Who Was Oda Nobunaga? The 'Fool of Owari' Who Began Japan's Unification

Oda Nobunaga (1534–1582) was a Japanese warlord, or daimyō, who began the process of reunifying Japan after more than a century of civil war, and he is regarded as the first of Japan's three great unifiers, followed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu. He combined military innovation, especially the large-scale use of firearms, with economic reforms and a ruthless willingness to destroy his enemies, including powerful Buddhist institutions. Just when he seemed close to controlling the whole country, one of his own generals turned on him.

The "Fool of Owari"

Nobunaga was born in 1534 in Owari Province, in central Japan, the son of a regional lord. Japan at the time was in the Sengoku, or "Warring States", period: the shogun in Kyoto had lost real power, and regional lords fought constantly for territory.

As a young man Nobunaga behaved so unconventionally, dressing and acting outside the expectations for a lord's heir, that he earned the nickname "the Fool of Owari". Many people underestimated him. It was a mistake they would regret.

Okehazama: the upset of 1560

In 1560 the powerful lord Imagawa Yoshimoto marched through Owari with a large army. Nobunaga's forces were much smaller, but he launched a surprise attack at Okehazama, and Imagawa Yoshimoto was killed. The victory greatly increased Nobunaga's prestige and turned him from a local lord into a national player.

He then built alliances, most importantly with Tokugawa Ieyasu, who would later become the last of the three unifiers. After conquering Owari and Mino, he began using a seal reading Tenka Fubu, often translated as "rule the realm by force", announcing his ambition to unify the country.

Kyoto and the end of the shogunate

In 1568 Nobunaga entered Kyoto and installed Ashikaga Yoshiaki as shogun. The new shogun was supposed to be his puppet, but the relationship soured. In 1573 Nobunaga drove Yoshiaki out of the capital, effectively ending the Ashikaga shogunate that had ruled, at least in name, for more than two centuries.

War against everyone

Nobunaga's campaigns were relentless. He destroyed rival clans such as the Asakura and Azai. In 1571 he burned Enryaku-ji, the great Buddhist temple complex on Mount Hiei, which had become a political and military power in its own right. He fought the armed Buddhist movement known as the Ikkō-ikki for years and finally took their fortress-temple, Ishiyama Hongan-ji, in 1580.

These actions shocked many contemporaries and still make Nobunaga a controversial figure. He showed little mercy to those who resisted him.

Guns and the Battle of Nagashino

Nobunaga championed the use of matchlock guns, which had arrived in Japan only a few decades earlier, and fielded them in large numbers. In 1575 his forces, with those of Tokugawa Ieyasu, defeated the famous cavalry of the Takeda clan at the Battle of Nagashino. The traditional story says Nobunaga arranged his gunners in rotating ranks to keep up continuous fire, but historians now dispute the details of that account.

Castles, markets and missionaries

Between 1576 and 1579 Nobunaga built Azuchi Castle near Lake Biwa, a lavish fortress that gave its name to the Azuchi-Momoyama period of Japanese history.

He also introduced economic reforms. His rakuichi rakuza policy allowed people to trade freely in castle towns, weakening the monopolies of the old merchant guilds. He tolerated Jesuit missionaries, and the writings of the Portuguese Jesuit Luís Fróis are an important source on his life.

One of the most remarkable people in his service was Yasuke, a man of African origin who arrived in Japan with the Jesuits and entered Nobunaga's service in 1581.

Betrayal at Honnō-ji

In 1582 Nobunaga was staying at the Honnō-ji temple in Kyoto with only a small guard. His general Akechi Mitsuhide suddenly attacked. Surrounded, Nobunaga committed ritual suicide, seppuku, as the temple burned. Why Mitsuhide rebelled is still debated.

Mitsuhide's triumph lasted only days before Toyotomi Hideyoshi, another of Nobunaga's generals, defeated him. Hideyoshi went on to complete the unification of Japan in 1590. A popular saying sums up the three unifiers: Nobunaga mixed the rice cake, Hideyoshi kneaded it, and Ieyasu ate it.

Learn with Nobunaga: English phrases

Phrase	Meaning	Example
to underestimate someone	to think someone is less able than they are	Never underestimate a quiet student.
to pave the way	to prepare for something that happens later	His reforms paved the way for unification.
a stab in the back	a betrayal by someone you trusted	The general's attack was a stab in the back.
ruthless	without pity or mercy	He was ruthless towards his enemies.
to break the mould	to do something in a completely new way	He broke the mould of a traditional lord.

Try this: Nobunaga was called a "fool" before he proved everyone wrong. Write three English sentences about a time someone underestimated you, using "underestimate" and "break the mould".