Akechi forces · Akechi
Akechi Mitsuhide
“Koretō Hyūga-no-kami”
A commander of obscure origins who served Ashikaga Yoshiaki and then Nobunaga and rose rapidly. He pacified Tanba and became a key figure in the Kinai, but in Tenshō 10 he surprised and killed Nobunaga at Honnō-ji. Few of the allies he counted on joined him; he lost to Hideyoshi at Yamazaki and was killed by peasant militia while fleeing. The "three-day reign" of legend. He was also a cultivated man skilled in linked verse and the tea ceremony.
- Epithet
- “Koretō Hyūga-no-kami”
- Rank / office
- Koretō Hyūga-no-kami
- Domain / base
- Tanba
- Banner / crest
- Bellflower
- Side
- Akechi forces
- Lived
- 1528–1582 (aged 55)
Now is the time: the fifth month, when rain rules all beneath the sky.
Atago hundred-verse sequence (attributed)
Life
- Genki 2 Sakamoto Castle in Ōmi Granted Sakamoto Castle for his part in the burning of Mount Hiei, he became a senior Oda retainer.
- Tenshō 7 Pacification of Tanba Pacified Tanba after a hard campaign and was highly praised by Nobunaga.
- Tenshō 10 The Honnō-ji Incident "The enemy is at Honnō-ji." He killed his lord Nobunaga in Kyoto.
- Tenshō 10 Death after Yamazaki Beaten by Hideyoshi, he met his end at the hands of peasant militia at Ogurusu.
Battles in this archive2 battles
- Honnō-ji Incident 2nd day of the 6th month, Tenshō 10 Honnō-ji, Kyoto, Yamashiro Province The clever general who raised the banner of revolt on the way to the western campaign and killed his lord Nobunaga at Honnō-ji. But he was fated to a "three-day reign." Watch ▸
- Battle of Yamazaki 13th day of the 6th month, Tenshō 10 Yamazaki, Yamashiro Province Eleven days after killing Nobunaga at Honnō-ji. He set his headquarters at Onbōzuka, but the allied lords he counted on never came. Watch ▸
Related sites
- Sakamoto Castle ruins (Ōtsu)
- Kameyama Castle ruins (Kameoka)
- Honnō-ji (Kyoto)
FAQ
- What does "Koretō Hyūga-no-kami" mean?
- Koretō was a prestigious surname granted by Nobunaga, and Hyūga-no-kami (Governor of Hyūga) a court title. Mitsuhide was allowed the name around Tenshō 3 and styled himself Koretō Hyūga-no-kami thereafter.
- Why did Mitsuhide rebel at Honnō-ji?
- There are many theories and no settled answer. A grudge against Nobunaga, ambition for the realm, and the involvement of the court or Ashikaga Yoshiaki have all been debated for centuries. On the 2nd day of the 6th month of Tenshō 10 he surprised his lord Nobunaga at Honnō-ji in Kyoto.
- What is the "three-day reign"?
- The phrase refers to how briefly Mitsuhide held power after Honnō-ji. Beaten at Yamazaki by Hashiba Hideyoshi, who had raced back in the Great Return from Chūgoku, he was dead within a fortnight.