partially some time in the middle of April, and Hideyoshi finally managed to deliver his report. Then, having received no word from So Yoshitoshi of a change in the Koreans’ stance, he dispatched orders south on the twenty-fourth to proceed with the invasion.
Hideyoshi himself remained in Kyoto for another two weeks, enjoying the company of his wife and concubines. It was not until May 7, roughly the time his orders would have arrived at Nagoya, that he set out from the capital for the long journey south. His departure, like his return from the hunt three months before, was a magnificent and festive occasion. Hideyoshi, now the conquering general, rode out of the city on a fine horse, clad in brocade armor, a sword in one hand and a bow in the other. In his train came a bodyguard of seventy-seven warriors astride horses encased in armor, bearing gold gilt swords and spears. Sixty-six banners were borne aloft, symbolizing his unification of all sixty-six provinces of Japan. [152]
The baggage train must have been enormous. As at the siege of Odawara two years before, Hideyoshi did not intend for himself and his retinue to suffer during their time in the field. Entertainments of every variety would be provided, from music and dancing to noh theater and tea. For his tea ceremonies alone, Hideyoshi carried two portable tea rooms: the quintessentially rustic Yamazato, a tiny mountain hut built from weathered beams and papered inside with old calendars, and the magnificent Kigane no zashiki, a finely crafted, three-mat chamber gilded entirely with gold, right down to the fire tongs. The two rooms perfectly represented the taiko’s two sides. The golden Kigane was for the showman, the rags-to-riches parvenu who could not resist displays of extravagance. The Yamazato was for the cultured man of refined tastes: the poet, the patron of the arts, and the skilled practitioner of chado , the way of tea. [153]
Poetry and theater. Music and tea. Hideyoshi would always find time for these, even as he set out to conquer the world.
* * *
As Hideyoshi made his leisurely way south from Kyoto to Nagoya, the Koreans were still struggling with their defensive preparations. Work had been done to fortify towns, restock arsenals, and conscript men. But not that much. Certainly not enough.
To get some idea of how this defensive work was progressing, the government dispatched Generals Sin Ip and Yi Il on separate inspection tours in the spring of 1592. Sin went north, and Yi south. They returned to the capital a month later and delivered their reports. Both proved highly uninformative, describing only the condition of the swords, spears, bows and arrows in the armories that had been visited, while saying nothing of the state of the nation’s standing armies, the existence of reservist lists, the condition of fortifications, and the general capability of each province to mount an effective defense. It might be inferred that Sin Ip was unimpressed with the defense preparations he observed, for he had people flogged and executed for negligence everywhere he went. But once back in Seoul he had little to say about it.
Following his return to the capital, General Sin visited Yu Song-nyong at the latter’s residence where they discussed defense issues, in particular the military capabilities of the Japanese.
“Sooner or later there will be a war,” said Yu. “Since you are responsible for military affairs, what do you think about the power of the enemy today? Is he strong or weak?”
Sin replied that he was entirely unconcerned.
This annoyed Yu. “That is not the right attitude,” he said. “Formerly the Japanese depended on short weapons alone, but now they are joined with muskets which are effective at a distance. We can’t treat the affair lightly.”
“Even if they have muskets,” Sin replied, “they can’t hit anyone with them.” [154]
It was the same sort of empty
Hideyoshi himself remained in Kyoto for another two weeks, enjoying the company of his wife and concubines. It was not until May 7, roughly the time his orders would have arrived at Nagoya, that he set out from the capital for the long journey south. His departure, like his return from the hunt three months before, was a magnificent and festive occasion. Hideyoshi, now the conquering general, rode out of the city on a fine horse, clad in brocade armor, a sword in one hand and a bow in the other. In his train came a bodyguard of seventy-seven warriors astride horses encased in armor, bearing gold gilt swords and spears. Sixty-six banners were borne aloft, symbolizing his unification of all sixty-six provinces of Japan. [152]
The baggage train must have been enormous. As at the siege of Odawara two years before, Hideyoshi did not intend for himself and his retinue to suffer during their time in the field. Entertainments of every variety would be provided, from music and dancing to noh theater and tea. For his tea ceremonies alone, Hideyoshi carried two portable tea rooms: the quintessentially rustic Yamazato, a tiny mountain hut built from weathered beams and papered inside with old calendars, and the magnificent Kigane no zashiki, a finely crafted, three-mat chamber gilded entirely with gold, right down to the fire tongs. The two rooms perfectly represented the taiko’s two sides. The golden Kigane was for the showman, the rags-to-riches parvenu who could not resist displays of extravagance. The Yamazato was for the cultured man of refined tastes: the poet, the patron of the arts, and the skilled practitioner of chado , the way of tea. [153]
Poetry and theater. Music and tea. Hideyoshi would always find time for these, even as he set out to conquer the world.
* * *
As Hideyoshi made his leisurely way south from Kyoto to Nagoya, the Koreans were still struggling with their defensive preparations. Work had been done to fortify towns, restock arsenals, and conscript men. But not that much. Certainly not enough.
To get some idea of how this defensive work was progressing, the government dispatched Generals Sin Ip and Yi Il on separate inspection tours in the spring of 1592. Sin went north, and Yi south. They returned to the capital a month later and delivered their reports. Both proved highly uninformative, describing only the condition of the swords, spears, bows and arrows in the armories that had been visited, while saying nothing of the state of the nation’s standing armies, the existence of reservist lists, the condition of fortifications, and the general capability of each province to mount an effective defense. It might be inferred that Sin Ip was unimpressed with the defense preparations he observed, for he had people flogged and executed for negligence everywhere he went. But once back in Seoul he had little to say about it.
Following his return to the capital, General Sin visited Yu Song-nyong at the latter’s residence where they discussed defense issues, in particular the military capabilities of the Japanese.
“Sooner or later there will be a war,” said Yu. “Since you are responsible for military affairs, what do you think about the power of the enemy today? Is he strong or weak?”
Sin replied that he was entirely unconcerned.
This annoyed Yu. “That is not the right attitude,” he said. “Formerly the Japanese depended on short weapons alone, but now they are joined with muskets which are effective at a distance. We can’t treat the affair lightly.”
“Even if they have muskets,” Sin replied, “they can’t hit anyone with them.” [154]
It was the same sort of empty
Similar Books
