Azuchi: Introduction to building the castle

 

AZ II Buildings Series: Azuchi Castle                        Copyright © William Stong 2022

 

Building Azuchi Castle was clearly a colossal undertaking. It was a yamajiro (mountain castle) that, given its scale, involved transforming most of Azuchi Mountain to accommodate the many different components of the castle. Those components were driven by military and political considerations, along with a touch of religion:

► Tallest castle in Japan, with a soaring 7-level don-jon (main keep)

► Three baileys that attackers would have to get through before investing the main castle. In Japanese, these are:

 

本丸                        Hon maru        (main)

二の丸                  Nino maru       (2nd)

三の丸                  Sanno maru     (3rd)

► Long stretches of concentric castle walls built into the mountain

   

► Moat, which included building a canal from Lake Biwa to the far (south/southeast) side of the mountain

► A network of roads on the mountain (see earlier post “Roads leading up Azuchi Mountain” on December 17, 2021)

► The Sōkenji temple and complex

► More than ten mansions and villas for Oda Nobunaga’s major generals, vassals, and allies. Some of the most important were:

→ Oda Nobutada (Oda Nobunaga’s eldest son and heir)

→ Hashiba Hideyoshi (Oda’s best general)

→ Tokugawa Ieyasu (Oda’s long term and strongest ally from the east)

Walls near the Otemon entrance

► An outer wall, with appropriately fortified entry gates

 

What boggles my 22^nd century mind is that Azuchi mountain was transformed to accommodate all the above with pure manpower. There were no bulldozers, chainsaws, backhoes, massive cranes—or whatever else is used today for re-sculpting the environment. Rather, organized men—laborers, stonemasons, carpenters—reshaped a mountain into a stunning statement of power, beauty, and a singular goal related to the whole nation.

Diorama of construction teams at the Nobunaga no Yakata Museum, Azuchi

What also impresses me is that, according to Dr. Erdmann’s “Azuchi Castle: Architectural Innovations and Political Legitimacy in Sixteenth-Century Japan” paper:

 

“…Gyūichi tells of the order in the first month of 1576 to construct Azuchi Castle and mentions that Nobunaga unofficially moved to the site at the end of the second month of the same year.”*¹

 

That is, in a very short time enough had been built to allow Oda Nobunaga to move from Gifu Castle (which he turned over to his eldest son, Nobutada) and to move into the building site to more directly oversee, and no doubt shape, the features that would eventually become Azuchi Castle.

Throughout the entire time, Oda Nobunaga did that overseeing and directing without slackening his focus and activity on uniting Japan (see earlier post “Oda’s Campaigns: During construction (1576 to June 5, 1597)” on November 19, 2021).

 

Next:   Azuchi: The Builders of the castle

 

 

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Sources & Footnotes:

* ❶ “Azuchi Castle: Architectural Innovations and Political Legitimacy in Sixteenth-Century Japan”; A dissertation presented by Mark Karl Erdmann to The Department of History of Art and Architecture…Harvard University; Cambridge, Massachusetts; April 2016; © Mark Karl Erdmann; p. 79

❷ All photos taken by the author

► Stone marker for the Nino maru on Azuchi mountain

► Examples of the stone walls on Azuchi mountain

► Diorama of workers on the construction site. Taken at the Nobunaga no Yakata Museum in Azuchi, Shiga-ken, Japan.

 

Getting to Azuchi Castle: Per the Experts

 AZ II Buildings Series: Azuchi Castle                        Copyright © William Stong 2022

 

The past three articles described the main roads up Azuchi Mountain to the castle. For Ōtemichi, (January 14, 2022) and Dodobashimichi (January 28, 2020), I tried to imagine what it must have been like for someone to walk up those roads during the early 1580s. Naturally, it was only through research that those two roads became known to me and the treks on them could then be imagined.

Experts did that research and compiled their findings—which I was fortunate enough to come across . . . and read . . . and study. Experts with different skills have created videos that bring those trips to life. Here are three wonderful sources:

 

❶ “Azuchi Castle: Architectural Innovations and Political Legitimacy in Sixteenth-Century Japan”; A dissertation presented by Mark Karl Erdmann to The Department of History of Art and Architecture…Harvard University; Cambridge, Massachusetts; April 2016; © Mark Karl Erdmann.

Dr. Erdmann’s comprehensive paper is a gold mine of details, including in depth descriptions of all four of the main roads to the top. The work is also full of diagrams, photos, prints, maps, and further sources. Of particular help are:

► The floor plans of several versions of the castle

► The roads superimposed on a contour map of the mountain

If you want to know much more about Azuchi Castle, Dr. Erdmann’s dissertation is an excellent source.

 

❷ CoolJapanVideos presents:          Azuchi Castle – A Castle in Omihachiman, Shiga

At least twice, I have gone up Azuchi Mountain to the ruins of Lord Oda Nobunaga’s castle at the top. Both times, I went straight up Ōtemichi—and necessarily followed the current configuration of the route as opposed to what the road was in 1582. The main difference is that today’s route cuts through what had been Oda Nobutada’s estate and connects with the Onemichi. The current configuration turns right onto the Onemichi and then continues as that road existed in 1582. The feature that impressed me the most is the Kuroganemon. Passing through the remains of this gate, which consists of right-angle turns flanked on both sides by steep stone walls, it is clear how difficult it would have been for attackers to get into the outer baileys—much less into the castle itself.

After visiting the ruins, I followed the same descent on both trips: along the Onemichi to the Dodobashimichi and down the mountain, passing through where the Sōkenji temple had been. That is, the reverse of the trip described in Azuchi Castle: Arriving via the Dodobashimichi (January 28, 2020).

Since the Dodobashiguchi entrance is fenced off, one returns to Ōtemon along the edge of the mountain via a nice trail through beautiful trees—the shade is most appreciated on a hot, sunny, muggy day.

For my next visit, I’ll have to do the roundtrip in reverse: ascending via the Dodobashimichi and descending via the Ōtemichi. I’m not really looking forward to that descent, but the trip will provide a new perspective.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here is a wonderful video of heading up Azuchi Mountain via the current route:

https://cooljapan-videos.com/en/articles/mobg5b82

 

❸ Nobunaga no kata Museum YouTube mini-movie

The previous expert has done an excellent job of letting one see and experience (at least visually) what walking to the top of Azuchi Mountain is like today. This next expert takes you back to 1582 and lets you see what Azuchi might have been like in its heyday.

The opening sequence up Ōtemichi is stunning. You can imagine heading up, with the walls of the mansions belonging to powerful daimyō on both sides of the road and the magnificent castle far above on top of the mountain.

Slipping into the body of a bird—flying so low it’s either a pigeon or a crow, although maybe it’s a young hawk—the video not only shows the roads and castle, it also takes you on an aerial tour of the surrounding area, Sōkenji, views of Lake Biwa, and Azuchi Town.

Enjoy! It’s what might have so dynamically been in 1582:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnnVxMNiZo0&t=20s

 

Next:   Azuchi: Building the castle

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Sources:

 

❶ “Azuchi Castle: Architectural Innovations and Political Legitimacy in Sixteenth-Century Japan”; A dissertation presented by Mark Karl Erdmann to The Department of History of Art and Architecture…Harvard University; Cambridge, Massachusetts; April 2016; © Mark Karl Erdmann.

❷ CoolJapanVideos:              Azuchi Castle – A Castle in Omihachiman, Shiga

https://cooljapan-videos.com/en/

❸ The Nobunaga no Kata Museum; Azuchi, Shiga-ken, Japan

http://bungei.or.jp/

 

 

Azuchi Castle: Arriving via the Dodobashimichi

 

AZ II Buildings Series: Azuchi Castle                        Copyright © William Stong 2022

 

Azuchi Town is thriving. Lord Oda Nobunaga has done several things to encourage the growth and vitality of the town:

► Granted tax exemptions for merchants who set up shop in town.

