(Impressions) Toyotomi Brothers! - Episode 27: The Honno-ji Incident
This impressions article is longer than usual. I hope you will read it when you have some spare time, and perhaps have some eye drops ready.
Before watching this episode, I thought I would be shedding tears of emotion as Nobunaga made a cool exit at Honno-ji (well, he was incredibly cool, though). By the time I finished watching and sat down to write these impressions, the suffering in the hearts of various characters, starting with Nobunaga, had hit me so directly... I never expected to cry out of feelings of pain and sadness rather than emotion. I am plagued by a sense of emptiness, as if I had seen a real-life friend suffering or lost a true acquaintance. This is going to affect my mental state for a while...
Oda Nobunaga and the Honno-ji Incident
If I were to briefly describe the Honno-ji Incidents depicted in recent Taiga dramas, I personally interpret 'Kirin ga Kuru' as the end point of Jubei and Nobunaga's dreams and lives, and 'Dosuru Ieyasu' as Nobunaga's love call to Ieyasu. However, I felt that the Honno-ji Incident in 'Toyotomi Brothers!' was a stage for settling Nobunaga's karmic debts. Starting from taking the life of his own younger brother, Nobukatsu, defeating the formidable Imagawa Yoshimoto, pacifying Owari and Mino, gaining enough power to spread his military might across the world, and reaching the realm where national unification was not just a dream—the man who was swallowed by the waves of hatred and resentment overflowing from the mountain of corpses he had piled up, confronting the remorse that had nested in his heart, seemed to be portrayed as his final swan song.
I was particularly chilled by the direction where hallucinations of Mitsuhide, Nagamasa, and Nobuzumi appeared while he was cutting down enemies inside the burning Honno-ji. It must have been a projection of Nobunaga's own heart onto the enemy soldiers, as he was prepared for the fact that Mitsuhide and the others hated him and were coming for his life. However, not accepting the hatred thrown at him but mercilessly striking back is exactly the kind of man Nobunaga is. To achieve the extraordinary dream of national unification, it is a feat that cannot be done without the resolve to walk the path of hegemony, no matter how much one is hated and loathed by many people. Yet, the one hallucination that looked different from the others was that of his younger brother, Nobukatsu, whom he had once killed with his own hands. If the many nameless commoners looking at Nobunaga with resentment, and the hallucinations of Akechi Mitsuhide, Azai Nagamasa, and Oda Nobuzumi attacking him were those who hated Nobunaga (or so Nobunaga himself believed), then the hallucination of Nobukatsu, who protected Nobunaga from Nobuzumi's sword, might have been created by Nobunaga's own unconscious wish that his brother would forgive and cherish him despite everything that happened. The fact that the brother he had never forgotten while alive and had stubbornly believed must hate him not only protected him as a hallucination but also smiled and spoke to him until the very last moment might be because Koichiro had earnestly persuaded him before he went to Honno-ji that Nobukatsu did not hate him, allowing Nobunaga to accept that his brother had surely forgiven him.
Also, while the Honno-ji Incident is often depicted as a confrontation between Oda Nobunaga and Akechi Mitsuhide, it appeared that Saito Toshimitsu was the one commanding the army surrounding the temple, and Mitsuhide himself did not seem to be there directly. I felt a sense of freshness in the fact that they dared not to stage it that way, even though it would have been dramatic to have a shot of Mitsuhide staring at the burning Honno-ji. Seeing that Nobunaga, upon learning of the attack, did not waver even when told it was Akechi's army and calmly fought back, and even cut down the hallucination of Mitsuhide without hesitation saying 'It's not you,' it seems that the Honno-ji Incident depicted in 'Toyotomi Brothers!' assumes a composition where Honno-ji is a place for Nobunaga to face himself, and Mitsuhide is merely a proxy for the many people who hold a grudge against Nobunaga. In fact, there is a theory that Mitsuhide was commanding from a different location and was not at Honno-ji, so it seems it coincidentally aligned with this new theory.
Nobunaga was also one of the fragile humans who kept walking with the sole desire to change a chaotic world, and in the process, had to kill his own heart. Yet, as if it were fitting for the sins of building a mountain of countless corpses, his end was a sad one, dying in loneliness surrounded by enemies and flames. It was not a peaceful death watched over by family and retainers in his bedchamber, nor was it a warrior's end on the battlefield; it must have been agonizing to die while groaning and disemboweling himself without a second. However, I want to believe that for Nobunaga, having Nobukatsu smile at him, even if it was a hallucination, just before that was a great salvation. If there is such a thing as the afterlife, I only pray that the brothers have truly reconciled when they meet again on the other side.
