MOON SAGA novel book discussion (Part One, Ch 5-6)
5
The Genji, excluding Yoshitsune, continued their advance after the Battle of Ichi-no-Tani, but after repeated battles further and further from Kamakura, the soldiers began to show signs of fatigue. The Heike were luring them into further sea battles, however, the Genji were unable to procure their desired amount of ships, and so there was a lull in the war.
On a ship moored on a beach of Yashima Island, the chief retainers of the Heike, led by their commander, Taira no Munemori, were having a military conference.
Munemori was the third son of Kiyomori, but as Kiyomori’s first son, Shigemori, and second son, Motomori, had both already died, after Kiyomori’s passing, Munemori had become the new leader of the Heike. But unfortunately for Munemori, he was not gifted with the skill necessary to lead the clan, and his opinions on military strategy went ignored.
Instead of Munemori, the one who held true command was one who had gained the strong trust of not just the chief retainers, but Kiyomori himself, the fourth son, Tomomori. It was not an overstatement to say that it was thanks to Tomomori that the Heike had somehow managed to remain intact even after the loss of Kiyomori’s overwhelming presence and being forced out of Kyoto.
Under extreme pressure, and with fatigue showing on his face, Munemori ended the conference with, “Well then, let’s leave it there. I’ve entrusted the rest to Tomomori. I’m counting on you.”
Tomomori nodded at him, then called out, “Dennai, Noritsune. I’m sorry, but could you stay behind for a little?”
As the chief retainers left their seats, Noritsune kicked his feet out with a resigned expression, and began to slouch. While Tomomori undoubtedly held the higher rank, to Noritsune he was the beloved cousin that he had often played with when they were young, and who he referred to as “Brother”.
Dennai scratched his head and muttered, “Ahhh, I’m tired. I’m definitely not suited for this kind of thing. We got all these people together and at the end he just says he’s leaving it to Brother.”
Rather than be angered by Dennai and Noritsune’s attitudes, Tomomori smiled. It was precisely because he didn’t get taken in by trivial things, and had the ability to perceive the true nature of everything, that he was so tolerant. Therefore, he was able to charm people like Dennai and Noritsune, who had one or two quirks.
As if to replace the retainers who had just left the room, Kikuōmaru and Ginrōmaru cheerfully rushed in.
“You finished? We waited. We waited properly!”
One of the retainers saw this and hurriedly pulled Kikuōmaru back.
“You! Tomomori-sama and the others are still-”
Before he finished speaking, Kikuōmaru had shaken off his grasp with incredible speed, spun around, and was glaring at the man.
“You… Don’t touch me!”
“Eeek...”
The man went pale and froze under the force of his gaze. Ginrōmaru looked back and forth between Kikuōmaru and the retainer, as if he were unsure what to do. Noritsune grinned and said, “Oh no, you can’t just touch Kikuōmaru like that. He bites.”
Tomomori quickly put a stop to it.
“Kiku, stop… I’m sorry, it’s okay. You can go.”
The retainer hurriedly did as he was told. Kikuōmaru glared after him for a moment, but once the man was out of sight, his innocent smile returned, and he rushed over to Noritsune. Ginrōmaru followed.
Kikuōmaru and Ginrōmaru were of mixed blood, in other words, half Mononoke and half human.
While the Mononofu did have Mononoke blood in them, apart from their special powers, they were otherwise human. However, despite their human appearance, Kikuōmaru and Ginrōmaru's Mononoke blood was much stronger. Kikuōmaru in particular, possessed the ferocity of a wild animal, and was quick to display hostility. Because of that, people didn’t know what to do with him. They were unable to kill him out of fear of a Mononoke curse, so he was imprisoned along with Ginrōmaru until Noritsune heard their story and claimed them for himself. Although the people around him opposed it, as soon as he came face to face with them, they began to follow him with surprising meekness. Even Kikuōmaru never questioned a word that Noritsune said. It was like the way in which a wolf pack followed the strongest leader in the group. They submitted to the one whose power far outstripped their own.
Kikuōmaru and Ginrōmaru instinctively felt that Noritsune and Tomomori were their “masters”.
The only ones remaining in the room were Tomomori, Dennai, Noritsune, and Kikuōmaru and Ginrōmaru.
Tomomori waited until he sensed that the retainers were out of earshot, and then spoke, “So then, how are things in the capital?”
Tomomori was sending Dennai and Noritsune to infiltrate Kyoto behind the backs of Munemori and the other retainers. His aim was to scope out the happenings in the capital, and bring those who would support the Heike to Yashima.
Dennai made as if to speak in a hushed voice, but Noritsune cut him off.
