Samurai William: The Englishman Who Opened Japan (29 page)
Read Samurai William: The Englishman Who Opened Japan Online
Authors: Giles Milton
Hideyori and his forces were utterly perplexed by the turn of events, but the elderly ruler appeared to be true to his word. Ieyasu’s massive army struck camp and headed in the direction of Kyoto. Apparently, they were in headlong retreat.
There was much rejoicing inside Osaka Castle, for Hideyori’s forces believed that they had won a significant victory without firing a shot. Only later did it become apparent that their celebrations had been premature. Ieyasu’s retreat was a ruse—a brilliant piece of strategic deception. He had left behind a small band of troops whose orders were to fatally weaken the castle by demolishing the outer walls and filling the moat with rubble. Hideyori’s forces were perplexed when they saw these men set to work, for no such measure had been stipulated in the peace agreement. Their concern turned to alarm when they saw the zeal with which the men were pulling down the defenses. Ieyasu’s men tore a tremendous hole in the castle’s outer fortifications and used the masonry to fill the moat. The castle was suddenly dangerously exposed.
Hideyori’s lieutenants protested, but to no avail. They were curtly informed that, in the light of the treaty, there was no longer any need for the defenses to remain intact. Only now did they realize that they had fallen headlong into their adversary’s trap. Alarmed, they ordered their men to repair the walls and re-excavate the moat. This was exactly what Ieyasu had hoped. He
now played his trump card, declaring that Hideyori had broken an inviolable treaty. The only answer was war.
now played his trump card, declaring that Hideyori had broken an inviolable treaty. The only answer was war.
He moved against the much-weakened Osaka Castle with a troop of some 180,000 men. Hideyori was gravely concerned that the castle’s broken defenses would crumble under cannonfire and had little alternative but to fight a pitched battle on open ground. His strategy was to pit a small number of crack troops against the cream of Ieyasu’s army, while a much larger force attempted to smash through the rear of the shogun’s ranks. Then, when the confusion was at its height, Hideyori himself would ride into battle, accompanied by his most loyal—and ruthless—household troops.
Many of the Christians in Hideyori’s army knew that this was a fight to the death. If they lost the battle, they would be shown neither forgiveness nor mercy by Ieyasu. Confident of victory and throwing caution to the wind, they raised flags and banners that left Ieyasu in no doubt as to their faith. “Six great banners bore as devices, together with the Holy Cross, the images of the Saviour and of St James—the patron saint of Spain—while some of them even had as a legend, ‘The Great Protector of Spain.’” These flags and standards were unfurled outside the castle walls, providing a colorful and defiant backdrop to the gray stone of Osaka’s ramparts. More and more banners appeared, until the ranks of the defenders were awash with Christian symbols. One observer wrote that “there were so many crosses,
Jesus
and
Santiagos
on the flags, tents and other martial insignia … that this must needs have made Ieyasu sick to his stomach.”
Jesus
and
Santiagos
on the flags, tents and other martial insignia … that this must needs have made Ieyasu sick to his stomach.”
The two mighty armies squared up for battle on the plains outside Osaka. The hostilities began on June 3, 1615, and Hideyori’s forces scored an early success. Ieyasu’s right flank was rapidly dismembered by rebel gunners, while a series of daring strikes at the center brought Hideyori’s troops within striking distance of Ieyasu’s bodyguards. By noon, it seemed as if Hideyori had a very real chance of victory. But the slow war of attrition was to prove
his undoing. By early afternoon, Ieyasu’s most highly trained troops had launched a blistering counterattack and had driven the rebel army back into the castle. Hideyori feared that the battle was now lost; his only wish was to be cut down in action. In a moving address to his most loyal lieutenants, he said, “Death is what I have been ready to meet for long.” But his captains urged him to defend the castle, and their fighting spirit gave Hideyori renewed confidence. A fierce sword battle ensued, in which thousands of samurai clashed in and around the castle ramparts. As Ieyasu’s warriors slowly edged their way toward the inner citadel, a traitor in Hideyori’s ranks set fire to the castle kitchen. The strong wind fanned the flames, and within minutes much of the castle was ablaze. Ieyasu’s foot soldiers fought on through the conflagration, capturing walls and gates and forcing their way into the innermost enceinte. Hideyori and his officers now realized that this really was the end. Reaching for their
wakizashi
—their razor-sharp daggers—they plunged them into their stomachs and ritually disemboweled themselves. Osaka had fallen and Ieyasu was triumphant.
