Editing Oda Nobunaga (section)

== Post-death events ==
=== Death and succession ===
[[File:Azuchimomoyama-japan.png|thumb|Political situation in Japan circa 1582. The purple area was territory controlled by the Oda in 1560, grey area was the territory Nobunaga controlled at the time of his death in 1582.]]

The goal of national unification and a return to the comparative political stability of the earlier [[Muromachi period]] was widely shared by the multitude of autonomous ''[[daimyō]]'' during the Sengoku period. Oda Nobunaga was the first for whom this goal seemed attainable. He controlled most of [[Honshu]] shortly before his death in the Honnō-ji Incident of 1582.

The motive for the rebellion of Akechi Mitsuhide, the vassal who betrayed Nobunaga, remains unclear, partly because Mitsuhide himself did not say anything, and various theories are still being discussed.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Berry|first1= Mary Elizabeth|title=Hideyoshi|date= 1982|publisher=The Council on East Asian Studies, Harvard University|location= Cambridge and London|isbn= 978-0-674-39026-3|pages=41–43}}</ref> After the incident, Mitsuhide declared to the world that he would rule over Nobunaga's territory, but was soon defeated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The loss of his position and power so quickly gave rise to the idiom {{Nihongo|''Mikka Tenka''|三日天下|{{lit|a three-day reign}}}}.

Later, Hideyoshi succeeded in regaining Oda's territory and wrested control of it from the Oda clan, further expanding his dominion greatly. And when he was appointed to the highest rank of [[kuge]], [[Kanpaku]], despite being a common-born samurai, and in 1590, eight years after the incident, he achieved the unification of Japan.<ref name="businessnikkei20170114">{{cite web| url = https://business.nikkei.com/atcl/opinion/16/122600033/010800002/| title  =秀吉はなぜ征夷大将軍ではなく、関白を選んだか| last = Tonomura| first = Miki| author-link =| date = 14 January 2017 | orig-date = | editor-last = | editor-first = | website = Nikkei Business | publisher = [[Nikkei Business Publications]]| language = ja| trans-title = Why did Hideyoshi choose Kanpaku instead of Seii Taishogun?| access-date = 7 August 2023}}</ref>

After the death of Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu completed the goal of national unification by subjugating local ''daimyō'' under a hereditary shogunate, which was ultimately accomplished in 1603 when Ieyasu was granted the title of [[Shogun]] by [[Emperor Go-Yōzei]] following the successful [[Battle of Sekigahara|Sekigahara Campaign]] of 1600.

The nature of the succession of power through the three ''daimyō'' is reflected in a well-known Japanese idiom:
{{Blockquote | Nobunaga pounds the national rice cake, Hideyoshi kneads it, and in the end, Ieyasu sits down and eats it.<ref>{{Citation | last1 = Duiker | first1 = William J. | first2 =Jackson J. | last2 = Spielvogel | title = World History | volume = II | publisher = Cengage Learning | year = 2006| pages = 463, 474 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ZWTBUX10gaQC | isbn = 978-0-495-05054-4}}, attributed to C. Nakane and S. Oishi 1990 eds., ''Tokugawa Japan'' Tokyo, p. 14. Hashiba is the family name that Toyotomi Hideyoshi used while he was a follower of Nobunaga. In Japanese: {{nihongo2 |"織田がつき 羽柴がこねし 天下餅 座りしままに 食うは徳川"}}. Variants exist.</ref>}}

The changing character of power through Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu is reflected in another well-known idiom:{{efn| They don't necessarily reflect their actual personalities.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.poplar.co.jp/rekishi/history/history1.html| title  =歴史の楽しみ方| last = Kaku| first = Kozo| author-link =| date = | year = | orig-date = | editor-last = | editor-first = | website = "Comic Version Japanese History" Official Site | publisher = Poplar Publishing| language = ja| trans-title = How to enjoy history.| access-date = 6 August 2023}}</ref>}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Three Unifiers |url=http://history-of-japan.weebly.com/the-three-unifiers.html |access-date=23 June 2023 |website=history-of-japan.weebly.com}}</ref>
{{Blockquote | <poem>Nobunaga said: "Little bird, sing. If you don't sing, I will kill you".
Hideyoshi said: "Little bird, sing. If you don't sing, I will make you sing".
Ieyasu said: "Little bird, sing. If you don't sing, I will wait for you to sing".</poem>}}
All three were born within eight years of each other (1534 to 1542), started their careers as samurai, and finished them as statesmen. Nobunaga inherited his father's domain at the age of 17, and quickly gained control of Owari Province through {{transliteration|ja|[[gekokujo]]}}. Hideyoshi started his career in Nobunaga's army as an {{transliteration|ja|ashigaru}} but quickly rose up through the ranks as a samurai. Ieyasu initially fought against Nobunaga as the heir of a rival ''daimyō'', but later expanded his own inheritance through a profitable alliance with Nobunaga.<ref name=sam />{{rp |142}}

=== Later plans ===
In 1579, Nobunaga's resignation from his posts as Udaijin (Minister of the Right) and [[Ukonoe no daisho]] (Right general of the Imperial Guard) baffled the Imperial Court. This was because Nobunaga, who was on the verge of unifying the country, did not hold an official position that could shake the authority of the Imperial Court.<ref name="businessnikkei20170114"/>

