Oda Clan - History - Nobunaga's Reign

Nobunaga's Reign

Nobuhide took Nagoya Castle in 1525 (it was given to Nobunaga in 1542), and built Furuwatari Castle. Oda Nobutomo held Kiyosu Castle, but he was besieged and killed in 1555 by his nephew Oda Nobunaga who operated from Nagoya Castle. This led to the family being divided into several branches, until the branch led by Oda Nobunaga eclipsed the others and unified its control over Owari.

Then turning to neighboring rivals, it one by one achieved dominance over the Imagawa, Takeda, Azai, Asakura and other clans, until Nobunaga held control over central Japan. However, Nobunaga's plans for national domination were thwarted when he fell victim to the treachery of his vassal Akechi Mitsuhide who killed him at the Incident at Honnō-ji in the summer of 1582. The Oda remained titular overlords of central Japan for a short time, before being eclipsed by the family of one of Nobunaga's chief generals, Hashiba Hideyoshi.