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[suspenseful music playing]

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[horse neighs]

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-[arquebus fires]
-[men shouting]

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[opening theme plays]

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[narrator] Fueled by a ruthless 
and maniacal ambition

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to conquer Central Japan,

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Nobunaga has destroyed many enemies
who have underestimated him.

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His vicious military campaigns to weaken
the powerful Buddhist institutions

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have turned large swathes
of the population against him.

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Even some of his own generals
question their loyalty to Nobunaga.

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Undeterred,

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Nobunaga now targets a group 
of mountain rebels

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from the province of Iga,

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who refuse to accept his feudal rule.

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[ominous music plays]

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[wind whistling]

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[Darren Ashmore] For 150 years,

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the so-called "rebels of Iga"
had governed themselves,

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keeping out any and all intruders 
into their domain.

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These people were a mixture
of lumberers and farmers, fishermen

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and other rugged individuals

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who had chosen to eke out an existence

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on the mountainous coasts of Iga.

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They carved their lives
out of the very living rock

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and were built from the bones
of the land on which they lived.

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They knew the landscape
better than anyone there

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and could wage
what we now call guerrilla warfare

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against anyone who dared
step foot in their domain.

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[Stephen Turnbull] They were so good
at these techniques of irregular warfare,

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which, after all,
were the only things at their disposal,

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that this is what gave rise
to the legends of the ninja of Iga.

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The word "ninja,"
which is so familiar to us nowadays,

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is essentially a modern reading
of a Japanese expression

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that implies secrecy.

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And it's pronounced shinobi.

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A good shinobi
can turn their hand to most anything.

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Espionage…

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any form of intelligence gathering…

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[muffled grunt]

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…and assassins.

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Training would have begun
from a very early age.

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But in addition
to the normal martial arts,

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this would also have included
the techniques of preparing explosives

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and even, in some cases, poison.

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Many women also trained as shinobi.

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In other words,
they were trained to be spies,

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assassins, gatherers of information.

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They could infiltrate
the target's household.

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They could hide in plain sight.

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They were trained
to be able to fit into society,

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but to do so as shinobi operatives.

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[clattering]

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[Kitigawa] There was a female shinobi
named Mochizuki Chiyome,

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and she was trained in the mountainside.

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She approached men
and then gathered information…

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and, if necessary, they sleep with them.

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Sometimes, they even kill the people
after getting the information.

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So, they were trained
to be an assassin as well.

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Whatever you like to call them,

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shinobi or ninja or rebels,

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these people had developed their arts

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in their mountainous home of Iga
for centuries.

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Hard times and hard stones

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breed hard men and women.

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These assassins, spies and agents
were not to be trifled with,

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because they could, for a few coins,

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do more than an entire army could.

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[people talking indistinctly]

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[Turnbull] And to add insult to injury,

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the Iga warriors continued to carry out
their raids into Oda territory.

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They proved to be a thorn
in Oda Nobunaga's side,

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and one he was determined to eradicate.

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[Nobunaga in Japanese] 
Kill each and every one of them!

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[yells in frustration]

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Those little maggots!

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How dare they.

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[yells in frustration]

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Bring me sake!

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Not only were they raiding
his lines of communication,

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their little province
was immediately adjacent

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to the territory of Nobunaga's son,

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Oda Nobukatsu.

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[in Japanese] Sake! Bring me sake!

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[in English] Oda Nobukatsu decided
to destroy them on his father's behalf.

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[David Eason] Nobukatsu, of course, 
was in many ways overshadowed

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by his older brothers.

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Nobukatsu may have seen this
as an opportunity

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to prove his value to his father,
Nobunaga.

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[wind whistling, crow cawing]

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[horse neighs]

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[Turnbull] Oda Nobukatsu's plan 
was quite simple.

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He was going to enter Iga
by three separate mountain passes,

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combine his forces
and destroy these peasants.

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[horse neighs]

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[Ashmore] The more conventional Nobukatsu
marched into Iga,

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thinking of these people 
as nothing more than backwoodsmen.

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[caws]

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[armor clanking]

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[horse neighs]

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[Turnbull] The men of Iga knew exactly
where they would be

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and where the best places were
for them to be attacked.

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As masters of guerrilla warfare,

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they were determined 
to turn the mountains of Iga

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into a weapon.

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[groans]

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[groans]

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[Ashmore] When the fighting started,

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Nobukatsu's forces tried to form
into their blocks to return fire…

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[in Japanese] Attack!

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…but they didn't know
who they were shooting.

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All the while, the Iga continually flowing
backwards and forwards like a tide.

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[horse whinnies]

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[yelling]

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[men yelling]

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The scene was one of utter confusion.

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This battle wasn't a battle.

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It was a rout.

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-[arquebus fires]
-Without order, without a goal.

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During the attack…

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[arquebus fires]

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…one of Nobukatsu's
senior generals was killed.

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[speaking Japanese]

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[men shouting, groaning]

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[Turnbull] It was utter humiliation
for Oda Nobukatsu,

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so he ordered an immediate retreat.

