Japan's Warring States Period: The Rise of the Wakasa Tiger

Chapter 106 Takeda Navy
Although the offshore pirates entrenched in the Tango Peninsula were eliminated by land and sea operations, the resulting power vacuum in the waters must be filled as soon as possible, otherwise the pirates in the open sea will still pose a threat to the increasingly prosperous Wakasa Bay.

At that time, pirates, police and sailors were collectively called "navy".

Needless to say, the pirates are a relatively independent force that makes a living by extortion, looting passing ships, and collecting protection fees. The most famous one is the Murakami Navy that occupied the Seto Inland Sea.

To put it simply, the Keigoshu are "mercenaries at sea". In order to protect their ships from being attacked by pirates, local forces hire armed maritime forces as guards. Although the Keigoshu and the pirates seem to exist in opposition, their origins may be exactly the same. Many of the Keigoshu are actually pirates hired by powerful families and daimyo, such as Kumano's Kuki Navy.

The sailors were relatively formal, they were completely subordinate to a certain daimyo, or directly served as the daimyo's retainers, and existed as their maritime power. However, it was very expensive to maintain a strong crew, so during the Warring States period, coastal daimyo mostly hired guards and bribed pirates to ensure the smooth flow of waterways.

Yoshishige knew that it would be difficult to achieve long-term peace and stability in Wakasa Bay by relying solely on the police. As the port prospers, the police will have to increase their commissions. If they refuse, they may turn into pirates and rob and extort ships.

Therefore, only by building a navy that is completely under the control of the Takeda family can the safety of Wakasa Bay be protected. Of course, in addition to security considerations, there are also economic factors.

For passing ships, facing the threat of harassment from the navy, they had to pay a variety of customs fees to ensure a safe journey. Among them, there were "Jingguli" paid to the police, "Sailbetsu" (a toll levied according to the size of the ship), "Cargobetsu" (a toll levied according to the type and quantity of goods carried) and "Shangshengli" paid to the pirates.

The so-called "superior fees" refer to the fees paid by merchants to hire pirates to ride with them in order to avoid attacks from pirate accomplices.

For example, the famous Murakami Navy would present the merchant with a "superior flag" signed by the navy chief after reaching an agreement with the merchant. When the merchant ship went out to sea, it would hang the flag on the bow and would not be harassed along the way. After the voyage, the merchant would pay the "superior fee" to the Murakami Navy.

Yoshishige thought that if he had a navy that obeyed his orders, he could provide protection for merchant ships traveling to and from Wakasa for a certain fee.

Unlike the numerous customs fees set by pirates and police, Yoshishige believed that once the Takeda navy completed control of the surrounding waters, the Takeda clan could achieve "one-time fee, worry-free throughout the journey", that is, only need to pay the customs fee to the Takeda clan once to ensure the safety of the ship from entering to leaving the Wakasa waters.

As for the price of this customs fee, Yoshishige thought it should be significantly lower than the customs fees set by the police and pirates. This would not only generate income for the Takeda clan, but also attract ships to dock and rest with preferential taxes, which would help the prosperity of the Takeda territory.

Therefore, after repeated considerations, Yoshishige decided to let Ataka Fuyuki be responsible for the formation of the Takeda navy, and to fully supply the costs required for shipbuilding, recruiting soldiers, and training.

At that time, the naval forces of various countries, including many pirates, carried out maritime activities on small and medium-sized speedboats such as "Kansen" and "Kobaya".

The Guanbune, also known as the "early ship", was the backbone of the naval forces of various countries at that time. It looked like a smaller version of the Atakabune, but the bow had a distinct sharp corner, and a tassel-like fringe usually hung from the sharp corner. The protective measures of the Guanbune were very similar to those of the Atakabune. The ship was generally equipped with 40 oarsmen and could carry 30 soldiers.

