Original subtitles

Tokugawa Ieyasu

Episode 39: The Eve of Sekigahara

July 1600.

Looking aside of situation with western army,

Ieyasu dispatched from Edo to suppress Uesugi.

Commander-in-chief Hidetada lead the advance guard with 37,000 men.

Main army, commanded personally by Ieyasu,

had 30,000 men includin men of Fukushima and other 29 daimyos.

Osaka castle

Meanwhile, Mori Terumoto widened his troops

by the persuasion of Ankokuji Ekei,

has entered west wing of Osaka Castle on 16th of July...

Mori Terumoto

as commander of West Army.

And, he discussed Ishida's letter with the idea of attacking Ieyasu.

Letter of attack started with part called "Article of Minister's mistakes"

and was the enumeration of Ieyasu's thirteen wrong actions.

After Hideyoshi's death, all Ieyasu's deeds

was described as to be the intrigues to steal Toyotomi's world.

So with this, the war was recommended.

Osaka castle, inner citadel

Looking like usual thing on surface, but the "Article of Minister's mistakes"

is due to union of both family, Mori and Ukita,

written appeal of proclamation of war.

Our Western Army under Hideyori is clearly in preparation of war.

Then, it isn't possible that this war may end with defeat?

Yes.

Following this, if Uesugi in Aizu serious damages Ieyasu

troops in our Wester Army becomes the rear, which means Ieyasu

will have enemies in front and back at once,

so he'll definitely be defeat by devastating attack.

Family members, who followed Ieyasu and headed to east,

are already confined.

When those who take hostages go even for daimyo's families

which newly joined Western Army,

then the oldest son of Date Masamune, Hidemune, will

immediately be offered by lord Ukita.

I see. Then, Date will release those hostages.

Yes.

As I thought, Toyotomi's house is house of Gods.

With this, Hideyori, you are safe as well.

I congratulate you for that.

Mitsunari, who settled on his justice to defeat Ieyasu,

immediately sent a messenger to Torii Mototada

who was staying in Fushimi castle.

Fushimi castle

Lord Hideyori said to have business with Fushimi castle.

Therefore, would you surrender this castle immediately?

I refuse.

We are vassals of lord Ieyasu and not of lord Hideyori.

The only one who can take care of the castle is lord Ieyasu.

Lord Torii.

Should I give such order to lord Hideyori, I wonder?

Go back immediately! I will not surrender this castle

those are my words.

Lord Torii.

Instead of unreasonable siege, wouldn't it be more wise policy to not rush

into alliance with Minister of Interior?

Thank you for your consideration.

Nevertheless, our lord

as soon as he takes care of rebellion army at West,

he'll gather army and attack here.

Until then, we'll stay at this castle and wait for our lord.

Large army of West will get this castle.

Even if you gather army with 500,000 or 1,000,000 men,

I won't change my reply.

Quietly leave and just attack, if you wish to do.

You are going to die by hands of Mikawa.

When he sent the messenger away,

Mototada summoned some of his vassals into inner citadel.

Now.

Regarding the determination with which we will protect this castle,

I'm going to say one more thing.

Death alone does not show your loyalty.

Be ready to live...

...and fight!

The more soldiers we can lure to fight us,

the less soldiers will go to attack our lord.

Live and fight!

Fushimi castle was surrounded by the Western forces that day.

The enemy numbered 40,000.

The men in the castle numbered 1,800.

The battle was bitter.

The offensive by Mitsunari,

and the strong resistance by Ieyasu's men...

It indicated Ieyasu's strong determination.

Ieyasu, who had set up camp at Oyama,

received the bad news from the couriers.

He relayed the news truthfully to his generals.

...what's new from the Mori clan?

It's a message from the lords in Osaka.

They are blaming lord Ankokuji for the recent occurrences

and are trying the free their Lord, Terumoto from blame.

It means the Mori clan is now split.

That's probably right.

I'd like to report this to our camps.

Wait!

That's not necessary.

If they discover that some Mori clansmen are your allies,

it would raise their spirits.

Tell them news about our disadvantages,

but not about our advantages.

Once wars begin, we must always be prepared for the front lines.

What we need to know is not bluff, but real strength.

To rely on weak allies would bring us defeat.

I must know the truth, my lords' true feelings.

What good would forcing men to fight do?

The enemies opened fire on the Fushimi Castle on the 19th.

But due to the fierce resistance of Mototada and his men,

the battle raged for five days.

