Chapter 55: Fight, hurry up and fight, I want to see rivers of blood!
The venue for the Oda Danjō no Chū family’s funeral for Oda Nobuhide was Kakuenzan Temple, not too far from Oda Nobuhide’s castle, Suemori Castle. If it were in later times, Yuan Ye estimated it to be in the Chikusa Ward of Nagoya City, but he couldn’t be sure, as terrain changes considerably over five hundred years.
Kakuenzan Temple was naturally located on Kakuenzan Mountain. Currently, all the local lords and local samurai of the lower four districts of Owari, the vassal samurai of the Oda Danjō no Chū family, along with invited chief monks of temples and Shinto priests of shrines, and their attendants, numbering over a thousand people, were crowded on this low mountain.
Yuan Ye, along with A Man, was also mixed in. However, on the current Kakuenzan Mountain, he was at best a minor figure, assigned a position very far back, almost pushed into the group of female dancers.
Well, unlike modern times, funerals in this era involved dancing, a type of ritual dance similar to shamanistic ceremonies, which was a tradition. As the *Kojiki* says: When a person dies, songs and dances are performed for eight days and nights to ascend to the heavens.
Of course, there were also monks. Japan at this time was in a period of intermingling between its indigenous, wild culture and foreign Buddhist culture. Monks were gradually taking over Japan’s funeral industry, and monks were required to chant scriptures at funerals. The Oda Danjō no Chū family was very wealthy, hiring over five hundred “high monks” to chant the *Earth Store Sutra* to eliminate Oda Nobuhide’s karma in this life and accumulate merit for the next.
Therefore, Oda Nobuhide’s funeral presented a peculiar spectacle: a chaotic dance of demons on the periphery and Arhats chanting scriptures in the front. Oda Nobuhide himself was placed in a coffin inlaid with gold and silver, displayed within the main hall surrounded by banners and incense smoke.
“If I could have such a grand and glorious send-off when I die, I’d be willing to live ten years less!” A Man gazed at the luxurious scene, as if smelling the scent of burning money, and for a moment, she yearned for it, completely forgetting that she had been secretly cursing Oda Nobuhide as a defeated dog of Owari all the way here, thinking he could just be buried in a hole and that holding a funeral was a waste of money.
It was also Yuan Ye’s first time witnessing such a large-scale funeral. He felt that just gathering five hundred Arhats and five hundred “demons” was a huge expense, not to mention the banners bearing various family crests and the large amount of burning incense and candles. This era was truly burning money, but he didn’t care much about his own afterlife; being buried or cremated would be fine. He didn’t envy or covet it as much as A Man did.
A Man’s eyes were green with envy for a while. Seeing that Yuan Ye wasn’t playing along, she became bored again. She stood on tiptoe and looked at the glittering, luxurious coffin again. She seemed to notice something, rubbed her eyes, and looked closely. She asked strangely, “Oda the Big Fool doesn’t seem to be here. What’s going on?”
Yuan Ye blinked. He withdrew his gaze from the alluring “demons” dancing wildly and mysteriously, and looked towards the main hall. However, the distance was a bit far, and he couldn’t see clearly. He casually replied, “The man next to the coffin, that should be him! Where else could he be at a time like this?”
“It’s not him!” A Man, as if trained, had excellent eyesight. She squinted and looked, her eyes almost crossed, and stated with certainty, “Judging by his age, it should be his younger brother, Oda Kanjūrō Nobuyuki.”
Yuan Ye also found it strange, “Really not him? Isn’t he the eldest legitimate son? And the heir to the Oda Danjō no Chū family. He should be the one standing by the coffin!”
“That’s right, he should be, but where is he?” A Man’s crossed eyes returned to normal. Her dark pupils darted around, and she said with some surprise, “Could he have already been eliminated?”
She had previously bet with Yuan Ye that the Danjō no Chū family would inevitably decline within two years of Oda Nobunaga’s ascension. If there was a coup within the Danjō no Chū family and Oda Nobunaga was killed before even taking the throne, she felt she would have won, and Yuan Ye should pay her five *kan* of money.
Of course, Yuan Ye couldn’t believe Oda Nobunaga was already dead. He knew basic historical facts like Oda Nobunaga dying at Honnō-ji, but it was indeed strange that he couldn’t find him. He had specifically asked A Man about the funeral procedures of this era beforehand, knowing that all attendees would offer incense, and the representative of the Danjō no Chū family would offer a reply of thanks. Besides Oda Nobunaga, the eldest legitimate son, who else could represent the Oda Danjō no Chū family?
Could it be that Oda Nobunaga was playing his “eccentric and flamboyant” game again, disdaining etiquette, and dared not even attend his own father’s funeral?
That’s too outrageous!