► Mandated that everyone traveling along the Tōkaidō/Nakasendō roads must stop at Azuchi Town. This is important since these two roads are the major routes connecting the imperial capital of Kyōto with the northern and eastern provinces and, thus, are heavily traveled.

► Dug a canal from Lake Biwa along the southeast and south bases of Azuchi Mountain. Not only does this canal form a moat for the castle, it also serves as a waterway for transporting goods.

► Wharfs and docks have been constructed along the waterfront of Lake Biwa to handle trade.

► Allowed—or maybe mandated—his major generals, daimyō, and vassals to build mansions on the lower slopes of the mountain leading up to the castle, including a few on the flatlands near the main entrance of Ōtemon.

► Encouraged certain religions. Oda built the Sōkenji (a temple of Rinzai Zen Buddhism) on the west flank of the mountain. When asked, he granted a plot of land in Azuchi Town for the Jesuits to build a seminary.

► Hosts various events and festivals in broad and lavish ways. The annual New Year festivities involve everyone in the town.

If you live in Azuchi Town, you are engaged in one of the businesses or professions that make the town prosperous and busy. You might be a merchant, builder, carpenter, craftsman, stone mason, artisan, armorer, innkeeper, or a provider of any number of services needed by the thriving town:

► Food and drink; either as an establishment or as an itinerant vendor or as a caterer or provisioner, especially for Lord Oda’s castle and the events he hosts there.

                        

► Religion. You might be involved with one of the religious shrines, temples, or the Jesuit seminary. You could be a lay person, a novitiate, a monk, or a priest.

► Administration. You might be on Lord Oda’s staff.

► Military. You might be a samurai servicing Lord Oda or one of the many daimyō resident at or visiting Azuchi. You would have a house for you, your family, and your servants.

► Labor. You might be a common laborer who hires out your services and skills as they are needed anywhere in or near the town. 

► Sailor. You might be a sailor on board a vessel plying Lake Biwa.

► Fisherman. You might be a fisherman harvesting the bounty from the lake and, possibly, nearby rivers.

And finally, while I do not know if such people existed (although it seems plausible given the constant warfare in Japan at the time), you might be the vassal of a daimyō who has planted you in town to pick up any useful information about what Lord Oda and his generals might be considering, might be showing an interest in, or might be actively planning on the different fronts around Japan.

A later chapter covers the Jesuit Seminary but here it is worth noting that it is fully staffed and active. Built by Gnecchi-Soldo Organtino in 1580, Oda visits the seminary several times—sometimes without notice. He meets with a variety of Jesuits there as well as in Azuchi Castle. At different times and for different reasons, all of the following Jesuits meet with Lord Oda in Azuchi and almost certainly would have spent time at the seminary:

► Gnecchi-Soldo Organtino: who oversaw the construction of the seminary.

► Padre Luis Frois*¹: who is tasked with documenting what is happening in Japan, learning the local language and customs, sending regular reports back to Europe.

► João Rodrigues*¹: a young priest who becomes so fluent in Japanese that, years later, he becomes the translator for the daimyō Tokugawa Ieyasu (who ultimately unites Japan in the early 1600s, completing the dream and work of Oda Nobunaga and furthered by Toyotomi Hideyoshi).

► Alessandro Valignano: the Visitor General of the Indies, responsible for Jesuit missions in Asia at that time and operating mostly out of Macao (although Goa, in India, was at the top of the Jesuit hierarchy in the Far East—known as the Indies by the Europeans of the time, or as the East Indies after Christopher Columbus stumbled upon the unknown American continent, thinking it the Indies, and dubbing it as such. Once the facts of geography were realized, the New Found Land became known as the West Indies).

Another historical resident of Azuchi Town was Yasuke—who had been captured by slavers many years before in Africa. Valignano found him at a slave market in Goa and, impressed with his size, bought him to be his bodyguard. The African man was huge: at least 6 feet 2 inches tall and well-muscled. Yasuke accompanied Valignano on his visit to review the Japanese Jesuit mission and met Oda Nobunaga in Kyōto in March 1581.

Oda had never seen such a large man and definitely not a man with such black skin. He was very impressed. Valignano gave Yasuke to Oda (or perhaps Oda asked). Oda brought Yasuke into his inner circle, used him as an advisor, and made him a samurai. With Yasuke’s new situation, wearing two swords as the symbol of a samurai, Oda gave him a house in Azuchi Town, with servants.

When you live in Azuchi Town and you have business at Azuchi Castle, you use the most direct route:

the Dodobashimichi

Walking through the streets of Azuchi Town toward the southwest point of the mountain, Azuchi Castle is high in the sky at the top. The town ends at the edge of the moat which has been dug along the base of the mountain and is fed by Lake Biwa to your left. If you turn right, the road follows the moat around the mountain to the castle’s main entrance: Ōtemon (see last week’s “Azuchi Castle: Arriving via the Ōtemichi”).

 

Coming from Azuchi Town, however, you take a faster, more direct, route to the castle. Crossing the Dodo bridge over the moat, you go up several stone steps to the Dodobashiguchi (literally, the Dodo Bridge entrance). Once through the gate, you turn left onto Dodobashiguchi-michi. The “guchi” part, or entrance, is usually dropped from the name of the road itself—hence, it is the Dodobashimichi.

 

Almost immediately, as with the Ōtemichi, the slope becomes steep and you head straight up a long stretch of steps. From the bottom, it looks like you are climbing all the way to the heavens (much like what you see at the bottom of the stairs leading up Aztec and Mayan pyramids).

As you go higher, a niōmon gate, the entrance to the temple precinct, comes into view. The gate has two niō: huge, ferocious warriors guarding the temple.

 

Passing through the gate, you face another long, steep set of stairs.

 

 

 

 

At the top of these, on the right, is an ancient three-story pagoda.

 

 

 

By this time, your legs are burning from the relentless climb. As you turn around, don’t get dizzy as you gaze down the steps you have just climbed up.

The chance to stop and worship is gratefully appreciated.

The temple complex spreads across a flat area of the mountain. If you wander through it, to the left, you come to the edge of the mountain, with a stunning view of Lake Biwa (Japan’s largest lake). On a clear day, you are able to see Mt. Hiei on the other side of the lake, a little to the southwest.

 

In 1571, Oda and his army surrounded the ancient Enryaku Buddhist temple complex that covered the top of that mountain. Infuriated with Enryakuji’s continual attacks against him, and their support of the equally intransigent—and militarily strong—Ishiyama Hōnganji Ikkō Buddhists to the south, Oda’s army marched up the steep, in places nearly vertical, Hiei-zan and obliterated the huge complex. This annihilation included killing every person living there—priests, monks, women, children.

After you have enjoyed the view, you worship at Sōkenji, including tossing a few coins into the large, wooden offering box. With your body rested and your soul refreshed, you wander between the temple buildings, rejoin the Dodobashimichi, and continue up the mountain.

After the temple, the road follows the curvature of the mountain and shortly you are walking between the walls of two mansions:

► The much larger estate on the left (north side of the road) belongs to 24-year-old Oda Nobutada, Lord Oda Nobunaga’s eldest son and heir.

► On the right side of the road is Takei’s mansion.

Just beyond the end of the wall for Nobutada’s estate, the road takes two right-angle turns and meets the Ōtemichi. From this junction, the rest of your way to Azuchi Castle is along the Ōtemichi.

