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

First, the official certificate is issued.

In order, Yoshishige granted the titles of Samasuke, Umasuke, Shusuke, Daigakusuke, and Carpentersuke (lower sixth rank) to Muto Mitsuyu, Shirai Kiyotane, Hirai Toshimasa, Imai Hisahide, and Ataka Fuyuoki.
The three people, Oniwa Masaaki, Sakakibara Nagamasa, and Nagasaka Nobumasa, were given the official titles of Genbansuke, Shukeisuke, and Hyogosuke (lower sixth rank) respectively;
The titles of shusuke (book assistant) and gagakusuke (gayaku assistant) (lower sixth rank) were given to the cousins ​​Awaya Katsuhisa and Awaya Katsuie respectively;
The brothers Kumagai Motonao and Kumagai Takashinao were given the official titles of Sakyouryo and Ukyouryo (lower fifth rank) respectively;
The titles of Shobu-to and Shu-sui-to (lower fifth rank) were conferred on Kagawa Morihisa and Matsumiya Kiyonaga respectively;
The title of Shikibu Shosuke (lower fifth rank) was granted to Yamamoto Shigeyuki.
The official title of Nakamiya Shosuke (Junior Fifth Rank, Upper) was granted to Yamagata Morinobu.

After that, the ceremony of issuing the certificates of acceptance was held. There were not many retainers in the Takeda clan who had official positions or official careers, so there were only a few certificates of acceptance issued to three people. They were:
Hidemasa Yamagata was promoted from the governor of Shimotsuke to the governor of Higo, Mitsutane Shirai was promoted from the junior assistant minister of civil affairs to the governor of Yamato, and Kuninobu Takeda was promoted from the governor of Yamashiro to the governor of Hitachi.

With the issuance of the letter of feeling, the letter of official career and the letter of acceptance, the most important part of the entire assessment begins, which is the issuance of the letter of knowledge and action security and the letter of knowledge and action perfection.

The so-called Chigyo Andujō and Chigyo Wangyojō refer to formal documents confirming that retainers and samurai have the "right to chigyo" over a piece of land. They exist as a similar "land deed" in the hands of samurai and are a symbol of the legitimacy of their territory.

The first to be issued was the Chigyo Andujō, which was mainly a confirmation of the samurai's existing territory. Most of them were awarded to local forces that voluntarily surrendered to Yoshishige during the Western Expedition and cooperated in the military expedition.

Among them, the first to be settled were Shinmen Munemasa, Arimoto Sanori, Minagi Toshimitsu, and Fukuda Hiroyori of the Mimasaka clan. The first two took the initiative to join Yoshishige, actively sent troops, and successfully turned against Minagi Toshimitsu and Fukuda Hiroyori in Yodoyama Castle, allowing the Takeda army to more smoothly eliminate the Kusakari clan.

The security of Minaki Toshimi and Fukuda Hirayoshi was the condition set by Yoshishige when they rebelled. There was nothing much to say about it. Yoshishige kept his word and retained their territories in Mimasaka.

The next ones who were settled were Unomura Yoshitsugu and Nagayoshi Noritoshi of the Harima clan. Logically speaking, Nagayoshi Noritoshi did not surrender voluntarily at the beginning, and even if he was not changed, he would have to reduce his fiefdom.

However, Unomura Yori pleaded for mercy for the sake of their marriage relationship, and was willing to give up the post-war title in exchange for the settlement of the Nagara family. Seeing this, Yoshishige did not intend to make things difficult for him, so he accepted Unomura Yori's request and allowed the settlement of both the Uno and Nagara families.

In the end, those who were settled were Yoshimi Noritaka and Hatano Hidezane of the Inaba clan. The former surrendered voluntarily, and the latter opened the city at the persuasion of Hatano Hidetada. Yoshishige didn't want to offend his father-in-law, so he agreed not to reduce the fiefdoms of the two and allowed them to be settled.

In addition, Takeda Kuninobu's half-county territory in Inaba Omi County and Otagaki Nobunobu's territory in Tajima Asago County were also secured.

