56
• This was a relief for Nobunaga because he could now focus onYoshiaki, who had openly declared hostility more
than once, despite the imperial court's intervention. Nobunaga was able to defeatYoshiaki's forces and send him
into exile, bringing the Ashikaga shogunate to an end in the same year. Also in 1573, Nobunaga successfully
destroyed Asakura and Asai, driving them both to suicide.[12] :156 [6] :281,285-286
• At the decisive Battle of Nagashino, the combined forces of Nobunaga andTokugawa Ieyasu devastated the
Takeda clan with the strategic use of arquebuses. Nobunaga compensated for the arquebus's slow reloading time
by arranging the arquebusiers in three lines, firing in rotation. From there, Nobunaga continued his expansion,
sendingAkechi Mitsuhide to pacifyTanba Province before advancing upon the Mori.[6] :287,306

15. Surrender of Ishiyama Hongan-ji
• In 1574 Nobunaga became Gondainagon and Ukon'etaishō. By 1576 he was given the title of Minister of the Right
(Udaijin).[17] The Oda clan's siege of Ishiyama Hongan-ji in Osaka made some progress, but the Mori clan of the
Chugōku region broke the naval blockade and started sending supplies into the strongly fortified complex by sea.
As a result, in 1577, Hashiba Hideyoshi was ordered to confront the warrior monks at Negoroji.[6]:288-289[5] :228
• However, Uesugi Kenshin, rival ofTakeda Shingen and Oda, clashed with Oda during the Battle ofTedorigawa.The
result was a decisive Uesugi victory. However, Kenshin's sudden death in 1578, ended his movement south.[5]:12-
13,228,230 [6]:288
• Nobunaga forced the Ishiyama Hongan-ji to surrender in 1580, employed the only samurai of African origin
Yasuke as one of his retainers in 1581 and destroyed theTakeda clan in 1582. Nobunaga's administration was at its
height of power and he was about to launch invasions into Echifo Province and Shikoku.
• In the 1582 Battle ofTenmokuzan,Takeda Katsuyori committed suicide after his defeat at the hands of Oda
Nobunaga andTokugawa Ieyasu.[5]

16. Coup at
Honnō-ji and
death
• In 1582, Nobunaga's former sandal bearer Hashiba
Hideyoshi invaded Bitchū Province, laying siege to
TakamatsuCastle.The castle was vital to the Mori clan,
and losing it would have left the Mori home domain
vulnerable. Led by MōriTerumoto, reinforcements arrived,
prompting Hideyoshi to ask for reinforcements from
Nobunaga. Nobunaga promptly ordered his leading
generals to prepare their armies, the overall expedition to
be led by Nobunaga.[11] :241 [6] :307a
• Nobunaga left Azuchi Castle for Honnō-jo in Kyoto, where
he was to hold a tea ceremony. Hence, he only had 30
pages with him, while his son Nobutada had brought 2000
of his cavalrymen.[11] :243

17. Death by
Seppuku
• Mitsuhide chose that time to attack. On June 21, 1582,
Mitsuhide took a unit of his men and surrounded the
Honnō-ji while sending another unit ofAkechi troops to
assault Myōkaku-ji, initiating a full coup d’état. At
Honnō-ji, Nobunaga's small entourage was soon
overwhelmed and, as the Akechi troops closed in on
the burning temple where Nobunaga had been
residing, he decided to commit seppuku in one of the
inner rooms.[18] His son Nobutada was then killed.[6] :307-308
• The cause of Mitsuhide's "betrayal" is controversial. It
has been proposed that Mitsuhide may have heard a
rumor that Nobunaga would transfer Mitsuhide's fief to
the page, Mōri Ranmaru, with whom Nobunaga is
alleged to have been in a ritualized homosexual
relationship, a form of patronage, known as shudō.[19]

18. Nobunaga,
Hideyoshi,
and Ieyasu
• Oda Nobunaga,Toyotomi Hideyoshi andTokugawa
Ieyasu are three men credited with the unification of
Japan.All three were born within 8 years of each other
(1534 to 1542), started their careers as samurai and
finished them as statesmen. Nobunaga inherited his
father's domain at the age of 17, and quickly gained control
of Owari province through gekokujo. Hideyoshi started his
career in Nobunaga's army as an ashigaru, but quickly rose
up through the ranks as a samurai. Ieyasu initially fought
against Nobunaga, but later joined his army.[12]:142

