Quote:
Originally Posted by ArchmageXin
Silly question, how brutal was Oda Nobunaga?
I seem to see a lot of Japanese anime feature/reference to the guy. I can understand he appear to be a good politician/general that almost united Japan, but there is little mentioned of his personal quirks.
Is anime mass white-washed his brutal ways, or he wasn't that bad of a person?
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Well, it's complicated, as with many historical figures of his prominence. He had to claw his way to the top of his clan due to a power struggle following his father's death, which inevitably involved killing fellow clan members.
He also massacred all the inhabitants of a Buddhist settlement that opposed him during one of his campaigns.
On the other hand, he had a unique personality and was interested in the arts, western knowledge, etc. Beyond just his historical significance in beginning unification, he's a pretty fascinating figure, so his prominence in Japanese cultural memory is understandable.