1 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:23,419 [warriors clamoring] 2 00:00:25,463 --> 00:00:27,214 [screams in agony] 3 00:00:30,551 --> 00:00:31,844 [grunts] 4 00:00:32,595 --> 00:00:33,846 [screams in agony] 5 00:00:38,017 --> 00:00:40,436 [opening theme plays] 6 00:00:51,947 --> 00:00:55,826 [narrator] 1551. Japan is in chaos. 7 00:00:56,994 --> 00:01:01,123 After centuries of rule, the central government has lost control... 8 00:01:02,500 --> 00:01:06,545 and the nation has been plunged into a brutal civil war. 9 00:01:08,714 --> 00:01:12,760 Anarchy reigns as heavily armed warlords called daimyo 10 00:01:12,843 --> 00:01:15,096 fight for power and territory. 11 00:01:17,139 --> 00:01:19,100 In the small province of Owari, 12 00:01:19,183 --> 00:01:22,186 in an unremarkable clan known as the Oda, 13 00:01:22,269 --> 00:01:26,524 one unlikely samurai is about to launch a blood-soaked campaign 14 00:01:26,607 --> 00:01:28,734 that will put thousands to the sword 15 00:01:28,818 --> 00:01:33,197 and set the course of Japanese history for the next 300 years. 16 00:02:00,307 --> 00:02:01,976 [monk chanting] 17 00:02:11,402 --> 00:02:17,116 The big event in 1551 for the Oda family was the death of the great Oda Nobuhide. 18 00:02:17,199 --> 00:02:19,368 [monk continues chanting] 19 00:02:24,165 --> 00:02:28,711 [in Japanese] When Nobuhide passed away, 20 00:02:28,794 --> 00:02:31,922 the Oda family came apart at once. 21 00:02:35,759 --> 00:02:38,971 You will never lead this clan! 22 00:02:43,893 --> 00:02:47,980 [in English] Death, a lord's passing,  was the ultimate moment of crisis 23 00:02:48,063 --> 00:02:51,108 in any domain, in any clan. 24 00:02:51,775 --> 00:02:53,777 [monk continues chanting] 25 00:02:59,116 --> 00:03:01,827 [Spafford] We tend to think of a clan as a family, 26 00:03:01,911 --> 00:03:04,246 but it's not a family the way we understand it. 27 00:03:04,330 --> 00:03:06,415 It has a central core of kin, 28 00:03:06,498 --> 00:03:10,628 brothers who may all be vying for a position, but also, 29 00:03:10,711 --> 00:03:13,255 it has the housemen, the retainers, 30 00:03:13,339 --> 00:03:16,467 the in-laws. And so, you have factions. 31 00:03:18,427 --> 00:03:22,014 And it's the moment in which the factions test their force. 32 00:03:23,599 --> 00:03:27,186 [Auslin] Another problem for the Oda clan is they were relatively small, 33 00:03:27,269 --> 00:03:29,939 and they were surrounded by much larger clans. 34 00:03:33,108 --> 00:03:35,611 So they had to be much more strategically oriented 35 00:03:35,694 --> 00:03:38,697 and think much more carefully  about how they would survive 36 00:03:38,781 --> 00:03:41,617 if they were small fish positioned between whales. 37 00:03:55,589 --> 00:03:58,968 [Turnbull] Because the Oda family was in a very dangerous situation, 38 00:03:59,051 --> 00:04:02,179 Oda Nobuhide surprised a lot of his family 39 00:04:02,263 --> 00:04:07,017 by choosing as his heir  his eldest son, Oda Nobunaga... 40 00:04:10,604 --> 00:04:13,941 who, for various reasons, was not very popular. 41 00:04:14,024 --> 00:04:17,987 There was grave dissension among the brothers and cousins of Nobunaga, 42 00:04:18,070 --> 00:04:19,947 and there were rather a lot of them. 43 00:04:20,030 --> 00:04:24,827 They all thought that they would do a better job than young Nobunaga. 44 00:04:44,888 --> 00:04:48,350 [in English] Nobunaga's behavior at his father's funeral added 45 00:04:48,434 --> 00:04:51,979 to the contempt that many of his relatives already had for him, 46 00:04:52,062 --> 00:04:55,733 because instead of adopting a suitably mournful attitude, 47 00:04:55,816 --> 00:05:00,321 he took a handful of incense and threw it onto the altar. 48 00:05:00,404 --> 00:05:01,488 [bowl clatters] 49 00:05:02,323 --> 00:05:03,490 [in Japanese] You fool! 50 00:05:03,574 --> 00:05:05,159 -[grunts] -[Nobunaga growls] 51 00:05:10,706 --> 00:05:14,293 [Turnbull] Nobunaga was known for his ability to fly into a temper. 52 00:05:17,463 --> 00:05:20,132 He was a very badly behaved, delinquent sort of guy. 53 00:05:22,343 --> 00:05:23,594 [gasps] 54 00:05:26,096 --> 00:05:29,058 And so a lot of people, both within the Oda clan 55 00:05:29,141 --> 00:05:32,811 and in those daimyo families that are allied with the Oda clan, 56 00:05:32,895 --> 00:05:34,897 they see him as a fool. 57 00:05:48,786 --> 00:05:49,995 [man] Brother, please! 58 00:05:50,412 --> 00:05:51,747 [yells out] 59 00:05:58,754 --> 00:06:02,591 [in English] In Japan, ceremony is the most important thing. 60 00:06:03,384 --> 00:06:06,637 And these clan members, they love doing things the old way. 61 00:06:08,055 --> 00:06:10,307 He completely discards tradition. 62 00:06:19,024 --> 00:06:22,194 Nobunaga's behavior caused so much concern 63 00:06:22,277 --> 00:06:24,822 to those that he was now destined to lead, 64 00:06:24,905 --> 00:06:28,951 that one of them took the most dramatic action possible. 65 00:06:33,956 --> 00:06:36,166 His name was Hirate Masahide, 66 00:06:36,250 --> 00:06:39,837 and he was destined to be the new heir's chief councilor. 