The Trusted Confidant (2007–…): Season 1, Episode 30 - Tenka he no michi - full transcript
After the defeat at Uedahara,
the Takeda forces beat the
Ogasawara forces at Shiojiri Pass.
Without a moment of rest, they
sent forces to the Saku region, and...
regained the support of the generals
that had switched over to Murakami.
I'm sending my key vassals as
deputies to those who submitted.
I will not build any new castles
in Kai province.
You men, are my castle.
The people are the castle,
stone walls, and moats.
Compassion is my ally.
Grudge is my enemy.
On New Year's eve of 1548...
Nagao Kagetora, who was in rivalry
with his older brother, Harukage,
in nearby Echigo province, sought the
mediation of the guardian, Uesugi Sadazane.
UESUGI RESIDENCE
The Nagao family actually
holds the status of guardian.
Tamekage, the father of Harukage
and Kagetora, seized the reins...
of power as guardian, and turned
Uesugi Sadazane into a puppet.
But Kagetora showed respect to
Sadazane, for his title as guardian,
and asked for his mediation.
Kagetora has lived at Rinsen-ji Temple
for a long time, and is a man...
of loyalty. He doesn't want to rob
his brother of the heirship.
Therefore, I would like to relay
my thoughts on this matter...
First, let Harukage become your
father, and not your brother.
In other words, Harukage will
adopt Kagetora as his son.
Then the reign will pass
from father to son.
What do you say to that?
I shall humbly accept that solution.
"Swift as the wind"
"Silent as the forest"
"Conquer like the fire"
"Unmovable as the mountain"
{\fs40}FURIN KAZAN
Episode 30:
THE ROAD TO SUPREMACY
Original Story by:
INOUE Yasushi
Screenplay by:
OMORI Sumio
Music by:
SENJU Akira
Theme Music Performed by: NHK Symphony Orchestra
Theme Music Conductor: TAKASEKI Ken
Performed by: The Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra
Title Letters by: KAKINUMA Koji
Narrator: KAGAMI Sachiko
Period Consultant: SHIBATSUJI Shunroku
Customs Consultant: FUTAKI Kenichi
Architecture Consultant: HIRAI Kiyoshi
Wardrobe Consultant: KOIZUMI Kiyoko
Sword Fighting/Martial Arts Coach: HAYASHI Kunishiro
Conduct Coach: NISHIKAWA Minosuke
Horse-Riding Coaches: TANAKA Mitsunori, TSUJII Keiji
Yamanashi Dialect Coach: KASAI Kazuhiko
Japanese Music Coach: HONJO Shotaro
Buddhist Memorial Service Coach: OSAWA Kiyohiro
Cast
YAMAMOTO Kansuke:
UCHINO Masaaki
TAKEDA Harunobu:
ICHIKAWA Kamejiro
NAGAO Kagetora:
Gackt
OBU Toramasa:
KANEDA Akio
OYAMADA Nobuari:
TANABE Seiichi
BABA Nobuharu:
TAKAHASHI Kazuya
KAKIZAKI Kageie:
KANEDA Kenichi
KAWARAMURA Denbei: ARIZONO Yoshiki
YAZAKI Jugoro: OKAMORI Akira
TAKEDA Nobushige: KASHIMA Noritoshi
KOMAI Masatake: TAKAHASHI Issei
NAGAO Harukage: TODA Masahiro
Nami: URABE Fusako
IMAGAWA Yoshimoto:
TANIHARA Shosuke
Heizo:
SATO Ryuta
Hisa:
MIZUKAWA Asami
Momo:
NISHIDA Naomi
SHIMIZU Yoshimasa:
YOKOCHI Tadashi
SUDA Shinzaemon:
SHIKAUCHI Takashi
HONJO Saneyori:
KIMURA Gen
OKUMA Tomohide:
OHASHI Goro
TSUDA Kenmotsu:
YOSHIDA Kotaro
NAGANO Narimasa: KOICHI Mantaro
TAKANASHI Masayori: OTAKA Akira
Photographed in Cooperation with:
Yamanishi Prefecture
Nagano Prefecture
Niigata Prefecture
Materials Furnished by: Negoro-ji
NAOE Sanetsuna:
NISHIOKA Tokuma
UESUGI Norimasa:
ICHIKAWA Sadanji
MURAKAMI Yoshikiyo:
NAGASHIMA Toshiyuki
TAIGEN Sufu Sessai:
IBU Masato
HOJO Ujitsuna:
MATSUI Makoto
UESUGI Sadazane:
SUZUKI Mizuho
MUROZUMI Torasada:
KATO Takeshi
Jukei-ni:
FUJIMURA Shiho
USAMI Sadamitsu:
OGATA Ken
Executive Producer:
WAKAIZUMI Hisaaki
Produced by: NAKAMURA Takashi
Art Direction by: AOKI Masakazu
Technology: KAWASAKI Kazuhiko
Sound Effects: IMAI Hiroshi
Photography by: TAME Akihiro
Lighting by: IUCHI Minoru
Audio: YAMAMURA Toshiyuki
Image Art: YAMADA Yasuichi
Continuity: SATO Hideki
Editor: ABE Tadashi
Art Direction Manager: SUGIHARA Hiroki
Directed by:
SHIMIZU Kazuhiko
NEW YEARS DAY, 1549
KASUGAYAMA CASTLE, ECHIGO
Kagetora, you must hate me...