Therefore, in May 1582, the Imperial Court sent a message to Nobunaga, offering him a government position of his choice among [[Sei-i Taishōgun]], Kanpaku and [[Dajō-daijin]]. However, Nobunaga did not give a clear reply and the 'Honnoji Incident' took place, so it remains unclear what kind of government scheme Nobunaga had in mind.<ref name="aozorabank20190823">{{cite web| url = https://www.aozorabank.co.jp/bank/story/finance/post-7.html|title ="知られざる、偉人とお金のはなし" 第一回 織田信長| last = Mitsuishi| first = Kosei| author-link =| date = 23 August 2019 | orig-date = | editor-last = | editor-first = | website = Nikkei BizGate | publisher = [[Nikkei, Inc.]]| language = ja| trans-title = The Unknown Story of a historical person and His Money" Part 1: Oda Nobunaga.| access-date = 7 August 2023}}</ref><ref name="sanei">{{cite web| url = https://jp.fujitsu.com/family/sibu/toukai/sanei/sanei-18.html| title  = 第5章 郷土の三英傑に学ぶ経営戦略 - 信長、「天下布武」のビジョンを示す -| last = Mizutani| first = Tetsuya | author-link =| date = | year = | orig-date = | editor-last = | editor-first = | website = Fujitsu Family Association Tokai Branch| publisher = [[Fujitsu]]| language = ja| trans-title = Chapter 5: Management Strategies Learned from the Three Local Great Masters - Nobunaga Shows His Vision of "Tenka Fubu"-| access-date = 7 August 2023}}</ref> 

In 1582, Nobunaga was [[Posthumous promotion|posthumously promoted]] and given the title of Dajō-daijin and the [[List of Japanese court ranks, positions and hereditary titles|court rank]] of {{nihongo|Junior First Rank|従一位|ju ichi-i|}}. More than 300 years later, in 1917, he was further promoted and given the rank of {{nihongo|Senior First Rank|正一位|shō ichi-i|}}.<ref name="jk190224"/><ref name="newspost">{{cite web |url= https://www.news-postseven.com/archives/20160103_369144.html?DETAIL|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928141427/https://www.news-postseven.com/archives/20160103_369144.html?DETAIL|title= 叙位最高位「正一位」最後に贈られたのは1917年の織田信長|archive-date=28 September 2022|access-date= 7 March 2024|work= News-postseven}}</ref>

In the addendum to [[Luís Fróis]]'s 1582 ''Annals of Japan'' (on Nobunaga's death), it is stated that Nobunaga intended to conquer China. According to Fróis, Nobunaga intended to organise a large fleet after the unification of Japan and to have his sons divide and rule the territory. However, there is no such statement in Japanese sources, and many researchers doubt its authenticity.<ref name="bookasahi13511511">{{cite web| url = https://book.asahi.com/article/13511511| title =本能寺の変、キリシタンの史料から探る 新書「キリシタン教会と本能寺の変」| last = Hashiba| first = Akira| author-link =| date = 11 July 2020 | orig-date = | editor-last = | editor-first = | website = Kosho Kojitsu | publisher = [[Asahi Shimbun]]| language = ja| trans-title = Honnoji Incident, Explored through Christian Historical Documents New Book "The Christian Church and the Honnoji Incident".| access-date = 7 August 2023}}</ref>

According to Luís Fróis's ''History of Japan'', Nobunaga attempted to deify himself in his later years by building Sōken-ji in part of Azuchi Castle and installing a stone called Bonsan as a deity to replace him. Frois, a Christian, attributes this to Nobunaga's arrogance which drove him to the madness of wanting to be worshipped on earth, and the Honnō-ji Incident was his punishment. 

Many researchers doubt the authenticity of Frois's description, as there is no mention of this in the Japanese sources. However, the existence of Bonsan itself is mentioned in ''Shinchō Kōki''. As for the reason for his self-deification, it is thought that it was to give legitimacy to those with Oda family blood to rule the country, with a view to establishing a hereditary shogunate after the unification of the country. Later, after their deaths, Hideyoshi and Ieyasu directed themselves to be worshipped as deities, with Hideyoshi being deified as Toyokuni daimyōjin and Ieyasu as Tōshō Daigongen. 

In Japan, there have been no small number of persons who have become gods since ancient times. However, they were deified by others after they died as human beings, whereas these three are very unique in that they willingly tried to become gods before they died.<ref name="bookasahi13511511"/><ref name="president70878">{{cite web| url = https://president.jp/articles/-/70878| title =なぜ信長､秀吉､家康の3人は神になろうとしたのか...｢天下人｣になった男たちが必ず直面する意外な困難| last = Kahara | first = Toshi | author-link =| date = 25 June 2023| orig-date = | editor-last = | editor-first = | website = Nikkei Business | publisher = [[Nikkei Business Publications]]| language = ja| trans-title = Why did Nobunaga, Hideyoshi and Ieyasu try to become gods... the unexpected difficulties that men who become 'heavenly rulers' always face.| access-date = 7 August 2023}}</ref><ref name="kadobun20200721">{{cite web| url = https://kadobun.jp/feature/readings/az2h7inhq60w.html | title =光秀謀反の動機が見えた! 日本史最大の謎、信長暗殺の真相に迫る。| last = Hashiba| first = Akira| author-link =| date = 21 July 2020 | orig-date = | editor-last = | editor-first = | website = Kadobun | publisher = [[KADOKAWA]]| language = ja| trans-title = The motive for Mitsuhide's rebellion is revealed! We will get to the bottom of the greatest mystery in Japanese history, the assassination of Nobunaga.| access-date = 7 August 2023}}</ref>