Courier: "Oda Nobunaga is dead!" - 21st June 1582

General Akechi Mitsuhide killed his master Oda Nobunaga, who was staying at the Honnô-ji temple in Kyôto, at dawn on 21 June. The traitor then sent a messenger from Kyôto to the west with an offer of alliance to the Môri clan. Akechi set out to become shogun, which he then was for 13 days until his defeat at Yamazaki and death on 2 July.
During the night, however, the messenger had lost his way and was apprehended in the camp of Nobunaga's most able general Toyotomi Hideyoshi, where the truth about Nobunaga's death was wrested from him by torture. Hideyoshi then ended the siege of Takkamatsu-jô Castle and marched east in a legendary forced march to be the first to confront the traitor Akechi Mitsuhide. As early as 2 July, he annihilated Mitsuhide's army near Yamazaki, thus ushering in the change of power to himself.

The messenger gallops at top speed along the elevated road in a landscape of rice fields. The road is about one metre higher than the plots. The picture above shows such a road.
At the side of the road are some bushes and a grave. Various pedestrians are on the road and look in wonder at the express courier, the centre of the scene. Some look after him, others towards him and others let him pass, more or less voluntarily.
Before the rider, a sleepy dog jumps to the side. Behind the rider, a fresh water carrier curses because he was almost ridden over and now has to find his balance again. Those couriers were really inconsiderate. It is not only in our time that there are road hogs.

Some explanations of the individual figures

WEKO 16 The express courier (tsukai-ban): The messenger is fully equipped in tight-fitting armour. No helmet, but a lush headscarf arranged for under the helmet. The long hair blows in the wind. In his left hand the reins, on the right a riding crop. On the back a white waving horo sack with decorative knot attached and a blue sashimono (crest bar) with a black mon (crest). The sashimono on a thin, light bamboo frame bends in the wind. The silk asses of the horse, not a white horse, are blue. The rider is armed with a tachi. This is a long Japanese sword with a sabre-like blade. It is more curved and usually slightly longer than the more familiar katana.
WEKO 25 The cleric (bozu) wears the typical priest's robe, calf-length with long sleeves, made of thin black cloth, a white under-kimono and with a Buddhist rosary made of thick wooden balls. He uses a wild staff to carry a thick sack with his belongings. His robe is a little more sloppily tucked into his belt so that his paunch can be seen.
WEKO 26 The pilgrim (nenro) holds a pilgrim's staff in his hand. Around his neck a ribbon (stole) with a religious motto, a bag in front of his belly and hip. On his back he carries a carrying altar.
Pilgrims stamp their staff as they walk and there is a very distinctive sound to entice people out of their houses to donate.
WEKO 24 The apothecary with medicine chest, note the case for pipe and tobacco pouch at his belt.
WEKO 29 A Gorinto gravestone with floral decoration and a praying woman. Probably a traffic victim. You can still see family graves along paths in fields in the countryside today. Obviously not everyone was buried in the nearest temple cemetery.
Next to her lies her luggage. A small box wrapped in a sling and a discarded straw hat over it.
WEKO 30 The younger sister of the praying woman. She stands behind her sister and waits her turn. Open hair, tied relatively low at the back with a pretty bow, is typical of unmarried girls. Accessories are an apron and a bag in her hand, the handbag to the kimono, so to speak.
The apothecary, the praying girl and her younger sister are dressed somewhat finer than the peasants. The pharmacist is probably in green. In Japanese culture, green is associated with life. On hemp, green looks more like a muted olive.
The praying girl and her sister, for example, are in old pink or very pale purple, with a yellow-beige obi (belt). Rest to taste.
WEKO 27 A positionless samurai, a ronin with flat eboshi cap, typical of the Sengoku period. The tip of his lance is sheathed, otherwise the man would be a walking safety hazard, and his spike would rust away in no time.
WEKO 17 A swearing fresh water carrier to supply the field workers, unbalanced by the rider. A small round tobacco tin can be seen on his bag.
WEKO 18 A wooden porter. My dear Scholli, the man really has a heavy load to carry.
WEKO 19 The vegetable farmer wears Karusan trousers, a richly crazy type inspired by the knee breeches of the Portuguese.
WEKO 20 A farmer's wife
WEKO 21 A lad
WEKO 22 and 23 Farmer's girls
For the farmers and the ronin, the rule of thumb is, the colours always more muted and darker the older. Children definitely in bright colours, but not too garish. Muted browns, reddish brown, grey, blue, blue-grey, ochre - were the trend colours of the season. Simple patterns, especially stripes. If there were ornamental patterns, they were relatively large because it was difficult to apply them in small formats on hemp, cotton was not yet very widespread outside Kyushu in the 16th century. Hemp textiles are too smooth and too coarse.
Besides, in the Muromachi period until the beginning of the Edo period, it was downright shameful for adults to show their heads uncovered in public. To be bareheaded was virtually a badge of child status.
Trousers did not appear until the Edo period. Before that, leg warmers were worn underneath.
WEKO 28 An Akita Inu. The Akita Inu is an ancient Japanese national breed. Akita stands for a province in Japan, the suffix "Inu" translates simply as "dog". Colour: Red, sesame, brindle, white, each with white markings on the head, chest, legs, under the belly and under the tail.

Drawings: Sascha Lunyakov
Engraving: Rolf Grünewald