Well, it’s no longer too early to say whether the names in Nippon Sangoku are meant to reflect directly on history. At the very least some of them are – Taira Denki is a bald-faced caricature of Taira no Kiyomori. And thus I think we can assume that Asama Yoshitsune is fated to take him down (at least in part). Where Ryuumon Mitsuhide fits into this I don’t know – there’s about 400 years after that event before that name becomes prominent in the history books. And if there’s a famous Aoteru in Japanese history it’s slipped my attention so far.
For starters the matter at-hand is bringing said Ryuumon to his knees. And said Tsune-chan-san, as teased last week, aims to do it the graphic way. I don’t think Tsune imagined that was going to work – cutting off half of the General’s legs really wouldn’t serve either of their interests. Using the moment to launch a kick that halfway did the job, that I think was planned. Ryuumon is a good sport about it – he acknowledges when he’s been trumped. And the sheeple go from cursing Yoshitune’s name to praising it (which earns the usual internal disdain from him).
As for said Aoteru, I think the same very much applies. As Ryuumon deduces after the fact, I think Misumi-kun got exactly the result he planned for. He knew his agricultural plan (using soldiers to farm the borderlands, eventually allowing them to support more soldiers) was a good one, to be fair. He was banking on Ryuumon not being the sort of man to accept that gift and turn him away. A gamble to be sure, but a good one in hindsight. Tsune and Aoteru each lean on what they’re good at to get what they want (and no one else passes the Toryumon).
At this point we get a three-year timeskip, and the introduction of the Emperor (so-called), Fuji III. He seems more or less loosely based on Emperor Takakura, son of Go-Shirakawa, who was fully under Kiyomori’s thumb. And the Imperial audience is a full-throated reminder of how arrogant and powerful Taira Denki is. Ryuumon announces that Aoteru’s agricultural plan (though he doesn’t name it as such) was a huge success. Taira confirms this while using it as an opportunity to mock the Emperor. But when the subject turns to the northern nation of Seii, Taira turns his fire on Ryuumon, who clearly represents the only real threat to his power.
This is all very interesting, and Ryuumon’s warning of a “talented dictator” arising from the chaos in Seii as well. But here’s where I kind of struggle with all this. I used the word “caricature” in the first paragraph. The problem is, that pretty much applies to every character in the series. The writing here is unbelievably broad, given the weightiness of the premise. The whole exercise is as subtle as a kick in the nuts. That would be one thing if Nippon Sengoku were intended as a satire, but I really don’t think it is. It’s a serious story peopled with unserious characters, and I think that undercuts the impact a bit. It is indeed interesting, especially visually, but challenging to really engage with.
