Chapter 193: A Little Past One in the Afternoon, Dark Clouds Gathered
Imagawa Yoshimoto departed from Suruga in mid-May and advanced westward, passing through Tōtōmi, then resting briefly at Okazaki Castle in Mikawa. There, he gathered the local lords of Mikawa to accompany him to Kyoto. He also left a contingent of the Imagawa Family to secure Okazaki Castle, ensuring his rear was safe.
He then departed from Okazaki Castle, with twelve thousand men led by Matsudaira Motoyasu, Ii Naomori, and Katsuyama Nobusada as the vanguard, officially entering Owari. He himself took up residence at Kutsukake Castle, preparing to advance into Mino along the route of Odaka, Narumi, Atsuta, Nagoya Castle, and Kiyosu.
Overall, his battle plan was executed smoothly. Matsudaira Motoyasu successfully relieved the besieged Odaka Castle and, in the process, eliminated Marune Fortress. Ii Naomori also successfully captured Wazutsu Fort and purged the surrounding Oda Family forces.
The combined efforts of these two actions restored the road between Odaka Castle and Narumi Castle, making it sufficient for the main army to pass.
Furthermore, the “Naval Surprise Squad” led by Katsuyama Nobusada successfully captured Kanie Castle in Kaishi District. After a few days of rest and regrouping, they would be able to cause chaos behind the Oda Family’s lines, preventing them from attending to both fronts.
In short, the Oda Family was like a turtle in a jar, easily captured. As for the Saito Family in Mino…
Imagawa Yoshimoto reclined in his palanquin, gently fanning himself with a folding fan, already contemplating how to deal with the Saito Family.
The Imagawa Family also placed great importance on trade. They had long coveted Owari, a territory situated on the vital Tōkaidō land trade route and possessing the maritime trade ports of Shimazu and Atsuta. In fact, the development of Atsuta Port, much like the construction of Nagoya Castle, was initiated by the Imagawa Family, and they intended to reclaim it all now.
However, Mino did not have as strong a trade atmosphere. To the north, there were large mountainous areas with little value. Perhaps controlling only the routes to Kyoto in the Nōbi Plain would suffice, without needing to resort to force.
As the eleventh head of the Imagawa Family and a forty-three-year-old man, long tutored by a famous teacher like Taihara Yukisai, Imagawa Yoshimoto was quite strategic. As he was lost in thought, his palanquin suddenly jolted, disrupting his concentration.
He tapped the side of his palanquin displeasedly with his fan and called over his attendant vassal, asking, “What is it?”
The attendant vassal immediately replied, “Locals, hearing of Your Highness’s passage, have come to offer tribute.”
Imagawa Yoshimoto became interested and pressed further, “Are they local samurai?”
The attendant vassal turned and gave an order. Soon, someone returned from the front to report, “Your Highness, they are villagers from Yufuku-ji Village.”
“Commoners…”
In this era, scenes of “welcoming the royal army” were common. After all, looting was a normal occurrence during wartime, and selling people was also commonplace. Therefore, when a large army passed through, if a village could not resist, many would try to curry favor, beg for mercy, and offer some blood money to avoid being plundered by the army and having their village destroyed.
Imagawa Yoshimoto lost interest and waved his fan, signaling the palanquin to continue. Soon, he saw a large group of people kneeling by the roadside, numbering over a hundred. They were of all ages and almost all male, appearing to be the heads of households from the entire village, bringing a large amount of tribute, showing their sincerity.
This indeed had a bit of the flavor of “offering food and drink.”
Given their sincerity, Imagawa Yoshimoto’s mood improved considerably. He beckoned someone to bring the village headman over, intending to respond in the usual manner and later record it in the war chronicles as a beautiful tale for posterity.
The village headman soon arrived. Though in his thirties, he looked quite aged, with rough skin and a slightly stooped back. He dared not even look up as he approached, instead prostrating himself in the mud of the plum rain season, trembling, “This humble one, Tōzaemon, has… has seen Your Highness. May Your Highness’s military fortune be long-lasting and your enterprise prosperous.”
“There is no need to be alarmed,” Imagawa Yoshimoto said with a kind smile, casually asking, “Do you have a request?”
