Chapter 21 1865 - France
YOSHI-NO-KATA
It had been a long day’s ride south by carriage from Paris to the summer home of the Emperor and Empress.
Yoshi’s body ached, but the Emperor had insisted they come and indicated to her father that it would be a place of solitude to talk more seriously about the French-Japanese relationship.
Her father seemed optimistic that a treaty of some sort would come out of these talks, even though most of their meetings over the past eight months had not produced an agreement, and they mostly conferred with low-ranking officials—always cordial but unsatisfactory.
Shōgun Tokugawa Iemochi had sent her father, Shibata Takenaka, with the goal of eliciting help from the French to modernize the Japanese military, specifically for support of the construction of the Yokosuka Shipyards and to request a French military mission for training the Shōgun’s land forces in western warfare.
Failure of this mission would bring unbearable shame to her father.
So, Yoshi had been happy to accompany her father on this most important trip, no matter the discomfort. She also knew that time was running short as they were to leave for Japan next week. The rest of the delegation stayed in Paris to pack for the voyage home.
As they walked through the palace, Yoshi didn’t know where to look.
Neither the grandeur of Notre Dame, the magnificence of the art exhibit hall, nor even the luxuriousness of the Tuileries Palace where they had first met Emperor Napoleon III could have prepared her for the opulence of Chateau de Fontainebleau.
While the Japanese focused on simplicity, the French aimed for abundance—ornate inlaid granite floors; walls adorned with complex tapestries or beautiful art as she had witnessed at the Salon; huge crystal chandeliers hung from geometric-patterned ceilings of gold trim; furniture decorated with even more art or floral patterns all trimmed in gold; massive armoires and tables of exotic woods topped with marble holding massive porcelain vases and figurines; statues and paintings of naked women or religious icons; and fireplaces so tall she could have walked in standing upright.
She was bedazzled and overwhelmed by it all.
And gold…gold on everything: trim on the walls and ceilings, around each painting, on each chandelier, on every piece of furniture, and even in the floor. Yoshi had never seen such vast amounts of gold…yet she had only seen a handful of rooms so far.
Since arriving to Chateau de Fontainebleau, they had already walked great distances from the carriage up the grand, horseshoe-shaped granite staircase to the front door, through the elegant entryway, down enormous hallways, and still more hallways until they came to Napoleon’s Council Chamber.
They followed two military escorts dressed in black uniforms highlighted with red collars, matching red epaulettes with green fringe and triangular red and black hats, each with a curved saber hung from their belts.
The escorts seemed surprised that the Emperor would allow a foreigner into this room, even a foreign dignitary.
“Normally,” one said, “guests are typically met in the grand ballroom.”
They stopped at a massive, ornate door guarded with two additional soldiers in the same matching uniforms who snapped to attention as they approached. Two blue, white and red flags with the seal of the Emperor stood behind each soldier.
“You must surrender your swords, sir,” one of the soldiers stated.
Yoshi translated for her father, but he already seemed to understand as he loosened the sageo cord holding his swords in place. After all, the Shōgun demanded the same. He had told Yoshi in private how surprised he was that the French seemed to ignore the deadly weapons.
Her father carefully wrapped the silk cord around the katana and the shorter wakizashi, bowed and handed the two swords to the officer.
Then the two soldiers simultaneously pulled the double doors open.
As Yoshi followed her father into the room, three of the four men at a large wooden table stood.
She recognized Emperor Napoleon who sat at the head of the table wearing his dark military uniform with gold epaulettes and fringe, a wide red sash, and multiple military ribbons and medals on his chest.
The room was decorated in panels of artwork surrounded by gold trim; a ceiling covered in more paintings; sparkling chandeliers; and an intricate, inlaid floor of various woods and precious metals.
Chairs covered in red velvet surrounded the table, and burning wood crackled in the massive fireplace behind the Emperor.
“Aw, yes. Our guest from Japan,” Napoleon said. “Please forgive me for not getting up. I’m afraid my knees truly limit me today.”
Yoshi translated for her father and they both bowed deeply.
“Please, please come join us at the table,” Napoleon extended his hand. “Shibata Takenaka, I believe you have met Ambassador Léon Roches in Japan.” The man to the Emperor’s right bowed gracefully to Yoshi’s father, and said in adequate Japanese, “I am pleased to see you again, Takenaka-san.”
The Emperor then indicated the two men on his left.
“Please let me introduce Commander Charles Chanoine and Officer Léonce Verny. I am assigning these three men to facilitate and lead our newly forming alliance between the great countries of France and Japan. As you know, Ambassador Roches has been the Consul General of France for the last three years. Under his guidance, Commander Chanoine will lead the first French mission to Japan. Monsieur Verney is both a French officer and a naval engineer and will help in your effort of construction of the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal.”
Yoshi could not believe the good news, and translated to her father as fast as she could.
Her father bowed and said, “You have honored Shōgun Tokugawa Iemochi greatly, and we look forward to this arrangement.”
Ambassador Roches cleared his throat and looked at the Emperor who nodded. He turned back toward Yoshi’s father and paused.
The Ambassador sighed as he bowed and again in Japanese said, “I have just returned from Japan, and we were unsure if you had heard the news. I am afraid to be the bearer of bad news, but Shōgun Tokugawa Iemochi has died.”