Abstract
This chapter focuses on the process or chronology of reunification, beginning in 1568, with the emergence of the first unifier, Oda Nobunaga, and continuing until 1600 or shortly thereafter. It emphasizes the role of powerful warriors, in particular the "three unifiers" (Oda Nobunaga, 1534-1582; Toyotomi Hideyoshi, 1536-1598; Tokugawa Ieyasu, 1542-1616) and the actions they took as they pacified the country and brought it under their control. The chapter considers reunification not merely as a series of events but as a process built upon underlying structures within fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Japan. An examination of the background to reunification tells us much about what reunification was and why it occurred as it did and when it did. First, however, we need an overview of the era—the events, key figures, policies, and laws that defined it. Engaged as he was almost continually in battle, Nobunaga had limited time and opportunity to implement new policies.