10. Oda Nobunaga Was the Ninjas’ Greatest Enemy
As previously mentioned, Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese warlord who lived during the sixteenth century. His mission was to unify Japan and bring about an end to the Warring States Period. While there was a lot of warfare and bloodshed, the Warring States Period had allowed the ninja to flourish because their services were in high demand. Moreover, the fact that they stood in Nobunaga’s way was precisely why he was determined to defeat them, particularly in the mountainous regions of Iga and Koga, which were effectively Ninja HQ.
The Koga ninjas quickly lost to Nobunaga’s forces, but the Iga proved much more tenacious. When Nobunaga’s son decided to fortify a strategic castle, many of the Iga ninjas got jobs as construction workers so that they could spy on what he was doing. With the inside information that they gained, they attacked the castle and set it on fire. He continued to assault them in their villages, and the ninjas defeated him. Nobunaga went on to recruit many of the Koga ninjas for his own forces and advanced at the infamous Iga Revolt, which led to the demise of the ninjas. He ended the Warring States Period and brought in an era of peace under the Tokugawa Shogunate.