Nobunaga’s Campaign to Unify Japan

Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) was a revolutionary who rose from a minor daimyo in Owari to the verge of unifying Japan in only 20 years. His achievements opened the door to the early-modern period.

Basic Knowledge

Major events in Nobunaga’s campaign to unify Japan:
1560: Battle of Okehazama — He ambushed and killed Imagawa Yoshimoto of Suruga.
1568: Entry into Kyoto — He entered Kyoto supporting Ashikaga Yoshiaki and installed him as the 15th shogun.
1570: Battle of Anegawa — He defeated the allied forces of Azai Nagamasa and Asakura Yoshikage.
1571: Burning of Mount Hiei — He burned down Enryakuji, which opposed him. About 4,000 people were killed.
1573: Fall of the Muromachi shogunate — He expelled Ashikaga Yoshiaki.
1574: Destruction of the Nagashima Ikko uprising — He destroyed about 20,000 followers.
1575: Battle of Nagashino — He defeated Takeda Katsuyori’s cavalry with 3,000 firearms.
1576: Construction of Azuchi Castle — He built the early-modern castle with a keep at Azuchi in Omi.
1577: Free Markets and Guilds Edict — Issued in the town beneath Azuchi Castle.
1580: End of the Ishiyama War — He ended the ten-year war with Honganji.
1582: Honnoji Incident — He committed suicide after being attacked by his retainer Akechi Mitsuhide at Honnoji Temple in Kyoto, aged 49.
Nobunaga’s policies were characterized by the thorough destruction of the existing order and rationalism. While suppressing temple and shrine forces (Mount Hiei, Honganji, Nagashima, and Koyasan), he protected Christianity. Economically, he promoted free commerce through free markets and guilds (abolishing guild privileges), abolishing barriers, and the Coin Selection Edict (prohibiting the selection of coins).

In Depth (Background and Effects)

Nobunaga’s innovative nature is symbolized by his seal, “Tenka Fubu”. Publicly declaring his intention to “take control of Japan through military power” rejected the traditional methods of supporting a shogun and borrowing the authority of the imperial court.
The “three-rank firearm tactic” at Nagashino (dividing 3,000 firearms into three rows so that one row fired while another reloaded) is debated by historians, but it is certain that group tactics using firearms defeated the cavalry. This marked a transition from medieval battles centered on one-on-one combat to early-modern group warfare.
Azuchi Castle (1576-1579) had a five-story, seven-floor keep and was a magnificent castle decorated inside with wall paintings. It became a model for later early-modern castles such as Himeji Castle and Osaka Castle. Its destruction in the confusion immediately after the Honnoji Incident was regrettable.
The motives for the Honnoji Incident remain disputed, including theories of resentment, ambition, imperial-court intrigue, and Shikoku policy.

Points to Note (Easily Confused)

① Okehazama (1560) = Imagawa Yoshimoto; Nagashino (1575) = Takeda Katsuyori. Both were Nobunaga’s victories, but the opponents were different.
② The Burning of Mount Hiei (1571) and the destruction of the Nagashima Ikko uprising (1574) were both religious suppression by Nobunaga, but their targets differed (Mount Hiei = Tendai Buddhism; Nagashima = Jodo Shinshu).
③ Honnoji Incident (June 2, 1582) = Akechi Mitsuhide’s rebellion; Battle of Yamazaki (June 13, 1582) = Hashiba Hideyoshi defeated Mitsuhide. Be sure of the order.
④ Free markets and guilds did not begin with Nobunaga (the Rokkaku clan was first), but their application at Azuchi is the most famous.

Practice

1. State the name of the battle in 1575 in which Oda Nobunaga effectively used firearms to defeat Takeda Katsuyori.
2. Briefly state the purpose of Oda Nobunaga’s economic policy of “free markets and guilds.”
3. State the name of the retainer who attacked Oda Nobunaga at Honnoji in 1582.