This marks the beginning of Part 4. About 5 years have passed since the end of Part 3, and it is 1562, about 20 years after the arrival of the Imperial forces.
This five-parter Prologue will be told from the perspective of the Kamisato family.
- Yamaga
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1
When you realize it, it's already too late, they say.
In the spring of 1562, Shoichi Kamisato was pondering about such things.
After all, about 20 years had passed since the arrival of the Imperial forces and the Tenbun Restoration. During this time, many high-ranking members of the Imperial Army had passed away.
Commanders like Lieutenant General Tomoyuki Yamashita and Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondō were among those who had left this world, along with many other officers and soldiers of the Imperial forces (strictly speaking, in this world, Yamashita and Kondō had achieved the ranks of General and Admiral, respectively). Moreover, many had established solid families.
As for himself, he now had nine children, including adopted ones, and he was 44 years old. Furthermore, four grandchildren were born from his four children, including the adopted ones, and he had become a grandfather. Among them, his eldest daughter, Yoshiko, already gave him eight grandchildren, and he even felt that within the next ten years, he might be called a great-grandfather.
So, during these approximately 20 years, what had happened to Japan in this world?
Thanks to the Tenbun Restoration the Muromachi Shogunate had fallen, and Japan had started to walk the path of a centralized nation. The Emperor's authority was established, and Japan was on the path to becoming a constitutional monarchy, similar to the late 19th century in the original timeline (however, the actual drafting of a constitution hadn't been accomplished yet, and there were intense debates among the government officials regarding what kind of constitution to establish).
Furthermore, Japan's territory had greatly expanded. The Pacific islands, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, and North America had become Japanese colonies and were undergoing further development (moreover, Japan's vassal state, the Ryukyu Kingdom, was developing Taiwan and the Amami Islands as part of its territory).
Regarding foreign relations, Japan had severed diplomatic ties with Ming China and the Joseon Dynasty (Korea). In practice, there was an ongoing state of conflict, but Japan had chosen to engage in naval non-regular warfare without attempting a land invasion. This strategy allowed Japan to secure maritime superiority.
Last year, after the passing of Emperor Go-Nara, the Ming Dynasty learned of the enthronement of Emperor Ōgimachi and sent an envoy to appoint the Emperor as the King of Japan and order him to suppress the pirates, but the Japanese government was furious and sent the envoy back. The envoy had shown an obvious display of the Chinese belief in superiority by saying, "It is arrogant of the Eastern Barbarians to refuse the Imperial Decree appointing them as the King of Japan and rejecting the order to suppress the pirates." However, the official of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Takamoto Mōri, retorted that if that were the case, the Ming military should invade Japan, and they would retaliate in kind. After that, the envoy left in silence.
On the other hand, Japan had established an equal alliance with the Ottoman Empire, and they had signed treaties of alliance with Siam (Thailand), the Sultanate of Malacca, the Kingdom of Kandy, and other countries, where Japan held the upper hand. Furthermore, Japan had signed treaties of amity and commerce with various countries in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and East Africa. Due to these relations, Japanese merchant ships were frequently traveling from the North Pacific to the Indian Ocean, bringing immense wealth and profits to Japan.
As for relations with European countries, Japan and Portugal were archenemies. However, at this point in 1562, Portugal's influence in the Indian Ocean and North Pacific had been eradicated after the war with Japan. Portugal was now preoccupied with maintaining its presence in its home country and Brazil. Additionally, Catholics and Protestants had been excommunicated by the Eastern Orthodox Church, which Japan supported through the Council of Constantinople. Japan used this as a pretext to declare Catholicism and Protestantism as heretical religions.
With this background, the current situation was that Japan was waiting for an opportunity to launch an invasion operation against the Spanish colonies in Central and South America. Shoichi Kamisato was considering the future of his family in light of these circumstances.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2
In the spring of 1562, Nobunaga Oda declared, "We will officially create the Imperial Japanese All Labor Union (Dainippon Teikoku Zenrōren)."
He took a leave of absence from the India Company and traveled around various regions of Japan. The All Labor Union was gradually expanding, with one being formed in Nōbi, Nobunaga's original birthplace, after Osaka, followed by Edo. Additionally, one was also being formed in Chikuhō, and preparations were underway to establish one in Kamaishi, which housed the largest steel mill in this world, in the spring of 1562. Considering these circumstances, Nobunaga traveled around Japan with the goal of creating the Imperial Japanese All Labor Union, which would encompass all of these regional unions.