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And on their way back into Ise,

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they were harassed 
for every inch of the way

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by the local people,

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who seized sticks and stones
if they had no weapons

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and inflicted them 
upon the desperate retreating soldiers.

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[Ashmore] The survivors' army
retreating headlong

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with no idea as to who or what
was fighting them.

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[wind whistling]

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[in Japanese] How were you beaten
by peasants?

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You are a disgrace to the Oda name.

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[in English] The campaign
had been an unprecedented disaster.

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[in Japanese] That's enough. Get out.

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[Ashmore] If this defeat
had gone unpunished,

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it may very well have led

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to greater rebellions against him.

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And we know, certainly,

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that Nobunaga was angry enough

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to even considering executing Nobukatsu.

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[in Japanese] I want you to kill them all.

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[in English] Instead, however,
his plan was to simply wipe Iga

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off the face of the map.

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[Turnbull] In 1581, Nobunaga chose five
of his most experienced generals

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for a massive invasion of Iga

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from five different directions.

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[thunder rumbling]

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[horse neighs]

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[Turnbull] Inhabitants of Iga
were as defiant as they could be.

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[horse whinnies]

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However, the men of Iga were unable to do

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what they had done
when Nobukatsu attacked.

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They hadn't the resources
to ambush five separate armies.

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Nobunaga's army advanced,

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burning every village,

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every house that they came across.

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And killing anyone who took refuge.

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This was, indeed,
a David-and-Goliath situation,

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but this time, Goliath was going to win.

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Man, woman and child
was put to the sword or the torch.

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It is even said that,

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rather than allow loved ones
to fall into enemy hands,

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Iga soldiers would cull their own

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before killing themselves.

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Not just to protect the honor 
of their family,

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but to keep their secrets.

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This was genocide,

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the deliberate and systematic destruction

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of all life in Iga.

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Nobunaga had been humiliated
beyond his ability to bear,

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and the entirety of the province

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would pay for it with their lives.

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Having successfully pacified Iga…

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Oda Nobunaga had reached, I think,
the zenith of his power and authority.

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[suspenseful music playing]

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[Ashmore] He was within an ace of unifying

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the entire country of Japan.

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[blade slashes]

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[laughs]

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Not only had he defeated some of
the greatest names in Japanese history,

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he had also asserted his power

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by building the greatest fortress
that Japan had ever seen.

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This was the castle of Azuchi.

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The seven-story keep of the castle was
decorated in a way that was radically new.

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Each floor of the keep

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had a different set of allusions

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to gods or animals or powerful men.

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So, as you went up in the keep,

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you had higher and higher level beings,
so to speak.

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But at the very top,

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which was Nobunaga's own private room,

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there was nothing…

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except a mirror,

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where he could look
at his own countenance.

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[dramatic music playing]

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Much like Alexander the Great
had himself deified

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in the deserts of Egypt,

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there was belief that because Nobunaga
had installed just this mirror,

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which was the traditional sign
of the gods in Japan,

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that he thought of himself as a god.

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[Ashmore] He had become a bloody judge,

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scything through all classes

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and regions in Japan,

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carving out his own power…

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00:16:58,663 --> 00:17:01,666
and following all his bloody slaughters,

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a number of individuals in Kyoto
gave to him

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the name of the Demon King 
of the Six Heavens.

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00:17:13,970 --> 00:17:15,805
You reach a point

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00:17:15,889 --> 00:17:20,060
where you have to either step away
from the power

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00:17:20,894 --> 00:17:22,937
or keep on killing.

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00:17:24,189 --> 00:17:26,691
Nobunaga chose the latter.

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00:17:27,525 --> 00:17:29,527
[dramatic music playing]

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00:17:33,114 --> 00:17:37,702
[narrator] The so-called Demon King 
continues his ruthless plan of expansion

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00:17:37,786 --> 00:17:39,954
and sets his sights on a new target,

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the powerful Mori family,

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who rule large territories in the west.

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He orders his long serving
and trusted general, Toyotomi Hideyoshi,

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to attack their main castle stronghold.

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00:17:52,550 --> 00:17:55,011
It is a move 
that will have a profound effect

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00:17:55,095 --> 00:17:56,638
on the future of both men.

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00:17:56,721 --> 00:17:58,723
[birds and insects chirping]

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00:18:07,690 --> 00:18:10,610
[Auslin] Hideyoshi is one
of Nobunaga's top field generals,

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00:18:10,693 --> 00:18:12,570
and he is entrusted with a campaign

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00:18:12,654 --> 00:18:17,659
to fight the Mori family of Western Japan,
one of the most powerful daimyo families.

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00:18:22,372 --> 00:18:26,167
Hideyoshi besieged 
one of the Mori castles,

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00:18:26,251 --> 00:18:27,127
Takamatsu Castle.

