New Seishiro Mizuno Video

 My good friend and Okehazama colleague Seishiro Mizuno has a new video on YouTube discussing his views on the Battle of Okehazama. Before I give my opinion on the video, I highly recommend his book Wakaki Nobunaga no Shirarezaru Hansei. It is an excellent book that is full of useful information regarding to the Battle of Okehazama. 

Seishiro goes into great detail on the koku (rice production) using the 1598 Taiko Kenchi. Owari Province might have been small in size, but terms of koku, it was extremely prosperous compared to Mikawa, Totomi, or Suruga. 

Now I will discuss where I disagree with Seishiro. He mentions that Imagawa Yoshimoto arrived at Odaka Castle on May 18th and retreated back the next day. Yoshimoto arrived at Kutsukake Castle on the 18th. Then he explains Yoshimoto stopped twice while retreating. First at Urushiyama and the second at Takaneyama. Unfortunately this is false. However, if Yoshimoto was originally marching to Odaka Castle on the 19th of May and he stopped at Urushiyama, I can somehow see that happening. He mentioned that Yoshimoto was waiting for Nobunaga to arrive and did not come. Which was true. Takaneyama was the base camp for Matsui Munenobu. A steep hill at 177 feet high Yoshimoto in a palanquin would have been difficult to transport. Kutsukake Castle to Odaka Castle was approximately eight miles. Again, the only way I see Yoshimoto stopping at Urushiyama if was heading to Odaka on the day of the battle. Then again, why would Yoshimoto retreat back to Mikawa if he had the men and the logistics to advance to Kiyosu. It makes no sense.

Unfortunately, there are more questions than answers regarding to the Battle of Okehazama. As for Seishiro Mizuno's video, I highly recommend it. Easy to understand and his views are coming from a local perspective. That is a good thing.

Tenka no tame!

Nobunaga, Kitsuno, Children Statue, and Kyushoji

 

I was able to see the new Nobunaga and Kitsuno and their children statue with my own eyes for the first time. The statue is located near the Meitetsu Hotei Station in Konan City.  Later during my visit I was able to take a picture of Kitsuno's grave. Kitsuno (1528?-66) was Nobunaga's concubine. She was the daughter of Ikoma Iemune and gave birth to Nobunaga's children Nobutada, Nobukatsu, and Tokuhime. Unfortunately, she passed away at young age and her posthumous name was Kyuan Keisho Daizenjo-ni. The family, Kyushoji received 660 koku from Nobunaga. Kyushoji was abandoned in 2022 due to budget constraints. In 2023, area became a children's park. The Kyushoji graveyard still exists and one a good day visit Kitsuno's grave along with the Ikoma family.

Nobunaga no tame!

Noh at Sasaki Jinja

 In 1581, during the new year, Sasaki Jinja held a Noh performance after Nobunaga presented the people of Azuchi with gifts. Sasaki Jinja is located in Azuchi.

The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga (p. 383)

"On the 2nd of the First Month, Nobunaga gave the townspeople of Azuchi, ward by ward, a large number of wild geese and cranes caught by his falcons. To express their gratitude, the townspeople gave a celebratory Noh performance at the Sasaki Shrine. Then they reverenced his gifts before accepting them."

Tenka no tame!

Happy 2026

 Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu! Happy New Year! As always I will post Nobunaga's famous 1574 New Year celebration.

The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga (p. 204)

"Item The head of Asakura Sakyo no Daibu Yoshikage.

Item The head of Azai Shimotsuke.

Item The head of Azai Bizen.

These had been taken by Nobunaga the previous year in the North. The banquet began when the aforesaid three skull, lacquered and gilt, were brought out on white dinner trays as a relish to the sake."

Nobunaga no tame!

Tejikarao Jinja

In 1567, Nobunaga was on the brink on his quest to capture Mino. However, while in Kakamigahara his army was forced to stop at Tejikarao Shrine due to unsettling heavy fog. Nobunaga felt uneasy and prayed at the shrine. He hung his bow at a cherry tree known as Yumikakezakura. After the prayer, the fog lifted and it was not long after that Nobunaga conquered Mino, kicked out the Saito, and renamed the area Gifu. After his conquest of Mino, Nobunaga contributed to the repair and the restoration of Tejikarao Shrine.

Tenka no tame!

Nanban Mochi

 

Earlier today I found an interesting article on Nobunaga and sweets. According to the Asahi Shimbun, there was a rare cake called Nanban Mochi. This particular sweet was mention in the Shokuchu Sanyojo, an income and expenditure document from the Kamigamo Shrine in Kyoto. In 1574, Nobunaga held horse races at Kamigamo Shrine.

"Nanban mochi: several hundred pieces."

Ingredients listed in the article: wheat flour, brown sugar, and kudzu starch. It was mixed with water, kneaded, and steamed. A pack of four sells for 800 yen. Hopefully, the shrine will still be selling them when I arrive next month.

As for the Kamigamo Shrine horse race, I wrote a blog post about the topic earlier this year.

Http://asahi.com/ajw/articles/16190027

Nobunaga no tame!

2025 Awards

 

The 2025 Awards are here!

Book of the year: Tenyuu wa Nobunaga ni ari. This fictional novel written by Iwamuro Shinobu is fantastic. While the book is fiction, it contains a lot of historical information  than your usual non-fiction written material. Highly recommend it and a must read.

Historian of the year: Touken  This award is a tad different from the usual historian awards. Touken is an armor, weapons, and woodblock print museum located in Nagoya. That being said, you can spend hours here learning about samurai armor, swords, spears, bows, and guns. It is one of my favorite museums in Japan.

Blog posts of the year: There are two of them: Atsuta Public Off-limits Notice (translated in English) and Kiyosu Minoji. Atsuta Public Off-limits Notice Nobunaga's first document as Fujiwara Nobunaga. Kiyosu Minoji, the road that Nobunaga depart from Kiyosu Castle in the early hours of The Battle of Okehazama. 

Movie of the year: Ran  Without a doubt, Ran is probably the best Sengoku Era movie ever made. The reason why it is the movie of the year is due to the unfortunate death of actor Tatsuya Nakadai. 

Tenka no tame!