 

 

Next: Getting to Azuchi: Per the Experts

 

Figure 1.1

Shiga Prefectural Board of Education 滋賀県教育員会, “Survey Map of the Special Historical Landmark Azuchi Castle Ruins” 「特別史跡安土城跡平面図」, photographed March 1975, analytical stereoplotting done October 1976; adapted from map provided courtesy of the Shiga Prefectural Board of Education 滋賀県教育員会提供. *²

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Footnotes & Sources:

 

► *1: These historical figures, among others, are prominent characters (their actions fictionalized) in the historical novel “God Help Us” which is the first volume of “The Chrysanthemum, The Cross, & The Lion” saga.

      *2: “Azuchi Castle: Architectural Innovations and Political Legitimacy in Sixteenth-Century Japan”; A dissertation presented by Mark Karl Erdmann to The Department of History of Art and Architecture…Harvard University; Cambridge, Massachusetts; April 2016; © Mark Karl Erdmann.  (page 700)

 

► Sources:

❶ “Azuchi Castle: Architectural Innovations and Political Legitimacy in Sixteenth-Century Japan”; A dissertation presented by Mark Karl Erdmann to The Department of History of Art and Architecture…Harvard University; Cambridge, Massachusetts; April 2016; © Mark Karl Erdmann.

❷ African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan; © 2019; Lockley, Thomas (and Girard, Geoffrey)

❸ Figure 1.1 Shiga Prefectural Board of Education 滋賀県教育員会

 

► Photographs:

1. Different kinds of occupations

Photo by author; at the Edo-Tokyo Museum, Tokyo

2. Itinerant vendor

Photo by author; at the Edo-Tokyo Tatemono-en Open Air Architectural Museum, Tokyo

3. Itinerant vendor’s food stall

Photo by author; at the Edo-Tokyo Museum, Tokyo

4. Azuchi feast on tray

Photo by author; at the Nobunaga no Yakata Museum, Azuchi            

5. Street toward Dodobashi

Photo by author; Azuchi

6. Dodobashi

Photo by author; Azuchi

7. Steps to Dodobashiguchi

Photo by author; from the site of Azuchi Castle ruins

8. Stairs to Sōkenji’s niōmon gate

Photo by author; from the site of Azuchi Castle ruins

9. The niōmon gate

Photo by author; from the site of Azuchi Castle ruins

10. Steps from the niōmon gate to the pagoda

Photo by author; from the site of Azuchi Castle ruins

11. Sōkenji’s pagoda

Photo by author; from the site of Azuchi Castle ruins

12. Looking down to the niōmon gate

Photo by author; from the site of Azuchi Castle ruins

13. View of Lake Biwa

Photo by author; from the site of Azuchi Castle ruins

14. Routes up Azuchi (Figure 1.1)

            Source: “Azuchi Castle: Architectural Innovations and Political Legitimacy in Sixteenth-Century Japan”; April 2016; © Mark Karl Erdmann.

 

 

 

Azuchi Castle: Arriving via the Ōtemichi

AZ II Buildings Series: Azuchi Castle                        Copyright © William Stong 2022

 

Approaching along the connecting road from the Tōkaidō, you first cross a wide bridge over the outer moat and arrive at the Ōtemon—an ornate but very defensible gate in the outer wall at the base of the mountain. Once through the gate, you continue until you reach the beginning of the mountain’s slope. At this point, Ōtemichi goes straight as an arrow up the steep mountain. The steps consist of huge blocks of hewn stone laid across the slope.

 

 

<A personal note: I’m tall at 6 ft, 4 in and have long legs. Some of the stone blocks are so thick, even I have to concentrate on “hoisting” my legs up. Kids, of course, have fun climbing them.>

 

In its heyday, both sides of the Ōtemichi are flanked with white walls, topped with dark tiles. At intervals, those walls are pierced with gates that allow entrance to the villas of Oda Nobunaga’s most important vassals and allies.

 

About halfway up the first stretch of Ōtemichi, on the left, is the mansion of Oda’s most important general: Hashiba Hideyoshi (later Toyotomi Hideyoshi). As the reconstruction shows, the villa consists of two terraced levels:

 

► The main gate is on the lower level

 

► Connecting the higher level is a narrow, switchback path between stone walls that is also a devastatingly effective defensive feature

 

► The main villa, with several outer buildings, is on the upper level

 

Across the street, a bit further up the slope, stands the slightly smaller mansion of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

 

Continuing up this straight portion of Ōtemichi, your legs might tire, your muscles might begin to burn, your breaths might become more labored, and you might decide to pause alongside one of the white walls to rest. Turning around, your breath as tortured as it might be at that moment, might then be taken away from you:

 

1^st:       The steep road you have just come up goes straight down the mountain. Hopefully you are not afraid of heights and hopefully you don’t imagine yourself tumbling head-long down that long, steep stretch that goes all the way to the Ōtemon —which now looks quite small. You’re high enough to see the bridge over the moat and the road that connects the gate directly with the Tōkaidō.

 

 

That road is busy with merchants transporting goods between the imperial capital of Kyōto and the provinces to the north and east.

 

2nd:    That traffic is diverse, lively, and some would be very colorful. In both directions, farmers are carrying produce, merchants are transporting goods, noble ladies might be traveling in richly lacquered kago (palanquins carried by two or four runners), and, at times, a passing daimyō procession complete with banners and other regalia displaying the clan he represents.

 

 

            Along the roadsides, and intermingling with all of these people, are itinerant vendors with all sorts of goods and services. At strategic points—those having the most appropriate type of traffic—vendors are serving their customers from their portable stands, setup to display whatever it is they have for sale: ceramics, fans, food, tea.

On the road, jostling through the traffic, other vendors are heading toward where they will setup their portable stalls. The pieces of that stall, and all the goods, are carried on the ends of a stout pole balanced on their shoulders.

 

3rd:     You literally have a bird’s eye view of the flat valley below, dissected by the Tōkaidō and lesser roads. The flat land is filled with rice paddies, other fields, and small clusters of houses and buildings.

 

 

4th:     The flat land gives way to mountains to the east—which is Iga Province, the home of the fiercely independent ninja. It has taken the Oda family a long time, and several invasions, to finally conquer these ferocious fighters. Mountains rise to the north, gateways to the formidable Japanese Alps, the ancestral Oda lands, and the provinces to the east—including the fiefdom of Oda Nobunaga’s longtime ally, Tokugawa Ieyasu.

 

Rested, and invigorated by the magnificent panorama, you once again face the mountain and begin planting your feet on those high, stone steps. At the top of the long straight portion, Ōtemichi angles to the left until it connects with the Dodobashimichi coming up from Azuchi Town.

 

 

Turning right, you cut across the face of the mountain, along the base of the sloping stone walls of the Sannomaru (the Third Bailey). You enter through the south gate in the wall. Once in Sannomaru, there are any number of ways to continue higher until you finally reach the main entrance of Azuchi Castle: a stout, double-door embedded at the very bottom of the main castle’s foundation walls.

 

 

Today, here is what that journey is like:

 

https://cooljapan-videos.com/en/articles/mobg5b82

 

Next:   Arriving via the Dodobashimichi

 

 

 

 

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Sources & Notes:

All photos by author.

 

Roads leading up Azuchi Mountain

 

AZ II Buildings Series: Azuchi Castle                        Copyright © William Stong 2021

 

There were many “roads” leading up to Azuchi castle. I put roads in quotes because that is what the routes were called: 道, michi, or road. However, Azuchi mountain is so steep on all sides that every road leading to the top either has long stretches that are steps or a series of switchbacks. According to “Azuchi Castle: Architectural Innovations and Political Legitimacy in Sixteenth-Century Japan” *¹ by Dr. Mark Erdmann, these are the main roads to the castle:

Figure 1.1

Shiga Prefectural Board of Education 滋賀県教育員会, “Survey Map of the Special Historical Landmark Azuchi Castle Ruins” 「特別史跡安土城跡平面図」, photographed March 1975, analytical stereoplotting done October 1976; adapted from map provided courtesy of the Shiga Prefectural Board of Education 滋賀県教育員会提供. *²

700

 

❶ Ōte-michi             大手道

Meaning: Main road. Literally translates as “Big Hand Road”

❷ Dodobashiguchi-michi

Literally translates as “Dodo Bridge Entrance Road” although the “guchi” (entrance) is usually dropped.

