Sea of Blood, Sea of Ice--The Mongol Conquest of Japan
- Thread starter Arkenfolm
- Start date
I cannot decide which update fits better as the next post, so no update for a little while as I work on all of them evenly. It could be anything from the next part of the main Mongol advance toward Kyoto, the campaign in the Ryukyus (and a certain other nearby place), or more of Ezo/Karafuto/Liaoyang and the war in the north (i.e. the "sea of ice" part). I will post a map very soon however.
But the Houjou are tough. 80+ years of ruling Japan means a lot of entrenched power, and anyone who can oppose them is just as weakened as they are.
It will be quite the fight.
The Great Khan is quite irritated with the Shogunate and the "Emperor" in Kyoto.A black day, and a thousand blights upon the Mongol slime and their lapdogs.
Well, Tokitsuna is a fairly placid--and increasingly old (IIRC he's in his late 50s at this point)--man, and is someone sick of enough of political bickering that he'd rather sit in a monastery. And since he's a Seiwa Genji, that would lend itself to certain problems and concerns. The Houjou clan's authority came from (theoretically) being a neutral and impartial party to oversee the Shogunate's functions, which is a little more difficult given the Takeda clan already has very high status and is eligible to be shogun.
Lots of people theoretically could replace the Houjou. A powerful warrior clan like the Ashikaga or Takeda, one of their own internal vassals like the Kudou or Nagasaki, or even a resurgence of the Imperial court, although the latter barely has any military power outside of Kyoto and they're more interested in working with the Shogunate rather than against it (given how miserably they failed in 1219-1221, how crucial the Shogunate's military assets are, and how tied to the Shogunate the court's dominant figure Saionji Sanekane is).
But the Houjou are tough. 80+ years of ruling Japan means a lot of entrenched power, and anyone who can oppose them is just as weakened as they are.
Heheheh. I do plan on his family sticking around for a bit. I mean he was the ancestor of Tsar Boris Godunov after all (and through the daughter of another descendent, ancestor of Ivan the Terrible). I admit that's why I put an otherwise random boyar with the vaguest connections to the Mongols who OTL got himself killed in battle against the Lithuanians in here. Sometimes I think I should've put his contemporary, Ivan the Russian, who actually did have some political role in late 13th century Hungary and Bulgaria.
Map 1-Inland Sea and Shikoku 1298-1300
I'm still indecisive as to what I will post next, so I'll just post this map I did for now. It shows the advance of the Mongols in the Inland Sea region 1298-1300 and locations of certain castles and battles. File is kind of big, so I will hide it behind a spoiler.
Chapter 16-A War of Zeal
-XVI-
"A War of Zeal"
Himeyama Castle, Harima Province, July 15, 1300
"A War of Zeal"
Himeyama Castle, Harima Province, July 15, 1300
The chirping of cicadas rang in Kusunoki Masato's ears as the hot sun beat down on him. The sweltering humidity made the hilltop castle before him flutter and shimmer as an unearthly apparition. But Masato knew it was all too earthly, for the castle lord refused to surrender. Two months of sitting here in this place, staring at that same castle. What a waste of time!
His co-commander, Terada Hounen, approached, seemingly gleeful.
"You will like the news I have for you today, Lord Kusunoki," he said. "The castle lord wants to negotiate!"
"The only negotiation I want is his surrender," Masato replied. "The quicker he surrenders, the quicker we can get onto dealing with more pressing matters than standing around waiting for these hillforts to surrender."
"Hey now, our job here is still important," Terada said. "Without us, the invader prince would be facing constant crisis."
"Hmph, he's probably already off plundering that temple up ahead while we sit here," Masato complained. There he saw his soldiers parting as a single enemy lord approached on horseback. Only a single bannerman and a Buddhist monk escorted him.
"Lord Kusunoki Masato, Lord Terada Hounen," the enemy said. It seems my infamy has spread if this man knows our name. "What do you want from the humble Akamatsu clan to leave this place?"
"Your head," Masato said, drawing his sword.
"If necessary, I can give you my head or my dear father's head," the enemy replied. "But I, Akamatsu Norimura, heir to my clan, can give you far greater rewards."
"Oh?" Terada said, his grin widening. "How much loot is inside that castle there?"
"Many offerings from local monasteries," Akamatsu replied. "Many barrels of rice from nearby manors. Many fine swords and spears and armour and horses."
"You are in no position to be making a deal," Masato spat. "We hold the upper hand, and we'll just take it from you."
If you do not accept, I can only offer it to the gods," Akamatsu said with a shrug. "Perhaps their aid shall drive the wickedness from their land."
"Lord Kusunoki, let us take this man at his word," Terada said. "We already aren't getting nearly what we asked for from the invader. And...I think this Lord Akamatsu can give us more."
"I can," Akamatsu replied. "What do you wish me to give you so that you leave this place?"
"Let me take a peak at the women in that castle," Terada said, his grin growing wider. "You must have a beautiful sister, or niece, or cousin, do you not?"
Even Akamatsu seemed flustered by that request. He glanced at the monk, but the monk simply nodded. After some thinking, he sighed, resigning himself to his fate.
"If that is what you seek, I will grant it. Even my father, Lord Shigenori, cannot oppose that request. But that comes with additional obligations."
"You won't be the only one with additional obligations in that case," Terada replied. "I will aid the Akamatsu, and you will aid me in dealing with those bastards from the court who run the temples."
"Lord Terada, you're not seriously--" If he betrays the invader, we'll be back to fighting for the same people who keep depriving us of our rightful lands. And will they even accept us back? Certainly we'll never be able to serve the invader again.
"I am indeed. I get a beautiful wife and I get this clan helping me out? Hah, I'll fight for them any day over helping a bunch of thugs pretending to be cultured Chinese destroy this country and not even let us pick through the rubble." Terada declared. He drew his sword and pointed it straight to Masato's throat. "Don't you agree that's wonderful?"
Kusunoki pushed the sword away from his throat and shook his head.
