{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_19945/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_19945","id":"gutenberg_19945","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19945","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Folklore","Tales -- Japan"],"text":"Produced by Clare Boothby and the Online Distributed\nProofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net\n\n\n\n\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n  +------------------------------------------------------------+\n  | TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES                                        |\n  |                                                            |\n  | Accents and diacritical marks have generally been          |\n  | standardised. Where there is a single instance of a word   |\n  | with an accent, and one without, no change has been made   |\n  | to the original (e.g. Shigenari/Shigenari, Uesugi/Uesugi). |\n  |                                                            |\n  | The letter o with a macron is represented as o[u].         |\n  | The letter u with a macron is represented as u[u].         |\n  | The letter e with a macron is represented as e[e].         |\n  |                                                            |\n  | Kanji and hiragana characters in the original book are     |\n  | shown enclosed in square brackets: for example, [sara].    |\n  |                                                            |\n  | The italicisation of Japanese words has been standardised. |\n  |                                                            |\n  | Hyphenation and capitalisation has been standardised.      |\n  |                                                            |\n  | Punctuation and obvious printer's errors have been         |\n  | corrected. For a complete list, please see the bottom      |\n  | of this document.                                          |\n  |                                                            |\n  +------------------------------------------------------------+\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n[Illustration: EDO WAN (TOKYO BAY)]\n\n\n\n\nLEGEND.\n\n\nThe outline of the map is that found in Volume I. of the Edo Sunago,\npublished Keio 2nd year (1866). The detail of district maps found in the\nbook is worked in, together with that from the sectional map of Edo\npublished Ansei 4th year (1857), and from the Go Edo Zusetsu Shu[u]ran\npublished Kaei 6th year (1853). The map therefore shows in rough outline\nthe state of the city just before the removal of the capital from\nKyo[u]to; the distribution of the castes.\n\nThe Pre-Tokugawa villages (Eiroku: 1558-1569) indicated on the map found\nin the \"Shu[u]ran\" are:--\n\nNorth and South Shinagawa: Meguro-Motomura: Gin-Mitamura: Mitamura:\nO[u]nemura: Upper and Lower Shibuya: Harajuku-mura: Kokubunji: Azabu:\nKawaza Ichi: O[u]zawa-mura: Imai-mura: Sendagaya: Yamanaka-mura:\nIchigaya: Ushigome: Kobiko-mura: Upper and Lower Hirakawa-mura: Ochiya:\nSekihon: Ikebukuroya: Tomizaka-mura: Ishibukero-mura: Tanibaragaike:\nNeruma-mura: Okurikyo[u]: Nakarai-mura: Koishikawa: Zoshigayatsu:\nO[u]ji: Shimura: Takinogawa: Kinsoboku-mura: Harajuku-mura (II.):\nKomegome-mura: Taninaka-mura: Shimbori-mura: Mikawajima-mura:\nAshigahara-mura: Haratsuka: Ishihama-mura: Senju[u]-mura: Suda-mura:\nSumidagawa: Yanagijima: Jujo[u]-mura: Itabashi: Sugamo-mura: Arakawa\n(river): Kandagawa pool (_ike_): Kanda-mura: Shibasaki-mura:\nShin-Horima-mura: Yushima-mura: Shitaya-mura: Torigoe-mura:\nShirosawa-mura: Asakusa-mura: Harai-mura: Some-Ushigome: Ishiwara:\nKinoshitagawa: Ubagaike (pool): Negishi-mura: Kinsoki-mura: Kameido-mura\n(near Ueno): Shinobazu-ike (pool).\n\n  From South to North circling by the West.\n    Shinagawa: Mita-mura: Takanawa:\n      Near Imai-mura is a Myo[u]jin shrine, close by the\n        mouth of the present Akabane river.\n\nIkura: Hibiya: Tsukiji: Tsukuda: Tame-ike (pool): Tsukuda Myo[u]jin:\nOta's castle: Sanke-in: Hirakawa-mura: Sakurada-mura: Honju[u]-mura:\nO[u]tamage-ike: Kametaka-mura. To the East.\n\n77 villages, total.\n\nPronounce as in Italian, giving vowels full value: ch- as in \"church.\"\n\n[NIROKUDO[U] ISSUES]\n\nTALES OF THE TOKUGAWA II\n\nBAKEMONO YASHIKI\n\n(THE HAUNTED HOUSE)\n\n\n\nRETOLD FROM THE JAPANESE ORIGINALS\n\nBY\n\nJAMES S. DE BENNEVILLE\n\n\n    \"Woman's greatest need,\n     The base of all governance,\n     Is governance; Seldom found,\n     And rarely applied.\"--_Seishin_\n\nYOKOHAMA\n\n1921\n\n\n\n\nPREFACE\n\n\nIn 1590 A.D. the Ho[u]jo[u] were overthrown at Odawara by the Taiko[u]\nHideyoshi, and the provinces once under their sway were intrusted to his\nsecond in command, Tokugawa Iyeyasu. This latter, on removing to the\ncastle of Chiyoda near Edo, at first paid main attention to\nstrengthening his position in the military sense. From his fief in\nTo[u]to[u]mi and Suruga he had brought with him a band of noted\ncaptains, devoted to his service through years of hardest warfare. He\nplaced them around his castle ward, from East to South in a great\nsweeping arc of detached fortresses, extending from Shimo[u]sa province\nto that of Sagami. Koga was the chief stronghold on the North, against\nwhat was left of the Uesugi power. The most devoted of his captains,\nHonda Tadakatsu, was established at Kawagoe. Odawara, under an O[u]kubo,\nas always, blocked the way from the Hakone and Ashigara passes. In the\nhands of Iyeyasu and his captains, the formidable garrison here\nestablished was not likely to offer opportunity of a second \"Odawara\nconference,\" during which dalliance with compromise and surrender would\nbring sudden attack and disaster. At this period there is no sign that\nin his personal service Prince Iyeyasu made changes from the system\ncommon to the great military Houses of the time. The castle ward and\nattendance always were divided up among the immediate vassals of the\nlord. The basis was strictly military, not domestic. Even the beautiful\n_kami-shimo_ (X), or butterfly hempen cloth garb of ceremonial\nattendance was an obvious reminder of the armour worn in the field.\n\nGreat statesman and warrior that he was, the Taiko[u] Hideyoshi must\nhave realised the difficulties confronting his House. The formidable\npower he had created in the North was no small part of them. On several\noccasions he sought a quarrel with Iyeyasu; sought to humiliate him in\nsmall ways, to lower his prestige and provoke an outbreak. Such was the\ntrifling incident of the lavish donation required of Iyeyasu to the\nHachiman shrine at Kamakura. But Hideyoshi, as with Elizabeth of\nEngland, looked rather to the balance of cost against result, always\nwith possibility of failure in view. When he died in 1598, and left\nTokugawa Iyeyasu practically regent of the land, his expectation can be\njudged to be, either that the loyal members of the council of regency\nwould at least balance the Tokugawa power for their own sakes, or that\nthe majority of his son Hideyori, then a mere infant, would witness no\nquestion of supremacy. In the one event the glory and prestige of his\nHouse would stand. In the second case the safety of his posterity would\nbe assured. With his experience, and belief in the over-riding power of\nNobunaga and himself, the first was as likely to happen as the second;\nand the influence of the Toyotomi House was the means necessary to\ninsure to Iyeyasu the position already secured, against the jealousy of\nthe other lords. Time showed that he granted a perspicuity and energy to\nthe members of his council which Iyeyasu alone possessed.\n\nWith Sekigahara (1600) the situation was definitely changed. In 1603\nIyeyasu was made Sho[u]gun, and the first steps were to organize the\nEastern capital at Edo on an Imperial scale. The modest proportions of\nthe Chiyoda castle of Ho[u]jo[u] times--the present inner keep--had\nalready grown to the outer moat. Around these precincts were thrown the\nvassals of the Sho[u]gun. The distribution at first was without much\nmethod, beyond the establishment of greater lords in close proximity to\nthe person of the Sho[u]gun. This feature was accentuated in the time of\nthe third Sho[u]gun Iyemitsu. Immediately allied Houses and vassals\noccupied the castle ward between the inner and outer moats, from the\nHitotsubashi gate on the North, sweeping East and South to the Hanzo[u]\ngate on the West. The Nishimaru, or western inclosure of the castle,\nfaced this Hanzo[u] Gomon. From this gate to a line drawn diagonally\nnorth eastward from the Kanda-bashi Gomon to the Sujikae Gomon, the\nsection of the circle was devoted to the _yashiki_ (mansions) of the\n_hatamoto_ or minor lords in immediate vassalage of the Sho[u]gun's\nservice. Kanda, Bancho[u], Ko[u]jimachi (within the outer moat), the\nlarger parts of Asakusa, Shitaya, Hongo[u], Koishikawa, Ushigome\n(Ichigaya), Yotsuya, Akasaka, Azabu, and Shiba, were occupied by\n_yashiki_ of _hatamoto_ and _daimyo[u]_--with an ample proportion of\ntemple land. It would seem that there was little left for commercial\nEdo. Such was the case. The scattered towns of Kanda, Tayasu,\nKo[u]jicho[u], several score of villages on the city outskirts, are\nfound in this quarter. The townsmen's houses were crowded into the made\nground between the outer moat of the castle and the _yashiki_ which\nlined the Sumida River between Shiba and the Edogawa. In 1624 the\nreclaimed ground extended almost to the present line of the river. The\ndeepening of the beds of the Kanda and Edo Rivers had drained the\nmarshes. The use of the waters of the Kandagawa for the castle moat had\nmade dry land of the large marsh just to the south of the present Ueno\ndistrict. Thus Hongo[u], in its more particular sense, became a building\nsite.\n\nWith elaboration of the outer defences went elaboration of the immediate\nservice on the Sho[u]gun. There was no sudden change. The military forms\nof the camp stiffened into the etiquette of the palace. The\n_Sho[u]inban_ or service of the audience chamber, the _Ko[u]sho[u]gumi_\nor immediate attendants, these were the most closely attached to the\nSho[u]gun's person. To be added to these are the O[u]bangumi or palace\nguard, the _Kojuningumi_ and the Kachigumi which preceded and surrounded\nthe prince on his outside appearances. These \"sections\" formed the Go\nBanshu[u], the _honoured_ bodyguard. In the time of Iyemitsu a sixth\n_kumi_ or section was formed, to organize the service of the women\nattendants of the palace, of the _oku_ or private apartments in\ndistinction from the _omote_ or public (men's) apartments, to which the\nGo Banshu[u] were attached. Given the name of _Shinban_ (New) this\n_kumi_ was annexed to the Banshu[u]. This aroused instant protest. The\nthen lords of the Go Ban inherited their position through the merits of\nmen who had fought on the bloody fields of war. Now \"luck, not service,\"\nwas to be the condition of deserving. The protest was made in form, and\nregarded. Iyemitsu gave order that the Shinbangumi retain its name, but\nwithout connection with the Banshu[u].\n\nAt this point the confusion of terms is to be explained. All through the\nrule of the first three Sho[u]gun a gradual sifting had been taking\nplace. Into Edo were crowding the _daimyo[u]_ who sought proximity to\nthe great man of the land. Then came the order of compulsory residence,\nissued by Iyemitsu himself; seconded by the mighty lords of Sendai and\nSatsuma, who laid hands on sword hilts, and made formal statement that\nhe who balked nourished a treacherous heart. The support of one of them\nwas at least unexpected. The acquiescence of both cut off all\nopposition. Most of the ground now within the outer moat was devoted to\nthe greater lords in immediate service on the Tokugawa House. The\n_hatamoto_ were removed to the outer sites in Koishikawa, Ushigome,\nYotsuya; to the Bancho[u], the only closer ward they retained; or across\nthe river to Honjo[u] and Fukagawa. Those in immediate service were\nplaced nearest to the palace. From the beginning the favoured residence\nsite had been just outside the Hanzo[u] and Tayasu Gomon, across the\ninner moat from the palace. Hence the district got the name of\nBancho[u]. _Go Ban_ ([go ban]) in popular usage was confused with ([go\nban])--\"five\" instead of \"honoured.\" In course of time the constant\nremovals to this district made it so crowded, its ways so intricate,\nthat one who lived in the Bancho[u] (Ban ward) was not expected to know\nthe locality; a wide departure from the original checker board design on\nwhich it had been laid out, and hence the characters [bancho[u]]\n(Bancho[u]) used at one time. This, however, was when Edo had expanded\nfrom its original 808 _cho[u]_ (20200 acres) to 2350 _cho[u]_ (58750\nacres). The original Bancho[u] included all the ground of Iidamachi, and\nextended to the Ko[u]jimachi road. Ko[u]jimachi (the _mura_ or village)\nwas then in the Bancho[u], and known as _samurai ko[u]jimachi_\n[ko[u]jimachi] (by-way), not the present [ko[u]ji] (yeast). In the time\nof the third Sho[u]gun the Bancho[u] was as yet a lonely place--to the\nwest of the city and on its outskirts. The filling in process, under the\nGovernment pressure for ground, was just under way. Daimyo[u]-ko[u]ji,\nbetween the inner and outer moats, through the heart of which runs the\nrailway spur from Shimbashi to To[u]kyo[u] station, was being created\nby elimination of the minor lords. At the close of Kwanei (1624 A.D.)\nall the Daimyo[u]-koji was very solid ground; an achievement of no\nlittle note when the distance from the Sumidagawa is considered. At\nIyeyasu's advent to Edo the shore line ran close to the inner moat of\nthe castle. The monastery of Zo[u]jo[u]ji then situated close to the\nsite of the present Watagaru gate, was converted by him into the great\nestablishment at Shiba; and placed as close to the waters of the bay as\nthe present Seikenji of Okitsu in Suruga--its fore-bear in the material\nand ecclesiastical sense.\n\nThe same rapid development of the town took place on the eastern side of\nthe river. Honjo[u] and Fukagawa became covered by the _yashiki_ sites,\ninterspersed with the numerous and extensive temple grounds. Iyeyasu was\nas liberal to the material comforts of his ghostly advisers, as he was\nstrict in their supervision. One fifth of Edo was ecclesiastical. One\neighth of it, perhaps, was given over to the needed handicrafts and\ntradesmen of the Kyo[u]bashi and Nihonbashi wards along the river, with a\nmoiety of central Honjo[u]--and to the fencing rooms. The balance of the\ncity site was covered by the _yashiki_. Thus matters remained until the\nMeiji period swept away feudalism, and substituted for the military town\nthe modern capital of a living nation. So much for the Edo with which we\nhave to deal, apart from its strange legends and superstitions, its\nmalevolent and haunting influences, working ill to the invaders, daring to\nencroach upon the palace itself and attack the beloved of the Sho[u]gun\nand his heir, only to be quelled by the divine majesty of his look--as\nexpounded in such tangle of verities as the Honjo[u]-Nana-fushigi (seven\nmarvels of Honjo[u]), the Azabu Nana-fushigi, the Fukagawa Nana-fushigi,\nthe Bancho[u] Nana-fushigi, the Okumura Kiroku, the temple scrolls and\ntraditions, and many kindred volumes.\n\nIn reference to the Bancho[u]: the stories outlined in the present\nvolume date from the period of the puppet shows and strolling reciters,\nmen who cast these tales into their present lines, thus reducing popular\ntradition to the form in which it could be used by the _ko[u]danshi_ or\nlecturers on history, or by those diving into the old tales and\nscandals connected with the _yashiki_ of Edo town. In the present volume\nmain reliance for the detail has been placed on the following\n_ko[u]dan_:--\n\n     \"The Bancho[u] Nana-fushigi\" of Matsubayashi Hakuen.\n\n     \"The Bancho[u] Sarayashiki\" of Momogawa Jo[u]en.\n\n     \"The Bancho[u] Sarayashiki\" of Byo[u]haku Hakuchi, in the\n     \"Kwaidan-shu[u]\" published by the Hakubunkwan.\n\n     \"The Bancho[u] Sarayashiki\" of Ho[u]gyu[u]sha To[u]ko.\n\n     \"Yui Sho[u]setsu\" of Ko[u]ganei Koshu[u].\n\nThese references could be extended. The story of the Sarayashiki figures\nin most of the collections of wonder tales. The Gidayu of the \"Banshu[u]\nSarayashiki\" by Tamenaga Taro[u]bei and Asada Itcho[u] finds no\napplication. It deals with Himeji in Harima. As for the stories from an\nesoteric point of view, as illustrations of the period they have a\nvalue--to be continued in those more historical, and which deal with the\nlives and deeds of men of greater note and influence in this early\nTokugawa court. The present volume instances the second class of wonder\ntales referred to in the preface to the Yotsuya Kwaidan.\n\nO[u]marudani, 14th November, 1916.\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS\n\n                                                            PAGE\n\n      Preface                                                  v\n\n      Map of Edo                                    _Facing_ xii\n\n                            PART I.\n\n                    TALES OF THE EDO BANCHO[U]:\n                      WHO AOYAMA SHU[U]ZEN WAS                 1\n\n      Chapter    I. The Chu[u]gen Rokuzo                       3\n\n                II. The Bakemono Yashiki                      17\n\n               III. Nakakawachi Shu[u]zen                     26\n\n                IV. The O'kage Sama                           38\n\n                 V. The Report to the Tono Sama               48\n\n                VI. The Shrine of the O'Inari Sama            55\n\n               VII. The Luck of Okumura Shu[u]zen             64\n\n              VIII. Aoyama Shu[u]zen                          76\n\n                IX. Shu[u]zen meets Shu[u]zen                 84\n\n                 X. The Meeting of the Gaman Kwai             89\n\n\n                            PART II.\n\n                    BANCHO[U] SARAYASHIKI:\n                      WHAT AOYAMA SHU[U]ZEN BECAME            97\n\n      Chapter   XI. The Yoshida Goten                         99\n\n               XII. The Ko[u]jimachi Well                    111\n\n              XIII. The Sen Himegimi (Princess Sen)          122\n\n               XIV. Shu[u]zen Adolescens                     130\n\n                XV. The God favours Shu[u]zen                142\n\n               XVI. The Affair of the Asakusa Kwannon        150\n\n              XVII. Emma Dai-O[u] gives Judgment             156\n\n             XVIII. Kosaka Jinnai                            165\n\n               XIX. A Matter of Pedestrianism                171\n\n                XX. The Affair of Kishu[u] Ke                179\n\n               XXI. If old Acquaintance be forgot            192\n\n              XXII. The Shrine of the Jinnai-bashi           201\n\n             XXIII. A Winter Session                         212\n\n              XXIV. The Tiger at the front Gate; the Wolf at\n                    the Postern                              218\n\n               XXV. Chu[u]dayu wins his Suit                 229\n\n              XXVI. Sampei Dono                              236\n\n             XXVII. Aoyama wins his Suit                     245\n\n            XXVIII. The Sarayashiki                          251\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPART I\n\n\nTALES OF THE EDO BANCHO[U]\n\nWHO AOYAMA SHU[U]ZEN WAS.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I\n\nTHE _Chu[u]gen_ ROKUZO\n\n\nRokuzo the _chu[u]gen_ sighed as he faced the long slope leading to the\nKudanzaka. Pleasant had been his journey to this point. From his master's\n_yashiki_ in Ichigaya to the shop of the sandal maker Sukebei in lower\nKanda it had been one long and easy descent. Sukebei had gratified Rokuzo\nwith the desired and well established commission or \"squeeze.\" Orders for\nsandals in the _yashiki_ of a nobleman were no small item. Rokuzo was\neasily satisfied. Though of a scant thirty years in age he had not the\nvice of women, the exactions of whom were the prime source of rascality in\nthe sphere of _chu[u]gen_, as well as in the glittering train of the\npalace. At the turn of the road ahead Rokuzo could eye the massive walls\nof the moat, which hid the fortress and seraglio built up by the skilful\nhands of Kasuga no Tsubone in her earnest efforts to overcome the woman\nhating propensities of the San-dai-ke, the third prince of the Tokugawa\nline, Iyemitsu Ko[u]. Rokuzo was a _chu[u]gen_, servant in attendance on\nhis master Endo[u] Saburo[u]zaemon, _hatamoto_ or immediate vassal of the\ncommander-in-chief, the Sho[u]gun or real ruler in the land of Nippon\nsince the long past days of Taira Kiyomori.\n\nRokuzo had no great lady in charge of his domestic arrangements, one\nwhose obsession it was to overcome his dislike of man's natural mate.\nNor had he such mate to administer reproof for his decided liking for\nthe sherry-like rice wine called _sake_. Sukebei had rigidly performed\nhis part in the matter of the \"squeeze\"; but Rokuzo considered him\ndecidedly stingy in administration of the wine bottle--or bottles.\nWillingly would he have sacrificed the commission for an amplitude of\nthe wine. But even _chu[u]gen_ had their formulae of courtesy, and such\nreflection on his host would have been too gross. With a sigh therefore\nhe had set out from the shop of the sandal maker, eyeing the wine shops\npassed from time to time, but not fortunate enough to chance upon any\nacquaintance whose services he could call upon in facing him over a\nglass. Rokuzo had the virtue of not drinking alone.\n\nKanda village once passed, the _yashiki_ walls hemmed in the highway\nwhich ran through a district now one of the busiest quarters of the\ncity. This sloping ground was popularly known as Ichimenhara, to\nindicate its uniformity of surface. There was not a hint of the great\nuniversity, the long street of book-stores close packed side by side for\nblocks. Their site was covered by the waters of the marsh, almost lake,\nof the Kanda River, then being slowly drained into the castle moats. The\ntop of the hill reached, at what is now South Jimbocho[u], the shops and\nhouses of the one village hereabouts, Tayasu-mura, offered a last chance\nfor diversion. The steep slope of the Kudan hill was now before Rokuzo,\nand beyond he had to pass through the lonely wood which harboured a\ntemple to the war god Hachiman, and which covered the site of the\npresent Sho[u]konsha or shrine to the spirits of the soldiers killed in\nNippon's wars. This road ran through the San-Bancho[u], then a lonely\nquarter in which stood isolated from each other _yashiki_ of the\n_hatamoto_. The district was filling up, under press of the needs of the\ncastle service for space immediately round about. But the process was a\nslow one, and the district one much suspected by the lower classes.\n\nRokuzo was not fat. He was short, thick necked, sturdy with a\nbarrel-like roundness, and, owing to his drinking propensities, endowed\nwith legs the thinness of which found the conveyance of the upper\nmassiveness no mean task. Hence he stopped at the foot of the hill to\nwipe the sweat from his face. He eyed with envy a low caste being, a\n_heimin_ and labourer. Clad in a breech-clout the fellow swung rapidly\ndown the hill with his load of charcoal balanced at each end of the\ncarrying pole. It was etiquette, not modesty, which confined Rokuzo to\nthe livery of his master. He was compelled to a coat which, light and\nthin as it was, cut off all the breeze from his muscular shoulders.\nWell! Up the hill he must get. The rolling down was a matter of the\npast. The _yashiki_, the house officer (_kyu[u]nin_) to whom report was\nto be made, lay beyond. About to make the start a voice spoke in his\near. Though soft and gentle it would have had no particular attraction\nfor the now thirsty Rokuzo. But apart from thirst Rokuzo was of the\nthoroughly good natured kind. He was surprised at the beauty of the face\non which his eyes rested; still more so at the size of the bundle she\nwas trying to carry, and which plainly was far beyond her strength. The\nrashness of benevolence overcame the not too energetic Rokuzo. Sigh as\nhe did over the conveyance of his carcass up the steep hill, he sighed\nstill more at thought of this fragile creature attempting to carry such\na burden.\n\nShe followed his eyes to the bundle. \"Alas! Honoured Sir, what is to be\ndone? The _furoshiki_ is far beyond one's poor strength. Though the\ndistance is not great--only to Go Bancho[u]--yet it could as well be a\npilgrimage to Ise. Surely the hills of Hakone and Iga are no steeper\nthan this Kudanzaka.\" She sighed; and apart from a weariness of voice\nthere was a suspicion of moisture in her eyes. The more Rokuzo looked at\nher, the greater waxed his pity and benevolence. Barely of eighteen\nyears she was a beautiful girl; not a servant, yet not one of the\nsecluded and guarded daughters of a noble House. Perhaps she was the\nyoung wife of some soldier, and he was surprised at her being\nunattended. She noted this, and readily explained the fact. There were\npurchases yet to make, close by in Tayasu. Here a servant was to be at\nhand, but wearied by waiting the woman had made off. \"To offer a wage,\ngood sir, seems impolite; yet the way being the same deign to grant the\nfavour of your strength.\" In the petition her face was wreathed in\nadmiring smiles at Rokuzo's fine figure of a man. A light in the eyes,\ncaptious and coquettish, the furtive glances at his broad shoulders and\nstout neck, betrayed him into the indiscretion of volunteering a service\npromptly accepted. This done, the lady, without losing sight of display\nof her charm of manner, was all business.\n\nRokuzo had much to learn, and he was not one to profit much by his\nlessons. If he was virtuous, he was by nature a very Simple Simon. A\ngreater liking for women might by contact have sharpened wits rather\ndulled by drinking. As it was, anyone in the _yashiki_, who wished to\nshift some unpleasant obligation, found in Rokuzo the one to be\nimpressed by the most specious excuse, and the one whose kindness of\nheart undertook and carried out the purpose of avoidance by assumption\nof the task. Instead of concocting some pretext to carry off Sukebei, or\none, or all, of his apprentices to the neighbouring street and a grog\nshop, his inexperience and diffidence had carried him away still\nthirsty. Instead of bumping into some passing fellow _chu[u]gen_ on the\nstreet, and wiping out the insult with wine, he had idled along, leaving\nto every man his share of the roadway, and to the thirsty with burdens\nmore than their share. Hence this uncongenial company of thirst and a\nwoman. She had halted at a grocer's shop, and his eyes were soon agog at\nsight of her investments--mushrooms, not of much weight, but in bulk\nforming almost a mound; the dried sliced gourd called _kambyoku_, of\nwhich she seemed very fond; marrow, _to[u]gan_ (gourd-melon),[1] the new\nand expensive potato (_imo_), for money was no object in her purchases.\nA second shop close by caught her eye. Here were added to the pile the\nlong string beans, doubtless to roast in the pod for an afternoon's\namusement and repast, _kabocha_ or squashes, large stalks of _daikon_\n(radish) two feet in length, _go[u]bo[u]_ or burdock, and a huge\nwatermelon. The list is too long to quote except for the report of a\nproduce exchange. Indeed it was rather a case of what she did not buy,\non a scale to furnish forth a _yashiki_. Then she made her way to a\nconfection and fruit shop just opposite the scene of her last purchases.\nPears were coming into season--weighty in measure and on the stomach.\nBut the lady was not frightened. She bought for yesterday, to-day, and\nto-morrows, in fruit and cakes of all kinds. Conveyed by the divers\nattendants her goods lay piled up at the last source of supply. Puzzled,\nshe regarded the huge mass; then took eye measure of the shoulders of\nRokuzo. They inspired confidence. She laid a gentle and admiring hand on\nhis massiveness. She looked into his face with enticing smile. There was\na silvery little laugh in her voice. Concealing their grins the shop\nattendants fled to their different haunts. Here they smothered cries and\nroars of coarse merriment; and one man nearly smothered himself by\nsticking his head in the brine cask. This _chu[u]gen_ was no servant of\nthe lady. He was a volunteer conveyancer caught by a pretty face. They\nknew her.\n\nRokuzo had more than sturdy shoulders. He stuck to his bargain. Plainly\nsomething must be done; and the lady did it. In a trice she haled him to\na draper's shop. \"A five-fold _furoshiki_--at once.\" The draper gaped\nnot; he obeyed. The cloth was produced, and his several apprentices were\nengaged in sewing together one of those square package cloths, so\nconvenient in the conveyance of scattered parcels. It was a portentous\nproduct, a very sheet. Obsequiously offered and accepted, the draper\nwatched his customers depart with curious eyes. It was not the first of\nits kind bought by the lady. He hoped it would not be the last; for his\nown sake and that of his fellow traders. The money at least was always\ngood. The girl must be popular and rich. A number of _chu[u]gen_ were\nemployed in her service. Never did she bring the same man. Then the\npurchases were piled into one bundle. At this both Rokuzo and the\ndispenser of sweets were skilled hands. The lady looked anxiously up and\ndown the road. She tripped into this place and that. Finally she came\nback to the bundle, looking as if about to cry. Of the servant's return\nthere was no sign. Stolidly the shop-keeper maintained his pose. His\nshop could not be left to itself; the lady could not wait. Outside was\nthe blazing sun of the sixth month (July), then at its hottest period of\nthe hour of the ape (after 3 P.M.). She looked at Rokuzo. He twisted\nuneasily.\n\nHis good nature yielded again to the caressing glance. \"Come! As boy\nthis Rokuzo has carried many a farmer's frame of grass from the mountain\nto Shibukawa village. Nay; many a sick man has he shouldered on the\nhills leading to the healing springs of Ikao and Kusatsu.\" He ran an eye\nover the bundle. \"Ah! A terrific bundle; one to cause fright. There is\nnothing else to do.\" He would have liked to measure strength with this\ntruant servant; doubtless a terrific female. The confectioner puffed and\nblew, with straining, swelling neck. The _furoshiki_ at last was on the\nshoulders of the unhappy Rokuzo. Fortunately the shops of Nippon have no\ndoors. A most mountainous and monstrous wrestler, a very Daniel Lambert,\ncan be carried forth feet first from such a front. The shop keeper\nfollowed the pair with his eyes. He passed his hand over the money. Then\nhe looked again. The lady went lightly up the hill. Puffing and blowing\nat last Rokuzo was compelled to zig-zag on its steepness. Then she\nfollowed after his movements, gently encouraging him with words, and a\ncheerful pleased giggle that was a very goad in his rear. The grocer\ncrossed to consultation with the baker. \"Bah! He has a ring in his\nnose.\" Said the man of confections--\"He is Rokuzo, _chu[u]gen_ of\nEndo[u] Sama. But the other day it was Isuke, _chu[u]gen_ of Okumura\nSama, who did her service. And so with others. Truly entertainment at\nYoshiwara costs less effort and wage. These cats are all one colour in\nthe dark.\" The philosophic and cynical shop-keepers, each departed to\nhis own place, arguing more shrewdness in a _chu[u]gen_, and the greater\nfreedom, if less honour, implied in the gains and amusements of the\ntownsman. Again and again the baker inspected his coin. There were still\nhouses for women in the Ko[u]jimachi road. This satisfied his doubts.\n\nEncouraged by the lady Rokuzo reached the top of the Kudan hill. In all\nhis experience of burden bearing never before had he shouldered the\nlike. It seemed at times as if the lady herself had floated up on its\nbroad surface, to deposit a weight far beyond her appearance. Perhaps\nshe did; for Rokuzo, blinded by the pouring sweat, hardly knew what\noccurred. From time to time the sweet voice gave direction. Skirting the\ncastle moat she led him up the short slope of the Gomizaka. A fitting\nname, thought Rokuzo. There were more than \"five flavours\" on his back,\nwithout counting the nasty taste in a very dry mouth. His journey was\nalmost at an end. At least he had so determined, when suddenly the\ndestination was reached. The lady knocked at the side door of a splendid\ngate set in a long stretch of wall. So much Rokuzo could see through the\ndamp stream from his brow; and that the surroundings were very rural. A\nrattling of the bar and he turned eagerly to the gate. Its opening gave\na vision of beauty. Clean swept was the ground beneath the splendid pine\ntrees; graceful the curves of the roofs of the villa seen beyond; and\nstill more beautiful, and little more mature than his companion, was the\nfigure of the girl framed in the doorway.\n\nForgetful of his burden Rokuzo gaged. Forgetful of etiquette the girl\nstared. She scanned Rokuzo from head to foot. The squat and sturdy\nfigure of the man, in combination with the huge burden, turned him into\nsome new and useful kind of beast. Astonishment passed into a smile; the\nsmile into a mad burst of laughter in which the other girl more\ndiscreetly joined. \"Ne[e]san (elder sister) the hour is late, but to-day\nthe opportunity of assistance was slow to appear. With such sturdy\nsupport it was thought well to make ample provision.\"--\"Provision\nindeed! Merry will be the feast. Truly sister, great has been the good\nfortune. Honoured Sir, deign to furnish forth the entertainment.\" Again\ncame the merry peal, this time from both the girls. Rokuzo hardly\nappreciated such reward of his efforts. He had a strong suspicion that\nthis merriment was directed at him; that the courtesy and gentle voices\nwere on the surface. There was a snappy nasal sneering ring in the\nlaughter, most unpleasant and savouring of derision. However there was\ncertain to be something at the end of the task. Why neglect to take the\nreward now close to hand? He passed through the large gate, opened by\nthe elder maiden to admit the size of his burden. Under her guidance he\nstruggled along past the corner of the house and into the more removed\nprivacy. Of this he could note the carefully kept inner garden, the\nmassive old well curb standing in its centre, and the scent and strange\nbeauty of the flowering plants. Attention was attracted by the conduct\nof his three employers; for another and older girl now made her\nappearance at the _ro[u]ka_ (verandah). She too gave the same short\nsharp exclamation of amusement at the sight of the porter and his\nportentous load. She leaped down quickly from the verandah and ran up to\npeer into his face. Then she went off into the same mad peal of\nlaughter, in which she was joined without stint by her sisters.\n\nRokuzo was now angry beyond measure; yet as a man and good natured he\nfound it difficult of expression with such beautiful women. All the\nterms of revilement came to his lips--rude rascals (_burei na yatsu_),\nscoundrels (_berabo[u]me_), vile beasts (_chikusho[u]me_). These were\nfreely loaded on himself in time of displeasure of master or fellows.\nBut somehow now they stayed in his throat. \"Rude\"--yes; \"rascals\"--yes.\nThese words reached to a murmur. But the crowning insult of calling\nthese beautiful women \"beasts\" stuck in his gorge and he nearly choked.\nSaid the oldest girl--and she was not over twenty years--\"Sister, you\nare wearied by the heat and your efforts. Deign to enter the bath. All\nis ready. Come! We will enter it together.\" Hand in hand the three were\nabout to depart. Rokuzo found speech. He stuttered in his\nindignation--\"Honoured ladies! Heigh there! This bundle--how now? Truly\nit is as if this Rokuzo had been carrying a child. His back is wet\nthrough. It is very unpleasant. Where is the package to be bestowed?