Japan’s Warring States Period
A Brief History of Japan’s Warring States Period
The history of Japan’s Warring States Period can be compared with that of China’s Warring States Period. There were many great names from all over the country, fighting endlessly for hegemony. And also 'Unjust war'. During this period, there were many names of people and places, and there were countless big and small battles. However, it may be easier to understand the situation from the perspective of regional division.
Today Japan can be divided into four parts: from southwest to southwest The Northeast is Kyushu, Shikoku, Honshu and Hokkaido. During the Warring States Period, Kyushu and Shikoku were not much different from what they are now called. Hokkaido is rarely mentioned in the history of the Warring States Period because of its remote location. Honshu was the center of conquests from all directions. Kyoto is the center. At that time, Honshu was divided into six regions: Chugoku, Kinki, Tokai, Hokuriku, Kanto, and Tohoku. Kinki was centered on Kyoto, the capital of the country at that time, including Kyoto, Nara, and later Toyotomi's Osaka. Its west was adjacent to the Chugoku region .The eastern part of the Kinki region is bordered by the Tokai region to the south (later Oda Nobunaga relied on this favorable condition to control Kyoto and held the emperor in power to command the princes), and the north is bordered by the Hokuriku region. Tokai and Hokuriku are bordered by the Kanto region to the east. Kanto and Hokuriku are adjacent to the Tohoku region to the east. The Muromachi shogunate began to decline after more than a hundred years of rule. Powerful daimyo from various places established their own governments one after another. Generally speaking, 1467 (the first year of Onito) is regarded as the beginning of the Warring States Period in Japan to 1615. Kawa Ieyasu launched the Battle of Osaka and defeated Toyotomi Hideyori and unified Japan for ***148 years.
The wars in the early Warring States period were mostly concentrated in China and the Gyeonggi region. Generally speaking, in the traditional sense The war to control Gyeonggi. Most of the participants were from the Kinki region and there were daimyo with considerable influence in Kyoto. From the beginning of the 16th century when the Hojo family competed for hegemony in Kanto, the center of the war moved eastward to the Tokai Tokai and Hokuriku regions. This period was also a time when talented people emerged in large numbers during the Warring States Period in Japan. Among them, Hojo Ujiyasu of Kanto, Uesugi Kenshin of Echigo (belonging to the Hokuriku region), and Takeda Shingen of Kai (Tokai region) competed for Kanto, Shinano and other places. The war for hegemony is represented by the war of hegemony. The East China Sea region became the birthplace of talents during the Warring States Period because of Takeda Shingen of Kai, Oda Nobunaga of Owari and Mikawa Tokugawa Ieyasu who later unified Japan. Takeda Shingen defeated the bitter master Uesugi after many years of war. Kenshin, Hojo Imagawa and other daimyo captured Suruga and Shinano and other places, becoming the strongest daimyo at the time. Later, Takeda was ordered by the fallen general Adachi Yoshiaki to march to Kyoto, and on the way he defeated Tokugawa Ieyasu in the Battle of Mikatahara (1572), and ordered Oda Nobunaga was restless. But then he suddenly withdrew his troops due to illness, and his achievements were in vain. After Shingen's death, his son Katsuyori lacked talents, and the battle of Nagato was defeated by Oda's Tokugawa coalition. Kai began to decline. Shortly after Takeda's death, his mortal enemy Uesugi Ken Shinya died of illness. At this point, the focus of the Warring States Period turned to the Oda family. Oda Nobunaga was one of the daimyo (princes) during the Warring States Period in Japan. He was famous for his time with Takeda Shingen and Tokugawa Ieyasu, and there were many legends in his life.
In the battle between the narrow barrels, he sang in the heavy rain, "Fifty years on earth are like a dream. There is no immortal in the world." He surprised Imagawa Yoshimoto with four thousand soldiers and horses. 40,000 troops and beheaded Imagawa. He was also the first lord to make extensive use of firearms in Japanese history. At Nagashino Station, he used 3,000 iron guns behind an iron fence to defeat the 50,000 Takeda family's supposedly invincible iron cavalry. Oda and Tokugawa Ieyasu formed an alliance, known in history as the "Kyoshu Alliance." After unifying Owari and Mino, the main city was moved from Kiyoshu Castle to Mino Inabayama Castle, and Inabayama Castle was renamed "Gifu" Castle. Take the name of King Wen of Zhou Dynasty, Fengming Qishan, to unify the world. Then he began to implement the strategy of "arming the world" to unify the country by force. After annihilating the Echizen Asakura clan and the Omi Asai clan, exiling Ashikaga Yoshiaki (shogunate), and defeating the Maori navy, they completely controlled the central part of the country. Just as he was preparing to attack Maori in the west, his general Akechi Mitsuhide, who hated Nobunaga for beheading Takeda's hostage, forced Takeda to kill Mitsuhide's mother. Unable to tolerate Nobunaga's humiliation and suspicion, he rebelled and surrounded the place where he was staying. At Honnoji Temple, Nobunaga did not want to be captured, so he burned himself to death. Nobunaga was considered both a wise king and a devil. He has a gentle and generous side, but also a cruel and evil side that ordinary people cannot understand.