Oda Nobuzumi
Oda Nobuzumi finally revealed his true feelings. He felt like a character shaped as the embodiment of all the hatred people directed toward Nobunaga, or perhaps as the hell Nobunaga himself had created. Regarding the reason he hated Nobunaga, I had assumed he had a tragic past, such as suffering from being looked down upon in his childhood due to the special circumstances of his father being executed as a traitor. Even if Nobunaga was his father's enemy, he was likely a mere infant at the time of the Nobukatsu incident, so I thought it was at least not a desire for revenge based on the loss of a blood relative. However, the truth was an inescapable one, taught by his mother who had her husband taken away. Considering that young Nobuzumi might not have had any hatred, or was at an age where he couldn't even understand it, but became a future demon of revenge by inheriting his mother's strong hatred, I feel that his life must have been so tragic and pitiful that the mediocre reasons I had imagined couldn't even begin to compare. Even if he was raised by loyal retainers and treated like a real son by Nobunaga after growing up, if the mission of revenge whispered to him endlessly by his weakening mother in his childhood never wavered, it means he could no longer find any other reason to live. The words of his mother, who formed his personality as a machine that only inherits and fulfills her hatred, were nothing but a curse. Furthermore, after Nobuzumi fulfilled his revenge as his mother instructed, he didn't even desire glory like taking over the family; his obsession had become so rigid that he declared he knew nothing but revenge. From Nobuzumi, who spoke of such tragic circumstances so calmly and at length, I could no longer feel any humanity.
Were there no human joys or desires in his twenty-some years of life? If he perceived marrying Mitsuhide's daughter and having children as less important than killing Nobunaga, I must say that is too sad. Thinking of his circumstances, where he must have become insensitive to all hope, I want to lament that he should have met someone he could confide in about the secrets he had been carrying, but the fact that such a person who could be consulted about matters that would invite disaster would not easily appear only deepens the despair. The smile Nobuzumi showed when he revealed everything to Mitsuhide, seeing him as his own kind, must have been due to the relief of being able to put down the burden that was his entire life, but that clumsy and awkward smile also looked as if a person who had never smiled from the bottom of his heart was bewildered by knowing joy for the first time.
I feel truly sorry for Mitsuhide, who, by getting involved with Nobuzumi, who had become a vessel for a curse, had the seeds of hatred within himself fanned and committed a heinous act that destroyed everything he had built. At the same time, I am keenly reminded of how many tragedies the chain of hatred and curses creates. Even if one is trapped in such logic that is difficult to resist by individual power and cannot be solved even by modern people, perhaps trying to be positive and searching for a way to solve everything, like Koichiro, is one of the few ways left for humans to change the world.
Akechi Mitsuhide
This man who finally staged a historical coup. It was interesting to see a new interpretation of him as a person who, while harboring dark feelings toward Nobunaga, suppressed his intense emotions with reason and maintained an attitude that rebellion was out of the question. Akechi Mitsuhide is the culprit who caused the Honno-ji Incident, but he is a mysterious figure whose motives have too many theories. Yet, because he committed the great crime of rebellion, the impression of the resentment theory still remains strong, perhaps because of the speculation that he must have harbored some kind of grudge.
In previous Taiga dramas that did not depict the internal affairs of the Oda family in detail, such as 'Sanada Maru' and 'Onna Joshu Naotora,' I feel there are many developments where the rebellion is caused by resentment (or the reason is not even specified). Also, in 'Dosuru Ieyasu,' it is fresh in my memory that he was depicted as a villain who, after being trapped by Ieyasu and suffering great shame, had his pride wounded, harbored hatred for both Nobunaga and Ieyasu, and awakened to the ambition of usurping the world at the perfect opportunity.
