Making a God of War (Uesugi: Legednary, Domination)

[Maltz]

Chapter 22. Dilemma of the Righteous

Echigo's winter of 1548 is unusually cold.
A fierce snowstorm arrived last night. As people wake up this morning, snows are up to their thigh.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!"
Yet there is a man who walks bravely in the snow, all the way up to Echigo's Kasugayama Castle.
For there is a clan meeting every Monday morning. His name is Nagao Kagenobu (長尾景信).

By the time Nagao Kagenobu reaches the castle's gate at the bottom of Kasuga mountain, there have been more than one hundred people waiting in line. They all dress in white, with cloth covering their face.

"Yo? So many people waiting for climb Kasuga mountain? Are you here all for the clan meeting?"
Nagao Kagenobu notices that these men in white all look very tough. No, not chests full of muscle and arms as thick as thighs - those traits will not exist until steroids are invented.

These men have very determined eyes. When they speak, they reveal a strong sense of purpose. They want to make this world a better place, even if this means they have to sacrifice their lives. While normal men's will to fight are affected by how their neighbors are doing, these men simply fight for their sacred purpose.

They are Warrior Monks.

[Maltz]

Kagenobu: "Warrior monks? I thought these are two different careers..."
Warrior Monk (A): "Just like Panda should be Cat-Bear instead of Bear-Cat in Chinese, warrior monks are still monks. We just happen to like martial arts."
Kagenobu: "Oh... you like fighting."
Warrior Monk (A): "No no no. We don't like fighting. We don't like wars. We fight so there will be no more fighting. We go to war to end wars."
Kagenobu: "Sounds like one of those Zen Buddhists' paradox arguments to me. Where are you all from? Why are you here?"
Warrior Monk (B): "We are mostly from north-east region. We all heard that Lord Nagao Kagetora is the best candidate to end Sengoku Jidai and restore Japan's harmony. We are here to help."
Kagenobu: "Oh? Welcome!"
Warrior Monk (C): "But unfortunately the snowstorm came. Kasugayama Castle is closed to visitors..."

Nagao Kagenobu looks up and sees a big sign:

"Closed due to weather. Please come back later. All meetings cancelled."

Kagenobu: "Ops."
Kagenobu shrugs - he walked more than an hour in the snow to get here.
But he is not angry.

Kagenobu: "Well, at least I learned something new. So what would you all do when the mountain is closed to visitors?"
Warrior Monk (C): "We wait right here until the mountain re-opens."
Kagenobu: "Why don't you stay in the town's hotels?"
Warrior Monk (B): "Haha. Mister, have you heard monks staying in hotels? We are not samurais, who own lands and peasants. We have very little money."
Kagenobu: "Right. You are monks! But if you are a full-time warrior, how would you support yourselves?"
Warrior Monk (A): "Salary? Normally we would offer services for food and shelter. But many of us are here to raise some funds for our respective temples. It is Sengoku, so the dominations are not enough..."
Kagenobu: "Right! I suppose your salary has to be higher than samurai's. After all, samurai pay for their own armor and weapons."
Warrior Monk (B): "Yep. I hope Lord Nagao Kagetora can afford us. Otherwise we will have disband and return to our vegetable garden."
Kagenobu: "Of course you stay! I will go up and call Nagao Kagetora to get down to greet you. Wait here!"
Warrior Monk (C): "Oh? Who are you?"
Kagenobu: "I am his mother's brother. Nice to meet you!"



Nagao Kagenobu (長尾景信)

Born roughly around 1515. Head of Koshin Nagao, one of the three major Nagao families of Echigo (the other two are headed by Nagao Kagetora and Nagao Masakage). Nagao Kagenobu is a brother of Nago Kagetora's mother. Historically, Nagao Kagenobu has no worthnoting abilities. The Koshin Nagao deteriorated under his leadership.

[Maltz]

Kasugayama Castle
Tensho - Kagetora's living quarter

Yaya: "Oh! It is grandpa Kagenobu! Umachiyo, call grandpa Kagenobu!"
Umachiyo (2.5 years): "Grandpa! Bubu!"
Yaya: " Sorry..."
Kagenobu: "It is ok... Can I ask you to just call me uncle? I am only mid-30s..." "

Kagenobu pats Umachiyo's little face.
Although he is Umachiyo's father's mother's brother, Umachiyo was born when Kagetora was 16, and Kagetora was born when his mother was 18.

Hiroshichiyo (1.5 years): "Papa!"
Yaya: "No~ he is not papa... sorry, he calls everybody papa. So embarassing... "
Kagenobu: "It is ok. I guess we all did that when we were little."

