Azuchi-Momoyama Period

Oda Nobunaga marched to Kyoto backing Ashikaga Yoshiaki.
Yoshiaki became the 15th shogun, and with the Muromachi shogunate as his support, Nobunaga moved to expand his influence toward unifying the country.
However, Yoshiaki aimed to restore the shogunate’s authority, and differences in policy gradually soured their relationship.

Yoshiaki joined forces with Sengoku daimyo Azai Nagamasa and raised an army against Nobunaga, but was defeated.
Nobunaga exiled Yoshiaki to Kawachi, and the Muromachi shogunate fell.

While Nobunaga was focused on fighting Yoshiaki and Azai Nagamasa, Tokugawa Ieyasu, his ally, was invaded by Takeda Shingen, triggering the Battle of Mikatagahara.
The Takeda forces won and seized Ieyasu’s territory.

The Takeda army continued its campaign to overthrow Nobunaga, but Shingen suddenly died and the forces withdrew.
His son, Takeda Katsuyori, inherited his ambition and invaded again, targeting Tokugawa lands.

This led to the Battle of Nagashino, where the Takeda forces clashed with the Tokugawa-Oda alliance.
Using superior numbers and tactics featuring matchlock guns, the Tokugawa-Oda army defeated the Takeda, famed for their powerful cavalry.

After defeating the Takeda, his longtime rivals, Nobunaga began campaigns to pacify the Chugoku and Shikoku regions in order to complete unification.
He ordered Toyotomi Hideyoshi to lead the Chugoku campaign and his third son, Oda Nobutaka, to lead the Shikoku campaign.

When Nobunaga received a letter from Hideyoshi requesting reinforcements, he ordered Akechi Mitsuhide to lead the vanguard.
Mitsuhide appeared to comply, but while stopping in Kyoto at Honnō-ji on the way, he launched a rebellion.
Mitsuhide’s forces fully surrounded the temple, and about four hours after the attack began, his act of rebellion ended with Nobunaga taking his own life.

When Toyotomi Hideyoshi learned of Nobunaga’s death, he concluded peace with Mori Terumoto while keeping the news secret.

Free of immediate worries, Hideyoshi set out for Kyoto with around 20,000 troops to defeat Akechi Mitsuhide.
His advance was swift, covering about 200 km in Approx. 10 days, and he caught the unprepared Mitsuhide and killed him.

Shibata Katsuie, Nobunaga’s chief retainer, also rushed to respond, but an attack from the Uesugi forces prevented him from moving quickly.
He arrived only after Hideyoshi had already defeated Mitsuhide.

After eliminating Mitsuhide, Hideyoshi gained major influence in the struggle over Nobunaga’s successor.
At the Kiyosu Conference to decide the heir, Hideyoshi backed Nobunaga’s grandson, Sanbōshi, while Shibata supported Nobunaga’s third son, Oda Nobutaka.
The conference became the turning point that deepened the rift between Hideyoshi and Shibata.

With Hideyoshi’s strong influence, Sanbōshi was named successor, but because he was still a child, Oda Nobutaka was appointed as his guardian.
After territories were redistributed among the retainers at Kiyosu, Hideyoshi was promoted to chief retainer.
Shibata became second in rank, and their positions were reversed.

At Nobunaga’s funeral, hosted by Hideyoshi, Hideyoshi’s adopted son Hashiba Hidekatsu served as chief mourner.
Shibata Katsuie, who had not even been consulted, was furious.
The funeral further deepened the conflict between Shibata and Hideyoshi.

It eventually escalated into open war, leading to the Battle of Shizugatake, which split the Oda faction in two.
Under concentrated attacks by Hideyoshi’s forces, the main Shibata army was wiped out.
Retainers bought time for Shibata to escape, but after returning to Kita-no-shō, he took his own life.