\nDeign to indicate.\" At the sharpness of his tone the elder girl turned\nin surprise. His anger dropped before the attraction of smile and\naddress. Truly these creatures had attention but for the passing moment.\n\"Ah! In joy at the sister's return the burden and its bearer have been\ncompletely forgotten. This is to be very rude. Are! Honoured Sir, you\nare melting away with heat. Place the burden here. At the well yonder is\nwater. Deign to wipe off the sweat which pours from your honoured\nperson.\"\n\nAt once with more than relief he deposited the huge package on the\n_ro[u]ka_. Pending its disposition Rokuzo devoted himself to his\nablutions with decent slowness, to allow the idea of remuneration to\nfilter into the somewhat fat wits of these ladies. At first he was\ninclined thoroughly to sluice himself inwardly. The water was\ndeliciously cool to the outer person on this hot day. But on approaching\nthe bucket to his mouth there was an indefinable nauseating something\nabout it that made him hesitate. Again he tried to drink. Decidedly it\nwas bad, this water; offensive for drinking. With a sigh he diverted the\nstream from his gullet to his shoulders. So pleased was Rokuzo with the\nexperience that he repeated it again and again from the inexhaustible\ncoolness of the well. Then with his head towel he began to wipe the\nnudity of his person, taking in at leisure his surroundings as he did\nso. Oya! Oya! It was indeed an extraordinarily beautiful place, this\nwhich he had entered. The care lavished upon plants and ornamentation\nwas carried to extravagance. The eyes of Rokuzo opened wider and wider.\nHere was a splendid cherry tree in the full magnificence of its bloom.\nThe square of this inner garden was completed by half a dozen plum trees\nladen with the scented blossoms, although the fruit hung heavy from the\nbranches. At the opposite corner the polished red of the ripe persimmons\nmade the mouth water. Beyond these trees and the house was a large and\nsplendid bed of iris, the curious and variegated bloom counterfeiting\nsome patterned screen. From the _ro[u]ka_ extended a wide trellis heavy\nwith the blossoms of the wisteria. Lotus was in flower in the pond.\nWherever he turned his eyes the affection of these ladies for colour and\nscent showed itself. Jinjo[u]ki, hibiscus, pyrus spectabilis,\nchrysanthemum, peonies, ayame or the early iris, all were in mad bloom\nto please the eye. With growing fright Rokuzo gazed from side to side.\nWhat could be the social condition of these women, thus treated so\nfamiliarly by a mere _chu[u]gen_? The gardener surely was an\nextraordinary genius, such as would serve none but the truly great. This\nwas a suspicious place.\n\nThese thoughts were interrupted. Abruptly he approached the part of the\nhouse that seemed a sort of kitchen. The huge bundle had disappeared.\nThe elder sister showed herself. The two younger girls held back\ndiffidently in the rear. All showed amusement, but the freshness of the\nbath had wrought a change in manner, and made them still more lovely\nthan before. Said the elder--\"Thanks are due for the kindness shown.\nThough ashamed, deign to accept this trifling acknowledgment as porter's\nwage.\" She held out to Rokuzo a _hana-furi-kin_. This gold coin, worth a\n_bu_ (the quarter of a _ryo[u]_) was an extravagant fee.[2] Somewhat\nstrange withal; struck off in the Taiko[u]'s day the savour of\ndisloyalty was compensated by the \"raining flowers\" stamped in the\ngold. Rokuzo was still more frightened. Ladies of course were ignorant\nof values. Plainly these were ladies, of but little contact with the\nworld. As an honest and somewhat simple fellow he would have refused the\nover-payment. But he was not eloquent in explanation, and the acceptance\nmeant the speedier departure. Prostrate with extended hands he gave\nthanks. Then he thrust the coin into his bosom and rose in good earnest\nto depart. Here follows the fall of Rokuzo from the grace of good\nbehaviour.\n\nOn her way to a room at the end of the garden passed the youngest of the\nsisters. She was bearing a tray, the burden of which was _sake_ bottles.\nIn the other hand was the heating apparatus, flask included. Rokuzo's\nnostrils opened wide at the delicious perfume. He stood stock still. As\nin some surprise the elder sister regarded him. Thereupon the wine\nbearer halted, in her pose holding the grateful steam directly under his\nnose. Said the first girl--\"Is the wage insufficient? If so....\"\nRokuzo's nostrils twitched. The younger sister stopped a movement as of\nfurther bestowal. \"Ah! This honoured Sir can carry more than burdens.\"\nShe broke into a merry laugh. Said the sister--\"Is that so? The _sake_\nis object of desire.\" Beauty was now enhanced a thousand times by the\nbenevolence of their demeanor. With tongue at last eloquent--\"Ah,\nladies! This Rokuzo is dying of thirst. The well here offers no means to\nquench it. But for the honoured encounter at Kudanzaka long since would\nthe company at the wine shop of Ichigaya have been sought. For reward\ndeign wine rather than coin.\" He made a movement as if to restore the\ngold, but the elder girl stopped him. \"So then, Rokuzo likes wine. He\nshall have both wine and coin, and entertainment in addition.\" With the\nrequest from him their manner had changed. It was now more sedate and\npurposeful. Rokuzo hardly understood the further course of his\nexperiences. Emerged from the bath he found himself seated before a\nplentiful repast. The viand contents of the monumental burden together\nwith what sea and hill could provide--these figured. Rokuzo drank first,\nand plentifully. Never had he tasted such delicious wine. He knew that\nthe Tono Sama drank no better _sake_; nor did his master occupy a more\nsplendid apartment than this one of the wine feast. The silken figured\n_fusuma_ (screens), the fretwork crowning them, the many lamps--it was\nnow dark--in bronze and precious metals, dazzled his small\nunderstanding.\n\nThe women acted as attendants. Rokuzo sat long, now thoroughly fuddled.\nHe listened to an orchestral theme, interpreted by _koto_, _fue_,\n_biwa_, or the _taiko_ (drum). Perhaps there were better voices. Even in\ntheir singing the three girls had that sharp, derisive, unpleasant,\nnasal twang. But Rokuzo was past criticism. To their questioning he told\nwho and what he was; a _chu[u]gen_ in the service of his lord, Endo[u]\nSaburo[u]zaemon, _hatamoto_ in the land, and now in office at the\nfireward of the palace. Had he a wife? A _chu[u]gen_ is not one to have\na wife. At this all the women seemed very pleased. They exchanged\nglances.\n\nThe elder girl now came close to him. She nestled by his side and took\nhis arm, looking coquettishly and smilingly into his face. \"Rokuzo Dono\nhas done much for three lonely women. Will he not do more? Why not\nremain as now, perform the tasks of this house? Does not the change of\nmasters attract?\" Rokuzo's latest remembrance of encounter with the\nhonoured house officer (_kyu[u]nin_) of his master was the six days turn\nin the _yashiki_ prison, on very scant fare. His face was long at the\nthought. He was very remiss on this present occasion. What would happen?\nIn the haze of his wine the voice of the girl continued. Her face was\nvery close as she pressed on him. \"Rokuzo Dono, deign to serve this\nhouse, meet its difficulties.\" For a moment Rokuzo broke the spell.\n\"Difficulties? Of luxurious living and a splendid home? Such\n'difficulties' make one laugh.\"--\"Yet there are real difficulties. Three\nwomen--they have their difficulties. Be the man of the house; the man in\nthe house. Condescend the favour.\" Restraint was thrown off. She held\nhim in her arms and drew him close. Rokuzo's brain was in a whirl.\nWomen? Women? Ah! The wine! His lips eagerly sought the cup she held to\nthem. When she rose he allowed her gentle persuasion. The two other\ngirls busied themselves in the preparations for the night. They\nwhispered to each other; and there seemed to be some ground of division,\nbut the elder had her way. She and Rokuzo were left alone.\n\nIf Rokuzo sought solace in the arms of his mistress he certainly failed\nto find it. Never had such a nightmare descended on his slumbers.\nThrough the night he was battling with most fearful visions, seeking to\navoid tortures of hell. He had pursued his beauty into some huge cave.\nNow possession was secure. From this there was no escape. But it was no\nescape for Rokuzo. Now she turned into a huge obscene object, a very\n_rokurokubi_, one of those hideous monsters with lengthy neck, gleaming\nteeth, and distorted human-like face. Again there was change. He lay\nsupine and helpless; and extended full length over him was a fox of\nportentous size. The sharp, yelping, nasal voice sounded in his ears.\n\"Coin, wine, then lechery: Rokuzo would drink, then play the beast. The\nporter's wage is insufficient. Now let him pay the beast's wage.\" The\nsharp gleaming teeth were at his throat. The foul breath filled his\nlungs. Rokuzo struggled for air, shouted for an aid not at hand.\n\"Drunkard; lecher.\" By a final effort he would free himself from the\nsuccubus--\"Liar!... Namu Amida Butsu! Namu Amida Butsu! Holy the Lord\nBuddha!\"\n\nA heavy chill went through his body, shaking him from head to foot. He\nopened his eyes. In amazement he looked around him. The magnificent\napartment, the women, the garden, the feast, nothing remained of his\nnight's experience. It was the chill of early dawn, and he was lying on\nthe bare ground, in the midst of a wild grass grown and deserted moor. A\ntree root was his pillow. He rose to find the waters of the Kanda marsh\nunder his eyes. He was still on the Ichimenhara. The Kudanzaka was yet\nto be climbed. Ah! He had been foxed, bewitched by reynard or _tanuki_\n(badger). Then remembrance of the _hana-furi-kin_ came to mind. Here\nwould be proof. He thrust a hand into his bosom--to draw out the leaf of\na tree. There was no doubt about it. And the banquet? At the very\nthought of the viands Rokuzo squirmed. He made a gesture of nausea and\ndisgust. The _sake_--was excrement. The food--worse yet. He felt very\nill.\n\nHis aching limbs and heavy head accompanied him to his lord's _yashiki_\nin Ichigaya. Rokuzo took to his bed. At the porter's lodge the\n_kyu[u]nin_, Naito[u] Kyu[u]saburo[u], inspected the tickets of the\n_chu[u]gen_. At last Rokuzo had made his appearance; and had made no\nreport. He was not long in reaching the _chu[u]gen's_ bedside. With\nsevere face he questioned him as to his absence and neglect. \"Gluttonous\nfellow! Something eaten is the cause of the sickness. Rascal that you\nare, a good purge is the thing. Then a fast in the jail will restore the\nstomach. This the punishment, if great your good luck. Otherwise--it\nwill be the garden front. Report is to be made.\" He turned to go. Rokuzo\ndetained him. He spoke with timidity, but under spur of the greater\nretribution. He admitted his fault. \"But....\"--\"But what?\" impatiently\ninterjected Naito[u]. \"Is not the food furnished by his lordship ample\nsupply for the belly? Does a _chu[u]gen_ question his lord's generosity?\nWhat banquet tempted this rascal...?\"--\"Indeed it was a banquet.\" Rokuzo\nwent into details. Kyu[u]saburo[u]'s rage increased. \"You are lying. Or\ndoes illness follow food partaken in a dream? Perhaps the rascal Sukebei\nhas not been paid. Is Rokuzo a thief?\" Rokuzo groaned in pain and\ndiscomfiture. He would make a clean breast of it; confess to more than\nmere food. And he did. \"Nor is Rokuzo the only victim. Isuke,\n_chu[u]gen_ of Okumura Sama of the Bancho[u], nearly lost his life.\nOthers have been trapped; and others knew enough to refuse service and\nrun away. Truly this Rokuzo is a fool. Condescend the honoured\nintercession. Ah, that banquet!\" He shuddered at the thoughts aroused.\nAt sight of the receipt of Sukebei perforce Naito[u] Kyu[u]saburo[u]\nbelieved. He pitied Rokuzo, administered the stoutest purges in his\npharmacy, and left him somewhat relieved in mind and body. The tale was\nsoon known all over the _yashiki_--to the profit of all and the\namusement of most. With gleeful malice Rokuzo would be asked to describe\nhis meal, the superlative flavour of the wine, for past fact and present\nfancy became strangely mixed in his recital. Thus, through the report of\nthe _kyu[u]nin_, Naito[u] Kyu[u]saburo[u], the experience of his\n_chu[u]gen_ Rokuzo came to the ears of Endo[u] Saburo[u]zaemon,\n_hatamoto_ of the land, of four hundred _koku_ income, and officer in\ncharge of the Hiban or fire-ward at the Ushigome gate.[3]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II\n\nTHE _Bakemono Yashiki_\n\n\nEndo[u] Saburo[u]zaemon heard the report of his officer. A slight frown\npuckered his brow, and he contemplated the big toe of his immaculately\nwhite _tabi_ (sock). \"A vexatious matter! _Hatamoto_ of the land,\nofficial duty gives occupation enough. Yet for such things to take\nplace, and so close to the person of the suzerain, this is not to be\npermitted. Beyond his love for wine Rokuzo has shown himself\ntrustworthy. He is not lying?\" Kyu[u]saburo[u] bowed low--\"As your\nlordship says. Of his illness there is no question; and that not merely\nfrom a drunken debauch. Rokuzo is not one to be tempted by women; and to\nthose beyond his station he dares not raise his eyes. It was the wine\nwhich tempted him beyond discretion. He has tried all patience, been\nmost disloyal. The honoured dismissal or severe punishment at the least\nis his due. The Tono Sama summoning him to the garden front, and\ndeigning the kindness of putting him to death (_te-uchi_) ... yet....\"\nHesitating he brought out the once _hana-furi-kin_, wage of the\nunfortunate Rokuzo, now in such danger of drastic remedy for his aching\nhead. Respectfully pushing forward a knee the _kyu[u]nin_ presented it\nto his lord. Saburo[u]zaemon examined it with much curiosity. \"And\nthis?\"--\"The wage for his porter's work,\" answered the officer, his face\nrespectfully wrinkled with the trace of a smile. \"Though one could say\nfrom his exhaustion that he received other favour than coin. The very\nthought of his filthy repast drives the rascal to most fearful\nretchings. He is in a parlous way, and if your lordship deign\nforbearance....\"--\"Heigh!\" He was interrupted by the exclamation of\nSaburo[u]zaemon, now examining the leaf most intently. \"I say now! An\noak leaf, the broad reminder of the _kiri_ (paulownia imperialis), such\nmight come from last year's fall. This leaf never sprang from Nippon's\nsoil.\"--\"Just so,\" replied the _kyu[u]nin_. \"Hence petition for delay in\nadministering punishment.\"--\"And of course the fellow is useless. Ill,\nand besides he knows not whither he went, and came to himself on the\nIchimenhara.\"--\"Yet, while still in his five senses, he recognized Go\nBancho[u]; and it is fact that the _chu[u]gen_ of Okumura Dono suffered\nlikewise in the Bancho[u].\"--\"Of Kakunai and the strange horse this\nSaburo[u]zaemon has heard. And the other man?\"--\"One Isuke, a stout\nfellow, but in good fortune the twin brother of this rascal Rokuzo.\"\n\nEndo[u] Saburo[u]zaemon rose to his feet with an elasticity and snap\ndenoting decision. His wife standing close by laid hand upon his arm. He\nturned to meet her frightened questioning look. He spoke reassuringly.\n\"Don't be afraid. Such things so near the suzerain's honoured dwelling\nare not to be permitted. This Saburo[u]zaemon goes to learn the facts as\nto this suspicious house. The _samurai_ has no fear of apparitions; and\nless of thieves, as is likely to be the case. Let the rascals look to\nthemselves if they would avoid the taste of Saburo[u]zaemon's sword.\nKyu[u]saburo[u] is to see that the _Yashiki_ is well guarded. To-night\nO[u]kubo Hikoroku Dono holds the fire ward. The occasion fits.\" At once\nhe was busied with his preparations for out door service. His wife,\ngranddaughter of old Nagasaki Chiyari Kuro[u]--he of the \"bloody\nspear\"--was the _samurai_ woman, to aid her lord in his duty, not to\nhold him back with tears and plaints. The pair were admirable specimens\nof their caste. Endo[u] Saburo[u]zaemon's grand-father had been a\nretainer of that hard hitting Asai Nagamasa who had to bow the head\nbefore the sword of Hideyoshi. The son Kiemon perforce had served the\nTaiko[u], and well. It was with more than readiness that he had appeared\nin the army of the Tokugawa at Sekigahara, to be killed in all loyalty\nbefore O[u]saka in Genwa 1st year (1618). Saburo[u]zaemon was then but\nfive years old. But the early Tokugawa did not forget loyal service.\nWhen of age he was summoned to Edo from his native province of O[u]mi,\ngiven duty in the palace service, to become with years a _hatamato_ with\nincome of four hundred _koku_ and a _yashiki_ in Ichigaya, just beyond\nthe Gomon or great gate at the outer moat.\n\nIn the present matter night must be awaited. When the bell of the\nGekkeiji, the huge temple of the district, struck the watch of the pig\n(9-11 P.M.) Endo[u] prepared to set forth. \"In case of necessity ask the\naid of Hikoroku Dono, of Juro[u]zaemon.\"[4] This to his wife. \"At least\none attendant? Kyu[u]saburo[u] is old enough to know that these rascals\nnever deal with more than one human.\" This to the old _kyu[u]nin_, who\nwith anxiety watched him depart into the darkness. With a sigh the\nofficer shut fast the outer gate. Then, sword over his knees, he\nsquatted himself at the house entrance, to slumber and await his lord's\nreturn.\n\nAs officer of the fire ward Saburo[u]zaemon met with little difficulty\nin passing the Ichigaya gate, beyond which lay the suspected district of\nthe Bancho[u]. To the sharp hail and protest at his appearance without a\nlantern he sought the service of those of the guard. Surprise and abject\napology followed the bringing of face and equipment into their light. As\non urgent mission to the palace he explained the one and disregarded the\nother. For form he borrowed a lantern at the guard house, to leave it in\na hedge close by, to hand for his return if in the darkness. Straight\nahead he walked for some distance. Now he was in the very centre of the\nBancho[u]. It was a most lonely place. The district had been set apart\nfor the _yashiki_ of _hatamoto_ and the houses of _gokenin_ who showed\nno haste to apply for its ample space. Its highways and byways showed\nlines of bamboo fences, plaster walls, broken at intervals by gates.\nBetween the far _yashiki_ there was much waste land. Suspicious were its\nprecincts in these days when the haunting spirits and apparitions,\nattendant on once owners and their wars, were being driven out by the\nadvent and aggression of the new lords from the South. Still fresh in\nmen's minds was the wondrous _mami-ana_ of Azabu--the cave of the\n_tanuki_ (badger)--with the implied curse on the Tokugawa. The cohorts\nof apparitions, driven northward to the land of savages, had suffered\nseverely at the hands of Ii Naomasa on the banks of the Ueno Toshima\nferry. Thus the curse came down the centuries on the Tokugawa House.\n\nOnce in the heart of the district Saburo[u]zaemon stood uncertain. All\nsense of locality was lost. The Bancho[u] by day and by night greatly\ndiffered. The wind sighed through the great pine trees and whispered in\nthe long _suzuki_ grass. He thought to reach the neighbourhood of the\nGomizaka. The noise and bustle of the Ko[u]jimachi would give direction.\nJust then a lantern came in sight at the turning in the lane. As it drew\nnear it was seen that to all appearance the bearer was a _chu[u]gen_.\nEndo[u] drew back into the shadow. He would take a good look at him. He\nallowed the man to pass. Then from behind--\"Heigh! Wait!\" Instead of\nwaiting the fellow took to his heels. Endo[u] pursued and soon caught\nhim. In terror the fellow sank on his knees before the two sworded man.\n\"Deign, honoured sir, to spare the cutting test. This Isuke is yet\nyoung. He loves life. Condescend not to cut short his breath.\"\nSaburo[u]zaemon was struck by the name fresh to his ears. Coldly he\nlooked the man over; played on his terror--\"Yet you are fat; just of the\ngirth to give fair test to a new blade.\"--\"Nay! Your lordship can deign\nto observe it. Isuke is stuffed out with a recent meal. It would be but\na case of tripes. His bones are young and soft, his muscles wasted by\nmere feeding. It would be as cutting _to[u]fu_ (bean paste). Deign to\nspare him.\"\n\nSaid Saburo[u]zaemon. \"'Tis no cutting test. Thus passing carelessly at\nthe side that fat paunch was an easy mark. Be more careful\nhenceforth.... You live hereabouts?\"--\"Honoured Sir, 'tis so. Isuke is\n_chu[u]gen_ at the _yashiki_ of Okumura Sama.\"--\"Ah! Then you know the\nhaunted house (_bakemono yashiki_) of the Bancho[u].\"--\"Just beyond?\nIsuke knows it too well.\"--\"Life spared, act as guide thither.\" The\nman's knees bent under him. He plead for forbearance. Plainly he must\ndie. Only to this dreadful sentence and sight of Endo[u]'s sword did he\nyield. Reluctantly he went ahead of the _samurai_, as far as a gate the\nmassiveness of which attracted attention. Saburo[u]zaemon looked it\nover, then carefully considered his guide. He held out a coin. The\nfellow respectfully drew back. Said Endo[u] with impatience--\"As lord of\nthis mansion the money of guidance is offered. Accept it without\nquestion. Here lies my purpose.\" This was but addition to obvious\nterror. With wabbling knees the fellow persisted in refusal. \"Honoured\nlord, deign forbearance. Already has this Isuke accepted entertainment\nhere, with fearful results; nearly quaffing the waters of the Yellow\nFountain in Meido.\" Said Saburo[u]zaemon sourly--\"What has the purpose\nto do with a low fellow's entertainment? Take the coin, and be off with\nyou. Darkness acts as screen.\" The man did but whimper, \"With purpose in\nhand: truly darkness the screen, upside down; the balsam an incense, the\nsticks to hand in the clay dishes. This? 'Twill turn out but the leaf of\na tree, to bring sorrow on Isuke. Your lordship has said it.\"--\"It is\ngood coin,\" replied Endo[u] briefly. Then with some curiosity--\"But what\nhas a tree leaf to do with purpose?\"--\"Pine leaves denote purpose, and\nare so named.\"[5]--\"A clever fellow after all! No wonder he escaped....\nBut be off with you. The coin shall ring true with daylight. So much is\npromised on the word of a _samurai_. Fear the living man, not the\ninanimate object; and say nothing of meeting the donor. Otherwise Isuke\nends badly. Now--off with you!\" The voice was very human, the peremptory\ngesture surely that of a two sworded man. The _chu[u]gen_ took\nconfidence in the fact that he could not help himself. Whatever doubts\nhe possessed, these he kept with the coin in his bosom. With scant\nthanks cut short by fear he obeyed the order to depart into the shades.\nGathering impetus with distance he fairly took to his heels.\n\nSaburo[u]zaemon waited for the lantern to disappear. Then he turned to\ninspect the gate. There was no entrance through its solidity. It was a\n_yashiki mon_, almost house, with two posterns. He must get a look\nwithin. A long high plaster wall ran on both sides into the distance.\nThe moonlight, flooding the scene, showed him a breach opened by long\nneglect. Once within he felt convinced that he was on the scene of\nRokuzo's experience. But the pine grove was anything but swept clean.\nBranches torn off by storm and wind, fallen trees, lay scattered\neverywhere. It was a very winding course which took him to the eaves of\nthe building some distance off. Plainly the once occupant had been a\nperson of position, perhaps a minor _daimyo[u]_. At the corner of the\nstructure he found himself in the garden more particularly attached to\nthe house. An exclamation of regret at sight of such desolation came to\nthe lips of Saburo[u]zaemon. A master hand had laid out this beautiful\npiece of work; but trees and plants, no longer trained and trimmed by\nman's hand, had run wild. In the centre was a wide well curb rising some\nthree feet from the ground. A single stone step allowed easier access\nfor those drawing water. The well-sweep had rotted off and lay upon the\nground. There was no bucket. Saburo[u]zaemon leaned over. From the still\nsurface of the water came an indefinable putrescent odour, perhaps from\nthe decaying plants, or refuse blown into the depths. He drew away,\ndisgusted and convinced. Carefully he made the round of this pleasaunce.\nAt the bottom of the garden near the confines of the well, was an\nartificial mound--a _tsukiyama_ or moon viewing hill. Before this was a\nlittle lake, for fish and lotus, of perhaps a couple of hundred feet in\nlength by narrow width. In places he could jump across it; and elsewhere\nstepping stones offered passage. An Inari shrine in a plum grove offered\nno particular interest, beyond recent inclosure showing a neighbour's\nhand. There was swampy ground for the _shobu_ or iris and beds of peony\nplants. In front of the line of towering pines was a row of Yoshino\ncherry trees, all broken and neglected. The one time owner had loved\nflowers. Endo[u] turned to the house.\n\nThe moon was pouring full on the closed _amado_ (rain doors), its cold\nsilver globe lighting up the scene. \"Solitary is the moon of winter\nglorious that of autumn.\" This was the tranquil moon of summer,\npacifying yet saddening men's hearts, as does all moonlight. It was\nplain there was no entrance on this side of the house, unless unseemly\nforce was used. This was unnecessary. Endo[u] noticed the lattice work\nof the bath-room. A few strokes of his dagger, and the frame was lifted\nout. Then it was easy to draw back the heavy wooden panels and allow the\nmoonlight to flood these exposed chambers. Carefully he scanned his\nimmediate surroundings. The paper of the _sho[u]ji_ was torn and eaten\nby the rats. In places the frayed _tatami_ (mats) bent under his feet,\nevidence of decay of the supporting floor. There was the mouldy damp\nsmell common to places long closed to the freedom of the outer air. It\nsent a chill to the bone; which Endo[u] noted with surprise as he turned\nto the dark inner rooms. He must have some kind of light. Almost the\nfirst step into the semi-obscurity offered the means to hand. Stumbling\nover an object at his feet he picked up a staff. On examination it\nproved to be one of those _kongo_ canes, the support to feet and belly\nof the devout in their long pilgrimages, sign manual of the pious intent\nof the bearer. He had taken a candle from his pocket, and, with small\nrespect to the \"six worlds\" of its rings, used the spiked end to\nimprovise a torch. Then an unexpected voice caught his ear; a sad,\nwailing cry which chilled the heart. Then followed low, rapid,\ndisorderly speech, the meaning of which rendered indistinct by distance\ncould not be made out. Then came the unearthly startling shriek which\nrang through the whole mansion.\n\nEndo[u] Saburo[u]zaemon now had his torch fastened and blazing. Loosing\nhis sword in the scabbard promptly he set forth into the darkness\nbeyond. The candle cast a feeble light, making the darkness still more\napparent. However, he could see the splendour of these once inhabited\nrooms. Screens worked in silk were dirty and frayed, but they were by\nmaster hands, and still showed the outlines of beautiful designing. The\n_rama-sho[u]ji_--the fret work between the rooms--was broken in places,\nyet it displayed the erratic course of Nature's handiwork, the most\nbizarre and effective of all. And always just before him went the\nshuffling drag of sandals--as of some one on the _ro[u]ka_, further on,\nat the room beyond. He sprang forward in haste, to fling back the closed\nscreens, but still the object eluded him; always there, yet never seen.\nThus it led him from room to room--reception rooms, sitting rooms, the\nwomen's apartments; all gorgeous, all unfurnished, not a single object\nof the value to tempt stray visitor or intentional thief. Even the\nkitchen was stripped bare of equipment. Not even the stones to support\nthe furnace had been left. Thieves, or others, had long since accounted\nfor all movables.\n\nDumbfounded Saburo[u]zaemon stood at the foot of the stairway. Patter,\npatter the footsteps had led him to this point. The width was coated\nthickly with dust, swept by breezes from without, and from the\ndisintegrating plaster (_kabe_) walls. The webs of spiders were woven\nacross it; across the aperture. Yet--again came the wild sounds of riot\nabove. This time the voices were distinct and close at hand. A woman was\nstruggling, pleading under torture. \"Alas! Alas! Deign to show pity.\nWhat has been the offence, thus to inflict punishment. Condescend the\nhonoured pity. Ah! Pardon there is none. The child is consigned from the\ndarkness of the womb to the darkness of death. Alas! Most harsh and\nunkind! How avoid the eternal grudge? Unending the hate of....\" The\nvoice, like to the sharp rending of silk, ended in the fearful shriek,\nchilling, heart rending, paralysing even the stout heart of Endo[u]\nSaburo[u]zaemon. \"Ki-i-i!\" There followed the ineffectual gurgling\nwailing cries of one struggling for breath. Drawn sword in hand\nSaburo[u]zaemon sprang up the stairway. Nothing! The _amado_ thrown back\nin haste light enough was given to show the emptiness of the room. Still\nthe voice was heard. He passed beyond. As before--nothing; except the\nvoice, now plain, as at his very side.\n\nSaburo[u]zaemon was now assured of some witchery. \"This is Endo[u]\nSaburo[u]zaemon Takekiyo, _hatamoto_ of the land. Whoever, or whatever,\nbe present, assume the proper shape. Fox or _tanuki_ (badger), strip off\nall disguise; stand to the test of Saburo[u]zaemon's blade.\" But the sad\nwailing voice made answer--\"Unkind the words of Endo[u] Sama. This is no\ntrick of fox or badger. Meeting an untimely end, the Spirit now wanders\nas an unworshipped demon; as one deprived of all honour in the grave.\nBrave has been the deed of Endo[u] Dono. Others have come; to depart in\nfright. He alone stays to challenge. For so much, thanks. Deign worship\nto my spirit, the security of rest from its wanderings.\" Saburo[u]zaemon\nin amazement looked around. The voice was clearly heard, and close to\nhim; yet naught was to be seen. \"Whoever you be, if wronged the sword of\nSaburo[u]zaemon is here to avenge the wrong. If in life, the perpetrator\nshall pay the penalty of the misdeed; yourself shall secure worship.\nSuch is the office of a _bushi_--to aid the helpless. But cannot the\nshape be seen? Why this concealment from the eyes of Saburo[u]zaemon?\"\nAnd the voice made answer--\"Has Endo[u] Sama no eyes? Concentrate the\nthoughts. Here! Here!\" Carefully and long Saburo[u]zaemon scrutinized\nevery spot. Following the voice he sought to get nearer and nearer. Thus\nhe was brought right before the _tokonoma_ (alcove). For a moment he\nshielded his eyes with his hands, then boldly removed the screen and\nfaced the spectre in the plaster. At first faint, then more strongly\noutlined was the vision of a young girl. At one time the face perhaps\nhad had great beauty. Now there was a weird expression of life amid the\nwasting and decay of death. The living eyes gleamed a deadly hate and\ndistress which showed the torment of the spirit. Framed in the wild\ndisordered masses of long black hair the face of the apparition sought\nto plunge its own unhappiness into the soul of its visitor. It was a\nstrange vision; one to rouse the desire for the beautiful woman in man's\nheart, the wish to shield; together with repulsion toward the most evil\npassions of a malice which inspires fear. Long and steadily the man\ngazed; the woman answered the challenge. Then again Endo[u] was the\n_samurai_. \"On with the tale. To the wronged Endo[u] Saburo[u]zaemon\ngives right and worship. A _samurai_, he has passed his word, not to be\nbroken.\" He would have taken seat before the alcove. Said the\nvoice--\"Honoured Sir, the tale is long. On the _ro[u]ka_ without is a\nstool. The _tatami_ are dangerous with the wet. Later deign the honoured\nhearing.\" With surprise Endo[u] followed these household directions. At\nthe room close by he found the object indicated. Here met his eye a sign\nunmistakeable. In the very centre of the _tatami_ was a huge\nred-brownish stain; by the verandah a second stain; at the further\nentrance a third of kindred character. Plainly the tale he would hear\nwas of no peaceful exit from life. To the tragedy of death had been\nadded violence. Thus fortified he returned, to take his seat before the\nvision in the alcove; steadily, with the harsh official manner of his\ncaste, to meet the evil, strangely seductive, malice of its look and\nsuggestion. Then it spoke:\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III\n\nNAKAKAWACHI SHU[U]ZEN\n\n\nHonoured sir, long past the source of this offence. It was the\nfourteenth year of Kwanei (1637). As now, the summer heat was stifling.\nTo seek relief this Shimo had left the house, to stroll the\nneighbourhood close by. Thus idly engaged, listening to the song of the\n_suzumushi_, watching the fireflies flitting over the tops of the\n_suzuki_ grass, and bending to cull a few lilies to arrange in the\n_hanaike_, the presence of a stranger was felt. Ah! He was indeed a\nhandsome man. Not too young to seem a callow youth to the eyes of\nShimo's sixteen years; not too old to look on her merely as one of\ndifferent sex. Indeed he was not yet thirty years, a soldier, carrying\nhis two swords and his person most nobly. At very sight of him Shimo was\ncarried into the gust of the love passion. Her cheeks were \"dashed with\nthe maple leaf, her heart swelled as the noon-tide.\" Her confusion did\nnot escape the notice of one already surprised at sight of a girl so\nyoung strolling alone on the byways of the Bancho[u]. At once he spoke,\nwith the confidence of one who has the right to question--\"And who may\nthis little beauty be, unaccompanied, with night so close at hand? The\nBancho[u] is said to be no safe place with coming of darkness. If on\nsome mission and belated, this Shu[u]zen will protect from harm. Or\nperhaps, though young in years, this is some new wife. Or is it a lover\nwho is in question?\" He spoke with kindness and authority, coming very\nclose to get his answer, his eyes fastened on my person, to the greater\nincrease of embarrassment. Vain was the attempt to throw some\nindignation into the reply. Lover there was none. Of but sixteen years,\nShimo was in the hands of father and mother. To admit a lover would be\nunfilial.... The father? Kawasaki Cho[u]bei, attached to the palace\nstables. Humble was his rank in the minor office he held; but a one\ntime _ashigaru_ (common soldier) his service had entitled him to the\nposition and the suzerain's stipend of twenty _koku_. Hence he was of\nsome consequence among his neighbours. At this information, given with\nsome heat, the _samurai_ smiled and praised my father's service.\n\nHe did more than praise; on this night, and other nights. Frequent were\nthe meetings. Yet never did this Shimo pass the bounds of propriety.\nCarried away by the gust of passion, incited by the lover's presence and\nsolicitation, yet Shimo's filial duty kept her person pure. A night came\nwhen he failed at the rendezvous. So with the next, and following\nnights. He had laughed at parting, and said that where was the will,\nthere a means would be found. Plainly the will was lacking, and he was\ntoo proud and too highly placed even to endure the presence of Shimo at\nhis side. With these thoughts, and overcome by love and vexation, I\nsickened. Great was the anxiety of the parents. Doctors were called in;\nthe priest's charms were sought. They were of no avail. It was the\nadvice of the wise old Saito[u] Sensei to leave me to myself and time.\n\"It is her years,\" said he. \"Time will effect the cure; unless she\nherself sooner indicates the means.