During the Sengoku period, there was one man that Oda Nobunaga feared the most.
His name was Takeda Shingen.
It wasn't just because of his noble lineage as the leader of the Kai Genji clan.
This man, who rapidly expanded his sphere of influence with his exceptional military strategy and capable retainers, is known by the nickname "Tiger of Kai" and is widely feared throughout the land.
From the moment he defeated and killed Imagawa Yoshimoto at the Battle of Okehazama, and made his name in the Warring States period, Nobunaga had paid close attention to Shingen's movements.
The Takeda family had marital ties with the Imagawa family.
In short, if the Takeda clan turned against the Oda clan in what they considered a revenge war, the Oda clan could have been invaded in no time at all.
Therefore, Nobunaga always acted subserviently towards the Takeda family, aiming to conclude a marriage alliance.
Seeing this fool defeat a renowned general, seize control of Owari Province, and begin his advance into Mino, Shingen gradually came to recognize his potential.
Then, on November 13th, 1565 (Eiroku 8).
A marriage alliance was formed between the Oda and Takeda families.
Her husband's name was Suwa Katsuyori, and his wife was Nobunaga's adopted daughter, his niece, Naehime.
At this time, Katsuyori was 19 years old, and Naehime was 16 years old.
Naehime is a beautiful young girl, and being related to the Oda family, she is quite striking.
However, it seems that the princess became deeply depressed the moment she met Katsuyori.
This was because her husband was far—overwhelmingly—more beautiful than she was.
Katsuyori's mother was Princess Yui, who was renowned as "the most beautiful woman in the world."
She was a daughter of the prestigious Suwa family, who served as the chief priest of Suwa Grand Shrine, and was exceptional not only in appearance but also in education.
And his father, Shingen, was also filled with bitterness .美丈夫Good-looking guy
Born to such parents, Katsuyori inherited the best qualities of both of them, making him a highly intelligent individual.
It was no wonder that Princess Miao was depressed when she saw him.
She was a princess who had been raised like a princess, pampered and spoiled until then.
Even though she couldn't compare to Ichihime, who was renowned as a woman of unparalleled beauty, she surely thought that she wouldn't lose to any other woman in terms of looks—but she never imagined that she would be defeated by a man.
Nevertheless, despite such an unusual encounter, the couple's relationship was extremely good.
Katsuyori was the kind of person who paid absolutely no attention to the appearance of others, and eventually, Princess Naehime, who had been obsessed with appearances, began to feel foolish for being so concerned with it.
When they were together, there was always laughter, and as a man and a woman, their compatibility as a couple was extremely good.
They were truly a beautiful couple, the envy of everyone around them.
"Ah! Nooo!"
"Kya kya, kya uu!"
"...Takeomaru, Mai. We are in Mother's presence... Can't you be a little quieter?"
"Ahhh!"
"Aaah!"
"...It's useless, isn't it?"
The young man, carrying two babies on his back, gave a wry smile in front of the tombstone, then scooped up water with a ladle and poured it over it.
Then, bending down, he uses a damp cloth to wipe away the mud and moss clinging to the tombstone.
She doesn't seem to care at all about her kimono getting dirty.
"...Nae, how is it? The children seem happy to have met you."
The subtle tremor of the shoulders that occurs when polishing a tombstone.
The children on my back were having a blast, clearly enjoying themselves.
While his cheeks broke into the joyful expression typical of a young child, at the same time, a deep sense of melancholy flickered across the young man's handsome face.
"But I feel lonely. Do you remember... the times we sweated together and wiped away each other's dirt? I can remember it as if it were yesterday. Your skin wasn't this rough before..."
After Katsuyori finished removing the mud and moss from his late wife's tombstone, he poured water over it to cleanse the surface.
Then, after offering flowers and incense and putting his hands together in prayer, he quietly uttered the words.
"Why did you have to leave...? It's far too soon... Leaving your child behind, how awful..."
Eiroku 11 (1568).
April 7th, a day filled with the scent of spring breezes.
TakatoAmidst the famous flurry of cherry blossoms, Katsuyori, carrying the two orphaned babies on his back, clasps his hands together once again before the tombstone.
Takato in Ina District, Shinano Province—that is the land where Takato Castle, granted to Katsuyori, is located.