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00:18:29,587 --> 00:18:33,550
The castle was garrisoned
by approximately 5,000 troops,

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00:18:33,633 --> 00:18:37,720
which Hideyoshi surrounded
with his 30,000 soldiers.

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00:18:37,804 --> 00:18:41,349
However, he received reports 
that the Mori were coming

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00:18:42,100 --> 00:18:44,519
with an army of over 40,000.

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00:18:48,231 --> 00:18:50,733
This put Hideyoshi
in a dangerous position.

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00:18:52,694 --> 00:18:56,364
If this Mori relief army arrived,

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he would be caught 
between the castle's defenders

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00:18:59,868 --> 00:19:00,952
and their walls,

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00:19:01,035 --> 00:19:02,745
and the relieving Mori force.

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00:19:02,829 --> 00:19:04,831
[horse neighs]

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00:19:14,549 --> 00:19:18,720
Hideyoshi sent a message
back to Oda Nobunaga,

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00:19:18,803 --> 00:19:21,431
detailing the situation and requesting

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00:19:21,514 --> 00:19:24,726
that Nobunaga come
with the bulk of his forces

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00:19:24,809 --> 00:19:27,312
to meet the oncoming Mori relief.

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00:19:37,780 --> 00:19:41,451
[Nobunaga in Japanese] Mitsuhide…
send troops to Hideyoshi.

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00:19:41,534 --> 00:19:42,744
I will follow soon.

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00:19:42,827 --> 00:19:44,829
[soldier grunts in understanding]

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00:19:44,913 --> 00:19:47,624
[Turnbull] Realizing the urgency 
of the situation,

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00:19:47,707 --> 00:19:50,168
Nobunaga gave orders to Mitsuhide

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00:19:50,251 --> 00:19:52,879
to move west as soon as possible.

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00:19:52,962 --> 00:19:56,591
Nobunaga made ready
to follow with his own army.

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00:19:59,802 --> 00:20:02,680
Akechi Mitsuhide
had an unusual background.

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00:20:04,307 --> 00:20:07,268
He'd entered Nobunaga's service
as a ronin.

253
00:20:07,352 --> 00:20:11,064
In other words, a samurai whose
previous master had been killed in battle.

254
00:20:11,898 --> 00:20:16,819
Most lords would pick from families
who had been close allies for centuries

255
00:20:16,903 --> 00:20:18,404
for their senior commanders.

256
00:20:18,488 --> 00:20:21,449
Nobunaga is willing to take this wanderer,

257
00:20:21,532 --> 00:20:23,576
who has no connection to the Oda family,

258
00:20:23,660 --> 00:20:25,662
and make him a senior leader.

259
00:20:31,501 --> 00:20:33,670
[Turnbull]
Mitsuhide was a fervent Buddhist

260
00:20:33,753 --> 00:20:38,216
and had been deeply disturbed
by the Buddhist massacre on Mount Hiei.

261
00:20:50,853 --> 00:20:52,814
[woman in Japanese] Please, stop!

262
00:20:53,523 --> 00:20:56,567
-[crying]
-[Nobunaga grunts]

263
00:20:57,277 --> 00:20:58,528
[sword slashes]

264
00:20:58,611 --> 00:21:00,947
[Turnbull] And we do know 
that, on occasions,

265
00:21:01,030 --> 00:21:03,408
Nobunaga insulted him in public,

266
00:21:03,491 --> 00:21:05,493
and even humiliated him.

267
00:21:05,576 --> 00:21:08,162
[sobbing, speaks in Japanese] 
Please, stop!

268
00:21:10,999 --> 00:21:14,877
[Michael Wert] Among Nobunaga's
many offenses against Mitsuhide,

269
00:21:15,837 --> 00:21:18,506
it is said that during
a military campaign,

270
00:21:18,589 --> 00:21:21,634
Nobunaga's viciousness
was even responsible

271
00:21:21,718 --> 00:21:24,220
for Mitsuhide's mother's death.

272
00:21:25,430 --> 00:21:26,639
[crow caws]

273
00:21:27,932 --> 00:21:30,143
[Meyer] These resentments… These, uh…

274
00:21:30,226 --> 00:21:32,228
These ill treatments, these ill usage,

275
00:21:32,312 --> 00:21:33,855
piles up in his heart.

276
00:21:33,938 --> 00:21:36,065
That seems to be what pushed him 
over the edge.

277
00:21:45,825 --> 00:21:47,035
[in Japanese] It's time.

278
00:21:48,828 --> 00:21:50,079
We go to war.

279
00:21:51,039 --> 00:21:52,040
[soldier] Yes, sir!

280
00:21:59,630 --> 00:22:02,383
[Turnbull] Instead of marching 
to assist Hideyoshi,

281
00:22:03,176 --> 00:22:06,512
Mitsuhide ordered his men
to march on Kyoto.

282
00:22:09,974 --> 00:22:12,810
And it was only at the very last minute

283
00:22:12,894 --> 00:22:15,813
that he shared with his generals his plan,

284
00:22:15,897 --> 00:22:18,232
which was to murder Nobunaga

285
00:22:18,316 --> 00:22:20,485
and take over Japan for himself.

