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

After finally pacifying Yamana Yutoyo, Takeda Motomitsu continued to lead his troops westward along the San'in Street. Not long after, they entered the territory of Inaba Province.

Since the Aki Takeda clan and the Inaba Yamana clan were both "allies" of the Amago clan on the surface, Yamana Masimichi wanted to play the role of a good host and asked his important retainer Takeda Kuninobu to host a banquet in Tottori Castle first, and then he would hold another banquet in Tenjinyama Castle.

This Takeda Kuninobu has been mentioned before. His ancestors came from the Wakasa Takeda clan, and he was a distant relative of Takeda Motomitsu.

Earlier this year, Takeda Kuninobu, as the commander of the Jindai, led the Inaba Yamana army into Tajima and forced Yamana Suketoyo to cede land and surrender. Although part of the land was finally returned with the mediation of Yoshishige, he still won the trust of Yamana Masimichi with this victory and took on the important task of expanding Tottori Castle as a favorite of the king.

Tottori Castle was originally named Hisamatsuyama Castle because it was built on Hisamatsuyama Mountain. During the expansion of the castle by Takeda Kuninobu, Yamana Makoto changed its name to Tottori Castle.

"Tottori" is a place name, which comes from the ancient name of "Tottori Township, Inaba Province, Emi County" (Wa Ming Sho). The ancient Tottori Township is located in the plain area at the foot of Mount Kusomatsu. According to legend, during the Yamato regime, a tribe called "Tottori Department" made a living by catching swans here, so it was named "Tottori".

Yamana Makoto expanded the city mainly to take advantage of the relatively convenient transportation here to strengthen the governance of the newly acquired western Tajima territory, and also to use the city to assert his authority.

When Takeda Motomitsu and his party arrived at the castle town of Tottori Castle, construction was still in full swing there. However, in order to show his respect for the Takeda family, Takeda Kuninobu still held a grand welcome banquet for the party in the castle lord's residence which had just been completed.

Although the Inaba Takeda clan, to which Takeda Kuninobu belonged, claimed to be descended from the Wakasa Takeda clan, their genealogy was not clear. The family only knew that they had been in Inaba for more than 50 years, but as for who the ancestor was and why he came, there was no way of knowing.

But he was an important official of a country after all. Since he claimed to be from the main family, Takeda Motomitsu could not say anything and could only accept this fact. According to their age, the two of them could temporarily call each other brothers. At the banquet, Takeda Motomitsu also said that he would go back and find out which branch of the Inaba Takeda clan he came from, so as to give Takeda Kuninobu an explanation.

Takeda Kuninobu was very satisfied with Takeda Motomitsu's performance. As the two of them drank and chatted, their relationship became closer. As he became more drunk, Takeda Kuninobu became more outspoken.

"Brother, I heard that a few days ago, Yamana Jinwu also held a banquet to welcome you at the foot of Hefeng City. Compared with mine, which one is more grand?" Takeda Kuninobu asked drunkenly.

"Of course it's my dear brother. However, as solemn as it is, you'd better not drink too much." Takeda Motomitsu could drink a lot, and seeing that Takeda Kuninobu was already a little drunk, he wanted to end the topic quickly and let him go back to rest.

"I'm happy today, so it's okay to drink a few more glasses."

Takeda Kuninobu waved his hand to indicate that he was not drunk, and then continued, "I risked my life to capture Tsurumine Castle. I know that the castle and the town below it have been beaten to pieces. It is really not sincere to hold a banquet there to entertain you, brother."

"Of course, Tsurumine Castle cannot compare to Tottori Castle. With the current strength of the famous families of Tajima Mountain, I'm afraid it will take three to five years for Tsurumine Castle to recover to its original state." Takeda Motomitsu deliberately called the Yamana main family "the famous family of Tajima Mountain" to avoid causing displeasure to Takeda Kuninobu.

"Brother is right. The Yamana family of Tajima is in danger of extinction. How can they afford to rebuild Tsurumine Castle?" Takeda Kuninobu was quite satisfied with Takeda Motomitsu's answer. "Look at Tottori Castle. Although it has not been fully built, the castle town alone is twice as large as Yagi Castle. Humph, I'm afraid that the Yamana Kingo will never be able to make a comeback from now on."

"Insecure?"

Takeda Motomitsu was quick to notice this word, his eyes rolled, and he said indirectly: "After all, we are all members of the Yamana family, and we have already called a truce at the beginning of the year. We should get along well in the future."

"Get along well?"

Upon hearing this, Takeda Kuninobu laughed and said, "When Yamana Kingo was in power, did he ever think about getting along well with our family? Now that our family has finally gained the upper hand, how can we sit back and watch him make a comeback? As for the truce... To be honest, it is just a temporary measure. My lord will not be willing to accept that we cannot get back the two counties of Yangfu and Qiduo."

"Once we lose those two counties, the famous families of Tajima will have nothing left." Takeda Motomitsu said deliberately.

"That's exactly what we want." Takeda Kuninobu said casually, "When the time comes, let my master inherit the position of head of the Yamana clan. As for Yamana Kingo, I will give him some pension and let him live in seclusion."

