If Ichihime was the most beautiful girl of the Sengoku period, then Taishakutsukige was the most beautiful horse of the Sengoku period.
His supple yet strong feet powerfully kicked the mountain path, showing no signs of wear and tear whatsoever; they were completely unnecessary.蹄hooves蹄鉄Teitetsu
Taishakutsukimo descended without slowing down at all, galloping straight down to the foot of Mount Kotani.
It was moving at a pretty high speed, and to be honest, it was quite frightening.
Ichihime was screaming in front of me like a high school girl on a roller coaster.
I can understand why.
I was scared too.
However, Taishakutsukimo had absolutely no control over its speed.
Attempts to control him with the reins proved futile, so I finally decided to leave everything to Taishakutsuki’s judgment.
In the world I used to come from, thoroughbreds that compete as racehorses generally run at a speed of about 60 kilometers per hour.
In contrast, horses native to Japan apparently run distances of around 30 to 50 kilometers.
But lo and behold, the Taishaku Kurige horse we were riding was traveling at a speed of about 140 kilometers per hour.
They’re probably running half-heartedly, so they’re quite frightening creatures.
What’s even stranger is that, despite the overwhelming speed we’re traveling at, the thought of being thrown off Taishakutsukimo doesn’t even cross my mind.
That’s how stable it feels to be on her back.
I guess these things weren’t horses after all…
Hikobei called them monsters, and more importantly, the fact that they have horns means they’re not the horses I know.
Incidentally, the word “ma” (魔) is a very old word of Buddhist origin.
The term referred to things that tempt monks who are diligently practicing asceticism down the path of evil, hinder human good deeds, or harm human life.
In short, “demons” meant things of that sort.魑魅魍魎Chimimoryo
The very idea of trying to domesticate a horse, which was once considered one of those “monsters,” proves that the Japanese are indeed crazy no matter where they are in the world…in a good way, of course.
If this had happened in the West, a full-scale war of annihilation would undoubtedly have begun.
After running along the mountain path and passing through the last enclosure, you’ll find yourself in the castle town of Odani Castle.
Taishaku Kurige begins to slow down.
He’s really clever.
He knows very well that if he raced through the castle town at full throttle, he’d send the townspeople flying.
“Ah!
It’s you!”備前守Bizen no Kami
As soon as I entered the town, the children playing in the streets started making noise, and as the noise spread, many faces began to emerge from shops and houses.
At this point, the castle town of Odani Castle was neither small nor large; it was somewhere between medium-sized and slightly small.
Naturally, many of the residents living there have lived in this area for generations, so they have a deep interest in the Asai family.
“The lady is here too!”
“Wow…
she’s beautiful.
Compared to that, my wife is…”
“What do you want?!
Why are you saying that while glancing at me like that?!”
In those days, townspeople typically worked by making things inside their homes or on the streets.
That was their form of labor.
They’re coming out of their houses one after another, out onto the street, and watching what’s happening to us.
In this era of limited entertainment, even the slightest unusual event would prompt people to drop everything and show up just to catch a glimpse of it.
” Do you know where it is?”米問屋Komedonya
“Kyuuuuun”
When I questioned Taishakutsukimo, she cried out, her head trembling.
…Apparently, you understand.
You’re so smart and amazing.
Taishakutsukige carried me and Ichihime through the castle town, with the townspeople following in droves behind.
It was fun, like the daimyo processions I’d seen in textbooks.
With those thoughts in mind, I decided to take Ichihime into the magnificent building where Taishakutsukimo had stopped.
Suddenly, the inside became chaotic, and the young man who had been minding the shop quickly retreated, only for a robust middle-aged man to emerge, bowing repeatedly.
Apparently, the young man we just saw is the heir, and this old guy is the current head of the family.
“Lord Bizen-no-kami!
Oh, and your wife too…!
We are from ‘Omiya’.
We are terribly sorry for not being able to greet you, and we beg your utmost forgiveness.”山下宗亨Yamashita Muneaki
“Don’t worry about it.”
After saying that to the old man, I decided to get down to business.
“Sohei, this is a rice wholesaler, right?”
I can’t believe it—”
A shadow suddenly fell over Soko’s face.
“The battle with the Rokkaku clan…”
“No, that’s not it.
Besides, I didn’t come here to buy rice today.”
“…Hmm?”
Soko tilted his head.
This is a rice wholesaler.
If Lord Bizen-no-kami hasn’t come to buy rice, then what on earth is he here for…?
That’s probably what he’s thinking.
” I want one.
Preferably one .”米糠Rice bran斤gold
“Rice bran, you say…?
Yes, I do have some stored away…”
Soukou tilted his head again, wondering why anyone would want something as worthless as that.
It goes without saying that every Japanese person knows that rice bran is the powder that is produced when brown rice is processed into polished rice.
Nowadays, rice bran is used in a wide range of applications, from pickling to producing rice oil, but it was not particularly noticed in Japan during the Sengoku period (Warring States period).
This is because many people ate rice in its brown rice form.
Incidentally, the history of pickled vegetables (nukazuke) is said to have begun in the early 17th century in northern Kyushu.
However, at this stage, they were apparently using rice bran paste, so it was more accurately described as miso pickling—but let’s leave that aside for now.
With a look that seemed to say, “Lord Bizen is saying strange things, wanting something like that…”, Muneyuki instructed the shopkeeper to bring the rice bran.
After a while, the young man from earlier came out from the back of the shop, carrying a burlap sack filled with rice bran.
I thanked him, took the bag, and asked Sohyo about the price.
“Not at all!”
Sokou shook his head and hands vigorously and said:
“Rice bran is only really useful as fertilizer for the fields!
