was a

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

and the eldest son of

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unify ...

, who fought in many battles during the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. He commanded armies under his father in battles against

Matsunaga Hisahide Matsunaga Danjo Hisahide (松永弾正久秀 1508 – November 19, 1577) was a ''daimyō'' and head of the Yamato Matsunaga clan in Japan during the Sengoku period of the 16th century. Biography He was a retainer of Miyoshi Nagayoshi f ...

and against the

Takeda clan The was a Japanese samurai clan active from the late Heian period until the late 16th century. The clan was historically based in Kai Province in present-day Yamanashi Prefecture. The clan reached its greatest influence under the rule of Taked ...

Biography

Oda Nobutada was born in Owari Province ( 尾張国) around 1557 as the eldest son of

( 織田信長) (the second son if Oda Nobumasa actually exists). His nanny was Jotoku-In, daughter of

Takigawa Kazumasu , also known as Sakonshōgen (左近将監), was a samurai retainer and military commander of Oda Nobunaga, and later Toyotomi Hideyoshi, during Japan's Sengoku period. His biological son, Toshimasu, was adopted by Toshihisa and later Kazumasu ...

( 滝川一益), who was one of the senior vassals of Oda Nobunaga. There is also a theory that Nobutada was adopted by Nohime. His childhood name was ''Kimyo-Maru'' (Kimyo means strange in Japanese). He first called himself ''Oda Kankuro Nobushige (織田勘九郎信重)'', and later changed to ''Nobutada (織田信忠)''. During the Eiroku era, the

Oda clan The is a Japanese samurai family who were daimyo and an important political force in the unification of Japan in the mid-16th century. Though they had the climax of their fame under Oda Nobunaga and fell from the spotlight soon after, several ...

came into contact with the Takeda's territory in Kai Province ( 甲斐国) through

Mino Province was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today southern Gifu Prefecture. Mino was bordered by Ōmi to the west, Echizen and Hida to the north, and Shinano to the east, and Ise, Mikawa, and Owari to the south. Its abbreviat ...

( 美濃国), and the daughter of Toyama Naokado ( 遠山直廉), a warlord ( 国人) in southeast

Mino province was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today southern Gifu Prefecture. Mino was bordered by Ōmi to the west, Echizen and Hida to the north, and Shinano to the east, and Ise, Mikawa, and Owari to the south. Its abbreviat ...

, became the adopted daughter of Nobunaga and married

Takeda Katsuyori was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period, who was famed as the head of the Takeda clan and the successor to the legendary warlord Takeda Shingen. He was son in law of Hojo Ujiyasu. Early life He was the son of Shingen by the daughter ...

( 武田勝頼), the eldest son of

Takeda Shingen , of Kai Province, was a pre-eminent ''daimyō'' in feudal Japan. Known as the "Tiger of Kai", he was one of the most powerful daimyō with exceptional military prestige in the late stage of the Sengoku period. Shingen was a warlord of great ...

. And then the alliance was formed. According to the

Koyo Gunkan Koyo may refer to: * Kōyō, a masculine Japanese given name * Koyo Electronics Corporation Limited, a Japanese electronics corporation * Koyo language (disambiguation) * Koyō, a French music producer * Koyo (band), an American punk rock band ...

, the wife of Katsuyori died in November 1567, and an engagement was established between Nobutada and Takeda Shingen's sixth daughter,

Matsuhime Matsuhime (松姫, 1562 - 31 May 1616) or Shinsho-ni (信松尼) was a Japanese noblewoman who was a member of the Takeda clan, an important samurai family of the Sengoku period. She was the daughter of Takeda Shingen and wife of Oda Nobutada. She ...

, to reinforce the alliance with the Takeda. Takeda and Oda continued to maintain a friendly relationship, but during the Eiroku era, the Takeda began invading the territory of

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow ...

