Nobunaga Arrives in Kyoto 1568

 

Nobunaga finally arrives in Kyoto with his army in 1568. The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga mentioned that Nobunaga stayed at Tofukuji. However, Nobunaga's headquarters was actually the famous Toji.

The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga (p. 121)

"On the 28th Nobunaga moved his headquarters to the Tofukuji and ordShibata Hyuga no Kami, Hachiya Hyogo no Kami [Yoritaka], Mori Sanzaemon, and Sakai Ukon [Masahisa] to take charge of the advanced guard. They crossed the Katsura River to attack Shoryuji Castle, an enemy fort held by Iwanari Chikara no Kami [Tomomichi]. When the enemy made a sortie with light infantry, these four captains gave glance at each other, instantly decided to charge, and rode their horses strainto the enemy. They took more than fifty heads, which they presented to Nobunaga at the Tofukuji."

Now with the footnote regarding to Tofukuji and Toji. (p. 121)

"The Tofukuji is a Zen temple located on the southeastern outskirts of Kyoto. In fact, Nobunaga set up his headquarters not there but at the Toji, the great temple of the Shingon sect in the south of Kyoto" Also it worth mentioning that Nobunaga arrived in with his army on the 26th, not the 28th.

Nobunaga no tame!

Road to Kyoto III

 Continuing with Nobunaga's 1568 Kyoto campaign. This time Nobunaga crossed Lake Biwa.

The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga (p. 121)

"On the 26th he crossed Lake Biwa and set up his headquarters in the Gokurakuin, a priory of the Miidera. His troops camped at Banba and Matsumoto in Otsu."

Tenka no tame!

Yoshiaki and Joubodaiin

 

 Continuing with Nobunaga's march to Kyoto in 1568. This post will focus on Ashikaga Yoshiaki's short stay at Joubodaiin. I was able to visit Joubodaiin last year. Nobunaga and Nohime spent time at Joubodaiin in late October (1568).

The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga (p. 121)

"On the 21st Yoshiaki was already urging on his horse to the Joubodaiin in Kashiwabara, where he spent the night."

Nobunaga no tame!

Road to Kyoto II

 

Continuing with Nobunaga's march to Kyoto in 1568.  This post will focus on Ryushoji  which is located in Nishi-no-sho. Ryushoji is about a five minute walk from JR Nishi Gifu Station. 

The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga (p. 121)

"On the 14th, as he promised, Nobunaga sent Fuwa Kawachi as his envoy to come get Yoshiaki at Ryushoji in Nishi-no-sho, Mino Province."

Tenka no tame!

The Road to Kyoto I

 I continue with Nobunaga's march to Kyoto in 1568 with the pacification of Omi.

The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga (pp. 120-1)

"On the 13th Nobunaga went up Mount Kannonji and seized the castle by trick. As a result, Sasaki's remaining partisans surrendered, pleading for mercy. Taking hostages to make sure of them, Nobunaga left them in their original holdings. Now the whole province of Omi has been pacified."

Nobunaga no tame!

Matsunaga Hisahide's Grave

 

One of Matsunaga Hisahide's (?-1577) grave is located at Myoekaiso graveyard in Kyoto. I was able to visit earlier this year. I am not going to post anything about the siege of Shigi  Castle. Instead, this post will focus on the destruction of the Great Buddha Hall in Nara. At the time, Hisahide was the culprit. However, he was not responsible for the destruction.

From a footnote in The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga (p. 272)

"The year was 1567. According to the Jesuit missionary Luis, the Great Buddha Hall was set ablaze not by Matsunaga Hisahide, as universally believed, but by a Christian samurai from the Miyoshi army that was besieging Hisahide's Tamon Castle and was encamped in the Todaiji temple complex."

Tenka no tame!

The Road to Kyoto

 This post will focus on Nobunaga's march to Kyoto in 1568. 

The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga (p. 120)

"On the 7th of the Ninth Month, Nobunaga took his leave of the kubo, saying that he would first conquer the whole of Omi and send a welcoming party to receive Yoshiaki. That day, Nobunaga set out from Gifu at the head of an army from the four provinces Owari, Mino, Ise, and Mikawa. On the 7th he pitched camp in the village of Hirao."

Nobunaga no tame!

Jionji

 

Jionji is located in the heart of Gifu City. It houses the Enmei Jizo. The Enmei Jizo was made of Japanese cypress during the Heian Era and it is one of the oldest jizo in Gifu Prefecture. Originally located in Hashima City, Nobunaga moved it to its present location at Jionji.

Tenka no tame!

Atsuta Stones

 

If you ever visited Atsuta Shrine and the Nobunaga Victory Wall, did you noticed anything on the ground? Believe or not, there are stones on the ground near the Victory Wall. Why? After Nobunaga's construction of the Victory Wall, he ordered a gate to be built in the early 1570s. It was known to be a national treasure. Unfortunately, the gate was destroyed during WW2 and only the stones remain. The gate was known as Kaizoumon. The black and white picture above is what the Kaizoumon looked like before it was destroyed. When you visit Atsuta Shrine in the near future, remember the stones nearby the Nobunaga Victory Wall.

Nobunaga no tame!