Kagenobu also pats Hiroshichiyo on the head. He is very cute. So "sheep-chiyo" fits him well.

Seluchiyo (0.5 years): "WAAAA~~~~"
Yaya: "Sorry, sorry, uncle Kagenobu, please wait a second."
Yaya holds Seluchiyo (monkey chiyo) in her arm. The little baby just woke up from his nap.

Kagenobu: "What a little monkey! So... are you still planning another baby? "
Yaya: "Yes... I like babies! But yes it is a lot of work."
Kagenobu: "What would be his name?"
Yaya: "He will use the name 'Chika', which stands for emotional closeness. Kagetora is mostly around last year. I hope he can stay home more often if he could."
Kagenobu: "Good, good. Would you like a girl this time?"
Yaya: "Actually I have a feeling it is going to be a boy again..."
Kagenobu: "Four boys? maybe you should hire a nanny. Maybe Maoko can find one?"
Yaya: "I hope to raise all of my kids personally..."

Kagenobu notices some new wrinkles beside Yaya's eyes. She is only 23 years old...

Kagenobu: "Oh Yaya, is Kagetora here?"
Yaya: "Sorry, he is not. He is not very happy these days... so I asked him to chat with master Tenshitsu Koiku in Rizenji."
Kagenobu: "Oh! Rizenji is located just beside the front gate, right?"
Yaya: "Yes. I am sorry that you made this trip through all the snow..."
Kagenobu: "It is ok. I have seen some cute babies! That just made my day."

Kagenobu is simply a happy person.
Many people say the world is terrible and hopeless, but he believes things get better day by day.
And since he is not really good at anything, he will let the capable take more responsibilities to save the world.

But maybe it is the time for Kagenobu to start a family...

[Maltz]

Rizenji - Forest Spring Temple

The spring is still frozen by the winter.
Snows quietly accumulate on the outer rim of the temple's windows.
Dried branches crack as they burn in the fireplace.

Kagetora's mind resembles the frozen spring more than the fireplace.

Masakage: "Kagetora, you have to look at the reality. War times or not, nobody succeeds without stepping on others' heads and shoulders."
Nomi: "Well, there are alternatives. For example, we can avoid competition if we live in the temple, or become a hermit."
Kagetora: "Then maybe I should become a hermit. I have had the thought of living in Mount Koya's temples."
Masakage: "WHAT?! Are you saying that you want to simply give up and disappear?"
Nomi: "How can you say that, Kagetora? Yaya is about to have your fourth child. How can you abandon your family like this?"

Nagao Masakage is the second in command of Nagao clan. He is not sure whether he can keep the clan alive in times like this.
Usami Nomi understands what Ashina Yaya and the children would feel if Kagetora suddenly abandons his family. In fact, all Yaya wants is a sweet family.

Kagetora: "I am very sorry. I am in great pains, too. But I cannot do something that I know is wrong. If I cannot justify my own actions and become a person that I dislike, then how can I stand in front of my family and my clan's people? How can I invade another clan? How can I rob their land and property, kill their people and break up their family? I cannot do this. Once I compromise my own principles, I lose my meaning of life."

Kagetora looks down, breathing heavily.
His conscience now runs against the future of Nagao clan.

Masakage: "There must be an excuse you can use to comfort yourself. Like your invasion helps improve people's lives. A few lives lost can be exchanged for more lives saved. Their sacrifice is worth it."
Kagetora: "Would you like to sacrifice your life for someone you don't know in the future? For the killed, everything is lost."
Nomi: "You can pick the worst clans to attack, Kagetora."
Kagetora: "Who is here to judge better from worse? Am I attacking others using excuses I made up?"

Actually, if Nagao Kagetora does not care about his conscience, by tactics alone, he can probably quickly conquer all nearby provinces, and become the most powerful daimyo in the history of Sengoku Jidai.

Masakage: "Kagetora, the world is not just black and white. There are fifty shades of grey. Sometimes, even the best person commit a sin..."
Kagetora: "If he knows it is a sin, would he commit it in the first place?"
Masakage: "You are thinking too much."
Kagetora: "If I can, why don't I? Isn't it a sin that I ignore my responsibility to think of the consequences?"

But even if Nagao becomes the greatest clan in Japan, then what next?
Nagao Kagetora may be adored as a hero for some, but deep inside his heart, Kagetora knows taht his puny existence won't make any difference in the history of mankind.
Somebody wins the war, somebody loses the war. Another war comes later...
One day, the superpower called Nagao will fall, when another great leader rises in a similar fashion. Nagao's offsprings slaughtered, their people enslaved...
War after war, the cycle continues...

