was a Japanese ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and no ...

'' and

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

of the

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

known as "Tiger of Owari" and also the father of

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...

, the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobuhide was a deputy ''

shugo , commonly translated as ' ilitarygovernor', 'protector', or 'constable', was a title given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the shogun to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan. The position gave way to th ...

'' (Shugodai) of lower

Owari Province was a province of Japan in the area that today forms the western half of Aichi Prefecture, including the modern city of Nagoya. The province was created in 646. Owari bordered on Mikawa, Mino, and Ise Provinces. Owari and Mino provinces w ...

and head of 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 reached the peak of their power under Oda Nobunaga and fell soon after, several branches of the ...

which controlled most of Owari.

Biography

Oda Nobuhide was born in 1510 in

, the eldest son of Oda Nobusada, the head of the

and a ''

shugodai were officials during feudal Japan. Shugodai were representatives of provincial shugo when the shugo could not virtually exercise his power, being often away from his province. Unlike shugo, who were appointed from the central power of the sa ...

'' (deputy ''

'') of the lower Owari area. Nobuhide became head of the Oda clan when Nobusada died in 1538, and became involved in open warfare as he was confronted to the north by

Saitō Dōsan , also known as Saitō Toshimasa (斎藤利政), was a Japanese samurai lord and daimyo during the Sengoku period.Louis-Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Saitō Dōsan"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 809. He was also known as the f ...

, the ''

'' of

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, Shinano to the east, and Ise, Mikawa, and Owari to the south. Its abbreviated fo ...

, and to the east by

Imagawa Yoshimoto was a Japanese ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the Sengoku period. Based in Suruga Province, he was known as ; he was one of the three ''daimyō'' that dominated the Tōkaidō region. He died in 1560 while marching to Kyoto to become Shogun. He ...

, the ''daimyō'' of Mikawa, Suruga, and Tōtōmi provinces. At certain year, Nobuhide invaded and besiege Ida castle in Mikawa.

Sakai Tadatsugu was one of the most favored and most successful military commanders serving Tokugawa Ieyasu in the late Sengoku period. Serving as the highest-ranking general in the Tokugawa clan along with Ishikawa Kazumasa, Tadatsugu is also regarded as o ...

and

Naitō Nobunari was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period through early Edo period, who served the Tokugawa clan; he later became a ''daimyō''. Nobunari is believed to have been the illegitimate son of Matsudaira Hirotada (which would make him the half-b ...

were reportedly sallied out fighting Nobuhide's army to defend the castle. In 1540, Nobuhide attacked and took Anjō castle, which was held by the

Matsudaira clan The was a Japanese samurai clan that descended from the Minamoto clan. It originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture). During the Sengoku period, the chieftain of the main line of the ...

. He was assisted by Mizuno Tadamasa, his son, Oda Nobuhiro, was installed as the lord of the castle. In 1542, he defeated Imagawa Yoshimoto at First Battle of Azukizaka. Nobuhide managed to hold his own against his opponents, but was never able to fully unite Owari due to constant internal struggles within Oda clan, which prevented him from achieving a complete victory. In 1543, he donated 4000 kan (The currency of Japan at that time) to the Imperial Court in Kyoto for the repair expenses of the Imperial Palace, while

's donation was 500 kan. With such financial resources, the Oda clan came to possess more power than the

Shiba clan was a Japanese clan.Edmond Papinot, Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)("Shiba," ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 54 DF 58 of 80/nowiki> retrieved 2013-05-03. History ...

(''

Shugo , commonly translated as ' ilitarygovernor', 'protector', or 'constable', was a title given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the shogun to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan. The position gave way to th ...

'' of Owari). Nobuhide's economic policies were steadily passed down to his son and heir, Nobunaga. In 1547, Nobuhide was defeated at the Battle of Kanōguchi by

. In 1548, Imagawa defeated Nobuhide in the Second Battle of Azukizaka and continued to expand his territory until 1560. In 1549, Nobuhide made peace with Dōsan by arranging a

political marriage A marriage of state is a diplomatic marriage or union between two members of different nation-states or internally, between two power blocs, usually in authoritarian societies and is a practice which dates back to ancient times, as far back as ear ...

between his eldest son,

, and Saitō Dōsan's daughter, Nōhime. Dōsan supported the marriage which allowed Nobuhide to focus on facing Yoshimoto. In one of his moments of glory, Nobuhide managed to capture

Matsudaira Hirotada was the lord of Okazaki Castle in Mikawa province, Japan during the Sengoku Period of the 16th century. He is best known for being the father of Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. Biography Hirotada was the son of Matsudaira ...

's son and heir, Matsudaira Motoyasu (later known as

Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...

