Dan Snow's History Hit How Did Three Samurai Warlords Unite Japan?
Feb 5, 2026
Chris Harding, cultural historian of Japan and East–West ties, guides a lively tour of late medieval Japan. He traces Oda Nobunaga’s brutal innovations, Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s meteoric social climb and reforms, and Tokugawa Ieyasu’s patient path to lasting rule. Short, vivid stories bring battles, betrayals and political engineering to life.
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Japan Fragmented Into Competitive Domains
- By the mid-1400s Japan's Ashikaga shogunate weakened and regional warlords turned the country into ~120 competing domains.
- The resulting chaos set the stage for later centralizers who sought Kyoto's legitimacy to rule all Japan.
Firearms Changed Sengoku Warfare
- European-introduced arquebuses were rapidly adopted in Japan and transformed battle tactics by the late 16th century.
- Nobunaga's massed gunners at Nagashino exemplified coordinated firearm use that defeated cavalry charges.
Hideyoshi: From Sandal Bearer To Ruler
- Toyotomi Hideyoshi rose from carrying Nobunaga's sandals to becoming his successor by swiftly crushing rivals after Nobunaga's death.
- He consolidated power through court rank, land reallocation, and presenting himself as Nobunaga's legitimate heir.