“Brother, please scold Dennai! He wandered off on his own again! We had to go to so much trouble to find him!”
It was exactly like one child telling on another for being naughty.
“...Hey, you promised you wouldn’t tell!”
“I don’t recall promising that. And you’re the one who always breaks your promises to me and does your own thing, right?”
“Right! Right!”
Kikuōmaru and Ginrōmaru giggled.
“Well, I don’t recall promising-”
“Enough.”
One fed up word from Tomomori, and everyone present shut their mouths.
“You guys do this every time… You can take your time and have a nice long husband and wife quarrel later. Right now I want to know about things in the capital. Dennai, please.”
Hearing the phrase “husband and wife quarrel”, Noritsune made a move as if he wanted to argue, but then he calmed himself. He sat cross legged with an irritated expression, and turned his gaze to Dennai.
“Yes. The Heike remaining in the capital have been almost wiped out by the Genji hunting them down. All that’s left are the Kugyō who have betrayed us in favor of the Genji, so we probably can’t expect much from them. They’re trying to save their skins by joining the Genji and the cloistered emperor 1.”
Though, to a certain extent, he had been expecting this, Tomomori’s expression was gloomy.
“… It is extremely regrettable that we could not bring the cloistered emperor with us,” he groaned.
When it had been decided that the Heike clan would withdraw from Kyoto, Tomomori and the others had planned to take the cloistered emperor Go-Shirakawa with them. But Go-Shirakawa had guessed their plan of action and escaped alone from Kuramaro to Mount Hiei, leaving the royal family behind. To the Heike, this was a noble cause that justified their position, and losing the cloistered emperor, who was also a hostage in a certain sense, was a great blow.
They had managed to bring Emperor Antoku, who was still six years old, and the Three Treasures that served as proof of his royal status. But after that, the cloistered emperor, ordered his defenders, the Genji, to defeat the Heike, and Tomomori was in an increasingly trapped position.
Now that I think about it, even when Kiyomori, my father, was in good health, his relationship with the cloistered emperor had been crumbling.
It was a belated realization, but Tomomori looked back now.
As the Heike’s power grew, despite them being a warrior house, Kiyomori had begun to interfere in the cloistered emperor’s rule, which was not looked upon kindly. The cloistered emperor had only kept up appearances simply because the immense power of the Heike made him too frightened to act against them. He had begun to favor Yoritomo, who spoke of overthrowing the Heike. And when Kiyomori passed away, as far as the cloistered emperor was concerned, the Heike were already “enemies of the Imperial Court”.
“And, about Shigehira...” Dennai continued with a pained expression, “He has been captured by Kajiwara Kagetoki and taken to Kamakura...”
A heavy silence fell. Tomomori wanted to somehow help his younger brother who had been captured in the Battle of Ichi-no-Tani, but if he had been taken to Kamakura, it would be unfeasible.
“It would be nice to hear some good news some time soon...” he answered sadly.
Dennai had fallen silent but Noritsune prompted him, trying to lighten the mood.
“Dennai, isn’t there something else you have to report to my brother? That person who was with you in the forest?”
“Oh, you met someone?” Tomomori looked up.
“Er, well… we just happened to run into each other coincidentally, but… he said his name was Yoshitsune.”
“Yoshitsune?”
Tomomori’s expression changed, “Yoshitsune… you don’t mean, THAT Yoshitsune!?”
“That’s right, brother. THAT Yoshitsune. Yoritomo’s little brother, the Mononofu who pulled a sneak attack on us at Ichi-no-Tani, Minamoto no Yoshitsune!”
Noritsune took the opportunity to hammer the point home, “But Dennai lied to us and said he was an acquaintance!”
“If I didn’t say that, you would have killed him on the spot!”
“Obviously! As if I’d just let an enemy stroll back home!”
“Kill...enemies!” Kikuōmaru responded. Dennai glared at Kikuōmaru, “No killing!”
Lost for words, Tomomori asked, “...So, what did you talk about with...Yoshitsune…?”
“Oh, we just had a chat. He’s an interesting fellow. I thought he’d have the smell of blood on him, like the man we saw at Ichi-no-Tani, but it seems he’s got his own way of thinking.”
“He was someone who could be talked to?”
“Seems so. There aren’t too many commanders who can win battles and then shed tears for their fallen comrades. It also seems like his reputation in the capital isn’t bad either. Well, he is a son of the Genji clan, after all.”
