Emperor's Armed Forces in the Warring States

Epilogue (Part 5)

This will be an epilogue. The first part will be centered around Pricha's (Eikenni) POV.

- Yamaga

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1

In the first half of April 1569, Eikenni was breathing her last. Receiving a phone call informing her of Eikenni's critical condition, at her bedside were two of her own children, Katsutoshi and Dōhei (Masamichi), both in anguish and wearing masks. Eikenni deeply regretted that if it weren't for the pulmonary disease (tuberculosis), she could have bid farewell to her children in her final moments. But with her pulmonary disease, it was impossible for Yoshiko, who was pregnant, to visit her.

Furthermore, reflecting further, Eikenni realized she had truly parted ways forever with Kazuko and Tomoko. If she hadn't contracted pulmonary disease in the winter of the year before last, she would have gone to North America last spring. And there, she might have lived with Kazuko, and Tomoko might have come to visit. But ultimately, it remained an unattainable dream.

After Yoshiko returned to Japan in late February, Eikenni had a nurse transcribe her dictated letters, and through them, she managed to achieve a superficial reconciliation between mother and daughter. Perhaps that alone should have satisfied her. After all, she had been prepared to die before Yoshiko's return. However, even so, achieving reconciliation through direct conversation was subtly different. She believed reconciliation should be done face to face.

With this thought in mind, Eikenni considered how fortunate it would be to die at such a time. The cherry blossoms she saw for the first time in Japan were truly beautiful in full bloom. She even thought she would be happy to die amidst the cherry blossom petals fluttering down. And yet, she would die around the time of the full moon, having glimpsed the cherry blossoms in full bloom. She never thought she would achieve a final moment like that of Saigyō Hōshi, whom she learned about since coming to Japan.

Come to think of it, Eikenni and Saigyō Hōshi were somewhat alike. Both abandoned their children and entered the Buddhist priesthood. If they had stayed in the secular world, they could have had a reasonably affluent life with their families. To abandon even their children out of such strong determination...

No, Saigyō Hōshi might have been much better off. Despite being a mother of five, she abandoned all her children, including Tomoko, who was still a nursing infant, and entered the priesthood. And entrusted all her children to the man (Shoichi Kamisato) who killed her husband. It was only natural that my eldest daughter, Yoshiko, who knew the circumstances before and after, never forgave her.

While such thoughts crossed her mind, Eikenni further pondered. The regret of not being able to go to Kazuko's side truly lingered, and she felt her soul would wander in the secular world. Yoshiko informed her by letter, but the reason for Yoshiko's delayed return was the aftermath of the attacks on Spain and North Africa by the allies she had joined from North America.

(Although Yoshiko didn't want to worry her birth mother, Eikenni, she wrote the truth because she couldn't hide it anymore.)

If she had gone to Kazuko's side, she could have talked to her, stopped Kazuko and her surroundings from going too far, and at the same time, served as a bridge to seek understanding from Japan about Kazuko's and her surroundings' actions. Indeed, her daughter Yoshiko holds the position of former Principal Handmaid. Through Yoshiko, it was practically possible to influence Emperor Ōgimachi and Chief Minister Haruyoshi Nijō on these matters. But she could not do such things if she were dead.

The interests of the Japanese mainland and the Japanese colonies centered around North America were gradually conflicting behind the scenes. Her death may not have much of an impact, but she couldn't help but feel that even so, it would not be good for the future. She hoped nothing bad would happen in the future, no civil wars or independence wars.