, first called Jūbei from his clan and later from his title, was a Japanese ''

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

'' general 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 ...

. Mitsuhide was originally a bodyguard of the last Ashikaga ''

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, except during parts of the Kamak ...

Ashikaga Yoshiaki "Ashikaga Yoshiaki" in '' The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 625. was the 15th and final ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate in Japan who reigned from 1568 to 1573 when he ...

and later, one of the trusted generals under ''

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 ...

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 ...

during his war of political unification in Japan. Mitsuhide rebelled against Nobunaga for unknown reasons in the Honnō-ji Incident in 1582, forcing the unprotected Nobunaga to commit ''

seppuku , also known as , is a form of Japanese ritualistic suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honor, but was also practiced by other Japanese people during the Shōwa era (particularly officers near ...

'' in

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

. Mitsuhide attempted to establish himself as ''shōgun'', but was pursued by Nobunaga's successor

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods and regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: ...

and defeated at the Battle of Yamazaki. The 13-days short reign of Mitsuhide is listed as the inspiration for the

yojijukugo A is a Japanese lexeme consisting of four ''kanji'' (Chinese characters). English translations of include "four-character compound", "four-character idiom", "four-character idiomatic phrase", and "four-character idiomatic compound". It is equi ...

set phrase . He is still popular in present culture. A ceremonial activity was held on April 15, 2018, in

Biography

Early life

Akechi Mitsuhide was believed to be born on 10 March 1528 in Tara Castle,

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 ...

(present-day Kani,

Gifu Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,910,511 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture ...

). In the Akechi Family Tree recorded in "Zoku Gunsho Ruiju" and the "Mino no Kuni Shokki", it is said that the Akechi clan which Mitsuhide hailed from were descended as branch of

Toki clan The is a Japanese kin group.Edmond Papinot, Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)"Toki," ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 61 retrieved 2013-5-9. History The Toki claim desce ...

of the

Seiwa Genji The is a line of the Japanese Minamoto clan that is descended from Emperor Seiwa, which is the most successful and powerful line of the clan. Many of the most famous Minamoto members, including Minamoto no Yoshitsune, Minamoto no Yoritomo, ...

clan, where the Toki clan served as shugo in Mino Province for over 200 years from the Kenmu Restoration, and has produced several dozen branches from then on. However, there are no primary historical sources that supported this claim. Moreover, when

was staying in Echizen Province, Mitsuhide served as a foot soldier (made up of those who were not direct vassals of the Shogun) recruited during the time of Ashikaga Yoshiteru. This cast doubts among historian he was not from the main line of the Akechi clan of the Toki clan, who were listed in the hokoshu, a higher rank than the foot soldiers. His father is listed as Akechi Mitsutsuna in various genealogies from the Edo period. Furthermore, historian Kobayashi Masanobu stated that the name of Mitsusuna, father of Mitsuhide, cannot be found in historical documents of Akechi clan from Toki branch. Thus Tadachika Kuwata suspected that he came from lower branch of Akechi clan, not the main branch. Mitsuhide is rumored to be a childhood friend or cousin of Nōhime. It is believed that he was raised to be a general among 10,000 by Saitō Dōsan and the

during their governorship of the

. When Dōsan's son, Saitō Yoshitatsu, rebelled against his father in 1556, Mitsuhide sided with Dōsan.

Service under Ashikaga Shogunate

Mitsuhide began serving the "wandering ''

''"

as one of his guardians under Hosokawa Fujitaka. ''Shōgun'' Ashikaga Yoshiaki asked Asakura Yoshikage to be his official protector, an offer which Yoshikage declined. Later, Yoshiaki appealed to Mitsuhide, who suggested Oda Nobunaga instead. In 1567, after Nobunaga conquered Mino and Ise Province, Mitsuhide, Nobunaga and also Yoshiaki marched through Omi province to

