My Gang of Swordsmen

Chapter 49: Chapter 35: Tenshōin Atsu, the Chaste Widow

Edo, North Guard Station, the Magistrate’s office—

”Come, come, Tojo, try this Nagasaki cake my friend sent me yesterday.”

Hosoi pushed his beloved Nagasaki cake in front of Tojo.

”Oh, oh, it smells quite nice.”

In the office, Town Magistrate: Hosoi and Fixed Town Patrol ”Tojo Group” Yoriki: Tojo, sat across the table from each other.

Hosoi and Tojo have always been on good terms personally; in his leisure time, Hosoi often invited Tojo over to share some snacks and chat a while.

”The world has become increasingly unstable lately.” Hosoi sighed while filling Tojo’s cup with tea, ”I really miss the peaceful days before the barbarians knocked on our gates...”

No matter how times change, whether young or old, when men gather, they love to talk about three topics—military matters, politics, and women.

Tojo, with his mouth full of Nagasaki cake, nodded and muttered, ”Yes, indeed. With the chaos everywhere, who knows when stability will return.”

”At this crucial moment when the Shogunate needs unity from top to bottom, inside and out, to face external threats, internal strife within the Shogunate persists...” Hosoi shook his head with a bitter smile, ”I heard recently: Ii Dairou and Her Highness Tenshōin had another argument a few days ago... The rift between them seems to be widening...”

”...There’s no helping it.” Tojo paused his chewing on the cake, ”Some of Ii Dairou’s actions over the past two years have gone too far... It’s only natural that his relationship with Her Highness Tenshōin is deteriorating.”

In June of Kaei 6 (1853), after the Black Ship Fleet of the United States knocked on Japan’s gates, the 12th Generation Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyoshi, passed away just a few months later.

After Tokugawa Ieyoshi’s death, his only son, Tokugawa Iedzumi, ascended to the Shogunate, becoming the 13th Generation Shogun of the Edo Shogunate.

In a time of both internal strife and external threats to the country, that Tokugawa Iedzumi became the new ruler of this nation... Many felt quite uneasy about this.

Because Tokugawa Iedzumi was a well-known fool.

Literally a fool.

Since childhood, he had been physically frail and inherently timid, extremely averse to speaking in front of others, with his Wet Nurse Song Bridge being the only one able to communicate normally with him, he couldn’t handle governmental affairs at all.

Due to Iedzumi’s poor health, people felt—it wouldn’t be long before Iedzumi would also die.

And because of his health, Iedzumi had no heirs... With his feeble condition where he could barely walk, it was impossible for him to father any children.

Therefore, to ensure national stability, shortly after Iedzumi’s succession, Shogunate Officials began deliberating who should be established as the ”Crown Prince.”

During the Edo Era in Japan, its political structure was quite similar to the Zhou Dynasty of Zhonghua—both adopted the Feudal System, rather than a Centralized System.

The Edo Shogunate directly governed only a quarter of the land, with the remaining three-quarters being divided and allocated as Vassal States.

The individuals bestowed with these Vassal States were known as ”Daimyo.”

In the Edo Era, Daimyos were classified into three levels from high to low: Favored Daimyos, Hereditary Daimyos, and Outer Daimyos.

Favored Daimyos, who were relatives of the Tokugawa family, were allocated to economically prosperous or strategically important areas.

Hereditary Daimyos were descendants of the meritorious servants who helped the first Shogun of the Edo Shogunate, Tokugawa Ieyasu, conquer the nation.

Outer Daimyos, descendants of those who swore allegiance to Tokugawa Ieyasu after his rise to fame, except for a few exceptions, were generally allocated to remote and impoverished regions.

These three types of Daimyos totalled to over 300, so the various domains during the Edo Era were collectively known as the ”Three Hundred Dukes,” with these 300-plus Vassal States dividing up the remaining three-quarters of Japan’s land.

And among the Favored Daimyos, the most important and powerful were the Owari Domain, Mito Domain, and Kii Domain, collectively known as the ”Three Royal Families.”

Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Shogun, laid down regulations: When the Shogun’s family lacked a successor, a successor would be chosen under the supervision of the Mito Family, and the successor would arise from the Kii and Owari families.

Towards the mid-to-late Edo Era, the ”Three Imperial Ministers” were established, which were the Tayasu Tokugawa Family, Hitotsubashi Tokugawa Family, and Shimizu Tokugawa Family. The ranks of the Three Imperial Ministers were just below the Three Royal Families, but like the Owari and Kii families of the Three Royal Families, they held the qualifications to succeed the Shogun’s position.

Upon deciding to establish a successor before Tokugawa Iedzumi’s inevitable demise, Shogunate Officials began searching for suitable candidates among the ”Three Royal Families” and ”Three Imperial Ministers.”

Only two were suitable to succeed the Shogunate position—Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu from the ”Hitotsubashi Tokugawa Family” and Tokugawa Keifuku from the ”Kii Family” of the ”Three Royal Families.”

These two individuals each had their strengths and weaknesses.

Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu, born in 1837, was older and had a reputation for wisdom. The Shogunate Officials supporting Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu thought that during such times of internal and external crisis, a Shogun strong enough to command the situation was necessary.

On the other hand, Tokugawa Keifuku, born in 1846, was much younger but his lineage was considered more orthodox; supporters of Tokugawa Keifuku’s succession believed that, regardless of circumstances, the Shogun must be someone with a purer bloodline.

Thus, the Shogunate Officials split into two factions.

Those supporting Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu’s succession became collectively known as the ”Hitotsubashi Faction,” and those supporting Tokugawa Keifuku’s succession became known as the ”Nanki Faction,” with the two sides embroiled in constant disputes.

The great Dukes across the regions also joined this succession struggle, aiming to claim their share in this political battle.