The Castle District was located at the center of the city. Daimyo Fujiwara Takakatsu's main castle donjon stood five stories tall and was a distinctive landmark above the city landscape. It was Lord Takakatsu's home as well as his central seat of power where he ruled all of Shinano Province. From the central castle the city of Iiso spread out in all directions for about one ri, and was home to more than three hundred thousand individuals.
Matsuo Kaname's personal estate was located inside the walls of the castle district, but outside of Lord Takakatsu's own castle grounds, and had its own high walls that separated it from the rest of the district around it. Inside the walls there were several large structures, all separated and surrounded by lavish gardens and wide pathways of small pebbles. The largest structure was the main house that stood two stories tall, and was surrounded all the way around by a wide veranda. The main house was where Kaname and his family along with their personal servants lived. The other structures housed some of his personal samurai retainers that served as his guard detail, additional servant quarters, storage, kitchen, bathhouse and training dojo.
Kaname was currently sitting on the floor atop a small cushion in the audience hall of his home. Outside the hall beyond two closed shoji doors were a dozen samurai guards that sat quietly cross-legged in two perfectly spaced rows. Two more guards sat in seiza on either side of the doors on the inside of the hall.
Kaname was studying a small map of Shinano and the neighboring provinces that rested atop a finely lacquered table no higher than several inches from the floor. He did so while waiting for his advisors to arrive.
He was not at all pleased.
In his hand he held a small note that had arrived by carrier pigeon fifteen minutes ago. The pigeon had come from the northeast where Lord Takakatsu maintained a moderate garrison of samurai that patrolled and guarded the region of Shinano that bordered with neighboring Echigo. The note was written in coded text but had been deciphered before being given to him.
Unknown army heading west toward Shinano's Jinzo Mountains. Lost them in the many mountain passes. Patrols searching. Will advise when more is known.
As Hatamoto and Chief General of Daimyo Fujiwara Takakatsu's northern forces, Kaname had a great burden of responsibility. It was his duty to his liege lord to command the soldiers of the northern army in order to coordinate and defend Shinano Province. Defending his liege lord was always foremost in Kaname's mind, as it was for any samurai in service to another lord. The news of an unknown army somewhere along their northern border, or worse yet, possibly already having crossed into Shinano, was cause for a great deal of concern.
All of Nihon was far from being unified. The past four centuries had been the scene of incessant warfare between several of the more powerful daimyos struggling to gain the title of Shogun and become the country's supreme military leader. Then just forty years ago a new addition to the power struggle emerged, and now the rivalry between all of the land's many daimyos surpassed the rivalry of just the most powerful few. The contention revolved around those who supported the Emperor's claim to regain his lost political power, and those who longed for the return of a bakafu, or shogunal form of government.
Nearly a thousand years earlier the then emperor of Nihon, Emperor Go-Meisho, had ruled with absolute authority. But then all of that changed when he grew bored of affairs of state and turned over the mundane day to day controls of government to a council of regents. The regents were headed by Go-Meisho's highest ranking general, whom he gave the title of Shogun and granted hereditary passage of the title to whomever the Shogun wished. As the decades passed into a century, the emperor's throne became one of reverence, honor and ceremony, with no real power to wield.
For nearly five hundred years after Emperor Go-Meisho had turned over his power of rule, the Shogun's family line had controlled Nihon with detailed organization and the force of military strength. The country prospered well during that time and managed twice within twenty years to organize its military forces to repel northern invaders from across the sea. The shogunal rule came to a sudden end when the last of the line was unable to father any children. When the last shogun died the country fell into civil war, with no one daimyo strong enough to rise up among his many peers and unite them.
Sides in the current struggle between those who favored the emperor's claim to rule and those who were inclined towards shogunal rule were being chosen, with most daimyos picking one side or the other either out of personal loyalties or the chance to amass additional power. Then there were some daimyos trying to align with both sides, and those who changed sides secretly as often as they changed their kimonos.