286
00:22:20,568 --> 00:22:22,570
[crickets chirping]

287
00:22:31,079 --> 00:22:33,081
Nobunaga rested that night

288
00:22:33,164 --> 00:22:36,084
in a small temple in Kyoto
called Honnō-ji.

289
00:22:39,962 --> 00:22:44,092
[Meyer] Nobunaga will keep
a small group of pages and bodyguards

290
00:22:44,175 --> 00:22:46,135
to serve as his own private force.

291
00:22:47,095 --> 00:22:48,930
This is a moment where he is vulnerable.

292
00:22:53,726 --> 00:22:56,562
This is a chance
that might not ever come again,

293
00:22:56,646 --> 00:22:59,315
and it seems Mitsuhide saw it that way.

294
00:23:00,858 --> 00:23:02,860
[dramatic music playing]

295
00:23:02,944 --> 00:23:05,238
[soldiers marching]

296
00:23:05,321 --> 00:23:09,409
[Turnbull] Mitsuhide marched his army
right into the heart of Kyoto

297
00:23:09,492 --> 00:23:13,746
and launched a furious attack
on the temple of Honnō-ji.

298
00:23:13,830 --> 00:23:16,749
[soldiers battling]

299
00:23:23,423 --> 00:23:26,717
Nobunaga was taken
completely by surprise.

300
00:23:32,306 --> 00:23:34,517
When he realized what was happening…

301
00:23:35,309 --> 00:23:36,644
[both grunting]

302
00:23:37,770 --> 00:23:39,105
[groans]

303
00:23:39,897 --> 00:23:41,816
…he fought bravely to the last.

304
00:23:45,695 --> 00:23:49,782
Oda Nobunaga had soon appreciated
that all was lost.

305
00:23:53,161 --> 00:23:55,538
However, he was unable to escape…

306
00:23:58,749 --> 00:24:02,503
and he retired
into one of the back rooms of the temple.

307
00:24:02,587 --> 00:24:04,589
[dramatic music playing]

308
00:24:29,280 --> 00:24:31,282
[groaning]

309
00:24:44,754 --> 00:24:45,963
[grunts]

310
00:25:01,687 --> 00:25:03,981
[Meyer] It really looks, 
for all the world,

311
00:25:04,065 --> 00:25:06,150
like Nobunaga's ascent is unstoppable.

312
00:25:09,570 --> 00:25:12,198
He has gone, in about 20 years,

313
00:25:12,281 --> 00:25:15,409
from ruling one part of a minor province

314
00:25:15,493 --> 00:25:17,578
to ruling a third of the country.

315
00:25:18,538 --> 00:25:20,581
And now, in the course of a single day,

316
00:25:20,665 --> 00:25:22,500
the world's been turned upside down.

317
00:25:26,671 --> 00:25:31,801
[Turnbull] This was an utterly shocking 
episode for which nobody was prepared.

318
00:25:33,553 --> 00:25:37,139
Certainly not Nobunaga's heir,
his eldest son Nobutada,

319
00:25:37,223 --> 00:25:40,851
who was currently in the castle of Azuchi,
about 20 miles to the east.

320
00:25:43,938 --> 00:25:46,232
The next thing that Mitsuhide did

321
00:25:46,315 --> 00:25:49,694
was to march his army to Azuchi
and murder Nobutada.

322
00:25:49,777 --> 00:25:51,779
[dramatic music playing]

323
00:25:54,574 --> 00:25:57,702
By killing Nobunaga and his heir,

324
00:25:57,785 --> 00:26:02,456
Akechi Mitsuhide had created
a power vacuum in Japan,

325
00:26:03,457 --> 00:26:07,169
and it was a vacuum 
that he himself was determined to fill.

326
00:26:12,550 --> 00:26:15,928
Nobunaga's death at the hands
of Akechi Mitsuhide is shocking.

327
00:26:19,098 --> 00:26:23,311
The great warlord has now been laid low,
and the political pattern

328
00:26:23,394 --> 00:26:25,646
that everyone thought
was going to be installed

329
00:26:25,730 --> 00:26:27,565
is now completely up for grabs.

330
00:26:27,648 --> 00:26:30,443
It's now a race to see who can
seize power in Kyoto the quickest.

331
00:26:30,526 --> 00:26:32,236
There are three contenders.

332
00:26:32,320 --> 00:26:33,821
There's Akechi Mitsuhide,

333
00:26:34,905 --> 00:26:38,492
there's Tokugawa Ieyasu,
who is out in the east,

334
00:26:38,576 --> 00:26:40,786
and then there's Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

335
00:26:44,874 --> 00:26:46,542
[Meyer] While this is happening,

336
00:26:46,626 --> 00:26:49,754
Hideyoshi is off in Western Japan 
fighting the Mori.

337
00:26:49,837 --> 00:26:53,382
He's waiting for news of reinforcements
from the Oda heartlands

338
00:26:53,466 --> 00:26:55,051
with great anxiety.

