In his amazement Kazumasa could only marvel in silent awe at what he saw before him. But what he had been staring at was still nothing more than a part of the project. The moat surrounding the castle took its water from the Yodo River. With the prosperous mercantile city of Sakai close by, Osaka was connected with numerous trade routes to China, Korea, and Southeast Asia. The nearby Yamato and Kawachi mountain chains formed a natural defensive wall. The Sanin and Sanyo roads connected Osaka with sea and land routes to Shikoku and Kyushu, and made it a gateway with access to all outlying areas. As the location of the country's most important castle and a place from which to rule the nation, Osaka was many times superior to Nobunaga's Azuchi. Kazumasa could discover nothing lacking here.
"What do you think?" Hideyoshi asked.
"Absolutely perfect. It's a plan on a grand scale," Kazumasa replied. There was nothing more he could honestly say.
"It will be sufficient, don't you think?"
"On the day it's completed, it will be the largest castle town in the whole country," Kazumasa said.
"That's what I intend."
"When do you anticipate its completion?"
"I'd like to move in before the year is through."
Kazumasa blinked disbelievingly. "What! By the end of the year?"
"Well, about then."
"It could take ten years for an engineering project of that size."
"In ten years the world will have changed, and I'll be an old man," Hideyoshi said, laughing. "I've ordered the overseers to complete the castle's interior, including its decorations, within three years."
"I can't imagine it's going to be easy to make the craftsmen and laborers work at such a pace. And the amounts of stone and lumber you will need are going to be immense.
"I'm bringing in lumber from twenty-eight provinces."
"How many laborers will you need?"
“I’m not sure about that. I suppose I'll need well over a hundred thousand. My officials say that it will require about sixty thousand men working every day for three months just to dig the inner and outer moats."
Kazumasa fell silent. He was depressed as he reflected on the great difference between this project and the castles of Okazaki and Hamamatsu in his own province. But would Hideyoshi really be able to bring the huge stones he needed to Osaka, an area totally lacking in quarries? And where, in these difficult times, did he think he could find the huge sums to pay for the project? He wondered whether Hideyoshi's great plans were really anything more than bragging.
Justt then something urgent seemed to have occurred to Hideyoshi, and he called for his secretary and began dictating a letter. Completely forgetting that Kazumasa was there, he looked over what had been written down, nodded, and started to dictate another letter. Even if Kazumasa had not wanted to listen to what was being said, Hideyoshi was right in front of him and he could not help but hear. Hideyoshi seemed to be dictating an extremely important letter to the Mori clan.
Once again Kazumasa was embarrassed and hardly knew what to do with himself. He said, “Your official business seems to be rather urgent. Shall I withdraw?"
“No, no, that won't be necessary. I'll be done in a moment."
Hideyoshi continued with his dictation. He had received a letter from a member of the Mori clan congratulating him on his victory against the Shibata. Now, under the pretext of giving an account of the battle of Yanagase, he was demanding that his correspondent define his own attitude concerning the future of his clan. It was a personal letter, and an extrememly important one.
Kazumasa sat next to him, silently looking at the stands of bamboo groves, while Hideyoshi dictated:
“If I had given Katsuie a moment's rest, it would have taken much longer to defeat him. But the fate of Japan hung in the balance, so I had to resign myself to the loss of my men. I attacked Katsuie's main castle at the second half of the Hour of the Tiger, and by the hour of the Horse I took the citadel."
When he dictated the words, "the fate of Japan," his eyes were ablaze just as they had been when the castle fell. The letter then took a turn that would rivet the Mori clan's attention on his words.
“It would be futile to mobilize our troops, but if necessary I will visit your province inperson to determine the matter of boundaries. Therefore, it is important that you use discretion and be resolved not to provoke me."
Kazumasa unconsciously stole a look at Hideyoshi and marveled at the man's boldness. Here was Hideyoshi lightheartedly dictating some very frank words, almost as if he were sitting cross-legged in front of his correspondent, having a friendly chat. Was he being arrogant or just naive?
“Both the Hojo in the east and the Uesugi in the north have entrusted matters to my resolve. If you are also prepared to let me work freely, the government of Japan will be better than it has been since ancient times. Give this deep thought and your own personal care. If you have any objections, please let me know before the Seventh Month. It is essential that you relay all of this in detail to Lord Mori Terumoto."
Kazumasa's eyes watched the play of the wind in the bamboo, but his ears were absolutely fascinated with what Hideyoshi was saying. His heart quivered like the bamboo leaves in the wind. It appeared that, for this man, even the titanic task of building Osaka Castle was something he did in his spare time. And he asserted, even to the Mori clan, that if they objected they should let him know before the Seventh Month—before he went to war again.
Kazumasa was beyond admiration; he felt exhausted.
At that moment an attendant announced that Kazumasa's ship was ready to sail. Hideyoshi took one of the swords from his waist and presented it to Kazumasa. "It may be a little old, but people say it's a good blade. Please take it as a small token of my appreciation."
Kazumasa took it and reverently lifted it to his forehead.
When they went outside, Hideyoshi's personal guards were waiting to escort Kazumasa to the port of Otsu.
* * *
There was a mountain of problems awaiting Hideyoshi both inside Kyoto and out. After Yanagase, the fighting had come to an end; but even though Takigawa had submitted, there were still a few rebels who obstinately refused to surrender. Remnants of the Ise army had entrenched themselves in Nagashima and Kobe, and Oda Nobuo was in charge of mopping up the last pockets of resistance.
When he heard that Hideyoshi had returned from Echizen, Nobuo left the front for Kyoto and met Hideyoshi on that very day.
"When Ise submits, you may occupy Nagashima Castle," Hideyoshi told him.
That very mediocre prince left Kyoto for Ise in high spirits.
It was the time of day when the lamps were lit. The courtiers who had come calling had departed and all the other guests had gone. Hideyoshi took a bath and then, as he joined Hidekatsu and Maeda Geni for dinner, an attendant informed him that Hikoemon had just arrived.
The wind rustled the rattan blinds, and the loud laughter of young women drifted in on the air. Hikoemon did not go inside immediately, but first rinsed his mouth and smoothed his hair. He had returned on horseback from Uji and was covered with dust.
His mission had been to meet Sakuma Genba, who was a prisoner at Uji. It had appeared to be an easy mission but was in fact rather difficult, as Hideyoshi knew quite well. That was the reason he had chosen Hikoemon.
Genba had been captured but not executed. Instead, he had been imprisoned at Uji. Hideyoshi had ordered that he not be treated harshly or humiliated. He knew that Genba was a man of matchless courage, who, if released, would become a raging tiger. Thus, a strict guard was kept on him at all times.
Even though Genba was a captive enemy general, Hideyoshi felt sorry for him. He loved Genba's natural talents just as Katsuie had, and felt that it would be a shame to put him to death. So, soon after Hideyoshi returned to Kyoto, he sent a messenger to express his feelings and try to reason with Genba.