Sekigahara Novel Chapter 2 English

Chapter 2

Person to Person

            Mitsunari’s Sawayama Castle was located in the Biwa Lake territory. I know this from reading about it but I haven’t really been there before. For some years now, each time I pass by Hikone I usually think “Sawayama should be around here somewhere,” and I look for it through the train’s window. That being said, there is a great view out to the east of Biwa lake behind Hikone Castle and a lot of the time I forget to even look for Sawayama. Sawayama is surrounded by pines and other types of small trees. Also, the train skims along the mountain meaning that Sawayama is in the opposite direction to the Hikone castle. Whenever I remember this, I usually turn to look and the train has already passed it. But once I began to write this manuscript I decided I really should actually see Sawayama castle.

            I set out from Gifu prefecture, passed through Ōgaki city, and got off at Sekigahara station. I stopped for a breather at the ancient battlefield and then via the Meishin Expressway which now skirts around its perimeter, made my way into the gorge near the Shiga prefecture border. From there I made it to the planes in Ōmie.

            Keep making your way right, and eventually you will pass through Hikone. And then finally, to Sawayama.

            Including the areas where the Tōkaidō line currently runs, Biwa lake formed a sort of gulf all the way up to the hem of the mountain. This mountain stood peacefully towering up into the heavens.

            “So, this is Sawayama,” I thought as I tilted my head skyward. It had a sleek, spindle-shaped peak. Also, the surrounding peaks were rather short.

            “This will bring us to the rear gate,” explained the person who was showing me around as they pointed with their parasol. Basically, if you are approaching on the Tōkaidō line, this mountain lies behind the castle. Ōte-mon gate is on old Nakasendo road in Toriimoto.

            The castle stood on the mountain’s peak at around 150 meters above sea level. In Mitsunari’s day, it stood with a tall central tower 5 floors high. You can see how large it was by looking at old illustrations of it. The height of the stone walls which supported it stood 15 feet tall.

            There is an old text which talks about the height of the castle, saying, “The Shachihoko¹ is at a height such that one might not see it on a cloudy day.”

            The castle walls were arranged with the Honmaru² in the center followed by the Ninomaru², Taikonomaru², Kanenomaru², Hokkemaru², Minodonomaru², Koshiguruwa², etc. per a European style of fortification. Near Ōte-mon gate and Karate-mon gate used to be many estates for samurai, but now there is nothing more than countryside.

            Near Karate-mon gate is and inlet which trickles with water, and on the other side of that, a large river. In the space between is a 100-ken³ long bridge. Thus, since “one hundred” in Japanese is “hyaku,” and “bridge” is “hashi,” the name of the bridge became “Hyakuken-bashi”. Actually, the bridge is a little longer than 100 ken. It is roughly 200 meters.

            In Toyotomi’s day, this castle was very famous. A haiku from that time reads:

For Mitsunari

It seems there are two things which

Are too good for him

One of them being Sakon

Also, his castle

           

            There is also a surviving nursery rhyme from the Ōmie region. Children might have sung it while bouncing a ball. The image comes to mind of a young girl of the village drawing the eyes of those around her while she hums the song with the castle floating high above her in the background. 　

            (Translation not as lyrical)

            I am merely a villager, but to Sawayama I can see.

            The golden family crest, and moats upon moats. Quite an impressive site.

            One feels the magnitude of the castle as one enters its gate. The curve of its sloping roofs bend at such an angle. Quite an impressive site.

            Quiet a castle, and impressive castle, surrounded by its flower-adorned moats. Oh the flowers of these moats.

            Such was the castle Mitsunari built. His rank was not very high. He held a mere 194 thousand koku. His castle was slightly above his means. Why did he need such a castle, and why did he need to employ Sakon?

            The answer to that question can be seen through the fact that the walls of the castle were rough and unpainted. He was not trying to show off by building a glamorous castle. It is easy to see that he simply already had combat on his mind, and therefore was thinking practically.

            Mitsunari had much ambition. The construction of Sawayama castle was in 1596, a few years before the death of Hideyoshi. Both Mitsunari and Sakon had a hand in designing the castle. You could say it was a collaborative effort, but while they were working on the castle, they had a discussion about the possible death of the Taiko, Hideyoshi. “If he were to die, his son, Mr. Hideyori is still very young. It could cause disruption in the lands. There would likely be a battle to decide a new heir. And our flag would have to be flying right in the middle of it.” Such was the overflowing ambition of Ishida Mitsunari from Sawayama castle.