( 徳川家康), an ally of Oda, in the direction of Mikawa ( 三河国) and Totomi ( 遠江国). In the 3rd year of

Genki Genki may refer to: *Genki (company), a Japanese video game company *Genki (era), a Japanese era name *Genki (given name) Genki (written: 元気, 元喜, 元基, 元規, 源気 or 源基) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with th ...

(1572), in response to a call from Yoshiaki Ashikaga, a shogun who had been hostile to Nobunaga, Shingen began invading Oda territory (Operation Seizyo (西上作戦)). The engagement was virtually broken due to Shingen's death and the marriage of Oda Nobutada was canceled. These events contributed to the destruction of the

Ashikaga shogunate The , also known as the , was the feudal military government of Japan during the Muromachi period from 1336 to 1573.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Muromachi-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 669. The Ashikaga shogunate was establi ...

in 1573. After that, the Takeda clan tried to improve the relationship with the Oda clan at the end of Katsuyori's reign, but Nobunaga refused to reconcile. Nobutada continued to follow Oda Nobunaga, and fought in various places, such as the

Ishiyama Hongan-ji War The , taking place from 1570 to 1580 in Sengoku period Japan, was a ten-year campaign by lord Oda Nobunaga against a network of fortifications, temples, and communities belonging to the Ikkō-ikki, a powerful faction of Jōdo Shinshū Buddhist m ...

( 石山戦争), the

Siege of Iwamura Castle The siege of Iwamura was a military event which occurred in 1572 in Japan, concurrent with Takeda Shingen's push into Tōtōmi Province and the Battle of Mikatagahara. Akiyama Nobutomo, one of Shingen's " Twenty-Four Generals," set his eye on ...

( 岩村城の戦い) in February 1574, and the attack on Ise Nagashima from July to September 1574. In 1577, Nobutada defeated

in the

Siege of Shigisan The 1577 was one of many sieges during Oda Nobunaga's campaigns to consolidate his power in the Kansai area. The castle was held by Matsunaga Hisahide, Matsunaga Danjo Hisahide and his son Matsunaga Kojirō, Kojirō, both of whom committed sui ...

. In 1582, he defeated

Nishina Morinobu was a retainer of the Japanese samurai clan of Takeda clan, Takeda during the closing years of the Sengoku period. Born the fifth son of the legendary Takeda Shingen (by Lady Yukawa), he was also known as Takeda Harukiyo (武田晴清). In 1561 ...

in the Siege of Takato and participated in the

Battle of Tenmokuzan The 1582 in Japan, also known as the Battle of Toriibata, is regarded as the last stand of the Takeda clan. This was the final attempt by Takeda Katsuyori to resist the combined forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Oda Nobunaga, who had been campaign ...

against

As Nobunaga's successor

In May 1575, at the

battle of Nagashino The took place in 1575 near Nagashino Castle on the plain of Shitaragahara in the Mikawa Province of Japan. Takeda Katsuyori attacked the castle when Okudaira Sadamasa rejoined the Tokugawa, and when his original plot with Oga Yashiro for taki ...

and started his career as the supreme commander of the attack on Iwamura Castle (

). He repelled the Takeda army that had attacked the Oda army at night and defeated more than 1,100, and defeated Takeda clan commander

Akiyama Nobutomo was a samurai during the Sengoku period in Japan. He is known as one of the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen". Nobutomo also served under Shingen's son, Takeda Katsuyori. Biography In 1531, Akiyama Nobutomo was born at in Kai provin ...

to open Iwamura Castle. After that, even in a series of battles with Takeda clan, he would make a big name for himself. On November 28, 1576, Nobunaga handed over the Oda clan's lord, eastern Mino, and part of Owari Province, and was entrusted with its control. In addition, the younger brother of Nohime, Saito Toshiharu, became an aide (chief vassal) to Nobutada. In the same year, he was placed under the fifth rank ''(正五位)'', and he was appointed to Dewasuke ''(出羽介)'' and then Akita Josuke''(秋田城介)'', aiming to become a shogun. Since Yoshiaki Ashikaga was still a shogun, which ordinarily means a general in Bingo Province even under the Oda administration, the Oda clan had no choice but to become a shogun. It is also said that this official position was meaningful in opposition to the Uesugi family, who was also the guardian of

Echigo was an old province in north-central Japan, on the shores of the Sea of Japan. It bordered on Uzen, Iwashiro, Kōzuke, Shinano, and Etchū Provinces. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Echigo''" in . It corresponds today to Niigata ...