The focus of everyone's attention is the subsequent awarding of the Zhixing Wanxing Certificate.

Since the Kanegasaki Assessment after repelling the Asakura clan, the Takeda clan had not conducted a post-war assessment for a long time due to the continuous wars, so that the soldiers who had made great contributions in the subsequent invasion of Eastern Tajima and the Western Expedition did not receive timely rewards.

The reason why Yoshishige convened such a large-scale evaluation this time was to make up for the rewards that had been "overdue" for a long time, further strengthen his authority within the Takeda clan, and enhance the cohesion of his retainers.

During the Kanegasaki Assessment, the territory that Yoshishige selected for reward was mainly Tsuruga County, and the main retainers who received rewards at that time were as follows:

As the main contributors to the siege of Kuniyoshi Castle, Kuriya Katsuhisa was awarded 3,000 koku at Tsuruga Hachifushiyama Castle, and Kuriya Katsuie was awarded 2,800 koku at Tsuruga Kimeitoge Castle.

Morinobu Yamagata and Takanao Kumagata led the charge. The former was given 2,300 koku of Hidan Castle and was responsible for guarding the southeastern part of Tsuruga; the latter was transferred to Tentsuzan Castle and was given 2,200 koku of Tentsuzan Castle, responsible for guarding Tsuruga Port and protecting Kanezaki Castle.

Yamamoto Shigeyuki was a newly appointed retainer of the Takeda clan at the time. He was awarded 2,000 koku of land for Tsuruga Kanayama Castle for his achievements in the surprise attack on Kanayama Castle and the Battle of Kurino.

Because of his bravery in defending the Honmaru of Kuniyoshi Castle and his loyalty in following Nobushige to Inoyama Castle, Mutō Mitsuyu was awarded the 2,000-koku reward at Tsuruga Sugizu Castle. This castle was located behind Kuriya Katsuhisa's Hachifushiyama Castle and served as the second line of defense against the attack of the Asakura army.

Matsumiya Kiyonaga and Kagawa Morihisa, as Nobushige's most trusted retainers, were given 1,800 koku of Tsuruga Torigoe Castle and 1,600 koku of Tsuruga Hanajiroyama Castle respectively.

It can be seen that the main purpose of deploying the important retainers in Tsuruga County at that time was to prevent the counterattack of the Asakura clan. But now it is different. The territory of the Takeda clan has expanded several times compared to the original. Yoshishige urgently needs these retainers to disperse to help him resist the threats from Amago, Urakami, Akamatsu, Asakura and other directions.

Therefore, this time the reward is mainly carried out by transferring and adding titles at the same time.

To everyone's surprise, the first person to receive the Chigyo Wangyo Certificate was Imai Hisahide, who was born as a businessman. With his contributions to the development of commerce in Takeda's territory and his cooperation with Hirai Toshimasa in ensuring the logistical supply of the army during the Western Expedition, he obtained the Sudoyama Castle that originally belonged to Itomi Masaki, as well as the territory in the central part of Wakasa Oi County, and the Chigyo 2,200 koku.

Before this, although Imai Hisahide had served the Takeda clan and became the Obama magistrate and ship magistrate, he had never had his own fiefdom and always felt that he was an "extra staff member" of the Takeda clan. Now that he can obtain Suidoyama Castle and 2,200 koku of land, it is equivalent to recognizing his identity as a samurai. How can he not be very happy?

Moreover, Suidoyama Castle is located in Wakasa, the heartland of Yoshishige's rule. The fact that he was able to obtain the fiefdom here is enough to show Yoshishige's kindness to Imai Hisahide. I'm afraid he will be grateful and do his best in the future.

"Your servant Imai Hisahide thanks you for your grace, lord. From now on, I will serve you wholeheartedly and repay you with my death!" Imai Hisahide prostrated himself in the hall, trembling as he expressed his gratitude to Yoshishige.

