Wandering Owari

Early March, Eiroku 2.

Oda Nobukata, fleeing Iwakura Castle, encountered "attacks" along the way from Oda Nobukiyo of Inuyama Castle and Oda Nobunaga of Kiyosu Castle. The three sides of Kiyosu, Iwakura, and Inuyama clashed at Mount Komaki.

In the end, Oda Nobukata was "escorted" by Maeno Katsunaga to Matsukura Castle. Afterwards, Oda Nobunaga and Oda Nobukiyo took the initiative to contact one another, and both sides claimed it had all been a misunderstanding.

Meanwhile, after holding out for months without receiving any reinforcements, Iwakura Castle finally opened its gates when its ammunition and provisions ran dry. Yamauchi Moritoyo, chief retainer of the Iwakura Oda clan, committed seppuku.

The military households of the Iwakura Oda clan's former territories successively accepted Oda Nobunaga's rule, and Oda Nobunaga seized the chance to dispatch retainers to take over those lands.

Shortly afterward, Oda Nobunaga announced Oda Nobukata's exile from Owari. This marked the fall of the Iwakura Oda clan, deputy military governors of Owari's upper four districts, and Oda Nobunaga had taken the first step toward unifying Owari Province.

Unable to gather troops within Matsukura Castle and unable to obtain Saito Yoshitatsu's reinforcements from without, Oda Nobukata vanished without a trace thereafter.

Some said Oda Nobukata had committed seppuku, while others claimed he had fled to Mino. But none of that mattered to Yamauchi Kazutoyo anymore.

Kuroda Township, Haguri District, Owari Province—Horenji Temple.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo stood before Yamauchi Moritoyo's grave, with Goto Joki and Sobue Kan'emon standing behind him in turn.

Sobue Kan'emon had once been a Yamauchi retainer as well. Since Yamauchi Moritoyo could no longer afford his stipend, he had voluntarily left the Yamauchi family and returned to Sobue Village to live in seclusion.

Upon hearing that Iwakura Castle was under siege, Sobue Kan'emon sold off his property and bought a musket at a steep price, intending to join the battle. By chance, he ran into Yamauchi Kazutoyo and the others as they were being hunted down as defeated warriors.

"Saburōzaemon, are your wounds all right?"

"Please do not worry, my lord. I have long been covered in old wounds. What is one more scar?" Goto Joki said dismissively.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo reached out and clasped Goto Joki's hand. "The Yamauchi family suffered this great calamity, yet Saburōzaemon never abandoned us and protected my entire household. I, Yamauchi Kazutoyo, will remember this gratitude to the depths of my heart."

"As for your wife, please accept my condolences."

"I have had Horenji Temple's head priest erect a memorial tower within the temple. From now on, Lady Goto will rest in the Yamauchi family's ancestral temple."

No grief remained visible on Goto Joki's haggard face. Perhaps he had wept all his tears dry over the past two days.

Hearing Yamauchi Kazutoyo's words, Goto Joki hurriedly expressed his gratitude. "Thank you, my lord!"

For Yamauchi Kazutoyo to allow his wife to be enshrined in the Yamauchi family's ancestral temple was already an immensely generous favor.

Horenji Temple was a Nichiren Buddhist temple, first founded in Meiō 2 (1493). It had once been destroyed by war, then rebuilt with Yamauchi Moritoyo's support. Thus, Yamauchi Moritoyo had also been Horenji Temple's "great patron." A great patron meant the number-one big spender.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo himself had been born in this temple, so after escaping, the group had rushed to Horenji Temple to seek refuge at the first opportunity.

Though Horenji Temple looked like nothing more than a small, inconspicuous temple, it was a direct branch temple of Kuonji Temple on Mount Minobu, the head temple of Nichiren Buddhism. It possessed the right of sanctuary, beyond the reach of military governors.

Moreover, many warriors in Owari followed Nichiren Buddhism, so no one would come to the temple looking for trouble.

"My lord, now that all matters have been settled, it is time to consider what we should do next," Sobue Kan'emon said.

After learning that Yamauchi Moritoyo had died, Sobue Kan'emon entered Yamauchi Kazutoyo's service. He had even borrowed grain from the village to feed the Yamauchi household.

On their way to Kuroda Township, they had passed the home village of Horio Yoshiharu and his father. The Horio father and son bade Yamauchi Kazutoyo farewell and temporarily returned to the countryside of Niwa District to farm.

Though the Horio family's fief was gone, they still had their own cultivated land to work. Life certainly would not be as comfortable as before, but feeding the young and old of the family would not be difficult.

The Yamauchi family was in a worse state. Their own cultivated land had been sold by Yamauchi Moritoyo last year, and the ashigaru they had recruited after emptying their coffers had all been lost in the battle at Ukino.