"You negotiate hard, Lord Terada, but I don't fear you no matter which side you're on." He glared at Akamatsu. "I've already got a wife back home so I don't need one of your women, but I do need your help. I feel like paying back that invader prince for making a fool of me both in battle and after the battle."
Masato looked at his men, rough bandits and other outcasts each and every one.
"Let's take our reward from Lord Akamatsu, and drive the invader out of our country!" he shouted. His warriors cheered in unison, still ready to follow him wherever he went. I am sure I only made it harder for myself. But if I walk this path, who knows what rewards I'll get at the end?
---
Inaba Province, April 11, 1300
Inaba Province, April 11, 1300
Yabe Shichirou stood transfixed by the message of that Nichiren monk who went by the name Niten. The monk had been preaching for hours now, alternating between dispensations on finding salvation in the Lotus Sutra and the crisis the world found itself in. All around Shichirou stood men--and women--of all social classes, from warriors like him, to monks of six different sects, to merchants and bureaucrats. Even their starving bellies and wounds from the invader occupying their land could not dissuade them from listening to this man. Those Zen monks I knew and even foolishly donated to were but fools compared to this man.
"I announce to you, oh followers of the humble Niten, that before me is one man who once was like you or I, unskilled and ignorant in the dharma and truths of the Lotus Sutra," the monk shouted, gesturing to an ancient-looking man beside him. He had only wisps of white hair, milky eyes, and a face covered in wrinkles and specks from his antiquity. "Yet he discovered its truth and with it gained the power to live forever so he might propagate it in this age of declining dharma. Yes, even your Emperor, the one some call 'Antoku' [1], trusts the sacred Lotus Sutra!"
Gasps rose from the crowd as they chattered amongst themselves. Shichirou himself could hardly believe it--Emperor Antoku not only survived his death over a century ago, but stood before them now as a follower of this monk?
"That is only a legend! The venerable Emperor Antoku was killed many years ago, and even those in Inaba who claim he survived believe him long deceased!" Shichirou shouted at Niten. I have to speak out against this, lest we be deceived by a false prophet. If this monk preaches truth, he will surely correct me.
Hostile eyes turned upon him as the crowd silenced itself at Shichirou's condemnation, but Shichirou remained focused on Niten and in particular that old man beside him. Surprisingly, Niten looked at him with no hostility and even a hint of a smile.
"Speak now, your majesty, and quell this man's doubts so he might accept your wisdom."
"I...am who...you seek..." the old man mumbled, barely audible even in the silence. "I now know truth..."
"Your Emperor forgives your impudence," Niten said. "As do I. In this age it is natural to doubt.The truthful doctrines are assailed from all sides, much as our nation is divided between the corruption in Kamakura, the sin in Kyoto that brought forth wicked invaders from beyond to destroy all of it in the name of their degenerate 'kingdom' in Hakata. In the spiritual world I inhabited, the venerable Nichiren arose in this darkness and banished the falsehoods. Now in the physical world, the rightful emperor shall banish the invader."
Shichirou tried making sense of the situation. He sat on the ground and tried blocking out the environment around him, wondering if what he was just told was true.
"Do not blame this man for his doubt, for now he meditates as he seeks the truth! You must do the same, for many of you hold this doubt in your heart. Yet once you overcome it, this nation--and all nations of this world--shall change."
---
Hakata, Chikuzen Province, June 10, 1300
Hakata, Chikuzen Province, June 10, 1300
"As you can see, we are dealing with a considerable threat, my lords," the envoy from Inaba Province concluded, having explained the problem to all of them. Miura Yorimori found it hard not to roll his eyes at the insanity of it all. Schismatic Buddhists mobilising an army of peasants and disgraced warriors in the name of a long-dead emperor? He could scarcely think of anything more mad.
"Hmph, anyone claiming themselves the Emperor must be mad. I am the only rightful Emper--sovereign of Japan," the boy Tanehito said, hastily correcting himself in front of his regent Takatsukasa Fuyuhira and the watchful eyes of their obese Mongol overlord Cheligh-Temur, hearing every word through an interpreter. "We should hurry up and destroy this rebel army so they commit no more sins against this nation and the dharma."
"We have few forces in that area," Shouni Kagesuke pointed out, his many scars prominent as ever. "If we divert our armies, then we risk slowing our advance. Which option do you prefer, Chancellor of Zhengdong?"
"They have rebelled against the Great Khan's order in the name of an illegal schismatic sect. They can meet no fate but death or exile. The Hong brothers will be interested in knowing the upcoming harvest of prisoners," Cheligh-Temur said.
The group glanced at Yorimori, a signal for him to speak.
"Please wait a moment," he spoke, his words calm so he might reason even with the barbarian. "I believe we are misunderstanding the intention of these rebels."
"There is nothing to misunderstand, Lord Miura," Shouni Kagesuke interjected. "We cannot let them interfere with our supply lines or terrorise our subjects."
"Please read their proclamation once more. The rebels are most frustrated not with our rightful government, but with the rebel government occupying Kyoto. Indeed, they reveal their true aim as march eastwards." Even a fool like Shouni will understand what I am aiming at.
"And?" Tanehito demanded. "They are bad for our country, our armies, and our allies."
"Let our armies guide them toward the enemy territory," Yorimori said. "When they arrive, we shall watch fires burn across the river, much as Cao Cao did with the Yuan brothers. [2]" Cheligh-Temur laughed.
"You're a learned one, aren't you, Miura Yorimori! I like your idea!"
"Those are my subjects!" Tanehito protested. "Even Lord Shouni knows that!" Yorimori glanced at Shouni, trying to guess at his response.
"I cannot condone this strategy, but in a time like this, we would be wasting fewer soldiers through this method," Shouni said. Predictable. The moment that Mongol simpleton praised my plan, he was intellectually cornered, for knows that man is the only one stopping me from ousting him. "Yet I would like to ensure our plan is successful. A reliable vassal who might command 1,000 men shall pursue from a safe distance. I propose Lord Anan Hidehisa lead these forces. When the rebel army is out of our lands, Anan will reinforce whichever army needs him."