. In 1568 November, Nobunaga, Yoshiaki and Mitsuhide arrived in Kyoto, the capital of Japan. Later, Nobunaga made Yoshiaki the next shogun and turned Honkoku-ji Temple into a temporary Shogun palace. In 1569, on January 21, the Miyoshi clan triumvirate (''Miyoshi Saninshu'') attacked Ashikaga Yoshiaki at Honkoku-ji temple. In this battle, Mitsuhide and Hosokawa Fujitaka defended the shōgun and repulsed the Miyoshi clan. On April, Mitsuhide worked together with Kinoshita Hideyoshi (later changing his surname to Hashiba), Niwa Nagahide, and Nakagawa Shigemasa, as he was tasked as magistrate to manage the government affairs of Kyoto and the surrounding areas under the control of Oda Nobunaga. In 1570, on the first day of June, at the Siege Kanegasaki in Echizen Province, Mitsuhide led the rearguard of the Oda forces when Nobunaga gave the order to retreat. Later in September, during the conflict between the Oda clan and the forces of Saika Ikki, Mitsuhide was assigned to guard Usayama Castle with 300-400 garrison soldiers under his command. In 1571, after the successful attack at the Ikkō-ikki Enryaku-ji temple, Mitsuhide received the area of Sakamoto and built Sakamoto Castle. During this battle, about 18 soldiers from Akechi's army were killed. Mitsuhide donated rice offerings to the Saigyo-ji Temple to mourn the fallen. A letter of donation from Mitsuhide remains at the temple, and one of the 18 people mentioned in it was not a

but a ''chūkan'' In addition, two letters of condolence from Mitsuhide to his vassals who were injured in the battle remain. In July, after Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki was defeated in the battle of Makishima Castle, he became exiled, and the Muromachi Shogunate was virtually abolished. Thereby, Many of the former Shogunate vassals, including Ise Sadaoki and other members of the Ise clan, and Suwa Morinao, entered service as vassals of Mitsuhide. In 1572, Mitsuhide continued serving Shogun Yoshiaki by contributing to the campaign in

Kawachi Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan in the eastern part of modern Osaka Prefecture. It originally held the southwestern area that was split off into Izumi Province. It was also known as . Geography The area was radically different in th ...

under Ashikaga Yoshiteru.

Service under Oda Nobunaga

In 1573, the relationship between Ashikaga Yoshiaki and Nobunaga worsened as Ashikaga raised a coalition against Nobunaga with

Takeda Shingen was daimyō, daimyo of Kai Province during the Sengoku period of Japan. Known as "the Tiger of Kai", he was one of the most powerful daimyo of the late Sengoku period, and credited with exceptional military prestige. Shingen was based in a p ...

on February. Mitsuhide sided with Nobunaga and participated in the battles of Ishiyama Castle and Imakatata Castle as a direct vassal of Nobunaga. Mitsuhide brought his vassals such as Akechi Yahei, Akechi Jurozaemon, Akechi Jyuemon, Tsumaki Kazue, Miyake Tobei, Fujita Dengo, Matsuda Tarozaemon, and Hida Tatewaki to these battles, killing 58 samurai and over 300 non-samurai infantries of Ashikaga. After the end of the battle, Nobunaga intended to repair his relationship with Ashikaga and opened peace negotiation with him, although it immediately collapsed just before they were concluded due to interference from Matsunaga Hisahide. In 1574, after the Ashikaga Shogunate ended, Mitsuhide served as a dual

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 ...

, assessing taxes on temple holdings in Kyōto and its environs. In 1575, He participated in the Siege of Takaya Castle (高屋城の戦い) against Miyoshi Yasunaga-Ikko Ikki coalition, and then in the

Battle of Nagashino The was a famous battle in History of Japan, Japanese history, fought in 1575 at Nagashino Castle, Nagashino in Mikawa Province (present-day Nagashino, Shinshiro, Aichi Prefecture). The allied forces of Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu (38,000) ...

against the Takeda clan. After that, Nobunaga sent Akechi Mitsuhide to take control of Tanba Province. Mitsuhide attempted diplomacy and won over a number of the smaller local lords to his side. However, the Akai clan were adamant in their opposition, and Mitsuhide was forced to lay siege to Kuroi Castle for two months in the winter of 1575. According to the "Yoshikawa clan's record", even though many of local lords in Tanba has joined the anti-Nobunaga force, the majority of them keep their loyalty to Nobunaga and supporting Mitsuhide. in this campaign. Later, he was awarded the Court titles of "Junior Fifth Rank (Lower)" and "Governor of Hyūga", and the honorary title of ''"Koretō Hyūga-no-kami"''. In June, Nobunaga ordered him to pacify Tanba Province and

Tango Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan in the area of northern Kyoto Prefecture. Tango bordered on Tanba Province, Tanba to the south, Tajima Province, Tajima to the west, and Wakasa Province, Wakasa to the east. Its abbreviated form name ...