67 00:07:03,402 --> 00:07:07,322 He was so appalled by Nobunaga's behavior and so shamed by the behavior, 68 00:07:07,406 --> 00:07:09,783 that in protest, he committed seppuku. 69 00:07:09,867 --> 00:07:11,952 In other words, he slit his belly open. 70 00:07:15,539 --> 00:07:17,791 It's a form of ritual disembowelment. 71 00:07:19,460 --> 00:07:23,172 There were some cases in which people were said to rip their belly open 72 00:07:23,255 --> 00:07:24,506 and pull their guts out. 73 00:07:27,176 --> 00:07:29,887 It was one way of retaining control over one's death. 74 00:07:31,763 --> 00:07:33,223 But it could also be, 75 00:07:33,307 --> 00:07:36,393 in some cases, a way to stage a protest. 76 00:07:36,477 --> 00:07:41,857 It could be a way to shock a peer into doing something. 77 00:07:42,774 --> 00:07:43,609 [thuds] 78 00:07:47,863 --> 00:07:52,159 [Wert] Masahide might have been signaling  to other people in the Oda clan, "Look, 79 00:07:52,242 --> 00:07:56,747 if you think that Nobunaga is such a fool and uncouth, 80 00:07:56,830 --> 00:07:58,415 and you respect me, 81 00:07:58,499 --> 00:08:01,668 my suicide should be a sign that perhaps 82 00:08:01,752 --> 00:08:05,088 Nobunaga really wasn't the guy that you wanted to support." 83 00:08:11,887 --> 00:08:15,599 [Darren Ashmore] From day one, Nobunaga's life was in jeopardy. 84 00:08:18,477 --> 00:08:23,398 He recognized that he was a man alone in dangerous territory. 85 00:08:24,191 --> 00:08:26,151 Familial territory, at that. 86 00:08:27,986 --> 00:08:32,783 [woman] In the Sengoku period, murder in the family was extremely common. 87 00:08:32,866 --> 00:08:34,785 Fathers killed their sons. 88 00:08:34,868 --> 00:08:37,913 Sons killed their fathers. Brothers killed each other. 89 00:08:39,373 --> 00:08:41,542 And this is all to seize power. 90 00:09:00,477 --> 00:09:03,522 [Downer] There were suspicions that his wife, Nōhime, 91 00:09:03,605 --> 00:09:05,023 was plotting against him... 92 00:09:08,026 --> 00:09:12,364 because she was the daughter of his deadly enemy, Saitō Dōsan, 93 00:09:12,447 --> 00:09:15,450 who was The Viper of Mino. She was The Viper's Daughter. 94 00:09:17,661 --> 00:09:20,872 They were married as a way of making peace between the two clans, 95 00:09:20,956 --> 00:09:22,958 so there were suspicions 96 00:09:23,041 --> 00:09:27,713 that she might have been put in place in order to spy on him... 97 00:09:29,256 --> 00:09:32,759 in order, perhaps, to even kill him if it were necessary. 98 00:09:35,554 --> 00:09:39,474 And this was one of the great dangers of this kind of marriage alliance, 99 00:09:39,558 --> 00:09:42,894 that you have in your very bed, the daughter of your worst enemy. 100 00:09:48,483 --> 00:09:50,944 She could have maybe killed him by poison. 101 00:09:56,658 --> 00:09:59,369 [man speaks Japanese] If he dies, it is good for us. 102 00:10:00,829 --> 00:10:01,997 He is selfish. 103 00:10:02,080 --> 00:10:03,749 He thinks only of himself. 104 00:10:07,377 --> 00:10:10,005 [Downer] There were suspicions she was conspiring 105 00:10:10,088 --> 00:10:12,633 with his younger brother, Nobuyuki. 106 00:10:14,801 --> 00:10:17,554 Nobuyuki was quite admired in the family, 107 00:10:17,638 --> 00:10:21,975 being of a sober disposition in great contrast to Nobunaga. 108 00:10:24,770 --> 00:10:27,356 [Ashmore] He was the good son,  if you will. 109 00:10:27,439 --> 00:10:31,985 The one who had maintained dignity throughout his father's life. 110 00:10:37,949 --> 00:10:41,578 Fortunately for Nobunaga, one of his most loyal retainers 111 00:10:41,662 --> 00:10:45,582 tipped him off that Nobuyuki was planning a coup. 112 00:10:55,300 --> 00:10:57,719 [in Japanese] Please forgive me! 113 00:11:04,434 --> 00:11:05,352 Older brother... 114 00:11:13,777 --> 00:11:16,446 You are no brother of mine. 115 00:11:21,576 --> 00:11:22,577 [grunts] 116 00:11:26,665 --> 00:11:31,378 [Ashmore speaking English] This displays  an aspect of his character which is... 117 00:11:31,461 --> 00:11:33,797 profoundly brutal. 118 00:11:35,006 --> 00:11:37,467 Rooted in a desire to survive, 119 00:11:38,218 --> 00:11:41,263 rooted in a desire to succeed, 120 00:11:41,346 --> 00:11:45,225 this was Nobunaga's way of announcing 121 00:11:45,308 --> 00:11:49,354 that he would take all or die in the process. 122 00:11:49,438 --> 00:11:51,982 The defeat of this individual 123 00:11:52,065 --> 00:11:55,193 marked Nobunaga as a force to be reckoned with. 124 00:12:01,366 --> 00:12:05,203 With the elimination of the threats in his immediate family, 125 00:12:05,287 --> 00:12:09,624 Nobunaga turns his attention to the last and largest remaining threat, 126 00:12:09,708 --> 00:12:11,918 uh, for his control over Owari Province... 127 00:12:13,295 --> 00:12:15,714 who is his cousin Nobukata. 128 00:12:16,923 --> 00:12:18,925 [men marching] 129 00:12:20,385 --> 00:12:22,804 Nobukata controls Northern Owari. 130 00:12:22,888 --> 00:12:25,307 [warriors clamoring] 131 00:12:28,018 --> 00:12:30,312 He's got 3,000 men at his command. 