Yorimori took in Shouni's words, trying to recall the lord he mentioned. Anan Hidehisa, leader of a wealthy clan within Bungo Province and Bungo's deputy military governor. Even if he answers to Shouni's ally Mouri Tokichika, his clan does not seem to have intermarried with either the Shouni or the Mouri. There shall be many opportunities to win this man to my side, and while he is in the field, he shall be seen as Shouni's man. Perhaps I should send someone like that doddering old samurai Egami to watch after him and ensure Anan correctly plays the role I have in mind for him.
"Lord Anan will be capable for this mission. I am sure he need only ask the lords of the San'in or San'you for additional men should he need them."
"The only problem I worry," Cheligh-Temur stated, "Is how our leaders in the field might react. Lord Miura, Lord Shouni, the two of you will be quite busy in a month's time." He laughed. "With men like Prince Khayishan and Lord Chonghur in the field, you'll be lucky if all you get is a few angry letters!"
---
Tajima Province, September 21, 1300
Tajima Province, September 21, 1300
"Unbelievable!" Chonghur spat as a scout relayed the order. "We are not to attack them? What the hell are those bastards in Hakata thinking!?"
One of his generals, Khur-Toda of the kheshig, simply shrugged.
"They sit warm, drinking the finest liquor and eating the finest food as we sit at the front line. We lack any recourse whatsoever."
Chonghur's fellow general Shi Bi pushed his plate away at Khur-Toda's words, no doubt wishing to be inoffensive to the others.
"Our allies are merely pushing them along like a pack of rabid dogs, but they must push them through our territory," Shi pointed out.
"Who's the bastard doing this?" Chonghur asked the scout. "Which bastard did Hakata send to carry out this foolish order?
"The mingghan commander Anan Hidehisa, my lord. The Japanese call him a deputy military governor of one of their provinces."
"He won't be governing anything when I'm through with him, that's for sure! He's just as bad as the rebels! If not for him, we would be in Kyoto by spring! We wouldn't need to spend our winter buried by the snow that sweeps this coast."
"I am sure the vice-marshal will protect him," Khur-Toda noted. "At least until marshal Burilgitei cares about something besides winning battles." Chonghur knew immediately what he referred to--any time he complained about a Japanese subordinate or demanded more soldiers, he never heard back from Burilgitei. He only ever heard back from some one-armed bastard named "Shouni Kagesuke," and that Shouni always favoured his countrymen.
"What if we ask neither of them?" Shi Bi proposed. "This is clearly a matter too great for Zhengdong. We must ask the court of his majesty the Son of Heaven. For after all, is not Chen Sheng defending the enemy capital on behalf of Lord Shouni?"
Chonghur smiled, enjoying Shi Bi's wit. It might not be enough to deal with that Shouni Kagesuke, but will keep him wary next time he thinks of elevating his countrymen over our empire's welfare.
"The court will like to hear of it," Khur-Toda agreed. "Lord Shi, if you may, compose the letter." He stood up, sighing. "Now then, I must carry out a patrol to make sure these dogs head the right way."
"If you see him in the camp, tell my son El Temur he's to patrol as well. Get that boy some experience, even if it's experience in dealing with frustration."
---
Tajima Province, September 22, 1300
Tajima Province, September 22, 1300
Nanjou Yorikazu walked cautiously through the rebel camp, trying to maintain his calm. He and the monks beside him quietly recitated the Lotus Sutra in unison, hoping to convince the armed monks escorting them that they were pious enough to face this man. Yet even as he muttered the familiar words and carried high a banner emblazoned with the sacred words "Namu Myouhou Renge Kyou", Yorikazu couldn't help but feel like he wandered into a deadly trap. Were this monk Niten a true follower of the Lotus Sutra, he would not be using this host of warriors to rebel against his rightful emperor and the dharma he upholds.
In the center of the camp, Niten sat meditating, a man whose face bore many scars, a nose which had been broken many times, and on his bald head the greatest scar of all, as if his faith saved him from the enemy cleaving his skull in twain. Around him stood men dressed in shabby clothes that seemed as if they impersonated ministers and courtiers, with a few warriors imitating palace guards shielding an ancient and elderly man sitting within a great screened-in palanquin. That must be the man they claim is Emperor Antoku. What nonsense! He perished over a century ago, and old as he may be, he is clearly too young to be our former ruler.
"Oh your holiness, our Grand Chancellor, an envoy from the rebel army has arrived before you!" a herald decreed. At once the monk opened his eyes, brilliant eyes that burned with religious fervor. He rose to his feet as Yorikazu and his monks bowed before him.
"I see. You must be Lord Nanjou Yorikazu," Niten greeted. "What is your rebel army seeking."
"Oh Niten, your holiness, my lord, the Shogun Prince Hisaaki and his chief advisor Houjou Sadatoki wish for you to cease this struggle which divides our nation," Yorikazu said, hoping the praise and formality he treated Niten would convince him. "The court and shogunate recognise your piety and faith in the Lotus Sutra, and understand well you merely seek the salvation of your countrymen. We wish that you join forces with us and drive from our land the invader who corrupts our nation's dharma and their rebel allies in Hakata."
"Those men are frauds and rebels, holding nothing but empty titles granted to them by a false emperor. There is but one shogun, you see, the wise and discerning Lord Yabe!" Niten glanced toward a man in full armour beside him. "For he alone received his office from the true Emperor!" The man's maddening words brushed off Yorikazu--he was prepared to deal with this insanity to negotiate a deal, for the fate of Japan relied on it.
"Our difference, your holiness, is solely political. Shall you join forces with our righteous army, we will surely discern the truth in your words before long. You are an eminent religious figure, one who is only ignored and forced into shedding blood from the regretful age of declining dharma in which we have been born into. I place all my trust in the holy words contained within the Lotus Sutra, and I am certain that shall you aid our cause, the truth of your words shall reach every ear in the land."
Niten smiled grimly.
"You give but empty flattery, Lord Nanjou. Our land has been torn asunder because evil men rose in rebellion and deposed our rightful Emperor. There is little worth saving among the rebels, the same wicked men who persecute those who preached the Lotus Sutra, including his holiness Nichiren himself. I know they condemn my words. Even those disciples who follow Nichiren now condemn my words, for our nation's dharma has decayed so much they have forgotten what his holiness preached and do so at the behest of the rebellious Emperor, his rebellious ministers, and his rebellious nobles."
