In pre-modern societies, there was no comprehensive manual regarding prisoners of war.
In short, this meant that the commander was in complete control of the situation.
Captured enemies and the inhabitants of their territories could be enslaved or bought and sold as commodities.
The base price at that time was 2 kanmon.
In Japan, the slave trade is commonplace, and it seems that slave fairs are held in various cities.
However, there seems to have been an unwritten rule that nobles (court nobles) should be treated with respect.
They were not to be given meager meals, and their clothing had to be of good quality. Furthermore, the facilities in which they were housed had to be appropriate places, such as temples and shrines.
Ultimately, this means that capturing a person of high rank would incur significant costs.
Therefore, those who disliked extra expenses often secretly disposed of the situation by using the pretext of "death in battle" or "death in combat."
Akimoto, the head of the Hosokawa Kitcho family. When news arrived that he had been killed, I witnessed the Oda family being split in two over whether or not to kill him.虜Captive
Eventually, the noise that had been coming from near the entrance of the mansion stopped. Next, I sensed the presence of several people approaching.
The presence seemed to stop in front of the room where Hisahide and I were. Soon, a voice came from the back asking to enter. "Please come in," Hisahide answered on my behalf.
Despite not being a retainer of the Asai family, he was in charge of all the arrangements at this event.
"Excuse me."
Following proper etiquette, a young man who appeared to be around my age entered the room.
Indeed, as Hisahide had noted earlier, Akimoto did not have the appearance of a warrior.
His slender body has almost no muscle mass. His appearance is gentle and not harsh, giving him a soft impression.
However, this was also proof that he wasn't nervous at all. After bowing, he said:
"I am Hosokawa Akimoto, Ukyo-daibu. I have come at the invitation of the Lieutenant General of the Right Imperial Guard."
"I am Asai Nagamasa. I apologize for the trouble I have caused you."
The other party is the head of a prestigious and noble family. It wouldn't hurt to treat them with respect.
Assuming that was the case, I looked him in the eye and said, in a way that sounded like I was trying to encourage him.
"As the head of the Asai family and the leader of the Biwa school, I consider it an honor to meet the head of the Hosokawa Kitcho family in this way."
"I am extremely grateful."
Akimoto returned the formal bow.
Seeing this, Hisahide clapped his hands together. The sliding doors opened, and Hisahide's ladies-in-waiting entered the room carrying trays of sweets and tea.
Hisahide spoke to Akimoto in a truly gentlemanly manner and tone.
"Lord Ukyo-daibu was fond of her, wasn't he? Following the wishes of Lord Ukonoe-chujo, I had the preparations made."煉切Nerikiri
"This is... I am deeply grateful. I appreciate your kindness."
Akimoto's eyes lit up with joy.
Nerikiri is a type of kneaded confectionery. It is made by kneading a large amount of sugar while heating it, adding finely ground glutinous rice flour, and then shaping it into a beautiful form.白餡White bean paste
The nerikiri (a type of sweet bean paste confection) being served now are modeled after flowers such as bellflowers, camellias, and plum blossoms. They were ordered from a Kyoto confectionery shop that Hisahide was on friendly terms with.
Although he was a prisoner of war, his opponent was from the Hosokawa Kitcho family. It was only natural that sake would be served at a celebratory dinner.
However, according to Hisahide, Akimoto does not drink alcohol at all. So, instead, they decided to serve expensive sweets.
"Matcha goes very well with nerikiri (a type of Japanese sweet). It's the pinnacle of food culture created by us, the people of Japan."
Then, the three of them finished off the sweets.
Confectionery is precious and expensive. Even high-ranking officials cannot afford to eat it regularly.
However, as soon as the sweets placed on each individual plate by Hisahide ran out, his ladies-in-waiting would immediately bring out replacements.
And Akimoto continued to eat Japanese sweets to such an extent that it made one wonder what kind of stomach he had.
Despite eating such large quantities, his eating posture was remarkably elegant. It was strange that there wasn't a trace of silliness about him.賤no
"It seems Lord Ukyo-daibu has quite a hearty appetite."
I couldn't help but give a wry smile. I had no choice but to say it out loud.
Eating too many sweets can cause heartburn, but it seems that doesn't happen to Akimoto at all.
"That's right, Lieutenant General."
The head of the Hosokawa Kitcho family nodded. There was no hint of sarcasm on his face. It seemed he had taken my words at face value.
"Sweets are delicious, that's a given. Women say they have a separate stomach for sweets and devour them, but it's the same for men. Sweets and regular meals go into different parts of the stomach."
Amazura refers to a sweetener that was popular in Japan before the mass production of sugar became possible.
The raw material was something that clung to large trees in the forest —in other words, vines.木本Mokuhon
The process of making Amadzura is extremely tedious. It involves collecting large quantities of vines, squeezing out the sap, and boiling it down.
