 If the inclusion of Confucian icons within samurai architecture can be construed as evidence of the philosophical comeback of Confucianism, Oda Nobunaga’s (1534–1582) Azuchi Castle, featuring paintings of Confucius and a host of Confucian sage figures, is surely worthy of mention. The ultimate standing accorded Confucianism in Azuchi Castle suggests that Nobunaga’s thinking was moving away from battlefield strategies and toward the task of governing the realm and providing for peace and order throughout, especially as he understood Buddhist institutions to be a threat rather than aid to his plans for political control.