Fearing that this would affect the entire army's spirit,

Mitsunari ordered an all-out attack.

The famous castle built by the Regent

was a target for fire arrows and guns.

Its destruction was a matter of time.

Our last hour has come.

Thank you for your efforts.

Look at all the faces of my stubborn men...

I believe you're Torii Mototada the general here! Be prepared!

Torii Mototada was 62.

The Fushimi Castle fell with not even a sole survivor.

News reached Ieyasu immediately.

Forgive me, Mototada...

My Lord! The Generals have gathered.

I have reported to you news of the recent conflicts.

This is clearly Ishida Mitsunari's doing, but

you may find it difficult to disobey him

since he is fighting in the name of Lord Hideyori, the Heir.

Moreover, I cannot ask you to serve me

knowing that your families' lives are in danger in Osaka.

Should you choose to disband

to serve Ishida Mitsunari or Ukita Chunagon in Osaka,

I will not hold that against you.

Fushimi Castle, guarded by Torii Mototada, has fallen.

Do you understand?

Wait!

If I intended to abandon you now to serve Ishida Mitsunari,

I wouldn't've come in the first place.

I Todo Takatora, will serve you alone!

Hurrah for those words!

The recent incident is due to Ishida's ambition.

I don't know about the others, but I, Fukushima Masanori,

will not choose the wrong path for want of my family!

I'll risk my life to serve you, lord!

We'll serve you!

Why should we have any doubts?

Let me say this.

Why should we have to bow down to that Jibu's aggression?

We have pride as warriors. We will die with you.

I truly appreciate your feelings.

Now that you are all serving me, we have no time to waste.

Should we continue on and fight Mitsunari later?

Or should we return immediately and fight him now?

The cause of this incident lies not in the Uesugi clan

but in the ambitions of Ishida, Otani, and Ukita in Osaka.

Let's return immediately and punish them.

Unless we return now, allies to the Western forces may increase.

I shall bring out my entire army to aid you.

Send one of your men to occupy my castle

and keep it ‘til our wars are over.

My land, Kiyosu is on your way. Use my castle, too!

I appreciate it.

Use my Hamamatsu castle!

My Yoshida castle is filled with provisions.

Handing one's castle over was a sign of total trust.

The military conference was over.

The next step was to back out of the attack on Uesugi.

Ieyasu ordered his second son to remain.

I didn't dream of remaining here, father!

I want to be the first to kill Mitsunari!

Who could take my place and yours to defeat the Uesugi?

I'm the general of the entire Eastern army.

Uesugi will make a move when he learns that I headed west.

You're right. Not anyone can carry out this task.

Hidetada does not have enough experience.

Tadayoshi cannot carry out this task.

Father!

Though you're you, both the Regent and I are your fathers.

I see that you can be as firm as a rock

against the attacks of the Uesugi clan.

I'll stay, father.

And I'll successfully ward off Uesugi's arrows!

So...you'll stay...

Yes!

Tell your men and prepare immediately.

To ward off the Uesugi's arrows...

Ieyasu knew too well what dangers lay ahead for his son.

July 28th, 1600.

The Eastern army which came to fight the Uesugi clan

changed it's course and headed east.

Ieyasu returned to Edo.

An unexpected incident occurred.

Ieyasu's ally, Hosokawa Tadaoki's wife,

Lady Gracia, a devout Christian was held hostage.

She ordered her retainers to commit suicide,

and she herself went up in flames.

Her rebellious action showed that

the families of the Eastern soldiers were ready to die.

Mitsunari's plan to keep hostages, was a failure.

I am risking my life to disclose my plans to you.

Tell me whatever it is.

My initial plan was to kill Ieyasu at the Nobi meadow.

We needed Fukushima of Kiyosu for that plan to work.

He is one of our formidable foes.

We'll solidify Gifu and send our men out to Ise.

There we can cut Ieyasu's route to Kiyosu.

Our forces will them occupy Gifu Castle.

Only then will our endeavors be successful.

I'd like General Mori to lead our armies there.

He trusts you, so please convince him to...

Lord Jibu? Do you have misgivings about this war?

Don't worry.

Those who signed the document cannot pull out.

The battlefield will be between Mino and Kiyosu.

Hideyoshi and Ieyasu once fought for supremacy.

A decisive battle was about to be fought near its site.

The generals of both armies were Ieyasu and Mori Terumoto.

