Okehazama NHK Documentary

In 2007, NHK aired a documentary on the Battle of Okehazama hosted by Matsudaira Sadatomo with special guest Owada Tetsuo.  The documentary was easy to understand since it was at a slow pace and Sadatomo's smooth voice made it more easier to follow.  The show contains a lot footage of various NHK Taiga dramas such as Nobunaga: King of Zipangu and Toshiie to Matsu.  Sources used in the documentary included the Shincho-Ko ki, Mikawa Montogatari, and the Koyo Gunkan.  If any of the sources that stood out on the show, it was the Koyo Gunkan.  According to the Koyo Gunkan, there was a randori (chaos taking) during the battle.  Highly unlikely since the Koyo Gunkan is the book of the Takeda.

The program goes into great detail of the Imagawa organization structure which was key to their power.  Also discusses Imagawa Yoshimoto's and Oda Nobunaga's character.  The two were completely different animals.  While land surveys, house laws, and cultural exchanges (Kyoto) were essential to the Imagawa, Nobunaga relied on new weapons (guns), fighting spirit, and promotion on ability, not on family linage.

At the end of the documentary, the great Samonji sword is shown at Kenkun Shrine in Kyoto as well as  a funeral ceremony at Senninzuka where the Okehazama dead are buried near the Toyoake City Okehazama Battlefield.  The documentary is a great study aid for the Battle of Okehazama scholar and highly recommend it.  It also includes a thirty minute discussion between Sadatomo and Tetsuo on various topics related to the battle.

Tenka no tame!  Nobunaga no tame!  Owari ni hikari wo!