This self-proclaimed "Demon King of the Sixth Heaven" has left much hatred and yearning for future generations.
Nobunaga’s era was an era when Japan admired Chinese civilization, and it was also an era when Japan began to introduce Western technology. The Takeda family had Shingen, who was familiar with Sun Tzu's Art of War, holding high the "Wind Forest Fire" (from Sun Tzu's Art of War, as fast as the wind, as quiet as the forest, as aggressive as fire, and as still as the mountain). However, his lifelong rival Nobunaga was keen on Western culture. culture, purchased muskets and iron cannons, and used ironclad ships to deal with his enemies. According to legend, he once wore a kimono, but wore a Spanish navy cloak and a feathered hat to show off. We may be able to experience a lot of feelings that made the Chinese people sigh and scream from the detailed etiquette and war history recorded at that time. After the death of Takeda Shingen, Oda Nobunaga immediately eliminated the two great names of Asai and Asakura who were loyal to the Ashikaga clan, and then exiled Ashikaga Yoshiaki. This was the end of the Muromachi shogunate.
After that, Oda defeated the Takeda army and gradually controlled Kinki , the East China Sea region, became the actual ruler of Japan. Then Oda Nobunaga sent Hashiba Hideyoshi to attack the strongest daimyo Mouri Terumoto in China. During the stalemate stage, the two sides suddenly heard that Oda General Akechi Mitsuhide burned Honnoji Temple (1582), News of the death of Oda Nobunaga. Oda Nobunaga built Azuchi Castle as his own, so his reign was called the Azuchi period. Hashiba Hideyoshi immediately negotiated peace with Mouri Terumoto and returned to quell the rebellion. Later, Hashiba Hideyoshi defeated Shibata Katsuie (1582). In the following year, after the Battle of Komaki Nagakute, he negotiated peace with Tokugawa Ieyasu, consolidating his rule over Kinki and the East China Sea region. After the subsequent conquest of Shikoku and the conquest of Kyushu, southern Japan was basically unified.
In 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi launched the Battle of Odawara to defeat the Hojo clan and unify the Kanto region. In order to pacify the major powers in Kanto, Toyotomi Hideyoshi transferred Tokugawa Ieyasu to Kanto. This laid the foundation for Tokugawa's later dominance. .In the same year, Toyotomi Hideyoshi defeated the coalition forces of Oshu daimyo including Date Masamune and conquered the Northeast region. At this point, Japan was unified.
In order to realize his ambition of making Beijing the capital, Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered the invasion of Korea in 1592. Ming sent troops to assist Korea. After five years of war, the situation gradually turned against the Japanese army. In 1598, Toyotomi Hideyoshi died of illness and ordered to withdraw from Korea. Toyotomi Hideyoshi built Osaka Castle. His reign was called the Momoyama period. Toyotomi Hideyoshi died Later, his retainers split into the Omi and Owari factions. Tokugawa Ieyasu, who had always kept a low profile, took the opportunity to unite with the Owari faction and wiped out the Western Army in the Battle of Sekigahara (1600). The power of the Toyotomi faction declined greatly.
Tokugawa dominated Japan and was granted the title of General to Conquer the Barbarians in 1603, beginning the rule of the Edo shogunate. In order to finally lay the foundation for the long-term rule of the Tokugawa family, Tokugawa Ieyasu launched the Osaka Winter and Osaka War in the two years before his death. Battle of Natsu. In the Battle of Osaka Natsu (1615), the Tokugawa army captured Osaka. Toyotomi Hideyoshi's son Toyotomi Hideyori committed suicide. Almost all the old samurai loyal to Toyotomi died in the battle. The Toyotomi family, which was once prominent, was wiped out. Tokugawa was granted the title of Edo (now Tokyo), and his regime was called the Edo Shogunate. At this point, Japan was finally unified. The Warring States Period ended and the Edo Shogunate Period entered.