Unwilling to waste your valor,
I pulled you out of Buddhism...
and brought you back
to the military life.
But you surpassed my expectations,
and in fear of having you...
secure command of my vassals,
I decided to destroy you myself.
I'm glad you did not
personally lead your army.
If I did, would you have killed me?
I would've been the one killed.
I doubt it. You were rough,
even as a child.
You gave the vassals a hard time.
That is why Father disliked me
and sent me to Rinsen-ji Temple.
By serving Buddha and chanting the
sutras, you can't calm a rowdy soul.
Your path of carnage will continue.
I was not a capable lord to begin with.
Kagetora, don't feel secure yet.
Our cousin, Nagao Masakage in Ueda,
holds hostile feelings for us.
Kagetora... have our
sister Momo marry Masakage.
Our sister?
Make peace with him.
He'll be a big plus for us, if you
can get him as an ally.
Have Momo marry him,
to create a bond.
Nagao Harukage passes away from
illness four years later.
MOMO
Did you notify Mother
of your succession?
Yes. She wrote, saying she'll pray
for my safety to the Kannon.
I see. In that case, I shall
pray for your safety, too.
At Masakage's side.
Sister...
Make me wed Nagao Masakage.
The only thing I can do for you
in celebration of your succession,
is to wed him so that you can
make peace with him.
I can't send you to the enemy.
He's not an enemy...
he's our kin.
When I wed him,
we'll become one family.
It was rough playing with you
as a child, Torachiyo.
You made me hold the leaf
of the Japanese iris,
to play battle and cut it.
Do you remember?
Yes, I remember...
If everyone, not just children,
were to fight with Japanese iris,
this world would be
so much more pleasant.
Kagetora prayed to the Bishamonten
(the god of treasure and war) day and night,
asking for his protection in times
of national crisis and personal chaos.
Bishamonten is also a god of battle,
that protects Buddha in the north.
He overlapped that image with him,
that protects the Emperor and Shogun...
in Kyoto from Echigo in the north,
and worshipped him deeply.
Lord.
Naoe, what is the matter?
This is my daughter, Nami.
I would like her to take care
of you from now on.
Please be good to me.
I'll be counting on you.
Nami, you understand, don't you?
Yes.
Lord, your bed is ready.
Nami, you may go now.
Yes. The light is still on,
so please be careful.
I understand.
What is the matter?
You may go now.
Lord... if it's all right with you,
please let me join you in bed.
Did your father instruct you so?
Is he forcing you?
No... he is not forcing me.
Is it out of your own
personal greed?
Are you offering yourself for
your own personal greed?
Why? Why won't everyone
abandon their greed?
So this is the situation, as soon
as I succeed as lord.
Why do you submit to greed?
It's not greed! I wanted to be
of assistance to you!
I'm sorry!
Forgive me...
I wasn't directing it at you.
Nami... I shall give you this.
By reading this, you will be
spending the night with me...
You may go now and rest.
Yes.
By serving Buddha and chanting the
sutras, it won't calm a rowdy soul.
SUMMER 1549
Are you sure it was Nagao Masakage
that set fire to Biwajima Castle,
the home castle of Usami?
Yes, it appears to be Nagao
Masakage's doing, all right.
Only a section of the castle was
burnt. It looks like he is trying to...
threaten Usami, for not making
a decision as to who he is siding with.
Is Usami a man who will side with
Masakage because he is threatened?
Okuma, like you...
Hasn't his family served
the Uesugi for generations?
Yes, indeed.
Even after being defeated by my father,
he hasn't served the Nagao family.
The man, Usami, seems to be very loyal.
Lord!
Are you calling the Okuma family
disloyal for switching over?
I didn't say that.
Everyone has a different way of life.
What's important is, what you
believe in, in this life.
Lord, please do not praise
Usami too highly.
Although he was defeated
by your father,
he is the very one that almost
had your father killed
in the battle at Sanbu-Ichihara.
Exactly. Your father retired
after that and died shortly after.
If anything, Usami is responsible
for your father's death.
In Usami's eyes, my father is a traitor
who defied the guardian deputy.
If he joins hands with Masakage...
it will be very troublesome.
Unlike Kai, Echigo was still not
unified under one lord.
The various influential families in Echigo
were at constant battle with each other.
Kagetora felt that Usami Sadamitsu
was the important key to making
his hostile cousin, Nagao Masakage,
submit, and unifying Echigo.
What did Sir Kagetora say?
