Jeff M. wrote:
>
> I am also trying to find out if Nobunaga had any sons, and if so
why
> did they not succeed him after his death?
Nobunaga did had several sons. Since he was assassinated
unexpectedly, an heir to the Oda family had yet to be chosen. After
Hideyoshi (then a general of the Oda) rushed to avenge Nobunaga's
death, there was a big dispute about who would succeed him.
Nobunaga's eldest son Nobutada was killed during the attempt on his
father's life, so he was out of the question. The second and third
sons (Nobukatsu and Nobutaka) were left to quarrel over who was
worthy of succeeding Nobunaga. Hideyoshi's solution to this was to
suggest that Nobutada's son Samboshi should succeed him, since
Samboshi was the eldest son of Nobunaga's eldest son, and thus had
the most direct lineage. (Hmm, did that sentence make sense? I hope
so.) The problem was that Samboshi was still an infant, so he would
need regents to rule in his place until he grew old enough to take
over. Hideyoshi's opinion eventually won out, and Hideyoshi himself
ended up as one of the regents ruling in Samboshi's place. Hideyoshi
took up the reins where Nobunaga left off, and through that position
of power ended up playing a big role in the unification of Japan. So
I guess that once Hideyoshi rose to power in his own right, the issue
of who became head of the Oda family kind of just faded into the
background.
That's all I know, and I doubt it's helpful, but I'm sure the smarter
people here can clarify things (and tell me where I'm wrong! -_^)
Sally