ベイカー寮221B／Baker House 221B

OBU Genshirō Masakage was a younger brother or a nephew of OBU Toramasa. He served TAKEDA Harunobu as his attendant and became one of his vassals in 1552. The armours of him and his vassals were red like those of Toramasa.

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Kasuga Danjō Toratsuna was a vasssal of TAKEDA Harunobu (Shingen) and Katsuyori. He was called Kōsaka Danjō Masanobu when he was adopted by Kōsaka Chikuzennokami Muneshige. But he called himself Kasuga Toratsuna again later.

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USAMI Sadamitsu sends Heizō to Suruga while NAGAO Kagetora's second visit to Kyoto. He orders Heizō to tell Chōkyū, former Toraōmaru who becomes a monk to kill TAKEDA Harunobu and tells what he should say in Suruga. But Hisa is afraid that her husband is sacrificed by Sadamitsu. She hopes that he will hold his life dear. Heizō says he will do it for justice but Hisa tells him if Chokyu succeeds in it, Heizō will be punished anyway.


In Kai, a girl is born betweeen Yoshinobu and Aya and Yoshinobu is so delighted with it. It is informed to IMAGAWA Yoshimoto. Jukeini tells him that Aya takes the backbone out of Yoshinobu as TAIGEN Sessai said. Then one of his attendants appears and tells him that a man called YAZAKI Heizo from Echigo visits him. Heizō meets Jukeini and tells her that he served the Suwa clan before and makes effort to avenge SUWA Yorishige. Jukeini is astonished whether he knows the Imagawa ckan is related to the Takeda clan, but she brings him to Zentokuji Temple.


At Zentokuji, Heizo tells Chōkyū that his father committed hara-kiri leaving the will that he should succeed him and his half sister Yu-u hime became a concubine of Sjingen as Sadamitsu told him. Chōkyū asks him what happened afterwards and then Jukeini says severely.
"She was killed."
She says that Yu-u hime was a caged bird after having given birth to a son and died of illness. In addition, she tells him that he is ignored in the Takeda clan and then he resolves to revenge himself on Shingen. He asks her to let him pass and secretly departs for Kai with the guidance of Heizo who disguises himself as yamabushi.


On his way, Chōkyū asks Heizō if he has a family or not and he answers that he left his family in Echigo. Chōkyū decides to go to Kōfu by himself and advises Heizō to return home. And Kansuke admires that Shirō who is guarded by AKIYAMA Nobutomo, keeper of Takatō Castle becomes sturdy. He instructs him in strategy but Shirō seems to be bored with it. Kansuke persuades him that he should learn it for the Takeda clan or Suwa clan.


After that he returns to Kōfu and learns that a young monk often visits O-Goto hime from Ritsu. She goes to Sekisuiji Temple where she lives and says that Shingen will visit there tomorrow. Hagino is dissatisfied that Shingen occasionally visits O-Goto hime but Sanjo Fujin is satisfied with her first grandchild. And Chōkyū meets Shingen at the temple on the following day. Heizō, who secretly sees how the land lies is found by his old friends, Denbée and Takichi.
"It's you, Heizō! What are you doing here?"
But he is dump as an oyster.


They suspect his behaviour and let Kansuke meet him. Kansuke remembers the words of Ritsu and presses him hard to tell him who the monk is. At last Heizō asks him to stop the monk who is former Toraomaru. And at sekisuiji, Chōkyū tells "Heiké Monogatari" to the women and Mari hime but Shingen takes a nap. Chōkyū approaches him to put a sleeved coverlet over him and then he takes a dagger from his bosom to kill him. However he gets up suddenly and shouts him that he knows everything. Then Shingen takes him to Tsutsujigasaki and tells him about Ōi Fujin who looked after him when he was a child. Shingen plans to take him in  but Yoshinobu opposes it violently.


Then Chōkyū approaches him to show just as he is. Though Kansuke tries to stop him, Chōkyū watches for his chance and draws Yoshinobu's dagger to kill him. But Hagino tries to intervene them and killed by Chōkyū. Shingen orders his vassals to confine him in a temple. Kansuke who returns home hears that both Takichi and Denbée made Heizō escape. He is so angry with it but Denbée says it's plotted by Jukeini. Kansuke is surprised and damns her.


