personality profile 81 Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) by Kayson Wang INTRODUCTION saito clan leader, in order to forge peace between the two clans. in oda nobunaga was among 1551, nobunaga’s father nobuhide the most controversial daimyos died of an unexpected illness (warlord) and a key player in and nobunaga was appointed to the unification of 16th century be his successor. When nobunaga Japan.1 nobunaga’s suppression of responded to his father’s death by Buddhist clans and nickname of throwing ceremonial incense at the “demon King” has tarnished his altar,4 many of the clan advisors image in the annals of history, and generals felt that nobunaga nevertheless, it cannot be denied was incapable compared to his that nobunaga was a brilliant well-mannered brother nobuyuki. general who conquered more than half of Japan. upon nobuhide’s death, the oda clan was wracked by EARLY LIFE infighting. eventually, nobunaga’s oda nobunaga was born on 23 uncle nobutomo murdered the June 1534 in nagoya castle, owari Shugo (imperial governor) of province, and was given the infant owari and attempted to replace name Kipposhi.2 he was the second nobunaga as the leader of the oda son of oda nobuhide, who was clan.5 Knowing himself to be at a warlord and magistrate of lower disadvantage, nobunaga persuaded owari province. nobunaga was another uncle, nobumitsu, to aid proficient in horse riding, archery, him in murdering nobutomo and swordsmanship and spear fighting, taking control of Kiyosu castle, and was notable for not following which became nobunaga’s base for traditional Japanese manners. the next ten years. in his teenage years, nobunaga also became fond of the newly- in order to strengthen his introduced Tanegashima (Japanese power, nobunaga made allies matchlock arquebus based on with the neighboring imagawa imported portuguese firearms) clan of suruga province and Kira and this later inspired him to clan of mikawa province to ensure emphasise firearms in his military the safety of owari’s borders. tactics.3 nobuyuki rebelled in 1556 with a few generals who had been loyal to in 1549, a political marriage nobuhide. he was later defeated was arranged for nobunaga, who by nobunaga in the Battle of ino. married saito nou, daughter of the nobunaga spared nobuyuki’s life POINTER, Journal of the singapore armed forces Vol.40 no.2 personality profile 82 at the request of their mother, scouts reported that Yoshimoto’s where the Zhou dynasty started, tsuchida gozen. however, in the troops were resting at dengaku- indicating his ambition to conquer following year, noboyuki rebelled hazama, which was a narrow all of Japan. nobunaga adopted again and this time nobunaga gorge geographically perfect for the personal slogan Tenka Fubu: executed noboyuki himself. in nobunaga’s surprise assault. on “all the world by force of arms.”8 1559, nobunaga unified the owari a night when Yoshimoto’s army from 1564 onwards, nobunaga province and eliminated all threats was celebrating their upcoming made plans to march on Kyoto, the to his power. victory, nobunaga set up an ancient capital of Japan.9 array of flags and dummy troops BATTLE OF OKEHAZAMA made of straw and spare helmets in 1568, nobunaga received a request from ashikaga Yoshiaki, the battle of okehazama was to give the impression of a large brother of the murdered 13th nobunaga’s first important military number of soldiers attacking, ashikaga shogun, to assist him victory and showed his strategic while nobunaga and his real troops in regaining the shogunate. talents in war. the battle occurred took up position behind the camp. seeing this as an opportunity to in may 1560 in dengaku hazam, a sudden thunderstorm forced enter Kyoto, nobunaga agreed to owari province. a powerful warlord Yoshimoto’s troops to seek shelter help. nobunaga reached Kyoto and old ally of the oda clan, and nobunaga struck directly at the in a short period of time, drove imagawa Yoshimoto decided to enemy leader’s tent. the ambush out the opposing forces and invade nobunaga’s territory using was so sudden that Yoshimoto their figurehead shogun and the excuse of marching on Kyoto to initially thought that quarrelling replaced him with Yoshiaki.10 revive the ashkikaga shogunate’s had broken out among his own nobunaga refused the post of power.6 Yoshimoto had an army of troops. realising his mistake too Kanrei (deputy commander) from 25,000 men with other allies such late, Yoshimoto was struck down the new shogun and continued to as the matsudaira clan of mikawa as he emerged from his tent and expand his influence.11 dissatisfied province whereas nobunaga was the oda were victorious.7 with being just another puppet, only able to rally 3,000 troops ashikaga Yoshiaki secretly formed to fight the battle. in order to TENKA FUBU an alliance of opposing Daimyos raise his men’s morale, nobunaga after the victory in okehazama, against the oda clan. performed