However, there was another reason why Nobunaga was traveling extensively across Japan.
"I just don't want to marry off my sister, so I'm running around like this, not acting like a man."
Nobunaga's wife, Yoshiko, recently gave birth to their eighth child, and she was struggling with child-rearing while being frustrated by her husband's reluctance to return home. Her confidante and quasi-mother-in-law, Ōochi, listened to her complaints and replied, "You're absolutely right."
By the way, Ōochi was the wet nurse of Nobunaga and the mother of Tsuneoki Ikeda. For Nobunaga, who had a poor relationship with his biological mother, Dota Gozen, she was like a surrogate mother (furthermore, Ōochi was also a concubine of Nobunaga's father, Nobuhide Oda, and she gave birth to Nobunaga's half-sister, Eiko. From that perspective as well, she could be seen as a mother figure to Nobunaga).
Ōochi heard about the challenges that Nobunaga and Yoshiko faced with raising their large family and decided to help. She traveled from Owari to Osaka, lived close to Nobunaga and Yoshiko, and assisted with child-rearing. Moreover, Nobunaga also appointed her son, Tsuneoki, as the secretary-general of the Osaka All Labor Union. Because of these actions, Nobunaga saw Ōochi as a reliable presence in both his public and private life. Nobunaga and Ōochi had become close, but there was a reason why this wife and mother-in-law (?) relationship became a subject of complaint.
"Uh, when will Nobunaga-dono return?"
Once, when Nagamasa Azai came to propose marriage to Oichi, thinking that he was like a father figure to her, he found Nobunaga absent, wasting Nagamasa's trip.
The reason why Nagamasa and Oichi had become close was that Yoshiko taught Oichi Arabic, and with that language knowledge, Oichi was employed at the India Company as an Arabic interpreter, thanks to Yoshiko's connections. Then, as coworkers, Nagamasa and Oichi became acquainted, and Nagamasa proposed to Oichi, which she accepted. However, the important thing was that Nobunaga, the head of the Oda clan, had not given his permission for their marriage (Hisamasa, the Azai clan head had already given his approval).
Working together, Yoshiko and Ōochi suggested to Nagamasa and Oichi, "Why don't you just elope? I'll convince Nobunaga."
But Nagamasa declined, saying, "If we do that, it will only make things worse in the future," and Oichi agreed with him. As a result, the matter remained deadlocked.
However, Yoshiko, annoyed by this situation, decided to exploit her position as Shoichi Kamisato's adopted daughter. She recently obtained a transfer order for Nagamasa and Oichi to the Alexandria branch of the Ottoman Empire's territory of Egypt, and she had Shoichi deliver the order to them. Then, she informed Nobunaga about it.
"Will he come back?"
"He will return."
Now, Ōochi and Yoshiko exchanged wicked smiles amidst their child-rearing duties. In reality, Nobunaga found himself in a dilemma. If he returns, he would be berated by his wife and surrogate mother, and he could foresee the future where he would have to approve his sister's marriage.
"Damn that Demon King of the Sixth Heaven!" Nobunaga spat.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3
In the early days of 1562, during the New Year holiday, Katsutoshi Kamisato visited the Honganji temple in Kyoto. Of course, his purpose was to meet with his birth mother, Eikenni, who warmly welcomed her son and invited him to the tea room, where she served him tea.
"This tea is of excellent quality."
"Do you know what kind of tea it is?"
"It's black tea, isn't it?" Katsutoshi replied.
Upon hearing his answer, Eikenni began to speak without specifying whom she was addressing.
"According to the Imperial forces' knowledge, the tea trees that produce high-quality black tea are said to be located in the northeastern part of India (Tianzhu). I'm not asking you to go search for them right away, but would you consider going to look for them sometime?"
Katsutoshi responded to his birth mother's words, "Certainly, it's not possible right away. A major war is about to break out."
"A war?" His mother frowned at her son's answer.
"Yes, in the Americas," Katsutoshi said, averting his gaze from his mother.
In the Americas, he had two half-siblings, from his perspective, and a daughter and son that caused concern for his mother. The two were Kazuko Takeda (Kamisato) and Dōhei Kobayakawa (formerly known as Masamichi Kamisato after becoming an adopted son). Although they should be fine, he hoped that they would not be affected by the war.
Eikenni sighed and said, "Can't the war be stopped?"