Dennai recalled the sight of Yoshitsune hanging his head and crying by the lake, and smiled. When he did, his eyes crinkled until they were as narrow as pine needles. Tomomori was deep in thought about something with a serious expression. Perhaps tired of the situation, Kikuōmaru and Ginrōmaru were twisting their bodies from side to side in a bored manner. The silence continued for a while, then Dennai, curiously trying to sneak a look at Tomomori’s face, said playfully, “Um… Tomo-chan?”
At the same moment, Tomomori suddenly stood.
“Dennai!”
In response to Tomomori’s strict voice, Dennai hurriedly straightened his posture,
“Sorry! I got carried away!”
“Hm? What?… Dennai, could I ask you to do something for me?”
“Huh?… Do something?”
“Yes. It’s no big deal but,” Tomomori immediately corrected himself, “No, it may be a big deal...”
Tomomori gave a meaningful smile as he looked down on Dennai and the others’ puzzled faces.
6
Like he was being led from sleep by the gentle sound of waves lapping on the shore, Noritsune woke.
It’s been a long time since I slept so well. He thought, his mind still hazy.
When he slowly opened his eyes, he saw the peaceful blue spring sky, and the face of Dennai as he gazed at the ocean, arms folded.
Oh, that’s right. I was sleeping in Dennai’s lap. He remembered.
When Dennai realized that Noritsune was awake, he looked down with a warm gaze.
“So you’re finally awake. Did you sleep well?”
“Yeah… Your lap is definitely the best place.”
“Stop that, you’re creeping me out. Come on, get up! My legs are asleep.”
At Dennai’s urging, Noritsune wriggled his body upright. He grunted as he stretched and then moved his head in a circle. Thanks to the deep sleep he had had, his body felt light. He spotted Kikuōmaru and Ginrōmaru playing around some rocks a short distance away. They were peeking into holes in the rocks, finding the small creatures that lived in there and cackling.
Since Noritsune was small, sleep had been nothing but agony to him.
It was because he suffered nightmares whenever he slept. The nightmares were all different, one night he would be trapped and sinking in a bottomless swamp, and the next he would be chased by an unknown monster. Countless nights, he would awaken crying and screaming, and spend the rest of the night shaking inside his futon. When he slept badly, his body could not rest, and so on the days when he had been awoken by a nightmare, his body felt as heavy as lead and he was plagued by headaches.
At first, he wondered why he only ever had such frightening dreams. But when he eventually realized that his power was prophetic dreams, he cursed it. The nightmares were a side-effect of his power.
Furthermore, not all of his dreams were prophetic. If he dreamed that someone would be injured, he could warn them, but he only had fragmentary images, and there were many dreams that he would only understand the meaning of when they happened in real life. In that case, there was no way to preemptively avoid it. Noritsune felt that the suffering he endured from his nightmares outweighed any benefit he got from his prophetic dreams tens of times over.
The only one who could grant Noritsune sleep untroubled by nightmares was Dennai. Dennai had the power to suppress someone else’s power as long as he was touching them. If Dennai was by his side, Noritsune could sleep peacefully. Despite Noritsune’s insulting comments, one of the reasons that he cared for Dennai was that Dennai’s presence freed him from his physical and emotional pain.
Noritsune looked out over the calm ocean, and spoke to Dennai.
“...So, why did Brother choose the path of seeking peace with the Genji?”
“Who knows? There’s probably a lot of things he’s thinking about.”
“So why do we have to go and meet a Genji then? No matter how much my brother asks me, I don’t want to go. That Yoshitsune, he’s somehow dark.”
The way Noritsune said it sounded like a sulking child, and Dennai laughed with a broad grin.
After the conference, when Tomomori heard that Dennai had met Yoshitsune near Kyoto by chance, he had broached an idea that even Dennai was stunned by. He wanted them to feel out the possibility of negotiating peace via Yoshitsune.
Dennai and Noritsune were both lost for words, so Tomomori spoke to persuade them,
“Alright, no one else is to know about this. There are many in the Heike who think that being killed would be preferable to bowing to the Genji. If we speak of peace now, it may cause a mutiny. First, the two of you will meet Yoshitsune in secret and make preparations. If we determine that peace is possible, then I’ll persuade everyone else.”
“Brother! I am opposed to seeking peace!”
Noritsune argued determinedly. Tomomori gave him a reproaching look.
“Nori, I think at this rate, the Heike will fall into ruin sooner or later. Not because of the war… We have been sitting on our laurels on top of the power my father, Kiyomori built. We have forgotten our sympathy for the people, and lost our humility. I think that it’s time to regain our proper form as Mononofu. It is the same for the Genji. If we continue to fight like this, we will both walk the road to ruination. Then, isn’t this a chance for us to revive together?”
