SAMURAI WISDOM

It is the Age of Exploration, more than 400 years ago.

Portugal and Spain have divided the world between them.

Only half a century has passed since Columbus's voyages across the Atlantic.

In east Asia, Japan has fractured into dozens of contending clans.

Samurai leaders are caught up in an unending struggle for local dominance.

They excel in the art of war, but some are also visionaries in other areas.

Their wisdom will lay the groundwork for the long peace under the Tokugawa shogunate and leave a lasting legacy for modern Japan.

Who are these visionaries?

We explore their great achievements against a backdrop of civil war.

During the first millennium, Japan was ruled by an imperial house of ancient pedigree.

But in the 14th century, samurai leaders-shoguns-rule in the name of the emperor.

In the 16th century, imperial power wanes.

Individual samurai clans move to throw off the rule of the shoguns.

One of these clans rules the small domain of Owari, near present-day Nagoya.

Its leader is Oda Nobunaga.

Born in 1534, he becomes ruler of Owari at 26.

From the beginning, Nobunaga is an innovator.

Years later, his biographer will say of him: He would walk the streets munching a piece of fruit, with one shoulder bare and bare legs in short trousers.

People mocked him for a fool.

Yet this "fool" would go on to best one opponent after another on his path to total supremacy.

His astonishing success makes him one of Japan's most beloved historical figures.

2009.

A statue is unveiled at a train station in Gifu, once part of the Owari domain.

This golden statue of Nobunaga was funded by public donations.

He's been the protagonist of countless novels, movies, and manga; held up as the ideal boss and a model for modern managers.

His presence is even felt in video games.

This game simulates the struggle for supremacy between samurai leaders.

Released in 1983, it's been followed by 15 sequels, selling 10 million copies worldwide.

Its success spawned a major Japanese game company.

The man behind the game is Shibusawa Kou.

Nobunaga ushered in a new age.

He did it through both
creation and destruction.

I've always been drawn
to his life and achievements.

Nobunaga's life has fascinated leaders in many fields.

His story is a series of stunning breakthroughs.

The year is 1554.

Powerful clan leader Imagawa Yoshimoto secures his borders to the north and east through treaties with the Takeda and Hojo clans.

This gives him a free hand to move west, toward Kyoto and the seat of power.

Owari stands in his path, but its forces are no match for Imagawa.

Yet Nobunaga finds a path to victory, at a place called Okehazama.

One man is fascinated by this upset victory.

Kuriyama Hideki is no stranger to incredible odds in baseball.

Today he manages Japan's national team.

He also mentored major league phenomenon Otani Shohei.

I admire Nobunaga.

His victory was a huge step
toward unifying Japan.

It was a unique achievement.

1560, the year of decision.

Imagawa moves his army toward Owari.

Kuriyama thinks he knows how Nobunaga triumphed.

Information was the key.

Nobunaga did his homework.
That made all the difference.

Kuriyama is passionate about the battle of Okehazama.

Today, the scene of Nobunaga's triumph is a quiet neighborhood.

A park commemorates the battle with statues of Nobunaga and Imagawa.

Against Imagawa and his allies, Nobunaga fields a force of just 2,000.

He's outnumbered ten to one.

The odds seem insurmountable.

How will he beat them?

Nobunaga's plan is to attack the enemy from the rear and target their leader.

He stakes everything on this one desperate chance.

The battle takes place in a narrow valley called Okehazama.

The name means "gorge."

At dawn on that June morning, Imagawa crosses the border.

News reaches Nobunaga that one of his forts is already surrounded.

Without hesitation, he calls his army to battle.

But his goal is not the besieged fort.

He sends horsemen to discover Imagawa's own location, further to the rear.

Just before noon, a messenger brings Nobunaga the answer he's been waiting for.

General Imagawa is camped at Okehazama with 5,000 men.

His fighters strip off their armor and sit down to a midday meal.

Nobunaga knows the area from boyhood.

He sees immediately what to do.

The enemy is camped in a steep-sided valley.

There's little room to maneuver.

If Nobunaga can maintain the element of surprise, his small force might have a chance.

He puts his men in motion.

Like a blessing from above, a powerful storm breaks as he nears the camp.

The driving rain muffles the sound of his approach.

The rain lifts.

Nobunaga unleashes his attack.

The enemy is plunged into panic.

Soon Imagawa is killed, and his men surrender or flee.

Nobunaga has worked a miracle.

Inspiration is the fruit of preparation.

The odds are against you.
You've looked at every option.

Then a voice says,
"You've done everything you can.

Now here is what you need to do."

I've had many moments like this
in professional baseball.

After the battle, Nobunaga rewards those who played important roles.

Above all, he rewards the man who discovered Imagawa's location.

He understood that intelligence
and planning are the key to victory.

Good execution requires preparation
in any field of endeavor.

The better prepared you are,
the more likely your success.

Kuriyama knows how to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

July 2016.