339
00:26:56,385 --> 00:26:58,471
When a messenger finally does arrive,

340
00:26:58,554 --> 00:26:59,847
what he says to Hideyoshi

341
00:26:59,930 --> 00:27:02,391
is going to change the course
of Japanese history.

342
00:27:05,394 --> 00:27:06,896
Nobunaga is dead.

343
00:27:06,979 --> 00:27:08,522
[grunts in frustration]

344
00:27:08,606 --> 00:27:11,692
[yells]

345
00:27:11,776 --> 00:27:15,488
Hideyoshi is going to do
what a loyal warrior should do

346
00:27:15,571 --> 00:27:17,323
and seek out revenge,

347
00:27:17,406 --> 00:27:20,868
showing his loyalty to Nobunaga
from beyond the grave.

348
00:27:25,039 --> 00:27:28,250
[narrator] For 11 days,
Mitsuhide remains unchallenged.

349
00:27:29,710 --> 00:27:32,922
Hideyoshi must seek revenge
for his fallen master,

350
00:27:33,005 --> 00:27:36,884
for fear that other warlords
will rally to Mitsuhide's side.

351
00:27:37,968 --> 00:27:42,098
Hideyoshi rushes towards Kyoto
to confront Mitsuhide in battle

352
00:27:42,181 --> 00:27:45,351
to decide who will seize power
over Central Japan.

353
00:27:51,607 --> 00:27:53,567
[inhales sharply]

354
00:27:53,651 --> 00:27:56,112
[Ledbetter] Mitsuhide, at this point, 
was shocked

355
00:27:56,195 --> 00:27:59,365
that Hideyoshi was able to move
so quickly to confront him.

356
00:27:59,448 --> 00:28:04,328
He believed he had time to consolidate
his position in Central Japan

357
00:28:04,412 --> 00:28:07,206
before he had to confront
any possible threat.

358
00:28:08,874 --> 00:28:11,252
[in Japanese] 
We'll move in this direction.

359
00:28:11,335 --> 00:28:14,588
[Ledbetter] He understands
that he has the inferior force,

360
00:28:14,672 --> 00:28:18,509
so he chooses a position
at a place called Yamazaki.

361
00:28:22,680 --> 00:28:25,391
[Turnbull] The reason the battle
took place at Yamazaki

362
00:28:25,474 --> 00:28:27,727
is because Akechi Mitsuhide's castle

363
00:28:27,810 --> 00:28:31,313
lay on this very narrow approach road

364
00:28:31,397 --> 00:28:33,858
covered by mountains on one side,

365
00:28:33,941 --> 00:28:35,276
and a river on the other.

366
00:28:35,359 --> 00:28:37,903
It was an excellent place to make a stand.

367
00:28:43,743 --> 00:28:48,873
[Meyer] If you don't control the terrain
and pick it so as to prevent forces

368
00:28:48,956 --> 00:28:51,375
from getting around you 
when you're outnumbered,

369
00:28:51,459 --> 00:28:53,586
you're in an unwinnable position.

370
00:28:53,669 --> 00:28:55,337
The classic example of this

371
00:28:55,421 --> 00:28:57,798
is the Battle of Thermopylae
in Western history,

372
00:28:57,882 --> 00:29:01,552
the 300 Spartans
who hold the pass against the Persians.

373
00:29:01,635 --> 00:29:03,179
That's Mitsuhide's theory,

374
00:29:03,262 --> 00:29:07,057
that he can use that
defensive advantage to his own benefit.

375
00:29:10,394 --> 00:29:12,229
[Ledbetter] However,
he's made a big mistake.

376
00:29:12,313 --> 00:29:15,316
He doesn't station troops on the mountain,

377
00:29:15,399 --> 00:29:16,817
which is called Tennōzan.

378
00:29:33,667 --> 00:29:37,129
Hideyoshi's forces get there first
and seize the high ground.

379
00:29:39,465 --> 00:29:40,508
[soldiers marching]

380
00:29:51,519 --> 00:29:52,812
[soldier shouts]

381
00:29:52,895 --> 00:29:54,522
[groaning]

382
00:29:54,605 --> 00:29:56,065
[soldiers shouting]

383
00:29:57,650 --> 00:29:58,776
[horse neighs]

384
00:29:59,944 --> 00:30:01,529
-[arquebus fires]
-[groans]

385
00:30:04,156 --> 00:30:07,451
Hideyoshi launches his right wing
at the Akechi lines.

386
00:30:11,497 --> 00:30:14,291
Once they're engaged,
he then launches his left wing.

387
00:30:14,375 --> 00:30:16,377
[soldiers shouting]

388
00:30:17,628 --> 00:30:21,549
And, so, he is crashing into
the Akechi forces from both sides.

389
00:30:26,554 --> 00:30:29,557
When the fighting then breaks out
between the two sides,

390
00:30:30,224 --> 00:30:33,185
early on it looks like
it might go Mitsuhide's way.

