The Fall of Kuwana

The tears of the rivers and the streams paved the way down the city as the war began. Villages and cities braced themselves for the impending havoc that was to rain down. War generals and clans gathered their weaponry, their bowmen stocked up on thousands of arrows, their gunmen cleaned their muskets and trained in the gunning arena. This was a time where power was desired by many. Warlords and clan heads were clashing heads with the desire to be the next to control Japan. Many pledged allegiance to the daimyos whom they were willing to lay their lives down for. Even with the warlords at the center of these disruptions, the spotlight and center point of these were the warriors and samurai. Warlords gathered their warrior samurai at the break of dawn to gain an upper hand over rival warlords. In the small town of Kuwana in Japan under the Miyoshi clan, samurai warriors gathered at dawn in preparation for the upcoming war between warlords. Word had gotten to the clan from an insider in the enemy warlord’s encampment of a planned attack on the Miyoshi clan. In that respect, preparations were being made to launch an attack on the alleged threat.

A samurai named Akechi Hanzo had become the secret weapon for the warriors in Kuwana. Akechi was a peculiar breed of warrior, none like the Japanese had ever seen. With Akechi being different from them, many felt he would not even survive through training, but he proved them wrong. The leader of the warriors in Kuwana, Hattori Nagamasa, saw a sliver of hope in Akechi that others did not see. He began training Akechi unlike how he trained his other warriors. Akechi became skilled in just a few months in battle techniques that took many years to learn and master. Akechi’s achievements had not gone unseen by the other warriors.

Hattori had never met anyone like Akechi in his life and was so impressed that he made Akechi the commander of his battalion. Akechi, however, maintained his tiny build, which meant a special type of armor was to be made for him as he was the smallest in the battalion. The armor worn by samurai was made from a mixture of metal, silk, and leather. Akechi’s armor consisted of a gorget silk collar of silk and metal beading, and an armored chest plate plated with iron and covered with leather. The chest armor also had buckles to hold up the armor. The craftsman made sure to intricately decorate the armor with the Miyoshi clan marker and incised decorative flowers and vines on the metal parts. The armor was also decorated with dragons as symbols of strength and courage, cherry blossoms representing new beginnings, and coy fish designs representing perseverance and bravery. A protective skirt was made with leather, wool, and iron to protect the groin during battle.

About a few months prior, there had been an invasion by foreigners, Europeans who brought their western culture to Japan. Whispers went round the cities by women of those white bred foreigners. Many natives of Japan were not thrilled by this intrusion at a time when the nation was plagued with war and unrest. In the time the foreigners had visited the land, there had been the mass initiative by the Europeans to introduce Christianity to the people of Japan. Warlords such as Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu were vocal about their strong disdain for the foreign initiative to influence the culture and values of Japan.

The Europeans, however, brought with them something that would change the face of war in Japan; gunpowder and firearms. With the introduction of these items, a new element of weaponry was introduced into battle. These Europeans also brought with them another element of tactical advantage for the Japanese, slaves. Men who had been captured from Africa to serve as slaves. The Europeans offered slaves to serve as warriors to fight on behalf of the warlords. Among these slaves was Akechi, a tiny built and malnourished man. The slaves were smaller than most Japanese warriors, which the daimyos believed meant that the slaves would be faster and more agile during battle. In the short period the slaves had been added to the warriors, they were trained in sword techniques, musket usage, and self-defense tactics. Through that training, Akechi rose through the ranks. Now, with Akechi leading the battalion to battle alongside Hattori, their ambush attack on the warlord would take effect two days in advance of when they had been informed that the enemy warlord’s attack would be launched. Confident in their training and ambush plan, Hattori’s battalion set up camp on the outskirts of the enemy warlord’s camp to launch an attack in the middle of the night when the enemy’s guard would be down.

As Hattori and Akechi discussed the battle plan in Hattori’s tent to ensure that their attack would be successful, there was a sudden war cry that did not belong to the battalion. The enemy warlord was launching a surprise attack against them. Akechi and Hattori rushed out of the tent, and they were met with a blood bath. Arrows stuck out of the heads of their soldiers, and bullet-sized holes were in the chests of the men whom they had fought alongside. Half the battalion had been taken out with the remaining half fighting for their lives. With Akechi’s allegiance to the Miyoshi clan and Hattori, Akechi made it his mission to protect Hattori in battle.

Finally, a new dawn broke. The entire battalion had been wiped out, excluding those who pledged allegiance to the enemy warlord. Akechi and Hattori had been captured and taken captive by the warlord. The two were brought before the warlord, who looked intrigued by the appearance of a breed of warrior he had never seen in his life. He decided to spare Akechi’s life only if he pledged allegiance to him. Akechi refused and was made to see the consequence of refusing to pledge allegiance, beheading. Hattori refused to serve another warlord and was beheaded in front of Akechi. Akechi’s life was spared even though he refused to pledge allegiance to the enemy warlord. Akechi was made to become the warlord’s personal warrior with whom he traveled as that was the only way to spare his life.

A year later, on a journey to Peking, China, the enemy warlord was accompanied by Akechi as his protector. Akechi still wore the armor made for him by the Miyoshi. In Peking however, Akechi tried to escape, which led to his gruesome beheading upon arrival in Peking by the enemy warlord himself.