Feudal Japan

Foreword and declaration

This piece of fiction is not true to life accounts of any particular person living in the set period. Some of the themes and descriptions have been based on research from the recorded Edo period of Japanese history. Two hundred and fifty years leading up to the end of Shoguns and Shogunates at the turn of the nineteenth century.

The idea behind this was to give the story some sense of grounded reality, based on the accounts and themes described and documented at the time.

I have changed some of the historical accuracy with certain, specific details to accommodate modern day rules and values.

Details like, during this period of history, if I was to be accurate, the age for arranged marriages in this setting, would be fifteen years old and not over eighteen as described in the fantasy.

The fantasy is not intended as a derogatory, negative, commentary on Japanese history, life, customs etc, No offence is meant from any of the content or themes described to lay down the idea.

Chapter: Last of the Shogun and the Madam

For the last two hundred and fifty years the same family of Shoguns had ruled Japan and given it a turbulent peace and prosperity.

The Emperor meanwhile, was a figurehead with prestige but no power, who never left his vast rambling palace. At the very centre of the bustling city he would command and demand much from those around him. From the south, the Shogun's enemies had taken up arms under the pretext that the Emperor should be restored to power. Making their coordinated assault on the city and palace, the Emperor's soldiers and mercenaries stormed key positions during their sustained attack.

Meanwhile and readying to return home with a small entourage of porters and servants, to the small village where she grew up and was born in. The disgraced and dejected solemn figure of a thirty year old Madam prepared to depart the palace. Unaware of the imminent attack the former favourite of the Shogun had fallen out of favour with him after not providing any heirs.

She had managed to depart the Shogun's harem safely and quietly after the enemy forces of the Emperor surrounded the city and palace. They had succeeded in storming the enormous complex of buildings, a mile across and four miles in circumference. They also managed to catch the Shogun unaware in the open courtyard, killing him before he could make it through to the heavily defended inner sanctum. The invading soldiers dare not and need not venture further inside, to the O-oku, the 'great interior' or 'women's palace' it was vast and large, housing almost three thousand women, servants, female guards, Madam's, princesses.

With no male guards, the women had to be responsible for protecting themselves and the Shogun. There were units of women guards who were skilled with the Naginata, a 'long-handled spear' consisting of a long curved blade as sharp as a razor, fitted to the end of the staff. Considerably longer than a sword, it gave a woman the chance to get in a good swipe at a man's legs before he could reach her.

The women of the inner palace were particularly formidable, they studied the art from childhood and prided themselves on their fearlessness and their skill at striking, thrusting, slashing, parrying and blocking. Every woman had a uniform, a thick, black, broadcloth jacket, stiff black pleated trousers and a black silk cap bound with a white band. There was also a large training hall in the palace where they would go practice.

Disgraced by the failure of defending their Shogun, some of the women would take their own lives or cut off their long, black flowing hair, back to baldness, to appear undesirable to the Emperor's invading soldiers. His orders to the soldiers were to disband and dismantle the remaining Madams, ladies-in-waiting, servants, and concubine women he did not wish to care to provide for. Leaving the remaining Naginata guards in place to oversee his future, replacement marriage proposals. The Emperor viewed all of the Shogun's women as sullied and a drain of his resources, requiring the removal of them from the palace and his presence. This would be before he would set about the task of establishing and finding new suitable fertile partners. These would be unsullied young women to bear his children and secure his lineage into the future.

The Emperor would take up residence in the sprawling palace complex in the main city, funding repairs and strengthening the defences. He would implement an aggressive recruiting and training regime to acquire more soldiers and obtain new firearms from the western world. His efforts were to bring about a sustained peace through his newly conquered empire, like so many tried to maintain in the past.

Trailing and carving a pathway out of the palace and city, a thirty year old Madam and her small entourage were allowed by the Emperor's soldiers to leave the palace by the Fujomon, the Unclean gate, a small side gate used mostly for those who died in the palace or left in disgrace. Having refused to take her own life, which defied showing loyalty to the Shogun, she awaited her disgraced fate. She would appeal passionately to the Emperor's soldiers about allowing her release with her lady-in-waiting entourage.