391
00:30:33,269 --> 00:30:34,436
[groans]

392
00:30:39,900 --> 00:30:42,486
Yamazaki was a particularly fierce battle.

393
00:30:43,279 --> 00:30:45,531
-[grunts]
-[groans]

394
00:30:45,614 --> 00:30:49,577
[Turnbull] The sounds of screaming men,
blood pouring from wounds.

395
00:30:50,411 --> 00:30:51,495
[soldier shouts]

396
00:30:52,037 --> 00:30:54,456
[groans]

397
00:30:55,124 --> 00:30:59,962
And particularly the concentrated fire
from the arquebuses,

398
00:31:00,045 --> 00:31:02,715
which had now become
the norm in samurai warfare.

399
00:31:06,260 --> 00:31:10,639
So that the battle would begin
to be obscured by clouds of smoke,

400
00:31:10,723 --> 00:31:14,977
and inside this dense fire you could see
flashes of light from the guns,

401
00:31:15,060 --> 00:31:18,731
the sound of horses screaming,
the sounds of swords cutting.

402
00:31:19,481 --> 00:31:20,441
[groans]

403
00:31:23,402 --> 00:31:24,987
-[grunts]
-[groans]

404
00:31:25,905 --> 00:31:27,698
[grunts loudly]

405
00:31:28,574 --> 00:31:30,159
[groans]

406
00:31:32,161 --> 00:31:33,454
[arquebuses firing]

407
00:31:34,330 --> 00:31:35,289
Akechi!

408
00:31:39,919 --> 00:31:42,087
[Ledbetter] The onslaught 
is just too much.

409
00:31:43,213 --> 00:31:44,673
Mitsuhide is forced to run.

410
00:31:44,757 --> 00:31:46,425
[soldiers clamoring]

411
00:31:49,720 --> 00:31:51,180
[speaking Japanese]

412
00:31:51,972 --> 00:31:54,558
This, Mitsuhide managed to do.

413
00:31:55,184 --> 00:31:56,018
[horse neighs]

414
00:31:56,101 --> 00:31:59,355
He galloped away with
only a handful of loyal followers

415
00:31:59,438 --> 00:32:02,024
and tried to hide in a nearby village.

416
00:32:04,068 --> 00:32:05,486
[crow caws]

417
00:32:05,569 --> 00:32:07,821
He was spotted by some peasants.

418
00:32:11,283 --> 00:32:13,744
Mitsuhide was surrounded…

419
00:32:14,870 --> 00:32:15,746
[blade slicing]

420
00:32:15,829 --> 00:32:17,289
…and stabbed to death.

421
00:32:24,171 --> 00:32:26,548
[Ledbetter]
Akechi Mitsuhide now lies dead,

422
00:32:26,632 --> 00:32:30,761
thirteen days after assassinating
his master, Oda Nobunaga.

423
00:32:34,890 --> 00:32:37,977
As such, he was known
to later generations,

424
00:32:38,060 --> 00:32:41,855
somewhat mockingly,
as "the 13-Day Shogun."

425
00:32:45,401 --> 00:32:49,405
[Auslin] By taking revenge for his master
on the traitor, Akechi Mitsuhide,

426
00:32:49,488 --> 00:32:53,158
Hideyoshi is basically stepping
into this political void that was created.

427
00:32:53,242 --> 00:32:55,953
He had reacted the quickest
of all the daimyo,

428
00:32:56,036 --> 00:32:59,081
he had utterly defeated
Mitsuhide in battle

429
00:32:59,164 --> 00:33:01,750
just two weeks
after the death of Nobunaga,

430
00:33:01,834 --> 00:33:05,004
and now he was putting
Akechi Mitsuhide's head on a stake…

431
00:33:07,089 --> 00:33:08,882
which was essentially an announcement

432
00:33:08,966 --> 00:33:13,345
that Hideyoshi was planning to become
the most powerful daimyo in the land.

433
00:33:16,432 --> 00:33:19,143
[in Japanese] 
It served as a warning to others,

434
00:33:19,226 --> 00:33:22,521
stating that, if you rebel,
you would end up like this.

435
00:33:22,604 --> 00:33:26,191
At the same time,
it also meant Hideyoshi

436
00:33:26,275 --> 00:33:29,319
was the one who killed the rebel.

437
00:33:29,403 --> 00:33:33,115
It was his press release.

438
00:33:35,951 --> 00:33:38,996
[Spafford] Hideyoshi was born 
without a surname, a commoner.

439
00:33:39,079 --> 00:33:41,832
Some have even suggested
he was born an outcast.

440
00:33:41,915 --> 00:33:46,378
He rose by virtue of his extraordinary
skill, intelligence, cunning.

441
00:33:50,257 --> 00:33:51,258
[Meyer] Hideyoshi…

442
00:33:52,301 --> 00:33:55,262
His rise, I think, 
can best be described as meteoric.

