"The enemy?" Nagamasa spat. "Chase him away. I don't have any use for n.o.bunaga's retainers. If he won't go away, feed him some rocks from the castle gate."

The samurai obeyed Nagamasa's command and dashed off immediately, but soon another commander arrived.

"The messenger from the enemy is still standing at the castle gate. He won't leave, no matter what we say. He protests that war is war, and negotiations are negotiations, and asks why we lack the proper etiquette toward him as a representative of his province."

Nagamasa ignored these complaints, and then berated the man who had repeated them. "Why are you explaining the protests of a man I told you to chase off?"

Just then, yet another general came forward. "My lord, the rules of war dictate that you should meet with him, even for just a moment. I would not have it said that Asai Nagamasa was so distracted that he lost his composure and refused to grant an audience to an enemy envoy."

"All right, let him in. I'll see him, at least. Over there," Nagamasa said, pointing to the guard room.

More than half of the soldiers in the castle of the Asai hoped that peace was walking in through the gate. It was not that they lacked admiration or devotion for Nagamasa, but the "duty" that Nagamasa preached and the reasons for this war were entwined with his relationship with Echizen and his resentment of n.o.bunaga's ambitions and achievements. The soldiers understood this contrast only too well.

And there was more. Although Odani Castle had held out steadfastly until then, both the first and second enclosures had already fallen. What chance of victory did they have, entrenched in an isolated and desolate castle?

Thus, the arrival of the Oda envoy was like the clear blue sky they had been waiting for. Fuwa entered the castle, went into the room where Nagamasa awaited him, and knelt in front of him.

The men inside fixed Fuwa with hostile stares; their hair was disheveled, and they had wounds on their hands and heads. The kneeling Fuwa spoke so gently that one might have doubted that he was a general at all.

"I have the honor of being Lord n.o.bunaga's envoy."

"Formal greetings are not necessary on the battlefield. Let's get to the point," Nagamasa said peremptorily.

"Lord n.o.bunaga admires your loyalty to the Asakura clan but today, the Asakura have already fallen, and their ally, the shogun, is in exile. Both favors and grudges are now far in the past, so why should the Oda and Asai clans be fighting? Not only that, but Lord n.o.bunaga is your brother-in-law; you are the beloved husband of his sister."

" I've heard this all before. If you're asking for a peace treaty, I absolutely refuse. It won't make any difference how persuasive you are."

"With all due respect, there's nothing left for you to do but to capitulate. Your behavior so far has been exemplary. Why not give up the castle like a man, and work for your clan's future? If you agree, Lord n.o.bunaga is willing to give you the entire province of Yamato."

Nagamasa let out a scornful laugh. He waited until the envoy had finished. "Please tell Lord n.o.bunaga that I am not going to be fooled by such clever words. What he is really concerned about is his sister, not me."

"That's a cynical view."

"Say whatever you like," he hissed, "but go back and tell him that I'm not considering saving myself through my ties with my wife. And you had better tell n.o.bunaga to persuade himself of the fact that Oichi is my wife and no longer his sister."

"Well then, I take it you plan to share the fate of this castle, no matter what?"

"I'm resolved on that not only for myself but for my wife, too."

"Then there's nothing more to be said." With that Fuwa returned directly to n.o.bunaga's camp.

After that, hopelessness-or, more properly, emptiness-filled the castle with gloom. Soldiers who had expected peace from the Oda messenger could only a.s.sume that the talks had broken down. They were now openly despondent, because they had briefly hoped that their lives would be spared.

There was another reason for gloom to settle on the castle. Although there was a battle going on, the funeral for Nagamasa's father was taking place, and voices intoning the sutras drifted out from the interior of the keep until the following day.

Oichi and her four children wore white silk garments of mourning from that day on.

The cords that held up their hair were black. They seemed to possess a purity that was not of this world, even though they were yet alive, and even those retainers who were resolved to die in the castle quite naturally felt their fate was too pitiful for words.

Yuzan now returned to the castle, accompanied by workmen carrying the stone monument. Just before dawn, incense and flowers were placed in the main hall of the castle for the funeral service for the living.

Yuzan addressed the a.s.sembly of the Asai clan's retainers. "Valuing his name as a member of the samurai cla.s.s, Lord Asai Nagamasa, the master of this castle, has pa.s.sed away like a beautiful fallen flower. Therefore, as his retainers it is proper for you to pay your last respects."

Nagamasa sat behind the stone monument as though he had really died. At the beginning, the samurai looked as though they did not understand. They asked themselves if all this was necessary and fidgeted in the strange atmosphere.

But Oichi and the children and other members of the family knelt in front of the monument and put incense into the burner.

Someone began to weep, and soon everyone was affected. Filling the broad room, the armored men hung their heads and averted their eyes. Not one of them could look up.

When the ceremony was over, Yuzan took the lead, and several samurai shouldered the monument and carried it out of the castle. This time they went down to Lake Biwa, took a small boat, and at a place about one hundred yards from Chikubu Island, sunk the stone to the bottom.

