The leadership of Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu were important because they
Select one:
a. unified Japan and brought an end to feudalism
b. modernized Japan and began imperializing in Asia
c. transformed China into Asia's first communist nation
d. increased Chinese nationalism by defeating the British during the Opium Wars

The period of Japanese history preceding these men was known as the Sengoku Jidai, translated in English as the Warring States. At this time, dozens of warlords, or Daimyo, fought over holdings in Japan, ruling as "feudal" lords (although feudalism in Japan was vastly different to that of the west). Their ultimate goal was to become the Shogun of Japan, being the chief military officer that held sway in the Imperial Court. The Emperor was simply a figurehead at this time.

In short, Tokugawa Ieyasu was the man who would go on to unify Japan under his clan, the Tokugawa clan. They would hold power until the end of Edo Japan in the 1870s.

Tokugawa initially helped Oda unify Japan, but when the latter died without an heir, Tokugawa seized control partly to honor his friend, and partly for his own ambition.