Oda Nobunaga – Japan’s Greatest Warlord Pt. 1

Oda Nobunaga – Japan’s Greatest Warlord Pt. 1

Some men need no introduction. In Japan’s case, no one man needs less of an introduction than Oda Nobunaga. I’m willing to bet more Japanese people know his name than the full name of the current prime minister. Undoubtedly the most famous samurai of all time, he ranks in the top three of virtually every samurai ranking that has been conducted in the modern age….

Ōsaka castle

Japanese history overview Pt. 7: The Azuchi-Momoyama era Pt. 2

Welcome to part 2 of this overview of the Azuchi-Momoyama era. I really thought I’d be able to sum up this thirty-year period of Japanese history in one short article. How naïve I was. It turns out even two decently-lengthed articles isn’t enough to write half of what I want to say! Not to worry though; I plan on going into much greater detail on…

Japanese history overview Pt. 6: The Azuchi-Momoyama era Pt. 1

Japanese history overview Pt. 6: The Azuchi-Momoyama era Pt. 1

We’ve reached the 6th part of this overview of Japanese history. This part covers the Azuchi-Momoyama era, and that means the rise of Oda Nobunaga, the most powerful and, arguably, influential samurai of all time. When it comes to samurai, people tend to have a very specific image: lavish kabuto helmet decorated with gold ornaments, demonic masks, plated armour and long tachi swords. This is…