But Mitsunari thought that he had the key to change history.

NENE'S MANSION IN SANBONGI

You must've heard that

the Minister's followers have returned to the west.

Forgive me!

I recommended that he live his life as he saw fit.

But I never realized that this would result...

That's how wars are.

The bigger the gamble, the bigger the loss.

But it resulted in the death of an innocent wife.

I wonder who our heir's ally really is...

The only one who has inherited our Regent's desires is Ieyasu.

He would have to defeat the Western army.

For the sake of our country...

for peace...

for the Toyotomi clan...

Ieyasu, who had reached Edo, said nothing of advancing to the west.

When he learned that his allies arrived in Kiyosu,

and that Oda Hidenobu sided with his enemy, he didn't move.

Messengers arrived with repeated requests to make a move,

but Ieyasu stayed still.

Why aren't we heading west?

What if our allies in Kiyosu lose the fight?

Hot-tempered Fukushima Masanori is angry with you.

There's a chance to do things. Now's our chance!

I am reflecting on this matter.

Reflecting?

My recent behavior might have been due to ugly ambition.

What?

It's unnatural to fight a war for personal reasons.

That would lead to destruction.

The lords sided with me because they knew my strength

and I have a history of fighting wars.

If I take the lead, I'll be making them fight.

What should lead them to fight

should be the desire of the people to establish peace.

I'll have to send a messenger back to Kiyosu. Call Murakoshi.

You're sending Murakoshi Mosuke to Kiyosu?

Right.

But...he cannot talk in front of people.

I know, he's my retainer. He doesn't talk unnecessarily.

The day after Murakoshi left Edo,

Ukita Hideie led 10,000 men

and Kobayakawa led 8,000 men to set up camp in Omi.

When Mosuke arrived in Kiyosu, the air was tense.

Thank you for your efforts, messenger!

When did he leave Edo?

If he hasn't left, he intends to let us die here!

This is his message:

I appreciate your prolonged encampment.

The Minister's departure has been delayed,

not because he has caught a cold, but

it's not that he doesn't have a cold...

What?

You seem to be standing idly with your grand army.

If you were my men, I'd give you orders.

But you are my allies, not my retainers.

Why are my allies standing idle?

I see! You're right!

We're not his retainers.

We can act upon our will.

Our minister will leave when we leave.

This wasn't just our Minister's war.

We're off!

The fighting spirit prevailed in Kiyosu Castle.

As soon as Ieyasu heard the news, he summoned Hidetada and Masanobu.

You called, my Lord?

We shall prepare to leave for battle.

I'll travel on the Tokaido Highway,

and you, on the Nakasendo.

Don't disobey me. This is an order.

You and Sakakibara Yasumasa be his escorts.

Yes, lord.

However...

Proceed as slowly as you can.

Ishida Mitsunari arrived at Ogaki Castle.

He met Shimazu Yoshihiro and Konishi Yukinaga.

They agreed to bring their general, Mori Terumoto

and make him proceed to Gifu.

Terumoto's son opposed him bitterly.

If you insist on going to aid Ishida Jibu,

take Hideyori with you.

What? He's only eight!

If you do, even Mitsunari's enemies cannot oppose you.

Otherwise, all the rancor will be directed against you.

While Mori Terumoto was reluctant to leave Osaka,

the Eastern army, like raging billows, crossed Kiso River.

Under Fukushima Masanori's lead, they crushed Gifu Castle.

It was August 22nd.

4 days after Mosuke arrived in Kiyosu,

the Western army's key stronghold had fallen.

That night, Ishida Mitsunari heard the news.

What shall we do?

Rumors hold that someone leaked information...

Mori isn't coming, it seems.

I may have to go out in front.

Just as expected...

From the beginning,

this was a battle between you and Ieyasu.

Ieyasu left Edo on September 1st

and arrived in Kiyosu on September 11th.

His fourth son, Tadayoshi, was with him on his first battle.

We heard you arrived in Kiyosu.

We came for your instructions.

Thank you.

How are the front lines?

Now that they captured Gifu Castle, the lords are more spirited.

When will Lord Hidetada arrive?

The Nakasendo Highway is rough.

He'll take quite a while.

Will you attack before he arrives, then?

I believe it's best to wait for Lord Hidetada's arrival,

and attack full force.

Whom do you value more, me or Hidetada?

What a question! The clan exists because of you!

That's not right.

I'm almost 60.

Hidetada has a future.

