Seta Bridge
The Seta Bridge (瀬田橋) is a bridge in Shiga Prefecture, Japan, connecting the Seta River to Lake Biwa. It was formerly part of Ōmi Province and connected Seta Village to the road leading to Ōtsu.[1]
History[edit | edit source]
In 1582, a duel between the Shinbakufu member and samurai Akechi Kagemitsu and the former daimyō Shōtei was scheduled to take place on the bridge. In actuality, Kagemitsu planned to ambush and eliminate Shōtei on the bridge to bring southern Ōmi fully under his control.[2]
His plan failed when Oda Nobunaga's former retainer Yasuke arrived and interrupted the fight before it could begin. Yasuke eliminated Kagemitsu's men as he retreated alongside his bodyguard, Gamo Yoshimitsu, with Shōtei similarly retreating to Kōga. After the battle, the miko Aoi came and spoke with Yasuke about their respective findings, prompting Yasuke to seek Shōtei's aid in pursuing and eliminating Kagemitsu.[2]
Sometime later, Yasuke and his fellow Kakushiba ikki member Fujibayashi Naoe tracked a member of the Seta River Killers, the Stalker, to the bridge, where the latter planned to kill a local fisherwoman. The Stalker was assassinated before she could accomplish her task, saving the fisherwoman.[3]