Nagamasa spoke fearlessly, facing the death that pressed in on him, and he had not overlooked the laxity of the martial spirit of those soldiers who had put their hopes on peace talks. His "funeral for the living" had a salutary effect on the faltering morale of the defenders. If their lord was resolved to die in battle, they too were resolved to follow him. It was time to die. Nagamasa's pathetic determination thus inspired his retainers. But although he was a gifted general, he was not a genius. Nagamasa did not know how to make his men die gladly for him. They stood, waiting for the final a.s.sault.

Three Princesses At about noon, the soldiers at the castle gate started to yell.

"They're coming!"

The gunners on the walls jostled one another, searching out targets. But the only enemy who was approaching was a solitary rider, and he was ambling up to the gate in a very nonchalant way. If he were an envoy, he would be arriving with an escort of mounted men. Filled with doubt, the defenders watched the man approach.

As he came closer, one of the commanders spoke to a soldier with a rifle. "He's got to be an enemy general. He doesn't look like an envoy, and he's being very audacious. Fire on him once."

The commander had meant for one man to fire a warning shot, but three or four men fired together.

As they fired, the man stopped, as if surprised. He then held up a war fan with a red sun on a gold background, waved it over his head, and shouted, "Hey, soldiers! Wait a minute! Is Kinos.h.i.ta Hideyoshi a man you want to shoot? Do it after I've talked to Lord Nagamasa." He ran as he yelled, until he was almost directly under the castle gate.

"Well, it's Kinos.h.i.ta Hideyoshi of the Oda, all right. I wonder what he wants." The Asai general who peered down at him was skeptical about his reason for coming, but forgot about trying to shoot him.

Hideyoshi looked up at the castle gate. "I would like you to convey a message to the citadel," he shouted again.

What was going on? Voices that seemed to be deliberating noisily could be heard, on a derisive laugh mixed with the voices, and a general from the Asai stuck his head out over the parapet.

"Forget it. I suppose you're one more advocate coming as an envoy from Lord n.o.bunaga. You're just wasting your time once again. Go away!"

Hideyoshi raised his voice. "Silence! Where is the rule allowing a man with the status of a retainer to drive away his lord's guest without ever inquiring into his lord's intentions? This castle is as good as taken already, and I'm not so stupid as to take the time and trouble to come here playing the role of an envoy to hurry its destruction." His words were not exactly humble. "I've come here as Lord n.o.bunaga's representative, to offer incense in front of Lord Nagamasa's mortuary tablet. If we've heard correctly, Lord Nagamasa is resolved to die and has had his own funeral conducted while he is yet alive. They were friends during this life, so shouldn't Lord n.o.bunaga be allowed to offer incense too? Isn't there still grace enough here for men to exchange that kind of courtesy and friendship? Is the resolution of Lord Nagamasa and his retainers nothing but an affectation? Is it a bluff or the false courage of a coward?"

The face over the castle gate withdrew, perhaps out of embarra.s.sment. No answer came for a little while, but finally the gate opened a little.

"General Fujikake Mikawa has agreed to speak with you for a few moments," the man said as he beckoned Hideyoshi in. But then he added, "Lord Nagamasa has refused to see you."

Hideyoshi nodded. "That's only natural. I consider Lord Nagamasa to have already pa.s.sed away, and I am not going to press the point."

As he spoke, he walked in without looking to the right or left. How could this man walk into the midst of the enemy so calmly?

As Hideyoshi walked up the long sloping path from the first gate to the central gate, he paid absolutely no attention to the man who was leading him. When he approached the entrance to the citadel, Mikawa came out to meet him.

"It's been a long time," Hideyoshi said, as though it were nothing more than a normal greeting.

They had met once before, and Mikawa returned the greeting with a smile. "Yes, it certainly has been a long time. Meeting you in these circ.u.mstances is quite unexpected, Lord Hideyoshi."

The men in the castle all had bloodshot eyes, but the face of the old general did not look hard-pressed at all.

"General Mikawa, I haven't seen you since Lady Oichi's wedding day, have I? It's been quite a long time."

"That's right."

"That was a splendid day for both our clans."

"It's hard to tell what fate has in store. But when you look at the disturbances and cataclysms of the past, even this situation is not so unusual. Well, come inside. I can't give you much of a reception, but can I offer you at least a bowl of tea?"

Mikawa led him to a teahouse. Looking at the back of the old, white-haired general, it was clear that he had already transcended life and death.

It was a small, secluded teahouse, down a lane through the trees. Hideyoshi sat down and felt that he was in a different world entirely. In the quiet of the teahouse, both host and guest were temporarily cleansed of the bloodiness of the outside world.

It was the end of autumn. The leaves of the trees fluttered outside, but not a speck of dust settled on the polished wooden floor.

"I hear that Lord n.o.bunaga's retainers have recently taken up the art of tea." Making amiable conversation, Mikawa lifted the ladle toward the iron kettle.

Hideyoshi noted the man's decorum and hastily apologized. "Lord n.o.bunaga and his retainers are well versed in tea, but I'm a dullard by nature and don't know the first thing about it. I only like the taste."