Yuan Ye couldn’t believe it. He tried hard to focus his eyesight and looked at everyone near the coffin again, but still couldn’t find Oda Nobunaga. The local lords and samurai, who had been quietly and solemnly waiting to offer incense, seemed to have noticed something was amiss in the hall and began to whisper to each other with strange expressions.
Immediately after, an important retainer of the Danjō no Chū family, disregarding the ongoing funeral ceremony and the fact that the monks were still writing golden lacquer spells on the coffin, and that it was far from time to offer incense, rushed into the hall to question a woman in her thirties standing next to the coffin.
“That lady is Oda Nobuhide’s widow, Lady Tsuchida, right?” Yuan Ye asked A Man.
A Man didn’t even look. Everyone in the hall, except for the monks, was a member of the Oda family. There was only that one woman. She replied directly, “Yes, she’s the daughter of the Tsuchida family, a true descendant of the Taira Clan, with very high family status. Oda Nobuhide married her for her status. He even adopted the Taira Clan’s swallowtail butterfly crest, otherwise, his rustic ancestors would be embarrassing.”
“Then who is the one who just went in?” Yuan Ye asked again.
“Hirate Masahide. He’s the Big Fool’s senior retainer and head of transmission duty. He’s definitely cleaning up after the Big Fool again.” A Man seemed disappointed to see Hirate Masahide. “The Big Fool doesn’t seem to be dead. Otherwise, this old man would have died long ago. If you want to kill the Big Fool, the first person you have to kill is this old man. Everyone knows that.”
After answering Yuan Ye’s question, she stood on tiptoe and looked into the hall again. She didn’t expect to see some drama while being forced to attend a funeral, and she became excited again. She whispered, “Look quickly, Hirate Masahide seems unwilling to let Oda Nobuyuki represent the Big Fool in the reply, and they’re arguing!”
Yuan Ye quickly looked into the hall and saw that Hirate Masahide was indeed pulling Oda Nobuyuki’s sleeve, while Lady Tsuchida seemed to be mindful of the occasion, suppressing her anger and scolding him in a low voice. He couldn’t see clearly, and most of it was his imagination.
It seemed there was a dispute in the hall, and the samurai waiting outside to offer incense also started to get restless. Several samurai standing in the front row, with sufficient status, entered the hall. A Man immediately informed Yuan Ye, “Sakuma Nobushige has gone in. This guy is Oda Nobuyuki’s chief senior retainer. He’s probably afraid Hirate Masahide will trouble his lord…”
The tall, long-legged person behind him is Hayashi Hidesada, the Big Fool’s chief senior retainer. He’s probably going to speak up for Hirate Masahide!
Shibata Katsuie also followed in. This guy is Oda Nobuhide’s senior retainer. I don’t know who he’s going to help!
A Man whispered, becoming more and more excited. If it weren’t for the fact that everyone around them was from the Oda Danjō no Chū family, she might have burst out laughing, but she would likely have been cut down. She was probably shouting, “Fight! Fight quickly! I want to see a river of blood!”
Yuan Ye was also trying hard to look. Being of low status had its disadvantages; he couldn’t even stand at the front to watch the excitement. With his eyesight, he could only see that Sakuma Nobushige, Hayashi Hidesada, and Shibata Katsuie were all in their thirties, not tall but very sturdy. They were now forming a circle, obscuring Lady Tsuchida, Oda Nobuyuki, and the relatively frail Hirate Masahide, who was nearly fifty.
As for anything else, he couldn’t see clearly and could only imagine.
He wasn’t familiar with Sakuma Nobushige’s name; he hadn’t heard much about him in later generations. He only had a vague impression of Hayashi Hidesada, but he was very familiar with Shibata Katsuie. When he played *Taiko no Tatsujin 2*, every time he controlled Kinoshita Tōkichirō to do something, Shibata Katsuie would always come out with sarcastic remarks or even steal missions, causing him to waste months. This person was an antagonist in *Taiko no Tatsujin 2*, along with Sassa Narimasa, who also opposed the protagonist, though he hadn’t encountered him yet.
Moreover, Shibata Katsuie seemed to have developed quite well historically, deeply trusted by Oda Nobunaga. He served under Oda Nobunaga until he became a corps commander, a regional leader. Even after Oda Nobunaga died at Honnō-ji, he married “the most beautiful woman of the Warring States,” Oda Ichi, and even fought fiercely with the Monkey, almost defeating him.
Yuan Ye was quite concerned about this person and asked A Man, “What’s the situation with Shibata Katsuie?”
A Man, engrossed in watching the drama, casually replied, “Him? His *tsūna* is Kankurō. He claims his ancestors were a branch of the Ashikaga Clan, which was a branch of the Genji, which was a branch of the Shiba Clan. In reality, he’s just a local bumpkin whose ancestors served the Shiba Clan.
