Sengoku Jidai. Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu: Three Unifiers of Japan

Japan's Sengoku Jidai, known as the 'Warring States Period, ' was a time of profound crisis and upheaval, characterized by constant warfare and social unrest. During this turbulent era, the traditionally low-born rural military class of 'bushi' (samurai warriors) rose to power, overthrowing their social superiors in the court and reshaping the landscape of Japan. At the center of this tumultuous age stood three remarkable individuals: Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582), Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598), and Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616). Each of these figures played a unique and pivotal role in the re-unification of Japan during the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. This groundbreaking narrative history of the Sengoku era weaves together the epic tales of these three figures for the first time. It provides a comprehensive survey of the Azuchi-Momoyama Period (1568-1600), covering the reigns of both Nobunaga and Hideyoshi, as well as the foundational years of the Tokugawa shogunate