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

As for the Aki Takeda clan, although its reputation is not as good as that of the Kai Takeda clan, its relationship with the latter can be said to be inextricable. From a certain perspective, it is also the link between the Kai Takeda clan and the Wakasa Takeda clan.

As early as during the "Genpei War", the Takeda family raised the banner of overthrowing the Heike family. Takeda Nobuyoshi's "Kai Genji" was listed as one of the major forces at the time, along with Minamoto no Yoritomo's "Kamakura Genji" and Kiso Yoshinaka's "Shinano Genji".

During the Kamakura shogunate period, Takeda Nobumitsu was granted the title of guardian of Aki Province for his military achievements during the Jōkyū War, and the main branch of the Takeda family moved to Aki Province.

During the Nanbokucho period, Japan was in turmoil again. At that time, the guardian of Kai Province was the Ishiwa Takeda clan, a branch of the Takeda family. However, the Ishiwa Takeda clan supported the Kamakura shogunate during the civil strife and thus fell into decline.

Ashikaga Takauji did not want the Kai Takeda clan to weaken, so he appointed Takeda Nobutake, who was from the direct line of the Takeda clan and the Aki Takeda clan, to return to Kai Province and serve as the guardian of Kai. Takeda Nobutake was the ancestor of the Kai Takeda clan in the Warring States Period.

In 1362, Takeda Nobutake died and the position of Kai Shugo was inherited by Takeda Nobunari, while Nobunari's younger brother Takeda Ujinobu inherited the position of Aki Shugo (he was dismissed by the shogunate a few years later and later demoted to a branch county Shugo).

In 1440, Takeda Nobuyoshi, the great-grandson of Takeda Ujinobu and the fourth head of the Aki Takeda clan, was appointed as the guardian of Wakasa for his achievement in killing the rebel Isshiki Yositsugu, and became the ancestor of the Wakasa Takeda clan.

Takeda Nobuyoshi's fourth brother, Takeda Mototsuna, stayed in Aki and continued the Aki Takeda clan as the magistrate of Aki branch county until the current head, Takeda Mitsukazu.

At that time, there was a saying that people inferred that Takeda Ujinobu might be the legitimate son and Takeda Nobushige might be the illegitimate son based on the fact that the Aki Takeda clan (later the Wakasa Takeda clan) had inherited the official name "Izu no Kami" of Takeda Nobumitsu, and thus concluded that the direct line of the Kai Genji and Takeda clan should be the Ujinobu line, which is the later Wakasa Takeda clan.

Of course, it is a bit too early to say this now. In short, the current Kai Takeda clan and Wakasa Takeda clan both came from Aki, and Aki is as important to the Takeda clan as Kai.

It was also because of this that when Yoshishige and Takeda Motomitsu received the secret report from Takeda clan in Aki, they attached great importance to it, and immediately wrote back and invited them to send someone to the Takeda clan's house for a talk.

On July 6, after a long journey, Mitsukage Kagawa and his party arrived at the castle town of the Takeda clan's mansion.

Everyone had imagined in their minds that this place would be different from Aki, but after seeing it with their own eyes, they were still amazed: the rows of shops, the wide variety of goods, the bustling crowds, all demonstrate the prosperity and wealth of this place.

Under Yoshishige's personal arrangement, Mitsukage Kagawa and others stayed in the most luxurious inn in the town, where they enjoyed unprecedented meticulous service and thoughtful treatment.

Since the meeting was scheduled for the next morning, the group took a bath, had a good meal and a few drinks, and then went to the castle town to wander around.

Looking at the various people on the street, selling different goods and speaking different dialects, Kagawa Mitsuki sighed: "When Lord Motonobu passed away, I came to Wakasa. At that time, the Takeda family mansion stood alone at the foot of the mountain, with only a few houses around it. It was not as prosperous as the castle town it is today."

"I just heard from those merchants that the castle town of Obama Port is more prosperous than here. Not only are there goods from all over the country, but there are also rare items shipped from the Ming Dynasty. If we have time, we can go and take a look." A samurai said excitedly as he looked around at the lights and the bustling life here.

Hearing the samurai's words, Kagawa Mitsuki's face immediately fell: "Do we have time? Do we still have time? Don't forget what we are here for."

Upon hearing this, the samurai immediately bowed and apologized to Kagawa Mitsukage: "It is my fault for not knowing the difference between the important and the minor. Please punish me!" "Forget it," Kagawa Mitsukage waved his hand, "The reason why I took you to the street is, on the one hand, to experience the local customs, and on the other hand, I also want to understand the Wakasa Takeda clan, especially the reputation and prestige of the local Takeedon, so that we can have a better idea when we meet tomorrow."

As he spoke, Kagawa Mitsuki walked up to a vendor selling kelp, looked at the various kelp products on the stall, and said with a smile, "Boss, business is booming."

"Thanks to you." The vendor thought he had some business and greeted him with a smile: "What do you want? I'm about to close the stall, so I'll give you a discount."

"I'd like to ask, is the boss a local? Are there many locals doing business around here?" Mitsuki Kagawa asked casually while pinching some kelp.

"I'm not a local," the vendor replied with a smile, "I moved here from Sanjuminato (located in Mutsu Tsugaru County). Most of the vendors in this place are from other places. Judging from your accent, you are not locals either, right?"

"We are from Aki," Kagawa Mitsuki answered, and then asked another question: "I heard that Sanjuminato is also a big port. Why did you come here from so far away?"

"This place has a better geographical location than Jusanminato, with more sources of goods and trade routes, and tax reductions. The public security is also very stable. It is no exaggeration to say that this is the best castle town in Japan. I think it is even better than Hakata and Sakai Port."

The vendor's words aroused Kagawa Mitsuki's interest: "How come there is a tax reduction?"

"That's not the case," the vendor said, reciting all the previous taxes. "Before in Sanjumiao, you had to pay market fees to open a business in Uozha, pay land fees (rent) to set up a stall, pay customs fees to pass through various checkpoints, and so on. In short, it was a very large expense. But in Wakasa, you don't have to worry about these."

"You mean, all these taxes are exempted in Wakasa?" Mitsukage Kagawa asked in surprise.

"How can it be completely free?" The merchant smiled, "But after Wuwei Palace implemented the 'Leshi Lezuo', it did reduce a lot of exorbitant taxes. For us, this place is simply a paradise for merchants!"

"'Rakuichi Rakuza'? A paradise for merchants?" Kagawa Mitsukage was both puzzled and shocked by this unfamiliar term and the merchants' high evaluation of Wakasa. He hurriedly asked the merchants what "Rakuichi Rakuza" meant.

The vendors realized that these people were not here to buy anything, and their enthusiasm waned. In order to get rid of them quickly, they briefly explained the policy of "Leshi Lezuo" and then said that they were going to close the stall and asked them to look elsewhere.

Although he only learned a little bit from the vendors, Kagawa Mitsuki still admired the proposal and promotion of "Rakuichi Rakuza". He said to the samurai beside him: "On our way here, we saw the Land Inspection Commissioner conducting a land inspection of the entire territory. Here we learned about 'Rakuichi Rakuza'. It can be seen that this Wueiden has extraordinary courage."

"Yes, these policies, let alone their implementation, are something I wouldn't even dare to think about under normal circumstances. But now, they have become a reality in the territory of the Wakasa Takeda clan." A samurai expressed this sincerely.

"Perhaps this is why Wuweidian has achieved such success today." Kagawa Mitsuki said to himself with a serious expression: "I'm afraid tomorrow's meeting won't go so smoothly." (End of this chapter)