The Truth behind Nobunaga - Copy - Copy - Copy - Copy - Copy - Copy - Copy - Copy - Copy - Copy - Copy - Copy PDF

Preview

Summary

The pure unadalturated truth behind the mysterious and convoluted death of Nobunaga. This paper divulges only the utmost truth and inarguable fact, prompting a conversation that even the most informed Japanese and world historians alike are unready to undertake. ...

Description

The Truth behind Nobunaga’s Death The question of “who killed Oda Nobunaga” dates back to prehistoric time. The earliest record of this question shows up in a documented conversation between Marcus Sanders and Rachel Sealy, roughly about April of 2016. We are here today to explore whether young Marcus was right, as he believes that a man named Mitsuhide Akechi was responsible for the death of the daimyo Nobunaga, or Miss. Sealy, who believes that it was Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and that Toyotomi and Mitsuhide are the same person. We will be exploring both possibilities but soon will discover that one is not true. Let’s get right to it, shall we? Chapter 1: Oda Nobunaga As we all know from our studies during AP World, Oda Nobunaga is a Japanese daimyo; first to make extensive use of firearms; in 1573 disposed the last of the Ashikaga shoguns; unified much of central Honshu under his command; died in 1582. Sure all these things are true but why did he die in 1582 and who killed this daimyo. Nobunaga was from a minor warlord household and because of his skills as a military leader became a forefront for the ongoing struggle for the power of the Japanese daimyo. He was not afraid to launch a surprise attack on an enemy who outnumbered him 10-1 and was willing to innovate and had ruthless determination- some would say cruelty. This fact is very important because we will soon see that Nobunaga looked down on a certain vassal general. Speaking of vassal generals, one of Nobunaga’s armies, under the command of Mitsuhide Akechi, were to assist the drive against a powerful western daimyo in 1582, meaning the possibility that a daimyo could be killed by someone with troops is a possibility. Now we are getting somewhere. According to the book, Nobunaga was caught off guard by one of his vassal generals and was killed when the Kyoto temple where he had taken refuge was burned to the ground. Hmm, doesn’t tell us much, but remember this, for it will be important later. That’s about all for Nobunaga, and if you are wondering where he got the firearms mentioned earlier, he got them from the Portuguese in the late 1540s. Chapter 2: Toyotomi Hideyoshi Our book says that: “Hideyoshi moved quickly to punish those who had betrayed Nobunaga and to renew the drive to break the power of the daimyos who had not yet submitted to him”. Hideyoshi was Imperial Regent of Japan from 1585-1591 and was Chancellor of the Realm from 1587-1598, but who cares. He was born on February 2, 1536 or March 26, 1537 and died September 18, 1598. Wikipedia states that after the assassination at Honno-ji of Oda Nobunaga and his eldest son Nobutada in 1582 at the hands of Mitsuhide Akechi, STOP! Mitsuhide Akechi, hmm. That should be definitive evidence for both questions, but of course this is Wikipedia, a non-reliable source. Let us hop over to Encyclopedia Britannica for help. Toyotomi Hideyoshi born Hiyoshimaru in Nakamura, Owari, now part of the present-day Aichi prefecture, died after completing the 16th century unification of Japan begun by Nobunaga, but again who cares. We know he was a foot soldier under Nobunaga until he was promoted to samurai around the 1560s. In 1577, by order of Nobunaga, Hideyoshi embarked on a journey for the suppression of a western Japan daimyo, in which he defeated Mori Terumoto at Takamatsu.