It appears he holds no hostility
against you, Sir Usami.
If anything, he appears to like you.
He likes me?
Yes.
Maybe he's only pretending so,
in front of his vassals.
It didn't appear that way.
Oh, never mind.
In any event, Nagao Masakage has lost
his patience and taken action.
Now, the question is, how will
Kagetora respond to it?
This is a test of his true abilities.
Sir Okuma, thank you
for informing me.
It is my father who chose to ally
with Sir Kagetora.
I haven't decided yet...
if I want to serve him.
Nagao Kagetora...
If he is like his father, Tamekage,
who slighted the guardian
deputy Uesugi...
He will be a man that I will
have to fight someday.
NEGORO TEMPLE, KISHU
Meanwhile, Kansuke was at
Negoro Temple in Kishu.
He was there to procure muskets.
Kansuke, this is what I got from
Tanegashima five years ago.
It was just a single musket, but I
learned how to make it then.
What great foresight!
So the Takeda in Kai have
their eyes on these muskets now.
We would like to get
a hundred of these to start.
A hundred, huh?! The order
can't be fulfilled immediately...
We have our hands full now.
Besides, we need a ship.
Ship?
We can't transport a hundred
muskets by ground.
What if they get stolen by bandits?
The safest way is by ship.
But we'll need a port for it.
Do you have a port available?
Of course not!
There's no sea by Kai!
I'll make the arrangements
for the port.
Please include someone to
instruct us on how to use them.
That's fine, but...
Are you sure you can
afford to pay for them?
This is a small deposit.
Gold... All right.
This is gunpowder for one bullet.
From the muzzle,
push the bullet in.
Ram it down with this rod.
Place gunpowder in the grate, too.
When you pull the trigger,
the fuse will drop, light it,
and the bullet will shoot out.
Boom!
It sure takes a lot of work.
What happens if the enemy
attacks out of the blue?
Then you can't use it.
If it rains, won't the
fuse go out?
You can't use it in the rain.
Do we need a hundred of this?
That is why we need the count.
You'll understand its value,
if you shoot one.
Kansuke, shoot it.
Denbei, you shoot it.
Me?
I've been shot with it,
so I know its power.
Sir Kenmotsu, until the port
arrangements are made,
and the muskets are ready,
I'll leave him here.
Please train him well
as to how to use it.
All right. You, shoot it.
Yes.
Learn it well!
Shoot!
Splendid!
Heizo was recognized for his
military feats at Uedahara,
and was employed as a page
to Murakami Yoshikiyo.
Heizo, I'll give you
some time off.
Go home to Chiisagata and have
a drink with your father.
Thanks for your hard work!
YAZAKI JUGORO'S RESIDENCE,
CHIISAGATA
I heard Lord Murakami has
taken a great liking to you.
I'm proud of you.
Have a drink.
Heizo, you've matured into
a truly fine warrior.
We can't put you to work
in the stables anymore.
No, I'll still do anything
for the Yazaki family.
Thanks to you, my father has
received a stipend in Chiisagata,
and has a few vassals under him.
I am very happy now.
Miss Hisa, I just need you
to be happy now.
Or I can't die in peace,
when I go to battle.
Then don't die.
There's something I need
to tell you both.
What?
Sir Suda wants Hisa
as his concubine.
Concubine?
Don't you want the Yazaki
family to settle down here?
It's for your own good.
The Suda family is like our
family's guardian now.
When I consider Hisa's age and
past, I have to be grateful for it.
Father, I cannot accept such an offer.
I know that.
Why not? Miss Hisa, if it's
something you want...
You have nothing to be ashamed of.
Miss Hisa, you are a fine
daughter of the Yazaki family.
Heizo, are you fine with it?
It doesn't sit well with me.
So I turned him down.
I'm the one who caused Hisa hardship.
That is why I want to make
her wish come true now.
Heizo...
Please make Hisa your wife!
Please take care of Hisa!
Father...
Well, Heizo? Didn't you say
you'd do anything for us?
Will you take Hisa as your wife?
I want you to call me Father!
Please!
Please...
IMAGAWA RESIDENCE, SUNPU
You want to borrow our port?
Yes.
What are you transporting from Kishu?
Muskets.
Muskets? How many?
One hundred.
So Harunobu wants what others have.
Yoshimoto, it's just a hundred.
Isn't that cute?
Just lend them the port.
We'll pay you for the use of it.
If you turn them down, they'll
turn to the Hojo in Sagami.
Will they break their pact with us
and join hands with the Hojo?
That won't happen.
The Hojo might be wanting
the Takeda's help now.
The Hojo are invading Joshu again
to overthrow the Uesugi.
When did this happen?
Just recently.
Sessai, why did the Hojo
withdraw their forces?
Because the Uesugi asked for
reinforcements from another province.
And who might I ask is that?
Nagao Kagetora in Echigo.
The Nagao family gained power
by ignoring their master.
When they sent reinforcements
to the Uesugi in the same clan...
