Okehazama and Guns

During the Battle of Okehazama, firearms where used.  The question is how many?  Probably a few hundred.  Now this a map of the Toyoake City Okehazama Battlefield.  The red line is direction of Nobunaga's attack.  Going south and then attacking east.  North of Okehazama (212 feet above sea level) is where Mori Shinsuke along with 200 men was placed and then attacked to the southeast.  Now, near (2) is where Nobunaga gunnery squad was located and attacked. Again, this is the Toyoake City Battlefield.  Also one must include the Arimatsu Battlefield when studying the Battle of Okehazama.  Both are related and close to each other (10 to 15 minutes apart by foot). If Imagawa soldiers fleeing to Odaka Castle during the chaos, then Arimatsu makes sense.  If the soldiers were fleeing to Kutsukake Castle, Toyoake City is the answer.  During the battle, Imagawa soldiers tried to escape to both castles.  Also the Okehazama area is wide enough to cover both battlefields.

The Matsudairaki and the Mikawa no kuni bunshi notes guns were fired at the Imagawa camp.  Nobunaga's army was around 2,000 when he attacked Yoshimoto's headquarters.  Here is my opinion and the number is conservative.  Nobunaga probably had 300 or less during the battle.  That excludes the number of firearms that Fort Marune,Washizu, Tange, Zenshoji, Nakajima were provided by Nobunaga.

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Okehazama Video Update

Here is another video on Okehazama using clips from various NHK Taiga dramas.  Using the King of Zipangu, Toshiie to Matsu, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Kirin ga Kuru, and others.  Not bad at all.

At the moment I am still slowly translating some documents and will post the Toyoake City Okehazama Chokohi translation early next month.

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Okehazama Woodblock Print Video

Here is a nice video on the Battle of Okehazama using woodblock prints.  The first print is at Atsuta Shrine and the two white egrets appear on the left side of the print.  The two egrets are mentioned in Oze Hoan's Shinchoki and the event did appear in the Taiga drama Toshiie to Matsu.  The video continues with Maeda Toshiie's participation in the battle as well as Yoshimoto's last moments before he was killed.  Nicely well done.

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Another Okehazama Video

This has to be one of the better Battle of Okehazama videos out there on the net.  The video is easy to understand and covers various topics.

1. The role of the Men of the Fields
2. The capture of Kiyosu Castle 3 to 5 days if possible by Yoshimoto
3. The role of Yanada Masatsuna, the man who provided intelligence for Nobunaga.
4. Yanada`s reward of cash and Kutsukake Castle
5. Nobunaga's victory route
6. The explanation of both Arimatsu and Toyoake City battlefields.

The video also covers Nobunaga's boldness and his tactics.  As for the battlefields, both are related and have a part in the battle.

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Okehazama Battle Print

Look what I found today on the net, a beautiful Battle of Okehazama print.  I love it.  As you can see, the print is in two parts.  The left side of the print is Nobunaga and his army attacking  Yoshimoto's headquarters.  On the right side, Yoshimoto's camp is in chaos and he is about to be killed by the Oda troops.  I do like the highly detailed of Yoshimoto's camp in disarray.  I do not know when the print was made, but it is fantastic!

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More Okehazama Clips

Here is some more clips from various targa dramas regarding Okehazama.  Some of them have Atsumori performed.  Enjoy.

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Okehazama Clips

Here is some clips from various Taiga dramas regarding the Battle of Okehazama.  All of them covers pre-battle.  Not bad at all.  Enjoy.  Also I have just finished translating in English the key parts of the Chokohi, a monument (erected in 1809) located at the Toyoake City Okehazama Battlefield.  I plan to post the translation soon.

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Kano Market

This is a bulletin board decree by Nobunaga in 1568 for Kano Market in Gifu.  This is not the Raku-ichi Raku-za that was issued by Nobunaga a year earlier in 1567.

Established for Kano

1. For persons coming into this market, there shall be no obstructions to them passing through this domain. There shall be nullification of levies involving debts whether in cash or rice, high interest, annual land tax, and miscellaneous taxes on residences. There shall be no violation of these rules, even those hereditary claims.
2. All buying and selling shall be done in a free market without guilds.
3. There shall no forceful sales, violence, fighting, verbal quarreling or entry by prohibited persons, and acquisition of lodging is not allowed.

