By the end of the 16th century, Oda Nobunaga had changed Japan forever. The samurai warlord had conquered his way across the country, taking control of the fractured military fiefdoms one by one. Slowly but surely Nobunaga’s bloody campaign led to the unification of a third of Japan, forming a mighty land far removed from the warring states that had existed before it. However, a swift and shocking end was put to this unification when his own samurai general, Akechi Mitsuhide betrayed him and the warlord was forced to commit ritual suicide, or seppuku.
However, Mitsuhide would not rule for long. Nobunaga’s loyal vassal, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, vowed to avenge his master and faced the usurper in battle - forcing him to flee just two hours after the fighting began at Yamazaki. Mitsuhide’s reign as shogun had lasted only 13 days. The man who had defeated him, Toyotomi, came from only humble beginnings. Not the son of a samurai or a daimyo, (a feudal lord), he was peasant-born and was given no surname at birth. Nevertheless, Toyotomi was fiercely loyal to his master and continued the work of unifying the warring states of the country. He steadily consolidated power until his death in 1598, leaving his clan to take control of the ever-growing and powerful Japanese nation.