With victory at Shizugatake, Hideyoshi secured his position as Nobunaga’s successor.
He rewarded his vassals with increased lands, strengthened unity, and built a firm foundation for unification.
Appointed Kampaku, the highest rank among court nobles, Hideyoshi became the nation’s supreme leader.

After pacifying Kyushu, Hideyoshi issued the Sōbuji-rei (Peace Edict), which banned private warfare among daimyo and punished violations, as the final step toward unification, targeting the Kanto and Oshu regions.

Many daimyo submitted, but when a retainer of the Hōjō clan violated the edict, Hideyoshi launched the Odawara Campaign to crush them.
Odawara Castle was surrendered after the Hōjō capitulated, and Kunohe Masazane, who had resisted Hideyoshi to the end, also surrendered.
The Sengoku era, marked by repeated conflict among warlords, ended when Hideyoshi unified the country.

After unification, Hideyoshi appointed five powerful daimyo as the Council of Five Elders to handle major affairs: Tokugawa Ieyasu, Maeda Toshiie, Mori Terumoto, Ukita Hideie, and Kobayakawa Takakage.
He also appointed five magistrates to support his governance: Maeda Gen’i, Asano Nagamasa, Mashita Nagamori, Ishida Mitsunari, and Natsuka Masaie.

Hideyoshi feared that after his death Tokugawa Ieyasu might gain power in place of his young son, Toyotomi Hideyori, so he placed leading daimyo and retainers into key roles through these councils.

Sensing his end was near, Hideyoshi summoned Ieyasu and other daimyo to Fushimi Castle, ordered them to pledge loyalty to Hideyori, and then passed away.

After Hideyoshi’s death, Ieyasu increasingly expanded his influence, acting on his own despite the final instructions.
The five magistrates were outraged, and their leader, Ishida Mitsunari, opposed Ieyasu.

As the gap widened between the civil administrators and the battle-hardened generals, many of the military faction began to rely on Ieyasu.
With both internal divisions and mounting pressure, the conflict between Mitsunari and Ieyasu only intensified.

Ieyasu brought the other elders and magistrates under his sway and continued to strengthen his power, but Uesugi Kagekatsu resisted.
When Kagekatsu began building up his forces, Ieyasu suspected rebellion and marched with a large army to subdue him.

Seizing the moment, Ishida Mitsunari raised an army while Ieyasu was away.
He took Tokugawa family members hostage, rallied daimyo across the country, gathered a large force, and attacked Fushimi Castle, where Tokugawa troops were stationed.
On his way to campaign against Uesugi Kagekatsu, Ieyasu received word of Mitsunari’s uprising and chose to fight Ishida’s army.

The decisive Battle of Sekigahara began, pitting Tokugawa Ieyasu’s Eastern Army against Ishida Mitsunari’s Western Army.
It was a massive clash of around 160,000 troops in total, yet it ended in just about six hours with Ieyasu’s victory.

Ieyasu confiscated lands from the Western Army and redistributed them as rewards to himself and the daimyo of the Eastern Army.
Ishida Mitsunari was captured and executed in Kyoto.
With victory at Sekigahara, Ieyasu effectively took control of the country and was appointed Seii Taishogun.
He established the Edo shogunate, and Japan moved into the long peace of the Edo period.

When it comes to architecture that embodies Momoyama culture, castle architecture stands out, with features such as main keeps, storehouses, residences, and walls.
Castles of this era served not only as fortresses, but also as statements of a daimyo’s authority.
That’s why many Momoyama-period castles were richly decorated and visually striking.
Among the many grand castles built, Oda Nobunaga’s Azuchi Castle and Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s Osaka Castle are especially famous.

During the Azuchi-Momoyama period, warriors became engrossed in go and shogi.
Skilled players could even receive titles from daimyo or be taken into service.
In go, players compete for territory on the board, and the one who controls more territory wins.
In shogi, even if you lose pieces, you win by capturing the opponent’s king.
Sengoku leaders likely enjoyed these games as entertainment, while also studying strategy.

