Do not think with contempt:
"What small seeds!"
It's red pepper.
Matsuo Munefusa (1644-1694)
How did people come to the idea of supporting one or another of the leaders of these two groups? First, many were vassals of both and simply had to follow their will. But there were also other, personal motives. For example, the future main traitor Kabayakawa Hideaka could not help but feel a secret hatred of Mitsunari, since it was because of him that Hideyoshi sent him into exile as having failed to cope with the command in Korea. But Ieyasu, on the contrary, immediately after the death of Hideyoshi, returned him from exile and returned his former possessions. Accordingly, Otani Yoshitsugu met Mitsunari at the age of 16 and it turned out that they became friends. And they didn't just make friends … The fact is that Otani was a leper, and then one day it happened that when he participated in the tea ceremony at Hideyoshi's, which took place during the period of exacerbation of his illness, a drop of discharge from Yoshitsugu's nose fell straight into the common teacup, from which the guests drank, passing it in a circle to each other. At the same time, they turned it around an axis so as not to touch their lips to the same edge. What happened threw Yoshitsugu into a terrible confusion and then, noticing this, only Mitsunari came to his aid. He approached Yoshitsugu and took the cup from him, and stated that he was so thirsty that he would get drunk out of turn. This generous gesture Yoshitsugu remembered for the rest of his life and now had to "return the debt of honor" to his friend and fight for him to the end. So the low was then combined with the sublime, and the sublime with the low!
In the previous article about the life and death of Ishida Mitsunari, we almost completely donned full samurai armor. The helmet remained. Let us remember that it was during the Sengoku era that “figured helmets” - kawari-kabuto - appeared. Moreover, they were used not only as ceremonial, but also as combat ones. For example, the helmet of the commander Kuroda Nagamasa. The helmet was called "Sheer Rock" in memory of some of his ancestors, who fell from a very steep cliff with his samurai on the enemy! It is clear that such fancy tops were made of light materials - for example, lacquered paper. (Tokyo National Museum)
However, Mitsunari did not have the patience to force Ieyasu to take the first step. It turned out that an associate of Mitsunari Uesugi Kagekatsu began to build castles in his northern province. In May 1600, Ieyasu asked him to explain this, but received a rather rude answer. Ieyasu could, and even simply had to punish him, so he moved his troops north to fight Uesugi. It was obvious that Mitsunari was counting on this and wanted to stab him in the back. Therefore, when Ieyasu was informed that Ishida had finally turned against him, this message only made him happy. Because not all of his forces went to the north. Because he foresaw his performance and took all measures to repel it.
Momonari-kabuto helmet. Communicating with Europeans did the Japanese good in many ways. For example, they began to make not only plate helmets, but also one-piece forged or riveted from two halves - momonari-kabuto like a cabasset. (Tokyo National Museum)
The same helmet. Back view. (Tokyo National Museum)
Detachable gold plated horns to this helmet. (Tokyo National Museum)
Ishida directed the first blow against the important Fushimi castle, a few miles south of Kyoto, built by Hideyoshi. He controlled the road to the capital, so Ieyasu entrusted his old friend, sixty-two-year-old Torii Mototada, to protect him. And he personally visited Torii, and touchingly said goodbye to him, explaining that it was his Fushimi who would take the first blow of the Western army. How this could most likely end for him, he also explained to him, but … it was trust and a high honor, so Torii was only happy about that.
On August 27, Mitsunari's troops began an assault on the castle, and it lasted for ten whole days. This time was enough for Ieyasu to capture all the important castles along the Nakasendo road. However, helping his friend was beyond his strength. Finally, a traitor was found, whose wife and children Isis promised to crucify if he did not help him, and he helped - he set one of the castle towers on fire at the most crucial moment. But Torii even then refused to give up and even rejected the offer to commit seppuku. He explained to his samurai that in this case his honor was nothing, that it was much more important to detain Isis, as far as he could. This is his duty as a samurai to his master and … friend!
Eboshi-nari-kabuto helmet in the form of a court headdress. (Tokyo National Museum)
When only 200 men remained of his entire garrison, he embarked on a sortie. First one, then the second … After the fifth, he had only ten people left. Only then did Torii retreat to the castle and collapse to the ground in complete exhaustion. A samurai from the Mitsunari army named Saiga Shigetomo rushed at him with a spear, hoping to easily get his head. But then the old man named himself, and the young samurai, full of respect for him, gave Torii the opportunity to perform seppuku, and only then cut off his head. As a result, Isis took the castle, but he stood under its walls for ten whole days and lost 3000 soldiers!
