◆
-- July 13, 1667 (Eiroku 10), Nagahama.
Just as the sun reached its highest point, a large crowd of people had gathered in a place called Nagahama Imperial Palace, a little north of it.鐘紡Kanebo
The well-maintained square is marked with ropes and covered with gravel.
A temporary palace was constructed, and in addition to the Oda and Tokugawa retainers who were guests of honor, the court nobles from Kyoto, whom they had somehow managed to invite, were also present.
During the Sengoku period, the court nobles had lost their actual power, but they still retained political influence.
That's why demonstrating the Asai family's military might to them at the horse parade was of great significance—and above all, they were a group with whom they had no choice but to deepen their relationship considering the future.
Incidentally, the Asai family considers their roots to be in their home.正親町三条Ogimachi Sanjo
In reality, it was probably a false claim, but in the realm of appearances, the Asai family was generally considered to be of the Fujiwara clan.
However, among the nobles residing in the temporary palace, there was no sign of anyone from the Ogimachi-Sanjo family.
The reason he was the current head of the family was that he had been placed under house arrest by the Emperor just before the horse parade, although it was unclear what he had done.実福Sanetomi勅勘Chokkan
Instead—though not exactly as a substitute—there is one very young man among the court nobles.
九条Kujo兼孝Kanetaka.
He is the head of the Kujo family, one of the Five Regent Houses, and a rising star in the aristocratic society, having attained the rank of Junior Second Rank by the age of 15.
Kanetaka originally came from the Nijō family, and the Nijō family had ties to the samurai class, as it was customary for them to receive a shogun from the Muromachi shogunate.偏諱Change
So why has he traveled all the way to Kita-Omi?
"It looks like quite a lot of people have gathered. That's proof that they're all hungry for a spectacle..."
--This is none other than an introduction from my brother-in-law, Oda Nobunaga.
As a supporter of Ashikaga Yoshiaki, who claimed to be the current shogun of the Muromachi shogunate, he maintained a much closer relationship with the court society than the Asai family.
Ideally, the Asai family would have liked to gather the court nobles on their own, but naturally, there were limits to that...
"I am truly sorry for causing you so much trouble, Brother."
"Well, if it's for the sake of my precious brother-in-law... this is hardly any trouble at all."
They had no choice but to rely on the political power of the Oda family through Ichihime.
"But, City."
"yes"
"Don't overexert yourself. It will bring misfortune upon your unborn child."
"I'm not overexerting myself. It's for my beloved husband..."
"Hmph, it'll be too late once something happens... you fool."
"You fool...? Well, she is the sister of the great fool of Owari, so of course that's to be expected, isn't it? Is it too late for that now?"
"Let me pass you"
Right beside me, as I stand out in my ostentatious golden hawk armor, a perfectly synchronized exchange between siblings takes place.
Nobunaga gave a wry smile and adjusted the collar of the magnificent and splendid kimono that Ichihime was wearing.
My beloved wife's belly has begun to swell to the point where it's visible even through her kimono.
For Nobunaga, the Asai and Oda families were bound together by blood ties, making them either his nephew or niece.
Aside from those connected to the Asai family, he is the person who wishes for the birth of our child more than anyone else.
"...And so, my brother-in-law."
"yes"
Nobunaga, having stopped paying attention to Ichihime, looked directly at the group being escorted by several soldiers and heading towards them, and said:
It's good that the soldiers are guarding it —but there's a man with glaring eyes.恰幅kappuku
He walked towards Nobunaga, nodded, and looked at me.
"Let me introduce you to the Shogun of the Muromachi period, Ashikaga Yoshiaki."
"..."
Ashikaga Yoshiaki is most famous as the last shogun of the Muromachi shogunate.
He had originally deviated from the path to succession to the shogunate and entered the Buddhist priesthood, but after his older brother, Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru, was assassinated by Matsunaga Hisahide, he returned to secular life and declared himself the successor to the Muromachi shogunate.
He is perhaps best known for later clashing with Nobunaga and forming a joint front with daimyo such as Asai Nagamasa, Takeda Shingen, and Asakura Yoshikage, which is commonly referred to as the "Nobunaga encirclement."
As a result, he was defeated, driven out of Kyoto, and after many twists and turns, he died in 1588.
"It is a pleasure to meet you for the first time. I am Asai Nagamasa. I hope we can get to know each other from now on."
"...Hmm."
And apparently, he's quite arrogant in this world.
After greeting me with just a nod, she looked at Ichihime and said:
"She is quite a beautiful woman. Hmm... Her breasts and buttocks are large, she would be perfect to bear my child."
"Wha...!"
"Lord Yoshiaki"
What is this pizza-eating jerk saying to my woman...!