Japanese Warring States Daimyo Simplified Scores
Oda Nobunaga (1534～1582): An unparalleled hero, known as the "Feng Yun Er" of the Warring States Period and the founder of the Azuchi Era. The young man named Master Ji, succeeded his father Nobuhide as the family governor and soon unified the entire Owari. In 1560, during the battle between the narrow barrels, he sang in the heavy rain, "Fifty years on earth are like a dream. There is no immortal in the world." He defeated Imagawa Yoshimoto and became famous, and he followed Tokugawa Ieyasu. He formed an alliance, defeated the Mino Saito clan, moved to Gifu, and established his ambition to "distribute weapons all over the world". He was also the first lord to use firearms extensively in Japanese history. In 1568, he entered the capital under the command of the general Ashikaga Yoshiaki. Soon the two turned against each other, and he fought with the "Nobunaga Siege Network" organized by Yoshiaki for several years. In 1571, the sacred mountain Hiei was burned and war was declared on the conservative forces of the temple; in 1573, Asai and Asakura were defeated and Yoshiaki was exiled; in 1575, new tactics were used to defeat the Takeda cavalry in Nagashino; in 1576, Azuchi Castle was built; in 1577, the invasion of Kansai began March. Later, when he was on his way to reinforce the siege of Takamatsu Castle, Hideyoshi Hashiba (Toyotomi) passed through Honnōji Temple in Kyoto. His retainer Mitsuhide Akechi rebelled. He did not want to be captured, so he burned himself to death. Nobunaga was considered both a wise king and a devil.
He has a gentle and generous side, but also a cruel and evil side that ordinary people cannot understand. This self-proclaimed "Demon King of the Sixth Heaven" has left much hatred and yearning for future generations.
Takeda Shingen (1521～1573): His childhood name was Taro, and he was named Harunobu after Yuanfu. His father was Takeda Nobutora, the lord of Kai, and his mother was the Oi clan. In 1541, he released his father and established himself as the governor of the family. He gradually became the number one strategist of the Warring States Period. He used his grandson Siru Zhenyan (as fast as the wind, as slow as the forest, as aggressive as fire, and as motionless as the mountain) as his military flag, and owned a powerful cavalry regiment - the Red Army. Prepare. At the height of its power, it held all or most of Kai, Shinano, and Suruga, as well as parts of Ueno, Hida, Mino, Ene, and Mikawa. He fought many fierce battles with Uesugi Kenshin in the Shinano River Nakajima area. In 1568, he went south to attack and destroy Imagawa clan. In 1572, he defeated the Oda and Tokugawa coalition forces at Mikatahara. He took advantage of the situation and went west. Soon he died of illness in Shinano Komaba.
Uesugi Kenshin (1530~1578): The son of Echigo's guardian Nagao Kaige, his childhood name was Tora Chiyo. After the Yuan Dynasty, he was named Heizo (one theory is Kiheiji) Kaagetora, and later inherited the Kanto governorship. He adopted the surname Uesugi and changed his names to Masatora and Terutora successively. In 1548, he defeated his elder brother Nagao Harukage and became the lord of Kasugayama Castle in Echigo Kingdom. He was the most courageous general of the Warring States Period. He claimed to be the incarnation of King Bishamonten, the god of war. He used the character "囧" as his military flag and the word "dragon" as his charge signal. He owned an invincible cavalry team. He fought fiercely with Takeda Shingen in the Kawanaka Island area for twelve years. At the height of his power, he controlled Echigo, Etchu, Sado, Noto, Shimono and part of the Shinano Kingdom. He was known as the "Dragon of Echigo" and the "Guardian of Hokuriku". Later, he died of cerebral hemorrhage on the way to Beijing.
Hojo Uyasu (1515～1571): A great name of the Warring States Period, the third generation head of the Hojo family, a real powerful figure in Kanto, a wizard in both politics and warfare. In the night battle of Kawagoe in 1546, he used 8,000 troops to defeat the Kanto coalition forces that were ten times his own, thus establishing the Kanto dominance system on behalf of the two Uesugi clan. Later, in order to resist Uesugi Kenshin's Kanto invasion and contain Takeda Shingen's Suruga invasion, they fought fiercely with the two heroes for many years and always stood firm.
Motori Motonari (1497～1571): Born as a minor lord in Aki, he later became the first Warring States daimyo in China (referring to Sanin and Sanyo provinces in Honshu, Japan) and an unparalleled wise general. He inherited the position of family governor in 1523, and gradually expanded his power by manipulating the two major forces of Nizi in the west and Ouchi in the east. In 1540, he defeated Nishi Haruhisa and belonged to Ouchi. Later, his second son Motoharu succeeded the Yoshikawa family, and his third son Takakage succeeded the Kobayakawa family, establishing the Ryogawa system of unifying Aki. In 1455, Tao Longfang (Haruhien) defeated the rebellion in Itsukushima and took control of Ouchi's real power. He then eliminated the Nishi clan and shocked Kansai.
