'Oda Nobunaga in Flames at Honno-ji Temple' by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, 1876. From the series 'A Mirror Of Famous Generals Of Japan'. This image is also available on:
The 'Warring States' period of Japan is one of the most well-known parts of Japanese history, and is in many ways the archetype for the popular image of pre-modern Japan. After the gradual weakening of the Ashikaga Shogunate's authority in the late 15th century, Japan descended into a 148 year-long period of civil war, where daimyo (the most powerful lords, roughly equivalent to a European Duke) schemed to replace the Ashikaga in between carrying on incessant feuds with their neighbors. It was the heyday of the samurai, as never before had there been such a demand for the services of the warrior class. But it was also the end of the samurai, in a sense. In the mid-16th century Europeans arrived in Japan, bringing firearms, and one man would capitalize on this to bring Japan closer to reunification than it had been in a century: Oda Nobunaga. Ruler of a small realm in central Japan, constantly under pressure from powerful neighbors, Nobunaga moved away from the traditional, 'honorable', style of combat in favor of massed ranks of arquebusiers and European-style pike blocks, recruiting heavily from the peasantry and drilling them to act as a formation rather than to seek out one-on-one duels. Using these new tactics, Nobunaga conquered most of Japan, and finally formally dissolved the Ashikaga Shogunate. Oda Nobunaga's position as the next Shogun seemed assured.
Then, on the brink of total victory, Nobunaga was betrayed by one of his own generals. The reason for Akechi Mitsuhide's treachery is still hotly debated, and explanations range from simple ambition, to personal grudge, to moral outrage at Nobunaga's disrespect for the Emperor (a powerless figurehead under the control of the Shoguns, but still revered), and half a dozen other theories besides. Whatever the reason, in 1582 Mitsuhide struck: on his way to yet another campaign, Nobunaga stopped at the Honno-ji temple in Kyoto to conduct a tea ceremony. Although there were two thousand Oda samurai outside the city, Nobunaga only took thirty retainers and a handful of the Kyoto garrison to the temple itself. Seeing his opportunity, Mitsuhide moved his own 13,000-strong force to surround the temple, and attacked. The Oda retainers resisted bravely but Nobunaga quickly realized that the odds were overwhelming. He ordered the Honno-ji temple to be set aflame, to deny Mitsuhide the satisfaction of capturing his body, and retreated to the inner sanctum to commit seppuku.
If Mitsuhide's motive had been to advance his own career, Nobunaga's assassination backfired on him: he was defeated by Nobunaga's most loyal general, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Mitsuhide's story ended on a backwoods track, killed by common bandits while fleeing Hideyoshi's forces. Hideyoshi then went on to complete his master's reunification project, although the last rebellions wouldn't finally die down until 1615, after Hideyoshi's premature death and the rise of the Nobunaga's other famous general, Tokugawa Ieyasu. The Tokugawa Shoguns banned firearms and Europeans from the country, but their attempt to roll back the clock was only partially successful. Peace, founded on Nobunaga's conquests, did what all of his military innovations could not: it made the samurai redundant. Although the samurai retained their privileged status until the fall of the Tokugawa in the 1860s, their role in warfare was over, and despite self-consciously continuing their martial training and traditions many samurai families were forced to find roles as bureaucrats, scholars and merchants for their day-to-day living.
Product Details:
Classic unisex pullover hoodie with pouch, printed on front, available in five different colors.
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Average Delivery Time: 4 - 5 working days
Available colors: black, white, gray, blue, navy blue
- Air jet yarn gives softer feel and reduced pilling
- Double-lined hood with color-matched drawcord
- Tear away label
- Double-needle stitching at shoulder, armhole, neck, waistband and cuffs
- Pouch pocket
- 1 x 1 rib with spandex
- Quarter-turned to eliminate centre crease
Size guide
| S | M | L | XL | 2XL | 3XL | |
| Length (inches) | 27.17 | 27.95 | 29.13 | 29.92 | 31.10 | 31.89 |
| B) Half Chest (inches) | 20.08 | 22.05 | 24.02 | 25.98 | 27.95 | 29.92 |
| Sleeve Length (inches) | 33.50 | 34.50 | 35.50 | 36.50 | 37.50 | 38.50 |
| S | M | L | XL | 2XL | 3XL | |
| Length (cm) | 69.00 | 71.00 | 74.00 | 76.00 | 79.00 | 81.00 |
| B) Half Chest (cm) | 51.00 | 56.00 | 61.00 | 66.00 | 71.00 | 76.00 |
| Sleeve Length (cm) | 85.09 | 87.63 | 90.17 | 92.71 | 95.25 | 97.80 |
Care instructions
| Wash | Machine, warm, inside out, like colors |
| Tumble Dry | Low |
| Bleach | Only non-chlorine |
| Dry Clean | Do not dry clean |
| Iron | Do not iron |