1582
Honno-ji Incident
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.
Gregorian Calendar Adopted
Pope Gregory XIII dropped ten days from the Julian calendar to realign the spring equinox with March 21 and introduced a new leap-year rule. Thursday October 4 was followed by Friday October 15. Catholic Europe fell in line quickly, while Protestant and Orthodox states would take centuries to catch up.
Matteo Ricci Arrives in Macao
The Jesuit Matteo Ricci landed at Macao with orders to penetrate Ming China. He dressed in a Buddhist monk's robes, then switched to Confucian scholar's robes, and set about learning Mandarin. His patient, scholarly diplomacy would eventually carry him all the way to the court of Beijing. Ricci's strategy of cultural accommodation, wearing Confucian robes and mastering Chinese classics, became the most sophisticated missionary approach of the era.
Hideyoshi Avenges Nobunaga at Yamazaki
Thirteen days after Nobunaga's death at Honno-ji, his general Toyotomi Hideyoshi forced-marched his army back from the siege of Takamatsu and crushed the traitor Akechi Mitsuhide at the battle of Yamazaki. Mitsuhide was killed by peasants while fleeing. Hideyoshi, once a lowly foot soldier, was now Japan's most powerful man.