Nobunaga Oda

> *"Human lives are fleeting! A man can only live about 50 years… The challenge of completing all that one can in a lifetime… THAT is the thrill, the passion, that drives me!"*
> - Nobunaga Oda
>
>

Nobunaga Oda is the most powerful daimyo featured in Demon Chaos, and is the head of the Oda Clan.

## Description

Nobunaga is a powerful daimyo and head of the Oda Clan. He constantly seeks to expand his territories, in the hope of one day holding the entirety of Japan under his banner, thus uniting the country. He cares little about the presence of the Demons, as long as they do not obstruct his goals.

## Personality

Nobunaga is an extremely strong willed individual, seeking to complete his objectives at any cost. Although aware of the threat of the Demons, he is rarely bothered by their presence, often finding them a favourable factor when they attack his enemies. Nobunaga is quick to accept the presence and mission of Aoi and Inugami, and for the most part shows respect for them. He takes great satisfaction in the idea of achieving all that he is able during his lifetime.

## Plot

### Mikawa (November, 1549)

Nobunaga arrives in Mikawa to find that Takechiyo Matsudaira, who had been being exchanged to the Imagawa Clan by the Oda Clan as a hostage, is being attacked by Demons. Nobunaga calmly notes that the unearthly warrior, Inugami, seems to be protecting Takechiyo and, surmising that the Imagawa Clan would be disgraced if Takechiyo were to be harmed, orders his men to join the battle against the Demons.
After the battle, Nobunaga questions Aoi about the Demons and their purpose. When Aoi explains, he then asks her about herself and Inugami, asking them if they are messengers of the Gods. He laughs when she answers, having not expected her to confirm his suspicions. He reveals that he had intended to recruit Inugami to his army, but realises that this is not possible, given their mission. As he prepares to leave, he tells Aoi that he is one who is likely to cause further unrest in the land, and that if she appears in places filled with chaos and unrest, they are likely to meet again.

### Oke Gorge (May, 1560)

Having marched his army to battle the Imagawa forces led by Yoshimoto Imagawa, Nobunaga watches as the Demons tear apart the Imagawa army before him, killing Yoshimoto along with them. Nobunaga notes that the presence of the Demons has worked in his favour, confirming Aoi’s explanation that the Demons are drawn to areas of turmoil. Seeing that the Demons now intend to come for his own army, Nobunaga orders his men to prepare for battle. Looking down into the gorge, he is amused to see Aoi and Inugami present.

The Oda army, together with Inugami and Aoi, are eventually able to subdue the Demons in the area. After the battle, Nobunaga notices that although ten years have passed since they first crossed paths, Aoi hasn’t aged at all. She explains that until the land is free from the demons, mortal time will not pass for her. Considering this, Nobunaga asks Aoi what reason she has to keep on living in such an existence. When she is unable to answer, he apologises for speaking without thinking and departs, stating that they will meet again someday, on some other battlefield.

### Kawanakajima (July, 1562)

At an Oda camp, Nobunaga Oda learns of the ceasefire between the Takeda and Uesugi armies and decides that, with both armies at exhaustion after fighting the demons, now would be the ideal time to capture begin his conquest of Mino Province.

### Nagashino (May, 1575)

After defeating Katsuyori Takeda at the Battle of Nagashino, Nobunaga learns of Katsuyori’s escape. Mitsuhide consoles Nobunaga, stating that though Katsuyori survived, he no longer poses a threat. With most of eastern Japan united by Oda forces, Nobunaga decides that the time is right to settle things in Echigo, and to eventually destroy the Mōri Clan.

### Ishiyama (April, 1580)

At the Oda camp, Mitsuhide informs Nobunaga of the successful acquisition of Ishiyama Temple and the Demon retreat from the area. However, Nobunaga is unhappy about the length of time it took to take the temple, regarding Nobumori Sakuma, his retainer who had been placed in charge of the temple siege, as incompetent. He therefore announces Nobumori banished from the Oda territories, much to Mitsuhide’s satisfaction.