his undoing. By early afternoon, Ieyasu’s most highly trained troops had launched a blistering counterattack and had driven the rebel army back into the castle. Hideyori feared that the battle was now lost; his only wish was to be cut down in action. In a moving address to his most loyal lieutenants, he said, “Death is what I have been ready to meet for long.” But his captains urged him to defend the castle, and their fighting spirit gave Hideyori renewed confidence. A fierce sword battle ensued, in which thousands of samurai clashed in and around the castle ramparts. As Ieyasu’s warriors slowly edged their way toward the inner citadel, a traitor in Hideyori’s ranks set fire to the castle kitchen. The strong wind fanned the flames, and within minutes much of the castle was ablaze. Ieyasu’s foot soldiers fought on through the conflagration, capturing walls and gates and forcing their way into the innermost enceinte. Hideyori and his officers now realized that this really was the end. Reaching for their
wakizashi
—their razor-sharp daggers—they plunged them into their stomachs and ritually disemboweled themselves. Osaka had fallen and Ieyasu was triumphant.
It was his most stunning victory. Hideyori’s forces were annihilated and all opposition to Ieyasu was wiped out. More than 100,000 corpses lay on the field of battle and were so heaped up in the river that they formed a dike that could be crossed dry-shod. Ieyasu’s triumph was to change the course of Japanese history. He was now the undisputed master of Japan, and members of his family would fill the office of shogun until 1868.
The fall of Osaka dealt a particularly crushing blow to the Jesuits, who had so closely allied themselves with the vanquished Hideyori. They and their Japanese converts had been quite unequivocal about their support for the rebel forces and had fought—banners flying—until the bloody end. In doing so, they had infuriated the attacking army and earned themselves the enduring wrath of both Ieyasu and his successors.
Cocks heard rumors of Ieyasu’s victory on the day after the battle, but no one in Hirado could furnish him with any details.
He asked newly arrived travelers for information, hoping that “amongst many lies, something may proceed from truth.” He did not have to wait long to learn of Ieyasu’s triumph. Shortly after dinner on June 7, 1615, a weary and disheveled “Franciskan friar” turned up at the English factory and begged for mercy. His name was Father Appolonario, and he told the men “that he was in the fortres of Osaka when it was taken, and yet had the good hap to escape.” He had lost everything in the battle and claimed to have “brought nothing away with him but the clothes on his back.” He also brought a gripping account of Hideyori’s defeat, informing the English that “the action was so sudden; and that he marvelled that a force of above 120,000 men … should be so soon overthrowne.” He begged Cocks for food, telling him that he had endured “much misery” over the previous weeks. Cocks—notwithstanding his dislike of Catholics—took pity on the man and gave him some silver plate to help him reach Nagasaki.
He asked newly arrived travelers for information, hoping that “amongst many lies, something may proceed from truth.” He did not have to wait long to learn of Ieyasu’s triumph. Shortly after dinner on June 7, 1615, a weary and disheveled “Franciskan friar” turned up at the English factory and begged for mercy. His name was Father Appolonario, and he told the men “that he was in the fortres of Osaka when it was taken, and yet had the good hap to escape.” He had lost everything in the battle and claimed to have “brought nothing away with him but the clothes on his back.” He also brought a gripping account of Hideyori’s defeat, informing the English that “the action was so sudden; and that he marvelled that a force of above 120,000 men … should be so soon overthrowne.” He begged Cocks for food, telling him that he had endured “much misery” over the previous weeks. Cocks—notwithstanding his dislike of Catholics—took pity on the man and gave him some silver plate to help him reach Nagasaki.
from Arnoldus Montanus’s Atlas Japannensis, 1670
.
.
Ieyasu’s crack troops fought their way into the heart of Osaka Castle. At the climax of the battle, a traitor set fire to the kitchens (above). To avoid capture, the vanquished defenders ritually disemboweled themselves.