"What did Lord Asai say?" Yamauchi Kazutoyo looked toward Goto Joki.

According to Yamauchi Moritoyo's arrangements before his death, the group's next destination should have been Asai Masasada in Kariyasuka Township.

Goto Joki replied, "Lord Asai has been promoted to Oda Nobunaga's mounted attendants. He has just sent word that he will move to Kiyosu Castle next month."

"Of course, Lord Asai is willing to provide us with a few mu of land, but..." Goto Joki trailed off.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo understood what Goto Joki meant. A few mu of land could not possibly feed such a large household!

Yamauchi Kazutoyo let out a long sigh. He had not expected that his journey through the Warring States era had barely begun, yet even the most basic three meals a day were already beyond reach.

Of course, there was no need to worry about every day just yet. They should solve the problem of the next three meals first.

The Yamauchi household now consisted of three adult men—Yamauchi Kazutoyo, Goto Joki, and Sobue Kan'emon—four children, Kichisuke, Kichibē, Komai, and Kōgō, plus Yamauchi Kazutoyo's mother, Hoshūni: eight people in all.

After news of Yamauchi Moritoyo's death spread, Lady Yamauchi had taken Buddhist vows and adopted the name Hoshūni.

This year, rice in Owari Province cost one kan of money for 1.5 koku. One koku equaled ten to, one hundred shō, or one thousand gō.

A person needed roughly four gō of rice a day, amounting to about 1.5 koku a year. With eight mouths in the Yamauchi household, they needed to secure at least ten koku of rice, or seven kan of money.

And that was only the most basic food supply, not counting salt and other daily necessities.

The hardest part was that the Yamauchi family had no land of their own. They could not support themselves and had to rely on three adults working for a living to feed eight people.

Sobue Kan'emon said, "At this point, we can only take one step at a time. A few mu of land may be little, but at least it gives us somewhere to settle."

Sobue Kan'emon added, "My family has a good relationship with Tsushima Shrine. If things truly come to it, we can farm the land while helping transport goods in Tsushima. Even on a bad day, we can earn twenty mon."

Yamauchi Kazutoyo went numb.

It had been bad enough being a beast of burden before transmigrating. How had he ended up still being nothing but a beast of burden after transmigrating?

The problem was that in this chaotic Warring States era, even cattle and horses were worth more than people. Right now, he was worth less than livestock.

"Ah, if I had known, I would not have bought this musket." Sobue Kan'emon toyed with the Kuniyu musket he had just spent twelve kan to buy. Right now, it was not even as useful as a poker for the fire.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo understood that stabilizing everyone's spirits was the most important thing now, so he immediately said, "Since Lord Asai's situation has changed, there is no point in going to Kariyasuka Township."

"Why not seek refuge with my uncle instead?"

The uncle Yamauchi Kazutoyo spoke of was Yamauchi Moritoyo's younger brother. In his early years, he had been adopted into the Maeno clan of Matsukura Castle and changed his name to Maeno Tokiyuki. Though his family was not well-off either, they could at least provide emergency help for a short while.

"Before, because of Lord Nobukata, we did not dare go to Matsukura Castle. But now that the situation in Owari is clear, there is no need for such concerns," Yamauchi Kazutoyo continued.

Kuroda Township was only a little over ten ri from Matsukura Castle. Following the Kiso River on foot, they could arrive in half a day at most.

After hesitating for a moment, Goto Joki suddenly straightened up and spoke earnestly to Yamauchi Kazutoyo. "My lord, I must remind you of something."

"Even if Maeno Shikibu-no-jō is your uncle, he has ultimately been adopted into the Maeno family."

"If the Yamauchi family were still chief retainers of the Iwakura Oda clan, then there would be no need to speak of such sentiments. But now..."

Goto Joki did not say it outright, but Yamauchi Kazutoyo understood perfectly.

"Do not worry, Saburōzaemon. I will know my place."

"We are going there as refugees, not as guests. I understand."

Seeing Yamauchi Kazutoyo say this, Goto Joki was relieved. What he feared most was that Yamauchi Kazutoyo would be unable to accept the change in his status, but it seemed he had worried for nothing.

Sobue Kan'emon, however, asked curiously, "And after we reach Matsukura Castle, what are your plans, my lord?"

Living under another's roof was not a long-term solution. Moreover, Yamauchi Kazutoyo still bore the responsibility of restoring the Yamauchi family. That was also the shared hope of Sobue Kan'emon and Goto Joki.

A sharp gleam flashed in Yamauchi Kazutoyo's eyes. "First, survive. Then wait for an opportunity!"

"What opportunity?"

"An opportunity to serve Oda Nobunaga!"

"My lord intends to enter Oda Nobunaga's service?" Sobue Kan'emon and Goto Joki exchanged looks. That was rather unexpected.