79 Facts About Oda Nobunaga

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese daimyo and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period.

Oda Nobunaga is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan.

Oda Nobunaga conquered most of Honshu island by 1580, and defeated the Ikko-ikki rebels 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 was killed in the Honno-ji Incident in 1582, when his retainer Akechi Mitsuhide ambushed him in Kyoto and forced him to commit.

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

Oda Nobunaga was an influential figure in Japanese history and is regarded as one of the three great unifiers of Japan, along with his retainers Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Oda Nobunaga is said to have been born in Nagoya Castle, the future seat of the Owari Domain, although this is subject to debate.

Oda Nobunaga was given the childhood name of Kipposhi, and through his childhood and early teenage years became well-known for his bizarre behavior, receiving the name of Owari no Outsuke.

Oda Nobunaga was a clear speaker with a strong presence about him, and was known to run around with other youths from the area, without any regard to his own rank in society.

Oda Nobunaga, collecting about 1,000 men, suppressed the hostile members of his family and their allies.

In spring 1552, Nobuhide's younger brother, Oda Nobutomo, attacked Nobunaga domain with the support of Shiba Yoshimune, the official governor of Owari province.

Oda Nobunaga repelled it and burned the outskirts of Kiyosu castle.

In 1553, Hirate Masahide, a valuable mentor and retainer to Oda Nobunaga, performed to startle Oda Nobunaga into his obligations.

Oda Nobunaga mobilized his forces to blockade Kiyosu castle and waited for the opportunity to attack.

In 1554 Oda Nobunaga defeated the powerful Imagawa clan, whose army had invaded eastern Owari Province, at the Battle of Muraki Castle.

In 1556, Oda Nobunaga sent an army to Mino Province to aid his father-in-law, Saito Dosan, after Dosan's son, Saito Yoshitatsu, turned against him.

In 1558, Oda Nobunaga sent an army to 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 formed an alliance with Takeda Shingen through the marriage of his daughter to Shingen's son.

In 1561, Saito Yoshitatsu, an enemy of the Oda Nobunaga clan, died suddenly of illness and was succeeded by his son, Saito Tatsuoki.

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".

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.

In early 1570, Oda Nobunaga launched a campaign into the Asakura clan's domain and besieged Kanagasaki Castle.

Oda Nobunaga launched the Siege of Ichijodani Castle and Siege of Odani Castle.

Oda Nobunaga successfully destroyed the Azai and Asakura clans by driving them both to the point that the clan leaders committed suicide.

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, conspired 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.

Oda Nobunaga compensated for the arquebus' slow reloading time by organizing the arquebusiers and archers in three rows, firing in rotation.

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

In early 1574, Oda Nobunaga was promoted to the 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.

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.

Oda Nobunaga's remains were never found, a fact often speculated about by writers and historians.

Hideyoshi intercepted one of Mitsuhide's messengers trying to deliver a letter to the Mori requesting to form an alliance against the Oda after informing them of Nobunaga's death.

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

Oda Nobunaga had gained control over most of Honshu before his death during the 1582 Honno-ji incident, a coup attempt executed by Oda Nobunaga's vassal, Akechi Mitsuhide.

Nobunaga was betrayed by his own retainers who set the Honno-Ji temple on fire; then, instead of burning in flames, Oda Nobunaga had committed to escape the flames.

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

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

Oda Nobunaga was ruthless in battle, pursuing fugitives and killing traitors without compassion.

Oda Nobunaga built iron-plated warships and imported saltpeter to produce gunpowder, while promoting the manufacture of artillery and ammunition.

Oda Nobunaga instituted rakuichi rakuza policies as a way to stimulate business and the overall economy through the use of a free market system.

Oda Nobunaga initiated policies for civil administration, which included currency regulations, the construction of roads and bridges.

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

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 was famous for his meibutsu-gari hunt-down and acquisition of famous objects by which he collected tea ceremony objects with famous poetic or historic lineages.

Additionally, Oda Nobunaga was very interested in European culture which was still very new to Japan.

Oda Nobunaga collected pieces of Western art as well as arms and armor, and he is considered to be among the first Japanese people in recorded history to wear European clothes.

Oda Nobunaga became the patron of the Jesuit missionaries in Japan and supported the establishment of the first Christian church in Kyoto in 1576, although he never converted to Christianity.

Oda Nobunaga married Nohime, the daughter of Saito Dosan, as a matter of political strategy; however, she was unable to give birth to children and was considered to be barren.

Oda Nobunaga's son Oda Nobuhide was a Christian, and took the baptismal name Peter; he was adopted by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and commissioned chamberlain.

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

Oda Nobunaga gained possession of this sword and had it shortened to its present length.

Oda Nobunaga appears frequently in fiction and continues to be portrayed in many different anime, manga, video games, and cinematic films.

Oda Nobunaga is a central character in Eiji Yoshikawa's historical novel Taiko Ki, where he is a firm but benevolent lord.

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

Oda Nobunaga has been portrayed numerous times in a more neutral or historic framework, especially in the Taiga dramas shown on television in Japan.

Oda Nobunaga appears in the manga series Tail of the Moon, Kacchu no Senshi Gamu, and Tsuji Kunio's historical fiction The Signore: Shogun of the Warring States.

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.