Revenge

Revenge
By Ethan Gartin

My father failed where I shall succeed.
I shall challenge the great Shogun –
Once my armies gain strength.
Tokugawa thought he could sweep Japan after my father’s death,
But NO! –
I will risk everything in denying him such glory.
He aggressively steals Japan
And forces the daimyo to pay for his own construction.
This is unjust!
No more, I say, No more.

I will seek the aid of others and in a few years,
If I can just go undisturbed for a few years,
I shall challenge the Shogun.
I can challenge the Shogun.
I will challenge the Shogun.

– Hidetori, son of Hideyoshi

Rest

Rest
By Ethan Gartin

Tokugawa Ieyasu looked at the sky and contemplated his life.
He recently crushed the last of his rivals,
Including the only last real threat – Hideyori.
His castle was impenetrable;
His legacy was secure
His city of Edo was booming with trade.
All his work and patience and cunning,
All paying off.
His life was perfect,
Even the breeze which kissed his cheek as it passed
His favorite sakura outside his window.
He finished his last will and testament, so
With no other deeds needing accomplished,
He decided to rest.
A long awaited rest,
Following a life of honor and achievement.

Absence of a Great Man

The Absence of a Great Man
By Ethan Gartin

– The Year 1616 –
My father Tokugawa Ieyasu,
The Great former Shogun who preceded me,
Established the most powerful empire in the history of Japan.
He has created a peace which I predict will last some time.
His absence pains my spirit;
My pain is only trumped by my pride.
I am honored to have been his son and his successor.
Before he sickened and died, the
Glorious Shogun had accomplished what
Centuries of other warriors had attempted and failed:
He brought peace to all of Japan
And an empire to fit his family.
As I watch the cherry blossoms slowly fall onto his newly dug grave,
I can only imagine what history will say about such a great man,
Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Retirement

Retirement
By Ethan Gartin

After two years of his Shogun duties,
Tokugawa Ieyasu retired from his position.
His responsibilities before retirement included foreign affairs,
And he welcomed the trade which helped Japan prosper.
Commercial profits.
Firearms.
Information.
In his age, he wished to continue his life in Sumpu – His old home.
The peaceful land would please his aging heart.
He assigned the duties of Shogun to his son Hidetada,
So his family lineage and legacy was
Secure.
Honor washed over him.

Shogun

Shogun
By Ethan Gartin

At around 60 years of age,
The ambitious leader achieved his goal:
He became Shogun.
He was finally acknowledge as
The most powerful daimyo in all of Japan.
The most ruthless daimyo in all of Japan.
His glory,
His honor,
His satisfaction outweighed his years of struggle.
His years of commitment.

His main goal was complete,
But there was still work to be done.
In order to keep peace in the name of the emperor,
Obstacles needed to be removed.

A Promising Domain

A Promising Domain
By Ethan Gartin

Finally –
Finally all of Japan would be his.
His work was finally paying off at the death of his only real rival.
The rest of the daimyo foolishly campaigned in Korea,
But I knew Better, I knew better!
The clever daimyo reflected upon his wise actions,
With the combination of Korea and the lands he received from the Hojo,
His domain was most promising in every way:
Military,
Production,
Organization.
Japan would be his once he could
Finish his remaining enemies and
Secure the loyalty of his many vassals.
His determination and patience finally had given him power,
His rightful power.

Patience and Rivalry

Patience and Rivalry
By Ethan Gartin

Ieyasu contemplated his rivalry with Toyotomi Hideyoshi,
The only man standing in his way of being
The strongest Daimyo.
If only, if only he were gone.
Power should’ve been his for the taking.
That persistent pest,
That resilient wretch,
I will crush him!
But then he remembered patience;
Patience was all he needed to win.
That fool was in bad health, and his campaign in Korea
Would surely bring his demise.
So Ieyasu would wait,
Wait for the perfect time to cement authority.

Purpose

Purpose
By Ethan Gartin

The aging leader sat at his table and drank his tea;
He took in his surroundings,
Digested them,
Understood them.
The falling leaves suggested a coming winter.
The wind persisted to shake the outside.
Ieyasu understood the importance of tranquility
And its necessity for honor and glory.
Tokugawa Ieyasu would cement himself in history,
For this was the only thing of which he was sure.

