AHN – Chapter 13 Africans taken captive in Ezo (Part 1)

Jirosa was originally a fisherman from Tsugaru.

Having inherited the profession from his parents, who were also fishermen, Jirosa took over the job after their deaths. However, he was never really suited for the life of a fisherman. He struggled to read the tides and weather, and more importantly, he lacked the physical strength of his peers.

He couldn’t haul in the nets.

When he went out to sea, the wet nets were too heavy for his thin arms. Even when he was out of breath and gritting his teeth, the nets barely moved. As a result, his catches were always poor, and his earnings were consistently low.

“What’s wrong, Jirosa? Can’t you even haul this net? Are you really a man?””Stay on land and mend our nets.”

“Just pick up seaweed with the women on the beach.””Jirosa can’t even carry a bundle of wakame.”

The other fishermen ridiculed him, but with no physical strength, Jirosa couldn’t fight back.

At an appropriate age, he was pressured by relatives into marrying a distant relative’s daughter, but the household didn’t fare well. His wife, who lacked fishing skills, constantly belittled him for his meager income and treated him harshly, leading to constant quarrels. They had a son, but Jirosa, who couldn’t maintain the household with confidence, struggled to win his affection.

“Katsuma’s house is having tai and hirame caught by her husband tonight.””Today, we’re having dried sardines again. How pathetic.”

“You can’t even feed your child properly. Do you not feel ashamed?””Marrying you was a mistake.”

Even when his wife berated him, Jirosa couldn’t retort. His frustrations grew daily, but there was nothing he could do. He could only mutter curses under his breath in secret.

Damn it, damn it, damn it.

Everyone looks down on me.I’m not someone who should be rotting away in a place like this.I should be far above people like you.

Jirosa’s twisted vanity grew, but he couldn’t change his reality. With no drive to improve himself, his unfounded confidence grew hideously inside him.

In reality, his days remained heavy and oppressive, both at home and at work, with no end in sight.

Then, one day, a turning point came.

That day, as the other fishermen were folding their nets, Jirosa’s boat, with its meager catch, remained offshore in the Sea of Japan.

The weather suddenly changed, and as dark clouds covered the sky, a sudden tornado struck Jirosa’s boat. The boat was shattered and flung into the air. Amid the storm, Jirosa lost consciousness.

He didn’t know how many days had passed. When Jirosa woke up, he found himself on an unfamiliar shore, surrounded by women in unfamiliar patterned clothes.

Miraculously, he had washed ashore at Ishikari Beach.

The Ishikari Ainu treated the shipwrecked Jirosa as a guest, as they believed anything that came from the sea was a gift from the sea god Kamui to the people.

As he gradually adapted to the language and conversed with the Ainu people, his desire to return home, which was already weak, faded. He began to think living here wouldn’t be so bad. When he told the village chief about this, he was welcomed warmly.

In fact, several other Japanese, called Wajin (Shisam) like Jirosa, who had been shipwrecked, had settled in the Ishikari River basin villages, assimilating with the Ainu as they had no means to return home.

“Jirosa, the one sent by the god of the open sea, Repunkamui.”That became Jirosa’s Ainu name.

There were no colleagues mocking him for his lack of strength, nor a wife looking down on him for his low income. Freed from these shackles, Jirosa regained his natural intelligence and actively participated in conversations, integrating into the village. He gradually adapted to a life of hunting small animals with bow and arrow or traps and bartering with villagers for a living.

In trade, Jirosa particularly excelled. Perhaps he was inherently suited for commerce, or it was due to his nature, but he was adept at reading people’s expressions.

Using trade as an excuse, Jirosa began appearing at various gatherings, gradually becoming well-known.

By this time, over ten years had passed since the Shakushain’s revolt, but a certain tension still existed between the Matsumae Domain and the Ainu.

Although the domain had some presence before, when messengers started coming to even remote villages, Jirosa volunteered as an interpreter. He frequently traveled between villages along the Ishikari River, becoming a liaison connecting the villages.

