We were set to follow the Taira to Yashima, their headquarters in Shikoku, and complete their ultimate destruction, bu Yoritomo had other plans. He wanted to consolidate his power closer to home at the same time he separated and estranged his powerful was during this time that the deadly rifts between Yoshitsune and Yoritomo developed, at the expense of all his Minamoto kin.
After the fall of Ichi no tani, both of our armies returned to the capital to parade through the streets. We proudly bore the gory evidence of their victory. The heads of various Taira leaders saw the capital once more through their sightless eyes.
We stayed in the capital for three months of celebrating. There were various victory feasts at the expense of our hosts and all types of debauchery. We were let loose upon the city, and the city suffered for it.
I am sure they were glad when they saw the backs of us.
After those three months, Noriyori was ordered to dispatch the remainder of the Taira left in Kyushu, Yoshitsune was to remain behind and acted as Yoritomo's deputy. This, of course, meant a long and hard march through the Western Provinces for us.
I do not know just how their elder brother justified this change in roles, as it was obvious that Yoshitsune was the better military commander. Perhaps Yoritomo feared the chaos that would be caused by Noriyori. Although his youngest brother was an adequate commander, he was something of a proflegate.
On that note, he would have been surprised how well Yoshitsune administered. He kept the order by issuing decrees that ordered the termination of any violence within the Minamoto territoty, and he enforced these decrees as well. Even Yoritomo had trouble keeping the various factions in line.
Any admiration would soon devolve into jealousy. The titles and gifts given to Noriyori would be forbidden to Yoshitsune. Perhaps this was to keep Yoshitsune above the influence of court intrigues and politics, as his brother claimed. Perhaps not. Regardless, it did not bode well.
While this maneuveriing was occuring, we had marched through Honshu and down Harima. At that point we received word of Taira forces at the port of Kojima. It appeared to be an easy victory as their forces were holed up on the island. Easy, that is, until we found the small strip of water that we had to cross to get to them. The water was rougher than we had first assumed, and there were no boats.
As we were about to bemoan the loss of so many of our men in trying to create another bridge of bodies, a soldier at the rear volunteered that he knew of a fisherman who had a secret route to the island. It was a shallower crossing, built on a natural shelf invisible from the surface. With this path revealed, we were able to ride across in a charge that forced the Taira to their ships.
Again we suffered from the absence of ships, and so we could not chase them. Noriyori did not seem to distraught over the problem, though. The fisherman's young daughter had caught his eye, and he was more than willing to spend the remaining weeks of the year sheltered there.
As the new year began we eventually movedl further west until we reached the coastal barrier between the mainland and Kyosho. Then we were again to cushion our seats as we waited for naval transport. We were almost out of provisions and, while Noriyori had petitioned his brother for ships, he had received no definite answer.
We were angry and bitter at this point. Did not our lord care for us? Were we merely tools to be discarded and replaced if we did not achieve immediate success?
These were the early days of what we now call samurai. The idea of honor in unflinching loyalty to one's lord was not yet fully realised, and were just men.
Fortunately, various sea-fairing samurai clans from Kyushu had decided that an alliance with the Minamoto would benefit them the best. They brought with them som eighty two vessels.
In February we crossed over to Kyushu.
But I fear that it grows too late for you. Young man, you are falling asleep sitting up. These things will not change. The flow of time has already passed these events, and I am not likely to die between today and tomorrow morning.
He is silent as he gets up and prepares for bed. I can tell he is beginning to understand. The stories of the glory and honor make wonderful tales, but that is all they are, just tales. The reality is much dirtier than the golden halo that is placed upon them.
Ah you will laugh at my cynicism. But I agree that sometimes there are true heroes. Those brave figures of legend and there daring deeds are not always fantasy.
The first time I saw him with enough light, he was just such a figure. He still wore his armor then, unwilling to forget lost glory I suppose.
He wore a red brocade tunic and his armor had purple shaded lacing. At his waist he wore a thin binding of black cloth. His horned helmet lay off to the side and his hair was up in a high tail, streaming around him as he moved through the forms. He and his sword appeared to be one and the same.
His movement did not falter as he spun and thrust his sword towards me. I ducked and scrambled backwards. He did not follow, merely looked at me and raised his eyebrow. I must have looked a sight then, worn and duty from my climb and tripping over my own feet. He must have decided I was no threat as he turned and continued his exercise.
True I could do little damage to one so comfortable with his sword. But as I did not immediately leave, he eventually stopped and looked at me.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
He had the voice and bearing of one who is used to command and obedience, a vast difference from the hermit his location suggested.
