Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 84: Road to the Underworld (8)

Dragon Raja 3

More people stood up to write on the screens, some writing under the character for “war,” some under “endure,” though most chose “endure.” After writing, they walked to Masamune, who was blindfolded, bowed deeply, and then left the main hall.

Except for the head of the Inuyama family, the other heads did not express their stance. They knew that their decision would influence their younger members. In Western democratic voting, anonymity was expected, but in Japan, anyone brave enough to decide must also be brave enough to declare their decision to others.

Chisei looked at Tachibana Masamune, seated between the two screens, and suddenly thought of Saigo Takamori—the man who died fighting for the interests of the lower samurai and the spirit of bushido. So stubborn and yet so lonely. By the time he led the samurai to raise the banner of rebellion, Japan was no longer a country for samurai. A new class had already risen; merchants and politicians were now in control of the nation’s future. Though people admired Saigo’s bravery, they would merely watch as he fell like cherry blossoms.

“Chisei, I’m sorry,” Masamune said with a smile.

Chisei was taken aback. “Why say that?”

“I once promised you that I would do everything in my power to eliminate violence, yet I have decided to use violence to fight for a better future. Isn’t that ridiculous? To prevent future bloodshed, I am now willing to shed even more blood. But for a yakuza family like ours, giving up violence is too difficult—like an undefeated sword master, whose dojo is crowded with disciples and no enemies dare approach the gate. However, once he decides to sheathe his sword and stop killing, his disciples will leave, his dojo will grow desolate, and long-forgotten enemies will visit him one after another. So samurai who learn the way of the killing sword are always warned by their teachers before gripping the hilt—the moment you let go of that hilt is the day of your death,” Masamune said softly.

“I know you’ve already tried your best, old man,” Chisei used a more intimate term, “but you’re not someone who gives up easily.”

“Violence is part of human nature. Wherever there are people, there will be violence. To control violence, one must have greater violence,” Masamune said slowly. “To end violence… you must first become the greatest violence.”

Chisei was stunned, instinctively sitting up straighter.

Before the meeting began, he had been drinking, as he resisted attending deep down. Masamune had said this family meeting would usher in a new era for the family, but Chisei felt unable to bear the weight of that era. The Execution Bureau was the most feared institution of the Japan branch, sometimes called the “killing bureau.” To those below, the head of the Execution Bureau should be a strong-willed, iron-fisted person, but Chisei was someone who disliked making decisions.

Every new era meant shedding innocent blood. Years ago, the imperial loyalists had killed people under the Edo moon, smelling the scent of blood in the night, saying, “This is the blood that must be shed for the new era, this is the wind of the new era.” But those who died in pools of blood never got to see the new era built with their flesh and bones. Masamune once gave Chisei a biography of Okubo Toshimichi, perhaps hoping to inspire him to become a man who could hold power, but after finishing it, Chisei returned the book, implying that he could not become such a man. His hand that held the sword was firm as iron, but when it came to wielding power, it was far less assured. If he had lived in those turbulent times of Edo, he would not have been Saigo Takamori, who adhered to bushido to the death, nor would he have been Kido Takayoshi, with his unyielding patience. He certainly could not be Okubo Toshimichi, who grasped power in the midst of chaos. He would have fled to France to sell sunscreen. But at this moment, he couldn’t simply walk away from the shrine without doing anything. He looked at Masamune’s aged face and straight back, recalling how many years ago this man had taught him to wield a sword, hand over hand. The young Chisei once asked, “Uncle, when will you forge a good blade?” Masamune had replied, smiling lightly, “I am forging myself into the blade. One day, I will sharpen myself into a treasured sword, and when I make that astonishing strike, even demons will flee!”

This was the day Tachibana Masamune had been waiting for—his blade, forged over decades, was finally being drawn. Chisei couldn’t bear to see that, upon being unsheathed, the blade found itself alone, with no other famed blades roaring alongside it.

Chisei suddenly stood up, walked past Masamune, picked up a brush soaked in thick ink, and drew a heavy stroke on the left screen! Then he threw the brush down and left without looking back, leaving behind faint gasps of surprise throughout the hall. Uesugi Erii also hurriedly got up and drew a mark on the left screen, following Chisei with her geta clogs clattering. When she stood up, it was clear she was a grown girl—tall and slender—but she pulled on Chisei’s sleeve gently, like a playful young girl begging her elder brother to play with her.

At a time when the family heads were hesitating, the Gen and Uesugi families—two of the three great clans—announced their support for the Tachibana family. The scales of war versus endurance were now certain to tip.

(1), (2), (3) Saigo Takamori, Kido Takayoshi, and Okubo Toshimichi are known as the “Three Heroes of the Meiji Restoration.” Kido Takayoshi, also known as Katsura Kogoro, was a key leader in the anti-shogunate underground movement in Edo, and has been portrayed in popular manga like “Gintama” and “Rurouni Kenshin.” The Meiji Restoration ended the rule of the shogunate, and all three were leaders of the new government. However, during the subsequent “Abolishment of Feudal Domains and Establishment of Prefectures” movement, they stood on different sides. During the overthrow of the shogunate, feudal lords had also contributed, but Okubo Toshimichi, along with other political leaders, aimed to learn from Western politics and abolish the domain system controlled by the feudal lords. This threatened the interests of the lower-ranking samurai. To defend the way of the samurai, Saigo Takamori launched the Satsuma Rebellion. After being defeated, he died by assisted suicide at the hands of his subordinates. He lamented that the era of the samurai had fallen like cherry blossoms. Ultimately, the iron-blooded chancellor Okubo Toshimichi suppressed all opposition with an iron fist, pushing Japan’s political modernization forward.