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 Photos copyright from NHK with the exception of the photo of Shotokuji landmark 

The photo above is the Shotokuji landmark. Dosan and Nobunaga met at Shotokuji in 1553.

Last night there was a major discovery of a document written by Saito Dosan (Nobunaga's father-in-law/Viper of Mino) in 1552, a year before the meeting at Shotokuji. The subject of the document is about Nobunaga. It shows that Dosan was concerned and cared for Nobunaga. In fact, there are very few documents remain written by Dosan. Also mentioning Nobunaga is rare. So this is a special document. 

Since this document was written in 1552, Nobunaga was still young and was in the starting process of unifying Owari. Sure he had some shortcomings, but he was ready for it. When the two finally met in 1553 at Shotokuji, Dosan finally knew Nobunaga was no idiot and he was the chosen one to unify Japan.

Link: Https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20240424/k10014431231000.html

Tenka no tame!

Arimatsu 2024 Okehazama Matsuri

 The 2024 Arimatsu Matsuri will be held on Battle of Okehazama Day, May 19th. I was able to contact the Kajino family as well as members of the Okehazama Preservation Committee regarding the festival. This is one of most important festivals related to The Battle of Okehazama. The other festival will be held in early June at the Toyoake City Okehazama Battlefield.

Nobunaga no tame!

2024 Nagashino Festival

 The 2024 Nagashino Festival will be held at Nagashino Castle on May 3rd to the 5th.

Tenka no tame!

Nobunaga at Sumiyoshi

 

In 1575, Nobunaga moved his camp to Sumiyoshi near Osaka.

The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga (p. 220)

"On the 12th of the Fourth Month, Nobunaga moved his camp to Sumiyoshi."

Nobunaga no tame!

Okehazama Recruiting

 The Toyoake City Okehazama Festival is looking for recruits. As for the festival, it will be held on June 2nd.

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Mushanokoji

 The area where Nobunaga's residence at Mushanokoji in Kyoto.

The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga (pp. 168-70) Construction began in 1572.

"On the 12th of the Third Month he went directly to Kyoto and took up lodgings in the Myokakuji at Nijo. It was brought to the shogun's attention that since Lord Nobunaga came to the capital so often, it would raise questions if he did not have his own place to stay, and that a vacant lot formerly occupied by a rectory was available at Mushanokoji in Upper Kyoto. So it was proposed that a residence for Nobunaga be built there. The shogun decided that this idea suited him very well, and it was arranged that, acting in his capacity as the public authority, he would issue orders for construction to begin. Nobunaga declined politely several times, but in the end he complied in view of His Lordship's importance insistence. Nobunaga's life guards from the provinces of Owari, Mino, and Omi were exempted from construction duties and did not participate. But with everybody who was anybody in the Home Provinces present in the capital.

The groundbreaking ceremony was held on the 24th of the Third Month. Nobunaga first of all had a roofed mid wall built. At each section of the work site, he set up a decorated stage on which boys and youths in all kinds of gorgeous costumes played flutes, stick drums, and hand drums, cheering on those charged with the work, and a good time was had by all. Even under ordinary circumstances people in the capital city are always forming crowds, so from the beginning to the end of the construction work, onlookers high and low, adorned with flowers, stood sleeve by sleeve at the site. The fragrance of their clothes purified the surroundings and perfumed the air. All sorts and every kind of splendid attire could be seen. The realm was at peace, and life was enjoyable again.

Nobunaga appointed Murai Minbu and Shimada Tokoro no Suke as commisssers of works and Ikegami Goroemon as head carpenter."

Nobunaga no tame!

Imagawa to Shizuoka

 On May 3rd there will a talk show hosted by Owada Tetsuo. The subject matter will be about the Imagawa family and Shizuoka. I am positive that Owada Tetsuo will have something to say about the Battle of Okehazama and Imagawa Yoshimoto.

Tenka no tame!

Swimming

 

The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga (p. 58)

"From the Third to the Ninth Month he swam in the river, which made him an excellent swimmer."

Earlier this year I visited a landmark near the Shonai River in the Nagoya area. Nobunaga was known to swim in the Shonai River quite often.

Nobunaga no tame!

Nobutada's Pages

 There was an incident in 1579 with Nobutada's (Nobunaga's son) pages resulting in death.

The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga (p. 309)

"On the first day of the Forth Month, two of Lord Chujo Nobutada's pages, Saji Shintaro and Kanamori Jinshichiro, got into an argument. After running Jinshichiro through with his sword, Shintaro disesmboweled himself. Both men were only about twenty years old. High and low were impressed by the maturity of the deed."

Tenka no tame!

Campaign in Omi

 Early in 1572, Nobunaga set out for a campaign in Omi.

