Conclusion

Here is the conclusion of the meeting. The Viper had some issues with Nobunaga before he met him at Shoutokuji Temple. Here were the two key points.

• Nobunaga was no fool. Dosan was able to see him as the man of the future.

• The alliance with caution was still in tact. Dosan could not invade Owari because Nobunaga was a strong man with character and would pull off the unexpected.
  

Dosan had to know right from the start he was beat with brains and not by brawl. He then knew Nobunaga was not going to take orders from his superiors. Dosan then knew the type of person Nobunaga was made of. A self-made man. Nobunaga took full advantage of what the Sengoku Era gave. He was able to pull is zany actions with flare and able to get away with it. When Nobunaga brought him army with him, he made sure that he brought the best. The guns, to scare the Viper, the very long spears, and his wild attire to show his father-in-law: Here I am. Dosan knew Nobunaga was rare, but now he able could work with him. I think Dosan spoke harshly about Nobunaga to his retainers to save face. He had to show strength. He would help his son-in-law a year later in the Battle of Muraki (1554) and when he was killed in 1556, he gave the deed to Mino to Nobunaga. A perfect gift. Why? He was able to see Nobunaga was rare and a self-made man who was able to survive in the Sengoku Era than a man who was not.
God Bless and Merry Christmas!


Nobunaga no tame!

The Meeting Part 3

At the main hall of the temple, the Saito men all in formal attire sat and waited for the meeting to start. As for Nobunaga, he was able to pull the rabbit out of the hat trick again. This time he was dressed in formal attire. The hair was properly tied and his clothing was lavish. For example, he wore a brown nagabakama (very long trousers) and a short scabbard to go with it. This was a complete shock for the Saito! They could not believe he was able to pull another trick again. Two of Dosan's retainers showed Nobunaga the way, but he acted as if nothing has happened. He treated the retainers as if they never existed at all. Hotta Doku then introduced Dosan to Nobunaga, "This is Yamashiro-dono." Nobunaga replied, "Indeed" or "Is that so!" The viper had to be nervous. He never met such an odd figure before. He was embarrassed by the fact that Nobunaga brought up the subject of caught in the act of spying. Dosan did mention to Nobunaga that he was an oil merchant long ago. Both had a simple meal and drank to a toast. Dosan sent off Nobunaga back to Nagoya. He had to be in complete bitter embarrassment. He saw the Oda spears longer than the Mino army. Not only that, but the guns as well. Inoko Hyousuke asked about Dosan's son-in-law. He replied, "I feel regrettable that my children will follow that idiot." The viper did have new respect for Nobunaga. How? He knew times were changing in Sengoku Japan, Nobunaga was the new kid on the block, and meeting the father-in-law for the first time Nobunaga passed with flying colors. Dosan knew the alliance was still good enough for time being. As for Nobunaga, he won the battle without firing a single shot. The conclusion of the historic meeting at a later date. The Shinchoo-Ko ki, by Ota Gyuuichi is still your best bet for a good read on the meeting by far.


Tenka no tame!

The Meeting Part 2

A woodblock print of Nobunaga's procession to Shoutokiji Temple.

The story only gets better! Nobunaga crossed the Kiso and Hida River by boat with his troops. Slowly he finally arrived at Tonda. As for Shoutokuji itself, located in Ichinomiya, the temple was a proxy from the Honganji in Osaka. Nobunaga would soon find out that his father-in-law was spying on him. Why? The answer is simple. Saito Dosan only heard reports on Oda Nobunaga. He wanted to see for himself if Nobunaga was truly a blockhead. Dosan hid in a small shack to catch a glimpse, but he would soon be in awe! Nobunaga's attire was exactly Dosan was looking for. His hair was tied up in a chasen-maki style with a yellowish light green cord. The clothing was, well infamous! Tiger and leopard skin hakama, his shirt with one sleeve bare, a hemp cord (used for guns) as a bracelet, a flint bag, a rope around his waist as a sash, a beautifully decorated scabbard, and a few containers (hyootan, used for water or store other things). Now comes the awesome part. Nobunaga brought his spear and gunner group with him. What was so special about that? The spears were twice as long and he brought 500 gunners with him. Dosan had to be in complete shock! The father-in-law was supposed to teach the son-in-law a lesson. Not the other way around. The viper was outsmarted by the idiot! In my opinion, Dosan respected Nobunaga little by little after this incident. More zany thing came from the meeting. Again, it gets better and Nobunaga will prove to his father-in-law, he is no slouch

I did not include much detail about Nobunaga's attire in my book Okehazama 1560 because the book was about the battle. If one wanted to know how Nobunaga took over Mino in 1567, yes, by all means, the meeting should be in detail. I love Ota Gyuuichi's, Shinchoo Koo-ki, description of the meeting between the two. (Introduction, Chapter 10)

Myself as young Nobunaga at the Gifu City Museum of History



Nobunaga no Tame!