By this order, persons violating these laws shall be punished
Oda Nobunaga (official signature)
9th month of the 11th year of Eiroku (1568)

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Sitting Styles

If you are watching Kirin ga Kuru like me, you have notice Nobunaga's wife Nohime sitting in a position called tatehiza suwari.  This is not the normal seiza sitting style you often see in historical dramas.  Historian Owada Tetsuo has a short clip on the subject and provides some examples.  I have one picture below what tatehiza suwari might have looked like at the time.  Interesting for sure.  Unfortunately there is no old portraits of Nohime.  There is one modern portrait at Gifu Castle and her statue at Kiyosu Castle.

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Book Recommendation

I have a book recommendation endorsed by Sengoku historian Owada Tetsuo.  Nobunaga to Kanshindan no shiro by Mr. Nakai is a book about Nobunaga and his retainer's castles.  It covers Nobunaga time from Nagoya to Kiyosu. Azuchi Castle along with Maeda Toshiie and Hideyoshi's mansions at Azuchi.  Mitsuhide at Sakamoto, and it covers the Battle of Okehazama forts Marune, Washizu, and others.  The video is short, but I found it informative.

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Okehazama Recap

Sengoku Era historian Owada Tetsuo explains in about six minutes about the Battle of Okehazama regarding Suruga, Totomi, and Mikawa's rice production as well as Nobunaga's domain Owari.  You will notice quickly for a small province, Owari is a fertile area.  The video also includes Nobunaga's tactics and other interesting facts.

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Kirin Okehazama

I just watched Kirin ga Kuru`s version of the Battle of Okehazama and ended up disappointed.  For one, Shota Sometani is not for the role of Nobunaga.  He has been a total failure. Yoshimoto's character is out of sorts.  One must remember he was short and fat.  Last is Mitsuhide himself.  He makes an appearance when Nobunaga heads home in triumph and asked him what next is the next objective.  Nobunaga replies, Mino.  Historically, Mitsuhide was never in Owari during the Battle of Okehazama.  He was probably still in Echizen.  Bad move on NHK's part for Mitsuhide's appearance after the battle. If NHK wanted to to produce a decent Battle of Okehazama episode, they should have watched King of Zipangu few times.  It is still one of the best Battle of Okehazama scenes of all time.  That being said, I did like the scene where Mori Shinsuke leaps in the air to stab Yoshimoto.  Outside of that, the episode was a joke.

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Nobunaga Children's Video

Here is a good video on Nobunaga for children.  In about an hour, the kids will know a brief history about Nobunaga.  I love it and it is highly recommend.  I wish we had these types of historical cartoons in the America to promote our founding fathers.

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Okehazama 2020

Just about everything has been cancelled due to the virus, but here is Sometani Shota as Nobunaga for the Kirin ga Kuru Battle of Okehazama episode. From the sneak peak from what I have seen, it might be decent.  Let us hope so for the sake of the Battle of Okehazama.


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He Died For

Like it or not, Nobunaga died for the sins of Japanese people at the Honnoji.  Akechi Mitsuhide, the Japanese Benedict Arnold, rebelled against his lord on June 2nd, 1582.  For Mitsuhide, who owed everything to his career to Nobunaga decided to take matters in own hands.  Without Nobunaga, Mitsuhide would have been a nobody in Japanese history.  Right before he decided to rebel, he was a man who had serious doubts on what type of action to take.  His own mental state in way started to deteriorate.  There are some theories Mitsuhide might have suffered from dementia.  It maybe true or not.  My own opinion on that theory is more research is needed since I am somewhat skeptical.

Now there is a theory out there that Mitsuhide wanted to revive the Ashikaga shogunate with Yoshiaki back as shogun.  Reasonable, but one must remember that Nobunaga banished Yoshiaki in 1573.  He could have killed him, but instead let him live as an outcast.  People high and low called him the Beggar Shogun, an insult that stained him until he died.  Yoshiaki was not well liked and was known to be a cruel and cowardly man.  So I do not think Mitsuhide's action to rebel against Nobunaga and install Yoshiaki as the shogun makes any sense.

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Sawayama Castle

Sawayama Castle located in Omi Province (Shiga Prefecture) was constructed during the Kamakura Era. Before it fell into the hands of Nobunaga, the castle was commanded by Isono Tanba.  Isono Tanba was working with the Azai at the time.

In 1571, Nobunaga appointed Niwa Nagahide as the new castle commander.

Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga, (p. 161) "On the 24th of the Second Month, Isono Tanba surrendered, pleading for mercy, handed over Sawayama Castle, and withdrew to Takashima.  Niwa Gorozaemon was appointed the keeper of the castle."

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