The hairs on Yorikazu's neck stood up from the icy tones Niten addressed him with. More and more eyes began focusing on him the longer Niten spoke.
"Cease speaking nonsense and embrace truth," Niten said. "You are not a fool, Lord Nanjou, but a man with the potential for brilliance. I implore you now, serve your rightful Emperor and curse those rebels from the bottom of your heart, and you shall not only be saved, but achieve your rightful place in this lifetime, and the next!"
With one hand under his cloak, Yorikazu grasped his sword. He knew he would need it. Nearby he saw a fine horse, one he could easily steal.
"I am sorry, your holiness, but I cannot abandon my master so easily."
"Then you will achieve your rightful suffering in this lifetime, and the next," Niten said, turning to his "palace guards." The men immediately rushed toward Yorikazu and his monks, but they proved quicker. He cut them down in an instant and they ran toward the horse, shouting a battlecry as they cleared a way through violence. The monks fought hard, knowing they stood no chance of escape.
"I am sorry, brothers!" Yorikazu said as he mounted the horse, his two monks facing down practically an entire army with their clubs. "Your deeds in this life against these schismatics shall earn you much merit in this next!" He rushed off on his horse, arrows whizzing past as he resolved to report this matter to Houjou Munenobu.
---
Hosomi Manor (細見荘), Tanba Province, September 29, 1300
Hosomi Manor (細見荘), Tanba Province, September 29, 1300
"They fall as autumn leaves..." Niten muttered, seeing his warriors perish before him. The arrows flew, men screamed, monks chanted, and all the hope in the world died out. Somehow, those accursed men with the three triangles on their banner, those wicked and evil men of the Houjou clan, had triumphed over his righteous army. The fighting had almost reached him and the emperor.
"Your holiness!" his shogun Yabe shouted, limping toward him from a broken leg. "Take the Emperor and his ministers flee! This battle is lost, but as long as he survives, we have won!"
"Y-yes, that will be our plan. Even if we have lost, our righteousness will triumph in the end. You have done well, Lord Yabe."
Yabe said nothing, turning about and cutting down a warrior monk from the enemy side. Die, schismatics who reject the truths behind the Lotus Sutra! Perish now, lest your punishment be far worse!
Niten stumbled toward the cart containing the Emperor, ordering his litter-bearers to lift him and began moving. I must ask him to stand up and rally our forces, so our troops shall be inspired and triumph! He bowed before the cart, gently pulling away the screen, only to be met with a the sudden smell of death. The Emperor lay motionless, his body collapsed in eternal slumber.
"I-is something the matter, your holiness?" a litter-bearer asked, distraught by Niten's face. His heart pounded faster as he tried rationalising his next course of action. Without the Emperor as my symbol, what do I have left? As he pondered for a moment, seeing Yabe struck by an arrow through his throat, the obvious answer came to him. I still have the truth on my side!
"Hurry!" Niten shouted at the litter-bearer. "Defend the Emperor at all costs as you leave this battlefield! I will rush ahead and call for aid from those who sympathise with my cause yet have not joined this battle! None must know I have gone!"
With that, he rushed off into the brush, fleeing before the enemy arrived. His mind swirled with questions of who to blame for the loss--himself, his soldiers, the enemy's surprising brilliance? Perhaps everyone is to blame. The enemy, for being sent by the heavens as a force to persecute myself and my followers so we might reveal our true selves. My warriors, for not trusting the Lotus Sutra enough--the heavens punished them for that. And myself, for placing hope in the Emperor to unite the people instead of the holy Lotus Sutra. I will return one day to the battlefield, and I will never make that mistake again.
---
As the year 1300 began, the Kamakura Shogunate stood on the edge of defeat. From Ezo to the Ryukyus its armies had been repulsed at every step by the unstoppable advance of the vast armies of the Mongol Empire. Just a few days separated the frontlines of the war from the gates of the imperial palace at Kyoto. Panic hung heavy in the air as the populace cowered in fear of the fate that awaited them, spurred by many mass executions, enslavements, and deportations the Yuan and their allies used to control the conquered lands.
The great advance and many victories in 1299 took its toll on the Mongols. They lost numerous soldiers, including many elites from Mongolia and Central Asia. While some reinforcements arrived from the mainland, the majority of reinforcements were ethnic Japanese soldiers pressed into combat. Some were defectors seeking land, others local akutou who refused to trust Shogunate authorities, but the majority were men from Kyushu. It is a testimony to Shouni Kagesuke's ability as a leader that he managed to recruit the thousands of warriors necessary to keep the Yuan advance steady.
These warriors were of dubious quality and loyalty. Nowhere is this better illustrated than the case of Kusunoki Masato, who surrendered to the Yuan in 1299 at Ki Castle. Kusunoki clashed with Khayishan's army throughout 1300 alongside a prominent Harima Province akutou named Terada Hounen (寺田法念). They plundered many temples in Harima and helped take several fortified manors, but eventually they ran into difficulties at Himeyama Castle that summer, commanded by Akamatsu Shigenori (赤松茂則) of the Rokuhara Tandai [3].
Rather than commit more troops or waste time besieging the castle, they accepted a bribe of gold, rice, weapons, and Akamatsu's daughter (as a wife for Terada) and joined the Shogunate forces. Although they played no role in defending Himeyama Castle, Kusunoki and Terada worked extensively with Akamatsu's son Norimura (赤松則村) as well as another akutou they recruited, the notoriously violent Tarumi Shigemasa (垂水繁昌). These akutou battled their one-time Yuan allies throughout Bizen and Mimasaka Provinces, raiding temples and manors and reporting Mongol movements to Kyoto.
Meanwhile, the Shogunate desperately recruited warriors from Eastern Japan to fill the gaps in their forces in the West. Thousands of warriors from as far north as Mutsu traveled south to reinforce those in and around Kyoto. Of higher quality than the warriors from Kyushu they faced, these men helped constrain Mongol advances in spring 1300.