❸ Nanamagari-michi & One-michi

Literally translate as “Seven Turns Road” and “Ridge Road” (the two characters literally are “tail” and “root”).

❹ Karamete-michi

Except for the last syllable (te, 手, hand), karamete is not written with kanji (Chinese characters). Dr. Erdmann explains that, in regards to Japanese castles,

“The term karamete-michi is generic and is typically used in conjunction with the aforementioned term ōte. As ōte is to the front of a castle, karamete is to the back.” *³

A Japanese kanji dictionary for elementary schools has the same explanation. *⁴

 

Here are brief descriptions of the four routes:

 

❶ The Ōtemichi

This was the main thoroughfare up to Azuchi castle. It started at the Ōtemon, the main gate through the outer defensive wall at the base of the mountain. Outside the wall, a straight road built over the flat plain connected that gate directly to the important Tōkaidō that linked the imperial capital of Kyōto with provinces to the east (this stretch of the Tōkaidō overlapped with the Nakasendō).

Travelers on the Tōkaidō, who were required to stop in Azuchi, would turn left before the Ōtemon and skirt the base of the mountain, along the moat, to Azuchi Town. Those who were visiting Oda Nobunaga (or had business with his staff) would enter through Ōtemon and head up the Ōtemichi. The first section is straight up the mountain which means it is a long series of stone steps laid into the slope.

After passing the estates of several important daimyō, the road has a right-angle turn and then several switchbacks until it meets with another road, the Dodobashi-michi that comes up from Azuchi Town. This junction is at the north corner of the estate of Oda Nobutada, the eldest son and heir of Oda Nobunaga.

From here, Ōtemichi continues higher, angling to the northeast and enters the third bailey of the castle before going up to the highest keep.

 

❷ Dodobashiguchi-michi

This road was the most direct from Azuchi Town. Traveling on this route, you would use the Dodobashi (Dodo Bridge) to cross the outer moat, go through the Dodobashiguchi gate, and ascend the mountain. This side of the mountain, in parts, is even steeper than the Ōtemichi, especially the section just below the Sōkenji temple which was built, with Oda’s patronage, on a level portion of the mountain about halfway up.

Townspeople and visitors staying in Azuchi Town would use this route to the castle. In addition, processions related to important festivals, celebrations, and special events moved along this route as well. Important traditional celebrations, such as New Years, allowed even ordinary townsfolks access to the mountain and portions of the castle complex.

Climbing higher from the temple, the road ends when it meets the Ōtemichi.

 

❸ Nanamagari-michi & One-michi

According to Dr. Erdmann, this route was a service road, and thus presumably used primarily for bringing provisions up to the castle. Conveniently, it is close to Azuchi Town and the piers along Lake Biwa. The beginning of this road was further north, along the base of the mountain, from the Dodobashi-michi entrance. As it ascended the mountain, instead of straight sets of steps, switchbacks were used to negotiate the steep slope—hence its name referring to seven turns or bends.

This road ended when it connected with the Onemichi, at the midpoint of Oda Nobutada’s estate. From this junction, Onemichi goes northeast along a ridge to the Kuroganemon, an important, covered gate. In order to go through Kuroganemon, one had to walk between sharp right-angles, flanked by stone walls which would have been designed to be very difficult for attackers to navigate. Further, Dr, Erdmann explained that the two ends of the gates operated like an airlock, with only one of the iron-clad doors open at a time.

Once through the gate, one would enter the second bailey and then up to the main keep.

 

❹ Karemete-michi

According to Dr. Erdmann, this route was also a service road, ascending the northeast slope of the mountain—that is, almost exactly opposite the track of the Dodobashi-michi.

 

 

 

Next (in the series):     Arriving via the Ōtemichi

 

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Sources & Footnotes:

 

*1: “Azuchi Castle: Architectural Innovations and Political Legitimacy in Sixteenth-Century Japan”; A dissertation presented by Mark Karl Erdmann to The Department of History of Art and Architecture…Harvard University; Cambridge, Massachusetts; April 2016; © Mark Karl Erdmann.

*2: Ibid., page 700

*3: Ibid., pages 37-38

*4: Shogaku gakushu; Kokugo jiten (Elementary School Study; Japanese Language Dictionary); Obunsha; © 1976    (karamete entry on page 152).

   

 

 

Special Bonus:

While searching the internet for appropriate links for various words in the text, much of the first page returned for “道, michi” was devoted to a song of that name by Japanese-American pop artist Utada Hikaru. If anyone is interested, here are:

1. a YouTube video for the song
2. a translation of the lyrics into English

 

 

Oda’s Campaigns: Post-construction (June 6, 1579 to June 21, 1582)

 

AZ II Buildings Series: Azuchi Castle                        Copyright © William Stong 2021

 

❸ After the castle officially “opened”: June 6, 1579 to June 21, 1582

 

1. The History

As with the prior two “arbitrary” periods (Pre-construction and Construction), the Post-construction period involved incessant fighting. However, a key difference in tenor is that most of the fighting consisted of offensive campaigns from the core of Oda Nobunaga’s lands into surrounding fiefdoms.

There was one critical exception. In the fall of 1579, an intrigue involving Tokugawa Ieyasu’s wife seriously threatened this key alliance. Tokugawa’s wife was accused of conspiring with the Takeda against Oda. It was so serious that Tokugawa, after having his wife killed, reluctantly, and after pleading with Oda, ordered his eldest son, who was most probably innocent, to commit seppuku.

Oda had different commanders invade:

► Uesugi lands to the north

► Mōri and Mōri-allied lands to the southwest

► The remaining Miyoshi clan to the south on Awaji Island

The Ishiyama-Honganji surrendered and left their stronghold in May 1580.

Even the nearby and troublesome Iga province finally fell to massive Oda armies before the end of 1581 (on the Oda family’s fourth invasion).

In the spring of 1582, taking advantage of a demoralized and fractured Takeda clan, the Oda’s, supported by Tokugawa and Hojo in the east, crushed the Takeda and took control of their vast fiefdoms.

During this period, there were two celebratory events of note:

► April 11, 1581:      Oda held a huge horse parade in Kyōto to impress the imperial court (and anybody else interested) with the massive military might of Oda Nobunaga.

► May-June 1582:    After the elimination of the Takeda, Tokugawa hosted a victory procession through his lands for several weeks, followed by a lavish visit by Tokugawa to Azuchi castle.

During one of the banquets Oda hosted in honor of Tokugawa, a message was received from Toyotomi (Hashiba) Hideyoshi requesting aid because the Mōri were about to surround him as he besieged the Bitchu-Takamatsu castle. Oda was ecstatic. His response included orders to different commanders to immediately gather their armies and march into various campaigns radiating out from the lands he already controlled.

Oda would follow the armies heading toward Bitchu-Takamatsu to support Toyotomi. As soon as his orders for all the other campaigns were dispatched, Oda Nobunaga, with a small bodyguard and administrative staff, left Azuchi castle for Kyōto. He would spend one night there: first entertaining the imperial court, and then sleeping, as usual, at Honnōji.

 

1. The Campaigns

NB: Font color legend.

❶ Green                   =          Favorable to Oda

❷ Black                    =          Neutral

❸ Red                       =          Adverse to Oda

 

Summer of 1579:        In Tanba province, Hatano Hideharu surrenders Yakami castle to Akechi Mitshuhide, ending a three-year fight. Hatano travels to Azuchi, where Oda Nobunaga has him executed via crucifixion on June 25, 1579.