"I am Saburo no Takanaga, veteran of the Gempei Wars under the command of Noriyori no Minamoto."
He stiffened imperceptably at this, but then relaxed. I did not pay much notice of this, as I had no reason to suspect him.
It was so long ago, that I can not remember the details of what else was said. Just that he introduced himself as Junichi of no particular clan. An interesting misnomer, was all I thought at the time, for it was obvious that this was not his real name. But I respected his ability with the sword enough not to call him on it.
The words I have spoken to Kage bring back many memories, and images dance past my eyes as I dream. A lone figure, a beautiful women, a towering cherry tree with falling blossoms. Why have I chosen to bring back old ghosts?
It was at that point that Yoshitsune was relieved of his stay at the capital and was able to again take up the role of military commander. He effectively took control of the remaining forces and led us through the tactics that culminated in our victory over the Taira.
He primarily used naval tactics, assembling a fleet at Wattanabe, which he used to approach Shikoku and the Taira headquarters at Yashima during a time when the Taira sources were focused elsewhere.
It was stormy that night, so dark that you could not see the hand ten inches from one's face, except during the sudden flashes of lightning. None were excited about sailing in such weather, even the veteran sailors were unwilling to leave port at first. There are two legends regarding how he finally convinced them. The first says that he threatened to kill any man who disobeyed him, a sharp bluff considering there were so many against him, and he needed every one of them in the coming battles. The second which, to me, sounds more like him, says that he threatened to commit suicide at the prow of the ship and thus curse the fleet and the sailors with his angry spirit.
Regardless of which is true, the ships set out to sea. Seemningly unperturbed by the weather or the possibility of his death, Yoshitsune landed at Shikoku as the moon was just breaking through the clouds. Then came the hard part. After nearly losing everything we had eaten over the sides of the ships, we marched thirty miles without rest until we could see the banners of the garisson.
We were blessed that day. Despite its strategic importance, much of the Taira force was on an expedition to Iyo. In addition, the tide was just low enough for an easy crossing of the channel by horse.
Though the garisson was expecting us Yoshitsune had taken a leaf out of the Mongol books. He had disguised his relatively small numbers by having each man create five campfires. So when the guards looked out at night, it appeared as if the army before him was made up of millions rather than a few thousands. This overestimation as psychological warfare worked well and the commander of the Taira ordered an immediate evacuation to the waiting ships.
We charged down the hill and across the channel without stopping. We were a torrent of sound and laughter. This was our day and we were unstoppable as the light flickered off of our swords and we screamed our clans' battle cries. True we were soaked to the skin and goosebumps broke on our exposed skin, but the heat of battle was soon upon us so that we forgot our chills.
We got between the evacuating Taira and surrounded their ships. The women had already made it and now it was the men's turn. They fought desperately, but could not break us. By the time the Taira commander realized that we were actually a much smaller number than he had thought, the fort was on fire.
We fought through the day but our strength finally flagged at dusk, and the Taira used this wavering in a final push to the ships. They made it and sailed further out to sea, with Yoshitsune following along the coast.
They mocked us and questioned our honor and skill from this place of safety. Yoshitsune demanded some challenge to prove his warrior's worth, and the Taira agreed. They pulled out a small fan as the target for our best archers. Fortunately, we met the challenge. One of the smallest of us was a superb archer, despite his size, and he managed to, not only hit the fan, but split it in two.
Although this feat was applauded by both sides, it also caused some consternation for those on the ships as they quickly moved further back out of range.
During the night the Taira sailed to the nearby harbor of Shido. Yoshitsune pursued for a time, but then decided to use the tactics that had worked so well before. He did not rely on fire alone, as it was unlikely that this would work a second time, but he also had us make as much noise as we could. We worked in shifts. While some of us slept with cloth stuffed in our ears, the others made as much noise as they could banging pots and playing instruments. Apparently the Taira were more foolish than we thought because they again believed we were more than we seemed, and they completely abandoned the island.
After a brief rest, we followed them to Nagato. Fortunately our victory had gained us new allies who had decided that we were worth backing. And they brought even more ships.
Fah! young one how you do let me go on. Already your brothers and sisters are wondering what strange things I am telling you. An off hand name or description should delight them. Shall I tell them of the loyalty of Kanehira, or perhaps the song of the fleeing Taira woman. Or perhaps I shall tell of how Yoshitsune defeated and won the fealty of the giant Benkei. Ahh, how your eyes sparkle at the notion of hearing more of the Minamoto family. Already you begin to see the possibiltiy for adventure and glory within this family.