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

There are dozens or even hundreds of mountains named "Atago" all over Japan. The most famous of them is probably Mount Atago in Kyoto, which is located at the border of Yamashiro Province and Tamba Province and is as famous as Mount Hiei.

Atago Shrine is built on the top of Mt. Atago in Kyoto. The Atago Gongen enshrined there is said to be the Gongen of Katsugun Jizo, a deity born from the fusion of mountain worship, Shinto fire god, and Shugendo. In Japanese Buddhism, it is equivalent to the god of war, the god of fire, and the god of the mountain. Historically, the word "Ai" on the helmet of Naoe Kanetsugu, an important official of the Uesugi family, is said to represent Atago Gongen or "Aizen Myo-o".

Since the Kamakura period, people have been invited to build Atago shrines in various places from the Atago Mountain Hakuunji Temple. Therefore, it is not surprising that there are many "Atago Mountains" in Japan, and along with them, "Atago Castles" are also spread all over Japan.

Therefore, when the site for the new castle was being selected, some retainers suggested giving the new castle a new name, or changing the mountain on which the castle was built, to avoid the name being too "popular".

However, Yoshishige did not care about these. First of all, the site of the castle was carefully selected, and there was no need to change it just because of a duplicate name. Secondly, Atago Gongen was the god of war and fire, which was a very good symbol for samurai, so it was very appropriate to name the castle after a mountain, and there was no need to change the name.

Moreover, Yoshishige believed that even if there were so many "Atagoyama Castles" in the world, when the Takeda clan truly dominated one side and even dominated the world one day, the first thing people would think of would be the Takeda clan's Atagoyama Castle on the shore of Maizuru Bay.

On April 18, Yoshishige held a grand celebration at the castle lord's residence at the foot of Mt. Atago. Yoshishige named the residence "Flying Dragon House" after the "Book of Changes": "Nine-five, flying dragon in the sky, benefiting from seeing great men."

The original meaning of this sentence is "the dragon flying high in the sky is conducive to the emergence of virtuous people to rule the world". It is extended to mean "ascending to the highest position and doing great things". Yi Zhong's ambition and aspiration are self-evident.

The Feilong Pavilion has a deep courtyard, simple and solemn, with winding corridors and high eaves. Inside the main hall, there are carved beams and painted buildings, which are extremely luxurious. Kano Motonobu drew a golden dragon flying in the clouds on the screen facing the door of the hall, which looks energetic, majestic and lifelike, making the guests who come here for the first time can't help but sigh in admiration.

Early that morning, Ukita Hachiro, with excitement, followed Kagawa Morihisa, squeezed through the bustling crowd and walked into the Hiryukan, which was already crowded with people.

Although he had met Yoshishige at Hiryu-kan not long ago and was allowed to officially become a retainer of the Wakasa Takeda clan with an annual salary of 200 koku, Yoshishige had completed his coming of age ceremony at this residence three days ago, and from then on, he officially became a member of Yoshishige's retainer group under the name of "Ukita Naoie".

But it was a private meeting after all, and there was not such a grand scene as today. Therefore, when he was moving among the many guests in their best attire, watching these nobles and the top military officials greeting each other and having a good time, Ukita Naoie's heart began to surge. Thinking about serving the emperor in this city in the future, his eyes were full of admiration and longing.

Following Kagawa Morihisa across the courtyard, he happened to run into Yamamoto Shigeyuki. Ukita Naoie looked up and down at this middle-aged samurai who was wearing an eye patch, had an untidy beard, and walked with a limp, his face full of curiosity.

Yamamoto Shigeyuki also noticed this unfamiliar young face, and asked Kagawa Morihisa with a smile: "Morihisa, who is this?"

"Oh, this is Ukita Hachiro from Bizen, a newly recruited retainer of the lord." Kagawa Morihisa replied, and then introduced Yamamoto Shigeyuki to Ukita Naoie: "This is the military advisor of our family, Yamamoto Shigeyuki, the lord of Tsuruga Kinzan Castle. This residence and the entire Atagoyama Castle were built under his personal supervision." "I am Ukita Hachiro Naoie, and I am honored to meet you, Lord Yamamoto." Ukita Naoie solemnly saluted Yamamoto Shigeyuki.

"Ukita?" Yamamoto Shigeyuki recalled the conversation he had with Yoshishige not long ago, and subconsciously asked, "What is your relationship with Ukita and Izumi no Kami of Bizen Toishi Castle?"

"Izumi-no-kami is my grandfather. Do you know my grandfather?" Ukita Naoie suddenly became interested.

"I don't know Izumi-kami, but I have heard of his bravery. The fact that the Urakami family has been able to dominate Bizen over the years is not unrelated to the fighting of Izumi-kami. It's a pity that he ended up like that. It's really sad." Yamamoto Shigeyuki couldn't help but sigh.

After hearing his words, Ukita Naoie once again recalled his ill-fated childhood and youth, and a sad expression appeared on his face: "My grandfather worked hard for the Urakami family, but was harmed by a traitor. I joined the Takeda family in the hope that one day I can accumulate enough strength to return to Bizen and take back everything that belongs to the Ukita family."

"Yes, you are ambitious, as expected of the descendant of Izumi-no-kami." Yamamoto Shigeyuki smiled and patted Ukita Naoie's shoulder, nodding solemnly: "Don't worry, I dare to assert that in a few years, you will be able to achieve your wish."

"Thank you for your kind words, sir." Ukita Naoie nodded seriously, "Sir, you are the military advisor of our family, your talents and strategies must be outstanding. I will continue to ask for your guidance in the future."

"You're welcome. Since we are all serving the Takeda family, feel free to tell me if you have any questions or difficulties in the future," replied Yamamoto Shigeyuki.

As the two were talking, Kagawa Morihisa suddenly interrupted and said, "Where are Yonezu Fujizo and Takagi Zenjiro? Didn't they come with you?"

The two people he was talking about were Yonezu Tsujiharu and Takagi Kiyohide. Last year, they followed Sakakibara Nagamasa and Nagasaka Nobumasa to join the Takeda clan. Although they were employed by Yoshishige, considering that they still needed training, he handed them over to Yamamoto Shigeyuki, who taught them swordsmanship, spearmanship, military tactics and castle-building methods. More than half a year has passed in a flash, and it is time for them to go out on a journey.

"Why would these two guys miss such a grand event? Look, they are chatting with Jiulang (Nagasaka Nobumasa) and the others over there." Yamamoto Shigeyuki pointed to the four Mikawa warriors who were chatting excitedly in the crowd not far away, and said with a wry smile: "They have been pent up for the past six months, but they are studying hard. I have already asked the lord for instructions. It is time for them to leave Atago Castle and go out to gain experience."

"Is that so? I also heard that the lord is planning to send young retainers such as Hachiro, Fujizo and Zenjiro to the newly occupied territories for training." Kagawa Morihisa responded, "After all, there are still too few talents in the main family. Otherwise, it would not be their turn to go out to govern a region."

"This is indeed a problem," Yamamoto Shigeyuki nodded in agreement, but then analyzed: "The main reason is that the results of this Western Expedition were too fruitful. In order to maintain and consolidate the results as much as possible, we have to use these young people." (End of this chapter)