Articles
Deifying Warlords : Mythologizing Samurai Leaders in Early Modern and Modern Japan
Abstract
This article investigates the evolving representations of Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu, figures often collectively referred to as the “Three Heroes,” and their transformation from historical actors into mythologized icons within Japanese cultural memory. While these leaders played pivotal roles in the unification of Japan during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, their legacies have been continually reshaped by ideological, institutional, and commercial forces. Through an analysis of their portrayals in literature, museums, and contemporary media such as anime and video games, the article explores how these samurai have been reconstituted as symbols of national identity, soft power, and cultural branding. This process of mythologization reveals the interplay between historical narrative and collective memory, highlighting how selective remembrance and reinvention serve to negotiate power, tradition, and belonging in both domestic and global contexts.