“Well, I didn't say anything about this because I thought we would talk about it later,” Tokichiro said, "but out of consideration for me, I'd like you to forgive your nephew. Tenzo is now an irreproachable retainer of the Oda. He himself has apologized for his former crimes. He's often told me that he wanted to apologize to you in person but was too ashamed of his former deeds to come here. And, since there were other matters to take care of in Hachisuka, I thought this might be the perfect opportunity. Please let the relationship between uncle and nephew be as harmonious as it was before, and look to a prosperous future."
As Tokichiro mediated from the side, even Koroku did not feel like badgering his nephew for his crimes of ten years before. And as Koroku began to open his heart, Tokichiro did not let the moment go by.
"Tenzo, did you bring in the gold and silver?" When he spoke to Tenzo, it was naturally in the tone of command.
"Yes, sir."
"Well, let's take a look at it along with the inventory. Tenzo, have a servant bring it here.
"Yes, sir."
As Tenzo started off, Koroku called out hurriedly, "Wait, Tenzo. I can't accept this. If I did, it would mean that I was promising to serve the Oda clan. Wait a bit until I've thought the matter over." His flushed complexion showed his anguish. With these words, then, he stood up abruptly and went inside.
Having returned to his room, Ekei had been writing in his travel journal, but now he suddenly stood up.
"Master Koroku?" Ekei said, looking in at Koroku's room, but the man was not to be seen. He went to the chapel and peeked inside, and there was Koroku, seated before the mortuary tablet of his ancestors, with his arms folded.
"Did you give an answer to Lord Nobunaga's envoy?"
"He hasn't gone yet, but the more I talked to him, the more troublesome it became, so I'm just going to leave him where he is."
"He probably won't just go away." Ekei finished speaking, but Koroku remained silent. "Master Koroku," Ekei finally said.
"What?"
"I've heard that the envoy today used to be employed here as a servant."
"I only knew him as 'Monkey' and had no idea where he was from. I picked him up around the Yahagi River and gave him a job."
"That's no good."
"No good?"
"The memory of the time when he served you has become an obstacle, and you can't see the true form of the man today."
"Do you suppose that's true?"
"I've never been so surprised as I was today."
"Why?"
"Just looking at the face of that envoy. His features are what the world would call quite unusual. Studying people's features is merely a hobby, and when I judge a man's character by looking at him, I usually keep my conclusions to myself. But in this case I was shocked. Someday this man is going to do something extraordinary."
"That monkey-face?"
"Yes, indeed. That man may move the entire country someday. If he were not in this Empire of the Rising Sun, then perhaps he might become a sovereign."
"What are you saying?"
"I thought you wouldn't take his request seriously, so I'm telling you this before you decide. Put away your preconceptions. When you look at a man, look with your heart, ot your eyes. If that man leaves with your refusal today, you're going to regret it for the next hundred years."
"How can you say such a thing about a man you've never even met before?"
"I'm not saying this just from looking at his face. I was surprised when I heard his explanation of the way of justice and righteousness. And his refusal to give in to your derision and threats, while refuting you with sincerity and good faith, shows him to be a passionate, upright man. I believe without a doubt that he will one day be a man of great distinction."
Koroku immediately prostrated himself in front of Ekei and said firmly, "I submit humbly to your words. Quite frankly, if I compare my own character with his, mine is clearly inferior. I'll discard my petty egotism and immediately give him a positive answer. I'm extremely grateful for your advice."
He went off, his eyes gleaming, as though he himself had witnessed the birth of a new era.
Hours after Tokichiro's arrival in Hachisuka, two riders hurried through the night toward Kiyosu. As yet, no one knew that the riders were Koroku and Tokichiro. Later that night, Nobunaga talked to the two men in a small room in the castle. Their secret conversation lasted several hours. Only a select few, including Tenzo, knew the reason for their visit.
The following day Koroku called a council of war. All those who answered the call were ronin. They had been under Koroku's command for many years, and they acknowledged his authority in the same way the great provincial lords obeyed the shogun's decrees. Each leader headed a pack of warriors in his own village or mountain stronghold, and waited for the day when they would be needed. Every one of them was surprised by the presence of Watanabe Tenzo of Mikuriya, who, ten years before, had rebelled against their leader.
When the men took their seats, Koroku told them of his decision to abandon his alliance with the Saito clan and switch his allegiance to the Oda. At the same time, he explained the circumstances of his nephew's return. At the end of his address he said, "I imagine some of you will disapprove, and others have close ties with the Saito. I am not going to force you. You may leave without hesitation, and I will not bear a grudge against anyone who crosses over to Mino."
No one, however, got up to leave. In fact, no one showed what he really felt. At this point, asking Koroku's permission, Tokichiro spoke to the men.
"I have received instructions from Lord Nobunaga to build a castle at Sunomata. Until now, I imagine that each of you has lived as he pleased, but have you ever occupied a castle? The world is changing. The mountains and valleys where you can live freely are disappearing. If this were not so, there would be no progress. You've been able to live as ronin because the shogun is powerless. But do you think the shogunate will be able to survive much longer? The nation is changing; a new era is dawning. We will no longer be living for ourselves, but rather for our children and our grandchildren. You have a chance to establish your own households, to become real warriors following the true Way of the Samurai. Do not let this moment pass you by."
When he had finished, the entire room was silent. But there were no signs of discontent. These men, who ordinarily lived without giving much thought to the future, were reflecting on his words.
One man broke the silence: "I have no objection."
He was followed by the others who made the same reply, and all the voices in the room were raised in agreement. They knew they were risking their lives by committing imselves to the Oda, and a fierce resolution burned in their eyes.
* * *
The sound of an ax cutting a tree… then a splash as the tree falls into the Kiso River. A raft is lashed together and pushed out into the current, where it flows downstream to meet the waters of the Ibi and Yabu rivers coming from the north and west, and then comes to a broad sandbar crisscrossed by waterways: Sunomata. The boundary between Mino and Owari. The site for the castle, on which Sakuma Nobumori, Shibata Katsuie, and Oda Kageyu all had met with identical failure.
"What a stupid waste of time. They might as well be sunk in a stone ship under the sea!" From the far bank, the soldiers of the Saito looked across the river, shading their :s with their hands and joking.
"This is the fourth time."
"They still haven't learned."
"Who's the General of the Dead this time? It's kind of sad, even though he is the enemy. I'll remember his name, if nothing else."
"He's called something like Kinoshita Tokichiro. I've never heard of him."