Homecoming

Osawa Masatsugu was naturally unwilling!

But unwillingness was useless. The Osawa clan had risen in Mino too recently. They had once made their living under Toki Yorinori, but now even Mino's "boss" had changed several times. In other words, there was no one above him to shield him.

Moreover, Unuma Castle's basic facilities were nowhere near as complete as Inuyama Castle's—indeed, they were not even as good as Matsukura Castle's. Merchant ships simply would not dock here.

Osawa Masatsugu did want to charge passing merchant ships a toll, but that depended on whether they would give a damn about him.

Simply put, the Osawa clan's word carried no weight in this region.

"So why not cooperate with our Ogawa Band, Lord Osawa?" Hachisuka Masakatsu said.

"As long as you permit Ogawa Band ships to dock here and lend us the warehouses in Honryuji Temple's market district, we are willing to give you one-tenth of the tolls collected by the Ogawa Band."

Yamauchi Kazutoyo added, "Most importantly, from this day forth, Honryuji Temple will become a subordinate temple of Jodo Shinshu."

"This is a deal that costs you nothing. Miss this village, and you will not find this shop again!"

Their words were like the whispers of devils, endlessly echoing through Osawa Masatsugu's mind.

Osawa Masatsugu pondered for a long time, yet he could not find a single reason to refuse.

Who would turn money away?

With money, and with Jodo Shinshu as a connection, would not the Osawa clan be able to swagger sideways along the Kiso River from then on?

Osawa Masatsugu slapped the table. "If we are doing this, then we cannot do it in some petty fashion!"

Under Yamauchi Kazutoyo and Hachisuka Masakatsu's astonished gazes, Osawa Masatsugu trembled all over with excitement.

His face glowing red, Osawa Masatsugu said, "Not far from here lies Igi Mountain. If we can build a castle on Igi Mountain, then Igi Mountain and Unuma Castle can pin Inuyama Castle between them, one to the south and one to the north."

"Then Unuma Castle can seal off the riverbanks north of Inuyama Castle, while Igi Mountain controls the stretch of river south of it. That way, Inuyama Castle can be completely blockaded."

Osawa Masatsugu was clearly bolder than Yamauchi Kazutoyo had anticipated. His words even stunned Yamauchi Kazutoyo.

"Build a castle?"

"That's right!" Osawa Masatsugu said, rubbing his hands together. "I have wanted to do this for a long time, but I could never find the right opportunity."

"Now that Lord Ogawa has proposed spreading Jodo Shinshu along the banks of the Kiso River, there is nothing left to worry about."

"Then let's do it!" Yamauchi Kazutoyo and Hachisuka Masakatsu were not the sort to hem and haw either.

Their heads were already tied to their belts. If they still looked ahead and behind at every step, they might as well return to Matsukura Castle and farm the fields!

Seeing that the two agreed, Osawa Masatsugu immediately said, "I will provide the manpower needed to build the castle!"

"I will secure the timber!" Yamauchi Kazutoyo said, looking at Hachisuka Masakatsu.

"I will hire the craftsmen!" Hachisuka Masakatsu said, turning to Osawa Masatsugu.

The three swiftly reached an agreement, immediately signing oaths and exchanging written pledges.

After leaving Unuma Castle, Yamauchi Kazutoyo and Hachisuka Masakatsu quickly boarded a ship and departed.

"Iemon, for the craftsmen needed to build a castle, we will probably have to seek out the Anō Band in Omi. Their castle-building techniques are unmatched in Japan," Hachisuka Masakatsu suggested.

The Anō Band were Omi Province's "building contractors." They possessed the most advanced castle-building techniques, and many daimyo spent enormous sums to hire them to take part in castle construction.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo shook his head. "How could we afford the Anō Band? Besides, building on Igi Mountain does not mean we truly need to construct a castle."

"We only need to find some timber and throw together a framework. The most important thing is to build a harbor at the foot of the mountain, one capable of docking ships."

Hachisuka Masakatsu thought it over and realized that was indeed true.

The castle was meant to blockade the Kiso River, not seize territory. A harbor would be enough.

"If that is all, then I will simply go find Matsubara Naiku. He knows how to build castles," Hachisuka Masakatsu continued.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo nodded. "You go hire the craftsmen. I will return to Matsukura Castle to buy timber."

"We will split up and meet at Igi Mountain in three days."

"Good!"

By evening, Yamauchi Kazutoyo's ship had docked outside Matsukura Castle.

After disembarking, Yamauchi Kazutoyo headed straight for Maeno Tokiyuki's residence. There was an important matter he still needed to discuss with his mother, Hoshūni.

As he approached the residence, Yamauchi Kazutoyo saw his two younger sisters, Komai and Kōgō, squatting beneath the willow tree by the gate, busily concentrating on something.

Upon drawing closer, he saw that the two girls were gathering horse dung.

"Guess who I am!"

Yamauchi Kazutoyo crouched down behind his sisters.

"It's Third Brother!"

"Third Brother is back!"

Komai and Kōgō were overjoyed to see Yamauchi Kazutoyo had returned.

The two girls wanted to run over and hug him, but their hands were full of horse dung, so they could only abandon the idea.

"Third Brother, look! We gathered so much horse dung!" Kōgō said, lifting her little chin proudly.

