Ryugu had a special
dislike for horses. Hideyoshi sent for the boatmen and told them that he
had undertaken this expedition at the command of the emperor, and that the
god of the sea was too polite to interfere in anything pertaining to the
transportation of troops for such a purpose. He said however that he would
make it all right by writing a letter to Ryugu, instructing him to insure
the safe passage of the ships. This was done, and a letter addressed "Mr.
Ryugu" was thrown into the sea. The boatmen were satisfied, and the horses
were taken over without difficulty.(175)

With the fall of Odawara the whole of the Kwanto, comprising the provinces
of Sagami, Musashi, Kotsuke, Shimotsuke, Hitachi, Shimosa, Kazusa, and Awa
came into the possession of Hideyoshi. During the progress of the siege,
it is said that he and Ieyasu were standing in a watch tower which they
had built on the heights above the castle of Odawara. Hideyoshi pointed to
the great plain before them and said(176): "Before many days I will have
conquered all this, and I propose to give it into your keeping."

Ieyasu thanked him warmly and said: "That were indeed great luck."

Hideyoshi added: "Wilt thou reside here at Odawara as the Hojo have done
up to this time?"

Ieyasu answered: "Aye, my lord, that I will."

"That will not do," said Hideyoshi. "I see on the map that there is a
place called Yedo about twenty _ri_ eastward from us. It is a position far
better than this, and that will be the place for thee to live."

Ieyasu bowed low and replied: "I will with reverence obey your lordship's
directions."

In accordance with this conversation after the fall of Odawara, Ieyasu was
endowed with the provinces of the Kwanto and took up his residence at
Yedo. This is the first important appearance of Yedo in the general
history of Japan. It had however an earlier history, when in the fifteenth
century it appears as a fishing village called _Ye-do_, that is _door of
the bay_. Near this fishing village Ota Dokwan, a feudal baron, built
himself in A.D. 1456 a castle. With the advent of Ieyasu, Yedo became a
place of first importance, a rank which it still holds. The object of
Hideyoshi in thus entrusting this great heritage to Ieyasu seems to have
been to secure him by the chains of gratitude to himself and his family.
Already Ieyasu was connected by marriage with Hideyoshi, his wife being
Hideyoshi's sister. By making him lord of an immense and powerful count