Chapter 67: Pingqun Island Home

  "Does your family belong to the Hatakeyama or the Tsutsumi? How much military service do you owe? Are you a follower of Kofuku-ji Temple?" Yoshida Mantaro asked, not getting tired. Shima Saichiro was squatting silently like a tied-up animal, Nakajo Hidetaka seemed to have returned to his usual self, and Zentaro was annoyingly whipping the leaves with his horse whip.

  Wait until he tied up the dead deer, tied the rope to himself, and under everyone's gaze, slowly stood up with the deer, "My family belongs to the Tsutsui family, responsible for 35 military services, I am a believer of Kofuku-ji Temple, you have many questions, I can't answer them all, I'm leaving, goodbye!"

  "Wait!" Kiryū Mantsumaru hastily mounted his horse and chased after him, following the footsteps of Shima Sainai while saying: "We are warriors from Kyoto who want to travel around and appreciate the culture of Yamato Province. We have come to Yamato Province for the first time and met you, which is a good omen. Since we have such a good encounter, why not temporarily be my guide? I can give you one kan (a unit of currency)."

  "I hunt here every day." Island Zuo shook his head again, shouldering the wild deer that was even bigger than him and slowly walked back.

  "Insolent whelp! Stop right there!" Yamagata Zentarō, accompanied by several mounted samurai, rushed forward to block the path of Shima Sakon, raising his hand as if to strike him with his whip.

  "Zenjiro! Stop! Come back!" Kiryu Manzoumaru hastily signaled to him and said with a smile: "Zenjiro doesn't have any ill intentions towards you, perhaps I should go take a look at the island city, can you guide me?"

  "Are you going to my house as a guest?" Island left tilted his head and looked at him, then suddenly nodded: "My dad likes to entertain guests very much. The pickled radish and pickled meat in our house are delicious. Even if you buy a catty of pickled radish, it only costs one yuan!"

  ……

  As Island Left came to Hirakawa Village, Hirakawa Village is the largest village in terms of area in Hirakawa County. It borders Ikoma Mountains to the west and Yata Hills to the east. In the middle of this flat land, there is a river called Hirakawa River flowing through it, which belongs to the secondary water system of Yamato River. It irrigates the vast fertile land in the northwest of Yamato Province and is also the foundation for supporting the powerful armed forces of this divine country. The most developed area of the Yamato River basin happens to be located in the most agriculturally developed areas of Yamato Province and Kawachi Province next door.

  Due to the special terrain with the Great Mountain to the west and hills to the east, Pingchuan Township also got its name from Pingchuan Valley. The island is located in the southwest of Pingchuan River, and a flat city was established on the east bank of Pingchuan River, facing each other across the river, which is the hereditary archenemy of the Tsuji family, Tofuishi.

  Yamashima, also written as Shimajima, is said to be a descendant of the Fujiwara clan. In the late Kamakura period, it was militarized. In the spring of 1329 (Karyaku 4), the name of Hiragumi Shima Haru appeared on the bamboo sign used for the equipment of the Spring Festival, which is the first time that the Shimajima family participated in the activities of the Yamato Province as a national representative. It seems that there was only one branch of the Shimajima family throughout the province of Yamato.

  The Tsutsui family's lineage is much stronger than that of the Shima family, which has an unclear lineage. Not only is there a branch of the Tsutsui family in Yamato Province, but also another branch in Kyoto. The Yamato Tsutsui family was founded by Fujiwara no Yoritsune, the third son of the Kamakura period's puppet shogun Fujiwara no Yoritsune, who moved to Hiragata and took on the name Tsutsui. In 1282 (Kōan 5), he was promoted to Dainagon and served as the protector of Iga, Yamato, Kawachi, and Awa provinces, and built Tsutsui Castle.

  It is said that both families originated from the Fujiwara clan and should not have had conflicts, but problems arose and erupted violently due to differences in their beliefs. The Shimada family were followers of Ichijoin Temple, while the Tsutsumi family were followers of Kofukuji Temple's Daicho-in faction. What would be the consequences of two factions from different denominations living as neighbors in a village? The outcome is obvious.