\" Laughing he departed, as one\nconvinced that the cure was a simple one. Long had the determination\nbeen held to tell all to the mother; always put off at sight of the\nkindly anxious face. With such a lover she would have felt alarmed and\nhelpless.\n\nTime brought the cure. The summer heats were nearly past; the eighth\nmonth (September) close at hand. One day came a _chu[u]gen_ to the\nhouse, bearing a message. At once all was in confusion. Nakakawachi Dono\nwas a _fudai daimyo[u]_ of twelve thousand _koku_ income. He was a\nnew-comer in the district, and known to be held in high favour at the\npalace. A goodly portion of the site of the former Yoshida Goten in\nBancho[u] Ko[u]jimachi had recently been assigned to him. With the\nremoval of the Takata no Kata[6] to quarters closer to the castle the\ngreater portion of the palace had been removed to build the prior's hall\nof the Iinuma Kugyo[u]ji. The villa part (_besso[u]_) of the structure\nhad been left intact, and with much of the park and garden had been\nsecured by favour to Nakakawachi Sama. For such a great lord in his\npassage to condescend to rest at the humble house of a mere _go-kenin_\ncaused much disturbance. The limited household staff was put\nenergetically to work at cleaning and making all preparations for the\nhonoured visit. Treading with cat's paw my parents went from room to\nroom, to see that all was befitting. The articles of greatest value were\nset forth for his lordship's view. An instinct set dancing my barely\nrestored nerves. Why did this great lord, so near home in his\nprogress--his fief was in Ko[u]shu[u]--deign thus to rest? What command\nwould he urge? His name was Nakakawachi Shu[u]zen. The _samurai_ lover\nof the Bancho[u] spoke of himself as Shu[u]zen. Thus was the watching\nand waiting, in a flutter of trepidation and newly aroused passion.\n\nThen he came. My parents prostrated themselves on the ground in his\npresence. \"With your permission--\" Haughty he swept on, to be ushered to\nthe inner rooms. Even the officer in charge remained at a distance.\nProstrate at the sill my father gave thanks for the honour of this\nunexpected presence, for his lordship's deigning to halt the palanquin.\nOn command Shimo served the tea, not daring to raise face from the\n_tatami_ under the satisfied scrutiny of this honoured guest, exercising\nall her self control, which yet did not prevent a trembling of the\nfingers in presenting the salver with the cup. In due course, on\nwithdrawal of the service, he noted the one who served, and indicated\nhis wishes. He was a new-comer in the district. He would have his\nservice therefrom, at the hands of those close by. No girl was better\nspoken of than the daughter of Cho[u]bei San. He would ask that Shimo be\nsent to the _yashiki_ to attend as _koshimoto_ (maid in waiting) to her\nladyship. His short stay in this house he regarded as most fortunate. He\nspoke through his chamberlain, now present; but followed the officer's\nwords with close attention. My father was overwhelmed by the honour.\nProfuse and earnest were his astonished thanks. Shimo was the only child\nof people now entering into the coldness of age. This was of small\nmoment. But there had been no opportunity to give her the training\nrequired for such service. Beyond an awkward touch on _samisen_, mainly\ndue to her own practice, she was a moor girl, a very rustic. She could\nkeep house--yes; like a wardsman's daughter. Polite accomplishments she\nlacked. Deign in this instance his lordship's honoured forbearance. The\ngirl was too young and awkward for such service.\n\nPolite was the withdrawal; without knowledge of his lordship's\ndisposition and previous acquaintance. Shu[u]zen Dono was not so easily\nbalked. All the objections were brushed aside. Youth was everything in\nmy favour. His eyes twinkled with inward amusement as he spoke. All the\neasier came the practice which everyone must go through. If Shimo was\nincurably awkward she would not be dismembered, but dismissed. Great\nwould be the forbearance. That she had everything to learn pleased him\nall the more. She would be the more readily moulded to his service. At\nthe _yashiki_ youth was an object, and not the experience of long time\nservice which had left the adept far too experienced. Such women had\ntheir lord's service little at heart. Shimo had youth and beauty. These\nwere a girl's treasures and accomplishments. He had never seen one\nbetter fitted for entrance on such service. All this the chamberlain\nconveyed with an authority which put aside opposition. The lord's will\nwas spoken. First the mother gave thanks for the honour condescended to\none so insignificant. She claimed the promised forbearance of his\nlordship to any faults. My father followed her example, and gave his\nthanks. Such entertainment as the humble house afforded was now\nproduced. After partaking his lordship departed in state. The neighbours\nhad been agape at the great lord's train stationed at the gate. For them\nand for the curious and discreet questioning, the congratulations at\nsuch promotion in the world, this Shimo cared little. His lordship's\nwill had prevailed. Henceforth Shimo would live close to his side.\n\nI had fled to the little working room, as one taking refuge amid the\nconstant household sewing. But needle could not be seen through the veil\nof tears. \"What joy! What joy!\" Thoughtless the words were spoken out\nloud. The mother's hand was laid on my shoulder. The look was kind, yet\nwith some reproach at this unfilial rejoicing. Apology was made. To her\ndoubts eager was the answer. \"How else succeed in life? Service at the\n_yashiki_, its life always under eye, its etiquette, even its\ndangers--this experience alone can teach how to meet its requirements;\nand so close at hand, near to home and parents. Others had succeeded in\nsuch promotion. Why not Shimo, thus offered the chance to rise from the\nstatus of a wardsman's daughter, or not much more, to become an\nattendant in a lord's _yashiki_?\" Sadly my mother smiled. Grave would be\nher anxieties concerning one so inexperienced. \"The child thinks but of\nself and pleasure. The mother thinks but of the child, and sees the\ndangers.\" This in lower tones--\"If Shimo becomes the favourite of her\nlord, how is such inexperience to meet the evil passions roused in those\naround her? Always place her ladyship first. Resist the solicitation of\nShu[u]zen Dono; unless the _okusama_ chooses to favour what would be but\na transient passion. Keep this well in mind.... And now--to the\npreparation of what is needed.\" She had detected the motive of his\nlordship's summons, thought him captivated by a pretty face and figure\ncome across by accident. Thus she understood the inner feeling of this\nShimo. With the words of advice she turned to the subject of my needs.\nWillingly this was left to her skilled hands; and the advice received as\nlittle attention. To speak of resistance to his lordship, to one who\nhungered for his presence, was but to set the brain devising all the\nmeans to secure his favour. Thus outwardly busied with needle and\ngarments, the self was existing as in a dream. The preparations in any\nevent could not be elaborate. Shu[u]zen Dono was urgent. A lucky day was\nchosen, and with my modest equipment I entered on the service of the\n_yashiki_ of Nakakawachi Sama.\n\nIntroduction to the immediate presence of her ladyship, O'Hagi was\nanything but pleasing. Seated with her were two maids, O'Tsugi and\nO'Han. The first named was a buxom masculine woman of nearly thirty\nyears. The girl O'Han was a recent promotion from the scullery; and, as\nwas learned later, she owed the favour to the goodwill of the\nchamberlain (_yo[u]nin_) Nishioka Shintaro[u], a cold, smooth spoken,\nevil eyed man, mainly notable for the uncompromising readiness with\nwhich he carried out the wishes of her ladyship. Over them all, of\ngreatest influence with O'Hagi Dono, was an old woman, O'Saku. She had\naccompanied her ladyship from the original House, was utterly\nunscrupulous in her service, and her sharp voice, like that of a file\nscratching glass, sent shivers down the spine as I prostrated myself\nbefore the group. Cold was the reception. \"A likely wench! Plainly his\nlordship's choice, without reference to your ladyship. But time will\nshow.... Meanwhile no service as yet is assigned. With this girl his\nlordship's orders are first to be heard. O'Han, show the new comer to\nthe quarters of the _koshimoto_, that she stand in no necessity or\nlikelihood of forgetting where they are. For to-day there is remission\nof service.\" Thus spoke the harsh voice of O'Saku, passing over my head.\nThe cold, knife like glances of all were like steel plunged into my\nbody. With obeisance I withdrew, to follow O'Han, who gave no greater\nwelcome and was no kinder than the rest. Almost at once she left me, and\nseveral days were passed in solitude awaiting a summons. This came one\nevening. With evil dubious smile O'Han presented herself. \"His lordship\nsummons O'Shimo Dono to his service this night. You are to attend. Deign\nnot to forget the good services of this Han.\" She laughed, with a bitter\nsuggestiveness. What would anyone have done, thus treated at start as\nevil doer, as intruder? With joy his lordship's command was heard. The\nwhole person of Shimo showed a well restrained love and joy. He was\npleased at the effect wrought on me by his presence. Small the\nexperience, beyond what love's attention could afford. The night's\nbanquet was plainly not the dullest of its kind. At its close O'Shimo\nhad command to accompany him. With morning I was a woman.\n\nIn the period which followed every night came the summons to attend my\nlord. Foolish and inexperienced, in this whirlwind of passion Shimo was\nbut a leaf driven by the storm. The assignment to duty in the _yashiki_\nnever came. There was the daily report for duty at her ladyship's\nrising, the cold and curt reception, the quick dismissal. O'Hagi Dono\nwas past her thirtieth year. Of the great Doi House, she brought to her\nhusband a dower of influence and prestige. Older than her husband the\nlove passion had never taken root. An ugly woman, there was small\nchance for other good qualities to secure a fictitious esteem with a man\nso easily captivated by beauty as Shu[u]zen Sama. Furthermore her\nladyship did not possess such amiable traits. She was a proud, hard,\njealous woman; with the natural graft of a bad temper. Soon abandoned to\na lonely bed she was no longer treated as a wife. Though the marriage\nhad endured some five years there was no child, and little prospect of\none. On occasions of ceremony the _okugata_ presided at his lordship's\nwine feasts, attended by her band of furies. With the exception of\nO'Han, who possessed the freshness of youth, none of them had any\npretence to good looks. Outwardly all due respect was paid to his\nlordship, but the private apartments (_oku_) were in league against him.\nFor weeks the contact was through the _yo[u]nin_, Nishioka Shintaro[u],\nwho acted as messenger of his lord's commands, and conveyed to his\nlordship any intimation of the wishes of her ladyship. Hence Shu[u]zen\nSama knew and cared little as to what passed in the inner apartments of\nhis wife. She knew everything which passed in those of his lordship.\nThis tacit divorce appeared welcome to both.\n\nThe object of his lordship's passion, in a household in which one side\nor the other of the existing feud must be taken, the position of this\nShimo was quickly determined. Not by her, for short experience of her\nladyship inspired a terror which would even have counselled cooler\ntreatment from his lordship in one more experienced. The other girls\nwere all honey, to disguise the bitterness of gall. There was not one of\nthem who would not gladly have obeyed her lord's call to Shimo's place.\nHence to partisanship was added jealousy. At the daily tasks there was\nbut one topic of conversation--O'Shimo's favour with her lord. The\ncharms she used were evident enough, for Nature had been lavish with the\nkind to meet his lordship's wishes. How was it their own parents had\nspawned such incapacity? \"Deign, O'Shimo Dono, to teach the art so sadly\nlacking. How bring to prominence such meagre gifts of proportion as one\ndoes possess? In turn shall be taught the art of the _hanaike_--the\narrangement of flowers, of the _koto_ and the _biwa_ in accompaniment of\nold songs of heroes and their ladies, the ceremonial grace so necessary\nin attendance, the conduct of a lady. From a wardsman's daughter little\nis expected, beyond good looks. Alas! O'Shimo Dono is the _yamabuki_,\nthe yellow rose, beautiful in its out of season bloom (April), but only\ntoo likely to be nipped by the frost. Deign to enlighten, O'Shimo Dono.\nBeauty soon wanes, and pregnancy kills good looks as completely as the\nchill wind does the flowers.\" Then they all broke into mad laughter; and\nwhispered to each other.\n\nTheir suspicions were correct. The constant companionship of his\nlordship had the natural effect. When told great was his pleasure. If a\nboy, the child should be acknowledged as heir of the House. If a girl,\nit should be the solace of his years. So great was his joy and pride\nthat he spoke to the retainers as if it was the _okugata_ herself who\nwas at issue. Thus the news must have reached her ladyship's ears with\nthe first telling, for Nishioka usually was present at his lord's\nrepast. He was the black cloud hanging over all. A tall, gaunt, suave,\ndetermined man of nearly forty years, the smile he cast upon this Shimo\nchilled her. Always courteous in his lordship's presence, elsewhere his\ncourtesy conveyed a threat and insult which made me as the bird before\nthe snake. I feared the man; and feared him all the more when one day,\nwith small disguise of malice, he told me that his lordship had departed\nin all haste for the fief in Ko[u]shu[u], not to return for some weeks.\nConsidering the state of affairs, this should inconvenience me but\nlittle. This open reference to the pregnancy was a first alarm. It\nshowed how well known it was to the whole household. Indeed concealment\nnow was impossible. The fifth month had been entered upon; the\nsupporting band had become a necessity. But the climax was at hand.\n\nThat very day--toward noon--the summons came through the girl O'Han.\nWith sinking heart I took my way to her ladyship's sitting room. What\nwas going to take place. Passing the _chu[u]gen_ Jisuke on the _ro[u]ka_\nhe called to someone in the garden--\"His lordship's absence gives the\nchance to clean out the house.\" Covertly glancing below--there was no\none. Was it in malice, or as warning? Probably the latter. Jisuke always\nhad been active in little services; often the chosen messenger of my\nlord. His look in passing conveyed no insolence; rather kind intention.\nIt took away the exhibition of surprise at my reception. Her ladyship\nwas seated at the upper end of the room. The maids O'Tsugi and O'Han\nstood close by. Nishioka Shintaro[u] was just behind her ladyship. The\nold hag O'Saku was seated at the front. She motioned me to make\nsalutation. The _okugata_ spoke harshly, with contempt and dislike of\nthe one thus brought before her at the white sand of judicial process.\n\"The affair at issue is a simple one. Shimo is to answer the\nquestions--without tergiversation or lying. To Saku is left the matter\nof the examination.\"\n\nThe old woman bowed with respect and smiling gratitude at the pleasing\ntask. The smile conveyed to her ladyship promise of satisfaction, even\namusement, in the torture of a forced confession from this child who\nwould play the woman. Turning to me her face, with cheeks fallen in,\nlong sharp nose, hard bright glittering eyes of a bird of prey, the\nsnowy hair piled high around the temples, it was that of one keenly\nsearching out the tenderest spot into which to drive the knife. Her\nfirst words were all flattery. \"Much has been heard, and little seen, of\nO'Shimo Dono since her entrance into the _yashiki_. What has been heard\nis all to her advantage. Her devotion to the service of his lordship has\nbeen carried to the utmost--even, some say, to extremes. Of that there\ncan be no criticism. His lordship's wishes are paramount. The action of\nO'Shimo Dono contains nothing but merit. It is for the malice of others\nto say that O'Shimo has sought and stolen the fruit belonging to her\nladyship; that her cat's eyes have been quick to fasten upon the place\nof the mistress of the house; that it is she who would furnish forth an\nheir to his lordship. Such is not to be believed. But the truth is to be\ntold. An heir to his lordship is a matter for her ladyship. No child has\nfallen to her lot. If O'Shimo Dono be the first to give birth to a child\nin the _yashiki_, it must be between the knees of her ladyship. Deign\nthen to make full confession.... Ah! There is no need to beg for mercy\nand reprieve from the examination. Saku is old. Her ladyship is a\nmarried woman. Both possess experience. On refusal personal examination\nis to be made. O'Tsugi, O'Han, are to aid.\" The two women had come\nforward and passed behind me. Seized and thrown down the clenched fist\nof O'Tsugi was roughly pressed into my abdomen. In fright and pain, in\ndread for the unborn child, I cried out. Then the violent old woman\ndragged out the confession of all that had passed with his lordship.\nMinute and shameful the details to be told in the presence of a man. But\nShimo was an animal with powers of speech, and must tell all. With the\nconfession the old woman's smoothness departed. \"Vile slut! A townsman's\nbrat, sprung from the stable dung, you would play the adulteress, take\nher ladyship's place, and supplant her with an heir got by some\nstranger's seed.... She is gone to the sixth month? High time for\ninterference. She shall be kept here, until the separation of persons\ntakes place. No wonder his lordship abandoned the shameless hussy--for\nsome fresh country wench in Ko[u]shu[u]. For such loose jades to please\nthe taste of the Tono Sama causes surprise. But off with her, to the\nroom for confinement. There she is to lie, until her affair is settled.\"\nAt a sign O'Tsugi and O'Han seized hold of me. Clothes torn and in\ndisorder, the person vilely exposed, roughly I was dragged over to this\nbarred and retired apartment. Always I made effort to preserve my body\nand its fruit from their harsh violence. O'Tsugi roared with laughter at\nthe feeble resistance. The woman was strong as a horse. To O'Han--\"Look\nat her big belly. Ah! Her ladyship is none too wise. Let the matter but\nbe left to Tsugi, and the midwife soon would be needed.\" She raised a\nmassive leg with suggestive gesture. In some fright O'Han stopped her,\non plea of no such orders. The girl was young, of full figure and not\nwithout attraction. Perhaps she harboured hopes, and would not in a\nrival's person set precedent for her own. O'Tsugi spun me around, as a\nchild would a top with the cord. Then suddenly she released me. With a\ncrash my body fell against the wall. Sick and faint I tried to rise, and\nfailed. They watched me for a time as I grovelled and retched in\nsickness. Then the bar fell on the outer passage and my imprisonment.\n\nThe day light waned. The sound of the birds going to roost came to the\nears. It was now spring, the gladsome period of the year. The cooing and\nchirping brought no charm to the prisoner's ear. These birds were as the\nbirds of Shideyama (in Hell). Mournful the dirge they sang. Filled with\nforeboding, with dread for self and the passing from the darkness of the\nwomb to the darkness of death for the unborn child, faintness of heart\nwas made worse by the faintness of hunger. I sank into a kind of\nslumber, more racking than the working hours. Then the harsh cries of\nthe crows aroused me. Daylight was again streaming through the window\nbars. At a corner of the sill was a jar. The water in it was stale and\nfoul smelling. None other was to hand. A _mimitarai_ (hand basin) was\nfound in the closet. Thus was the nauseating ablution performed. Near\nmid-day, when ready to cry out with hunger, for sake of child not self,\nthe door opened. It was O'Han who brought me food. One strip of\n_takuan_, the bitter pickled radish; for drink, ice cold water. Such was\nthe meal. At night some pickled greens replaced the radish. On my knees\nI plead with O'Han, besought her mercy for the unborn child. She laughed\nat my misery. \"Good living on forbidden fruits has made O'Shimo Dono\nfat. Her big belly is perchance to be reduced by diet. Such are the\norders of the _okugata_. Han can do nothing; and would do nothing if she\ncould. What a fool! Cannot one please his lordship, all night and every\nnight, without promise of an heir to the House? Condescend the vacancy\nand leave such matter to this Han....\" Perhaps she felt that she had\nsaid too much. Abruptly she turned and left the room.\n\nI was not long alone. At least it seemed not so, for the light slumbers\nwere disturbed by the pangs of hunger. Then came a hand fingering the\noutside bar. It was done stealthily. In aid or menace? A deadly fear\ncame over me. With wild staring eyes, loosened hair framing an anguished\nand distorted figure I faced the object without, seeking its entrance.\nThe terror was not relieved by the appearance of the chamberlain,\nNishioka Shintaro[u]. His face was set and drawn, as of a man who has a\nproblem to work out, as of one who would carry out the purpose with\ncertainty and expedition. He closed the door, set the lamp carefully on\nthe floor in a distant corner. Not a word was spoken. Eyes bright with\nterror I watched his movements. He carried something in one hand. Shaken\nloose it was allowed to trail behind him. His preparations made he came\ntoward me with decision. Retreating before his advance the wall was\nreached. By this time he was on me. Then I saw what it was he held; a\nslender rope, its dreadful meaning plain. I screamed in terror. Roughly\nhe silenced me, one hand on open mouth. In stifled tones I plead for\nmercy. Then failing sign of respite, by desperate effort my struggles\ncalled for all his strength. My screams resounded loud in the room.\n\"Are! Are! Murder! Deep the grudge, to seven lives! Nishioka San! The\ngrudge of one dying against Nishioka! Against man and woman who would\ncut off the life of Shimo and her child. Ah! Her ladyship! The grudge!\"\nThe cord had tightened round my throat. The ends were in the strong\nhands of Nishioka Shintaro[u]. I mocked and stuck out my tongue at him.\nI know I did so, as the breath came with greater and greater difficulty.\nHis face, that of a demon, grew to huge proportions, bright scarlet. Now\nheart and lungs were bursting with fullness. Dreadful the agony,\ndreadful the grudge for this ill deed. Thus I died. Then followed the\nruin of the House of Nakakawachi Shu[u]zen.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV\n\nTHE O'KAGE SAMA\n\n\nOn the following night all were gathered in the apartments of her\nladyship. O'Tsugi was engaged in putting back the _koto_ (harp) into its\ncover. O'Hagi Dono touched the instrument with no mean skill, and on\nthis night had deigned to please herself and those who heard her. O'Han\nwas engaged in heating the _sake_ bottles. Rarely did her ladyship\nretire without this indulgence. The old woman, O'Saku, aimlessly moved\nabout the room. She seemed to be awaiting some news. A sound of steps in\nthe corridor, and with pleased countenance she made sign to her\nladyship. A moment later and Nishioka Shintaro[u] entered the room.\nThere was not a trace of difference from the ordinary in his composed\nharsh reverential manner to her ladyship. The latter gave a look at\nO'Saku. The old women asked the momentous question. \"The matter in\nhand--has all gone well? The wench no longer troubles the peace and\nfuture of the _okugata_?\"--\"Everything to perfection: the _chu[u]gen_\nand servants were given tasks to take them far removed. There was barely\na struggle. By the hands of this Shintaro[u] the affair was soon carried\nto completion.\" With complacence he displayed two lean strong hands,\nregarded with fondness and admiration by her ladyship. They could bestow\na more tender embrace than that suffered by the unfortunate _koshimoto_.\n\"And later; the traces of the deed, these are to be removed?\"--\"There\nare none. The time was waited until the body grew cold. It was safe to\ndo so. The weather is yet raw, the room one seldom entered, and the bar\nkey in the hands of Shintaro[u]. But just now the task of dismemberment\nand disposal has been completed. On pretext of repairs to the _ashigaru_\nquarters much plaster was obtained. With this the severed fragments of\nthe hussy and her foetus were mingled, and thus concealed in the wall\nof the _tokonoma_. The whole new surfaced no trace of the deed appears;\nnor is there fear of stench from the corpse. Her ladyship can be assured\nthat all is well. O'Shimo no longer will give trouble with her\npretensions to his lordship's fondness. In a few days Shintaro[u] will\nnotify the father that the girl has run off with some lover. A worthless\njade, thus dismissed the _yashiki_, he will be too ashamed to make\ninquiry here; and his searches elsewhere are not likely to bear\nfruit.... How strange!\" He brushed away a firefly which had flown into\nhis face. With surprise those present watched the bug flitting here and\nthere in the darkness of the corners and the open corridor. It was\nbarely the middle of the third month (April), and no season for the\nappearance of those insects of the hottest period of the year. Failing\nto catch it, O'Tsugi drove it into the outer darkness. Then closed the\nscreens.\n\nMore lights were brought. Her ladyship would take wine, and talk of\nnothing but the joy and relief. \"For life this deed shall not be\nforgotten. Always in the ready courage and resource of Nishioka has\nsupport been found; many awkward corners turned. If he finds favour with\nhis lord, still greater the regard of this Hagi. A cup--Shintaro[u]!\"\nHerself she offered it, leaning fondly toward him. Her hand trembled in\nher passion as he took it, with purposed glance and pressure. Always\nformal in outward seeming, the intimate relations of the pair for past\nmonths were more than understood by these immediate attendants and\nabettors. Nishioka Shintaro[u] long had been the honoured substitute of\nhis lord--the shadow, the O'Kage Sama, of Nakakawachi Dono. In this case\nthe shadow was the substance. This ugly virile woman was boiling over\nwith passion. In the old O'Saku she had a bawd to her service. She had\nentered this House as friend or enemy, according as the event would turn\nout. Neglected by Shu[u]zen, unable to rule him by will or personal\nattraction, she sought to do so by substitution, to the satisfaction of\nboth. Hence she made Nishioka Shintaro[u] her lover. He was nephew of\nO'Saku and foster brother of O'Hagi. Once introduced into the house he\neasily made his way into the confidence of Shu[u]zen Dono, by taking all\ncares off his shoulders, beyond those of ceremonial attendance and\npleasure. The minutest details of everything were looked to by Nishioka.\nThis pleased Shu[u]zen, who placed confidence in the readiness and\nproved resourcefulness of the man. Nishioka was an infallible guide in\nall minutiae of the palace service and intrigue; his knowledge gained by\na long experience in attendance on the great Doi House. Here he had\nrisen from _chu[u]gen_ to _kyu[u]nin_ (house officer). When he came to\nthe _yashiki_ of Shu[u]zen he soon replaced the _karo[u]_ (minister) of\nthe fief in his lord's intimacy, and the latter official found\nhonourable banishment in continued occupation and residence at the fief\nin Ko[u]shu[u], where Shu[u]zen played the role of a castle lord\n(_jo[u]shu[u]_), a _fudai daimyo[u]_, a subordinate and spy on his\ngreater neighbours. The new comer was source of congratulation to her\nladyship. As O'Saku--and perhaps O'Hagi Dono intended, revenge was\nsought on Shu[u]zen by promptly throwing the mistress into the arms of\nNishioka. Behind the impenetrable shield of the inner apartments--a\nplace that Shu[u]zen only sought to avoid--they could live as husband\nand wife. Other arrangement now was met by the cold reception meted out\nto her lord by the lady of the House. Any compunction Shu[u]zen might\nfeel as to what he thought to be the enforced sterility of O'Hagi thus\nwas salved.\n\nMerry almost to madness was the progress of the wine feast. Her ladyship\nwent beyond the bonds even of a decent veil of sobriety. Her loving\nattitude to Nishioka found more open expression than usual in the\npresence of the others. Her abandonment was undisguised. All rejoiced\nwith her; congratulated the strong man on his ready energy. Only the\ngirl O'Han showed some lack of spirit, which she attributed to headache.\nIn kindness her ladyship forbade further concern with the service of the\nwine, with the aggravation of its fumes; but she had too little\nconsideration for those about her to relieve the suffering girl from\nattendance. Then the hour came to retire. According to the decent\nformula in practice, Nishioka, notified of the fact, rose to take his\nleave--to the next chamber. Here the O'Kage Sama did his disrobing. The\ngirl O'Tsugi was the first to leave her ladyship, on some mission. She\ncame behind Shintaro[u], to administer a rousing slap between the\nshoulders which brought him almost to his knees. Grumbling and gasping\nhe turned to meet her admiring looks. \"A fine figure of a man! And one\nto act as well as pose. For us his lordship has but pretty words.\nO'Shimo alone profited otherwise. But the O'Kage Sama of his lordship is\nof another kind. Deign to favour this Tsugi from time to time.\"\nShintaro[u] volunteered a grimace which could pass for a consenting\nsmile. His shoulders burned under the heat of the lady's passion. In\nsearch for a reply the screens again parted, and O'Saku made her\nappearance. O'Tsugi at once took to flight, somewhat in derision. The\nold woman followed her with eyes of suspicion. Then she marched straight\nup to Nishioka--\"An impudent jade! Shintaro[u] is to place no confidence\nin her or her words. She brings nothing but shame, and perhaps worse.\nThere is not a serving man in the _yashiki_ who does not know her. And\nremember this well. It is this Saku who holds the string of her\nladyship's favour. O'Hagi Dono is not so far enamoured as not to accept\na substitute at Saku's hands.... But he is a fine figure of a man! Too\nfine to be spoiled by his lordship's hand.\" To avoid the threatening\nlascivious gleam in the eyes of this withered branch Nishioka made\npretence of trouble with a knot in his girdle. The whispered invitation\ngrazed a negligent ear, to be interrupted by the sound of her ladyship's\nvoice. O'Saku was in no haste to leave or to say more. O'Han was the\nlast to appear. There were anger and tears in her eyes as the girl\nstopped a few feet from him. She spoke half turned away, as ready to\ntake flight at expected interruption. \"Nishioka Dono keeps faith with\nher ladyship! Does he keep faith with Han? Earnest was the promise that\nat all events Han should share his favour with O'Hagi Dono. Nearly a\nmonth has passed since he has deigned a visit. Surely her ladyship is\nnot so exacting. Give fair answer. Is will or power lacking?\" She waited\nthe reply, eyes cast down on the _tatami_, for she at least had some\nremains of modesty. Thus the almost despairing gesture of Shintaro[u]\nescaped her. He spoke in low voice, with emphasis, to this fairest of\nhis bevy of fair ones--\"As for the _okugata_, O'Han knows her almost as\nwell as this Shintaro[u]. What would be the fate of both if their\ntreachery were suspected? Deign to be patient. The fountain of plenty\nhas not run dry. Shintaro[u] would go but so far. In this horde of women\nhe must look to himself. The dependence now is on her ladyship and\nO'Saku Dono. Shu[u]zen Sama is cajoled by having thought for nothing.\nThe _karo[u]_ now is very old. This Shintaro[u] surely will take his\nplace. A break then with her ladyship finds punishment in exile to\nKo[u]shu[u]. Then comes the time for O'Han openly to join Shintaro[u],\nfor the happy bond of two lives.\" The girl's lips barely moved. Both\nwere startled at peremptory call from the neighbouring room. She spoke\nrapidly--\"'Tis small matter, even with her ladyship. But from time to\ntime a visit to this Han? Condescend it.\"--\"Agreed!\" was the impatient\nanswer. \"But with O'Hagi Dono, O'Tsugi, O'Han.... O'Saku, the occasions\nmust be limited.\" He suddenly seized her in his arms and silenced her\nprotest in an embrace. Then with hasty steps he passed to her ladyship's\nbed-chamber, leaving O'Han with wide staring eyes which shifted from the\nroom of the lovers to the door through which she had witnessed the old\nwoman's departure.\n\nSuch was the vileness of the life in which was engaged Nishioka\nShintaro[u]. A week had barely elapsed. There was occasion to make\npurchases for the _yashiki_. The _chu[u]gen_ Jisuke remained\nrespectfully prostrate before the officer. Nishioka again ran over the\nlist required. \"These are to be got at the Owariya in Mikawacho[u]. The\nmonth's settlement is yet far off. The order stands sufficient. Now off\nwith you.\" The man did not budge. Rising to a sitting posture he looked\nfixedly in the face of Nishioka. \"What now?\" grumbled the _yo[u]nin_.\nAnswered the _chu[u]gen_ with respect--\"Something of a tip will be\nwell.\"--\"A tip!\" said Nishioka in astonishment. \"For what is the month's\nwage paid to a _chu[u]gen_? Is he to be given drink money for carrying\nout his duties? Take the _furoshiki_; and now out with it and yourself.\"\n\"'Out with it'; just so.\" Such the answer; but the fellow did not budge.\nThe steady insolence of his attitude made Nishioka straighten up as by a\nshock. He was too surprised to speak. The _chu[u]gen_ spoke for him.\n\"Yes--out with it. Ah! It is quite private with Shintaro[u]. Jisuke can\nspeak at ease. Drink money is just the thing for Jisuke. Jisuke Dono is\nfond of drink. The O'Kage Sama will supply the coin, three _ryo[u]_, in\nreturn for the silence of Jisuke.\"\n\nAt the suggestive nickname, known only to the few in the secrets of the\n_oku_ Nishioka fairly gasped. Jisuke did not give time for answer. He\ndrove the matter home. \"'Heaven knows, Earth knows, Man knows.' So does\nthis Jisuke, of the doings of Shintaro[u] with the Okusama. Naruhodo! No\nstrange sight. When the honoured Sun (Tento[u] Sama) disappears toward\nKo[u]shu[u], the honoured Moon (Tsuki Sama) appears in the ascendant in\nMusashi. The matter is a most important one, not to be brought to an end\nby a gesture. Bring the Okusama on the head and shoulders of Jisuke; and\nJisuke tells all to his lordship. The proof is easy, and this Jisuke the\nfitting messenger between these lovers.... Oh! Don't lay hand to sword.\nJisuke is active, and the way of retreat is open. The honoured Jisuke is\nnot one to perish by the hand of the low fellow (_yaro[u]_) Shintaro[u].\nIn plain terms, the rascal is male concubine of her ladyship; who knows\nlittle of the even balance with which her paramour shares his favours\nwith her women. Surely Shintaro[u] was born under the sign of the goat.\nBut that is not all. The very walls can talk. At least that in which the\nunhappy O'Shimo, seven months gone with child, stands walled in.\nNaruhodo! Such punishment is inflicted on bugs, and worms, and creeping\nthings; not on human beings. How does Jisuke know? Go question the\nplaster, you coward; or learn that Jisuke is, and has been, everywhere\npresent at council and at deeds. But a word to Cho[u]bei Dono, and\nNishioka crouches at the white sand for confession.