Hiro-matsu secretly plots to launch Crimson Sky

Hiro-matsu secretly plots to launch Crimson Sky by turning his loyalty to Toranaga into a reason to disobey him. As Toranaga’s general-in-chief, he decides that protecting his master’s honor and house may require preventing Toranaga from surrendering, even if doing so means taking control of the decision himself.

The Conflict with Zataki

Hiro-matsu’s decision follows a private quarrel with Lord Zataki. The two had argued and cursed each other, coming close to blows. Hiro-matsu challenged Zataki over his refusal to help his brother, but Zataki answered that they shared a mother, not a father: Toranaga’s father had sent his mother away in disgrace. Zataki would not support Toranaga, though he would support Lord Sudara if Toranaga abdicated and died by seppuku.

A General’s Disobedience

Alone with his thoughts, Hiro-matsu rejects the idea that Toranaga must submit or die. He invokes his position as general-in-chief and his duty to protect Toranaga’s honor and house, including from Toranaga’s own decisions. That duty leads him to an explicit reversal: he will disobey his master, and understands his choice as betrayal. His defiance is framed not as abandonment of service, but as an extreme act undertaken in its name.

The Crimson Sky Plan

Hiro-matsu intends to enlist Lord Sudara, Toranaga’s son and heir, and Lady Genjiko, Sudara’s wife. Together, he plans, they will order Crimson Sky once the rains cease, setting war in motion. The timing makes the weather a condition of the planned offensive; the passage records Hiro-matsu’s decision and intention, not the campaign’s execution.

His plan also includes keeping Toranaga safe in Yedo Castle, regardless of Toranaga’s wishes or the cost. Hiro-matsu imagines the conflict lasting until the last man in Kwanto has died facing the enemy. The plan therefore joins an offensive against Toranaga’s foes to the coercive protection of Toranaga himself: Hiro-matsu is prepared to deny his master freedom of action in order to preserve his life and house.