The year following the events just narrated, the strained relations
between the rivals, the Toyotomis and Tokugawas snapped, and as had
been foreseen war was declared. The Ex-Shogun Iyeyasu and the reigning
Shogun Hidetada with an army of 200,000 men lay siege to the Castle of
Osaka, though as yet they did not venture on very close quarters. The
besieged troops, though outnumbered by the enemy, were well commanded
by numerous veteran generals and defended themselves with courage
and skill. In several small engagements which took place without the
castle, Iyeyasu’s men, ensnared with artfully constructed stratagems,
suffered severe defeat. Above all they sustained signal reverses
at the hands of Shigenari who manœuvered adroitly and fought bravely
with his company.
The siege lasted several months and still the brave little garrison
held the enemy at bay. With each success their spirits rose. The shrewd
Iyeyasu, seeing the impossibility of taking the stronghold by force
and hopeless of starving it out, deemed it would be the best policy
to patch up peace in some way, and trust to the pride and arrogance
of the opposing faction to bring about their own downfall. Therefore,
most cunningly, through the Emperor’s mediation as it seemed, he
proposed, nay, almost dictated peace to Hideyori. Most of his generals,
including Sanada Yukimura, Chief of the General Staff, and Shigenari,
considering the present situation favourable to the triumph of their
side, emphatically opposed such a fatal act; but Hideyori’s infamous
and beautiful mother Madame Yodogimi who had great influence over her
son, being persuaded to that effect by her licentious and thoughtless
favourites who were weary of the confinement necessitated by the siege,
threw all the weight of her maternal authority on the acceptance of the
terms. Furthermore, the proposal coming from the highest quarter
could hardly be slighted; therefore the defenders were almost without
option compelled to agree to the humiliating terms proposed, which were
that Hideyori should destroy the outer moat of his castle—to show the
sincerity of his peaceful intentions—while Iyeyasu, in return, should
cede to him the provinces of Kii and Yamato.
A day was appointed for the formal signing of the treaty; and Shigenari
was nominated special envoy for the occasion, with Kōri Shumenosuké for
vice-envoy.
Iyeyasu had the entrance to his camp strictly guarded; and with a
view to displaying his authority before all the daimios assembled to
witness the ceremony, he secretly instructed his most trusted generals
to humiliate the expected envoys as much as possible. These officers
who felt much chagrin at their frequent defeats were only too glad to
have opportunity to wreck vengeance on the enemy by affronting their
representatives.
Shigenari and Shumenosuké arrived on horseback, escorted by a little
band of some eighty men. On their appearance before the camp of Tōdō
Takatora, the sentinels one after the other called out:—
“Halt, sirs! As His Highness’s camp is so near you must dismount.”
Shumenosuké hurriedly pulled up and was about to get off his horse; but
his superior stopped him with a gesture, and looked haughtily at the
men in front. He cried loudly:—
“We are Kimura Shigenari and Kōri Shumenosuké, the representatives of
Lord Toyotomi, Minister of the Right. No code of etiquette requires
anyone to dismount before his equal in rank. You are insolent! We
proceed.”
Then Shigenari rode calmly forward followed by his suite.
When the envoys came to General Ii’s camp his sentinels likewise
demanded that they should dismount.
Giving the same reply as before, Shigenari, disregarding their attempts
to stop him, put spurs to his horse and rode on.
At the camp of Lord Echigo more strenuous efforts were made to force
the strangers to proceed on foot. In great wrath Shigenari protested
against such unwarranted discourtesy.
“What mean you by such conduct?” he cried. “Judging from our reception
I conclude it is the intention of Iyeyasu to disregard the
Imperial mandate to make peace. Well, then, it is useless to go
further. We will return at once to the castle and report to our lord
the shameful treatment we have received!”
So saying he turned his horse and was about to go back, when Lord
Echigo’s men seeing, they had gone too far, apologised profusely and
begged him to pass on to fulfil his mission.
At length the envoys came to the entrance of the building where they
were to meet the great Ex-Shogun. Here they dismounted and carrying
their swords were about to enter when two ushers intercepted them,
crying:—
“Your weapons must be left without!”