Oda Nobunaga

A detailed Summary of Oda Nobunaga

Oda Nobunaga played a major role in the unification of Japan after the Warring States period (Sengoku jidai). He was actually the first of the three great "unifiers" of Japan. The other two were Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu who followed in Nobunaga's footsteps. At the time of his advent to power, Japan was in a state of disarray. The Sengoku period began in 1467 with the Ashikaga family in power. With the rise in disputes between powerful military houses, the family soon found themselves powerless to maintain control or peace among the country as war after war broke out. During this period no central government existed and politically, everything had become disorganized. The only thing that seemed to be intact was the culture. Throughout this confusing period, culture continued to grow and flourish. Underneath all the chaos, two young men, Nobunaga and Hideyoshi rose to political control. This marked the end of the hundred years of conflict and the Azuchi-Momoyama period began in 1568.

Oda Nobunaga was not all glamorous and powerful from the start. He was born in 1934 in Nagoya into an obscure family. His family was a sublineage of a deputy military governor (shugodai) house in Owari Province since abo

June 1582 was scheduled to be a busy month for Nobunaga. An army led by his son Kambe Nobutaka convened in Osaka and Sakai ready to invade Shikoku. Another large force was prepared to take on Kongobuji (great monastery of the Buddhist Shingo Sect on Mount Koya) in Kii province. A campaign "to destroy all the notables of Chugoku, and to extend Nobunaga's control all the way to Kyushu" was coming into effect which Akechi Mitsuhide was ordered to lead and Nobunaga himself was planning to join. On June 19, Nobunaga arrived in Kyoto and stayed at Honnoji (temple of the Buddhist Nichiren sect) with only a small escort of pages. The next day he threw a tea party for some of the highest imperial nobles. The following morning, June 21, musket fire directed at the temple disrupted the party. It was Akechi and his troops who had turned back on their way to Chugoku declaring, "The enemy is in Honnoji!" (Teki wa Honnoji ni ari) Nobunaga who was not at all prepared for such a surprise attack, especially by one of his great generals, defended himself with his bow and spear until he was wounded in the arm by a spear. Nobunaga made sure the enflamed temple was abandoned and withdrew himself inside. He locked himself in a service room and disemboweled himself. He came to control a third of Japan before his abrupt death.

Nobunaga was at the climax of his lifetime. In 1576, he had a residential castle built at Azuchi in Omi Province which expressed his personal power and authority. Nobunaga's troubles however, were not yet completely over. A second coalition involving the exiled Yoshiaki, Kennyo Kosa, Mori Terumoto of Aki province, and Uesugi Kenshin (daimyo of Echigo) had formed. In 1577, the coalition had surrounded Nobunaga's realm. Nobunaga's eldest son Nobutada, his generals Akechi Mitsuhide, Hosokawa Yusai, and Tsuitsui Junkei, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu struggled to fight off the opposing forces. This struggle, especially with the Mori became the major military effort of Nobunaga's remaining years. During 1578-79, the struggle eased in favor of Nobunaga beginning with the sudden death of his tough enemy Kenshin, followed by problems the Mori were encountering with their supporters. In 1580, the Osaka Honganji finally surrendered. This was Nobunaga's greatest triumph. Later that year, the religious monarchy of the Jodo Shin sect disappeared.

Another troublesome opposition was the powerful Buddhist establishment. All throughout medieval Japan, the monks had an important influence in both the political and military progression of Japan. Their monasteries at Mount Hiei overlooked Kyoto giving them strategic advantages to launch sudden attacks on the city. Nobunaga felt Mount Hiei was a threat to his future stability. Hieizan was officially titled the "Center for the Protection of the Nation" for in times of trouble, it served as a sanctuary. No one would have imagined that Nobunaga would attack so sacred a place the way he did. In 1571, his troops surrounded Hieizan and set the thickets on the lower slopes on fire. Everyone trying to escape, regardless of gender or age, were killed. Hiei monks were sought out and killed as well.

Another significant contribution Nobunaga accomplished was his welcoming of the Westerners. He encouraged Christianity and received Jesuit missionaries open-heartedly. The may partly be due to the fact that he disliked Buddhists. He also welcomed western technology. In the Battle of Nagashino in 1575, he took advantage of the 3,000 guns he bought and though the Takeda family were known for their strong cavalry, he managed to defeat them completely. Firearms were imported into Japan since the late fifteenth century. These weapons were unstable and dangerous, but Nobunaga was able to figure out both offensive and defensive tactics with the guns. He also introduced the use of iron-cladding on warships.

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Approximate Word count = 2627
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History