\"\n\nAt first astonishment and incredulity, then wrath, now dismay filled the\nheart of Nishioka Shintaro[u]. The fellow's insolence, the honorifics\nbestowed on Jisuke, the vile terms heaped on himself, showed the secure\nground on which Jisuke stood in his full knowledge of events. For whom\nwas he spy? He must find out. Jisuke, however, volunteered the\ninformation. \"Spy? Jisuke Dono is spy for no one's interest but that of\nJisuke Sama. He would have warned O'Shimo Dono, but repented in time to\nhave all more completely in his hands. She passed on to her death,\ncarried out under the eyes of Jisuke, and at the hands--Yes, the hands\nof the low fellow Shintaro[u]. Ah! Did beautiful eyebrows inspire this\ndeed? Was it the love for O'Hagi now, or love for O'Han hereafter? As\nrival to his lordship the rascal Shintaro[u] had no chance with O'Shimo\nDono. The clothes prop is the most useful instrument of the house. It\nbrings things long unseen to light and sight. Jisuke Dono will be the\nclothes prop for this completed wickedness--unless his silence be well\nbought. Come! Fifty _ryo[u]_: not down: but ten suffices for the\noccasion.... Come and demand it of the Okusama? No indeed! Before her\nladyship the prescribed etiquette demands obeisance, and off is whipped\nthe head of Jisuke. It is money and--a sword cut. On the contrary, off\nwith Shintaro[u] to beg the needed sum. The tongue of Jisuke Sama is\nsilenced only by the coin which secures his absence.\"\n\nNishioka could not help himself. \"Jisuke is right. It is a matter of\nimportance. But her ladyship alone can supply the sum. Remain here,\nwhere safety has been so well secured.\" Then he betook himself to the\ninner apartments. At his tale O'Hagi was aghast. She touched the root of\nthe matter at once. \"The man must have the money demanded. And\nafterward....\" Nishioka smiled grimly at the kindred thought. \"Into the\n_oku_ he is not to be inveigled. Leave the matter to this Shintaro[u].\nAfter all be is but a _chu[u]gen_, plainly a fellow with two eyes; but\ndespite his long experience he must leave the _yashiki_ or conform to\nthe etiquette of the service. He will not leave a place where lies his\nfuture mine of gold, no matter what his insolence in private. All will\nbe well. His ignorance and position offer chance to play upon.\nShintaro[u] surely will find a way to kill him.\" With this solace and\nthe coin he took his way back to the waiting Jisuke. \"I say now! His\nlordship's shadow indeed! This rascal Shintaro[u] has but to shake the\ntree and the golden fruit falls into his hands. The kind of friend to\npossess! Ask; and one receives. Sheet metal too! A very thief, he is\nmore generous than the Tono Sama! So far thanks. And now--_sayonara_!\nJisuke Dono is off to the pleasant land--the Amatsuki of Fushimicho[u],\nthe land of reed plains (Yoshiwara). The knave Jisuke, values higher\nthan the knave (_yaro[u]_) Shintaro[u]. The Honoured Sir pays for the\nfavours of his queen; his queen pays the _yaro[u]_ Shintaro[u].\" With\nthis parting shot Jisuke was up and out into the open. With some\nsurprise he halted for a moment. Nishioka had received the sally in good\npart. He was laughing, half in amusement, half in vexation. Thought\nJisuke--\"Truly this rascal of a _yo[u]nin_ matches even the honoured\nJisuke. Both spring from the farm, and the jest touches him, and not his\nrank. Between the two, lord and lady are like to pay dear.\"\n\nNishioka returned slowly to the inner apartments, to make report as to\nthis rather doubtful progress. For several days nothing was seen of\nJisuke. For a time, as one satisfied, he resumed his duties in the old\nrespectful role. Only a sly veiled jest would show the wolf lying in\nwait. Then came further demands, promptly responded to by Nishioka. He\nbegan to be curious as to the adventures of Jisuke. He made the\n_chu[u]gen_ talk; whose experiences were painted in glowing colours.\nWith a sigh Nishioka handed over the cash demanded, granted the leave of\nabsence. Grumbled Jisuke--\"'Tis like digging the metal from the ground.\nFew are the miners of another's hoard. Why grudge this Jisuke what costs\nShintaro[u] nothing!\" Nishioka grasped at the opening. \"What costs\nnothing, carries no grudge. But Jisuke has the cash at the cost of this\nShintaro[u], only obtained in the company of an ugly old woman. With\nthis coin it is Jisuke who commands the selected beauty of Nippon. Come!\nThere has been enough of this. To-night Shintaro[u] takes Jisuke as\nguide. He too will take his pleasure amid the beauties of the\nYoshiwara.\" He spoke expansively, with far off smile and look, as if the\nbeauties were ranged before his vision. Jisuke stood with mouth wide\nopen. \"What! Not even the whole private apartments of a _daimyo[u]_\nsatisfies this lecher? Ah! The rascal would plant horns on the Okusama.\nHusband and wife alike adorned! How now: is not her ladyship already\nsomething of a demon? Nishioka Dono will be impaled on one or the\nother.\" With mock respect he gave advice and bowed before his officer.\nHis interest in this rebellion was plain. Nishioka was seen to hesitate.\nHe looked doubtfully at Jisuke, as if seeking counsel in this\nquestionable matter. To Jisuke the matter was a jest; thus to involve\nall three victims in a common treachery to one another. The temptation\nwas great, and he was a match for any underhand design on the part of\nNishioka. No safer place for him than Yoshiwara, in which his enemy\nmight be still more involved. _Samurai_ were particularly marked in the\nplace. Meanwhile the chamberlain would be his butt for the evening.\nJisuke's hints as to his source of revenue were broad enough to the\ncompanions of his evening pleasures. They would be delighted at a sight\nof this generous official.\n\nHence he urged objections to his company, and himself found answers.\nSaid Nishioka--\"It is agreed. To-night all is propitious. The old girl\nhas taken cold. She intends a sweating. Such the notice to this\nShintaro[u]. It is his time to be fickle. He accompanies Jisuke.\" His\nmind was made up, with some evident tear and reluctance. Jisuke aided\nhim in his preparations. Wearing _zukin_ (hood) he passed out the gate\nwith Jisuke. The latter handed in two _chu[u]gen_ tickets to the\n_momban_, and none knew that the honoured _yo[u]nin_ had left the\n_yashiki_. In merry company they descended the Gomizaka. Shintaro[u] was\nas a boy just out of school, so merry was he. He lagged behind, then\nwent ahead. At the top of the Kudanzaka he halted. \"On with you, Jisuke.\nShintaro[u] stops here a moment.\" He passed to the side of the road.\nJisuke in turn halted. He was standing in the moonlight. Said he, with a\ntouch of his usual insolent jesting--\"How explain to the ladies the\npresence of the honoured chamberlain? Shintaro[u] _yaro[u]_ wears two\nswords. Jisuke Dono is but a _chu[u]gen_. Odd company! Notable will be\nthe compliment.\"--\"No explanation is required.\" Terrible the voice from\nthe shadow beside him. \"Ei!\" Quick as a flash Jisuke made a spring\nforward, not too soon to prevent arm and back being ripped open by the\nkeen weapon.--\"Ah! The low fellow Shintaro[u] is not the one to kill the\nhonoured Jisuke. He has already said it.... The beast! He has cut me.\nThe devil lies between Jisuke and the lights of the O[u]mon. With\nCho[u]bei San is found safety and vengeance.\" With all speed he fled up\nthe Ushinakizaka to seek safety in the darkness of its wood. Nishioka\npursued with determination. The rip of cloth and flesh showed him that\nhe had reached his man. Loss of blood would bring him down. Jisuke aimed\nfor the middle of the grove, for the Hachiman shrine, now the site of\nthe Sho[u]konsha. Under the dark shadow of the trees he hoped to escape\nthe pursuer. Alas! A tree root caught his foot and threw him on his\nface. As he rose the sword ran him through from back to breast.\nStaggering, grasping at air, he turned on Nishioka; spitting out his\ngrudge with the clots of blood. His last words of hate were mingled with\nthe rumblings of the storm close over head. The moon's brightness had\ndisappeared. Heavy clouds rolled up, illuminated time and again by a\nglare of dismal light. Big gouts of rain began to wet the clothes of\nliving and of dead in this solitude. For surety Nishioka gave the final\nthrust through the throat. Just then the bell of Ichigaya Gekkeiji\nreverberated through the thick wood. In the night hour it sounded sharp\nand sudden, like a harsh call to men to rise and witness. Nishioka wiped\nhis sword on the dead man's dress. A flash of lightning lit the face,\nhorrible and mocking in the death agony. As the chamberlain leaned over\nthe corpse a voice spoke behind him, harsh and as if half stifled with\nthe blood filling gorge and lungs--\"Yai! Shintaro[u] has his way. He\nmurders Jisuke--not once, but twice. Deep the grudge! Deep the grudge!\"\nThen it broke into a wail, chilling in the helplessness of the malice\nexpressed. Nishioka sprang to his feet and whirled around. In the\nuncertain light close by stood Jisuke. His hair in wild disorder, cheeks\nfallen in and corpse like with the bluishness of clay, the _chu[u]gen_\ngrinned and threatened. The living man could match him with his pallor.\n\"Namu Amida Butsu! Get you hence vile spectre, or stay the test of\nNishioka's sword.\" He made a sweep with the weapon. The figure\ndisappeared. A mocking laugh resounded far and wide, followed by the\nsame chilling hopeless wail. In haste, and pursued by the wild laughter,\nstumbling over stones and roots, Nishioka fled the wood, to make report\nat the feet of her ladyship. For long the figure of the _chu[u]gen_,\ncrying, wailing in baffled malice, haunted the wood of the Ushinakizaka.\nMen hastened to pass by, none would enter; and in time the apparition\nbecame one of the seven marvels (the Nana-Fushigi) of the Bancho[u].\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V\n\nTHE REPORT TO THE TONO SAMA\n\n\nOn the dull evening of the rainy season (June) Nakakawachi Shu[u]zen sat\nlooking out on the dripping plants and trees. The home coming had\nbrought no pleasure. The treachery of the favoured Shimo was assured.\nThe father himself admitted the search made for the lover; wept and\ngrovelled in shame and apology. O'Saku had seen him in person, when he\ncame to the _yashiki_ several weeks before the flight. O'Tsugi had heard\nhim call--\"choi! choi!\" had overheard O'Shimo's surprised\nexclamation--\"my lover! my lover!\" After several mysterious absences, on\nexcuse to see her father lying ill, she had disappeared. On inquiry it\nwas found that Cho[u]bei had never known a day of illness. The excuse\nwas all a lie. \"A case of the wild duck; the cock had come.\" Whose was\nthe child she bore? O'Hagi laughed, and her attendant woman smiled, at\nhis credulity.\n\nShu[u]zen never suspected the deceit. Something of a _dilettante_ for\nthe period he was learned in the Chinese tradition. Seventeen years, and\na woman has no heart. This Shimo was a debauched wench. Truly she had\nfoxed him with her superficial charms, picked him up thus easily in the\nBancho[u]. With gesture of weariness and disgust he turned to the papers\nand scrolls on the desk before him. They were house accounts submitted\nby Nishioka, and none too pleasing. A round sum was missing on the\nperson of the _chu[u]gen_ Jisuke. Sent out to make important payment, he\nhad run off with the money, leaving no sign of his whereabouts. Just\nthen the bell of Gekkeiji struck the hour of the pig (9 P.M.). With\nimpatience Shu[u]zen swept the papers together. Her ladyship as\ncompanion of his wine feasts chilled the bottles with freezing glance.\nThe monotonous talk of debts and expenses, exchanged with those around,\nadded a bitter flavour. Always demands, or hints of demands, which made\nthe meal a very time of penance.\n\nWith some slowness he rose to attend the repast. Then from the garden\nside came a sad wailing voice. \"Grateful the honoured return, so long\ndelayed. Fond the thoughts of the past long weeks. Deep the longing for\nthe honoured presence. Report is to be made to his lordship. Alas!\nAlas!\" A chill went to the very heart of Shu[u]zen. Lamentable and\ngrievous as was the sound, he had no difficulty in recognizing the voice\nof O'Shimo. Startled he turned in indignant anger to the _ro[u]ka_\nwhence the sound had come. He looked out into the darkness of the\ndripping night. Nothing was to be seen. Plainly he had thought too much\nof the girl, of her condition and the disappointment. He gave his body a\nviolent shake to throw off this cold oppression and foreboding. Then\nslowly he took his way to the wine feast. The _sake_ would bring warmth.\nThis was not the case. Freely as he drank, it added to powers of vision.\nHis mind now always on the missing girl, the familiarity between spouse\nand chamberlain seemed strange for the relation between mistress and\nservant. As usual, with the finish of the last bottle, Nishioka\naccompanied him to his retirement. Shu[u]zen spoke sharply of the large\nincrease in the expenses of the inner apartments. To meet these the\nrevenues would have to be forestalled, the income anticipated. The\nsmooth fellow met him more than half way in agreement. His lordship was\ntoo estranged from the _okugata_. Greater familiarity toward the women's\napartments would be the needed restraint. Deign his presence this very\nnight. Nishioka Shintaro[u] spoke in no hypocrisy. The O'Kage Sama now\nwas longing for the rightful substitution. His nest well feathered, he\nwould seek safer quarters with the softer charms of O'Han. On\nShu[u]zen's abrupt gesture and refusal he took his departure, almost\nbetraying his own disgruntlement. Comical was his despairing gesture as\nhe took his way to the bed of her ladyship.\n\nThe temple bell struck the seventh hour (3 A.M.). It roared and\nreverberated through the room. Shu[u]zen opened his eyes. He was\ntormented with the thirst inspired by his copious libations. His head\nwas heavy and whirling. He took a long draft from the jar close by his\npillow. Then he rose to tread the corridor. On his return he sought to\nwash his hands. Turning to find the towel, close by him he saw a woman.\nDressed all in white, slender to emaciation, her face concealed by the\nlong hair which hung in heavy disordered masses over shoulders and\nbosom, she presented to him the desired article. As he would take the\ntowel he spoke in surprise--\"Who may this be, awake at this late hour\nfor Shu[u]zen's service?\" Again the sad lamentable voice made\nreply--\"Fond the thoughts of his lordship. Long waited his return.\nReport is to be made.\" At sight of her face he gave a cry--\"Shimo!\" At\nthe words the figure faded away. The outstretched towel fell to the\nground. A slight rustle of the breeze swept the corridor. \"Shimo!\nShimo!\" In amaze and suspicion came the words. Something had gone wrong\nhere. Shu[u]zen pressed the towel to his lips, as to get rid of the\nnauseating taste in his mouth. Then came the voice from the garden. With\nhasty movement he threw back the _amado_. The wind sighed through the\npines; a gentle patter of rain came in gusts. Close by the voice spoke\nagain--as from a _yukimido[u]ro_, one of those broad capped stone\nlanterns, like to some squat figure of a gnome, and so beautiful an\nornament with white snow cap or glistening with the dripping mirror of\nthe rain.\n\n\"Report is to be made. Long has Shimo waited her lord's return. In this\nShimo was no treachery of heart. Devoted was her service to her lord. By\nthe hand of Nishioka Shintaro[u], by the malice of O'Hagi Dono, Shimo\nand her unborn babe met a miserable end. Nor has the ill deed ended\nthere. Go now to the chamber of the wife, and witness the adulterous\ndeed. Deign to learn the truth from Shimo.\" The voice ceased. Shu[u]zen\npassed a hand over his wine heated brow. Fox or badger? Did some over\nbold and infamous apparition seek to delude him? With a bound he sought\nhis chamber and the sword at his pillow. He would deal harshly with such\nlies. Then came a second thought. Why not ascertain the fact? He was the\nhusband. His presence was a right. Softly he made his way to the inner\napartments. At the outer ward he stumbled in the darkness against some\nobject. \"Are! The Tono Sama!\" With a cry of alarm up sprang the sleeping\nO'Han. She would have outstripped him in a race to the inner rooms, but\nShu[u]zen was too quick for her. With hand over mouth he dragged her to\nthe garden side. She would have cried out, and made resistance. Then he\nchanged her tune. Lacking confession he held her flat and prostrate\nunder him. Firmly grasping both wrists tight together, he forced his\ndagger between the hands, and began to twist the keen blade. Unable to\nresist the torture she soon told all she knew, confessed her own part of\nwatch and ward in the offense. This done, he drove the weapon through\nher throat and left her pinned to where she lay, the limbs feebly\ntwitching in the last throes.\n\nAssured of his suspicions Shu[u]zen now sought to surprise the lovers.\nCautiously he approached the sleeping room of her ladyship from the\ninner side. There was no doubt of it. In the very throes of her passion\nO'Hagi was without disguise. Shu[u]zen threw back the screens on this\nvileness. \"Lechers! For this disloyalty Shu[u]zen finds revenge! Make\nready!\" Nishioka Shintaro[u] sprang to his feet, only to sink down in a\npool of blood which soaked the bed he had dishonoured. Severed from\nshoulder to pap he died forthwith. With wild screams O'Hagi fled to the\ncorridor. As she reached it the point of the weapon was thrust through\nher back, to come out at the navel. As she writhed and twisted on the\nfloor, Shu[u]zen measured the blow and nearly cut the body in twain.\n\"Ah! In good season the old bawd presents herself.\" In fright the old\nwoman's head had been thrust between the screens into the room close by\nthe master. An easy mark it fell severed to the ground, the blood\nspouting its powerful streams from the arteries as from a pump. The\nwoman O'Tsugi was a sterner task. Aroused by the noise she came stalking\ninto the middle of the room, still rubbing eyes confused by sleep. \"Ah!\nThe villainous cuckold. He has murdered these, and now would add the\nnext (_tsugi_). Not so!\" With her wild jest she threw herself upon him.\nTrained soldier as he was Shu[u]zen found the contest no easy one\nagainst this virile woman. Getting the worst of it, she fastened her\nteeth deep into his hand. Grunting with pain Shu[u]zen flung her off,\nand quickly brought down the sword. Prostrate she lay, the blood stream\npouring over the real lord of this harem.\n\nWith a long breath Shu[u]zen surveyed his work. It was complete. Then he\nwent to the outer ward of the apartments. To his call no one came.\nRepeated, in the distance of the _ro[u]ka_ appeared from the outer ward\n(_omote_) the old and faithful Nakamura Saisuke. At sight of his lord,\ndyed in blood from head to foot, he threw up his hands. Without undue\nhaste or any words Shu[u]zen led him to the scene of the punishment.\nRespectfully Saisuke brought a cushion. Then prostrate he waited for his\nlord to speak. Long endured the silence. Then said Shu[u]zen\nbriefly--\"Caught in the act of adultery this Shu[u]zen has put to death\nthe guilty. The results are most important. The lack of discipline in\nthe House is sure to lead to the honoured punishment by the suzerain.\nFrom this there is no escape.\" Saisuke surveyed the scene with the calm\neye of experience. \"Be in no haste, my lord. This Saisuke in his long\nexperience has seen many deeds of violence. For the present this matter\nneed not be published. Of the outer apartments (_omote_), the\n_chu[u]gen_ and servants need know nothing. In any case they do not\ncount, and can be sent away. The others are not curious; moreover they\nare loyal, as _samurai_.... Of the inner apartments--a very clean sweep\nhas been made. Deign to leave matters for the present to this Saisuke.\"\nWith approval the old man examined the handiwork of his lord. It was\nmost thorough, even to the eye of this remnant of the battle field. Then\nhe went to work. The bodies he conveyed to the side of the artificial\nmound in the garden. Digging out part of the hill, here he buried them;\nforced in, dove-tailed together, in the smallest space; the old man\ngrumbling at the ground they occupied. Then with water he washed out the\nblood stains on the wood work. When dry he would plane out tell-tale\nmarks. Meanwhile he would serve his lord, to the exclusion of all\nothers. Would the Tono Sama deign to rest? With sad misgivings the\n_kyu[u]nin_ (house officer) watched Shu[u]zen as he retired to his room.\nHimself he mounted guard at the women's entrance, to prevent all\nintrusion.\n\nNakamura Saisuke's heart was pure. His age beyond recall. For two days\nhe struggled, alone in his task. On one pretext or another the\n_samurai_ were sent off, one here one there, on lengthy missions.\nPerhaps the old man's efforts had been too great. In the course of the\nday a _chu[u]gen_, come on some affair, found him flat on his belly,\ngroaning with pain as in the very last extremities. To the man's\ninquiries he could but cry out with colic and distress. Aid was brought,\nbut only to find him dead. Then a second discovery was made. Report was\nnecessary to his lordship. Here all was found closed against reception.\nOn making their way into the inner room Shu[u]zen was found, clad all in\nwhite, the bloody dirk in hand, the body fallen forward on the\nceremonial mats. He had cut his belly open, on retiring for the night.\nAll now was in confusion. Should the _karo[u]_ be awaited. None knew\nthis exile to the Ko[u]shu[u] fief, beyond his reputed morose severity.\nOfficial there was none to whom to make report. They were afraid, and\ntook their own part. With everything of value they could lay their hands\non they fled in different directions. The open gate and abandonment\nattracted attention. The dead body of Shu[u]zen was proved a voluntary\n_seppuku_ (cut belly) for some cause; that of the old man required no\nexplanation. The inquiry set on foot led only to confusion, and was soon\nlost in the greater question of the heirship. Placed in charge of Yamada\nDono, a caretaker was sought for the _yashiki_. A property tangled in a\nlong dispute, this would seem a pleasing task and one to summon many\napplicants. But this was not the case. Successful candidacy was followed\nby early exodus. None could endure the frightful sounds heard every\nnight; the cries of pleasure followed by the screams of those in the\nagony of a painful dying. Spectral lights were seen, the old well in the\ngarden poured forth its confined spirits, all the evil influence of the\nplace was rejuvenated in the minds of people by this last disaster.\n\"Thus the matter rests. 'Tis not this Shimo who is the cause of these\nnightly scenes of strife and pain. In mad chase Shu[u]zen Dono, the\nOkusama, the villainous Nishioka and his concubines, act the scene of\ntheir cutting off. Shimo has but her part, to find Nirvana in the\nworship of the upright. Deign this act of kindness.\" At the fierceness\nof the voice Endo[u] Saburo[u]zaemon started. The red light of dawn was\npouring into the open room. All sight of the dreadful vision had faded\nfrom the wall before him. Vision, or fact? It had been too vivid to\ndoubt. Yet as he came to the mound he passed around it. On the side next\nto the lake now he noticed that it was all caved in, an obvious\ndepression. The tale then had truth. Thus he took his way from the\nhaunted precincts, determined to secure the _yashiki_ as his own, and\nthe future rest and peace of Nirvana to the unhappy O'Shimo.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI\n\nTHE SHRINE OF THE O'INARI SAMA\n\n\nSomething has been already said of the _chu[u]gen_ Isuke, unwilling\nguide of Endo[u] Saburo[u]zaemon to the haunted house of the Go\nBancho[u]. Thus is the second person of the name of Shu[u]zen introduced\ninto the traditions and history of the Bancho[u]. Of him and his\nexperiences with its denizens something is to be said.\n\nOkumura Shu[u]zen had distinguished himself in the Amakusa uprising of\n1637-8. A retainer of Matsudaira Nobutsuna he had not been the last man\nto force his way into the blazing ruins of Arima castle. He did his very\nbest amid the struggling mass of halt, maimed, and blind, after the real\ndefenders of the castle had died weapons in hand. He was able to present\nhimself before his lord with a reasonable number of his own company with\nheads on their shoulders; and a phenomenal number of heads minus\nshoulders, of all ages and sexes--men, women, and children--of the\ncastle inmates. Against the once owners Shu[u]zen had little grudge. So\nmuch was to be said of him. In private he railed against the bad rule\nwhich had brought him and his fellows into the field against the\nembattled farmers. But this was a thing to be endured; not cured, except\nby time. Rebellion against the liege lord, under the leadership of\n_samurai_ once retainers of the cowardly Konishi Yukinaga, added edge to\nhis sword and point to his spear. His service brought him in the train\nof his lord's progress to Edo. In the report made Okumura Shu[u]zen\nfigured so well, that request--amounting to command--transferred him to\nthe Tokugawa over-lord. Made _hatamoto_ with fief of four hundred _koku_\nhe was as well liked by his greater lord as when in the humbler service\nof a _daimyo[u]_. Five years of faithful work, and the necessities of\nGovernment for his _yashiki_ site in Mita received the reward of a\nliberal grant of another site in the Go Bancho[u], together with the\nthousand _ryo[u]_ of costs of removal.\n\nThe work of transfer was pushed forward. The more modest abode of a lord\nof moderate income, and the massive gateway with its supporting walls\nand fence of closely woven, sharp pointed, bamboo retiring into the\ndistance now were ready to shut in Shu[u]zen to the privacy of his share\nin the suzerain's defence. Plainly Shu[u]zen Dono put more confidence in\nhis own prowess, or insignificance, than in the strength of outer\ndefences against sudden attack of those at feud with him. Part of his\ntract inclosed a shrine of the Inari goddess. This had still its\nworshippers. On his inspection Shu[u]zen noted the loneliness of the\nbuilding, its desolation. Yet it was clean swept and kept, and a money\nbox for offerings was proof of attendance at the shrine. Whether this\nwas of man or beast was not so easy to determine, for traces of the\nlatter were plain to the eye. Their tracks swarmed about the building\nitself. As Shu[u]zen stood in some uncertainty, a woman of the middle\nclass appeared. To inquiries she admitted that the care of the shrine\nwas due to herself and her piety; a care gladly rendered to its\nefficacy. It had returned to her a son once sent adrift to the\nprovinces; and to her affection a husband who had gone astray much\ncloser home, for the intruding female was a minor member of her own\nhousehold. Finding excuse in some domestic misdeed, the worthy cit had\nsent forth the damsel into the wilderness of the world with the fruit of\nher experience. The relief of this incubus, and the return of a more\nrightful heir than promised, the good lady attributed to the virtue of\nher prayers to the Inari Sama. She was urgent to bring support to her\nviews in the general opinion of all the neighbourhood, mainly of the\nKo[u]jimachi village. These corroborated what she said as to the\nshrine's efficacy and petitioned for its continued support. Made the\ntutelary shrine of the _yashiki_, separated therefrom by a mere\nbrushwood fence, this Inari Jinja of the Bancho[u] continued to exist\nfor the good of the public and the annoyance of the amiable Okumura\nShu[u]zen. Its _kannushi_ (Shinto priest) he could never find. The woman\nand others said that he lived at Ushinakizaka. At least the money\ncontributions were always accounted for, although they had never seen\nhis face. A few days before the formal opening of the _yashiki_ the\n_chu[u]gen_ Isuke and the workmen stood with puzzled faces before a hole\ndiscovered underneath the flooring of the shrine. It led to some passage\nor cave. None were in humour to investigate, perhaps to the annoyance of\nthe O'Inari Sama. At Isuke's direction, and with difficulty in the\ncramped space, it was found possible to shove into place the massive\ngranite slab which fitted tightly into the aperture, and plainly\nbelonged to it. \"A one time store house of the god,\" quoth Isuke. With\nthat he and the others betook themselves to their divers tasks of\nfinishing the clearing up of building and surroundings. In the\nexcitement and confusion of moving in there was little thought of the\ncavity in this twelfth month of Kwanei twentieth year (January 1644),\nand the idea of making report was lost sight of until other conditions\nbrought up again the subject.\n\nThe ceremonial visits of the New Year, the congratulations and presents,\nwere to be made to the suzerain by his attendant _hatamoto_ and the\n_daimyo[u]_ then in Edo town. Every _yashiki_ was in a turmoil of\nexcitement and confusion. Even in the greater _yashiki_ there was demand\nfor outsiders to carry the _hakomochi_ or long boxes, for the\n_rokushaku_ (six footers) or tall fellows to carry the sedan chair, for\nothers to bear the _kappakago_ or rain-coat boxes. _Samurai_,\n_ashigaru_, spearholders, _chu[u]gen_, _zo[u]ri_ holders--these were\nattendant in the _yashiki_. But the minor establishments were mainly\ndependent on outside aid to swell the lord's train. Hence the role of\nBandzuin Cho[u]bei and his successors was no sinecure, in addition to\nthe exercise of the art of arranging time and place so that the inferior\nlords would be least inconvenienced by the necessary and often\nhumiliating deference to their superiors in rank. The guild patron\nlooked well to the interests of his employers--_daimyo[u]_--with small\nregard to those who shifted for themselves; which was one of the causes\nof grudge by the _hatamoto_ against Cho[u]bei, later removed from the\nscene by assassination.\n\nEvery horse in Edo, destined for the morrow's ceremony, underwent the\npampered treatment that the groom Kakunai devoted to his master's nag.\nOn the preceding day Kage (Fawn colour) had been treated to all the\nluxuries of horse diet. He must eat for to-day and for to-morrow, and\nperform all the offices connected there with beforehand. Said\nKakunai--\"Kage, be circumspect and constipated. To-morrow the master\noffers congratulations at the castle. Kage is stuffed beyond measure\nto-day, that he be able to fast to-morrow. Show no discontent. For the\npassage of the sun there is to be no eating, and but a modicum of\ndrinking. Halt not the procession for unseemly purposes.\" He stroked the\nhorse, and the pleased animal purred and whinnied with the contentment\nof a cat at being petted. Then harshly said a voice in the ear of the\nbending Kakunai--\"For this feed of the year's end thanks are rendered.\nThough not exactly of the kind desired, the intent has been good and the\nstomach filled. Hence congratulations in turn for the New Year season.\"\n\nKakunai jumped as if some one had thrust the unblunted end of a spear\ninto his posteriors. He looked around, and over, and under the horse.\n\"Who speaks? Where from? And what concerning?... Yai! Yai! It's Kage!...\nIs no one hiding hereabouts, to make a fool of Kakunai?\" With eyes\nbolting out he backed away in terror. The horse grinned broadly, showing\nits ugly yellow teeth in attempt at graciousness--\"It is true. Kage,\naddresses the honoured _betto[u]_ Kakunai, gives congratulations to his\nfriend.\" Kakunai did not wait to receive them. Now he bolted forth in\nperson, to burst into the room of the _chu[u]gen_ Isuke, just then\nstruggling to arrange garments and hair for attendance on his lord's\nprogress. Head throbbing from not unliberal potations due to the seasons\nfestivities this was no pleasant task. To Kakunai's report the answer\nwas prompt and sour--\"Kakunai is a liar or a fool; or if he would play a\njest on Isuke, his own head shall ache as badly.\" Kakunai accepted the\nchallenge and asseverated the truth of his report. Not at all convinced,\nand with a gloomy satisfaction of the idea of having it out with Kakunai\non failure of the proof, Isuke accompanied the groom to the stable.\nKakunai gingerly made up to the horse--\"Kakunai has been friend to Kage.\nHence he is called liar or fool or mountebank. Deign to prove his truth,\nKage Dono.\" Respectfully he bowed to the horse. The latter at once\nturning to the _chu[u]gen_, brayed into his face--\"'Tis fact. Kage is at\nleast as human as these his brothers. He speaks to whom he wills. Not so\nwith Isuke and Kakunai. A word to the Tono Sama, and Kage will kill and\neat these his friends. Keep his good will by friendship.\" Gently the\nhorse raised a front hoof. The voice was harsh; and the push, though\ngentle--for a horse--sent Isuke flat, with reminder of Kage thus closely\napplied. Without a word the _chu[u]gen_ wallowed from the floor, none\ntoo clean, and took to flight. Kakunai followed after, holding his nose.\nIn the privacy of the _chu[u]gen's_ room Isuke changed to sweeter garb\nand discussed the matter with Kakunai. Should his lordship be informed?\nKakunai, as immediate attendant and in greatest danger, earnestly\nprotested. Isuke at any time might be brought into closest contact with\nKage in his office of _chu[u]gen_ attending his master. They agreed that\nit would be very disagreeable to be killed and eaten, especially with\nsuch evidences of Kage's powers of disposition. Hence nothing was to be\nsaid; or rather each agreed to leave the matter of report to the other.\n\nGreat was the crush and excitement on this day of the year. Long and\ncontinuous were the processions (_gyo[u]retsu_) of _daimyo[u]_ and\n_hatamoto_ making their way to and from the castle. The rule of the day\nwas to avoid unnecessary collision, as far as possible; not only in the\nmatter of precedence, but of order. Commoners, male and female, old and\nyoung, _ro[u]nin_, _samurai_, according to their caste squatted or\nprostrated themselves in reverential attitude as the palanquin of some\nlord passed by. Caustic or benign, generally malicious, the comment of\nthe Kidahachi and Yajiro[u]bei--\"O[u]kubo Hikoroku Dono; 'tis true he\npossesses influence, and the roughness of Hikoza Sama, but the keen wit\nof the honoured father lacks.\"--\"Yet the lord O[u]kubo has much kindness\nbeneath his roughness. The latter is passport to the favour of the\nsuzerain.\" Iyeyasu Ko[u] ruled by statecraft; Hidetada Ko[u] by\nbenevolence; the third Sho[u]gun Iyemitsu Ko[u], by rough energy. Such\nthe tradition of the personality of these three men handed down in\nNippon's history. With the passage of Tadamune Ko[u], of the great\nSendai fief, heads went very low. Great his wealth, and greater still\nwas his influence with the Suzerain. Tadamune swept proudly on; the\nfuture disasters represented in the boy who rode close to the palanquin,\nand whose licentious life later threatened to wreck the wealth and\nposition of the great house.\n\nAt the dismount notice (_geba-fuda_) Okumura Shu[u]zen, accompanied by\ntwo pages, donned _zo[u]ri_ (sandals) and betook himself to the palace.\nHe was a small figure in this crush of great nobles, but as _hatamoto_\nhad his right and duty of being present at the palace; both rigidly\nenforced, and assuredly with greater regard and welcome than most of the\nmen of much greater rank, always regarded with suspicion. The modest\ntrain of a four hundred _koku_ lord was squeezed into a corner of this\nmass of underlings waiting the return of their masters from audience.\nClose companion to his beloved and now feared Kage, the groom Kakunai\nwas well satisfied with his insignificance. Great was his consternation\nto hear the harsh voice of his equine friend in his ear. A whisper to\nKage meant a roar to the crowd--\"Naruhodo! The stench of these humans\nexcels even that of the stable. One is as much confined here as there.\nHis lordship has now departed. Deign, Kakunai San, to indulge in\namusement. Let's be off--to the Kwannon of Asakusa, to the Yoshiwara.\nHere there is naught but press and riot. In the pleasure quarter both\nconvey diversion. Deign so to regard it.