the initiator of the unification of Japan under the rule of the shogun in the late 16th century, a rule that ended only with the opening of Japan to the Western world in 1868. He was also a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history.
His opus was continued, completed and finalized by his successors Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu. He was the second son of Oda Nobuhide, a deputy shugo (military governor) with land holdings in Owari Province. Nobunaga lived a life of continuous military conquest, eventually conquering a third of Japanese daimyo before his death in 1582.
His successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a loyal Oda supporter, would eventually become the first man to conquer all of Japan and the first ruler of all Japan since the onin War.

a daimyo who ruled Echigo province in the Sengoku period of Japan.
He was one of the most powerful lords of the Sengoku period. While chiefly remembered for his prowess on the battlefield, Kenshin is also regarded as an extremely skillful administrator who fostered the growth of local industries and trade;
his rule saw a marked rise in the standard of living of Echigo. Kenshin is famed for his honourable conduct, his military expertise, a long-standing rivalry with Takeda Shingen, his numerous campaigns to restore order in the Kanto region as the Kanto Kanrei, and his belief in the Buddhist god of war - Bishamonten.
In fact, many of his followers and others believed him to be the avatar of Bishamonten, and called Kenshin god of war.

a Japanese samurai of the 16th-17th centuries.
The eldest son of Higuchi Kanetoyo, Kanetsugu was famed for his service to two generations of the Uesugi daimyo. Kanetsugu served first as a kosho to Uesugi Kenshin. After Kenshin had died, he served Kagekatsu, of the adopted son of Kenshin.Kanetsugu's brother, okuni Sanehiro, was also a famous Uesugi retainer.

a Japanese samurai of the Azuchi-Momoyama period through early Edo period. Heir to a long line of powerful daimyo in the Tohoku region, he went on to found the modern-day city of Sendai.
An outstanding tactician, he was made all the more iconic for his missing eye, and Masamune was often called dokuganryu, or the "one-eyed dragon".

a Japanese daimyo of the late Sengoku through early Edo periods.
Renowned as a man of great ambition, he was a chief strategist under Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
He pledged loyalty to the Oda. Yoshitaka, together with the sickly Takenaka Hanbei, served as Hideyoshi's strategists.

a prominent daimyo in the west Chugoku region of Japan during the Sengoku period of the 16th century.
He had three sons, Mouri Takamoto, Kikkawa Motoharu, and Kobayakawa Takakage, whom he encouraged to work together for the benefit of the Mouri clan. In one instance, he is said to have handed each of his sons an arrow and asked each snap it.
After each snapped his arrow, Motonari produced three arrows and asked his sons to snap all three at once. When they were unable to do so (according to a legend still taught today), Motonari explained that one arrow could be broken easily, but three arrows held together could not.
It is not known for certain if this actually happened or if it is apocryphal legend.

a Japanese samurai, second son of the Sengoku period daimyo Sanada Masayuki (1544-1611). His proper name was Sanada Nobushige, named after Takeda Shingen's younger brotherTakeda Nobushige, who was a brave and respected warrior.
He and his father were known as being excellent military tacticians. Though their army was very small, they won many battles in which they were outnumbered. Through these feats he would gain fame and forever a place in Japanese history.
Sanada Yukimura was called "A Hero who may appear once in hundred years" and "crimson demon of war", and Shimazu Tadatsune (arguably the best performer in the invasion of Korea) called him the "number one warrior in Japan" .

a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period though Azuchi-Momoyama Period. He was born in 1559 to a father who was said to be a retainer of either Otomo Sorin or of Rokkaku Yoshikata. He become one of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's followers. He participated in the Kyushu campaign, and was sent to Korea as one of the Three Bureaucrats with Mashita Nagamori and Ishida Mitsunari.

a leader of the movement to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate during the Bakumatsu period in Japan. Ryoma was a visionary who envisioned a Japan without any feudal trappings. He read about and was inspired by the example of the United States where "all men are created equal". He realized that in order to compete with an industrially and technologically advanced outside world, the Japanese people needed to modernize.

a Japanese naval officer and statesman during the Late Tokugawa shogunate and the Meiji period. Although sympathetic to the anti-Tokugawa cause, Katsu remained loyal to the Tokugawa bakufu during the Boshin War. After the collapse of the Tokugawa forces in late 1867, Katsu negotiated the surrender of Edo castle to Saigo Takamori and the Satcho Alliance on 3 May 1868. Katsu followed the last Shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, into exile in Shizuoka.

a samurai from the Choshu domain of Japan who contributed significantly to the Meiji Restoration. Takasugi Shinsaku, a central figure of the early Meiji Restoration, is as well-known for his military talents as he is for his skills as a politician. However, dying at the young age of 28, Takasugi was not to become one of Japan's famous leaders in the subsequent Meiji era. In his hometown - the castle town Hagi in western Japan - he is still remembered as a mystical and energetic hero, who put all his efforts into opening the way to modernization, westernization and reforms, not only in military matters but in political and social matters as well.

