In the first year of Tenmon (1548), when it became Mutsuki (the first month of the old lunar calendar), Mutsu was in the midst of its severest winter. The first month of the old calendar corresponds to February in the new calendar. In what is now Mutsu City, where the Tanabe Castle was located, the lowest temperature fell below minus five degrees, and the average daily temperature was below freezing. However, the snowfall was less, and there were days of overcast skies and even clear skies. As the temperature gradually rose from Mutsuki to Kisaragi and then to Yayoi, Mutsu welcomed its short spring.
"Yoshimatsu, it seems no one died this winter. As far as I can remember, the people of Tanabe have never greeted the New Year with such smiles. It's impressive."
Yoshimatsu rode a horse, surveying the people of Tanabe. Morimasa held the reins, and Yoshimatsu sat in front, sandwiched between Morimasa's arms. The collected snow was dumped into the large river (Tanabe River). Thanks to the practical use of shovels and hand carts, snow removal had become much easier.
"The roads are in bad condition. They are muddy everywhere. We need to improve drainage to avoid hindering development. After land consolidation, we need to focus on road improvement."
"Don't rush it. There are limits to what you can do alone."
During the winter, Yoshimatsu and Morimasa had several discussions about the future of the Tanabe domain. The first priority was to eliminate hunger. This could be achieved by growing not only rice but also barnyard millet and foxtail millet, and by using the crossbow, which had been put into practical use, to enable mass production with a small number of people. Barnyard millet was particularly important. It contained far more nutrients than rice and could also be used as a raw material for alcohol. The Ainu people made a barnyard millet wine called "Tonoto," which has been recreated by sake breweries in Hokkaido in the 21st century.
"It was a slightly sour and sweet wine, similar to makgeolli from Korea."
"Well, it's time to head back. The administrators are coming."
As Kisaragi approached, Yoshimatsu's father, Shintaro Morimasa, returned to Tanabe. It had been about half a year since their last meeting.
"I read the letter you wrote, Yoshimatsu. It's impressive that you can write so beautifully at your age. Regular script is good, though it's a bit troublesome to write, but it's easy to read and avoids misunderstandings."
Only the head of the family, Shintaro Morimasa, returned. Neither the head of the Hachinohe domain, Hachinohe Hisamatsu (later known as Hachinohe Masahiro), nor Yoshimatsu's mother accompanied him. To Yoshimatsu, they were practically strangers, and he did not even remember their names.
"Father, as you can see, Tanabe is gradually developing. Please do not worry about the Shintaro family. Support the fort and Hachinohe."
Yoshimatsu bowed politely. This was sincere, but not out of loyalty. In the process of developing Tanabe, his father, who was close to Nanbu Harumasa, would be an obstacle. He thought it would be better if his father never showed his face, even once a year.
But perhaps the father did not understand the son's heart, and Morimasa took Yoshimatsu's words at face value. He smiled, pleased with the promise of the next head, and turned to his father, Morimasa.
"Father, I was thinking of assigning a tutor to Yoshimatsu, but it seems he doesn't need one."
"Yes, but as the letter stated, we lack manpower. Could we send some children from Hachinohe or the fort to reduce the number of mouths to feed?"
"I have already made arrangements. About fifty will arrive tomorrow, though most are children and women..."
"That's fine. People can be used in various ways. If they try to escape, they will starve to death outside of Tanabe. I will make sure to convey this message strongly and ensure they work diligently."
(With modern agricultural methods and improved tools, productivity will double. Tanabe will produce 6,000 koku. Further development through reclamation and trade will strengthen our economic power. We will petition the Nanbu to govern the northern part of Mutsu, which is almost a lawless area. The Shintaro family will surpass Hachinohe and become the largest kokujin in Mutsu.)
While bowing and expressing gratitude to his father, Yoshimatsu's lips curled into a smile filled with ambition.
That night, the former head, Shintaro Morimasa, and the current head, Shintaro Morimasa, spent some quality time together. Yoshimatsu, still a child, went to bed early. After tasting the barnyard millet wine that Yoshimatsu had experimentally made, Morimasa was surprised by its deliciousness, which was unexpected from a grain considered inferior to rice.
"Yoshimatsu intends to sell this as 'Mutsu sake.' The people of Tanabe are devoted to him. The Shintaro family will grow. If things go well, it might even surpass the fort..."