"The truce was agreed to by Yamana Kingo only because the main family guaranteed it. What you are doing is a little bit..." Takeda Motomitsu already knew the true intention of the Inaba Yamana family at this moment. Although he said only half of his words, his meaning was already very clear.

"Don't worry, brother." Although Takeda Kuninobu was drunk, he could hear the hidden meaning of Takeda Motomitsu's words, and his attitude immediately became easy-going. "After all, this matter is a family affair of the Yamana family. It will not involve the Takeda family. I promise you this."

"Is that so..." At this moment, Takeda Motomitsu has already understood that what Yamana Yutoyo is worried about may become a reality. The Inaba Yamana family will eventually take action against the Yamana main family. Once Yamana Masimichi succeeds, the Amago family will undoubtedly get involved in Tajima. At that time, the Wakasa Takeda clan will directly face the strategic suppression of the Amago family, and the situation on the western front will become extremely bad.

"From now on, everyone will follow the lead of Lord Jungkyu and His Highness Akikyu. I will be frank with you about some things. Just keep it in your mind and don't tell others, especially not to the famous families of Mount Tajima."

Maybe he was sober or he felt that what he said just now was a bit too direct, but Takeda Kuninobu quickly issued a "gag order" to Takeda Motomitsu, asking him to keep the content of their conversation to himself and not reveal a word to outsiders.

"Of course. Don't worry, my dear brother. I will never reveal a word to outsiders." Takeda Motomitsu promised solemnly.

Who would have thought that that night, Takeda Motomitsu wrote a letter and asked the accompanying ninja to send it back to Takeda's mansion overnight to remind Yoshishige to make preparations early.

Takeda Motomitsu, who stayed in Tottori Castle for one night, was worried that the night would be too long and might cause trouble, so he led his group on a journey westward the next morning and arrived at Tenjinyama Castle in the evening of the next day.

Takeda Motomitsu originally wanted to decline Yamana Makotoshi's invitation and hurry to leave Inaba Province, but at Yamana Makotoshi's enthusiastic invitation, he stayed in Tenjinyama Castle for two days, just in time to paralyze Takeda Kuninobu.

But he was obviously overthinking it. After Takeda Kuninobu sobered up, he recalled that some of his words were too explicit, but when he thought that everyone was working for the Amago family, he relaxed his vigilance. Not only did he not increase surveillance on Takeda Motomitsu, but he went to Tenjinyama Castle and brought Takeda Motomitsu two jars of good wine to show his brotherly love.

After bidding farewell to Yamana Masamichi and Takeda Kuninobu, the army crossed the Nagawa Segawa River and soon entered Hoki Province, which was officially under the control of the Amago family. Although during the reign of Amago Nobuhisa, the Amago family's influence had affected eleven provinces including Izumo, Oki, Hoki, Inaba, Iwami, Aki, Bizen, Bitchu, Bingo, Mimasaka, and Harima, he was also called "Yin Yang Taishou" or "Taishou of Eleven Provinces".

But the reality is that the only countries that Amago actually controlled were Izumo, Oki, and Hoki. The other eight countries were mostly formal submissions by the people, and they often rebelled. Therefore, the only three countries that can be regarded as the Amago clan's core base are Izumo, Oki, and Hoki.

Heading west along the San'in Street, on July 25th, Takeda Motomitsu and his companions arrived at Tsukiyama Tomita Castle in Noyoshi County, Izumo Province.

Tsukiyama Tomita Castle was originally the residence of the Izumo Tomita clan. It was first controlled by the guardian Kyogoku clan, and later became the residence of the guardian Dai Amago clan.

The castle spans the vast hills from Gassan Mountain to the Iina River. Its main castle is located on Togetsu Peak, the highest peak of Gassan Mountain, 191 zhang ( meters) above the ground. Due to the steep terrain and the crisscrossing Horikiri Pass, the castle can only be entered from three directions: Sugayaguchi, Mikomoriguchi, and Shioyaguchi. Therefore, it is also regarded as a dangerous castle that is "difficult to attack and impregnable."

Looking at this fortress built on the mountain and towering into the clouds, Takeda Motomitsu couldn't help but sigh: "As expected of him, he is the 'Governor of Eleven States'. This city alone is enough to give us a glimpse of his strength."

Of course, he also knew that the Atago Castle that Yoshishige was building was no less large than this castle, but he still had to be polite. As expected, as soon as these words came out, Kamei Hidatsuna, who came to receive everyone, was very proud. Under his greeting and guidance, Takeda Motomitsu, Takeda Nobumitsu and others climbed the stairs and finally arrived at the palace in Honmaru after a long time.

This Kamei Hidatsuna was the elder of the Amago clan and also a favorite of Amago Nobunaga.

The Kamei family had served the Amago clan since the time of his grandfather Kamei Nagatsuna. Kamei himself performed outstandingly in the Battle of Funaokayama and the pacification of Shioya Okihisa. He also presided over the planning of the plan to support Mori Motonari's half-brother Aia Motonatsuna and to split the Mori clan. Although the plan failed, it was enough to reflect his strategy and status in the Amago clan.