"There is no turning back now. All of Japan is eager to go to war with Spain. And Spain is also preparing for war. It's now a matter of who will draw their swords first, or rather, who will be the first to fire the first shot," Katsutoshi spoke with a somewhat gloomy tone.
"I see," Eikenni responded briefly, then turned her gaze away from her son and opened the sliding door of the tea room, looking out into the garden.
In response, Katsutoshi also looked out into the garden. Between mother and son, a moment of silence passed.
"You know that I detest war."
"Yes," Katsutoshi answered briefly to his mother's question.
His biological father, Sakchai, was euthanized by Shoichi Kamisato, who became Katsutoshi's adoptive father and the biological father of Kazuko and Dōhei. Although Eikenni understood logically that it was unavoidable due to the situation on the battlefield, there were times when her emotions still couldn't be suppressed, or so Katsutoshi thought. That was also why Eikenni hated war.
"If the war cannot be avoided anymore, then there's nothing we can do. There are followers of Honganji in North America, including the Shimotsuma clan. I will tell Ken'nyo-dono to instruct the followers of Honganji in North America to fight for self-defense or cooperate with the Japanese military if necessary, for the sake of their children."
After Katsutoshi's short answer, Eikenni said, "Thank you."
That was the true purpose of his visit. As the representative director of the India Company and through his connections with Imperial forces personnel, Katsutoshi was privy to various confidential information. If the Japanese military were to fight in North America, the active cooperation of Japanese residents in North America, particularly those of Honganji followers, would be practically indispensable in the rear area of the battlefield. Because of this, Shoichi sent Katsutoshi to meet with Eikenni and request covert cooperation from the numerous Honganji followers in North America.
Eikenni, too, seemed to sense Katsutoshi's purpose for visiting, given the current state of affairs, and she hinted at the possibility of war in North America by serving black tea. However, Katsutoshi directly declared that it would be impossible. With the situation having reached this point and Ken'nyo having come of age, while she was released from her role as a guardian, Eikenni felt obligated to discuss the situation in North America with Ken'nyo and request instructions to be given to the followers in North America.
Eikenni felt a heavy burden as she realized this.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You might say that it is strange to serve tea in a tea room in a story. Please let me say that it is for a semi-clandestine conversation between a mother and her son.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4
Such feelings and actions of his birth mother and half-brother were completely unexpected for Kazuko Takeda and Dōhei Kobayakawa (formerly known as Masamichi Kamisato), who were in North America. The siblings had been actively exchanging letters with each other for quite some time. They would receive each other's letters and quickly reply without delay. However, there were reasons for this.
"You seem to be very eager in exchanging letters with your younger brother Dōhei-dono," said Kazuko's husband, Yoshinobu.
"Are you jealous of my own brother?"
"It's not that. I'm just a little surprised"
Internally, Kazuko felt a bit of remorse. Indeed, her husband might have reasons to be jealous. They exchanged letters three or four times a month, and even before receiving each other's replies, they would already be writing their next letters to each other. But she has her own reasons for doing so, Kazuko thought.
Kazuko faced Yoshinobu again and said in a hushed voice, "It seems unavoidable that Japan and Spain will go to war."
"Well, I suppose."
Kazuko and Yoshinobu were in Oregon, North America, and it was unlikely that they would be directly involved in the war. However, that did not mean they could be indifferent to the impending war between Japan and Spain, which was likely to take place in the main battlegrounds of South America.
Furthermore, as Kazuko is the sister of Ken'nyo Honganji, she is implicitly regarded by many Honganji priests and followers in North America as the de facto leader of the sect in this land (this compounded by the fact that mainland Japan and North America are so far apart that to some extent Honganji must operate autonomously on North America. It was practical to make judgments locally to some extent and only seek approval from Honganji afterward). Nevertheless, Kazuko was still Ken'nyo's senior sister, and unless she acted as such, those around her would not see her as such.
Ironically, Kazuko herself had proactively acted like a de facto leader, saying, "I am Ken'nyo's senior sister," and had recently taken the initiative in negotiations with the Hokkeshū Fuju-fuse-ha, reaching an agreement of mutual non-interference in their respective missionary activities to prevent conflicts (of course, this was also due to the fact that Kazuko is also the sister-in-law of Tadaie Ukita, an important figure among the Hokkeshū Fuju-fuse-ha followers. Hokkeshū Fuju-fuse-ha also accepted the agreement, seeing it as something that both Kazuko and Tadaie had put together). This was why Kazuko found herself in a situation where she needed to act.
