The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

Chapter 112 Imperial Martial Arts Competition

On the first day of the first month of the second year of Genki (1571), Nobunaga specifically instructed Mori to bring his family to accompany him to Kyoto.

This was the first year that he was certain he had survived the "Oda encirclement".

With the Asakura and Asai forces destroyed, and not long ago he also besieged and killed Matsunaga, Miyoshi retreated to Awaji and Shikoku. Takeda and Uesugi were unable to fight again in a short time, and Sakai City became Nobunaga's money bag.

He made a point of making this trip to Beijing a grand affair.

After settling his wife and daughter in, Mori arrived at the castle tower in Azuchi.

This Azuchi Castle was built earlier than in history, but the construction was unusually slow. It has been four or five years since construction began, and the three castles have only just been completed.

"How about it, brother-in-law? Pretty impressive, huh!"

Nobunaga led Nagayoshi to the fifth-floor castle tower, the only part of his entire Azuchi design that he had perfected.

Nagayoshi carefully admired the unusual items that Nobunaga had displayed.

"This trip to Beijing needs to be made exceptionally grand, and Monkey has given me a lot of ideas—"

Nobunaga began to ramble on, and Nagayoshi could only nod in response.

"I want the people to believe that the entire Kinai region—including Omi, Yamato, Owari, and Mino—is peaceful and prosperous because of the protection afforded by the unification of Japan by force."

"I'm going to hold sumo wrestling matches, tea parties, Noh performances, and oh yes, kendo demonstrations! A royal duel! You'll definitely be interested in that, right?"

A trial marriage before the Emperor? Isn't that just a performance in front of the Emperor? It's a performance for the product of incestuous marriage, and Nagayoshi has no interest in it.

For the sake of so-called bloodlines, the imperial family engaged in almost exclusively endogamy in its early years. Later, during the Heian period, when the Fujiwara clan held power, the imperial family also largely intermarried with members of the Fujiwara clan.

"What, not interested?"

"My lord, your authority is not demonstrated through mere official titles. Nor does my swordsmanship require performance!"

Nobunaga's attitude changed almost instantly. "This is my order!"

"good----"

"Hmph—let's just hold a competition. There are more and more ronin these past two years, does Tomita Kagemasa know?"

Tomita Kagemasa's elder brother, Tomita Seigen, founded the Tomita School (Nakajo School), but later suffered from an eye disease, handed over the directorship to Tomita Kagemasa, and became a monk.

This school of thought excels at using short swords and is adept at close-quarters combat.

"I've heard of the Tomita school of Echizen."

"He's a ronin now, you'd better beat him properly!"

"Yes."

On the third day of the first lunar month, Nobunaga arrived in Kyoto with half of Oda's senior retainers.

"Changqing, look."

Nobunaga stopped and pointed at Dohyo. Two naked wrestlers were grappling, their muscles bulging, and sweat vaporizing in the winter sun.

The onlookers cheered, but to Changqing, their cheers sounded like deliberate flattery.

Nobunaga laughed and said, "Sumo wrestling is a sacred sport from ancient times, but today it is just a magic trick, allowing the people to enjoy the spectacle. This is called sharing the joy with the people."

Every performance in Kyoto was a display of Oda's power. The common people saw peace, while the court nobles saw majesty.

The Noh performance is in the afternoon.

The people of the Kanzeza set up a stage in the Imperial Palace Garden, where a golden screen gleamed in the sunlight.

Changqing knelt at the end of the table, watching the actors, wearing masks, dance slowly, the faint sound of folk songs drifting in the air.

He couldn't appreciate this bizarre performance; the strange tone was like a summoning of spirits.

When the Noh performance ended, Nobunaga rose and left his seat.

"Tomorrow at 3:45 AM. Don't forget, you must win."

The fourth day of the first lunar month, at Chen time (7-9 AM).

A training ground was temporarily set up on the open space in front of the Kyoto post station.

The venue was covered with white sand, surrounded by bamboo fences. Several rows of seats were set up outside the fences, with an imperial curtain in the center, behind which the figures of high-ranking officials could be vaguely seen.