The Hojo must have been shocked.
KAWAGOE CASTLE, MUSASHI
Shimizu, what is Echigo after?
Are they after Joshu, too?
I don't know. The Nagao family
is a mortal enemy to the Uesugi.
To seek reinforcements from their
enemy, indicates their fear of us.
It's obvious that Uesugi Norimasa
is in a predicament.
What kind of general is
Nagao Kagetora?
Without knowing that, we can't
carelessly go to battle.
HIRAI CASTLE, JOSHU
Aren't you the one who suggested
reinforcements from Echigo?
Yes.
Was that a safe move?
The Nagao family are traitors who
overpowered our guardian deputy...
and killed my grandfather
who went to their aid.
The youth, Kagetora, who succeeded
as lord of the Nagao family recently,
places emphasis on justice and sought
the mediation of Uesugi Sadazane.
I figured someone like him
wouldn't bring harm to us.
What will help the Uesugi is justice.
Is there anyone left in this warring
era that moves with a just heart?
Everyone is controlled by greed.
Why do you let it get to their heads?
If we can't get Echigo's help,
we will meet with doom!
Narimasa, the sake of Echigo
has spilled over...
Kansuke, if the Takeda forge
ahead in Shinano...
Echigo will surely stand in their way.
It might take several years before
the Takeda gain Shinano.
Oh, well. My mother can make the
arrangements for the port matter.
I cannot be looking after Kai
any more than I already have.
Sessai, I didn't call you for this.
Let us go.
We are fighting with the Oda
of Owari, in Mikawa.
Yes, I know.
We can fight the Oda without
worries about home,
because of our friendship
with the Takeda.
Yes, my Lady.
But I wonder how long
that will last...
Lady Jukei-ni, why do you say that?
Lady Kita isn't feeling well.
She's bedridden.
Lord Yoshimoto's wife?
Yoshimoto is agonizing over it.
She is Harunobu's older sister.
She's the reason for the pact.
Which means we will have to find
a new tie to bind us together.
Harunobu has to understand that, too.
That Jukei-ni...
She wants a new peace treaty
made at a time like this...
So my sister is a mere hostage.
Thanks to her assistance,
we are able to use their port.
The Imagawa seem to think that as
long as they have us in control...
They have no fears of the east.
The Imagawa are focused on the
west, for the country...
Lord, I can clearly see the
path to supremacy.
Oh?
And what is that path?
We'll first take control of Shinano,
then forge ahead to Echigo.
Beyond Echigo... is the sea.
Sea?
We'll gain control of the sea,
then focus on Suruga.
So that you will have the seas
of the north and south.
Kai will have the two seas?
Then Kai will become a matchless
province in the country.
Kansuke, I have no doubts
in my mind anymore.
I want to take rule, hoist my
flag in Kyoto, defend the laws of...
Buddhism and Imperialism, and
administer a model government.
That is the path I aim for...
I promise to help you achieve it.
Lord, please leave the muskets
with me for a while.
What are you going to do?
I'm going to Echigo,
with the muskets as bait.
Echigo?
I want to see what kind of man
this Nagao Kagetora is.
Disguised as a musket merchant?
Yes.
You have such novel ideas.
Suit yourself.
But first, we are going to invade
Ogasawara, the Shinano deputy.
Ogasawara?
Aiki and Sanada have worked on
many of Ogasawara's vassals.
We can probably capture Hayashi
Castle without a fight.
Then it'll be Murakami...
then Echigo.
And beyond that is...
On February 26 of the following year,
Echigo Deputy Uesugi
Sadazane died.
As Sadazane had no child, the Uesugi
bloodline in Echigo ceased.
Kagetora was allowed to use
the "saddle cover" and "bag"
by the ruling shogun then,
which was Ashikaga Yoshiteru.
This meant that he yielded
apparent authority in Echigo.
This is how Uesugi Kenshin
became the ruler of Echigo.
What hardships await?
Kansuke had no foresight.
Episode 30:
THE ROAD TO SUPREMACY
The End
PREVIEW OF NEXT EPISODE
Episode 31: CASTLE OF BETRAYAL
FURIN KAZAN ERA
Yonezawa city in Yamagata prefecture.
This is a castle town was ruled by
13 generations of Uesugi clan for 270 years.
Nagao Kagetora, later known as Uesugi Kenshin
(Saddle decoration)
Permission to use this saddle decoration by
Kenshin was given by Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru,
to acknowledge Kenshin as
a head of Echigo region.
As Uesugi-clan's re-locate,
...items related to Kagetora
have taken from Echigo to Aizu,
then to Yonezawa with up most care.
(Hoonji Temple)
Doro-ashi (Muddy foot) Bishamonten.
It is a sacred image
worshiped by Kagetora.
One day, Kagetora found muddy
foot prints leading to the statue
Kagetora believed Bishamonten have
come to the battle field to aid him.
Nagao Kagetora was believed
to be buried with full armor.