132 00:12:30,812 --> 00:12:32,606 [screams in pain] 133 00:12:32,856 --> 00:12:34,816 [Lange] Nobukata is a fierce opponent. 134 00:12:36,318 --> 00:12:39,571 So, at this point we've got two up-and-coming warriors. 135 00:12:40,906 --> 00:12:44,826 Competition between them was essentially inevitable, 136 00:12:44,910 --> 00:12:49,247 as each owned approximately half of Owari Province at this time 137 00:12:49,331 --> 00:12:50,916 and wanted to expand. 138 00:12:50,999 --> 00:12:54,085 They were not only competing over the land and the territory, 139 00:12:54,169 --> 00:12:57,255 but competing over who was the head of the Oda household. 140 00:12:57,339 --> 00:13:02,928 And to this end, I think Nobunaga was looking for one decisive battle 141 00:13:03,011 --> 00:13:06,223 that would either make him or break him. 142 00:13:10,602 --> 00:13:14,815 In order for Oda Nobunaga to fight a war, he needed an army filled with samurai. 143 00:13:22,614 --> 00:13:25,867 [Turnbull] Eight hundred years before Nobunaga was active, 144 00:13:25,951 --> 00:13:29,538 no one wanted to be called a samurai because it meant "a servant." 145 00:13:34,751 --> 00:13:36,461 [screams in pain] 146 00:13:37,254 --> 00:13:40,674 But gradually it acquired the meaning that we now understand 147 00:13:40,757 --> 00:13:45,387 of the man who was equivalent to the mounted knights of old Japan. 148 00:13:52,602 --> 00:13:58,525 [in Japanese] Eventually "samurai" took on the meaning of "bushi," warrior class. 149 00:14:05,824 --> 00:14:06,741 [blade slices] 150 00:14:09,119 --> 00:14:12,998 [in English] Of course, the samurai's most iconic weapon was the katana, 151 00:14:13,081 --> 00:14:14,416 the Japanese sword. 152 00:14:17,127 --> 00:14:21,548 Widely regarded as probably the finest sword ever made in world history, 153 00:14:23,466 --> 00:14:27,470 it had a very sharp, resilient blade, which was curved. 154 00:14:31,266 --> 00:14:35,186 It enabled a samurai to deliver a devastating stroke from the scabbard. 155 00:14:35,270 --> 00:14:38,982 And also gave a mounted samurai a huge advantage, 156 00:14:39,065 --> 00:14:43,028 because any stroke aimed downwards at an attacking foot soldier... 157 00:14:45,739 --> 00:14:49,826 would slice into him with all the momentum of the horse going forward. 158 00:14:51,369 --> 00:14:54,331 [Auslin] These are amazing athletic warriors. 159 00:14:54,414 --> 00:14:58,209 They have known nothing but battle for a century. 160 00:14:58,293 --> 00:14:59,669 They are born into it. 161 00:15:04,299 --> 00:15:07,802 These are probably the greatest warriors history has ever known. 162 00:15:10,055 --> 00:15:11,306 [groans in pain] 163 00:15:19,689 --> 00:15:24,986 [Ashmore] Nobunaga still held to ancient traditions of the samurai. 164 00:15:27,489 --> 00:15:31,993 But he realized that warfare in Japan was moving away from the old style. 165 00:15:33,995 --> 00:15:37,874 Instead, warfare was becoming industrial. You needed a large army. 166 00:15:41,503 --> 00:15:45,048 You can think of Oda Nobunaga as the Alexander the Great of Japan. 167 00:15:45,131 --> 00:15:48,218 He's probably the most innovative military leader of the time 168 00:15:48,301 --> 00:15:53,306 because he was incredibly open to all sorts of new ideas. 169 00:15:54,808 --> 00:15:57,102 [Spafford] Until the time of Nobunaga, 170 00:15:57,185 --> 00:16:01,606 armies and battles had been fairly small affairs. 171 00:16:01,690 --> 00:16:03,942 As the armies grow larger 172 00:16:04,025 --> 00:16:07,278 under the pressure of surviving against your rivals, 173 00:16:07,362 --> 00:16:11,908 Nobunaga started trying to recruit more and more commoners. 174 00:16:11,992 --> 00:16:13,660 They were known as ashigaru. 175 00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:17,580 [Auslin] Those were peasants conscripted to fight. 176 00:16:17,664 --> 00:16:18,873 They were foot soldiers. 177 00:16:19,457 --> 00:16:23,336 These are people who have lived under the heel of the samurai 178 00:16:23,420 --> 00:16:25,964 for the better part of 400 years. 179 00:16:26,047 --> 00:16:27,465 They were the chattel, 180 00:16:27,549 --> 00:16:30,010 they were the slaves of great lords, 181 00:16:30,093 --> 00:16:33,930 who spent them as people might spend pocket change. 182 00:16:43,398 --> 00:16:47,193 But there is a very great difference between Nobunaga's ashigaru, 183 00:16:47,277 --> 00:16:49,988 compared to the traditional ashigaru, 184 00:16:50,071 --> 00:16:52,323 who's little more than a peasant with a stick. 185 00:16:53,158 --> 00:16:57,412 Nobunaga would equip them properly and train them. 186 00:16:58,747 --> 00:17:02,292 He recognized that with a little loyalty, 187 00:17:02,375 --> 00:17:06,171 they become so effective and so dangerous. 188 00:17:06,254 --> 00:17:07,088 [grunting] 189 00:17:07,172 --> 00:17:10,467 [Ashmore] These troops were worth more than any number of samurai. 