Honno-ji Incident

June 21, 1582

Resting unguarded in the Kyoto temple of Honno-ji, Oda Nobunaga was betrayed by his general Akechi Mitsuhide, who surrounded the temple at dawn with thirteen thousand men. Nobunaga set the temple alight and committed seppuku in the flames. His body was never found. Japan's unification dream hung in smoke. Akechi's betrayal lasted only thirteen days before Hideyoshi avenged his master and seized power for himself.