Kuriyama leads a professional baseball team.

His team is trailing by a wide margin.

Victory seems almost impossible.

He decides to stake everything on one man.

He sends in Otani Shohei as starting pitcher, and first in the batting order.

Now everything depends on Otani.

If I'm going to use him, he may as well be first
at bat and on the mound.

We needed a win to create momentum.

It was definitely a major gamble.

With the shout of "Play ball!," on the first pitch, he hits a home run.

And from the mound, he pitches a shutout.

It was a major victory.

Kuriyama's team will go on to reverse their fortunes and win the series.

They become number one in Japan.

People once thought Nobunaga was a fool.

If he faced a challenge,
he'd screw it up.

He must've had a guardian angel
to steal such a victory.

When your back's to the wall,
you have to be willing to bet it all.

I suspect that's what Nobunaga
was thinking.

A letter by Nobunaga at the time, still just in his 30s, has been preserved.

In it, he promises to restore rebel territories to imperial control.

Beneath his signature is a crimson seal that bears the words: TENKAFUBU.

"Tenkafubuku" was Nobunaga's vow to end the chaos of civil war through force of arms and restore peace and tranquility.

But Nobunaga would need economic as well as military power.

He was quick to grasp the importance of Sakai, a seaport in what is now Osaka.

This map was drawn by a Portuguese missionary who visited Japan in the 16th century.

He features Sakai prominently on his map.

In Nobunaga's day, the city is a bustling center of international trade.

Foreign merchants walk the streets, offering goods Japan has never seen before.

In a Japan where the power of local warlords is everywhere, Sakai is an autonomous city with its own governing council.

It's an incubator for new forms of commerce, culture and technology, a city of which it is said, "Everything begins in Sakai."

Nobunaga has another reason for his interest in Sakai.

No weapon was more potent
than the matchlock musket.

Sakai was a leader
in producing musket balls.

Sakai was also a center
for firearm production.

In the mid-16th century, firearms are making their first appearance on Japan's battlefields.

Conventional strategy places cavalry at the forefront followed by foot soldiers armed with spears.

Soldiers need to be well-trained, armed, and equipped.

Portuguese traders bring the first matchlock firearms to Japan in 1543.

They land on Tanegashima island, south of Kyushu.

At the time, European firearms were called HINAWA-JU.

After charging the HINAWAJU with black powder and shot, the gunner would use a lit fuse, the HINAWA, to touch off the powder and fire the weapon, or JU.

Nobunaga saw the importance of this new technology.

The HINAWAJU was deadly.

And with little training, soldiers became much more effective, making all the difference in the heat of battle.

Sakai merchants are quick to import matchlocks from Tanegashima.

The ironworking skills of local swordsmiths are easily adapted to firearm production.

The lead needed to make musket balls is a precious commodity in 16th-century Japan.

Research from 2009 showed that Nobunaga's musket balls were made with lead from as far away as Thailand.

The merchants of Sakai developed a trade route extending 4,000 kilometers to Southeast Asia.

They not only manufactured firearms but also had a system for mass-producing musket balls.

Nobunaga brings Sakai under his control and monopolizes the production of firearms.

His aim is to gain an overwhelming advantage over his opponents.

In 1575, the situation beyond Nobunaga's borders takes a new turn.

The nearby Takeda invade territory held by Tokugawa Ieyasu, an ally of Nobunaga.

Ieyasu will eventually bring all of Japan under his control and inaugurate the Edo shogunate, which will last for 250 years.

But now, Ieyasu needs Nobunaga's help.

So far Nobunaga has avoided conflict with the Takeda.

Now he sees Ieyasu's predicament as an opportunity.

He dispatches an army of 30,000.

The opposing forces meet at the battle of Nagashino.

The Takeda are formidable opponents thanks to their cavalry.

To deal with this threat, Nobunaga deploys crack gunners behind wooden palisades.

As they near the barriers, massed volleys stop the Takeda horsemen in their tracks.

Contemporary accounts say the volleys continued from morning until well into the afternoon.

The victory is a testament to Nobunaga's foresight in stockpiling ammunition and powder.

His withering firepower destroys the Takeda army.

Nobunaga deployed his men
to use volley fire.

He had 3,000 gunners.

At Nagashino, he was first
to use this strategy on a large scale.

Nobunaga's military prowess isn't the only source of inspiration for Shibusawa.

Nobunaga improved the roads and waterways.
He spanned rivers with bridges.

This greatly increased
the mobility of his armies.

He could bring force to bear on any location
in days instead of weeks.

He was a master
at coordinating with his allies.

His strategies emphasized
economic and military efficiency.

That was truly amazing.

Just as in battle, Nobunaga focused on governing efficiently.

Merchants had to share their profits with their landlords.

Membership in the proper guild was also a must for doing business.

But Nobunaga insisted on free markets and open guilds.

He illuminated barriers to commerce, allowing anyone to do business freely.