And to think that after you went to the trouble of coming all the way here, Lord Bizen-no-kami, I would even ask for payment—”
“That’s not going to work.”
I recalled reading in a history magazine that, in terms of the perception at the time, one mon was worth about 120 yen.
I took 10 coins from my pocket and handed them to the young man.
It costs about 1200 yen.
Since one loaf weighs 600 grams, it’s a reasonable price for what you get.
“I cannot accept it…”
The young man shook his head and refused to accept payment from me.
Well, he’s either very loyal or stubborn.
I had always assumed that merchants were unscrupulous and that one had to be careful of them, but I’ve come to realize that, of course, there are honest people among them as well.
“What’s your name?”
“My name is Shinhachiro.”
“Shinhachiro, do you have a wife and children?”
“Yes, I do.
I just made a vow last year with the daughter of a kimono shop owner in Kyoto…
The child is still small and is still nursing…”
“Is it cute?”
“Well, that’s…”
“I see.
In that case, you should use this to buy something to give your wife and children some energy.”
I slipped 10 mon into Shinhachiro’s pocket and said:
“If Omiya refuses to accept this money, then I will give it to you for your wife and child.
A mother must eat plenty so that her child can drink her fill of milk…
A child is a treasure.
Raise him with love and care, hand in hand with your wife, and ensure he inherits the family business properly…
Do you understand?”
I patted Shinhachiro on the shoulder, who was shedding tears of emotion, and urged Ichihime, who seemed lost in thought, to go outside the Omiya inn.
As usual, there was a crowd there, captivated by the beauty of Taishakutsukimo.
I tied a burlap sack filled with rice bran to the horse’s tack, then jumped onto Taishakutsukimo and picked up Ichihime, just as before.
“Oh…!” cheered the townspeople.
When I waved to them with one hand, Taishakutsukimo raised his upper body.
With its golden horns gleaming in the sunlight, the gigantic white body carrying us sped down the street.
We quickly left the castle town and reached the foot of Mount Otani.
“Are you going back?” Get faster updates on g.com.
Ichihime asked me that question while holding it against my chest.
She seems to think I went all the way to the castle town just to buy rice bran.
“…I’m not coming back yet.”
As if reading my thoughts, Taishakutsukimo veered off the path leading back to Odani Castle.
Running through the wooded roads, I finally reached the place I had been searching for.
“Well…!”
Ichihime cried out in surprise at my chest.
Where Taishakutsukimo stopped walking, a faint smell of iron could be seen in the distance.いで湯…
At the foot of Mount Otani, there is a hot spring, and historical records indicate that Asai Nagamasa often came here to take in the hot springs with his wife, Ichihime, and their daughters.湯源Yumoto
“This hot spring is unusual because it contains iron.
When it first emerges, the water is colorless and transparent, but it turns red over time.”
However, this hot spring is undeveloped, and is more like a warm pond.
There are pebbles of all sizes scattered at the bottom, and there’s probably mud mixed in with the hot water.
However, considering I haven’t had a proper bath since being transported to the Sengoku period, this is a minor issue.
Bathing in the Sengoku period was as simple as getting into a large tub and having a pageboy pour water over you.
I descended from Taishakutsukimo and gazed at the billowing steam rising from it.
Then, Ichihime tugged at the sleeve of my kimono.
When I turned around to see what was going on, she was looking up at me with teary eyes.
“Lord Nagamasa…
surely you didn’t bring Ichi here because…”
There’s no need to hide anything anymore.
I wanted her to be able to relax and forget the various pressures she must be under by soaking in a hot spring, since she had come to Omi away from her family.
I nodded silently, and overwhelmed with emotion, Ichihime threw herself into my arms and began to sob.
Ignoring us, Taishakutsukimo continued walking towards the hot springs.
Then, lying down with only its head above water, it let out a satisfied cry.
“Shall we join in too, Ichi?”
Seeing Taishakutsukige’s completely relaxed appearance, Ichihime chuckled softly, wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes with her fingertips.
This is also a way of thanking them for cleaning my ears this morning.
I hope it will help me relax and recover from my fatigue…
“Yes, Lord Nagamasa…
but, however…”
Ichihime turns her face away shyly and playfully teases my chest with her fingertips.
“If it’s a kimono, you can just take it off onto a piece of cloth I can grab from your room.
You can use that to wipe yourself down too…”
“Well, that’s not what I meant…”
My beloved wife is fidgeting.
So cute.
However, I kind of understand what you’re trying to say.
“Are you embarrassed to be seen?”
“Well…the sun is still up, so, um…”
Oh my, she’s so innocent!
I wonder why Ichihime is like this.初心naive
But, when you think about it, we’ve only been married for three days.
It’s easy to forget because we’ve been having such intense sexual encounters lately.
However, we can’t just sit around doing nothing.
Shy and unwilling to take off her clothes, Ichihime whispered softly into my ear.
“Go take a bath first.”
Ichihime suddenly became meek and nodded.
When I spread the cloth on the floor, she whispered, “Please don’t look…” and dropped her wedding kimono.
It’s my beloved wife’s strip show.
I feel bad for Ichihime, but I’ll enjoy watching it.
The thin sash came undone with a rustling sound, and as Ichihime took off her clothes, she blushed when she saw me staring intently at her, and put her arms around my shoulders in embarrassment.
間着Aigi
And finally, all the clothes she was wearing underneath were removed, revealing her naked body.
As if to escape my lingering gaze, Ichihime hugged her pristine white naked body and stepped into the red water.
By the way, my Big Sun is already blazing hot.
After all, it was the first time I’d seen her in her true form, outside of nighttime.
I quickly stripped off my clothes and decided to chase after Ichihime.
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