177 Facts About Oda Nobunaga

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese daimyo and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods.

Oda Nobunaga is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyo" and "Demon King of the Sixth Heaven".

Oda Nobunaga emerged as the most powerful daimyo, overthrowing the nominally ruling shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki and dissolving the Ashikaga Shogunate in 1573.

Oda Nobunaga conquered most of Honshu by 1580, and defeated the Ikko-ikki in the 1580s.

Oda Nobunaga's rule was noted for innovative military tactics, fostering of free trade, reforms of Japan's civil government, and the start of the Momoyama historical art period, but for the brutal suppression of those who refused to cooperate or yield to his demands.

Oda Nobunaga committed during the Honno-ji Incident in 1582, when his retainer Akechi Mitsuhide ambushed and trapped him in a temple in Kyoto.

Oda Nobunaga was succeeded by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who along with Tokugawa Ieyasu completed his campaign of national unification shortly afterward.

Oda Nobunaga was previously thought to have been born in Nagoya Castle, but in recent years the theory that he was born in Shobata Castle has become more accepted.

Oda Nobunaga was given the childhood name of Kipposhi, and through his childhood and early teenage years became well known for his bizarre behavior.

Oda Nobunaga mostly spent his time between the age of 13 and 18 in hunting, riding, practicing archery and shooting arquebus, but wrestling, swimming, watching sumo and visiting taverns and brothels with his friends.

Oda Nobunaga showed complete disdain for formal clothing and proper social behavior of a lord, wearing sleeveless bathrobes and short trousers tied with hemp rope in public, eating melons while riding backwards on his horse, and often dancing in female clothing in taverns, gaining the nickname The Fool of Owari.

Oda Nobunaga was given Nagoya Castle by his father at the age of 8 and lived there for 13 years until he took Kiyosu Castle at the age of 21.

Oda Nobunaga had one or two older brothers, but they were illegitimate sons.

Oda Nobunaga then led the forces of the Oda clan against rival Kira and Ohama in Mikawa for his first campaign in 1547.

Oda Nobunaga took Nohime as his lawful wife, and Dosan became Oda Nobunaga's father-in-law.

Oda Nobunaga became involved in government affairs at this time, gaining valuable political experience and insight.

Oda Nobunaga assembled a force of 1,000 men and used them to intimidate and dissuade his enemies, thus preventing a serious disruption in the transfer of power.

Oda Nobunaga retreated and left contested lands in eastern Owari under Imagawa control.

In spring 1552, Nobunaga faced a new challenge when his uncle, Oda Nobutomo, attacked Nobunaga's domain with the support of Shiba Yoshimune, governor of Owari province.

Oda Nobunaga repelled the attack and burned the outskirts of his uncle's castle at Kiyosu to discourage further attempts.

Oda Nobunaga mobilized his forces to blockade Kiyosu castle and set up a lengthy siege.

In 1554, Oda Nobunaga finally achieved victory over the Imagawa clan at the Battle of Muraki Castle, reclaiming the lands he had lost to them.

Oda Nobunaga set out to Oura in Mino with troops to rescue his father-in-law, but immediately withdrew upon hearing of Dosan's death.

Oda Nobunaga defeated the rebels at the Battle of Ino, but at the plea of his birth mother, Dota Gozen, pardoned them.

Oda Nobunaga falsely claimed to have fallen ill and had Nobuyuki and his entourage assassinated when they came to visit him.

In 1558, Oda Nobunaga sent an army to successfully protect Suzuki Shigeteru, lord of Terabe Castle, during the Siege of Terabe.

Some of his advisors suggested that he take refuge at Kiyosu Castle and wait out a siege by the Imagawa, but Oda Nobunaga refused, stating that "only a strong offensive policy could make up for the superior numbers of the enemy", and calmly ordered a counterattack against Yoshimoto.

Oda Nobunaga's exploits were first recorded in the Mino Campaign.

Oda Nobunaga formed an alliance with Takeda Shingen through the marriage of his daughter to Shingen's son.

In 1561, Saito Yoshitatsu, Oda Nobunaga's brother-in-law, died suddenly of illness and was succeeded by his son, Oda Nobunaga's nephew, Saito Tatsuoki.

