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

Chapter 141: The Fu Ship Arrives at Port
Time flies and it is June. Summer is coming quietly. The sea breeze with a light salty smell blows over Wakasa Bay. The sun shines through the clouds and sprinkles on the sparkling sea, twinkling like stars. Groups of seagulls fly low in the sky, their cries are crisp and melodious.

Outside Obama Port, numerous large and small ships slowly passed by, leaving long trails. On the dock, the sounds of loading and unloading goods and the calls of the waiters were heard one after another, which seemed busy and orderly. The fish clocks around the port and the rows of stalls selling seafood exuded a strong seafood smell, attracting passing merchants and people to stop and buy.

"Kosuke, be careful when you move it. Those dozen baskets of bonito over there are reserved for Lord Imai. Don't get them mixed up."

I saw a middle-aged woman with a strong build and dark skin, a white scarf wrapped around her head and leg bandages. She was directing the waiters to unload the newly arrived seafood from the boat, while carefully reminding them that she was afraid that the waiters would mix the newly arrived mackerel with the bonito that had been prepared earlier.

"Madam, our boss has made a great harvest this time. Look, our stall is almost full!" The guys said with a smile as they were carrying the seafood, thinking that their wages would increase again at the end of the month.

The lady boss was also smiling happily at this moment, her voice was loud and clear: "Don't think that there is almost no room now. Once the merchant ships coming from the south and the north dock, they will be snatched away in a short time. You should be quick, or you will definitely get paid at the end of the month!"

"Okay!" The guys worked even harder when they heard this, shouting as they unloaded baskets of seafood from the boat. Such scenes can be seen everywhere in Obama, and the entire port is thriving.

"Madam, are my baskets of bonito ready?" Just then, Hisahide Imai strolled to the dock and looked at the bustling fish market with a look of pride and satisfaction on his face.

"Mr. Imai, you're here! Everything has been prepared for you a long time ago." The proprietress hurried forward and greeted Imai Hisahide, the deputy official of Obama, with a smile.

"Madam, how is business lately?" asked Hisahide Imai with a smile.

"Thanks to you, business is booming!" the proprietress replied with a smile.

"How about compared to before in Mikuniminato (a fishing port in Echizen)?" Imai Hisahide continued to ask.

"Of course this side is better!" the proprietress answered decisively:
"Since Wakasa implemented the 'Rakuichi Rakuza', we no longer have the commission from the zato, so we pay less tax. The customs office has been removed, so more merchants are buying fish. Look at the ships waiting to enter the port, many of them are from Echizen and Echigo. With so many sources of goods and customers, my business is getting better day by day! All this is thanks to you, sir."

"Don't talk nonsense. This 'Rakuichi Rakuza' is not my credit. You should thank His Highness Wu Wei. Without his order, who would dare to rashly implement such a reform?" Imai Hisahide was very satisfied with the proprietress's answer, but still had to make it clear that all this was Yoshishige's credit.

"Yes, yes, thanks to His Highness Wu Wei," the lady boss hastily corrected herself, "Not only on the sea, but now there are fewer customs on the road from Obama Port to Kyoto. Merchants from Kinki now like to come to Obama to buy goods. There are many sources of goods to choose from, the sales are good, and the time spent on the road is greatly reduced. I have never seen a port so busy."

"You are exaggerating," Hisahide Imai said with a smile, "Compared with Hakata in the west and Sakai in Kinki, Obama still has a big gap. But I believe that as long as the 'Rakuichi Rakuza' and the 'North Country Ship' continue to be promoted, Obama will one day be on par with these large commercial ports."

"Thank you for your good words. We will expand our business to Hakata and Sakai in the future. I hope you can help us!" After saying that, the two smiled at each other.

But just as the two were looking forward to a bright future, an officer from the magistrate's office came in a hurry and reported to Imai Hisahide: "Sir, it's bad. The patrol boat reported that several large ships that we have never seen before appeared in the open sea!"

"A big ship that you've never seen before? What does it look like exactly?" Imai Hisahide did not panic, but asked the officer to describe it in detail.

"That ship is as tall as a building, with a pointed bottom and a wide top, a high bow and a high stern, three rudders on the deck, and two masts. Its shape is very different from the ships of our country. I have never seen such a ship before." The officer said in a panic. "As tall as a building... two masts..." Imai Hisahide thought for a moment, frowned and said: "From your description, it seems to be the Ming Dynasty's 'Fuchuan'."

"Have you ever seen this kind of ship?" the officer asked.

Imai Hisahide shook his head: "I have only seen it in books and occasionally heard merchants in Sakai Port mention it, but I have never actually seen such a ship. If it is really a Ming ship, how could it appear in Obama Port?"

Just as everyone was puzzled, another officer came running over in a hurry, panting and reporting to Imai Hisahide: "Sir, the big ship has lowered a small boat, and the people on the small boat asked us to clear the dock and let it dock!"

"Clear the dock? What a boast!" Imai Hisahide asked, "Who got off the boat?"

"I have never met this person, but he said his name is Hirai Toshimasa, and he also said he is Tsuruga's deputy."

"Hirai Toshimasa?!" Imai Hisahide burst into laughter when he heard it: "So it's Jinemon who's back!"

"Does your Excellency know this person?" the officer asked curiously.

"Of course he knows him. He is indeed the head of the main clan, Tsuruga. Hurry up and clear out the largest pier on the west so they can dock!" Imai Hisahide hurriedly arranged for his subordinates to clear the area, and personally went to the Takeda clan's mansion to report to Yoshishige.

When Yoshishige heard that Hirai Toshimasa and his son had finally returned after more than half a year and brought several fortune ships with them, he suddenly became excited while learning kendo with Yamamoto Shigeyuki in the courtyard.

Yoshishige was not interested in swordplay, so he took this opportunity to persuade Yamamoto Shigeyuki to end the training for the day and invited him to go to Obama Port to see the Fukubune.

Fuzhou ship, also known as Fujian ship or Baitan, is a kind of ancient Chinese sailing ship. According to ancient records, Fuzhou ship is "as tall as a city, with a draft of 112 feet", "can sail with favorable wind and tide", "arrows, stones and cannons can be fired from a bird's-eye view, which is a sharp weapon for naval battles".

The "treasure ships" used by Zheng He in his seven voyages to the West in the Ming Dynasty, the warships used by Zheng Chenggong to recover Taiwan, the "ennobling boats" used to ennoble Ryukyu in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and the ships used for southeastern trade and maritime immigration in the early Qing Dynasty all belong to the Fujian ship system.

Although he had heard of the name of the Fukubune a long time ago, Yoshishige never expected that Hirai Toshimasa could actually bring such a huge ship back to Wakasa, and he was very excited.

When he arrived at the dock, it was already crowded with people and noisy. Although it was a hot summer day, both ordinary people and merchants gathered here, eagerly looking at this foreign ship that they had never seen before.

Under the gaze of the crowd, three large and small Fukusen were slowly approaching the dock under the guidance of the sentry boat, cutting through the waves, which was a spectacular sight. Hirai Toshimasa, who had disembarked first, ran quickly to Yoshishige, ready to report to him what he had seen, heard and gained in the past six months overseas.

"Jinemon, you've worked so hard." The three ships in front of him were indeed breathtaking, but as the lord, Yoshishige still suppressed his excitement and said to Hirai Toshimasa in a calm manner, "I've heard that the Ming people are good at building large ships. Seeing them today, they are indeed extraordinary."

(End of this chapter)