Even if I die, Hidetada must live to preserve peace.

But...

Just wait.

If we fight now,

our main force will remain untouched.

It's not enough just to win this war.

After we win, we must leave enough strength for the future

to subdue those who disturb the peace.

Hidetada will carry on that strength.

I'll stand in the front lines.

Otherwise, the gods won't permit me.

This is all for the sake of peace.

September 14th, 1600.

Ieyasu arrived in Akasaka,

Near the Western army's headquarters.

It's incredible! Wasn't Ieyasu in Edo?

According to reports, we're sure that's Ieyasu.

What a blunder on your part

to not know Ieyasu's moves ‘til he's right before us!

Reporting!

What is it?

The Eastern army will attack Sawayama first,

and proceed to Osaka Castle.

Alright. You may go.

Lord Jibu!

As soon as Otani returns, we'll hold a conference.

Where is he?

At Lord Kobayakawa's camp.

That Kingo Chunagon set up camp without permission!

Matsuoyama lay southwest of Sekigahara.

From this hill, one could see the entire plain.

Kobayakawa Hideyaki, known as Kingo Chunagon,

set up camp here without consulting Mitsunari.

...the oath by Lord Ukita and 6 others states that

the Regent's position will be assumed by Lord Hideyaki

until his heir, Hideyori, reaches 15 years of age.

Our lord? Assume the position ‘til Hideyori reaches 15?

Lord Kingo is our late Regent's nephew.

Nobody will oppose him.

If you make the wrong decision now,

Lord Hideyori may be taken hostage,

the Toyotomi clan may be destroyed,

and the blame will be on Lord Kingo.

Please descend the mountain and fight as we agreed.

Watch us fight tomorrow.

I'm relieved to hear that.

Excuse me.

They'll make me the Regent.

What will Ishida and Mori be?

I have neither friend or foe in this ugly world.

Who cares about power? Scum is scum.

We should fear the Western forces now.

It's an ugly fight.

I'll side with the winner.

Bring on the sake!

This skeptic's position loomed mysteriously over

the East and West armies much like the eye of a storm.

Kobayakawa will not attend this meeting.

So, the kid's going to wait and see.

Not only him, but Matsuka, and Ankokuji are waiting.

We cannot defend this castle.

I'd like to propose to launch an attack tomorrow.

We know these plains well. We can defeat them there.

Right!

The strategy to win is to steal the march on the enemy.

That's what the Minister did to us.

Unless we do it now, it'll affect our fighting spirit.

And your strategy?

We'll attack at night. That's the only way.

The Minister just arrived.

It's our chance to attack.

That's being too hasty.

What?

That's the strategy for a small army fighting a big army.

Our army is now far greater in force than theirs.

We have inspected the enemy well on our way here.

I appreciate your concern.

We must all agree on our decision.

Moreover, if my orders suddenly change,

it may cause confusion in our camps.

Excuse me.

Mitsunari appreciated Shimazu's input, but

he didn't have the confidence to carry it out.

He could only trust Otani, Ukita, and Konishi,

and was in no position to attack at night.

If only we had 10,000 men like Shimazu.

You want to attack at night?

I did.

I thought my bait was far more attractive than Ieyasu's.

I baited the Uesugi with the 8 Kanshu provinces,

Mori with power, and Kobayakawa with the Regent's post,

Oda Hidenobu with the two provinces...

I regarded men with contempt.

I only used people with bait, and never respected them.

I finally realized that.

The few people I respected have remained to support me.

Those I trusted have helped me

and those I secretly despised have betrayed me.

And now I must rely on them...

We're ready.

Please depart.

September 15th, 1600 3:00AM.

The Western army with 108,000

and the Eastern army with 75,000 took their positions.

It would look as though we headed out to their midst.

They intend to form a net with which to choke us.

If that happens, we'd be destroyed.

But, once we break their lines, they'll be thrown into chaos.

We will break through the Sekigahara Plains,

and head straight for Mitsunari's castle.

Alright.

Set up 12 regiments on the eastern end of the plain.

When that's done, we'll fight.

The Mori army waited behind them and Kobayakawa was in front.

Knowing that depending on the tide of the war,

either one may aid him, Ieyasu raised his flag.

'Departing from this ugly world, we seek the Pure Land.'

He was 19 when he first raised this flag.

At age 59, it's message was the same.

'Will this war seek the Pure Land?'

Ieyasu asked himself every time he set out for war.