"Get up," Yoshishige was very pleased to see this, and said to Imai Hisahide kindly, "This is what you deserve, but I have to say that although you have your own place of knowledge and practice, you have to keep a close eye on the ports and markets in Wakasa and Tango from now on, and don't let your guard down at all."

"Ha! I understand! Please rest assured and leave it to me, my lord!" Imai Hisahide kowtowed again to express his gratitude.

Seeing Imai Hisahide trembling and retreating to his original position, the attendant beside Yoshishige immediately continued to chant: "Please invite Hirai Shusuke to the palace!"

Hirai Toshimasa shuddered after hearing this, and hurriedly took small steps to the palace, knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Minister Niuemon is here!"

Hirai Toshimasa was originally a local samurai in Mikata County. When Yoshishige was the lord of Kasumi Castle, he recommended himself, hoping to join his army. Later, he passed layers of examinations and officially became a member of Yoshishige's army. He was also considered a loyal minister. Unfortunately, his status was low and his military strength was insufficient, so he could only be responsible for logistics work.

However, he relied on his extraordinary business acumen to effectively expand the scale of business in Takeda's territory, and he was able to provide good logistical support in all the battles, so that Yoshishige had no worries. Especially recently, he attracted a group of Ming merchants headed by Wang Zhi to help Yoshishige, which greatly increased the overseas trade of Takeda's territory and greatly improved the economic strength of the Takeda family. With this merit, Yoshishige decided to grant him the Tentsuzuma Castle that originally belonged to Kumagai Takanao, and the land and property of 2,200 koku. Tentsuzuma Castle is adjacent to Tsuruga Port, which is perfect for Hirai Toshimasa, who is the deputy official of Obama.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace!" Hirai Toshimasa was thinking about the gorgeous transformation he had completed, and his heart was filled with mixed emotions. Hirai Toshimichi, the son of Hirai Toshimasa, who was sitting in the corridor, also cried with joy after hearing about the reward. Thinking about the hardships the father and son had endured when they traveled across the ocean and traveled back and forth between Ming and Japan, he felt that it was worth it at this moment.

After watching Hirai Toshimasa leave, the next people to enter the palace were Nagasaka Nobumasa and Sakakibara Nagamasa.

The two men fought bravely and led by example in the Western Expedition, which won them unanimous recognition from Yi Zhong and important officials in their families, so it was reasonable for them to be rewarded.

Among them, Sakakibara Nagamasa was granted Kageishi Castle in Chizu County, Inaba, and a fief of 3,300 koku; Nagasaka Nobumasa was granted Nikamiyama Castle in Iwai County, Inaba, and a fief of 3,400 koku, and temporarily served as the castellan of Tottori Castle. The two formed the northwestern defense line of the Takeda domain.

These two men had served the Takeda family for less than a year, but they were able to be promoted to castle lords and obtain a rank of more than 3,000 koku. Yoshishige wanted to tell everyone present through this action that the philosophy he adhered to was "recruiting talents regardless of their background", and as long as you have the ability, you will be appreciated and reused regardless of your rank.

After the two people from Mikawa Province withdrew, the next ones to come were Onitsuka Masaaki and Kuchiki Hidemitsu. Both of them were promoted to direct vassal as accompanying vassals, but Kuchiki Hidemitsu was traveling with Unmine Ryusei in Junenzo, so he could only receive this certificate of knowledge and action from a distance.

Masaaki Oniba made his mark during the invasion of Higashi-Tajima, and was invincible in the Battle of Yagi Castle and the subsequent invasion of Inaba. Yoshishige was impressed by his bravery and decided to transfer him from the lord of Kajo Castle to the lord of Nabeshima Castle in Harima Kansai County, with a 5,000-koku title. He was also stationed in Okishio Castle, responsible for the southern defense line of the Takeda territory, "Okishio-Shiroyama-Kamitsuki", to deal with invasions and harassment from Harima and Bizen.

As a general who joined the Takeda clan midway, Kuchiki Hidemitsu also achieved many victories in previous wars and was trusted by Yoshishige as the head of the Makai clan, but his ability was slightly lower than that of Onitsu Masaaki. Therefore, Yoshishige gave him 3,500 koku in Kizu Castle, Tango Takeno County, but still kept him by his side as the head of the Makai clan.

