Samurai name meaning: Oda Nobunaga

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portrait of Oda Nobunaga

 

As one of the most famous samurai along with Toyotomi Hideyoshi 豊臣 秀吉 and Tokugawa Ieyasu 徳川 家康, Oda Nobunaga 織田 信長 was a distinguished Daimyo, the great destroyer of the old society and the powerful creator of the new world. He was killed by his retainer Akechi Mitsuhide 明智 光秀.

 

Samurai traditionally have several names. (learn more) They change their name to fit different situations and life stages. This was normal within the Samurai rank.

The transition of his famous names is as follows.

 

吉法師→織田三郎藤原信長→織田上総介藤原信長→織田弾正忠平信長→織田右大臣兼右近衛大将平朝臣信長

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. 吉法師

 

Yōmyō 幼名, childhood name
mmmmm吉   法   師
reading: ki, ppō +shi
meaning: lucky, bonze

 

 

He was the heir of Oda Nobuhide 織田 信秀, a deputy military governor Shugo 守護 with land holdings in Owari Province. Including kitchi 吉 in one’s childhood name was common. Other common words in one’s childhood are maru 丸, meaning “chamber pot;” chiyo 千代, meaning “thousand years;”  rō 郎, meaning “guy;” suke 助, meaning “helper;” and matsu 松, meaning “pine tree.”

 

 

 

2. 織田 三郎 藤原 信長

 

Myōji 名字, family name
nnnnnnn織 田
reading: o, da
meaning: weave, paddy

Kemyō 仮名, pseudonym
nnnnnnnn三    郎
reading: sabu, rō
meaning: third, guy

Uji 氏, clan name
nnnnnnn藤    原
reading: fuji, wara
meaning: wisteria, field

Imina 諱, true name
nnnnnnnn信       長
reading: nobu, naga
meaning: trust, long

 

 

Nobunaga 信長 had a coming-of-age ceremony called  Genpuku 元服 when he was 13 in 1546, and called himself Oda Saburō Nobunaga  織田 三郎 信長. Saburō 三郎 is the pseudonym that the heir of his family traditionally used; his father Nobuhide 信秀 and his grandfather Nobusada 信定 also used the pseudonym Saburō. “Nobu 信” of Nobunaga is the Oda clan’s Tsūji 通字 or the inherited kanji character of a samurai family.

His family called themselves as members of the Fujiwara clan 藤原氏. There is evidence that Nobunaga also used “Fujiwara” and called himself “Fujiwara Nobunaga” in a document written to the Atsuta shrine in 1549.

 

 

 

3. 織田 上総介 藤原 信長

 

Myōji 名字, family name
nnnnnnn織 田
reading: o, da
meaning: weave, paddy

Kemyō 仮名, pseudonym
nnnnnnnn上総            介
reading: Kazusa no, suke
meaning: Kazusa Province, the deputy governor

Uji 氏, clan name
nnnnnnn藤    原
reading: fuji, wara
meaning: wisteria, field

Imina 諱, true name
nnnnnnnn信       長
reading: nobu, naga
meaning: trust, long

 

 

There are various theories when Nobunaga started to use Kazusanosuke 上総介 as his pseudonym. Kazusa was the province where an imperial prince nominally rules and its deputy governor Kazusanosuke had a strong authority. The Imago clan 今川氏, the rival of the the Oda clan, inherited this Kazusanosuke successively. One theory suggests that Nobunaga also used the same title to appear his powerful military to the Imagawa clan. In 1554, the document with the signature Kazusanosuke written by Nobunaga was found.

 

 

 

4. 織田 弾正忠 平 信長

 

Myōji 名字, family name
nnnnnnn織 田
reading: o, da
meaning: weave, paddy

Kemyō 仮名, pseudonym
nnnnnnnn弾正忠
reading: danjyōnochū
meaning: the guard officer of the palace

Uji 氏, clan name
nnnnnnnn
reading: taira
meaning: flat and peace

Imina 諱, true name
nnnnnnnn信       長
reading: nobu, naga
meaning: trust, long

 

 

Danjyōnochū 弾正忠 was the self-styled title that the Oda clan had. Nobunaga also used Danjyōnochū. In 1568, the imperial court gave the official title called Danjyōsyochū 弾正少忠 to him and authorized his use of the title.

Nobunaga changed his clan from Fujiwara to Taira was in 1571, after the battle of Anegawa 姉川の戦い. He planed to invade Echizen Province where the Asakura clan 朝倉氏 ruled, who called themselves offspring of the Taira clan. Nobunaga also called himself a mainstream of the Taira clan and tried to give the impression that he is the rightful ruler of the people there.

Another reason that he changed clans was to make a new governing institution in place of the Ashikaga Shogunate 足利幕府, who was a member of the Minamoto clan. In his time there was the idea that the Minamoto and Taira clans alternately take control of political power in Japan (Gempei kotai shiso 源平交代思想). He had changed his clan name to Taira due to this idea.

 

 

 

5. 織田 右大臣兼右近衛大将 平 朝臣 信長

 

Myōji 名字, family name
nnnnnnn織 田
reading: o, da
meaning: weave, paddy

Kemyō 仮名, pseudonym
nnnnnnnn右大臣兼右近衛大将
reading: Udaijin-Ukonnoetaishō
meaning: Minister of the Right, Major Captain of the Right Division of Inner Palace Guards

Uji 氏, clan name
nnnnnnnn
reading: taira
meaning: flat and peace

Kabane 姓, hereditary title
nnnnnnn朝  臣
reading: a, son
meaning: the second title in imperial court

Imina 諱, true name
nnnnnnnn信       長
reading: nobu, naga
meaning: trust, long

 

 

In 1575, Nobunaga gained the position of the major captain of the right division of inner palace guards called Ukonnoetaishō 右近衛大将, and then in 1577 became the minister of the right called Udaijin 右大臣. His signature “右大臣兼右近衛大将平朝臣” was found in the document to Matsuo shrine at November 27, 1577.

 

 

 

 

 

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