19. Policies
• Militarily, Nobunaga changed the way war was fought in
Japan. His matchlock armed foot soldiers displaced
mounted soldiers armed with bow and sword. He built iron
plated warships and imported saltpeter and lead for
manufacturing gunpowder and bullets respectively, while
also manufacturing artillery. His ashigaru foot soldiers
were trained and disciplined for mass movements, which
replaced hand-to-hand fighting tactics.They wore
distinctive uniforms which fostered esprit de corps. He
was ruthless and cruel in battle, pursuing fugitives without
compassion.Through wanton slaughter, he became the
ruler of 20 provinces. [6]:309-310
• After consolidating military power in provinces he came to
dominate, starting with Owari and Mino, Nobunaga
implemented a plan for economic development.This
included the declaration of free markets (rakuichi), the
breaking of trade monopolies, and providing for open
guilds (rakuza). Nobunaga instituted rakuichi rakuza
policies as a way to stimulate business and the overall
economy through the use of a free market system.[13]

20. • These policies abolished and prohibited monopolies and opened
once closed and privileged unions, associations and guilds, which he
saw as impediments to commerce. Even though these policies
provided a major boost to the economy, it was still heavily
dependent on daimyōs' support. Copies of his original
proclamations can be found in Entoku-ji in the city of Gifu.[13][6]:300
• Nobunaga initiated policies for civil administration, which included
currency regulations, construction of roads and bridges.This
included setting standards for the road widths and planting trees
along roadsides.This was to ease transport of soldiers and war
material in addition to commerce. In general, Nobunaga thought in
terms of "unifying factors," in the words of George Sansom.[6] :300-302

21. Grave of Oda Nobunaga
at Mount Kōya,
Wakayama Prefecture

22. • [1] Berry, Mary Elizabeth (1982). Hideyoshi. Cambridge and London: The Council on East Asian Studies, Harvard University. pp. 41–43. ISBN 0-674-39026-1.
• [2] Found in:Duiker, William J.; Jackson J. Spielvogel (2006). World History, Volume II. Cengage Learning. pp. 463, 474. ISBN 0-495-05054-7., attributed to C. Nakane and S. Oishi, eds., Tokugawa
Japan (Tokyo, 1990), p.14. Hashiba is the family name that Toyotomi Hideyoshi used while he was a follower of Nobunaga.
• [3] Jansen, Marius (2000). The Making of Modern Japan, p. 11
• [4] Okanoya, Shigezane (2007) [Translation based on 1943 edition published by Iwanami Shoten, Japan. First published in 1871.]. Dykstra, Andrew; Dykstra, Yoshiko, eds. Meishōgenkōroku [Shogun and
Samurai – Tales of Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu] (PDF). translated by Andrew and Yoshiko Dykstra from the original Japanese. Retrieved 2010-07-21. Tale 3 – His Extraordinary Appearance
• [5] Turnbull, Stephen (1998). The Samurai Sourcebook. Cassell & Co. p. 215. ISBN 1854095234.
• [6] Sansom, George (1961). A History of Japan, 1334–1615. Stanford University Press. p. 276. ISBN 0804705259.
• [7] Takeuchi, Rizō. (1985). Nihonshi shōjiten, p. 233
• [8] Turnbull, Stephen (1987). Battles of the Samurai. Arms and Armour Press. p. 37. ISBN 0853688265.
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• [10] Seal, F. W. "Oda Nobunaga".
• [11] Sato Hiroaki (1995). Legends of the Samurai. Overlook Duckworth. pp. 234–37. ISBN 9781590207307.
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• [13] Gifu City Walking Map. Gifu Lively City Public Corporation, 2007.
• [14] Gifu Castle. Oumi-castle.net. Retrieved December 5, 2007.
• [15] Saito, Hisho. A History of Japan. p. 130.
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• [17] Wakita Osamu (1982), "The Emergence of the State in Sixteenth-Century Japan: From Oda to Tokugawa", The Journal of Japanese Studies, 8 (2): 343–67
• [18] Beasley, W. G. (August 31, 2000). "The Unifiers". The Japanese Experience: A Short History of Japan. University of California Press. p. 123. ISBN 978-0-520-22560-2.
• [19] Koike, Togoro (1963). Koshoku monogatari. Kamakura insatsu. pp. 184–85.