War never changes.

[Maltz]

Tenshitsu Koiku: "Kagetora, you have a good heart, and you have a strong sense of justice. I have seen that on you since you were a child. I support you."
Kagetora: "Master..."
Koiku: "You know, on the night that you decided to lead Nagao clan, I knew one day you would have such conflicts. When you fought your brother, it was the only option left. When you attacked Jinbo, you had to end the war. When you declared war on Hojo, you had to repel their invasion. You did not have a choice in any of those. But now you have a choice."

The master monk stops for a while, as he sees Kagetora has tears in his eyes.

Koiku: "People say politics are too dirty - it corrupts everybody who dips a foot in it. However, I thik politics, or power, is not dirty - but the complexity of affairs in politics makes people lose track of what they really like and do not like to do with their lives. Kagetora, you do not want to invade others and cause others' misery. Do you know what do you want to do with your lives?"

Kagetora: "I want to make this world a better place whatever I do."

Such a simple thought that so many have lost.

Masakage: "This is easy! By beating a bad clan, you make this world a better place."

Koiku: "No, Masakage. Making this world a better place in whatever you do is not easy. In fact, by labeling some clan a bad clan, you just now made this world a worse place. Each clan has tens of thousands of people. Each people can perform good or bad things under different situations. How can you just call them bad? This injustice itself could cause much hatred."

Masakage: "Well, I mean 'worse' clans. We can still attack the 'worse' clans. It is relative. We bring good lives to their people.... oh well, some will unfortuantely got killed first. OK, sorry. I will shut up."

Tenshitsu Koiku recalls his young age... he was once deciding whether to become a monk or not.
Sixty years have past. He has not regreted.
Being a monk, he chose an easy path of not bearing the stress from desires and responsibility.
Kagetora can give up desires; in fact, he already does that by instinct.
But Kagetora has way more responbitilities on his shoulders than Tenshitsu Koiku does.

Koiku: "Kagetora, wars are struggles outside your mind. You can overcome wars with strategies, courage, endurance, and everybody's contribution. This, on the other hand, is a struggle inside your mind. Do not treat this struggle as an unfortunate accident. This should happen to you. You have to also face it with courage. You cannot run away. Even if you do, it will stay on you."

Kagetora: "Yes, master. Thank you for your teachings. I shouldn't have had the thought to run away. But I cannot justify any invasion with any excuse I can think of, such as 'I am doing this for the clan, not myself.' I have to stay honest and true."

Koiku: "You know, Kagetora, most people don't question themselves like you do. You make your life very difficult by being a strong critics of yourself. However, because of this habit of yours, you are capable of living a life very different from anybody else. Don't lose that habit, or you will be just like anybody else."

Kagetora: "Yes, master, I will carry it on."

Masakage: "Er... I appreciate master's attempt to make Kagetora feel better. But we are not reaching any compromise here. Kagetora, even if you don't care about the Nagao clan, why don't you care about us? We all depend on you. We like you, too."

Nomi: "Yes, Kagetora, we all like you. Don't give up!"
Nomi's cheek blushes all of a sudden.
Nomi is a faithful follower of Bishamonten, she would of course believe in Nagao Kagetora, the self-styled the avatar of Bishamonten.
She has vowed to give up passion of the mundane world. She has not gone crazy, probably because she can hide that emotion within her faith.

Koiku: (Hm... we shouldn't add family's pressure to Kagetora. ) "Well, let's give Kagetora some time and switch to another topic. Let's talk about life, shall we? What do you live for?"

[Maltz]

What do we live for? This is a big question.
Everybody looks at each other.

Nomi: "I live for the oath I made to Bishamonten. I pledged my life to him, and asked him to grant me courage and wisdom to follow him and enlighten the world."
Tenshitsu Koiku: "I guess Nomi has to first know Bishamonten's will in order to follow him. How do you know Bishamonten's will, Nomi?"
Nomi: "I follow rules in scripture. I also follow Kagetora. I have inner peace from following them. I know I am doing the right things."
Kagetora: "Thank you... I hope I will not let you down."

Kagetora is a little relieved to hear that he brings peace to Nomi's mind.