He is resting in Yonezawa
with his family.
the Takeda forces beat the
Ogasawara forces at Shiojiri Pass.
Without a moment of rest, they
sent forces to the Saku region, and...
regained the support of the generals
that had switched over to Murakami.
I'm sending my key vassals as
deputies to those who submitted.
I will not build any new castles
in Kai province.
You men, are my castle.
The people are the castle,
stone walls, and moats.
Compassion is my ally.
Grudge is my enemy.
On New Year's eve of 1548...
Nagao Kagetora, who was in rivalry
with his older brother, Harukage,
in nearby Echigo province, sought the
mediation of the guardian, Uesugi Sadazane.
UESUGI RESIDENCE
The Nagao family actually
holds the status of guardian.
Tamekage, the father of Harukage
and Kagetora, seized the reins...
of power as guardian, and turned
Uesugi Sadazane into a puppet.
But Kagetora showed respect to
Sadazane, for his title as guardian,
and asked for his mediation.
Kagetora has lived at Rinsen-ji Temple
for a long time, and is a man...
of loyalty. He doesn't want to rob
his brother of the heirship.
Therefore, I would like to relay
my thoughts on this matter...
First, let Harukage become your
father, and not your brother.
In other words, Harukage will
adopt Kagetora as his son.
Then the reign will pass
from father to son.
What do you say to that?
I shall humbly accept that solution.
"Swift as the wind"
"Silent as the forest"
"Conquer like the fire"
"Unmovable as the mountain"
{\fs40}FURIN KAZAN
Episode 30:
THE ROAD TO SUPREMACY
Original Story by:
INOUE Yasushi
Screenplay by:
OMORI Sumio
Music by:
SENJU Akira
Theme Music Performed by: NHK Symphony Orchestra
Theme Music Conductor: TAKASEKI Ken
Performed by: The Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra
Title Letters by: KAKINUMA Koji
Narrator: KAGAMI Sachiko
Period Consultant: SHIBATSUJI Shunroku
Customs Consultant: FUTAKI Kenichi
Architecture Consultant: HIRAI Kiyoshi
Wardrobe Consultant: KOIZUMI Kiyoko
Sword Fighting/Martial Arts Coach: HAYASHI Kunishiro
Conduct Coach: NISHIKAWA Minosuke
Horse-Riding Coaches: TANAKA Mitsunori, TSUJII Keiji
Yamanashi Dialect Coach: KASAI Kazuhiko
Japanese Music Coach: HONJO Shotaro
Buddhist Memorial Service Coach: OSAWA Kiyohiro
Cast
YAMAMOTO Kansuke:
UCHINO Masaaki
TAKEDA Harunobu:
ICHIKAWA Kamejiro
NAGAO Kagetora:
Gackt
OBU Toramasa:
KANEDA Akio
OYAMADA Nobuari:
TANABE Seiichi
BABA Nobuharu:
TAKAHASHI Kazuya
KAKIZAKI Kageie:
KANEDA Kenichi
KAWARAMURA Denbei: ARIZONO Yoshiki
YAZAKI Jugoro: OKAMORI Akira
TAKEDA Nobushige: KASHIMA Noritoshi
KOMAI Masatake: TAKAHASHI Issei
NAGAO Harukage: TODA Masahiro
Nami: URABE Fusako
IMAGAWA Yoshimoto:
TANIHARA Shosuke
Heizo:
SATO Ryuta
Hisa:
MIZUKAWA Asami
Momo:
NISHIDA Naomi
SHIMIZU Yoshimasa:
YOKOCHI Tadashi
SUDA Shinzaemon:
SHIKAUCHI Takashi
HONJO Saneyori:
KIMURA Gen
OKUMA Tomohide:
OHASHI Goro
TSUDA Kenmotsu:
YOSHIDA Kotaro
NAGANO Narimasa: KOICHI Mantaro
TAKANASHI Masayori: OTAKA Akira
Photographed in Cooperation with:
Yamanishi Prefecture
Nagano Prefecture
Niigata Prefecture
Materials Furnished by: Negoro-ji
NAOE Sanetsuna:
NISHIOKA Tokuma
UESUGI Norimasa:
ICHIKAWA Sadanji
MURAKAMI Yoshikiyo:
NAGASHIMA Toshiyuki
TAIGEN Sufu Sessai:
IBU Masato
HOJO Ujitsuna:
MATSUI Makoto
UESUGI Sadazane:
SUZUKI Mizuho
MUROZUMI Torasada:
KATO Takeshi
Jukei-ni:
FUJIMURA Shiho
USAMI Sadamitsu:
OGATA Ken
Executive Producer:
WAKAIZUMI Hisaaki
Produced by: NAKAMURA Takashi
Art Direction by: AOKI Masakazu
Technology: KAWASAKI Kazuhiko
Sound Effects: IMAI Hiroshi
Photography by: TAME Akihiro
Lighting by: IUCHI Minoru
Audio: YAMAMURA Toshiyuki
Image Art: YAMADA Yasuichi
Continuity: SATO Hideki
Editor: ABE Tadashi
Art Direction Manager: SUGIHARA Hiroki
Directed by:
SHIMIZU Kazuhiko
NEW YEARS DAY, 1549
KASUGAYAMA CASTLE, ECHIGO
Kagetora, you must hate me...
