Chapter 63: Tennoji Tsuda Family (Seeking Recommendation)

  From the time that Kira's party of several dozen entered the outer moat of Osaka Castle, Sōzaemon's mouth was always hanging open in amazement at everything he saw, as if nothing in Osaka could be expressed in words. His unsophisticated country-bumpkin appearance quickly drew snickers from merchants passing by, and Yoshinaka thought it would be better to save face by making a gentle remark.

  "Zenjiro, what kind of place should Sakai-machi be?"

  "Kachō should be a huge town, right?" Yamagaki Zenjirō's eyes were still fixed on the densely packed buildings in the distance, completely unaware of how rude he was being.

  "I know! My father has been there, and it's got lots of big and small towns inside!" Taki-gawa Keijirō immediately jumped out and boasted.

  "Shut up! Don't interrupt when the master is speaking!" Yamagata Zentaro picked up his hat and hit him hard, and the other covered his head and ran away with a scowl.

  "Ah! Finally done! Sanjiro's soul has finally returned to his body! Earlier, the master was worried that Sanjiro would step out and sink into the water!" Kiryu Manzoumaru looked surprised and suddenly enlightened, picked up a folding fan and tapped it on his forehead, muttering a few secret incantations: "Wake up! Sanjiro! Your father is riding a horse and is about to catch up!"

  Looking at the weird Kiryu Manzoumaru, he was describing how he used to climb trees and steal peaches from the outer garden of the princess's residence in Nishijou Castle, only to be discovered by a maid and reported to his father. Sanjirou, who had escaped, was chased by his father on horseback through half of the town, and received a public flogging. Yamagata Sanjirou, with an embarrassed and helpless expression, cried out: "Uh... Master!"

  "Alright! Let's hurry up and get in!" As soon as the boat docked, Kiryu Kazuma jumped onto the wharf and walked into the crowd with a light step.

  "Ah! Wait... Your Highness, wait for me!"

  As Takigawa Keitaro said, Sakai-machi was just a name for a collection of machi, and in this irregularly-shaped city, it was divided into dozens of large and small machi with strange names such as Nakano-cho, Funamatsu-cho, Mizuochi-cho, Kai-cho, Yanagi-no-cho, Yadoya-cho, Kushiyacho, Shinmei-cho, Minami-han-cho.

  Only after entering Sakai-machi did I realize how prosperous medieval Japan's cities were. After experiencing the devastation of the Warring States period, Kyoto was in ruins and it's hard to imagine the highest level of economic prosperity in medieval Japan. Unlike Kyoto, which is full of broken walls and rubble, this place has newly built gardens standing tall everywhere. When entering Ukyo-ku, one must be careful about their personal safety due to the poor public security situation. This is a truly safe and prosperous city.

  In Sakaimachi, you can occasionally encounter a group of samurai holding large swords and long spears, wearing clothing with the two red characters "Dōshin" printed on them. They usually carry their swords and spears as they patrol back and forth among the crowds and streets. These people are part of the Nakaya-shū's law enforcement agency, known as the Dōshin-shū.

  The composition of the Dōshin-tai was elected by the townspeople and rōnin samurai who had lived in Sakai for many years, who were responsible for maintaining law and order in Sakai and handling criminal cases. For these wealthy merchants, there was nothing more valuable than a quiet and peaceful trading environment, and they were willing to try anything that could maintain their business without interference. Paying "yajōkin" to Miyoshi Nagayoshi was one such example, as was the establishment of the Dōshin-tai.

  "They don't seem to be much better, just wearing the same clothes! Their arrogant attitude is really impolite! If this were in Saikai City, I would definitely teach them a lesson and make them understand how to show respect..."

  "Hey! Zenjirō! They're watching you, so hurry up and go already!"

  "Oh no! I'm out of here!" Yamagaki Zentaro fled in a hurry.

  If it was just Yamagata Bantaro who lost face earlier, now it's several people losing face together. Except for Kirishima Manzaburou and Nakajo Hidetaka, who can still keep their composure, the Mikawa-born samurai and the gokenin all widened their eyes in surprise, stretching their necks to get a glimpse of the crowd gathered around performing Sarugaku, wishing they could squeeze in for a look.

  The townspeople of Sakai seem to be used to people who have never seen the world, and every now and then, a group of country bumpkins come to Sakai with their mouths agape and eyes wide open. The townspeople of Sakai are full of pride and arrogance towards these country folk, thinking that they are superior as city dwellers, and it's better for people from small places like you to keep their distance.

  The Kiryū family's group became unwelcome people, wherever they went, they had to be avoided, as if they were seen as a plague god. The foolish and silly Marui warrior didn't know what was going on and asked the locals in his country accent: "Why are you all avoiding us? Do we smell bad or something? We took a bath just the day before yesterday!"

  ……

  Kirishima Bankotsu Maru decisively chose to detour and observe from the side, repeatedly muttering in his heart: "Chick, although it looks good, but compared to the future, it's absolutely weak! What big city can compare with Angel City? Can compare with Twist Waist? These are all fleeting clouds!"

  The power of psychological warfare is boundless, and soon Kirishima Mitsumaru confidently faced the cold eyes and disdain, anyway you are all trash with combat strength of only five, don't care what you think, walked to the side of Yamagata Zenjirō who was gaping, whispered: "Don't look anymore, next time we'll let you take a good look, we should go!"

  Dozens of people with inexplicable or reluctant expressions walked towards the central business district of Sakai-machi, Nakamise, which is not only the center of Sakai-machi but also the most developed commercial area. The office of Kawabata Dōjin is located here, and many large merchants have set up their headquarters in this town. Of course, the destination of this trip, Tennojiya, is also on this street.

  Tennojiya is a three-story building with a typical Ming-style flying eaves and corner towers, which would be equivalent to a large tavern in the Shuntian Prefecture during the Ming dynasty. However, in Japan, it was one of the top two or three major commercial establishments, especially standing out among the low-rise houses around it, and from this, we can also see the grandeur of the Tsutaya family's mercantile spirit.

  Tsuda family was the lord of Sakai-minami-shō, near Sakai-machi. The first proposal for the union of thirty-six people was made in this Sakai-minami-shō. This place is adjacent to Izumi Province and is a very famous resort and spa area, with an environment and climate that are not inferior to those of the shogun's designated resort, Sakamoto Gosho.

  Due to the unique geographical environment of Kashiwara Minami-mura, it also became a secret meeting point for Naya-shu merchants in the nearly hundred years that followed. Based on this alone, the Tsuda family's position among the Naya-shu was unshakeable, and as the Tsuda family's power rose, they became increasingly unstoppable.

  Tsuda family's previous generation head, Tsuda Munehiro, was quite a formidable cultural figure. He studied the art of tea under Murata Tamagiku and was a fellow student with Takeno Jōō. He also followed the famous renga master, Chūjō Ienori, son of the Junior Counselor, Nakain Michitomi, and learned from him the art of renga, which had been passed down through generations. This is what brought the Tsuda family to prominence in Sakai-machi.

  The Tsuda family business was then passed into the hands of Munetaka's eldest son, Tsuda Munekazu. This master of Tennojiya, who was born in Meio 7 and is now over 50 years old, is also quite formidable. As soon as he took over, he began to aggressively expand his business, taking advantage of his father Munehiro's influence through the art of singing, and making connections with many Kyoto nobles, becoming one of the most famous merchants in Kyoto.