Konnichiwa Kulern-san!
We usually learn about historical figures through entertainment works such as anime, manga, games, TV dramas, movies, and novels.
However, almost all of these entertainment works have been altered to resonate with modern audiences and do not accurately portray history.
In Nobunaga's case, he is often depicted as someone who hated religion because he challenged religious organizations, but this is a major misconception.
For example, Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Church because he criticized it. But he didn't hate the church itself. He simply hated its corruption.
Nobunaga, too, only hated the corruption within religious organizations; he didn't try to destroy religious organizations themselves.
Nobunaga is often depicted as a figure who massacred defenseless monks and civilians, but this is also a misconception.
First, the medieval period in which Nobunaga lived was a time when there was no distinction between soldiers and farmers. Therefore, the majority of soldiers at that time were conscripted farmers.
Nobunaga led farmers into battle, and religious groups opposed to him also led farmers into battle. In other words, there were no innocent civilians in this era.
Moreover, monks commanding farmers would wear armor, wield spears, and shout, "Kill the enemy, and the gates of heaven will open!" Anyone who takes up arms on the battlefield deserves to be killed, even if they are a clergyman.
In Japan at that time, religious organizations were also powerful forces of resistance. To keep these established privileged classes in check, Nobunaga favored Christianity, a new religion. Nobunaga's favorable treatment of Christianity was not because he was influenced by Christian teachings. In this sense, the idea that Nobunaga viewed Christianity as a tool is correct.
It's often mistakenly believed that Japan's
Sengoku period (Warring States period) was solely a time of
samurai battles, but more accurately, it was also a struggle for survival among farmers.
It is said that many local lords fought to expand their territories out of ambition, but not a single lord fought with the intention of unifying Japan in the first place.
Recent research suggests that even
Oda Nobunaga, who came so close to unifying Japan, was fighting to protect his own territory.
Famined farmers unite under local lords and attack other regions. Or they unite under religious groups and attack other regions. That is the essence of the Sengoku period (Warring States period).
Of course, a story about samurai striving to unify Japan is more interesting than a story about farmers who attack a neighboring village because they can't afford food. That's why true Japanese history is rarely depicted in entertainment works.
NANGI