We curated a collection of works inspired by Oda Nobunaga. Check it out!
Are you interested in knowing how Oda Nobunaga shaped the nation of Japan and was and still is the inspiration behind several Japanese pieces of work? Well, check out our article below to find out how Oda Nobunaga inspired Japanese culture.
Although some of us aren’t fond or proud of our history, we can’t help but admit that it was those incidents and actions that shaped our current society.
There have been multiple cool and heroic incidents in history that make us feel immensely proud and special and those actions have inspired us to create some amazing content.
And since we’re here to look at Oda Nobunaga, we’ll learn how he molded Japan, its history, and how he became the inspiration for several fabulous works created by the Japanese people. Read further below to know more.
Page Contents
Works Inspired By Oda Nobunaga
Nobunaga Concerto – Manga and Anime Series (2009 – 2014)
Nobunaga Concerto is a popular manga series that was released in 2009 and was written by Ayumi Ishii.
The manga series still runs to this day and has a total of 22 volumes. Inspired by the manga, an anime series with the titular name was released in 2014 that had a total of 10 episodes.
The storyline of Nobunaga Concerto is based on a high school boy named Saburo who’s the main protagonist of the story. He accidentally travels through time to the 16th century which was the Sengoku period in Japan.
Saburo comes across a young boy of his age who tells Saburo to become his substitute.
Turns out the young boy is the oldest son of the Oda clan and is Oda Nobunaga himself. As Saburo decides to be Nobunaga’s substitute he’s then taken to the castle by the liegemen where he led the life of Oda Nobunaga.
Saburo as Oda Nobunaga becomes a feudal lord and wages war to unify Japan while the people surrounded by him are unsure of his actions. Yet they support Nobunaga and assist him in uniting Japan.
Nobunaga’s Ambition – Video Game (1983)
Nobunaga’s Ambition is a role-playing video game that’s based on war games. It’s a turn-based game where players will have to take turns to role-play the characters in the game.
The plot of Nobunaga’s Ambition video game is based on the Sengoku era’s feudal lord Oda Nobunaga itself.
The gameplay of Nobunaga’s Ambition involves completing four main tasks of the game that are associated with Nobunaga’s real-life ambitions such as forming a military and unifying Japan before a civil war breaks out. The names of the four main tasks are:
- Battle For The East – 1560
- Daimyo Power Struggles – 1560
- Ambition Untamed – 1571
- Road Towards Unification – 1582
The year mentioned after each of these tasks depicts the actual years the real Oda Nobunaga had to overcome these challenges to unite Japan.
To successfully complete each of these tasks the players must gather resources, form an invincible military and also win the trust and support of civilians as well. With these, the players must wage war against the opposition and annihilate their military units.
Battle Girls: Time Paradox – Anime Series (2011)
Battle Girls: Time Paradox is a Japanese anime series that’s known as Sengoku Otome: Momoiro Paradox that was released in 2011 and it has a total of 13 episodes. The Battle Girls: Time Paradox anime series is based on the pachinko game of CR Sengoku Otome.
The storyline of Battle Girls: Time Paradox anime series is based on Yoshino Hide who’s a young teenage girl who gets herself into trouble wherever she goes.
When Hide visits a shrine to pray for her to pass her exams she stumbles upon a blue light coming from the shrine where she sees someone casting a magic spell.
Hide falls inside the light suddenly which messes up the magic spell and she gets transported back in time to the Sengoku period.
In this alternate timeline, she finds everyone she meets to be a woman, even the feudal lord Oda Nobunaga herself.
Hide then helps Oda Nobunaga on her quest to conquer the entirety of Japan.
Gunshi Kanbei – Television Series (2014)
Gunshi Kanbei is a popular Japanese historical drama TV series that initially aired in 2014 on NHK TV. The Gunshi Kanbei TV series has a total of 50 episodes.
The plot of Gunshi Kanbei focuses on the life of Kuroda Kanbei who was the war strategist for feudal lord Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the vassal of the feudal lord Kodera Masamoto during the Sengoku period in Japan.
The storyline takes place in the Harima Province and the main protagonist of the Gunshi Kanbei is Kuroda Kanbei himself hence the story is depicted from Kanbei’s point of view.
However, the character of Oda Nobunaga is of vital importance to the plot as well since Kanbei persuades the feudal lord Kodera Masamoto to join hands with Oda Nobunaga.