            When Sakon first saw Mitsunari when he showed up at his hermitage in Takamiya county to request his service, his impression was that Mitsunari was very young. He was pale, wide eyed with long dark eyelashes. He was short. A small man.

At first, he thought that Hideyoshi might be using Mitsunari in a “romantic” way, but the more he thought about it, he realized that probably wasn’t the case. “He does have a commanding air about him,” Sakon thought. Sakon was oddly intrigued by Mitsunari’s personality.

And so, Mitsunari’s charm had persuaded him, “I will do for you what I can.”

As the years rolled by, Mitsunari was now 39 years old. His face had not changed very much however. He was an adult sized version of his younger self. His arrogance had slightly grown as well. An arrogant man with the face of a child. He was not very charming and people did not take to him well. Sakon had thought it interesting that he had at one time been charming, but was now making many enemies.

On some occasions, Sakon would try to advise Mitsunari on his behavior. One winter day, Mitsunari was at Osaka castle while it was under repair. He was with his colleague, administrator and Danjō-shōhitsu⁴, Asano Nagamasa. They had built up a bonfire. Mitsunari stood by, his head draped in a hood.

“Jibu-Shōyū,” Nagamasa called Mitsunari by his rank.

“Yes?”

“You might want to remove your hood, as we are expecting a visitor from Edo (Ieyasu)”

Mitsunari simply kept his gaze upon the fire, pretending he did not hear Nagamasa. Nagamasa himself was on good terms with Ieyasu, but as for Mitsunari, there was no one who disliked Ieyasu more than he.

However, Ieyasu controlled over 2 million 550 thousand koku, he was the head of the council of 5 elders, and he ranked higher than the lords of the Toyotomi clan. His rank compared to Mitsunari’s put him above the clouds. Thus, removing his hood would have been the mature thing to do, but Mitsunari acted as more of a blunt child in that all he could think about was how much he hated Ieyasu.

“Can you not hear me?” Nagamasa was asking nicely at first, but having been completely ignored, was now irritated.　

At that moment, Ieyasu arrived at the castle with a large number of comrades. With anger, Nagamasa snatched the hood from Mitsunari’s head. “I’m talking about this,” he said as he threw it into the fire. But, Mitsunari, pretending not to notice, continued to stare into the flames.

What with the such rumors of Mitsunari being childish, from that point on, Sakon no longer cared to try and advise him.

There was another incident when something like this occurred, however. It was at the construction site of Hōkōji-temple in Kyō (Kyōto). On Hideyoshi’s orders, Ieyasu, Mitsunari and others had been sent there to do an inspection. Mitsunari held a bamboo rod, which he used for giving orders on the construction site. Suddenly the rod clanked as he dropped it.  

Ieyasu picked it up and handed it to him, but without saying anything Mitsunari swiftly turned and walked in the other direction. The other people who were there held their breath in anticipation of what might happen. Ieyasu deliberately kept his face expressionless, and slowly made his way off in another direction. So, the situation ended without incident.

Sakon scolded Mitsunari when he heard about this. “You are like a child. Such an attitude is unacceptable.”

“Sakon, you say I am like a child, but that is unreasonable. It has merely been my nature since I was a child not to put up with detestable people. I am incapable of forcing a fake smile.”

“Do you know what people say about you throughout the land? The say that you are arrogant.”

“I did not know that.”

Mitsunari tilted his head in doubt. This gesture, from Sakon’s perspective only made Mitsunari look less mature. Mitsunari only behaved as a kind of spoiled child when in front of Sakon, with whom he felt comfortable and got along with well.  

“You did say that it has been your nature ‘since you were a child,’ correct? Well, you are no longer a child, are you? On the contrary, you are in favor with the Taiko (Hideyoshi) as a member of the Go-Bugyō, and you are even able to order around lords.”

“And so?”

“Because of your innocent nature, it merely comes off as though you are pouting. It comes off as though you are spoiled by the power you have gained from the Toyotomi clan.”

