Here and there in the fields of Aoyama, estates stood abandoned, beginning to crumble and blend into the wild grass.
“What magnificent chrysanthemums,” the Emperor murmured, peering casually into a roadside garden.
“Yes, Your Majesty. This, too, was originally one of the lower residences of a hatamoto,” replied one of the young chamberlains accompanying him.
“You are new here. Tell me your name again.”
“It is Tōyama, Your Majesty. After Lord Yoshinobu was transferred to Sumpu, my family and I relocated to Shizuoka with him.”
Following the Boshin War, Tokugawa Yoshinobu had relinquished the headship of the clan to his adopted successor, Iesato, who had been brought in from the Tayasu branch. Iesato became the lord of the Sumpu Domain, governing the three provinces of Suruga, Totomi, and Mikawa with a fief of 700,000 koku. Yoshinobu was ordered into confinement in Sumpu, and many of Edo’s Shogunal retainers migrated there alongside him. With the abolition of the feudal domains and the establishment of the prefecture system in 1871, the Sumpu Domain became Shizuoka Prefecture. Tesshu then entered government service, becoming a senior councilor. The following year, he was summoned back by Saigo Takamori to serve the Emperor as a court chamberlain.
In Shizuoka, there were far too many samurai to be supported by the local economy. Left with no choice, they cleared the mountains to cultivate tea plantations, selling their product domestically and abroad to make a living. The now-famous Shizuoka green tea was actually born from the desperate survival strategies of these unemployed former retainers after the Restoration. Nevertheless, men like Yamaoka and Tōyama eventually found positions in the new government, became prefectural officials, or managed to return to Tokyo.
“Are you of the clan of Tōyama no Kinsan?” the Emperor asked, referring to Tōyama Saemon-no-jo Kagemoto, the famous Edo Town Magistrate widely celebrated among the common folk through storytelling and Kabuki theater.
“Who can say for certain, Sire?”
The Emperor laughed from atop his horse, and Tesshu smiled in turn.
“We are surely distant relatives,” Tōyama continued. “The Tōyama clan is an old and honorable Kanto warrior family dating back to the era of the Later Hojo clan. After the death of Ota Dokan, the Toyama family was entrusted with the governorship of Edo Castle by the Hojo. It was only after Lord Ieyasu’s entry into Edo that we became direct retainers of the Shogun.”
“Then this estate is currently vacant?”
“It is. All Tokugawa-controlled lands in Edo, including the residences of the hatamoto and lower-ranking retainers, were confiscated and turned into Imperial territory.”
“If it is Imperial territory, then it belongs to my family,” the Emperor said. “I am beginning to feel hungry, and my throat is dry. Conveniently, the chrysanthemums are in full bloom. It is the ninth month of the lunar calendar—the Chrysanthemum Festival.”
“A farming family of my acquaintance lives just nearby,” Tesshu offered. “I shall have them present sake and refreshments for Your Majesty.”
“Excellent. I leave it to you.”
Kefu koko ni / waga kite mireba / sono no uti no / kiku no kawori mo / kokoro aru kana
(Coming here today to gaze upon this place, even the fragrance of the chrysanthemums within the garden seems to touch my heart.)
Once again, the Emperor promptly composed a poem, scribbled it down in his notebook, tore out the page, and handed it to an attendant. The man galloped back to the Akasaka Palace to deliver the report: “At the former Tōyama residence in Aoyama, His Majesty viewed the chrysanthemums with the Imperial Guards, and was served sake and refreshments provided by a neighboring farm.”