Chapter 54: Omigawa's Sighting (Seeking Collection)

  Bid farewell to Chongfu Temple and Kaisho Sho, the beautiful Mino trip of Kira Mansaburo has come to an end. The Kira army marched along Nakayama Island, crossed Nagara River and Inabe River, and arrived at Fubegatani Pass smoothly. Fubegatani Pass in Mino Province, Suzuka Pass in Ise Province, and Aida Pass in Echizen Province are collectively known as the Three Passes, which divide Kanto and Kansai with the Three Passes as the boundary.

  Crossing the border without breaking through, they entered the inner land of Kinki, Omi Province. Once here, the Kira family could openly raise the flag of Ue no Matsu, whereas in Mino, they had to be constantly on guard against Shitō Moriyuki's sudden attack, as the Shitō and ōtomo families had just formed an alliance, with Shitō Chō becoming ōtomo Nobunaga's legitimate wife, and both sides were at their closest.

  If the Saito family, as an ally, were to intercept this army and hand it over to the Oda family, it would be a disastrous consequence. Entering Omi Province would be different, as the Sasaki Rokkaku clan was not an ally of the Oda family, nor did they have a good relationship with the Shino Saito family, who wouldn't give face to the Oda family, let alone the Rokkaku family having more reason to welcome this army from the capital.

  Rokkaku Taneuji, the current head of the Rokkaku family, is married to Ashikaga Yoshifuyu's daughter and serves as the shogun's deputy. He also supports Hosokawa Katsumoto, the son-in-law of the kanrei, as a powerful supporter of the bakufu. However, Rokkaku Taneuji's ambitions are thwarted by his strong enemy, Miyoshi Nagayoshi.

  In the summer of this year, at the Battle of Kiyosu, Mitsuyoshi Sanuki was easily and pleasantly annihilated by Mitsuhide Sanuki under the gaze of Hosokawa and Rokkaku's allied forces. The Rokkaku family missed their best chance to defeat the Sanuki family due to temporary hesitation, and in the end, they could only watch as Mitsuyoshi Sanuki's prestige soared, taking advantage of his great victory to march on Kyoto and install a puppet leader, Hosokawa Nagayoshi, as Kanrei, while he himself took over as Deputy Kanrei.

  The son-in-law was defeated and lost face, the Shogun's deputy was robbed of his face at the same time, and he also regretted his hesitation at a critical moment. Rokkaku Tadatsuna was so angry that he didn't take it lightly, and his originally robust body soon collapsed. Rokkaku Yoshikata, as the successor, took over his father's baton to serve as the guardian of the Shogun, and would not let go of any opportunity to strike back at the Mikyaji family, so the Rokkaku family could only welcome the Ueno army of the Kira family with open arms.

  Minamikawachi was the fief of the Sasaki clan, while Kitakawachi, which corresponds to it, was originally the fief of the Kyogoku family, one of the four families that served as the vassals of the Sasaki clan. However, with the outbreak of the ōnin War, the Kyogoku family gradually declined, and their original vassal, the Azai family, began to rise in power, eventually overthrowing them under the leadership of Azai Hisamasa.

  The Rokkaku and Kyogoku clans' struggle in Omi Province continued until the actual controller of northern Omi, the Azai clan. During the time of Azai Hisamasa, they formed an alliance with the Asakura clan to counter the Rokkaku clan. However, after Azai Hisamasa's death a few years ago, the current head Azai Nagamasa lacked ability and was soon suppressed by Rokkaku Chikata, so the Azai clan is now subordinate to the Rokkaku clan, and Omi Province has superficially been unified.

  After passing through Sakata County, Inukami County, Yoshida Manmaru took Katsuhime and Akane to visit Tennō-ji Temple and Taga Taisha Shrine. He was able to relax a bit without the pressure of going to Kyoto, and instead seemed like a tourist enjoying the scenery. The days passed very comfortably, but his good mood didn't last long.

  The news of the outbreak of the Mikawa country's Anjo Castle battle reached the nearby Kinai, and all the surrounding castles of Anjo Castle fell. In order to prevent the Imagawa army from blocking the road back to Owari, Oda Nobumitsu had no choice but to lead his troops to defend the Kariya Castle of Mizuno family, which was equivalent to announcing that their side had already abandoned Anjo Castle.

  The political situation of Mikawa Province still lingered in the mind of Kira Yoshinaka like a shadow, making him very unhappy. The army advancing to the north quickly accelerated through Ai and Gōza counties, entering Gamō county where the Rokkaku family had the most direct control. When it comes to southern ōmi, one cannot help but mention the famous castle of Kannonji in southern ōmi.

  This city is famous not only because it was the residence of the Rokkaku family, but also because the castle town at the foot of Kannonji Castle was the most prosperous commercial center in southern Omi. Kannonji Castle was built on the top of Mt. Odani, which is over 400 meters high, and like other mountain castles, its military significance far outweighed its commercial significance. However, this has changed in recent years. In March this year, Rokkaku Tadatsuna of southern Omi posted a notice in Ishidera Shinmachi, one of the castle towns at the foot of Kannonji Castle, to implement a free market for paper products.