Unwilling to waste your valor,
I pulled you out of Buddhism...
and brought you back
to the military life.
But you surpassed my expectations,
and in fear of having you...
secure command of my vassals,
I decided to destroy you myself.
I'm glad you did not
personally lead your army.
If I did, would you have killed me?
I would've been the one killed.
I doubt it. You were rough,
even as a child.
You gave the vassals a hard time.
That is why Father disliked me
and sent me to Rinsen-ji Temple.
By serving Buddha and chanting the
sutras, you can't calm a rowdy soul.
Your path of carnage will continue.
I was not a capable lord to begin with.
Kagetora, don't feel secure yet.
Our cousin, Nagao Masakage in Ueda,
holds hostile feelings for us.
Kagetora... have our
sister Momo marry Masakage.
Our sister?
Make peace with him.
He'll be a big plus for us, if you
can get him as an ally.
Have Momo marry him,
to create a bond.
Nagao Harukage passes away from
illness four years later.
MOMO
Did you notify Mother
of your succession?
Yes. She wrote, saying she'll pray
for my safety to the Kannon.
I see. In that case, I shall
pray for your safety, too.
At Masakage's side.
Sister...
Make me wed Nagao Masakage.
The only thing I can do for you
in celebration of your succession,
is to wed him so that you can
make peace with him.
I can't send you to the enemy.
He's not an enemy...
he's our kin.
When I wed him,
we'll become one family.
It was rough playing with you
as a child, Torachiyo.
You made me hold the leaf
of the Japanese iris,
to play battle and cut it.
Do you remember?
Yes, I remember...
If everyone, not just children,
were to fight with Japanese iris,
this world would be
so much more pleasant.
Kagetora prayed to the Bishamonten
(the god of treasure and war) day and night,
asking for his protection in times
of national crisis and personal chaos.
Bishamonten is also a god of battle,
that protects Buddha in the north.
He overlapped that image with him,
that protects the Emperor and Shogun...
in Kyoto from Echigo in the north,
and worshipped him deeply.
Lord.
Naoe, what is the matter?
This is my daughter, Nami.
I would like her to take care
of you from now on.
Please be good to me.
I'll be counting on you.
Nami, you understand, don't you?
Yes.
Lord, your bed is ready.
Nami, you may go now.
Yes. The light is still on,
so please be careful.
I understand.
What is the matter?
You may go now.
Lord... if it's all right with you,
please let me join you in bed.
Did your father instruct you so?
Is he forcing you?
No... he is not forcing me.
Is it out of your own
personal greed?
Are you offering yourself for
your own personal greed?
Why? Why won't everyone
abandon their greed?
So this is the situation, as soon
as I succeed as lord.
Why do you submit to greed?
It's not greed! I wanted to be
of assistance to you!
I'm sorry!
Forgive me...
I wasn't directing it at you.
Nami... I shall give you this.
By reading this, you will be
spending the night with me...
You may go now and rest.
Yes.
By serving Buddha and chanting the
sutras, it won't calm a rowdy soul.
SUMMER 1549
Are you sure it was Nagao Masakage
that set fire to Biwajima Castle,
the home castle of Usami?
Yes, it appears to be Nagao
Masakage's doing, all right.
Only a section of the castle was
burnt. It looks like he is trying to...
threaten Usami, for not making
a decision as to who he is siding with.
Is Usami a man who will side with
Masakage because he is threatened?
Okuma, like you...
Hasn't his family served
the Uesugi for generations?
Yes, indeed.
Even after being defeated by my father,
he hasn't served the Nagao family.
The man, Usami, seems to be very loyal.
Lord!
Are you calling the Okuma family
disloyal for switching over?
I didn't say that.
Everyone has a different way of life.
What's important is, what you
believe in, in this life.
Lord, please do not praise
Usami too highly.
Although he was defeated
by your father,
he is the very one that almost
had your father killed
in the battle at Sanbu-Ichihara.
Exactly. Your father retired
after that and died shortly after.
If anything, Usami is responsible
for your father's death.
In Usami's eyes, my father is a traitor
who defied the guardian deputy.
If he joins hands with Masakage...
it will be very troublesome.
Unlike Kai, Echigo was still not
unified under one lord.
The various influential families in Echigo
were at constant battle with each other.
Kagetora felt that Usami Sadamitsu
was the important key to making
his hostile cousin, Nagao Masakage,
submit, and unifying Echigo.
What did Sir Kagetora say?
It appears he holds no hostility
against you, Sir Usami.
If anything, he appears to like you.
