Oda Nobunaga was born with only a small bit of property, but like many other daimyo of the era, Nobunaga rose to power mostly through his military prowess. Ruthlessly taking over his neighbors, he controlled the majority of his province by the age of 25. Among his many allies was a young Toyotomi Hideoshi, who would later rise from his peasant background to become ruler of Japan. A wildly successful surprise attack on Imagawa Yoshimoto is 1560 …showed first 75 words of 738 total…

…showed last 75 words of 738 total…and attacked Nobunaga as he was entertaining guests at Honmo temple. The temple burned to the ground and Nobunaga's remains were never found. Mitsuhide's exact reasons for treachery are uncertain; some speculate that he was embittered over public embarassment he sometimes suffered at the hands of Nobunaga. Another theory has it that Mitsuhide blamed Nobunaga for the death of his mother, who had been killed by vengeful retainers whose master had been executed by Nobunaga.