Takato, located across Mount Moriya from Suwa County, where ancient monsters reside, is a crucial transportation hub connected to Tōtōmi Province by the Akiba Road, and an important base for the Takeda clan's control of southern Shinano.
Incidentally, Takatō was also a religiously important place.
It all stems from the existence of Mount Moriya.
In the central highlands, such as Shinano Province and Kai Province, a faith known as Suwa-kyo was dominant.
The Suwa Grand Shrine is the governing body for this faith, but this organization does not have a main shrine building.
The shrine is comprised of four shrines: the Maemiya and Honmiya in Kamisuwa, and the Akimiya and Harumiya in Shimosuwa.
The sacred object enshrined at Suwa Grand Shrine, which lacks a main sanctuary, is Mount Moriya.
This small hill, only 1650 meters high, was of great importance to the Suwa sect.
According to the Suwa sect, deep beneath Mount Moriya lies a hermaphroditic, four-winged white snake.洩矢様Moriya-sama
Moriya-sama is an ancient demon said to be the guardian deity of the central highlands of Japan and to drive away evil gods.
The Suwa sect, in essence, aimed to worship this guardian deity and to keep it awake until the coming apocalyptic war.
In Takato, there is a cave called "O" where Lord Moriya is said to reveal his face when he awakens and crawls out onto the surface.御口Fortune slip
And when Moriya-sama crawls out of the "sacred mouth," he obtains wings, which are kept in each of the four shrines of Suwa Grand Shrine, and transforms into a rising dragon.
In short, Takatō is the land where the guardian deity, as passed down in the Suwa sect, first appears.
The reason why Katsuyori was placed in a location with such characteristics should now be obvious.
The young man, a hybrid of the Kai provincial governor and the Suwa clan, was destined to protect and worship Lord Moriya in this land, both as a military officer and a Shinto priest.
"Nae... I'll come again soon. It's warmer than usual this year... Takeomaru and Mai won't catch a cold even if they go outside."
Katsuyori left the cemetery, where cherry blossoms were falling, and reunited with his subordinates who were waiting outside before returning to Takato Castle.
Incidentally, Shinano Province, located in the central highlands, was a region with extremely volatile climate.
Frost often falls during the summer, and crops are frequently severely damaged by the cold.
Even without frost, farmland itself could be devastated by strong winds, heavy rains, and floods.
Furthermore, it's commonplace for lakes and rivers to freeze over in November and not thaw until March of the following year.
The inhabitants of the central highlands lived their lives constantly facing the threat of natural disasters.
However, the threat wasn't limited to nature. The damage caused by monsters was also extremely significant.
In Shinano and Kai provinces, where a wide variety of monsters roam, attacks on settlements by monsters are a common occurrence.
Therefore, from top to bottom, the people of the central highlands were diligently engaged in the breeding and raising of horses as a means of combating monsters.
Although horses are considered demons, they are generally harmless to humans and easy to handle as long as they are not used in battle.
Of course, horses have low reproductive capacity, so their numbers don't increase very quickly...
However, for some reason, the Kai Takeda family succeeded in increasing horse production, and now boasts one of the largest horse holdings in all of Japan.
This, in turn, led to the people of the central highlands supporting the Takeda family.
Once a village came under the control of the Takeda clan, a Takeda cavalry patrol unit would be permanently stationed in each village.
Ultimately, this meant having more means of countering the threat of monsters.
Furthermore, because the Takeda family had to raise a large number of horses, they were allowed to pay their annual tribute in the form of white clover and pasture grass.
For the people, this meant they had enough grain left over to eat, which is why the Takeda family gained overwhelming support compared to other lords of the central highlands.
Nowadays, in both Kai and Shinano provinces , it is said that "the number of horses exceeds the number of people."揶揄Yayu
It goes without saying that the number of horses a country possesses is directly related to its combat capability in battle—especially in open field battles.
The Takeda clan's formidable cavalry force was recognized as the strongest unit in the Sengoku period, quite literally.
It is common knowledge throughout Japan that only the Uesugi and Hojo families could directly confront the Takeda family.
The Uesugi family owned a massive island known as Sado Island, which was rich in fluorite, and possessed a large quantity of weapons and armor carved from it.
Furthermore, the Hojo family possesses a vast collection of anti-demon weapons made from the branches and leaves of a gigantic, tree-shaped monster that covers the skies above the Boso Peninsula .御神樹様Omikisama
In fact, both families continued to resist the Takeda family's northward and eastward expansion, remaining an obstacle to Shingen's expansionist policies.