It was his purpose.

A Funeral for a Friend

A Funeral for a Friend
Ethan Gartin

The air was suffocating,
Hot beyond reason.
Tokugawa watched the burial of his companion,
His ally,
His friend.
Many years had passed since their childhood,
And Tokugawa reflected on these events.
During his time as a hostage of the Oda clan,
He grew close to Oda Nobunaga,
And he gave him the highest respect.
Nobunaga’s death left behind many lands he had conquered;
He was a powerful adversary
As well as a great partner.
Tokugawa uncomfortably shifted in his position.
He bowed his head in honor of a fallen hero.

Tokugawa Ieyasu

Tokugawa Ieyasu
By Ethan Gartin

Of age and the new leader of his province,
Matsudaira Takechiyo became Motsudaira Motoyasu.
The clever daimyo matured quickly.
With a name to make,
With a people to lead,
With a goal to accomplish,
Motoyasu strengthened his retainers and freed his hostage family.
No longer could he sit idly while they suffered.
After countless accomplishments – both military and diplomatic,
Such as deceiving enemies to attack nonexistent armies and making allies –
The maturing leader became Tokugawa Ieyasu,
A man of ruthless dedication,
And his goals and his power and his wisdom only increased with passing time.

Confinement

Confinement
By Ethan Gartin

The young boy has been here some time
With no choice but to accept his confinement, but
He does not protest.
He does not worry.
He does not grieve.
Left as a sacrifice after being captured, yet
He retains his honor.
I have no choice, for I have been outdone by the boy’s father,
Swindled by his cunning.
This disgraceful humiliation.
This boy shall stay – I will keep him even if I do not kill him.
Who is this patient and subtle boy
Who never seems to doubt his purpose?

– Oda Nobuhide

The Great Unifier of Japan

The Great Unifier of Japan
By Ethan Gartin

Matsudaira Takechiyo was born to the Mikawa province of Japan.
The land of the Rising Sun.
The province of great fighting spirit among the samurai.
He looked to his father, the minor lord of the local land;
An honorable family in which to be born.
Honor awaited the young boy, for he would one day be
The Great Unifier of Japan.
He listed to his father tell of tales of glory
As he looked to the rising sun with great ambition.
Warmth.
Breeze.
Cherry blossoms.
Work to begin.

This Morning

Yesterday was but a dream, a hazy memory of a reality in which only moments remain. At this moment, however, I remember every feeling and every image of this morning: trudging to the shower, trudging from the shower, collapsing on the bed, hearing beloved melodies, dressing hastily, feeling the warmth of a car after being exposed to cold and disheartening weather which sent chills to my soul, all the little moments of unimportance.

Sebastian — Part One

His name was Sebastian, a man in his late twenties, and there was an air of mystery about him. Perhaps it was the way he moved, those perfect steps which almost seemed calculated and which gave him an unshakable balance. Perhaps it was his countenance, those always closed eyes with that confident and dangerous smirk which gave the idea there was something hidden behind it, a past which gave him satisfaction. Perhaps it was his dark hair, a color of black beyond black, dyed black, wrapped in black shadows, shaded in with a black marker and sent to the deepest part of black space, a color which matched his dark eyes.

Deciding he was too peculiar to let slip away, I followed him continually convincing myself he would surely do something shocking or possibly even terrifying, but nothing happened. It was as if he knew I was watching: he performed countless routine and sometimes even kind deeds, such as helping to carry things throughout the manor with more satisfaction and ambition than any butler should have, almost like he was purposely leading me astray.

Today

Today I saw a bombing in Israel,
A flooding in Argentina,
An apartment fire in New York.
Today I saw a child bullied in South Africa,
A man have a heart attack in London,
A gang shooting in Compton.
Today I saw a sakura cut down in Japan,
A man lose his keys in Germany,
A woman spill her coffee in Sweden.
Today a saw a vaccine discovery in France,
A song written in Australia,
A penguin lay an egg in Antarctica.
Today I saw a life saved in Mexico,
A flower bloom in Florida,
A girl fall in love just a few blocks over.