He likes me?
Yes.
Maybe he's only pretending so,
in front of his vassals.
It didn't appear that way.
Oh, never mind.
In any event, Nagao Masakage has lost
his patience and taken action.
Now, the question is, how will
Kagetora respond to it?
This is a test of his true abilities.
Sir Okuma, thank you
for informing me.
It is my father who chose to ally
with Sir Kagetora.
I haven't decided yet...
if I want to serve him.
Nagao Kagetora...
If he is like his father, Tamekage,
who slighted the guardian
deputy Uesugi...
He will be a man that I will
have to fight someday.
NEGORO TEMPLE, KISHU
Meanwhile, Kansuke was at
Negoro Temple in Kishu.
He was there to procure muskets.
Kansuke, this is what I got from
Tanegashima five years ago.
It was just a single musket, but I
learned how to make it then.
What great foresight!
So the Takeda in Kai have
their eyes on these muskets now.
We would like to get
a hundred of these to start.
A hundred, huh?! The order
can't be fulfilled immediately...
We have our hands full now.
Besides, we need a ship.
Ship?
We can't transport a hundred
muskets by ground.
What if they get stolen by bandits?
The safest way is by ship.
But we'll need a port for it.
Do you have a port available?
Of course not!
There's no sea by Kai!
I'll make the arrangements
for the port.
Please include someone to
instruct us on how to use them.
That's fine, but...
Are you sure you can
afford to pay for them?
This is a small deposit.
Gold... All right.
This is gunpowder for one bullet.
From the muzzle,
push the bullet in.
Ram it down with this rod.
Place gunpowder in the grate, too.
When you pull the trigger,
the fuse will drop, light it,
and the bullet will shoot out.
Boom!
It sure takes a lot of work.
What happens if the enemy
attacks out of the blue?
Then you can't use it.
If it rains, won't the
fuse go out?
You can't use it in the rain.
Do we need a hundred of this?
That is why we need the count.
You'll understand its value,
if you shoot one.
Kansuke, shoot it.
Denbei, you shoot it.
Me?
I've been shot with it,
so I know its power.
Sir Kenmotsu, until the port
arrangements are made,
and the muskets are ready,
I'll leave him here.
Please train him well
as to how to use it.
All right. You, shoot it.
Yes.
Learn it well!
Shoot!
Splendid!
Heizo was recognized for his
military feats at Uedahara,
and was employed as a page
to Murakami Yoshikiyo.
Heizo, I'll give you
some time off.
Go home to Chiisagata and have
a drink with your father.
Thanks for your hard work!
YAZAKI JUGORO'S RESIDENCE,
CHIISAGATA
I heard Lord Murakami has
taken a great liking to you.
I'm proud of you.
Have a drink.
Heizo, you've matured into
a truly fine warrior.
We can't put you to work
in the stables anymore.
No, I'll still do anything
for the Yazaki family.
Thanks to you, my father has
received a stipend in Chiisagata,
and has a few vassals under him.
I am very happy now.
Miss Hisa, I just need you
to be happy now.
Or I can't die in peace,
when I go to battle.
Then don't die.
There's something I need
to tell you both.
What?
Sir Suda wants Hisa
as his concubine.
Concubine?
Don't you want the Yazaki
family to settle down here?
It's for your own good.
The Suda family is like our
family's guardian now.
When I consider Hisa's age and
past, I have to be grateful for it.
Father, I cannot accept such an offer.
I know that.
Why not? Miss Hisa, if it's
something you want...
You have nothing to be ashamed of.
Miss Hisa, you are a fine
daughter of the Yazaki family.
Heizo, are you fine with it?
It doesn't sit well with me.
So I turned him down.
I'm the one who caused Hisa hardship.
That is why I want to make
her wish come true now.
Heizo...
Please make Hisa your wife!
Please take care of Hisa!
Father...
Well, Heizo? Didn't you say
you'd do anything for us?
Will you take Hisa as your wife?
I want you to call me Father!
Please!
Please...
IMAGAWA RESIDENCE, SUNPU
You want to borrow our port?
Yes.
What are you transporting from Kishu?
Muskets.
Muskets? How many?
One hundred.
So Harunobu wants what others have.
Yoshimoto, it's just a hundred.
Isn't that cute?
Just lend them the port.
We'll pay you for the use of it.
If you turn them down, they'll
turn to the Hojo in Sagami.
Will they break their pact with us
and join hands with the Hojo?
That won't happen.
The Hojo might be wanting
the Takeda's help now.
The Hojo are invading Joshu again
to overthrow the Uesugi.
When did this happen?
Just recently.
Sessai, why did the Hojo
withdraw their forces?
Because the Uesugi asked for
reinforcements from another province.
And who might I ask is that?
Nagao Kagetora in Echigo.
The Nagao family gained power
by ignoring their master.
When they sent reinforcements
to the Uesugi in the same clan...
The Hojo must have been shocked.
