. The mikado's empire. he account of this, as given by the Jesuits, is asfollows: Among the confederates of Nobutaka was one Shibata dono,brother-in-law to Nobunaga. He was besieged in the fortress of Shi-bata [in what is now Fukui] ; and seeing no way of escape, he, havingdined with his friends wife and children and retainers, set fire to hiscastle, first killing his wife, his children, and the female servants; andhis friends, following his example, afterward committed suicide, andlay there wallowing in their blood, till the fire kindled, and burnedthem to ashes. My residence in Fukui, during
. The mikado's empire. he account of this, as given by the Jesuits, is asfollows: Among the confederates of Nobutaka was one Shibata dono,brother-in-law to Nobunaga. He was besieged in the fortress of Shi-bata [in what is now Fukui] ; and seeing no way of escape, he, havingdined with his friends wife and children and retainers, set fire to hiscastle, first killing his wife, his children, and the female servants; andhis friends, following his example, afterward committed suicide, andlay there wallowing in their blood, till the fire kindled, and burnedthem to ashes. My residence in Fukui, during the year 1871, was immediately onthe site of part of Shibatas old castle. His tomb stands under somevenerable old pine-trees some distance from the city. When I visitedit, the old priest who keeps the temple, since erected, brought out sev-eral old boxes carefully labeled, and reverently opened them. Onecontained the rusty breastplate and other portions of Shibatas armor, HIDEYOSErS OF COREA. 239. picked up after the lire. Otherrelics saved from the ashes wereshown me. The story, as it fellfrom the old bonzes lips, andwas translated by my interpret-er, is substantially that given bythe native historians. Having fled, after many de-feats, he reached the place nowcalled Fukui. Hideyoshi, in hotpursuit, fixed his camp on Atagoyama, a mountain which overlooksthe city, and began the siege, which he daily pressed closer andcloser. Being hopelessly surrounded, and succor hopeless, Shibata,like a true Epicurean, gave a grand feast to all his captains and re-tamers, m anticipation of the morrow of death. All within thedoomed walls eat, drank, sung, danced and made merry, for the mor- Camp of Hideyoshi ou Atago Mountain, be-fore Fukui. 240 THE MIKADOS EMPIRE. row was not to see them in this world. At the height of the ban-quet, Shibata, quaflSng the parting cup before death, addressed hiswife thus: You may go out of the castle and save your are a woman; bu
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Keywords: ., bookauthorgriffisw, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookyear1894