September 9, 1579:   Lady Tsukiyama, Tokugawa Ieyasu’s wife, is beheaded on the shore of Lake Sanaru, in Hamamatsu. Tokugawa confines his oldest son at Futamata castle. However, Oda is adamant that Nobuyasu be killed.

October 5, 1579:        Explaining that his eldest son would feel obligated to avenge his mother’s death, Tokugawa orders his eldest son, Nobuyasu, to commit seppuku 

October 1579:            Araki Murashige secretly escapes from the besieged Arioka castle, abandoning his wife and children.

October 6–7, 1579:    Still smarting from his defeat by the Iga the previous year, Oda’s second son, Nobukatsu, invades the Iga homelands. With three armies totaling 10,800 men, Nobukatsu attacks through three mountain passes. The Iga had learned of the plans and ambush the three columns as they move through the passes. Being much more familiar with the mountainous terrain, the Iga thrash the Oda. Nobukatsu’s armies retreat from Iga province.

When Oda Nobunaga finds out (Nobukatsu had not discussed the attack with his father), Nobunaga is furious and berates his son.

November 1579:        In Bizen province, Ukita Naoie defects from the Mōri and pledges allegiance to Oda.

November 17, 1579   In Settsu province, Arioka castle finally falls and most of the Araki family are executed.

 

 

 

1580:               Kuroda Kanbei formally gives Himeji castle to Hideyoshi who immediately remodels parts to make it a much stronger castle. Himeji becames Hideyoshi’s base of operations for the duration of the Chugoku campaign.

January 1580:            In Harima province, Bessho Nagaharu commits seppuku and Miki castle surrenders, thus ending the long siege.

May 1580:      With the help of an imperial order from Emperor Ogimachi, long, drawn-out negotiations end and Ishiyama-Honganji surrenders.

May 22, 1580:            At the end of the long and difficult siege, Oda, in a rare instance of clemency, allows the defenders to march out, enroute to Kii province.

As part of the Chugoku campaign, Toyotomi Hideyoshi drives into Harima and Tajima provinces.

November 29, 1580:  After a brief visit to report to Oda, Hideyoshi leaves Azuchi for the west.

Late 1580:      Hideyoshi marches out of his base at Himeji castle in Harima province and moves north into Tajima province. Akechi Mitsuhide enters Tamba province.

 

 

Spring 1581: Hideyoshi drives north into Inaba province. Some lords declare for Oda, while Kikkawa Tsuneie resists.

April 11, 1581:           In Kyōto, Oda Nobunaga stages a huge parade at the umaba (horse place) of the Imperial Palace.

May 1581:      Hideyoshi begins the siege of Tottori castle, completely surrounding it with two walls. The first one is to keep the defenders in the castle and the second one is to protect the Oda men from any Mōri attack.

The daimyō of Bizen province, Ukita Naoie, wavers in his support of the Mōri clan. When he sees how strong Oda is becoming, he offers to surrender to Hideyoshi.

June 1581:      Taking advantage of yet another sudden death of an enemy—this time Kawada Nagachika of the Uesugi clan—Oda’s army marches into Etchu province and takes control of almost all it.

The religious complex at Mt. Koya is harboring fugitives from defeated clans, such as the Araki. Oda sends messengers to resolve the issues but they are killed. Therefore, Oda orders the daimyo in Kawachi and Yamato provinces to besiege Mt. Koya.

August & October/November 1581:            Supporting his second son, Nobukatsu, Oda Nobunaga marches into Iga with overwhelming forces and finally crushes the province.

September 30, 1581:             Nobunaga launches a massive, coordinated invasion of Iga. This time, two Iga men had switched allegiance and serve as guides. Already controlling the provinces surrounding Iga, six Oda armies, totaling 42,000 men, attack through six different passes. Losing castles, shrines, and temples, the 10,000 defenders are pushed back until they are beseiged in Hijiyama castle in the north of the province and Kashiwara castle in the south. Both fall.

October 8, 1581:        Kashiwara castle in south Iga capitulates, ending organized Iga resistance.

Early November 1581:          Oda Nobunaga himself tours the conquered province and his group is ambushed in one smoldering village. Oda escapes injury but several others are killed. Leaving Iga province in Nobukatsu’s hands, Nobunaga returns to Azuchi.

November 21, 1581:              In Inaba province, faced with starvation, Kikkawa Tsuneie sues for terms and commits seppuku to save the remaining defenders. Tottori castle surrenders to Hideyoshi.

December 1581:         Under Oda’s orders, Toyotomi Hideyoshi captures Awaji province, in the Inland Sea between Shikoku and Honshu islands.

 

 

February 1, 1582:      The daimyō of Bizen province, Ukita Naoie, dies of an illness and his son is only eight years old. This puts Bizen province under the influence of Hideyoshi.

March 7, 1582:          Based on secret defections by Takeda lords, Oda Nobutada proposes to invade the Takeda homeland. Oda Nobunaga embraces the idea and orders Nobutada, his eldest son, to proceed.

March/April 1582:    Nobutada invades and while many Takeda castles surrender, he encounters fighting deeper and deeper into Takeda lands.

Oda Nobunaga also enlists the help of Tokugawa and Hojo, who attack the Takeda lands from the east. The combined invasion forces are estimated at 100,000.

April 10, 1582:           Oda Nobunaga leaves Azuchi castle for the front; the same day that Nobutada occupies Kofu which used to be the Takeda main castle before Takeda Katsuyori moved it earlier to nearby Shinpu.

April 13, 1582:           Finally surrounded in the shadow of Tenmokuzan, Takeda Katsuyori, and his family, commit seppuku. The rest of his small group die fighting the troops of Oda Nobutada. This is the end of the Takeda clan. Oda takes over all the Takeda provinces.

April 17, 1582:           Hideyoshi leaves Himeji castle with 20,000 soldiers and heads into Bitchu province. Enroute, he picks up the support of the Ukita clan which adds 10,000 men.

Over the next month, Hideyoshi pushes the enemy back. A Mōri vassal, Shimizu Muneharu, retreats into Bitchu-Takamatsu castle with about 3,000 men. Hideyoshi systematically takes the surrounding, smaller castles.  

May 21, 1582:            Oda Nobunaga returns to Azuchi Castle after a month-long victory possession through Tokugawa Ieyasu’s lands.

May 17, 1582:            Hideyoshi besieges Bitchu-Takamatsu castle which sits on a plain with mountains at its back. Hideyoshi builds a massive embankment to hold the waters of a diverted river. The plain in front of the castle begins to fill with water.

June 1582:      Hideyoshi sends a message to Oda Nobunaga requesting help since he, in turn, is surrounded by the Mōri. Oda Nobunaga issues orders:

• • Akechi Mitsuhide is to immediately march to support Hideyoshi
  • Other daimyō are also asked to march to Bitchu-Takamatsu
  • Shibata Katsuie is told to press the attack against the Uesugi in the north
  • Tokugawa is to watch the western provinces for possible problems
  • Niwa Nagahide and Oda’s third son, Nobutaka, are to embark on their invasion of Shikoku

June 21, 1582:            The Honnōji Incident (unplanned)

 

III. At the End

When Oda Nobunaga retired in the early morning hours of June 21, 1582, his commanders were:

► To the north, consolidating control of the Takeda lands

► To the northwest, invading the rest of the Uesugi lands

► To the south, heading an amphibious invasion of the island of Shikoku

► To the east, keeping an eye on the daimyō in the far northern provinces

► To the southwest, marching to the relief of Hideyoshi and to a showdown with the Mōri

Later in the day of June 21, Oda’s plan was to follow the armies marching west to ensure the fall of the Bitchu-Takamatsu castle and, with good strategy, tactics, and some luck, defeat the massed Mōri in one, massive strike.

