Yabu’s death poem

Yabu’s death poem is associated with a blunt assessment of military change: guns have made the old way of war obsolete. In the campaign discussion that gives the expression its context, that judgment shifts command away from Hiro-matsu’s traditional strengths and toward Toranaga himself. The excerpt does not reproduce the poem’s wording; its significance here lies in the idea attributed to Yabu and the decision that follows from it.

The Judgment About Guns

Hiro-matsu is first described as ideally suited to the campaign because it is direct, simple, old-fashioned, and governed by clear orders. Toranaga then asks whether those same qualities make him unsuitable as commander-in-chief. The answer invokes Yabu: guns have changed the world, and the “Iron Fist” is now out of date. The exchange makes the change more than a general observation about weapons; it challenges the continued authority of a commander whose strengths belong to an earlier kind of warfare.

From Assessment to Command

Asked who should lead instead, the speaker answers that only Toranaga should do so, with no one between him and the battle until it is over. Toranaga does not immediately accept the recommendation, saying he will consider it, but he assigns preparations at Mishima. Hiro-matsu’s assault force is to cross the Tenryu River and secure the Tokaidō Road within twenty days.

An Expression Joined to Strategy

The tactical details sharpen the contrast between an old-fashioned assault and Toranaga’s larger command decisions. A suggestion is made to extend the force’s objective to the crest of the Shiomi Slope and allow thirty days. Toranaga refuses: if the longer objective becomes an order, some men may reach the crest, but most will die and be unable to repel a counterattack or harass the enemy during the retreat. In this context, the judgment associated with Yabu’s poem marks a change in military thinking while the campaign plan still depends on deliberate limits, timing, and the anticipated cost to the troops.