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.

Nobunaga no tame!