The images are from the DVD series of "Fūrin Kazan".

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One morning Kansuke wakes up ans finds Ritsu sits by him. Though she calls him darling, he tells her to call him "Father". Ritsu prays for her Marici given by Kansuke and tells O-Kuma that she serves breakfast for him instead of her. Kansuke asks her when Harunobu offered her the marriage with him. Sha says that her father HARA Toratane told her about it before she met Kansuke. He told her to give birth Kansuke's son so she emphasises that she hopes to be his wife and have his child rather than adopted by him. And in the year 1556, ŌKUMA Tomohide betrays NAGAO Kagetora and served Harunobu.


And then Tomohide and SANADA Yukitaka win the samurais who serve Kagetora over to Takeda's side and Harunobu departs for a battle as if he distracted himself from the sense of loss caused by the death of Yu-u hime. And Yukitaka asks Kansuke about his newly-married life but Kansuke says Ritsu is not his wife but an adopted daughter. Then he asks him whether he has parental affection or not and tells him to marry her because he has no will of making any of his son become her husband. Besides he declares if Kansuke has no child, he or his sons will be the strategist of the Takeda clan.


Yukitaka makes local samurais in northern Shinano from Kagetora by falling Amakazari Castle and Katsurayama Castle. Though Echigo is snowbound, Harunobu attacks Zenkōjidaitra and USAMI Sadamitsu thinks it may cause a battle. As Kagetora returned from Mt. Koya, his vassals band together than before but Harunobu is never provoked to fight against him and keeps staying in Fukashi Castle. This confrontation between them, the Third Battle of Kawanakajima ends without decisive result again.



However Harunobu says that his side won and the Ichikawa clan in northern shinano can hokd his territory by supporting him. But another battle against Kagetora may be unavoidable. After that shogun ASHIKAGA Yoshiteru suggests to him that he should make peace with Masatora and he accepts it subject to becoming the lord of Shinano. BABA Nobuharu worries that if he fights against Kagetora again, he will betray Yoshiteru but Kansuke says it's an equal fight because the lords of Shinano and Echigo fight each other.


However Kagetora is requested to succeed UESUGI Norimasa and become a Kanto kanrei. In reality, Yoshiteru who is surrounded by enemies depends on Kagetora and invites him to visit Kyoto. If he succeeds him, his position will be higher than that of shugo (daimyo) and he can conquer Kantō region and beat the Hōjō clan. Needless to say, he can beat Harunobu who seizes an opportunity to attack him. He decides to go to Kyoto again but he worries that he should make Nami marry anubody. Nami feels disappointed because she has no possibility of becoming his concubine and goes out from the castle in his absence to become a nun.

Meanwhile Kansuke also worries that he should find somebody who marries Ritsu. The sons of Takichi except Mokichi, the eldest son are adopted by other samurais but Ritsu doesn't like Mokichi. And Harunobu regrets that he could not love Yu-u hime and Shiro sufficiently and decides to become a priest in the cause of being benevolent to his vassals and people. In February 1559, he takes the tonsure and calls himself Shingen. At the same time, HARA Toratane, Yukitaka and Kansuke take the tonsure also and call themselves Seigan, Ittokusai and Dōki respectively (*). However Ritsu says that samurais take tonsure superficially and she intends to dispose his sakes. Kansuke who is confused and says,
"No, a small quantity of sake is allowed even for monks." (**)


And Heizō in Echigo, whose former lord MURAKAMI Yoshikiyo serves Kagetora is eager to become a strategist for the Nagao clan with bravado. He hopes to be a match for Kansuke but Hisa says she is happy as she, Heizo and their children are now. Then Sadamitsu intends to give him a try. He orders him to meet Chōkyū, former Toraōmaru. Sadamitsu tells him that Chōkyū is the very man who should kill Harunobu (Shingen) and tells him to go to Suruga as spy.


(*) Seiyō Uchino, ICHIKAWA Kamejirō and Kai Shishido actually had their hair close-cropped but Kuranosuke Sasaki used a wig because he appeared another TV show at that time.
(**) Basically, Buddhist monks cannot drink sake.