The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga (p. 168)

"On the 5th of the Third Month, Lord Nobunaga set out for a campaign in northern Omi. He encamped at Akasaka and moved his camp at Yokoyama the next day."

Nobunaga no tame!

2024 Saito Dosan Matsuri

 The Gifu Saito Dosan Matsuri will be held in early April (6th-7th).

Tenka no tame!

Shogun Costumes

 Here is a video discussing about the costume design for Shogun. I have a couple of books in English and Japanese on what Nobunaga and Ieyasu wore during the Sengoku Era.

The picture above: Sengoku Fashion Zukan This book has a lot of illustrations on what people wore during the time of Nobunaga. Easy to read and understand. Even has a section on hairstyles (Men and women).

Samurai : Arms Armor Costume by Mitsuo Kure is a must have. This book is in English and has several photos of clothing of the Sengoku Era.

Rekishi Gunzo Ogou to Sengoku Onnatachi  This book has a small section step by step how women would their makeup and clothing.

Nobunaga no tame!

The Rivers

 Earlier this year, I wrote a post about how the rivers were a curse on Oda Nobuhide.

Https://otsuke.blogspot.com/2024/02/sakai-river.html

Now here is some evidence that the rivers was the cause of Nobuhide's defeat.

David D. Neilson Society at War: Eyewitness Accounts of Sixteenth Century Japan

(pp. 123)

"I asked Joenbo and he says that Sunomata was a stronghold that was ideal for keeping an enemy at bay. From the time of Nobunaga's father, Oda Nobuhide, attempts were made to invade Mino, but time and again, his armies were defeated not by the enemy, but by the water of the river. That is why we picked the ninth month (as the best time to invade Mino). We went out during the dry season when peasants were busy with the harvest."

Tenka no tame!

Nohime's Hina Matsuri

 

This is a small passage from Rumi Komonz's Kicho & Nobunaga 2nd Edition on Nohime celebrating Girl's Day with Nobunaga's mother Dota Gozen. (p. 22)

"A few days later, my mother-in-law Lady Dota invites me to the main Suemori Castle to celebrate the annual Girl's Day.

'I love your kimono, Kicho-san.' Lady Dota is full of smiles. 'Gorgeous spring colors.'

'Thank you, Mother. It is from my half-brother Lord Yoshi.'

'I congratulate Lord Yoshi, the new Lord of Gifu.'

'Thank you, Mother. Our father can now enjoy his retirement.'

'Very well, Kicho-san. Now, it's a day just for us Girl's to have fun celebrating the joyous spring season. We don't need to worry about the men.' Lady Dota picks up a porcelain carafe filled with the sweet and fragrant white sake."

Nobunaga no tame!

Mizuno 2024 Lectures

 My Okehazama colleague Mr. Seishiro Mizuno will be giving more lectures this year. This time it will focus on the Nobunaga Owari Era.

April: Nobunaga and Shibata Katsuie 

May: Shibata family, Oda Nobuyuki, and Suemori Castle

June: Maeda Toshiie and Arako Castle 

July: Nobunaga and Maeda Toshiie

August: Hirate Masahide 

September: Nobunaga and Sassa Narimasa

Tenka no tame!

Takinotera

 

 Takinotera (Takinobou) during the time of Nobunaga was another place of learning for the future demon king. Located not far from Atsuta Shrine, this small temple played a role in Nobunaga's education. Nobunaga's learning/education centers were spread out through the Nagoya area. As noted in earlier posts, Ryounji was another key place for Nobunaga's education.

Link: Https://otsuke.blogspot.com/2014/07/places-of-learning.html

Takinotera while near Atsuta Jingu, is a bit difficult to find. You might have to ask someone for directions.

Nobunaga no tame!

Shogun First Scene

 

Here is one of the first scenes of the new Shogun series. Whoa! Impressive.

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Nobunaga and Seminario

 While in Japan, I finally bought Nobunaga to Azuchi Seminario by Mitsumata Junji (1932-2021) at one of Azuchi's museums. It is about 114 pages long describing Nobunaga's relationship with the Catholic missionaries and Azuchi in general.

Nobunaga no tame!

Yamashina Tokitsugu's Grave

 

Earlier this morning while in Kyoto, I visited the grave of Kyoto noble Yamashina Tokitsugu (1507-79). I written posts earlier on his visits to Gifu between (1569-71). He stayed at Zenkoji and Hokkeji while in Gifu. Yamashina Tokitsugu's grave is located at Shojoke-in in Kyoto.

Tenka no tame!

Time to reevaluate?

 

After today's seminar and field trip, is it time to reevaluate my opinions? Today was a humble experience, but came out ahead. In fact, after all the work I have put in researching the Battle of Okehazama, it is starting to pay off. Later in the day, I was given a couple of maps and small documents related to the battle. Right away, I starting thinking is this the correct answer or someone else's opinion, which was both.

