for the information that the Heralds had carried to and from court.
But Yoritomo had changed all that. Nowadays, this new band of
jumped-up jack-a-knaves reported to the Shogun in person - and in
private! An unheard-of and most unwelcome break with ancient tradition
which opened the way to a further dilution of the powers held by the
office of the Chamberlain.
Ieyasu was one of the 'old school'. He had held the same post under
Yoritomo's father and, barring some unforeseen disaster, was widely
expected to remain in office until he became senile; a state which some
of his critics felt he had reached already. On his accession, Yoritomo
had pensioned off many of his father's staff, along with the
inhabitants of the 'pleasure dome'. The sybarites and the obsequious
self-serving leeches that somehow always manage to gravitate towards
the centre of power had gone. But Ieyasu had remained. A new broom
can never sweep entirely clean. And contrary to accepted wisdom, some
old dogs are remarkably adept at learning new tricks.
In a nation built upon ancient traditions and held together by the
rigid observance of age-old customs and protocols, changes are seen as
a threat to the fabric of society - to be resisted at all cost. They
can only be introduced gradually, if at all, and when making them, the
wise leader does so whilst maintaining a strong sense of continuity
with the past. Ieyasu was not the person Yoritomo would have liked as
his Chamberlain but he was, without doubt, the best man for the job.
The sly old fox knew everything and everybody and Yoritomo then only
twenty-three - was quick to see that he had to ally himself with Ieyasu
until he had made his own position more secure. As a result, his
cleansing operation had removed the froth and the scum but, when calm
returned, the basic mixture was very much as before. Apart from the
new status of the Heralds - a point which the old fox had deemed
advantageous to concede - Ieyasu's power and influence remained
unchanged, and most of the key positions were still occupied by
like-minded place-men.
Yoritomo was aware of the situation, and although there were other
means by which Ieyasu could have been removed he was content to leave
things as they were.
Palace revolutions were destabilising events, which sent shock-waves
through the country and gave people ideas.
Besides which, he enjoyed pitting his wits against the wily old
campaigner. Time was on his side, and it was precisely this - his
extreme youthfulness - that was the root of the problem. The
Chamberlain, with his wealth of experience, honestly believed that
someone as young as Yoritomo should not make any decisions without
first seeking his advice and approval. He was, after all, his
