How was Oda Nobunaga, the first great unifier of Japan, able to rise to power so quickly, and have such a profound effect on 16th century Japan, and yet lose it even faster? To understand the question a complete understanding of Oda is required. One must understand his personality, tactics, luck, those around him(and how he interacted with them), and his overall brilliance that would allow him alone to rise to power over hundreds of other warlords and set the foundation for ending the civil war which had plagued Japan for a century.
Oda Nobunaga was born in the province of Owari, a small, centrally located providence roughly 90 miles west of Kyoto. His father, Oda Nobuhide while a Daimyo was not in charge of Owari province. According to George Sansom’s History of Japan, 1334-1615 “Nobunaga’s father was not the Deputy, but only an…show more content… Nobunaga, who despite being outnumbered 10 to 1, saw an opportunity to exploit his knowledge of the local land and stage an ambush on the unsuspecting Imagawa forces. The ambush, which focused on the detachment guarding Imagawa Yoshimoto, the enemy commander, was an immense success. By exploiting total surprise Nobunaga was able to not just achieve victory, but was able to kill Yoshimoto as well. The attack, now known as the Battle of Okehazama, destroyed the morale and leadership of the Imagawa army and lead to mass defection to the Oda cause. Furthermore the battle established Nobunaga as a formidable opponent and would be the first of many situations in which Nobunaga relied on the terrain for his advantage. Lastly, according to Sansom, what at the time seemed to be a minor feat, the defection of the Imagawa rear guard, would be of major importance to Nobunaga for years to come as it gained him the allegiance of Ieyasu Tokugawa, who would go on to be one of his most trusted generals and the eventual unifier of Japan.(pg.