Mitsuhide is often depicted as having caused a rebellion because his hatred reached its limit, but in this work, he (except for the end) was very rational, and it was frequently depicted that he endured and accepted it even when Nobunaga repeatedly forced unreasonable things upon him. Compared to other works, because he was particularly infatuated with Ashikaga Yoshiaki, I initially expected him to reveal his hatred for the exile of his beloved lord. However, his conduct of dutifully carrying out his responsibilities as a senior retainer of the Oda family, even while having reservations, reminds me of a modern office worker who feels uncomfortable with the policies of the upper management but cannot go against them. Also, just when I was impressed that the so-called Shikoku theory was adopted because Chosokabe Motochika appeared in earnest, an imperial letter from Yoshiaki arrived at Mitsuhide's place, and I was surprised that it was a hybrid of the Shikoku theory and the Ashikaga Yoshiaki mastermind theory. In reality, it turned out that Nobuzumi was trying to use Mitsuhide, and Mitsuhide was always in the position of a victim. I was amazed at his strong mental fortitude, as he did not decide to rebel even after being set up this much while his distrust of Nobunaga was growing.
It was painful to watch such a patient and earnest Mitsuhide being gradually cornered and broken by the situation surrounding him. While he was trying to fulfill his duties while hiding his thoughts about Yoshiaki, he had his suspicions about Nobunaga fanned by Araki Murashige, the relationship with Chosokabe that he had worked hard to mediate was broken, and just when he thought Yoshiaki had finally made a comeback, it was a scheme by his son-in-law. It is a situation that makes one want to sympathize just by having his current duties and personal feelings for his former lord toyed with so much. I think he sent Saito Toshimitsu secretly not just to confirm Yoshiaki's true feelings, but because he wanted to ask for help. If Yoshiaki still had the intention to overthrow Nobunaga and achieve peace in the world, he would finally make up his mind. Even if not, he would have wanted at least one word of appreciation. However, what came back was the rejection, 'Don't involve me anymore.' It might have sounded like his existence was denied, as if everything he had done and the conflicts he had harbored were all in vain. It is impossible not to break after this. I never thought that the famous line, 'This is the imperial order... the enemy is at Honno-ji!', would carry such pathos. Even though Yoshiaki himself had no intention of making a comeback, the reason he used the word 'imperial order' might be because he wanted to believe that the prestige of the Shogun was with him as he decided to destroy Nobunaga, who was the source of all evil (even if it was an order written in a fake imperial letter).
Mitsuhide, who was trapped by raw human emotions but kept himself together with the strong spirit of a warrior, only to be swallowed by destructive impulses in the end—as a viewer who has watched the process leading up to this, I cannot help but feel sorry for him, but I cannot blame him at all. I wish he had a friendly friend like Koichiro or Tokichiro, but that is water under the bridge. Since he has caused a major incident that overturned Japan, I want to watch over how he intends to manage the world and with what emotions he will face Hideyoshi and Koichiro at Mt. Tenno.
Tokugawa Ieyasu
Ieyasu, who appeared for the first time in a while, seemed to have polished his 'tanuki' (cunning old man) persona even more with his beard and increased dignity. I feel his words and actions have also become calmer. Since the incident started because he felt something was wrong with the simmered carp served at the banquet at Azuchi Castle, I initially suspected that it was a farce to frame Mitsuhide, like in 'Dosuru Ieyasu.' As mentioned in the narration, because there was a painful incident shortly before this where Ieyasu had to follow Nobunaga's order to execute his wife, Lady Tsukiyama, and his son, Nobuyasu (strictly speaking, only Nobuyasu), on charges of communicating with Takeda, it was considered possible that Ieyasu hated Nobunaga. However, Ieyasu had not tampered with anything, and it must have been a terrible disaster for him to be caught in such a scene due to the plot of a third party, Nobuzumi.
However, in reality, it was revealed that Ieyasu was also one of the people who harbored hatred for Nobunaga, and he had anticipated the worst-case scenario to the extent of keeping poison in his pocket. The reason he didn't use it despite going to the trouble of preparing it was that he never intended to use it from the beginning, and just knowing he could do it at any time was enough. In that, I felt the Ieyasu-ness of this work, who is good at sensitively reading the atmosphere and situation to avoid crises. Nevertheless, as he himself said that he might not be able to control himself otherwise, he must have been under intense stress in his heart because he rationally sealed his impulses so as not to ruin everything for personal convenience. If there had been a slight difference in circumstances and there had been someone around Ieyasu to incite him, he might have been the one to commit the heinous act. Considering that Ieyasu was able to protect the future precisely because he desperately swallowed his bitterness and endured it here, while Mitsuhide, who unleashed his impulse, saved his own heart at the cost of the future, it can be said that Ieyasu and Mitsuhide were contrasting existences as humans toyed with by the same Nobunaga.