Yoshitatsu murdered his father and brothers to become daimyo, and Oda Nobunaga had attempted to avenge the murder of his father-in-law numerous times.

In 1564, Oda Nobunaga dispatched his retainer, Kinoshita Tokichiro, to bribe many of the warlords in the Mino area to support the Oda clan.

Oda Nobunaga derived the term Gifu from the legendary Mount Qi in China, on which the Zhou dynasty is fabled to have started.

Oda Nobunaga revealed his ambition to conquer the whole of Japan and started using a new personal seal that read Tenka Fubu, literally "All under heaven, spreading military force", or more idiomatically, "All the world by force of arms".

Oda Nobunaga arranged for Oichi, his sister, to marry rival warlord Azai Nagamasa from Omi Province in an effort to cement an alliance.

In 1568, Ashikaga Yoshiaki and Akechi Mitsuhide, as Yoshiaki's bodyguard, went to Gifu to ask Oda Nobunaga to start a campaign toward Kyoto.

Oda Nobunaga agreed to install Yoshiaki as the new shogun and, grasping the opportunity to enter Kyoto, started his campaign.

Later in 1570, the Rokkaku tried to retake the castle, but they were driven back by Oda Nobunaga forces led by Shibata Katsuie.

The approaching Oda Nobunaga army influenced the Matsunaga clan to submit to the future shogun.

However, Oda Nobunaga refused the title of shogun's deputy, or any appointment from Yoshiaki, even though Oda Nobunaga had great respect for the Emperor Ogimachi.

Yoshiaki secretly started an "anti-Oda Nobunaga alliance", conspiring with other daimyo to get rid of Oda Nobunaga.

Oda Nobunaga faced a significant threat from the Ikko-ikki, a resistance movement centered around the Jodo Shinshu sect of Buddhism.

Oda Nobunaga himself was almost killed and forced to retreat, with the second siege being considered his greatest defeat.

In 1574, Oda Nobunaga launched a third siege of Nagashima as his general Kuki Yoshitaka began a naval blockade and bombardment of Nagashima, allowing him to capture the outer forts of Nakae and Yanagashima as well as part of the Nagashima complex.

Simultaneously, Oda Nobunaga had been besieging the Ikko-ikki's main stronghold at Ishiyama Hongan-ji in present-day Osaka.

Oda Nobunaga spared the lives of Ishiyama Hongan-ji's defenders but expelled them from Osaka and burnt the fortress to the ground.

Nobunaga's aunt, Lady Otsuya, conspiring against the Oda clan, surrendered the castle to the Takeda, and married Nobutomo.

Oda Nobunaga, tied down on the western front, sent lackluster aid to Tokugawa Ieyasu, who suffered defeat at the Battle of Mikatagahara in early 1573.

Tokugawa Ieyasu appealed to Oda Nobunaga for help and Oda Nobunaga personally led an army of about 30,000 men to the relief of Nagashino Castle.

However, when Matsunaga Hisahide saw the hope for success was not achieved he returned to Oda Nobunaga to fight the Miyoshi.

Oda Nobunaga reportedly set fire to Kyoto, which forced Yoshiaki to retreat.

Oda Nobunaga focused on Ashikaga Yoshiaki, who had openly declared hostility more than once, despite the Imperial Court's intervention.

In 1574, Oda Nobunaga was appointed to a rank of Lower Third Rank of the Imperial Court and made a Court Advisor.

Oda Nobunaga acquired many official titles, including Major Counselor, General of the Right of the Imperial Army, and Minister of the Right in 1576.

Oda Nobunaga intentionally built Azuchi Castle close enough to Kyoto that he could watch over and guard the approaches to the capital.

The castle and its nearby town were depicted on the so-called Azuchi Screens, which Oda Nobunaga gave to Pope Gregory XIII, who displayed them in the Vatican collections.

Consequently, Oda Nobunaga sent an army led by Shibata Katsuie and some of his most experienced generals to attack Kenshin.

The result was a decisive Uesugi victory, and Oda Nobunaga considered ceding the northern provinces to Kenshin, but Kenshin's sudden death in early 1578 caused a succession crisis that ended the Uesugi's movement to the south.

Oda Nobunaga immediately ordered his leading generals and Akechi Mitsuhide to prepare their armies, with the overall expedition to be led by Oda Nobunaga.

