The cold winds of northern Omi seemed to forever carry a hint of resentment. Given the chance, Azai Nagamasa of Odani Castle would pounce like a hungry wolf, tearing at Oda Nobunaga's territory. In his eyes, the thorn in his side—Yokoyama Castle, guarded by Kinoshita Hideyoshi—had to be removed.
The opportunity seemed to have arrived. Taking advantage of Kinoshita Hideyoshi's absence at Gifu Castle for the New Year's ceremonies, leaving the castle defenses undefended, Azai Nagamasa personally led his elite troops in a fierce attack on Yokoyama Castle. However, he underestimated the determination and ability of the defending general, Takenaka Shigeharu. This commander, renowned for his strategic brilliance, remained composed in the face of the onslaught, leading his troops in a desperate resistance, leaving the Azai army battered and bruised with every charge.
When news of the victory reached Gifu, Kinoshita Hideyoshi, at a grand banquet, immediately threw down his cup and rushed to the aid of the castle. He was like a sharpened blade, piercing the Azai army's rear from the outside. Seeing this, Takenaka Shigeharu immediately opened the castle gates and launched an attack. Caught between internal and external attacks, Azai Nagamasa suffered another crushing defeat.
The continuous provocations finally exhausted Oda Nobunaga's patience. He personally led a massive army, like a dark cloud pressing down, straight towards Odani Castle. Azai Nagamasa, trapped in the isolated castle, urgently sought help from his ally, Asakura Yoshikage.
Nobunaga, fully aware of the situation, led his army to seize Yamada Mountain, effectively severing the link between the Azai and Asakura forces. Asakura Yoshikage hastily set up camp in Motoki, attempting to break through the blockade, only to clash head-on with the well-prepared Oda army. In a single battle, the Asakura army was completely routed, and Yoshikage himself fled in disarray to Ōno District.
Nobunaga would not let the tiger return to the mountains. He ordered a pursuit, his iron hooves sweeping across Echizen, capturing several castles in succession, ultimately besieging Asakura Yoshikage in the desperate situation of Kensho-ji Temple. At this moment, the loyalty of the samurai code seemed utterly pale in the face of survival. Asakura Kagekage—a member of Yoshikage's clan—for the sake of his family's survival, forced his lord to commit suicide with a knife. He then knelt before Oda Nobunaga's horse, holding his bloodied head.
The Asakura clan, once a powerful force in the Hokuriku region, was thus destroyed.
Having cleared away external support, Nobunaga returned to his capital, unleashing his fury upon Odani Castle. At this point, Azai Nagamasa was truly alone. The Oda army's offensive surged forward, with Kinoshita Hideyoshi's forces being the first to breach the castle walls.
Seeing his final moment approach, Azai Hisamasa—Nagamasa's father—preserved his final dignity in a traditional manner, committing seppuku. Atop the castle tower, Azai Nagamasa's face was calm. He entrusted his wife and daughters (including Nobunaga's sister, Oichi) to their care, then followed in his father's footsteps, calmly facing death.
The eagle of northern Omi had its wings broken. The Azai clan was destroyed.
Subsequently, Oda Nobunaga, with the air of a conqueror, swiftly restored order. He rewarded those who had rendered meritorious service, generously bestowing the vast majority of the former Asai territory upon Kinoshita Hideyoshi, the greatest contributor to the victory. This decision laid the first solid foundation for the rise of the future "Taiko," who would unify Japan.
The threat from the east did not disappear with the fall of the Asakura and Asai. Takeda Katsuyori of Kai Province, always mindful of his father Takeda Harunobu's (Shingen's) ambition to conquer the west, defied his father's admonition to keep his father's death a secret for three years and, in Tensho 3 (1554), brazenly launched an attack, besieging Tokugawa Ieyasu's Nagashino Castle.
Nagashino was a strategic stronghold, and Tokugawa Ieyasu urgently sought aid from his ally, Oda Nobunaga. To make matters worse, a traitor emerged within the Tokugawa clan—Ōga Yashirō secretly colluded with the Takeda, intending to launch a coordinated attack from within.
Katsuyori Takeda, leading 15,000 elite Red Guards, was determined to win. However, the Oda-Tokugawa allied forces were already prepared. Tokugawa's fierce general, Tadatsugu Sakai, launched a surprise attack, breaching two of Takeda's branch castles and killing their commanders, severely demoralizing the Takeda army.
At the decisive moment, Katsuyori launched a desperate all-out offensive. Just as the Takeda cavalry swept in like a raging fire, Oda Nobunaga's 3,000-strong musketeer unit, positioned behind barricades, unleashed a historic roar!
Smoke filled the air, and bullets rained down. The Takeda Red Guards fell in droves under the barrage of modern firearms, and renowned generals died protecting their lord. The once invincible Takeda army suffered a devastating blow at Shitarahara in Nagashino. Katsuyori himself barely escaped, fleeing in panic amidst the smoke and fire.
After this battle, the Takeda clan was severely weakened and no longer had the strength to look westward. Meanwhile, Oda Nobunaga's ambitions had been thwarted by yet another major obstacle.