Oda Nobunaga played a major role in the unification of Japan after the Warring States period (Sengoku jidai). He was actually the first of the three great "unifiers" of Japan. The other two were Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu who followed in Nobunaga's footsteps. At the time of his advent to power, Japan was in a state of disarray. The Sengoku period began in 1467 with the Ashikaga family in power. With the rise in disputes between powerful military houses, the family soon found themselves powerless to maintain control or peace among the country as war after war broke out. During this period no centr