Sawayama Castle

 Here is a picture of Sawayama Castle.  Now in 1571, Niwa Nagahide was appointed by Nobunaga as the administrator of the castle. 

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."

Nobunaga no tame!

Toyohara Kunichika Okehazama

 Here is a painting by Toyohara Kunichika on the final minutes of Imagawa Yoshimoto at the Battle of Okehazama.  Actor (Kabuki, I presume) Ichikawa Sadanji I as Yoshimoto and Onoe Kikugoro as Mori Shinsuke.  Artwork is from 1884.

Tenka no tame!

In Nobunaga's Own Words

I will share a passage from Oze Hoan's Shinchoki on Nobunaga's destruction of Mt. Hiei.  The passage was translated in Sources of Japanese Traditions Volume 1 (p. 306)

"I am not the destroyer of this monastery. The destroyer of the monastery is the monastery itself. As you know I am one who has not known a moment of peace. I have risked my life. I have devoted myself to hard work and to a life of denial of my personal desires. I have given myself to the hardships of warrior  life in order that I might restrain the turbulence within the land, check the decline of imperial prestige and restore it, improve the prevailing manners and customs, and perpetuate the benefits of government and religion. But last year, when Noda and Fukushima of Settsu Province were about to be subdued and their strongholds about to fall, Asakura and Azai seised the opportunity of my absence to invade Shiga in this province at the head of several tens of thousands of mounted troops.

Those who help rebels are themselves traitors to the country. If, moreover, they are not destroyed now, they will again become a peril to the nation.  Therefore not a single life should be spared."

Nobunaga no tame!

Akechi Mitsuhide Guide Book

 

Here is a guide book on Nobunaga's retainer, Akechi Mitsuhide, the Benedict Arnold of Japan.  Akechi Mitsuhide to Biwako by Onuma Yoshiyuki is a simple guide.  From what I understand, the book is useful and the price is decent too. I do highly recommend it if you can get your hands on it.

Tenka no tame!

Full Imagawa Yoshimoto Video

 Here is the full Ijin Rirekisho Imagawa Yoshimoto video.  The video might be pulled in the near future, so please watch it as soon as possible.  First off, I would like to say, the video is balanced. Yes, the video mentions Yoshimoto's weakness as well as his strengths.  A lot of the video is covered from a local perspective.  This includes the Battle of Okehazama. Yoshimoto was known to be optimistic, overconfident, and arrogant.  Well, this was true of most Sengoku warlords, it was part of the job.  He was a cultured man, this was true as well.  For example, Waka, renga, chado, and kemari were his past times.  Of course, he enjoyed being a courtier.

The strength of the Imagawa was in diplomacy and their house laws. Their alliance with his rivals, the Hojo and Takeda made it possible for peace, but more importantly, the march to Kyoto.  Sessai was the brains of the Imagawa and the video reinstates that.  That was a plus.  When Sessai passed away, it was the start of the decline of the Imagawa.

Regarding to the Battle of Okehazama, Ota Teruo and his team at the Toyoake City Okehazama Battlefield Committee did a fantastic job.  All of usual facts were stated.  One of the keys to the batttle, was geography. Since the battle was in Nobunaga's backyard, he knew every square inch.  Probably due to his love of falconry.  Another twist to the story is what if? What if Sessai was alive during the time of the battle?  The answer is Yoshimoto might have been more cautious about advancing to Owari or might even win the battle.  If he did, he would have Owari's key ports Atsuta and Tsushima which would made the Imagawa more richer.  It was known that Yoshimoto want to end the constant warfare, but it was not to be.  It was left to Nobunaga to start the unification process.

One other interesting fact I learned from the video from Nobunaga's point of view was his triple alliance.  After his victory at the Battle of Okehazama, Nobunaga created an alliance between the Tokugawa and the Azai.  This alliance made it possible along with his conquest of Mino in 1567 to march his army to Kyoto in 1568.

Nobunaga no tame!

Shizuoka Museum of History

 I did watch the Ijin Rirekisho Imagawa Yoshimoto, will write a review this weekend.  The video was a balanced view of Yoshimoto.  Last night I found this video by Owada Tetsuo on the opening of the Shizuoka Museum of History.  Yes, the museum will cover Yoshimoto and Ieyasu, but if you are looking for clues on why Nobunaga won at Battle of Okehazama, this is a good start.  The museum looks amazing and cannot wait to visit.

Tenka no tame!

Prelude to Mt. Hiei

 Before Nobunaga put Mt. Hiei to the torch and slaughtered the people, he to make sure his surroundings were in check.  In late August of 1571 Nobunaga stayed at Niwa Nagahide's residence and his army surrounded the villages of Ogawa and Shimura.  It was not long before Shimura was attacked by Nobunaga's army.  On the 1st of September 1571, Sakuma Uemon, Nakagawa Hachiroemon, Shibata Shuri, and Niwa Gorozaemon led the attack to destroy Shimura Castle. The result was the total of 670 heads taken by the Oda army.  Almost two weeks later Nobunaga led his infamous attack on Mt. Hiei.

Nobunaga no tame!