. In February of the 5th year of Tensho (1577), Nobutada attacked Nakano Castle and captured it, and in March,

Suzuki Shigehide was the son of the reputed leader Suzuki Sadayu and final leading head of the Saika Ikki during the latter years of the Sengoku period of feudal Japan. He was also nicknamed as Saika Magoichi. He also was a friend of Ankokuji Ekei. He is said ...

(Sonichi Saika) and others surrendered to him . In August, he became the supreme general of the rebellious subjugation of

, and commanded generals such as

Hosokawa Fujitaka , also known as , was a Japanese samurai ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period. Fujitaka was a prominent retainer of Ashikaga Yoshiaki, the last Ashikaga shōgun. When he joined the Oda, Oda Nobunaga rewarded him with the fief of Tango and went o ...

and

Akechi Mitsuhide , first called Jūbei from his clan and later from his title, was a Japanese ''samurai'' general of the Sengoku period best known as the assassin of Oda Nobunaga. Mitsuhide was a bodyguard of Ashikaga Yoshiaki and later a successful general under ...

, who lead his army, and captured Shigisan Castle, where

and his son, Matsunaga Hisamichi barricaded themselves. Due to his achievements, he was ordained to the third rank'' (従三位)'' Sakonoefu ''(左近衛府中将)'' on October 15. From around this time, he took command of the generals as a general in place of Nobunaga. On December 28, eight types of tea utensils that Nobunaga had were handed over, and on the following day, three more types were handed over. In 1578,

Mori Terumoto Mori is a Japanese and Italian surname, and also a Persian pet name for Morteza. It is also the name of two clans in Japan, and one clan in India. Italian surname *Barbara Mori, Uruguayan-Mexican actress *Camilo Mori, Chilean painter *Cesare ...

, the head of the Mori clan, mobilized a large army of more than 100,000 to recapture Kōzuki Castle in Harima Province. Terumoto himself set up main camp near Takamatsu castle, and he made his main vassals, such as

Kobayakawa Takakage was a samurai and daimyō (feudal lord) during the Sengoku period and Azuchi–Momoyama period. He was the third son of Mōri Motonari who was adopted by the Kobayakawa clan and became its 14th clan head. He merged the two branches of the Koba ...

, Ukita Tadaie, and the Murakami Navy to deploy to Harima Province and surround Kōzuki Castle with their army of 61,000 people. Nobunaga also sent Nobutada as supreme general, along with

Niwa Nagahide , also known as Gorōzaemon (五郎左衛門), his other legal alias was Hashiba Echizen no Kami (羽柴越前守), was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku through Azuchi-Momoyama periods of the 16th century. He served as senior retainer to the O ...

and other generals as reinforcements to rescue Kōzuki Castle. Hideyoshi Hashiba, who is surrounding Miki castle, also came under Nobutada's command, totaling 70,000. 2,000 Oda troops deployed to Harima. However, due to the stalemate, Nobunaga ordered the withdrawal from Kozuki Castle for strategic reasons and devoted himself to the capture of Miki Castle.

Amago Katsuhisa was a remnant of the Amago clan, a powerful feudal clan in the Chūgoku region of Japan, backed up by Yamanaka Yukimori, a vassal of the clan. He was born to Amago Masahisa in 1553. In the following year, Katsuhisa's father and grandfather were k ...