“Hmpf” Mitsunari huffed through his nose. This was a habit of Mitsunari’s. And, depending on the time and place, such a habit could obviously anger some people.

“That is a poor attitude to have,” said Sakon through a bitter smile, while looking at Mitsunari’s well shaped nose. It is rare for a man to affect so many grudges through such simple means.

“Wait a minute Sakon, I shall have my say as well,” Mitsunari said defiantly. Mitsunari was prone to a sharp logic. Of course, being overly logical can also earn one the grudges of others. “What do you think this mysterious Ieyasu has been up to lately? Because I have heard that he has been secretly donating money to the Imperial court.”

This was true. Even though Hideyoshi was still alive, Ieyasu anticipated his death, and gifted the Imperial court two sets of Hakucho⁵ and ten plates of gold via an ordinary man, named Shirojiro Chaya. He was preparing for when he took control of the country. Even if you were able to take control by force, without the Imperial court under your thumb as well, that power would soon slip from your grasp. This was well known. This is why Nobunaga and even Hideyoshi also made donations to the court.

“Hideyoshi’s body has become weak. And that bastard knows it.” Mitsunari said about Ieyasu. “He is looking to use his death as an opportunity to kill Hideyoshi’s son, Hideyori, and take control for himself. It is not necessary for me to remove my hood for, or say ‘thank you’ to such a conniving man.”

“I see.” A faint smile shown on Sakon’s face. “But, you are not that way only with Ieyasu, but the lords who are close to him as well. For instance, Katō Kiyomasa, Fukushima Masanori, or Kuroda Nagamasa. You are on bad terms with them as well.

“Are you saying I should be friends with everyone, Sakon?”

“And that would bother you?” Sakon said with a wry smile. “In ancient times, it was said that a great hero was equipped with three virtues: wisdom, eloquence and courage. With that definition, you and Ieyasu could both be great Taikō. However,” Sakon continued, “You will not change the world with only those three virtues. Sometimes, things might not go in the direction you want them to. Not only that, but sometimes, you may be under severe attack. Therefore, it is also important to value the truth and reality of a situation.”

“Your point being?”

“That is a virtue that even an infant should value; understanding the reality of things.”

“Sakon,” Mitsunari bore a closed expression. “That is no good for me. People’s inherent weaknesses cannot be fixed. Rather than suffering to try and change such weaknesses, one should look for the advantages they might have.”

            “That’s correct,” Sakon said, merely to appease Mitsunari. “However, I am not speaking about something so deep and complicated. I am merely saying that if someone picks up something for you, you should just smile and nod. Especially if that someone is Ieyasu.”

            Mitsunari’s back and forth with Sakon ended there, but this “Bamboo rod incident” had a surprisingly large ripple effect. When Ieyasu’s vassals heard of it, they made a huge fuss and said that they would cut down Mitsunari. However, Ieyasu’s chief strategist, Honda Masanobu, quelled this outrage. He admonished them saying, “You must not kill, for killings sake. And, if you were to cut him down, it should be in the name of your clan. The day for that will come. It would be short sighted to kill him now. If you act thoughtlessly it would be unfavorable for this house.”

            Masanobu said this however, not knowing about the bamboo rod incident.  

            That night, Masanobu made his way to Ieyasu’s sleeping quarters to find out how true the story was. Masanobu was permitted in such areas. It was the place from which Ieyasu and Masanobu always made their plans.

            “So, what do you think, Masanobu?” Which was something Ieyasu could not answer simply. Ieyasu and Masanobu’s conversations usually went like this.

            “We should probably kill Mitsunari.”

“When?” Ieyasu replied with a light-hearted demeanor.

“After Taikō Hideyoshi’s death.”

“How long after his death.” Their conversation continued to volley like this.

“His son will likely raise up an army in an effort to protect his mother. Before then would be a good time to strike.”

            “We would need to act fast before too many conspirators rise up.”

            “Yes, that would not play into our hand very well,” he said with a grotesque laugh. They shook hands and brought an end to their mock meeting. Masanobu was always thinking far ahead, but always made sure to give Ieyasu the final word.　