The images are from the DVD series of "Fūrin Kazan".
 

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She is a fictional figure. She served Yu-u hime as maid and accompanied her when she goes to Kai from Suwa to become a concubine of TAKEDA Harunobu (Shingen).

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She was an elder sister of NAGAO Kagetora (later UESUGI Masatora then Kenshin) and married NAGAO Masakage. She gave birth four children between him includes Uesugi Kagekatsu. And she was a woman who recommended HIGUCHI Yoroku, later NAOE Kanetsugu as his page.

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Hisa is a fictional figure. She is a daughter of YAZAKI Jūgorō and a wife of Yazaki Heizō.

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After defeating the Kiso clan, Kansuke returns to Osaka Kannon-in where Yu-u hime lived and finds Harunobu there. He says that he hold a polite funeral for her. Then he mentions his promise (of marriage) with her but Kansuke interrupts him and says that he hopes that Harunobu will govern Japan. Though he denies it, Kansuke asks him wait for a moment to go to Kyoto after beating NAGAO Kagetora as if he were the actual governoe of Japan already.


Harunobu brings the flute that Sanjo Fujin gave Yu-u hime brings to Kai. But she tells her husband that he should posses it and asks him about Shirō. He answers that he will be brought by a proper man. Harunobu thinks that  Kansuke will be gloomy for a while and as he says, he visits the tomb of Yu-u hime and promises to bring Shirō up to a brilliant samurai and make his win first battle.


And Kansuke says if it comes true, it's time he will exhaust his life span and will be with Yu-u hime again. After that Shirō and Shima move to Takatō Castle and Shirō is going to be educated by AKIYAMA Nobutomo, keeper of the castle. Kansuke offers Shima to serve him but she hopes to devote the rest of her life to Shirō. She thanks Kansuke to have given attention to Yu-u hime and makes sure that he should keep the promise with her.


In Echigo, some local rulers have territorial disputes and it involve the vassals of Kagetora. such disputes cause the rivalry between the two factions, those who formerly served the Uesugi clan and the others who served the Nagao clan. OKUMA Tomohide, who served Uesugi Norimasa before shows his anger but is warned by USAMI Sadamitsu. Kagetora remembers that his mother said that a real strong man needs no power when he became a boy monk in his childhood. After that he goes out of Kasugayama Castle. His elder sister Momo hime, wife of Nagao Masakage tells Sadamitsu and NAOE Sanetsuna that for Kagetora, his mother is the one and only existence whom he could trust.
 

Kansuke goes to somewhere also. He sends Harunobu a letter that says he wants to have a leave and then he visits Muryō Kōin Temple in Mt. Kōya where he visited before serving the Takeda clan. But at the same time, Kagetora also visits there because he was given his Buddhist name Sōshin before. That night Kansuke approaches kagetora who chants sutra and they fight each other but was scolded heavily by Sei-in, chief priest of Muryō Kōin. he shows a Mandala, a Buddhist visual schema of the enlightened mind and explains the importance of harmony to them. It reminds Kansuke of the relationship between lord and his vassals.


On the following day, they have breakfast together. Kansuke tells him that the death of Yu-u hime made him visit Mt.Koya and then they talk about the dispute of Kai and Echigo. However, if Kagetora defeats Harunobu, it's meaningless why he becomes a priest. Kagetora smiles wryly and says that he worries about it. And then Masakage and Sanetsuna with some attendants visit Kagetora with the vows of the vassals and ask him to return to Echigo. Kagetora learns that Tomohide starts a riot against Sadamitsu. He decides to go back and tells Kansuke who observes them secretly.  
"Tell your lord that I found an another enemy."


Kansuke returns to Kai also and tells Harunobu and Hara Toratane that he wants to adopt Ritsu. They agree with it and Harunobu shouts,
"Yu-u, alow Kansuke to do so."
Kansuke introduces Ritsu to Denbée, Takichi and his family and hands her a wooden box he was given at Muryō Kōin. There is a statue of Marici in it.　

