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Oda Nobunaga: Toyotomi Hideyoshi
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Both wanted to be THE Oda of their time, but Toyotomi Hideyoshi (click here for story and pictures) shocked them and everyone else by citing the rule of succession that the true heir of Oda Nobunaga's was Oda Hidenobu, the infant. This was right, according to the Japanese customs. Toyotomi didn't just make it up, even if he brought it up to his own advantage. Takeda Katsuyori of Kai suffered the same predicament when his father Shingen preferred to give the legacy to the grandson Takemaru. Anyway, Nobuo instantly backed Toyotomi up, because all he wanted was to rid of Nobutaka or at least eliminating his chances.
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The great period of castle building in Japan occurred in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, when powerful lords such as Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu were striving to unite the nation. This was the time of the famous swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, who fought on the losing side in one of the decisive battles of this era. Over a hundred awe-inspiring castles were constructed in a short forty years.
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In 1582, Hideyoshi’s lord, Oda Nobunaga, committed suicide after one of his generals, Akechi Mitsuhide, attacked him in Honnouji church. Hideyoshi received this message when he was fighting with strong daimyo, Shimizu Muneharu. He returned immediately and defeated Akechi Mitsuhide. (Yoshida 16)
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Oda Nobunaga has been betrayed and destroyed by Akechi Mitsuhide. After defeating Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu's forces, Akechi now must defeat Oda's great general, Shibata Katsuie. Shibata has been readying his forces to avenge his former master, and he will not let Akechi's betrayal go unpunished. Meanwhile, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa have sought the protection of the powerful Hojo, biding they time while they wait for their separate oppurtunities to gain their own stake in the power struggle. To the south, the Shimazu are building their powerbase, taking over the western island of Kyushu and squashing all opposition.
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Oda Nobunaga lived in Owari and was known as "a stupid shogun." Nobunaga was uneducated and rarely listened to his parents when Nobunaga was a child. (Fukuoka 7) Oda was one of the youngest to become a shogun. (Yoshida 15)(Nagahara 2) Hideyoshi tried to get Nobunaga’s attention in order to rise up to higher ranking. During the wintertime, when Nobunaga was about to walk outside, Hideyoshi prepared a shoe which had been warmed by Hideyoshi. (Nagahara 58) Nobunaga appreciated Hideyoshi's offering, and in return Nobunaga trained Hideyoshi as his general. Oda Nobunaga gave Hideyoshi a new soldier’s name, Toukichirou, instead of Hiyoshimaru.
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Initial resistance to Nobunaga in the Kyoto region came from the Buddhist monks, rival daimyo, and hostile merchants. Surrounded by his enemies, Nobunaga struck first at the secular power of the militant Tendai Buddhists, destroying their monastic center at Mount Hiei near Kyoto and killing thousands of monks in 1571. By 1573 he had defeated the local daimyo, banished the last Ashikaga shogun, and ushered in what historians call the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1573-1600), named after the castles of Nobunaga and Hideyoshi. Having taken these major steps toward reunification, Nobunaga then built a seven-story castle surrounded by stone walls at Azuchi on the shore of Lake Biwa. The castle was able to withstand firearms and became a symbol of the age of reunification. Nobunaga's power increased as he enfeoffed the conquered daimyo, broke down the barriers to free commerce, and drew the humbled religious communities and merchants into his military structure.
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Toyotomi Hideyoshi