            Rather than servant and master, they were more like a couple of rebellious friends. In fact, Honda Masanobu was 4 years older than Ieyasu. The two of them were like friends. Masanobu was originally a falconer. When he was younger, he was part of the Ikko sect⁶, and was even a part of an uprising against Ieyasu once. But, that was now water under the bridge.

In Mikawa there were many warriors at Ieyasu’s disposal, but he was lucky enough to have a strategist amongst his servants who was roughly the same age as him, and who he could consider a friend. Masanobu himself was a Jūgoi-Shimo⁷, and controlled 22 thousand koku in Sagami Amanawa, Sadokami region (near present day Ōfuna).

Ōkubo Tadachika the head of Odawara castle, had been ensnared and removed from power by Masanobu. And so in the essays of Ōkubo Hikozaemon (a member of Terakihi’s clan, whose real name Ōkubo Tadakata) which were called “The Mikawa Stories”, he wrote about Masanobu stating, “Masanobu of Sadokami, after only three years since the fall of the Ōkubo clan, contracted syphilis. His face became deformed, he lost all his teeth and died. His son, Masazumi, was then stripped of all power. He got what he deserved for what he did to Tadachika.”

Anyhow, whatever kind of person he was, it can be said at least that he was a good strategist.

　

Notes

1: Shachihoko: An animal from Japanese myth with the head of a tiger and the body of a carp. It was said to bring about rainfall, and so for prosperity, castles and temples often had Shachihoko figures on their roofs.

2: Honmaru etc.: These are the names for different walls of a Japanese castle. For instance, the Honmaru is the innermost/core section of the caste. There are a few different standard arrangements for these walls, and Sawayama basically had the Honmaru at the center surrounded concentrically by the other walls.

3: Ken: An old Japanese unit for measuring length. 1 ken is about 6ft 7in.

4: Danjō-shōhitsu: A rank in the military at that time.

5: Hakucho: An old type of Japanese “uniform”. A set of white clothes.

6: Ikko sect: Or a literal translation of “Ikkō-shū” being “Single-minded school”, was a militant off-shoot of Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism.

7: Jūgoi-Shimo: A rank in the military of the time.

Sekigahara Novel Chapter 1 English

Sekigahara Novel English translation

 by Ryōtarō Shiba

Chapter 1

The monastery of Takamiya

I am trying to recall. I can remember when I was a child, I had gone to a temple in Ōminokuni. It was a hot summer day, and I was walking up a long stone staircase. I don’t remember which temple it was though.

            I can remember like it was yesterday all the green of the trees that would surround you as you sat on the veranda of the Temple. And just past the trees stretched the glistening surface of Lake Biwa.

“I’m gonna sit here for a bit…” the old man that had brought us there said as he tapped the wood of the veranda. He sat explaining various things about the temple to us kids. He used his hands a lot as he talked.

“So, the Taikō¹ was sitting there in his full falconry attire. It was the height of summer then too. Just like today, you’d have sweat running into your eyes,” he said as he wiped his own brow.

This old man was known around town by only his first name. The Adults called him “Mr. Kaiware”. I had no idea what his last name was at that time. He carried a parasol and a folding fan. He wore a starched shirt which was slightly too small, and a pair of thin pants.

He would tell us stories. “‘Could you bring me some tea?’ Hideyoshi called out through the temple. Soon after, the boy who lived here came over. It was Mitsunari Ishida.”

I digress a little, but a lot of the things he was saying, we knew already from various kids’ magazines and picture books.

Anyway, while struggling with where to begin when writing such an extraordinary human comedy, or perhaps a “tragedy”, as Sekigahara, I would sit and daydream about such days from my youth. Henry Miller had said to me “whatever you’re thinking about right now, just start from there.” So, that’s what I’ll do.

The stories the old man told us about the days when Mitsunari was a young apprentice, are also written about in things like the “Bushō Kanjō Ki²”. But, people would pass around these kinds of old stories verbally in the old man’s day.

At that time, as a military commander in Nobunaga, Hideyoshi was doing well and in control of two-hundred-thousand koku¹ in his territory, Ōmie-Nagahama, and from there, had just been made Daimyō.

