Kampaku, p.32
Kampaku, page 32
As the first rays of a rising sun broke over the horizon, Tokugawa Hidetada, Ieyasu’s third son and heir, led his group of twenty mounted samurai into the courtyard of the Tokugawa mansion. A dense mist had descended over Fushimi and Hidetada and could barely make out the six shapes ahead of him. As he drew closer, he recognised Mitsunari sitting astride a black Kiso horse, his hands still bound with rope and securely tied to his saddle. Coaxing his horse closer, Hidetada withdrew his tanto knife and leant over to cut the bonds tying Mitsunari’s hands.
“I will return your swords to you once we reach Sawayama. Father is most keen that they do not remain here,” said Hidetada, grinning. Mitsunari nodded grimly and massaged his wrists.
“Would you have your wife pass on a message to the Lady Ocha for me?” asked Mitsunari. “Tell her…,” Mitsunari paused, realising it would be pointless. “It does not matter,” he said. Nothing mattered anymore. He had lost his position the moment the Taiko died and now there was no chance of seeing Ocha and his son again.
“It does not matter,” said Hidetada, appearing confused. “Is that the message you want Sugen-in to pass on?” Four years earlier, the then sixteen-year-old Hidetada had married Lady Ocha’s younger sister Sugen-in, and Mitsunari knew she was visiting Ocha at Osaka Castle. Hidetada had just returned to his position at the head of the escort when Hatsume entered the courtyard and approached Mitsunari. Grabbing his horse’s bridle, she stroked the mare, calming it as she talked to Mitsunari.
“I should kill you now,” snapped Mitsunari, looking down at her. “You betrayed me.”
“But you won’t, will you,” smiled Hatsume. “I could not let you kill Ieyasu. He was not responsible, nor did he know about my husband’s death at Hanzo’s hands. With Anayama’s death, my fate was sealed. I would become a nun or be given away to be remarried or even sold to a brothel, yet Ieyasu did none of those things. He protected me and gave me a fine house with servants and a generous stipend. It was Hanzo who convinced me to learn his shinobi arts and avenge my husband’s gruesome death. So, how could I kill a man who had done so much for me? I also came to realise something else. Your death mattered to me,” said Hatsume.
“Why would I matter to you? You have tried to kill me and nearly succeeded this time,” said Mitsunari.
“That was before I learnt you were my brother. We may be enemies Jibu, but we share the same father. In return for warning Lord Ieyasu of your assassination attempt, I convinced him to spare your life,” said Hatsume.
“What of my men?” said Mitsunari. “They died believing your promises.”
“Ieyasu’s offer did not extend to your men, and neither did I say it did,” said Hatsume. “Your men did the honourable thing and followed their lord.” Anger rose within Mitsunari as he thought to reply, but her words ‘if you surrender, you will live’ reverberated in his mind. A trick, he thought. It was all a trick. Mitsunari glared at Hatsume from the saddle of his horse, but the hate and anger he felt dissipated the more he continued to look at her. She was his enemy, but she was also his sister, a sister he had never known. He studied her face, watching her eyes bulged, as if in shock. An arrowhead protruded from her neck, blood glistening in the early morning light. Mitsunari jumped down from his horse, as did Hidetada and several mounted samurai.
“Secure the perimeter,” Hidetada shouted. “There is an assassin loose.” As Mitsunari cradled Hatsume in his arms, Hidetada broke the arrow shaft that had entered her neck.
“She is still breathing, but if we remove the arrow, she will die,” said Hidetada. Noticing the shortness of the arrow, Hidetada said, “I recognise the arrow. It is from a hankyu style bow, favoured for restricted positions and often used by shinobi.”
Shinobi thought Mitsunari. They have come for their revenge. In similar circumstances, twenty years earlier, he had held the body of a courtesan in his arms. She called herself Kasumi at the time and it was only later that he discovered she was his mother. The twin tragedies in his life made Mitsunari weep. He prayed Hatsume would live, but Hatsume also knew what she must do. Her eyes fluttered as she opened them, and she looked at Mitsunari before reaching for the arrowhead protruding from her neck. Using all her available strength, she pulled the arrow out of her neck and a fountain of dark blood sprayed into Mitsunari’s face. She smiled as she collapsed back into Mitsunari’s arms and died.