Rebels often rose up in Mongol-occupied territory. Most were small rebellions of do-ikki protesting confiscation of supplies, or occasionally those led by local nobles opposed to Mongol land policy. Many of the noble rebels were Nichiren Buddhists reacting to the official persecution of their religion, and they formed an increasingly powerful bloc in these territories. Nichiren temples hosted increasing numbers of warrior monks, with each Nichiren sect commanding an army of them.
The most dangerous of these Nichiren rebellions was also the most bizarre. It was led by the monk Niten (日典), a wealthy peasant whose father and brothers died in battle against the Mongols and his mother and sisters abducted. He himself had nearly died as well at the Battle of Kitsuki in 1293. It appears his mental health deteriorated in the following years as he studied under Nichiren's disciple Nichizou and started traveled about preaching Nichiren Buddhism in defiance of Mongol rule.
However, Niten held heterodox views on Buddhism, and he made very large allowances for Shinto practices in defiance of Nichiren doctrine. For this, Nichizou publically condemned him in 1296 and the more devout members of his congregation left, leaving Niten with mostly uneducated peasants and lesser warrior nobles as followers.
In 1299 however, Niten met a very elderly mountain hermit whom he converted to Nichiren. The old monk could barely speak or move at his age, but besides passages of the Lotus Sutra he spoke of his former life in the Imperial Palace. Niten knew of a legend in Inaba Province that spoke of Emperor Antoku, the child emperor drowned at the Battle of Dan-no-ura in 1185, not only surviving, but spending his days as a monk in Inaba. Thus he became convinced that this ancient monk was Emperor Antoku himself, having survived so long through his adherence to the Lotus Sutra [4].
Niten proclaimed that the invader's success resulted from Japan's leaders neglecting the Lotus Sutra, and that with Emperor Antoku reinstalled on the throne, the invaders would surely meet defeat. He condemned the entire institution of the Kamakura Shogunate, from the Shogun to the Houjou regents to the systems they put in place, claiming they functioned as nothing but a means for greed that caused men to neglect spiritual matters. Niten also criticised the Kingdom of Japan, calling them the inevitable result of the greed and wickedness fostered by the Shogunate that led men to side with the "demonic" force of the invaders.
His popularity exploded to the point that in June 1300 both Cheligh-Temur, leader of the occupation forces, and Tanehito, King of Japan, ordered a force of 2,000 warriors to destroy Niten and his movement. This marks the beginning of the False Emperor Rebellion (偽天皇の乱). With an equal number of fanatic peasants and monks, Niten held fast and defeated the Kingdom of Japan. After this victory, his movement swelled to around 10,000 peasants who attacked many places in Inaba Province. By autumn 1300, the Kingdom of Japan completely lost control of Inaba and the rebellion spilled into nearby Tajima Province as Niten attempted to lead his army to Kyoto.
Both the Shogunate and Mongols attempted to use this rebellion to their own end. Houjou Sadatoki tried to negotiate with him by sending Nanjou Yorikazu (南条頼員), a Nichiren follower who served as a personal vassal to the Houjou. Niten believed this be a trick, and Nanjou barely escaped with his life. On the other hand, the Kingdom of Japan's forces in Tajima were instructed to let the forces of Niten march through and constrain them from looting. Numerous skirmishes were fought against these Nichiren rebels, but it is said that for every warrior Niten lost, he gained two new followers.
Chonghur, Mongol commander in the region, was furious, for his forces could scarcely advance further with Niten in his rear, and he complained that the Kingdom of Japan was letting him pass. However, Cheligh-Temur rejected his appeal and the matter went no further. Shi Bi, the other Mongol commander in the region, protested to the Yuan court by writing "Chen Sheng defends the enemy capital on behalf of Lord Shouni," drawing a parallel to the ancient Chinese rebellion of Chen Sheng (陳勝) granted the title King of Chu by an imposter [5]. For the time, however, nothing came of this matter.
Niten's forces invaded Tanba Province in September 1300 and tried to spark a rebellion there. Yet by this point, all Nichiren sects disclaimed Niten's movement and he was condemned as a schismatic and a heretic. The senior Rokuhara Tandai leader, Houjou Munenobu, along with Nanjou Yorikazu took command of an army of 12,000 men (including many veterans of the defeat at Hayashino) and attacked Niten's force at the manor of Hosomi (細見荘) in Tanba.
Lacking cavalry or sufficient armour and weapons, their high morale proved no match for the trained forces of the Shogunate. Many of Niten's self-proclaimed ministers died in the fighting, including the veteran warrior who served as his foremost general (and Shogun) Yabe Shichirou (矢部七郎), and the surviving rebels dispersed. The False Antoku was captured, but it was discovered he had been dead for several days--the Shogunate dismembered his corpse and left it to rot. Niten however was not caught, and the rebellion would continue, albeit at a much weaker pace.
Those rebels who left Niten's army after the victory did not return to peace. Many of them formed the nucleus of what became the Hokke-ikki (法華一揆) movement. These rebels would become prominent local forces throughout the remainder of the Banpou Invasion and indeed for several centuries to come.
Immediately behind Niten however were the forces of Burilgitei, who with 15,000 men attacked Houjou and Nanjou's force. They clashed for several days inconclusively before Houjou ensconced himself at the recently-constructed Momii Castle (籾井城) in Tanba. Burilgitei responded through dividing his forces in two and ordered his scout Adachi Tochika (足立遠親)--cousin of Adachi Tomasa--to recruit local support. As a prominent lord in Tanba, Adachi knew many who could aid him and with their help discovered many good paths that let the Mongols break the Shogunate's defensive position.
Burilgitei's force retreated in the face of the aggressive Shogunate attack led by Nanjou and his Nichiren fanatics, but this was simply a trick. As night fell, Burilgitei destroyed the enemy's scouts and proceeded to attack their camp under the cover of darkness. Thousands were massacred or captured, and Houjou and Nanjou retreated with barely 5,000 men remaining.