"As the war with Spain approaches, I, as a Japanese person, cannot afford to not actively cooperate," Kazuko said, looking into her husband's eyes.
Kazuko's biological father was Shoichi Kamisato, but there was the reality that Shoichi had once said, "Coming to this world made me realize. I am not Japanese; I am Okinawan, Ryukyuan."
Furthermore, her birth mother was Eikenni, also known as Pricha, a Thai.
Given these family circumstances, Kazuko received an education as a Japanese person in elementary and girls' schools. However, she also felt the need to behave like a Japanese person, or else she might face resentment from those around her. That was why Kazuko saw this opportunity to actively cooperate in the war against Spain as a chance to prove that she was Japanese in her heart.
"If we actively cooperate, Japan itself will surely show gratitude and reward us," Kazuko thought and told Yoshinobu.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5
However, both Kazuko and Dōhei were not purely selfless in their intentions. Like his sister, Kazuko, Dōhei also believed that the outbreak of the war between Japan and Spain in North America was inevitable. He intended to cooperate as a Japanese person, but at the same time, he naturally sought to secure their own interests.
Of course, there were differences in the circumstances between Dōhei and his sister.
Kazuko came to North America with the determination to dedicate herself to this land, but Dōhei was there because he received orders from the India Company, his employer. Probably, in a few years after the end of the war with Spain, he would leave North America as informed by his father, Shoichi Kamisato, who was also the representative director of the India Company. Therefore, from Dōhei's perspective, he was just being temporary in North America.
By the way, Dōhei was currently in New Orleans (more precisely, he was near the mouth of the Mississippi River). And there, various people had gathered.
"Dōhei-dono, have you received a letter from your elder sister?"
"Yes, as usual, she wrote to cooperate with the Matsudaira clan as much as possible. She also wrote that if there is anything we need, we should not hesitate to ask. Furthermore, she told the Hokkeshū monks that regarding missionary activities among the indigenous people, it's a first come, first serve basis."
"That's only natural," Rairen Shimotsuma responded as he exchanged words with Dōhei.
Rairen Shimotsuma was a key figure in military matters when it came to Honganji's missionary activities in North America. It was almost inevitable for conflicts to arise between followers and non-followers when conducting various missionary activities. Of course, followers of Honganji (and other Shinshū monks) and the Hokkeshū tried to resolve conflicts peacefully to avoid causing resentment in their missionary activities. However, they were not hesitant to fight back if violence was used against them. Even more complicated was the competition between the Honganji and the Hokkeshū in their missionary activities among the indigenous people, leading to conflicts in this regard as well.
Regarding this issue, Kazuko was negotiating with the Hokkeshū, proposing that the one who performs missionary activities first in each indigenous village should have priority. Both sides of the Honganji and Hokkeshū sects were gradually accepting this proposal to avoid getting bogged down in disputes.
While they were discussing this, Dōhei had another visitor.
"Kiyonaga Kōriki-dono, I've come to see you. After all, I am just an employee of the India Company, and my position is humble."
"No, no, if you, the younger brother-in-law of Nobunaga Oda-dono, who is a close friend of our lord Motoyasu Matsudaira, were summoned, I would be scolded by my lord."
"Is Zenkei Tasaka doing well?"
"Yes, thanks to your lending him to me, he has been very useful."
"I am sorry to hear that I lent him to you. Shimotsuma-dono is looking at me with a confused look."
"Haha, it's fate for Sandayū to struggle with our lord's unreasonable demands. But it's not necessarily a wrong word."
"My father also told me to do my best."
They exchanged words with each other.
As of 1562, the Matsudaira clan and the India Company were collaborating to construct a military-civilian dual-purpose port city that would connect New Orleans with the Mississippi River and the Caribbean Sea. If successful, this project would facilitate the coordination between inland water transport on the Mississippi River and maritime transport on the Caribbean Sea, greatly promoting Japan's colonial development. Many colonists were cooperating with this endeavor.
"In terms of military matters, Shigetsugu Honda and Masashige Mukai are cooperating to make steady progress, and in civilian matters, Zenkei Tasaka's cooperation is helping us make progress as well. In a little while, we will be able to build an ocean-going ship, albeit a sail-powered one."
"I'm looking forward to that."
"Yes."
The conversation between Kiyonaga and Dōhei was lively.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This concludes the Prologue, and the next chapter will begin the main story.
- Yamaga