Oda Nobunaga
First great unifier of Japan, known as the 'Demon Daimyō'.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Oda Nobunaga (23 June 1534 – 21 June 1582) was a Japanese samurai and daimyō, regarded as the first 'Great Unifier' of Japan during the Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the head of the powerful Oda clan and is considered one of the three great unifiers of Japan, along with his retainers Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu.
- born
- 23 June 1534 in Nagoya, Owari Province
- died
- 21 June 1582 (seppuku during Honnō-ji Incident)
- field
- Samurai, daimyō, military commander
- nationality
- Japanese
- known_for
- First 'Great Unifier' of Japan; innovative military tactics; fostering free trade; reforming civil government; brutal suppression of opponents
Lore & Background
Oda Nobunaga was born on 23 June 1534 in Nagoya, Owari Province, the heir of Oda Nobuhide and Dota Gozen. His childhood name was Kippōshi, and he gained notoriety for bizarre behavior, earning the nickname 'The Fool of Owari'. He spent his youth hunting, riding, practicing archery and arquebus, and engaging in wrestling, swimming, sumo, and visiting taverns and brothels. He showed disdain for formal attire, wearing sleeveless bathrobes and short trousers in public. At age 8 he was given Nagoya Castle, and at 21 he took Kiyosu Castle. He came to manhood in 1546, taking the name Oda Saburō Nobunaga, and led his first campaign in 1547. In 1548 or 1549, his father arranged a political marriage with Nōhime, daughter of Saitō Dōsan.
Reader's Guide
Oda Nobunaga's significance lies in his role as the first of the three great unifiers of Japan, paving the way for Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu to complete national unification. His consolidation of power through military campaigns beginning in the 1560s ended the Ashikaga Shogunate and established the Azuchi-Momoyama period, named after his castle Azuchi Castle and Hideyoshi's Fushimi Castle. His innovative military tactics, promotion of free trade, and reforms of civil government transformed Japan, while his brutal suppression of opponents left a complex legacy. The period of his and Hideyoshi's rule is a distinct historical era. His death by seppuku during the Honnō-ji Incident in 1582 marked a turning point, after which Hideyoshi and Ieyasu completed unification. Nobunaga is sometimes referred to as the 'Demon Daimyō' and 'Demon King of the Sixth Heaven', reflecting both his power and the fear he inspired.
Did You Know?
- Nobunaga was given the childhood name Kippōshi and was known as 'The Fool of Owari' for his bizarre behavior.
- He was born on 23 June 1534, with recent theories suggesting Shobata Castle rather than Nagoya Castle as his birthplace.
- He committed seppuku during the Honnō-ji Incident in 1582 after being ambushed by his retainer Akechi Mitsuhide.
- His castle, Azuchi Castle, gives its name to the Azuchi-Momoyama period, along with Hideyoshi's Fushimi Castle.
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