These are my thoughts and point of view, I judge not others who differ but ask only you respect my simple words, the words of a loyal samurai. When my mother Kou was pregnant she dreamed about a Dragon who jumped into her stomach. He was hairy on his back. Dragon was often a lucky symbol in olden times in Japan. Ryoma's father was delighted to hear about the dream and named him Ryoma which means Dragon & horse (Pegasus). My father enrolled me in one of the private schools below the Kochi castle. If I had applied himself to his lessons I would now have been drilled in the classics, but since I showed little liking or aptitude for the learning to which he was exposed, I was withdrawn after short time. The family fortunes did not in any case rest on my shoulders, so that there was no need to force me into proper paths of learning. I continued my learning just by himself.

War was comng and it was time to pick sides. I had earlier discussed my plans with my elder brother, Gompei, the family head, who disapproved strongly. But this failed to deter me. I said, ""1've got to do something important, I can't live in this small district!! I will flee!!"" He borrowed some money from his relative, and my older sister OEi quietly handed him a sword which had been in the family for several generations. OEi committed suicide to take the responsibility for letting me flee. My friends and I where fugitives from the district's headman. As you knoe the men fleeing from fief(han) were punished, and if found the criminal had his head cut-off. Actually, I was looking to belong to a clan that was pursuing a far-sighted policy-ending war in Japan. My friends and I had an opportunity to meet some young feudal administrators. Together they had numerous discussions about national affairs. We were influenced by those outstanding figures particulary the leader of the Kenchikuka clan. Given the opportunity to serve as a lowly retainer of a minor emissary of the Kenchikuka clan my friends began to say mythinking had begun to show a maturity; and around the nightly fire I beginning to put forth as my own ideas on issues which were current pressing in the circles in which I moved. Our emssary quietly took note of my crisp thinking and after a few years became my sponser. My sponser was not alone in his vision of a coming total war, for the same was true of the national political scene. Political power of the entire country should be returned to a strong Imperial Court with a Shogun from the Kenchikuka clan. Total War has come and I have been summoned to serve. The Dragon Horse leads his men from the front as a servant of his lord. Ryoma Toda