The Honno-ji Incident 1582, Episode 75, 11 Mitsuhide's Age, 4 The Greatest Enemy. On June 2, 1582, Akechi Mitsuhide struck down Oda Nobunaga. At that time, Hideyoshi was confronting the Mori in Bitchu Takamatsu, and Tokugawa Ieyasu was heading from Sakai to Kyoto. The Takeda of Kai had been extinguished. Japan was in the Sengoku period, and the world was in the Age of Discovery. The time is now. The mystery of history. Investigating the causes and motives. "Mitsuhide-ki"

Episode 75, 11 Mitsuhide's Age, 4 The Greatest Enemy.

←Introduction　←Table of Contents　←Previous Episode 74　

Mitsuhide was aware of his own aging.

　During the Kai expedition, he was made to realize it once again.
　"It's about time."
　The decline of his physical body.
　"Old age."
　Before he knew it, he had reached such an age.

Mitsuhide could see what lay ahead.

　Next, the great expedition to the Chugoku region.
　After that, the pacification of Kyushu.
　There would be things after that, too.
　In Tanba, post-war reconstruction took three years.
　And then, Nobunaga's "further dreams".

　Mitsuhide was suffering.
　That was his state of mind.

　At that time, Nobunaga was still in his early fifties.
　But he himself was already completely an old man.
　If that were the case, ...

Mitsuhide recalled Takigawa Kazumasu's entry into Kozuke.

　After attacking and destroying the Takeda.
　Kazumasu did not return to Ise.

　　He was ordered to guard the eight provinces of Kanto,

　and entered Kozuke just like that.

　　He resided in Kozuke to prepare for his old age,
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　("Shinchoko-ki")　

　　　[Reference]11 Mitsuhide's Age 2 Shibata Katsuie and Takigawa Kazumasu 70　　　　　　

Kazumasu followed Nobunaga's orders.

　There was no other way to do it.

　Mitsuhide was watching this from very close by.
　It was truly no room for argument.
　Orders from above were absolute.
　"Tomorrow it could be me," he thought.
　It was a scene he could not forget.

　Thus, Kazumasu's old age was decided.
　From Ise to a distant province.
　He had been driven away.

　One could look at it that way.　

There was also a possibility of a domain transfer for Mitsuhide.

　Looking at Kazumasu's case, one can understand that.

　　Regarding the eastern provinces, he was ordered to handle the mediation and various other matters,
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　("Shinchoko-ki")　　

　　　[Reference]11 Mitsuhide's Age 2 Shibata Katsuie and Takigawa Kazumasu 70　　　　

　Returning the Shiga district of Omi and the province of Tanba.
　And then, to some province in the western region.

Beyond that lay Nobunaga's "further dreams".

　That would be a few years later.
　Until then, I...
　At that time, I...
　For Mitsuhide, it was a great source of anxiety.

Regarding this, I will discuss it later.

Nobunaga catches people off guard.

It comes suddenly, one day.

The case of Sakuma Nobumori.

[Reference]4 Mitsuhide's Anguish 4 Fear of Purges 10 11 12
13 14 15

Mitsuhide was well aware of that.

There were many such examples.

Regarding these, I will discuss them later.

=> Continued to next Episode 76 11 Mitsuhide's Age 4 The Greatest Enemy