Nobunaga 005: The Viper's Daughter

Today's article is about someone you probably know from video games and anime.

Nohime in Samurai Warriors

One of the many fan-favorite female characters, Nohime(濃姫) is often depicted someone who is "fitting" to be the wife of the "evil" Nobunaga. Some like to go the "villain" route, some go for the "mature" and "sexy" route. Some do both.

What was she like in history? Well, maybe some of these pop cultural depictions are true to a certain extent. We will never know for sure. Women in the era were usually not recorded as well as men were, but some of the modern depictions can probably be traced to the story I am about to tell.

Last time we talked about the Battle of Kanouguchi(加納口の戦い), where Oda Nobuhide's invasion of Saitou Dousan's Mino province failed and he suffered great losses.

After such a disastrous defeat, the Oda had to find ways to salvage the situation. They discussed what the next step should be. The old man Hirate Masahide, Nobunaga's teacher, had an interesting idea.

Old Man Hirate's putting in the work.

Hirate suggested that Nobuhide makes a marriage proposal to Dousan, for Nobunaga and Dousan's daughter Kichou(帰蝶).

Sounds like an idea that was unlikely to succeed, right? The first question one asks is probably, "after such a huge defeat, what kind of a leverage do you have for something like this?" True. It is easy to think that Dousan, the winner of this conflict, had nothing to gain from some half-assed cease fire from Nobuhide, the loser of the conflict. Why not just hit Nobuhide while he was down?

Hirate believed, however, that Dousan would likely accept the offer, because he had his own plate of BS he had to deal with in Mino. As we mentioned in the last article, as a recent usurper of Mino governance, he really needed to consolidate power that he took from the previous governing family Toki. Toki influence was still strong in Mino and one wrong move could topple his control.

Furthermore, in the Sengoku era where warlords were always surrounded by other warlords, it was always enticing not having to worry about one of the neighbors(albeit temporarily). Having to worry about one fewer thing gives you time to worry about other things that deserve your attention.

Additionally, there was a more sinister incentive for Dousan to agree to the proposal...

Remember the Imagawa faction we mentioned earlier, that took over Mikawa recently and made Takechiyo's dad Matsuraida Hirotada its subordinate?

Imagawa Yoshimoto

The leader of Imgawa, Imagawa Yoshimoto(今川義元) was really gaining momentum at territorial expansion.

Oda's Owari was stuck between Imagawa and Saitou. If Dousan actually took the time and spent the resources to take over Owari, Yoshimoto could simply watch Oda and Nobuhide fight then march in to defeat whoever was left with minimal losses and reap all the rewards.

Dousan was the kind of person who would rather be the one reaping the rewards instead. If he made an alliance with Oda, then Oda's most immediate enemy would only be Imagawa. Dousan could then sit in Mino, consolidate power, wait for the result of Oda-Imagawa conflicts, and plan the next moves accordingly.

Nobuhide thought Hirate's idea was worth trying, so he sent Hirate to mediate the marriage proposal. As Hirate expected, Dousan agreed.

And with that, The Oda and Saitou formcd an alliance by marriage. Ulterior motives were all over the place, but people had to do what the had to do in order to survive.

You might wonder, "hadn't Dousan heard rumors about Nobunaga being an idiot?" Of course he had.

Having an "idiot" for a son-in-law could be more beneficial than one might think.

If Nobunaga really was an idiot, with Dousan's political skills he could easily use his daughter's connection to defeat/remove him and take over Owari when the time was right.

If the "idiot" was just a misunderstood genius, and he accomplished a lot later on, then having someone like that as a son-in-law isn't that bad after all, right? Dousan probably figured that he'd win either way.

There is a dialogue between Dousan and his daughter that has been a story-tellers' favorite throughout ages. Supposedly it took place the night before Kichou was sent to Owari to be married to Nobunaga.

Dousan: Kichou, I suspect that Nobunaga isn't really an idiot like the rumors say. You will have to see him yourself. I give you this dagger. If he really were an idiot, you should use it to kill him when I eventually attack Owari.

Kichou: Understood. However, if Nobunaga turns out to not be an idiot, then the one who dies to this dagger would probably be you instead, father.

Dousan: HAHAHAHAHA! You are right. You are absolutely right. You really are my daughter. The Viper's daughter.

Saitou Kichou was then sent to Owari and married Nobunaga.

On the night of their wedding:

Nobunaga: Lend me your lap, No.

Kichou: Who is No?

Nobunaga: *puts head on her lap* You are. You are from Mino. I'm going to call you "No" for short, or "Nohime".

Kichou: My name is Kichou, you know.

Nobunaga: It's No. I'm calling you No.

Nohime: Fine...

Nobunaga: I know this is a political marriage, but I'm quite enjoying it.

Nohime: Fufufu... I think I might be falling for you too.

Nobunaga: Stand by my side, No.

Nohime: What do you mean?

Nobunaga: I have a lot of enemies in the family. They disapprove of everything I do and oppose me. They really hope that someone other than me becomes the successor of the family.

Nohime: Ah...

Nobunaga: I am not giving up that easily. Since you're already here, you might as well help me.

Nohime: Sounds tough. But I'll see what I can do.

Nobunaga: That's great.

Nobunaga: Zzz...

Nohime: (He's asleep...?)

Source: Video game "Eiketsuden 4: Oda Nobunaga"

Statue of Nohime, built in 1989, located in Kiyosu Castle(清州城)

The conflict between Owari and Mino came to an end for now. Nobuhide would be able to focus on other things. There were still many things to worry about. What would be his next move? We will find out in the next post.

References:

1. Shinchoukouki(信長公記) http://www.page.sannet.ne.jp/gutoku2/kouki.html

2. Mino no Kuni Shokyouki(美濃国諸旧記) http://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/948838

Images belong to Koei.