Just as I was about to lose my temper, Nobunaga made his move.
His brother-in-law interrupted, quickly blocking Yoshiaki's view, and said.
"Lord Kujo and other distinguished figures from Kyoto are waiting. Now that you are about to enter the capital, I think it would be best to inform them in advance."誼Yoshimi
"Hmm..."
"What are you all doing? Bring the General here immediately."
"Y-yes!"
With an intense gaze , he glared at the soldiers, who, in fear, straightened their backs and quickly left with Yoshiaki.睨hey
Although their appearances are completely different, the image of Saito Tatsuoki flashes through my mind.
Shogun Ashikaga's back was so uncomfortable that I involuntarily clenched and unclenched my fists repeatedly, cracking my joints.
"That's the kind of man he is."
Nobunaga said with a displeased expression.
"My brother-in-law"
"teeth..."
"You should stop having any more contact with that guy than necessary."
"Well, that's..."
Needless to say.
I pulled Ichihime into my arms while stroking my wife's back.
She probably never imagined she'd be told something like that.
Whether it was anger, fear, or both, his body was trembling slightly.
"In any case, the horse parade will proceed as planned, won't it?"
"...yes"
I nodded to my brother-in-law and said:
"Brother-in-law, please do come over to the Kanebo Plaza..."
"Yes, that's what I initially thought, but..."
He said that and looked at me.
"The horse parade will take place after your pet zashiki-warashi has come of age. In that case, it wouldn't be a bad idea to wait until after that ceremony before heading to Kanebo."
"However, my brother-in-law is a guest of honor..."
"You fool. We're not the kind of friends who would worry about something like that."
Speaking words that were the complete opposite of the court society, which is based on formality and custom, Nobunaga declared curtly.
"Once he comes of age, he will officially become a retainer of the Asai clan. He will likely meet Nobunaga face-to-face in the future. Therefore, it would be best to take a look at his appearance now."
Ultimately, there's nothing I can do when someone says that to me...
The coming-of-age ceremony, to be held in the Grand Hall of the Nagahama Imperial Palace, was to take place with Nobunaga in attendance.
Incidentally, Ieyasu is not pictured in Nagahama.
He, on his end, was busy with his plans in Tōtōmi, the territory of the Imagawa family, and therefore only sent a few of his retainers to the area.
To be honest, I'm a little disappointed, but...
However, there's also the matter of the Ashikaga shogun's flirtatious behavior towards Princess Ichi.
If Ieyasu, who harbored feelings for Haruhime, had come all the way to Nagahama, it would have caused me immense stress—so perhaps it was for the best in the end.
(If anything more happens involving women... I think I'll get a lot more gray hair in no time.)
While I was thinking about all that, the Shinto priest who had been invited for today's event began chanting some kind of Buddhist mantra.
Incidentally, the coming-of-age ceremony in this world differed slightly from historical fact.
That's because in the world I came from, it was customary to apply makeup to the faces of those undergoing their coming-of-age ceremony and blacken their teeth...
In this world, it seems that all one has to do is tie their hair up and put on a eboshi (a type of hat).
"..."
As Yokichi's eyes are closed, his silver hair is gradually tied up.
His mother, with tears welling up in her eyes, continued to gaze at him intently, supported by Kyoko.
And when I placed the eboshi (a type of hat) on Yokichi's head, he finally couldn't hold back any longer and began to sob.
"Yokichi, from now on you should go by the name Todo Takatora."
I glanced at it out of the corner of my eye and told Yokichi my name.
Originally, I was thinking of giving them a name like Nagatora or Masatora, using one character from my own name, but...
However, he is indeed a zashiki-warashi (a type of house spirit).
The senior retainers, including Masamoto, expressed the view that granting Yokichi a name from their own would cause various disadvantages for Yokichi himself.
Therefore, I decided to give him the historically accurate name, almost without thinking.
"Thank you very much... I humbly accept."
But to begin with, the very idea of a daimyo like myself becoming the eboshi-oya (guardian of a house spirit) for a zashiki-warashi (house spirit) is extraordinary—and that alone must still be an unbelievable situation for him and the mother and son of the Todo family.
As Ichihime and Kyoko led her mother back to her room in the mansion, her face looked somewhat dreamy, to the point where it gave off a sense of unease.
However, it remains a fact that the head of the Asai family performed the coming-of-age ceremony for his zashiki-warashi (house spirit) in full view of his retainers and Nobunaga himself.
That is the most important thing, and the retainers' perceptions of the zashiki-warashi (house spirit) will gradually begin to change.
◆
The coming-of-age ceremony for Yokichi—or rather, Takatora—had finished, and what awaited them next was a parade of horses.