### Tamba (May, 1584)

At the Oda camp, Aoi confronts Nobunaga, asking him directly whether he is controlling the Demons to achieve his goals. When Nobunaga asks whether Aoi truly suspects him of this, she answers that although he is the one causing the most turmoil and unrest in the land, there is nothing akin to the aura of evil around him. Nobunaga responds that he is driven by the thrill of achieving all that he can within a human lifespan, and although the presence of the Demons has indeed been favourable to his campaigns, he questions what reason he would need to try and control them himself. They are interrupted by Hideyoshi, who reports that Demons have been sighted in Mitsuhide’s province of Tamba.

After the Demons are supressed, Nobunaga privately questions Mitsuhide about the demonic presence in his lands. Mitsuhide feigns ignorance, but Nobunaga sees past this, correctly assuming that Mitsuhide has gained control of the Demons, and proceeds to caution him against using Demons in the conquest against the Mori Clan. Mitsuhide states that his actions are solely for the purpose of aiding Nobunaga’s ambitions, and that he can use the Demons to quell the unrest in the realm. To his dismay, Nobunaga questions how Demons could ever hope to quell chaos, and is unwilling to forgive Mitsuhide for his transgressions, insisting that he forfeit Tamba, to which he reluctantly agrees.

Later, the Oda camp lies in flames. Nobunaga, realising his betrayal by Mitsuhide’s hands, chooses to take his own life as a mortal man rather than to submit to the power of the Demons.

## True History

Nobunaga Oda was born on June 23rd, 1534, in Owari province, and was the son of Nobuhide Oda, head of the Oda Clan, who held some land holdings in Owari.

At the age of 15, in 1549, Nobunaga was wed to Lady Nō, the daughter of Dosan Saito of Mino Province.

In 1551, when Nobunaga was 17 years old, his father died unexpectedly. At this point the Oda Clan was technically under the control of the Owari governor Yoshimune Shiba, who supported Nobunaga's claim as heir of the clan. However, Nobunaga's uncle, Nobutomo, sought to challenge Nobunaga's claim. When Yoshimune warned Nobunaga of this danger, Nobumoto murdered him. Nobunaga then recruited another brother of his father's, Nobumitsu, and together they killed Nobumoto. The young Nobunaga then forged an alliance with both the Imagawa Clan of Suruga Province and the Kira Clan of Mikawa Province.

When Dosan Saito's son, Yoshitatsu, turned against his father in 1555, Nobunaga sent his army to protect Dosan. This was however unsuccessful and Yoshitatsu's forces killed Dosan, making Yoshitatsu the ruler of Mino Province in 1556.

A few months later, Nobunaga's younger brother, Nobuyuki, rebelled against him. Nobunaga was successful in repressing Nobuyuki and his conspirators, but they were pardoned due to the intervention of Nobunaga and Nobuyuki's biological mother, Gozen Dota. When Nobuyuki planned a second rebellion in the next year however, Nobunaga murdered him.

Nobunaga used the newly appointed governor of Owari, Yoshikane Shiba, to make alliances with other nearby daimyo. However, after Yoshikane attempted to oust Nobunaga, he was cast out, voiding all alliances made under his name, including the alliance with the Imagawa Clan.

In 1560, Yoshimoto Imagawa brought a large Imagawa army along with a Matsudaira force against Nobunaga. Faced with this overwhelming force, Nobunaga devised a surprise attack and, aided by the cover of a thunderstorm, Oda soldiers attacked the Imagawa in their camp, killing Yoshimoto. This battle became known as the Battle of Okehazama.

Yoshimoto's death significantly weakened the Imagawa Clan. Because of this, a young Ieyasu Tokugawa (who at that time went by the name Motoyasu Matsudaira), was able to able to break the Matsudaira Clan free from the oppression of the Imagawa. Because of this, in 1561, Nobunaga was able to make an alliance with the Matsudaira. Similarly, Nobunaga made an alliance with Shingen Takeda by the marriage of his daughter, to Shingen's son, Katsuyori.
At this time, Yoshitatsu Saito died suddenly of illness, leaving his young son, Tatsuoki, as head of the Saito Clan in Mino. Nobunaga took advantage of the young daimyo's failings and began a campaign to take Mino for his own, using revenge for his late father in law, Dosan Saito, as a pretext for invasion. By 1567 Nobunaga had taken Yoshitatsu's stronghold, Inabayama Castle, and sent Tatsuoki into exile, claiming Mino as his own.

