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

Although he was the same age as Yoshishige and succeeded the family head only three years later than Yoshishige, as the new head of the Kai Takeda clan, Takeda Harunobu still showed enough attention and respect for Yoshishige in his handwritten letters.

At this time, the name of "Wakasa Bue" had already spread to the East. Not to mention Takeda Harunobu, even Imagawa Yoshimoto, Hojo Ujiyasu, and even Nagao Harukage of Echigo and Satomi Yoshiyasu of Awa had heard that there was such a person in the West:
At the age of seventeen, he suppressed the "Miyagawa Rebellion" and succeeded the precarious Wakasa Takeda clan as head of the family;
At the age of 18, he defeated Asakura and Isshiki, seized Ogun Tsuruga and Tango Province, and was promoted to the shogunate companion. From then on, the name "Wakasa Bue" began;
At the age of 19, he suppressed the "Isami Rebellion", completely controlled Wakasa, defeated the famous Yamana clan, and seized the land of East Tajima;

At the age of 20, he invaded Inaba, Harima, and Mimasaka at the same time, destroyed the Inaba Yamana clan, and expanded the territory of the Wakasa Takeda clan to the seven provinces of Sanin, Sanyo, and Hokuriku. The koku of the clan reached nearly 570,000 koku (actually 600,000 koku).

In just three years, the Wakasa Takeda clan developed from a poor and weak daimyo to a powerful force dominating the western part of the country. No wonder after accepting Takeda Shingen this year, Imagawa Yoshimoto wrote to Takeda Harunobu and mentioned:
"Kyōshō (Takeda Shingen) is often called the 'Tiger of Kai', but in my opinion, Wakasa Takee, who is in the west, is an even more fierce tiger. His strategy, courage, talent, and virtue are even better than Kyōshō's. He can be called the 'Tiger of Wakasa'."

From then on, the name "Wakasa no Tiger" spread throughout Japan, just like "Wakasa Bue", so much so that Yoshishige himself later created a tiger-shaped monogram as his own symbol.

However, in his letter to Yoshishige, Takeda Harunobu still addressed Yoshishige with the respectful title "Wakasa Takee". The letter was written with beautiful words, quotations from classics, and sincere expressions, and it was obvious that the writer had put in a lot of effort.

The main contents of the letter are two: one is to express gratitude to Yoshishige for taking care of Takeda Nobuharu, and hope to go to Tango one day to thank him in person; the other is to briefly introduce the changes in the Kai Takeda clan, stating that he has officially become the head of the Takeda clan, and hopes to continue to develop relations with the Wakasa Takeda clan, strengthen the ties between the two families, and work together to revitalize the Takeda clan.

In response to Takeda Harunobu's sincere statement, Yoshishige reciprocated by immediately expressing his position to Anayama Nobutomo and asking him to write a letter himself and pass it to Takeda Harunobu on his behalf.

At the same time, he also expressed his gratitude to the retainers of the Takeda clan who took the trouble to travel back and forth between the two places, and solemnly promised everyone that the Wakasa Takeda clan was willing to strengthen ties with the Kai Takeda clan. The implication was to tell Anayama Nobutomo and others that he recognized Takeda Harunobu as the new head of the Kai Takeda clan.

After receiving Yoshishige's promise and Takeda Nobushige's determination to stay in Tango, the mission of Anayama Nobutomo and others was considered accomplished. After a brief greeting, everyone ended the meeting in joy.

The next morning, Yoshishige asked Kagawa Morihisa to host a farewell banquet for Anayama Nobutomo and others. At the banquet, Takeda Nobushige could not hide his homesickness after all, and asked Anayama Nobutomo to greet Takeda Harunobu and Mrs. Oi on his behalf, and said that when the time was right, he would consider returning to Kai to meet his brother and mother.

Anayama Nobutomo was also very sad when he saw this, and asked Kagawa Morihisa to take good care of Takeda Nobuharu and protect him. Kagawa Morihisa immediately nodded in agreement.

After eating and drinking, Anayama Nobutomo and his party set out on the journey back to Kai. Looking at those familiar figures, Takeda Nobuharu almost cried, but when he thought that his staying in Tango would bring stability to Kai and Takeda Harunobu would secure the position of family head, he had to swallow his bitterness.

On the same day, Takeda Shingen, who was in Suruga, also considered sending someone to Tango. Unlike Takeda Harunobu's intention, he planned to send not an envoy, but a "bodyguard" for Takeda Nobuharu.

After receiving a letter from Takeda Nobuyuki a few days ago, Takeda Shingen was both angry and disappointed. He did not expect that his second son, whom he held in his hands and doted on, would directly refuse his request. Not only was he unwilling to go to Suruga to join him, he also served as a guest general under Yoshishige.

