A Political Marriage as a Starting Point — The Union of 1548
In 1548, Oda Nobuhide, the warlord of Owari, arranged a marriage to seal a peace agreement with Saito Dosan of Mino Province. His heir, Nobunaga (then 15 years old), was wed to Dosan’s daughter, Kicho — later known as Nohime, a name derived from “hime (princess) of Mino (Noshu).” Her given name in historical records remains a subject of debate.
Political marriages were a common diplomatic tool in the Sengoku period, leaving little room for the wishes of the individuals involved. Yet this union would prove to carry significance beyond mere diplomatic convenience.
Nohime’s father, Saito Dosan, was a schemer so feared he earned the nickname “the Viper.” He was said to have risen from an oil merchant to master of all Mino Province, though recent scholarship suggests this rise was in fact a two-generation achievement shared with his father.
Nobunaga at 15 — The Reality Behind “The Fool”
At the time of the marriage, Nobunaga was mocked throughout Owari as “the great fool.” Contemporary accounts describe him cutting the sleeves from his robes, hanging gourds at his waist, and eating while walking in public. The chronicle “Shincho-koki” (by Ota Gyuichi) portrays him as someone utterly indifferent to social convention.
Whether this behavior was calculated or natural to his character remains debated. What is undeniable is the extraordinary speed of his subsequent rise: unifying Owari, defeating Imagawa Yoshimoto at Okehazama, marching on Kyoto, and proclaiming “Tenka Fubu” — rule the realm by force.
What Nohime herself made of her husband remains unrecorded in any surviving primary source.
The Nagaragawa Meeting — What Dosan Perceived
In 1555, a direct meeting between Dosan and Nobunaga reportedly took place on the banks of the Nagara River. Multiple records, including “Shincho-koki,” reference this encounter. Dosan is said to have declared after meeting Nobunaga that his own children would one day tie their horses before Nobunaga’s gate — recognizing the young man’s genius despite his reputation. Whether Nohime shared her father’s perceptiveness is a matter of historical imagination, not documented fact.