TAIKO: AN EPIC NOVEL OF WAR AND GLORY IN FEUDAL JAPAN

got out first and, going over to the old lady's palanquin, took her hand. When she glanced at the face of the samurai who had quickly placed straw sandals at the old woman's feet, she saw that it was Hideyoshi.

Deeply moved and with no time to say a word, Nene greeted her husband with a quick glance.

Taking her son's hand, the old lady pressed it to her forehead reverently and said, 'As the lord of a castle, you are much too gracious. Please don't be so solicitous in front of your retainers.'

'I'm relieved to see that you look so healthy. You tell me not to be solicitous, but, Mother, my very own Mother, I did not come out to greet you today as a samurai. Please don't worry.'

The old lady stepped out of the palanquin. The other samurai had all prostrated themselves on the ground, and she felt too dazed to walk.

'You must be tired,' Hideyoshi said. 'Rest here for a little while. It's no more than a league to the castle.' Taking his mother by the hand, he led her to a stool under the eaves of a house. The old lady sat down and gazed at the autumn sky that spread above the solid yellow line of ginkgo trees.

'It's just like a dream,' she whispered. The words made Hideyoshi reflect on the years. He was unable to feel that this moment was like a dream. He saw very clearly the steps connecting the present reality and the past. And he felt that this moment was a nat­ural milestone in his career.

The following month, after Hideyoshi's mother and wife had moved to Sunomata, they were followed by his twenty-nine-year-old sister, Otsumi, his twenty-three-year-old half brother, Kochiku, and his twenty-year-old half sister.

Otsumi was still unmarried. Long before, Hideyoshi had promised that if she looked after their mother, when he became successful, he would find her a husband. The follow­ing year, Otsumi married a relative of Hideyoshi's wife in the castle.

'They've all grown up,' Hideyoshi said to his mother, looking at the satisfaction in her face. This was his happiness, and his great incentive for the future.

It was late spring. Cherry blossoms fell in profusion from the eaves onto the armrest on which Nobunaga was napping.

“Ah… that's right.' Recalling something, Nobunaga quickly jotted down a note and had a messenger take it to Sunomata. Because Hideyoshi had become the lord of a castle, he was no longer on hand to respond immediately whenever Nobunaga called, and this seemed to make his lord a little lonely.

Crossing the large Kiso River, Nobunaga's messenger delivered the note to the gate of Hideyoshi's castle. Here, too, the spring had passed peacefully, and the flowers of the mountain wisteria swayed in the shade of the artificial hill in the garden. Behind this hill, on the edge of the wide garden, were a newly built lecture hall and a small house for Takenaka Hanbei and Oyu.

The lecture hall was a dojo where Hideyoshi's retainers could practice the martial arts.  With Takenaka Hanbei as their teacher, the retainers were lectured on the Chinese classics in he morning, and vied with one another in techniques of the spear and sword in the afternoon.

Later Hanbei would lecture on the military precepts of Sun Tzu and Wu Chi late into the night. Hanbei applied himself zealously to the education of all the young samurai in order to discipline them in the martial habits and customs of the castle; most of Hideyoshi's retainers were the wild ronin who had once been members of Hikoemon's band.

Hideyoshi knew that he had to work constantly to improve himself, to overcome his faults, and to increase his capacity for self-reflection, and he was determined that his samurai must be made to do the same. If he was to play an important role in future, retainers armed with brute strength alone were not going to be useful. Hideyoshi was anx­ious about this. Thus, along with embracing Hanbei as a retainer, he also bowed to him as his own teacher and looked up to him as his instructor in military science, and en­trusted to him the education of his retainers.

Martial discipline improved greatly. When Hanbei lectured on Sun Tzu or the Chinese classics, men like Hikoemon could always be seen on the listener's platform. The only problem was that Hanbei was not very robust. Because of that, the lectures were can­celed from time to time, and the retainers were disappointed. Today, too, he had exerted himself during the day and said that he was canceling the evening lectures. When evening came, he quickly had the sliding doors of the house shut.

The evening wind from the upper reaches of the Kiso River chilled Hanbei's weak constitution all the more, even though the season was late spring.

'I've laid out your bed inside. Why don't you sleep?' Oyu placed a medicinal decoction next to his desk. Hanbei was reading, his usual occupation when he had some leisure time.

'No, it's not so much that I feel bad. I canceled the lecture because I think a summons may come from Lord Hideyoshi. Rather than preparations for bed, arrange my clothing so that if there is a call, I can go out quickly.'

'Is that it? Is there a meeting in the castle tonight?'

'Not at all.' Hanbei sipped the hot decoction. 'A little while ago when you closed the door, you yourself told me that a boat with a messenger's flag from Gifu had crossed the river, and that someone was coming toward the castle gate.'

'Is that what you're talking about?'

'If it's a message from Gifu for Lord Hideyoshi, there's no limit to what or where this business may lead. Even if I'm not summoned, I can hardly loosen my sash and sleep.'

'The lord of this castle respects you as his teacher, and you venerate him as your lord, so I hardly know whose respect is greater. Are you really so resolved to serve this man?'

Smiling, Hanbei shut his eyes and turned his face toward the ceiling. 'I guess it's finally come to that. It's a frightening thing for a man to be trusted by another. I could never be led astray by the beauty of a woman.' Just as he was saying this, a messenger arrived from the keep. He announced Hideyoshi's request that Hanbei come quickly, and left. Shortly thereafter a page came before Hideyoshi, who was alone in quiet contempla­tion, and made an announcement. 'Master Hanbei has come.'

Hideyoshi looked up from his musings and quickly left the room to welcome Hanbei. The two returned to the room and sat down.

'I'm sorry to have called you here in the middle of the night. How do you feel?'

Hanbei looked squarely at Hideyoshi, who, for his part, was apparently going to treat him as his teacher to the very end. 'This consideration is uncalled for. If you, my lord, speak to me like that, how am I going to be able to respond? Why don't you say something like, 'Oh, it's you, Hanbei'? I think this kind of solicitude toward a retainer is inappropriate.'

'Really? Well, do you suppose this is no good for our relationship?'

'I just didn't think my lord should respect someone like me the way you do.'

'Why not?' Hideyoshi laughed. 'I'm uneducated, and you're quite learned. I was born in the country, and you're the son of the lord of a castle. Anyway, I think of you as my superior.'

'If that's the way it's to be, I'm going to be more careful from now on.'

'All right, all right,' Hideyoshi said playfully. 'We'll gradually become lord and retainer. If I become an even greater man.'

For the lord of a castle, he was going to extraordinary lengths not to stand on his own dignity. In fact, he was willing to stand completely naked before Hanbei in terms of his own foolishness and ignorance.

'Well, then, why did you summon me, my lord?' Hanbei asked politely.

'Oh, yes,' Hideyoshi said, suddenly recalling the object of their meeting. 'I've just received a letter from Lord Nobunaga. This is what it says: 'With a little leisure, I've suddenly grown bored even with the prize of Gifu. The wind and clouds are peaceful, and I would like to look at them once again. The beauties of nature have still not become my friends What shall we do about this year's plans?' How do you suppose I should answer it?'

'Well, the meaning is clear, so you should be able to answer it with a single line.'

'Hm. I understand it, but how could I answer it in a single line?'

'Be a friendly neighbor; make plans for the future.'

''Be a friendly neighbor; make plans for the future'?'

'That's it.'

'Hm. I see.'

'I suspect that Lord Nobunaga is thinking that, having taken Gifu, this year is the time to put his internal