Taiko. Part 119

"You've chosen a good location in Osaka," Kazumasa remarked. "It's said that Lord n.o.bunaga had his eye on Osaka for a number of years."

"Yes, but the warrior-monks of the Honganji were entrenched in their temple-fortress there, so he was forced to settle for Azuchi."

Before long they entered the city of Kyoto, but just as Kazumasa was about to take his leave, Hideyoshi stopped him once again and said, "It wouldn't be advisable to take the land route in this heat. You'd better take a boat across the lake from Otsu. Let's have some lunch with Maeda Geni while the boat's being prepared."

He was referring to the man he had recently appointed to the governorship of Kyoto. Giving Kazumasa no chance to refuse, Hideyoshi led him to the governor's mansion. The courtyard had been swept clean, as though the visitor had been expected, and Geni's reception of-Kazumasa was extremely courteous.

Hideyoshi continuously urged Kazumasa to relax, and during lunch they talked of nothing else but the castle he was going to build.

Geni brought in a large sheet of paper and spread it out on the floor. A plan for a cas Tle was beining shown to an envoy from another province, and both the man showing it and the man being shown it looked apprehensive of the reason for Hideyoshi's openness; ^parent explanation was that Hideyoshi had forgotten that Kazumasa was a retainer of the Tokugawa clan, as well as the status of his own relationship with that clan.

"I've heard that you're quite an expert on castles," Hideyoshi told Kazumasa, " so if you have any suggestions, please don't hesitate."Just as Hideyoshi had said, Kazumasa was quite well versed in castle construction. Normally such plans would be top secret-hardly something to show to a retainer from a rival province-but Kazumasa put away his doubts about Hideyoshi's intentions and studied the plans.

Kazumasa knew Hideyoshi was unlikely to do anything small, but he was overawed by the scale of the project. When Osaka had been the headquarters of the warrior-monks of the Honganji, their fortress had occupied an area of one thousand square yards. In Hideyoshi's plan, that became the foundation for the main citadel. The area's topography -rivers, mountains, and seacoast-had been taken into consideration; their advantages and disadvantages had been considered, and the comparative difficulties of attack and defense and other logistical problems had all been thought out. The main citadel, and the second and third, were all surrounded by earthen walls. The circuit of the outer walls was more than six leagues. The tallest building within the walls was a five-story keep, which would be pierced with openings from which to shoot arrows. The tiles of the roof were to be gold-leafed.

In his amazement Kazumasa could only marvel in silent awe at what he saw before him. But what he had been staring at was still nothing more than a part of the project. The moat surrounding the castle took its water from the Yodo River. With the prosperous mercantile city of Sakai close by, Osaka was connected with numerous trade routes to China, Korea, and Southeast Asia. The nearby Yamato and Kawachi mountain chains formed a natural defensive wall. The Sanin and Sanyo roads connected Osaka with sea and land routes to Shikoku and Kyushu, and made it a gateway with access to all outlying areas. As the location of the country's most important castle and a place from which to rule the nation, Osaka was many times superior to n.o.bunaga's Azuchi. Kazumasa could discover nothing lacking here.

"What do you think?" Hideyoshi asked.

"Absolutely perfect. It's a plan on a grand scale," Kazumasa replied. There was nothing more he could honestly say.

"It will be sufficient, don't you think?"

"On the day it's completed, it will be the largest castle town in the whole country," Kazumasa said.

"That's what I intend."

"When do you antic.i.p.ate its completion?"

"I'd like to move in before the year is through."

Kazumasa blinked disbelievingly. "What! By the end of the year?"

"Well, about then."

"It could take ten years for an engineering project of that size."

"In ten years the world will have changed, and I'll be an old man," Hideyoshi said, laughing. "I've ordered the overseers to complete the castle's interior, including its decorations, within three years."

"I can't imagine it's going to be easy to make the craftsmen and laborers work at such a pace. And the amounts of stone and lumber you will need are going to be immense.

"I'm bringing in lumber from twenty-eight provinces."

"How many laborers will you need?"

"I'm not sure about that. I suppose I'll need well over a hundred thousand. My officials say that it will require about sixty thousand men working every day for three months just to dig the inner and outer moats."