Chapter Thirty-One
Winter/Spring: Fifth Year of Keichoi (1599-1600)
Yaemon withdrew a clean sheet of mulberry paper from his robe and carefully wiped the blade of his katana to remove the last vestiges of his attacker’s blood. In the deep snow around him, the headless bodies of his four attackers lay partially covered by the falling snow. Their heads lay close by, with open eyes fixated on the heavens above. Yaemon surveyed the carnage he had wrought and sighed as he returned his sword to its Saya.
He brushed away the accumulated snow that had settled on his head and face, and carefully traced the long scar that ran from his right temple across his missing right eye down to his chin. It was a disfigurement from a past life. He caressed his most recent wound, a scar on his left cheek, and said a silent prayer to thank the gods that had been with him that day.
It was the eighteenth day of the twelfth month, and Yukinaga had finished assembling his fleet to ferry the last of the Japanese forces in Pusan back home to Japan. Yukinaga’s fleet would set sail on the evenings outgoing tide, while Yaemon had already taken passage on Shimazu Yoshiro’s fleet of fifty ships that had left earlier in the day. As Shimazu Yoshiro’s fleet rounded Joelyeong island on their entry to the east sea, they found themselves ambushed by a waiting Korean navy of over two hundred Korean Geobukseon, armour-plated turtle ships. Yoshiro recognised his situation was hopeless. In deeper water and with the wind behind them, they could easily outrun the clumsy turtle ships, but the Koreans were too close and would soon be in cannon range. What Yoshiro needed was a distraction. The plan he acted upon was to signal the eight trailing ships of his fleet to engage the Koreans head-on, keeping them busy while the rest of the fleet attempted to outrun them. The eight commanders of Yoshiro’s fleet knew it was a suicide mission, but enthusiastically responded and headed out in unison to engage the leading turtle ships.
The leading Atakebune of Yoshiro’s ‘suicide’ flotilla, with its complement of eighty rowers and sixty fighting men, braced themselves as they prepared to ram the nearest Geobukseon. On its bow stood a solitary figure that was Yaemon, keeping watch on the foaming water beneath him. Yoshiro’s fleet had been caught in an area dotted with shallow reefs, giving the turtle ships the advantage. The leading turtle ship, in order to avoid a collision, begun its turning manoeuvre far too late and Yaemon’s Atakebune rammed into its side, splintering the turtle ship’s hull. A shaken Yaemon clapped his hands in prayer and drew his sword, ready to take his place among the boarding party that had assembled on deck. While the Atakebune trained its small breech-loading swivel guns on the Geobukseon’s deck, grappling hooks and ropes were thrown aboard and the two ships were made fast. No attempt to board the Geobukseon was made, as all knew. The armour-plated deck cover of the Geobukseon was studded with vicious razor-sharp awls, designed to deter such an eventuality. But to free itself, the turtle ship’s complement of soldiers had no choice but emerge from behind their shields where Yaemon and his boarding party would be waiting. As they waited, Yaemon noticed another Korean ship quickly bearing down behind them, one that was flying the personal colours of the Korean admiral, Yi. Yaemon grabbed a nearby soldier’s matchlock and smouldering match cord and raced towards the Atakebune’s stern. With Yi’s Geobukseon now in cannon range, Yaemon took aim at the only visible target he could see, a figure standing on the ship’s pilothouse. No sooner had his flash pan ignited as he fired, twelve of the Geobukseon’s cannons loaded with grapeshot roared into life.
Yaemon felt his cheek burn as the grapeshot shattered the Atakebune’s single mast and decimated most of the soldiers on deck. Miraculously, he had survived. The grapeshot had only badly grazed his face, but the force stunned him and threw him to the deck. Moments later, he raised his head to see the Atakebune’s deck littered with bodies. Those that were still alive groaned in agony. Yaemon tried to get up only to slip and fall again on the film of blood now covering the deck of the ship. He could smell smoke and noticed flames coming from the lower decks. His immediate thought was of the store of black powder and weapons stored below. Just as he dragged himself to the side of the ship, he felt the fiery blast of air erupt around him. The last thing he remembered was the sea closing in around him and the first thing he saw when he woke up was the grim face of a Tsushima fisherman who explained how he found him floating in the east sea, clinging to a piece of driftwood.
As the snow became heavier, Yaemon donned the straw cape he had tied to his saddle and mounted his horse. He needed to reach Sawayama Castle before the steep mountain path ahead of him became impassable. It was well past midday and approaching the hour of the horse by the time he finally arrived at Sawayama, where he was soon ushered into the drawing room of the castle’s newly built Tenshu to meet the lord of Sawayama, Mitsunari.
