The eaves of Gifu Castle could no longer bear the weight of Oda Nobunaga's gaze sweeping over the world. His territory stretched from mountain castles to the thirteen provinces of Kii, commanding hundreds of thousands of armored soldiers. His former stronghold seemed increasingly cramped in the face of his overwhelming power. He needed a castle worthy of his unparalleled ambition—a castle that had to be majestic and imposing, impregnable, and, more importantly, hold the throat of Kyoto like an iron fist.
His gaze fell upon Azuchi, a land in the Gamo District of Omi Province. Here, waterways and land routes converged, and it was only a stone's throw from Kyoto, making it the perfect central hub for "using the emperor to command the feudal lords."
In 1555, a massive construction project began. Nobunaga gave the order, appointing Niwa Nagahide, who guarded Sawayama, as the overseer. Generals from various provinces conscripted laborers to transport massive timbers and stones. On the construction site, shouts and the sounds of hammers and chisels mingled, and an unprecedentedly magnificent castle rose from the earth. At its heart stands the towering, exquisitely structured seven-story Catholic temple, its eaves and brackets interlocking, its scale unparalleled in the world.
The construction of such a marvel required techniques far ahead of its time. A craftsman from Fujian, Ming Dynasty, named Yiguan, crossed the sea and imprinted the tile-making techniques of his homeland onto the temple's dome. Eastern wisdom and Japanese ambition were seamlessly integrated in this castle.
After seven years of painstaking effort, Azuchi Castle was finally completed. It was not merely a military fortress but also an artistic masterpiece, its magnificence even leaving visiting Western missionaries speechless with awe. Nobunaga commissioned the high-ranking monk Genko to write "Azuchi Castle Chronicle," hoping his achievements and the castle's glory would be remembered for generations.
After moving to Azuchi Castle, Nobunaga entrusted Gifu Castle to his eldest son, Nobutada, while he himself used it as his new command center, leading a powerful army spread across more than sixty prefectures.
By this time, the exiled Ashikaga Yoshiaki was virtually powerless, and the realm had effectively lost its shogun, the supreme ruler who commanded all. Oda Nobunaga, adapting to the changing tides, naturally assumed this power. However, the pinnacle of power did not cloud his judgment. Instead, he increasingly revered the imperial court, diligently restoring ancient rituals and returning the former territories of the imperial family, court nobles, and temples and shrines. Under his iron-fisted rule, the Kinai region, which had remained prosperous and orderly for a century since the Ōnin War, miraculously regained its former glory.
But in Nobunaga's eyes remained a thorn—the widespread influence of the Ikko-shō Hongan-ji sect, bound by faith. These fanatical followers, like wildfire, repeatedly allied with his enemies, threatening his ambitions. Several attempts to suppress them yielded little success.
Nobunaga decisively changed his strategy, like a seasoned hunter patiently clipping their wings, eliminating the daimyo allied with the Ikko-shō sect one by one. Despite the scattered and elusive nature of his followers, making their suppression extremely difficult, Nobunaga's will remained unwavering, growing stronger with each setback. After a long and brutal campaign, he finally and forcefully suppressed this vast religious force.
Just then, the scales of fate tipped in his favor once more. Takeda Harunobu and Uesugi Terutora, two peerless generals who had once caused him sleepless nights, passed away one after another. With his formidable enemies gone, Oda Nobunaga finally became the sole and undisputed ruler of this land, unmatched by anyone.
At the highest point of Azuchi Castle, he surveyed his own land, having taken the final step towards conquering the south and unifying the country.