The two sheets from a three-sheet print show a rather idealised view of the battle of Nagashino that was fought on 29 June 1575 between the forces of Oda Nobunaga and Takeda Katsuyori.

By the late 16th century firearms, which had only been introduced to Japan by the Portuguese in 1543, had become the most important offensive weapon in contemporary warfare. The devastating use of guns was clearly demonstrated at the Battle of Nagashino, when Nobunaga defeated his long-standing enemy Takeda Katsuyori mainly through his decisive use of approximately 3,000 matchlocks firing successively in volleys of three ranks. Takeda’s army prefaced the battle with a traditional cavalry charge and was decimated. The common foot soldier armed with a gun was triumphant. Honour, tradition and the martial abilities of the individual warrior, together with his prized swords and fine armour counted for little in the face of the gun.

Traditional Japanese armour was virtually useless against the gun (at a reasonably close range), so heavy plate armour was adopted. While this was effective against the gun, it slowed down the samurai in battle when pitted against the sword. Somewhat ironically the best guns of the period were being produced by the Ikko, the heavily armed militant Buddhist monks of the Jodo Shin sect who, three months later, Nobunaga brutally crushed. Through these two actions Nobunaga effectively consolidated control over central Japan.