Kazumasa fell silent. He was depressed as he reflected on the great difference between this project and the castles of Okazaki and Hamamatsu in his own province. But would Hideyoshi really be able to bring the huge stones he needed to Osaka, an area totally lacking in quarries? And where, in these difficult times, did he think he could find the huge sums to pay for the project? He wondered whether Hideyoshi's great plans were really anything more than bragging.

Justt then something urgent seemed to have occurred to Hideyoshi, and he called for his secretary and began dictating a letter. Completely forgetting that Kazumasa was there, he looked over what had been written down, nodded, and started to dictate another letter. Even if Kazumasa had not wanted to listen to what was being said, Hideyoshi was right in front of him and he could not help but hear. Hideyoshi seemed to be dictating an extremely important letter to the Mori clan.

Once again Kazumasa was embarra.s.sed and hardly knew what to do with himself. He said, "Your official business seems to be rather urgent. Shall I withdraw?"

"No, no, that won't be necessary. I'll be done in a moment."

Hideyoshi continued with his dictation. He had received a letter from a member of the Mori clan congratulating him on his victory against the Shibata. Now, under the pretext of giving an account of the battle of Yanagase, he was demanding that his correspondent define his own att.i.tude concerning the future of his clan. It was a personal letter, and an extrememly important one.

Kazumasa sat next to him, silently looking at the stands of bamboo groves, while Hideyoshi dictated: "If I had given Katsuie a moment's rest, it would have taken much longer to defeat him. But the fate of j.a.pan hung in the balance, so I had to resign myself to the loss of my men. I attacked Katsuie's main castle at the second half of the Hour of the Tiger, and by the hour of the Horse I took the citadel."

When he dictated the words, "the fate of j.a.pan," his eyes were ablaze just as they had been when the castle fell. The letter then took a turn that would rivet the Mori clan's attention on his words.

"It would be futile to mobilize our troops, but if necessary I will visit your province inperson to determine the matter of boundaries. Therefore, it is important that you use discretion and be resolved not to provoke me."

Kazumasa unconsciously stole a look at Hideyoshi and marveled at the man's boldness. Here was Hideyoshi lightheartedly dictating some very frank words, almost as if he were sitting cross-legged in front of his correspondent, having a friendly chat. Was he being arrogant or just naive?

"Both the Hojo in the east and the Uesugi in the north have entrusted matters to my resolve. If you are also prepared to let me work freely, the government of j.a.pan will be better than it has been since ancient times. Give this deep thought and your own personal care. If you have any objections, please let me know before the Seventh Month. It is essential that you relay all of this in detail to Lord Mori Terumoto."

Kazumasa's eyes watched the play of the wind in the bamboo, but his ears were absolutely fascinated with what Hideyoshi was saying. His heart quivered like the bamboo leaves in the wind. It appeared that, for this man, even the t.i.tanic task of building Osaka Castle was something he did in his spare time. And he a.s.serted, even to the Mori clan, that if they objected they should let him know before the Seventh Month-before he went to war again.

Kazumasa was beyond admiration; he felt exhausted.

At that moment an attendant announced that Kazumasa's ship was ready to sail. Hideyoshi took one of the swords from his waist and presented it to Kazumasa. "It may be a little old, but people say it's a good blade. Please take it as a small token of my appreciation."

Kazumasa took it and reverently lifted it to his forehead.

When they went outside, Hideyoshi's personal guards were waiting to escort Kazumasa to the port of Otsu.

There was a mountain of problems awaiting Hideyoshi both inside Kyoto and out. After Yanagase, the fighting had come to an end; but even though Takigawa had submitted, there were still a few rebels who obstinately refused to surrender. Remnants of the Ise army had entrenched themselves in Nagashima and Kobe, and Oda n.o.buo was in charge of mopping up the last pockets of resistance.

When he heard that Hideyoshi had returned from Echizen, n.o.buo left the front for Kyoto and met Hideyoshi on that very day.

"When Ise submits, you may occupy Nagashima Castle," Hideyoshi told him.

That very mediocre prince left Kyoto for Ise in high spirits.

It was the time of day when the lamps were lit. The courtiers who had come calling had departed and all the other guests had gone. Hideyoshi took a bath and then, as he joined Hidekatsu and Maeda Geni for dinner, an attendant informed him that Hikoemon had just arrived.