Being held up at the gate by the guard she would plead "I have no desire to serve the Emperor, nor bear his children. I detested the Shogun after his rejection of me and prolonged incarceration in this place. My grandfather is all I have left of my family, I wish to return to care for him while I find a suitable life partner. Your Emperor has no reason to keep me here against my will"

The guard would turn to his colleague and discuss the matter under their breath, inaudible to the Madam and Lady-in-waiting before addressing them again. Holding a scroll in one hand the guard would allow them to pass "move along quickly, the Emperor's orders are clear to allow you to leave the palace peacefully."

The ageing Madam had accumulated a certain amount of wealth, status and prestige while living in the O-oku. Many of the Naginata soldiers and Emperors forces respected her wisdom and her gift of those loyal to her. They would be encouraged to support and educate the newly arriving women of the O-oku.

The old man lived alone and in poor health at his mountainside home overlooking a picturesque village. Passing through small settlements and villages along the way, her entourage occasionally would stop to rest, look at the view, dine or spend the night. The establishments they visited prepared soup, tofu, rice and grilled fish, providing plates, cups and chopsticks. The few travelling servants, resourced fresh horses and servant porters to employ to carry the Madam travelling in her Palanquin.

The Palanquin being a wooden box with widows, large enough for a person to sit inside, the box sat on two long poles. The poles reaching out both in front and to the rear, the poles were carried on the shoulders of porters, servants exchanging in rotation throughout the journey. The Madam, still attractive and kind on the eye, fertile and having borne no children for her desired Shogun, looked thin and miserable. Engulfed in the stiff folds of her many kimonos, layered over one another on her body. Travelling with her, the chief lady-in-waiting, recording and documenting the events of their lives secretly in her diary.

She would describe the modest entourage procession including, bearers of food and tea-making equipment. Porters humping boxes and dragging huge wheeled trunks, with grooms leading pack horses laden with luggage. It was a very long and uncomfortable four days for the multitude to pass through each village along the way before they would finally arrive at her grandfather's home. Looking after her grandfather in the old family home where she grew up, the Madam adjusted to her new life. Servants, porters and maids were all exchanged off to new lives, only keeping within the family home, the same aged but experienced, lady-in-waiting.

Having lost her father during the numerous western border disputes some years ago, the Madam would need to rely on her grandfather. Requiring him to negotiate any future arranged marriage proposals, it would be her lady-in-waiting that would have the steadier hand to write these out.

Making use of the many trips the lady-in-waiting would make to the village and back, he would spend hours writing proposals for known local men of social standing and integrity.

After some time, the Madam would finally be introduced to the uncompromising Fujimoto. He was a strong minded and highly opinionated man, with good trade connections and links with neighbouring villages and the main city. Having only met her future husband once, the Madam was set to be married the following year with Fujimoto moving into the grandfather's accommodation with them. Fujimoto would spend a lot of his time juggling home life at the three bedroom property. He would also work hard overseeing the transit and exchange of various goods through the various winding trade routes and villages.

The wedding was a lowkey and sparsely attended affair, with the dutiful Madam quickly becoming subservient to Fujimoto and keen to provide him a desired son. They would eagerly and quickly consummate the marriage on their wedding night and many nights then after. With the grandfather's health in serious decline and with both the Madam and lady-in-waiting attending to his daily care, they soon settled into a routine together. Some nights the grandfather would be tended to by the lady-in-waiting, settling him back down to sleep. He would get himself up out of bed to investigate the noises he could hear well enough.

The old man had woken up, overhearing his granddaughter and Fujimoto making love passionately all night. Cursing the disruption under his breath "what's an old man gotta do to get some sleep?!" Hearing him from in the bedroom, the Madam would stop moving and silence Fujimoto with a hand across his mouth. Slipping herself off him and going to the sliding door to confront her grandfather "what are you doing up? Go back to bed. You are imagining things again, it's just the wind through the tree's you won't be disturbed any longer"

She would shepherd the shuffling frail frame of her grandfather back in the direction of this bedroom, settling him down on the floor mattress bedding. Leaving him with a freshly lit oil lamp before she would return to Fujimoto and continue to make love with him, this time a little more quietly.

