Oda Nobutaka

Oda Nobutaka

Oda Nobutaka (織田 信 孝; born April 22, 1558 in Owari Province , † June 19 or June 21, 1583 in Chita, Aichi Prefecture ) was a Japanese samurai and member of the Oda clan . He was the third son of the first Japanese unifier, Oda Nobunaga .

Life

Oda Nobutaka was born in 1558 in Owari Province, over which his father ruled as a daimyo . His mother was a concubine of Nobunaga. Because of their low origins Nobutaka was disadvantaged compared to his brothers throughout his life. In 1568 his father made him head of the Kanbe family in Ise through an adoption . In 1582 Oda Nobutaka was commissioned to launch a campaign against the clans on Shikoku . After the murder of his father in the same year by his renegade vassal Akechi Mitsuhide in the Honnōji incident , he participated in Hashiba Hideyoshi's campaign of revenge against Mitsuhide and successfully fought in the Battle of Yamazaki . He was therefore also considered a potential successor to his father as the new head of the Oda clan in 1582. He was supported in his claim by Shibata Katsuie , but the powerful general Hashiba Hideyoshi Nobunaga's three-year-old grandson, Oda Nobutaka's nephew, prevailed as heir. Hashiba Hideyoshi was able to expand his power in Japan significantly from 1582, which is why Oda Nobutaka, who feared for the power of his clan, stood against him. However, his inexperience led him to a momentous mistake: He declared war on Hideyoshi when Shibata Katsuie was still stuck in Echizen due to annual snowfalls . Hashiba Hideyoshi invaded Nobutaka's heartland Mino and captured him in Gifu Castle before his ally could come to his aid. Then Hideyoshi turned to the Shibata clan and was able to beat him decisively in the Battle of Shizugatake in May 1583. Katsuie committed suicide. Hashiba Hideyoshi also forced Nobutaka to do seppuku afterwards .

literature

• Ben Hubbard: Samurai Warriors , New York 2014.
• Stephen Turnbull: Toyotomi Hideyoshi , London 2011.