Oda Nobunaga — A genius I admire
Throughout history, great leaders come and go. Every civilization has a leader they admire. Whether it is the Mesopotamians with Gilgamesh, the Americans with Abraham Lincoln or the Romans with Gaius Julius Caesar, great leaders are remembered throughout time. Growing up being interested in past history of wars within different, far off civilizations, I played a video-game called “Samurai Warriors.” A series that shifts the constant wars of Japanese clans into an overly-exaggerated action-based video-game. Within that series, true tales of actual ancient clans battle and vie for control and unification of Japan. Immediately, I was enthralled with reading all about Japan’s endless battles.
Born in 1534 on the 23rd of June, Oda Nobunaga graced the world for the first time. Nobunaga was second son of Oda Nobuhide, head of the powerful Oda clan within southern Owari, a province practically within the center of Japan. As a child, Nobunaga used to be referred to as “Owari no Ōutsuke” which translates to “The Great Fool of Owari.” This came from his general disregard for societal rankings, in which he would be royalty. He would play and socialize with youths far below his own standing — a trait I admire in anyone.
Later in life, after his father spontaneously died, Nobunaga’s older brother Nobuhiro usurped the Oda clan despite Nobunaga being the rightful heir. Despite being against overwhelming odds with a large portion of his own clan unifying against him, Nobunaga took a meagre 1000 men and suppressed a majority of his rebelling clan. Later within the same year of 1551, a larger clan called the Imagawa lead an army to attack where Nobuhiro was residing. After Nobunaga rode in and dissolved the situation, he was granted the title of being the leader of his Clan. Battle after battle went by against the superior Imagawa army until eventually, due to defections from the opposing clan, Nobunaga won and became uncontested within his own clan. His willingness to fight even against his own family for what is right is something I admire. Blood does not always mean you have to accept being pushed around.
This consolidation of power kick-started one of the two unification attempts of Japan (the other performed by Nobunaga’s retainer ((essentially a right-hand-man of the King)) Toyotomi Hideyoshi.)
One of Nobunaga’s most famous strategies (which, afterwards, was used in armies for as long as single-fire rifles were a thing) was to line up his riflemen into 3 lines. The first line would fire, the second line would step forth and fire, and then the third line would let out a final barrage. Due to the alternating pattern issued here, there was enough time for each line to reload as the next line fired. This was performed at the battle of Nagashino against the Takeda cavalry. Before this stroke of genius, the Takeda cavalry were feared by everyone, including Nobunaga’s own men due to losing against them at a previous battle of Mikatagahara. Cavalry’s effectiveness stems from breaking the front lines of an army and chasing down and slaughtering as soldiers flee or are struck by the sudden shock of a swift attack. But due to Nobunaga’s tactical genius, he installed wooden palisades and blockades across the front of his army in a zig-zag pattern. Horses cannot exactly charge at full speed when they have to slalom through spiked, speared blockades and near-constant gunfire. And with this strategy, the cavalry’s effectiveness from then on was dulled.
Later on, in 1581, an Italian trader named Alessandro Valignano brought an unusual man to Nobunaga as a part of a missionary campaign to Japan. Nobunaga was presented with a man, 6 foot 2 inches tall with a skin tone completely unseen before to Nobunaga. A man named Yasuke was presented, a man that historians assume is from Mozambique. At first, Nobunaga thought that Yasuke was dirty and his skin was toned with “black ink” and forced him to scrub. But after seeing Yasuke’s strength and healthiness, Nobunaga was intrigued with the man. Eventually, after a year of conversations between the two men, Nobunaga eventually issued Yasuke with a residence of his own and even gave him a position of being Nobunaga’s retainer — perhaps Nobunaga’s only non-Japanese retainer. I personally believe that Nobunaga accepted anyone as long as they were talented and respectful — something I feel that even modern society does not do.
Eventually, his reign of power and his ambition to unify Japan was thwarted. The unfortunate Honnō-ji incident occurred where Nobunaga Oda and his wife Nō were forced to commit suicide within flames set by Nobunaga’s own general Akechi Mitsuhide. And thus, the first attempt to unify Japan fell within fire and smoke at a sudden betrayal. Truly, a shame. But, thankfully it paved the way for Toyotomi Hideyoshi to bring Japan under one government.
All information gathered from Wikipedia and its own respective sources.