. During this campaign in Tanba Province, Mitsuhide cooperated with local lords such as Obata Nagaaki from Funai County. In addition, Kawakatsu Tsuguhisa from Imamiya, Kuwata County, had also switched sides to the Oda side after being persuaded by Obata. On July, Mitsuhide began attacking pro-Yoshiaki local lords of Tanba such as Utsuno Yorishige with the help of Obata and Kawakatsu. However, at the same time he was also ordered by Nobunaga to send reinforcements to Echizen and Tango, and left the area. On August, Utsuno Yorishige attacked the Oda clan's Umaji Castle and Amarube Castle. The reason behind this order was said to be a checkmate against Akai Naomasa of Hikami County, who was pursuing attacks on Izushi Castle and Takeda Castle in Tajima, which were the territory of the Yamana clan, while showing an ambiguous attitude toward Nobunaga's attack on Tanba. Later, Mitsuhide returned to Sakamoto Castle, and on October began a new attack on Tanba. Utsu Yorishige fled without fighting, and Mitsuhide then besieged Kuroi Castle, where Akai Naomasa had returned after giving up on the attack on Takeda Castle. Later, Mitsuhide built fortifications on at least three separate places in his effort to besiege and capture Kuroi Castle. In January 1576, Akai Naomasa suddenly attacked Mitsuhide, where they engaged in the battle of Kuroi Castle, forcing Mitsuhide to retreat his forces. In April, Naomasa and his relative, Akai Tadai, submitted once again to Nobunaga, as they feared the reprisal from the Oda clan, albeit it was argued that it was Mitsuhide's role to negotiate and convince them to do so. Later in the same month, during the

Ishiyama Hongan-ji War The was a ten-year military campaign that took place from 1570 to 1580 in Sengoku period Japan, carried out by lord Oda Nobunaga against a network of fortifications, temples, and communities belonging to the Ikkō-ikki, a powerful faction of J ...

, Mitsuhide, Hosokawa Fujitaka, Harada Naomasa, and Araki Murashige led the Oda forces against the

Ikkō-ikki were armed military leagues that formed in several regions of Japan in the 15th-16th centuries, composed entirely of members of the Jōdo Shinshū sect of Buddhism. In the early phases, these ''ikki'' leagues opposed the rule of local Shugo, go ...

in the battle of Tenno-ji. On May 5, Mitsuhide involved in a battle where one of his general, Hanawa Naomasa, was killed in battle. Mitsuhide were cornered by the Ikkō rebel forces at Tenno-ji Fort, until he relieved by Nobunaga's aid. On May 23, Mitsuhide fell ill due to overwork and had to recuperate for a while. Meanwhile, in Tanba Province, the Hatano clan under Hatano Hideharu, the lord of Yakami Castle, declared independence and rebelled against Nobunaga. Hideharu sudden insurrection caught Mitsuhide in surprise and defeated his forces. During this battle, Hyōdayū Horibe, who acted as Mitsuhide's

Kagemusha is a 1980 epic jidaigeki film directed by Akira Kurosawa. It is set in the Sengoku period of Japanese history and tells the story of a lower-class petty thief who is taught to impersonate the dying ''daimyō'' Takeda Shingen to dissuade oppos ...

(replacement), was killed. References from: * "Encyclopedia of National History" (Yoshikawa Kobunkan) * Takahashi Shigenori, "Castles and Battles of Akechi Mitsuhide" (Ebisu Kosho Publishing, 2019) * Niki Kenichi (ed.), "Everything about Akechi Mitsuhide" (Shinjinbutsu Oraisha, 1994) * Okuno Takahiro, Iwasawa Yoshihiko, and annotated "Nobunaga Koki" (Kadokawa Shoten, 1969) * Takayanagi Mitsutoshi, "Akechi Mitsuhide" (Yoshikawa Kobunkan, 1958) In 1577, Mitsuhide, along with Hosokawa Fujitaka and Tsutsui Junkei, fought under Oda Nobutada in the Siege of Shigisan against Matsunaga Hisahide, who had rebelled against Nobunaga. Later, Mitsuhide took part in the Battle of Tedorigawa against

Uesugi Kenshin , later known as , was a Japanese ''daimyō'' (magnate). He was born in Nagao clan, and after adoption into the Uesugi clan, ruled Echigo Province in the Sengoku period of Japan. He was one of the most powerful ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period ...

