织田信长

Oda Nobunaga (織田 信長, Oda Nobunaga, listen; 23 June 1534 – 21 June 1582) was a Japanese daimyō and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan.

Nobunaga was head of the powerful Oda clan of Owari Province and launched a war against other samurai to unify Japan in the 1560s. Nobunaga emerged as the most powerful daimyō in Japan, overthrowing the nominally ruling shōgun Ashikaga Yoshiaki and dissolved the Ashikaga Shogunate in 1573, conquering most of Honshu and defeating the Ikkō-ikki rebels by the 1580s. Nobunaga's rule was noted for innovative military tactics, fostering free trade, reform of Japan's civil government, and encouraging the start of the Momoyama historical art period, but also the brutal suppression of opponents, eliminating those who refused to cooperate or yield to his demands. Nobunaga was killed in the Honno-ji Incident in 1582 when his retainer Akechi Mitsuhide ambushed him in Kyoto and compelled him to commit forced suicide. Nobunaga was succeeded by Toyotomi Hideyoshi who completed his war of unification shortly afterwards.

Nobunaga was an influential figure in Japanese history and is regarded as one of three great unifiers along with his retainers Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Nobunaga initiated the Azuchi-Momoyama period of Japan partially named after his castle, Azuchi Castle, which led to the end of the Sengoku period and eventual transition to the Edo period.