This energized the city and added to Nobunaga's own coffers.

As a young man, Shibusawa took a leaf from Nobunaga's playbook.

He taught himself programming and started developing video games.

Like Nobunaga, he grew his company by controlling all aspects of the business.

As president, I'm not just involved
in game development.

I deal with accounting, personnel
and finance issues.

I'm a diplomat.
I do sales and marketing.

I wanted players to enjoy managing
everything, not just fight battles.

I knew this would make my games
much more fascinating.

In Shibusawa's games, you'd better make sure your vassals are happy.

Otherwise, they may betray you.

Shibusawa applies this same philosophy to his business.

It helps him hire and retain talented employees.

Take starting salary.
Last year it was 230,000 yen.

This year it's 290,000 yen.

Salaries like this attract
outstanding new employees.

Our monthly salaries are also
very generous.

I want our people
to have a good standard of living.

That makes them more productive.

In that sense, it's just like Nobunaga.

Now in his 40s, over a decade after his first dramatic victory, Nobunaga sets out to unite Japan.

The territory under his control includes Kyoto, the seat of imperial power.

In 1576, Nobunaga starts work on Azuchi Castle overlooking Lake Biwa and Kyoto.

His fortress vanished long ago, but eyewitnesses paint a picture of stunning grandeur.

Nobunaga could travel by water to Kyoto.

He could dispatch soldiers quickly in any direction.

The castle was an important part of his plan to unify the nation.

From its surviving elements, we can learn something of its original appearance.

The route up the mountainside is designed to obstruct an enemy assault.

On the peak, massive stone walls.

Nobunaga recruited experienced builders from all over the nearby region.

Across a distance of four centuries, these walls testify to the castle's strength.

The walls were topped by a tower keep.

The foundation stones for the huge wooden pillars can still be seen.

Excavations have uncovered gilded roof tiles.

Azuchi Castle was a testament to Nobunaga's wealth and power.

What did it look like in its heyday?

Three years of research by specialist historians and architects have yielded a detailed CG model of Azuchi castle.

The tower keep was a majestic seven-story structure with a height of 48 meters.

The exterior design was daring, with elements of Chinese architecture.

The walls were extensively decorated with gold.

The interior was the height of luxury.

The reconstruction captures every detail.

The rooms were decorated throughout by the master painter Kano Eitoku and his students.

On the top floor, portraits of Chinese emperors were symbols of Nobunaga's authority.

Nobunaga was deeply interested in foreign cultures.

He was very fond of Western globes and timepieces, and sometimes wore a European cape.

He also invited Jesuit priests to visit the castle.

One visitor, Luis Frois, left a description of Nobunaga's fortified palace.

In terms of its structure and strength, its riches and beauty, it equals the finest castles in Europe.

I think the castle's beauty
is its most important feature.

Nobunaga saw it as a stage
for projecting his ideals.

His greatness can't be conveyed
in the testimony or writings of others.

It comes to us in ways
we can see and feel.

But Shibusawa is convinced Nobunaga was chasing yet another dream.

Nobunaga knew that Portugal
and Spain were small nations.

Yet thanks to seafaring prowess,
they built great empires.

I think Nobunaga saw Japan,
a small nation, in this light too.

The more he learned
about Spain and Portugal the more he must've been inspired
to follow the same path.

Luis Frois quoted Nobunaga as saying that as soon as he unified Japan, he planned to send an armada to China.

It's easy to imagine a visionary like Nobunaga founding trade networks across the globe.

Using our computer-generated castle, we can recreate a fascinating episode.

One summer night, Nobunaga hangs lanterns all over the fortress and orders a torchlight procession.

He's built a town at the base of the mountain with residences for merchants, craftsmen, and his generals.

His castle town is a vibrant community.

Its likes have never before been seen in Japan.

But Nobunaga will not live to see his dream realized.

1582.

Nobunaga's biographer tells it this way.

While Nobunaga was staying at Honnoji Temple, he was attacked from all sides.

Nobunaga was poised to launch a campaign against the western clans.

He was spending the night in Kyoto with a small group of soldiers.

But one of his vassals inexplicably turned on him and led an attack on the temple.

Honnoji went up in flames.

A wounded Nobunaga committed ritual suicide.

He was 49.

It was an untimely end for the samurai leader who transformed Japan.

True resolve gives birth to wisdom.

When your back is against the wall,
you find the wisdom you need.

When I put on this Samurai Japan badge,
I feel a heavy responsibility.

But I try to emulate our ancestors,
and never lose my resolve.

No one wants to play
the same game forever.

Nobunaga's life was a cycle
of creation and destruction.

I constantly have to
come up with new game ideas.

We're driven by the same vision.

Through military leadership and vision, Oda Nobunaga left an indelible mark on 16th-century Japan.

The period of civil war would continue for 20 years after his death, only ending with the ascendance of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

But the coming age will be shaped by samurai leaders who carry Nobunaga's wisdom into the future.