The images are from the DVD series of "Fūrin Kazan"

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Harunobu arrives in Suwa and he asks Yu-u hime's opinion about "the matter". Kansuke thinks it's about his marriage but it's about the attack on KISO Yoshiyasu, the head of the Kiso clan. Harunobu asks her
At Yabuhara Fort, AKIYAMA Nobutomo tells Kansuke that the Kiso clan feign to obey Harunobu but it's uncertain. Then they hear the war cry of Yoshiyasu's soldiers and they sally out.At that moment, Denbée runs into the fort and informs Kansuke that Yu-u hime died. Kansuke drops his helmet and is too surprised to deal with matters appropriately. Soon after he comes to himself and attacks his enemy shouting,

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Harunobu left Kawanakajima and visits Yu-u hime on his way to Kai. He tells her that he plans to make Kansuke marry Ritsu. He knows if Kansuke doesn't marry anyone, he would participate in many battles and tries to die. Yu-u hime is anxious abut the existence of Ritsu and O-Goto hime but Harunobu says that she should not mind them.


Kansuke returns to Kai prior to Harunobu and finds that Ritsu visits his house. She serves him with sake as if she were his real wife. He tells her that she doesn't relax him but she asks him why he is still unmarried. He tells her to go home but she will not. And her father HARA Toratane asks him why he never marries her and this offer of marriage is not his will but the order of Harunobu. Kansuke is perplexed by his words.


Then he visits SANADA Yukitaka who also talks about his marriage. He insists that he doesn't want neither have children nor leave his name but establish a well-governed province. He plans to guard Zenkōji Temple where NAGAO Kagetora was based on in the previous battle. Then he tells Harunobu that he taught how to win over Kagetora's vassals to Yukitaka and AIKI Ichibée. Then KOMAI Masatake tells Harunobu that Kagetara visits the Imperial court to meet the Emperor to submit Imperial sanction to beat Harunobu. But Kansuke takes advantage of his absence and sends reinforcements to the HŌJŌ Ujiyasu's army that opposes IMAGAWA Yoshimoto.


It is Kansuke's strategem. He makes Yoshimoto make peace with Ujiyasu to form the alliance of the the daimyos of Kai (Takeda), Sagami (Hōjō) and Suruga (Imagawa), If the alliance is formed, it will enable them attack their enemies without any worry about their future. Especially Yoshimoto, who also attack the Oda clan in Owari is advised by Taigen Sessai that he can hoist his flag in Kyoto and reestablish Muramachi Bakufu soon.

Harunobu (left), Yoshimoto (Shosuke Tanihara, centre) and Ujiyasu (Makoto Matsui, right) gather at Zentokuji Temple.

Sessai visits the headquarters of Harunobu and Ujiyasu and talks with them about the alliance. In March 1554, the alliance is formed at Zentokuji Temple in Suruga. The daimyos write their signatures on the vow and burn it. then the ash is mixed with sake and they drink it (*). Sessai has a tea ceremony for Kansuke who accompanies Harunobu and talks about human's pride and mercy. Kansuke says that he fights for Harunobu,Yu-u hime and Shirō only. Sessai tells him that his mercy is not real mercy but delusion as vassal.


Thanks for the alliance, Ume, eldest daughter of Harunobu marries HOJO Shinkuro, later Ujimasa. It makes Sanjō Fujin sad. Obu Toramasa says that he is much better that IMAGAWA Ujizane who is too aristocratic but Hagino feels dissatisfied with his words (**). On the day of the wedding, Ume says farewell to her parents and is about to ride a palanquin but Sanjō Fujin hugs her tightly though Harunobu tells her to stop it and weeps. Both Toramasa and Hagino ask him to overlook it.


Sanjō Fujin tells Ume who also weeps to endure what a difficult position she will be and if she cannot, she should kill herself. Kansuke who sees them thinks it's nothing but real mercy and he cannot take somebody into his confidence.


In Suwa, Yu-u hime plays the flute but coughs violently and vomits blood. Shima who sees it approaches her in a fluster.

(*) This is a ceremony when an alliance is formed or somebody makes an oath.
(**) As Sanjō Fujin is from the Sanjō clan, famous aristocrat family and Hagino serves her, she finds faults with what Toramasa says.

The images are from the DVD series of "Fūrin Kazan".

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