Chapter 11: Hamamite Castle

The home of the Taeshimo clan

The next day upon the road passed quickly, the young revelers unable to wake quickly after an evening of strong drink. They bathed and took to the road again. The mountains rising up along the pine forest, the trees like fingers reaching up against a great gray stone. Then as the forest broke it revealed a small mountain pass. The lands began to descend slowly and they traveled over the crest of the road they looked down upon the valley. There lay dozens of rice paddies laid out filling the lands. In the distance a great city spread out bordering the coast and just above it carved into mountain was the great castle of Hamamite. This castle was the stronghold of the Taeshimo clan, and the great city stretched out below was the center of commerce for all of northern Wa. The valley stretched far to the north along the coastline and from their vantage point they could see many of the villages and temples scattered across the lands. The thousands of people in those villages grew the rice that supported the castle and the city below it.

It was at this city that the Taeshimo family typically stayed within the residence of the castle, and Fuyukaze grew up looking out from its battlements out to the blue northern sea. He breathed a sigh of relief, he was finally home. The boy patted at his horse's neck affectionately, looking to his comrades who were just as saddle worn as he. “The journey has come to an end, we have reached home.”

The three rode along the cobblestone road past the rice paddies and the villages that seemed to run one into the other. This land had not known war for over three hundred years, since the formation of the Taeshimo clan at the end of the age of heroes. The gentle sloping hills leading down to the rocky shores, a cobblestone road cutting through until the rice paddies and farmers homes ended and the stately houses of the townsfolk began. The structures rose two stories up creating tight rows of businesses, some built so close to rice paddies and fields they looked as if they might topple into them. Beyond them arose a polished gray wall. On top of the walls battlements were bright blue banners, each bearing a white chrysanthemum sitting atop the edges of an white open folding fan. Drawn upon the fan were three gray triangles. This was the heraldry of the Taeshimo clan, the banners fluttering in the wind could leave no question of the owner.

The assembly of peasants grew thick outside the walls, blankets laid down and an array of foodstuffs, pottery and farm products laid out without any sense of order. The growers arguing and bartering over goods while the merchants and locals shouted offers for goods as they traded. The goods soon to be carried into the city and market proper.

Travel through the city was slow, the horses made no difference in speed as even samurai had to push through the thick crowd towards the castle. The path along the trader's road through the city was known as the golden path. The businesses displayed their wares prominently under brightly colored verandas and loud voices harped different goods. The buildings here as large affairs, with tall wooden walls to keep the loud noises without, and with peaceful gardens within.

As they passed, they saw the blue ornate pillars that rose from between the buildings. This bridge granted passage from the samurai district to the south to the temple district in the northeast. It was with this guide that they found the rising road, and began the ascent to the castle.

Rising road wound to the left and right, snaking its way to the samurai district above. Through these streets they ascended slowly, until they reached the gate of the samurai district. The barbican loomed over the road, making the road seem as if it ended upon the mountainside. Bright red doors were stark contrast to the polished gray walls, the tops lined with battlement and arrow-loops. These gates were strictly guarded by warriors in full armor, bows carried upon their back and a capped quiver of arrows next to their coiled bowstring.

“What business do you have here?” One of the samurai asked, holding up his hand, the other circling the three youths atop their horses.

Homeji Goemon sat up straight in his saddle, squeezing his legs together to appear taller “I am Homeji Goemon, travelling with Taeshimo Fuyukaze and Arakai Honma. We have papers to appear before the Taeshimo Daimyo himself.” He said presenting them with the parties travel papers.

The guardsman took the papers and carefully unfolded them, then after reading over them “Quickly open the gate” he cried turning and quickly joined his comrade, pushing the crimson doors wide. The three youths pushed their way to the samurai district. Within the district the roads were wide and laid with care. There were gardens within the palatial samurai estates, but also upon the street each grown and culled carefully. The goal was to create a sense of natural beauty through careful pruning and binding of each plant until it grew into what their gardener had imagined. The entire district was carefully tended to, with every house trying to keep up a pristine appearance to outdo the others.

Despite the appearances though there was no shortage of violence here, for as rivals struggled, this inevitably led to bloodshed. Still one would never dishonor one's lord by making such violence public, and the raids happened in the dark of night, or duels took place outside of the walls of the district.

The band passed slowly through the gardens and estates across an ornate bridge that led to the castle proper. The whitewash and blue banners making it appear as the heavens had claimed part of the mountainside. It was here that they dismounted, at the summit of the Taeshimo clan's power.