Imagawa Yoshimoto (1519～1560): commonly known as Mikawa Mamoru, Jibu Daisuke, Lord Suruga, a tragic hero of his generation. In 1536, Teru, the elder brother, became the governor of the family. With the assistance of Taiyuan Chongfu (Yukisai), he completed the Three Kingdoms Alliance with the Takeda clan and the Go-Hojo clan. At the height of his power, he controlled Suruga, Toe and Mikawa. He had an outstanding reputation, strong soldiers and horses, and was determined to replace the shogun Ashikaga clan himself. But on the way to the west, unfortunately, Oehazama died in battle as Oda Nobunaga took advantage of the strong wind and rain to attack the central army.
Saito Michizan (? ~ 1556): Born as an oil seller, he was appointed to the Nagai family because of his proficiency in spear skills, and was named Shinkuro Toshimasa. Later, he usurped the Nagai clan and changed his name to Guixiu. Then he usurped the Saito clan, the head of Nagai's family and the guardian of Mino, and changed his name to Hideryu. He was the number one conspirator in the Warring States Period. He was unpredictable and unpredictable, and was known as "Viper". In 1552, he released the guardian Toki Yorigi and took control of Mino country. He went south to compete with the Owari Oda clan for victory. Later, his son Yilong attacked and killed him on the banks of the Nagara River.
Asai Ryomasa (? ~ 1542): commonly known as Shinsaburo and Bizen Shou. The Asai clan was a local tycoon near Dingye Township in Omi Asai County in the north. During the reign of Emperor Liang, they quickly rose up in power. Taking advantage of the civil strife in Omi's guardian Kyogoku clan, they colluded with the national Ikki to expel Kyogoku, expand their power, and make Odani their home city. Later, due to the oppression of the Minami Omi Rokkaku clan, he formed an alliance with the Echizen Asakura clan, formed an independent kingdom, and became a Warring States daimyo.
Asai Nagamasa (1545～1573): Omi's Warring States Daimyo. Because his retainers opposed his father Hisamasa's marriage policy with Rokkaku, he was elected as the leader. He was brave and good at fighting, and his reputation for bravery was resounding throughout the capital. Later, he married Ichihime, Oda Nobunaga's sister, borrowed the path from Nobunaga, and married into King Kyoto. Because Nobunaga attacked the Asakura family, a family friend of the Asai family, Nagamasa was forced to attack Nobunaga under the coercion of Kumasa and his ministers. In 1570, he was defeated at Anegawa. Three years later, he committed suicide by caesarean section in Kotani Castle.
The Ukita Nao family (1529~1581): a branch of the Bizen wealthy Miyake clan, owned Kojima, also known as Ukita or Ukida, and served and protected the Akamatsu clan and the Dai Urakami clan. The Nao family was a conspirator second only to Saito Michizou during the Warring States Period. They had not fought for decades and relied solely on marriages and assassinations to gain territory. They finally defeated the master family and completely dominated the two countries of Chimae and Meisaku. During the battle between Oda and Mori, he promptly fell to the Eastern Army. Before his death, he was entrusted to Oda Army General Hashiba (Toyotomi) Hideyoshi.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537～1598): Commonly known as Toyotakaku, his original name was Fujiyoshiro. He was the most extraordinary man in the Warring States Period and the founder of the Momoyama era. He was born a farmer in Owari Nakamura. He served as an official for Oda Nobunaga and took the surname Kinoshita. He became a general through his achievements in politics and warfare. In 1573, he was granted the title of Omi Nagahama and changed his name to Hideyoshi Hashiba. Later, he was ordered to conquer the Mori clan and flooded Takamatsu Castle. After receiving the news of Nobunaga's suicide, he rushed back and killed Akechi Mitsuhide in Yamazaki to avenge his old master. Then he gained the dominance of the Oda family at the Qingzhou Conference, and defeated Oda's old generals Shibata Katsuie, Takigawa Kazumasu, Sasaki Narimasa, etc., and gained the Oda family's world. Then he successively attacked Hojo, surrendered to Tokugawa, Mori, Chosougabu, Shimazu, etc., and finally ended the warring states. He himself was given the surname Toyotomi by the emperor, and his official position was Guanbai. After he abdicated, he was called "Taiko". Later, he died of illness and shame due to the failure of the invasion of North Korea.
Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542～1616): His childhood name was Takechiyo, later known as Motoshin or Motoyasu after Yuanfu. He was the son of Matsudaira Hirotada, the lord of Mikawa Okazaki, and the founder of the Edo shogunate. When he was young, he served as hostages in Owari and Suruga. After the Battle of Okehazama, he restored his homeland of Mikawa, formed an alliance with Oda Nobunaga, and captured Imagawa's Toe territory. After the fall of Takeda in 1582, they obtained Suruga, and secretly obtained the power to rule the two states of Ko and Shin. In 1584, after the battles between Komaki and Nagakute, he surrendered to Toyotomi Hideyoshi and became the head of the Five Elders. He moved to his hometown of Hojo in the eight states of Kanto, with Edo as the capital. After Hideyoshi's death, he took advantage of the dispute between the civil servants and military generals and defeated the civil servants in the Battle of Sekigahara to expand his influence. He finally became the general who conquered barbarians and opened the shogunate. After Osaka destroyed the Toyotomi clan in the winter and summer wars, he completely unified Japan and was honored as the "Kami Lord" by later generations.
Asakura Takakage (1428～1481): His childhood name was Kotaro, also known as Jiaojing and Toshikage. His French name was Hidebayashi Muneio, and he was commonly known as Danshozaemon Wei. The Asakura clan was originally a Kusakabe clan of the Tajima Kingdom. In 1333, Asakura Hirokage raised troops to support Ashikaga Takauji in Tamba, and later became subordinate to Echizen to protect Shiba Takasutsune. Xiaojing took advantage of the internal strife in the Sibo family, colluded with Dai Jiafei Changzhi, expelled Sibo Yimin, supported Sibo Yilian, and took over Hekou Pingjiangzhuang. During the Onin Rebellion, he first joined the Western Army and then turned to the Eastern Army. In 1471, he became the guardian of Echizen. He transferred his headquarters from Kuromaru Castle to Ichijodani Castle under the original rule of the Kai family. He dominated the entire Echizen and became a Warring States daimyo. He left behind the famous family motto "Asakura Xiaojing's Articles" (also known as "Asakura Toshikage's Seventeen Articles" and "Asakura Yinglin Wall Book").
Asakura Yoshikage (1533～1573): The son of Asakura Takakage (not the Takakage also known as Toshikage), an Echizen Warring States daimyo. Because he admired Kyoto culture, he introduced it to Echizen and started trade with the Ming Dynasty, which made the territory increasingly prosperous. For a long time, they fought against the enemies of the various countries in Hokuriku. Ashikaga Yoshiaki once fled to Ichijodani Castle and asked him to send troops to attack Miyoshi but received no clear answer, so he relied on Oda Nobunaga in the south. Yoshikage then confronted Nobunaga. In 1570, the coalition forces of Asakura and Asai were defeated by the coalition forces of Oda and Tokugawa in Anegawa; in 1573, Nobunaga captured Ichijodani and burned himself to death.
Iaido sword "Yanagi Survival" picture
Some generals' sketches
Shibata Katsuie (? ~ 1583): Commonly known as Gon Liu, Xiu Liang, Owari An important official of the Oda family. After Nobuhide's death, he once supported Nobunaga's younger brother Nobuyuki in a rebellion. After the defeat, he was spared because of his bravery in battle.
After that, he made many military exploits under Nobunaga and became the leader of the retainers group. After the demise of the Asai family, he had to marry Nobunaga's sister, Ichihime, and was appointed as the Hokuriku Sentai. He led the invasion of the Echizen Honganji forces and the Echichu, Echigo, and Noto Uesugi forces, and settled in Kitanosou. After the Honnoji Incident, he opposed Hashiba Hideyoshi. In 1583, he was defeated in the battle at Shikinodake. He retreated to the castle, ignited the explosives stored in the castle tower and committed suicide.
Niwa Nagahide (1535～1585): commonly known as Manchiyo, Gorozaemon, and Echizenmori. He became an official at the age of fifteen and became Nobunaga, and gradually became a minister alongside Shibata Katsuie. In 1563, he married Nobunaga's adopted daughter. After the Battle of Anegawa in 1571, he was first granted the title of Lord of Omi Sawayama Castle, and in 1575 he was given the surname Yuizumi. At the time of the Honnoji Incident, he was making preparations to pacify Shikoku in Settsu Sueyoshi. After hearing the news, he quickly marched eastward, joined forces with Hashiba Hideyoshi, and defeated Akechi Mitsuhide in Yamazaki. The Qingzhou Conference agreed with Hideyoshi and granted the title of Wakasa Kingdom and Omi Takashima and Shiga County. After Katsuie's defeat, the two counties of Noseki and Enuma in Echizen and Kaga were renamed, and the main city was moved to Kitanosho. Soon he died of illness.
