NOBUNAGA BIRTHDAY PROJECT ① Nobunaga's Reputation

Inspired by the online event of Nagoya Omotenashi Bushotai dedicated to the birthday of Nobunaga past year, I decided to offer my own celebration this year, providing a new post dedicated to Nobu every week, starting today May 12 to June 23 😄 For this first post, I retrieved an interesting article from the guidebook of the taiga drama King of Zipangu dedicated to what people said about Nobunaga, and how these impressions from other people contributed to his modern "reputation".
I translated roughly the part about the "contemporaries of Nobunaga" and offered a commentary∼

Asakura Souteki

1474?∼1555. Warlord of the Sengoku era. Also known as Norikage.
The Asakura Souteki Waki (朝倉宗滴話記, "Record os Asakura Souteki's Conversations") is a written record of Souteki's life experiences in war. The following words were spoken when Nobunaga had just taken his firts steps towards the unification of Owari.

"If I died now, I would have nothing left to say. (...) But I wanted to live three more years. It is not that I regret my life. I wanted to see what would happen to Oda Kazusanosuke."

The Asakura clan was probably the worst of Nobunaga's enemies, and Souteki, the chief-retainer and assistant of the infamous Asakura Yoshikage, sure had a good eye for recognizing upcoming troubles.
This specific book, Asakura Souteki Waki, is said to be compiled by one of Soteki's vassals, Hagiwara Munetoshi. The exact date of its compilation is unknown, but it is thought to have been written around 1560s, after Souteki's death and before Munetoshi's.
Apparently this is not its original title, as it was called that as it became part of the ZokuZoku Gunsho Ruishuu (続々群書類従), compiled during the Taisho era.

Saito Dousan

1494∼1556. Warlord of the Sengoku Era. Also known as Toshimasa. Ruled over Mino.
In the Shinchoukoki (信長公記, "Chronicle of lord Nobunaga") are recorded his words after his first meeting with Nobunaga, who married his daughter.

"It's regrettable. Yamashiro's children will be hitching their horses to the pole of his gate."

Another popular quote that refers to the insight of Dousan towards his son-in-law, at first regarded as a fool, and later on recognized as a precious ally whose even his own sons were unworthy.
The Yamashiro in the sentence refers to "Yamashiro-no-kami", one of the titles that were granted to Dousan by the Imperial Court for his military feats.

Takeda Shingen

1521∼1573. Daimyo of the Sengoku era. Also known as Harunobu. Ruled over Kofu and Shinano.
These words can be found in the book of military strategy of the Takeda Clan, Kouyou Gunkan (甲陽軍鑑, Military Model of Kouyou), and are dated around the time when Nobunaga's son and Shingen's daughter were in a marriage agreement.

"The truth or untruth of a person can be known by their frequency in communication. (...) Nobunaga sends out messengers seven times a year towards Shingen, (...) which is a further indication of his trustfulness as a relative."

Ah∼ Nobutada/Matsu is probably my most longed Sengoku ship that I would go down with.
These words confirm what my impression was, that of a formidable alliance-- If it lasted the storm of suspicions and the interferences of other daimyo--

Hachisuka Koroku

1526∼1586. Warrior of the Azuchi Momoyama period. Also known as Masakatsu. Ruled over Awa.
In the document Bukou Yawa (武功夜話, Night Talks of Military Exploits), which has been handed down in the Maeno clan who served Hideyoshi, it is recorded that he didn't follow Nobunaga during his invasion of Mino, but instead joined under Hideyoshi.

"Oda Kazunosuke, a valourous general without equal on the sea route, to this day he doesn't know how many members of his clan he killed. He has the temperament of thunder and lightning."

I like the image of that "temperament of thunder and lightning" (雷電, raiden)-- It's a fitting image of someone who gets indiscriminately destructive without any warning... Definitely a stressing situation for a subordinate!

Araki Murashige

?∼1586. Warrior of the Azuchi Momoyama period.
From Bukou Yama we can read the words of someone who dared to rebel against Nobunaga.

"Nobunaga is en extremely suspicious man. (...) He abandons without any regret even his long date servants if they don't follow his will..."

Another testimony about the hard life as Nobunaga's subordinate. What is important to note here, is that Nobunaga didn't seem to care about the "seniority" of his subordinates when it came to judge their errors. As this is probably part of his "meritocratic" judgement, it could be a fatal flaw as it would demotivate his followers.

Luis Frois

1532∼1597. A missionary from Portugal.
In his Nihonshi (日本史, History of Japan) there are various impressions of Nobunaga.

"He was of medium height, with a slender build, short beard, a very pleasant voice, extremely fond of war, devoted to military training, full of honor and rigorous in justice. (...) He ate very little, he was very secretive in his decisions, extremely skilled in tactics, he was often very impetuos and agitated, but not always so."

To describe Nobunaga's body type, the Japanese writer used the expression "華奢", which is very evocative of something "luxurious like a flower". Wonder how it turned out to mean "slender" and "delicate"-- I couldn't find the original portuguese expression that Frois used in his account, but I find this description extremely fascinating.
Also, let's cancel the popular imagery of Nobu being fond of red wine and drinking it every now and then. It wouldn't be the case, apparently.

Ankokuji Ekei

?∼1600. Priest of the Azuchi Momoyama period.
He contributed to the conclusion of the peace agreement during Toyotomi's attack on Takamatsu Castle.
This is what he said in a letter sent nine years before the Honnoji Incident. The Kitsukawake Bunsho (吉川家文書, Kitsukawa Clan Documents) is an ancient record of the Kitsukawa clan, who served under the Mouri.

"Nobunaga should last for another five of three years. In the next year or so, it's likely that he will become a court noble or something similar, and that he will be killed by a high priest or an avenger."

Looks like it was common for people with a court title to die abruptly. What I find interesting of this "premonition" is that Ekei is completely off, as the killer of Nobunaga came out from his own ranks, not from an "enemy". This ties to the comments of Koroku and Murashige, that of a person who wasn't able to give a sense of "tranquillity" to his subordinates-- But it was true that Nobunaga himself looked quite far from the "tranquil" type, given his background...

Oota Gyuichi

1527∼?. Warrior of the Azuchi Momoyama period. Served under Nobunaga and Hideyoshi.
His book Shinchokoki includes various impressions of Nobunaga.

"As a youngster, he tied up his hair with a coloured string, and he was used to wear large, unkept clothes. (...) Everyone called him a big idiot."

One of the description of Nobunaga that his supporters are more fond of is probably that of Nobunaga's younger days. Everyone likes the imagery of a hooligan turning into one of the founders of Japan.