Today in History

It was on this day in 1582 that Lord Oda Nobunaga was forced to take his own life by a traitorous subordinate, Akechi Mitsuhide. Most remember Nobunaga as the man who reunited by conquest 1/3 of Japan, building the foundation for the later work of Hideyoshi and Tokugawa. He was a ruthless, brilliant warrior who was instrumental in making Japan a united, powerful nation. He was also open to innovation, made use of western weapons, even wore western clothes at times and was a protector and patron of some of the first Christians in Japan, the Jesuit Catholic missionaries. He even helped them establish the first Christian church in Kyoto even though he was not a religious man. After his death, his servant Toyotomi Hideyoshi took revenge for his fallen master, defeated his enemies and reunited Japan, building on the long years of work and warfare of Lord Oda Nobunaga.