It would be late September when the Madam successfully gave birth to a baby girl, disappointing Fujimoto's preference of having a boy. The Madam, eager to retain Fujimoto's love and affection, fearing he would lose interest in her much like the Shogun had.

She continuously pressured her partner for sex soon after the birth, eager to give her body to him and try for his desired son again. However, initially she would have her repeated attempts denied and thwarted, instead he would turn to drink. He would quickly become a lousy, discontented and aggressive drunk with a problem and opinion on everything. Being at odds with every conceivable slight in his life, his dutiful wife, the beautiful Madam, would mostly bear the brunt of his rantings. She would endure at first but soon find ways to turn it to her advantage by trying to conceive with him.

Turning to her during one of his many Sake fueled rages, he would curse the poverty stricken conditions most would be forced to live in. Scoffing and sipping from his thimble sized glass "The Emperor has it so easy! Sat up there in his palace, waiting on hand and foot! Surrounded by beautiful young women, eager to provide him with a son! While we toil the earth, raise our cattle for slaughter to furnish his dining table, struggle to feed ourselves!"

Settling him down, placing her slow hand on his arm and smoothing along it from his wrist to elbow. Her caress almost as if to steady his drink back down to the table while noticing his sheathed Katana hanging from his hipside. Cupping her hand under his chin and tilting his lips to meet hers as she leaned in to kiss him. He would refuse her lips several times but her persistence would eventually pay off. Softly she would convince him "I know my darling, these things we cannot change, we have a good life, am I not a good wife to you? I care for you as if you are my Emperor. I provide you with our beautiful daughter and am ready, waiting to provide you with a son."

Rubbing into his groin as she mentions her plans and schemes for their future family together. While drunk he seemed more susceptible to her sensual attention, her soothing soft words, playful hands and lips would work their charm.

He would mellow and confirm to her "You are wise and beautiful, a very dutiful and caring wife. You know how much joy a son of my own would bring me! You offer your body and pleasures to me eagerly as a dutiful wife should" Finally accepting a kiss with her as she hung her lips against his again. Softly pressing his lips back into hers, his manhandling touch groping at her breasts and nipples as their tongues swapped between lip presses. Smiling and looking longingly into his eyes "come to bed with me my lover!"

She would insist, coaxing his groin with her rubbing slow hand before going around the room dowsing candles and turning down oil lamps.She would steady the drunken Fujimoto and support his heavy body weight. With him propped against her, his hands groping at her curves as they entered the bedroom. She would disarm him of his sword and undress him once inside, continuously kissing before she asked him "does this help your mood tonight my love?" Their clothes started to make a pile on the bedroom floor as they stripped one another eagerly.

The lady-in-waiting also retired to her bedroom sliding her door across to block the anticipated noise the married couple usually would make. Helping the Madam with some of the home duties, the lady-in-waiting also took some of the responsibilities of caring for the young Yoshimura. The young child was mostly ignored and rejected by her father, not taking much interest in her education and upbringing. This would be despite the young girl's innocent adoration of him and desperate attempts to seek his approval and adoration.

It would only be two short years later the Madam would provide Fujimoto with a much desired son. Kagawa's arrival would relieve some of the pressure and tension in the household. Fujimoto would be very pleased by his son's healthy arrival, addressing his drinking habit and cutting back and behaving less grouchy as a result.

The precocious Yoshimura would learn some responsibility for her brother even at her tender young age. Quickly figuring out as Kagawa grew older and bigger that she could gain Fujimoto's affection by helping out.

Yoshimura would be on hand to assist the lady-in-waiting while Kagawa was a baby, changing him, feeding him, and enjoying cuddling him while wrapped up in his bundle. The young Yoshimura would remark innocently to the lady-in-waiting while laying Kagawa down in his crib "I love my brother." The children grew close over the next five years, training and practice between them would take place with wooden solid sticks acting as swords. Yoshimura would learn some writing skills from the lady-in-waiting, while attending the local school she would impress the teachers with the fluency of her brush strokes.