By his father’s generation, they followed Oda Nobuhide’s father, and he also served Oda Nobuhide as a page. He’s barely a hereditary retainer of the Oda Danjō no Chū family and is deeply trusted by Oda Nobuhide. He is currently the castle guard deputy of Suemori Castle and a senior retainer of the Oda Danjō no Chū family. It is said that he is very brave in battle and possesses a foolish strength.”
Yuan Ye nodded, committing this to memory, and continued to observe the dispute in the hall, while also imagining what had happened.
It was probably Oda Nobunaga who caused the trouble. He should have also arrived at Suemori Castle. His supporting retainers instinctively believed he would attend the funeral obediently and didn’t send anyone to keep an eye on him. As a result, he didn’t come, catching Hirate Masahide, Hayashi Hidesada, and others completely off guard.
But it was strange that his mother, Tsuchida, would have noticed his absence immediately, perhaps even when they were leaving. Yet, she didn’t send anyone to look for him and instead pushed her other son, Oda Nobuyuki, forward. Something seemed a bit off…
While Yuan Ye was brainstorming, the dispute in the hall came to an end. Hirate Masahide and Hayashi Hidesada seemed to have lost. Oda Nobuyuki’s position remained unchanged – this was a highly politically charged position. But Hirate Masahide and Hayashi Hidesada still lost, likely because they couldn’t do anything about Lady Tsuchida, the widow.
Hirate Masahide’s expression was very grim. After leaving the hall and returning to his original position, he gave a few low instructions, and over a dozen samurai immediately left the ranks and hurried away, presumably to find Oda Nobunaga.
The commotion subsided, and the ceremony continued. The local lords and samurai belonging to the Oda Danjō no Chū lineage entered the hall one by one to offer incense, bidding farewell to Oda Nobuhide and preparing to listen to the new head of the family. But who the new head of the family was… it used to be Oda Nobunaga, but whether it still was him, these people would have to consider carefully, especially since the representative the Oda Danjō no Chū family put forward at the funeral was Oda Nobuyuki.
Yuan Ye also moved along with the procession. After a while, he could see Oda Nobuyuki’s face clearly. The Oda family’s genes seemed to be good. Oda Nobuyuki, at fifteen or sixteen years old, was already close to 1.7 meters tall. He had a fair complexion, an elegant demeanor, wore proper attire, and behaved courteously.
Judging solely by his appearance, this pretty boy was at least three streets ahead of Oda Nobunaga, who adopted an “eccentric and flamboyant style.”
Many local lords were old-school samurai who followed the “Confucian etiquette style.” During the reply after offering incense, their gazes seemed to be full of admiration. Oda Nobuyuki would often converse calmly and solemnly with these individuals, offering thanks, which further enhanced his appeal.
Yuan Ye also felt that the young man’s temperament seemed good. At this moment, a commotion suddenly arose from behind him. He turned his head and saw Oda Nobunaga, the original “protagonist” of the day, arriving. There was not much grief on his face, but a deep gloom in his eyes. He was also closely followed by five or six retainers, as if they were afraid he would run off.
Hirate Masahide immediately went to meet him. Under the cover of his retainers, he seemed to scold him sternly a few times, then sighed and said something, before leading him into the hall. Everyone along the way made way for them, but their gazes were all very strange.
Oda Nobunaga ignored everyone. Upon entering the hall, he paid no attention to his mother, Lady Tsuchida, or his younger brother, Oda Nobuyuki. He simply took the burning incense from Hirate Masahide, gazed silently at the coffin for a moment, and then inverted the incense into the censer.
For a moment, time seemed to stop. Everyone inside and outside the hall was stunned. Hirate Masahide swayed twice, as if he were about to have a stroke, but he was the one who understood Oda Nobunaga best among everyone. Even if he was about to have a stroke, he reacted first, stumbling forward to quickly pull the incense out of the censer. This was an act of extreme contempt and disrespect, even a malicious curse. Without a deep-seated grudge, no one would do such a thing!
If anyone else had done this, the retainers of the Oda Danjō no Chū family would have drawn their swords and swarmed them, ensuring he wouldn’t leave the hall alive, even if they all died!
Oda Nobunaga instinctively reached out and blocked, pushing Hirate Masahide aside. As a result, he bumped into the offering table, causing the censer to shake and a large amount of incense ash to fly up, dusting the coffin that the monks had just painted with golden lacquer spells, smudging them all.
Everyone was even more astonished. This time, even Hirate Masahide was incapacitated, staring blankly at the coffin. Only Oda Nobunaga remained unfazed. He reached out to steady his teacher, cast a gloomy glance at Lady Tsuchida, and turned to leave.
No one stopped him, and he left grandly.
A Man also stared with her mouth agape, stunned. Only after Oda Nobunaga had disappeared did she react, turning to Yuan Ye and saying, “You owe me five *kan*. The Oda Danjō no Chū family definitely won’t last two years!”