  The two sides were originally in a relationship of mutual hostility due to their different beliefs and stances. In the past two hundred years, they had fought many small and large battles. Later, the Tsutsumi clan somehow conflicted with the Totsuki clan on the side of the shogunate, and at a critical moment, the Shima clan ruthlessly trampled on the Tsutsumi clan and stood on the side of the Totsuki clan.

  In the 17th year of Bunmei (1486 AD), on December 28, the two families clashed in a battle at Hirakawa Valley. The 92-year-old head of the Tsukuike family, Tsukuike Echizen no kami, was killed by the head of the Shima family, Shima Samanosuke. This old head of the Tsukuike family, who was already 92 years old, still took to the battlefield and ended up being beheaded by Shima Samanosuke, a truly tragic end.

  It can't be just like that, cutting off the head of our old family head, Tobari's household is in a state of grief and immediately decides to take revenge. Our old family head is highly respected in Yamato Province, who doesn't know him? At 92 years old, he still puts on his armor, does your island home not understand respect for the elderly and love for the young?

  Then, several powerful vassals of the Tsutsumi family, including Kizawa Inaba no Kami, Tatsuno Hoki no Kami, Koriyama Echū no Kami, Kose Hyōgo, ōsumi Minbu, and Araki Tōgo no Kami, conspired together to avenge their former lord by launching a surprise attack on the Shima family at dawn the next day.

  As expected, on the second day at dawn, a fire suddenly broke out in the island city. The still sleepy Shimotsuke's head was cut off by Mokizuki Izumo no Kami using the same method. The Shimotsuke family's retainers who rushed to the scene quickly cleared away this group of assassins. Except for a few lucky ones who escaped in the chaos, several main conspirators did not escape being killed.

  The brave Kizawa Inabanosuke returned to admire his spoils of war, only to be beheaded on the spot by the enraged Shimazu clan. The heads of both families were successively cut off, a deadly vendetta that would last forever. From then on, the two families became sworn enemies, and when going out, they had to be careful not to walk alone, fearing being targeted and having their heads chopped off.

  After arriving at the island city, I met the current head of the household, also known as Shimajiri Sagenta, who is over 40 years old. He's a bald uncle who looks very kind and gentle, but you can't tell that his grandfather Shimajiri Saburō was a fierce general, and his father Shimajiri Katsutoshi, also known as Shimajiri Saburō, is a nearly 70-year-old man. Apparently, he has an older brother named Shimajiri Mitsutaka, also known as Shimajiri Saburō, but unfortunately, he had his head cut off by the Tsubakii family.

  Listening to the head of the island family talk about their family history, Kiryū Mantsumaru thought with a smile: "This family's name is really mysterious. The head of the house who was beheaded, Shimajima Sadamochi, had the childhood name Sanae. The previous head of the house, Shimajima Sadakatsu, also had the childhood name Sanae. This generation's head, Shimajima Tomoyuki, because he has an older brother who died, is called Shimajima Sakon, and his childhood name is also Sanae. Then what about this little Sanae? Born in Tenbun 9? Isn't that exactly Shimajima Sakon?"

  "So as the current head of the household, you are called Shimada Sōsuke, and your son will also be called Shimada Sōsuke in the future, right?"

  "Yes! Guest! After I'm gone, my son will inherit my name and become Island Sakon, although it's a bit regrettable, but all we can do is hope he'll have more sons in the future to continue passing down the Island Sakon name!" Island Tomo smiled kindly at this noble guest from Kyoto who was probing into his family history.

  Kyoto people are always curious about everything, and it is said that a Kyoto person went to the outer beach of Tsugaru to see what Ezo looked like, and even drew a picture of a snowy sea scene. In short, in the eyes of many people, Kyoto people are the representatives of being idle and bored. It's not too strange for Islandya to meet a nobleman from Kyoto who is bored and has nothing to do, and goes to Hirakawa village to ask about their family matters.

  Note: As many people understand, Dao Qingxing suddenly appeared out of nowhere, but in fact his family background is still very clear. Also, regarding the usage and explanation of the word "俺", I made notes in the book review section and the previous chapter, if you're not satisfied, feel free to point it out, and I'll reduce the frequency of use in the future.