Chapter 34: Visiting the Nakajo Family

  "After the rain, the autumn atmosphere arrives late; The bright moon shines through the pine trees, and the clear spring flows over the rocks... The autumn scenery after the rain is really a different kind of beauty. Along the winding mountain path, Kiryū Mōzan and Yamamoto Kansuke stood on the hillside, gazing out at this beautiful landscape of lake and mountains."

  "Master, please hurry up and get going! I still have things to attend to." Yamamoto Kanetsugu urged with a bitter face, originally busy with no time to spare, but was dragged by Kira Yoshichika to visit the Mikawa Nakajō family under the pretext of visiting Kyoto, in order to win over the people of Mikawa and boost their prestige. They set out early in the morning before dawn and crossed into the mountains deep within the Kaizu District of Mino Province.

  "I get it! The master is indeed a person lacking in humor!" Kiryu Mansaburou muttered to himself and urged his horse down the mountain, while Yamamoto Kanetsugu and Ma Chong's samurai quickly followed. Only Yamagata Zenjirou hastily rode his slow horse carefully down the mountain, but he couldn't catch up with Ma Chong's samurai.

  Yamagata Zentarō had been made a fool of by this inferior horse not once or twice, although his horsemanship and marksmanship were of the highest level. However, every time he ran the slowest, he was secretly ridiculed by the other samurai, which Yamagata found unbearable. So he vowed in his heart: "Damn it! This time I'll definitely sell this horse when I get back! No regrets!"

  Putting aside the grudge between Yamagata Bantaro and that inferior horse, Kira Yoshinaka's troops soon arrived at Kanzaki Castle. The Nakajo family was curious about the visit of the head of the Kira family, who had not come for decades, as there had been correspondence in recent days, and Kira Yoshinaka's visit was also expected. Nakajo Dewa no Kami Tsunenaga, the lord of Kanzaki Castle, personally came out to greet him and gave him the highest courtesy.

  In the Muromachi period, Mikawa Province held a rather special position in the Shogunate. The organizational structure of the Shogunate's public institutions was basically equivalent to the system of direct vassals during the Kamakura period, only with the power of direct vassals weakened and transformed into purely military forces directly under the Shogunate.

  In Mikawa Province, there were forty families of vassals. Almost all the famous samurai families in Mikawa Province were from these vassal families. However, not all generations of these families served at the shogunate. In recent decades, due to the decline of the shogunate's power, they gradually lost their intention to serve in Kyoto. With a single mind, they expanded their influence within Mikawa Province. Then, the Imagawa family's power expanded, and Matsudaira Kiyoyasu's sudden rise and fall dealt a significant blow to the vassals of Mikawa Province.

  The Nakahara Chōshi family is also a renowned martial arts family, descended from the famous Ono Asomi clan. They have been active in history since the Nara period. The most famous ancestors include Ono no Komachi, who was listed three times as one of the Six Poetic Geniuses, Thirty-six Poetry Immortals and Female Thirty-six Poetry Immortals during the Heian period, and Ono no Takamura, also known as "Field Prime Minister".

  In the Heian period, the descendants of Ono no Takamura, Minamoto no Yoshitaka, governor of Musashi Province, moved to the south of Tama County in Musashi Province. His son, Minamoto no Yoshihisa, changed his surname to Yokoyama and produced many branches, forming the most famous Yokoyama party among the seven parties of Musashi in the Genpei period. In the early Kamakura period, Nakajo Hangan, a famous samurai, can be considered the founder of the Nakajo family. His father, Nakajo Kanehisa, led the Ryōtō party to join Minamoto no Yoshitaka's army during the rebellion and made achievements in the Genpei War and the ōshū War.

  This Nakajo family head, because his father and ancestors followed Minamoto no Yoshitomo and Minamoto no Yoritsuna in their uprising, was promoted to the position of Left Gate Guard General, and during the Jokyu War, he served as the Shugo of Owari Province and the Jito of Mikawa's Takahashi-sho. In 1221, he participated in the drafting of the Kamakura shogunate's famous law code, "Goseibai Shikimoku". After the destruction of the Yokoyama party in the Wada War, the Nakajo family, with the support of the Hojo regents, acquired the position of head of the Yokoyama party, and from then on became renowned throughout the land.

  The ancestors of the Nakajo family were not inferior to those of the Nakajo family, and they were also the founders of the Nakajo school of martial arts. Nakajo Nagahide was one of the "14 wise men of Nen ryu" under the tutelage of Nen Ami Jion, the founder of Nen ryu. Later, he combined the swordsmanship of the Nakajo family with Nen ryu to create the Nakajo school, which held a high position in the Muromachi period and was valued by successive shoguns.

