第5节
se of events, the domain-lord's eldest son would have
assumed his father's title, but on the orders of the Shogun, Hirohito's
children had all died by their own hand, or had been killed by their
mother before turning the knife upon herself.
In some families, blood-feuds erupted when competing branches disputed
the succession but Domain-Lord Hirohito Yama-Shita had ruthlessly
eliminated all potential rivals. He had ruled with an iron hand but
under his leadership the family, already rich, had prospered even
more.
Only now, with most of his immediate relatives dead, had come the
sombre realization that his murderous reign had eliminated most of the
candidates with the necessary strength, ability and drive to take his
place.
The qualities of leadership now displayed by Aishi Sakimoto had not
escaped the notice of his late nephew but he had survived, partly
because he was Hirohito's favourite uncle and a fairly ruthless
character himself.
But what had really saved him from assassination was the fact that he
was old and without issue, and was therefore not regarded as a threat
to the domain-lord's own family.
It was also the reason why the shaken survivors had appointed him to
head the council now running the family's affairs until one of their
number formally assumed the title. In the present climate, the chosen
successor to Hirohito would not necessarily be the best man for the
job. Ieyasu, the Lord Chamberlain had sent word that whoever was
chosen could only become domain-lord with the approval of the Shogun.
And everyone knew Yoritomo would not allow a strong candidate to take
the helm.
It was a bitter pill. Never before had the family been forced to
endure such interference with their affairs. The twin ancestors of the
Yama-Shita, the Yama-Ha and the Matsu-Shita had helped the Toh-Yota
defeat the Da-Tsuni.
They had been allies. As part of the historic Seventh Wave, their
blood had mingled on the shore of the Eastern Sea. But with the merger
of the two families to form one of the biggest domains in Ne-Issan they
had become rivals. And their differences had been aggravated by
Hirohito's espousal of progressive ideals.
The domain formed by the merger was not significantly larger than the
territory held by the Toh-Yota. The source of their unease lay in its
unique geographical position which gave it access to the the Great
Lakes and the Eastern Sea, borders that could be easily defended and,
above all, an enviable trading advantage. Even though the Toh-Yota had
filled its own coffers by taxing the family's revenues, the steadily
increasing wealth and influence of the Yama-Shita had come to be viewed
as a threat to the Shogunate.
Lord Hirohito's overconfidence had led him to act prematurely. He had
been right about Yoritomo. Left to his own devices, the young Shogun
would not have been a problem. He was his own worst enemy. But
Hirohito had seriously underestimated Ieyasu's staying power. With
Yoritomo's accession and his attempted clean sweep, Ieyasu's grip on
the Inner Court had been seriously weakened. Many of his cronies had
been ousted and his place-men in the bakufu had been demoted or
pensioned off. Everyone had confidently expected Ieyasu to follow them
out through the door to spend his last years pottering about the garden
or the library of his large estate.
But the old fox had hung on, and six years later, the foothold he had
managed to preserve had become a veritable stranglehold. It had been
reported that he not only had the Shogun's ear, he had both ears pinned
against the wall. The proof was there for all to see!
Yoritomo's fleet-footed manoeuvres in the wake of the Heron Pool
massacre bore all the hall-marks of the great conspirator.
Yes. More positive action should have been taken at the beginning. An
overt assassination attempt was out of the question but Ieyasu's
penchant for juveniles was no secret within court circles. Instead of
gloating over the reports of his imminent removal from office on the
grounds of galloping senility, Hirohito should have slipped a couple of