Here is my current summer reading and it is a good one. Shinpen Okehazama Kassenki by Tamiya Atsuteru (1808-71). Written in 1846 (Kouka 3) 286 years after the Battle of Okehazama. Believe or not, the Shinpen Okehazama Kassenki is not that difficult to read and it is full of useful information. Is it perfect? No. That being said, it is a must read for any Battle of Okehazama scholar.
Key points: Brief mention of the Battle of Muraki.
His take on Nobunaga's Atsumori performance is different and radical than the traditional norm. For example, he mentioned that Nobunaga held an eve-of-battle banquet with his retainers performing Atsumori. To tell you the truth, that never happened. I plan to write a separate post on this important subject in the near future.
Yoshimoto's camp: Dengakuhazama. Again, nobody knows the full answer to this. It is still highly debated.
Kutsukake Castle mentioned several times in the manuscript. Including Yanada Masatsuna's reward.
Nobunaga's prayer at Atsuta Shrine. All of Nobunaga's key forts mentioned: Tange, Zenshouji, and Nakajima. The bad weather: heat and rain.
The constant retreating and fighting by the Imagawa army. Mori Shinsuke's finger chewed off by Yoshimoto before being killed. Yoshimoto's palanquin abandoned during battle.
There are many nuggets of information in the manuscript. That being said, there is a lot of side notes and endnotes as well.
I do highly recommend Shinpen Okehazama Kassenki.
Many thanks to Yukio Kajino and the Okehazama Battlefield Preservation Committee for the recommendation.
Nobunaga no tame!
No comments:
Post a Comment