\" With wide open mouths those\naround turned to the quarter whence came these uncomplimentary terms.\nKakunai was sweating with fear--\"Shut up!... Rude? Then deign to be\nsilent. Great the press. To withdraw is difficult; to desert his\nlordship impossible. Silence is the part of the inferior.\" At this\nexercise of authority the horse grumbled loudly--\"Away from the stinking\nstable one feels gay and at ease. Quicksilver runs in the veins. At\nYoshiwara the _hatsudochu[u]_ will be in progress. Following the\nprocessions of the honoured _oiran_, liberal will be the _sake_ offered\nat the tea houses. Deign, Kakunai San, to reconsider your purpose to\nremain.\"\n\nAt this Kakunai almost melted into the icy puddle on the ground. He\nshivered as he wiped the cold sweat dripping from his forehead. At first\nvoices said--\"Who is speaking in these ribald terms? Kakunai San is it\nnot? Who the companion?... Oya! 'Tis the horse which talks! Asakusa and\nYoshiwara? What say the women to the presence of the beast? Eh! Off with\nyou, Kakunai San, to show which is horse and which groom.\" They crowded\naround the pair, not daring to come close. Kakunai felt extremely\nunwell. He could not deny the fact. \"Like boys, he boasts beyond his\npowers. The power of speech runs loose. Yet as a horse it is a wise\nbeast, the treasure of a four hundred _koku yashiki_, since none other\npossesses his like. Deign to note his own proclamation of his tastes.\"\nThis was to throw the consequences of discovery on the animal, to file\nthe sharpness of teeth against the promised mauling of Kakunai's flesh.\nThen he waxed eloquent and proud--\"A fine horse indeed! Such a horse in\nbattle is unequalled. Is it not so, Kage?\" And Kage promptly answered to\nhis friend's praise. \"A horse of noble quality, with good deeds to his\ncredit, gains reputation. At the astonishment of the foe the rider runs\nthem through with the spear. Hence gain of heads, and reputation to both\nsteed and master.\" Kage spun round, letting fly hoofs in all directions,\nshaking his head and biting savagely. At this display of battle fire\nthose too close fled in disorder. At a safe distance wonder and advice\nwas expressed. \"Deign to be off, Kakunai San. Truly the animal is foxed,\nand foxes enough are to be found in Yoshiwara. He will find company\nwithout fail.\" Kakunai, as he restrained the beast, now full at\nease--\"Of that we are assured. Alas! He cannot squat. In that he is\nclumsy, as is the red haired, green-eyed western barbarian. Otherwise it\nis not Kakunai who would bring coin to Nakanocho[u], but convey money\nhence.\" Some agreed, and some disagreed, and all congratulated. Thus did\nhorse and groom get much advertisement at the O[u]te-mon, to the\nsubsequent profit of both.\n\nShu[u]zen, audience granted, appeared at the castle gate. Respectfully\nthe crowd drew apart, and watched the lord depart with his train. Never\nhad one of the minor _hatamoto_ attracted greater attention; and of\nthese many were notable men for personal exploits. Entirely unconscious\nof this notice Shu[u]zen rode off to his _yashiki_. In the course of\nthe succeeding days many visits were to be paid, and the wondrous fact\nhad chance to spread from the under world to the surface. At the\n_yashiki_ of Abe Shiro[u]goro[u] the salutations were exchanged; the\nspiced _sake_ to preserve life--the _to[u]so_--was brought forth.\nShu[u]zen detected in his host a quizzical, even amused attitude. Said\nShiro[u]goro[u]--\"Shu[u]zen Uji, did he deign to ride, or mount the\n_kago_ (palanquin).\" The question was abrupt, and seemed not over\ncourteous. A _hatamoto_ of four hundred _koku_ possessed steed and\nspearmen. Abe Shiro[u]goro[u] was a great lord, and Shu[u]zen answered\nsmoothly, seeking any source of offense. To his affirmative, said the\nhost--\"Then Shu[u]zen Dono perhaps deigned to mount the favourite and\ntalking horse.... Surely he knows of the animal's great gift....\nCongratulations are due, for what is the talk of the castle precincts.\"\nShu[u]zen's astonishment was too great not to be genuine. He was the\nfirst to propose to Abe Dono the taking of a look at the noted beast. He\nwas eager to inspect an animal, which, it seemed, he had as yet never\nseen. The two lords came forth to the _genkwan_ (house entrance). On\nsummons Kakunai brought forward the horse, expecting his lord to mount,\nnot exactly understanding the presence of the lord of the mansion.\nShu[u]zen's first words enlightened him unpleasantly. With some\nseverity--\"Kakunai, does this horse talk?\" Thunderstruck Kakunai did not\nknow what answer to make. Kage could bite. His master could do worse, if\nenough angered. He hesitated--\"Hai!\" Quoth Shu[u]zen--\"'Hai' is no\nanswer. Has the horse power of human speech?\" Kakunai put his hand to\nhis head, then turned to Kage, who was obstinately silent. He gave him\nas hard a blow on the neck as he dared, without result. \"The Tono Sama\nhas heard the tale; as has this Kakunai. His head in a whirl, Kakunai\nknows not whether it be true or not. By an humble groom such matters are\nnot understood. To report idle gossip or the illusions of one's brain,\nsavours of impudence. Deign the question in person. Kage refuses answer\nto this Kakunai.\"\n\nThus skilfully he lied. Kage eyed him with approval; Shu[u]zen with some\ndoubt. He turned to the horse--\"Kage, it is said you speak. Shu[u]zen is\nthe master. Answer without lying.\" Kage spoke, indifferent to rank and\nwithout circumlocution of polite society--\"'Tis so; and just as does a\nhuman being. Truly Shu[u]zen Sama has supplied a most foul smelling\nplace to learn the art.\" Abe Shiro[u]goro[u] snickered--\"Kage Dono is\ntoo precise. Would he learn the art of converse over his master's\nwine?\"--\"Not unwillingly,\" replied the nag. \"But in any case he would\nhave Isuke and this lazy groom make better and more frequent use of\nbroom and bucket. The good offices of Abe Dono are requested.\" By this\nretort courteous the two noblemen were silenced and amused. Uncertain as\nto the course of further converse with the beast Okumura made\nsalutation, mounted and departed homewards. As he gave the horse into\nthe groom's charge he said--\"It is for Kakunai to keep in mind the words\nof Kage.\" As he vigorously applied broom and water to the stall and\nvicinity of the favoured animal, Kakunai mentally determined that on the\nwhole Shu[u]zen Dono was the more dangerous of the two. Hence-forward he\nwould be careful to remember all that Kage said--and make report.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII\n\nTHE LUCK OF OKUMURA SHU[U]ZEN\n\n\nThe first efforts of Shu[u]zen at solving this mystery were not overly\nsuccessful. A _samurai_, he betook himself to the highest exponent of\nthe caste cult. In search of illumination he hit upon Hayashi Daigaku no\nKami Dono. This man, learned in all the lore of Morokoshi (China), head\nof the certified institute of letters--the University--could but confess\nhis ignorance--vicariously. Rats nesting in the tails of horses formed\npart of the experience of books, but not of that of men. Of talking\nhorses there was no authenticated case. The whole matter remained\nwithout proof. He had never heard of such. Shu[u]zen squatted in a\ndrowsy stupefaction as an incomprehensible learning was poured into his\near. He choked with the dust raised from the ancient volumes, tenderly\nand reverently pawed over by the learned doctor, who seemed dust-proof.\nFinally through the mist he heard the asseveration that it must be the\nwork of fox or badger. It was matter for the diviner, not the divinity\nof the learned. With this Hayashi Dono gave the pile of dusty script\nbefore him a mighty thump, and disappeared behind the cloud he had\nraised.\n\nOkumura Shu[u]zen sought the open air and respiration. Where now should\nhe go for counsel? He would sell the beast. Kakunai sought mercy. He was\nbut a groom, and death was easy at his master's hand. At all events\neasier than the one promised by Kage, if Kakunai should lead him out to\nthe market, and with fluent lies send him forth to earn the cruel\nlivelihood of his kind between the shafts of a cart. Shu[u]zen was a\nkindly man; the horse one deserving better treatment. The groom's terror\nand the beast's threat added a new and interesting element to this\nsearch into the unknown. On the next day was to be heard memorial\nservice for the ancestral tablets. This was to be performed in person\nby the abbot of the Seisho[u]ji of Shiba, Bankei Osho[u] known to fame.\nShu[u]zen snoozed and exercised patience as the abbot read and expounded\nthe lengthy _sutra_ scroll. Over the subsequent repast he broached the\nsubject of the talk of beasts, and his own particular difficulties.\nBankei Osho[u] was most interested. All animals had speech and memory\naccording to their kind. Food, a master's kindness, their own particular\nconcerns, were matters of great intelligence among them. Why then should\nspeech be aught else than to possess the organ? Such was the case with\nparrots. Monkeys evidently understood each other well, understood the\ngestures of men. As to the horse, there were very ancient records of the\nspeech of such; so dim in the memory of men that probably they were mere\ntalk of ignorance. But he would see this wondrous beast. Deign that\nguidance be supplied.\n\nShu[u]zen grasped at the offer. The abbot spoke with an ease and\nglibness that only the ecclesiastic on his own ground can show to those\nignorant of his subject. He wrapped his lore, made easy for the\nbeginner, in such technical phraseology, that Shu[u]zen could grasp at\nthe meaning without knowing anything about what the abbot said, and\nhence had all the greater respect for the immense truth which he could\nsee and not understand. Appreciation is as good as knowing--for the one\nwho would pose--and soon Shu[u]zen and the cleric stood at the house\nentrance, waiting the production of the horse. Isuke in haste had\ncarried the message to Kakunai. Kakunai, assured of his master's\nforbearance and Kage's accomplishments, had been none too sober since\nthat happy day. Said he aloud--\"A horse is not an ass; and a talking\nhorse is one of his kind. Tip money to see the wondrous beast has flowed\ninto the stable; and wine has flowed into Kakunai. For Kage there has\nbeen soft rice paste (_mochi_) and dumpling (_dango_) in unstinted\nquantities. The pastry cook has been overworked. Kage, now seize the\nopportunity. Speak with fluency and argument. Ah! If you had but the\ntaste of this Kakunai! Wine would be an inspiration.\"--\"Just try me!\"\nchimed in the brute's voice. \"Follow up the wine with rice cakes in\nsyrup (_shiruko_). Otherwise Kage opens not his mouth, except to bite.\nGrievous is it to exercise speech, and to witness the benefits accruing\nto the human hog. Henceforth Kakunai must share alike with Kage.\" At\nthis rebellion Kakunai was dumbfounded--\"Nay, Kage! _Shiruko_ and _sake_\nfor a beast? Never would such come to the inside of the belly (mind) of\nKakunai. If you did but know its content....\"--\"Shut up!\" was the nag's\ndiscourteous response. \"Kage knows it well. You have eaten _takuan_\n(pickled radish), and it smells none too sweet. A little further off,\ngood Sir: now--who is this would be interviewer?\"\n\nReduced to proper proportion Kakunai made humble reply. \"Most fitting\ncompany for the honoured Kage Sama. The abbot Bankei deigns his\npresence.\" The horse gave a violent snort, and plunged back to the limit\nof his halter. \"Kage talks not with a priest, nor henceforth with\nanyone.\" Kakunai was all consternation--\"But Kage Dono ... the tips!\nThis refusal is terrific. Why not favour the curiosity of the Osho[u]\nSama? Deign to reconsider. The dainties of Kage, the wine of Kakunai,\nare at stake. Silent before the Osho[u], the Danna Sama in anger will\nstrike off the head of Kage. Kakunai loses friend and fortune at a\nblow.\" The animal duly mused. \"It is so. Shu[u]zen Dono of late has been\nshort tempered. It cannot be avoided. Better had it been for Kakunai to\ntake this Kage and depart to country fairs and towns; to pick up much\ncoin for wine and dainties. However, all may go well. Delay not past the\ncoming night to join yourself with Kage. Between the service of\nShu[u]zen and that of Kage this low fellow (_yaro[u]_) Kakunai must not\nhesitate.\"--\"Just so,\" agreed the groom. \"It is mere matter of gambling\nanyhow that any ill occurs. Drinking wine, does Kage also gamble?\" A\nshudder went through the frame of the horse--\"Why speak thus? Of horses'\nbones the dice are made. Would Kage trifle with the relics of his kind?\nMake answer, Kakunai.\" He spoke with a fierce earnestness. Kakunai\nstammering sought answer. Just then Isuke appeared, to urge all speed.\n\nWith lowered heads man and beast appeared at the house entrance. Kakunai\ntouched three fingers to the ground. To insure due reverence Kakunai had\nhaltered Kage so that he could talk, but hardly move a limb. At sight\nof the beast Bankei Osho[u] took his most severe ecclesiastical pose.\nDressed in violet robes, the gold embroidered stole (_kesa_) over his\nshoulders, the rosary of crystal beads in hand, he approached the horse.\nWith the brush of long white hair which clears away the dust of the\nworld's offences (_hossu_) he swept the circumambient air. Long he\nobserved the nag. Then coming close to it he grasped the forelock. Kage\nraised his head, with open mouth as if about to snap. The abbot\ncontinued his recitation of the holy _sutra_. Mouth still wide open,\nclumsily the horse sank on his knees before the priest. Then suddenly\nand deftly Bankei thrust a bolus into the open mouth, which closed as\nmoved by springs. Sweeping the air with _hossu_ and his rescued\narm--\"Acquire the heart of virtue. Assume the true nature, and seek\nNirvana.\" He kept on stroking the beast's head with the rosary. Once or\ntwice Kage opened his mouth as if to speak. Then incontinently the body\nrolled over lifeless. The bystanders looked on with fear and amazement.\nWithout speaking the abbot took the arm of Shu[u]zen and accompanied him\nwithin.\n\nKakunai, left to himself, rolled to the ground as speechless as his four\nlegged charge. Tears of sorrow and anger flowed copiously. \"Ah! He is\ndead! Kage is dead! Wise was he to advise flight. Alas! This beast of a\n_bo[u]zu_ (priest), what purge did he use, thus to cut off at once the\nbreath of Kage? No more gambling, no more wine, with Kage nicely bedded\nand asleep in his stable, and Kakunai with equal luck asleep in the\npleasure quarter! Alas! Alas! Kage is no better now than a dead\nass--while Kakunai still lives.\" Thus he vented his grief, to the\namusement of his fellows who had shared but little in his fortunes.\nMeanwhile Shu[u]zen and the abbot were otherwise engaged. Said\nBankei--\"Deign to relate something of how Shu[u]zen Dono came to this\n_yashiki_. Honoured Sir, was not the former site in Mita? How came the\nchange?\" Shu[u]zen explained the conditions and the time of change to\nhis new site and experiences. If there was aught of grudge, it attached\nrather to place than person. To this Bankei Osho[u] was agreed. \"The\nfact of the case is plain to Bankei. The spirit directing the actions of\nthe horse is not the spirit of the animal. The possession brought to an\nend by the exorcism, the alien spirit departed, and the carcass of the\nanimal deprived of this influence, it fell to the ground an inert mass,\nlike to the abandoned shell of the cicada. But the malevolent influence\nis to be found. This is the task of Shu[u]zen Dono. Deign, honoured sir,\nthen to have memorial rites performed by this Bankei, and no longer will\nthe _yashiki_ be haunted by such unusual and unseemly performance....\nDaigaku no Sensei? He is but a Confucianist, bound to the letter of\nmaterial substance. Nor would he confess the ignorance of the spiritual\nworld he undoubtedly is gifted with, of the law of punishment for deeds\nperformed in a past existence (_ingwai_) as taught by the Lord Buddha.\nThe materialist has his nose to earth, and can see naught else. The\nidiot has his nose to heaven, and can see naught else. The Buddha's Law\ncomprehends Heaven and Earth. Hence its truth.\" With this expression of\nthe _odium theologicum_ the worthy abbot departed templewards,\naccompanied, as gage for further proceedings and profit, by the carcass\nof the horse. Bankei had this inhumed in the ground behind the main hall\nof the temple. Kakunai superintended these last obsequies. The abbot's\nwords, as to the malevolence of the influence involved, was proved to\nShu[u]zen the next day, when report was brought that the groom had\nhanged himself at the gratings of the stall once occupied by Kage. Moved\nby this strong hint, Kakunai was sent to join his equine friend in one\ncommon grave.\n\nWarned by the unusual nature of these events Shu[u]zen determined at\nonce to trace out the source of this evil influence. It was his duty as\na _samurai_ to suppress such manifestations occurring so close to the\nsuzerain's dwelling. It was to his own interest to free the _yashiki_\nfrom such noxious vapours. The _karo[u]_, Beita Heima, set on foot an\ninvestigation. Then it was that Isuke the _chu[u]gen_ had thought of the\nhole detected under the shrine of the O'Inari Sama. On Shu[u]zen's order\nthe _karo[u]_ undertook the task of examining this suspicious adjunct to\nthe _yashiki_. Torches in hand several _chu[u]gen_, under the direction\nof the _samurai_, were appointed to the work. The men hesitated a little\nto violate the precincts of the shrine. Growled Beita--\"The carpenters\ndid not hesitate to build it. What they put up, men can destroy. Up\nwith the boarding. Thus the stone easily will be raised.\" The directions\nwere carried out. There were many tracks of beasts, all of which seemed\nto converge to this spot. With removal of flooring and joists, soon the\nmassive lid of granite was raised on edge. With a thud and cloud of dust\nit fell to one side. The men drew away, not only checked by the dark\naperture exposed, but by the foul odour which poured up from the\nconfined space. Holding his nose the _karo[u]_ took a lighted torch for\nfurther inspection of depth and means of entrance. \"Um! A shallow place;\nnot more than a _jo[u]_ (10 feet). Who volunteers to enter? Come! Don't\nbe backward on his lordship's service. Isuke, eh?\"\n\nIsuke came forward readily enough at the call. He was a brave man, and\nmoreover a little angered at the fate of his one time friend, Kakunai.\nIf the beast of a horse, or the spirit beast, held occupancy here, Isuke\nwould deal with him. The kick of spiritual hoofs and the bite of\nimmaterial teeth had no terrors for Isuke. Carefully inspecting his\nground he took the leap. A lighted torch was lowered to him. With this\nhe marched off, the light growing quickly faint in the darkness. \"Oya!\nOya! 'Tis strange. The stench--it is unendurable. The darkness too thick\neven for the torch. It fails to burn.\" For a time his voice was heard\nrumbling off with increasing distance. To repeated shouts no answer was\nreturned. Said Heima--\"Isuke has gone too far, out of range. Some other\nmust bear him aid.... What! All milk livers? You, Gensuke, love the wine\ncellar. Its care would seem to be your calling. Now down with you! Here\nis one made to hand for the _yashiki_. Make report of the discovery to\nhis lordship.\" Gensuke was most unwilling, but his comrades loudly\napplauded the choice. He was lowered into the hole by hands energetic to\nlend him assistance in reaching its depths. Provided with a light he too\nstarted off on his march into the darkness. \"Iya! Iya! What stench! 'Tis\npast endurance. Ah! There is a loud roaring yonder. Gensuke will\ninvestigate. Deign support in necessity.\" His voice also faded off with\nthe distance. Then all was silence. Those outside now could hear the\nfaint reverberation spoken of. To their shouts there was no answer. All\nwere much alarmed. They looked into each others' faces. At the\n_karo[u]'s_ order there was now no hesitation, though there was some\ngrumbling at the rashness of those who risked the wrath of the O'Inari\nSama by the heedless undertaking.\n\nThree or four men at once jumped down into the hole. With dimly burning\ntorches, and holding each other by the hand, they made their way into\nthe blackness of the cavern. Almost at once came a cry, answered by\nothers. Those above leaned eagerly over the aperture. Some took the\nleap. Soon the men appeared, dragging along the limp and helpless body\nof Gensuke. The trouble now was clear. The men had been overcome by the\nvicious air of the cave. Soon Isuke also was brought to the upper air.\nWith the removal all the roar and reverberation was transferred to the\nsurface. The two men lay unconscious, breathing noisily, and to all\nappearance in great extremity. Beita San at once ordered local aid.\nWhile friction and cold water was being applied, the leech summoned,\nSaito[u] Sensei, came on the ground. Heima questioned anxiously as to\nthe men's condition. The Sensei reassured him--\"It is but the noxious\nair of the cavern which has overcome them. A day or two, and they will\nbe as good as ever.\" The old man wrinkled his face and chuckled a little\nas he surveyed the victims of the O'Inari Sama. Greatly was the\nreputation of the shrine for efficacy added to in this punishment. \"Boy\nand man this aging Saito[u] Genan has known the place. Evil its repute.\nThe cave is very ancient, and in the past much feared by people round\nabout. Failure to worship has been followed by misfortune. Horse or cow\nhas disappeared, house been burned down, or pregnant wife frightened\ninto miscarriage by apparitions. Young girls attending at the shrine\nhave disappeared. Its reputation is as evil as that of the Ko[u]jimachi\nwell yonder.\" He jerked a finger in the direction indicated, at the\nneighbouring site beyond the bamboo fence. \"A bolus, and these fellows\nare restored to consciousness.\" From his wallet he prepared the drug.\nGensuke showed signs of life, opened his eyes, uneasily moving first\nthis limb, and then that. Isuke sat bolt upright, with most stentorian\nsnort. He waved both arms with a violence which sent his two supporters\nto the ground. In wrath he sprang up, but the malign effect was still\ntoo powerful. His legs wavered under him, and they had to come again to\nhis aid. However, it was necessary to carry off Gensuke limp and\nhelpless; with the support of the arms on each side of him, Isuke made\nhis way back to the _yashiki_ on his own legs.\n\nHeima made report to his lord of what had passed, of the history of the\nplace as reported by Saito[u] Sensei. Shu[u]zen pursed his lips, and\ninquired as to the condition of Isuke. The _chu[u]gen_ was a favoured\nattendant; one much trusted. At the end of a week he was summoned to his\nlord's presence. \"And Katai (tough) Isuke, his experience has gone\nbeyond his powers?\" Shu[u]zen spoke with that slight jeering condolence\nwhich arouses obstinacy. Isuke, prostrate on his hands, expressed\ngratitude for his lord's reproof. The fault was not his. Overcome by the\nfoul air he became giddy, then lost all sensation of time or place. \"And\nthe roaring and noises, these did not frighten Isuke into his\nfaint?\"--\"Roaring, noise, there were none; beyond the gentle drip of\nwater often heard in such places. The roaring heard must have been due\nto the snoring of Gensuke. The cowardly fellow still clings to the bed,\nsucking in the dainty fare of the invalid; not so, Isuke.\" Shu[u]zen had\nan idea. All the others were too struck by fear to be of aid--\"Then\nIsuke fears not the work of fox or badger. He will again make the\nventure?\"--\"For the Tono Sama; though none too willingly,\" was the\n_chu[u]gen's_ reply. \"Fox or badger? Let them but come under the knife\nof Isuke, and he will make soup of them; a better soup than they supply\notherwise. But the stench!\"--\"And the foxes of Nakano (Shinjuku)?\" Isuke\nblushed. His master was far too knowing.\n\nAt Shu[u]zen's order that night Isuke met his lord at the steps of the\nInari Shrine. The adventure pleased Shu[u]zen. He was still young enough\nto delight in exposure and difficulties. Plainly old Beita was not the\nman for this task. His retainers readily would obey their lord's\ndirection. But Shu[u]zen hungered for a more direct credit. He stripped\nto his loin cloth in the cold winter night. Isuke followed his lord's\nexample. The job would be no clean one. Then the two men dropped to the\nfloor of the cavern. Isuke spoke in surprise. \"Naruhodo! At night the\nplace seems much brighter than by day.\" He looked around in some\nsuspicion and astonishment. Then his eye rested on the torches. \"Oya!\nThe torch burns brightly, not dimly as before. Pfu! The stench is\nunaltered, but the air at least is breathable.\" Preceding his master by\nsome ten paces, Shu[u]zen heard him give a shout. Hastening up, with\nIsuke he bent over the aperture of what seemed to be a well. What was\nits depth? \"In with you, Isuke,\" said Shu[u]zen. The _chu[u]gen_\nprotested--\"Nay! The Tono Sama deigns to jest. Is Isuke a bat\n(_ko[u]mori_), one to fly off into the darkness.... Ah! The depth is\nterrific. The light hardly shows the blackness of the place. It may\nreach down to Meido itself.\" Shu[u]zen lit a second torch, then cast it\ndown into the cavity. He broke into a laugh. The light continued to burn\nbrightly. \"Meido then is not far off. The bottom of the well lies not\nfive _shaku_ (feet) below. Now in with you!\" Anticipating the\n_chu[u]gen_ he sprang down himself.\n\nIsuke spoke, holding his nose--\"Heigh! Tono Sama, deign to go no\nfurther. The stink passes beyond measurement. It increases with distance\ngone. Peugh! It blows from yonder.\" He pointed to a low aperture in one\ncorner of the roundish space in which they stood. Shu[u]zen could\nunderstand better now. The whole cave was due to water; had been formed\nby water in the loose volcanic soil. The well was a mere passage way by\nwhich it once had risen, and been drained off again. Isuke was right.\nWith decuple vigour the stench now rose close to hand. \"In with you,\"\nwas the peremptory order. \"Anything found in way of gold and silver\nbelongs to Isuke; and caves are always rich in such finds.\"--\"Is that\nso?\" said the _chu[u]gen_--\"It is the tale of old books; which often\nlie. But in with you, and find out.\" Under spur of avarice and command\nIsuke crawled into the passage. He had gone but a bare ten feet when\nShu[u]zen heard a most fearful yell, saw the rapid progress outwards of\nthe posteriors of Isuke. The man's face was chalk white--\"Deign, Danna\nSama, to go no further.\" He choked for utterance. \"How now!\" said\nShu[u]zen in pretended astonishment. \"Fox or badger? They were to be\nconverted into soup for Katai Isuke, soft food for his grinders.\"--\"For\nfox or badger Isuke cares not. He invites their presence.... Kiya!\"\nShu[u]zen in sport had placed a cold wet hand on his neck. \"Ah! The\nDanna jests. Of fox and badger soup is made. With human stench it is not\nsavoured. There is a dead body within. Hence the frightful odour.\"\n\nShu[u]zen at once began to twist his head towel around his nose. With\nfeeblest protest Isuke saw him take the torch and disappear into the\npassage. Soon his voice was heard. \"Isuke! Isuke! Is he milk livered?\nHow about the gold and silver? Would Isuke abandon it?\" Isuke would not.\nIn a trice he was on hands and knees, to rejoin his master who was\nroaring with laughter. \"Gold and silver may be here,\" Shu[u]zen\nexplained. \"Otherwise Isuke would have backed out of the undertaking,\nall the way to the cave's entrance. Turn the body over. See whether it\nis of man or woman.\" Much put out Isuke did as he was bid. \"Pfugh!\nStirring does no good. The very flesh is melting from the bones. The\nhair of the beard and head show it to be a man.\" Shu[u]zen turned to a\nwider passage, plainly due in part to hand. By crouching he could enter\ninto a larger chamber. In wonder and admiration he called to Isuke. In\nso far, the _chu[u]gen_ would pursue the venture. Besides would he not\nfollow his master to Meido itself? \"Look, Isuke! Such groining of the\nroof is only made by Nature's hand. The cave of Fudo[u] Sama at Meguro\nshows no finer sight.\" He pointed to the mass of interlacing roots of\nsome huge _icho[u]_ rising from the ground above. Isuke grumbled assent,\nwithout much vigour. He was getting tired of this adventure. It was a\nsatisfaction they could go no further. Shu[u]zen meanwhile was rummaging\nthe place, which evidently had been a kind of dwelling. In a closet were\nfound some coarse cooking utensils and crockery for food. A supply of\nfirewood in one corner, and a box, completed the furniture. With\ncuriosity Shu[u]zen turned over the books in the box. A cry brought\nIsuke to his side. \"Your share, Isuke.\" He pointed to three shining\nsilver _ryo[u]_ which lay below the scrolls. Isuke looked incredulous at\nthe find. Then he prostrated himself before his master in deepest\ngratitude. With joy he pocketed the coin and shouldered the scrolls.\nThere was nothing more to do. They sought the open air.\n\nThe strange sight reported to him, Beita Heima the _karo[u]_ appeared\nbefore his master. In the early morning light Shu[u]zen was pouring\nbuckets of cold water over Isuke, having himself undergone the same\ntreatment at the _chu[u]gen's_ hands. \"Kan mairi, Heima,\"[7] said\nShu[u]zen with a laugh. Then he explained matters to the astonished\n_karo[u]_. Isuke's further ablutions were left to other hands. The\naffair now was cleared up. The removal of the slab, the fresh air\npenetrating the cavern, made the removal of the body easy. This was to\nbe sent to Bankei's care for proper burial and rites. Meanwhile\nShu[u]zen with interest and increasing gravity examined his prize. The\nbooks were all on war. One was in the suspected script of the western\nbarbarian. From its plates, it was a work on fortification, and the art\nof attack and defence. Shu[u]zen did not understand the Dutch words, but\nhe regarded the find as of importance, at least as adding to his own\nmerit. So likewise did Abe Bungo no Kami, minister for the month, and\nwith a great liking for Shu[u]zen. He saw to it that the affair was to\nthe latter's profit. The _Ometsuke_ inspected the books, inspected the\ncave, drank Shu[u]zen's wine, and commended the vigilance and energy of\nthe _hatamoto_. The report was worth an added hundred _koku_ to his\nmodest income. Isuke also counted his gains with joy; a means of\ncontinued defiance and pursuit of the foxes of the Nakano pleasure\nquarter.\n\nAs to Bankei--the funeral rites had been performed, the _sutra_ read,\nthe body inhumed in the same mound with those of Kakunai and the horse.\nLiberal had been the gift of Okumura Shu[u]zen for all these divers\ninterments, and great the unction of Bankei at the accomplishment and\nsolution of the mystery of the cave in the Bancho[u]. But one thing\nrested uneasily on his mind. What the identity of the evil spirit which\ncaused these wonders? That night, as the abbot rested in his bed, there\nappeared at his pillow a man of some thirty odd years, tall, gaunt,\nhairy, ugly, and much dejected. \"His eyes were prominent in his head,\nhis lofty nose showed ability, he had the mouth of a shark.\" Plainly\nvery great had been his wickedness. Prostrate the apparition gave\nthanks to the saint. All the spice and joy of evil doing had been\nexchanged for the insipidity of Paradise. Now he was threatened with\nNirvana through the prayers of the saintly abbot. In life he had been\nthe wicked So[u]ja Mushuku (lodgeless). A famous thief, he was the\nsource of the raids on purse and person, on _yashiki_ in particular and\nthe common people in general, which had caused much fear and distress in\nEdo. The cave of the Inari, a lucky discovery, had been his safe haunt\nfrom pursuit. None could betray him, for none of his band knew his lair.\nHe would betray no one; but he would tell the abbot of his fate. It was\nIsuke who had sealed him up in the cave by thrusting into place the\nheavy cover. Here he passed miserable days in hunger until the poisonous\nair, gradually accumulating, had put an end to him. His spirit, however,\nhad haunted the place, with no disposition to leave. With the\nopportunity he had entered the body of Kage, in search of human\nrequirements and enjoyments. Betrayed by appetite he had been driven\nforth by the prayers of the abbot, and solaced by his petitions for the\nfuture life. Deign to let the matter rest there, and not pursue him into\nthe inanity, the nothingness of Nirvana. To this the practiced ear of\nthe holy Bankei gave deep thought. This fellow already had forced the\nunhappy Kakunai to follow in his tracks. What might he not do to others\nin whom the abbot had far greater interest? \"To such wickedness the gift\nof Nirvana is not likely. Bankei wastes his breath, and Shu[u]zen Dono\nhis substance. Deign to enter Meido, be wholly purified of wickedness,\nand in a second birth, if in human form, be of a virtuous House. For\npresent and past sins atonement is to be made. For those still living\nBankei holds not his lips silent. Off with you at once to these insipid\njoys.\" He thrust the rosary of crystal beads into the vision's face. At\nonce it disappeared, and Bankei woke amid a nauseating odour. He\nstretched himself in weariness--\"A dream? Tribulation of the Five\nViscera?\" Yet he would report it to Shu[u]zen, and on the uncertainty of\nthe truth secure further aid for man and horse. Hence the monument of\nthe Bato[u] (horse-headed) Kwannon, which long stood on its mound behind\nthe _hondo[u]_ of the Seisho[u]ji of Shiba.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII\n\nAOYAMA SHU[U]ZEN\n\n\nThese events could not fail to cause comment. It was in the general room\nof the _hiban_, the fire guard of the castle, that the discussion came\nto a head. There were a number of these guards for different quarters of\nthe castle inclosure; and for better drill and coordination the officers\nmet, apart from the site of their particular duties. This made the\noffice of the _hiban_ a sort of club of the _hatamoto_, bringing\ntogether the members of the more particular cliques, known respectively\nas the Shiratsukagumi (white handle club), the Kingingumi (gold and\nsilver clubs), the members of which knocked out a conspicuous tooth,\nreplacing it with the metal ensign of their affiliation, and the Kubo no\nShiro-oshigumi. These organizations, something like the Otokodate of the\ntownsmen in the closeness of the relations of their members, had by no\nmeans the same worthy object. They were often merely a way of ruffling\nit through the town, particularly at the amusement quarter of Asakusa;\nseeking quarrels with _ro[u]nin_, abusing women, and literally\ngravelling the discomfited townsmen, not seldom left on the ground,\nsubsequently to be put into it. The Otokodate, or chivalrous band, were\nindeed needed in this state of early Edo. They could hold their own,\ninasmuch as the _samurai_ involved dared not bring a quarrel to light.\nHe had the advantage of his training; and by the rules of his caste did\nnot hesitate to have assassinated a plebeian he could not overcome, and\nchose to regard as impertinent. Collisions with these, however, were\nrare. _Ro[u]nin_ were the particular object of dislike of the Tokugawa\nadherents. It was the great exception made, when Hida no Kami (Yagyu[u]\nMatajuro[u]) admitted Kume no Heinai to his fencing room and\ndiscipleship. The _ro[u]nin_, of course, deserved the proscription,\nbeing often the devoted adherents of a lost cause--Hoo[u]jo[u] or\nToyotomi--and unwilling to transfer their fealty to a second lord. The\nmost noted and hated of the _ro[u]nin_, though free from any taint of\nrebellion to the Tokugawa, was this Heinaibei; the vilest assassination,\nthat of his friend Bandzuin Cho[u]bei by Mizuno Juro[u]zaemon aided by\nother members of the Shiratsukagumi.