Although he knew that Yoshishige had given the status and treatment to Takeda Nobushige's family, Takeda Shingen, who still maintained the arrogance of the main family, was unwilling to accept it. He immediately wrote a reply to Takeda Nobushige, preparing to urge him to leave Tango and come to Suruga.

However, the tone of this reply was much more soothing. In the letter, Takeda Shingen said that as long as Takeda Nobushige was willing to come to Suruga, the counterattack on Kai could be considered in the long run. He himself was also willing to calm down and talk with Takeda Harunobu to achieve a smooth transition of power and avoid further turmoil in Kai.

In fact, the reason why Takeda Shingen wrote this was not because he gave up the use of force to take back Kai, but because he wanted to use a gentle tone to trick Takeda Nobushige to Sunpu. Once he came to Sunpu, he would have no say. By then, Takeda Nobushige would be a pawn and a cover in his hand to help him win more support in the confrontation with Takeda Harunobu.

How could Hara Toratune, who had followed Takeda Shingen for many years, not be unaware of his plan?

"My lord, what will you do if the stable manager still refuses to come back?" Yuan Huyin asked worriedly.

"If that's the case, then I can't go back to Kai at all." Takeda Shingen said with a sense of loss. He knew that even if some people in the family were dissatisfied with Takeda Harunobu, it didn't mean they would side with him. Most of the retainers and people in the country probably hoped that Takeda Nobuharu would inherit the family business.

If Takeda Nobuharu was unwilling to come to Suruga to be his chess piece, then Takeda Shingen would be in a dilemma with no moves to make. In this case, there would be no possibility of success for him to return to Kai.

"Mino no Kami." Takeda Nobutora suddenly called out to Hara Toratune.

"Ha, I'm here." Yuan Huyin replied.

"Please deliver this letter this time." Takeda Shingen ordered.

"My lord, it's better to arrange other samurai to do the delivery of the letter. I must stay here to protect your safety at all times." Hara Toratune was always worried that Takeda Harunobu would not let Takeda Nobutora go, so he has been accompanying him these days, and except for resting and bathing, they are almost inseparable.

Therefore, when he heard Takeda Shingen's order, he subconsciously raised objections, thinking that protecting Takeda Shingen's safety was more important than delivering the letter.

Unexpectedly, Takeda Shingen was very determined. He shook his head and insisted on his own idea: "You must deliver this letter. If Jiro is unwilling to do as the letter says, you will stay in Tango and take good care of him for me."

"My lord, what do you mean?" Hara Toratune looked at Takeda Shingen with some surprise. "Are you trying to say that if the stable manager is unwilling to leave Tango and come to Suruga, you should let me stay in Tango to protect his safety?"

"That's right," Takeda Shingen nodded slightly, "Jiro is young and inexperienced. I'm really worried about leaving him alone in Tango. Now think about it, among the people around me, you are the one I trust the most. With you by his side, I can feel a little relieved." "But my lord, if I go to Tango, who will protect your safety?" Hara Torayasu asked worriedly.

"I'm an old man who has been exiled. What do you have to worry about? I know what you mean, but think about it. If Taro and his men really wanted to harm me, why would they have gone to the trouble of entrusting me to the Imagawa family and sending me so many generous gifts? Wouldn't they have just arranged for someone to get rid of me at the checkpoint?"

Takeda Shingen's words made Hara Toratune feel a lot more relaxed, but he still suggested to Takeda Shingen: "My lord, how about this, you go to Tango with me. I heard that Muei-den treats all branches of the Takeda clan very well. If you are willing to go, he will definitely treat you with courtesy. Maybe he will even let you continue to command the army and fight on the battlefield."

"I am the head of the Takeda main family. You want me to be a guest general in a branch family? What a joke!" Takeda Shingen rejected Hara Toratune's suggestion very straightforwardly:
"I heard that Takeden was given the name 'Tiger of Wakasa', which shows that he does have some strength. But his Wakasa Takeda family is a branch family after all. To be honest, I already feel it's inappropriate for Jiro to serve his family, and you still want me to work for him too, this is simply ridiculous!"

Seeing that Takeda Shingen was so strongly resisting, Hara Toratune thought that he could not persuade him for a while, so he admitted his rashness to him: "I was not thoughtful enough, please forgive me, my lord."

"Forget it," Takeda Shingen sighed softly, and then said, "It is absolutely impossible for me to serve their family, but when the time is right, I can go to Tango and meet this young 'Wakasa no Tora'."

