In Defense of Akechi Mitsuhide

Mitsuhide koei= Noble,righteous. Capcom= Sadistic demonic

Crackpot theory: Mitsuhide was actually replaced with an exact clone made by a rival clan with advanced cloning technology the night before Honno-ji and was programmed to destroy Nobunaga. 😂

Nobunaga's issue is that he is in essence an EXTREMELY talented manchild. He's daring in innovating new ways, used to doing things with blatant disdain for traditional rules, and curious about all sorts of things and can spend incredible focus and time examining people and things that hold his interest, like Firearms, Western Clothing, Economical Warfare, Yasuke etc. But at the same time, Nobunaga is spoiled rotten, he's infamous for some VERY wild mood swings and temper tantrums, and if he loses interest in you, he will discard and utterly snub you at best (i.e. what happened to Nobuhide Sakuma after Honganji), or kick you around at worst for the smallest things that displease him. It would totally fit the bill that Mitsuhide was repeatedly on the receiving end of being kicked around like a ball by Nobunaga just because 'for the lolz'; rumors that Nobunaga physically beat Mitsuhide for serving fish not to his liking while hosting Ieyasu one day, and then had his lands taken away as punishment, were probably not altogether unfounded either, or at least, Mitsuhide had every reason to fear Nobunaga would do that given how he had treated other subordinates before, even Hideyoshi...

That said there probably isn't enough info pre-Eiroku Incident on him, but I'd like to see a Defence of video made for the notorious Matsunaga Hisahide (aka the "Shogun-killer") one day.

This was a wonderful video. I have always been a fan of Mitsuhide and I am so glad you added the Tenkai bit at the end. Personally I believe Tenkai to be either Akechi Hidemitsu or Akechi Mitsuyoshi.

Just one year before the Honnoji Incident, Akechi Mitsuhide left a message of gratitude to Nobunaga in his diary.
And the bullying of Mitsuhide by Nobunaga is mostly fiction.

My man Nobunaga got back stabbed, betrayed and Bamboozled..

This was really good. You should just make this a series “”Traitors” of ancient Japan”

On shogun TV show they kinda hinted that tokugawa knew mitsuhide would betray nobunaga(maybe even influenced him to do it) & that's why took his daughter by his side after

I just love this channel I always watch a video everyday I love Japanese history keep up the good work!

STOP SPREADING AKECHI PROPAGANDA

its funny how there has actually been new evidence from a scroll by a Japanese Record keeper who says Akechi may not have even been there during Honno-ji and just ordered it or that someone did it on his behalf. Which I tend to believe given most rulers wouldn't put themselves in deaths way like that especially one who had plans after an attack, like Akechi did

No we don’t know for certain that Yasuke was given the rank of samurai since the word samurai wasn’t used officially for around 50 years after his time. We know for certain that he was regarded as a warrior and was granted an estate, however he was not expected to commit seppuku when other nobles were which suggests that he was regarded as something else. A highly respected individual, but samurai always made a point about their particular family lineage which Yasuke of course didn’t have being a foreigner. Perhaps he was considered a samurai by people using that term, but the sources do not explicitly refer to him as samurai.

please do a in defense video of nobunaga oda and date masamune

It is lust not love

"The time is now, as the rain falls down, in the fifth month"

-Poem attributed to Akechi Mitsuhide, reportedly written just before the Honno-ji Incident.

Ah Mitsuhide, an interesting figure

Akechi clan sponsored this video if you dont know lol. The main reason akechi betrayed oda is AMBITION he sense that it is the perfect day or lucky day to go grab the throne and no other day will come vulnerable so he take his chances for his ambition that night or day!

Do hideaki kobayakawa or kanetsugu naoe next

The reason why Oda Nobunaga is called "Demon" is that Ikko Ikki monks of the time gave the name due to Honganji Temple burning. After executing Mitsuhide's entire family, Nobunaga really had it coming.

Those who like the drama ``Shogun'' may have noticed that the model for ``Mariko-sama'' is Mitsuhide Akechi's daughter.

What do you mean in his defense?!
You’re no Samurai…. *sniff

It's incredible how much similiar were Nobunaga and Caesar, both increased their power through conquest, both fought battle where they had a great numerical disadvantage but managed to win, and both were betrayed and killed at the highest of their power.

Thank you, excellent video!
When you break down just how many other people also rebelled against Nobunaga, it becomes clear that there was always trouble in the Oda paradise. I think Akechi had been planning to destroy Nobunaga all along but kept a good poker face right up to Honnoji. Either he felt thst Nobunaga hadn't earned unswerving loyalty or he felt that a Japan united under him would be a dreadful place.

Nobunaga did nothing wrong

"June...1582...

The Temple Honnoji, Kyoto....

Nobunaga Oda, betrayed by his retainer Mitsuhide Akechi, vanished forever in a sea of crimson flames."

I love this detailed video on the Man Who Murdered The Demon King yet whose motives behind this betrayal has remained a mystery for many centuries...

Thank you for laying out the possible reasons and going through each one of them in such detail.

Mariko's dad from Shogun

I feel like it was critical missing information that Nobunaga got his mom killed that I never heard before.

このチャンネルの動画は、常に地に足がついていて素晴らしい👍

I think about mitsuhide a lot because i played as his clan and united japan in a shogun 2 mod
The good ending btw

I'd say my favorite depiction of Akechi Mitsuhide is in the Nioh series.

While it does involve some fantasy elements, Mitsuhide is portrayed is someone who has Japan's best intentions at heart, and at first joins Nobunaga because he believes he's the join to unify Japan, but when Nobunaga proves to be too ruthless, that's when he pulls off the betrayal.

If I'm correct, this man is the man that Toda Mariko's father in the show Shogun was meant to be loosely based on, given that Kuroda Nobuhisa was meant to be the show's version of Oda Nobunaga.

