The Elusive Samurai (逃げ上手の若君)

THE ELUSIVE SAMURAI

Now, then. Today I shall tell you the tale

of a certain young lord whose greatest talent is running away.

The year is 1333.

The Kamakura shogunate, which had established rule by the samurai,

fell because of the rebellion of its vassal, Takauji Ashikaga.

Having lost everything, the rightful heir, Tokiyuki Hojo,

flees to Suwa under the guidance of the Shinto priest, Yorishige Suwa,

where he and his companions begin gathering the strength

to reclaim Kamakura.

One year later…

After experiencing his first battle at Kawanakajima in northern Shinano,

Tokiyuki renews his resolve to face this turbulent age

through "running away" and "surviving."

How will this game of tag to reclaim the throne end?

What fate awaits Tokiyuki?

Don't miss what comes next!

What a pain. I hate guard duty.

1334 - TAKEDA CLAN TERRITORY

It appears the remnants of the Hojo clan who fled Kamakura

are stirring up rebellions all over the place.

They could be hiding around here too.

I heard they couldn't even coordinate, and most of them got wiped out.

There aren't any Hojo left.

-Huh? -What?

The brats are back!

ONE DAY EARLIER

Big Brother, how are the locusts?

I'm getting used to them. It reminds me of the sakura shrimp in Suruga Bay.

Come to think of it,

I'd like to know what my lord's meals were like in Kamakura.

They must have been quite lavish.

Delicacies I've never even seen before…

Not really. Most of the time, it wasn't much different from everyone else's.

But my favorite was sea bream.

SEA BREAM?

Sea bream?

Kamakura is by the sea,

so fish caught that morning at Yuigahama would be served by noon.

You eat thinly-sliced sea bream topped with Izu wasabi and hishio.

It was so fresh, and had such a great texture, I couldn't stop eating.

I wish I could have it again.

He seemed down.

He must be missing Kamakura.

I wish there was something we could do for him.

Sea bream is my dream!

Fresh sea bream with great texture is my…

-…drea-- -We're in Shinano!

There's no way anyone could bring fresh sea bream all the way here…

My lord?

This is the second summer since Kamakura was destroyed…

Looking from my second home, Suwa,

my first home lies beyond Mount Fuji, off to the left.

I want to go back to Kamakura.

Sea bream is my…

Huh?

Stop! You're entering Takeda terri--

Shut up! We don't have time! We're coming through!

I can see the ocean!

Genba, you and I will head east. Ayako, head west.

Got it!

Kojiro, you guys get the ice from the ice chamber.

Bury it right away to keep it from melting.

Yeah, got it!

See you back here!

Shizuku and the others won't be back until sunrise tomorrow.

Let's practice so we can kill our prized prey at the exact moment.

Kojiro, let's go for a long ride.

I'm sorry, young lord.

Kojiro is away on an errand for a few days.

I see.

Shizuku?

Ayako?

Nobody's here.

Yorishige is here.

We shall practice the flute today.

We've got a bite!

Where is everyone?

-Here they are! -Now!

-Your way, Kojiro! -I see it!

If a fish thrashes around on the ground, it won't stay fresh.

Sever the brain and the artery

while it's still… in the air!

Nice catch!

What about the Izu wasabi?

Bought it fresh!

Good. Let's head back.

From here on, we don't have a moment to spare.

Bleed the fish, remove the gills and guts,

wrap it in cloth to keep it dry, and pack it in ice.

Hey, wait! There's no road!

Oh, no! Now, there's a river!

We'll make our own path!

We go straight through the shortest route, no matter what!

FISH-TAIL LINE

In an age before trains or cars,

the Fish-Tail Line marked the farthest point inland

that fresh sea fish could be transported without spoiling.

SUWA KOFU

From the Pacific coast, the Fish-Tail Line reached as far as Kofu.

Beyond that, in Suwa, sea fish would spoil before it could be eaten.

Which means…

The brats are back!

Bringing fresh, firm sea bream all the way to Suwa

during the summer in a time of war…

Kill them this time!

Hi-yah!

…was a near-impossible mission.

We're back. We just went fishing.

That was fun!

Are you all right?

It looks more like the aftermath of a battle than a fishing trip.

Since when do fish shoot arrows?

Big Brother, I know it's a little early, but dinner's ready.

Please, come this way.

Okay.

Hey! What are you doing? That was mine!

Oh, sorry. You didn't seem to be eating it.

I was saving it! You know sea bream is my favorite!

Was it? Well, here.

Lotus root?

You're just giving me what you don't like!

Give me back my sea bream! My sea bream!

I was just kidding.

Here. This should do, right?

Huh? This much?

I'm already full.

You're so dramatic. You're actually crying.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!

Look. He's so happy he's crying.

Is sea bream really that good?

You guys…

I'm so grateful they went all the way to the sea just to catch that for me.

How could I ever repay them?

So, how long would it take to reach Kamakura?

With a group this small, it'd take a day.

But Takeda of the Takauji faction has built many new forts.

Getting a large army through would take 20 times longer and cost many lives.

Good work on the reconnaissance mission.

As I thought, attacking Kamakura by the shortest route won't be easy.

-You went to… -Huh?

Kamakura?

It's time we start working on a concrete plan to retake Kamakura.

Shizuku, what was Kamakura like?

TADAYOSHI ASHIKAGA REBUILD KAMAKURA

Yes. It had changed dramatically.

Under the new ruler and the elite warriors he had assembled,

Kamakura was abuzz with rumors about these young warriors.

There is no doubt they'll stand in our way when we move to retake Kamakura.

Interesting. I've only ever fought old men. This will be a nice change.

Let's make this a showdown between the next generation.

What do you think of that, Lord Tokiyuki?

I've got youth on my side. After all, I'm only nine.

No matter how strong they are, no one can match my devotion to Kamakura.

I will take Kamakura back, no matter what!

Compared to the days of Hojo, the new rulers of Kamakura were much younger.

After being assigned to devastated Kamakura,

Tadayoshi Ashikaga simultaneously pushed forward the city's reconstruction

and the restoration of public order.

To carry out his will, he established the Kanto Hisashiban.

RAWR

Tadayoshi left his seasoned retainers in Kyo with Takauji.

He formed the Kanto Hisashiban

from promising young men who would carry the future of the Ashikaga clan.

No!

GROUP 1 LEADER, KANTO HISASHIBAN YOSHISUE SHIBUKAWA (20)

How disgraceful.

Some of them owe the Hojo a great debt of gratitude,

yet they're shamelessly fawning.

GROUP 2 LEADER, KANTO HISASHIBAN TSUNEIE IWAMATSU (?)

Don't be such a stick-in-the-mud, Shibukawa.

A good wave and a beautiful woman, never let either pass you by.

GROUP 2 VICE-LEADER, KANTO HISASHIBAN NORIAKI UESUGI (28)

My, how frightening, Mr. Iwamatsu.

Talking about women in front of Lord Tadayoshi, of all people.

ASSISTANT, KANTO HISASHIBAN MAGOJIRO SHIBA (13)

Lord Tadayoshi isn't as uptight as he used to be.

He even lets us dress however we like.

No, I'm still as uptight as ever.

You are?

If this were Kyo, I'd make them mind their manners and dress properly.

But that's not the case in Kamakura today.

The Hojo fell, and the Nitta's rule failed as well.

The people no longer know who their rightful ruler is.

What Kamakura needs now is youth and momentum.

We must bring a breath of fresh air and win the hearts of the weary people.

People of Kamakura…

Your peace will surely be protected by the Ashikaga and the Hisashiban warriors!