  Although this news is not eye-catching and its impact is limited to a commercial product in part of the castle town, its influence is far-reaching. The Imagawa family on the Tōkaidō and the future Oda family are actively reforming the entertainment market and entertainment seats. In fact, the entertainment market and entertainment seats are not complicated, they are just taking control of the castle town from local daimyos, zaisho merchants, temples, shrines, nobles or other forces, including judicial power in the castle town, setting explicit prohibitions on commercial behavior, abolishing all miscellaneous taxes except for tax items established by themselves.

  The general idea is to establish complete control over the castle town, whether it's taxation, judicial judgment, or political orders that I may issue at any time, and the power of investigation and supervision by dispatched vassals are all clearly established. From this, it can also be seen that under the feudal system, the daimyo's control over land and economic rights is very limited, and most political orders are implemented around the seizure of land and financial control.

  When passing through the castle town of Kannon-ji, Kiryū Manmaru also caught a glimpse of the prosperity of Ishitera Shinichi. It seems that this Ishitera Shinichi is not limited to the influence of paper on the market, but rather a new attempt at reforming the new town's politics. In Ishitera Shinichi, the numerous taxes and miscellaneous taxes of the past were abolished, and with fewer taxes, merchants were more willing to come and trade here. Even if only a few types of commercial taxes were collected, it would be enough for the Rokkaku family to reap a huge profit. The Rokkaku family had both grain and money, and they won over a group of national daimyos, becoming a force to be reckoned with in the Kinai region.

  They didn't stay long at Rokkaku House, and the Kira family's Jonokata corps quickly passed through Kannon-ji Temple and entered Omi Sakamoto on the west coast of Lake Biwa. The Shiga District where Sakamoto was located was assigned to the Ashikaga shogunate by Rokkaku Taneuji as a refuge for the shogun, which was also a strategy for the Rokkaku family to win over the shogun, achieving the purpose of influencing or even controlling the shogun without being too ostentatious and offending people.

  "Listen, gentlemen! We are about to succeed in our mission to Kyoto! This time, the Honorable Master will have an audience with the Shogun and the Imperial Prince at Sakamoto Palace! We will also become vassals of the Shogunate! As Mikawa warriors, we will take this opportunity to make a name for ourselves!"

  Then someone shouted loudly: "Be loyal to the lord of the mansion! Be loyal to the shogunate!"

  "For the lord of the mansion, loyalty! For the shogunate, loyalty!" The team burst into a deafening cheer, Takigawa Keijirō, who had been quietly standing among the crowd, excitedly shouted and grabbed his companion, Honda Sanmi, running to the front of the team and shouting loudly. The enthusiastic atmosphere quickly spread to everyone, even those family members hiding in the carriage secretly lifted up the bamboo curtain to peek at the commotion outside.

  "Hmm, it seems everyone is quite pleased. How's Mihachiro doing?" Kijirou Manzoumaru sat in the spacious carriage, holding a glittering gold coin and smiling lightly.

  This is a chess piece made of gold from Kai, famous for its coin-like shape, often used as a reward for meritorious officials, aside from being an imperial tribute. Kirishima Mitsuomaru lightly flicked it, and the gold coin jumped to the side, landing in the bosom of Hattori Koheita. His younger brother, Hattori Kōsuke, could only respond with envy at his good fortune.

  "Yahachi has basically recovered, kids always bounce back quickly, but he seems to have developed some trauma towards the master!" Yamamoto Kan no Suké deliberately ignored the commotion among the onlookers, holding a cup of tea and putting on an air of kindness, but the ugly scar on his face and his eye patch were quite intimidating, causing the onlookers to be too scared to look at him.

  "It's not necessarily a bad thing." Kiryū Manzōmaru shook his head, and as he jumped aside the bamboo curtain, he could see that on the carriage opposite, Shōshi was being held by Akane in the carriage, excitedly jumping up and down. Kiryū Manzōmaru waved at Shōshi and Akane, but said to himself: "Tell Yaejirō, a clever person should know what they should do, learn that first before thinking about showing off their abilities!"

  "Yes! I will convey your words to the master as is." Yamamoto Kanetsugu bowed his head, picked up his tea cup and slowly took a sip, with an inexplicable sense of calmness.

  "Master is getting younger and younger!" Kirishima Mantsurumaru joked.

  "This old minister is considering adopting a son to inherit his legacy, and if he can build a Bodhi Temple for incense offerings, it would be even better!"

  “……”

  Not long after, another folk song came from Qianjun, which could only be heard in the countryside of Sanhe Township. Although it was sung by these old men in a very awkward tone, their enthusiasm remained unchanged. They insisted on singing a love song into a high-spirited hard rock song, which actually had a bit of a military flavor to it.