one of the most distinguished intellectuals in the closing days of the Tokugawa shogunate. He devoted himself to developing many Ishin Shishi who made an outstanding contribution to the Meiji Restoration. He took over his uncle's tiny private school, Shoka Sonjuku to teach the youth military arts and politics. His student-Takasugi Shinsaku later became famous, and virtually all of the survivors of the Sonjuku group became officers in the Meiji Restoration.

one of the most influential samurai in Japanese history, living during the late Edo Period and early Meiji Era. He has been dubbed the last true samurai. In November 1867, Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu resigned, returning power to the Emperor in what came to be known as the Meiji Restoration.During the Boshin War, Saigo led the imperial forces at the Battle of Toba-Fushimi, and then led the imperial army toward Edo, where he accepted the surrender of Edo Castle from Katsu Kaishu.

a Japanese statesman, a samurai of Satsuma, and one of the three great nobles who led the Meiji Restoration. Okubo was one of the most influential leaders of the Meiji Restoration and the establishment of modern governmental structures. Albeit briefly, for a time he was the most powerful man in Japan. A devout loyalist and nationalist, he enjoyed the respect of his colleagues and enemies alike.

a Japanese swordsman and official of the late Edo Period, famed for his role as commander of the Shinsengumi. In 1863, the Tokugawa shogunate organized a massive group of ronin for the purpose of protecting the shogun Iemochi during his time in Kyoto.Kondo joined the unit, which became known as the Roshigumi. In the August 18 incident Kinmon no Seihen, his unit was given the name Shinsengumi. On July 10, 1867,Kondo became a hatamoto, along with the rest of Shinsengumi.

the vice-commander of Shinsengumi, a talented Japanese military leader who resisted the Meiji Restoration. Shinsengumi grew to 140 men, which included a number of farmers and merchants whose livelihood would be threatened if the Tokugawa Shogunate was overthrown. The regulations set up by Shinsengumi within Kyoto were strict and Hijikata was known to be harsh in enforcing them, hence his nickname: "The Demon of the Shinsengumi". Even within the Shinsengumi itself, regulations were strictly enforced by Hijikata. Deserters and traitors were forced to commit seppuku; this happened to Yamanami (one of Hijikata's old friends) when he tried to leave Shinsengumi in 1865.

Akiyama Yoshifuru (秋山 好古, February 9, 1859 - November 4, 1930) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army,
and was considered the father of the modern Japanese cavalry.
Akiyama Yoshifuru was Vice Admiral Akiyama Saneyuki's older brother.

Akiyama Saneyuki(秋山 真之, April 12, 1868 - February 4, 1918) was a Meiji-period career officer
in the Imperial Japanese Navy. He was famous as a planner of Battle of Tsushima in the Russo-Japanese War.
The Japanese general Akiyama Yoshifuru was his elder brother.

Masaoka Shiki (正岡 子規, September 17, 1867 - September 19, 1902), the pen-name of Masaoka Noboru (正岡 升)
was a Japanese author, poet, literary critic, and journalist in Meiji period Japan.
Shiki is generally regarded as the major figure in the development of modern haiku poetry and also played
an important role in revitalizing tanka poetry.

Viscount Kodama Gentaro (兒玉 源太郎, 16 March 1852 - 23 July 1906) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army,
and government minister during Meiji period Japan.
He was instrumental in establishing the modern Imperial Japanese military.

Saigo Tsugumichi (西郷 従道, also read Saigo Judo) (1 June 1843 - 18 July 1902) was a Japanese politician
and admiral in the Meiji-period.
In 1894, Saigo was given the rank of admiral, in recognition of his role as Navy Minister.
The same year, his peerage title was elevated to that of marquis.

For these services Oyama received the title of marquis under the kazoku peerage system,
and, three years later, he became field-marshal. In the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905
he was named commander-in-chief of the Japanese armies in Manchuria.
After Japan's victory, Emperor Meiji elevated him to the rank of koshaku (公爵 = prince).

Togo Heihachiro,(東郷 平八郎, 27 January 1848 - 30 May 1934) was a Fleet Admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy
and one of Japan's greatest naval heroes. He was termed by Western journalists as "the Nelson of the East".

As Minister of the Navy during the Russo-Japanese War, Yamamoto showed strong leadership and was responsible
for appointing Togo Heihachiro as commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet.
He gave voice to Togo's reports when he read his aloud his reports from the war to the assembled Diet.

After the fall of Port Arthur, Nogi was regarded as a national hero. He led his 3rd Army against the Russian forces
at the final Battle of Mukden, ending the land combat phase of operations of the war.

Natsume Kinnosuke (夏目 金之助), is widely considered to be the foremost Japanese novelist of the Meiji period (1868-1912).
He is best known for his novels Kokoro, Botchan, I Am a Cat and his unfinished work Light and Darkness.
He was also a scholar of British literature and composer of haiku, Chinese-style poetry, and fairy tales.