Ninja Attack!: True Tales of Assassins, Samurai, and Outlaws by Yoda Hiroko & Alt Matt

Author:Yoda, Hiroko & Alt, Matt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Published: 2013-12-17T16:00:00+00:00

The Man

It is tempting to call Tokugawa Ieyasu the luckiest man in Japanese history. Simply tallying the episodes in which he should well have been killed in one intrigue or another, in this battle or that, could fill a book. But “lucky” doesn’t do justice to a man with the heart of a warrior and a mind as sly as a fox. In the era of constant warfare in which Ieyasu lived, few survived long enough to enjoy a quiet death of old age. That Tokugawa Ieyasu did—and became shogun of all Japan along the way—is due in no small part to his shrewd use of ninja.

Born Matsudaira Takechiyo, he spent much of his childhood with his head on the proverbial chopping block as a hostage, a pawn in political games playing out between rival warlords. (In keeping with custom at the time, he was well treated and even given a proper education by his captors.) Repatriated to his homeland of Mikawa as a young man, he quickly proved himself a capable military commander.

He first made use of ninja at the age of 21, leading a siege against nearby Kaminogo castle. The enemy had holed up so effectively that a direct attack would have cost the lives of far too many of his own men. The young Ieyasu turned to a trusted advisor, who suggested sending a request for assistance to his contacts in Koga. Before long, a pair of ninja commanders named Banyo Shichiro and Ukai Magoroku, leading a company of some 280 genin foot soldiers, arrived on the scene. Late one night, they split their men into teams that silently infiltrated the castle’s walls, setting fires, slitting a few throats, and throwing the defenders into utter chaos. A potential bloodbath had been transformed into a simple mop-up operation by the ninja, leaving a deep impression on the young leader; it wouldn’t be the last time Ieyasu called upon their services.

Pragmatic and calculating, it was always business and never personal with Ieyasu. He weighed every potential alliance carefully, and once even sacrificed the lives of his own wife and son in the interest of living to fight another day. He served those to whom he pledged allegiance, such as Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, with great loyalty. But this shrewd tactician wasn’t content to spend his life in the shadow of great men; he was patiently biding his time, determined to become one himself.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.