\n\nEndo[u] Saburo[u]zaemon had related the mishap of his _chu[u]gen_, his\nown experience in pursuing the offenders. The old fellows, heroes of the\nGenwa and Kwanei periods, were gathered close to a _hibachi_. Despite\nthe season age sought pretence of warmth or closer company. Said the\nveteran Matsudaira Montaro[u]--\"O[u]kubo, what think you? Surely the ice\nwater of gathering years runs in our veins. Such happenings, so close to\nthe dwelling of the Ue Sama, never would have taken place in former\ndays. But we are old. The stiffened joints and the wrinkles would not\ndeceive such miscreants. 'Twould be a palpable fraud, our\npresentation.\"--\"True,\" growled Shichinosuke; \"but ice water runs in\nother veins than those who are old.\" Kondo[u] Noborinosuke, verging\ntoward his fifties, now chimed in--\"Naruhodo! The talk of these young\nchaps infects one with their own complaints. This one can but thump\nhimself on the chest and speculate as to whether he has one lung, or two\nof the kind. This other limps and dreams of _kakke_. His tongue hangs\nout a yard, that he can better inspect its colour; and his legs are\nblack and blue from efforts to detect a dropsy. A third excuses himself\nby a flux, which he would cure with hot wine; and a fourth is assured of\na cold, to lead to all these and other ailments, and hence steeps\nhimself night and day in the hot bath, the one to be most easily\nexcused. Emma Dai-O[u] in Hell[8] could not afflict these fellows more\nthan they grieve over themselves. Only in talk of their ailments do they\nfind company. Plasters and medicaments for their persons, instead of\narmour and the quietus of the foe, these are the objects of their\nquest.\" The two old rascals, and their middle aged abettor, looked slyly\nover each other's heads at the younger men grouped in the rear, then at\neach other. Thus it was with these violent fellows of the actual\nbattlefield. They would stir someone to action.\n\n\"Heigh! Heigh! Not Endo[u] Uji: he at least has proved his mettle. The\npressing offices of the day do not call for sleep all night. He is of\nthe stock of Kiemon Dono. Old Hikoza never tired of tales of his\nfather's prowess.\" Kondo[u] chuckled as he continued--\"The old fellow\n(_oyaji_) spoke well of the dead. The living had need to take care of\nhis praise of them. Witness Torii Dono and Akiyama Dono, at the two\nextremes of age. Good luck, as well as management, extricated them from\nthe results of a commendation like to cost them much. Alas! His place is\nnot to be filled.\" O[u]kubo Hikozaemon, governor of these wild fellows,\nkeeper of the suzerain's conscience, had left his seat vacant these past\nfive years. Sorrow for his loss did not prevent Noborinosuke bringing a\nbright and beady eye on Aoyama Shu[u]zen. O[u]kubo Shichinosuke followed\nthe look. All of the old ones fastened Shu[u]zen with inquisitive glare.\nThe object of their attention neither quailed nor showed undue\neagerness. \"The honoured ancients favour this Shu[u]zen with the task.\"\nHis laugh was so cold and purposeful, his look so derisive and\ncomprehending, that the old fellows in some confusion sought comfort in\neach other. This Aoyama Shu[u]zen was a very devil of a fellow. He had a\nperspicacity in finesse that the plain, keen, and honest bluntness of\nformer days could not deceive. Aoyama was not one to charge with\neffeminacy in any form. He had a wife--whom he neglected. He had a page,\nwhom he favoured. He had all the harsh vices and capabilities of the\nwarrior age. Turning to Endo[u] Saburo[u]zaemon--\"Endo[u] Uji has seen\nthe vision, not fox or _tanuki_. This has been the experience of the\n_chu[u]gen_?\" Saburo[u]zaemon did not like the connection; nor did he\nlike Shu[u]zen. \"It is fact. Rokuzo was bewitched, not Endo[u]. See to\nit that Aoyama Dono has better luck.\" Thus tacitly he would force the\nmission on Shu[u]zen. The latter suppressed his anger at the assumption.\n\"Endo[u] Dono, as with this Shu[u]zen, is _hatamoto_ of the land. Such\nvile rascals as these do not make them object of their tricks.\"--\"Don't\nbe too sure of that,\" replied Endo[u]. \"Neither fox nor _tanuki_ would\ncare for the company of the vision. This Saburo[u]zaemon does but seek\nto give it rest--and himself.\" He spoke with some gloom. Said Aoyama\nwith decision--\"Agreed! What may be the reward?\" A chorus of protest\nwent up. \"Reward! Reward!... The applause of all.... The interest in the\ntale, as with that of Endo[u] Dono, just recited.\" But Shu[u]zen smiled\nand shook his head--\"Endo[u] Dono seeks the good will of an unworshipped\ndemon.\" Saburo[u]zaemon shot a glance at him. \"Shu[u]zen too has his\nobject. Otherwise, let others volunteer.\" The force of what he said was\nmade plain by the silence of the company. The stories told, none longed\nfor the experience. Thought Montaro[u] testily--\"This fellow always has\nsomething in his sleeve.\" With hesitation--\"Endo[u] deserves reward, and\nclaims it not. Aoyama would have it in advance. How now: a sword?\" All\nlooked inquisitively at Shu[u]zen. They were surprised and disgruntled\nat his gesture of dissent. He knew the ancients, and could suspect a\ntrap. \"Shu[u]zen knows the kind. As with buying radishes at Yanagibara;\none good for nothing, and bringing anything but honour.... Shu[u]zen\nselects his own weapon, nor asks reward apart from the issue.\" Kondo[u]\nNoborinosuke clapped his hands. The younger man was a favourite and\nkindred spirit of his own, near enough in age to be congenial. \"The\npresiding chair at the Endurance Society meeting. We are _samurai_,\n_hatamoto_ of the land. Gold is not to the purpose. A sword is bought\nwith gold. Let Aoyama Uji make report to the meeting, and on that hang\nthe office.\" Shu[u]zen was the first to nod eager assent. All agreed;\nwith no great joy at prospect of the coming test, yet afraid of his\nrefusal. Thus the company separated, committed to a meeting of the Gaman\nKwai at the house of Noborinosuke, to hear the report of Aoyama\nShu[u]zen's venture into the Bancho[u].\n\nHis preparations made, the next night, at the hour of the rat (11-1\nA.M.), saw Aoyama in his turn climbing the slope of the Gomizaka.\nAttached to the immediate service of the palace, the place was very\ndesolate and strange to him. At a loss where to look for the objects of\nhis search he sauntered at random, attention drawn to footing in this\ndarkness. Thus it was that the Gekkeiji bell sounded over the moorland,\nstriking the first watch of the hour of the ox (3 A.M.). He stopped to\nlisten his eye fixed at the time on the long line of wall and fine gate\nof a _besso[u]-yashiki_ (country villa), evidently of a great lord. He\nhad passed from here some little distance, to the turning of the wall,\nwhen hasty steps and the hard breathing of one who had just breasted the\nhill struck his ear. Shu[u]zen standing at the corner was almost knocked\ndown by the dark bulk which bounded out of the shadow. Both parties\nsprang back in attitude of watchfulness. Shu[u]zen had never seen such a\nfellow. At least seven feet in height, hairy of arms and legs and face,\nhis eyes shone like bright mirrors. Bulging forth these made him like to\nthe ghost of some huge dragon fly. Did he not have an eye in the middle\nof his forehead? Shu[u]zen could not have denied it. Of size to inspire\nfear, decidedly the rascal was to be suspected. Shu[u]zen was the first\nto question. \"Who and where from? Answer at once, or this Aoyama deigns\nthe death cut.\" The man, or monster, merely opened and shut the plate\nlike eye holes. Then with a roaring derisive lip--\"Ha! Ha! This is\nTanuki-bake, come hither to find and fetch Aoyama.\"\n\n\"Ya! Ya!\" Aoyama was in a great rage. In the act of drawing his sword he\nwould cut the rascal down. Thus to insult a _hatamoto_ of the land, lord\nof twelve hundred _koku_! \"Make ready!\" Apparition or not, at a bound\nthe man was some ten feet off. Then followed a space, during which\nShu[u]zen made every effort known to the fencing room. He would have\nimpaled a real dragon fly more readily. Without attempt to flee the\nobject merely darted hither and thither. Shu[u]zen was dripping with\nperspiration. He felt badly and discouraged. For a moment he would\nrest--\"To see this Aoyama?\" He grunted. \"Just so,\" was the reply. \"Fools\nat close quarters give entertainment. Aoyama is not the clever one to\ncut down the _tanuki-bake_ (badger-ghost). Get you hence to your quilts,\ngood sir; to your fool companions who wear summer garb in depth of\nwinter, and triple garments in the heats of the sixth and seventh\nmonths; stuff themselves with hot food and wine in summer, and freeze\nthe viands and _sake_ in winter. Get you hence to your companions of the\nGaman Kwai (Endurance Society). Make report to them of Aoyama's venture,\nand bray and brag to them of spending a night outside the sheets.\"\nShu[u]zen strove to be calm on receipt of these insults to his kind. In\nhaughty condescension he explained--\"Those of the Gaman Kwai wear\n_katabira_ (light summer wear) in winter, triple gear in summer, to\nundergo the hardships of the battlefield. In war one regards not heat or\ncold. He drinks from the puddle on the field, and cooks the rice straw\nfor food in his helmet. This is the great time of peace. The experiences\nand the hardships of the battlefield are lacking. It is as substitute\nfor these....\" He was interrupted by a mighty burst of impolite\nmerriment from the heavy man, who held his sides as like to split from\nlaughter. \"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Naruhodo! These chitterlings; stuffed\nsausages! 'Sufferings of the battlefield; hardships'! They are not to\nencountered in such childish sport. He who would face these must\npractise the art of the inner belly (mind). It is by hardening the belly\nthat the trials of war are met. You fellows practise but the outer cult.\nOf the inner and secret precepts you are ignorant. Degraded fools\n(_bakeyaro[u]_)!\"--\"Shut up!\" roared Shu[u]zen. He could take the fellow\nat a disadvantage in his fit of outrageous merriment. Close to hand he\nleaped on him. In effort to avoid the blow the miscreant tumbled head\nover heels into the close deep waving _suzuki_ grass. With satisfaction\nAoyama felt the sword sink deep into the resisting substance. Great his\ndisgust to find that he had cleft an old and hidden stump to the very\nroot. He seated himself upon it.\n\nAt least he was in the centre of disturbance. Should he await further\nencounter, or depart elsewhere to find it. He had a mind to abandon the\nlanes and plunge into the waste land. Just then screams and cries were\nheard; the sound of rapid flying feet coming in his direction. A young\nwoman in flight was now close at hand. Her hair unbound streamed behind\nher. She was in night clothes, and the knot of the narrow _obi_ or band\ncome loose in her flight, exposed a figure all attraction. On reaching\nAoyama she threw herself at his feet, clasping his knees. \"Aid! Aid from\nthe honoured _samurai_! Thieves breaking in threaten with death and\npillage. Deign, honoured sir, to aid.\" Shu[u]zen was very willing to do\nso. The lady was very urgent and very beautiful. He himself was\nuncertain as to goal, and the matter of the ghost could wait on her\nextremity. To his inquiry she made reply--\"Just yonder.\" With her he\nretraced his steps. To his surprise the gate of the _yashiki_, already\nnoticed, was wide open. In all haste she urged him to the entrance, yet\nin his rapid passage he seemed to have seen this place before. The girl\ngave a call, then another. Shu[u]zen joined her in chorus and the\nsearch. The mansion was thrown wide open and abandoned. Not a soul was\nto be seen. All had either been killed, or had fled. The wailing of the\ngirl brought him to her side. Prostrate she lay on the bodies of an old\nman and old woman, who had been put to death without mercy by the\nmiscreants. Great was the pity of Aoyama. \"The bodies still smoke in\nblood; the perpetrators cannot be far off. It would be well to seize\nthem. This lantern ... how now? Is it of the house?\" The girl raised her\nhead to observe it. \"No,\" she said. \"The house lanterns have not the bow\nhandle. This is of the thieves.... What's that?\" A noise was heard\nabove. Aoyama, hand on his sword, sprang to the stairway. The girl, all\nsmiles at the prospective vengeance, followed him.\n\nThree fellows were busy at the closets and chests. The contents were\nscattered over the floor, evidently for purpose of selection. Aoyama\nburst upon them. \"Heigh-ho! Vile rascals! Submit your necks at once to\nthe blow, your arms to the cord.\" At first the pillagers were greatly\nastonished and put out. \"A _samurai_! Our work is interfered with. Alas!\nWe must away.\" Said the leader, a determined looking fellow--\"Umph! 'Tis\nnothing but a board wages _samurai_ (_sampin_). He is alone. Kick him\ndown. Teach him the lesson of interference.\" With yells all made for\nShu[u]zen. Disregarding those at the side he delivered his blow at the\nman in front. Kiya! He split him in two as one would green bamboo.\nShu[u]zen drew back with a side sweep which cut another clean across the\ngirdle. He stopped to rub his eyes with amazement. Was it not\nwitchcraft? Not three, but five men now confronted him; and lively\nrascals they were. Strive as he would Aoyama's blows seemed but to\nmultiply his foes. He was but one man. A kick to this side sent a\nrascal flying to the wall; an elbow shot sent another through the\nscreens. Then all took to flight. One closely pursued sought the roof,\nthe drying frame its heights. Aoyama was about to cut him down, when the\nfellow sprang off into the darkness like a flying bird. At the same time\ncame most urgent and piteous cries from below. \"Danna Sama! Honoured\n_Samurai_ Sama! Deign rescue. The thieves! They force me to\nextremities.\" Reluctant Shu[u]zen turned back. On reaching the lower\nstair he came upon the rascals who were gathered round the girl. At\nsight of him all took to flight. To Shu[u]zen's astonishment the girl in\nher turn fled in pursuit. Out of the house rushed the whole band,\nShu[u]zen joining in the mad race. Down the slope went all. Then\ndobun!... Shu[u]zen's foot caught in a hole, or root, or some obstacle.\nHead first he went into the ditch. Struggling, gasping, spitting out the\ndirty water of the drain, Aoyama scrambled up on the bank. He looked\naround in amazement. The white light of dawn illuminated the scene; the\nill fated tree stump and the dirty drain close by. House there was none.\nGirl and thieves had disappeared. He stood on the moor, shivering in\nNippon's always cool dawn and dripping wet with the filthy fluid of the\nditch or stream flowing through these fields and the valley. With\ndiscomfiture he took his long way homewards to the Do[u]sanbashi.\nPlainly he had been bewitched and derided. So believing, he was startled\nto find himself again before the _yashiki_ gate; but in the light of day\nit showed the obvious neglect of years. Shu[u]zen at once sought\nentrance, not by the gate, but over the wall for lack of other means. He\nrecognized the scene of last night's exploit, and its description as\ngiven by Endo[u] Saburo[u]zaemon. Besides, he recognized the place in\nhis own experience of long past years, the favour and support of one to\nwhom he was much indebted. Ah! Truly these were dangerous rascals he had\nencountered.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IX\n\nSHU[U]ZEN MEETS SHU[U]ZEN\n\n\nAoyama Shu[u]zen was not likely to brag of this exploit. All day he sat\nbiting his thumbs, and drinking wine to obviate the effect of his nasty\nbath. An idea began to crystallize in his brain. But this matter\npressed. The preparations for the night were to be made. He hoped for\nbetter luck in his vengeance on the miscreants. The watch of the rat\nagain saw him skirting the Ushigafuchi on his way to the Bancho[u]. He\nhad just started up the slope of the Gomizaka when he heard steps behind\nhim. Oya! Oya! Two _chu[u]gen_ and a lady. About these there was nothing\nsuspicious. But the lantern they carried? It was marked with the\n_mitsuba-aoi_, or triple leaf holly hock crest of the suzerain's House.\nPlainly the bearers were on mission from one of the San Ke (Princes of\nthe Blood), or perhaps from the palace itself. Reverence must be done to\nthe lantern. On his present mission, and thus arrayed, Aoyama sought to\navoid notice. He disappeared into the long _suzuki_ grass at the road\nside. He could hear the lady express her anxiety and haste. Then with\ncuriosity Aoyama watched their strange behavior. A bare sixty feet\nbeyond they came to a halt. The lady shrank back as in terror. Hatena!\nAoyama recognized him by his size, the antagonist and critic of the\nprevious night. Without delay, or giving time for flight, the huge\nruffian with one hand grasped the bosom of the lady's dress, with the\nother the arm of a _chu[u]gen_. A kick sent the other fellow very\nwillingly to the ground. Tremendous was the apparition as he towered\nover his victims. He seemed taller than ever. His hair stood out like\niron wire. His mouth grinned open wide from ear to ear; and now Aoyama\ncould see distinctly the horns sprouting from his temples. Did he not\nhave claws? Aoyama could not remember.\n\nHe would rescue the lady, beautiful of course. Rapidly passing through\nthe grass Aoyama burst out upon the group. He took aim at the knave's\nbreast bone. \"Yai!\" The fellow let go. The two prisoners, thrust\nviolently into the knees of Shu[u]zen, brought him to the ground. When\nhe had recovered balance the rascal had disappeared. The lady was in a\ndead faint. One _chu[u]gen_ seemed to be dead. The other was squatting\nat some distance, eyes saucer like in fright. He regarded Aoyama with\ngrave suspicion. The _samurai_ called to him. \"Here you! Your mistress\nhas fainted. Water at once!\" But the fellow did nothing but answer \"Hei!\nHei!\" without sign of motion. \"Don't sit and purr like a cat,\" roared\nShu[u]zen. \"Off with you, and fetch water.\" At last the man took courage\nto approach. \"Alas! Danna Sama, this Bancho[u], where the thieves are\napparitions, and apparitions turn to women, frightens this\nIsuke.\"--\"Fear or no fear, water must be had. Such milk livered fellows\nare not for man's work. Weakness of loins won't do. Off with you.\"--\"But\nhow?\"--\"In your scabbard, fool.\" For answer the _chu[u]gen_ made a wry\nface and tugged at his weapon. As often the case with those men, it was\nof wood. Shu[u]zen laughed. Then he gave his own scabbard to the\n_chu[u]gen_. Off the fellow crawled, with gait and speed of a maimed\ninsect.\n\nMeanwhile what was to be done. Shu[u]zen put his hand into the bosom of\nthe lady, and rummaged. Women were always dosing and fainting. Doubtless\nshe was provided for such contingency. Surely a perfume reached his\nnostrils. Ah! Here it was. He drew out the fragrant package. Medicine\nwithout doubt. The drug savoured strongly of musk. At last the fellow\nwas on hand with the liquid. Shu[u]zen made a pellet from the drug.\n\"Raise up your mistress. Take her in your arms.\" But the man drew away\nin horror. He prostrated himself flat on the ground. \"Deign forbearance.\nTo touch with a finger one of the ladies of the palace is not to be\nventured.\"--\"Ah! Is that so?\" grunted Shu[u]zen. \"Circumstances of\ncourse don't alter cases. He who will not touch a woman is usually a\nmost lecherous rascal.\" With this comment he roughly shoved aside the\nawkward efforts of this meticulous attendant. Taking the operation upon\nhimself, he gently pressed the back of the lady's neck, forcing her to\nopen her mouth. Inserting the drug he poured in water from the scabbard.\nA sudden slap on the back and down went the bolus. The lady opened and\nshut her eyes. Then they remained open. \"Be firm,\" commented Aoyama\nSensei. \"Thanks,\" replied the dame. \"Ah! What fright! With hand on\ndagger was this Bancho[u] entered on. So near, how suspect misfortune at\nhand? Truly honoured sir, great your trouble and inconvenience.\"\n\nAoyama accepted the thanks, to satisfy curiosity. \"But so late abroad\n... and doubtless of the honoured San Ke....\" Replied the lady--\"The\nmission was of Kishu[u] Ke, said to be of grave import. Hence the late\nhour of the night. This insignificant person is lady in waiting at the\nSan no Ma of the palace; Takigawa by name. The _yashiki_ of Okumura\nShu[u]zen, my father, lies close at hand. Great the cowardice shown by\nthis Taki.\" Shu[u]zen grasped the whole affair. Between Kishu[u] Ke and\nthe parent House the feeling in those days was none too good. Grave\nsuspicion on the part of one, angry resentment on that of the other. He\nwould see more of the matter. It was his duty as _hatamoto_. \"To go\nabroad with _chu[u]gen_ is no safe thing. At this hour and place\n_samurai_ could well have been taken as company. As for courage--of that\nkind it is not expected of a woman. Valour was shown in undertaking the\nmission. And this fellow....\" He turned sharply to the _chu[u]gen_ and\npointed to his fellow. \"Mujina-take.\"--\"What!\" roared Shu[u]zen. He\nlooked from _chu[u]gen_ to lady, and from lady to _chu[u]gen_. They\nseemed surprised. Stammered the man in fright--\"It is but a nickname.\nHis name is Take, and he is very worthless. Hence he is called\nTanuki-take. I am called Yo[u]kai Isuke (Apparition Isuke), being\nnothing but wind.\" Aoyama grunted a ready assent to this self critic.\nThe fellow's ignorance and cowardice was as gross as the material flesh\nwhich Shu[u]zen tested with a well applied kick in the buttocks,\nbringing Isuke in position to render first aid to his companion. This\nwas done by passing on the application. A vigorous snort followed the\nthump on the back administered to Mujina. He sat up and regarded his\nmate with astonishment. \"Ah! The Yo[u]kai.... No more of that. 'Tis\nMujina's turn.\" This, when his fellow proposed a second application. The\nreturn came sooner than anticipated. A terrific sneeze followed. Up came\nhis head sharply, and the _yo[u]kai_ rolled over backwards on the\nground. He rose in fury, holding his jaw. Shu[u]zen was laughing, the\nlady smiling. \"The distance is but short? Plainly those fellows are next\nto worthless. This Shu[u]zen will act as guard.\" Thus did Aoyama go in\ncompany to the _yashiki_ of Okumura Shu[u]zen; and thus was his second\nnight's venture brought to naught.\n\nThe arrival of the Ojo[u]sama (lady daughter) in company with Aoyama\ncaused much excitement. Okumura was of five hundred _koku_; Aoyama of\ntwelve hundred _koku_. The latter was at once ushered to the inner\napartments. The lady wife of Okumura came forward to urge his stay for\nsome entertainment. Aoyama in turn was curious to know more of this\nmission in connection with a _hatamoto_ like himself. He spoke gravely\nof the dangers in this neighbourhood, apart from the strange tales told.\nOkumura Shu[u]zen heartily agreed. The charge being to Kishu[u] Ke was\nnot to be declined. Himself he had many strange tales to relate. Though\nthe hour was late, every effort was made. Aoyama Shu[u]zen was gratified\nwith a beautiful repast. The wine was served in person by Takigawa Dono.\nThe talk passed from personal affairs to tales of war. Here Aoyama was\nin his element, both from experience and the tales of others heard in\nthe _hiban_ and at the meetings of the Gaman Kwai. This was a first\nmeeting, not to be too long drawn out. Okumura was a new comer in the\nBancho[u], his service was in connection with the public works. Aoyama\nhad been of the palace staff until very recently. Both expressed deepest\ngratification at their encounter. As he took his way home in the morning\nlight, Aoyama Shu[u]zen could but contrast with pleasure his present\narrival with that of the previous morning. He had feasted well, and made\nan acquaintance of some value.\n\nThe following day he would make his acknowledgments. Aping no great\nstyle he walked accompanied by a page and two _chu[u]gen_. Inquiry soon\nbrought him to the _yashiki_. Inquiry soon introduced him to a sitting\nroom. \"Lucky fellow!\" thought Aoyama. \"The influence of Matsudaira\nKo[u] lands him in affluence. A modest income; a double _yashiki_!\" This\npart of the house was different from that of his last night's\nintroduction. Then he stated his business to the _karo[u]_. The night\nbefore he had accompanied the Ojo[u]san to the _yashiki_. He would make\nacknowledgment of the courtesy then received. The face of old Beita\nHeima was a puzzle. Deep the respect due to twelve hundred _koku_\nAoyama, but had he been drunk or dreaming?--\"Has not your lordship\nmistaken the _yashiki_?\" Aoyama was a little severe at what seemed\ngratuitous assumption. \"You were not on the guard last night.\" Beita\nspoke, prostrate and with great respect, but with an earnestness and\nobstinacy not to be mistaken. He had been on the guard--from sunset to\ndawn. Aoyama began to feel uncomfortable. Veiling the sharpness--\"Is\nthis not the _yashiki_ of Okumura Dono?\" Heima gulped assent. \"Is not\nTakigawa Dono, of the San no Ma, the Ojo[u]san of the House?\" Here Heima\nwas on sure ground. \"Ojo[u]san of the House there is none. It is very\nrude; but surely there is mistake as to the _yashiki_.\" Aoyama now was\nbeginning to see light. He felt very hot and uncomfortable. He ventured\na last question for surety. \"And Okumura Dono?\"--\"The Tono Sama absent\nin Shimosa, the _yashiki_ has been in this Heima's charge for this past\nmonth's course.\" With such grace as he could in his discomfiture Aoyama\nShu[u]zen took his leave. The astonished page and _chu[u]gen_, still\nretaining the intended presents of acknowledgment, with difficulty kept\nup with their master. Ah! The beasts again had scored. Detestable!\nShu[u]zen thought with horror of his repast of the previous night. He\nhad no better fare than Rokuzo the _chu[u]gen_. In rage he sought his\nroom, and swallowed all the purges and emetics to hand. Occupied in\nretching, and thinking, and other matters germane to his condition, he\nconcocted the plan by which he hoped to bring the foe to book, and\nhimself to the presiding chair which surely he had earned.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER X\n\nTHE MEETING OF THE GAMAN KWAI\n\n\nWith the fall of O[u]saka castle (1615), and the culmination of the\nuneasy movements of the years following in the conspiracy of Honda\nMasazumi, the country entered on a long peace--the Tokugawa Taihei. The\nArima rebellion after all was but an affair of farming folk, in far off\nKyu[u]shu[u]. Masazumi struck right at the person of the Sho[u]gun\nhimself. A special ceiling was constructed in his castle at Utsunomiya.\nThis was to collapse on the sleeping Iyemitsu Ko[u] sheltered beneath\nit. Caught between the heavy boulders above and beneath the couch, the\nSho[u]gun was to be sent to rest with, not worship of, his divinized\ngrandfather at Nikko[u]. Iyemitsu slept the night at Edo castle, owing\nto the valour and strength of Ishikawa Hachiemon. Masazumi had failed,\nand the set field of battle between the factions of the _samurai_ was a\nthing of the past. The duel, forbidden in theory and compulsory in\npractice, was to take its place. The substitute always had existed. It\ntried men's courage, not the sustained endurance of campaigning. How\nthen was the old spirit of the warrior to be maintained? The desire to\nemulate their sires worked on the younger generation. The relics of the\nTensho[u], Keicho[u] and Genwa periods (1573-1623) O[u]kubo Hikozaemon,\nMatsudaira Montaro[u], Nagasaki Chiyari Kuro[u], were heroes who could\nboast of having stood before the horse of Iyeyasu in his earlier trials\nof battles, trials in which the veteran commander would pound with his\nfist the pommel of the saddle until it was red with the blood from his\nbruised knuckles. Their tales of actual war, the sly jeers at the\nsoftening manners, spurred on younger members to find ways by which to\nsimulate practical experience of campaigning. The result was curious.\nOne of the organizations was the Undameshi Kwai, or Fortune Testing\nSociety. Loaded firelocks were stacked in the middle of the room of\nmeeting. Around them sat the members of the club, squeezed into full\narmour, from helmet to the warriors shoes of skin. The match was set.\nThe weapons were exploded, sending a shower of balls in every direction.\n\"Ah! Ha! The bullet grazed my helmet.\"--\"The gorgelet caught it.\"--\"The\ncorselet has saved me.\"--\"Congratulations are in order. Surely your\npension will be increased during the year.\"--\"Oya! Oya! And Genzaemon\nUji?\" The unfortunate Genzaemon had not fared so well in the mimic war.\nAt all events he sat the meeting out--if he could. To be reported dead,\nin the course of duty; or be overcome with regrets at showing such\nclumsiness in being wounded; or, if actually incapacitated, to go home\nand die of \"illness\" (cut belly).[9]\n\nThe Gaman Kwai, or Endurance Society, was another form the movement\ntook. In the season of great cold its meetings were held as if in the\nheight of the _doyo[u]_ or dog days; vice-versa with the time of great\nheat. It was the beginning of the seventh month (first half of August).\nThe heat was intense, and had been for the past weeks. The farmer\nwatched the steamy vapour rising from the rice fields and rejoiced. The\nplants were growing luxuriantly, the leaves of the willow trees were\nhanging yellow and wilted. Passers by on city or village streets sought\nthe shade under the buildings, walking with languid lagging step, and,\nhome once reached, removing every garment which etiquette--not\ndecency--had hitherto compelled. Great was the dismay of the weaker\nmembers of the Gaman Kwai on receipt of a circular letter couched much\nas follows:\n\n     \"In this season of great cold the continuance of the\n     honoured health is observed with joy. On the seventeenth day\n     it is desired to make offering of a cup of indifferent wine.\n     It is begged that the use of the honoured _kago_ (palanquin)\n     be condescended. This the purport of the missive. With\n     reverence and respect.\n\n     KONDO[U] NOBORINOSUKE.\n\n     To....\"\n\nThe weaker allowed this missive to float gently and despairingly\nearthwards. Gasping for breath in the stifling heat they sought to fan\nthemselves into a semi consciousness. \"Terrific! Terrific! Yet refusal\nis out of the question. Ah! This Kondo[u] is a doubtful sort of rascal.\nHe is of the cruel kind. No mercy is to be expected of him. Yet if one\nfails to attend there will be but jeers and taunts of cowardice. One\ncould not appear in public. Alas! Alas!\" The stronger received it with\nequal impatience, but with the purpose to put in the evil hours with the\nbest possible face, and score on the host--if they could. All left\nstrict orders at home for a cold bath to be in readiness for the return.\nTo this rash step the weaker groaned and yielded. The Nipponese fear and\ndetest cold water--even for drink.\n\nThus they sallied forth--from Ichigaya to Honjo[u] Kameidocho[u], from\nShitaya to Shinagawa; some on horseback, some in _kago_; all arrayed in\ntriple set of thickly wadded winter garments, in _hakama_, or trousers\nwith double folds, in shirts and leggings, and fur shoes of the warrior\non winter campaign. The gate keeper of the _yashiki_ in Owaricho[u]\ncalled their names on arrival--\"O[u]kubo Hikoroku Dono, Endo[u]\nSaburo[u]zaemon Dono, Abe Shiro[u]goro[u] Dono, Matsudaira Montaro[u]\nDono, O[u]kubo Shichinosuke Dono, Mizuno Juro[u]zaemon Dono, Ishikawa\nHachiemon Dono,[10] Okumura Shu[u]zen Dono, Kuse Sanshichiro[u] Dono,\nAoyama Shu[u]zen Dono....\" The list was a long one. One and all were met\nby Kondo[u] Noborinosuke in person at the entrance. Over his triple\nwinter garb he wore a wadded coat or _kosode_. Others had donned the\nlonger _kataginu_. These were of the weaker kind. It did not fit so\nclosely; pressed the warmth of its tissue less lovingly to the person.\nAll complained of the intense cold. \"Never was such cold felt,\" blandly\nagreed Noborinosuke. \"An old fellow of the gardeners says that for sixty\nyears such cold has not been experienced. It is a marvellous cold year.\nThe ground will not be thawed this season. Deign to enter. Warmth is\nprovided against this intensity of cold.\" And his hearers bowed and\noffered thanks, as well as their unwieldy wrappings would allow. At all\nevents in the room yonder there would be the breeze from the garden\nside. They knew the place and its delights. Kondo[u] was of the age to\nprovide himself with quiet comforts. With eager stride the banquet room\nwas sought.\n\n\"Oya! Oya!\" The speaker gasped in dismay and for breath. They had been\nintroduced into a furnace. Explained Kondo[u] gently--\"Everything has\nbeen done to shut out the intense cold. The _amado_ are tight closed,\nthe braziers well supplied.... Heigh-ho! Allow none of these to get\ndark. More charcoal! More fuel!\" The attendants obeyed, urging the fires\nbefore each guest. Seated close together to conserve the heat, the sweat\npoured off in streams. Unable to get breath some groaned and grunted--to\npass it off as due to the intensity of cold. Soon they \"would be thawed\nout with the genial warmth.\" Kondo[u] and Aoyama were immensely pleased\nin their assent and at their sufferings. But the more discontented\nsought the fly in the ointment of the content of their hosts. Aoyama\nreally was such. He was the one responsible for the call; Kondo[u] his\nready abettor. Said one--\"Intense the cold, yet how explain the freaks\nof Nature. If it were not so freezing the blue clusters hanging in\nKondo[u] Dono's garden, just traversed, could well pass for wisteria.\"\nThey laughed at him--\"Wisteria in the seventh month? That would be as\ngreat a marvel as the cold.\"--\"Not so the grape,\" replied another.\n\"Kondo[u] Uji long since promised sight of the new plant. To be sure the\nbarbarian fruits are as ill trained and uncouth as the denizens of the\nland they grow in. They flower and fruit in winter season. If not\nwisteria the clusters must be of the grape.\"--\"Not so,\" promptly put in\nAoyama. \"Truly it is the green eye of jealousy which colours the vision.\nThey are icicles; and no seasoning for the repast or the conversation of\nthis cold occasion.\"--\"Which brings the sweat to the face of Aoyama\nUji.\" Aoyama turned calmly on the rash interloper. \"It is not sweat;\n'tis mucous. The intense cold causes flow of mucous. Are not others so\naffected?\" He looked around grimly on the steaming shining faces before\nhim. \"Mucous?\" questioned a doubter. \"Yes: face mucous,\" was the calm\nrejoinder.\n\nAll turned to Kondo[u] Noborinosuke who would explain the more\nparticular purport of the meeting. There was report to make, a new\nmember to introduce. All turned with respect and salutation to Okumura\nShu[u]zen. It was a long and painful ceremony in the bulky winter garb.\nBut they were in relays, took turns. Ah! If it was but Aoyama, thus long\nbent double, murmuring apology and compliment. Then Aoyama Shu[u]zen\nmade his report. He made it as one sure to please his hearers, many of\nwhom regarded him with no particular liking. In fact at the tale of his\ndiscomfiture there was some joy, and tendency to show it. \"Then, as with\nus, Aoyama Uji meets Okumura Dono for the first time.\" Aoyama nodded an\namused assent. Said one more malicious, \"And the repast? Surely the\n_hatamoto_ was as well entertained as the _chu[u]gen_?\" Shu[u]zen\nskilfully dodged the issue. \"The hour was very late. Such could hardly\nbe expected or offered to this Shu[u]zen without raising doubts.\nFortunately it was thus.\" Said one more persistent--\"At least a cup of\nwine....\"--\"Without fire or heating? More than rude the\nimplication!\"--\"Yet beasts know but little of etiquette; and if fox or\nbadger....\" Kondo[u] Noborinosuke came in with--\"That shall be at once\ndetermined. It is time for the repast. The _tanuki_ killed by Aoyama Uji\nfurnishes the soup.\" At a sign the retainers brought the beast in his\nown skin. All rose in marvel at the sight. Truly it was a huge fellow.