EiRaku TsuuHou 永楽通宝
One of the banners used by Nobunaga was the EiRaku TsuuHou. This was actually the name of a coin. It's quite fascinating to me that Nobunaga used the name of a coin as one of his battle banners. But there is an interesting (and surely fictional) anecdote that explains why. The story goes like this:
In the early morning of the famous battle of Okehazama, Nobunaga rushed from his castle with only an escort of a handful of his immediate vassals. He sent out word for his generals to gather their men and meet him at the Atsuta Shrine.
After gathering at the shrine, the men offered their prayers to the gods. When the bells of the shrine began to ring, Nobunaga announced "The gods have heard us!". He then took out a handful of EiRaku TsuuHou coins. Asking "Show us a sign that we will be victorious," Nobunaga flung the coins high in the air. When they came down, every single one of the coins was showing heads. Nobunaga announced "Let us give thanks - our victory is assured!"
His generals and 3000 men were convinced that they were backed by the gods. With that confidence they went on to decapitate the Imagawa forces at Okehazama. This victory by a minor figure over a major general sent shockwaves over the established balance of power. It catapulted Nobunaga onto the scene as a new force in the political and military situation.
After this point, Nobunaga used the EiRaku TsuuHou banner. There were several messages wrapped up in the use of the banner. For one, it symbolized that he was protected by the gods. It also was a reminder of the shock that Nobunaga had put into the system, and therefore a reminder of what he was capable of. Some have also interpreted the use of the banner as a message that "Nobunaga will spread to all corners of Japan - where you find the EiRaku TsuuHou, you fill find Nobunaga". Finally some have seen the use of the banner as a hint of the importance that Nobunaga would later put on economic policy.
Nobunaga also had a new hilt made, that was decorated with the EiRaku TsuuHou coins. The coins were literally embedded into the hilt. This hilt was known as the "Undefeatable Hilt" (まけずの鍔). Today, some of the manhole covers in Nagoya (near where Nobunaga later built his Azuchi Castle) are replicas of this hilt!
Oda and Figure Skating??
On December 27, 2003 Oda Nobunari came in 5th place in an all-Japan figure skating tournament. In December 2005 Nobunari won the NHK Cup but did not participate in the 2006 Winter Games in Turin. Born in 1987, Oda Nobunari is related to Oda Nobunaga. According to the Japanese Wikipedia (i.e., who knows how trustworthy this is), he is the 17th grandson of Nobunaga, and is decended from Nobunaga's 7th son, Nobutaka.
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