The future looked brilliant for Oda Nobunaga. He would leave Honnōji in the morning.

 

 

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Sources:

► A History of Japan, 1334–1615; © 1961; Sansom, George

► Sengoku Jidai. Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu: Three Unifiers of Japan; © 2018; Chaplin, Danny

► Ninja: The True Story of Japan’s Secret Warrior Cult; © 1991; Turnbull, Stephen

► African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan; © 2019; Lockley, Thomas (and Girard, Geoffrey)

► Shinsengumi Archives

► Samurai Archives

► Wikipedia

 

 

 

 

Oda’s Campaigns: During construction (1576 to June 5, 1579)

 

AZ II Buildings Series: Azuchi Castle                        Copyright © William Stong 2021

 

❷ During construction: 1576 up to June 5, 1579

 

I. The History

By late March, early spring, enough of Azuchi had been constructed to allow Oda Nobunaga to move in and more directly provide input on what he wanted to have built. For the rest of the construction time, he ran his goals of unifying Japan from Azuchi.

Even though Oda had scored several victories by the end of the (arbitrary) “Pre-construction” period, incessant fighting on all fronts continued throughout the “Construction” period with defeats and victories. In both periods, it seemed that whenever Oda was succeeding too well, his enemies would realign their alliances and attack him. Similarly, when Oda appeared weaker, areas already under his control did not hesitate to revolt.

During this period, Oda’s dominion had grown enough that he would order his commanders and allied daimyō onto campaigns to eliminate enemies (like the Ishiyama-Honganji Buddhists just to the south) or to invade surrounding fiefdoms (like the Uesugi clan to the north). In several cases, initial assaults directed by others were defeated and Oda would march in behind with more troops.

Even so, the Ishiyama-Honganji was so strong that Oda had to begin a siege of their massive stronghold (in what is today Osaka). To prevent Oda from winning, the Uesugi to the north and the Mōri to the west supported the Ishiyama-Honganji. That support included the Mōri navy which reprovisioned the besieged stronghold. In the north, the Uesugi invaded the lands Oda had taken when he crushed the Asakura family.

Luck still ran with Oda. On April 29, 1578 the formidable leader Uesugi Kenshin suddenly died. As with the powerful Takeda clan five years earlier, internal jockeying for the succession gave Oda the opportunity to not only recapture his lost lands in the Echizen and Kaga provinces in the northwest, but to also begin planning an invasion of Etchu province.

With a ceremony for the main keep, Azuchi castle was officially “opened” on June 5, 1579.

 

II. The Campaigns

 

NB: Font color legend.

❶ Green                   =          Favorable to Oda

❷ Black                    =          Neutral

❸ Red                       =          Adverse to Oda

 

1576    Oda Nobunaga gives Echizen province to Shibata Katsuie who moves the capital from Fuchu to the new Kitanosho castle. Shibata has a nephew drive deeper into Kaga province capturing Miyukizuka. During these campaigns, 30,000 to 40,000 prisoners are executed.

February 1576:          To the west, Tamba province revolts against the rule of Oda. Concurrently, Ishiyama-Honganji raises another army.

May 1576:      Oda orders Akechi Mitsuhide, Hosokawa Fujitaka, and others south with an army of 3,000. This force is defeated and seeks refuge in Tennoji which is besieged by Ishiyama-Honganji forces.

June 1576:      Oda Nobunaga leaves Azuchi castle to personally lead the fighting. He enters Wakae castle on June 11th but is only able to mobilize about 3,000 soldiers. Early in the morning of June 13, Oda leads this small force and attacks the 15,000-strong Ishiyama-Honganji army that is besieging Tennoji. It is a hard-fought battle, and Oda is wounded, but he defeats the enemy.

Oda initiates an encircling siege of the Ishiyama-Honganji main stronghold.

August 7, 1576:          A Mōri fleet consisting of 800 ships sails in from the Inland Sea. At the mouth of the Kizu river, this flotilla blows through the Oda ships blockading Ishiyama-Honganji. The Mōri replenishes the besieged with provisions and materiel.

The Uesugi in Echigo Province drop their alliance with Oda and begin to support Ishiyama-Honganji.  In other provinces, Ikkō-Ikki groups resist Oda.

December 1576:         Oda Nobunaga and his son Nobukatsu (who had been adopted by the Kitabatake clan) assassinate most of the remaining leaders of the Kitabatake, thus solidifying control of Ise province.

 

 

1577:               Oda sends his best general, Hideyoshi, west, into the lands dominated by the Mōri. Hideyoshi enters Harima province and is allowed to use Himeji castle as a base of operations. He invests Kozuki castle and it falls after seven days.

1577:               The invasions launched by Oda’s commander Shibata causes Uesugi Kenshin, the daimyō of Echigo to the north on the Sea of Japan, to mobilize 30,000 men to move against the Noto province.

February 1577:          Oda leaves with a large army to suppress Ikkō-Ikki adherents in Kishu.

April 1577:     In a mutual compromise, Saika Magoichi, the Ikkō-Ikki leader, surrenders and Oda, concerned about the Mōri navy in the rear and the Uesugi invasion of Noto province, withdraws from Kii province.

September/October 1577:    Matsunaga Hisahide in Yamato province revolts and raises an army.

October 1577:            Oda Nobunaga dispatches a large military force to Yamato province, commanded by his eldest son, Nobutada, who besieges Shigisan castle.

An interesting side note is that Matsunaga owned a famous tea bowl that Oda wanted for his collection. Oda offered more lenient surrender terms if Matsunaga turned over the tea bowl.

November 13, 1577:  In Kaga province, Oda and Shibata are defeated by the Uesugi at the battle of Tedorigawa. Oda returns to Azuchi in Omi province.

November 19, 1577:  Matsunaga Hisahide commits seppuku at Shigisan castle in Yamato province.

To deny Oda, Matsunaga instructs that the coveted tea bowl be tied to his head, along with a bag of gunpowder—thus ensuring that neither his head nor the artifact fall into Oda’s hands.

November 1577:        A samurai who is resisting Oda, Naito Sadamasa, dies of disease at Kameyama castle in Tamba province. Oda takes advantage of this and captures various castles in Tanba Province: Kameyama, Momi, and Sasayama.

 

 

March 1578:              Kai Shimoyama, a former minor Kitabatake vassal from Iga, visits Oda Nobukatsu (Nobunaga’s second eldest son) in Ise province and urges him to invade Iga. Nobukatsu dispatches Takigawa Kazumasu to build a castle at Maruyama in Iga to serve as a staging point for the campaign.

April 29, 1578:           The famous Uesugi leader, Uesugi Kenshin, suddenly dies, without a child and with no designated successor. A succession fight among the clan begins, the Otate War.

1578:   Oda takes advantage of this internal strife and recaptures Noto and Kaga provinces.

Oda prepares to invade Etchu province.

April 1578:     Bessho Nagaharu in Harima province revolts. Oda sends Hideyoshi who besieges Miki castle (which lasts until 1580).

1578:               As a defense against the Mōri navy and their fire-projectiles, Oda has his shipwright, Kuki, build iron-clad ships.

August 8, 1578:          The Mōri army enters Harima province and captures Kozuki castle.  

August 1578:  While supporting Oda’s key general Hideyoshi, Araki Murashige from Settsu province, abruptly disengages and returns to his own castle where he resists Oda and helps the Ishiyama-Honganji. Oda has Arioka castle besieged.

October 1578:            After working on building a castle inside Iga for six months, Takigawa is nearing the completion of Maruyama castle for Oda Nobukatsu.