From the Muromachi period into the Azuchi-Momoyama period, Japanese tea culture evolved significantly.
Tea gatherings began as a Zen Buddhist ritual brought from China in the Kamakura period, but many tea masters adapted it into a distinctly Japanese form.

In wabicha, developed by tea master Murata Jukō, ornate decoration was rejected in favor of simple refinement.
As a result, Japanese-made wares became preferred over Chinese karamono.
Later, Sen no Rikyū refined it further, completing the tea ceremony (chanoyu).
It was also in this era that tōcha, a popular game of guessing tea origins, spread widely.

Oda Nobunaga is famous as a charismatic leader who sought to unify Japan.
In his youth, though, he was nicknamed “Owari no Ōutsuke,” often translated as “the Great Fool of Owari.”
Utsuke refers to someone seen as foolish or dull-witted.
In other words, people looked down on him.
He was mocked for his flashy clothes, wandering the streets, and even snatching food, with odd behavior that stood out.

Still, some saw his true potential.
One was Saitō Dōsan, the father of Nobunaga’s wife, Nōhime.

At an important meeting with Dōsan, Nobunaga showed up dressed as flamboyantly as ever.
He even leaned against a pillar and sat down casually, it’s said.
Most people would be offended by such an attitude at a first meeting with their daughter’s fiancé.

But Dōsan, a remarkable figure himself, sensed Nobunaga’s unusual presence and confident manner and recognized that he was no ordinary “fool.” He approved the marriage without hesitation.
He also reportedly left words saying that after his own death, he would hand Mino over to Nobunaga.
It’s a very Nobunaga-like episode, reflecting the unconventional thinking and drive that brought him within reach of unifying Japan.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi rose from a farmer to the nation’s ruler.
There are many stories highlighting his exceptional talent, from his charisma to his strength in battle.
Beyond that, he was also said to have had a distinctive physical trait.

According to tradition, Hideyoshi had polydactyly, a congenital condition, and had two thumbs.
Children of warrior families born with this trait were often treated while young, but Hideyoshi, born a farmer, could not receive such treatment.
As a result, he is said to have had six fingers even as an adult.
Several accounts support this, including a note in Maeda Toshiie’s “Kokuso Yuigon,” which mentions Hideyoshi having six fingers.

The common story is that Tokugawa Ieyasu died from stomach pain caused by eating too much tempura, but research suggests his true cause of death was likely cancer.
According to the doctors who treated him, there was a lump inside his abdomen.

His physicians offered various recommendations, but Ieyasu, known for training his body from a young age and taking a strong interest in medicine, even mixing his own remedies, refused to listen.
As a result, the cancer is said to have progressed until he died.
Even today, people sometimes ignore expert advice because they “know enough” to be confident, but it’s a kind of stubbornness best avoided.

Osaka Castle’s main tower was begun in 1583 and completed in 1585 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who unified Japan during the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1568–1600).
It later fell during the Summer Siege of Osaka in 1615, but was rebuilt by the Tokugawa shogunate in 1626.
It has been designated a Registered Tangible Cultural Property.

Under Tokugawa Ieyasu’s orders, temples in the area were relocated and the former grounds were developed and built up, creating a temple complex said to have been breathtakingly grand.
Although many buildings were later lost to repeated fires, the Kaisandō Hall, Otama-ya (mausoleum), Omote-mon Gate, Kangetsudai platform, and the teahouses Kasatei and Shiguretei still remain, preserving the refined beauty of the Azuchi-Momoyama period.
All date back to the temple’s founding and are precious heritage sites designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan.

A park at the foot of Mt. Kinka, crowned by Gifu Castle, and loved as a relaxing spot for locals and visitors alike.
This area is believed to have been the location of residences belonging to Saitō Dōsan and Oda Nobunaga, lords of Gifu Castle during the Sengoku period. You can see valuable historical remains such as “stone walls from Dōsan’s era” and the “site of Lord Oda Nobunaga’s residence,” currently under excavation (as of July 2021).