The result, the way Kaname perceived it, was that the country and its seventy-nine daimyos and their descendants were in store for many more years of provincial warfare, perhaps even hundreds of more years. For clearly the way the current power struggle waxed and waned between the two sides, neither was strong enough to gain an upper hand or exert enough dominance to win.
Kaname's own liege lord indicated his favor towards the emperor regaining the throne's lost power. Despite that however, Kaname secretly suspected it was merely a publicly made stance. He was certain his lord in fact supported the return of a strong shogun. He was also certain his lord desired the title for himself, and found it hard to believe there wasn't a daimyo that didn't.
For Kaname it didn't mater which side his lord chose to take. Either way he was duty and honor bound to serve Lord Takakatsu, and to do so obediently and immediately to the best of his ability.
Such was what it meant to be a samurai who served a lord.
Kaname was forty years of age and stayed fit due to his many military duties. His frame was lean and hardened, and he was slightly taller than the average man of Nihon. He kept his pallet shaved and his top-knot short, as did most samurai who found themselves in and out of heavy battle armor and the kabuto battle helmet. As Chief General of the northern forces, Kaname spent much time in armor whether he was going into battle or just performing weapons practice. Appearances were important, and appearing the part of the ever ready general had always been beneficial.
The shoji door at the far end of the hall slid quietly open, having been opened by one of the guards outside the chamber. Four samurai, the advisors Kaname had summoned, strode into the room. They stopped several feet away in a straight line across and then kneeled down and bowed. Kaname grunted and all four samurai sat up and repositioned to seiza at the same time the shoji door slid back closed.
As Kaname looked at them, they were positioned from his left to his right in order of highest rank to lowest. The first advisor, who Kaname considered his most trusted retainer, was nearing seventy years of age. He name was Yasuke Kazan, and he had served Kaname's family his entire life. His battle prowess was not what it used to be, but he had a keen mind, always seemed to offer sound advice, and was fearless as a samurai should be.
The three remaining advisors were samurai all in their early to late thirties. They were the ranking captains in charge of his personal samurai retainers of which there were nearly two thousand.
"Forgive my rudeness but there is no time for pleasantries. I ordered you here because a secret message was received from the northeast garrison," Kaname explained. He then proceeded to read the message aloud. When he finished he looked to his advisors for comments.
"A poor report," Kazan was the first to respond. "It would be beneficial to know what the estimated size of this army is that is being referred to. And how do you loose sight of an entire army, even if they are in the mountains? Perhaps the note’s meaning of the word army is an exaggeration. Also, why would the lord of Echigo Province want to start a war now? I think we would have heard rumblings of war long before an army shows up at the border."
"If the lord of Echigo wants a war so be it," Kaname replied with a touch of bravado. "He'll have one if he so chooses, and suffer for it. But you are correct, Kazan-san, a
sizable army moving against us does not seem likely, however I believe we should react on the side of caution."
"Does Lord Takakatsu know of this yet?" the samurai immediately to Kazan's left asked?
"Certainly," Kaname replied. "If I received one carrier pigeon with this message I'm sure he's received two or three. After we briefly discuss the best way to proceed I plan to go to the castle and report to our lord."
"If an enemy army is coming through the passes of the Jinzo Mountains then the sohei at the monastery Kanchai-ji should be warned immediately," Kazan suggested, knowing the militant monks who lived there would prove to be a formidable force to any enemy army in the mountains.
Kaname nodded in agreement, "What about the northern legion? Do we shift their position north-east?"
"I would suggest just having them placed on alert and prepared to march at a moments notice. But leave them where they are," said the lowest ranking advisor all the way to Kaname's right. "If this report of an army proves to be incorrect, which it sounds might be likely, then we'll not have done anything that might otherwise provoke any of the neighboring provinces who may otherwise grow suspicious of large troop activities."
"I agree," Kazan