Oda Nobunaga: Samurai Commander 1534-82 (From Retinue to Regiment 1453-1618) - Softcover

Turnbull, Stephen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1804518360 ISBN 13: 9781804518366

Publisher: Helion and Company, 2026

Synopsis

Oda Nobunaga was Japan’s great military genius and the nation’s first to envisage a unified Japan. Long vilified by historians as a cruel and ruthless despot, he remains one of the most controversial figures in Japanese history—a man whose strategic brilliance and military prowess are his only indisputable qualities.

Nobunaga embraced the revolutionary potential of firearms with unmatched enthusiasm and achieved results through a level of ruthlessness that struck fear into his contemporaries. Through a series of decisive victories, supported by a loyal and highly organized army, Nobunaga initiated the process that would eventually lead to Japan’s unification—a goal cut short only by his sudden and violent death.

Oda Nobunaga: Samurai Commander 1534–82 chronicles his campaigns in detail, from his stunning victory at Okehazama in 1560, to the bloody Battle of Anegawa in 1570, the famed Battle of Nagashino in 1575, and the naval clash at Kizugawaguchi in 1578. His brutal suppression of the Buddhist Ikkō Ikki uprisings and the accompanying civilian massacres reveal a darker, more complex side of his character.

This original and insightful study portrays Nobunaga as a strategist, tactician, battlefield commander, and ruthless political operator. It also explores, for the first time in depth, the campaigns he entrusted to his subordinates. The book concludes with the dramatic account of his unexpected death during the treacherous Honnōji Incident.

Lavishly illustrated in both colour and black and white, Oda Nobunaga: Samurai Commander 1534–82 features images of every battlefield discussed, detailed photographs of arms and armour, maps, and specially commissioned artwork—bringing to life one of Japan’s most formidable and fascinating warlords.

About this title

About the Author

Stephen Turnbull took his first degree at Cambridge and has two MAs (in Theology and Military History) from Leeds University. In 1996 he received a PhD from Leeds for his thesis on Japan’s ‘Hidden Christians’. In its published form the work won the Japan Festival Literary Award in 1998. Having lectured widely in East Asian Studies and Theology he is now retired and holds the honorary positions of Lecturer Emeritus at Leeds University, Research Associate at SOAS and Visiting Professor of Japanese Studies at Akita International University. His expertise, including an extensive picture library, has helped with numerous media projects including the award-winning computer strategy game Shogun Total War, and in 2010 he acted as Historical Adviser to Universal Pictures for the movie 47 Ronin.

Edition details

• Publisher: Helion and Company
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1804518360
• ISBN 13: 9781804518366
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 148