Dozens of warriors had already gathered on both sides of the seats. Some carried swords, some carried spears, some were elderly men over fifty, and some were young men in their early twenties.

Suddenly, a commotion arose in the crowd.

Changqing turned his head and saw an elderly man with white hair slowly walking into the enclosure. He was dressed in ordinary clothes, walked with composure, had a thin face, and gentle eyes.

Is Kamiizumi Nobutsuna still alive?

"The Sword Saint has arrived—"

"Didn't they say he wasn't going to participate?"

"How could he not come to see such a grand event—"

Amidst the whispers, Nobutsuna Kamiizumi stopped by the fence, nodded slightly, and remained still.

So he was just there to watch the fun?

"The martial arts demonstration begins!"

"Echizen Tomita-ryu, Tomita Keimasa——"

As soon as the order was given, a ronin of about forty years old leaped into the arena.

He was thin with broad shoulders and back, and the veins on his right hand, which was gripping the knife, were clearly visible.

"The Owari-Ashina school, Mori Nagayoshi —"

Changqing took a deep breath, drew his sword, and entered the arena.

The white sand rustled softly beneath his feet. He and Tomita Kagemasa stood three zhang apart, each holding a wooden sword and bowing to each other.

"start!"

Tomita Kagemasa took half a step forward, the tip of his knife pointing diagonally at Changqing's throat.

This is the "middle section structure" of the Tomita style, which seems ordinary but actually contains countless variations.

The blade is slightly curved, ready to deflect an opponent's attack at any time.

Changqing stood with his sword hanging down, the tip almost touching the white sand. This is the most basic "lower stance," and also the stance most easily underestimated.

But the experts present could see that although he appeared relaxed, his whole body was like a fully drawn bow, ready to explode at any moment.

Jing Zheng suddenly took three steps forward, and with a flash of his blade, he aimed straight for Chang Qing's throat!

The strike was swift, but halfway through, Jing Zheng's expression suddenly changed.

Changqing's blade suddenly slashed upwards from the lower part, aiming straight for Jingzheng's wrist! This move was not fancy at all; it was just so fast that no one had time to react, so fast that Jingzheng's "flick" didn't even have time to be executed!

Jingzheng hastily changed his move, his blade shifting slightly, barely managing to parry Changqing's attack.

When the wooden swords clashed, Jingzheng felt a jolt in his hand, and the sword almost slipped from his grasp.

Jing Zheng gritted his teeth, enduring the pain in his hand, and took three steps back.

Changqing did not pursue.

Unexpectedly, when facing such a swordsman, there's no need to even use the ultimate technique.

He remained standing in the same spot, the tip of his knife pointing downwards, having returned to his original posture.

The samurai watching from outside the palisade erupted in gasps of amazement.

"What kind of sword technique was that just now?"

"Too fast—I didn't even see it clearly—"

"The Tomita-ryu sword technique has been broken?"

Whispers of the nobles could be heard from behind the imperial curtain.

"Mori Nagatoshi will win!"

As soon as the order was given, Jingzheng bowed slightly to Changqing and turned to leave.

Please wait.

Changqing spoke up.

Jingzheng turned around and saw Changqing raising a wooden knife at him.

"Lord Tomita," Nagayoshi said, "that was just a demonstration of techniques. As ordered by Lord Nobunaga, there will be another round, a duel using wooden swords."

Jing Zheng's expression changed.

According to the rules announced in the "Imperial Trial," after the practice of moves, if both parties are willing, they can use wooden swords to engage in a real duel.

This is different from a performance of moves; it can truly determine the winner.

Jing Zheng looked at his right hand. The area between his thumb and forefinger was red and swollen, making it difficult to grip the sword. But the pride of a swordsman prevented him from admitting defeat.

If they were to surrender now, the Tomita family would not only lose their Chikō territory, but they would also find it difficult to even secure a stipend from a daimyo's household.

"it is good."

Jing Zheng gripped the hilt of his sword and stepped into Baisha once more.

The two stood facing each other, then suddenly shouted, "Forward Slash!"

Changqing did not retreat but advanced.

Shrinking Earth —

Mind and insight —

He grabbed Jingzheng's wooden sword.