Today I stated that I take my students to both the Arimatsu and Toyoake Okehazama Battlefields. It is a must. You have to show both so the students can form their own opinion. It is the same with the primary sources. You must read Ota Gyuichi Shincho-Ko ki, Oze Hoan Shinchoki, and the Bukoyawa in order to fully understand the Battle of Okehazama. I also tell my students to visit the local historians and tour guides and ask questions. The locals know the history as well as the geography. They know better than the national name brand historians. 

As a historian, I always try to be opened minded. You have to. Where Yoshimoto's camp and where he was killed is still debated. What type of attack did Nobunaga use during the Battle of Okehazama. While it is still debated by historians, most will agree it was some form of a surprise attack. Nobunaga's use of the Men of the Fields is still floating out there. Probably the most asked question by local and national alike, is what was Yoshimoto's goal? Kyoto or Owari?  It is still debated to this day and nobody knows the true answer.

Nobunaga no tame!

Daiun-in

 Daiun-in is a Pure Land sect temple that houses the tombstone of Oda Nobunaga and his son Nobutada. It also houses a wooden statue of Nobutada. Daiun-in is located near Maruyama Park in Kyoto. Unfortunately, Daiun-in is mostly closed to the public.

Link: Https://www.daiunin.or.jp/en/

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Sakai River

 This is the Sakai River near the Meitetsu Ginan station in Gifu. The river looks calm and has seen its better days. That said, it played a critical role in defeating Oda Nobuhide not once, but twice when he tried to invade Mino in the 1540s. The rivers such as the Sakai and Nagaragawa were untamed and free flowing which made the tides unpredictable. Dosan understood this. He knew when to attack when the tides of the rivers to his advantage. While Nobuhide's army was fleeing from a disastrous defeat, many soldiers died drowning while crossing the river. It must have been a gruesome scene while soldiers were drowning in agony. In the end, the main enemy in Mino was not Saito Dosan, it was the unpredictable rivers.

Nobunaga no tame!

Final Shogun Trailer

 Here is the final trailer for the new Shogun series. It does look good. I plan to write about the continuing debate between Shobata and Nagoya as the place of birth for Nobunaga. It seems petty local politics are the problem.

Tenka no tame!

Nobunaga to Teppo

 I found this book Nobunaga to Teppo written by Asano Tadao. The subject of the book is about Nobunaga and guns. I did skim through the book, but did not buy it since I purchased a book earlier related to Okehazama.

Nobunaga no tame!

Medical Malady at Tottori Castle

 There is an interesting article in the Asahi Shimbun on medical malady during the Siege of Tottori Castle in 1581. 

Link: Https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15091001

Here is the passage from The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga (p. 416)

"On the 25th of the Tenth Month, those who were still entrenched inside Tottori were let go. Hideyoshi felt deeply sorry for them, but when he gave them food they stuffed  themselves so full that more than half died on the spot. They really were emaciated like hungry ghosts and presented a truly sorrowful sight."

The Asahi article mentions that refeeding syndrome was the cause due to excessive carbohydrate intake after prolonged hunger.

Nobunaga no tame!

Hachisuka Castle

 Hachisuka Castle located in Ama City in Aichi Prefecture is the birthplace of Hachisuka Koroku (1526-86). He was the son of Hachisuka Masatoshi. Koroku was a broadly sized man with a thick beard and average in height. He was part of the Men of the Fields which played critical roles at the Battle of Okehazama and the construction of Sunomata Castle (fort). Unfortunately, the dates for the construction and abandonment of Hachisuka Castle is still unknown.

Tenka no tame!

1578 Ozoni

 

In the new year of 1578, Nobunaga offered ozoni to those who were invited to his chamber. The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga (p. 279)

"Then Nobunaga showed everyone his private quarters, where he had commissioned  Kano Eitoku to paint famous scenes from the Three Countries in polychrome. It was beyond the capacity of the mind to comprehend or words to describe the multitude of masterpieces that Nobunaga had assembled. Indeed, his power and his glory were beyond measure. Nobunaga invited everyone into these chambers and treated them all to New Year's soup (zoni) and assorted  continental sweetmeets. It was the memory of a lifetime for these men, an experience to be related for generations to come. Words could not describe their gratitude."

Nobunaga no tame!

Happy 2024

 Happy 2024! As always I like to celebrate the new year, the Nobunaga way. The famous New Year's celebration at Gifu Castle in 1574. The gold lacquered skulls of Asakura Yoshikage, Azai Nagamasa, and his father, Azai Hisamasa.

Tenka no tame!