Chapter 419 22. Searching for Famous Teachers in Luoyang and Other Places

Yamauchi Taro was sent back to the city, surprisingly, Mrs. Nagao was not in any way affected.

Perhaps she knew that her son had never suffered a bit of hardship, so it was not a bad thing to let him gain some experience. In addition, Mrs. Nagao was not a little girl with long hair and short knowledge. She just felt reluctant to take care of her son because he was her precious son. Now that he was taught by his grandfather, she would not say anything.

The most important things in a country are farming and war. As a woman from a samurai family, she fully understood this truth.

Her family in Echigo had two fine traditions, one was rebellion, and the other was to plant rice seedlings in the spring and go south to grab Kanto.

Farming and war were both possible! When the rice was about to ripen, they would return from Kanto to Echigo to harvest it. The whole process was very skilled and not delayed at all.

"Taro, let me see your hand." Of course, she was happy for Yoshiharu Yamauchi to take care of her grandson, but it was her nature as a mother to feel sorry for her child.

Yamauchi Taro didn't cry anymore, but the child's skin was very delicate, and the rice leaves really scratched him.

The shallow, fine scratches on his fingers had already formed scabs, and they didn't hurt or itch. Normally, a child from a farmer's or samurai's family would have some small scratches on his body after rolling around in the mud.

It was because Yamauchi Taro was raised in the compound and refused to be let out into the wild that those small scratches were particularly glaring.

Mrs. Nagao was hurt by her son, and she felt pain in her heart. She quickly ordered the maid to get some external medicine to bandage Yamauchi Taro.

Yamauchi Taro seemed to be a little sensible, and when his mother patted his hand, he comforted her instead.

"It doesn't hurt, not at all."

The baby's voice, coupled with the fact that Yamauchi Taro was a delicate little boy, made Mrs. Nagao's maternal love overflow. She held her baby son in her arms and refused to let go, fearing that he would get tired or hurt.

However, as a mother who wanted her son to succeed, Mrs. Nagao understood Yamauchi Yoshiharu's idea, and she also had her own ideas. She felt that since the Yamauchi family had the conditions, they should find some capable teachers for Yamauchi Taro.

Like her brother Uesugi Terutora, at the age of seven, he followed the Zen Master Tianshi Guangyu of Echigo Rinsen Temple to learn the way of literature and martial arts. Obviously, this education was very successful. Uesugi Terutora was originally a talented person, and when he met such a famous teacher, he was naturally generous and brilliant.

Another example is Mei Yue Chengfang, that is, the teacher that Imagawa Yoshimoto followed after he became a monk, Taiyuan Xuesai Zen Master. That guy, needless to say, the old monk is full of knowledge about governing the country, and he managed the state affairs of the Imagawa family very well.

Even when Yamauchi Yoshikatsu was in his teens and serving in Kyoto, there was a monk named Sugimoto Ryotoshi [Note 1] who taught him all kinds of literature. Yamauchi Yoshikatsu's level of Chinese studies is not low at all. I dare not say that he can speak eloquently, but he is definitely eloquent.

It is normal for a mother to find a tutor for her son. Parents must be concerned about their children's education.

Mrs. Nagao and Yamauchi Yoshiharu confronted each other and said that the child can be taught, but you must find a proper teacher to teach him, and you can't let him educate him rudely. Of course, she didn't say it like that, and it must be very implicit.

Anyway, Yamauchi Yoshiharu understood, and he also cared about the child's education. Otherwise, he wouldn't treat Yamauchi Taro like that in the field, and he also wanted his child to establish correct values.

There is no trivial matter in the royal family, and even the smallest things can be magnified infinitely. The matter of finding a few tutors for Yamauchi Taro soon became known to everyone.

Mrs. Nagao naturally had a candidate. Master Tianshi Guangyu, who had educated her elder brother Uesugi Terutora so well, must be the first choice. His educational achievements were directly in front of him.

This education level is definitely guaranteed, and he is also the abbot of the Rinsenji Temple of the Nagao clan in Echigo. He is an acquaintance who knows everything. This kind of person is the most reliable and trustworthy to use.

However, Mrs. Nagao quickly ordered someone to go to Echigo to find her elder brother and asked him to invite Master Tianshi Guangyu to Yamanouchi. But all he brought back was the news that the old monk had passed away.

Now, he could only ask Yamanouchi Yoshiharu for his opinion. He also had acquaintances in the five mountains and five temples in Kyoto. After all, he had not been in Kyoto for nothing for so many years, and he also sent several handwritten letters to Luojing by express horse.

The candidate in his mind made Xiao Pingtai very convinced, Master Kaikawa Shoki.

The monk Kaikawa Shoki who left the famous sentence "Why do you need mountains and rivers to meditate on Zen? Extinguish the fire in your heart and cool yourself down."

This man, who was born in a famous family among the famous samurai, was the Toki clan, the guardian of Mino, and was once the abbot of Mino Sofukuji Temple.

He was a monk who studied under the monk Jinxiu (Hide) Muneju and practiced the Rinzai sect.

That's fine, this man was once introduced to the emperor by the regent Konoe, and he had a good chat with the holy emperor, and he was even more famous in Luoyang City. So much so that in the end, he was given the high reputation of "national teacher".

In history, he finally served as the abbot of Huilin Temple, and was set on fire by Oda Nobunaga, and as many as 150 monks died. Because of this incident, the court and Konoe Maehisa expressed strong dissatisfaction to Oda Nobunaga. It is said that such a high monk was wantonly killed by Oda Nobunaga, which was also one of the last straws that led to Akechi Mitsuhide's rebellion.

Since Yamanouchi Yoshiharu knows such a big guy, let's go and ask him.

Anyway, Kobayata is only responsible for teaching Yamanouchi Taro to handle civil affairs, and Hosokawa Saime is responsible for teaching marches and battles. It just so happens that they are in need of a master who can teach them basic cultural knowledge and artistic accomplishment.

As for the other retainers of the Yamanouchi clan, they have more or less heard of the title of this "national master". Even those who have not heard of it are shocked by such a great title.

He can talk and laugh with the Chancellor and the Emperor, so how can he not teach a three-year-old child? Just think about it, it's impossible!

Mrs. Nagao is the best example. She was originally worried about not having a good candidate to educate her son because of the death of Zen Master Amuro Koyuk. Now she heard that her father-in-law invited the "national teacher", so she agreed with both hands and feet.

There is no false person under a great reputation!

Everyone understands this principle. It's not the information explosion in the Internet age. Any monster can become famous. He is the national teacher praised by the emperor himself in the Imperial Palace. It is an honor to invite him to teach Yamauchi Taro.

The only shortcoming is that Zen Master Kaikawa Shoki is not the abbot of a certain temple, and he doesn't even hang out in a fixed temple. He is a real monk who thinks that the secular temples are too dirty, and he is unwilling to stay in the temple to practice.

Then find it!

[Note 1]: This is a monk from the ancient Sugimotoji Temple in Kamakura, but we don’t know whether he has ever been to Kyoto, whether he has ever taught literature and art to anyone, or whether he is a great monk with great talent and learning. He is just a borrowed name, and he is not a special person.