Matters went no better in the north, where Chonghur's forces attacked Wakasa and Omi in their attempt to break the northern flank of Kyoto and at sea the admiral Yighmish raided the coast of the Hokuriku with nigh-impunity following bribes to the key Shogunate naval commander, the pirate Matsuura Sadamu. Weakened by the Rokkaku Rebellion the prior year, the local Sasaki clan retainers proved incapable of resisting for long while the main Houjou clan army remained disorganised following its defeat the prior year.
Houjou Sadatoki sent the disgraced Houjou Sadaaki to command this force, assuming he knew best, sending what few reinforcements he could. Although he commanded 17,000 men as his opponent Chonghur did, his force lacked experienced warriors. Thus Sadaaki used the only option he could--fighting for every inch of ground and avoiding direct battle. His forces conducted sporadic ambushes and built fortifications, blocking Chonghur's movements and preventing him from launching raids deep into Shogunate territory.
Few significant Japanese forces remained in the south along the Inland Sea, and what forces existed mostly garrisoned castles. The armies of Khayishan, Zhang Gui, and Kim Heun numbered around 45,000 combined and they made short work out of numerous fortifications in Harima Province before proceeding into Settsu. The only real opposition remained that of the akutou defectors Kusunoki and Terada, whose numbers swelled in 1300 as peasants and local warriors joined them. But as the threat to Kyoto became more dire than ever, the two leaders were recalled to Kyoto.
In Izumi Province south of Settsu, the Goryeo army of Kim Heun faced no serious obstacles and by summer 1300 captured the entire province. However, his army was vexed by a sizable uprising of akutou under Sawamura Munetsuna (沢村宗綱), a former defector to the Kingdom of Japan who switched sides due to arguments with the darughachi of his land. Sawamura conducted effective guerilla resistance in Izumi and Settsu, even managing to kill the mingghan commander Oe no Mototaka and most of his force as he passed through Settsu en route to reinforce Burilgitei.
Sawamura's resistance inspired a sizable number of peasants to the Shogunate banner, so many so that Houjou Sadatoki even spared a few hundred trained warriors. The disgraced Nitta Tomouji alongside Oda Munetomo (小田宗知) [6] was sent alongside Houjou Tomosada (北条朝貞) to command this force which swelled to 7,000 soldiers. As Kim invaded Kawachi Province en route to guard the southern flank of the Kyoto invasion, he was attacked at the town of Furuichi on September 16 by this army. Nitta's force inflicted such casualties on the Goryeo force (despite their superior numbers) Kim was forced to retreat. Additionally, flooding from a large typhoon as well as peasant resistance began slowing his logistics--the Goryeo army would remain not return to Kawachi until 1301.
Kyoto still faced a dire threat even with these victories. The Rokuhara Tandai scrambled to raise yet another army as they hurriedly constructed fortifications along the route. They abandoned numerous more distant castle garrisons and recruited heavily from the townspeople of Kyoto. Even the Saionji family feared what might happen and helped the Shogunate raise around 15,000 warrior monks from nearby temples (mostly from Mount Hiei), charging the Houjou practically nothing for it. The Sasaki clan also contributed heavily to the Shogunate's force. Altogether, the Shogunate had 35,000 warriors, led by the Rokuhara Tandai--it was the last significant army in western Japan, and perhaps the last significant army they could raise at all.
Author's notes
---
A "false emperor rebellion" is a little odd, I admit, but it has some precedence in Chinese history and I could see one of the "Emperor Antoku survived" traditions getting incredibly out of hand in a dire era like this. The monk Niten has a typical name chosen monks, but is totally ahistoric. Originally he supposed to be Yabe, but I figured it better to make Yabe (who OTL was a local Inaba Province lord known only for his descendents and donations to Zen monasteries--honestly I just picked a random lord from this era and that province, like a lot of the more minor characters are TTL) a skeptic who found himself converted by Niten's preaching.
The akutou content with Kusunoki et. al is an unrelated side story, but still important for the overall narrative and didn't fit well elsewhere. They would be an unreliable yet powerful force.
Originally this chapter focused on Shikoku, this rebellion, and yet more battles, but I've divided it into three. The Shikoku portion will be merged with another Shikoku chapter I wrote, and the next entry will be how the Shogunate's reinforcements defend the approaches toward Kyoto.
[1] - "Antoku" was his posthumous name, so an Emperor Antoku seen as living would not be called that.
[2] - Literal translation of a four-character idiom (隔岸觀火) which is best known as one of the Thirty-Six Strategems. I cannot find the actual source of the idiom or its date, but it evidently refers to an incident from the Three Kingdoms period where Cao Cao neglected to attack the brothers Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan, and instead they fought amongst each other and eventually were disposed of by Gongsun Kang, letting Cao Cao campaign elsewhere.
[3] - Himeyama Castle is best known today as Himeji Castle--it originated as a Kamakura era fortified manor atop a hill.
[4] - Many regions of Japan, mostly Kyushu and the Chuugoku, have legends of Emperor Antoku's survival, although many of them also specify a date or manner of his death. I've taken one associated with Inaba for this story. None of them ever amounted to much, but one 20th century imperial imposter claimed himself Emperor Antoku's descendant and at various points was imprisoned for it.
[5] - To make a long story short, Chen Sheng was a rebel against the Qin Dynasty in 209 BC who found imposters posing as the executed son of the ruling Emperor and a general of the Kingdom of Chu and used this as proof of his legitimacy.
[6] - Different kanji than the more famous Oda clan to which they have no relation--sometimes they are distinguished as the "Hitachi Oda" because they came from Hitachi Province.
Last edited:
Nothing wrong with adding original characters. Who's to say what kind of person Niten would have been IOTL, if he existed at all. Alas, his ambition has clouded his faith, choosing to fight his fellow men rather than the foreign barbarians. Amida Buddha has punished the faithful thus. Let us hope he does not punish them further.
Glad seeing another chapter and the last paragraphs show perfectly why the Mongols will eventually be victorious, the Shonugate is raising it's last proper army and the Mongols despite all the rebellions and set backs from dubious loyalty from the Kingdom of Japan can still bring more men over and replace their losses while every soldier the Shogun loses is irreplaceable.