In 1582 he learned that Nobunaga had committed suicide after a revolt led by his retainer Mitsuhide Akechi. So, we now know that not only did Hideyoshi not kill Nobunaga, he wasn’t even in the same prefecture as Mitsuhide Akechi when Nobunaga died. But our thirst for knowledge continues. According to the Samurai-Archives, Hideyoshi and Mitsuhide Akechi were ordered to conduct a campaign through the Chugoku, for Terumoto and Nobunaga had gone to war. In April of 1582 Hideyoshi entered to Bitchu province, now part of present-day Hiroshima prefecture, and besieged the Takamatsu Castle. After many a battle, Hideyoshi sent word to Nobunaga, worried about the army Mori commanded. Nobunaga obliged and sent along a number of contingents, one of which included Mitsuhide Akechi who decided instead to fall upon Nobunaga himself. By the way, because we speak English many of these names are not exactly typed the way they should be, that province in Hiroshima for example, sorry for the inconvenience. Now back to the story! Chapter 3: Mitsuhide Akechi The book doesn’t mention the famed Mitsuhide Akechi but that is why we invented the internet. We take to Samurai-Archives, in which the first line of the page reads: “retainer and destroyer of Oda Nobunaga; Hyuga no Kami; also known as Koreta Mitsuhide… wow, my dude. Destroyer of Oda Nobunaga… doesn’t get any more definitive than that, right? We will, however, persevere in our quest for justice. Skipping over to his time under Nobunaga, in 1578 Mitsuhide had convinced Hatano Hideharu, of the Hatano clan of Tamba, to submit to Nobunaga. Promised safe treatment by Akechi for submission, seemed like a good deal right? Well, Nobunaga overturned Akechi’s decision and had Hideharu executed in 1579. Sucks, doesn’t it? Well, the Hatano clan accused Mitsuhide of treachery and somehow found his mother and had her executed. Needless to say, there was some bad blood between Akechi and Nobunaga after that. This event was followed by a series of public insults directed at Mitsuhide Akechi that even drew the attention of western observers. However, Mitsuhide was still regarded for his talents on the battlefield and as an administrator. In 1582 Nobunaga ordered Akechi to march west to assist Hashiba, (AKA Toyotomi Hideyoshi), who was in a long struggle between the Mori clan in Takamatsu. Instead, Akechi marched on the Honno-ji temple where we know Oda Nobunaga had taken refuge. He burned down the temple killing Nobunaga and his eldest son Nobutada. Whether by the actual fire or by seppuku we can say with 99.999% confidence that Mitsuhide Akechi is directly responsible for the death of Oda Nobunaga. We can also say that Mitsuhide Akechi and Toyotomi Hideyoshi are not the same person based on the facts presented in this essay. We are done right? Well, let’s see what happened after Oda Nobunaga’s death. Mitsuhide Akechi proclaimed himself Shogun of Japan and almost immediately began looting the Azuchi Castle to reward his men and make a friendly gesture to the now bewildered Imperial Court. Akechi would claim descent from the Toki clan, and in turn the Minamoto clan, but this wouldn’t really matter. Mitsuhide had accounted on the prolonged stay of Toyotomi Hideyoshi in his battles against the Mori clan at Takamatsu, but unfortunately Hideyoshi learned of the assassination, by way of a messenger who got there in about 24 hours and almost died of exhaustion, of Nobunaga and instead of fighting he signed a treaty with the Mori clan and marched back east faster than Akechi could have predicted. Mitsuhide and Toyotomi clashed at Yamazaki, and though Akechi fought bravely, his troops were defeated. Mitsuhide himself was

killed in an attempt to make his way to Sakamoto, held by his brother Hidemitsu. So after a battle, cowardly running away, and seeking refuge from the man he feared most, Mitsuhide Akechi died only after 13 days of “ruling” Japan. By the way, Mitsuhide wrote a poem for good luck with Hideyoshi’s battles, but this poem contained a line that stated that he would rule Japan, in which he presented this to very important people. Think, if they would have thought about this would Nobunaga have died? Reminds me of another incident that took place 363 years later, Hitler and his Mein Kampf story. The question of “who killed Oda Nobunaga” dates back to prehistoric time. The earliest record of this question shows up in a documented conversation between Marcus Sanders and Rachel Sealy, roughly about April of 2016. So, we now know the complete story of the death of Oda Nobunaga, who killed him, and who Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Mitsuhide Akechi were. ‘Akechi ruled thirteen days’ became a proverb in Kyoto following his demise. I guess we can end that story right here....