that.'
“Friend or foe?'
“Friend, of course! Do you think an enemy could have come up this far so easily? Are your guards that careless? If this were some enemy plot, would I be knocking at the gate?'
The man's explanation seemed reasonable. The guard nodded and went to fetch Osaki.
“What is it?' Osaki asked.
“Aree you Commander Osaki?'
“Yes, I am. What do you want?'
“My name is Nomura Shojiro, and I am a retainer of Lord Katsutoyo, presently in the service of Lord Shogen.'
“What business do you have here in the middle of the night?'
“I have to speak to Lord Hayato at once. I know this must sound suspicious, but I have something of great importance that I must tell him immediately.'
“Can't you tell me and let me relay the message?'
“No, I must speak with him in person. As a sign of my good faith, I'll entrust these to you,” Nomura said, removing his swords and handing them through the palisade to Osaki.
Osaki realized Nomura was genuine and opened the gate, then led him to Hayato's quarters. It was a wartime camp, and there was really no difference in the security measures, night or day.
The place Nomura was led to was called the main citadel, but it was really just a hut, and Hayato's living quarters were little more than a board fence.
Hayato came in and quietly sat down. 'What do you have to say?' he asked, looking directly at Nomura. Possibly because of the lamplight shining from the side, Hayato's face looked extremely pale.
'I believe you have been invited to attend a tea ceremony tomorrow morning at Lord Shogen's camp on Mount Shinmei.'
A questioning look burned in Nomura's eyes, and the weird quiet of the night gave a faint shiver to the man's voice. Both Hayato and Osaki experienced an uncanny sensation.
'That's right,' Hayato answered.
'Have you already agreed to attend, my lord?'
'Yes. Since he went to the trouble of sending me an invitation, I sent a messenger back with my acceptance.'
'When did you send the messenger, my lord?'
'About noon today.'
'Then that must be exactly the trick I thought it was!'
'Trick?'
'You must on no account go tomorrow morning. The tea ceremony is a ploy. Shogen is planning to murder you. He has already met with a secret messenger from the Shibata and sent a written pledge to them. Make no mistake, his plan is first to kill you and then to raise the banner of rebellion.'
'How did you find this out?'
'The day before yesterday, Shogen summoned three Buddhist priests from the nearby Shufuku Temple to perform a memorial service for his ancestors. I had seen one of those men before, and he was without doubt a Shibata samurai. I was surprised, and sure enough, after the service, he complained of stomach pains and remained at the camp after the other two had left. He left the next morning, saying that he was returning to the Shufuku Temple, but just to make sure I had one of my retainers follow him. Just as I had thought, he did not return to the Shufuku Temple at all, but instead ran straight to Sakuma Genba's camp.'
Hayato nodded as though he did not need to hear any more. 'I appreciate your warning. Lord Hideyoshi did not trust Shogen nor Ogane, and said that we should be wary of them. Their treachery has become clear. What do you think we should do, Osaki?'
Osaki drew closer and offered his thoughts. Nomura's ideas were considered as well, and a plan was conceived on the spot. Osaki sent messengers to Nagahama.
In the meantime, Hayato wrote a letter and entrusted it to Osaki. It was a short note to Shogen, explaining that he could not attend the tea ceremony because of ill health.
As the day dawned, Osaki took the letter and went to call on Shogen at Mount Shinmei.
The custom of that time was to hold frequent tea ceremonies in camp. Everything, of course, was prepared with simplicity—the tea room was only a temporary shelter with rough plaster walls, reed mats, and a vase containing wild flowers. The purpose of the tea ceremony was to cultivate the inner strength needed to endure the fatigue of a long campaign.
Early that morning Shogen had swept the dewy ground and set the coals in the hearth. Soon Ogane and Kinoshita arrived. Both of them were retainers of Shibata Katsutoyo. Shogen had taken them into his confidence, and they had taken a solemn oath to act with him.
Hayato's late, isn't he?' Ogane commented.
Somewhere a rooster crowed, and the guests both looked nervous. Shogen, however, acted as a host should and stayed perfectly calm. 'He'll be here soon enough,' he said confidently.
Of course, the man they were waiting for never came; instead a page appeared with the letter Hayato had entrusted to Osaki.
The three men looked at one another.
“What about the messenger?' Shogen asked.
The page replied that the man had left immediately upon delivering the letter.
The same anxious look darkened the faces of the three men. No matter how brave they were, they could not feel at ease, knowing that their treachery might have been exposed.
“How could it have leaked out?' Ogane asked.
Even their mumbling sounded like complaints. Now that the plot had been exposed, the tea ceremony was forgotten, and their thoughts turned to making good their own escape. Both Ogane and Kinoshita appeared as though they could hardly bear to stay there a moment longer.
“There's nothing we can do after this.' As that lament escaped Shogen's lips, the other two men felt as though they had been struck in the chest. Shogen, however, glared at them as if he were telling them to keep their heads.
“The two of you should take your men and go as quickly as possible to Ikenohara. Wait there near the big pine tree. I'm going to send a letter to Nagahama. Then I'll follow you right away,'
“To Nagahama? What sort of letter?'
“My mother, wife, and children are still in the castle. I can escape, but my mother and the others will certainly be held hostage if we wait too long.'
“I suspect you're too late. Do you really think there's still time?'
“What am I going to do? Just abandon them there? Ogane, pass me that inkstone there.
Shogen began to run his brush rapidly over the sheet of paper. Just then, one of his retainers came in to report that Nomura Shojiro had disappeared.
Shogen threw down his brush in disgust. 'It was him, then. I've been negligent about that fool for some time. He'll pay for this.'
He glared as though he were giving someone the evil eye, and the hand that held the letter addressed to his wife began to shake.
“Ippeita!' he shrieked.
The man quickly appeared.
“Take a horse and hurry to Nagahama. Find my family and put them on a boat. Don’t even think about saving their possessions; just scull across the lake to Lord Katsuie's camp. I’m relying on you. Go immediately, and don't waste a single moment,' he ordered.
Almost before he finished speaking, Shogen had fastened the bindings on his armor. Holding a long spear, he ran out of the building. Ogane and Kinoshita both quickly gathered their men and went down the mountain.
At about that time the dawn was turning white, and Hayato had sent out his forces. When the men led by Ogane and Kinoshita reached the foot of the mountain, they were ambushed by Osaki. Those who survived the