Because the effort involved was avoided, sugar completely declined as a part of food culture during the Edo period when mass-produced sugar became widely available.
"However, Lord Ukyo-no-daibu, sweets can damage your teeth. Please be very careful not to overeat."
"Lord Danjō, unfortunately, there is no need to worry about that."
Akimoto said with a laugh.
"I'm a rootless wanderer now. All I have is a title that doesn't even provide a living. Naturally, I can't afford expensive things like sweets. To be able to afford them, I'd have to be employed somewhere and receive a salary... Oh, I shouldn't have said something so vulgar in front of you, Lieutenant General."
"Oh, there's no need to be so formal, Lord Ukyo-no-daibu."
Hisahide stroked his mustache and gave a wry smile.
"The Lieutenant General wishes for Lord Ukyo-no-Daibu to be able to relax and take things easy."
"I am truly grateful."
Akimoto stopped eating the sweets. Then, with a calm expression, he bowed.
When I nodded, Hisahide exchanged glances with the ladies-in-waiting. They understood the situation, and after refilling the matcha tea, they made a brisk exit.
Regarding the arrangements for the banquet, the chief retainer of the Miyoshi family was indeed very efficient.
"To avoid any misunderstandings, let me explain to the Lieutenant General—"
As expected, Hisahide continued in a perfectly gentlemanly tone.
"—I am not acquainted with Lord Ukyo-no-Daibu. When Lord Ukyo-no-Daibu was still a child, he spent time as a hostage of the Miyoshi family. And I have had the opportunity to give him lectures on warfare and classical literature on several occasions."
"In that sense, Lord Danjo is also my teacher."
"I see"
I nodded in agreement with Hisahide and Akimoto.
"In that case, it wouldn't be surprising if they knew his preferences for sweets."
"I owe a great debt of gratitude to Lord Danjō. After all, I was a very incompetent disciple."
It was then that Shogen said, almost self-deprecatingly.
"I have never been free to begin with. Just when I thought I had escaped being a hostage, now I am a prisoner... When I think about it, I've been exposing my shameful behavior in places where Lord Danjo can see me all this time. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say I'm chained up."
"Chains... Well, well, unfortunately, Lord Ukyodaibu is the head of the Hosokawa Kitcho family."
Hisahide cleverly concealed the laughter he had shown moments before and said without showing any hint of contempt.
"Lord Ukyo-no-daibu must accept inconvenience as a matter of course. That is what it means to be born into a noble family. While one may become accustomed to being given things, one must not take them for granted. Otherwise, one will go astray."
"This is a problem."
Akimoto smiled, displaying a genuine, unpretentious smile.
"Lord Danjo has always been quite harsh in his words. But I am a bird in a cage, born and raised. I know nothing of the outside world, and all my food and other necessities are provided by people outside the cage. It must be a little difficult to tell someone whose life has been based on that not to take things for granted."
"Even knowing that this represents the limits of that person's humanity? Such complacency, akin to decadence, only stifles potential."
"I've really come to understand that."
Ukyo-no-daibu gave a wry smile and glanced at me.
"Our Hosokawa Kitcho family, though fallen, is still a Kanrei family... in other words, we are supposed to assist the Muromachi Shogun, who governs the samurai class, and oversee the shogunate's administration. But now we have fallen from grace, and in the battle where we were thrust into the position of supreme commander, we were defeated by a provincial daimyo from Owari—if this is not the laughingstock of the nation, then what is it?"
"War is also a matter of luck, Lord Ukyo-no-daibu. There is no need to say it like that."
When I said that, he replied in a smooth voice.
"If we interpret 'possibility' as 'luck,' then Lord Danjo is saying that my current situation is self-destruction, a result of having drastically reduced my chances of victory. Lieutenant General, I must also tell you this: You don't need to worry too much; I am ready to accept things as they are."
A bird in a cage must accept whatever the outsiders do to it without complaint—Akimoto said this casually, and began eating the nerikiri again.
It seems I had misjudged him.
Indeed, the head of the Hosokawa Kitcho family is probably a very honest and simple man.
But that doesn't mean they're stupid. There are people in the world who are "intelligent but honest." For example, there are people who are good at studying but easily deceived.
He's probably one of those people.
"In that case, I'll speak my mind rather frankly, Akimoto-dono. It seems we're close in age, after all."
Saying this, Akimoto elegantly chewed and swallowed the nerikiri (a type of Japanese confection).
"That's exactly what I wanted."
After sipping his tea and taking a deep breath, he smiled.
"I do not possess the power to foresee the future. I leave such matters to the fortune tellers surrounding the imperial court. However, I can understand how the world will unfold, whether it will be temporary or permanent."
Akimoto said in a straightforward voice, devoid of any hint of sarcasm.
"Personally, I would be delighted to become a friend of the brother-in-law of the ruler of the land. Of course, I won't deny that there's a bit of ulterior motive involved."