In 1568, Yoshiaki Ashikaga, brother of the murdered shogun Yoshiteru Ashikaga, requested aid from Nobunaga to overthrow the Miyoshi Clan in Kyoto, who had been responsible for Yoshiteru's death and were using his Yoshiaki's cousin, Yoshihide, as the new puppet shogun. Nobunaga agreed, seeing the opportunity to claim Kyoto for his own, and secure ties with the Ashikaga shogunate. He successfully drove the Miyoshi Clan out of Kyoto and installed Yoshiaki as shogun. During this time, Nobunaga was contested by the Rokkaku Clan of Omi Province, who didn't approve of Yoshiaki's appointment of shogun. However Nobunaga was quick to take action and drove the Rokkaku out of Omi.

As thanks for making Yoshiaki shogun, Nobunaga was offered the prestigious position of kanrei, the shogun's deputy. However, Nobunaga declined, and eventually began to restrict the powers of the shogun, making it clear that he intended to use Yoshiaki as a façade to justify his future conquests. Yoshiaki, however, was not pleased about being a puppet, and secretly corresponded with various daimyo, forging an anti-Nobunaga alliance.

When Nobunaga then launched a campaign into the Asakura Clan's domain, Nagamasa Azai, head of the Azai Clan and husband of Nobunaga's sister, Oichi, broke the alliance with Nobunaga to honor the Azai-Asakura alliance which had lasted for generations. The anti-Nobunaga alliance sprang into full force, taking a heavy toll on the Oda clan. At the Battle of Anegawa in 1570, Ieyasu Tokugawa joined forces with Nobunaga and defeated the combined forces of the Asakura and Azai clans.

At around this time, Nobunaga also began battling the Ikkō-ikki, a sect of warrior monks who opposed samurai rule. A conquest that would go on for the next 10 years.

In 1572, at the urgings of the shogun, Yoshiaki, Shingen Takeda decided to make a drive for Kyoto, starting with the invasion of Tokugawa territory. Despite Nobunaga's aid, Ieyasu suffered defeat at the Battle of Mikatagahara in 1573. However, after the battle, Shingen unexpectedly died at his camp in Mikawa Province, much to the relief of Nobunaga. In retaliation to the shogun's open rebellion, Nobunaga defeated Yoshiaki's forces and sent him into exile. In the same year Nobunaga was able to destroy both the Asakura and Azai clans for good. His sister Oichi, who had been married to the head of the Azai Clan, was sent back to Nobunaga.

At the Battle of Nagashino in 1575, the combined forces of Nobunaga and Ieyasu Tokugawa decimated the army of Katsuyori Takeda, who had become head of the Takeda Clan after Shingen's death.

In 1580, Nobunaga finally succeeded in defeating the Ikkō-ikki at their fortress of Ishiyama Temple, ending the decade long conquest. By 1582 he had also managed to destroy the remnants of the Takeda Clan.

At the height of his power in 1582, Nobunaga stayed at the temple of Honnō-ji while on his way to assist Hideyoshi Hashiba in his conquest of Bitchū Province. At this time, Mitsuhide Akechi, one of Nobunaga's trusted generals, betrayed Nobunaga, and had him surrounded at the temple. Practically unguarded, Nobunaga realised that he had no chance of escape and committed suicide, instructing his young page, Ranmaru Mori, to burn the building so that Mitsuhide could not claim his head. The reasons for Mitsuhide's betrayal are still unknown, but are speculated to involve a personal grudge for the numerous public insults Nobunaga had made toward Mitsuhide, and for the deaths of Mitsuhide's family members caused by Nobunaga.