Following closely behind were Muto Mitsuyuki, Awaya Katsuhisa, Awaya Katsuie, and Shirai Kiyotane.

As one of the leaders of the Umakai clan, Muto Mitsuyu, together with Kuchiki Hidemitsu, was in charge of the Umakai clan and ensured Yoshishige's safety. Due to his seniority and strong military power, he was awarded 4,500 koku of official rank, and his residence was still Tsuruga Sugitsu Castle.

Awaya Katsukahisa's residence remained unchanged at Tsuruga Hachifushiyama Castle, but Chigyo's rank was increased to 4,200 koku.

Awaya Katsuie was transferred to Kameyama Castle in Tango and Yosa County, with a 4,000-koku rank. It is located at the junction of Tango, Tamba and Tajima, and has a very important strategic location. Yoshishige transferred Awaya Katsuie there to prevent possible wars in the direction of Tamba and to separate the two brothers to prevent them from forming a group and becoming too powerful.

Although Shirai Kiyotsu was the legitimate son of the Shirai family and did not need a special reward, Yoshishige still rewarded him with an additional 2,000 koku of Shimooka Castle in Takeno County, Tango, considering his meritorious service in accompanying Takeda Motomitsu to Aki to assist Takeda Nobumitsu.

The next to come forward to receive the Chigyo-wan's letter were Matsumiya Kiyonaga, Kagawa Morihisa, and Yamamoto Shigeyuki. These three were the most trusted retainers after Yoshishige ascended the throne, and they were all on the rotating list of family elders, and they also attracted much attention in terms of the fiefdoms and rewards.

However, what was surprising was that first Matsumiya Kiyonaga was transferred to Yodoyama Castle in Inaba Chizu County, with a fief of 5,500 koku; and Kagawa Morihisa was transferred to Shinomaru Castle in Harima Shishia County, with a fief of 6,000 koku.

As a retainer of the imperial palace who had "served the emperor well", he should have been given a very generous reward, but in the end he only received about a thousand stones more than other important ministers, which made everyone present a little confused.

However, as Yamamoto Shigeyuki's death status was announced, everyone became even more uneasy.

"Please invite Yamamoto Shikibu to the palace!" the attendant shouted loudly.

"Your servant Yamamoto Shigeyuki is here!" Yamamoto Shigeyuki limped into the hall and bowed respectfully to wait for the reward from Yoshishige.

"Yamamoto Shikibu was transferred to Takeyama Castle in Kasa County, Tango, with a fief of 4,700 koku."

"Four thousand seven hundred koku?!" There was a sudden commotion in the hall. As Yoshishige's think tank, Yamamoto Shigeyuki only got more than four thousand koku, which was really surprising.

However, in sharp contrast to the commotion in the palace, Yamamoto Shigeyuki accepted the reward very calmly and kowtowed to Yoshishige to express his gratitude.

"These three are the lord's most trusted retainers, but the rewards they received are just this little. I really don't know what the lord is thinking." A small group of retainers whispered in the back.

Yoshishige also noticed that the atmosphere in the palace was not right, but he did not make any statement. Instead, he signaled his attendants to continue announcing his own letter of commission.

"In addition, Kagawa Sawabe is appointed as the general deputy governor of Banshu, Kiyomiya Shumizu is appointed as the general deputy governor of Inshu, and Yamamoto Shikibu is appointed as the guardian of Tango."

With the announcement of this letter of appointment, there was another commotion in the hall. Everyone now understood why these three people were not very knowledgeable but actually acted accordingly.

"Chief agent! That's incredible. Our family has not yet completely occupied these two states. The current chief agent will be the future guardian agent!"

"That's the future Shugodai. Look at Yamamoto Shikibu. He is the Shugodai now, and his castle is near Atagoyama Castle. It shows that the lord really trusts him!"

Everyone was talking at once, making the discussion, which should have been quiet, noisier. (End of this chapter)