November 1578:        The Araki revolt splits families. Takayama Ukon, unlike his father, decides to support Oda.

November 17, 1578:  Arioka castle falls to Oda, ending the Araki revolt.

November 24, 1578:  Alerted of Nobukatsu’s intentions by the construction of the castle, warriors from Iga attack Maruyama castle in broad daylight. Caught off guard, Takigawa is forced from the castle, which the Iga burn. When Takigawa reassembles the remnants of his forces at nearby Tsuzumigamine, he is again defeated and retreats back to Ise.

December 1578:         In an attempt to break the Oda blockade, a large Mōri fleet attacks but is defeated by the steel-clad ships built by Kuki for Oda. Lord Abbot Kosa agrees to a truce in which Oda offers generous terms: surrender the Ishiyama-Honganji complex, leave, and be resettled in Kii province.

 

 

June 5, 1579:  With a ceremony for the completion of the main tenshu (keep), Azuchi Castle is officially opened.

 

 

III. At the End

On June 6, 1579, Oda Nobunaga’s situation was:

► To the northwest, the former Asakura lands had been retaken

► To the north, the Uesugi clan had been weakened

► To the northeast, the Takeda clan was weakened

► The eastern border was along loyal ally Tokugawa lands

► To the south, Oda—using novel armored ships—had defeated the powerful Mōri navy, preventing them from reprovisioning Ishiyama-Honganji

► Directly south, the Ishiyama-Honganji siege was in place and stronger with the defeats suffered by the Uesugi and Mōri. A truce to discuss surrender terms was in place.

► To the west, Oda had captured Tamba province, part of Harima province, and several castles. His forces were poised to press further into the lands of Mōri allies along the length and breadth of Honshu.

► Close by, to the southeast, Oda’s son’s invasion of Ise was resoundingly defeated.

 

Overall, by the end of this period, Oda had largely consolidated his control of the center of Japan, including the imperial capital of Kyōto. The military strength of the Buddhists was bottled up in the siege of Ishiyama-Honganji. Three powerful daimyō, the Takeda, Uesugi, and Mōri had been weakened and/or pushed back.

 

 

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Sources:

► “Azuchi Castle: Architectural Innovations and Political Legitimacy in Sixteenth-Century Japan” ; A dissertation presented by Mark Karl Erdmann to The Department of History of Art and Architecture…Harvard University; Cambridge, Massachusetts; April 2016; © Mark Karl Erdmann.Architectural ; © p. 79

► A History of Japan, 1334–1615; © 1961; Sansom, George

► Sengoku Jidai. Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu: Three Unifiers of Japan; © 2018; Chaplin, Danny

► Ninja: The True Story of Japan’s Secret Warrior Cult; © 1991; Turnball, Stephen

► African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan; © 2019; Lockley, Thomas (and Girard, Geoffrey)

► Shinsengumi Archives

► Wikipedia

 

Oda’s Campaigns: Pre-construction (1570 through 1575)

AZ II Buildings Series: Azuchi Castle                        Copyright © William Stong 2021

 

❶ Prior to construction: 1570 through 1575

I. The History

 During this period, Oda was under attack from all sides by a changing combination of samurai clans, Ishiyama-Honganji armed Buddhists, the bakufu, and groups of Ikkō-Ikki (also Buddhists). At times, usually when Oda was simultaneously defending his lands from several enemies on different fronts, some provinces under his control revolted and those, too, had to be put down. The amount of land Oda controlled ebbed and flowed with his defeats and victories.

There were two times that Oda came under tremendous pressure. Both times, he managed to extricate himself by having the imperial court arrange a truce/ceasefire.

Oda was quick to take advantage of any weaknesses of his enemies. Two of the most important during the period were:

► the sudden death of the Takeda clan’s leader, Takeda Shingen, and

► infighting among the Ikkō-Ikki groups

Repeatedly, when Oda scored victories and was becoming stronger, alliances among his enemies would shift and they would launch attacks on his lands, as if other forces in Japan did not want Oda to become too powerful.

Finally, Oda Nobunaga also took advantage of modern technology. In particular, he used the harquebus (a precursor to the musket) to devastating effect against the Takeda in the summer of 1575.

This period was one of virtually constant warfare against multiple enemies on all sides as well as internally.

 

II. The Campaigns

NB: Font color legend.

❶ Green                   =          Favorable to Oda

❷ Black                    =          Neutral

❸ Red                       =          Adverse to Oda

 

The period opens with Oda being under attack along his entire western border. From the northwest, it is the Azai and Asakura clans and, from the southwest, it is the Miyoshi clan. In addition, from the south, fighting with the Ishiyama-Honganji Buddhists begins, which will last a decade. The Buddhists at Enryaku-ji, just north of Kyōto, join the fight against Oda.

 

June 19, 1570:            Using a harquebus, a Koga sharpshooter hits Oda Nobunaga twice, knocking him off his horse. Oda’s armor saves his life.

Military campaigns against the Azai and Asakura clans continue.

July 30, 1570: At the Battle of Anegawa, Oda (with Tokugawa support) defeats the Azai and Asakura.

Summer 1570:           Fighting with the Ishiyama-Honganji to the south begins. Oda’s campaigns against the Ikkō-Ikki, both against the main stronghold of Ishiyama-Honganji and groups governing in various locations around Japan, last a decade.

September 1570:       In the southwest, Oda marches an army against the Miyoshi. Simultaneous attacks by men from the Ishiyama-Honganji, a 30,000 allied force from Azai and Asakura, and fighters from Enryaku-ji, Oda is defeated and has to retreat.

November 1, 1570:    Oda counter attacks Omi Province from Settsu, surprising the Azai and Asakura allied forces. Oda besieges the enemy at Usayama Castle. However, shortly after, the Ikkō Ikki of Ise Nagashima revolts (as directed by Kennyo, the hoshu (high priest) of Ishiyama-Honganji.

 

January 18, 1571:      Under tremendous pressure on several fronts, Oda approaches Emperor Ogimachi and receives an imperial order, by which he makes peace with the Azai and Asakura clans.

September 1571:        With 30,000 of troops, Oda surrounds the huge Enryaku-ji temple complex on Mt. Hiei and destroys the entire compound and everyone in it.

 

August 1572   Fighting between Oda and the Azai and Asakura resumes but not on a major scale.

September 1572         A few Asakura commanders surrender to Oda.

November 1572:        With 30,000 troops, the powerful Takeda head to Kyōto to support the shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki. The Oda and Tokugawa home provinces are invaded since they lie between the Takeda lands and the capital. The Takeda take several castles.

 

March 1573    The Takeda press further into Tokugawa’s provinces and capture Noda Castle.

Although Oda had been instrumental in having Ashikaga Yoshiaki installed as shogun, to support the Takeda march on Kyōto, Ashikaga raises an army with the Miyoshi (in the southwest) and other clans.

May 1573                   Once again, surrounded and under huge pressure, Oda manages to have Emperor Ogimachi arrange a truce.

A few days later, Takeda Shingen suddenly dies. The Takeda clan’s attention turns inward to focus on the succession, thus reducing the pressure on Oda and Tokugawa.

August 1573:  With the Takeda distracted, Oda defeats Ashikaga in Kyōto at the Nijo Palace. Oda exiles Ashikaga and this is the end of the Muromachi bakufu.

Oda then attacks the Miyoshi in the southwest.

September 1573         Oda invades Echizen Province in the northwest with 30,000 men and defeats the Asakura clan.

Oda orders Hosokawa to attack the Miyoshi commander, Iwanari. Hosokawa lays siege to the Yodoko-jo Castle (the Second Battle of Yodokojo).

October 1573             A month later, Oda defeats the Azai clan.

End October – November 1573:      On his southeastern border, Oda marches into Ise Province with 30,000 men and initially captures several castles.

