PROLOGUE:

The spear wound that Masashige had suffered to his shoulder had pierced deeply but it had healed quickly, leaving nothing but a circular scar and no discomfort at all. However, the more superficial cut that ran diagonally across his chest still burned. It too had healed remarkably quickly, his armour having prevented any real damage, but it continually burned like cold ice. It was the blow he had received from Yasawa Gou, his former master. It was the blow that stung him to the bone, to his heart, to the very core of his soul. This was the wound that had marked him an outlaw to the Clan.

As he had recovered from his wounds, Takeda Masashige had followed the news from the new infant Daimyo’s court: His little half-brother and his advisors, including Yasawa, had moved quickly to consolidate the boy’s power, brokering the peace with neighbouring clans and even the Buddhist Sohei Sect that occupied numerous temples in the region. They had done much to pacify the many of the disparate factions in the court but they had not been completely successful: there was one other, beside himself, that they had utterly alienated. Another they had outlawed. Another enemy they had created; his cousin, the archer, the poet, the drunk, Sanada Kichinosuke.

On the night of Lord Sanada’s death, Kichinosuke had been unceremoniously booted out of the house by Yasawa Gou for being embarrassingly drunk, and told never to return. He never did. He prowled the forests with a group of his fellow archers, living off the land and the hospitality of others who also railed against the changes that now afflicted the clan. He fed on wild meats, imbibed cheap sake and quietly nurtured his grudges. He was an effective, if rash, samurai and could be a potent ally if brought to heel…

THE TAMING OF THE ARCHER

Deployment (part 1): 「13 points a side」

Masashige found Sanada Kichinosuke blithely perched on top of a hillock with a unit of three bowmen and a sergeant of archery partially obscured by a rocky outcropping. Masashige positioned himself out of sight behind some dense foliage on the same flank and sent a unit of spearmen supported by a sergeant directly towards the archers. To his right he also deployed a trio of musket men at the near corner of the paddy field.

The First Skirmish:

Kichinosuke’s bowmen quickly spotted the musket men of Masashige when the gunner’s shots went wide of their target. They peppered their black powder-loving rivals with arrows in response, felling one of their number and causing the other two to flee to a safe distance and attempt to reload.

The coterie of archers then also spotted Masashige’s spearmen skulking below the rise of the hill, and again let loose with their arrows making their foes duck for cover. Kichinosuke ran up the rocky outcropping to get a better shot. Masashige’s sergeant threw cation to the wind and ran to the base of the hill intending to charge him when the chance arose. However, the ever impetuous Masashige would not be outdone and raced past his sergeant and up the hill to face his quarry head on.

There was a flurry of sword fighting and Kichinosuke lay incapacitated at his rival’s feet.

However, this was not the end and Kichinosuke’s men quickly faced down the triumphant samurai and spirited their leader away.

It took Masashige only a few days to find his target once again.

Deployment (part 2): 「13 points a side」

Kichinosuke and all his men positioned themselves on Chibinooka Hill so as to have a bead on any pursuers.

Masashige positioned his musket men on a nearby elevated rocky outcropping whilst he and the rest of his men used heavy foliage and mossy rocks to get as close to Chibinooka undetected as they could.

The Second Skirmish:

Kichinosuke and his sergeant of archers spotted the musketeers and shot at them making them duck for cover.

Masashige responded by sending his spearmen and their sergeant racing forward towards the foot of the hill as he, himself, ran for cover towards Kichinosuke.

Kichinosuke’s trio of archers leapt off the top of the hill and shot at the spearmen wounding one, but their sergeant came in from behind and urged them to charge the archers. The resulting combat felled one bowman and drove the other two back.

This opening gave Masashige the chance he needed to charge Kichinosuke.

Once more there was a flurry of blades between the two and Kichinosuke was wounded and driven back. Masashige took the initiative and leapt again into the fray disarming and felling his cousin.

The Aftermath:

Masashige held the edge of his blade to Kichinosuke’s neck. All around everyone stopped, silent and waited.

“Cousin, I am not your enemy.” Said Masashige.

“Ha! You say that with a blade to my throat?”

Masashige pulled his weapon away and sheathed the katana.

“Would you have given me even these moments to speak with you had I not wrested this time from you?” Masashige asked.

Kichinosuke shook his head and stood. “Speak! What do you want?”

“An ally, cousin. An ally against those that have wronged us…”

Kichinosuke pulled of his helmet and raised an eyebrow. “Interesting.” He replied with a laugh. “Let’s discuss this over a bottle of sake…”