Oda Nobunaga's Council
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Official Background Guide Oda Nobunaga’s Council Model United Nations at Chapel Hill XVIII February 22 – 25, 2018 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Table of Contents Letter from the Crisis Director …………………………………………………………………… 3 Letter from the Chair …………………………………………………………………………… 4 Background Information ………………………………………………………………………… 5 The Imagawa Clan ……………………………………………………………………………… 13 Earthquakes …………………………………………………………………………………… 14 European Encroachment ……………………………………………………………………… 15 Position List …………………………………………………………………………………… 16 Oda Nobunaga’s Council Page 2 Letter from the Crisis Director Dear Delegates, It is my pleasure to welcome you to MUNCH XVIII, and to the unique committee Tyler, your chair, Mason, your co-chair, and I have put together -- Oda Nobunaga’s Council. My name is Thomas Poole and I am a freshman here at UNC Chapel Hill studying Political Science and Chinese. I was born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, and have participated in MUN for three years at Enloe High School. Coming into MUNCH, I knew I wanted to direct a historical crisis committee. As a delegate, there is nothing more entertaining to me than watching a historical committee get flipped on its head and rewriting history; that’s why I want to provide a similar experience for all of you. I chose the Sengoku Jidai as the setting for our committee because it naturally lends itself to Model UN. It is driven by individuals, by personalities that are remembered throughout history, and none more so than Oda Nobunaga. I’m excited for every delegate to interact with and become one of these personalities, and for all of the tense, strategic, and amusing interactions that are sure to come with it. Another focus I had when designing this committee was making sure that I created a level playing field for all delegates. That is why, even though each delegate has some special portfolio powers, many of these powers will be shared by all, and each delegate will start in very similar positions controlling their own portion of Owari province. Delegates should not feel as if they have had the cards stacked against them from the very beginning. Each delegate should forge a power structure through interactions in committee, not through the nature of their portfolio powers and resources. I am very excited to see how this new structure affects the committee progress, and how all of you will use it to your advantage. I cannot wait to see what everyone accomplishes in this committee. I’m sure there are going to be many complex crisis arcs, shocking twists, and lively debates. I hope you all have a great time, and come away understanding what Carolina is all about! Sincerely, Thomas Poole Crisis Director Oda Nobunaga’s Council Page 3 Letter from the Chair Esteemed delegates, It is my pleasure to welcome you to MUNCH XVIII. My name is Tyler Henkel, and I will be serving as your chair throughout the weekend. I am a junior from Gastonia, North Carolina, majoring in Public Policy and Peace, War, and Defense. This is my third year with the Carolina International Relations Association, as well as my third MUNCH. Additionally, I serve as one of Carolina’s Head Delegates for our Model United Nations’ Travel Team. In my spare time, I also enjoy participating in Italian club, reading, and pondering the big questions in life (such as whether gif is pronounced “gif” or “gif”). The Sengoku Jidai is a time of great social and political turmoil for Japan. The numerous clans in the Japanese feudal system have risen up against the Ashikaga shogunate, who have ruled Japan for over 200 years. Our honorable daimyo, Oda Nobunaga, will surely lead us to victory. As members of this council, you will be trusted to advise Nobunaga, and lead this clan to victory over all other contenders. This will be no easy feat; victory in this struggle will require superior military strategy, diplomatic tact, and steadfast courage. I am sure you will all be up to the task. Good luck! Sincerely, Tyler Henkel Chair Oda Nobunaga’s Council Page 4 Background Information In order to understand the history of feudal Japan, one must first understand the structure of society. At the de jure top of Japanese society was the Emperor, though de facto most of the political power lay in the hands of the Shogun. The Shogun was a military dictator, and effectively served as the head of the Japanese military. Later, the Emperor and Shogun would clash over control of Japan, but for this time period, the Shogun held most of the power. Next were the Daimyos, the class Oda Nobunaga belonged to. Daimyos controlled large swaths of land, and the title of Daimyo was generally kept within a family. Think of Daimyos as Dukes to the Shogun’s King. Samurai, the next lowest social class, were military