. In 1578, two years after the Hatano clan rebelled, Nobunaga ordered Mitsuhide to return to Tanba Province and subdue them. Mitsuhide defeated several rebel clans allied to the Hatano. He defeated the Akai clan, led by Akai Naomasa, at the second siege of Kuroi castle. On March, after Naomasa died of an illness, Mitsuhide brought his forces to attack Sonobe Castle and forced the defender, Araki Ujitsuna, to surrender. For this successful campaign, Nobunaga awarded Mitsuhide Kameyama Castle, and Tanba Province as a fief with revenue of 550,000 ''

koku The is a Chinese-based Japanese unit of volume. One koku is equivalent to 10 or approximately , or about of rice. It converts, in turn, to 100 shō and 1,000 gō. One ''gō'' is the traditional volume of a single serving of rice (before co ...

''. On June 4, Mitsuhide was sent to Harima Province as reinforcements for Hideyoshi, who was attacking the

Mōri clan The was a Japanese clan, Japanese samurai clan descended from Ōe no Hiromoto. Ōe no Hiromoto was descended from the Fujiwara clan. The family's most illustrious member, Mōri Motonari, greatly expanded the clan's power in Aki Province. Durin ...

, where he participated in the siege of Kamiyoshi Castle. However, in September, a huge uprising broke out in Tanba Province, and even Umahori Castle, which was a key location for the defense of Kameyama Castle, was temporarily occupied by the rebels. Mitsuhide returned to Tanba in response and recapture the castle. Later, Mitsuhide besiege Yakami Castle which held by Hatano Hideharu. However, as Yakami Castle was a mountain castle which very difficult to capture. Mitsuhide then decided to a strategy of besieging Yakami Castle commence separate operations to subdue another subsidiary fortresses belongs to Hideharu one by one to isolate Yakami castle. Mitsuhide first dug a moat around Yakami Castle, built earthworks, and then built walls and fences on top of it. By completely surrounding Yakami Castle, he prevented military supplies and ammunition from being brought into the castle. After completely surrounding Yakami Castle in this way, started to capture the other fortresses. In 1579, the conflict of the Oda clan against Hatano Hideharu in Tanba province reached its final stage. However in January, Hatano's forces counterattacked and Obata Nagaakira, one of the few Tanba locals who had consistently supported the Oda clan, was killed. Mitsuhide gave Nagaakira's surviving child the surname Akechi, and although he allowed the Obata clan to appoint a temporary representative, he ordered that Nagaakira's son must become the head of the family after he reached adulthood. Later, Mitsuhide stormed and captured Kuroi Castle, causing Akai Naoyoshi, who was 9 years old at the time, fled the castle. After Tanba was pacified, Mitsuhide distribute a fief of 10,000

to Saitō Toshimitsu and appoint him as the lord of Kuroi Castle, and governance of Hikami district. In 1580, Nobunaga dismissed his most important commander, Sakuma Nobumori. Mitsuhide replaced Nobumori in command and came to lead the largest force in the Kinki area (Kansai). This move was often said to be linked to the Honnō-ji Incident. In 1581, Nobunaga assigned Mitsuhide to manage the ''Kyōto ouma-zoroi'' ("Kyōto Mounted Horse Parade"), a large-scale military parade held to the east of the Imperial Palace in Kyōto.

Honnō-ji Incident

In 1582, Mitsuhide was ordered by Nobunaga to march west to assist Hashiba Hideyoshi who was at that time fighting the

. Ignoring his orders, Mitsuhide assembled an army of 13,000 soldiers and moved against Nobunaga's position at

Honnō-ji is a temple of the Nichiren branch of Buddhism located in Kyoto, Japan. Honnō-ji incident Honnō-ji is most famous for the Honnō-ji incident, the assassination of the powerful warlord Oda Nobunaga, which occurred there on 21 June 1582. Nob ...

. On June 21, Mitsuhide was quoted as saying, "The enemy is at Honnō-ji!" His army surrounded the temple and eventually set it on fire. Oda Nobunaga was killed either during the fighting, or by his own hand. Nobunaga's son, Oda Nobutada, fled the scene, but was surrounded at , a fortified imperial villa near today's Nijō Castle, and killed. Despite not killing Nobunaga personally, Mitsuhide claimed responsibility for his death. Mitsuhide's betrayal of the Oda shocked the capital, and he was forced to move quickly to secure his position. Mitsuhide looted Azuchi castle to reward his men and maintain their loyalty. Mitsuhide attempted to make gestures of friendship to a panicked Imperial Court; he also made many attempts to win over the other clans, but to no avail. Meanwhile, Hosokawa Fujitaka, to whom he was related through marriage, quickly cut ties with him, as well as Tsutsui Junkei, who refused to take Akechi's side, and half-heartedly supported Hideyoshi. Tetsuo Owada argued that the biggest mistake of Mitsuhide after he killed Nobunaga was that he could not provide the head of either Nobunaga or Nobutada as proof, since it would backfire as many daimyo lords doubt his success, while Hideyoshi managed to spun his propaganda that Nobunaga was still alive and escaped the assassination attempt. This caused Mitsuhide's reputation to be further undermined as many began to doubt his capability to kill Nobunaga, while most of Oda vassals and allies rather expecting the return of Nobunaga than accepting the invitation from Mitsuhide to join him.

