Contest Entry- Oda Nobunga

This my entry (there *might* be a second oen if I have time) for the Historical Characters contest. I concentrated more on the writing than the picture I think...since that was also a prize category, and I LOVE writing reports! So here it is:<br />
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Oda Nobunaga, born in 1534, was the son of a minor warlord who owned a small portion of land in the Owari Province. Despite such modest beginnings, Oda Nobunaga would become one of the most powerful and influential daimyo in Japanese History.<br />
Whether he was the second or third son of his father (Oda Nobuhide) is not known, but he was the first son of Nobuhide's first wife and therefore the heir to the Oda clan. He became the master of Nagoya castle at the age of five when he was separated from his parents who raised his younger brother, Nobuyuki, at Suemore castle. A retainer, Hirate Masahide, brought him up instead. <br />
In 1549, Nobunaga married the daughter of Saito Dosan, the daimyo of Mino Province, an arranged marriage for the Oda's political benefit. Two years later, Nobuhide passed away and Nobunaga inherited his land. For the following seven years Nobunaga fought with his younger brother and many other relatives for the control of the Owari Province. He defeated Nobuyuki in 1555 at the Battle of Ino and Nobukata, the last of his rival relations, in 1558 at the Battle of Ukino. He then traveled to Kyoto to inform the 13th Muromachi shogun (Ashikaga Yoshooteru) of his unification of the Owari Province.<br />
Nobunaga began his military conquest shortly after. The Battle of Okehazama ended with his defeat of the daimyo of Mikawa, Suruga, and Totomi Provinces. He formed an alliance with the new daimyo of the Mikawa Province, Tokugawa Ieyasu. In 1567, Nobunaga conquered the Mino Province and started his mission to conquer all of Japan. He called this Tenka Fubu, or "Conquer through military force."<br />
On request of the 14th shogun, Nobunaga invaded Kyoto, conquering it as well. He goes on to attack the Tendai warrior monks on Mt. Hiei and conquers the Echizen and Wakasa Province, driving the last Muromachi shogun out, thus ending the Muromachi Shogunate. Nobunaga then began invading "Western Honshu."<br />
He and Ieyasu defeated Takeda Katsuyori with which was one of the earliest use of muskets in 1575. Nobunaga conquered the Settsu Province in 1579 and also gained the Bizen and Mimasaka Provinces. Within the next two years, Nobunaga conquered the Tajima and Inaba Provinces. Making huge gains in 1582, he also won the Kai, Shinano, and Suruga Provinces with the fall of the Takeda clan. Also in 1892, Nobunaga invaded the dogu Province, but was killed in Kyoto at the Honnoji Temple. <br />
He had nearly conquered all of Sengoku Japan at the time of his death. He also built what is considered to be the greatest of Japan's castles, Azuchi Castle, which is covered with gold and ornate statues. One of his subjects developed the Japanese tea ceremony, which Nobunaga used as a way to discuss both politics and business.<br />
Nobunaga's conquest was a highly significant turning point on Japan's history. His forces were some of the world's most modern for that time. He improved the military system through his implementation of firearms, ironclad ships and castle fortification as well as his warrior class system, which was based on ability as opposed to rank or family name. This operation was used even after his death and assisted his ally Tokugawa Ieyasu in his formation of the Tokugawa Shogunate.