When they arrived at the Honmaru Palace, Takeda Motomitsu, Takeda Nobumitsu, Shirai Kiyotane, Kagawa Mitsukage and others sat on the lower left, Amago Hisayuki, Amago Kunihisa, Amago Makohisa, Kamei Hidatsuna and others sat on the lower right, and sitting at the main seat at the upper seat was the current head of the Amago clan, Amago Akihisa, who was only 26 years old.

"Hoshinji-dono, Your Highness Nobumitsu, my grandfather has been unwell in recent days, so he is unable to attend the banquet. Please forgive me." Akihisa Niwa explained to Motomitsu Takeda.

Considering that Amago Nobunaga was over eighty years old and it was normal for him to be ill, Takeda Motomitsu sympathetically said, "What are you talking about? It is already a bother for His Highness to come and accompany you personally. Iyo no Kami is old and should rest well if he is ill. How dare we trouble him to come and see us again?"

"Thank you for your understanding." Niko Akihisa bowed.

Before this meeting, Akihisa Amago had no stereotypes about the Wakasa Takeda clan. He only learned from Inaba's Yamana Makoto and the retainers stationed in Kyoto that in recent years, under the leadership of the new head of the family, Yoshishige, the Wakasa Takeda clan has repeatedly defeated powerful enemies, swallowed Tsuruga in the east and invaded Tajima in the west, and its sphere of influence has expanded several times, becoming a force that cannot be underestimated in the north of Kinki.

Although he was still a small fry compared to the Amago clan, his position was hard to underestimate. Especially for Akihisa Amago, who wanted to go to Kyoto, maintaining a good relationship with the Wakasa Takeda clan was an important guarantee for the smooth passage of "Mimasaka - Bizen - Harima" to Kyoto.

Therefore, the ambitious and triumphant Akihisa of Niwa was willing to personally entertain Takeda Motomitsu and his party and take practical actions to win over the Wakasa Takeda clan.

Although Takeda Motomitsu was not good at domestic affairs, he was still capable of maneuvering. With a keen political sense, he obviously knew what Akihisa Niwa was thinking. Although he had made up his mind to betray the Akihisa Niwa and make friends with the Ouchi clan, he was now in Izumo and could only play along to avoid Akihisa Niwa noticing.

"We are truly flattered to receive such a grand hospitality from Your Highness," Takeda Motomitsu said politely.

"Yes, I'm flattered, flattered..." The inexperienced Takeda Nobumi followed Kagawa Mitsuki's lead and said the same thing like a chicken pecking at rice.

"Your Highness, how could that be possible." Looking at Takeda Nobumasa's expression, Aki Akihisa couldn't help but feel secretly delighted, thinking that with such a mediocre person as the head of the family, the Aki Takeda clan would be easier to control in the future.

But even though he thought so in his heart, he could only politely say: "Your Highness is traveling west for the sake of the Takeda clan in Aki. As an ally of the Takeda clan in Aki, it is only right for our family to fulfill its duties as a host."

"Thanks to your care over the years, the Takeda family in Aki has been able to survive to this day. I am deeply grateful!" Takeda Motomitsu expressed his gratitude.

After hearing this, Aki Akihisa laughed heartily and said, "Our family and the Takeda family of Aki have been friends for generations, so we should lend a helping hand. This time, His Highness Nobumasa is going to Ginzan Castle to inherit the position of headmaster. From now on, we are considered a family, so please don't be so reserved, Hoshinji-dono."

"How dare I?" Upon hearing the word "family", Takeda Motomitsu understood that Aki Akihisa was indirectly expressing his attitude, that is, he hoped to use the relationship with the Aki Takeda clan to strengthen the ties with the Wakasa Takeda clan.

"We are just a small country, and the Takeda clan is also isolated in a corner. We will still rely on your support in the future." Takeda Motomitsu said politely.

"Okay, okay." Niko Akihisa responded readily, "Our family has now taken over Harima, and we are also bordering yours. From now on, if you need anything, just let us know, and we will do our best."

It seems that Akihisa Amago's words are a gesture of goodwill to Takeda Motomitsu, but in fact he is also reminding him that now that he has extended his hand to Harima, you, the Wakasa Takeda clan, must consider the consequences if you make any unusual moves.

"Then I'll be in your hands from now on, Your Highness." Takeda Motomitsu could of course hear the "hidden meaning" of this sentence, but now that he was in the enemy camp, he could only play dumb and express his gratitude to Akihisa Niwa for his "promise" with a smile on his face.

"Your Highness, please take advantage of the time to have a good rest in the city these days. Once you enter Aki, you will have to be extremely alert." Akihisa Niwa changed the subject and reminded Takeda Motomitsu.

"What do you mean, Your Highness?" Takeda Motomitsu asked.

"To be honest, the current Aki is in chaos because of the Ouchi and Mori families. The people are displaced and everyone is in danger. On your way to Ginzan Castle, you may encounter obstruction from the two families. Please be sure to stay alert, especially the Mori family, who are elusive and good at using shady tricks. Be careful to guard against them." Akihisa Niwa kindly reminded. (End of this chapter)