190 00:17:11,634 --> 00:17:15,597 They go from... a rabble to an army. 191 00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:17,223 [grunts, yells] 192 00:17:18,516 --> 00:17:22,645 [narrator] 1558, a year  after killing his brother, 193 00:17:22,729 --> 00:17:27,358 and joined by his new army of roughly 3,000 mostly peasant soldiers, 194 00:17:28,401 --> 00:17:31,654 Nobunaga leaves his stronghold in Southern Owari 195 00:17:31,738 --> 00:17:34,866 and marches north to engage his rival, Nobukata. 196 00:17:37,285 --> 00:17:38,411 In response, 197 00:17:38,495 --> 00:17:43,333 Nobukata calls on his own force of 3,000 battle-hardened samurai 198 00:17:43,416 --> 00:17:45,919 to intercept and destroy the invaders. 199 00:17:47,253 --> 00:17:50,882 Nobunaga has little experience with battlefield command 200 00:17:50,965 --> 00:17:53,676 and he faces overwhelming odds, 201 00:17:53,760 --> 00:17:55,261 but he has one advantage, 202 00:17:55,804 --> 00:17:57,722 a gift from the outside world 203 00:17:57,806 --> 00:18:01,184 that will forever change the face of Japanese warfare. 204 00:18:14,864 --> 00:18:19,202 In 1543, a Portuguese ship coming from Macau 205 00:18:19,285 --> 00:18:21,496 was blown off course in a storm 206 00:18:21,579 --> 00:18:24,916 and shipwrecked on the little island of Tanegashima, 207 00:18:24,999 --> 00:18:27,043 off the southern coast of Japan. 208 00:18:27,127 --> 00:18:30,588 Presumably, it was trying to reach, uh, the Chinese mainland. 209 00:18:30,672 --> 00:18:34,968 And, as is often the case in Japanese history, something happened by mistake. 210 00:18:35,051 --> 00:18:37,554 Somebody who didn't mean to come to Japan  ended up in Japan. 211 00:18:44,435 --> 00:18:47,689 And they have this weapon, the arquebus. 212 00:18:54,612 --> 00:18:57,073 [Benesch] For many daimyo, adopting firearms 213 00:18:57,157 --> 00:18:59,951 did not seem to necessarily bring immediate benefits. 214 00:19:02,495 --> 00:19:06,541 They were quite slow to load, they were noisy, they were smelly, 215 00:19:06,624 --> 00:19:09,460 and if it rained, then they might not function. 216 00:19:09,544 --> 00:19:13,298 So, there was a lot of hesitation on the part of daimyo 217 00:19:13,381 --> 00:19:15,091 to fully adopt the arquebus... 218 00:19:16,759 --> 00:19:18,845 but Oda Nobunaga is less concerned. 219 00:19:20,722 --> 00:19:22,098 He's from a smaller domain, 220 00:19:22,182 --> 00:19:25,101 so he knew that he had to take any advantage he could 221 00:19:25,185 --> 00:19:27,437 in order to defeat larger enemies. 222 00:19:27,520 --> 00:19:31,024 So, he was much more willing to introduce the arquebus early on. 223 00:19:31,608 --> 00:19:35,069 [Garrett] He's one of the first to recognize their military potential, 224 00:19:35,153 --> 00:19:38,990 and he was able to finance the purchase of large numbers of guns, 225 00:19:39,073 --> 00:19:43,494 which is what transformed them from being a part of battlefields 226 00:19:43,578 --> 00:19:45,413 to the dominating force. 227 00:19:59,552 --> 00:20:02,805 [Ledbetter] As Nobukata and Nobunaga moved towards conflict, 228 00:20:02,889 --> 00:20:06,226 Nobunaga decided to take the offensive. He left Kiyosu Castle, 229 00:20:06,309 --> 00:20:09,812 and moved his forces towards Iwakura, 230 00:20:09,896 --> 00:20:12,815 where Nobukata's forces were. 231 00:20:17,654 --> 00:20:21,282 Nobunaga had approximately 3,000 troops at this time. 232 00:20:22,325 --> 00:20:26,537 And he might have had somewhere around 400 or 500 guns. 233 00:20:37,632 --> 00:20:42,220 Facing him, Nobukata also had approximately 3,000 troops. 234 00:20:43,680 --> 00:20:46,474 They were probably a little bit better equipped. 235 00:20:47,558 --> 00:20:50,853 [in Japanese] You must be ready to die. 236 00:20:55,191 --> 00:20:56,526 Go! 237 00:20:59,362 --> 00:21:02,282 [in English] For both Nobukata and Nobunaga, individually, 238 00:21:02,365 --> 00:21:03,491 this is life or death. 239 00:21:03,574 --> 00:21:07,370 While they may not wipe out the other's forces completely, 240 00:21:07,453 --> 00:21:09,038 chances are, whoever loses, 241 00:21:09,122 --> 00:21:11,249 the subordinates would go to the other side 242 00:21:11,332 --> 00:21:13,251 and the loser would be eliminated. 243 00:21:17,964 --> 00:21:19,048 [in Japanese] Hold. 244 00:21:25,430 --> 00:21:30,059 [in English] Nobunaga had to fool his enemy into advancing 245 00:21:30,143 --> 00:21:32,812 into the killing zone at about 100 meters. 246 00:21:33,563 --> 00:21:35,356 [Nobunaga speaking Japanese] Hold. 247 00:21:43,364 --> 00:21:44,240 Fire! 248 00:21:46,034 --> 00:21:47,618 [warriors clamoring] 249 00:21:48,202 --> 00:21:49,120 [grunts] 250 00:21:52,457 --> 00:21:53,291 [grunts] 251 00:21:54,334 --> 00:21:58,087 [in English] Volley fire from rank  after rank of musketeers 252 00:21:58,755 --> 00:22:03,593 would have withered even the greatest of opponents, armored or not. 253 00:22:10,391 --> 00:22:14,187 But musket reloading times are very long. 254 00:22:21,903 --> 00:22:25,198 [Ashmore] And so,  the battle did eventually... 255 00:22:27,033 --> 00:22:29,786 wear down to a melee. 