Defeat and death of Matsunaga Hisahide

Timeline

1. 1565–1568Yamato Province · Nara PrefectureBased at Takayama Castle, Matsunaga Hisahide had assassinated shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru and manipulated Kansai politics while controlling Sakai's wealth. As Oda Nobunaga's power advanced eastward, Hisahide faced the choice of military subjugation or political submission.
2. 1568Sakai · SakaiWhen Nobunaga's army approached Kyoto, Hisahide chose not to fight a decisive battle but to show deference, placing Sakai under Nobunaga's control and offering tribute. This preserved his life and part of his domains, but cost him independent decision-making and his commercial monopoly.
3. 1568–1577Kansai · KansaiAfter submitting in 1568, Hisahide maintained a vassal status under Nobunaga, but the 'Matsunaga era' in Kansai had ended. In 1577 Hisahide rebelled again and took his own life after the fall of Shigisan Castle, completing his tragic end; the 1568 event recorded here was the decisive setback of his political life.