"That's reassuring. We are surrounded by the Shibata, Ando, and Oshika. The strength of the Shintaro family means the strength of the Nanbu. The lord will be pleased."
Seeing his son's innocent smile, Morimasa sighed inwardly. His son, Morimasa, was devoted to Nanbu Masahiro. Indeed, Nanbu Harumasa was an exceptional figure. There was no one in this region who could surpass Harumasa. But what about the next generation? Harumasa was 34 years old this year, but he had no legitimate son. There were rumors that he would adopt Kurokuro, the illegitimate son of Ishikawa Saemon-no-jo (Ishikawa Takahiro), but Morimasa did not think he could surpass Yoshimatsu.
(If I were in charge, I would send Yoshimatsu as an adopted son to Masahiro and then revive the Shintaro family when he has a son. But Yoshimatsu would never agree. He defers to no one and holds loyalty to no one. In this world, he swears loyalty only to himself...)
Perhaps Yoshimatsu might even absorb the Hachinohe and even the Nanbu. But Morimasa did not voice his concerns. Instead, he thought, "If that's the case, it would be interesting." Although they bowed to the Nanbu due to the power dynamics, the Shintaro family was still a kokujin. It would not be bad to replace the Nanbu. Then, what should he do? He should try to increase the chances of the Shintaro family's survival.
"Yoshimatsu says he wants to develop the land beyond Mount Osore. It's not anyone's territory. I think he should do as he pleases, but could you please put in a good word with Masahiro?"
By treating Yoshimatsu as a child, Morimasa could avoid arousing suspicion. As expected, the head of the Shintaro family laughed and agreed.
By Kisaragi (the second month of the old calendar), the snow had significantly decreased. Tanabe began the land consolidation of the previously distorted fields. They set a standard of one tan (10 ares) and created several of these plots. Using shovels and hand carts, the efficiency was quite high. The goal was to harvest 300 kilograms of rice per tan. Originally, one tan was the area that could produce one koku (150 kilograms) of rice, but with the development of agricultural technology, it was possible to harvest over 600 kilograms per tan in the 21st century. Yoshimatsu aimed for half of that.
"By using saltwater selection, seedling cultivation, proper row planting, and various fertilizers, productivity should increase. Using tools like the goose-claw for weeding and the manual rice harvester used in the 21st century to cut the corners of the fields, farming will become easier. The number of people needed to develop 3,000 tan of farmland will be less than half."
In 1960, the average farming area per household was about eight tan. However, since they engaged in other activities besides rice cultivation, this was not a useful reference. Yoshimatsu assumed an average of three tan per person.
"There are about 3,000 people in Tanabe. If 1,000 people can cultivate 3,000 tan of paddy fields, the remaining people can be allocated to other industries. Even orphans can help with shiitake cultivation."
It took about two months to transform the entire Tanabe area. When Yayoi (the third month of the old calendar) arrived, rice cultivation began. They had already performed saltwater selection on the seeds and were now cultivating seedlings, which would take about a month. During this time, they continued to improve the land.
Initially, the people of Tanabe were hesitant, but they quickly realized the convenience of the various farming tools Yoshimatsu had devised and began the new rice cultivation as directed.
"Where the land is not suitable for paddy fields, cultivate barnyard millet. Don't slack off. The more barnyard millet you harvest, the more sake you can drink."
By Uzuki (the fourth month of the old calendar), the paddy fields were neatly lined with deep green seedlings.
(´・∀・`): When you think of rice in the Sengoku period, you might imagine ancient rice like red rice or black rice, but white rice was also common. So, I'm treating it as white rice here.
(=゜ω゜=): Isn't red rice not very tasty?
(´・∀・`): It contains tannins, which make it taste astringent. Because of its poor taste, it was considered of low value even in the Edo period.
(=゜ω゜=): But if you want to be realistic, wouldn't it be better to write about ancient rice? There's even a variety of red rice called "Aka-muro" in Aomori Prefecture...
(´・∀・`): Don't worry about the small details!
* If you could bookmark or rate this, it would boost my motivation.
* The third volume of my modern fantasy "Dungeon Busters" will be released in June. I would be happy if you could read it.
The first volume of this work, "Until the Crescent Moon Becomes My Land!" is published by Earth Star Novels. Please pick it up!