) as a

hostage A hostage is a person seized by an abductor in order to compel another party, one which places a high value on the liberty, well-being and safety of the person seized—such as a relative, employer, law enforcement, or government—to act, o ...

, to en route Yoshimoto and was thus able to gain some footholds into Mikawa. Nobuhide died unexpectedly in 1551, and his remains are interred in a little-known alley near Osu Kannon temple in

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...

Succession controversy

Nobuhide's eldest son, Oda Nobuhiro, was

illegitimate Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...

. Therefore, Nobuhide designated his eldest legitimate son, Nobunaga, to succeed him as the head of the Oda clan and its small domain. Nobunaga, who hardly knew his father and already had a bad reputation as a delinquent in Owari, arrived inappropriately dressed at Nobuhide's funeral and threw

incense Incense is an aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. The term is used for either the material or the aroma. Incense is used for aesthetic reasons, religious worship, aromatherapy, meditation, and ceremonial reasons. It ...

at the altar of the temple as he cursed his fate. Nobunaga's behavior and reputation resulted in almost all support that Nobuhide's retainers would have given him to disappear. Almost all Oda retainers and Nobunaga's mother Tsuchida Gozen favored his younger brother, Oda Nobuyuki, who was considered to be well-behaved and reputable. As a result, Nobunaga was left with support from

Hirate Masahide was a Japanese samurai who served the Oda clan for two generations. His original name was . Life Masahide first served Oda Nobuhide and then become one of the Four karōs that helped Oda Nobunga in his early life. He was a talented samurai as ...

and his father-in-law Saitō Dōsan, whom he had never met before, and a

succession crisis A succession crisis is a crisis that arises when an order of succession fails, for example when a monarch dies without an indisputable heir. It may result in a war of succession. Examples include (see List of wars of succession): * The Wars of Th ...

. Many of Nobuhide's relatives and retainers attempted to usurp his heir, and it would take seven years for Nobunaga to consolidate his power within the Oda clan and finally unite Owari Province. Nobunaga eventually conquered most of Japan, beginning his campaign in Owari, and became known as the first of the three "Great Unifiers" of the Sengoku period.

Notable retainers

* Hayashi Hidesada * Murai Sadakatsu * Kawajiri Hidetaka *

Sakuma Nobumori was a Samurai retainer of Oda Nobuhide. He was treated as Oda 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 o ...

Family

*Father: Oda Nobusada *Brothers: ** Oda Nobuyasu ** Oda Nobumitsu (1516–1556) ** Oda Nobutsugu ** Oda Nobuzane *Sister: Lady Otsuya *Wife: Tsuchida Gozen (1511-1594), who gave birth to four of his sons ( Nobunaga, Nobuyuki, Nobukane and Oda Hidetaka). *Sons: ** Oda Nobuhiro (died 1574) (illegitimate oldest son) **

(1534–1582) ** Oda Nobuyuki (1536–1557) ** Oda Nobukane (1548–1614) ** Oda Nagamasu (1548–1622) ** Oda Nobuharu (1549–1570) **

Oda Nobutoki or Hidetoshi was born the sixth son of Oda Nobuhide, a feudal warlord in Owari Province, Japan, during the Sengoku period. He was the half-brother of Oda Nobunaga and the full brother of Oda Nobuhiro, with all three having the same father.' He ...

(died 1556) ** Oda Nobuoki ** Oda Hidetaka (died 1555) ** Oda Hidenari ** Oda Nobuteru ** Oda Nagatoshi *Daughters: **

Oichi was a female historical figure in the late Sengoku period. She is known primarily as the mother of three daughters who became prominent figures in their own right – Yodo-dono, Ohatsu

(1547–1583) ** Oinu, married Saji Nobutaka and mother of Saji Kazunari

References

* Titsingh, Isaac, ed. (1834). iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō, 1652">Hayashi_Gahō.html" ;"title="iyun-sai Rin-siyo/ iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō, 1652 ''Nipon o daï itsi ran">Hayashi Gahō">iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō, 1652">Hayashi_Gahō.html" ;"title="iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō">iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō, 1652 ''Nipon o daï itsi ran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon, tr. par M. Isaac Titsingh avec l'aide de plusieurs interprètes attachés au comptoir hollandais de Nangasaki; ouvrage re., complété et cor. sur l'original japonais-chinois, accompagné de notes et précédé d'un Aperçu d'histoire mythologique du Japon, par M. J. Klaproth.'' Paris: Royal Asiatic Society">Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland
...Link to digitized full text (in French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oda, Nobuhide 1510 births 1551 deaths Daimyo Oda clan Japanese military engineers