However, all I did was escort Nobunaga to Kanebo with 20 soldiers.
The overall command is basically handled entirely by the three senior generals of the Asai family, Kaiseki and Ume, and with Naotsune, Kazumasa, and Haruhime assisting them, it's perfect.
"My lord, everything is in order."
"Ah, it was a noble cause."
I called out to the three generals who had come to report, and then climbed onto the back of Taishakutsukimo.
Incidentally, the order of the procession was as follows: I was at the front, with the three senior retainers lined up side by side, the relatives were in the middle of the procession, and Naotsune and Kazumasa were at the very back, on either side.
All the named generals are equipped with horses, and the sight of nearly 200 beautifully adorned horses is truly breathtaking.
Most of them are stallions, and even taking into account that they are the lovers of Taishaku Tsukige, they have a majestic and imposing presence.
As a precaution, we had asked Taishakutsukige to refrain from playing with the stallions, so they were full of energy and in excellent condition.
"Kyuooooon"
"I'm sorry... I'll definitely make it up to you next time..."
"Kyuooooon"
However, Taishakutsukimo seems quite dissatisfied.
However, this is necessary to ensure everything goes smoothly, so I'll have her clear her head tonight.鬱憤Frustration
"My lord, our allied forces have informed us that preparations for the fireworks display are complete."
"I see..."
I nodded to the messenger, then turned around and said:
"Now, let us begin our march. Let us proudly and majestically demonstrate our power to the world!"
"Yes!!"
And so, the horse parade begins.
As we marched, flutes and drums were played alongside us, creating a festive atmosphere.
The procession naturally includes men who are not on horseback, but they march triumphantly, holding their long spears and flags high.
"Oh... that's something..."
"Lord Bizen-no-kami kept so many horses..."
"With this many horses, my lord won't lose to anyone."
Farmers and townspeople along the route watch the procession and cheer it on.
The sounds of flutes and drums drowned out the voices, and the noise of horses and men's feet stomping on the ground echoed and reverberated.蹄hooves
And finally, the Kanebo Plaza came into my view, and I could hear Toushirou's tremendous voice.
"Ohh
Fireworks were launched with a tremendous bang, like celebratory cannons, and colorful smoke filled the sky with a series of pops.
These aren't the flashy fireworks that burst and color the sky like in the era I remember.
However, the sound of gunpowder exploding deeply moves the human heart.
"Ho ho ho! This is amazing!"
"The Asai family is indeed very skilled in refined pursuits!"
The court nobles seated in the temporary palace all appeared excited.
"To possess a horse of that caliber... there are probably not many others in the entire world."
"In the Kinki region, men from Hongenji Temple are killing horses everywhere... Even the Miyoshi and Hosokawa families have probably never gathered this many horses."
Of course, it's not just the court nobles who are excited.
The guests of honor, including the retainers of the Oda and Tokugawa clans, seemed both amused and overwhelmed by the parade.
(I hope my brother-in-law is enjoying himself too...)
But it's almost time.
This atmosphere will probably start to crumble soon.
Dododo
The moment I thought that, a tremendous rumbling sound echoed—and the joyous atmosphere of the celebratory day was instantly shattered.
"W-what's going on!?"
"Is that...an earthquake...?!"
"No, that's not it...!! This is...!!"
While the court nobles were in a state of shock, as soon as the rumbling stopped, Nobunaga leaped down from the temporary palace.
And he glared at Lake Biwa, which was in his line of sight.
And then, after an eerie moment of silence—
≪Kyoa
A roar as clear as refreshing water, yet with tremendous volume, echoes throughout the area around Lake Biwa.
At the same time, a powerful column of water rose from Lake Biwa with a loud crash—
"ah..."
"It's a Mizuchi...! It's the legendary Mizuchi of Lake Biwa!!"
—The water god poked his head out of Lake Biwa and landed on the shore, letting out another terrifying cry.
Screams rose from all directions.
Some ran away, some froze in place, and some were so terrified they couldn't move.
Roughly three types of people appeared, and those who were able to escape were overwhelmingly few.
It seems that the appearance of the dragon, on a scale beyond imagination, completely usurped the idea of "fleeing" from everyone's minds.
But all of this was part of the plan.
"Takatora, come here!"
"air..."
I approached Takatora with a convincing performance, grabbed his arm, and pulled him onto Taishakutsukige's horse.
"Kyuooooon"
Indra's moon neighed, drawing the attention of the bewildered people.
On that horse were me, clad in golden armor, and a zashiki-warashi (house spirit) with silver hair that was not human.
"Alright, let's go!"
The biggest farce of my life was about to begin.