Hyakkimaru's Birth
Book 1 of the Dororo Novel Series
Toriumi Jinzō
Part 4 - Return to the Hall of Hell
Chapter 5
There had been a lot of infighting and disputes over inheritance in Kyōto lately. Hatakeyama Yoshinari was locked in just such a struggle with his cousin, Hatakeyama Masanaga. The death of Yoshinari's father left the position of shōgun's deputy vacant; Yoshinari and Masanaga fought over who should inherit the title. The Hatakeyama Clan split into two factions, with half supporting Yoshinari and half supporting Masanaga.
Masanaga escalated the conflict by throwing his support behind Hosokawa Katsumoto, a trusted ally of the shōgun. Yoshinari was banished by the Emperor and Masanaga was made shōgun's deputy.
There was strife in the Shiba Clan as well. In July 1466, Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the current shōgun, deposed Shiba Yoshikado in favor of Shiba Yoshitoshi. This move was motivated by the shōgun's advisor, Ise Sadachika.1 Both Hosokawa Katsumoto and his sworn enemy, Yamana Sōzen, were so disgusted with Ise Sadachika that they united their forces and drove him from the capital.
Meanwhile, in nearby Kaga Province, the regional governor Togashi Norie was fighting his younger brother Yasutaka for control of the region. He had the support of half the Hatakeyama Clan—the part supporting Hatakeyama Masanaga.
If all of these conflicts and wars seem bewildering, look to their cause for understanding. The collapsing power and influence of the Ashikaga shogunate made the nation's fragile peace finally shatter.
The current Ashikaga shōgun, Yoshimasa, had spent a life of ease with his mother and favored concubine as his usual company. He was strongly influenced by close advisors like Ise Sadachika. Yoshimasa was capricious man of culture who lacked charisma and knowledge of military matters. He was aware of his limitations and immersed himself solely in tea ceremony, gardening and sarugaku plays. The actual governance of the country was handled by his advisors and strong samurai lords like Hosokawa Katsumoto and Yamana Sōzen.
Tired of incessant peasant uprisings and political confusion, Yoshimasa dreamed of retiring from the world and living in seclusion. At the age of 29, Yoshimasa tried to transfer the position of shōgun to his younger brother Yoshihiro, since he had no son to inherit his rule. Yoshihiro believed that Yoshimasa was still young enough to have a son and firmly declined his proposal for a voluntary transfer of the shogunate.
On December 24, 1464, Yoshimasa finally convinced Yoshihiro to become his heir by writing and signing an official oath: "Even if a son is born to me, I will make him become a Buddhist priest and not allow him to succeed the headship of the family." Yoshihiro returned to court and renamed himself Yoshimi. He worked closely with Hosokawa Katsumoto after that, often visiting his estate in the capital.
Yoshimasa had a son, Yoshihisa, by his legal wife, Hino Tomiko, on December 11, 1465. Tomiko was eager to have her own son succeed the shogunate and approached Yamana Sōzen to ask for his support. Naturally, Yamana Sōzen opposed Hosokawa Katsumoto, who had been made Yoshimi's guardian, and the rivalry for the shogunate succession divided the whole country into two camps, those of Katsumoto and of Sōzen, making a collision between them inevitable.
Hatakeyama Yoshinari, who had been banished when his cousin Masanaga assumed the role of shōgun's deputy, begged Yamana Sōzen to petition for his reinstatement at court. Yoshimasa, a weak ruler who was easily placated by Sōzen, invited Yoshinari to the shōgun's residence and remitted him without consulting Masanaga or Katsumoto. Yoshimasa then canceled his scheduled visit to Masanaga and attended a banquet Yoshinari held at Sōzen's residence instead.
It was no surprise when shōgun Yoshimasa recognized Yoshinari as the authorized heir of the Hatakeyama Clan and commanded Masanaga to surrender his title and his properties. Offended, Masanaga resigned as shōgun's deputy, and Shiba Yoshikado, a supporter of Yamana Sōzen, took the position. Hosokawa Katsumoto tried to have Yoshimasa issue an order to hunt down and dispose of Yoshinari, but Yoshimasa's wife Tomiko prevented this by intentionally leaking the plan to Yamana Sōzen.
Having steered the political situation in his favor, Yamana Sōzen mobilized many samurai allies and besieged the Imperial Palace. He asked the shōgun to expel Hatakeyama Masanaga and Hosokawa Katsumoto, among others. Yoshimasa refused, but he approved Yoshinari's attack on Masanaga on the condition that none of the other samurai lords would side with either camp. Condemned as a rebel by shōgun Yoshimasa, Masanaga sought out Hosokawa Katsumoto's help, but Katsumoto refused his request.
On February 22, 1467, Hatakeyama Masanaga set fire to his own undefended residence, led an army of samurai and took up a position at Kamigoryō Shrine in Kyōto. Yoshinari launched his offensive with supporting troops of from Shiba Yoshikado and allies of the Yamana Clan. The battle continued until the evening, and Masanaga set the shrine on fire late at night. He pretended suicide and escaped to take refuge in Hosokawa Katsumoto's residence.
Smaller wars and conflicts broke out everywhere as clans started choosing sides and deploying armies. In the uncertainty caused by the Ashikaga shogunate's succession crisis and the long-standing feud between Hosokawa Katsumoto and Yamana Sōzen, the world became a very dangerous place.
As always, poor farmers and common citizens were caught between warring factions. Homes burned and fields were destroyed by the trampling feet of ashigaru mercenaries. Soldiers made use of villages and resources as they saw fit and killed whoever resisted. Women were raped. Children and the elderly were beaten and starved. The world was hell; ask anyone on the street and they would say the same.
