"Lord Maeda, what is the meaning of this..."
Nozawa hurried forward for a look. Sure enough, the lord of Hosokawa Castle, Maeda Toshimasa, was kneeling by the roadside, dressed in coarse hemp robes, his hair tied with a hemp strip, barefoot in straw sandals, accompanied only by Family Elder Okumura Iefuku and a horse—a picture of humble honesty and deference.
When Maeda Toshimasa saw him approach, he managed a bitter smile: "Such is the world, Lord Harano. Please pardon the sight."
Earlier, when Oda Nobunaga passed this way en route to Inaba Land, Toshimasa hid in the castle anxiously, wondering what he would do if Oda Nobunaga came to his door seeking men or rice, demanding that he send troops to aid in battle. But as it turned out, Oda Nobunaga passed by without entering—he did not spare Maeda a glance.