Maeda Toshiie (1538～1599): commonly known as Inuchiyo, Sunshiro, Mataemonwei, Chikuzenshu, the son of Oda retainer Maeda Toshimasa. He became an official in Nobunaga's service at the age of fourteen. Seven years later, he was forced to go into exile after killing Nobunaga's most favored servant Aichi Juami in a fight. He returned in 1561 and succeeded him as the Lord of Wazhanghuangzi City in 1569. In 1575, together with Sasana Narimasa and Fuwa Mitsuru, he took over the 100,000 stone fiefdom in Echizen Fuchu. As Yuli (deputy general) of Shibata Katsuie, he was known as the "three people in Fuchu". Toshikasu had a good relationship with Hideyoshi, but his defection caused the winner's family to suffer a huge defeat in the battle with Hideyoshi, and eventually perished. After the establishment of the Toyotomi regime, he was appointed as the second in command of the Five Elders to restrain Tokugawa Ieyasu, and he was appointed as the second most powerful person in the officialdom.
Hosokawa Fujitaka (1534～1610): No. Yousai, Xuanzhi, commonly known as Daisuke of the Ministry of War. He was a Confucian general who was proficient in Japanese poetry. He once wrote "Hundred People Issong" and passed down his family collection "Zhongmeoji" . His father was Mibuchi Haru. He inherited the Hosokawa family as the adopted son of Hosokawa Mototsune and served the general Ashikaga Yoshiteru. After Yoshiki was killed, he supported Ashikaga Yoshiaki as general, but eventually broke with him and obeyed Nobunaga, and was granted the title of Tango Tanabe Castle. After the Honnoji Incident, he refused the persuasion of his in-law Akechi Mitsuhide and turned to Hashiba Hideyoshi; after Hideyoshi's death, he took the initiative to turn to Tokugawa Ieyasu. During the Sekihara War in 1600, he ordered his son Zhongxing to join the Eastern Army, thus preserving his foundation.
Takigawa Yiyi (1525～1586): commonly known as Kusuke, Sakon Shogun, a native of Omi. After serving as Nobunaga, he repeatedly performed extraordinary feats in the Ise offensive and became the Lord of Owari Kanyama Castle. In 1574, he suppressed the Changdao uprising, was granted the title of Northern Ise, and settled in Changdao. In March 1582, after Nobunaga defeated the Takeda clan, Kazugashi gained control of Ueno, Shinanoyama County, and Saku County, with the main city of Amabashi, and succeeded him as the governor of Kanto to fight against the Hojo clan after Odawara. The Incident at Honnoji Temple occurred, and his subordinates were disaffected. He was defeated by the Hojo clan in the Kamirukawa River and fled back to Nagashima. During the Qingzhou Conference, he relied on Shibata Katsuie and later participated in the battles of Komaki and Nagakute. After Tokugawa Ieyasu surrendered to Hideyoshi, he was forced to become a monk and died in Echizen.
Ikeda Tsuneaki (1536～1584): Commonly known as Katsusaburo, Kii Mamoru, the name of the Taoist priest is Katsuru, and unofficial historians may mistakenly call him Nobuteru. His father's name was Henri, and his mother was Nobunaga's wet nurse, Yotokuin, so she was quite favored by Nobunaga. In 1580, he conquered the kakuma castle of the rebel general Araki Murashige, and won the Settsu Kingdom for his merits. Later, he joined forces with Hideyoshi to attack Akechi Mitsuhide. At the Seizhou Conference, he was listed as the four great elders of the Oda family along with Shibata, Niwa, and Hashiba at the Seizhou Conference. Received the title of Mino Ogaki 130,000 stone. In 1584, during the battle between Komaki and Nagakute, he invited envoys to secretly attack Mikawa, but Tokugawa Ieyasu discovered this. Both his eldest son, Ikeda Motosuke, were ambushed and died in the battle.
Kuki Yoshitaka (1542～1600): Commonly known as Zuoma Yun and Ohsumi Mamoru, nicknamed "Pirate Daimyo". Born into a wealthy family in Kukiura, Kiimuru County, he was a member of the Kumano Navy, and became an official of the Kitahata family as the lord of Shima Toba Castle. In 1568, Nobunaga paid a visit to Nobunaga on his way to Luo and officially became a member of the Oda family. In 1574, more than ten Oyasu ships were built in Iseura to help attack Nagashima. In 1578, he was ordered to build ironclad ships. In November of that year, he destroyed the main force of the Maori navy in the naval battle of Kitsukawaguchi.
