Agustinus Dias Suparto

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Journal 5

My Inspirational Idol

I have an Idol, he is Oda Nobunaga, a feudal lord or Daimyo in Sengoku Jidai era

when there were many warlords who fought to conquer Japan and became shogun (the ruler

of Japan in Sengoku Jidai era). He was born in 1535 as heir of Oda clan and died in 1582

because of the betrayal of Akechi Mitsuhide, one of his officers in Temple of Honno in

Kyoto.I know about him from the games I have played like Shogun total war, Samurai

warriors and Kessen but those games were made from the history in Japanese Sengoku Jidai

era. I interested in him because he was who started to conquer Japan from Ashikaga

shogunate who had lost the power to rule Japan at that time and unite Japan into a solid

nation. He started to rule his homeland in Owari prefecture when he was 14 and defeated his

family from Oda clan who started to rebel against him and finally he conquered his

homeland, Owari and recruited his father’s retainer.

Because Owari was surrounded by hostile neigbors like Saito clan in Mino, west of

Owari, and Matsudaira clan and Imagawa clan in the east, Oda Nobuhide made peace with

Saito Dosan to bind a relationship through marriage. Later Oda Nobunaga got marriage to

Nohime from Saito clan so Oda could focus their force to cope the Imagawa clan.

In Owari, there was famous of its ashigaru or army from farmer. Although the quality

of the army was low, but the quantity was very high and most of Oda army was ashigaru.

When he wanted to build his army, in 1560, suddenly the neighbor Daimyo named Imagawa

Yoshimoto wanted to march his army to Kyoto, and his army wanted to defeat the Oda clan
in their way but with only 3000 cavalry men, Oda nobunaga could route 25000 Imagawa

army in Okehazama, a terrain in Owari. He could kill Imagawa Yoshimoto too with his

strategy, so that is why he was very brilliant strategist. Then later he allianced with

Tokugawa Ieyasu from Matsudaira clan to conquer Japan.

To fulfill his ambition, He later conquered his wife’s land after Saito Dosan’s death

and occupied the Inuyama castle and changed its name into Gifu castle. After conquered

Mino, then he made a piece with Azai clan in the west through marriage, and he made his

sister Oichi got married to the Daimyo of Azai clan, Azai Nagamasa from Omi. Omi was the

prefecture near Kyoto, Oda Nobunaga could march his army to Kyoto peacefully.

Although he had managed to get allianced with Nagamasa from Azai clan who was

Oichi’s husband or his brother in law, he fought with him because of Nagamasa’s faith with

Asakura clan who was his enemy and the battle between Oda-Tokugawa against Azai-

Asakura occured in Anegawa river in 1573. Oda-Tokugawa won the battle and Nagamasa

commited suicide and then Oichi became Shibata Katsuie’s wife, a general of Oda clan. This

history of Oichi and Nagamasa is very popular in Japan and in the games too.

He later fought with famous Takeda clan who was well known of their cavalry army

in 1575 to help Tokugawa clan. He used the matchlock samurai to defeat the cavalry with

firing at them behind stockades. Most of Takeda army were routed and many of their general

were also killed and Oda’s reputation was very famous because of it. In 1578 he was very

infamous because of his cruelness. He surrounded a hill in Nagashima which a buddhist

tamples exist at the top of the hill and killed 30000 people from children, woman until

monks. In his journey to become a shogun, many buddhist sect raise their power to revolt

againts him from Ikko Ikki rebelion in Nagashima until Kennyo Honganji’s rebelion in Sekai

(port town near Osaka)

 He has conquered Kyoto for many years and made Ashikaga Yoshiaki, the latest

Ashikaga shogun became his puppet. Because of it, many Daimyos made a war with him

because at that time he had conquered a third of Japanese territory, more than 20 prefectures

from 66. Miyoshi clan, Suzuki clan, Mori clan, Sekai people revolt and Buddhish revolt made

war with him but no one cound stand againts him. He had defeated the shogun finally and

made himself became the ruler in Kyoto.

Until 1582 when all of his army were fighting againts his enemies, he was betrayed by

Akechi Mitsuhide when he was at Temple of Honno in Kyoto. His officers at that time,

Maeda Toshiie and Shibata Katsuie was battling againts the famous Uesugi Kenshin, the

dragon of Echigo in Kaga in the north. Toyotomi Hideyoshi was leading his army againts

Mori clan in the south and some of his officers were fighting againts rebelion in Iga againts

Miyoshi clan, Sekai people and Suzuki clan. His alliance Tokugawa clan was busy attacking

the remaining Takeda army. Akechi Mitsuhide who was ordered to conquer Tamba and

Tango prefectures, suddenly led his 50000 army and attack the temple who was guarded only

a thousand army and then Oda Nobunaga was killed at 49 years old.

Although He was killed, but his ambition to conquer Japan was very inspirational for

his officer, especially Toyotomi Hideyoshi who immediately defeated Akechi clan and

Shibata clan and he was the first man in Sengoku Jidai who could conquer and unite the

whole Japan. Oda Nobunaga, gave him a way to conquer Japan, then later after the death of

Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu became the first shogun and esthablished Tokugawa shogunate

for 200 years. Oda Nobunaga was the first man who want to unite Japan, and he gave many

Daimyos an inspiration that war between clans is just make a chaos time and we should be

united as a nation.