November 29, 1573   However, fierce resistance by Ikkō-Ikki followers forces Oda to retreat.

December 1573:         Facing stiff resistance from the Ikkō-Ikki, Oda withdraws from Ise Province.

To the southwest, the Miyoshi revolt which encourages the exiled Ashikaga to do the same. Oda sends troops to quell the uprisings. Several key Miyoshi retainers surrender to Oda, causing Miyoshi to commit suicide on December 20, thus substantially ending the Miyoshi clan.

 

January 28, 1574       In Yamato Province, Matsunaga Hisahide surrenders Tamonyama Castle to Oda.

February 1574           In Echizen Province, some samurai and followers of Ikkō-Ikki revolt and take over governance in parts of the province.

To support the insurrection, Takeda Katsuyori invades Oda’s Mino Province from the clan’s home base of Kai Province. Oda counter-attacks with his son Nobutada but Akechi Castle falls before they arrive. Oda withdraws.

April 1574      Oda Nobunaga travels to Kyōto and he is given the imperial title of Jusanmi Sangi (Councilor in the Junior Third Rank).

July 1574        Oda besieges Nagashima-cho in Ise Province (Mie Prefecture) with an amphibious operation involving 30,000 soldiers. An army of Ikkō Ikki attacks and many members of the Oda family are killed.

September 1574         The Ikkō Ikki army suffers a shortage of food and Oda takes Otorii Castle.

October 23, 1574       Out of food, the defenders of Nagashima Castle surrender with Oda agreeing to let them leave for Osaka by ship. However, two of Oda’s brothers are killed. Angry, Oda attacks the departing ships, causing part of the Ikkō Ikki army to attack the Oda army. In the ensuing fighting, Oda chases the Nagashima men into the Nakae and Yanagashima castles which he then takes. Possibly 20,000 followers of Ikkō Ikki are killed and the insurrection of Nagashima is obliterated.

 

February 1575           Eliminating Oda appointees and samurai, followers of the Ishiyama-Honganji began to govern Echizen Province through the Ikkō Ikki.

May 1575        At the head of 15,000 troops, Takeda Katsuyori attacks Nagashino Castle, the residence of Okudaira Sadamasa. Takeda wants to kill Okudaira because he betrayed the Takeda clan and became a vassal of the Tokugawa clan after the death of the famous Takeda Shingen. The Okudaira defenders fight well and it takes time for Nagashino Castle to fall.

June 30, 1575             During the siege, Oda marches out of Gifu with 30,000 troops.

July 5, 1575                Oda is joined by Tokugawa with an additional 8,000 troops at Noda in Mikawa Province.

July 6, 1575    The combined Oda and Tokugawa allied forces set up camp at Shitaragahara.

July 9, 1575    The Battle of Nagashino between the Oda and Tokugawa allied forces and the army of Takeda begins.

At the Battle of Nagashino, Oda and his ally Tokugawa devastate the vaunted Takeda cavalry with lines of harquebusiers behind screens that allow a continuous rate of fire.

September 1575         With the Takeda defeated on his northern border and the followers of Ikkō Ikki internally divided, Oda marches to Echizen Province. Possibly more than 10,000 Ikkō Ikki followers in the Echizen and Kaga Provinces are killed as Oda re-asserts control.

December 1575:         The Imperial Court confers honors upon Oda Nobunaga.

On December 16, 1575, Oda Nobunaga is given the title Gon Dainagon (Provisional Major Counselor).

On December 19, 1575, Nobunaga is given the title Ukone no daisho (Major Captain of the Right Division of Inner Palace Guards).

 

III. At the End

With some luck and the help of the Imperial Court, Oda Nobunaga managed to eliminate several enemies, significantly weaken others, and commence a long-term fight against the Ishiyama-Honganji Buddhists.

At the end of 1575, Oda Nobunaga had strengthened his northern border by the devastating defeat of the Takeda at Nagashino. Although still facing formidable daimyō on all sides, he had expanded the lands under his control:

• to the northwest by defeating the Azai and Asakura clans and the local Ikkō-Ikki
• to the southwest by defeating the Miyoshi clan

 

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Sources:

► African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan; © 2019; Lockley Thomas (and Girard, Geoffrey)

► Shinsengumi Archives

► Wikipedia

 

 

Azuchi Castle: Precursor(s) to building

AZ II Buildings Series: Azuchi Castle                        Copyright © William Stong 2021

 

<Pre-emptive move: I know I said the next three posts would be about the campaigns. However, the post will better set the stage for the series of campaigns.>

 

Naturally, I never had the opportunity to meet Oda Nobunaga and interview him over a meal, or a leisurely*¹ cup of green tea, about his reasons for building Azuchi Castle. However, based on historical research of the period, I surmise that his reasons were strategic and political, with perhaps a touch of the tactical to drive the exact timing that historically unfolded.

Construction of the castle began in 1576 which means before that time Oda had to have:

► Thought about the need, or perhaps the desire, to build a new castle.

► Considered, reconnoitered, and decided on a location.

► Pondered the reason(s) for building a castle at all. Those reasons would influence what kind of castle it would be, and there were several choices:

→ Hirajiro 平城 ; a flatland castle

→ Hirayamajiro 平山城 ; a flat (or low)/mountain castle  

→ Yamajiro 山城 ; a mountain castle

→ Mizujiro 水城 ; a water castle

► The type chosen would narrow down the sites for the new castle.

► Discussed the design of whatever type of castle was decided upon and engaged the necessary architects and castle builders.

► Arranged the necessary resources to build such a castle (today, we would call this activity “funding”).

► Put in place the logistics needed to build the castle, both materiel (e.g., stones, lumber) and human (e.g., laborers, crafts, men, artisans).

 

How long would these pre-construction steps have taken? I do not know but let’s estimate one or two years. If that is a reasonable guess, then amidst everything else Oda was doing, he would have been thinking about, and working on, his castle during, roughly, 1574 and 1575. If you were Oda Nobunaga, what did the world look like in the first half of the 1570’s?

The Europeans and the Japanese used different calendars. The European New Year’s Day of 1570 (still using the Julian calendar) equates to the Japanese date of Eiroku 2 (year), 2^nd Month, 25^th Day. On that day, Japan was still mired in its civil war, in what historians call the Senjoku jidai 戦國時代, the Warring States Era (began in 1467 and fighting continued until 1615) and the situation in the country was:

► The country was divided into powerful feudal fiefdoms, each one intent on defending and, more importantly, expanding their lands.

► This internal fighting had started in 1467, had been going on for 103 years, and showed no sign of slowing.

► Intrigue and alliances were everywhere, and always changing.

► Oda had managed to expand his clan’s ancestral lands and he controlled the center of the county, including the imperial capital of Kyōto.

► Oda’s eastern border was protected by his ally Tokugawa Ieyasu.

► Elsewhere, Oda was surrounded and attacked by three major enemies:

• • Other daimyō
  • Ishiyama-Honganji Buddhists
  • Ikkō-Ikki groups

The future of Japan was very much in flux.

 

Next: let’s delve more deeply into what happened next, with a focus on Oda Nobunaga and Azuchi Castle. Arbitrarily, but perhaps conveniently, let’s use the following phases of the castle:

 

❶ Oda’s Campaigns: Pre-construction (1570 through 1575)

❷ Oda’s Campaigns: During construction (1576 to June 5, 1597)

❸ Oda’s Campaigns: Post-construction (June 6, 1579 through early July 1582)

 

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Sources & Notes:

*1: this adjective does not fit well with the historical Oda Nobunaga, from what is portrayed of him. Although, he might have had such a quality under the right circumstances.

Both photos by the author. Taken May 4, 2019 at the Nobunaga no Yakata Museum.