256 00:22:37,710 --> 00:22:38,878 [yells] 257 00:22:38,961 --> 00:22:40,129 [groans] 258 00:22:40,213 --> 00:22:44,133 [Ashmore] In this battle, you are dealing with a largely peasant force 259 00:22:44,217 --> 00:22:48,346 against a largely elite force that looks down upon these people. 260 00:22:49,806 --> 00:22:53,518 Once these tired samurai get into range, 261 00:22:53,601 --> 00:22:57,814 they are fighting against men who have nothing to lose and everything to gain. 262 00:23:02,860 --> 00:23:04,570 [screams] 263 00:23:05,613 --> 00:23:10,159 [Ashmore] Melee combat is more brutal than anyone can imagine. 264 00:23:10,493 --> 00:23:11,619 [grunts] 265 00:23:11,744 --> 00:23:14,747 You're close enough to smell  what your opponent had to eat. 266 00:23:14,831 --> 00:23:17,125 -[grunts] -[groans] 267 00:23:17,208 --> 00:23:19,210 [grunts] 268 00:23:19,502 --> 00:23:22,588 You are close enough to see the death light in their eyes 269 00:23:22,672 --> 00:23:25,883 as you ram a sword through their guts. 270 00:23:28,010 --> 00:23:31,222 Meanwhile, you have projectiles flying through the air. 271 00:23:31,764 --> 00:23:33,266 [screams in agony] 272 00:23:33,349 --> 00:23:35,893 There would be the sounds of people screaming, 273 00:23:35,977 --> 00:23:39,480 both battle cries and also from being wounded. 274 00:23:39,564 --> 00:23:42,733 [men screaming, groaning] 275 00:23:44,318 --> 00:23:46,529 It must have been like fighting in hell. 276 00:23:48,281 --> 00:23:53,035 [Ledbetter] After three hours... Nobunaga's men get the upper hand. 277 00:23:56,164 --> 00:23:59,792 They break through Nobukata's forces and rout them. 278 00:23:59,876 --> 00:24:02,003 [men screaming in agony] 279 00:24:10,344 --> 00:24:13,097 [Ashmore] By the end of the battle,  the butcher's bill 280 00:24:13,181 --> 00:24:16,100 is said to have exceeded 1,200 heads. 281 00:24:17,018 --> 00:24:22,315 This is an incredible casualty rate for such a small battle. 282 00:24:32,825 --> 00:24:35,077 [Ledbetter] The Iwakura forces under Nobukata 283 00:24:35,161 --> 00:24:37,205 retreat back to Iwakura Castle... 284 00:24:43,878 --> 00:24:48,090 which holds out against a siege for three months, but eventually falls. 285 00:24:50,343 --> 00:24:52,220 Nobukata is killed... 286 00:24:56,057 --> 00:25:01,103 and Nobunaga is left as the lone standing lord of the Owari Province. 287 00:25:06,275 --> 00:25:09,445 In the aftermath of the Battle of Ukino, 288 00:25:10,071 --> 00:25:15,952 Nobunaga had finally put the capstone on his control of Owari. 289 00:25:16,035 --> 00:25:19,080 He was the Lord of the Oda. 290 00:25:22,375 --> 00:25:29,006 Nobunaga, for all his youth, is developing into a very capable tactical commander. 291 00:25:32,593 --> 00:25:35,638 He was no longer "the fool of Owari." 292 00:25:37,640 --> 00:25:41,185 He had recognized, within his own armies, 293 00:25:41,269 --> 00:25:45,940 the strengths and weaknesses of the traditional samurai... 294 00:25:46,023 --> 00:25:47,316 [grunts] 295 00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:50,194 ...the benefits of a peasant soldiery, 296 00:25:51,737 --> 00:25:54,323 and the importance of technology. 297 00:25:55,032 --> 00:25:56,409 [grunts] 298 00:25:57,535 --> 00:26:02,623 This was, I think, the turning point in his ambition. 299 00:26:04,458 --> 00:26:06,460 [Turnbull] Nobunaga's military might 300 00:26:06,544 --> 00:26:09,672 that he had shown  in his own conquest of Owari 301 00:26:09,755 --> 00:26:12,592 was now going to be unleashed elsewhere. 302 00:26:18,139 --> 00:26:21,225 [narrator] Nine bloody years after the death of his father, 303 00:26:21,309 --> 00:26:24,979 Nobunaga is now the undisputed leader of Owari Province. 304 00:26:25,646 --> 00:26:29,942 But his reign has scarcely begun when a new threat rises from the east. 305 00:26:30,651 --> 00:26:36,032 Imagawa Yoshimoto, one of Japan's most feared daimyo, or warlords, 306 00:26:36,115 --> 00:26:39,035 is on the move with a massive army behind him. 307 00:26:39,660 --> 00:26:44,999 His target is Kyoto, the nation's capital and traditional center of military power. 308 00:26:45,666 --> 00:26:49,003 And to get there, he will march straight through Owari. 309 00:26:49,086 --> 00:26:50,379 If he succeeds, 310 00:26:50,463 --> 00:26:54,550 Nobunaga's own growing ambitions will be dealt a devastating blow. 311 00:26:56,927 --> 00:27:00,097 [Bender] There were probably half a dozen, maybe eight, 312 00:27:00,181 --> 00:27:01,974 uh, really powerful daimyo 313 00:27:02,058 --> 00:27:06,562 who could have made a push for what we consider national unification. 314 00:27:06,646 --> 00:27:11,150 And that means, um,  claiming the capital, Kyoto. 315 00:27:12,568 --> 00:27:13,903 The Imagawa were one. 316 00:27:14,862 --> 00:27:18,407 [Turnbull] Imagawa Yoshimoto's intentions were to take Kyoto. 317 00:27:19,116 --> 00:27:21,994 To do this, he had to march on the capital. 318 00:27:22,078 --> 00:27:26,999 And to march on the capital, he had to first cross Owari Province. 319 00:27:29,126 --> 00:27:32,838 But Nobunaga wasn't going to allow Imagawa through. 