Ebizo and Suzu

Here is a photo of Ichikawa Ebizo as Nobunaga and Hirose Suzu as Nohime in the upcoming Okehazama television movie.  I am impressed  so far.  Ebizo looks young and masculine.  He will fit the Nobunaga role perfectly.  Suzu, as Nohime is feminine and beautiful.  I have high hope for the future movie.  Since it is a television movie, not a theater production, I do not expect a Kurosawa Ran type Sengoku blood fest.  That is unfortunate.

Link in Japanese: https://natalie.mu/eiga/news/372579

Tenka no tame!

Compare The Two

Compare the two.  Sometani Shota and Kimura Takuya roles as Nobunaga.  Unfortunately  Sometani looks boyish  and not as masculine  compared  to Kimura.  Takuya Kimura looks masculine and highly resembles what a young Nobunaga might have looked like.  Yes, Nobunaga was known to be a good looking,  masculine, and tall man.  One must remember  that Nobunaga trained for war on a daily basis when he was young.  Training  such as riding the horse on a daily basis, swimming  during the summer, training  with the rifle and bow, studying on the art of war, and falconry.  Takuya is a cross mix between Takashi Sorimachi and Eguchi Yosuke.  I highly  recommend Tenka wo Totta Baka (1998).  The television movie is okay, but Kimura's role as Nobunaga is great and it captures the spirit of the Uesama.

Nobunaga no tame!

Dosan and Miyoshino

Located at the Gifu City Museum of History, there are cut out mannequins of Nobunaga's father-in-law Saito Dosan and his concubine  Miyoshino, the mother of Saito Yoshitatsu.  A raised dais is in the middle of the cut outs where you have a chance to sit as if you were a Sengoku Era warlord.


Tenka no tame!

Red Face Young Warrior Nobunaga

Believe it or not, Nakamura Kinnosuke starred as Nobunaga in 1955.  Four years before the 1959 film Fuunji Oda Nobunaga.  Red Face Young Warrior Nobunaga (Kurenaigao no Wakamusha Nobunaga) was made in 1955.  Kinnosuke played the role of Nobunaga as Takachiho Hitsuru played the role of Nohime.  The movie was directed by Kono Toshikazu.  It was written by Yamaoka Sohachi.  Produced by Toei and the movie is 92 minutes long.

Picture above Kinnosuke (Nobunaga), Hitsuru (Nohime), and director Toshikazu.

Nobunaga no tame.

Nobunaga and Nohime

The recent episode of Kirin ga Kuru showed Nobunaga reaching Nohime how to shoot a matchlock rifle.  This episode reminded me of the same incident in the Nobunaga drama King of Zipangu. I will be honest with you on the scene, it was not that bad.

Tenka no tame!

Dosan Picture

Here is a picture of Nobunaga's father-in-law,  Saito Dosan at Gifu Castle Park.  This figure of Dosan is used for promoting the NHK Akechi Mitsuhide Taiga drama Kirin ga Kuru. Dosan was one of the few people who knew Nobunaga was no fool and he was chosen to lead Sengoku Japan out of constant warfare and chaos.   Dosan was known as the Viper of Mino for a good reason.  He was ruthless while in power.

Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga, (p. 101).

"Yamashiro Dosan had petty criminals ripped apart by oxen.  Or he had cauldrons  made ready and forced  the wives, parents, and siblings  of his victims  to make a fire and boil them to death.  His punishments  were cruel and unusual."

Nobunaga no tame!

Okehazama Movie

There will be a movie on the Battle of Okehazama that will start kabuki actor Ebizo Ichikawa as Nobunaga. It will air on Fuji TV and will be broadcasted later this year.  Sumio Omori will write the script.  He wrote the script for the Furin Kazan taiga drama a few years ago.  Ebizo will be perfect in my opinion and a lot better than Sometani Shota who is starring in the Kirin ga Kuru as Nobunaga.  Besides, Ebizo is much more masculine than Shota.  One must remember that Nobunaga was extremely  masculine  and an alpha male.  I hope for the best.

Link in Japanese: http://www.fujitv.co.jp/okehazama/


Tenka no tame!

He was no idiot

Here is another article on Nobunaga explaining if he was a fool.  He was not an idiot and the article in Japanese gives examples why he was not an idiot.

https://bushoojapan.com/bushoo/oda/2019/02/05/120032

He was extremely different from other Sengoku daimyo during his time.  Often riding horses, swimming in rivers during the summer, practicing the rifle and bow, engaged in falconry, and studying the art of war when necessary.  This had a huge impact on Nobunaga since it was the building block to his success.

While out in the countryside with his pages, mock battles would include long spears, which he quickly adopted in his army.  Riding his horse daily included surveying the land.  He knew the geography of Owari and its surrounding borders well.  This would help him during the Battle of Okehazama.

People often called Nobunaga an idiot probably because of jealousy.  He was different from the rest, promoted on merit, not on family lineage.  He hired outsiders such as Hideyoshi, Akechi Mitsuhide, and the Men of the Fields to do the dirty work for him.  Only two people knew the greatness of Nobunaga when he was young, Saito Dosan and Hirate Masahide.  His father Nobuhide knew Nobunaga's capability as well.

Nobunaga no tame!

They Deserved It

I have posted many times about the monks of Mt. Hiei before Nobunaga slaughtered them.  They either fought their way out, bought their way out, or prayed their way out of trouble.  They were no saints either.  The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga (p. 165) "Was it that their time had come?  Mount Hiei was the guardian of the imperial capital.  Nevertheless, the monks who lived on the mountain and its foot cared nothing for penances, ascetic exercises and monastic practices, and felt no shame at the derision of the realm.  Heedless of the Way of Heaven and its terrors, they gave themselves over to lewdness, ate fish and fowl, indulged in bribery, and wallowed in gold and silver."

Yes, Mt. Hiei deserved what they got, a brutal beating by Nobunaga and they were never the same after the massacre.

Tenka no tame!

Finally

Finally, Nobunaga makes his appearance in the Mitsuhide Taiga drama Kirin ga Kuru.  What I seen so far from the drama until now is barely watchable.  At times, I feel like Mitsuhide needs to appear on Miami Vice instead of the drama due to the bright and colorful clothes he wears.

On to some sad news, due to the coronavirus, I had to postpone my trip to Japan until the middle of September.  I am bummed out and somewhat depressed because I was looking forward to my presentation to the Okehazama committee on my views on the battle.  Also visiting Mr. Okehazama's grave.  I think people are panicking too much, but that is human nature.  Good things happen to those who wait.  It was not in God's plans at the moment and I have to wait a few more months.

To end the post I will include a passage from the Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga, on Mt. Hiei. (pp. 165-6).  "Soldiers shouting battle cries advanced up the mountains from all sides.  One by one they cut off the heads of priests and laymen, children, wise men, and holy men alike.  They presented the heads to Lord Nobunaga, saying ' Here is an exalted prelate, a princely abbot, a learned doctor, all the men renown at the top of Mount Hiei.  Moreover, they captured countless beautiful women and boys, and led them before Nobunaga.  'We don't care about the evil monks,' they shrieked, 'but spare us!'  Nobunaga, however, absolutely refused to reprieve them.  One by one they had their heads chopped off, a scene horrible to behold."

Nobunaga no tame!