his favorite atsumori nobunaga’s fame as a commander dance for his troops and prayed for spread. he became increasingly victory. despite the suggestion of a major force in the anti- nobunaga’s advisor and generals to influential through the conquest nobunaga alliance were the remain passive or even surrender, of different clans using various Buddhist sohei (warrior monks), nobunaga insisted on launching a methods. for example, nobunaga from the nearby enryaku-ji frontal attack even though he had gained control of the mino monastery, a significant holy site. a smaller army because he believed province by taking advantage of in 1571, nobunaga burnt down that this was his only chance to the ineptitude of his father-in- the monastery and killed several surprise Yoshimoto’s army and law’s grandson, saito tatsuoki, thousand monks, women and maintain morale among his men. and convincing tatsuoki’s advisors children, alienating many in Japan. to abandon their master. a capable and careful after conquering many strategist, nobunaga sent scouts after taking over mino, provinces, nobunaga was in control to inspect different routes into nobunaga renamed the original of almost half of Japan and people owari province in order to locate inabayama castle, “gifu” after saw takeda shingen as the last the perfect for an ambush. his the legendary mount Qi of china hope for stopping his expansion. POINTER, Journal of the singapore armed forces Vol.40 no.2 personality profile 83 takeda shingen was one of the would confiscate mitsuhide’s fief Endnotes th strongest daimyo of 16 century and grant it to his own page, mori 1. Daimyo were the powerful 15 Japan and famous for his fearsome ranmaru. other motives include territorial lords in pre-modern 12 cavalry. nevertheless, shingen revenge for nobunaga’s numerous Japan (10th century-mid 19th died unexpectedly and his less insults and derisive treatment of century) who ruled most of the talented successor was defeated mitsuhide, or mitsuhide’s jealousy country from their vast, hereditary by nobunaga at nagashino. as nobunaga had shown greater land holdings. nobunaga had compensated for favor towards hideyoshi. 2. Jansen, marius (2000). the making the slow reloading time of the of modern Japan, 11. powerful Tangeshima by building nonetheless, just eleven 3. Tanegashima was a type of barricades and staggering volleys days after the coup at honnõ-ji, matchlock firearm introduced to of gunfire to create a continuous mitsuhide was killed at the Battle of Japan through the portuguese in hail of bullets. unable to overrun Yamazaki and his army was defeated 1543. the gunners, the takeda cavalry by hideyoshi, who eventually 4. Okanoya, shigezane (2007) suffered heavy casualties and fled. became heir to nobunaga’s legacy. [translation based on 1943 edition eventually, nobunaga conquered he is more widely known as published by iwanami shoten, the takeda clan in 1582. toyotomi hideyoshi. at the time Japan. first published in 1871.]. of nobunaga’s death, he was in dykstra, andrew; dykstra, Yoshiko, INCIDENT AT HONNO-JI AND control of more than half of the eds. meishõgenkõroku [shogun DEATH provinces in Japan, most of which and samurai - tales of nobunaga, were in the Kyoto region. hideyoshi, and ieyasu] (PDF). in 1582, nobunaga ordered one translated by andrew and Yoshiko of his generals, mitsuhide akechi, to dykstra from the original Japanese. assist his favored general hashiba CONCLUSION retrieved 2010-07-21. tale 3 - his hideyoshi in western honshu while nobunaga will always be extraordinary appearance he himself prepared for an invasion remembered in Japan as one of the 5. Shugo was a title translated as of shikoku. nobunaga stayed at most brutal figures of the sengoku governor; it was given to certain a temple in Kyoto called honno- (Warring states) period but is officials in feudal Japanto oversee Ji guarded by only a few dozen also recognized as one of Japan’s a province’s operation. servants and bodyguards since greatest strategists. nobunaga 6. A shogun is the head of a hereditary it was in his territory and it was was the first of three great unifiers military governor (shogunate) considered safe. mitsuhide akechi of Japan at the end of the 16th of Japan during 1192 to 1867. took the opportunity to surround century.16 nevertheless, nobunaga the ashikaga shogunate was the the temple with his troops.13 was well on his way to the weakest shogunate compared to the other ones established due nobunaga’s bodyguards were soon complete conquest and unification to the fact that it had lack of overwhelmed and the temple set of Japan when he committed direct territories, thus shoguns seppuku. he was the pioneer who ablaze. trapped, nobunaga decided depended heavily on the loyalty of to commit seppuku (ritual suicide built a solid foundation for his the daimyo that held the military through disembowelment) in one successors, toyotomi hideyoshi, power locally.