443
00:33:55,888 --> 00:33:57,347
Many members of the peasantry

444
00:33:57,431 --> 00:34:00,434
get involved in war during this period
as foot soldiers,

445
00:34:00,517 --> 00:34:01,852
but making it beyond that,

446
00:34:01,935 --> 00:34:05,564
into what we could somewhat
anachronistically call the officer class?

447
00:34:05,647 --> 00:34:07,357
That's very rare.

448
00:34:07,441 --> 00:34:10,444
And as a result, Hideyoshi
is now in a position that I think,

449
00:34:10,527 --> 00:34:15,115
would really be unfathomable, usually,
for a man of his social status.

450
00:34:15,741 --> 00:34:17,451
He has tremendous power.

451
00:34:18,494 --> 00:34:20,496
[dramatic music playing]

452
00:34:29,671 --> 00:34:33,133
[Auslin] Though Hideyoshi has become
the most powerful daimyo in Japan

453
00:34:33,217 --> 00:34:37,096
and has gained legitimacy
from avenging the death of his lord,

454
00:34:37,179 --> 00:34:38,639
he is still in great danger.

455
00:34:39,556 --> 00:34:43,310
There are great daimyos in other parts
of Japan, in the west and the east,

456
00:34:43,393 --> 00:34:45,938
and other daimyo
that were vassals of Nobunaga,

457
00:34:46,021 --> 00:34:48,607
who would want
to take power for themselves.

458
00:34:48,690 --> 00:34:50,651
So, he's by no means out of the woods,

459
00:34:50,734 --> 00:34:53,862
but he is in, by far,
the most advantageous position.

460
00:34:56,698 --> 00:34:58,700
[thunder rumbles]

461
00:35:01,620 --> 00:35:04,498
[Downer] Hideyoshi's wife 
was called Lady Nene,

462
00:35:04,581 --> 00:35:09,211
and she was absolutely crucial
in his bid to take over from Nobunaga.

463
00:35:09,294 --> 00:35:12,089
She was the most important person
in Hideyoshi's life.

464
00:35:12,172 --> 00:35:14,883
She was an incredible support to him.
She was his rock.

465
00:35:36,905 --> 00:35:40,617
She was in charge, completely,
of affairs at Osaka Castle.

466
00:35:40,701 --> 00:35:43,203
So, she was in charge
of maintaining order.

467
00:35:43,871 --> 00:35:46,707
Basically, she was the daimyo
whenever he was away.

468
00:35:48,959 --> 00:35:52,045
[Kitigawa] When Hideyoshi was away 
for a military campaign,

469
00:35:52,129 --> 00:35:53,297
they exchanged letters.

470
00:35:55,591 --> 00:36:00,929
Nene also has been advising Hideyoshi
on what to do with his hostages,

471
00:36:01,013 --> 00:36:02,431
his alliance making,

472
00:36:02,514 --> 00:36:06,560
and also what kind of conditions that
Hideyoshi has to give to other people.

473
00:36:09,062 --> 00:36:13,650
Nene and Hideyoshi together
started to see Japan as their own land.

474
00:36:13,734 --> 00:36:19,072
They started to see this land
as a divine realm that they could rule.

475
00:36:19,156 --> 00:36:21,158
[dramatic music playing]

476
00:36:34,630 --> 00:36:37,799
[Turnbull] For Hideyoshi,
this was his moment of destiny.

477
00:36:38,508 --> 00:36:42,763
He now had the chance to take over
Nobunaga's territories for himself,

478
00:36:44,097 --> 00:36:48,185
but, first, he had to neutralize
the remaining opposition

479
00:36:48,268 --> 00:36:50,646
from the rest of the Oda family.

480
00:36:54,066 --> 00:36:59,655
After Mitsuhide's coup,
two of Nobunaga's sons were left alive.

481
00:37:02,074 --> 00:37:06,745
The older was Nobutaka,
the younger, Nobukatsu.

482
00:37:07,829 --> 00:37:12,834
Oda Nobukatsu's claim was quite simply
that he was the true heir of Nobunaga,

483
00:37:12,918 --> 00:37:16,630
and Hideyoshi
had performed an illegal coup.

484
00:37:19,132 --> 00:37:21,843
Oda Nobutaka's immediate reaction

485
00:37:21,927 --> 00:37:26,098
was to seek allies
to prevent the upstart Hideyoshi

486
00:37:26,181 --> 00:37:27,933
from usurping his position.

487
00:37:28,016 --> 00:37:30,018
[inaudible]

488
00:37:32,187 --> 00:37:35,941
[Turnbull] Oda Nobutaka found
former generals of Oda Nobunaga.

489
00:37:36,984 --> 00:37:41,655
One was a very important general
called Shibata Katsuie.

490
00:37:43,865 --> 00:37:49,246
Katsuie had fought alongside Nobunaga
since the time of Okehazama

491
00:37:50,163 --> 00:37:52,916
and had also added to his battle honors

492
00:37:53,000 --> 00:37:55,752
the battles of Anegawa, Nagashino

493
00:37:55,836 --> 00:37:58,797
and the long campaign 
against the Ikkō-ikki.