While duelling it out with her younger brother in front of the mountainside accommodation their father would watch from the porch. His wife, the former Shogun's Madam, would wrap her arms around his body while standing behind him. Placing her soft chin on his shoulder before sucking on his earlobe and whispering "make love to me again tonight! my husband." While the children were crossing sticks, smashing them together while they fenced and traded comments "I have you now Yoshimura" Kagawa would remark with gusto while thrusting the wooden sword at his sister, clashing wood on wood with hers as she defended herself.

Yoshimura would retort "No you have not, I have you!" turning her defence into a swift offensive manoeuvre, challenging Kagawa to back off. It would be her mother that insisted she taught the young girl the traditional tea ceremony, spending hours making sure she performed the blending rituals in the correct order. Kneeling down with Yoshiura side by side, her mother placed the large wooden tray adorned with a teapot, cups, saucers and spoons.

She would explain to Yoshimura while demonstrating various precise actions "after bringing the clean water to the boil over the stove. Place in the pot this mix of tea leaves and pour the water inside, covering with the lid. Swirl the contents, holding firmly by the handle." Further explaining to her "this secret blend will invigorate and revitalise the senses. After drinking for some time after, you may feel more sensitive and flush but also energised after tiring or weary."

Late one night, while most in the mountainside home were sleeping, Fujimoto and his wife would slowly make love again. Their noisy physical efforts stirred a curious and young Yoshimura from her slumber in the next bedroom which she shared with the Lady-in-waiting. Slipping silently from her floor mattress bedding and blankets, the six year old Yoshimura crept silently and barefoot across the polished smooth floorboards.Making her way through the house between the bedrooms toward the strained panting, gasping and breathless moaning sounds being made. The parents had left their sliding door wide enough open for her to see inside.

Apprehensive and concerned about the seemingly pained noises being made by her mother, she peered in curiously and silently. Wearing only a flimsy knee length plain coloured shift with straps at each shoulder. Avoiding detection she made out the naked shape of her mothers soft, curvy body mounted on her fathers hard cock. Kneeling astride his waist, rocking herself gently back and forth while undulating up and down on him. The soft oil lamps lighting the room with numerous candles dotted around.

Each flickered and smouldered, showing a reflective light gloss of sweat on her mothers pale flesh. She would continue to watch them trade kisses and caresses, her mothers curves being groped and manhandled by her father. Frozen and mesmerised in place, Yoshimura almost trembled in her simple shift not fully understanding what was going on between them.

It would be the lady-in-waiting quietly arriving to gather up the young daughter and return her quietly to her bed. Explaining under a soft whisper "I think you have seen enough young lady." Leaving the parents to continue their activity, unaware and undisturbed long into the early hours of the morning. Curious to understand what was going on, Yoshimura would quiz the lady-in-waiting as she was settled back to bed. Looking up to the lady-in-waiting and innocently asking her "is daddy hurting mummy?"

Leaning to place a kiss on her forehead the lady-in-waiting would only reply "go to sleep young one" folding the blanket back over the child while the muffled breathless sounds would continue from the parents room.

Chapter: Steel forged fires

Tucked away in the small village, down a narrow alley, a blacksmith forges many items from re-shoeing horses to creating curving, razor sharp Samurai swords, to iron gates. Displayed outside his stall, stood on a wooden plinth his latest artwork creation stood about five feet in height, made of various scrap metals. The bent and shaped metal form of a winged dragon would showcase not only his metalwork skill but his artistic flair.

He would soon be called upon by the Emperor to supply his metalworking skills to the soldiers living at the encampment near the northern border readying for another war. Hikaru, the blacksmith, grew to dislike forging weapons of war over time. Knowing his creations were deadly and used in most cases for dishonourable and senseless purposes. Despite this he complied with the Emperor's wishes as he would be paid handsomely in advance before the soldiers would return to collect some weeks later.