This caught the attention of the Matsumae Domain officials. After the revolt, the domain was consolidating its control over the Ainu through various pledges, but needed to address factions that still refused submission.

Among the Matsumae officials, Jindayu was adept at manipulating people’s hearts. Recognizing the vanity in Jirosa’s heart, he cleverly approached him.

Bringing gifts to his house or inviting him to meals, Jindayu gradually became close to Jirosa. Initially wary of the domain’s men, Jirosa gradually opened up over time.

“Jirosa, do you want to become the king of Ishikari?”One night, as they drank at Jirosa’s house, Jindayu broached the topic when Jirosa was moderately drunk.”King? Of Ishikari? What do you mean?”

Jindayu’s narrow eyes looked at Jirosa. Though he was not drunk at all, Jirosa didn’t notice.

“I mean it literally. To become the chieftain of the Ishikari River.”Jirosa, slightly drunk, laughed and shook his head.”Is this a dream? Have I drunk that much?””Talking dreams won’t fill your stomach. What do you say?”

Jirosa glanced at Jindayu and then looked away.”What are you saying? How could I, not even a pure Ainu, become a chieftain?”

“Well, let’s see,” said Jindayu, pouring more sake into Jirosa’s wooden cup.

“As you know, we domain people earn our stipend through commerce in our fiefs. My fief is this region.””I know. You buy my catch too.””There are two others in this region besides me. They are not good at business, so I handle most of it for them.”

Jirosa snorted, uninterested.

The Matsumae samurai’s stipend system was slightly different from that of other domains in Japan.

In most domains, stipends were paid in rice, which the samurai sold to merchants for cash. However, in Ezo, where rice cultivation was not practiced, samurai were given land within the domain as fiefs and were allowed to engage in commerce within their fiefs at their discretion.

The samurai imported goods from the mainland and sold them to the Ainu, receiving furs, feathers, marine products, etc., in return. They then sold these items in the domain and the mainland for cash.

This was the so-called “fief-based commerce system.”

“You are kind. So, how does that connect to me becoming a king?””Don’t be in such a hurry. There is an order to things. Now, about this commerce in the fiefs, what if you handled it instead of me? What do you think would happen?”

“Handle it instead? What about your money?””I would take a fee from you. Let’s set it at a fixed amount. What would happen then? The more you sell, the more you profit.”

“Hmm,” Jirosa leaned forward, still dazed.

“You know the region’s situation better than I do. Having lived on the mainland, you can choose what will sell better. Expanding your trade would be easy. Don’t you think so?”

“Well, yes, but,” Jirosa said, still not fully grasping the idea.”Even if we do that, how does that make me a king?”

Jindayu nodded grandly.

“It does. Think about it. You will eventually control the entire region’s economy. Everyone in the region will depend on you for their survival. Do you understand what that means?”

I will control…Ishikari?The words gradually sank into Jirosa’s muddled mind.Sensing the shift in Jirosa’s thoughts, Jindayu pressed further.

“In this world, those who hold the money win. It doesn’t matter who the chieftain is. You will win. No one will defy you. Those who do will not survive. What else could that be but a king?”

That’s right, thought Jirosa.The vague idea solidified into certainty.

Foolish people, now I will be the king.I will be the king of Ishikari. This will be my kingdom, the Kingdom of Jirosa.

A dark fire was lit in Jirosa’s heart.

The method proposed by Jindayu would later be adopted by the Matsumae Domain in the early 18th century as the “place contract system.”

In this system, fiefs were contracted out to mainland merchants, with the Matsumae samurai taking a fee, leading to an increase in the merchants’ power.

Jindayu intended to anticipate this system.

Seeing Jirosa drunk with ambition, Jindayu bade farewell and stepped outside, lifting the grass-woven screen door, with a sly smile.

Jirosa was now motivated.He would receive a fixed fee from his partners.All the commercial risks would fall on Jirosa, while he himself remained untainted.The economy would be in Jirosa’s hands, and the chieftain’s authority would effectively become a mere formality.

The domain’s rule would be as solid as stone.This fool will never realize he is being used.