Although a start date of 1573 is often given, in more broad terms, this period begins with Nobunaga's entry into Kyoto in 1568, when he led his army to the imperial capital in order to install Ashikaga Yoshiaki as the 15th, and ultimately final, shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate, and lasts until the coming to power of Tokugawa Ieyasu after his victory over supporters of the Toyotomi clan at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600.

Oda Nobunaga's innovation was the wooden stockades and rotating volleys of fire which led to a decisive victory at Nagashino.

Hideyoshi used this victory as a stepping-stone to gain control over Nobunaga's former territories and eventually all of Japan.

Nobunaga's administration was at its height of power and he was about to launch invasions into Echigo Province and Shikoku.

Just eleven days after the coup at Honnō-ji, Mitsuhide was killed at the Battle of Yamazaki and his army was defeated by Hashiba Hideyoshi, who eventually became heir to Nobunaga's legacy.

Nobusumi married Akechi Mitsuhide's daughter, and was killed after the Incident at Honnō-ji by Nobunaga's third son, Nobutaka, who suspected him of being involved in the plot.

He became one of Nobunaga's sandal-bearers and was present at the Battle of Okehazama in 1560 when Nobunaga defeated Imagawa Yoshimoto to become one of the most powerful warlords in the Sengoku period.

As a result, Motoyasu and his men were not present at the Battle of Okehazama where Yoshimoto was killed by Oda Nobunaga's surprise assault.

Using two arquebuses, he fired two consecutive shots at Nobunaga, but was unable to inflict mortal injury through Nobunaga's armor.

Quickly negotiating a truce with the Mōri clan before they could learn of Nobunaga's death, Hideyoshi now took his troops on a forced march toward his adversary, whom he defeated at the Battle of Yamazaki, less than two weeks later.

After being given free rein in Oda Nobunaga's period, the missionaries were forced out little by little, until finally, in the Tokugawa era, Christianity was banned under the Sakoku national isolation policy, during which time, Japanese foreign trade was restricted to Chinese and Dutch traders based at Dejima in Nagasaki ; however, Kirishitan ( Japanese Christian ) worship continued underground.

In 1579, at the age of 58, Rikyū became a tea master for Oda Nobunaga and, following Nobunaga's death in 1582, he was a tea master for Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

Mitsuhide was a general under daimyo Oda Nobunaga, although he became infamous for his betrayal in 1582, which led to Nobunaga's death at Honno-ji.

After Nobunaga's assassination at Honnō-ji ( 本能寺 ) by Akechi Mitsuhide and Mitsuhide's subsequent defeat by Hideyoshi, he battled Hideyoshi under Shibata's command in the Battle of Shizugatake.

Nobunaga's troops made camp at Tsushima, to the northeast of Nagashima, on 16 May 1571.

However, Nobunaga's plans for national domination were thwarted when he fell victim to the treachery of his vassal Akechi Mitsuhide who killed him at the Incident at Honnō-ji in the summer of 1582.

He captured Takatenjin, which even his father could not ; this gained him the support of the Takeda clan, but he suffered a terrible loss at Nagashino, succumbing to one of the earliest recorded uses of volley fire ( Oda Nobunaga's 3000 guns ), in which he lost a large part of his forces as well as a number of his generals.

Thirteen days later, Toyotomi Hideyoshi met Mitsuhide at Yamazaki and defeated him, avenging his lord ( Nobunaga ) and taking Nobunaga's authority and power for himself.

In 1546, he assisted at Nobunaga's gempuku ceremony.

In the former game, it is one of the turning points of the game with one of its associated cutscenes appearing during the story modes of many characters not present at the battle and is the climax of Nobunaga's story.

As a consequence of the Ikkō-ikki revolts and the growing power of the Jodo Shinshu, the sect's fortress-temples Ishiyama Hongan-ji and Nagashima ( built at the end of the 15th century ) were eventually destroyed by Oda Nobunaga's armies.

Uesugi Kenshin, one of Nobunaga's strongest enemies and, therefore, among the Ikki's strongest allies, died in 1578, and the Mori clan lost their castle at Miki in 1580.

To increase his power, Nobunaga persuaded Oda Nobumitsu, a younger brother of Nobuhide, to join his side and, with Nobumitsu's help, slew Nobutomo in Kiyosu Castle, which later became Nobunaga's place of residence for over ten years.

In 1582, Nobunaga's former sandal bearer Hashiba Hideyoshi invaded Bichu Province, laying siege to Takamatsu Castle.

The name of this period is taken from Nobunaga's castle, Azuchi Castle, in the present-day town of Azuchi, Shiga Prefecture and Hideyoshi's castle, Momoyama Castle ( also known as Fushimi Castle ), in Kyoto.

On 1573, Odani Castle was besieged by Nobunaga's forces, and facing a loss Hisamasa committed seppuku.

Michikatsu, born in the early decades of the 16th century, served the Oda clan, first under Oda Nobuhide, and then under the young Oda Nobunaga, upon Nobunaga's assignment to Nagoya Castle.

Nevertheless, after the incident, Nobunaga's wives and female servants were all sent to Azuchi Castle, which was Nobunaga's castle of residence.

In 1570, her father, Nagamasa, broke his alliance with Oda Nobunaga and there was a three year period of fighting until 1573 when Nobunaga's army surrounded Nagamasa at Odani Castle.

Following Nobunaga's conquest of Mino in 1567, in an effort to cement an alliance between Nobunaga and rival warlord Azai Nagamasa, Nobunaga arranged for Oichi, then twenty years old, to marry Nagamasa.

Hirate Masahide, who was a valuable mentor and retainer to Nobunaga, was ashamed by Nobunaga's behavior and performed seppuku.

At Honnō-ji, Nobunaga's small entourage was soon overwhelmed and as the Akechi troops closed in on the burning temple where Nobunaga had been residing, he decided to commit seppuku in one of the inner rooms.

At the time of Nobunaga's death, he was in control of more than half of the provinces in Japan, the majority of which were in the Kyoto region.

Hideyoshi was brought up from a nameless peasant to be one of Nobunaga's top generals.

Nobunaga's organizational system in particular was later used and extensively developed by his ally Tokugawa Ieyasu in the forming of the Tokugawa shogunate in Edo.

Nobunaga's dominance and brilliance was not restricted to the battlefield, for he also was a keen businessman and understood the principles of microeconomics and macroeconomics.

During a visit by the Jesuits in March 1581, Nobunaga's interest was piqued by a slave in the service of a Jesuit inspector of missions, and it was requested that he be left in Nobunaga's service.

Though it was not fully realized under Nobunaga's rule, he attempted to create a public, rational political authority.

Akechi then proceeded to declare himself master over Nobunaga's domains, but was quickly defeated by Hideyoshi.

It was Kitsuno who gave birth to Nobunaga's eldest son, Nobutada.

Nobunaga's nephew was Tsuda Nobusumi, the son of Nobuyuki.