Emperor's Armed Forces in the Warring States

Chapter 22 - The Kamisato Family and Its Surroundings in the Fall of 1562

This is the beginning of a new chapter, taking place in Japan especially focused on the Kamisato family.

- Yamaga

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22-1

In the early half of September 1562, while mornings and evenings were clearly autumn-like, the midday still retained traces of summer. Taking advantage of the weekend break, Shoichi Kamisato visited Nobunaga Oda's house in the afternoon, all by himself. Shoichi's adopted daughter, Yoshiko Oda (Kamisato), was effectively the eldest daughter and married to Nobunaga. Therefore, it should have been nothing unusual for Shoichi to visit his daughter and grandchildren. Furthermore, their homes were close enough to each other in Osaka, easily reachable by a short walk.

However, upon seeing her foster father, Yoshiko didn't show a welcoming attitude right away.

"Oh, is Mother Aiko not with you? It's rare for you to come alone."

"Yeah. Aiko objected, but I persuaded her to let me come alone. Besides, it's just visiting my son-in-law, there's no reason for any suspicion."

Nobunaga interjected, "Certainly, there's no suspicion in that regard. But what brings you here? At the moment, it's not easy for me to extend a warm welcome."

"I understand," Shoichi responded, his daughter and son-in-law's somewhat reproachful tone making him look serious.

Now, you may wonder why Shoichi and his daughter's family ended up having such a conversation.

Yoshiko was, as goes without saying, the adopted child of Shoichi's from his former concubine, Pricha (Eikenni). But that wasn't all; after Shoichi and Pricha (Eikenni) parted ways, Yoshiko actively attempted to seduce Shoichi during her mid-teens when she became his adoptive daughter between Shoichi and Aiko. Although Yoshiko claimed she was merely teasing him, people around them saw it differently and believed she genuinely tried to become his lover.

Since Shoichi considered Yoshiko as his daughter, her advances had no effect, but the situation led to Aiko becoming so furious with Yoshiko's behavior that it almost resulted in her being kicked out of the house at one point. Eventually, Yoshiko came to her senses and gave up on Shoichi, choosing to marry Nobunaga instead. Due to her past behavior, Aiko insisted on being present whenever Shoichi and Yoshiko met. Therefore, it was highly unusual for Shoichi to visit his daughter's family all alone.

Furthermore, amid the escalation of the war with Spain, the prices of various commodities had increased, causing hardships for urban workers in particular. As a result, the Imperial Japanese All Labor Union (preparatory committee), led by Nobunaga, began hinting at strikes to demand higher wages. However, there were internal debates within the Imperial Japanese All Labor Union about whether strikes were appropriate during wartime, and this dampened their momentum. It was at this time that Shoichi, now one of the most important figures in the business world, and Nobunaga met at a private residence, raising suspicions among the people. Therefore, Nobunaga's unwelcoming attitude towards his father-in-law's visit was not surprising.

Shoichi raised his voice with a somewhat determined and slightly angered tone in response to his daughter's family.

"I know the timing is delicate, and I understand the situation. However, it's because of a specific situation involving only myself, Yoshiko, and Nobunaga that I had to come."

With a firm gaze, Matsuichi made it clear that this was no ordinary visit.

Considering the gravity of the situation, Yoshiko and Nobunaga reconsidered and welcomed Shoichi into their home.