Chapter 4 Part 1 - Since I was reborn as Saito Yoshitatsu, I'm aiming to hand over the territory to Oda Nobunaga and live longer!
1533 (Tenbun era, year 2)
TL: YuinaEditor: Yuina
[1] Samurai - is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and the original term in Japanese wa saburau. In both countries, the terms were nominalized to mean "those who serve in close attendance to the nobility," the pronunciation in Japanese changing to saburai.
Chapter 4: The Viper's Parents and Family Precepts
Inabayama Castle, Mino Province
Even though my body was well-trained, it was still immature in terms of age (though I was around 125 cm tall, probably inherited from my tall mother.) More importantly, I had to get used to this new body. So I tried to do some physical exercises that I could still remember, such as radio calisthenics, and those commonly used for the rehabilitation of the elderly.
After witnessing my practice, my instructor, Hotta Masakane-dono, started imitating me, and before I knew it, it had spread throughout the household. At the break of dawn, rhythmic calls one, two, three, four would echo not only in Inabayama Castle but also throughout the castle town of Inoguchi.
"This warms up the body quite nicely. It feels like my whole body is awakening."
"Yes, not bad at all. What's even better is that we can do this together with our grandchildren."
Soon, not only the retainers but also my grandfather, Nagai Masatoshi, started doing the morning exercises with us. He had fallen seriously ill in March and retired, so he couldn't engage in vigorous activities anymore.
"I haven't had anything to do since I retired because of my health, but if it's this much, it's actually a good reason to go outside."
"Old man, I heard from Nichigyo-sama that you used to be a priest at Myokaku-ji Temple."
"I did become a priest, but because my heart was too impure, the Buddha gave up on me. Then, I tried being an oil peddler, but the Samurai [1] ridiculed my trade. So I decided to polish my spear and become a warrior, thinking I could surpass those samurai who died in battle and become a greater warrior than them."
Is that how the Viper's clan emerged during these chaotic times?
"Toyotamaru, remember this well. While we have provided you with the education of a samurai, do not consider yourself a true samurai. After all, you were born to a samurai family that had fallen as low as selling oil. Use whatever you can. If your life is at risk, run away. A dead man needs no face nor honor, throw it all away if you have to. When making a choice, pick the one that offers you the most benefits. But don't act impulsively, or you'll eventually commit a fatal mistake."
"Well, you might not remember all of this at your young age," muttered my grandfather with a smile, but his eyes emitted a sharpness akin to that of a wild beast as he spoke.
Somehow, I felt like I understood the reason behind this father and son's rise to power. They survived at all costs and used whatever means available to them. However, they didn't solely pursue immediate gratification.
Upon further thought, my father, Sakon no daibu Norihide (Saito Dosan), almost never betrayed his lord (at least as far as I can recall). He only expelled Sakyo no daibu Toki Yorinari when he saw a chance to become the ruler himself. Perhaps that was what his way to earn the most benefits. However, I find it difficult to envision myself following a similar path.
[1] Samurai - is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and the original term in Japanese wa saburau. In both countries, the terms were nominalized to mean "those who serve in close attendance to the nobility," the pronunciation in Japanese changing to saburai.
Can U call him Saito dosan without the title every time
ReplyDeleteTrust me, I feel your pain... and then I got used to it.
DeleteThe thing is, he isn't called Saito Dosan yet, at this point in time. If I do so, the political plots and discussions would be unlogical and ultimately more confusing.
I decided to create a Character Name Index where you can just go an CTRL+F and then PASTE the character name, to simplify it a little: https://yuina-novel-trad.blogspot.com/p/character-name-index.html