During Toyotomi Hideyoshi's invasion of Korea, he also served as the commander of the navy, which was defeated by the famous North Korean navy general Yi Sun-shin at Angupo, Jeolla Province. During the Battle of Guanyuan, he participated in the Western Army (his son Morilong joined the Eastern Army), but was defeated and committed suicide.
Sasa Narimasa (1535～1588): Commonly known as Naizangsuke and Mutsu Mamoru, his father's name is Nogemasa. Claiming to be a branch of the famous Muromachi Sasaki clan, Nobunaga's black mother-clad generals participated in the Asakura Crusade, the Battle of Nagashino, and the Honganji Ichiku attack. In 1575, he became the deputy general of Shibata Katsuie of Hokuriku, and together with Maeda and Fuwa, he was known as the "three people in the house". After Katsuie's defeat, he stuck to Echu, joining forces with Oda Nobuo and Tokugawa Ieyasu to fight against Hashiba Hideyoshi. He was defeated and surrendered in 1585, and in 1587 he was granted the title of Kyushu Higo Kingdom. The following year, he was forced to commit seppuku in Settsu Amagasaki on the pretext of his failure to suppress the peasant uprising.
Ishida Mitsunari (1560～1600): First known as Sanya, commonly known as Sakichi and Jibu Shaosuke, he was a political wizard in the Oriyo era. His father's name was Masatsugu, a native of Omi, and he became a monk at a young age. Legend has it that he was accepted as an attendant by the passing Hideyoshi Hashiba because he learned the Dharma while serving tea. After that, he participated in the Battle of Jianzhiyue and was promoted to the rank of Shizong due to his meritorious service. He has long been in charge of the Hashiba Toyotomi family's internal affairs, military logistics, and the planning of occupied territory policies. After the establishment of the Toyotomi regime, he became the leader of the Five Impartments. In 1591, he sealed the Omi Sawa Mountain with 210,000 koku and promoted the Taiko Inspection. During the war of aggression against Korea, he was once appointed as a military supervisor, and he had conflicts with Kato Kiyomasa and other military commanders. After Hideyoshi's death, Tokugawa Ieyasu took advantage of this conflict and defeated him in the Sekigahara War in 1600. He fled, was captured, and beheaded in Rokujokawahara, Kyoto.
Akechi Mitsuhide (1528～1582): commonly known as Jubei, the head of the Akechi family of the Mino Toki clan. He originally served Saito Douzan. After Douzan's death, he helped Ashikaga Yoshiaki contact Oda Nobunaga and eventually served Nobunaga. After Nobunaga came to Luo in 1568, Mitsuhide was responsible for the civil administration of the Kyoto area and negotiations with the public and various temples. In 1570, he began to participate in the conquest of the Echizen Asakura clan, and in 1571 he was named Lord of Omi Sakamoto Castle. In 1573, the Asakura clan was destroyed, and he and Takigawa Ichiyoshi jointly dominated the Echizen Kingdom. In 1575, he was given the surname Yuiren and was appointed as a defender of Hyuga. In the same year, he served as the vanguard of the Tamba invasion and was active on the front line. In 1579, he completely controlled the Tanba Kingdom and moved his residence to Tanba Kameyama Castle. On June 2, 1582, he launched the Honnoji Rebellion and forced the lord Nobunaga to death. He then suppressed the capital and won the title of General of the Conquest of Barbarians. On the 13th of the same month, he was defeated by Hideyoshi Hashiba in Yamazaki. On the way to escape, he was killed by farmers hunting fallen samurai in Ogurisu, Yamashiro Province.
Akechi Hidemitsu (? ~ 1582): According to folklore, he was mistaken for Zuo Ma to help Mitsuharu. His original name was Miyake Yaheiji, and he was the son-in-law of Akechi Mitsuhide. After Mitsuhide pacified Danba, he was named Lord of Fukuchiyama Castle. He served as a vanguard during the Honnoji Rebellion in 1582, and later captured and defended Azuchi Castle. After receiving news of Mitsuhide's defeat at Yamazaki, Hidemitsu fled back to Omi Sakamoto Castle and committed suicide.
Akashi Morishige (? ~ 1618): Commonly known as Sobu and Quanden, one of the Seven Stars of Osaka. Originally a minister of Uki's family. Became Catholic in 1595. During the Sekigahara War in 1600, he followed Ukita Hideie and fought against the Eastern Army, and he was very brave. After the defeat, he fled to the Akizuki Territory of Chikuzen Province to lurk. He entered Osaka Castle in 1614 and was entrusted with important tasks. In 1615, he was defeated in the Osaka Summer Battle and wandered around various places for three years before dying.