The Banquet at Azuchi Castle
Perhaps because it is an impressive anecdote about Mitsuhide and Nobunaga that occurred just before the Honno-ji Incident, the banquet for Ieyasu at Azuchi Castle was depicted in this work following 'Kirin ga Kuru' and 'Dosuru Ieyasu.' Even though they deal with the same incident, there are differences in interpretation and depiction in each work, and it has become a major event where one can enjoy the screenwriter's ingenuity as a stepping stone to the Honno-ji Incident.
As for the original anecdote, it is said that Mitsuhide, who was entrusted with the role of host for Ieyasu, made a mistake, and Nobunaga, enraged, punished him. This is told as the incident that caused Mitsuhide, who harbored resentment for such unreasonable treatment, to rebel. In 'Kirin ga Kuru,' I still remember it being depicted as an event symbolizing the runaway Nobunaga, where Nobunaga picks a quarrel with Jubei and intentionally uses violence in front of Ieyasu to test Ieyasu's attitude. Also, in 'Dosuru Ieyasu,' it was depicted as a scene of Ieyasu's plot, where Ieyasu, who lost Sena and Nobuyasu, accepted the invitation as the perfect opportunity to kill Nobunaga, and acted as if the carp served was rotten to make Mitsuhide commit a blunder to distance him from Nobunaga. Although the internal circumstances and details are very different in both works, they followed the flow of the original story where the enraged Nobunaga punishes Mitsuhide, and Mitsuhide solidifies his resolve for the Honno-ji Incident. However, in 'Toyotomi Brothers!', it was depicted with a different interpretation, giving it a fresh feeling.
First, when Nobunaga pointed out that the simmered carp served on his tray was larger than that of his guest, Ieyasu, the atmosphere in the room became tense. I thought Mitsuhide would be punished, but he just replaced it, and there was no particular reprimand. Just as I was relieved, Ieyasu began to smell the carp that had been replaced with Nobunaga's, and I thought, 'Oh, is the same pattern as Dosuru Ieyasu coming?', but the cause of the smell was not rot but poison, and what's more, it was not acting but poison that had really been planted. Furthermore, the fact that the poison was only in the carp originally served to Nobunaga—no matter how you look at it, it was an assassination attempt—if I were in Mitsuhide's position, I would have turned pale and fainted. I thought Nobunaga's kick would finally fly, but it seemed he still had the calmness to use a mouse to taste the poison first. It was strange, but there was a peculiar cuteness or humor in the fact that Nobunaga was peeking at the mouse's condition together with Mitsuhide, even though it was a serious scene. It's a pity for the mouse that was fed poison and died...
What was also surprising here was that the reason Nobunaga was enraged at Mitsuhide was not that he didn't notice the poison was planted, but because he sensed that Mitsuhide was protecting someone he had in mind. The number of people who could bypass the poison taster and plant poison on a powerful person's tray is limited, and while one would think Mitsuhide, the host, would be suspected first, Nobunaga asked Mitsuhide, 'Do you have anyone in mind?' instead of 'Did you plot this?', so I don't think he even considered for a moment at this point that Mitsuhide would aim for his life. And because he couldn't answer that question immediately and looked away, he realized that Mitsuhide was protecting someone, and he got angry at Mitsuhide for not telling the truth and finally punished him, which was the outbreak of the incident from a different angle than the previous two works.
And once he started, Nobunaga's unstoppable violence was the most intense yet. Not satisfied with just kicking him repeatedly, he grabbed him by the chest and punched his face many times, and just when I thought he was satisfied, a finishing dropkick exploded on Mitsuhide, who could no longer even stand, blowing him away. Writing this, I feel like I'm doing a live commentary on an action scene from the 'Yakuza' series, and I was genuinely worried about Mitsuhide's life. The fact that he beat up his chief retainer, whom he would continue to entrust with important roles, to this extent, without caring that it would hinder government affairs or war, seems to show his intention that he didn't care if he died here, and I caught a glimpse of Nobunaga's cruelty again.
And Mitsuhide, who was completely caught in the crossfire, is also something else. Even if he is patient, I thought he would lose his temper after being treated like this, but he had the leeway to exchange light talk with Koichiro, whom he encountered, and he had the intention to join the Mori attack as Nobunaga ordered. Although, since he was secretly sending Saito Toshimitsu to Yoshiaki after this, his intention to rebel might have been strengthening.