"It's only a matter of time before my father's target shifts to the Imagawa clan in the south... But what happens after that...?"
After returning to the castle and entrusting his children to their wet nurse, Katsuyori sat on the veranda of his residence within the castle grounds, drinking water he had boiled himself, and contemplated the future.
"If we gain Suruga, we will gain the sea and plains. And that means gaining economic power and productivity. If we do that, we might be able to destroy the Uesugi and Hojo—but we are a bad match. Perhaps we should swallow up the Oda or Tokugawa in the west...but—"
The young man placed the teacup on the tray.
There, another pair of teacups, into which hot water has been poured, are located.
"—Ideally, I'd rather that didn't happen."
Thinking of his late wife, Katsuyori gently tapped the empty teacup against the teacup that Princess Nae had used.
夫婦husband and wifeIn the teacup shaped like a woman, there is a simmering broth , and cherry blossom petals float into it.揺蕩Tayuta
Seeing the flower petals floating in the bathwater, Katsuyori let out a deep sigh.
"...Nae, what should I do?"
However, no one responded to those words.
The only sound I could hear was the rustling of the cherry trees in full bloom in the garden as they swayed in the wind.
Katsuyori lost his wife on November 1, 1567 (Eiroku 10).
The cause of death was puerperal fever.
After giving birth to twins on October 29th following a difficult labor, Miaohime developed a high fever and passed away shortly afterward.
The young man remembered that moment vividly. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it left an unforgettable scar.
Even though her own death was imminent, Princess Naehime, delirious with fever, continued to murmur her longing for Katsuyori and her children until the very end.
It was impossible to forget.
"I don't have the courage to offer my opinion to my father. More importantly, if I displease him—I'll be killed like my brother. If that happens, who will be able to protect Takeomaru and Mai...?"
Katsuyori's face clouded over, and he clenched his fists.
The "older brother" he refers to is Yoshinobu, Shingen's eldest son and the presumed next head of the Takeda family.
Yoshinobu was confined to Tokoji Temple in Kofu by Shingen from 1565 until before the birth of Katsuyori's child.
The reason, it is said, was that he was suspected of treason. At least, that's what Katsuyori was told.
However, Katsuyori secretly believes that his older brother was merely used as a pawn in a family purge.
The men who were executed along with Yoshinobu were all veteran retainers of the Takeda family, including the senior retainer Iitomi Toramasa.
They had the experience of exiling Shingen's father, Nobutora, when they installed Shingen as the head of the Takeda family.
Ultimately, these were people who believed they could change their lord at any time if he became inconvenient to them.
It's not hard to imagine that, fearing that their own influence would diminish as Shingen gained power, they tried to replace Shingen with Yoshinobu, a younger man who was "easier to deal with," as the head of the Takeda family.
Yoshinobu was made a scapegoat and poisoned by Shingen, and Katsuyori, who inherited the Suwa family, was selected as the successor to the Takeda family.
However, this was not necessarily good news for Katsuyori.
If Katsuyori fails to gain his father's favor, he will suffer the same fate as Yoshinobu.
After all, he's the kind of man who would even kill his own family if it meant maintaining his power base.
Every time he thought about it, Katsuyori felt overwhelmed with anxiety.
"I must survive... I must protect Takeomaru and Mai... Otherwise, there will be no meaning to Nae's death."
Katsuyori is no longer in a position to live solely by his own will.
The fact that he was descended from the Suwa family while becoming the leader of the Kai Genji clan was extremely significant.
But even so, Katsuyori absolutely did not want to lose sight of the footprints left behind by the wife he loved.
"Lord Katsuyori, Lord Katsuyori!"
With a feeling that his own heart was being pulled by an intense force and was on the verge of breaking, Katsuyori examined the figure of his attendant who had rushed into the garden.
金丸Kanemaru昌恒Masatsune—He was a close confidant who had just recently come of age.
Incidentally, his older brother, Masatsugu, was a close retainer of Shingen, meaning that the brothers served alongside the head of the family and the heir to the family, respectively.
Outsiders rarely enter the lord's residence of Takato Castle.
Since not only Katsuyori but also Princess Nae lived in the mansion, the men refrained from entering out of respect.
And that custom still remained to this day—but judging from Masatsune's behavior, it seemed that the situation was no longer such that it could continue.