Asano Nagamasa (1547～1611): First named Nagayoshi, also known as Yabeiwei, a native of Owari. His father's name was Yasui Shigetsu. He changed his surname to Asano after he married into Asano Nagakatsu, a branch of the Toki clan. He was related to Toyotomi Hideyoshi as his brother-in-law and was highly regarded. He was first granted the title of Lord of Wakasa-Ohama Castle and Chief of Staff of Kyoto, and served as military supervisor during the invasion of Korea. In 1593, Jia Fei was granted an additional 220,000 shi and became one of the Five Commitments. Later, he opposed Ishida Mitsunari and lived in seclusion in Musashi Mansion. He belonged to the Eastern Army during the Battle of Sekigahara. After the war, his son was granted the title of Kii of 370,000 koku. He himself received the 50,000 koku fief in Hitachi Province's Makabe and Tsukuba areas for retirement.
Asano Yukinaga (1576～1613): The son of Asano Nagamasa, he learned artillery skills from Inatomi Kazmu and became a famous general. During the war of aggression against Korea, he commanded the defense of Ulsan and was well received.
In the Battle of Sekigahara, he served as the vanguard of the Eastern Army to capture Gifu Castle and became the lord of the Kii Domain with a total of 376,500 koku due to his merits. His younger brother Nagasaki was behind the Osaka formation and received 426,500 stones from Hiroshima Domain.
Asahiyamajo (? ~1577) a Nichiren sect monk, said to be from the Asayama clan of Izumo country. There have been quite a few doubts about Yamajo's deeds in the literature. The only thing that is certain is that he was appointed by Oda Nobunaga to be responsible for the construction of the interior and the diplomatic negotiations with the Choshu Mori clan. Because he opposed Christian preaching, he once had a big debate with the missionary Freus, and was later slandered by Wada Weimasa, the protector of Christianity, and was forced to retire.
Odachi "Authentic-Shiba's Formation" Picture:
Situation Picture of the Battle of Sekigahara
Appendix: Japanese War Sword
Japan Changes in the shape of the sword
The curved shape is the characteristic of Japanese swords. There is this description of the shape of the curve: "(This kind of curve) is an expression of extreme tension in a straight line." Japanese swords are from mainland China. The straight sword form that was passed down developed. According to existing data, the appearance of the Japanese sword was in the middle of the Heian period. As times and fighting styles change, the appearance of Japanese swords gradually changes.
Late Heian Period ~ Early Kamakura Period
In general, the blade is thinner, and the blade has a relatively large inversion from the stem to the girdle. Compared with the Yuan width, the first width is significantly narrower and has the characteristics of a small front.
Mid-Kamakura period
The size of the blade became larger, and the size difference between the original blade and the first blade was significantly reduced. As for the curvature of the back of the blade, the curvature from the middle to the tip of the blade is strengthened to a certain extent. The front and center are basically in the style of "pig head" (a kind of blade style).
Late Kamakura period
The appearance is basically the same as that of the middle Kamakura period, with the blade being a little elongated. The size of the blade is relatively thin, and the overall curvature of the blade is a little stronger.
During the Northern and Southern Dynasties
The size of the blade became larger and the style was bold. There are even Odachi swords that are over three feet long. In order to reduce the weight, we have to think hard about the thickness of the blade and use the method of "stick + wood + pass" to reduce its weight. This kind of knife was later polished into a knife.
Early Muromachi Period
The appearance no longer resembles the grown-up appearance of the previous generation, and has returned to the style of an ordinary tachi. However, the increased curvature of the front part of the knife was a characteristic of the knife at that time. At that time, the production of katana was already being carried out in parallel with the production of tachi, and later it gradually developed to a situation where more katana were produced.
The late Muromachi period
The introduction and rapid popularization of iron cannons changed the form of combat from individual one-on-one combat to group combat. The sword lost its practical use. The sword, which is about two feet long and has an upward blade, has become the mainstream. The curvature of the blade is characterized by the partial curvature of the tip.
Momoyama Period
The shape of the sword looks like a large part of the Odachi sword from the Northern and Southern Dynasties era has been ground off. The blade is wider, the difference between the original width and the first width is not big, the curvature is small, and the tip part is larger. Keichang's new sword appeared.
The middle of the Edo period
The age of peace came, and the Japanese sword not only became a symbol of samurai society because of its practicality, but also in terms of system. The curvature becomes smaller, and the first width is slightly smaller than the first width, highlighting the role of the center. There are many works with a length of two feet and three inches.
At the end of the Edo period
The rise of retro thinking and the beginning of the turmoil at the end of the Tokugawa period made the practicality of Japanese swords appear again. The size and length of the sword have increased, and the blade has also been extended, showing a heroic style that emphasizes force. During this period, a large number of Japanese swords were made.