Death

Mitsuhide had counted on

being occupied fighting with the Mori, and unable to respond to Mitsuhide's

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

. However, having learned of the assassination of his lord, Hideyoshi quickly signed a peace treaty with the Mori, and alongside

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 ...

rushed to be the first to avenge Nobunaga. Hideyoshi force marched his army to Settsu in four days, and caught Mitsuhide off guard. Mitsuhide had been unable to garner support for his cause, and his army had dwindled down to 10,000 men. Hideyoshi, however, had won over former Oda retainers, including Niwa Nagahide and

Ikeda Tsuneoki , also known as Ikeda Nobuteru (池田信輝), was an Ikeda clan ''daimyō'' and military commander under Oda Nobunaga during the Sengoku period and Azuchi–Momoyama periods of 16th-century Japan. He was a retainer of the famous warlords Oda No ...

, and had a strength of 20,000 men. In July 2, 1582, the two forces met at the Battle of Yamazaki. Mitsuhide took up a position south of Shōryūji Castle, securing his right flank by the Yodo river, and his left at the foot of the 270-metre Tennozan. Hideyoshi immediately seized the advantage by securing the heights of Tennōzan; his vanguard then maneuvered to face the Akechi forces along the Enmyōji river. Mitsuhide's forces made a failed attempt to force Hideyoshi from Tennōzan.

moved to reinforce Hideyoshi's right flank, which soon crossed Enmyōji-gawa and turned the Akechi flank. Simultaneously, Hideyoshi's forces marched against the Akechi front; this started a rout, only two hours after the battle had begun. Mitsuhide's men fled, with the exception of the 200 men under Mimaki Kaneaki (御牧兼顕), who charged and were destroyed by Hideyoshi's larger force. Soon, panic set in among the Akechi army, and Hideyoshi's army chased them back to Shōryūji, where the garrison collapsed. The bandit leader Nakamura Chōbei later killed Mitsuhide as Mitsuhide fled the battle. AkechiMitsuhideShrine

Family

*Father: Akechi Mitsutsuna *Mother: Daughter of the Wakasa Takeda clan *Wife: Tsumaki Hiroko () *Sons: ** Akechi Mitsuyoshi () *Daughters: ** Hosokawa Gracia (): Wife of Hosokawa Tadaoki; ancestor of Empress Shōken *Relatives ** Akechi Hidemitsu (): cousin; adopted son (also son-in-law); ancestor of Sakamoto Ryōma ** Nōhime: Cousin; Saitō Dōsan daughter; Wife of

Legacy

Tensho Koshirae sword

The ''Tensho Koshirae'' was first forged during the Azuchi-Momoyama Era and was meant to be a replica of Akechi Mitsuhide's sword. These katanas were made for practical use and thus had a simplistic design philosophy and the metal tempered to be strong and durable. The Akechi family was able to trace their heritage to the

and from there to the

Minamoto clan was a Aristocracy (class), noble surname bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the Imperial House of Japan, imperial family who were excluded from the List of emperors of Japan, line of succession and demoted into the ranks of Nobili ...

Castles built or reconstructed by Mitsuhide

Mitsuhide was well known as a master of castle construction, and was engaged in the construction of many castles. * Sakamoto Castle, main base of Akechi clan and also Mitsuhide's residence * Fukuchiyama Castle * Kameyama Castle, an Akechi Mistuhide's statue was built in the castle in 2019 *Shūzan Castle *Kinzan Castle * Kuroi Castle *Shūchi Castle *Usayama Castle

Appendix

Footnotes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * (First published in the New Kameoka City History, Main Text Volume 2, Chapter 3, Section 1, 2004) * (First published in the Fukuchiyama City History, Volume 2, Early Modern Period, Chapter 1, Section 2, 1982) * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Akechi, Mitsuhide 1520s births 1582 deaths Akechi clan Daimyo Japanese warriors killed in battle Oda retainers People of the Azuchi–Momoyama period People of the Muromachi period Samurai Leaders who took power by coup Japanese assassins Japanese Buddhists People from Gifu Prefecture