“So, brother, you are telling us to live under the Genji?”
Noritsune continued to object, and Tomomori quietly shook his head.
“Not under the Genji. With them. Peace is not defeat, Nori. Both the Heike and the Genji formerly served the emperor as warrior clans. At some point that turned into squabbling over power. What I am aiming for is a peace where each serves their own purpose, like the two wheels of an ox-cart. One is the Heike and the other is the Genji. Both of them have the same power, and they both move forward in the same direction.”
At this point, Dennai, who had been listening silently, gave an enthusiastic nod and said, “Just like Tomo-chan! He has different ideas than the others!” clapping his hands forcefully on his knees.
Tomomori had lost his eldest son, Tomoakira, at the battle of Ichi-no-Tani. He was only sixteen.
Normally, a parent would be willing to shed tears of blood to avenge their child. No, they’d be already doing it, Dennai thought.
But Tomomori is living is life not as a parent, but as the leader of his clan, and prioritizing the path that leads to their survival.
Dennai was captivated by this, and made up his mind.
“Leave it to me! I, Dennai Noriyoshi will be sure to bring Yoshitsune to you! Right, Nori?”
“What are you on about!? I don’t recall ever agreeing with-”
Tomomori grabbed Noritsune firmly by the shoulders.
“I’m relying on you, Nori! Make sure to protect Dennai for me!”
He said, deliberately emphasizing Dennai’s name. There was nothing Noritsune could say in response, and he could only furrow his brows in silence.
By the seaside, Dennai and Noritsune were gazing at the ocean, as usual.
There are almost certainly a lot of Genji soldiers out for blood just over the sea.
Dennai thought, and it gave him a strange feeling.
“We have your brother’s orders, but the truth is, I simply want to meet Yoshitsune again. I want to meet him and try to talk to him.”
Noritsune could not hide his irritation at those words.
“Why are you so fascinated by Yoshitsune anyway? Do you really think a general who cries like a woman while thinking of his comrades is that beautiful?”
“He’s not strong like you. It’s because of the era we live in that we tend to forget. In a battle, friends die one after another. Before the tears for the last one have even dried. That his heart hurts when he thinks of his friends is proof of his purity.”
At some point, Kikuōmaru and Ginrōmaru had come close. They sat on a boulder, and listened to the conversation with bewildered expressions.
“I... don’t... understand...”
Dennai laughed at Ginrōmaru's words.
“Hmm, I guess not… Well then, Gin, what would you do if Kiku died?”
“Cry!… Ah, got it. I’d cry… Purity!”
He said that, and his face relaxed into a happy expression. Dennai looked at Kikuōmaru.
“How about you, Kiku? What if Gin died?”
“Gin won’t die! Gin won’t die!” Kikuōmaru was already half crying.
“Hahaha, sorry! That’s right, Gin won’t die. It’s alright.”
“Gin won’t die...”
Noritsune, who had been listening to the other three talk, stood and walked toward the shore.
“No one’s going to die. It’s alright. I’ll protect all of you even if it costs me my life. Kiku, Gin… even you, Dennai.”
“The ‘even you’ wasn’t necessary! And don’t say you’ll give up your life so easily. It’s better that we don’t fight at all, so it doesn’t have to come to that.”
Noritsune smiled. His expression betrayed a hint of loneliness.
“It’s not going to be so simple. This war won’t end so easily. And if all you do is cry, you won’t be able to protect what’s important,” he said, and lowered his gaze.
Noritsune’s prophetic dreams were a defensive power, and the source of his strength that led to him being called the “Heike’s Strongest” was something else entirely. It was pure martial arts ability that he had gained through years of forging his body with hard work every day. He had gained that nickname not through a supernatural power, but through his own strength. Noritsune was proud of that fact, and it was proof of how high his potential combat ability was.
Even with my “power”, even if I can predict it in my dreams, in the end everyone will die and I won’t be able to protect them. My brothers, and my friends. I don’t want to let anyone else die. Or make them cry. If I can’t protect them with my “power”, then I’ll need a strength even greater than that. I’ll become stronger, to protect everything important to me.
A seabird that had been circling overhead suddenly dived into the water. In the blink of an eye, it caught a fish in its beak, and then soared back into the sky.
Watching the seabird, Noritsune’s eyes were seeking a power stronger than anyone else’s.
1A cloistered emperor was one that had officially abdicated his position and joined a monastery, but, in practice, continued to hold power. Go-Shirakawa abdicated in 1158, but continued to rule as cloistered emperor through the reigns of the next five emperors (four of whom were enthroned as children and died young).