Oda Nobunaga left Azuchi Castle for Honno-ji, a temple in Kyoto he frequented when visiting the city, where he was to hold a tea ceremony.

Hence, Nobunaga only had 30 pages with him, while his son Oda Nobutada had brought 2,000 of his cavalrymen.

Mitsuhide, aware that Oda Nobunaga was nearby and unprotected for his tea ceremony, saw an opportunity to act.

Oda Nobunaga fought back for a while before retreating, and after letting the court ladies escape, he committed in one of the inner rooms.

Oda Nobunaga was the first for whom this goal seemed attainable.

Oda Nobunaga controlled most of Honshu shortly before his death in the Honno-ji Incident of 1582.

The motive for the rebellion of Akechi Mitsuhide, the vassal who betrayed Oda Nobunaga, remains unclear, partly because Mitsuhide himself did not say anything, and various theories are still being discussed.

Oda Nobunaga inherited his father's domain at the age of 17, and quickly gained control of Owari Province through.

However, Oda Nobunaga did not give a clear reply and the 'Honnoji Incident' took place, so it remains unclear what kind of government scheme Oda Nobunaga had in mind.

In 1582, Oda Nobunaga was posthumously promoted and given the title of Dajo-daijin and the court rank of Junior First Rank.

Oda Nobunaga led a large army to Kyoto in honour of Ashikaga Shogun Yoshiaki and re-established the Muromachi Shogunate, under which he extended his power into the Kinai region.

The conventional theory is that Oda Nobunaga aimed from the outset to overthrow the Muromachi shogunate and clan system and, with Yoshiaki at the top, to seize real power himself, that is to establish a puppet government.

Oda Nobunaga then put into action a plan for the economic development of the areas he controlled.

Oda Nobunaga is known for his implementation of a series of innovative policies, such as the abolition of the barrier posts within his domain, thus allowing the freer passage of goods, and promotion of Rakuichi Rakuza, an economic policy that aimed to revitalize commerce by allowing people to do business anywhere in the castle town, whereas previously they could only do business in designated areas.

Oda Nobunaga knew that his grandfather and father had gained wealth from the water transportation of Ise Bay by taking control of Tsushima and Atsuta ports.

Oda Nobunaga himself promoted the commercialization of his territory by increasing the circulation of goods and money through the above policies.

Oda Nobunaga ordered the construction and improvement of roads and bridges of the Kinai region.

Oda Nobunaga built bridges across inlets and rivers, chiseled out rocks to make steep roads more gradual, widened roads to three and a half meters, and planted pine trees and willows on both sides of them.

Oda Nobunaga developed not only land transportation, but maritime transportation, including the waterways of Lake Biwa and the sea routes of Ise Bay and the Seto Inland Sea.

In general, Oda Nobunaga thought in terms of "unifying factors", in the words of George Sansom.

However, Oda Nobunaga continued to move his stronghold as his territory expanded in order to control Kyoto, which was essential for unifying the country.

Oda Nobunaga moved from one base to another, from Shobata, Kiyosu, Komakiyama, Gifu, and Azuchi, and his castle in Osaka, the diplomatic and economic center of East Asia, was under construction shortly before his death.

Oda Nobunaga always based his seats of power in the nodes of regional distribution and ensured the maintenance of public peace in the area, thereby promoting the development of the local economy and the concentration of capital in the cities.

Oda Nobunaga implemented financial reforms that introduced a new monetary system.

Oda Nobunaga used gold and silver as currency to trade in high-value commodities.

Oda Nobunaga himself played a role in expanding the circulation of gold and silver by using gold and silver for purchases in Meibutsu-gari.

Oda Nobunaga took Imai Sokyu, an upstart merchant from Sakai, under his control.

Oda Nobunaga demanded a large amount of war funds from Sakai.

Oda Nobunaga made personnel decisions based on ability and results, not titles.

Until then, the family culture of warlords had been one of respecting family lineage and passing down positions from generation to generation, but Oda Nobunaga made a major shift to a personnel system based on merit.

Militarily, Oda Nobunaga changed the way war was fought in Japan.

Oda Nobunaga was the first of the other sengoku daimyo to own and use a large number of firearms from an early date.

