The Oda Nobunaga's Restoration - Essay Example

Both Meiji and Nobunaga are believed to have similar political philosophy evidenced in the need to unify the society. Meiji Restoration had to deal with dissenting forces which had thrived under Tokugawa regime for a long period of time. Meiji was forced to be as forceful and unifying as Nobunaga during the last third of the 19th century through the early 20th century Japan following many decades of unresolved social differences, ideological wars and the threat of the Shogun attack (Turnbull 99).

From these different sources of offensive power, the Restoration leadership prioritized the policy of power consolidation under the emperor in as much the same way as Nobunaga did in the 16th century. In the course of the new political dispensation, both Meiji political elite and Nobunaga regime faced similar challenges staged by isolated, but fanatical supporters of the status quo. For Nobunaga, the adamant Ikko sect stood out with its religious policy against Nobunaga’s efforts to bring the country together by maintaining the support of minor local rulers (Turnbull 13).

The sect also expanded its influence by supporting Yoshiaki, and by rallying its supporters along the influential daimyo of a number of administrative regions. In all, the 16th century ruler battled the Ikko sect through direct confrontations and indirectly for over a decade until he achieved unity of the society. According to Turnbull (100) it was only through peaceful process overseen by the royal court at Kyoto that the Nobunaga regime successfully overcame of the Monastery of Hongan Temple in Osaka.

The monastery was most one of the most valued political and military complexes that kept the Ikko’s spirit of resistance alive. After assuming control of several manors and religious constituencies, Nobunaga strengthened his control of the samurai warriors and