Honnōji and the city of Kyoto

Attacks on Nobunaga and Nobutada at different sites

Nobunaga entered Honnōji on the twenty-ninth day of the fifth lunar month of Tenshō 10. Mitsuhide’s force, expected to head towards Chūgoku, left Kameyama on the first day of the next month and attacked on the second. A subordinate’s army moved against a lord staying with few attendants. These are lunar-calendar dates, not modern 2 June.

Nobunaga died at Honnōji, but Nobutada’s final fighting took place at the separate Nijō residence. Losing both ruler and heir complicated succession. The coup involved several sites and interrupted continuity of rule, not simply the death of one man.

Mitsuhide seeks a political foothold

After the attacks Mitsuhide entered Azuchi on the fifth day and sought support while active in Kyoto on the ninth. Removing leading figures by force differed from obtaining cooperation for a new regime. A successful attack did not itself secure control of people and territory.

Competing explanations of motive cannot be reduced to certainty from the sequence of actions. Later dramatic dialogue is not a transcript. Recorded movements and correspondence illuminate attempts to gain support even where inner intentions remain disputed.

Defeat at Yamazaki and the temple today

Mitsuhide lost at Yamazaki on the thirteenth day and died during retreat. Following attack, support-building and defeat prevents mistaking the coup for a settled transfer of government. Seizing authority and sustaining it required different achievements.

The attacked temple stood near Rokkaku-Nishinotōin. It moved to Teramachi-Oike during Hideyoshi’s urban reorganisation in 1591, and the current main hall was rebuilt in 1928. Today’s temple, the attack site and the standing building belong to different locations and dates. Maps and markers of the former precinct identify the event’s location.

Before and after

1. 1582, sixth lunar month, day 2

   Nobunaga dies at Honnōji; Nobutada at the Nijō residence.

2. 1582, sixth lunar month, day 13

   Mitsuhide loses to Hideyoshi at Yamazaki and dies during retreat.

3. 1591

   Hideyoshi orders Honnōji’s relocation to its present site.

4. 1928

   The present hall is rebuilt.

Key terms

Temple precinct

The grounds occupied by temple buildings and facilities.

Historical calendar

The calendar then in use; its month and day are not modern dates.

Former site

A former location, which may differ from the institution’s present site.

What supports the account?

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