"That is impressive!" Yamauchi Kazutoyo patted his sister's head. "Remember to wash your hands when you go home."

"Got it!"

"Where is Mother?"

"Mother is inside chanting sutras."

"Good. You two keep at it. I will go speak with Mother."

The two girls were gathering horse dung to fertilize the crops in the fields.

In ancient Japan, "wood ash" or "green manure" was used as fertilizer. Green manure was made by composting harvested wild grass, and its effectiveness was extremely poor.

It was not until China's Song-dynasty composting techniques entered Japan through commoners and monks that Japan gradually began using farmyard manure in the Kamakura period.

However, this practice had not yet been systematically popularized. The reason was that Japan had no agricultural texts at this time, so farming techniques could not spread rapidly. It would not be until the Edo period that farmyard manure came into widespread use across the country.

"Mother."

After entering the Buddhist hall, Yamauchi Kazutoyo sat formally behind Hoshūni and called out.

"Iemon is back?"

Hoshūni stopped turning her prayer beads and looked Yamauchi Kazutoyo up and down with eyes full of concern.

Once she confirmed that Yamauchi Kazutoyo was not missing an arm or a leg, Hoshūni began to complain again. "You child, the moment you have a little money, you spend it with both hands. Why did you have to buy so many things and bring them back?"

Yamauchi Kazutoyo stepped forward and held Hoshūni's hand. "Do not worry, Mother. My friends and I have recently done something great. From now on, we will never have to worry about money again."

Looking at her son's youthful face, Hoshūni felt a pang in her heart. She thought that the child must have suffered greatly outside.

"When you are away from home, you must be careful in all things," Hoshūni could not help but urge.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo nodded, then continued, "Mother, I have made contact with my eldest sister's husband."

"Really?" A flicker of delight crossed Hoshūni's face. "Is your eldest sister well?"

Yamauchi Kazutoyo replied, "There was not enough time to explain in the letter. The reason I came back this time is to send Mother to live in Kitagata Castle for a while."

"To Kitagata Castle?" Hoshūni looked confused. "We are living perfectly well here at Matsukura Castle. What are we going to Kitagata Castle for?"

Yamauchi Kazutoyo looked a little embarrassed and said hesitantly, "I want to join hands with my eldest sister's husband to do something. I need..."

"You need me to go as a hostage, don't you?" Hoshūni saw through Yamauchi Kazutoyo's thoughts at a glance.

"Yes."

"All right, I wondered what it was. Since Iemon has established contact with the Ando clan, a hostage truly is indispensable if we are to win their trust."

Yamauchi Kazutoyo let out a breath of relief. "So Mother agrees?"

"Why would I not?" Hoshūni patted Yamauchi Kazutoyo's hand, her face full of affection. "As long as I can help you, that is enough. The burden of restoring the Yamauchi clan's name cannot rest on your shoulders alone."

"Besides, is not your eldest sister at Kitagata Castle? They say I would be a hostage, but would I not merely be changing places to enjoy myself?"

When warriors in Japan's Warring States period formed alliances or signed agreements, they generally used methods such as sending hostages, marriage alliances, and adopting sons.

As one of the Western Mino Triumvirate and a senior retainer of the Saito clan of Mino, the Ando clan had to be treated with utmost caution by Yamauchi Kazutoyo.

People like Matsubara Naiku and Osawa Masatsugu could be bound by shared interests, but local powers like the Ando clan required hostages.

"When will we leave?" Hoshūni continued.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo replied, "If possible, it would be best to leave early tomorrow morning."

"The ship is docked outside Matsukura Castle. I will have Kan'emon escort you to Kitagata Castle then."

"So urgent?" Hoshūni looked at Yamauchi Kazutoyo several times, but ultimately did not ask further. "Then I will go pack at once."

"Thank you, Mother."

There was no time to waste. Yamauchi Kazutoyo was now racing against time. Otherwise, once Saito Yoshitatsu and Oda Nobunaga freed their hands, the Kiso River would no longer be so easy to navigate.

Hoshūni rose and returned to her room to pack. Goto Joki and Kichibē also came back from the fields carrying hoes.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo explained his plan to Goto Joki.

Hoshūni would take the two younger sisters to Kitagata Castle as hostages, while Goto Joki and Sobue Kan'emon would serve respectively as Yamauchi Kazutoyo's contacts with the Maeno family and the Ando clan.

Goto Joki would remain at Matsukura Castle with Maeno Tokiyuki and continue tending the farmland in his spare time. Sobue Kan'emon would be responsible for handling the Ogawa Band's goods.

His younger brother Kichisuke would remain at Matsukura Castle to study, while Kichibē would leave with Yamauchi Kazutoyo.

"My lord, could you have the old lady take Kichizō with her as well?" Goto Joki asked.

Kichizō was Goto Joki's youngest son, not yet two years old. Since Goto's wife had died, Hoshūni had been the one helping care for him.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo replied, "I was worried you would not be able to bear parting with your son. Then let Mother take Kichizō to Kitagata Castle as well."

"Thank you, my lord."

"It is a small matter."

"Oh, right!" Yamauchi Kazutoyo leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "Saburozaemon, do you know Kanematsu Matashiro of Shimamura in Haguri District?"