High-ranking commanders who themselves no longer fought could afford the luxury (or whim!) Of being on the battlefield in old, grandfather's armor. For example, here in such as this armor - the do-maru of the Muromachi era, as indicated by the wide, like an umbrella, the back of the shikoro. The kusazuri skirt on him, as you can see, consists of seven parts, so it is comfortable for walking. The rivet heads are not visible on the suji-kabuzto helmet. The three horns of the Mitsu-kuwagata are a characteristic decoration of the helmet. (Tokyo National Museum)
Meanwhile, while Ishida was besieging the Fushimi castle, Ieyasu stormed the important Gifu castle, throwing two armies on it at once: one with 16,000 men and the second with 18,000. because their commanders Ikeda Terumasa and Fukushima Masanori suddenly quarreled over whose army should go to storm first. Fukushima even challenged Ikeda to a duel, but, fortunately for the eastern party, someone sensible was found and offered the following compromise: let Fukushima attack the front gate, and Ikeda the rear. In general, the castle was taken from both sides, and when Ieyasu arrived, the case was over.
Now, let's say that you follow the fashion and then you could very well get yourself an armor like this one belonging to Akechi Mitsuhide. This is a typical piece of armor from the Sengoku period. The helmet is decorated with horse ears and a golden moon. The breastplate is one-piece forged, modeled on European ones, but decorated with a relief image of a skull (left) and a Chinese hieroglyph 10 or "sky". (Tokyo National Museum)
Remained the Ogaki fortress - Mitsunari's main base. All his supporters were to arrive here. And he would sit in this fortress and wait for the Tokugawa, but … no - Mitsunari went to meet him. Tokugawa moved towards him. And they met at the village of Sekigahara, where they entered the battle, having previously been soaked in the rain, on October 21, 1600, a month without gods! There has already been a long article about the battle itself on the Military Review, so it hardly makes sense to repeat its content. But it's still worth telling about some of its details.
But Sakakibara Yasumasa did not even particularly experiment, but simply took European armor (helmet and cuirass) and ordered to add everything else to them. Moreover, both the cuirass and the helmet are painted in a dark brown “rust color”, which was very popular in Japan. (Tokyo National Museum)
For example, about the restraint with which Ieyasu Tokugawa behaved in this battle. In the morning I had breakfast with cold rice and drank traditional green tea. He did not put on a helmet, but turned to his companions with the words that they had no choice - with a head or without a head - the only way to get out of here. But when he learned that the victory was his, he sat down on a camping chair and finally put on his helmet. And then, tying the laces of his mask tightly, he said: "Having won, tighten the laces of your helmet" - a saying that has become a Japanese proverb. Then, with the saihai wand in hand, he proceeded to the head-examination ceremony. It is believed that on that day, in front of Tokugawa Ieyasu, 40 thousand severed heads of enemy soldiers were piled up a mountain.
Interesting armor in this photo had a hiji-toji-do cuirass, in which plates were connected by cross knots of metal, leather or silk. (Tokyo National Museum)
Armor with cuirass nuinobe-do. (Exhibition "Samurai" in St. Petersburg)
As for Isis Mitsunari, then … he escaped from the battlefield and hid in the forests for three days. However, in the woods he contracted dysentery and found himself in a very deplorable situation, in which he was taken prisoner. In addition to him, Ankokuji Ekei and his commander, a Christian, Konishi Yukinaga, who could not die, as befits a samurai, by virtue of their Christian vows, were captured.
Over the armor, the generals wore an embroidered jinbaori jacket. They stood out from a distance, especially since a large mon - coat of arms was often embroidered on its back. (Tokyo National Museum)
The same mon was usually on the big standard - the nobori. Nobori of the main traitor in the Battle of Sekigahara - Kabayakawa Hideaka.
All three of the winners were put on donkeys and blindfolded, driven through the streets of Osaka, and then thrown tied up in a cart and in such a pitiful state they drove around Kyoto. At the place of execution in Rokujo, Konishi Sensei urged Christ to take him to his bright villages and held a crucifix in his raised hand until his head was cut off. But it was an easy death. Mitsunari died differently - he was buried up to his neck in the ground, after which they beat her with a bamboo saw for three days until he died! After the execution, his head was put on display to the residents of Kyoto, but for some reason rumors spread that after a few days it mysteriously disappeared. That is, there was a person or people who were not afraid to take it and commit it to burial, but most likely it was just a “rumor-expectation”.
Again, the commander could flaunt such an ancient sword of the tachi of the Kamakura era. It has copper wire pendants in the hyogo-kusari style. (Tokyo National Museum)
And this is his tsuba!
Katana sword with the Tokugawa clan crests. This is already the Edo era. (Tokyo National Museum)
Belongings to this sword: tsuba, kogotan knife and ear cleaning - kogai.
Wakizashi is a double "sword" of a katana. (Tokyo National Museum)
Well, the winner of Tokugawa Ieyasu, as he dreamed of it, became a shogun in 1603. However, Hideyoshi's son Hideyori was still alive, but the time will come and Tokugawa will deal with him too. And as a result, Tokugawa will be declared a god, and the samurai state he created, a state without wars, will stand from 1603 to 1868!
Jumonnji-yari is the tip of a spear that is very popular with ashigaru. (Tokyo National Museum)