“I dare not… uh, this humble one has no requests.” Tōzaemon’s head remained bowed. At his status, looking directly at Imagawa Yoshimoto would result in immediate execution. He could only bury his face in the mud of the plum rain season and stammer, “We merely heard that Your Highness is of noble status, the Ruler of the World, passing through our humble village, and thus dared to come and offer tribute.”
“The Ruler of the World?” Imagawa Yoshimoto chuckled wryly, then sighed, “To say such things, being the Ruler of the World is not so easy…”
Along the way, the Oda Family, Saito Family, Azai Family, and Rokkaku Family were nothing; under his tens of thousands of troops, they could only tremble. However, in Kyoto, the Ashikaga Family had lost power, the Shogun was merely a title, the Emperor and court nobles had their own agendas, and the regional Daimyo were ambitious. How to unify the world, how to restore the authority of the Shogunate, and how to truly become this “Ruler of the World” remained fraught with difficulties.
At most, one could say that a hundred miles had been traveled for only one mile; the road ahead was long and arduous.
Tōzaemon could somewhat understand his lament, but he could not show it. He could only keep his face buried in the mud and force out a trembling voice, “Your Highness’s fame is widespread; you will surely succeed…”
Halfway through his sentence, he turned and waved, signaling the villagers to bring forward a plate of “Kuri-gashi”—a traditional Japanese confection, also called Kuri-gane Maru. Essentially, it was made from mashed chestnuts molded into shape, symbolizing “victory.” However, the preparation methods varied by region, with significant differences in auxiliary ingredients and forms.
Tōzaemon took the carefully prepared plate of “Kuri-gashi,” held it above his head, and continued, “With these ‘Kuri-gashi,’ this humble one wishes Your Highness success in your endeavors.”
“Oh?” Imagawa Yoshimoto was now genuinely interested. It was early summer, and the new chestnut harvest was still nearly a season away. Commoners offering “Kuri-gashi” could indeed be considered a small auspicious sign, worthy of a page in the war chronicles.
He ordered a piece of “Kuri-gashi” to be brought to him. Of course, he did not eat it, but merely brought it to his nose to sniff the clear aroma of chestnut. It seemed to carry a scent of victory, and he smiled with satisfaction, “You are indeed thoughtful.”
“I dare not, I dare not,” Tōzaemon appeared still trembling, but his response was quite proper. He turned and waved again, signaling the villagers to bring the tribute forward, saying repeatedly, “Your Highness, please look. There are many ‘Kuri-gashi,’ and also many ‘Radish’…”
Radish （ at this time, pronounced “Daikon” ）, could grow tenaciously and become large even in harsh environments. It also carried meanings such as “success,” “longevity,” and “eventually achieving one’s goals.” The homophone was also somewhat similar, so Tōzaemon’s words sounded very auspicious—many victories, many successes.
Imagawa Yoshimoto’s mood improved further. He felt as if heaven had sent commoners to “reveal divine secrets” to him, as if heaven intended for him to achieve great deeds. He then looked at Tōzaemon, who had indeed brought many good things—one *to* of Kuri-gashi, one *koku* of chestnut cakes, ten baskets of boiled radish, ten baskets of boiled taro, one *to* of rice cakes, fifty bundles of kelp, and ten barrels of sake.
For the labor support of this era, they had truly spared no expense. Moreover, the items were all very auspicious, each with its own story, making their sincere intentions clear.
“Good! Good! Good!” Imagawa Yoshimoto couldn’t help but sit up in his palanquin, tapping the side with his fan and saying “good” three times. He looked at Tōzaemon with increasing favor and said with a smile, “Tōzaemon of Yufuku-ji Village, is it? I remember you.”
Such an obedient and sensible commoner, even if not considered a local lord, but merely a country bumpkin, could be a great merit for bringing auspicious signs. After he took Owari, bestowing that insignificant village upon him as a fief would be acceptable.
“Thank you, Lord!” Tōzaemon’s voice was less trembling. He buried his head in the mud again, his tone filled with joy.