Local historiography Kunitomo Teppoki states that Oda Nobunaga had already recognised the potential of guns in 1549, six years after they were introduced to Japan, and put Hashimoto Ippa in charge of gun production, and that 500 guns were completed in 1550.

Four years later, in 1554, he fielded guns for the first time at the Battle of Muraki Castle, where Oda Nobunaga replaced his guns one after the other and fired them himself, taking the fort in a single day.

The Battle of Nagashino in 1575 is famous for the continuous firing of guns, but Oda Nobunaga had already carried it out 21 years earlier.

Documents left behind in Sakai, which was under the direct control of Oda Nobunaga, describing the manufacture of guns reveal that Japan had already become the world's leading gun power, with mass production based on a division of labour for each part.

Oda Nobunaga was the first to make this possible by establishing an international supply chain to import raw materials for ammunition from China and Southeast Asia through Portuguese merchants, which he facilitated by putting international port cities such as Sakai under his direct control and protecting the Jesuits.

Oda Nobunaga had the previously disparate spear lengths aligned to 3 ken or 3 and a half ken.

However, when Oda Nobunaga was a teenager, he saw his comrades beating each other with spears in a mock battle and had his army replace their own spears with longer ones, as short spears were useless.

Oda Nobunaga introduced civil engineering not only in the political field but in the military field by turning the battlefield into a large-scale civil engineering project.

Oda Nobunaga invaded enemy territory in force, mobilizing construction workers, carpenters, blacksmiths, founders, miners, and others to construct roads and build tsunagi-jiro.

Oda Nobunaga is thought to have favored gambling tactics such as surprise attacks because of the Battle of Okehazama, but in reality, he preferred to use overwhelming military power to overpower his opponents.

Oda Nobunaga tried to create a standing army by implementing the separation of soldiers and farmers.

Each time Oda Nobunaga moved his base of operations, he promoted the concentration of his vassals under his castles.

Daimyo's bodyguards and messengers were called Umamawari-shu, and Oda Nobunaga divided them into two groups.

Oda Nobunaga adopted a system of area armies, which enabled him to react in multiple regions simultaneously, and operated it in a large scale.

However, Oda Nobunaga forbade the soldiers under his command from looting and violence against the people.

Oda Nobunaga is said to have used six armored ships in the Second Battle of Kizugawaguchi in 1578.

Oda Nobunaga, who suffered a heavy blow at the First Battle of the Kizugawaguchi from a horaku-hiya of the Murakami Suigun, the core of the Mori Suigun, ordered Kuki Yoshitaka to build iron-armoured ships to repel the Mori Suigun attempting to bring provisions and other supplies to the Osaka Hongan-ji.

Oda Nobunaga initiated a period in Japanese art history known as Fushimi, or the Azuchi-Momoyama period, in reference to the area south of Kyoto.

Oda Nobunaga built extensive gardens and castles which were themselves great works of art.

Oda Nobunaga actively promoted the value of the tea ceremony in samurai society, giving it a value equal to the fiefdom and rank he received from his lord.

Oda Nobunaga transformed the values of the samurai through the following three actions.

Oda Nobunaga held tea ceremonies with limited participants and showed his authority by displaying his tea utensils, making it known that the tea ceremony was a samurai ritual.

Oda Nobunaga forbade his vassals to hold tea ceremonies, but allowed those who made special achievements to hold tea ceremonies by giving them tea utensils.

Oda Nobunaga was famous for his great love of sumo, and frequently held sumo tournaments at Joraku-ji in Azuchi between 1570 and 1581, the year before his death.

The main reason for organising the tournament was, of course, that Oda Nobunaga was a great lover of sumo.

In 1581, Oda Nobunaga, who was enjoying a fire festival with his vassals dressed up in Nanban costumes, had them perform take-zumo.

Oda Nobunaga praised the two contestants who had fought to a draw, and as a reward, he gave the surnames Higashi to Denzo, who entered the ring from the east, and Nishi to Umejiro, who entered the ring from the west.

Oda Nobunaga did not actively believe in any particular god or Buddha himself; according to Jesuit scholar Luis Frois he told people there was no afterlife but he did not deny that he was an adherent of Hokke-shu, and it was common for him to pray for victory and to visit temples and shrines.

Oda Nobunaga never denied or suppressed the beliefs of others for any reason, and was even willing to help and shelter them if they asked for help.

