Chapter 1: The Battle of Okehazama

Ōigawa Castle – Isshiki Masataka

1560. June 12

The day when my world turned upside down.

An unsettling atmosphere hung over Ōigawa Castle, the Isshiki clan’s residence.

My mother, Hana-sama, too, had a gloomy expression on her face as she waited for the soldier who had burst into the room.

“Isshiki Masafumi-sama has fallen in Okehazama¹This is where the famed Battle of Okehazama occurred, the battle when Oda Nobunaga, one of most famous Japanese Warlord of the Sengoku era came to rise. He defeated one of the strongest daimyō of the time, Imagawa Yoshimoto, when the odd was 10-to-1 against him, effectively driving the Imagawa clan to ruin from then onward..”

With a regretful look, while bowing to my mother, who kept her lips closed tight, the soldier relayed that message before he hurriedly left the hall.

All around me, everyone was crying—though they were trying to stifle their voices—and my mother was the same.

I see. Father is dead… I thought, but strangely enough, I didn’t burst into tears. Probably because somehow I knew this would happen ever since the day Father set out for the battle.

He would be slain in Okehazama. I just knew it would happen, and so I had been bracing myself for this outcome for days already.

“Do you not shed any tears for your father, Masataka? Did you not hear that he has fallen in battle?”

Mother asked with tears in her eyes. Her voice woke me up from my stupor.

“I’m the proud son of my father—an honorable samurai.”

Besides, I knew in advance what was going to happen. In the Battle of Okehazama, the head of the Imagawa clan²They are one of the strongest clan during this era, up until Oda Nobunaga killed Yoshimoto, that is., Imagawa Yoshimoto, would be killed in battle. From there, the Imagawa clan would enter a major decline and by the time the Edo period³1603 – 1868 AD began, there was no more daimyō⁴Basically nobles under the shogun. FYI, shogun is the ancient Japanese’s military commander, they were the actual ruler as the emperors back then were just figureheads bearing the name Imagawa.

How did I know? Because I wasn’t from this era. In the past, I—no, that didn’t sound right. To be more precise, I was reincarnated into the past from the future. As someone who once lived in the 2000s, I pretty much knew what was going to happen during this era.

“You sure are strong…”

“I am not. Regardless, please cry your heart out, Mother. Because after that…”

“After that…?”

“I will lead us to fulfill Father’s will. To protect the Imagawa clan.”

At that, Mother started to cry again. She was the daughter of the previous head of the Imagawa clan, Imagawa Ujichika. In other words, she had a strong tie to them. Regardless, if my words could make her feel more at ease, then it would be enough.

In my previous life, I, Isshiki Masataka, was just an ordinary man. But one day, I found myself waking up to an unfamiliar ceiling, surrounded by unfamiliar people in an unfamiliar world.

When I got a little older, I learned that this place was called Ōigawa Castle, located in Tōtōmi. My father was the lord of the castle, as well as the head of the Isshiki clan, and, as I had mentioned earlier, my mother was Hana-sama, the daughter of the previous Imagawa clan’s head, Imagawa Ujichika.

From there, I learned that the current head of the Imagawa clan was none other than Imagawa Yoshimoto, which meant it was now the 1500s. But not long after I discovered all that, the Battle of Okehazama occurred.

If things went according to the history that I knew, this would no doubt be the worst day that the Imagawa clan, who ruled over Tōkai, would ever experience.

I didn’t have any particular attachment to the Imagawa Clan, but since I had been born into this era, I wanted to live my life for as long as possible. Hence, I’d rebuild this soon-to-be-fallen clan.

This was my story—the story of a man who knew of the future.

T/N: This is a map of Ancient Japan that I found. You can use it as a reference to understand the geography. As you can see, Tōtōmi is located in Central Japan, near the sea, and Tōkai Region encompasses a large area in the central Japan.