He would practice falconry within his territory. At that time, falconry was something useful for surveying the land as well as for keeping an eye on the citizens. He had only just become Daimyō, but he needed to bring in some military men whose salaries he would pay with that 200,000 koku. So, while practicing his falconry, rather than searching for prey to send his bird after, he was much more focused on scouting potential people to join his army. Samurais like Kiyomasa Katō, Masanori Fukushima and Takatora Tōdō were mostly serving under him already, but they did think him a supporter of Tokugawa Ieyasu at that time.

So now, as for Mitsunari. His name then was Sakichi. The second son to the samurai Ishida Masatsugu from Ōmisakata-Gun, Ishida-Mura, and he had been taken in by the temple. Some sources say he went there to study, some say it was to work. Whatever the case, this was in his teenage years. He had a clean smart looking face, his eyes always looking around. He would always attract attention.

Hedeyoshi’s falconry had brought him up near the temple and he had become quite thirsty. So, he called into the temple. “I would like some tea.”

Sakichi was inside preparing the tea. Although his father Masatsugu had him living out in a rural area, he was a samurai and was quite wealthy. Sakichi soon quietly brought out the tea to Hideyoshi as he laid on the veranda amidst the chirping cicadas.

“Your tea sir,” said Mitsunari handing it over to Hideyoshi who drank it down immediately.

“One more,” ordered Hideyoshi.

According to the “Bushō Kanjō Ki” he brought the first to him “in a large cup in about seven or eight minutes” and when Hideyoshi drank it, feeling refreshed he said “that was good. I’ll have another.” Because he was parched he guzzled it down. It had a good amount of water added to it, and it was just the right temperature.

“As you wish” said Sakichi as he retreated, this time over heating it and only putting in about half the water of the first cup. He didn’t want Hideyoshi to like it and ask for yet another. But, Hideyoshi drank this one, and asked for more still.

It was around this time that he began observing the fact that this boy could be useful to him. The third tea Sakichi brought over was in a very small cup. Also, he did not use very much water at all, and it was hot enough to burn your tongue. Hideyoshi took interest in this boy’s wit.

            “What is your name?” he asked.

            “Born to Ishida Masatsugu in Ishida village, my name is Sakichi” he replied.

            “Such politeness,” thought Hideyoshi. “When he becomes and adult, he could become useful.” And, after asking two or three more questions he was sure of Sakichi’s intellect. So, Deciding Sakichi sat well with him, he asked the head of the temple to let him bring Sakichi up to the castle.

This temple where Hideyoshi and Mitsunari first met is said to be Kannon Temple outside the Nagahama castle. Though, it is also said that it could be at Ikago-Furuhashimura’s Matamain Temple. It doesn’t really matter which it was.

            There is also another story related to this. A true story from sometime around when Mitsunari was 20 years old.

His salary, a stipend in rice, was given to him directly from Hideyoshi, who acted as Mitsunari’s master.

Hideyoshi told him “I will take care of your salary,”

There were others like Mitsunari in a similar position under Hideyoshi. The before mentioned Toranosuke (Kiyomasa) Katō was bringing in 470 koku, and Ichimatsu (Masanori) Fukushima was making 500 koku around this time.

“Sakichi, you could be making 500 koku as well. You need to get to work. Have you found a location yet?” asked Hideyoshi.

            In the “Kokonbuke Seisuiki⁴” Mitsunari is bowed down in front of Hideyoshi and says, “Well then,” before raising his head. “At Jiosamu River and Yodo River there are grasses and reeds growing in abundance,” Mitsunari continued “these naturally growing plants are being harvested by those near the river and are being used to make various screens and other useful things. If I had the right to collect tax on these, I would not even need the 500 koku from you.”

 It was of course common practice throughout history that taxes were collected in such a way for the plants harvested around Biwa Lake where Mitsunari grew up. But, there was still no doubt that for Mitsunari to think of doing this, showed his proclivity for financial calculation.

            “How much tax would you be able to collect?” Hideyoshi asked, intrigued.

            Mitsunari stood, doing calculations on the spot. “Around 10,000 koku in taxes, and we could put that into the military.” This surprised Hideyoshi.

            Mitsunari’s colleagues Toranosuke and Ichimatsu however, did not possess such sensibility, and were still completely devoted to the battlefield. They did not understand why their master Hideyoshi liked Mitsunari so much. While Hideyoshi was a man who liked his military exploits, he loved in particular the talent of Mitsunari even more. At one point, he had said that Mitsunari reminded him of himself at that age.

