The Tragedy of Men Who Could Not Say 'Wait'—The Battle of Hetsugigawa and the 'Alternative Perspective' Infused into the Script
December 12, 1586. The 'Battle of Hetsugigawa,' which determined the fate of Kyushu, came to an end with the crushing defeat of the Toyotomi army.
Today, I released the latest video themed around this battle. In writing this script, I would like to add a brief note here about the 'conflicts of men not found in textbooks' that I desperately wanted to depict.
1. The reason I did not portray Sengoku Hidehisa as 'merely incompetent'
Among history fans, Sengoku Hidehisa might have a strong reputation as an 'incompetent defeated general who ignored Hideyoshi's orders, charged in, destroyed his army, and fled home.'
However, in this script, I depicted him as 'a human being driven by impatience.'
His rivalry with the rising 'bureaucrat faction' such as Ishida Mitsunari.
The heartbreaking pleas of Otomo Yoshimune begging for help right before his eyes.
His pride as a veteran.
The pressure on the front lines cannot be resolved by the logical argument of 'stay in the castle and wait' alone. I hope you can feel the 'wavering of his heart' at the moment he decided to cross the river through the voices and direction in the video.
2. The 'despair amidst the peak' of the Shimazu
Regarding the Shimazu side, there is also background that could not be fully covered in the video. In fact, at this time, the fierce Shimazu general Shimazu Yoshihiro was being held up by Shiga Chikatsugu at Oka Castle in Bungo.
[Behind-the-scenes setting of the video] Because the Iehisa army was forced to fight the decisive battle alone, they had no choice but to choose the most certain and cruel method: the 'Tsurino-buse' (crane's wing ambush).
Even the Shimazu, who seemed invincible, had not a shred of composure in the face of Hideyoshi's 200,000-strong army approaching from behind. The cold 'impatience' of Iehisa behind that report of victory is also a sub-theme of this story.
3. How to depict the end of Nobuchika, the hope of Tosa
And the greatest tragedy of this battle is the death of Chosokabe Nobuchika. While writing the script, what I struggled with most was the 'emotional distance' between the father, Motochika, and the son, Nobuchika.
Nobuchika, as the capable heir who was to succeed Tosa, headed into the jaws of death to save his father. The words he left behind at the end (12:30 in the video) are infused with a 'wish as a son' that intentionally transcends the historical records.
I depicted the 'Battle of Hetsugigawa' as a prologue to how the Chosokabe clan transformed after losing the light that was Nobuchika.
In closing
'If I had been the commander on that field, would I have been able to say 'wait'?'
If you watch this video with that perspective in mind, perhaps the battle from 400 years ago will feel a little more relatable.
Please share your thoughts, as well as your own impressions of 'Sengoku Hidehisa' and 'Chosokabe Nobuchika,' in the YouTube comments section or on note!
▼ Click here for the full video
--