Mikawa put down the bowl and stirred the tea with the whisk. His graceful movements were almost feminine in nature. The hands and body that had been hardened by armor did not seem cramped in the least. In this room furnished with nothing more than a tea bowl and a simple kettle, the gaudiness of the old general's armor looked out of place.

I've met a good man, Hideyoshi thought, and he drank in the man's character more than his tea. But how was he going to get Oichi out of the castle? n.o.bunaga's distress was his own. Since his plan had been employed so far, he felt responsible for solving this problem too.

The castle would probably fall on any day they wanted it to, but it would not do to bungle the job now and have to pick through the ashes for the gem. Furthermore, Nagamasa had let both parties know that he was determined to die, and that his wife was ofthe same mind.

n.o.bunaga's impossible hope was to win the battle and recover Oichi without harm.

"Please don't worry about formalities," Mikawa said, offering him the tea bowl from where he knelt in front of the hearth.

Sitting crossed-legged in the warrior style, Hideyoshi artlessly received the tea and drank it down in three gulps.

"Ah, that was good. I didn't think tea could taste this good. And I'm not trying to flatter you."

"How about another bowl?"

"No, my thirst has been quenched. The thirst in my mouth, at least. But I don't know how to quench the thirst in my heart. General Mikawa, you seem to be someone I can talk to. Would you hear me out?"

"I'm a retainer of the Asai, and you're an envoy of the Oda. I'll listen to you from that standpoint."

"I'd like you to arrange for me to meet with Lord Nagamasa."

"Such a thing was refused when you were at the castle gate. You were let in because you said that you had not come to meet Lord Nagamasa. Coming this far and then going back on your word is a dishonorable trick. I can't put myself in that position and allow you to meet him."

"No, no. I'm not talking about meeting the living Lord Nagamasa. As n.o.bunaga's presentative, I would like to salute the soul of Lord Nagamasa."

"Stop playing with words. Even if I did convey your intentions to him, there's no reason to think that Lord Nagamasa would consent to see you. I had hoped to partake in the highest warrior etiquette by sharing a bowl of tea with you. If you have any sense of shame, leave now while you haven't dishonored yourself."

Don't move. Refuse to go. Hideyoshi had resolved not to budge until he had achieved his goal. He sat there in silence. Mere words were clearly not going to be any kind of strategy against this seasoned old general.

"Well, I'm going to take you back," Mikawa offered.

Hideyoshi looked grimly in the other direction and said nothing. Meanwhile, his host had prepared a bowl of tea for himself. After drinking it in a dignified manner, he put away the tea implements.

"I know this is selfish, but let me stay here a while longer, please," Hideyoshi said, and did not make a move. His expression indicated that he probably could not have been moved with a lever.

"You can stay there as long as you like, but it won't do you any good."

"Not necessarily."

"There are no two ways about what I said just now. What are you going to do here?'

"I'm listening to the sound of the water boiling in the kettle."

"The kettle?" he laughed. "And you said you didn't know anything about the Way of Tea!"

"No, I don't know the first thing about tea, but it is a pleasant sound, somehow. Maybe it's from hearing nothing but war cries and the whinnying of horses during this long campaign, but it's extremely pleasant. Let me sit here for a moment by myself and think things through."

"It won't make any difference what your meditations are. I'm certainly not going to let you meet Lord Nagamasa, or even step one foot closer to the keep," Mikawa said as he got up to leave.

Hideyoshi made no answer other than to say, "This kettle really has a nice sound to it." He edged a little closer to the hearth and, lost in admiration, gazed intendy at the iron kettle. What had suddenly caught his attention was the pattern raised on the antique surface of the iron. It was hard to say whether it was a man or a monkey, but the tiny creature, its arms and legs supported by the branches of a tree, was standing insolently between heaven and earth.

It looks like me! Hideyoshi thought, unable to suppress a spontaneous smile. He suddenly recalled the time he had left the mansion of Matsus.h.i.ta Kahei and roamed the mountains and forests with nothing to eat and nowhere to stay.

Hideyoshi did not know whether Mikawa was outside, peeping in on him, or had gone away in exasperation, but in any case, he was no longer in the teahouse.

Ah, this is interesting. This is really interesting, thought Hideyoshi. He looked as if he were talking to the kettle. Alone, he shook his head. As he did so, he thought about his decision not to move, no matter what.

Somewhere in the garden, Hideyoshi heard the guileless voices of two young children, trying hard not to burst out laughing. They were looking at him through the gaps in the fence around the teahouse.

"Look how much he looks like a monkey."

"Yes! He's just like one."

"I wonder where he's come from."

"He must be the messenger from the Monkey G.o.d."

Hideyoshi turned his head and spotted the children hiding behind the fence.

While Hideyoshi had been engrossed in the design on the kettle, the two children had been secredy observing him.

Hideyoshi was struck with jubilation. He was certain that these were two of Nagamasa's four children-the boy, Manju, and the girl his elder sister, Chacha. He shot them a smile.

"Hey! He's smiling!"

"Mister Monkey smiled."

The two children immediately started whispering. Hideyoshi pretended to scowl at them. This had even more of an effect than smiling. Seeing that the monkey-faced stranger was so quick to join in their games, Manju and Chacha stuck out their tongues and made faces at him.