            “I have never heard of collecting taxes in such a way,” said Hideyoshi “but it is quite interesting. I shall allow you to go down there on the premise of checking the state of things. You must not upset the commoners.”

So, Mitsunari immediately set out, up and down the Jiosamu and Yodo rivers, through dozens of villages, collecting taxes on the naturally growing reeds. He determined a certain amount to collect from the people which would then be taken and sold in the Kyoto/Osaka area. He made a large profit from doing this.

            One day on a particular battlefield Hideyoshi spotted some troops approaching. They held banners decorated with golden fans and streamers. The soldiers’ and horses’ armor was gorgeously adorned as well with golden accessories.

            “That is an unfamiliar banner they hold. Go and ask them if they are friend or enemy,” he commanded to his messenger officer. As it turns out, these were his own troops. Ishida Sakichi, the man who merely collected taxes from the weeds around rivers now had an army under his command.

Although this may have seemed unbelievable that he would suddenly be in charge of these troops, he wasn’t surprised. Hideyoshi had loved Mitsunari’s natural talent, and was always, when sending troops to Korea or any sea crossing excursion which required a more mathematical approach, having Mitsunari supervise it.

They had about 40 thousand ships, and 200 thousand men. What’s more they also had horses, provisions for themselves and also the horses, medicine, and weapons. So, when transporting all these things by sea, first it must all be divided properly between the ships. Then once they had reached their destination, it would have to all be removed and allocated appropriately. They would also want to try and arrive as quickly as possible, but in order to best maneuver the cargo ships and passenger ships, they could not be sent out too closely together, and so delicately balanced planning and calculation was neccessary. Mitsunari was able to do these things without a hitch, but it is safe to say that the ability to command such a large army is a rare achievement historically speaking.

So, the budding talent and cleverness of Mitsunari’s can be seen in those stories about the tea, and the tax collection.

From there he would become Daimyō, sometime around the age of 23 or 24. This was not young for someone who had been under Hideyoshi. Katō Toranosuke, who had come to Hideyoshi at age 15, having excelled as the commander of an attack squadron became the Daimyō of the Higo territory at age 25 or 26, controlling 250 thousand koku. Fukushima Ichimatsu also, via a similar route was in charge of 100 koku in Imabari. And these promotions where not just magically happening. Nobunaga had died, and Hideyoshi was now running the country.

When Mitsunari first became Daimyō the amount he controlled was a mere 40 thousand koku. Much less than that of his colleagues. However, his was not some distant land in Shikkoku or Kyūshū, but rather Ōmiya’s Minakuchi. Being the Daimyō of a neighboring territory was politically and economically undesirable. And no matter what, Hideyoshi wanted to keep Mitsunari close by.

Another thing to consider was the servants one would gain when one became Daimyō. Hideyoshi suddenly asked one day “Sakichi, how many servants did you take on once you became Daimyō?” Thinking about how he was the kind of man who had once collected taxes on weeds and grass, he assumed Mitsunari might have even more servants than what his social class would typically warrant.

“I have but one” replied Mitsunari. And Hideyoshi was very surprised by this. This episode was also recorded in the “Sekigahara Gunki Taisei⁵”.

“Just one!? Who is it?” the surprised Hideyoshi asked the servant’s name.

“He is from the Tsutsui clan, a rōnin⁶ named Sakon,” replied Mitsunari.

Hideyoshi was further surprised, but he took a breath and composed himself.

“Sakon was a very well-known person in his day. No Tsutsui would take such a menial position. Surely you are joking,” said Hideyoshi.

Sakon was a samurai general for the once Daimyō of Yamato, Tsutsui Junkei, and was said to be a genius of battle and strategy. Hideyoshi himself had memories of Junkei from the battle of Yamazaki where he was Junkei’s messenger. Junkei had controlled about 10 thousand koku, but once he died, the Tsutsui clan relocated to Iga, and Sakon became a rōnin. He was living a secluded life in the government township near the banks of the Inukami river. It was about 1 sato⁷ south of present day Hikoneshi city, where there is a beautiful forest and river.

So, Sakon had built a nice hermitage for himself in a country township.