It was late 1467. Namitarō received word from his spy, Mutō Yasuchika, who worked directly for the shōgun's loyal magistrate, Iio Sadaari. Mutō informed Namitarō of the unrest in and around the capital. The Ashikaga succession crisis between the shōgun's brother Yoshimi and his little son Yoshihisa was only getting worse. Masanaga had regrouped after his first defeat and was preparing to march on the capital.
Masanaga's reckless march was the spark that caused an endless war.
On 17 January 1468, Hatakeyama Masanaga rode to Kyōto from the direction of Kurama with six thousand cavalry behind him, looting and burning as they went. Hosokawa Katsumoto was quickly dispatched to crush Masanaga's army and declare him a rebel and an enemy of the state.
Eighteen days later, at the beginning of February, the area of the battle was hit by a sudden ice storm that lasted from dawn until past noon. That afternoon, Hatakeyama Yoshinari and Asakura Takakage joined their armies and attacked Masanaga's forces. Masanaga's army was routed; he was forced to flee in the direction of Settsu.
The Imperial Court didn't believe that anything of great importance had happened. The common people in the way of the armies were robbed, murdered, or raped, but their troubles didn't concern the shōgun or the powerful samurai lords who served him in the slightest.
Hatakeyama Yoshinari dispatched trackers and assassins to hunt down Masanaga and his faction and kill them. The Yamana Clan prayed for victory in war and held grand feasts in shrines and temples.
Hyakkimaru prepared to go to Kyōto in March, a month or so after the battle between Masanaga and Yoshinari had ended. He hoped to meet Mutō Yasuchika, Namitarō's spy, at his estate in the capital. Mutō, like many other minor lords and retainers, was engaged in combat with many of his neighbors in the capital. Visiting his estate—or Kyōto in general—at the moment wasn't safe.
Hyakkimaru faced Jukai with a serious expression and said, "I don't know if I'll be able to meet Mutō if I go to the capital, but I don't have anywhere else to go in Kyōto where I would be welcome. And if I don't go at all, I'll never meet him. The world is at war. It doesn't seem like that's about to change."
"Wait until May to see if things calm down," Jukai said. "Then you can go."
Hyakkimaru grumbled, but he assented.
***
On May 18, ten heavily armed riders appeared at the foot of Mount Kurama. It was rare to see armed men in such a place, even in these turbulent times. Two particularly well-armed men dismounted first, followed by the others. They looked around slowly.
Jukai had gone out alone that morning to gather herbs. He bowed low to the warriors as they caught sight of him. They worked for Ise Sadachika and were supporters of shōgun Ashikaga Yoshimasa's Eastern Army.
"We heard there was an excellent doctor living somewhere around here," one of the men said. "You've probably heard about all the fighting in the capital. We've got a lot of sick and wounded, so we're looking for the doctor. We'd pay him handsomely for his services."
Jukai admitted that he was the only doctor in the area, but he flatly refused to treat their army's wounded.
"What? You refuse?" The man glared at Jukai.
Jukai suddenly remembered what had happened to his father when he'd refused to treat the shōgun's son. He felt like he was standing in his father's shoes.
"You can beg forgiveness from our lord." The man phrased this as a threat.
"I"m afraid I must decline an audience with your lord," Jukai said.
"You're a rude bastard. Worse than the monkeys around here. You had better not behave this badly in front of our lord. He's very unforgiving." He drew his sword from his hip.
The other soldiers glared at Jukai murderously.
At that moment, Hyakkimaru emerged from the trees behind Jukai, carrying his Muramasa sword unsheathed.
"Go back, Hyakkimaru," Jukai said.
Hyakkimaru approached the men with his sword raised. His rage was plain on his face.
When the men realized that Hyakkimaru was alone, they laughed.
"So you're gonna fight us, huh? Interesting."
This was the worst thing that could have happened. Jukai placed himself between Hyakkimaru and the men and got to his knees, bowing his head low.
"Please forgive my previous rudeness," Jukai said. "I will come with you and treat your wounded. Please give me some time to prepare."
"How much time?"
"I live on an estate near here," Jukai said. "I can be back here with my supplies in a few hours."
The leader of the men snorted dismissively. "Fine. We'll return this afternoon."
Jukai put his face to the dirt and remained silent.
The men mounted up and left. Hyakkimaru watched them go with an expression of pure hatred.
"You've never treated soldiers for battle wounds," Hyakkimaru said flatly. "Why would you agree to help them?"
"The Buddha teaches that it's better to lie and save a life than it is to tell the truth and commit murder."
"Lie?" Hyakkimaru asked. "Why lie? To protect those who attack the innocent? I've seen you fight before; we could have taken them."
"Even if that's true, more would come," Jukai said. "And more. Once you start fighting, it's impossible to stop."
Hyakkimaru's movements were tense. He was still infuriated at the soldiers for invading their peaceful home. "If you were so scared, I could have dealt with them on my own," he muttered.
In a tone of command, Jukai said, "Hyakkimaru, look at me."
Hyakkimaru watched as Jukai removed a small object that looked like a glass bead from the front flap of his kimono. He threw it, hard, into a grove of cedar trees.
In an instant, a dozen trees caught fire as if they'd been struck by lightning. Jukai might seem old and weak, but he was entirely capable of killing those solders and driving the army away from Mount Kurama.
"Winning a battle isn't achieved by waving your sword around," Jukai said. "You win by protecting yourself. There's always more than one way to defeat an enemy."
Hyakkimaru nodded heavily. He sheathed his sword and bowed solemnly to Jukai.
The shadow of war had reached out to touch peaceful Mount Kurama for the first time.
1 Ise Sadachika (1417 - February 27, 1473) was the head of the chief governing body within the shogunate during the Muromachi period. Sadachika raised young shōgun Ashikaga Yoshimasa from childhood.↩
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