nobility, and mostly served as military advisors to Daimyos. They were often landholders as well. All of the positions in our committee are members of the Samurai class. Ronin were the class below Samurai, and were used as paid soldiers. Ronin were Samurai whose masters had perished, so they wandered the land looking for work, and were often hired to fight in the armies of Daimyos. After these came the peasants, artisans, and merchants, the lower rungs of society were the vast majority of the population found themselves. Oda Nobunaga’s Council Page 5 The Sengoku Jidai, otherwise known as the Age of Warring States, was a period in Japanese history defined by nearly constant conflict between many powerful warlords, or Daimyos. It began in 1467 with the outbreak of the Ōnin War, in which a regional conflict between two Daimyos spilled over into a nationwide conflict that eventually involved the Ashikaga Shogunate (the ruling Shogunate at the time). Following the war, the Ashikaga Shogunate effectively became the puppet of the Hosokawa Clan. With the Shogunate weakened, the clans of Japan were free to engage in conflict, in which they did. For 130 years, conflict raged in Japan, with clans competing for influence, and for the grand prize of being the Shogunate. For the first 100 years of the Sengoku Jidai, no clan had made the bold attempt to reunite Japan, but that was all about to change. Oda Nobunaga was born on June 23, 1534 to Oda Nobuhide, a land-holder in Owari province, a small province located on the coast of central Japan. As a child he was known for his bizarre behavior, earning him the nickname “The Big Fool of Owari”. When Nobunaga was 17, Nobuhide died unexpectedly. Nobunaga did not take the news well, and acted inappropriately at his father’s funeral, throwing ceremonial incense at the altar. Because of his apparent lack of self-control, many members of the Oda clan began to side with his relatives over the matter of inheritance, specifically with his younger brother Nobuyuki. Nobuyuki staged a rebellion against Nobunaga shortly after Oda Nobunaga’s Council Page 6 Nobuhide’s death, but was soundly defeated at the Battle of Ino, even though Nobunaga was outnumbered 2 to 1. Although he had defeated Nobuyuki, Nobunaga made the choice to spare him at the behest of his mother. However, in the following year, Nobunaga learned that Nobuyuki was planning another rebellion. This time, Nobunaga was not so lenient with Nobuyuki, and personally assassinated him. By 1559, Nobunaga skillfully eliminated all opposition within the Owari province, uniting it under Oda rule for the first time in decades. Unfortunately, there was not peace for long, as Nobunaga came into conflict with an adversary much more powerful than his brother, the great Imagawa clan. Although he had defeated Nobuyuki, Nobunaga made the choice to spare him at the behest of his mother. However, in the following year, Nobunaga learned that Nobuyuki was planning another rebellion. This time, Nobunaga was not so lenient with Nobuyuki, and personally assassinated him. By 1559, Nobunaga skillfully eliminated all opposition within the Owari province, uniting it under Oda rule for the first time in decades. Unfortunately, there was not peace for long, as Nobunaga came into conflict with an adversary much more powerful than his brother, the great Imagawa clan. Nobunaga was not fazed and at the Battle of Okehazama that followed, he won a legendary victory. A small portion of the Oda army lined up at one end of the gorge, making it appear as though his main force was going to attack head on. In reality, the majority of Oda’s troops were sneaking through the woods to attack Yoshimoto’s camp from behind. During a thunderstorm, while the Imagawa Army sat in their tents, Nobunaga’s forces attacked from behind, storming the camp. The majority of Yoshimoto’s army fled in the ensuing confusion, leaving Yoshimoto’s tent Oda Nobunaga’s Council Page 7 undefended. Oda’s troops entered the tent, and though Yoshimoto valiantly tried to fight them off single- handedly, he was slain in combat. Nobunaga won the day. Following his incredible victory at Okehazama, the remaining Imagawa forces joined Nobunaga, and the Matsudaira, who had previously allied themselves with the Imagawa, allied with the Oda. Samurai flocked to Nobunaga, hoping to serve the young military genius who single-handedly defeated one of the most prominent clans in Japan. Our committee will begin in the wake of the battle, July 1560., The 25 members of our committee come from many walks of life, but all have chosen to serve Nobunaga. In his generosity, Nobunaga decided to give each of these 25 Samurai land holdings in Owari province, and tasked you, the Samurai, with being his right-hand men in uniting Japan. It is up to this committee to decide where the Oda clan will head from here.