Hearing this, the young Mitsunari who had only just become Daimyō, went with a couple people down to request his service. However, the once great Samurai commander of the Yamato region was of course not very happy to hear what Mitsunari had suggested to him.

“So, you wish for me to come work under you?” he said fixing his eyes upon Mitsunari. He was thinking, “he is too young to know anything of the world. He is getting carried away, just happy he’s been made Daimyō.” He was planning on sending him away after he finished his tea. But, they continued talking a little bit about fishing for ayu⁸ at the nearby Inukami river.

Sakichi had battle scars all over his body, and each one told a story about his career as a Sengoku⁹ warrior. He was part of the attack on Takigawa Kazumasu who was secluded in Ise-Kameyama castle in December 1584. He reopened old wounds there, which meant they would probably never completely heal now.

“Well, I must say that I am honored that you would come all the way out here to talk with me. Your servant huh? Ahaha, I’m afraid I have already given up on this world.” In this roundabout way, he turned Mitsunari down on his offer, while sounding even older than he really was in the process. But seeing Sakon’s appearance made Mitsunari want to hire him even more.

“Please. I know it is below you, what I ask. But, I bow to you now, asking you to come be my servant,” Mitsunari pleaded, “If you do not wish to come with me as my servant, then what about as my brother?”

“Your brother?” Sakon disregarded this. It was only rhetorical and he would still have to serve under Mitsunari.

Mitsunari pressed on harder. He told him about all that Hideyoshi was planning in order to gain control over all territories. And how he, Mitsunari, was lower in rank only to Katō and Fukushima who were “Shichihonyari¹⁰” of the battle of Shizugatake. But no matter how much he had fought, he could not say that his own tactics on the battlefield itself were what they should be. And so needed Sakon to help him in that regard. With the two of them together, there would be no one under the sun who could defeat Mitsunari and Sakon.

Whether these words were just to win Sakon over, or whether he was actually explaining himself to Sakon, it appeared that Sakon had indeed been won over.

“If you don’t like ‘brother’, then you can come as a friend.”

This was an unprecedented agreement.

“So, how did it go?” Hideyoshi asked. “Did you close the deal?”

“Yes” said Mitsunari wearing a slightly gloomy expression “But, not without a hitch. He wouldn’t come easily. It will cost us 15 thousand koku.”

“Hoho?”

No single servant should cost so much. Hideyoshi laughed loudly. Mitsunari was still young. He further reminded Hideyoshi of himself at his age, and his fondness of him grew deeper.

But Mitsunari although happy that he had acquired Sakon, was not one to be satisfied with minor victories. He had large dreams from an early age. Of course, even he could not at that time dream of the battles he would face in the years to come against Tokugawa Ieyasu, and against the opposite sex.

Although, he may have thought about it a little. After all, he wanted control of all the land under the son, but had no one to inherit it from him.

Of course, when Hideyoshi did die, there were riots, and it would be a lie to say that the intelligent Mitsunari did not expect such a thing would happen.

The proof can be seen in the castle that Mitsunari lived in with Sakon, as it proudly stretches up to the heavens above Ōminokuni.

Notes:

1: Taikō: Formally known as Taikō-Shita, was a regent or chief advisor who had relinquished their position over to their child or student.

2: Bushō Kanjō Ki: Published in 1716, it was a journal authored by Kumazawa Itarō about various military men from the Warring-States period through the first part of the Edō period. It is also known as the Saigyoku Stories.

3: Koku: An old Japanese unit for measuring volume. 1 koku would be enough rice to feed a person for a year.

4: Kokonbuke Seisuiki: or “The Rise and Fall of Samurai Through the Ages”. Is a document that accounts just that, information about various samurai in history.

5: Sekigahara Gunki Taisei: A document which detailed military achievements related to the battle of Sekigahara.

6: Rōnin: A wandering master-less samurai.

7: Sato: An old Japanese measurement equivalent to about 2.44 miles.

8: Ayu: called “sweetfish” in English. Found mostly in north-east Asia.

9: Sengoku: Another term for the Warring States period.

10: Shichihonyari: The Shichihonyari (7 spears) of the battle of Shizugatake is the name given to seven great warriors who fought in the battle.