Chapter 168: Mata Castle Is a Great Place!
Yuan Ye served as Oda Nobunaga’s vanguard in rescuing his father-in-law, leading a force of over five hundred men. They marched directly north along the main road, camped and rested for a night at Agematsu-guchi, and soon entered the sphere of influence of the Upper Four Districts of Owari.
Currently, the head of the Upper Four Districts of Owari was Oda Nobuyasu, Oda Nobunaga’s paternal uncle. He was also an ally by marriage to the Oda Danjō no Chū family. The checkpoints along the way showed appropriate caution but did not obstruct them. Yuan Ye’s group naturally had no intention of causing trouble and continued north along the main road, bypassing any cities they encountered, wanting to avoid any complications.
This was Yuan Ye’s first time entering the Upper Four Districts of Owari, and he couldn’t help but look around as they marched.
Seeing his interest, Maeda Toshiie, with nothing else to do, became a tour guide on the spot, introducing him to various “scenic spots” as they walked. He was very familiar with the route, especially around Iwakura Castle, knowing even where the best sake was and what animals could be hunted.
While Yuan Ye was taking in the sights, he became curious and couldn’t help but ask, “Why are you so familiar with this place?”
Maeda Toshiie pointed to the northwest corner of Iwakura Castle and chuckled, “Of course I’m familiar. I go there often, and I’ve explored all around here.”
Yuan Ye looked in the direction he pointed, which seemed to be a village, and for a moment, he didn’t understand. He asked curiously, “That village? Is there something special about it?”
Maeda Toshiie didn’t answer directly, but winked and said with a laugh, “Of course it’s special. That’s Kozori Village.”
Yuan Ye was stunned. After a moment of recollection, he remembered what kind of place Kozori Village was—it was the treasure trove where Oda Nobunaga pursued his true love. Ikoma Yoshino, the woman he adored and the mother of his future legitimate son and daughter, lived in Kozori Village.
No wonder Maeda Toshiie was so familiar with the area around Iwakura Castle; he had come here with Oda Nobunaga to court women and had spent a lot of time wandering and playing in the vicinity.
Yuan Ye became even more curious and asked Maeda Toshiie, “Where is that… person now?”
“Of course, she’s at the Ikoma family’s residence!” Maeda Toshiie pointed to Kozori Village again. “Where else would she be?”
Yuan Ye couldn’t help but ask, “Didn’t Your Highness bring her to Kiyosu Castle?”
Maeda Toshiie immediately shook his head. “No, her status… well, it’s not very convenient to go to Kiyosu Castle.”
Yuan Ye remembered. That woman could be considered Oda Nobunaga’s cousin-in-law. Oda Nobunaga’s mother was still alive. Even if Oda Nobunaga wanted to bring Ikoma Yoshino home, Ikoma Yoshino probably wouldn’t want to go.
Perhaps they would only be able to be together once Oda Nobunaga moved his residence again!
Yuan Ye’s thoughts wandered, his archaeological curiosity piqued. He wanted to see what this “Lady Yoshino,” who could captivate even a troublemaker like Oda Nobunaga, looked like. But it was definitely not convenient now. He could only glance at Kozori Village again and continue north, bypassing Iwakura Castle.
He would find an opportunity in the future. He had some interest in historical figures, especially famous women. He had to see them at least once—it wasn’t neglecting his duties; any modern person would feel the same and want to see them.
As it neared dark, the scouting party ahead had found a campsite sheltered from the wind and near water. Their small group set up camp and rested for another night, departing early the next morning.
Maeda Toshiie had been following for a day and a half, cautiously observing Yuan Ye’s “followers.” He seemed to have a mission to assess Yuan Ye’s strength, but he didn’t discuss it. During the day, he stayed by Yuan Ye’s side, chatting and joking.
After another half-day of rapid travel along the main road, Yuan Ye spotted a strange “small city” in the distance. The city itself wasn’t large, but the castle town area was quite extensive, several times larger than that of Iwakura Castle.
Maeda Toshiie knew Yuan Ye was unfamiliar with the Upper Four Districts of Owari and only knew place names without knowing what they looked like. He immediately introduced him, “Lord Saburo, that is Shōtoku-ji Temple.”