320 00:27:33,589 --> 00:27:38,844 Nobunaga determined to resist Imagawa's advance at his own border. 321 00:27:41,305 --> 00:27:47,311 [in Japanese] As a result, they had no  other choice but settling it by fighting. 322 00:27:53,526 --> 00:27:55,611 [in English] In a conflict with the Oda, 323 00:27:55,695 --> 00:27:57,863 Imagawa Yoshimoto held all the advantages. 324 00:27:57,947 --> 00:28:02,159 Imagawa Yoshimoto was the master of a very large, 325 00:28:02,243 --> 00:28:04,578 very wealthy, very powerful domain. 326 00:28:06,580 --> 00:28:09,375 [Ledbetter] His army is listed  in some chronicles 327 00:28:09,458 --> 00:28:11,293 as being as large as 45,000 troops. 328 00:28:11,377 --> 00:28:14,004 A more reasonable estimate is 25,000. 329 00:28:14,088 --> 00:28:17,717 But still, vastly superior to what Nobunaga was able to field. 330 00:28:18,217 --> 00:28:22,263 He outnumbered Nobunaga's army by 12 to one. 331 00:28:23,931 --> 00:28:27,685 [Ledbetter] So, with Imagawa's  vastly superior force, 332 00:28:27,768 --> 00:28:32,148 he anticipated that he would just be able to move in, eliminate Nobunaga, 333 00:28:32,231 --> 00:28:35,276 and continue on his way to Kyoto. 334 00:28:38,946 --> 00:28:43,576 So, he began by attacking a number of Nobunaga's border fortresses 335 00:28:43,659 --> 00:28:46,036 and capturing them quite easily. 336 00:28:50,249 --> 00:28:54,754 [Ledbetter] The samurai he sends to lead  this mission is named Tokugawa Ieyasu. 337 00:28:57,131 --> 00:28:58,215 [thrusts blade] 338 00:28:58,299 --> 00:29:01,343 [Auslin] Ieyasu's young, but he's a brilliant tactician. 339 00:29:01,927 --> 00:29:03,304 He serves Yoshimoto. 340 00:29:06,390 --> 00:29:07,892 He's also extremely ambitious 341 00:29:07,975 --> 00:29:11,228 and sees that the future could be much larger for him. 342 00:29:13,814 --> 00:29:15,608 [blade slices] 343 00:29:22,156 --> 00:29:26,035 Nobunaga's generals understand well that the odds are against them 344 00:29:26,118 --> 00:29:28,871 and that the numbers are against them, so they urge him 345 00:29:28,954 --> 00:29:32,541 to do what is conventional, which is to hole up in a siege 346 00:29:32,625 --> 00:29:35,211 in the best defended position they can 347 00:29:35,294 --> 00:29:38,923 and try to ride it out, and maybe luck will turn their way. 348 00:29:40,966 --> 00:29:43,093 Nobunaga has a very different view of this. 349 00:29:46,263 --> 00:29:49,892 He's going to try to pull out something unexpected, unusual, 350 00:29:50,017 --> 00:29:52,186 something that'll catch the enemy unprepared 351 00:29:52,812 --> 00:29:55,606 and hope that that gamble is enough 352 00:29:55,689 --> 00:29:59,568 to change the situation in a way that is favorable to him. 353 00:30:03,739 --> 00:30:10,371 One of Nobunaga's greatest abilities is indeed his organizational capacity. 354 00:30:11,330 --> 00:30:13,040 He was outnumbered, 355 00:30:13,958 --> 00:30:16,794 but he has better intelligence. 356 00:30:21,590 --> 00:30:25,094 [Lange] And this is another wonderful example of Nobunaga's brilliance. 357 00:30:25,177 --> 00:30:27,930 He has scouts all over the province 358 00:30:28,013 --> 00:30:31,433 giving him information on a daily, if not hourly, basis. 359 00:30:33,477 --> 00:30:35,229 Enemy movement, their strength, 360 00:30:35,312 --> 00:30:38,232 where they're encamped,  what they're doing. 361 00:30:38,315 --> 00:30:39,483 He knows it all. 362 00:30:47,950 --> 00:30:50,995 [in Japanese] Nobunaga's scout found Yoshimoto's camp 363 00:30:51,078 --> 00:30:53,372 on top of a mountain called Mount Okehazama. 364 00:30:56,250 --> 00:31:00,796 [in English] Imagawa Yoshimoto is encamped at Okehazama with 5,000 men. 365 00:31:00,880 --> 00:31:03,674 That means that the rest of his army is elsewhere. 366 00:31:07,261 --> 00:31:11,640 So, all in all, the picture is developing that, 367 00:31:11,724 --> 00:31:14,643 yes, Imagawa Yoshimoto has this large force, 368 00:31:16,020 --> 00:31:17,438 but it's very fractured. 369 00:31:17,521 --> 00:31:18,606 It's very divided. 370 00:31:21,317 --> 00:31:25,821 And so, Nobunaga deduced that if he can  kill the leader of the enemy army, 371 00:31:25,905 --> 00:31:29,033 the army should collapse. Nothing else is keeping it together. 372 00:31:29,116 --> 00:31:31,160 So, he doesn't have to beat them. 373 00:31:31,243 --> 00:31:34,371 All he has to do is kill Imagawa Yoshimoto. 374 00:31:43,255 --> 00:31:46,175 [Auslin] He decides he's going to launch a surprise attack. 375 00:31:46,800 --> 00:31:51,597 In this period of the civil wars, most of the battles are fought conventionally. 376 00:31:51,680 --> 00:31:55,601 They're fought in open spaces. They'll invest in sieges. 377 00:31:57,895 --> 00:32:01,148 No one's ever tried to pull off a surprise attack like this. 378 00:32:03,692 --> 00:32:08,155 But Nobunaga was willing to attack with small numbers against much larger armies, 379 00:32:08,238 --> 00:32:11,116 against great odds, to take the advantage when he saw it. 380 00:32:11,200 --> 00:32:14,620 To attack at night or attack through surprise. 