He found Mitsunari gazing out of an open window, ignoring the snow the wind had blown into the room. The focus of his gaze was the distant Castle of Hikone, where the outline of its three-story Tenshu could just be seen.
“As always, I find you deep in thought,” Yaemon called out as he entered the room.
“Yaemon,” a surprised Mitsunari shouted as he moved to grip his friend’s shoulders in a welcoming embrace. “Yukinaga and I had thought you were dead, and I see that pretty face of yours has another wound.”
“As you can see, I am very much alive,” said Yaemon.
“Come and sit down while I close this window and have a brazier brought in,” said Mitsunari.
“What is so interesting outside?” asked Yaemon.
“The view of Hikone Castle. It is where Ieyasu’s son Hidetada keeps a watchful eye over me,” said Mitsunari, before calling out to the servants to bring in a brazier and some warm sake, “But first tell me what happened?” Yaemon recounted his departure from Pusan and how the gods were with him that day, pointing to his new disfigurement.
“I see, but what brings you to Sawayama?” asked Mitsunari.
“I came to deliver a message from Lady Ocha,” said Yaemon, removing a folded letter from his damp kimono. “On my return to Fushimi, Lady Ocha sought me out to ask if I would deliver a message to you.” Yaemon handed Mitsunari Ocha’s letter adding, “She said you would understand its meaning.” Mitsunari carefully unfolded the letter and paused before reading it.
He skimmed the letter’s contents, for it was just a single line, Wake from death and return to life. A puzzled Mitsunari handed the letter back to Yaemon.
“What does it mean?” Mitsunari asked.
“It was important enough for shinobi to ambush me on my way here,” said Yaemon explaining the recent encounter on the way to Sawayama.
“Do you think it was the letter they were after?” asked Mitsunari, as Yaemon nodded.
“Someone has an interest in what Lady Ocha has to say,” said Yaemon. “You must understand, a lot has changed since the Taiko’s death. Lord Ieyasu now lives at Osaka Castle, where he closely watches Lady Ocha and Hideyori. He suspects that Lady Ocha had a hand in your failed attempt on his life and has her watched constantly.”
“Why would he suspect Ocha? She was not involved,” said Mitsunari.
“Try telling that to Ieyasu. Lady Ocha has made it widely known she opposes Ieyasu’s ambition to be Tenkabito—supreme ruler—and believes he has no intention of allowing Hideyori to take over when he becomes of age. She has the perfect motive for helping you.”
“But this letter, Yaemon, what does it mean?” Mitsunari again asked.
“It means what it says,” said Yaemon. “Lady Ocha said to me, you must finish what you started, and succeed where you have failed. She knew the letter would be meaningless had it fallen into the wrong hands.”
Wake from death and return to life. “I think I understand now,” said Mitsunari. “But how? What can I do in exile here?”
“Do what Ieyasu has done and build new alliances. You cannot hope to defeat him on your own. Start with Toshiie’s son, Toshinaga, who has succeeded him as clan leader and is now one of the Go Tairo elders. He shares his father’s suspicions about Ieyasu’s intentions. Hideyori also has a new guardian since Maeda Toshiie passed away, Katagiri Katsumoto, the lord of Settsu.”
“Yes, I remember him. He was one of the Taiko’s most loyal supporters,” said Mitsunari.
“You must understand, Ieyasu has divided the elders. Only Uesugi Kagekatsu and Mori Terumoto have openly declared their support for Hideyori. It is with Kagekatsu and Terumoto that you have the best chance of opposing Ieyasu,” said Yaemon.
“What about the other daimyo? surely they will honour their oaths to support Hideyori?” said Mitsunari.
“I would not count on it,” said Yaemon. “Ieyasu has already confiscated lands from his detractors and redistributed them to his supporters. As a result, he has grown even more powerful and feels unconstrained by the late Taiko’s laws. He has also ignored the law prohibiting political marriages without the approval of the Tairo by wedding his granddaughter to Yukinaga’s twelve-year-old son.”
“Why Yukinaga?” An astonished Mitsunari replied.
“Quite simple, he is a Christian, with close connections to Kyushu’s ‘barbarian’ arms trade. Yukinaga’s wife is also a hostage in Kyoto to guarantee his loyalty.”
“What can I possibly do from here? Hidetada watches my every move from Hikone Castle,” said Mitsunari. Before Yaemon could reply, servants entered the room carrying low tables and an assortment of refreshments, amongst which were several flasks of warm sake.
