Chapter 21 Part 2 - Since I was reborn as Saito Yoshitatsu, I'm aiming to hand over the territory to Oda Nobunaga and live longer!
1536 (Tenbun era, year 5)
TL: Yuina Oyada, Mugi District, Mino Province
As the snow began to accumulate in the mountains, we decided to go to the last Rokusai market of the year. The market in Oyada has a long history, dating back to the time of the Onin War. It is held six times a month to sell Mino's paper, a local specialty.
The revenue collected from market is the lifeline of the Toki and Saito clans. The Toki clan relies on the income from the Barrier Stations, while the Saito clan relies on the income from the paper itself.
I arrived at the market before noon with four samurai, two of whom were my kosho bodyguards (Akeshi Hikotaro Mitsuhide and Osawa Jirozaemon Masahide). When I walked inside with the local governor who guided me to the city, I saw signs of various shops with open display shelves. Basically, since they only deal in paper, the stores are all those of the washi paper craftsmen of various parts of Mino and the wholesalers affiliated to them.
"The more things we sell, the more money will go to the governor-general's pockets, thanks to the barriers."
The local governor was proud, but for the Saito clan, who dealt directly with the products, the income would be higher if there were no tax to be paid at the barrier and more wholesalers would come, so that they would make more money. It was a very complicated feeling.
After a short walk, I heard a familiar voice. I walked a little closer and saw Toyo, the girl who is usually assisting me.
She said, "Yes, this soap is for washing your body..."
Toyo and Sachi are quite different in character. Toyo can handle even the most outward-looking jobs, but Sachi is not a person of many words. The reason I taught Sachi how to play Go is because I wanted to start a conversation with her. Toyo is a cheerful girl who gets along well with everyone. In the morning, she is usually the one who comes to wake me up.
Toyo is explaining the soap's virtues to a well-dressed samurai. My father asked to borrow her to make her sell soap here on a trial basis.
She said, "It will be of use to you, young master, by all means!"
But there was a part of me that was worried, so I came to see how it was going on.
She demonstrated the effectiveness of the soap by washing the hands and feet of slightly dirty child brought from town. Her voice is light and lively, and people are gathering around her. It seemed that the demonstration was really a success. The product is still expensive due to the cost of the oil and peppermint, but it should sell well.
Incidentally, Naraya, an oil wholesaler in Yamashiro [1], was the main supplier of this business. My father, Sakon no Daibu, was the first to contact Naraya, the family house of my deceased grandfather Masatoshi's first wife, to wholesale the soap to them, and they teamed up with the oil guild of Oyamazaki to sell it from Kyoto to Sakai. I asked the woodworker to make a wooden box with our clan crest of two-crested wave on it. Even though it's just a matter of carving and putting a stamp, the intention behind is to create a new brand, which will add more value to the product. It is said that the brand is becoming well known in the Kinai region because it was even presented to the Ashikaga shogun and the emperor's family.
"Thank you very much!"
"Toyo, how are you doing?"
"Oh, young master!"
When I called out to her after she finished settling down the customers, she turned to me with a smile that was not a sales smile, but an innocent one. Then she trotted closer and closer until she was right in front of me.
"Young man! 25 pieces of the soap you made sold out in two hours!"
"Hmm, it seems to be doing quite well."
"Not just well, even the person who lent us the shelf was surprised!"
"What kind of people are buying the soap?"
"Let's see... Four silk-clad samurai bought two each, a person who seemed to be a traveling merchant, bought four on his own, and a well-dressed merchant accompanied by three other people bought 13 pieces."
One of Toyo's forte is her good memory. Thus, it's a good way to check on these buyers. Since it's just been two hours, the pace was roughly one piece per five minutes. However, it seems that a lot of people buy in bulk, and there are no customers at all during the off-season.
I think we should target the affluent class first for the soap. Once we have a stable supply of oil, we can consider selling to the common people. Also, as far as I can see, we don't have an abacus, so I'll have one made for Toyo next time.
I would be deeply disappointed, if he doesn't have an harem.
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