\n\"An old rascal, too. See! The hair on the back is of different colour\nfrom that on the rest of the body.\"--\"Showing the great age and\nwickedness. Many are those he has gulled to their destruction. Now in\nturn he furnishes forth the repast.\" Said Kondo[u]--\"How did Aoyama Uji\nsecure the beast.\"\n\n\"This Shu[u]zen was much put out. Plainly by no ordinary means could\nthese miscreants be eliminated. How meet them in true shape? Against the\nusual weapons they were secure in their transformations. Only the flying\nbullet could reach such mark; and the discharge of a gun in Edo town\nmeans banishment at the least. Then an idea came to Shu[u]zen. At the\nhour of the ox again the Bancho[u] was sought. Position of great\ndejection and weariness was taken, on a stone amid its greatest\ndesolation. The wait was not long. Unexpectedly the sound of a gunshot\nwas heard. This was surprising, for the reasons given. Hardly believing\nin an apparition, thinking it rather due to some rascally outlaw, his\ncoming was awaited. Slouching along appeared a man in hunter's garb. He\ncarried a fowling piece, and evidently was the criminal. Taught however\nby past events this Shu[u]zen took no action. Merely hailing him, his\npurpose and game was inquired. He was ready in answer as to both. Yonder\non Matsuyama harboured a huge and dangerous boar. It was this boar he\nsought. Kindly he gave warning, and advised return to safer quarters. On\nmy part great enthusiasm was expressed for the sport; his company was\nsought. At this he jeered; then denied attendance as lacking a gun. 'Not\nso,' quoth I. With these words the punk carried in the hand was touched\nto the fuse of the fire crackers concealed at one side. 'Kiya!' So\nstartled was he that his gun fell to the ground and he took his proper\nshape. At once this Shu[u]zen in the act of drawing cut him into two\nparts. Thus he died. Awaiting dawn another beast appeared, this time in\ntrue form. Approaching the prostrate body it wept and wailed. This too\n'twas sought to slay, but the beast had the advantage of being\nforewarned. For the time it has escaped. Meanwhile, returning from its\npursuit, was found an admiring crowd of plebeians gathered round the\nslaughtered _tanuki_. The priest for his exorcisms took cash; the\n_samurai_ were the ones to act. Their joy and wonder was turned to good\naccount. Under penalty of sharing the fate of the beast two of them\nshouldered it to the _yashiki_. Such the tale of Shu[u]zen. And now for\nthe results!\"\n\nKondo[u] gave a sign, and the gaping wonder of the assembly at the deed\nwas stifled in the wave of heat which poured in from the neighbouring\nroom. \"Ah! Truly these are cruel fellows!\" Here a furnace had been\nerected for the cooking of the _tanuki_. It sent its streams of hot air\ninto the already crowded and stifling room. Aoyama in person supervised\nthe cooking. The animal was cut into small portions. Smoking hot the\nviands were placed under the noses of the gasping guests. With the great\nage of the beast it had accumulated great toughness. The younger\nmembers had the consolation of their jibes at the old fellows. They tore\nat, struggled with, the leathery fragments. But the latter had no teeth,\nand the malicious Aoyama would see to it that it stuck in their throats.\n\"How, now, ancients? Is not the meat of this _tanuki_ tender beyond\nmeasure? Truly one cannot call this engaging in the practice of war; to\nenjoy such a delightful mess.\"--\"Just so,\" grunted Montaro[u]. \"One can\nthen eat the knobs off one's helmet. The flesh of this fellow is so\ntender it sticks in one's throat, as unwilling to allow it passage....\nG'up! G'up! G'up!\"\n\nSaid another--\"The wine thus steaming hot, the viands sizzling, truly\nthe feed is most beneficial. One even sweats in this intensity of\ncold.\"--\"Of course,\" was the matter of fact reply of the wise. \"Thus\ndoes the heat of spring thaw out the cold ground into a perspiration;\nthus does the frozen body burst into a sweat with the hot food and\ndrink.\" All accepted the explanation without argument. They were in\nhaste to end this meeting, even at cost of swallowing whole the _tanuki_\nand Aoyama Shu[u]zen with it. Despite the prospect of attendance at his\n_yashiki_ all rapturously agreed. Aoyama was an original. He would not\nrepeat the experiment of Kondo[u]. They had nearly a six month's respite\nbefore them. With this the entertainment was brought to a close. In\nalmost unceremonious haste the guests took their leave, fairly galloping\nout of the entrance, hanging out of the _kago_ or over the horse's neck,\nurging attendants to full speed homeward. Here the stifling garments\nwere torn off, the plunge into the cold tub followed; and many paid for\nthis rashness with an illness of days. Meanwhile Aoyama Shu[u]zen had\nlearned one important fact. Endo[u] Saburo[u]zaemon in application for\nthe _bakemono yashiki_ had met with flat refusal. The field was open to\nhimself. Moreover he had said nothing of the fact that, in the exercise\nof his new office as magistrate for the apprehension of thieves and\nfire-bugs, he was in fair way to suppress forever and in great torments\nthe Mujina-bake and his fellows, residuary legatees of the prowess and\nfield of action of the late So[u]ja Mushuku.\n\nEND OF PART I\n\n\n\n\nPART II\n\n\nTHE BANCHO[U] SARAYASHIKI\n\nOR\n\nTHE LADY OF THE PLATES\n\nWHAT AOYAMA SHU[U]ZEN BECAME.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XI\n\nTHE YOSHIDA GOTEN\n\n\nWhen Prince Iyeyasu consolidated his power at Edo, more particularly on\nhis becoming Sei-i-tai-Sho[u]gun, some provision had to be made for the\ngreat _daimyo[u]_ brought by the necessities of occasion to personal\ninterview with their chief and suzerain. In the suburbs rose beautiful\nstructures devoted to the entertainment of these _kyakubun_--or\nguests--as the greater _daimyo[u]_ were then termed. The Yatsuyama\nGoten, the Hakuzan Goten, the Kosuge Goten, the Yoshida Goten, other and\nelegant, if minor, palaces arose. Their first use disappeared with the\ncompulsory residence of the _daimyo[u]_ under Iyemitsu Ko[u], but some\nwere still maintained as places of resort and entertainment for the\nSho[u]gun in his more relaxed moments. Others were devoted to the\nresidences of favoured members of his family. Others were maintained for\nthe entertainment of State or Church dignitaries, on occasion of\nparticular mission from the court in Kyo[u]to to that of Edo. Others\nwere destroyed, or put to temporal uses, or their use granted to\nfavoured retainers or church purposes.\n\nOne of the most beautiful of these was the Yoshida Goten in the\nBancho[u]. The site originally had been covered by the _yashiki_ of\nYoshida Daizen no Suke. One of those nobles favouring the Tokugawa\nagainst Ishida Mitsunari, as their designs became clearer with the years\nfollowing Sekigahara, at the attack on Osaka castle he was found within\nits walls. Thus the \"Overseer of the kitchen\" fell under the wrath of\nhis suzerain. Hidetada Ko[u] was a man of much kind temperament, but he\nwas a strict disciplinarian and a rough soldier. Whether or not the\ndishes furnished for his consumption and digestion had anything to do\nwith the matter, there was serious cause enough. With many others the\nDaizen no Suke was ordered to cut belly, and his tribe suffered\nextinction--of rank and rations (_kaieki_). Such the reward of this\nturn-coat. His disappearance from the scene was followed by other\nremovals. Daizen no Suke was head of the Ko[u]sho[u]gumi. With the\nconfiscation of his _yashiki_ site five other Houses of the \"company\"\nwere ordered to remove to other sites at Akasaka. Thus 2,500 _tsubo_ of\nground (24 acres) were obtained for the building of a new _kyakubun\ngoten_. Erected on the ground of Yoshida's old mansion, now waste\n([sara]), it got the name of Sarayashiki. Time confused this character\n[sara] with the events which there took place; and it was written Sara\n([sara]) yashiki or Mansion of the Plates. Thus was the unhappy tale of\nO'Kiku written into the history of Edo and the Yoshida Goten.\n\nThe second daughter of Hidedata Ko[u], the Nidai Sho[u]gun, had been\nmarried to the lord of Echizen, Matsudaira Tadanao. At the time of the\nOsaka campaign Tadanao sulked. Prince Iyeyasu was very angry with him.\nHowever, when finally Echizen Ke did appear, he acted with such bravery,\nand to such effect in the campaign, that the old captain's anger was\ndispelled in his appreciation. To this connected House of the Tokugawa\nhe thought to be liberal enough; not to meet the inflated scale of the\nideas of Tadanao, who spent the next half dozen years in so misgoverning\nhis lordly fief as to render necessary an adviser, planted at his side\nby his powerful cousin in Edo. In Genwa ninth year Tadanao\nrebelled--with the usual result to him who acts too late. He was\nsuppressed, largely by the aid of his own vassals, and exiled to Hita in\nBungo province. Here he shaved his head, took the name of Ichihaku. It\nwas of no avail. Promptly he died. It seemed to be a dispensation of\nProvidence--or dispensation of some kind--that exiles usually and early\ndeveloped alarming symptoms; in the shortest possible time removing\nthemselves and all cause of irritation to the overlord by their transfer\nto another sphere.\n\nThe Tokugawa Sho[u]gun was generous to his relations. The exit of\nTadanao was promptly followed by the induction of his infant son\nMitsunaga into his fief. However, for the child to govern the great\ndistrict of 750,000 _koku_ appeared to be a doubtful step. Its\ngovernment actually being invested in the _daimyo[u]_, it was not to be\nmade a breeding ground for trouble through the action of subordinates.\nHence the main fief with the seat at Kita no Sho[u] (Fukui) was given to\nthe uncle. Fukui to-day is a dull provincial town, and excellent\nstopping place for those who would have eyes opened as to the great\nwealth and wide flat expanse of these three provinces of Kaga, Etchu[u],\nand Echizen. Their lord was a mighty chieftain, entrenched behind\nmountain barriers; and the great campaigns, which figure in pre-Tokugawa\nhistory, were fought for a great object. The Maeda House, however, had\nhad their wings clipped, and were confined to Kaga. The Matsudaira were\nestablished in Echizen. Etchu[u] was much divided up. The reduction of\nthe fief of Echizen Ke to 500,000 _koku_ brought him within reasonable\nbounds, and he could well be left to ride with his hawks along the\npretty Ashibagawa, or to take his pleasure outing on the crest of\nAsuwayama, the holy place of the city suburbs, and where Hideyoshi\nnearly lost life and an umbrella by a stray shot. Then would follow the\nreturn, the ride across the wide moat, its waters dotted with the fowl\nhe went elsewhere to shoot, but safe within these precincts. Whether he\nreturned to any better entertainment than that of the present day\nTsuki-mi-ro or Moon viewing inn, one can doubt. He certainly did not\nhave the pretty outlook from its river bordered garden front.\n\nSen-chiyo-maru, later Mitsunaga, was relegated to Takata castle in\nEchigo, with the minor income of 250,000 _koku_. Perhaps this fact,\ntogether with his youth, and the more entertaining expenditure of the\nincome at an Edo _yashiki_, rather than in a mountain castle town,\nbrought the Takata no Kata to the capital. Takata Dono, or the Takata no\nKata, so named from the fief, is not known to fame or history under\nother appellation. She is said to have possessed all the beauty of her\nelder sister, the Senhimegimi, wife of Hideyori Ko[u], son of the\nTaiko[u], he who fell at Osaka castle. Furthermore, with the training of\nthe _samurai_ woman, the greatness of her position and personal\nattraction, she possessed all the obstinacy and energy of the male\nmembers of her family, with few of the restraints imposed on them by\npublic service. Takata Dono frankly threw herself into all the pleasures\nshe could find at the capital. Established in the Yoshida Goten, the\nyounger _samurai_ of the _hatamoto_ quickly came under her influence.\nThere was a taint of license in her blood, perhaps inherited from the\nfather who was most unbridled in his passions. The result was a sad\nfalling off from the precepts of Bushido[u] in herself and her\nparamours. The Bakufu (Sho[u]gunal Government) was compelled to look on,\nso great was her power at the castle. In the earlier days sentence of\n_seppuku_ (cut belly) was a common reward for open misconduct. A word\nfrom Takata Dono, and the disgraceful quarrels over her favours were\nperforce condoned; and her lavish expenditures on her favourites were\npromptly met. Alas! Alas! The up to date histories of Nippon sigh over\nand salve these matters. \"They were the inventions of a later age; were\nnot current in her life-time.\" Nor likely to be put too bluntly by those\ntender of their skins. But an old poem has come down to express the\npopular belief:\n\n    \"_Yoshida to[u]reba nikai kara maneku;\n     Shikamo kano ko no furisode de._\"\n\nSomewhat irregular, like the lady's conduct, but which can be\ninterpreted,\n\n    \"Passing Yoshida, from above the signal;\n     Furthermore, the waving of long sleeves.\"\n\nOf little deer (or dears) for the style of sleeve, the _kano ko_, can be\nread young deer. Bah! Was there not a \"parc aux cerfs\" half way round\nthe world? Nor were such confined to the capital cities of Edo and\nParis.[11]\n\nThe poem refers to the unbridled licentiousness the little lady\ndeveloped on her translation from her provincial residence; though\nlocally she had not failed to distinguish herself. What follows is part\nof the tales current. At the time the _himegimi_ (princess) was thrown\non her own devices in Takata-jo[u] the _karo[u]_ or chief officer of the\nhousehold was one Hanai Iki. This fellow owed his position entirely to\nhis good looks and her ladyship's favour. This favour he met, not in the\nspirit of a loyal vassal, but in that of a professed and bold lady\nkiller. As _karo[u]_ his attendance on her ladyship was constant and\nintimate, and it took no particular acumen to find out that the intimacy\nwas of a more peculiar relation. Hence great was the under current of\ncomment, and regret at the unbridled conduct of the lady. None, however,\ndared to interfere with the caprices of one so highly placed; and the\nonly means was to work on the decent feelings of Iki himself. Thus the\ntale was brought to his wife's ears. It is to be said that with her all\njealousy was suppressed. It was for her to find the cure for her\nhusband's unbridled conduct. As Hanai Iki was a mere official, and with\nno great claim to unusual or able services, it was hoped that his\nremoval or reform in conduct would bring back the _himegimi_ to a\nbefitting conduct. There was no suspicion that her passion was a disease\nraging in her very blood, and that it was the man, not his personality\nshe sought.\n\nThe wife first adopted the orthodox method of formal remonstrance.\nWithout chiding, with a smile and great indulgence of one at no\nparticular fault himself, she enlarged upon the subject in the service\nof the tea. \"It is not a matter between Iki Dono and this Chiyo. There\nis no unseemly jealousy in the wife to bring forward the complaint. In\nfact the marital relation is not in question. As the husband pleases, so\nshould the wife submit. But great is the talk aroused at these too\nprivate meetings with the _himegimi_. It is the House which is at stake.\nIts influence and prestige is threatened by a mere retainer. This in a\nshort time can but lead to ruin. The caprice of a woman is well known.\nIn some cooler moment the eyes of her ladyship will see another colour.\nThe one to suffer will be Iki Dono, for now he has no other support but\nin his mistress. Deign to regain the confidence of the household, and no\ngreat harm can result beyond neglect. Honoured sir, you stretch out for\nwhat is far beyond reach; and in the end can but fail. Deign to be\ncircumspect.\" If there was any tone of contempt and depreciation in the\nprotest it was in the last few words. At all events the eyes of Iki were\nopened to the fact that it was sought to reach him through the wife's\nremonstrance. He expressed surprise and discomfiture at what he asserted\nhad no real basis in fact. His office brought him in close contact with\nher ladyship; the more so as the management of the fief was in her\nhands. Matters were to be discussed which necessitated the exclusion of\nall others. However, if such was the talk of the palace, or even beyond\nits walls, he could but give thanks for the kindness of the\nremonstrance. Henceforth he would be more careful, and would trust to\nher good feeling to believe in his good faith.\n\nWith joy the wife heard what he said. With all good will she made\nherself the apostle of this explanation. No one believed her and facts\nsoon belied words. Her ladyship, just entering on her passion, became\nmore exigent in her calls for the _karo[u]'s_ attendance. Iki now seldom\nappeared at his home. Long absences from the castle town, pressing\nbusiness, any excuse to hand came to the alarmed ears of the wife. All\nthe rumours gathered were sure to reach her in exaggerated form. Hanai\nDono was the constant companion of her ladyship's wine feasts. He was\nher acknowledged paramour, and lived in the private apartments of the\ncastle as in his own house. All talked--except the ladies in waiting of\nthe _himegimi_. These were selected and trained by her; selected for\nbeauty and trained to discretion. She would have no ugly thing about\nher; and all was to be for her use. Iki was handsome, and discreet. To\nher he was an object; as were the maids; the same apart from sex. He\nfilled his role admirably, never introduced his favour with her ladyship\ninto the public affairs of the House, or solicited for such personal\nadvancement as made toward outward display. But circumspection of\nconduct never yet closed the mouth of gossip. There were those who were\njealous of what he might do; and jealous of a favour they would gladly\nshare themselves. The _himegimi_ was the prize which all coveted, and\nwhich no one should possess to the exclusion of others.\n\nHence the buzz of talk rose loud, and the criticism stung the wife. She\ndetermined herself to learn the truth of these tales. Hitherto they\nwere but the scandalous talk of people. Wife of the _karo[u]_, naturally\nher ladyship did not require her attendance; but as such she had ready\naccess and an intimate acquaintance with the palace routine. Her mind\nmade up, she presented herself on some trifling pretext. Certainly in\nher manner there was nothing to arouse comment. Received in the inner\napartments (_oku_), her plea, the introduction of a page into the\nservice, was readily granted. On retiring she would speak with the\nsuperintendent of the _oku_, the old and experienced lady in waiting in\ncharge of the _himegimi's_ service. Thus she found the opportunity to\nwander the inner precincts, to disappear and to slip into the bed room\nof the _himegimi_. Here she stepped into a closet, pulled to the screen,\nand crouched down behind the heaped up quilts. For the companionship of\nher wandering lord she did not have long to wait; nor for proof of his\ninconstancy. Iki came into the room, holding by the hand and drawing\nafter him one of palace ladies in waiting, Takeo by name. The girl was\nby no means unwilling. Her blushes and confusion added to the great\nbeauty which made her the favoured attendant on the _himegimi_. Iki\npressed her close and openly. The girl plead ignorance and inexperience.\nShe was ashamed. Iki laughed. \"Does not her ladyship set the example for\nothers to follow? Deign....\" The plea of his relations with the mistress\ncame quite fit to the coarse feeling of Iki. Not so to the girl, who was\nwarmed into some indignation, and drew all the more from him. He would\npersist; but just then her ladyship called from the next room--\"Takeo!\nTakeo!\" The voice was impatient, as of one in haste. Iki had time to\nthrust a letter into the girl's hand, which she quickly transferred to\nher bosom. All the boldness of O'Chiyo was at stake as the maid came to\nthe closet. Close down she crouched; but Takeo had one eye on Iki, and\nonly one careless eye on the heap of _futon_, of which she drew from the\ntop. Iki made a grimace, for the benefit of the one he really loved. Her\nladyship's appearance was received with the warm and flattering\naffection of the favoured lover; and O'Chiyo had proof positive that the\nrelations of the two were kind indeed.\n\nThe suicide of the wife, the letter of protest she left behind, had\nmore influence on the public than on the conduct of Hanai Iki. It simply\nremoved the last restraint and means of reaching him. All now depended\non her ladyship's infatuation. Old vassals sighed with joy when they\nheard of the proposed removal to Edo. As _karo[u]_ Hanai Iki would be\nleft in charge of the fief. Not so: it was soon learned that his name\nheaded the list of those transferred for household service. The\ngrumbling was as open as it dared to be. The fief was to be contented\nwith the service of two vice-_karo[u]_; no great loss, except in matter\nof prestige in dealing with other Houses. The _karo[u]_ became a kind of\nmale superintendent of the _oku_! But at all events the fief was rid of\nhim. Nor was Iki particularly pleased. He had been feathering his nest\nin the material sense. The severance of the connection, without loss of\nesteem, meant to him a quicker consummation of his wishes with Takeo\nDono, whom he would ask for as wife. Their relations had gone forward at\na wild pace. Once thrown into the whirl of passion Takeo sought but to\nmeet the wishes of her lover. The passion of the _himegimi_ stood\nbetween them.\n\nEstablished in Edo, at the Yoshida Goten, all went mad with content in\ntheir beautiful surroundings. The palace gardens were noted. A hint of\nthe fine construction of the buildings is found to-day at the Kugyo[u]ji\nof Iinuma, built subsequently from the materials. For the use of the\nSho[u]gun Ke in entertainment of his visitors, every art had been\nexhausted in its adornment. The screens were objects of beauty, and\nseparated the large rooms with their fine pillars and ceilings of\ngrained and polished woods. The _rama-sho[u]ji_ were carved by Nature's\nhandiwork, and the polished lacquer and brass reflected a thousand times\nthe beauties roundabout. Whether the garden be viewed from the\napartments, or both from the _tsukiyama_ or artificial hill beside the\nlittle lake, it was a scene of balanced beauty, showing every nicety of\nman's hand in Nature's own proportion, and not guided into the\ngeometrical designs of a carpet square or a surveyor's working table.\nInstead of the dry dullness of a provincial town, in which themselves\nthey had to fill the stage to give it life and pompousness, Edo was\nclose at hand, and they were part of, and actors in, the luxury and\nmagnificence of the Sho[u]gun's court. It is not surprising that the\n_himegimi_ returned to all this glitter and activity as one long\nbanished from its seductions to a wilderness; added her own dissipation\nand lavish entertainment to the constant round of festivity and luxury\nrapidly supplanting the hard military discipline of the first\nSho[u]gun's camp; a luxury itself to crystallize into a gorgeous rigid\nformalism, as deadly to the one not meeting its requirements as the\nlined and spotted beauty of some poisonous serpent.\n\nThe wine feast was at its height. The cup passed more freely in this\nchilly season of the year; and in the tightly closed apartments the\nwarmth of association and the table's cheer were sought. The _himegimi_\nwas more expansive than usual under the influence of the wine. Iki was\npositively drunk, and in his state over-estimated the condition of her\nladyship. Takeo was serving the wine. Beyond stolen interviews of\nmoments the lovers had found no opportunity for the longed for clinging\nof soul to soul, of person to person, during the night's long hours. The\ngirl's hands trembled with passion as furtively she sought those of her\nlover in the passing of the wine cup. Iki was absolutely careless. Her\nladyship too far gone to note his conduct? He seized the arms of Takeo\nand drew her to his side. The display of amorous emotion on the part of\nboth was too open to escape notice. The _himegimi_ rose to her feet as\non springs. The beautiful flushed face took on a deeper tint as she\nscowled on the guilty and now frightened pair. Her breath came hard and\nwith difficulty. Then reaching down she wound the long tresses of Takeo\nin her hand, and dragged her to her knee. Twisting and twisting, until\nthe agony made the girl cry out, she berated her--\"Ah! Wicked jade! Thou\ntoo have eyes for a man's person. Disloyal wench, would you aim to make\nthe beloved of your mistress partner of your bed?... What's this?\" From\nthe girl's hand she tore the answer to the lover's plaint. The sharp\neyes of her ladyship sought the maid's person. A nervous hand fumbled\nthe folds of her _obi_ (sash). \"Ah! The treasure house is not far off.\nSuch valued gems are carried on the person.\" Thrusting her hand into the\ngentle bosom the _himegimi_ drew forth the guilty complement.\n\nWrote Iki--\n\n    \"How act to drop the mask;\n     Many the pledges breathed in truth.\"\n\nAnd the girl made answer:\n\n    \"Ah! The night of meeting, love's consummation;\n     The hindrance, thing or person, object of hate.\"[12]\n\nThe words were too plain. There was a certain savage tone of exulting\nwrath as the _himegimi_ read out loud the contents of the missives. It\nchilled the hearts of those who heard her. She spoke: at first in low\nconcentrated tones of bitter jesting hate. \"Ha! Ha! Disloyalty goes\nbeyond mere thought; would strike at the person of its lord. What\nlascivious slut is this, who thus would creep into the mistress' bed, to\ntake her place?... Look up! Naruhodo! In that face is too much beauty.\nVile huzzy, you would seek the favour of my lover. Hence forth neither\nhe nor any man shall look on you, except with loathing.\" Close beside\nher was the _hibachi_, its burden of the hard burning charcoal from\nIkeda now a bright cherry red. Dragging the girl to the brazier,\ntwisting both hands more firmly in the long black hair, she forced her,\nface downwards, into the heated mass, pressing into the back with her\nknee. In terror the other girls looked away, or hid their faces in their\nsleeves. Before the towering anger of the princess none dared apology or\nintercession. The smell of burning flesh rose sickening. Takeo feebly\nmoaned, and writhed a little under the nervous pressure of those\ndelicate powerful hands. Then she was silent. The inhuman punishment had\nreached its end. Roughly her ladyship threw her aside, face upward on\nthe _tatami_. Those who took a hasty glance turned away in horror from\nthe face, black here, red and swollen there, the mouth filled with\nashes, the eyes--one totally destroyed.\n\nThe _himegimi_ was on her feet. \"Iki--here with you!\" In fear the man\nprostrated himself before the vision. \"Not yet did the demon's horns\nsprout from her head; but the eyes injected with blood, the hair\nstanding up to Heaven, converted her ladyship into a veritable demon.\"\nIn slow and measured wrath she spoke--\"Ah, the fool! Admitted to the\nfavour of his mistress, the long continued object of her affection, with\nall at his command and service, he would sacrifice these for the\nembraces of a serving wench. Truly the man has gone mad with lust; or\nrather it is a man's face and a beast's mind. Thus before my very eyes\nhe would dally with his whore and make me cuckold. Of such miscreants\none feels no jealousy. Hate and punishment follow the insult.\" A quick\nmovement backward and her halberd hanging at the wall was in her hand.\nThe scabbard stripped from the shining blade was held over head. \"Namu\nSan! Holy the three sacred things!\" Iki sprang to his feet, coward and\nfool he sought not to grapple with her, but to flee. The command of the\n_himegimi_ rang sharp--\"He is not to escape!\" In this company of her\nmaids, all _samurai_ women, the discipline was complete. If they would\nnot suffer the punishment of Takeo, they must respond. Whatever the\nbackbiting and division among themselves, in her ladyship's service they\nwould sacrifice life itself. Besides, more than one hated Iki with the\nheart-whole hate of neglected love and advances. Takeo had been more\nfavoured than her companions, not through any fault of theirs in seeking\nthis lady killer. Hence the alarm was quickly given. Iki was beset by\nthis female army, every one armed, himself with but his dagger. There\nwas no outlet for escape. Then they came to close quarters. The boldest\nthrew themselves on him. Dragged to the ground, bound fast, he was\npulled and pushed into the garden. Breathless and dishevelled the female\nhorde parted to allow the approach of the _himegimi_--\"Such open insult\nand vile conduct is difficult to overlook. The disloyalty intended is\npast pardon. For this, too great the grudge.\" The keen blade flashed,\nand the head of Iki rolled some feet distant. Without a glance in the\ndirection of the miserable Takeo, the princess took her way back to her\napartment. At last some attention could be given to the suffering and\ndisfigured girl. She was paying the penalty for her treachery and\ndisloyal thoughts. The pains which followed were aggravated by neglect.\nThe face and chest one mass of burns, the wounds soon became putrid. The\nstench was so frightful that none would go near her. They brought her\nfood; then fled her presence in disgust. As she grew weaker, unable to\nfeed herself, the pangs of starvation were added to her woes. The\ncontinued cries of agony grew feebler and feebler, became a mere low\nmoaning; then ceased altogether. \"Thus trifles lead to death, and\nlechery finds its punishment.\" The bodies of the guilty pair, thrown\ninto the garden well, there found the only interment.\n\nHer ladyship was not to escape. Following this scene her passions broke\nout of all bounds. She took no new lover; it was lovers. Men were\nbeckoned to the Yoshida Goten as to a brothel--with waving sleeves from\nthe upper story. For a night, for a week, for a month they would be\nentertained. The weaker sort soon displeased her, and were dismissed; to\nfind their end in the well of the willow, the Yanagi no Ido, of the\ninner garden of the palace. It would seem as if some wicked demon had\nentered the person of Takata Dono, to lead her into this course of\ndebauchery.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XII\n\nTHE KO[U]JIMACHI WELL\n\n\nOne day a toilet dealer came through the Bancho[u]. The sun was already\non its decline as he passed the front of the Yoshida Goten on his way to\nhis home in Kanda. It shone, however, on a fellow who at once attracted\nthe attention of the look-out maid. She gave an exclamation--\"Ma! Ma!\nWhat a handsome man! Such a loveable fellow! Her ladyship....\" Then a\nfeeling of pity seemed to close her mouth. But further speech was\nuseless. The _himegimi_ lacked company for her night's feast. Herself\nshe responded to the incomplete summons. A glance and--\"Bring him here;\nwithout delay. Such a fine specimen is not to be allowed to escape.\" It\ncould not be helped. At once the beauty, all smiles and gestures, with\nwaving sleeves sought to attract the attention of the itinerant trader.\nThe district was new to him, his sales had been poor. This summons was\nthe direct favour of the Buddha. From this great mansion surely his pack\nwould be much lighter on return. Timidly he approached the _samurai_ at\nthe gate, fearing harsh repulse. The officer, however, was very\namenable, transferring him at once to the guidance of the maid already\nwaiting close by. Thus was he brought to the women's apartments; to be\nsurrounded by a bevy of the sex, of a beauty of which he had had no\nexperience. They began looking negligently over his poor stock, and\nclosely over his own person. Then--\"'Tis at her ladyship's order that\nthe summons is made. Come this way.\" At this unusual conduct in a\n_yashiki_ he had some misgivings. His hesitation met with small\nconsideration. The crowd of women surrounded him and pushed him forward,\nexercising a violence which astonished and paralysed resistance at being\nthus exalted above his sphere. Protesting he was taken to the bath. This\noffice completed amid admiring comment, he was dressed in _hakama_\n(trousers) and blouse, of stuff perfumed and of silky softness, which\nmade him feel as if he moved in some dream. Thus purified and arrayed he\nwas led through a long range of magnificent rooms, the sight of which\nsent his heart further and further into his heels. Finally he was\nintroduced into an apartment of no great size, but with dais and bamboo\nblind. Led before this, his guides drew apart and prostrated themselves\nin obeisance. The toilet dealer followed the excellent example.\n\nThe screen slowly rose and the Takata Dono appeared in all her beauty.\nAt this period she was barely thirty years, in the full development of\nher charms. To the eyes of the poor toilet dealer it seemed as if Benten\nSama, the goddess of love, was thus gravely regarding and measuring\nevery line of face and body. Finally she seemed satisfied with this\nclose inspection. A sign and the formality of the scene vanished. \"Come\ncloser.... The _sake_ cup!\" Anxiously wriggling himself to her very\npresence, she then questioned him as to age, business, habits. Her voice\nwas as silvery gentle as her face was beautiful. Soon he found himself\nlooking up into it with confidence, as well as with awed respect. The\n_sake_ utensils brought, she condescended herself to fill the cup. This\nwas filled again; and yet again. When the liquor began to show its\ninfluence her manner became more familiar. With a quick movement, which\nsurprised him by the latent strength shown, she drew him close to her\nside, began openly to show her favour for him. \"Such fine figure of a\nman is no such fool as not to know he can please a woman. The very trade\nleads him to study women's taste. Now sir: for test of your\nqualities....\" But frightened the toilet dealer disengaged himself, and\nspringing back a little he prostrated himself flat on the ground. \"Deign\nnot an unseemly jest. Close to the person of a great lady, such as is\nthe honoured presence, the poor artisan finds but distress. His wares\nhave no market amid this magnificence. Dependent on him for means of\nlife are two aged parents. A bare subsistence is secured for them.\nCondescend his dismissal, that he may return to relieve their\nanxieties.\"\n\nThe speech met with but poor reception. Gentle was the laugh of the\n_himegimi_, yet a little wrinkle knitted her brow. She seemed to regard\nhim in a somewhat strange light. \"Have no misgivings as to their fate.\nAn ample sum shall be sent to assure them against need. Meanwhile Nature\nand the occasion has furnished forth the toilet dealer--for the lady's\ntoilet.... Now for the wine feast.\" In the scene of riot and merriment\nwhich followed the one thought of the unfortunate trader was to escape.\nThere was no strict order in the banquet, no formality. The idea of the\n_himegimi_ was to get the greatest pleasure out of everything to her\nhand, and all vied with each other, by song and art, with voice and\nmusical accompaniment, by a minute attention to needs of host and guest\nto make the sensual effect of the scene complete. There was not a\njarring element in the well trained bevy of women devoted to pleasure.