"What's wrong, Masatsune? Has your father finally raised an army to take down the Imagawa?"
"No, that's not it...! It seems a mole appeared this morning in Agematsu, Kiso County!"
"What... ?! But...! And Uematsu is... not far from my wife's birthplace, Nakatsugawa!"
Katsuyori hastily stood up.
Naehime, Nobunaga's niece, was the lord of Naegi Castle, located in Nakatsugawa, on the border between Mino and Shinano provinces.
Agematsu is located northeast of Nakatsugawa, so it's not that far away.
"We have already conveyed the information to our ally, the Oda clan. Currently, members of the Kiso clan are tracking the mole's direction of travel, but it seems that an invasion of Mino is unavoidable. Following our alliance, we must work together with the Oda clan to return the mole to the depths of the mountains."
"Okay, I'll get ready right away."
Nodding, Katsuyori threw off his loungewear and put on clothes adorned with the Takeda family crests, the "Takeda菱" and the "Kaji no Ha" (mulberry leaf).
Then, with Masatsune's help, he put on his armor, bowed to his wife's teacup, and quickly emptied its contents.
"Lord Nobunaga... will my father-in-law appear?"
"We're up against a mole. We have no choice but to come out."
Gathering as many musical instruments as possible, such as drums, gongs, and conch shells, Katsuyori led his men out of Takatō Castle.
Many monsters inhabit Shinano, but one of the most troublesome is the mole.
They generally remain dormant deep underground, but occasionally they become active as if remembering something, and begin to move through the earth, breaking through the bedrock along the way.
When moles advance into areas inhabited by people, roads are destroyed first, followed by riverbanks and dikes, which trigger floods.
Then, houses and fortresses are dug up and destroyed along with the ground subsidence.
"Messenger! Messenger!!"
As I rode my horse, messengers sent by the Kiso clan, who were tracking the mole, came one after another, reporting on the situation.
The mole, which began its activity in Agematsu, is moving at a slow pace, digging a part of Toritoyama Mountain as it emerges into Okuwa, and appears to be heading towards Nakatsugawa, churning up the Kiso River in a chaotic manner.
The Oda forces are already waiting at Naegi Castle, and under Nobunaga's command, they are rapidly preparing to repel the moles.
"As expected of Lord Kazusa-no-suke, preparations are quick...!"
Masatsune responded immediately to Katsuyori's sigh.
"That was an extremely swift move. It's as if they had anticipated the mole's appearance."
"They must have arrangements in place to deal with monsters on a regular basis... The Oda family may not have horses, but they have money. They can use money to keep a large number of soldiers on standby so they can be mobilized at any time. Nae always said that."
Masatsune nodded with a hesitant expression.
Of course, this was a story about a deceased person. As a boy of only 14 years old, Masatsune didn't know how to respond to his master's words.
"And the most terrifying thing in the world is—the power of money. To move troops, you need provisions. And with money, you can provide for soldiers and their families... I hope no one in the Takeda clan is tempted by the allure of money..."
"Lord Katsuyori"
Masatsune said with a straight face.
"The allure of gold is weak compared to the power of human will. At least I, Masatsune, am not a man who is blinded by the gleam of gold."
"...I see. Well, I guess I said something strange."
Katsuyori said this and glared ahead.
The road from Agematsu to Nakatsugawa follows a valley along the Kiso River.
With lush green mountains on either side, it was originally a scenic spot that conveyed the tranquil, quintessential Japanese landscape.
However, that landscape has now completely changed and is in utter chaos.
This was certainly not an unexpected situation.
However, the scene unfolding before him was even worse than what Katsuyori had anticipated.
The terrain had been greatly uplifted and then eroded.
The forest has been severely eroded and collapsed, and a large amount of soil and debris is flowing into the Kiso River.
The highway and the banks of the Kiso River were completely destroyed—it was as if a major earthquake had struck.
It was now clear that the recovery would require a great deal of time and effort.
"How huge would a mole have to pass through to cause something like this..."
Katsuyori rode his horse, his mind wandering.
And you will see it.
A massive mound of earth, far exceeding Katsuyori's expectations, was slowly advancing towards Mino, eroding the valley's forests along the way.
The scene unfolding before him was so horrific that it made him believe that if nothing was done, his beloved wife's family home would vanish into the dust.