Ieyasu’s victory was conclusive, but Cocks was concerned by reports of continuing unrest. Trade had proved hard enough in times of peace—a civil war would make it almost impossible. Cocks was also troubled by a souring of relations between himself and Adams. Their dispute began when Adams’s Japanese friend Yasuemon was abused by one of the English factory’s interpreters, the quarrelsome John Gorezano. The ensuing argument quickly developed into a crisis. Yasuemon was incensed by the interpreter’s impertinent behavior and ordered him to leave Hirado. He also told Cocks that “if I sent him [Gorezano] not away … [he] would kill [Gorezano] as he went in the street.”
Cocks was extremely annoyed, curtly informing Yasuemon that all the factory’s employees were under the protection of the shogun and that no one had the right to “meddel with me, nor no servant in my howse.” He hoped that this would be the end of the matter and was extremely surprised to learn that Adams had leaped to the defense of his old friend. Not only was Adams in full agreement with Yasuemon, but he also declared that Gorezano’s continual presence was causing immense damage to the reputation of the English.
Cocks exploded with rage, for he felt that his authority was being deliberately undermined. He recorded in his diary that Adams “esteemeth him [Yasuemon] more than all our English nation … [and] would pawn his life and soule for his honesty.” When he learned that the Dutch had also sided with Adams, Cocks began muttering about treachery. “I cannot chuse but note it downe,” he wrote, “that both I myselfe, and all the rest of our nation, do see that he (I meane Mr William Adams) is much more frend to the Dutch than to the Englishmen, which are his owne countrymen.”
It was to be another fourteen months before Cocks finally conceded that he had been wrong about Adams and that Gorezano
was indeed a liability. He admitted that “it is this fellow’s foolish tricks which hath gotten him many enemies, and put me to much trouble to save his life.”
was indeed a liability. He admitted that “it is this fellow’s foolish tricks which hath gotten him many enemies, and put me to much trouble to save his life.”
Cocks was still smarting when, at the end of August 1615, he was brought the welcome news that “[a] ship was at an ancor three or four leagues from Hirado, and that the ship’s name was called the
Hosiander
.” Almost twenty-one months after Saris’s departure, an English vessel had arrived in Japan. At long last, the factory would receive the supplies that it so desperately needed.
Hosiander
.” Almost twenty-one months after Saris’s departure, an English vessel had arrived in Japan. At long last, the factory would receive the supplies that it so desperately needed.
The Englishmen in Hirado greeted the
Hosiander
with a blitz of cannonfire. Assuming that she had sailed from England and would bring news from their loved ones, they gave her captain, Ralph Coppindale, a triumphant welcome. However, they soon discovered that their celebrations had been premature. The
Hosiander
had actually come from Bantam and was laden with a mishmash of junk that included wax, pepper, and scissors. Cocks’s heart sank as he watched the goods being transferred to the warehouse. The calicoes were stained and rotten, and the wax was “so bad that no man will look at it.” Richard Wickham took one glance at the cargo and recommended sending it straight back to Bantam with the caustic message that the traders there “hath bin mistaken in sending chaulke for cheese.”
Hosiander
with a blitz of cannonfire. Assuming that she had sailed from England and would bring news from their loved ones, they gave her captain, Ralph Coppindale, a triumphant welcome. However, they soon discovered that their celebrations had been premature. The
Hosiander
had actually come from Bantam and was laden with a mishmash of junk that included wax, pepper, and scissors. Cocks’s heart sank as he watched the goods being transferred to the warehouse. The calicoes were stained and rotten, and the wax was “so bad that no man will look at it.” Richard Wickham took one glance at the cargo and recommended sending it straight back to Bantam with the caustic message that the traders there “hath bin mistaken in sending chaulke for cheese.”
The ship’s cargo was not the only cause for grievance. The men had been eagerly awaiting an influx of new company, but quickly found that the
Hosiander
’s crew were disagreeable troublemakers. “For truly,” wrote Cocks, “I never saw a more forward and bad lewd company than most of them.” Their ringleader was Henry Dorrington, a “drunken, unruly, mutenouse fellow” who accepted no authority but his own. He proudly declared that he intended to go drinking and a-whoring whenever he chose. “This Dorrington,” wrote an exasperated Cocks, “hath said in open
company … that neither captain, master, nor no other had authority to punish men with ducking or whipping.” Such a statement was tantamount to mutiny and was punishable by death, and Ieyasu himself had given Cocks the right to execute any Englishman in Japan. Yet Cocks hesitated to exert his authority, fearing that it would provoke a full-scale riot. Captain Coppindale was even less capable of disciplining his men. A “peacable and quiet, honest man,” he was so depressed by the unruly antics of his crew that he shut himself away inside the English factory.
