The Words of the Samurai – Episode 5

“The Rat Devours the Horse”: Mori Ranmaru’s Unheeded Warning

In this fifth installment of The Words of the Samurai, we explore one of the most enigmatic episodes of Japan’s feudal past: the betrayal of Akechi Mitsuhide and the dramatic death of Oda Nobunaga at Honnōji Temple. A turning point in history, clouded by doubt and personal rivalries. Today, we focus on a lesser-known but compelling theory: that of Mori Ranmaru, Nobunaga’s cherished page, and his possible role in fueling Mitsuhide’s wrath.

The Honnōji Incident, which broke out on June 2nd, 1582 (Tenshō 10), remains one of the most dramatic and puzzling events of the Sengoku era.
To this day, the truth behind it is shrouded in mystery, as Akechi Mitsuhide, the mastermind behind the coup, died without ever revealing his true motives.

Over the centuries, this silence has given rise to countless speculations.
One theory suggests that the betrayal was rooted in a personal feud between Mitsuhide and Mori Ranmaru.

Ranmaru was the third son of Mori Yoshinari, who had perished in battle against the Asai-Asakura alliance.
Historical fiction often portrays him as a strikingly handsome youth, favored by Oda Nobunaga himself.

One morning, after waking from a strange dream, Nobunaga confided:

“I dreamed of a horse being eaten by a rat. Very peculiar.”

Ranmaru promptly responded:

“My lord, that is no ordinary dream—it is a warning.
You were born in the year of the Horse, and Lord Akechi was born in the year of the Rat.
A rat devouring a horse can only mean one thing: Lord Akechi is planning treachery. Please, be on your guard.”

Nobunaga laughed off the suggestion.
Yet this episode suggests there may indeed have been underlying tensions between Mitsuhide and Ranmaru.

The story of feudal Japan is written not only with swords but also with pride, ambition, and the silent language of emotion. In Akechi Mitsuhide, we find not just a traitor, but a man torn between duty and fate. If Mori Ranmaru did play a part in igniting that fatal rebellion, it only reminds us how history often turns on whispered words and wounded pride, not only on armies and strategy. The true legacy of the samurai lies in these human contradictions.