WikiTap

Akechi Mitsuhide

, nicknamed Jūbei or Koretō Hyūga no Kami, was a samurai who lived during the Sengoku period of Feudal Japan. Mitsuhide was a samurai and a general under daimyo Oda Nobunaga, although he later betrayed Nobunaga and caused him to commit seppuku. Born in Mino province--now Gifu prefecture--as a descendant of the shugo Toki clan, Mitsuhide began serving Nobunaga after the latter's conquest of Mino province in 1566 and received Sakamoto (in Omi, 100,000 koku) in 1571. Although Nobunaga rarely put too much trust in his retainers, he particularly trusted Katsuie Shibata, Hideyoshi Hashiba, and Mitsuhide Akechi. After Mitsuhide received Sakamoto he moved to pacify the Tamba region by defeating several clans such as the Isshiki of Tango. In 1579 he captured Yakami Castle from Hatano Hideharu by promising Hideharu peace terms. This accomplished Mitsuhide's goal, although Nobunaga betrayed the peace agreement and had Hideharu executed. This displeased the Hatano family, and a short while later several of Hideharu's retainers murdered Akechi Mitsuhide's mother. The situation was fueled through several public insults Nobunaga had directed at Mitsuhide that even drew the attention of some Western observers. Mitsuhide blamed Nobunaga for his mother's death and at the Incident at Honnōji on June 21, 1582 (Japanese: 6th month 2nd day) exacted his revenge. He has been credited with killing Oda Nobunaga; while Mitsuhide did not execute Nobunaga personally, he did force him to commit seppuku for his betrayal and subsequent murder of Mitsuhide's mother . When they found out about the assassination, both Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu rushed to be the first to avenge Nobunaga and take his place. Hideyoshi got to Mitsuhide first, and Mitsuhide's allies such as Hosokawa Fujitaka, who was related to Mitsuhide through a marriage, betrayed him. Mitsuhide survived for 14 days until he was defeated by Hideyoshi at the Battle of Yamazaki. Mitsuhide is rumored to have been killed by a peasant warrior with a bamboo spear by the name of Nakamura; however, there were also rumors that he was not killed, but rather started a new life as a priest called Tenkai. The Akechi family was able to trace their heritage to the Toki and from there to the Minamoto. It is noted that Minamoto Yoritomo brought the destruction of the Taira clan the same way Mitsuhide brought an end to Nobunaga. The sword of Mitsuhide has Tensho style, in fact, the Tensho Koshirae Iaito was first designed to be a replica of Akechi Mitsuhide's own sword. (more)

Type: person

Genres: politics

Related Videos


Related Wiki Articles

  • Incident at Honnō-ji: The Incident at Honnō-ji refers to the forced suicide in June 211582 of Japanese daimyo Oda Nobunaga at the hands of his samurai general Akechi Mitsuhide. This occurred in Honnō-ji, a temple in Kyoto, ending Nobunaga's quest to consolidate centralize
  • Nakamura (bandit): Nakamura was a bandit peasant during the 16th century Azuchi-Momoyama period in Japan. He was the leader of a gang of bandits that were stationed at a minor village called Ogurusu, which was near the area of battle during the Battle of Yamazaki of 15
  • Hatano Hideharu: Hatano Hideharu (波多野 秀治 Hatano Hideharu, 1541-June 25, 1579) is the eldest son of Hatano Harumichi and the head of Hatano clan. He was a son of Harumichi but for some unknown reason, he was adopted as a son by Hatano Motohide. Hatano clan had, from H
  • Tokugawa Ieyasu: Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated
  • Toyotomi Hideyoshi: Toyotomi Hideyoshi was a Sengoku period daimyo who unified Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, after Hideyoshi's castle. He is
  • Oda Nobunaga: Oda Nobunaga (June 23, 1534-June 21, 1582) was a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. He was the second son of Oda Nobuhide, a deputy shugo (military governor) with land holdings in Owari province. Oda Nobunaga. Samurai Wiki.
  • Hosokawa Gracia: Hosokawa Tama she appears to have had a good cooperation with Christians in the Red Cross and otherwise. Empress Shoken was a descendant of the Fujiwara clan and through Garcia Hosokawa of the of the Minamoto clan.
  • Akechi Mitsuharu: a retainer beneath the clan of Akechi during the Azuchi-Momoyama period of Feudal Japan. Mitsuharu was also known and referred to as "Mitsutoshi," and was the cousin of the famed Akechi Mitsuhide. Mitsuharu assisted his cousin following the Incident
  • Akechi Mitsuyoshi: Akechi Mitsuyoshi (1569-1582) Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period. He was an eldest son of Akechi Mitsuhide. He was defeated at Battle of Yamazaki by Nakagawa Kiyohide and Dom Justo Takayama, and committed suicide.
  • Akechi Hidemitsu: Akechi Hidemitsu (1536?-1582) Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period. A senior retainer of Oda Nobunaga's vassal Akechi Mitsuhide, he served Mitsuhide until the latter's death in 1582 at the hands of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.



vtap logo Have you tried vTap yet? See everything, miss nothing!
Corporate Home Corporate Home News FAQ About Contact Forums