Oda Hidenobu

Oda Hidenobu (織田 秀信, 1580 – July 24, 1605), the son of Oda Nobutada, was a samurai who lived during the Azuchi-Momoyama period in the late-16th century. His other name was Sanbōshi[1] (三法師).

Oda Hidenobu
Oda Hidenobu
Native name	織田 秀信
Born	1580 Mino Province
Died	July 24, 1605 (aged 24–25) Mino Province
Allegiance	Toyotomi clan Western Army
Years of service	1582–1600
Rank	Head of Oda clan
Unit	Oda clan
Battles/wars	Battle of Gifu Castle Battle of Sekigahara
Relations	Oda Nobunaga (grandfather) Oda Nobutada (father) Takeda Shingen (maternal grandfather) Matsuhime (mother)
Other work	Buddhist monk

Succession dispute

When Oda Nobutada and Oda Nobunaga, Hidenobu's father and grandfather, respectively, were killed during the Incident at Honnō-ji in 1582, there was a dispute as to who would rule the Oda clan between Oda Nobutaka and Oda Nobukatsu, the third and second sons of Nobunaga respectively. Toyotomi Hideyoshi settled the dispute by supporting Hidenobu. Though Hidenobu was only an infant, he was declared the heir.[2]

Battle of Sekigahara

Hidenobu followed in serving under Ishida Mitsunari during the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Before the battle, he had controlled Gifu Castle, an important element in Mitsunari's overall plans; however, he ended up losing the castle during the Battle of Gifu Castle against Ikeda Terumasa and Fukushima Masanori. After losing at Sekigahara, Hidenobu's vassals committed seppuku in Gifu Castle. The blood-stained floorboards eventually became the ceiling in Sōfuku-ji in Gifu. The ceiling is now called the "blood ceiling" (血天井, chi tenjō).[3] Hidenobu himself died five years after the defeat at Sekigahara.

References

1. Papinot, Edmond (1906). Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie du Japon (in French). p. 548.
2. Sansom, George (1961). A History of Japan, 1334-1615. Stanford: Stanford University Press. p. 311. ISBN 0804705259.
3. Gifu City Walking Map. Gifu Lively City Public Corporation, 2007.