Honnō-ji Incident

How the battle unfolded

1. Turn The Enemy Is at Honnō-ji

   The 6th month of Tenshō 10. Akechi Mitsuhide's 13,000 were supposed to be marching to Bitchū as reinforcements for the western campaign. But at the Katsura River, Mitsuhide turns his horse toward Kyoto. "The enemy is at Honnō-ji." His lord Nobunaga is in the capital, unguarded, with only a small escort.

2. Siege Kyoto Surrounded at Dawn

   Under cover of the pre-dawn darkness the Akechi troops converge on Honnō-ji from every avenue and lane. They ring the walls many ranks deep, and every escape is sealed. In the middle of the sleeping capital the net of treason is quietly drawn tight.

3. Bow Nobunaga Takes Up His Bow

   At the war cries and gunfire, Nobunaga leaps up. "Is this treason? Whose doing?" Told it is Akechi, he says only: "It cannot be helped." He takes up a bow and shoots; when the string breaks he takes a spear, and fights on until wounded in the elbow.

4. Pages The Pages Fight

   Mori Ranmaru and the other young pages of the household throw themselves in front of the oncoming army. Fewer than a hundred attendants fight to the death against 13,000. But numbers tell, and the wall is stripped away one man at a time.

5. Flames Honnō-ji Burns

   The attackers set fire to the hall. Flames lick the temple buildings and black smoke covers the dawn sky. Badly wounded, Nobunaga withdraws to an inner room, knowing it is over. Seen by no one, he is said to have taken his own life in the flames. He was 49.

6. Nijō The End at the Nijō Palace

   Hearing the news, his heir Nobutada makes a stand at the nearby Nijō Palace. But the encirclement is thick and there is no hope of relief. Following his father, Nobutada too takes his own life. The Oda mastery of Japan, one step from completion, is destroyed in a single night.

Generals and units

• Akechi forces Akechi Mitsuhide Commander-in-chief
• Akechi forces Saitō Toshimitsu
• Akechi forces Akechi Hidemitsu
• Akechi forces Akechi troops (east)
• Oda side Oda Nobunaga Commander-in-chief
• Oda side Mori Ranmaru
• Oda side Oda Nobutada

FAQ

What was the Honnō-ji Incident?

"The enemy is at Honnō-ji." Thirteen thousand men surround the temple in the Kyoto dawn. On the brink of unifying Japan, Oda Nobunaga vanishes into the flames.

When and where did the Honnō-ji Incident take place?

It took place in 1582 at Honnō-ji, Kyoto, Yamashiro Province (2nd day of the 6th month, Tenshō 10).

Who fought in the Honnō-ji Incident?

Akechi Mitsuhide of the Akechi forces, Oda Nobunaga of the Oda side were among the commanders.

Can I watch the Honnō-ji Incident in 3D?

Yes. This page plays a free three-minute 3D animated overview showing the deployments, the movements of each army and how the battle was decided.