The wind rustled the rattan blinds, and the loud laughter of young women drifted in on the air. Hikoemon did not go inside immediately, but first rinsed his mouth and smoothed his hair. He had returned on horseback from Uji and was covered with dust.

His mission had been to meet Sak.u.ma Genba, who was a prisoner at Uji. It had appeared to be an easy mission but was in fact rather difficult, as Hideyoshi knew quite well. That was the reason he had chosen Hikoemon.

Genba had been captured but not executed. Instead, he had been imprisoned at Uji. Hideyoshi had ordered that he not be treated harshly or humiliated. He knew that Genba was a man of matchless courage, who, if released, would become a raging tiger. Thus, a strict guard was kept on him at all times.

Even though Genba was a captive enemy general, Hideyoshi felt sorry for him. He loved Genba's natural talents just as Katsuie had, and felt that it would be a shame to put him to death. So, soon after Hideyoshi returned to Kyoto, he sent a messenger to express his feelings and try to reason with Genba.

"Katsuie is gone now," the messenger began, "and you should hereafter think of Hideyoshi as taking his place. If you do, you will be free to return to your home province and castle."

Genba laughed. "Katsuie was Katsuie. It is impossible for Hideyoshi to replace him. Katsuie has already committed suicide, and I have no thoughts of remaining in this world. I will never serve Hideyoshi, even if he gives me control of the entire nation."

Hikoemon had been the second messenger. He had left with the knowledge that it would be difficult. And sure enough, he had failed to change Genba's mind. > "How did it go?" Hideyoshi asked. He sat enveloped in the mosquito smudge rising from a silver censer.

"He wasn't interested," Hikoemon replied. "He only implored me to cut his head off."

"If that was his only response, it would not be sympathetic to push the matter any further." Hideyoshi seemed to be giving up the idea of persuading Genba, and the lines on his face suddenly disappeared.

"I know what you were hoping for, my lord, but I'm afraid I wasn't a very competent messenger."

"There's no need to apologize," Hideyoshi consoled him. "Even though Genba is a prisoner, he will not bow to me to save his life. His sense of honor is outstanding. I regret man with that kind of fort.i.tude and determination. If he had been persuaded by you and had come to change his loyalty, that alone might have made me lose my respect for him." He added, "You're a samurai, and you knew that in the bottom of your heart, so it makes sense that you were unable to change his mind.

"Forgive me."

"I'm sorry to have troubled you with this. But didn't Genba say anything else?"

"I asked why he had not chosen to die on the battlefield, but had run away into the mountains and been captured by farmers instead. I also asked why he spent his days as a captive, waiting to be beheaded, rather than killing himself." hat did he say?"

"He asked me if I thought seppuku or being killed on the battlefield are the greatest courage for a samurai, then he said he was of a different opinion: he thought a must try his best to survive."

"What else?"

"When he escaped from the battle at Yanagase, he did not know whether Katsuie was alive or dead, so he was trying to get back to Kitanosho to help plan a counterattack. On the way, however, the pain from his wounds became unbearable, and he stopped at a farmhouse and asked for moxa ."

" Sad...very sad."

"He also very calmly said that he had borne the shame of being taken alive and sent to prison so that if the guards had presented him with an opening he might have escaped, stalked you, and taken your life. Thus he might have been able to appease Katsuie's anger en able to beg forgiveness for the mistake he had made when he penetrated the enemy lines at Shizugatake."

"Ah, what a shame." Tears of sympathy welled up in Hideyoshi's eyes. "To have misused man like that and sent him to his death-that was Katsuie's fault. Well, we'll let him have what he wants, and allow him to die with grace. See to it, Hikoemon."

"I understand, my lord. Tomorrow, then?"

"The sooner the better."

"And the place?"

"Uji.

"Should he be led around and exhibited?"

Hideyoshi thought for a moment. "I suppose that would be Genba's wish. Execute him in a field at Uji after you've led him through the capital."

The next day Hideyoshi gave two silk kimonos to Hikoemon just before he left for Uji.

"I expect Genba's clothes are dirty. Give him these for his death clothes."