It at first, even if later disproved by the narrative, reminded me from a Nichiren like version from Kinjirō Ashiwara.
Also, later, I think of it as a Japanese version of the Russian 'false' Tzars/Tsareviches' rebellions
Last edited:
Well, Niten did want to eventually take his fight to the Kingdom of Japan. He just needed Kyoto first for his legitimacy--just like the Kingdom of Japan does.
And of course he takes great exception to those who place their trust single-mindedly in Amida Buddha instead of the Lotus Sutra.
I should probably make it more clear that the Yuan would be politically hard-pressed to do so, given a rebellion IOTL occurred from conscripting too heavily (TTL has a modified version of that rebellion), Goryeo really doesn't like demands for troops and ships, and the Yuan still have on-and-off confrontations with Kaidu on the western frontier and with various Shan and Tai peoples on the Yunnan border. I'll cover the latter two issues in an update eventually.
Imposters were rather common in premodern times, especially in unstable times. The Wars of the Roses in England famously had several. It's probably a testimony to the stability of the Kamakura period OTL that an Emperor Antoku imposter never showed up.
The fake Antoku is implied to be an old man who has almost totally lost his mind. According to my notes, I meant to make him a yamabushi (mountain hermit).
Japan is at a crossroads, such time is ripe for reincarnated / long living Emperors to emerge under veil of religious fanaticism and also for opportunists who change sides. The atmosphere of despair in the Shogunate is depicted beautifully. Curious to see what Shogunate is thinking now. Eager for the final battle.
Very different tbh, not only in the material but especially in the cultural sense. Remember that Japan has never been invaded properly for its whole history and there's some deep pride about that as well as the whole religious aspect of their "sacred land and people" have never gotten fully exposed towards outside influence unless it was on their own terms.
Here, that idea is brutally quashed with the whole violent Mongol invasion, no wind gods to save them here that's for sure.
There are going to be attempts to explain what happen and that is something I'm looking forward to see, the cultural and religious impact it will have on Japan, remember that a few chapters ago the Kingdom of Japan was already having settlers like Muslims, Russians, Jews and other East Asians coming, already that is something that radically would change Japan by having such a foreign population around to influence and get influenced by their new Yamato neighbors.
Eventually, the Yuan will collapse, and the question of how to handle the foreigners in their land would have to be answered. The Chinese were already familiar with ethno-religious minorities in their borders, and out of all of them, only the Muslim Hui were able to thrive, albeit with enforced intermarriage by the Ming IOTL. All others, the Christians, Zoroastrians and Manichaeans, were all wiped out. Hell, even Buddhism was subjected to persecution during the Tang along with the others at some point.
If and when the Japanese get around to sorting out the people brought in by the Mongols, I imagine the reaction would more often be bloody than benign.
Last edited:
Except that, IMO, at difference with China, where from the Yuan collapse emerged a new imperial dynasty/regime that derived their legitimacy from nationalist grounds and was based on a nationalist restoration.But, in Japan, given the way that the Japan was conquered, relying heavily on their vassal/puppet Japanese split State, it may resemble, IMO, again, more to Goryeo Korea. But, with the key difference that this eventual Japanese regime would have previously broken with the Kyoto based Japanese imperial tradition.
Thus, the new regime 'd have their legitimacy derived from their collaboration in the conquest and their (at least de jure) submission to the Yuan rulership. Without mention that both the Japanese rulers and both their main native and settled/displace supporters from foreign origin would have owed both their social status and right to rule to the Yuan victory and also, benefited from a land distribution/ownership system that was done/established as a consequence of the Yuan conquest/eventual victory.
Also, I think that for the Yuan collapse time, would possible that the settled/displace foreign populations would have, at least at certain degree, assimilate/integrated into the Japanese society, even if making their own linguistic, cultural, and religious contributions to this eventual post Yuan Japanese culture and society.
Finally, and speculating, I wouldn't discard that after the collapse of the continental Yuan, that this eventually/hypothetical Japanese regime would state/proclaim themselves as the only 'true heirs' to the Yuans imperial legacy.
Last edited:
Looking forward to see the cultural cross pollination in this new Japan. This is in my opinion, is the most interesting aspect of alternate history.
I think, in that sense, the situation in Japan resembles a lot like Russia IOTL. Like this timeline, Russia IOTL was fragmented as well, and conquered by the Mongols by putting the princes who surrendered to them in charge of taxing the population, while putting those that resisted to the sword. Muscovy ultimately became the unifying power by playing the political game and betraying the Golden Horde when the opportunity came. I imagine the Kingdom of Japan would eventually do the same, allowing the 'sovereign' to freely use his imperial title once again, at least the same way the Vietnamese emperor did ('king abroad, emperor at home').
EDIT: Also, forgot to mention earlier, but here's a video of Uesugi Kenshin/Nagao Kagetora riding an Arabian horse ITTL.
Last edited:
I just realised there is an oversight in this caused by not posting the Shikoku chapter first. I mentioned the Goryeo army being in Honshu, but I last mentioned they were battling the Japanese in Shikoku. I will answer why Goryeo is present there next chapter, and that means I have to post that Shikoku chapter next. My mistake, that's the problem when you have a huge amount of entries you work on set in chronologically similar times at the same time.
Now that's not to minimise the Yuan's role as overlords of this state, or their role in land/administrative reforms that benefitted many people, especially in Kyushu (a process which began after 1285, even before the Kingdom of Japan was officially proclaimed several years later). There are--and will be--many people, and not just foreigners, who view this overlordship as beneficial, even if many others simply consider the Yuan a temporary, but necessary nuisance so they can deal with Japan's internal issues such as the poverty of the Shogunal direct vassals (which the Mongols alleviate by paying warriors directly from the state treasury instead of rewarding them shares of income from plots of land).
The legacy of those foreign immigrants/groups settled in Japan will be a fascinating one, to say the least.
I'd say in many ways, Japan will be similar, but in other ways, quite different. It will be quite an interesting mindset to explore, one certainly with ramifications for the future.