Yuan Ye suddenly understood. So this was the “Kannon-ji” of the Upper Four Districts of Owari, or rather, the “General Bureau of Commerce and Industry” of the Upper Four Districts of Owari. No wonder it had such a large “castle town.” It looked like commerce and industry were very active!
Maeda Toshiie was also familiar with this place and sighed with some nostalgia, “His Lordship came here when he first became head of the family, specifically to meet with Lord Dosan! Looking at it now, it feels like a lifetime has passed; it’s been so long.”
Yuan Ye nodded slightly. He had heard rumors about this in later generations. It was said that Oda Nobunaga completely won over Saito Dosan during the meeting at Shōtoku-ji Temple, making Saito Dosan exclaim from the bottom of his heart, “Alas! My son is only fit to be a groom for the Lord Kazusa-no-suke!” and determined that Oda Nobunaga, his son-in-law, was his true heir. All his legitimate and illegitimate sons had to step aside, and he would only be at peace if Mino was handed over to Oda Nobunaga.
Yuan Ye asked Maeda Toshiie with great interest if this was true. Maeda Toshiie’s eyes widened in surprise. “There are such rumors? At that time, the former lord had just passed away, and His Lordship came to renew the alliance between the two families.”
“Then it must be a rumor,” Yuan Ye said, not surprised. It was likely that some “court writer” in later generations wanted to beautify Oda Nobunaga and used Saito Dosan as a stepping stone. This was a common practice in Japanese biographies and nothing to be surprised about.
He was just curious about the scene of their meeting. It felt very ordinary, similar to his negotiations with the Imagawa family. Both sides feared a sudden attack and killing, so more energy was spent on mutual defense. The actual meeting time was very short. After renewing the alliance, they each returned home, with nothing particularly noteworthy.
Then, Yuan Ye lost interest in such “historical anecdotes.” His gaze fell on Shōtoku-ji Temple. Looking from afar at the people coming and going in the “castle town,” his eyes gleamed with a hint of green. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “There are quite a few people here!”
Shōtoku-ji Temple looked so appealing. If only it were on the Chita Peninsula, preferably right next door. If he could swallow the entire Shōtoku-ji Temple, he probably wouldn’t have to worry about manpower for a year or two.
Maeda Toshiie, not yet fully independent and never having worried about a shortage of manpower, couldn’t understand what he was saying. He simply followed his words and said, “There are over seven hundred shops here, so of course, there are many people.”
Over seven hundred shops! How many workshops would be behind that, and how many artisans would be needed?
Yuan Ye became even more wistful and envious. Maeda Toshiie, seeing him like this, assumed he admired Shōtoku-ji Temple’s reputation but regretted not being able to visit due to his military duties. He then described the liveliness and prosperity of Shōtoku-ji Temple, and also mentioned its origins—a branch of Japan’s Jōdo Shinshū, with its main temple being Ishiyama Hongan-ji Temple in Settsu Province, which is modern-day Osaka City, a major hub in Kansai.
Yuan Ye listened without much attention at first, thinking it was just supplementary “common knowledge” of the era. It wasn’t until he heard the name Ishiyama Hongan-ji Temple that he reacted, exclaiming in surprise, “The Shōtoku-ji lineage is a branch of Ishiyama Hongan-ji Temple?”
Maeda Toshiie didn’t understand why he was surprised but scratched his head and replied, “Yes, I’ve heard of Shōtoku-ji Temple for seventy or eighty years. It was built by Rennyo, the fifth-generation direct descendant of Shinran Shonin, so it was apparently called Renge-ji Temple at first. Later, the Shogun’s brother, Ashikaga Yosh-something, became a monk here. The residence of that important person was apparently called Shōtoku-in, so it was changed to its current name… it’s only been about twenty or thirty years since the change? Anyway, not too long.”
Yuan Ye nodded slowly. He knew of Shinran Shonin, the founding patriarch of Japan’s Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism, revered as “Master Shinran.” More importantly, before Shinran Shonin became a monk at Mount Hiei, his family name was Fujiwara… he was a genuine Fujiwara, not a fake one he’d made up for his genealogy. His family status was extremely high, and he had immense influence within temple families.