Imagawa Yoshimoto smiled and his gaze shifted to the “Kuri-gashi.” He felt that as long as his attendant verified there were no issues, he should consume this “auspicious sign” to not fail heaven’s good intentions. Moreover, it was nearing noon, and the early summer sun was intense, the air humid and unbearable, making it a good time to rest.
With this thought, he asked Tōzaemon, “Are there any shaded areas nearby where the army can rest?”
Tōzaemon’s heart pounded like a drum. He lowered his head even further and said in a dry voice, “Of course, Your Highness. A short walk north from here is Mount Okehazama, where there is a shaded valley called Dengaku-tsubo, which is perfect for Your Highness to stop.”
Imagawa Yoshimoto nodded slightly and ordered his attendant vassal, “Command the front and rear guards to halt. The main force will proceed to Mount Okehazama to rest temporarily.”
…
“They’ve truly gone mad…” was the sentiment of many.
At noon, Oda Nobunaga, in the vicinity of Zenshoji Fort, received an urgent report from the Kyōdan-shū and again ordered everyone to depart. To conceal their movements, he dispatched Sassa Masatsugu and Chiaki Shirō, leading 300 followers, to launch a diversionary attack on Narumi Castle to the west. The Sassa Family and Chiaki Family were local powerful families in the Atsuta area, so Sassa Masatsugu and Chiaki Shirō were not alone; their family retainers and followers had also been conscripted by Oda Nobunaga.
Now, Oda Nobunaga directly assigned them the task of luring the enemy. Simultaneously, he dispatched Horo troops to deliver military orders and act as supervisors. He ordered the commander of Ryusenji Castle north of Narumi Castle, Sassa Narimasa, and the commanders of Iwasaku Castle to the northeast, Niwa Gensuke and Maeno Kohei, to immediately abandon their castles and sally forth to attack Narumi Castle.
They were not to worry about casualties; even if they all perished, they were to ensure Narumi Castle was incapable of looking east that afternoon.
Narumi Castle was currently held by the Imagawa Family, with Okabe Motonobu as its commander. He had over 3,000 direct followers of the Imagawa Family alone, not to mention the forces of the Yamaguchi Family he had absorbed. The combined forces of the Sassa brothers, Niwa Gensuke, and Maeno Kohei numbered only about 1,000 men. This order was tantamount to sending them to their deaths.
However, under Oda Nobunaga’s red-eyed coercion, Sassa Masatsugu and the others were forced to depart.
Subsequently, while Narumi Castle was under siege, Oda Nobunaga, with over 2,000 men and conscripted local lords, headed directly south, eventually reaching Nakajima Fort.
At this point, the Oda army was effectively surrounded. To the north were Okabe Motonobu’s over 4,000 men; to the west were Matsudaira Motoyasu’s over 4,000 men from Odaka Castle and Asahina Yasutomo; to the east were Imagawa Yoshimoto’s vanguard, Asai Masatoshi’s over 2,000 men; and to the south were Matsudaira Motoyasu’s over 1,000 men.
Once discovered, they would be completely encircled, and Oda Nobunaga and most of the Owari local lords would surely perish here.
Shibata Katsuie, Hayashi Hidesada, and other senior retainers and local lords had no desire to continue this madness and began a new round of persuasion. However, they were now powerless, with no say in the matter. Oda Nobunaga, with bloodshot eyes and a frenzied spirit, refused to listen. Instead, he directly ordered everyone to abandon their horses and suddenly turn, re-entering the hilly region east of Nakajima Fort.
At this time, a large number of “Kyōdan-shū” began to join the ranks, leading these over 2,000 men through the hills, winding their way via Taishiryo Peak to Seizan, and then climbing Mount Bu Road from the Seizan mountain ravine. Miraculously, they bypassed Imagawa Yoshimoto’s vanguard and remained undiscovered.
Yuan Ye, who had come to watch the excitement, silently followed. By the time he reached the summit of Mount Bu Road, he could see Mount Okehazama in the distance, the Imagawa Yoshimoto’s headquarters set up at Dengaku-tsubo, and even Imagawa Yoshimoto’s wide and ornate palanquin.
It was past one o’clock in the afternoon, and dark clouds covered the sky.