KAWAGOE CASTLE, MUSASHI
Shimizu, what is Echigo after?
Are they after Joshu, too?
I don't know. The Nagao family
is a mortal enemy to the Uesugi.
To seek reinforcements from their
enemy, indicates their fear of us.
It's obvious that Uesugi Norimasa
is in a predicament.
What kind of general is
Nagao Kagetora?
Without knowing that, we can't
carelessly go to battle.
HIRAI CASTLE, JOSHU
Aren't you the one who suggested
reinforcements from Echigo?
Yes.
Was that a safe move?
The Nagao family are traitors who
overpowered our guardian deputy...
and killed my grandfather
who went to their aid.
The youth, Kagetora, who succeeded
as lord of the Nagao family recently,
places emphasis on justice and sought
the mediation of Uesugi Sadazane.
I figured someone like him
wouldn't bring harm to us.
What will help the Uesugi is justice.
Is there anyone left in this warring
era that moves with a just heart?
Everyone is controlled by greed.
Why do you let it get to their heads?
If we can't get Echigo's help,
we will meet with doom!
Narimasa, the sake of Echigo
has spilled over...
Kansuke, if the Takeda forge
ahead in Shinano...
Echigo will surely stand in their way.
It might take several years before
the Takeda gain Shinano.
Oh, well. My mother can make the
arrangements for the port matter.
I cannot be looking after Kai
any more than I already have.
Sessai, I didn't call you for this.
Let us go.
We are fighting with the Oda
of Owari, in Mikawa.
Yes, I know.
We can fight the Oda without
worries about home,
because of our friendship
with the Takeda.
Yes, my Lady.
But I wonder how long
that will last...
Lady Jukei-ni, why do you say that?
Lady Kita isn't feeling well.
She's bedridden.
Lord Yoshimoto's wife?
Yoshimoto is agonizing over it.
She is Harunobu's older sister.
She's the reason for the pact.
Which means we will have to find
a new tie to bind us together.
Harunobu has to understand that, too.
That Jukei-ni...
She wants a new peace treaty
made at a time like this...
So my sister is a mere hostage.
Thanks to her assistance,
we are able to use their port.
The Imagawa seem to think that as
long as they have us in control...
They have no fears of the east.
The Imagawa are focused on the
west, for the country...
Lord, I can clearly see the
path to supremacy.
Oh?
And what is that path?
We'll first take control of Shinano,
then forge ahead to Echigo.
Beyond Echigo... is the sea.
Sea?
We'll gain control of the sea,
then focus on Suruga.
So that you will have the seas
of the north and south.
Kai will have the two seas?
Then Kai will become a matchless
province in the country.
Kansuke, I have no doubts
in my mind anymore.
I want to take rule, hoist my
flag in Kyoto, defend the laws of...
Buddhism and Imperialism, and
administer a model government.
That is the path I aim for...
I promise to help you achieve it.
Lord, please leave the muskets
with me for a while.
What are you going to do?
I'm going to Echigo,
with the muskets as bait.
Echigo?
I want to see what kind of man
this Nagao Kagetora is.
Disguised as a musket merchant?
Yes.
You have such novel ideas.
Suit yourself.
But first, we are going to invade
Ogasawara, the Shinano deputy.
Ogasawara?
Aiki and Sanada have worked on
many of Ogasawara's vassals.
We can probably capture Hayashi
Castle without a fight.
Then it'll be Murakami...
then Echigo.
And beyond that is...
On February 26 of the following year,
Echigo Deputy Uesugi
Sadazane died.
As Sadazane had no child, the Uesugi
bloodline in Echigo ceased.
Kagetora was allowed to use
the "saddle cover" and "bag"
by the ruling shogun then,
which was Ashikaga Yoshiteru.
This meant that he yielded
apparent authority in Echigo.
This is how Uesugi Kenshin
became the ruler of Echigo.
What hardships await?
Kansuke had no foresight.
Episode 30:
THE ROAD TO SUPREMACY
The End
PREVIEW OF NEXT EPISODE
Episode 31: CASTLE OF BETRAYAL
FURIN KAZAN ERA
Yonezawa city in Yamagata prefecture.
This is a castle town was ruled by
13 generations of Uesugi clan for 270 years.
Nagao Kagetora, later known as Uesugi Kenshin
(Saddle decoration)
Permission to use this saddle decoration by
Kenshin was given by Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru,
to acknowledge Kenshin as
a head of Echigo region.
As Uesugi-clan's re-locate,
...items related to Kagetora
have taken from Echigo to Aizu,
then to Yonezawa with up most care.
(Hoonji Temple)
Doro-ashi (Muddy foot) Bishamonten.
It is a sacred image
worshiped by Kagetora.
One day, Kagetora found muddy
foot prints leading to the statue
Kagetora believed Bishamonten have
come to the battle field to aid him.
Nagao Kagetora was believed
to be buried with full armor.
He is resting in Yonezawa
with his family.