This is the third time the banquet at Azuchi Castle has been taken up in the last few years, and I think it must have been difficult to differentiate it from past works. However, with the behind-the-scenes maneuvers of the mastermind Nobuzumi, the earnest and pitiful Mitsuhide, the sharp-witted Nobunaga, and Ieyasu harboring hidden thoughts, it was a series of developments beyond imagination, and it brilliantly exceeded expectations as a scene where one can taste a completely different tension even though the anecdote it is based on is the same. Since the acting was so realistic, my only worry is whether it affected the mental state of Shun Oguri and Jun Kaname.
Other scenes that left an impression
Koichiro and the others rush back to Azuchi to call Nobunaga at Hideyoshi's command. At first glance, it seems like a development to meet the protagonist with Nobunaga at the end, but it is likely a setup to emphasize how superhuman Hideyoshi's 'Chugoku Ogaeshi' (great return from Chugoku) is, by presenting that the 270km distance they returned is a difficult journey, while Hideyoshi runs back the same distance at astonishing speed. I have high expectations for Hideyoshi's dash next time.
Kanbei and the others negotiating with Ankokuji Ekei. A carrot-and-stick tactic where they first present strict conditions, and then the general who comes later relaxes the tension with a friendly attitude. It can be seen that Hideyoshi and his group's ability to win people's hearts is so skillful that it makes the Mori family's top negotiator think they are a terrifying opponent. I also felt the growth of Kanbei, who shows no lack of thoroughness like he did a while ago.
Nobunaga venting his anger at Oichi, who is encouraging him. A scene where Nobunaga, who is always gentle in front of Oichi-sama, unusually reveals his true feelings. While pretending to be impressed by Nobuzumi's betrayal, the fact that Nobukatsu's son hated him really took a toll on him. It was conveyed from his eyes, which looked like they were about to cry, that he was so cornered that his sister's words, which usually clear his doubts, felt like a burden.
The Tokugawa party who were supposed to enjoy the banquet... I feel that Ieyasu, who had an immaturity that made him fear Nobunaga and show desperation around the time of the Battle of Anegawa, has become quite a handsome man after the Battle of Mikatagahara and the Tsukiyama/Nobuyasu incident. Am I the only one who thought he looked a little more stout, not just with his beard? On the other hand, I feel relieved when I see Ishikawa Kazumasa, who doesn't seem to have changed much. Please, I want you to stay as you are.
Mitsuhide wailing after hearing the reply from Yoshiaki. I just want to hold him gently. And Yoshiaki-sama saying 'Don't involve me anymore'... You're the one who started this story, aren't you?
Nobunaga fighting back against the surrounding army. The coolness of him appearing majestically in front of the enemy and firing a gun. To think that the results of his gun practice using Hideyoshi as a target long ago would be seen here... Also, is getting an arrow in the shoulder a standard practice in every Taiga drama's Honno-ji?
Nobunaga seeing a hallucination of Azai Nagamasa. Since the phantom Nagamasa said, 'Let's settle the sumo match,' it can be seen that Nobunaga himself had regrets about not being able to keep his promise. The phantom Nagamasa had a resentful expression, but as someone who knows that Nagamasa, who had his last sumo match with Koichiro and Hideyoshi at Odani Castle, died satisfied while thinking of Nobunaga, I cannot help but feel sorry for Nobunaga, who misunderstands that he is hated by Nagamasa as well.
Nobunaga steels himself and accepts a short sword from Mori Ran.The scene where he gently strokes Ran's cheek with the same hand he always used to slap people seemed to show a bond nurtured only between this master and servant, different from his relationships with Hideyoshi, Katsuie, and the others. I wish I could have seen, even just a little, what kind of conversations these two usually had... Lord Narishige, your son fulfilled his duty admirably.
Bonus
Next week, it seems we will move straight into Hideyoshi's 'Great Chugoku Retreat' without even a moment to mourn Nobunaga's tragic end. Meanwhile, it looks like Ieyasu will be attempting the 'Iga Crossing.' I intend to watch the frantic dash of these two forces as if I were a spectator cheering on a bicycle race or an ekiden relay.
Good luck, Hideyoshi and Ieyasu.