Hosiander
’s crew were disagreeable troublemakers. “For truly,” wrote Cocks, “I never saw a more forward and bad lewd company than most of them.” Their ringleader was Henry Dorrington, a “drunken, unruly, mutenouse fellow” who accepted no authority but his own. He proudly declared that he intended to go drinking and a-whoring whenever he chose. “This Dorrington,” wrote an exasperated Cocks, “hath said in open
company … that neither captain, master, nor no other had authority to punish men with ducking or whipping.” Such a statement was tantamount to mutiny and was punishable by death, and Ieyasu himself had given Cocks the right to execute any Englishman in Japan. Yet Cocks hesitated to exert his authority, fearing that it would provoke a full-scale riot. Captain Coppindale was even less capable of disciplining his men. A “peacable and quiet, honest man,” he was so depressed by the unruly antics of his crew that he shut himself away inside the English factory.
Dorrington’s lead soon caused a complete breakdown of discipline, and the sea dogs began fighting each other in the streets. John Shepherd, one of the common mariners, attacked the factory’s cook, while John Japan, the interpreter, took advantage of the chaos “to steale and filch.” Tensions heightened when William Nealson and Morris Jones, the ship’s surgeon, fell to blows and “Mr Nealson drew his dagger on the surgion.” He stabbed Jones in the hand and tried for his heart, but was pulled away just in time.
Captain Coppindale fell into even deeper despair when he discovered that the careening of his ship was taking much longer than expected. Two of the
Hosiander
’s carpenters had died, and unusually high tides had caused complications. The weather, too, was hindering the work. There was an icy blast blowing from the north, which had frozen the ropes and sails. It numbed the men’s hands and they shivered as they attempted to carry out the delicate work. “This morning [was] very cold weather,” recorded Cocks on January 3, 1616, “being a greate snowe; the greatest I saw since our arivall in Japan.” Rowland Thomas, the
Hosiander
’s purser, was also alarmed at the plummeting temperature. Snow fell continuously for four days, blocking Hirado’s streets with huge drifts and filtering into the drafty belowdecks of the
Hosiander.
Thomas wrote that it was so cold that neither a glowing fire nor a “waistcoat and a jerkin under a cloth gowne” could stop him
from shivering. As he watched the relentless fall of snowflakes, he dreamed of being tucked up in two pairs of stockings, “a cloth paire upon an worsted.”
Hosiander
’s carpenters had died, and unusually high tides had caused complications. The weather, too, was hindering the work. There was an icy blast blowing from the north, which had frozen the ropes and sails. It numbed the men’s hands and they shivered as they attempted to carry out the delicate work. “This morning [was] very cold weather,” recorded Cocks on January 3, 1616, “being a greate snowe; the greatest I saw since our arivall in Japan.” Rowland Thomas, the
Hosiander
’s purser, was also alarmed at the plummeting temperature. Snow fell continuously for four days, blocking Hirado’s streets with huge drifts and filtering into the drafty belowdecks of the
Hosiander.
Thomas wrote that it was so cold that neither a glowing fire nor a “waistcoat and a jerkin under a cloth gowne” could stop him
from shivering. As he watched the relentless fall of snowflakes, he dreamed of being tucked up in two pairs of stockings, “a cloth paire upon an worsted.”
A brief thaw allowed the crew to finish their work on the ship, replacing planking in readiness for her departure. Cocks was so desperate to be rid of these troublesome men that he helped them prepare their cargo and supplies. The
Hosiander
had arrived with goods valued at £2,150—much of it unsalable—and was returning with a paltry collection of Japanese swords and bowls. She was also taking some £550 of silver, which had been generated by the sale of broadcloth and weaponry. Cocks was reluctant to part with this money, for it represented the greater part of the factory’s assets, but he realized the necessity of proving to the London merchants that he and his band had begun to generate an income.
Hosiander
had arrived with goods valued at £2,150—much of it unsalable—and was returning with a paltry collection of Japanese swords and bowls. She was also taking some £550 of silver, which had been generated by the sale of broadcloth and weaponry. Cocks was reluctant to part with this money, for it represented the greater part of the factory’s assets, but he realized the necessity of proving to the London merchants that he and his band had begun to generate an income.
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