Masakage: "I... I live for people whom I love and those who love me."
Koiku: "I am sure you know whom you love. But how do you know who love you, Masakage?"
Masakage: "Er... yeah, I guess I can never know for sure. I have to trust them if they claim they love me. I trust my families and friends, like Kagetora. I guess I live for you sometimes? Kagetora, if somebody points a Musket at you, I hope to be lucky enough to stand in front of you."
Kagetora: "Thank you... I never thought you think this way."

Kagetora can only hope that he could do this for Masakage and others.
He is not afraid of dying, but his duties instruct him to highly value his life.
That brings him to shame. Lives should be equal, isn't it?

Koiku: "Ok, it is my turn. You probably expect me to say 'I live for Buddhism'? That's indeed the case... 60 years ago."
Masakage: "Then what does master live for?"

"Well, it is a long story. Please allow me to start from the beginning."
Tenshitsu Koiku takes a sip of the steaming green tea. Some secrets have been kept for a little too many years.

[Maltz]

Sixty years ago, I became a monk. I wanted to be just like Buddha. I live for Buddha.

Fifty years ago, I had studied so many scriptures, but I found that Buddhism... was just Buddhism, a religion. I then follow my master monk, whom I sincerely admired and respected. I lived for my master.

Fourty years ago, my master passed away. I was his favorite pupil, so I inherited his temple, Rizenji. I devoted every day into the management of Rizenji. I successfully drew a large crowd of followers. Our donation boxes were always full. We had so many monks and nuns. Just imagine what Honganji is today.

Thirty years ago, I finally discovered that the larger my temple was, the shallower my Buddhist teaching became. When the visitor came, they looked at our red-painted double gate, our large golden statue of Buddha, our huge thurible (a holder for burning incense) with hundreds of incense thicker than thumbs... then they made a wish and went home. They did not come for Buddhism at all. I was like a businessman who ran a theme park. I had to make a drastic change.

Masakage: "Master, I heard there was a large fire in Rizenji about 30 years ago. Is that..."
Tenshitzu Koiku: "You are right, Masakage. It was a sin. I hoped Buddha would agree with me. Hm, looking back, it was the best thing I have done in my life as a monk. Haha."
Kagetora:

Or the worst thing he could have done as a businessman.
Kagetora could never imagine that his master could burn down his own temple. He recalls the old saying that "one can follow Buddha only after he gives up all worldly belongings".

The temple burned down, along with people's wishlists. (Note: In Japan, people can usually write wishes on a small wooden board and hang it outside the temple.) People all thought this was the end of Rizenji, but I hoped it was a beginnig. We had enough savings to rebuild just a small temple - this very one you are sitting on. As you can tell, it looked so dull that no tourists would visit us anymore. But I started taking students. I lived for my students. One day, I would pass away, and hand over Buddhism to them. I taught classes day and night. I hoped that they would be enlightened as quickly as possible.

Twenty years ago, I realized that enlightenment was not something I could simply teach. I cannot rush it and stuff it down a student's throat. The more pressure I gave them, they more resistance I received. Some of my students ran away, some of them became a little... wacky. You see crazy monks all the time, right? Maybe it was my fault. Many of my pupils were pushed farther away from enlightenment. So I stopped taking many students. I preached to guests who came here for accomodation, for praying, for a relief from their pressured lives.

Ten years ago, I found that what I did was quite fruitless again. Those who seemed to understand me now forgot everything. Those who seemed to like Buddhism backed away. What I have done seemed to be all in vain. What had I accomplished? I was tired and old. In desperation, I gave up all my wishes. I did not live for anything. If you want this old monk to hold a adulthood ceremony, I am happy to. If you want this old monk to teach a young studnet, I am happy to. If you want this old monk to take care of the clan lord's young son called Torachiyo, I am also happy to.

The room went silent after Tenshitsu Koiku finished his concentrated life's story.

Kagetora: "Thank you, master. I... I don't know what I live for, actually. I am sorry."
Koiku: "There is nothing wrong it that, Kagetora. You are just like me now."
Nomi: "How about living like a Bishamonten's avatar?"
Kagetora: "Sure... but what would Bishamonten do? Would he invade Kyushu with an army? Would he attack other clans without a fully justified reason? I don't think he would do that..."

Nobody knows what Bishamonten would do.
But what Kagetora says makes some sense - Bishamonten probably would not invade others for no good reason.

"Hey! Anybody cares about my opinion?"
"Oh? It is uncle Kagenobu!"
"Please, Masakage... I am only a few years older than you."

Nagao Kagenobu shakes off his snow boots and walks in.

"I live, so I can be spend every day happy."
Kagenobu reveals his trade-marked smile.