“Cultivate potential allies, write letters,” replied Yaemon, pouring his friend a bowl of sake. “Start with Uesugi Kagekatsu. He is already provoking Ieyasu by building a new castle in Aizu. Ieyasu has reminded him of the law prohibiting the building of new castles without permission and demands his presence in Osaka to explain his actions. So far Kagekatsu has refused. He is no fool. It is plain to see that he is preparing for war.” Mitsunari went quiet as he slowly sipped his sake, thinking over what Yaemon had said.
“If I can get Kagekatsu’s support, I am sure the Mori clan will follow,” said Mitsunari. “I will write to Kagekatsu and sound him out. As I am closely watched, would you deliver it for me?” Yaemon bowed towards Mitsunari.
“Gladly, my friend,” said Yaemon, holding out his bowl for Mitsunari to fill.
“One more thing,” said Mitsunari. “I am grateful to Lord Ieyasu for allowing me to keep my head, so I would like to present Lord Ieyasu with a gift to show my gratitude. Would you also deliver it for me?” Mitsunari rose and walked over to his sword stand and retrieved an elegantly decorated katana. Handing the sword to Yaemon, Mitsunari said, “This is the famous Kirikomi, a Masamune sword. I am sure you have heard of it; it was a gift from Ukita Hideie.” Yaemon frowned.
“You know as well as I do Ieyasu has a fear of Masamune swords and he will see this as a provocation, not a gift,” said Yaemon.
“That, dear friend, is precisely my intention,” said Mitsunari. “His focus will now be on me. Now let us toast my return to life.”
#
Dago-Ji Temple Kyoto
Spring: Third Month of the Fifth year of Keichoi (1600)
On the forested summit of Mount Daigo, Nene sat alone in the Godai Hall of the Dago-Ji Temple, enjoying a breakfast of pickles, dried bonito fish and rice. It was her ‘temple of flowers’, as she liked to call it. With its expansive views of the southeast corner of Kyoto, Nene had the screen doors open to receive the bright morning sunshine and the sweet scent of the forest.
Her late husband the Taiko had the temple rebuilt following a disastrous fire that had destroyed everything save its five-story pagoda. Hideyoshi had even designed the pond garden with its small bridges and connecting islands. Manicured pines and carefully placed stones completed the setting. He had willed that Nene would live in Osaka until Hideyori came of age, but the Tokugawa lord, Ieyasu, had other ideas and Nene was coerced into ceding the entire west wing of Osaka Castle to Ieyasu. Her petition to move to the Daigo-Ji was enthusiastically accepted by Ieyasu, and while Nene was a wealthy woman in her own right, Ieyasu decreed that the wife of the late Taiko will want for nothing.
It was in this very room that Hideyoshi would sit with Nene to watch the autumn foliage on Mount Daigo’s forested slopes, but today was about the spring and Nene sat gazing at the new spring foliage. Tall, Sugi or Cryptomeria trees with their spreading branches of blue-green needle leaves towered over the forest maple trees with their spring colours of bright red leaves. On the temple grounds, she smiled at the green buds appearing on the thousands of cherry trees her late husband, Hideyoshi, had planted.
Soon it will be the Hanami season, and the sakura will blossom, and die as all things must. Nene meditated before being disturbed by a servant announcing that her adopted son, Kobayakawa Hideaki, had arrived unexpectedly. Nene quickly gave instructions to clear away the dishes and summon her maid servant to comb her hair.
“Mother, I see you are looking well these days,” said Hideaki, bowing before taking his invited seat in front of Nene, and carefully placing his swords at his side on the floor. Hideaki was an athletic-looking young man of twenty-three years of age. He was the fifth son of Nene’s brother, Kinoshita Iesada, and nephew of the late Taiko. Of the twelve sons and nine daughters Hideyoshi had adopted, Hideaki was the only child from Nene’s side of the family line. Unable to bear children, Nene took to raising Hideaki as one of her own and the pair enjoyed a special bond. It was only much later, with the ill health of Tairo elder Kobayakawa Takakage, who was without an heir, that Hideaki found himself adopted into the Kobayakawa clan. His newly adopted father later succumbed to his ongoing illness, leaving Hideaki to inherit the Kobayakawa estates and later merge his clan with the Toyotomi. Hideyoshi saw great promise in the young Hideaki and had even considered him as his heir, but his cruel and reckless behaviour during the Imjin Wars in Korea angered him, leading him to confiscate a good portion of Hideaki’s fiefdoms as punishment.