Thank you for this video man. I learnt more about the guy now. Still absolutely hate him though. Nobunaga was about to create an empire and usher in an age of imperial might, but the bastard here castrated that hope, and delayed Japan's glory for centuries. Still utterly despise him, but this video does add some nuance to a 'complicated' individual.

Y'know who I think could use an "In Defense of"? Hojo Ujimasa. I remember for the longest time he was viewed as a loser heir to Ujiyasu, and there's the phrase "Odawara Conference" mocking him and his clan, when really, the forces Hideyoshi brought against him were unprecedented. Yet I think he was a very competent successor, probably one of the best when it comes to the heirs of legendary daimyo. Compared to guys like Imagawa Ujizane, or Oda Nobukatsu, or Otomo Yoshimune, or Mori Terumoto, and so on.

In order to understand the Honnoji Incident, you should know the word "下剋上Ge-koku-jo". This is a trend that was generally accepted and practiced during the Sengoku period (1467-around the end of 16th century). It is a way for a person of lower rank or status to seize power by defeating a person of higher rank. Idiot, incompetent, and tyrannical daimyo would easily lose their territory, so such people were replaced, exiled, or killed by their vassals. As the scale of the battles grew, alliances between daimyos and weaker daimyos became loyal to powerful daimyos, but those who gained the upper hand could never let their guard down. To put it in an analogy, the weaker ones were "wolves," and if they are given to chances, they would bite the stronger one to death. For this reason, Nobunaga, who was on the verge of unifying the whole country, imposed heavy burdens on his vassal daimyos and allied daimyos while fighting the enemies around him. Behind the scenes, there were very tense relations between them. Under such circumstances, it was natural that betrayals and rebellions would occur, and we should not think of Akechi Mitsuhide as an exception. The true cause has not been identified, but it seems likely that he decided that he could no longer remain Nobunaga's vassal and so rebelled against his lord. In the later Edo period (1603-1867), relations of master and servant became rigid, and from that perspective the Honnoji Incident became inexplicable and immoral, with many stories about it being fabricated, and Mitsuhide deliberately was treated as the villain.

Nobunaga, by his deeds is a psychopath. There is absolutely NO WAY anyone else would issue his type of orders unless they were. Look up the psychopath traits and you will see; history cannot hide from human nature. He didn't care about his loyal subordinates families, beliefs or desires. He was envious that religious people weren't worshipping or following his ideas, he insulted his loyal subjects in front of anyone without regard. Just think about that, that the friggin foreign priests even knew he was rude to Mitsuhide. The only way they could have found out is if they were literally there and saw it.

My view on the subject is Nobunaga's benevolence is propaganda through and through. His natural actions were greed, gluttony, pride and conquest of anything that would give him that.

Mitsuhide was co-opted by others below him who agreed but were too kind to actually attack or go against the status quo (you swear loyalty) which led to Mitsuhide being unable to form his government to rule Japan.

Nobunaga would cut up his best friend's children if it would get him anything of benefit. Whether a few laughs, moderate wealth or more power.

Tought job. Defend him is like defending Pedro Lopez. Having a bad childhood doesn't give him a check to go on murder spree. Same as Akechi. Maybe Nobunaga wrong him a few thing, but that doesn't make him right to stab him in the back

I always find it strange that popular media often portrays Akechi as an expert swordsman when he was historically known as a mediocre swordsman, but skilled with the spear and arquebus. As for the theory of him taking up the life of a monk in the service of Tokugawa Ieyasu, I have one question: If this theory were true, do you think Ieyasu ever recognized his old fellow general? Did it go unspoken, and bygones were left to be bygones, or did he just never notice?

I would think Ieyasu would've noticed and said nothing because had Nobunaga not been killed, Tokugawa may never have held the power he did while he had it, so perhaps in a way he would've felt he owed Akechi his life in return. Honestly if I had even suspected someone who had been considered a traitor to be that close to me, I would assume he would try again and have him killed or imprisoned or something.

Then again, I suppose killing a monk wouldn't look too good to everyone else, regardless of who he may or may not have been or actually be. Either it would be a complex situation or I'm overthinking it, or both. This is why I should have nothing to do with politics considering there are other angles I thought of that I won't even bother going into lol

Sengoku era just proved nobody's hands are clean and nobody have rightful motives, everybody just followed their own ambition. Akechi probably had his reasons to angry Nobunaga but I belive he had his own ambitiones. Like all traitors he waited for opportunity. I think the biggest mystery is who promised to support him? Emperor? Former Shogun? Hosokawas? Hideyoshi? Ieyasu? Without a support a traitor not has courage to betray. And like all traitors he betrayed as well. None of his conspirators helped him after Honnoji.

And with this video, I finally subscribed to your channel.

I like Mitsuhide because he's the only samurai warrior in the game Samurai Warriors to actually use a katana!

Mitsuhide returned Yasuke to the Jesuits? I think he vanished after Honno-ji? Or is that just speculation by some leading historians about where he vanished to?

About mitzuhide i still think desertion would be best than the way he went, but things on the period were dire and he may have no other choice in order to escape nobunaga's reach.

I think that Japan would be in a better spot, today, had Oda Nobunaga not been betrayed.

facts💯💯💯 my husband worked for Onimusha 3 “ 鬼武者3 “ as character designer he designed Garuganto/Gargant 💁🏻‍♀️💯 and Kaneshiro Takeshi as Samanosuke was the greatest choice Capcom made to play the protagonist of both 1-3

His nephew Samonosuke was much cooler.

Thanks for another banger Shogunate 🫡

Takes a deep breath

In defense of Kobayakawa Hideaki.

This is something

Nope. Dishonor. Mitsuhide bad. Seppuku at sundown!