Therefore, a temple personally built by his fifth-generation direct descendant was a legitimate entity within Jōdo Shinshū. Yuan Ye truly hadn’t expected the influence of Ishiyama Hongan-ji Temple to have already extended to Owari. It was no wonder Ishiyama Hongan-ji Temple and the wealthy merchants of Sakai disliked Oda Nobunaga; there were already conflicts of interest between them.
In fact, the two sides were on the verge of greater conflict. With such a force as Shōtoku-ji Temple entrenched in Owari, given Oda Nobunaga’s personality and the economic policies he was implementing, he would sooner or later come to kick them a couple of times. It was possible that Ishiyama Hongan-ji Temple would continue to cause trouble for the Oda family for over a decade, leading to Sakai being besieged by Oda Nobunaga. The confiscation of Shōtoku-ji Temple by Oda Nobunaga was a significant factor.
Uh, he didn’t know this part of history and whether Oda Nobunaga had truly confiscated the Shōtoku-ji lineage. But he guessed it was highly probable; Oda Nobunaga was definitely capable of such a thing.
One could only say that history was truly marvelous. He hadn’t expected that a war that would claim tens of thousands of lives and affect hundreds of thousands or even millions of people over a decade later already had its foreshadowing.
Yuan Ye sighed inwardly. Looking at the unfortunate Shōtoku-ji Temple, he no longer coveted it. He led his troops and bypassed it as well. The Shōtoku-ji temple complex, with its white walls, blue tiles, and melodious bells, seemed unconcerned. They appeared to be quite strong; a force of five to six hundred men was not enough to arouse their excessive vigilance or caution.
That evening, Yuan Ye and his men camped again not far from Shōtoku-ji Temple. The location of Shōtoku-ji Temple, if calculated loosely, was already on the border of Owari and Mino. Otherwise, the father and son-in-law, Saito Dosan and Oda Nobunaga, wouldn’t have chosen this place to renew their alliance. In this era, national borders were not clearly defined, nor were there boundary markers. Spheres of influence were intertwined, and there were many local lords who spanned both provinces. No one could clearly say where the border truly lay.
After resting for another night and setting off, Yuan Ye, along with the Wanjin Army and Maeda Toshiie, officially entered Mino Province, or rather, the region that had been repeatedly fought over and changed hands between Mino and Owari for decades. The first place they arrived at was the area around Mokomata Castle.
Mokomata Castle was on the south bank of the Kiso River. It had once been a bridgehead for Mino’s attacks on Owari. Currently, Mino and Owari were in a state of peace. This castle, or rather, this large rock fortress, was in a state of disrepair. The moats had been naturally filled in due to years of neglect, and the wooden walls were largely rotten and collapsed, rendering it basically defenseless.
However, Yuan Ye personally led his men to investigate it, not because he wanted to explore history, but because the geographical conditions were truly excellent. Mino Province had three major rivers: the Hida River, the Nagara River, and the Kiso River, flowing from north to south.
The Hida River, originating from Kumano Mountain in Echizen, mainly flowed through northern Mino and was of little relevance to him. The Nagara River and the Kiso River converged around Mokomata, with multiple tributaries crisscrossing each other before flowing south separately and emptying into Ise Bay through Owari.
In other words, north of Mokomata Castle was a dense network of waterways, beyond which lay Inabayama Castle. Following the Kiso River northwest led to Ogaki Castle. Attacking Inabayama Castle directly from Owari would be very difficult. In this era, crossing two major rivers and over ten smaller rivers to attack a strong castle would be suicidal. Therefore, one could only go west first, cross the Kiso River, and then attack from the land between the two rivers to have a chance of taking it.
But that was not important either. Yuan Ye had no intention of launching a surprise attack on Inabayama Castle this time. He was only interested in the waterway network that communicated with the rivers of Owari.
He could build a bridgehead here and transport population to the Chita Peninsula via waterways!
Mokomata Castle was a good place. It was temporarily his!
