Betrayal Day

What Is Betrayal Day?

Every June 2nd is known as "Betrayal Day" (裏切りの日, Uragiri no Hi) in Japan. It refers to the "Honnōji Incident" (本能寺の変, Honnōji no Hen): early on the 2nd day of the 6th month of Tenshō 10 (June 21, 1582, in the Western calendar), the general Akechi Mitsuhide (明智光秀) attacked his lord, Oda Nobunaga (織田信長), at Honnōji Temple in Kyoto. The organization that established the day is unclear, but it is often mentioned in trivia and history features as the day of the most famous betrayal in Japanese history.

The Honnōji Incident

Oda Nobunaga was the most powerful warlord of Japan's Sengoku ("Warring States") period and was close to unifying the country. He was staying at Honnōji with only a small retinue when Mitsuhide -- who had been ordered to reinforce Hashiba (later Toyotomi) Hideyoshi's campaign against the Mōri clan in western Japan -- set out from Kameyama Castle, changed course, and attacked the temple. His force is said to have numbered around 13,000. According to "Shinchō Kōki," a chronicle by Nobunaga's retainer Ōta Gyūichi, Nobunaga, on learning the attackers were Mitsuhide's men, said "Ze-hi ni oyobazu" ("It cannot be helped") and took his own life after fighting back. The famous line "The enemy is at Honnōji!" spread through later war tales, and it is not known whether Mitsuhide actually said it.

Consequences of the Betrayal

Mitsuhide's rule lasted only about eleven days before he was defeated at the Battle of Yamazaki on the 13th day of the 6th month by Hideyoshi, who had rushed back from western Japan. His brief hold on power gave rise to the expression "mikka tenka" (三日天下, "a three-day reign"), used for any short-lived success. Nobunaga's goal of unification was ultimately realized by Hideyoshi and then Tokugawa Ieyasu -- but the Honnōji Incident changed who achieved it and how.

Oda Nobunaga in Japanese Culture

Oda Nobunaga is one of the most depicted figures in Japanese historical fiction, drama, games, and popular culture -- portrayed variously as a visionary modernizer, a ruthless tyrant, or simply the most compelling personality of Japan's turbulent 16th century. The Honnōji Incident, and the mystery of why Mitsuhide acted, gives storytellers an inexhaustible dramatic moment.

Fun Facts

• Akechi's mystery: The reasons for Mitsuhide's betrayal remain debated -- personal grudge, ambition, and conspiracy theories have all been proposed, but no definitive answer exists.
• The Tenkai legend: A legend claims Mitsuhide survived and became Tenkai, a monk who served Tokugawa Ieyasu, but there is no reliable evidence for it.
• Honnōji Temple today: After the incident, Honnōji was moved by order of Toyotomi Hideyoshi to its present location in Kyoto's Teramachi district. A stone monument marks the original site.