  In addition, the Nakajo family also has a very famous branch called Tomita school, which combined the essence of several schools that rose during the Muromachi period and created the Tomita school of martial arts based on the Nakajo school. It is extremely famous in Hokuriku and Kinki regions and is one of the most renowned schools that can be compared to the Kantō region's famous school, the Katori Shinto-ryu.

  Because of the special status of the swordsmen and their ancestors who were famous throughout the country, the Nakajo family had a high position among the vassals of the shogunate for generations, known as the Nakajo judges due to their role in evaluating the crowds. However, with bad luck, this family was later targeted by Ashikaga Yoshinori, also known as "the terror of 10,000 people", who found fault and confiscated their fiefdoms, including Takahashi Village in Sanjuroku-go, which led to the decline of the family's fortunes.

  However, the Nakajo family's luck was not bad. With the outbreak of the Kakitsu Incident, Ashikaga Yoshinori was killed by Akamatsu Mitsusuke, and the Muromachi Shogunate was in turmoil, so they didn't have time to deal with the punishment of the Nakajo family again. The Nakajo family found a connection through Hosokawa Mochiyuki and cleared their name, not only recovering their confiscated territory but also returning to the Muromachi Shogunate as a member of the Hyojoshu.

  It just so happens that the fate of this family is also closely related to the Shogunate, and as the Shogunate gradually declined, they also fell into irreversible decline. In 1533, Nakajō's head of household, Nakajō Izu no Kami Tsunetaka, led his vassals, the Rōtō, in a combined battle against Matsudaira Kiyoyasu, who had invaded their territory, at Aikawa in Totomi Province.

  What good outcome can be expected from the collision between his family's level and Matsudaira Kiyokata, who is as fierce as a tiger? The result is self-evident. After being severely beaten by Matsudaira Kiyokata, the Nakajo family almost lost their pants, retreated to Kobama Castle, hid and never recovered, ultimately losing both men and land, and the fief of Kamō County's twenty villages was also bid farewell to the Nakajo family.

  Perhaps he was intimidated by Matsudaira Hirotada, or perhaps the head of the Nakajo family had already been frightened out of his wits. This withdrawal lasted for over a decade, and whether it was the Imagawa or the Oda who came to attack, this stubborn Nakajo Izumo no Kami would not come out of his shell, like an old-fashioned poor insect trying to preserve his household by this method. But was this approach effective? Kira Mimasaka had serious doubts about it.

  Upon entering the main hall of Kameyama Castle, after exchanging formal greetings, Yoshida Mitsumaru immediately proposed an invitation to Nakajo Naganao to join forces and support the Shogunate together in Kyoto. As expected, this stubborn Nakajo Naganao flatly refused, and swore that his family's fate would be tied to the fate of Kameyama Castle.

  "This guy must have been scared out of his wits by Matsudaira Hirotada!" Kiryū Mantsumaru glanced at Nakajo Tsunetaka, whose face had turned pale, and then looked away, turning his head to stare at Yamamoto Kansuke, who was sitting there with a blank expression, lost in thought.

  "Lord Dewa, reconsider once more!" Kiryū's final plea.

  "Honke has thought it over carefully and decided not to go to Kamigata, sorry! Kirishitan-sama!" Nakajo Sadataka's expression was stiff and he couldn't even manage a decent smile.

  Since the decline of the general's family, the Mikawa country's vassals have not gone to Kyoto for decades, no matter how much the public side urged them to go to Kyoto, they could not stop their determination to guard their family business. This Dewa guardian was also the same, reviving the family business and recapturing the lost territory of Kamino County was his lifelong dream, going to Kyoto? He never thought about it.

  "What a stubborn fool! His head is as hard as granite! No wonder the Nakajo family didn't amount to anything later on! A stupid family head who brought ruin to his entire clan!" Just as he was about to leave with a scowl on his face, having had no effect despite his worn-out lips, Kiryu Manzoumaru suddenly heard a voice behind him: "Lord Kiryu! Please wait a moment!"

  "Has the old stubbornness passed?" Kira Yoshinaka's heart secretly rejoiced, and he quietly turned to look over at Nakatomi-no-Muraji no Chikai, who had already gone gray at the temples despite being only in his forties. He let out a sigh and said: "Please understand that our family cannot follow Lord Kira to Kyoto..."

  "I can understand! Dewa-dono, please just say what you have to say!" Kiryū Mantsumaru hastily got up in the morning and only ate two rice balls. He rode his horse for a while and then sat still for an hour. His stomach was already growling with hunger, so he decided to cut short his pointless circling around and implied that he was busy and didn't have time to play around with him.