Below Okayama Castle, on Hachijo Island, the love between children during the Warring States Period

The all-white Himeji Castle is nicknamed "Egret Castle". Going further west, there is Okayama Castle, which is completely black and decorated with gold foil. It is known as "Wucheng" or "Golden Crow Castle".

Okayama Castle was built by Ukita Hideie, the adopted son of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, on the basis of Ishiyama Castle, which took 8 years to build.

The acquisition of Ishiyama Castle was not glorious. The story begins with Ukita Hideie's father, Ukita Naoie. Ukita Naoie was a famous strategist during the Warring States Period. His best thing in his life was assassination. This ruthless character, who would not let go even his father-in-law, gradually expanded his territory through beauty traps, alienation schemes, and hired murderers.

The Ukita Nao family took a fancy to Ishiyama Castle under the rule of their retainer Kanemitsu Munaka, so they forced Kanemitsu Munaka to commit suicide on unfounded charges and took Ishiyama Castle as their own.

After two generations of development by Ukita Naoie and Hideie's father and son, Ishiyama Castle became Okayama Castle, a 380,000-stone castle backed by the natural barrier of Asahikawa and with a prosperous castle town in front.

After his father's death, Ukita Hideie was adopted by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who had been unable to give birth to a son and a half, and became one of his 15 adopted children, and the one with high hopes.

When Ukita Hideie was 18 years old, Toyotomi Hideyoshi proposed to marry his favorite adopted daughter Gouji to him, and allowed Ukita Hideie to use Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Gosachi Kiri family crest.

Speaking of Goji, before Toyotomi Hideyoshi's biological son Toyotomi Hideyori was born, she was the only person who could ride on his neck and act coquettishly. Gohime is the fourth daughter of Toshiie Maeda, a fellow villager and close comrade-in-arms of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. She was taken away by Toyotomi Hideyoshi as soon as she was born, which is very rare!

In the Warring States Period when the average height was only 1.56 meters, Hideie Ukita, who was 1.70 meters tall, was definitely a handsome man. Although it was a marriage, Ukita Hideie, who was born into a wealthy family and was handsome (as evidenced by the portrait), was always devoted to Gouji and never had a mate for the rest of his life. This pair of golden boys and girls really spent a good time in Okayama Castle after their marriage, which was enviable to others.

There is no doubt that Toyotomi Hideyoshi loved and trusted Ukita Hideie. Toyotomi Hideyoshi named Ukita Hideie, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Maeda Toshiie, Mori Terumoto, and Uesugi Kagekatsu as the five elders.

This year, Ukita Hideie was only 27 years old. Among the remaining four, the youngest Uesugi Kagekatsu is already 44 years old. In other words, they are all battle-hardened old foxes.

Before Toyotomi Hideyoshi died, he left his 6-year-old son as an orphan to his five elders. But as soon as Toyotomi Hideyoshi closed his eyes, the balance of the situation gradually tilted towards Tokugawa Ieyasu.

The crucial battle that determines the life and death of the Tokugawa family and the Toyotomi family - the Battle of Sekigahara begins. The Ukita Hide family, who still remembers the kindness of his adoptive father Toyotomi Hideyoshi, devotes all his money to not only sending 17,000 troops He even led the team to the front line.

No need to guess, when he was defeated, he was the one who suffered the most.

Ukita Hideie, who deceived Tokugawa Ieyasu by faking his own death, fled back to Osaka Castle in a hurry. There, he finally reunited with Hao Ji who was praying hard in front of the Buddha.

The reunion after the defeat was a hasty moment, but only half a day. They may not have thought that after a quick goodbye, they would be at the end of the world.

Ukita Hideie, who was hunted by Tokugawa Ieyasu, fled to the southernmost tip of Kyushu Island and lived under the protection of the local wealthy Shimazu clan for two years until the Shimazu clan surrendered to Tokugawa Ieyasu. Naturally, Ukita Hideie became a sacrifice.

The world already belongs to Tokugawa Ieyasu. Ukita Hideie and his two sons were exiled to Hachijo Island, 290 kilometers away from Honshu Island, Japan. It is a windy island and a prison that is difficult to fly out even if you have wings.

Hachijo Island is a volcanic island with extremely harsh geological conditions. Coupled with typhoons and rains that hit from time to time, everything you plant will die. Ordinary local people are accustomed to digging wild vegetables to satisfy their hunger. During times of famine, even poisonous wild fruits become delicacies that everyone competes for. The noble prince of the past did not hesitate to put aside his dignity for a mouthful of white rice.

After fifteen years of starvation in the Ukita Hide family, and fifteen years of pleading by Goji who was living in Kanazawa, the Tokugawa shogunate finally agreed to transport it to Hachijo Island every two years 70 bags of rice. Food is provided by Gouji's natal family, the Maeda family.

Along with the rice, there was also a handwritten letter from Hao Ji and a portrait she asked someone to draw.

The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl still get together once a year, but Gouji and Ukita Hideie can only spend the rest of their lives looking at the distant mountains and rivers. In 1634, Hao Ji died in loneliness. The family members were grateful for her infatuation and kept the "slow delivery" of family affection once every two years. This gift lasted more than two hundred years.

Dragons give birth to dragons and phoenixes, and mice’s sons can dig holes. However, compared to his father who constantly borrowed strategies to annex the world, Ukita Hideie seemed much more humane. Although he recognized Toyotomi Hideyoshi as his adoptive father after his father's death, he was indeed forced by the current situation. However, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi died, the daimyo who originally submitted to Toyotomi Hideyoshi turned against Gotekawa Ieyasu, and even his Maeda Toshiie, his father-in-law, fellow countryman and old friend of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, also chose to join the team again. Ukita Hideie resolutely joined the Western Army and fought to the end with Tokugawa Ieyasu's Eastern Army.

The king was successful and the bandits were defeated, the Ukita Hide family became prisoners, and Okayama Castle also changed its owner several times.

Air raids at the end of the Pacific War turned the castle tower into ashes. People are grateful for the loyalty of the Ukita Hideke family and the long-lasting love of Togeki. Today's Okayama Castle has been restored to the black color of the Ukita Hideke era, and the eaves are also chiselled with the family crest of the five-seven-tung tree. On Hachijo Island, far away from Honshu, you can still vaguely find the ruins of the cold house of the Ukita Hideke family. There, some kind people erected statues of Ukita Hideie and Gouji to help them realize their dream of reunion.

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# under Okayama Castle, on Hachijo Island, the love between children in the Warring States Period

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