Kobaya, meaning "small morning ship", does not have the general quiver for storing arrows that Atakubune and Sekibune have, and its defense is poor. However, it is flexible and fast, so it is mainly used for reconnaissance and sending messages in war. There are usually 20 oarsmen on the ship, which can carry 10 soldiers. Ataku Fuyuki suggested to Yoshishige that a batch of Sekibune and Kobaya could be appropriately built based on the ships of the confiscated Tamba pirates and the existing ships of the Takeda family, but the main energy and funds should be spent on the construction of Atakubune.

As the main battleship of the powerful navy at that time, the appearance of the Atakabune was very similar to the Korean Banwuseon or the Chinese Louchuan, but the hull was built more solidly and sturdily, and accordingly, the movement was slower. The side of the whole ship was covered with a layer of simple thick wooden walls to protect the rowers and samurai, and there were some small gun and arrow holes on the wooden walls. Unlike the Kobaya and Sekibune, the Atakabune was equipped with oars and a huge foldable sail. The ship was generally equipped with 80 rowers and could carry 60 to 100 soldiers.

"My lord, I think we should build at least six Ataka ships." When Yoshiaki was observing the progress of shipbuilding, Ataka Fuyuki gave him sincere advice.

Yoshishige was somewhat caught off guard by Ataka Fuyuki's suggestion: you know, the Hojo clan, the overlord of Kanto, had only ten Ataka ships at its peak, and the Oda navy had only fourteen Ataka ships when it besieged Nagashima.

"Kanjiro, I said I would provide you with enough funds and manpower, but with the current conditions of our family, building six Atakabune ships is too much of a task. Moreover, with the small area under our family's jurisdiction, it seems that so many Atakabune ships are not needed." Therefore, Yoshishige suggested reducing the number of Atakabune ships built to four.

"My lord, our family's waters stretch from Kumihama in the west to Okazaki in the east, covering five important ports: Miyazu, Maizuru, Takahama, Obama, and Tsuruga. It can be said to be very long and narrow.

The pirates were mainly Kohaya and Seki ships, which were flexible and fast. Once they attacked a port or a passing ship, the main family's Ataka ship might not arrive yet, and they would have already finished looting and moved on. In the long run, the main family would not be able to take advantage of its powerful firepower, but would be played around by them.

If the family had six Atakubune, the situation would be greatly improved. At that time, the waters could be divided into five areas according to the location of good ports, and each area could be stationed with an Atakubune, accompanied by a number of Kobane and Sekibune, which would solve this problem well. As for the extra ship, it could be used for both maneuvering and as an offshore patrol ship. After all, the offshore winds are strong and the waves are high, so Kobane and Sekibune would have little use.”

After a long hesitation, Yoshishige finally gritted his teeth and agreed, "Kanjiro, let's do as you say, but I have to control the cost and the quality."

"Please rest assured, my lord," Ataka Fuyuki nodded seriously, pointing to a group of civilians who were building the Ataka ship not far away and said, "Those guys are my old subordinates, they are all good at shipbuilding and naval warfare. When they heard that I came to Wakasa, they followed me. With them around, I promise you that I will complete the task with quality and quantity."

Seeing Ataka Fuyuki's confident look, Yoshishige sighed and thought, "This navy is not something that can be assembled casually."

Fortunately, after the efforts of Ataka Fuyuki and others, the first batch of three Ataka ships were successfully launched in Obama, Miyazu, and Tsuruga in March of 1541. At this time, the Takeda navy had taken shape, including Kobaya ships, Kanbune ships, and three Ataka ships, becoming the leading navy on the northern shipping route.

However, these are all stories for next year. At this moment, in October of the eighth year of Tenbun, Yoshishige is planning a new reform, a reform about land and military.

Sorry everyone, I updated late today because of something else, please forgive me. It took a lot of time to look up information for this chapter, so it may be a bit boring, but it is very helpful for understanding the basic situation of the navy and the subsequent stories.

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(End of this chapter)