This is probably as close to a conventional episode as Hyouge Mono gets.  And that says something about how unconventional this series is, because it’s still some very esoteric stuff.  Nevertheless this is more or less a straightforward political and military sequence, as the narrative butts up against some very important events in Japanese history.  He may see it as mainly a way to supplement his considerable expenses as an aesthete, but Sasuke still has to succeed as a warrior to get by in this world.

The man who would one day rule Japan and spawn one of its history’s greatest dynasties, Tokugawa Ieyasu, is still playing the role of Hideyoshi’s loyal retainer here.  It’s an interesting dance these two are leading, especially once Tokugawa meets and falls instantaneously in love with Hideoyshi’s wife One (who I’ve always known as Nene, and who eventually became Kodai-in and the founder of the Higashiyama temple which bears her name).  Apparently seeing One beating one of her handmaidens with a bamboo pole was all it took.

Sasuke is the one who sees opportunity in this situation.  Hideyoshi has announced that he plans to invade and subdue Kyuushi the following spring, and Sasuke has – unsurprisingly – spent all of his funds on the construction of his mansion.  As far as I know there’s no real-world record of any romantic connection between One and Ieyasu (though she did become his ally in the struggle for control of Japan after her husband’s death), but for Sasuke this is a chance to give Ieyasu what he wants in exchange for the gold that will allow him to field an army of 800 men as compelled by his stipend as a daimyou.

Several other important names drop in here.  The Shogun, Ashikaga Yoshiaki – now basically a figurehead – gets his army poached of a hundred men by Sasuke on the journey with a bribe of extra rice.  And Sanada Yukimura, destined to go down as one of the greatest generals in the history of Japan, proves a crucial ally for Sasuke in infiltrating Ganjaku Castle, where the warlord Akizuki held Narashiba – the last of the three great tea bowls not in Hideyoshi’s possession, and “worth more than all of Kyuushu”.

In the end, this is really all about glory – even just credit.  Sasuke needs some in order to increase his income, and with Hideyoshi (thanks in part to rehashing his “one night castle” gambit of 20 years earlier) convinced Akizuki will soon surrender, opportunities are running out.  Sasuke teams up with Sanada to infiltrate the castle and liberate the Narashiba, with each of them theoretically claiming have the glory for themselves.  Once again we see the dominant theme of Hyouge Mono at work – rather than in opposition, the way of the warrior and the aesthete are intertwined beyond separation.