381 00:32:19,583 --> 00:32:22,878 It's a really early sign of just how clever, inventive, 382 00:32:22,962 --> 00:32:25,297 willing to think outside the box, Nobunaga is. 383 00:32:30,386 --> 00:32:32,805 [Ledbetter] By this point,  Nobunaga and his army 384 00:32:32,888 --> 00:32:36,392 had taken position  around Yoshimoto's camp. 385 00:32:43,941 --> 00:32:50,155 [Spafford] Imagawa Yoshimoto  was conducting a head inspection ceremony. 386 00:32:50,239 --> 00:32:54,451 And this was an event in which a warlord, a commander, 387 00:32:54,535 --> 00:33:00,332 would be presented with the heads of defeated enemies. 388 00:33:06,380 --> 00:33:11,510 They would be groomed, they would be washed, makeup would be applied. 389 00:33:11,593 --> 00:33:12,845 In a strange way, 390 00:33:12,928 --> 00:33:15,848 the ceremony is both a gruesome act 391 00:33:15,931 --> 00:33:18,559 of vengeance and humiliation over the opponent, 392 00:33:18,642 --> 00:33:21,020 whose head is being paraded as just an object, 393 00:33:21,603 --> 00:33:24,565 but also, there is a sort of respect inherent in it. 394 00:33:24,648 --> 00:33:27,109 That these heads must be viewed, 395 00:33:27,192 --> 00:33:30,946 in a way, with due honor accorded to their former owners. 396 00:33:48,422 --> 00:33:52,885 Imagawa Yoshimoto is in what we would call a noncombat posture. 397 00:33:53,594 --> 00:33:56,722 They are eating, drinking, 398 00:33:56,805 --> 00:33:59,850 celebrating the fact that things  have gone so well so far. 399 00:34:05,814 --> 00:34:08,734 [Lange] This is the moment Nobunaga has been waiting for. 400 00:34:15,240 --> 00:34:18,327 [Auslin] But it's risky. It's a do-or-die moment for Nobunaga. 401 00:34:22,081 --> 00:34:23,874 [Lange] But he has no options. 402 00:34:24,374 --> 00:34:26,418 He has to kill Yoshimoto. 403 00:34:26,835 --> 00:34:29,088 He has to cut off the head of the serpent. 404 00:34:29,171 --> 00:34:30,130 [warriors clamoring] 405 00:34:30,714 --> 00:34:34,301 [Ledbetter] His forces rush forward and just start killing 406 00:34:34,384 --> 00:34:37,221 every Imagawa soldier that they can get their hands on. 407 00:34:39,973 --> 00:34:43,102 The Imagawa are confused, have no idea what's going on. 408 00:34:43,185 --> 00:34:47,314 Imagawa Yoshimoto actually thinks that there's a brawl that has broken out 409 00:34:47,397 --> 00:34:51,860 because his soldiers had been drinking and gotten into a fight. 410 00:34:51,944 --> 00:34:55,155 It takes them a while to figure out that they're under attack. 411 00:34:57,908 --> 00:34:59,701 [yells] 412 00:35:00,869 --> 00:35:03,914 [Ledbetter] Meanwhile, the Oda forces are rushing forward. 413 00:35:04,498 --> 00:35:08,877 Imagawa soldiers are panicking. They're throwing down their weapons. 414 00:35:08,961 --> 00:35:11,797 They're running for the hills as quickly as they can. 415 00:35:13,924 --> 00:35:15,884 It's just mass chaos. 416 00:35:17,761 --> 00:35:19,304 [groans] 417 00:35:20,222 --> 00:35:22,516 -[Ledbetter] And very quickly... -[groans] 418 00:35:24,309 --> 00:35:28,605 Yoshimoto is left with about 300 troops. So, now the tables have turned. 419 00:35:28,689 --> 00:35:31,191 [men yelling, screaming] 420 00:35:31,275 --> 00:35:32,943 This is very desperate fighting. 421 00:35:36,822 --> 00:35:42,661 And one of the Oda soldiers is able to attack Yoshimoto himself. 422 00:35:56,425 --> 00:35:57,843 The enemy general is dead. 423 00:35:59,469 --> 00:36:02,723 The remaining Imagawa forces break down and flee. 424 00:36:04,516 --> 00:36:07,227 All the other Imagawa forces located elsewhere 425 00:36:07,311 --> 00:36:09,354 hear what happens and decide to retreat. 426 00:36:11,982 --> 00:36:15,485 Nobunaga has completed an amazing victory. 427 00:36:20,157 --> 00:36:24,494 The Battle of Okehazama effectively lasted for only 15 minutes, 428 00:36:24,578 --> 00:36:28,916 and yet it was one of the most decisive battles in Japanese history. 429 00:36:31,210 --> 00:36:36,506 [Auslin] His successful surprise attack really shows that he is a strategic genius 430 00:36:36,590 --> 00:36:39,426 that is very rare in this age. 431 00:36:39,509 --> 00:36:43,972 Most of the smaller clans never would have dared take on such a larger opponent. 432 00:36:44,681 --> 00:36:49,811 Uh, but the very behavior that so worried some of Nobunaga's own retainers 433 00:36:49,895 --> 00:36:51,688 back at his father's funeral... 434 00:36:53,023 --> 00:36:54,524 is asserting itself here. 435 00:36:54,608 --> 00:36:56,693 It's showing that he is reckless, 436 00:36:56,777 --> 00:37:00,530 he is risky, but he has also very carefully thought out... 437 00:37:01,531 --> 00:37:05,035 what are the best possibilities for him to survive and conquer. 438 00:37:07,371 --> 00:37:10,499 Quite apart from destroying  one of the major power blocks 439 00:37:10,582 --> 00:37:12,000 of Central Japan, 440 00:37:12,709 --> 00:37:16,296 it thrust Oda Nobunaga into the limelight. 441 00:37:16,380 --> 00:37:18,966 And it also served as the springboard 442 00:37:19,049 --> 00:37:23,929 for him to begin what would be the reunification of Japan. 