(Voice actor) Mr.Chris Koprowski

With the summer campaign of the Siege of Osaka in 1615, an era of samurais distinguishing themselves in war came to an end. For many commoners, a peaceful world is something to welcome, but for some samurais, it was a nuisance. They could’ve killed enemies to move up in life, but that was not possible anymore. Those who especially felt that way were the hatamotos, the direct vassals of the shogun. They were dissatisfied that even though they were the vassals of the shogun, other feudal lords who weren’t even vassals received tens of thousands of kokus and while their salaries were low. There were honorable samurais who changed their attitudes and put their efforts in studying or martial arts to adjust to the new world, but some snappy hatamotos tried to relieve their dissatisfaction by venting. These people banded together and were violent or got drunk and caused trouble in the town of Edo. These samurais were called “hatamoto-yakko.” The commoners disliked the hatamoto-yakko, but they were the direct vassals of the shogun, so they couldn’t openly strike back. So many people remained silent regardless of how much they were aggressed or violated. On the other hand, there were some among the townspeople who were emboldened as well. Some young townspeople who were confident of their strength also banded together. They were called machi-yakko. Hatamoto-yakko and machi-yakko repeatedly had fights and broils with each other everywhere. At first it was small arguments and fights, but it gradually escalated, and at last, hatamoto-yakko and machi-yakko got into a huge brawl. The chief of hatamoto-yakko was Jurozaeon Mizuno. The chief of machi-yakko was Chobei Hanzuiin, who was running a kuchiireya (an employment agency) in Asakusa-Hanakawado. This all-out confrontation between hatamoto-yakko and machi-yakko surprisingly ended with Hanzuiin-led machi-yakko winning. The commoners of Edo had trouble with hatamoto-yakko routinely, so they praised the victory of machi-yakko. Hanzuiin suddenly became a popular figure among the common people. However, though hatamoto-yakko were rowdy, they were samurais. Considering the pride of samurais, it was hard to imagine them just backing down. One such day, a messenger from Jurozaemon was sent to Hanzuiin. “Let’s reconcile. I will be holding a banquet for that, so I would love to have Mr. Chobei Hanzuiin come to my mansion.” Those around him said “this is definitely a trap” and tried to stop Hanzuiin. However, Hanzuiin did not listen to them and went to Jurozaemon’s mansion. What happened to Chobei Hanzuiin? Find out in the story.