Akechi Mitsuhide - Blog Posts
Meanwhile, after Oda-Uesugi War...
History on the high street: Honnô-ji
Similarly to the other examples mentioned in a previous post, a temple sits at the North-East end of Teramachi shopping street, with traditional-style gate and buildings. But this is more than an ordinary temple, as it bears the name of a pivotal moment of Japanese history.
I say "bears the name", because this is not the actual location of the Honnô-ji incident. The original Honnô-ji was built a few kilometres to the South-West, nearer to Shijô (the 4th East-West street South of the castle; the current temple is North of Sanjô, or 3rd street). It was there that, in 1582, Akechi Mitsuhide, a general in the force aiming to unify feudal Japan, rebelled against his leader, Oda Nobunaga. The importance of Oda Nobunaga would be its own series if I had the material, but if you know, you know; I'll concentrate on Honnô-ji.
Akechi's forces laid siege and burned the temple down, and it is widely believed that the trapped Nobunaga committed seppuku - however, his body was never found. Akechi, meanwhile, had underestimated other generals' loyalty to Nobunaga. Toyotomi Hideyoshi swiftly brokered a peace treaty with the lord he was fighting in the West to rush back to Kyôto, and ran Akechi down just two weeks after the coup.
Hideyoshi was accepted as the new leader of central Japan, and went back to expanding westward. He also ordered that Honnô-ji be moved to its current location and rebuilt in 1591. It has, in fact, needed to be rebuilt several times since, each time after fires ravaged the capital. Beyond its function as a Buddhist worship site, the new Honnô-ji includes a mausoleum to Oda Nobunaga, as the decision was made by his successors to honour him there.
I remember passing by this temple in 2016, during my first trip to Japan, a three-week work visit in Kyôto. I had no notions on Japanese history at the time, and it was only a while later that I realised the importance of Honnô-ji. So, as an aside to Gion Matsuri in 2023, I decided I had to go back for a closer look.
Place your bets ladies and gentlemen!
Should you fight this character: SLBP Lords Edition
Nobunaga: You’ll probably lose horribly, but hey, at least you can say you landed a hit on Oda Nobunaga’s smug-ass face.
Mitsuhide: Working for Nobunaga gave him so much repressed everything that fighting him might trigger the ticking time bomb inside him. Don’t fight him, especially if he’s stressed.
Yukimura: Ten times out of ten, you’ll probably lose. Badly. Unless of course, you try to seduce him, then maybe you’ll have a very good chance of winning the fight.
Saizo: Horrible fucking idea. Dude is OP and was trained to be the best ninja in Iga. He’s razed entire villages and assassinated powerful samurai and ninja alike. Still, on the off chance that you’re dumb enough to fight him, make sure you get a good hit in because no craves the sweet release of death more than he does.
Masamune: Why in god’s name would you want to fight Masamune?
Kojuro: Sure, you can fight him. Ninety-nine percent of the time, he’s probably fretting over Masamune or his turtle so you could land a few good punches in while he’s distracted. Honestly though, the stress of his job might kill him before you do.
Hideyoshi: If he hasn’t outwitted you or charmed you yet, then you might have a chance of beating him. Granted, this is considering the fact that Mitsunari hasn’t yet found out about the fight.
Inuchiyo: Have you seen how thicc this guy is? Dude never skips leg day and wears titty armor into battle to intimidate his opponents. Plus, he lugs a fucking heavyweight trident like it’s nothing. You might have a chance if you ask Hana MC to help you, though…
Ieyasu: Fight him. Beat the living shit out of him. Teach his daifuku-eating ass a lesson. Mitsunari himself will sponsor the fight. Just make sure he doesn’t poison you first.
Mitsunari: Ieyasu will pay you himself to fight his nerdy ass. You don’t even have to win. Just get a few punches in and watch him yell at you.
Kenshin: If he’s distracted by pretty rocks or other “treasures”, then sure, you can fight him. But in the few moments when he’s actually taking shit seriously, you won’t even know the fight’s over till you’re down and looking up at Kenshin’s God of War eyes boring through your soul.
Shingen: Dude is stacked af and will definitely take your ass to Suplex City like it’s a regular Tuesday in the park. Even with a terminal illness, this dude can break melons with his thighs. Yeah, don’t fight him.
Shigezane: Yeah sure, fight him, but is it worth it? Dude never did anything wrong and just wants a laugh. Just invite him out for taiyaki and don’t fight him.
Nobuyuki: No.
Hana MC: I mean, you’ll probably win the fight, but she’ll win the war. She’s gone through about 14 routes of trauma and hell, yet she came back stronger each time. Girl has nerves of steel. You cannot defeat her. Defeating her was never an option.