During that special New Year's celebration at Gifu Castle in 1574, Nobunaga invited warrior bands from the Kyoto area and its surrounding as well as his horse guards. However, there was a big difference who got to attend the big party with the gold lacquered skulls of Asakura Yoshikage, Azai Hisamasa, and Azai Nagamasa.
". . . , all warriors from the Kyoto and its surrounding provinces came to Gifu to present themselves before Nobunaga. Nobunaga hosted a banquet where each guest drank three rounds of sake. After the Provincials had left, there was yet another feast, which only His Lordship's Horse Guards were allowed to attend. During this second banquet, some extraordinary and unprecedented things were presented as accompaniments to the sake." Lamers (
Japonius Tyrannus, p. 32)
This meant that his Horse Guards which consisted at the time his "Owari band of Brothers" and the Mino Big Three were able to see gold dusted skulls.
Tenka no tame!