The Meeting Part 1

Good Morning friends! I will explain the meeting between Nobunaga and his father-in-law, Saito Dosan. It will have several parts because I want to explain the details and the outcome which was very important. I just wrote about the tragic death of Nobunaga's senior adviser, Hirate Masahide, which took place in 1553. The meeting also took place in the same year (1553), but early spring. Dosan wanted to know if his son-in-law, was really an idiot. The fact was and still is known today, Nobunaga was no fool. For Saito Dosan, everything was going his way. He had power in Mino, trade, military might, and an alliance with the Oda which he was able to focus on other priorities.

Why the meeting in the first place?

• Dosan never met Nobunaga in person.


• Wanted to know if Nobunaga was a fool.


• To find out if the Oda was weak enough for the Saito to invade Owari.


• To find out if the alliance was good enough to continue.

The two would meet at Shoutokuji Temple in Tonda, near the border of Mino and Owari. Dosan was about to find out fast that his son-in-law can adapt quickly to the times of war. He found out Nobunaga's free thinking attitude was a fast track to success, especially with new weapons of war. More important, he found out after the meeting Nobunaga had a dream to unite the country. Part 2 later. Until then,

Tenka no Tame!

Hirate Masahide's Death

In the first month of 1553, a tragic incident would haunt Nobunaga. He nerves were usually calm as steel, but this time around he was in shock. Rarely anything jolted his attitude. Hirate Masahide finally could not put up with Nobunaga's antics anymore. On January 13th, at Shiga Castle, he took his own life (at the age of sixty-two) as a protest and hopefully Nobunaga would change his ways. As for Nobunaga, it was a devastating blow. It was known that Nobunaga was in tears of sadness. He had respect for him even though Masahide was often called "old man." There was a story when Nobunaga was hawking. He offered the food to Masahide's spirit. Nobunaga even told the gods let the old man become a Buddha. Nobunaga built Seishuuji Temple to honor his senior adviser. Located in modern day Nagoya City the temple still stands today. The person responsible for the temple duties during the day was Takugen Shuuon. He was famously known to give Nobunaga "tenka fubu" slogan once Inoguchi (Gifu) was captured in 1567. The only negative part about the temple today it is always closed. Nobunaga did change his attitude, but he was still a free thinking warlord. Masahide would be proud of what Nobunaga accomplished during his mighty career.




Seishuuji Temple (Zuiunzan Seishuuji) in Nagoya City. As for the temple itself, it has moved around quite a bit. The orginal area was Nishi Kasugai-bu Ogimura. Then it moved to Kiyosu. In 1610, the temple was moved again to Nagoya, its present day location.


Nobunaga no tame!

New Book

Good Morning friends! I bought a new book yesterday at the local Japanese supermarket here in San Diego. Hao no Yume by Tsumoto Yo is a dandy. A great Nobunaga novel and a must have (osusume yomimono). I am still reading it at the moment. Practically, the last chapter of the book deals with Nobunaga's death at the Honnoji Temple in Kyoto. He stated that the world's history was changed. I do believe that if Nobunaga was not killed in June of 1582, Japan and the world as we know it today would be very different. Happy Thanksgiving and God Bless!


Tenka no tame!

Battle of Akatsuka

Narumi Castle landmarks located in Nagoya City.

The Battle of Akatsuka took place in 1552 which Nobunaga fought the Yamaguchi near Narumi Castle. The castle was built 1394 by Yasuhara Munenori. Narumi Castle was also known as Negoya Castle. Located in modern day Nagoya City, Midori-ku, the castle played a key role in 1560 during the Battle of Okehazama. The Yamaguchi were old retainers of Oda Nobuhide. When Nobuhide died in 1551, the Yamaguchi rebelled against young Nobunaga. What the Yamaguchi did not know and it was a mistake, they underestimated Nobunaga.

Fighting began in the middle of April of 1552. The Yamaguchi were led by Noritsugu and his son Kurojiro. The Yamaguchi also built Fort Kasadera and Nakamura in support of Narumi Castle. They also had support from the Imagawa of Suruga. Suruga men included, Kazurayama, Okabe, Iio, Muira, and the Azai. Nobunaga departed Nagoya Castle for war and he only had 800 men with him. As for the Yamaguchi, the had almost twice as much, 1,500. Fighting was heavy and violent. The end result was a draw. The big idiot was a tough nut to crack. Nobunaga knew how to fight with less. This was a great strength of his. For example, in 1561, he defeated the Saito in the Battle of Moribe with less men. Most of the time he came out on top. The Yamaguchi had to be in shock even with support from the outside. Still, they could not defeat Nobunaga. He would actually forgive the Yamaguchi in the future. It would only be a year later (1553) where Nobunaga would meet his father-in-law. The viper was about to soon find out that the big fool was a genius!

Nobunaga no tame!