Oda Nobunaga rather respected them as long as they did not associate with the various daimyos or meddle in politics like fixers, but rather devoted themselves to their main task as religious people.

Oda Nobunaga only fought Buddhist forces as thoroughly as he had fought other Sengoku Daimyos, and while it is true that he killed thousands of monks and tens of thousands of believers, he never forbade their faith itself.

Oda Nobunaga would forgive them if they complied with his advice to surrender, but if they did not, he would send a large army to massacre them and try to suppress them through fear.

The Ishiyama Hongan-ji War was a war that began when Oda Nobunaga, who considered Osaka his future base, ordered the Osaka Honganji to withdraw from Osaka.

Oda Nobunaga attempted to isolate the Osaka Hongan-ji by exterminating the Ikko-ikki in various parts of the country.

Oda Nobunaga's massacre is generally criticized, but there is the view that Oda Nobunaga had no choice but to massacre them as a result of Hongan-ji Temple's request for thorough resistance from its followers.

Oda Nobunaga allowed the Jesuits to proselytise Christianity and sheltered their activities in Japan.

Above all, it was best to borrow Oda Nobunaga's help to destroy the Buddhist power, which was their greatest enemy.

Oda Nobunaga's height is estimated to be 5 shaku 5 or 6 sun tall based on a life-size seated wooden statue of him left at Daitoku-ji and the armour he is said to have used.

Oda Nobunaga's sect was the Lotus sect, but he preached in high spirits that there is no creator of the universe, that the spirit is not immortal, and that nothing exists after death, and there are no awards or punishments in the afterlife.

Oda Nobunaga was extremely fond of warfare, devoted to the practice of martial arts, and was coarse.

Oda Nobunaga was arrogant but honourable, strict in righteousness and enjoyed the deeds of justice and mercy.

Oda Nobunaga was temperamental, though not greedy, and could be prone to temper tantrums.

Oda Nobunaga was secretive in his decisions and extremely cunning in his strategies.

Oda Nobunaga was magnanimous and patient, even when the fortunes of war seemed to be against him.

Oda Nobunaga had a somewhat melancholy shadow, but when it came to difficult schemes, he was fearless, and people followed his orders in everything.

Oda Nobunaga was seldom disciplined, rarely swayed by the advice of his vassals, and was extremely feared and respected by all.

Oda Nobunaga despised all the daimyo of Japan and spoke to them condescendingly, as if they were his subordinate retainers, and the people obeyed him as if he were an absolute monarch.

Oda Nobunaga did not drink, ate sparingly, did not sleep much and was an early riser.

Oda Nobunaga liked his house to be clean and was meticulous in his instructions on various matters.

Oda Nobunaga particularly liked the famous vessels of the tea ceremony, good horses, swords and falconry.

Oda Nobunaga loved watching people perform sumo naked in front of him, regardless of status.

Nobuhide let Oda Nobunaga do only what he wanted to do and what he was good at.

The young Oda Nobunaga was famous for his bizarre outfit and eccentric behaviour, and people called him Outsuke.

Oda Nobunaga devoured fruits and mochi standing up without caring about the public gaze in the streets, or walked in a dishevelled manner, leaning on others or hanging on their shoulders.

Oda Nobunaga had no particular pastimes, but practised horsemanship in the morning and evening, and from spring to summer he would go into the river to practice water drills.

Oda Nobunaga learnt archery from Ichikawa Daisuke, marksmanship from Hashimoto Ippa and military tactics from Hirata Sanmi.

At the funeral of his father Nobuhide, his younger brother Nobuyuki wore a formal kataginu and long hakama and burnt incense according to etiquette, while Oda Nobunaga came without long hakama, with his hair tied in a chasen-mage, a tachi sword and a wakizashi with a long handle wrapped in straw rope.

Oda Nobunaga then grabbed some powdered incense, threw it at the tablets and walked away.

Dosan went to the meeting place in his regular clothes, thinking that he would not need formal attire if he were to meet such a fool, but Oda Nobunaga changed back into his haori and long hakama, and for the first time in his life, he appeared in formal attire with his hair neatly folded in futatsu-ori.

Nowadays Oda Nobunaga is one of Japan's most popular historical figures.