, the master and servant of the castle, who had been waiting for Oda's reinforcements for three months, surrendered, and Kozuki Castle fell . On October 4, 1578, Saito Toshiharu, Nobutada's uncle-in-law, was dispatched by Nobunaga as the general reinforcement of Jinbo Nagazumi. Nobutada also sent reinforcements with his vassals stationed in Mino and Owari. He also took part in the suppression of

Araki Murashige was a retainer of Ikeda Katsumasa, head of the powerful "Setssu-Ikeda clan" of Settsu Province. Under Katsumasa, Murashige sided with Oda Nobunaga following Nobunaga's successful campaign to establish power in Kyoto. Military life Murashige bec ...

's rebellion ( Siege of Itami) that broke out in

Settsu province was a province of Japan, which today comprises the southeastern part of Hyōgo Prefecture and the northern part of Osaka Prefecture. It was also referred to as or . Osaka and Osaka Castle were the main center of the province. Most of Setts ...

from the same year to the following year, Tensho 9 (1579). In 1580,

Sakuma Nobumori was a retainer for the Oda clan. He was thus treated as Nobunaga's most important retainer and would come to fight in every important battle under Nobunaga's command such as the 1567 Siege of Inabayama Castle, the 1571 and 1573 Siege of Nagashim ...

, who was in charge of southern Owari, and Ando Morinari, one of the three Mino Triumvirate, were banished, expanding the territory of Nobutada's control in the two countries of Mino and Owari.

Conquest of Koshu

In the 10th year of Tensho (1582), Nobutada began the conquest of Koshu (Kai province) by leading an army of 50,000 Mino and Owari troops. As the supreme commander, he advanced into Takeda territory with

and

Hojo Ujimasa Hojo or Hōjō may refer to: Hojo or HoJo: *Howard Johnson's, a U.S. chain of restaurants and hotels *A nickname for Howard Johnson *A nickname for Howard Jones *A nickname for Howard Jones *MGR-1 Honest John, the first nuclear-capable missile ...

. Nobutada was accompanied by

Kawajiri Hidetaka was a Japanese samurai warrior during the Sengoku period , and was one of the vassals of Oda Nobunaga . He was the first samurai in the "Kuro-horo-shu" (bodyguard unit in black) elite troops selected from Nobunaga's aides, and later served ...

and

, and marched from Ina to capture Ida Castle and Takato Castle, Takeda bases in southern

Shinano province or is an old province of Japan that is now Nagano Prefecture. Shinano bordered on Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces. The ancient capital was located near modern-day Matsumoto, whi ...

. In the Siege of Takato castle, Nobutada stood at the forefront of his army and rushed into the

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

, breached a barrier, climbed onto the

rampart Rampart may refer to: * Rampart (fortification), a defensive wall or bank around a castle, fort or settlement Rampart may also refer to: * "O'er the Ramparts We Watched" is a key line from "The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem of the ...

, and inspired his soldiers to attack.(Shincho Koki, Vol. 15).

could not regain his position due to Nobutada's rapid advance and withdrew from Suwa. He then burned

Shinpu Castle was a Sengoku period ''hirayama''-style Japanese castle located in what is now part of the city of Nirasaki, Yamanashi prefecture. It was the primary fortress of the warlord Takeda Katsuyori. The ruins have been protected as a National Historic ...

and escaped. Nobutada pursued the Takeda forces. Before Nobunaga's main corps entered Takeda's territory, Nobutada engaged the Takeda at the

. Takeda Katsuyori and his son Nobuyuki committed seppuku and the Takeda clan was destroyed. Nobunaga entered Kofu on March 26. He praised Nobutada's military service and gave him a sword (''梨地蒔''). He also expressed his intention to "take the ritual of the world." At that time, Nobutada declined, but from Nobunaga's point of view, reign over the Oda clan as well as all the world's people would be inherited by Nobutada.

was given Kai Province (excluding

Anayama Baisetsu , also known as Anayama Genba Nobukimi (in ''Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga''), Baisetsu Nobutada or Anayama Baisetsu, was a Japanese samurai. He became famous as one of the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen". He was lord of Yokoyama Castle ...