"My lord, you are also called the 'Tiger of Kai' by daimyo near and far. The East and West Takeda, the East and West Twin Tigers, this can be considered a kind of fate." Hara Toratune said with a smile, aiming to alleviate Takeda Shingen's sense of loss through this connection and comparison.

However, Takeda Shingen was not happy about this: "Wakasa was young and promising, good at making plans and making decisions. After three years in office, he had a territory of nearly 600,000 koku. As for me, I am already a tiger in the wild, power has fallen, and there are only a few close ministers left around me. It is difficult for me to do anything. I am really unworthy of the name 'Kai Tiger'."

"My lord, please don't be sad," Hara Toratune tried his best to comfort him. "After all, it is the young master who inherited the position of family head, not an outsider. You really don't need to be so disappointed. Back then, you suppressed the 'Aburakawa Rebellion' and unified Kai. You sent troops to Shinano to seize Saku and Ogata counties. You were so heroic. Even though you are in a foreign country, you are worthy of the name 'Tiger'."

Needless to say, Takeda Shingen was very pleased with what Hara Toratune said. His expression turned from gloomy to cloudy, and at the same time, a glimmer of light appeared in his eyes: "Yes, I have tried my best over the years... From now on, Taro will have to walk the road by himself."

After that, Takeda Shingen once again reminded Hara Toratune: "This time when you go to Tango, you must try your best to persuade Jiro to come back with you. If he disagrees, you must protect him as meticulously as you protect me. If you have any problems, you can write to me. I guess I will not leave Sunpu for a long time."

Hearing that Takeda Shingen was going to stay safely in Sunpu, Hara Toratune was relieved. He respectfully assured Takeda Shingen, "Please rest assured, my lord. I will take good care of the stable."

In this way, after bidding farewell to Takeda Nobutora, Hara Toratune rushed to Atagoyama Castle with several close samurai.

The journey from Sunpu to Tango is a long one, so Hara Toratane and others first took a boat to Ise, then crossed Kinki to Tamba, and finally entered Tango from Tamba, and arrived at Atagoyama Castle in early September.

The prosperous and wealthy castle town was so beautiful that it was "a riot of colors that dazzled the eyes", which made the samurai from Mount Kai, such as Hara Toratane, amazed and envious.

Before coming here, Hara Toratune thought that Sunpu was one of the most prosperous places in the world, but after just walking around at the foot of Mt. Atago for a while, he changed his mind and had to admit that the prosperity of this place was even higher than Sunpu.

The news of Hara Toratane's entry into the city soon reached Yoshishige's ears. Given his status, there was no need for him to meet a mere retainer, but because he wanted to keep Hara Toratane in Tango for his own use, he made an exception and met him. However, the place where the two met was not at Hiryukan, but at Takeda Nobushige's residence.

This house was one of the several houses that Yoshishige had specially built for important officials to live in when the castle town was built. After Takeda Nobushige officially served the Wakasa Takeda clan, Yoshishige rewarded him with this place and named it "Kaikan" for him.

Compared with other samurai residences, Kaikan is slightly larger in scale. Not only is the main building finely constructed, but even the courtyard is beautifully designed. Takeda Nobushige was very grateful to Yoshishige for being able to have such a residence.

The arrival of Hara Toratane surprised Takeda Nobuharu. Just as Itagaki Nobukata and Amari Torayasu were Takeda Harunobu's mentors, Hara Toratane also cared deeply for Takeda Nobuharu and taught him everything he knew. Although he was not a mentor in name, he was a mentor in reality.

Therefore, after meeting Hara Toratane, Takeda Nobushige became very excited, and the loneliness and loss that remained in his heart after leaving his hometown also disappeared during their conversation.

In Kaikan, in front of Yoshishige, Hara Toratane handed Takeda Shingen's handwritten letter to Takeda Nobuharu. As expected, after reading the letter, the latter decided to stay in Tango and was unwilling to go to Sunpu to get involved in the dispute between his father and brother.

After some persuasion failed, Yuan Huyin sighed helplessly and said, "Since Your Highness is determined not to go to Junfu, then I can only obey the order of the lord and stay here to serve you."

Hearing that Hara Toratune was willing to stay and serve him, Takeda Nobuharu was as happy as a child. He excitedly asked Hara Toratune, "Mino no Mamoru, are you really willing to stay?"

"This is the Lord's arrangement, I must obey." Hara Toratune did not answer directly, but expressed his position to Takeda Nobuharu: "The Lord has told me to ensure your safety. I will never let the Lord down, please rest assured."

"I feel at ease with you by my side." Takeda Nobushige said with a smile.

Looking at this scene, Yizhong secretly rejoiced: "It didn't take much effort this time, and I have recruited another famous general for my family." (End of this chapter)