However, the image of Oda Nobunaga has changed significantly during the Edo period, from the Meiji to the early Showa era, and since World War II.

However, after the Second World War, as a result of the elimination of the imperialist view of history, it came to be thought that Oda Nobunaga should be seen simply as a military commander and a politician.

However, the latest research, perhaps as a reaction to this, has shown a marked tendency to believe that Oda Nobunaga did not uproot the existing system but came to terms with vested interests and promoted gradual reforms, and some assess that he was in fact a conservative daimyo.

In recent years, Oda Nobunaga appears frequently in fiction and continues to be portrayed in many different anime, manga, video games, and cinematic films, very often wearing a Western-style mustache and a red European cape allegedly gifted to him.

Oda Nobunaga had previously appeared as Toyotomi Hideyoshi's lord in various Taikoki in which Hideyoshi played a leading role, such as Ehon Taikoki published in the Edo period and Yoshikawa Eiji's historical novel Shinsho Taikoki, written during World War II, but in short he was a supporting character.

Oda Nobunaga was often portrayed as a tyrant in variations of the Taikoki, where his lack of virtue and narrow-mindedness were often emphasised, although his abilities were appreciated.

Oda Nobunaga described Nobunaga as a rationalist to the bone.

The popularity of Oda Nobunaga was determined by the success of Shiba Ryotaro's novel Kunitori Monogatari.

However, due to its popularity, Shiba was not allowed to finish the series and had no choice but to bring out Oda Nobunaga and make it a two-part series.

Oda Nobunaga is not the protagonist in Kurosawa Akira's film Kagemusha, but he is the originator of the image of him in current fictional works, wearing a mustache, a cloak and western armour and drinking red wine.

Mayumura Taku's SF novel Toki no Tabibito: Time Stranger is the originator of the plot in which a modern man travels back in time to the Sengoku period and meets Oda Nobunaga, and was made into an anime in 1986.

Oda Nobunaga's rise is chronicled in the Netflix docufiction series The Age of the Samurai, the Bloody Origins of Japan released in 2021 and then in Keishi Otomo's film The Legend and Butterfly released in 2023.

The anime Yotoden was the forerunner of the type of work in which the 'Demon King' Oda Nobunaga stands in the way of the protagonists.

Oda Nobunaga is portrayed as evil or megalomaniacal in some anime and manga series including Samurai Deeper Kyo and Flame of Recca.

In video games, the branding of Oda Nobunaga began in the 1980s with Koei's Oda Nobunaga's Ambition series.

The Samurai Warriors design for Oda Nobunaga is seen in Pokemon Conquest, known in Japan as Pokemon + Oda Nobunaga's Ambition.

Oda Nobunaga has been portrayed numerous times in a more neutral or historical framework, particularly in the taiga drama series produced and broadcast by NHK in Japan.

Oda Nobunaga appears in the manga series Tail of the Moon, Kacchu no Senshi Gamu.

Oda Nobunaga has been portrayed in fiction, such as when the figure of Oda Nobunaga influences a story or inspires a characterization.

Oda Nobunaga appears as a major character in the eroge Sengoku Rance and is a playable character in Pokemon Conquest, with his partner Pokemon being Hydreigon, Rayquaza and Zekrom.

The most famous portrait of Oda Nobunaga is Shihon-tyakusyoku Oda Nobunaga-zo by Kano Motohide, a National Important Cultural Property, owned by Choko-ji in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture.

Nobunaga first claimed that the Oda clan was descended from the Fujiwara clan, and later claimed descent from Taira no Sukemori of the Taira clan.

One theory as to why Oda Nobunaga came to claim descent from the Taira clan is that he justified his own seizure of power by exploiting the belief at the time that the Minamoto and Taira clans were destined to alternate in power.

In other words, the idea was that the Minamoto clan, the shogun of the Kamakura shogunate, the Hojo clan, descended from the Taira clan, the Ashikaga clan, descended from the Minamoto clan, and the Oda Nobunaga clan, descended from the Taira clan, were destined to seize power in that order.

Oda Nobunaga married Nohime, the daughter of Saito Dosan, in a political marriage, but records indicate that they had no children.

Nobunaga's granddaughter Oyu no Kata, by his son Oda Nobuyoshi, married Tokugawa Tadanaga.