The Hui did relatively well under early Ming because they themselves hated the Mongols. This was because the Yuan did things like intervene in an already tense Sunni-Shia dispute in Quanzhou that spiraled out of control and led to massacres of Muslims and even non-Muslim Central Asians in general. Let's just say that sectarian violence from all parties will be a thing TTL.
Technically this is not the case, since the Kingdom of Japan claims to be the only legitimate Japanese state. Hakata is their capital, but only a temporary one (hence why they don't even bother to rename it). From their point of view, they are fighting a rebellion that just so happens to control most of Japan (including the actual capital), one which has been spearheaded by the governor of Sagami Province (i.e. Houjou Sadatoki), corrupt princes (like the Shogun and the one claiming to be Emperor), and a host of corrupt ministers (i.e. Saionji Sanekane). "King of Japan" would just be the foreign, Chinese-granted title. The local term used might be okimi/daiou (大王) or taikun (大君, note this can also be read okimi). Both terms were used before "tenno" and would have been known from old literature like Nihon Shoki, so are acceptable for those domestically and also acceptable for the Yuan occupiers--these would probably be used for Shinto worship of past emperors as well. The Retired Emperor (the Kingdom of Japan doesn't have one yet, but needless to say they want to "rescue" one of the men--Go-Fukakusa, Go-Uda, and Fushimi--with that title) would probably be called 太上王 (daijou-ou).
Now that's not to minimise the Yuan's role as overlords of this state, or their role in land/administrative reforms that benefitted many people, especially in Kyushu (a process which began after 1285, even before the Kingdom of Japan was officially proclaimed several years later). There are--and will be--many people, and not just foreigners, who view this overlordship as beneficial, even if many others simply consider the Yuan a temporary, but necessary nuisance so they can deal with Japan's internal issues such as the poverty of the Shogunal direct vassals (which the Mongols alleviate by paying warriors directly from the state treasury instead of rewarding them shares of income from plots of land).
The legacy of those foreign immigrants/groups settled in Japan will be a fascinating one, to say the least.
Possibly, if the Mongols permit. The courtiers in the Kingdom of Japan are pretty much the last people who would want to rock that boat, since that matter isn't up to someone like Shouni Kagesuke or Miura Yorimori.
Last edited:
Very interesting insight on the Japanese perspective. But, it also makes me wonder as they would be accommodating or integrating to their official Pov/worldview, with the, IMO, at least, quite unprecedented situation, for Japan, that they are fighting against the so called rebels alongside with foreign military forces from a foreign ruler? Ones to which they also (de jure and on the field), were subordinated to and that they had to swear fealty to?
Last edited:
It is certainly unprecedented, and that is an open question that admittedly I haven't really figured out how that would work, since no matter how they phrase it, the Emperor of China is whom their own sovereign answers to. I'm not even sure if there were similar cases, since Korea (Goguryeo) only temporary asserted equality to China and to my knowledge Vietnam always had a very different conception of sovereignity due to long periods of Chinese rule. From what I can tell (yeah, I had to research this question, but I did know where to look and it is an interesting topic), there are several angles to approach it.
One would be from a Shinto perspective, akin to what Kitabatake Chikafusa (he's born a little too late after the POD really starts affecting Japan, but an ATL twin of the same name should still appear) would write. The imperial line is eternal and granted by the gods to Japan, but fell into decline because the Emperor made personal mistakes (from appointing bad ministers to dividing the imperial family into two competing lines) and did not follow proper principles. This decline would obviously include losing his political power and having his subjects suffer under foreign rule. But if the Emperor followed correct principles and rituals, the nation's decline would be immediately reversed, since Japan is a divine land and Amaterasu promised it to the Imperial family. So it's a temporary situation and will end once the Emperor is just and appoints those with ability to the task.
The other would be from the perspective of Buddhism, where the nation is in decline as it is the Latter Day of the Dharma (mappou) where corruption and wickedness naturally reign. This is why the Emperor lost his secular power, first to the warrior nobles and then to foreign invaders. The imperial institution itself only survives because it relies on what little remains of Buddhist law. This is akin to the views of the early Kamakura era monk and Fujiwara noble Jien, so would be popular. Also, Shingon Buddhism might have a specific perspective on this centered on very particular rituals (those involving certain locations in Japan that form a mandala) the Emperor should be doing--I'm not well read on it, but this is the Esoteric Buddhist perspective involving the concept of chakravartin (wheel-turning king, basically a supreme ruler). It was what the Yuan believed for instance, and IOTL was an ideology Go-Daigo and his Southern Court believed, so theoretically it might emerge in this time (although obviously the Yuan don't want their vassal claiming himself a sacred universal king).
Both views are open to Confucian perspectives like what Ashikaga Takauji espoused at the end of his life (via an anonymous scholar) where the state is separate from the imperial institution, and control over it will be given to whoever establishes peace. The Emperor and his courtiers failed, so it was given to warrior nobles, and they failed, so it was given to a foreign power.
I feel like all would be popular in the Kingdom of Japan, but probably moreso the latter two since the Mongols deliberately weakened Shinto (and banned Nichiren Buddhism which holds its teachings as the only path to salvation during the Latter Day of the Dharma and has very particular explanations of it). Confucian ideology is no doubt strong in the Kingdom of Japan, as is Buddhism since Yuan (and Goryeo) were very much Buddhist states and being part of the Mongol Empire gives the Hakata government unprecedented access to scholars. But opponents of the Mongols especially would be interested in the Shinto perspective. It's no surprise that such a view was popular during
The tributary system in China has always been more of a theatre in conducting international diplomacy than a formal system of vassalage, at least outside of the Yuan dynasty. The way Vietnam had conducted theirs in imperial times has always been to do the bare minimum to acknowledge China as the 'superior' for the sake of trade, but otherwise, do everything in its power to retain independence. They've even forced the Mongols to do the same IOTL, though TTL might turn out differently. The Japanese polities on the mainland can do the same, if they choose, though management of trade with the outside world had long been handled independenly of state policy, or by clans specifically chosen as representatives, like the Sou clan in Tsushima.