494
00:37:58,880 --> 00:38:01,008
[soldiers shouting]

495
00:38:01,091 --> 00:38:04,928
And he was still loyal
to Nobunaga's memory,

496
00:38:05,012 --> 00:38:07,097
and so he was the natural ally

497
00:38:07,180 --> 00:38:09,766
for Oda Nobutaka to take.

498
00:38:09,850 --> 00:38:11,810
He was a formidable foe.

499
00:38:15,522 --> 00:38:19,109
[Meyer] And Shibata Katsuie thinks,
"This is my moment.

500
00:38:19,192 --> 00:38:23,405
This is my chance to take out Hideyoshi
and really seal my own position

501
00:38:23,488 --> 00:38:25,449
as the first equal in the Oda clan."

502
00:38:26,241 --> 00:38:28,952
And that split sets up a conflict,

503
00:38:29,036 --> 00:38:31,705
a clash between Hideyoshi and Shibata.

504
00:38:35,167 --> 00:38:39,463
The great disadvantage
that Shibata Katsuie faced

505
00:38:39,546 --> 00:38:44,426
was that he could not take immediate
military action against Hideyoshi,

506
00:38:44,509 --> 00:38:46,928
and that was simply
because of the weather.

507
00:38:47,012 --> 00:38:48,221
[wind whistling]

508
00:38:48,305 --> 00:38:50,057
It was now winter,

509
00:38:50,140 --> 00:38:54,895
and the mountains between his province
and Kyoto were covered in snow.

510
00:38:55,479 --> 00:38:59,608
He would have to wait till the spring
in order to move,

511
00:38:59,691 --> 00:39:03,695
and that gave Hideyoshi
a tremendous advantage.

512
00:39:05,113 --> 00:39:06,948
[narrator] During the winter months,

513
00:39:07,032 --> 00:39:11,161
Hideyoshi reinforces his three forts
that guard the mountain pass

514
00:39:11,244 --> 00:39:14,414
in a bid to stall Katsuie's advance.

515
00:39:15,832 --> 00:39:19,503
Hideyoshi then besieges
nearby Gifu Castle,

516
00:39:19,586 --> 00:39:22,005
which is held by Katsuie's allies.

517
00:39:22,547 --> 00:39:24,633
As the spring thaw arrives,

518
00:39:24,716 --> 00:39:27,803
Katsuie moves to seize the mountain forts.

519
00:39:28,637 --> 00:39:30,222
If he succeeds,

520
00:39:30,305 --> 00:39:32,516
Hideyoshi's dream of ruling Japan

521
00:39:32,599 --> 00:39:34,935
will end as swiftly as it began.

522
00:39:35,018 --> 00:39:37,020
[dramatic music playing]

523
00:39:53,161 --> 00:39:55,038
[Turnbull] When the spring thaw came,

524
00:39:55,122 --> 00:39:58,583
Shibata Katsuie sent on
a considerable force

525
00:39:58,667 --> 00:40:02,170
to secure the three border fortresses

526
00:40:02,254 --> 00:40:05,340
that Hideyoshi had established
on the mountaintops.

527
00:40:13,348 --> 00:40:18,395
That was the only way that the passage
of his army could be safely guaranteed.

528
00:40:18,478 --> 00:40:20,480
[soldiers grunting, yelling]

529
00:40:22,607 --> 00:40:24,651
[Turnbull] At first, the plot succeeded.

530
00:40:24,734 --> 00:40:26,319
[soldiers groaning, yelling]

531
00:40:26,403 --> 00:40:30,532
Katsuie's men totally overwhelmed
the first two forts.

532
00:40:30,615 --> 00:40:32,284
[soldiers yelling]

533
00:40:39,458 --> 00:40:43,962
[Turnbull] The surviving defenders fled
to the security of the third.

534
00:40:44,045 --> 00:40:48,175
Its name was Shizugatake
and it was the biggest of the three.

535
00:40:51,219 --> 00:40:57,100
Shibata Katsuie regrouped his force
to capture this final prize

536
00:40:57,184 --> 00:41:00,061
that would guarantee
the advance against Hideyoshi.

537
00:41:01,480 --> 00:41:03,523
If Shizugatake fell,

538
00:41:03,607 --> 00:41:06,026
Hideyoshi's reign would be at an end.

539
00:41:06,109 --> 00:41:07,444
[dramatic music playing]

540
00:41:07,527 --> 00:41:09,154
[horse whinnies]

541
00:41:13,408 --> 00:41:16,786
[Turnbull] The stakes could not 
have been higher for Hideyoshi.

542
00:41:23,126 --> 00:41:24,878
The wheels were now set in motion

543
00:41:24,961 --> 00:41:29,549
for the most decisive struggle for power
in the whole of Japanese history.

544
00:41:35,805 --> 00:41:37,807
[closing theme plays]