Oda Nobunaga (1534–1582)

Oda Nobunaga was a general in the Azuchi-Momoyama Period. He is known as the hero who ended the chaotic time of the Warring States Period and built the foundation to unify the country.

He was born in Owari Province [now the western half of Aichi Prefecture]. He was called the “fool of Owari” due to his bold and sudden actions. After the death of his father Nobuhide, he unified the Oda clan and pacified Owari Province. In 1560, at the Battle of Okehazama, he defeated Imagawa Yoshimoto, and in 1568, he went to Kyoto to be loyal to Ashikaga Yoshiaki, and helped make Yoshiaki the 15th sei-i taishogun (the commander-in-chief) of the Muromachi Shogunate. According to Shincho Koki (a chronicle of Oda Nobunaga), on the way to Kyoto, Nobunaga went into Miidera Temple and set up a military camp at Gokuraku-in located in the precinct.

In 1570, at the Battle of Anegawa (in the area now Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture), the allied force of Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu defeated the allied force of Azai Nagamasa and Asakura Yoshikage. The following year, Nobunaga attacked and burned the Enyakuji Temple. For this action, he was said to be a bold person with no fear of deities and Buddha. In 1573, he sent Ashikaga Yoshiaki into exile, and completely destroyed the Muromachi Shogunate. Furthermore, in 1575, at the Battle of Nagashino, Nobunaga formed innovative gun squads, and the allied force of Nobunaga and Ieyasu defeated the force of Takeda Katsuyori which was famous for the strongest cavalry in the Warring States Period. Nobunaga then pacified Kinai, the capital region, and built Azuchi Castle in Omi Province [now Shiga Prefecture] to reside in the following year. While conquering the remaining provinces, Nobunaga abolished checkpoints for smooth traffic and trade, and implemented Rakuichi-Rakuza (free markets and open guilds) to promote trade liberalization. With such policies, Nobunaga built the foundation to establish a unified government; however, in 1582, he killed himself in Honnoji Temple in Kyoto due to an ambush by his retainer, Akechi Mitsuhide. He could not realize his great ambition to unify the country.