443 00:37:25,013 --> 00:37:26,723 [man groans] 444 00:37:28,267 --> 00:37:30,602 [Turnbull] The aftermath of Okehazama 445 00:37:30,686 --> 00:37:35,232 was to give Nobunaga  two very important alliances 446 00:37:35,315 --> 00:37:40,862 that would sustain him for many years and help him in his future triumphs. 447 00:37:40,946 --> 00:37:46,076 It was at Okehazama that Nobunaga first appreciated the talents 448 00:37:46,159 --> 00:37:48,578 of a young samurai in his army 449 00:37:48,662 --> 00:37:51,748 -who had joined as an ashigaru. -[in Japanese] Drink.  450 00:37:52,124 --> 00:37:55,627 -[Turnbull] He was Toyotomi Hideyoshi. -[Nobunaga chuckles] 451 00:37:57,045 --> 00:38:01,049 Hideyoshi began his career as a foot soldier in Nobunaga's army, 452 00:38:01,133 --> 00:38:05,304 but he really impressed Nobunaga by his fighting skills. 453 00:38:10,517 --> 00:38:12,352 [grunts] 454 00:38:12,436 --> 00:38:15,897 And these were not just confined to hand-to-hand combat. 455 00:38:15,981 --> 00:38:19,359 He also seemed to have the ability to organize others. 456 00:38:19,443 --> 00:38:22,821 In other words, he was showing leadership potential. 457 00:38:24,156 --> 00:38:25,907 [yells] 458 00:38:29,536 --> 00:38:30,412 [blade slices] 459 00:38:32,247 --> 00:38:34,916 And as a result, Hideyoshi rose through the ranks 460 00:38:35,000 --> 00:38:38,211 to become one of his most devoted and loyal generals, 461 00:38:38,920 --> 00:38:42,924 and someone who would greatly influence the history of Japan. 462 00:38:51,808 --> 00:38:57,522 There was also another important alliance forged in the aftermath of the battle. 463 00:38:57,606 --> 00:38:59,524 And it was a very different one 464 00:38:59,608 --> 00:39:02,778 from the relationship between Nobunaga and Hideyoshi. 465 00:39:04,404 --> 00:39:08,867 The man we are talking about is called Tokugawa Ieyasu. 466 00:39:10,744 --> 00:39:14,790 As a young man, he'd been given as a hostage by his own father 467 00:39:14,873 --> 00:39:16,666 into the Imagawa family. 468 00:39:16,750 --> 00:39:17,918 [thrusts blade] 469 00:39:20,003 --> 00:39:25,258 And young Ieyasu was brought up and expected to serve in the Imagawa army. 470 00:39:27,761 --> 00:39:31,056 But the leader of the Imagawa family was now dead. 471 00:39:32,516 --> 00:39:35,435 So, Ieyasu decided to throw in his lot 472 00:39:36,019 --> 00:39:40,148 with the man who had defeated his master, Oda Nobunaga. 473 00:39:40,232 --> 00:39:42,234 [soldiers fighting] 474 00:39:43,151 --> 00:39:46,071 [Auslin] The fact that Ieyasu  switched his allegiances so quickly 475 00:39:46,154 --> 00:39:50,242 showed that allegiances were really up for grabs in the Sengoku period. 476 00:39:50,325 --> 00:39:51,576 There were no more rules. 477 00:39:51,660 --> 00:39:54,663 This was all-out battle for control  of Japan. 478 00:39:54,746 --> 00:39:57,624 And so those who were willing to take risks 479 00:39:57,707 --> 00:40:00,210 were much more likely to attach themselves 480 00:40:00,293 --> 00:40:03,338 to those who seemed more powerful or who seemed on the rise. 481 00:40:05,090 --> 00:40:09,010 The importance of the Battle of Okehazama is that, all of a sudden, 482 00:40:09,094 --> 00:40:13,890 you have the three men who will shape the destiny of Japan, coming together, 483 00:40:13,974 --> 00:40:19,438 Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu. 484 00:40:23,567 --> 00:40:26,862 [narrator] With Ieyasu and Hideyoshi  by his side, 485 00:40:26,945 --> 00:40:30,907 Nobunaga launches a series of bloody campaigns against his rivals. 486 00:40:31,658 --> 00:40:34,161 More lands fall under his banner. 487 00:40:34,995 --> 00:40:38,999 Then, he boldly marches on Kyoto, the nation's capital. 488 00:40:40,250 --> 00:40:44,212 From here, Nobunaga now plans to launch his boldest move yet, 489 00:40:45,005 --> 00:40:47,382 the reunification of all Japan. 490 00:40:50,635 --> 00:40:52,596 [Auslin] But he's not out of the woods. 491 00:40:53,305 --> 00:40:56,766 There are other daimyo that still existed in the west and the north 492 00:40:56,850 --> 00:40:59,019 who threatened Nobunaga's power 493 00:40:59,102 --> 00:41:01,730 because they weren't willing to submit to him. 494 00:41:03,231 --> 00:41:05,984 And those who would not admit subordination to him 495 00:41:06,067 --> 00:41:09,196 would taste his anger, would taste his sword, 496 00:41:09,279 --> 00:41:11,948 because he brooked no dissent of any kind. 497 00:41:12,866 --> 00:41:14,284 It was only that kind of man 498 00:41:14,367 --> 00:41:17,704 who was going to start Japan on the process towards unification. 499 00:41:22,459 --> 00:41:26,963 [Turnbull] This scenario inevitably  enraged Nobunaga's rivals. 500 00:41:27,506 --> 00:41:31,384 They knew that Nobunaga wanted the power for himself. 501 00:41:31,968 --> 00:41:35,472 So, the real battle for Japan was about to begin. 502 00:41:35,555 --> 00:41:36,848 [warriors clamoring] 503 00:41:40,393 --> 00:41:42,395 [closing theme plays]