) and Suwa-gun,

Shinano Province or is an old province of Japan that is now Nagano Prefecture. Shinano bordered on Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces. The ancient capital was located near modern-day Matsumoto, whi ...

, for his service.

Mori Nagayoshi was a samurai officer under the Oda clan following Japan's 16th-century Sengoku period, and the older brother of the famous Mori Ranmaru. His wife Ikeda Sen, was the daughter of Ikeda Tsuneoki. Nagayoshi was known to have such a bad temper and ...

was given Takai, Mizuuchi, Sarashina, and Ina-gun in

was given Ina-gun, Shinano Province. These events greatly influenced the four countries of Mino, Owari, Kai, and Shinano.

Honnō-ji incident

In 1582, his father was forced to commit suicide when one of his generals,

attacked him while he was staying at Honno-ji, a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

. Nobutada was quartered nearby, where he was attacked by Akechi's men and also committed seppuku.

Family

*Father:

(1534–1582) *Mother:

Kitsuno was a concubine of Japanese ''daimyō'' Oda Nobunaga during the Warring-states period (or Sengoku period) in Japanese history. She was born into the third generation of the prosperous and influential Ikoma clan The was a Japanese samurai clan ...

(1528–1566),

posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments or ...

: Kyuankeiju (久庵慶珠) *Adopted Mother: Nohime * Brothers: **

Oda Nobukatsu was a Japanese samurai of the Azuchi–Momoyama period. He was the second son of Oda Nobunaga. He survived the decline of the Oda clan from political prominence, becoming a ''daimyō'' in the early Edo period. Though often described as an inco ...

(1558–1630) **

Oda Nobutaka was a samurai and member of the Oda clan. He was adopted as the head of the Kanbe clan, which ruled the middle region of Ise Province and so he was also called Kanbe Nobutaka (神戸信孝). Biography Nobutaka was born as the third son of Od ...

(1558–1583) **

Hashiba Hidekatsu Hall, John Whitney ''et al.'' (1991). ''The Cambridge History of Japan'', volume 4, p. 115 was a Japanese samurai, and the fourth son of the famed feudal warlord Oda Nobunaga and was adopted by Toyotomi Hideyoshi at a young age. At the time of N ...

(1567–1585) **

Oda Katsunaga was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period through early Azuchi-Momoyama Period, who was the fifth son of Oda Nobunaga. At a very young age, Katsunaga, then known as "Gobomaru", was given in adoption to Toyama Kagetou and his wife, Lady Ots ...

(1568–1582) ** Oda Nobuhide (1571–1597) **

(1576–1602) ** Oda Nobuyoshi (1573–1615) ** Oda Nobusada (1574–1624) ** Oda Nobuyoshi (died 1609) ** Oda Nagatsugu (died 1600) ** Oda Nobumasa (1554–1647) * Sisters: **

Tokuhime Tokuhime may refer to: * Tokuhime (Oda) (徳姫) (1559–1636), daughter of Oda Nobunaga; also known as Gotokuhime * Tokuhime (Tokugawa) (督姫) (1565–1615), daughter of Tokugawa Ieyasu * (登久姫) (1576–1607), daughter of Matsudaira ...

(1559–1636) ** Fuyuhime (1561–1641) ** Hideko (died 1632) ** Eihime (1574–1623) ** Hōonin ** Sannomarudono(d. 1603) ** Tsuruhime *Wives: ** Matsuhime, daughter of

** Daughter of Shiokawa Nagamitsu ** Unknown concubine(s) *Sons: **

Oda Hidenobu , the son of Oda Nobutada, was a samurai who lived during the Azuchi-Momoyama period in the late-16th century. He was a convert to Catholicism. His other name was Sanbōshi (三法師). Succession dispute When Oda Nobutada and Oda Nobunaga, H ...

– eldest son ** Oda Hidenori (1581–1625), married daughter of

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oda, Nobutada 1557 births 1582 deaths Samurai Suicides by seppuku Oda clan Deified Japanese people Muromachi period Buddhists