The TV series depicts the loyalty and brilliance of Kuroda Kanbei and how supportive he was to the three feudal lords who united all parts of Japan Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Yasuke – Original Net Animation (2021)
Yasuke is a net anime series with 6 episodes that were released over the internet in 2021.
The storyline of Yasuke is based on a character with the titular name itself and the plot takes place in Japan in the 16th Century which was during the Sengoku period, a period well known for the samurai clan clashes and civil uprising all across Japan.
Yasuke is the main protagonist of the anime series who’s a black man who served under the reign of Oda Nobunaga.
The plot of the Yasuke anime series revolves around an alternate reality in the 16th century where Japan is technologically advanced with magically able people everywhere.
Yasuke who traveled to Japan during the Nanban trade was able to become a soldier and vassal of Oda Nobunaga and served him until his demise.
The plot then continues to depict how Yasuke being a black man in Japan became a mighty samurai who was nicknamed “Black Samurai” and how he had to witness the downfall of Nobunaga’s military after his death.
The anime also goes to show how Yasuke has to deal with supernatural beings and save a magician from imminent danger.
There are countless other works such as anime series, manga, games, TV series, etc that are inspired by Oda Nobunaga as well.
Although most of these inspired content have Oda Nobunaga as their base story, some of the obvious aspects have been altered to make the works more intriguing and stand out from the rest.
Who is Oda Nobunaga
Before we learn what works Oda Nobunaga has been an inspiration behind, it’s best we familiarize ourselves with Oda Nobunaga’s historic biography.
For those who aren’t aware, Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese feudal lord who was born in the early 16th century and who was renowned to rule all parts of Japan with his might, willpower, and his great army of soldiers.
Oda Nobunaga was from the Oda clan thus the surname and he was severely against the reign of Ashikaga Yoshiaki who was the military dictator of Japan in the 1560s. He was also a prominent figure during the Sengoku era in Japan which was an era that’s known for its constant civil uprisings and wars.
Due to the disunity caused between the Japanese people by Ashikaga Yoshiaki, Oda Nobunaga waged war against Ashikaga Yoshiaki and other military leaders in Japan in the 16th century.
This led him to unite all parts of Japan and become the leader of a united Japan. As a result, he earned the name “Great Unifier of Japan”.
Oda Nobunaga’s might doesn’t end there, as he was quite popular in Japanese history for his military ploys, for improving the civil government in Japan, and also for promoting trade across Japan.
However, he was deemed brutal and merciless whenever someone didn’t comply with his orders and ideologies.
Nobunaga’s loyal partners were Tokugawa Ieyasu and Toyotomi Hideyoshi with whom he was able to succeed in unifying Japan and invade Korea as well.
How Oda Nobunaga Inspired Modern Japanese Culture
Looking at Oda Nobunaga’s life history we can certainly tell that he was one of the influential historical figures in Japan who is still regarded as one of the greatest heroes and leaders of Japanese history.
Hence, it’s quite understandable why the Japanese people would make use of his biography as an inspiration to create several works and content that praises his heroism and courage.
Let’s take a look at some of the most renowned and exhilarating works of art created by the Japanese people that take us back in time to experience the feudal reign of Oda Nobunaga.
Works Inspired By Oda Nobunaga: FAQs
What is Oda Nobunaga best known for?
Oda Nobunaga was one of the feudal lords of Japan during the 16th century which was the Sengoku period in Japan. He was from the Oda clan in Japan and was against several military dictators like Ashikaga Yoshiaki who he blamed for the disunity of the Japanese people. Oda waged war against the military dictators and conquered over one-third of Japan and united parts of the country thus he was known as one of the greatest unifiers of Japan.
How did Oda Nobunaga influence Japan?
Oda Nobunaga was one of the feudal lords in Japan during the Sengoku period who united most parts of Japan with his powerful military. He grew furious to watch Japan being divided by military dictators and hence waged war against them with tactical military strategies and put an end to all civil conflicts. Thus he was known as the Great Unifier of Japan.
What was Oda Nobunaga’s legacy?
Oda Nobunaga was renowned for his tactical military strategies which he utilized when waging war against the military dictators to unify Japan. He was well known to be ruthless, unstoppable, and one of the mightiest feudal lords of Japan who put an end to all the civil uprisings and conflicts that occurred in Japan during the Sengoku period.
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