Priest Kenko's Yomi Report: What is Power?

The era of seizing supremacy by the sword has ended, but the struggle for power itself never ceased. Sen no Rikyu wielded the "power to set trends" through the tea ceremony, only to be forced into ritual suicide by a fearful Toyotomi Hideyoshi. At the Battle of Sekigahara, Tokugawa Ieyasu secured victory over the honorable Ishida Mitsunari not through brute force, but by mastering information and winning the hearts of the people first. Swords, tea utensils, public sentiment, intelligence—the forms of power shifted dizzyingly, yet one unchanging rule remained: whoever grasped ultimate power would eventually be struck down. Following the destruction of the Toyotomi clan during the Siege of Osaka, the massive barrier of national isolation was erected. With the Keian Uprising led by Yui Shosetsu serving as the final rebellion, the mortal realm at last began to find its footing. From this hard-won peace emerged an entirely new answer devised by a single man, Sakai Tadakatsu. After one hundred and fifty years of relentless inquiry, Yoshida Kenko finally uncovers the definitive truth behind the question, "What is power?" This volume marks a profound milestone in the series, representing the culmination of a long journey through history's shifting definitions of strength.