That day Hikoemon rode to Uji once more to meet with Genba, who was now in solitary confinement.

"Lord Hideyoshi has commanded that you be led through Kyoto and then beheaded on a field in Uji, as you have wished," he said.

Genba did not look the least bit unhappy. "I'm grateful," he replied politely.

"Lord Hideyoshi has also provided these clothes."

Genba looked at the kimonos and said, "I am truly grateful for Lord Hideyoshi's kindness. But I don't think the crest and tailoring would suit me. Please return them."

"Not suit you?"

"These are clothes that a foot soldier would wear. For me, Lord Katsuie's nephew, to be seen wearing them by the people of the capital would only shame my late uncle. The clothes I am wearing may be rags, but even though they are still grimy from battle, I would rather be led around in them. But if Lord Hideyoshi will allow me to wear one new kimono, I would like something a little more suitable."

"I'll ask him. What is your wish?"

"A red wide-sleeved coat with a bold pattern. Beneath that, a red silk kimono with silver embroidery." Genba did not mince his words. "It is no secret that I was captured by farmers, tied up, and sent here. I bore the shame of being captured alive. My aim was still to take Lord Hideyoshi's head, but that, too, was unfulfilled. When I am taken to my place of execution, I imagine that it will cause some excitement in the capital. I regret wearing a miserable silk garment like this, but if I am to wear a better one, I want it to be like the gaudy clothes I wore on the battlefield, with a banner flying from my back. Beyond that, and as proof that I have no bad feelings about being tied up, I would like to be tied up in front of everyone when I get into the cart."

Genba's frankness was truly one of his most likable traits. When Hikoemon related Genba's wishes to Hideyoshi, he immediately ordered the clothes to be sent.

The day of Genba's execution arrived. The prisoner took a bath and tied up his hair. He then put on the red kimono and, over that, the broad-sleeved coat with the large patterns. He held out his hands to be bound and then got up into the cart. That year he was a robust thirty years old, such a handsome man that everyone lamented his death.

The cart was taken along the streets of Kyoto, and then back to Uji, where an animal skin was spread out on the ground.

"You may cut your own stomach," Genba's executioner offered.

A short sword was presented to him, but Genba only laughed. "You don't need to make allowances for me."

The ropes were not untied, and he was beheaded.

The end of the Sixth Month approached.

"The construction of Osaka Castle should be moving right along," Hideyoshi said. "Let's go take a look."

When he arrived, the men in charge of the project explained what had been achieved that point. The marsh at Naniwa was being filled, and ca.n.a.ls had already been dug through its length and breadth. The makeshift shops of merchants were beginning to appear on the site of the castle town. Looking out toward the sea at the harbor of Sakai and the mouth of the Yasuji River, one could see hundreds of boats carrying stones, their full sails almost touching. Hideyoshi stood on the spot where the main citadel would be constructed and, looking landward, saw the tens of thousands of laborers and artisans of all trades.. These men were working day and night in shifts so that the construction would never stop.

Workers were levied from every clan; when a lord was negligent in sending his quota, he was severely punished, regardless of his status. There was a line of command of sub-contractors, foremen, and sub-foremen for every trade at each work station. Responsibilities were clearly defined for those in charge. If anyone was found lacking, he was immediately beheaded. The samurai from each clan who served as inspectors did not wait for punishment but committed seppuku on the spot.

But what concerned Hideyoshi most right now was Ieyasu. Throughout Hideyoshi's life, he had secretly thought that the most formidable man of the times-other than Lord n.o.bunaga-was Ieyasu. Given his own conspicuous rise to power, he imagined that it would be almost impossible to avoid a confrontation with him.

During the Eighth Month, he ordered Tsuda n.o.bukatsu to take a famous sword by Fudo Kuniyuki and present it to Ieyasu.

"Tell Lord Ieyasu that I was immensely pleased with the famous and matchless piece of pottery he presented to me when he sent Ishikawa Kazumasa."

n.o.bukatsu left for Hamamatsu toward the beginning of the month and returned on the tenth day.

"The Tokugawa clan's hospitality was so gracious that I almost felt embarra.s.sed. They were truly attentive," he reported.

"Did Lord Ieyasu appear to be in good health?"

"He seemed to be extremely well."