\nThe toilet dealer was free, yet bound. If he would seek occasion to\nleave his place, to move uneasily hither and thither in these wide\nrooms, as did the women with their carelessness and ease, always he\nfound himself balked by their presence. Escape there was none. Soon he\nfound himself again by her ladyship's side, to be plied with the wine\nuntil sense and caution gave way before the spell of the beautiful\nwoman. To her it was an amusing game, a stimulant to her passion, the\nconquest of this reluctance in a man found to lack the brazenness and\nvulgarity of his caste. In the end he could but murmur at her feet that\nhe was hers--to do with as she would. \"Would that this dream could last\nforever! In this Paradise of the wondrous Presence.\"\n\nThe scene was changed. Her ladyship rose. In the company of a few of the\nwomen he was led still further into the recesses of the palace. Here he\nwas arrayed for the night, amid the merry jesting and admiring criticism\nof his attendants. Accompanied to the bed chamber the _fusuma_ (screens)\nwere closed, and he could hear the fall of the bars in the outer\npassages. Submission now was easy, as inevitable, as taken by the storm\nof this woman's passion. With but short intervals of dozing she would\ndraw him to her embrace, and intoxicate him with her caresses. \"When the\npoison be taken--let the plate be full.\" With clearing brain, though\nunder the spell of her beauty he never lost sight of the purpose to flee\nthis doubtful snare. When at dawn she really slept, he rose to seek\nexit; to run into the ever vigilant guard. \"Naruhodo! Truly an early\nriser the honoured guest. But all has been made ready. The bath is at\nhand. Deign to enter.\" Thus surrounded and compelled he began the second\nday. As the maid dressed him after the bath she broke out in admiration\nof his physical presence. \"The handsome fellow! No wonder her ladyship\nwas seized by the love wind.\" In the evening's entertainment he had\nproved himself no fool in interesting anecdote of the town, and a quaint\nand naive description of the view the lowly take of those who call\nthemselves the great. Under the skilful questioning of one or other this\nsimple fellow--of keen wit and observation--had shown a phase of life\nunknown to them, beyond the careless view afforded from between the\nblinds of the curtains of the palanquin. The vulgar boldness of his\npredecessors was conspicuously lacking, as was the tedious talk of war\nand discussion of court etiquette of noble and more formal guests. Not\nonly her ladyship, but the maids thoroughly enjoyed him.\n\nHis astonishment and fearful protest at the gorgeous robe put on him\nturned them from pity to amusement. Said a bolder wench--\"Take and enjoy\nthe gifts of her ladyship as offered. The chance is not likely again to\npresent itself. Put aside all thought of past; seek pleasure in the\npresent, without regard to the future.\" Though spoken with a smile which\nshowed the whole row of beautiful teeth, there was a menace in the words\nwhich came home to him. If he had had some suspicions of his\nwhereabouts, he felt sure of it now. There were but rumours and\nsuspicions, slanders of course, of which he seemed destined to prove the\ntruth. The knowledge seemed to add dignity to his pose. He would await\nher ladyship's exit from the bath. Conducted to the garden he strolled\nits beautiful inclosure, noted the high roofs on every side. Standing by\nthe _tsukiyama_ he heard the shuffling of sandals. Turning he prostrated\nhimself before the _himegimi_. Rosy, with sparkling eyes, long flowing\nblack hair, regal presence, she was indeed the goddess Benten Sama in\nhuman flesh and blood. Without rising the toilet dealer made\nrequest--\"Deign the honoured pity. To spend one's life in the service of\nthe honoured Presence, this has been said; and for the words regret\nthere is none. It is for those dependent. Condescend that no harm come\nto them, no distress from this visitation of gods and the Buddha.\nWillingly the price is paid for the delicious dream, no grudge felt for\nwhat is to follow.\"\n\nThe _himegimi_ stopped short. For some time she was lost in thought.\nThis man was keen enough of wit to know the price at which her favours\nwere bought; brave enough not to flinch, or to make abortive effort to\navoid his fate. Her whole experience brought feeling of disgust toward\nmen, when once satiated. With this man the chord of pity was touched.\nThe honoured sleeves were wet with the honoured tears as she made answer\nto the plea. Without slightest effort to deny her once purpose she\nconsoled and reassured him. \"It was determined, that granted favour you\nshould never leave this place.\" Her brow darkened for a moment at the\nominous words; than cleared radiant. \"Those who enter here ascribe to\ntheir good fortune the pleasures they enjoy. Instead of modest gratitude\nthey show the arrogance of possession. Purpose was first shaken by the\nfilial love expressed for those who gave you being, the tender care and\nanxiety for their welfare. A man like you, one is assured of his faith\nand silence. At night you shall depart from here unharmed.\" She took him\nby the hand, and when he would show respect, with familiarity drew him\nalong with her. Thus they walked the gardens, talking of varying\nsubjects; she listening to his explanations and instances of life in the\ncommon world, and questioning him adroitly as to his past and future.\nThen the return was made to the inner apartments of the palace. From\nthis stray honey bee the little lady sucked the last juices of its\nnature. The day was spent in the same riotous merriment and feasting. At\nthe order of the _himegimi_ he had withdrawn for the moment from her\npresence. When the maid came toward him, it was with expectation of\nanother summons that he followed after. She took him to a little room.\nHere were his coarse garments and his pack. To these were added the\ngifts heaped on him by her ladyship. The change of garb completed\nsuddenly the girl took him in her embrace, pressing the now soft\nperfumed hair and warm moist skin of his neck. \"Ah! You lucky fellow!\nBut know that silence is golden.\" With this she as suddenly seized his\nhand and led him swiftly along the dark corridor. At its end an _amado_\nwas slipped back, and they were in the garden. To a postern gate she\nfitted the key. Pack adjusted he would turn to make salutation. Two\nslender firm hands laid on his shoulders sent him flying into the\nroadway. The gate closed with a sharp bang, and all sign of this fairy\npalace disappeared.\n\nEvery day the toilet dealer had prayed to _kami_ and Buddha, made his\noffering of \"cash\" at the favoured shrines, performed such pilgrimages\n(_sankei_) as his limited means and scanty time permitted. To this alone\nis to be ascribed his escape. Not so with others: to turn the page to a\nsecond instance--One day a maid from above called to the gate\nguard--\"Stop that man!\"--\"Who?\" The guard was at loss, not what to do,\nbut whom to stop. Promptly the highway was roped off. None were allowed\nto move until inspection was made. As the plebeians lay prostrate with\nnoses on the backs of their hands they marvelled and spoke to each\nother. \"Truly a wondrous event! Some great rascal must have been\ndetected. Thanks to the _kami_ and the Buddhas the heart of this\nTaro[u]bei is clean.\"--\"And of this Jimbei. To pay the debt to the\n_sake_ shop he has not hesitated to contract Tama to the Yoshidaya of\nYoshiwara.\"--\"Well done!\" quoth his friend. \"Then credit at the Echigoya\nis good?\"--\"Deign to come and drink a glass of poor wine, to the\npleasure and good luck of Jimbei.\" The edifying conversation was\ninterrupted by call for inspection. All passers by but men were\nsummarily motioned on. A maid stood by--\"No, not this one ... nor this\none ... nor that.... Ah! That big brown fellow, with huge calves. He is\nthe man.\" At once the \"big brown man\" with enlarged pediments was cut\nout from the heap of humanity, with whispering fear and looks the others\nwent about their business. \"Truly his crime must be very great. Yet who\nwould suspect it! He is not an ill looking fellow by any means.\" Others\nshook their heads as they went away, vowing never again to take this\nroad to work, or home, or pleasure.\n\nBefore the _yakunin_ the prisoner fell on his knees. \"Deign the honoured\npardon. Doubtless grave is the offence; but of it there is no\nremembrance. An humble wheel-wright of Kanda, this worthless fellow is\nknown as Gonjuro[u]. It is work at Nakano which brings him hither.\" He\nturned from one officer to the other. They disregarded his prayers, and\ndelivered him over to the maid, directing him to obey her orders, or\nsuffer for it. In dumbfounded surprise and gathering confidence he\nfollowed after. Surrounded by the army of maids he more than readily\nsubmitted to their ministrations. The freedom of the bath, the donning\nof the gorgeous robe, pleased him beyond measure. To their quips and\nwords of double meaning he made ready answer, meeting them more than\nhalf way with the obscenity of the Yoshiwara. \"Taro[u]bei is tricked out\nlike an actor.\" At this all the greater was their merriment and\nboisterousness. Introduced into the presence of her ladyship, his first\nconfusion at the magnificence of the surroundings was quickly removed by\nhis cordial reception. The _himegimi_ laughed at sight of him; laughed\nstill louder at his uncouthness. Then she passed to more earnest\nmeasures; praised his thickness of limb, the sturdy robustness of neck\nand loins. To his apologies--she urged him not to be frightened or\nbackward. Pushing the thick shock of hair back from his eyes he eyed her\nwith growing comprehension. After all a woman was a woman. \"'Tis no\nfault of this Taro[u]bei. The _yakunin_ compelled his presence. For such\na noble lady he would make any sacrifice.\" He spoke with bold look and\nmanner, thoroughly understanding now the nature of his summons at the\ncaprice of some great lady. Had he not suffered equal good fortune with\nthe beauties of Yoshiwara? He treated lady and maids with the same free\nfamiliarity and sportive roughness as if in one of his favoured haunts.\n\nAll the more was the _himegimi_ amused at his extravagance. She made no\nsign of displeasure, and the girls made little resistance to the\nfellow's boisterous manifestations as he tousled them. Always her\nladyship had eyes of the greatest appreciation on this splendid animal.\nThe feast set before him he looked on with small favour. \"What then\ntickles the palate of Juro[u]?\" She leaned toward him, her face flushed\nwith this struggle to cage her latest prize. The silvery and enticing\nvoice had for answer--\"Take (bamboo); just plain boiled, with syrup and\n_sho[u]yu_.\" Then timidly, as he sought her good will--\"Just a little\nwine; two _go_ (a pint) ... say five _go_.\" She laughed with good\nhumour. His choice among this bevy of beauties at last had fallen\nspontaneously on herself. The conquest pleased her. Then he was well\nstuffed with coarse foods, hunted out of the supplies for the grooms and\nstablemen in the palace kitchen, with _sake_ of a harsh and burning\nkind--\"which had some taste to it.\" Indeed never had he drank such! The\n_himegimi_ sipped a drop or two of the acrid liquor, made a wry face,\nand sought to bring the scene to its climax.\n\nWith the bath next day he was all grumbling and exigencies. The maids\nbore this with patience, and glances interchanged. Her ladyship had\npromised him breakfast to restore exhausted Nature--\"And such was\npromised as that this Taro[u]bei would never need another.\" He roared\nhis dissatisfaction. The hint was taken up at once. \"This way: it is for\nthe _yakunin_ to carry out her ladyship's order, and to stop your\ngullet.\" The brusqueness of the _samurai_ was poor exchange for the\nnoisy amorous atmosphere of the inner palace. With indignation the\nworthy wheelwright obeyed the order to march ahead. \"Ah! Just wait my\nfine fellow. A word to the lady of the mansion, and you shall learn the\ncost of insult to the man she favours. This _yaro[u]_ Gonjuro[u] has no\nother wife. Her ladyship takes him as adopted husband.\" The officer\nwinked and blushed a little at this very crude specimen. By this time he\nhad led the man to the well curb in the inner garden. Harshly--\"Now down\nwith you. Favoured by the gods and Buddhas you cannot even hold your\ntongue. Ladies like not boasting of their favours. 'Tis now the time to\nexpress pity for you. Make ready!\" Deftly he tripped him up, to send him\nan all fours. The sword flashed, and the wheelwright's head rolled on\nthe ground. Just as it was the body was cast into the well.\n\nSuch was the fate of those who found favour with the _himegimi_. More\nand more suspicious became people of the strange disappearances traced\nto the precincts of the palace. Strange tales went around, to gather\nforce with numbers. Kwanei 8th year (1635), whether for closer\nsupervision of the lady or actual necessity, she was removed to the\ncastle precincts, and there given quarters. Time doubtless it was, that\ntempered these crazy outbursts of the _himegimi_. She lived until\nKwambun 12th year. On the 2nd month 21st day (12th September 1672) she\ndied at the age of seventy two years. Grand were the obsequies of one so\nfavoured by the Sho[u]gun. The _daimyo[u]_ went up in long processions\nto condole with the suzerain at the death of a rich aunt, and\ncongratulate him on the possessions seized. On the 24th day the lord of\nthe land sent lavish incense and a thousand pieces of silver, by the\nhand of Inaba Mimasaka no Kami Masamori, to Matsudaira Echigo Ke the son\nand heir, doubtless glad enough to get this much out of his lady\nmother's rich furniture and dower. From the Midai-dokoro, the\nSho[u]gun's consort, by the Bangashira (Superintendent) of the women's\napartments of the Sho[u]gunal palace, he secured another thousand pieces\nof silver. All was treasure trove toward the heavy expense of the\nimposing funeral. On the seventh day of the decease--the 27th day (18th\nSeptember)--the obsequies took place at the Tentokuji of Shiba, where\nshe was to rest, well weighted down by massive sandstone and an\ninterminable epitaph--of which the posthumous name of Tenso[u]-in can be\nremembered. The Sho[u]gun Ke was present in his proxy of Tsuchiya Tajima\nno Kami Kazunao.\n\nThe Yoshida Goten had shorter shrift than its once occupant. The\n_daimyo[u]_ were moving into _yashiki_ under the compulsory residence\nedict. The _kyakubun_ were still met at the outskirts of the city, but\nthe many different palaces for their entertainment became superfluous.\nThe main part of the Yoshida Goten was pulled down, and its magnificent\ntimbers and decoration went to the equipment of the prior's hall of the\nKugyo[u]ji of Iinuma. This great temple, situate one _ri_ (2-1/2 miles)\nto the north of Midzukaido-machi, in the plain at the base of\nTsukuba-san, is one of the eighteen holy places of the Kwanto[u], and\nunder the charge of the Jo[u]do[u] sect of Buddhists. In former days the\nnotice board was posted at the Chu[u]mon (middle gate), ordering all\nvisitors to dismount from horse or _kago_. The _bushi_ removed their\nswords on presenting themselves for worship. The temple itself is of\nmoderately ancient foundation, being established in Oei 21st year (1414)\nby the two Hanyu lords, Tsunesada and Yoshisada, who built the castles\nof Yokosome and Hanyu, close by here in Shimosa. Grand is the _hondo[u]_\n(main hall); and grand the magnificent old pines and cedars which\nsurround it and line its avenues. These are set off by the girdle of the\nflowering cherry, famed among the ancient seven villages of Iimura.\nMoreover it was the scene of the early labours in youth of the famous\nbishop--Yu[u]ten So[u]jo[u]; who solved so successfully the blending of\nthe pale maple colour of its cherry blossoms that he gave the name\n_myo[u]jo[u] no sakura_, a new transcript of the \"six characters.\" Here\nhe grappled with and prevailed over the wicked spirit of the Embukasane.\nIn later writers there is a confusion as to the tale of the Yoshida\nGoten. The palace material was used for the construction of the prior's\nhall.[13] In the Genwa period (1615-23) the Senhimegimi, eldest daughter\nof Hidetada Ko[u] the second sho[u]gun, cut _short_ her beautiful hair\nand assumed the name of the Tenju-in-Den (as nun). The hair was buried\nhere under an imposing monument; and later one of the ladies-in-waiting\nof the princess--the Go-tsubone Iiguchi Hayao. (The name of the princess\nTsuruhime in _kana_ is probably a later and mistaken addition.) Thus\nwere the many adventures of the Takata Dono transferred to her equally\nwell known and beautiful elder sister. The Senhime, wife of Hideyori,\nsuffered and did quite enough herself for which to make answer.\nMeanwhile the site of the Yoshida Goten in the Bancho[u] became more\nthan suspected. Jack-o-lanterns, the ghosts of the victims of the\n_himegimi_, came forth from the old well to haunt and frighten\npassers-by. Nor were subsequent attempts to use it encouraging. Thus the\nground lay idle and uncalled for, with no one to occupy it until the\ngrant of a large tract in Dosanbashi as site for the _yashiki_ of\nMatsudaira Higo no Kami compelled removal of several of the _hatamoto_.\nAmong these were O[u]kubo Hikoroku and Aoyama Shu[u]zen.[14]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIII\n\nTHE SEN-HIMEGIMI (Princess Sen)\n\n\nThe Sen-_himegimi_, eldest daughter of Hidetada the second Sho[u]gun,\nfigures little in our story; enough so, however, to necessitate the\ntelling of one of the not least striking episodes in a life full of\nevent. Married at the mature age of six years to the Udaijin Hideyori,\nson of the Taiko[u] Hideyoshi and lord of O[u]saka castle, those\nchildish years were the happiest of that period. Clouds were rising\nbetween Toyotomi and Tokugawa as the princess approached nubile years.\nOn her the Yodogimi, mother of the Udaijin, visited the more personal\neffects of her resentment. For the growing girl it was a period of tears\nand affliction. In truth she well knew the weight of her mother-in-law's\nhand. So wretched was her life that there was some fear of her killing\nherself. A powerful influence in screening her in these later years was\nthat of the famous Kimura Nagato no Kami. Shigenari and his wife Aoyagi\nwere the guides and friends of the _himegimi_ during this trying period;\nher councillors to forestall cause of the Yodogimi's wrath. Moreover the\npleasant relations between the young husband and wife were an incentive\nto bear a burden patiently, which time might remove. Nevertheless the\nYodogimi was inexorable. The night screens were set up in different\nchambers. When the Sen-himegimi made her escape from O[u]saka castle she\nwas sixteen years old, and in all likelihood a virgin.\n\nAs to the stories of her escape from the besieged castle, then in the\nvery throes of the final vigorous and successful assault by the three\nhundred thousand men surrounding it, these vary. According to one\naccount Iyeyasu Ko[u], brows knit with anxiety as he watched his men\npressing to the attack, thumped his saddle bow as vigorously as waning\nyears now permitted--\"The Senhime to wife, to him who brings her safe\nfrom the castle!\" Not a man in his train moved. They looked at the\nblazing mass before them, the flying missiles--and staid where they\nwere. Then came forward a Tozama _daimyo[u]_, Sakasaki Dewa no Kami\nTakachika.[15] Prostrating himself he announced his purpose to make the\nattempt. Making his way into the blazing pile of the burning castle he\nfound the Senhime amid her frightened maids. Wrapping her up carefully\nhe took her in his arms, and with great regard for her person, and none\nfor his own, he sought her rescue. The last chance was through the\nblazing mass of the great gate. Just as he was about to clear it, down\ncame the tottering superincumbent structure almost on their heads. The\nred hot tiles, the sparks like a fiery deluge, the blazing fragments of\nwood carried and tossed by the air currents, surrounded them as in a\nfurnace. Nearly all the train perished in the attempt. Dewa no Kami\nsucceeded in presenting himself before the O[u]gosho[u] (Iyeyasu). Even\nthe old captain could but turn with pity from the hideously disfigured\nman. The Senhime in all her beauty was saved. Bitter was her resentment\nagainst all--father, grandfather, their partisans--who had refused the\ngift of life to the young husband. Rescue or no rescue, she absolutely\nrefused to carry out the agreement and become the wife of this--mask.\n\nOther tales are less romantic. The most prosaic sends Dewa no Kami to\nKyo[u]to, on orders of Hidetada Ko[u]. For the princess a second bed was\nto be found among the Sekke (the five great _kuge_ Houses of the\nimperial court). The mission was not unsuccessful, but by the time the\nmessenger returned Hidetada had changed his mind.[16] Brusquely he\noffered her to Dewa no Kami. The Senhime got wind of these movements.\nHer resentment toward the Tokugawa House determined her hostile stand.\nShe would not be an instrument to their advancement. Family relations\nwere taken very seriously. It is to be remembered that her uncle\nHideyasu, adopted into the Toyotomi, was so fiercely loyal to that House\nthat his natural father, the O[u]gosho[u] Iyeyasu, poisoned him, by his\nown hand and a gift of cakes, it is said. Those likely to hitch and\nhamper the movement against O[u]saka, such as the famous Kato[u]\nKiyomasa, found short shrift in the soup bowl. At all events the insult\nof refusal fell on Dewa no Kami. After all, by the most authentic tale,\nhe seems to have deserved no particular credit. As to the actual escape\nfrom O[u]saka-Jo[u] either of the following versions can be accepted. As\nsuicide was the inevitable issue for the defeated, the Yodogimi, with\nsome reluctance, had announced her purpose; and her intent to involve\nthe _himegimi_ in the fate of herself and son. This was but the ethics\nof the time; and was neither cruel nor unusual. It was thoroughly\nconstitutional. Fortunately the fears of the Lady Dowager made her\nadd--\"the time is not yet propitious.\" She left the keep, intending to\nascertain in person how matters went on outside, before going on with\nthe ceremony inside. The maids of the Senhime at once surrounded her and\nurged flight. Overpowering any resistance, moral and physical, these\nenergetic _samurai_ women bundled their mistress well into _futon_\n(quilts). Then with no particular gentleness they lowered her over the\ncastle wall. Others followed her--to destruction or better luck, without\n_futon_. Some twenty of them risked the descent. Horiuchi Mondo[u], a\ngentleman of Kishu[u] Kumano, noticed the unusual group. They besought\nan aid for the princess he readily gave. Dewa no Kami happened to come\non the scene, and promptly took the responsibility of the safety of the\nprincess on his own shoulders.\n\nHere the two versions join, for by the other Ono Shuri, captain of the\ndefense and hence most seriously involved, sought the safety of his own\ndaughter. The princess therefore was sent from the castle, under the\ncare of his _karo[u]_ Yonemura Gonemon, to plead for the lives of the\nUdaijin and his mother the Yodogimi. Ono was careful to include his\ndaughter in the train, and the _karo[u]_ followed his illustrious\nexample. Dewa no Kami met the party outside the castle, and grasped the\nchance of being agreeable by escorting it to the camp of the\nO[u]gosho[u]. Honda Sado no Kami here was in charge. His mission to the\ngrandfather was eminently successful. Iyeyasu, overjoyed at the escape\nof the beloved grandchild, consented; provided that of the actual\nSho[u]gun be obtained. All rejoiced, with little thought of Hidetada's\nharsh feeling. Perhaps the message expressed this; perhaps it was spoken\nto cover refusal, for he had deep affection for his children. But as in\ngreatest wrath he made answer--\"The thing is not to be spoken of. Why\ndid she not die together with Hideyori?\" The Senhime was safe enough now\nin his camp; and he did not purpose the escape of his rival Hideyori, to\nbe a permanent danger to his House. The princess, worn out by many days\nof suffering, went to sleep in the shed which furnished her with\nquarters, and never woke until high noon on the following day. By that\ntime she could choose between the tales of her husband's escape to\nSatsuma; or his suicide and her widowhood, the only proof of which was\nthe finding of the hereditary sword of the Toyotomi House. She clung to\nthe former story, despite the ascertained suicide of the Yodogimi, who\nhardly would have allowed the escape of the son and her own destruction.\nThus disgruntled, later the _himegimi_ was removed to Kyo[u]to, fiercely\nhostile to all the Kwanto[u] influence.\n\nA word in conclusion as to the fate of the attendants, thus skilfully\nfoisted on her. The daughter of Ono Shuri had escaped, with all the\nsufferings and passions aroused by family disaster. When subsequently\nthe princess was removed to Edo she went in her train. They were\ncompanions in misfortune. In the hostile atmosphere she was taken with a\nconsumption, long to undergo its torments. Overcome by homesickness she\nwould return to former scenes, and worship at her father's grave.\nPermission was now granted. Yonemura accompanied the dying girl to the\ncapital. Here Ono Shuri had lost his head in the bed of the Kamogawa\n(the execution ground). Here at Kyo[u]to the daughter found her tortured\nend. Gloomy the old vassal prepared the funeral pyre of his mistress. As\nthe flames shot high and wrapped the corpse, a woman's figure darted\nforward and sprang into the midst. Unable to distinguish the bones of\nhis daughter from those of the honoured mistress, Gonemon placed the\nremains of both within the same casket, to rest at the last beneath the\npines and cedars of the holy mountain of Ko[u]ya.\n\nOn June 4th (1615) the castle had fallen. The date is important in\nconnection with one of the current scandals. Later the Senhime was\nescorted down to Edo by Honda Mino no Kami Tadamasa, in whose train was\nhis handsome son To[u]nosuke (Tadatoki). He is said to have been like\nenough in appearance to the Udaijin Hideyori to act as his substitute in\nthe most intimate sense. The fierce little lady fell violently in love\nwith him. By the time Edo was reached she ought to have married Honda,\nand in the passage of the months and days would have to. At all events\nthis rather disproportionate marriage was early proposed to the council\nof the Bakufu, and after some discussion accepted. This decision was not\nreached until Genwa 2nd year 9th month (October 1616), or more than a\nfull year after the fall of the castle. The failure to carry out the\nagreement with Dewa no Kami afforded ample reason for the extremity to\nwhich this latter's rage was carried. By all accounts he had lost a\nbride, the acknowledged beauty of the land, apart from the great\ninfluence of the connection. Perhaps his own hideous disfigurement was\ninvolved. He determined to lie in wait for the journey down to Himeji,\nHonda's fief; and kill or carry off the lady. The Sho[u]gun's Government\ngot wind of the purpose. The lords were storming with wrath, and a\npublic fracas was feared. All composition had been refused. Dewa refused\nto see his friend Yagyu[u] Munenori, sent to him as messenger of\ngreatest influence. Secret orders then were sent that Dewa no Kami must\nbe induced to cut belly, or--his vassals ought to send his head to Edo.\nThe Sho[u]gun's word and bond must be saved. The vassals knew their\nlord, and had not loyalty enough to act otherwise than to sever his\nhead, as he lay sleeping off a drunken fit in broad daylight. It was\nagainst rewarding this disloyal act that Honda Masazumi showed open\nopposition to the council's decision; and Hidetada Ko[u] himself\ndisapproved enough not to inflict extinction (_kaieki_) on the family of\nthe dead lord, the usual process. The continuance of the succession was\npermitted on the Sho[u]gun's order. All these matters were so public\nthat little credit is to be given to the role assigned to Sakasaki Dewa\nno Kami in the event about to be described; the issue of which was so\nunfortunate in the carrying out, that Sakasaki, in command of the bridal\ncortege and keenly feeling the disgrace, cut open his belly in\nexpiation; and that the Government, to hush up talk as to attack on the\ntrain of the princess, put forward as explanation the proposed treachery\nand resultant death of Dewa no Kami.\n\nAs to the event itself: with greatest reluctance, uncertain as to her\nformer husband's fate, the Senhime had been forced into agreement with\nthe Honda marriage. From the Nishimaru (western) palace the bridal\ncortege took its way to the _yashiki_ of Honda near the Hitotsubashi\nGomon. Time was at a discount in those days, and by no means was the\nshortest route to anything taken. The procession filed out of the\nSakurada Gomon, to circle with its pompous glitter the outer moat. All\nwent very well. The _yashiki_ walls bordering Tayasumura were slipping\nby. Then the steadily accumulating clouds poured forth their contents.\nIt was a downpour, blinding in effect. The _rokushaku_ of the\nKurokwagumi--stout and tall palanquin bearers, \"six footers\"--floundered\nand staggered in the mud. The heavy palanquin came to the ground. Great\nwas the rage of the princess at this unseemly precedent for such an\noccasion. \"Rude ruffians! By this very hand this scum shall die!\"\n_Te-uchi_ was to be the lot of the miserable fellows prostrate in\nobeisance and seeking pardon in the blinding storm from the lady's\ndagger, menacing them from the open door of the palanquin. The Lady of\nO[u]saka was quite capable of carrying out her threat. Abe\nShiro[u]goro[u], later the famous Bungo no Kami, was equal to the\noccasion. With soft words he would soothe her. \"Congratulations to the\n_Himegimi_! May her highness deign to accept the so happy augury of\npresent ill luck bringing good fortune throughout a long and happy life.\nDeign to regard with future favour the words of Shiro[u]goro[u].\" He got\nas near the mud as he dared in his respectful salutation. The lady's\nface softened. She was appeased.\n\nThen she held up the hand, with the dagger still ready for action.\nShiro[u]goro[u] sprang to his feet. Something else than storm was in\nprogress. In the escort ahead there were other sounds than the rumbling\nand sharp crash of the thunder, the swishing of rain wind driven. The\nflashes of lightning showed that the cortege was the object of a most\ndetermined attack, which sought to make its way to the palanquin of the\nprincess. Abe Shiro[u]goro[u] would have leaped forward, but the\nflashing eyes and presence of the _himegimi_ held him to her nearer\ndefence. The number of the assailants could not be ascertained in this\ndarkness like to night.[17] The tower of defence was Yagyu[u] Tajima no\nKami, greatest master of the sword in Nippon. He had the support of the\nyounger O[u]kubo, of Kondo[u] Noborinosuke, of Mizuno Juro[u]zaemon even\nthen noted as expert with the spear. In general command was the beloved\nsuperintendent of the _hatamoto_, O[u]kubo Hikozaemon. In daylight the\naffair would have been easy. But in this darkness they had to stand to\ntheir defence. That it was an attack by O[u]saka _ro[u]nin_, enraged at\nthe marriage of the princess, there was no doubt. But what their\nnumbers? So far the defense was impregnable. There was nothing to fear.\nThree of the leaders of the _ro[u]nin_ lay on the ground. Their chief,\nvisible in the lightning flashes, could not hope for success. It was the\nold and still active Hikozaemon, the _oyaji_ (old chap), the hardened\nwarrior of Iyeyasu, who scented out the threatening move. He sprang off\ninto the dark wood, almost as the crack of the musket was heard. They\nwould seek the life of the _himegimi_ with deadly missiles! How\ncontemptible; for great as yet was the scorn of such use. Vigorous was\nthe old man's pursuit of a foe, seeking to ascertain his success and\nreluctant to flee. \"Ah! Ah! Rascal! Just wait! Wait for this\nHikozaemon!\" The fellow did wait, a little too long. Noting the\nlessening darkness, the discomfiture of his train, he turned to flee in\nreal earnest. As he did so, Hikozaemon, despairing of success, hurled\nhis dirk. Deep into the fellow's shoulder it went. \"Atsu!\" Savagely he\nturned on the old man. Hikozaemon was skilled in defence, but stiffening\nwith age. His opponent showed himself an able warrior. \"Ah! Ha! 'Tis\nHikozaemon Dono. With him there is no quarrel. Deign to receive a\nwound.\" The old fellow's sword dropped helpless under a sharp rap over\nthe wrist from the back of the blade. This was enough for the man's\npurpose. With laughing and respectful salutation, of short duration, he\nturned to a more successful flight.\n\nThe storm cleared away, the cortege was re-formed; to enter in state the\n_yashiki_ of Honda Sama. It was said that he got but a cold bride--one\non whom only \"the bed quilt lay light.\" Time, the ascertained fact of\nHideyori's death, worked a change in the insanity simulated by the\nprincess. Then she was so taken with her lord that she proved fatal to\nhim. He died at the age of thirty-one years, was buried in his castle\ntown of Himeji, leaving but one daughter as issue by the princess. The\nlady returned to residence at the Takebashi Goten, to be a disgruntling\ninfluence in her brother's court. But Honda Ke had not done badly. This\nconsort made him a minister in the Sho[u]gun's household (Nakatsukasa no\nTayu), a more likely promotion than one at the age of sixteen years, at\nthis date of the Sho[u]gunate. From 10,000 _koku_ his fief was raised to\n150,000 _koku_; and he secured a wife so beautiful that his exodus to\nthe houris of Paradise was a bad exchange. Meanwhile what was the cause\nof objection, thus expressed by force of arms, to the conduct and\nnuptials of the Sen-himegimi?\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIV\n\nSHU[U]ZEN ADOLESCENS\n\n\nThe struggle between Toyotomi and Tokugawa was of that embittered\ncharacter which follows from two diverse theories of political\nstructure. The Taiko[u] Hideyoshi, by force of military genius and\nconstructive statesmanship, had assumed the pre-eminent position in the\nland. In doing so he had drawn to himself a sturdy band of followers\nwhose whole faith and devotion lay in the Toyotomi. Such were the \"seven\ncaptains,\" so conspicuous in the defence of O[u]saka-Jo[u] in later\nyears. Such were the doughty fighters Susukita Kaneyasu (Iwami\nJu[u]taro[u]) and Ban Danemon. The latter unceremoniously shook off\nallegiance to his lord on the latter's treachery at Sekigahara, and\nturned _ro[u]nin_. Such were great recalcitrant nobles thumped into\ncomplete submission, granted unexpected and favourable terms in their\ncapitulation, devoted henceforth to the Toyotomi House, and of whom the\nCho[u]so[u]kabe of Tosa are representative. It is the fashion of modern\nhistorians to regard and speak of these brave men as irreconcileables\nand swashbucklers; thus tamely following after the Tokugawa writers of\ncontemporary times, and imperialistic writers of to-day, to whom all\nopposition to the favoured \"Ins\" is high treason. As matter of fact, if\nmen like the Ono were lukewarm and seeking their own advantage; if Obata\nKambei Kagemori was a mere traitorous spy of the Tokugawa; Sanada\nYukimura and Kimura Nagato no Kami, and in humbler sense Susukita\nKaneyasu and Ban Danemon, if they had much to gain by the victory of\ntheir lord, yet were willing to endure hardship, face a defeat early\nseen, and accept the inevitable death which was meted out to him who\nrefused the attempts at bribery and corruption of the victor. The\n\"_ro[u]nin_,\" of whom the then Tokugawa chronicles and captains spoke so\ncontemptuously, were in the bulk not only \"the outs,\" as opposed to\n\"the ins,\" but they were too devoted to their party tamely to accept\nservice with the enemy. Large were the bribes actually offered to Sanada\nand Kimura; and any or all of the seven captains could have made terms\nof advantage--to themselves.\n\n    \"The scent of the plum, with the flower of the cherry;\n     Blooming on branch of willow 'tis seen.\"[18]\n\nIyemitsu Ko[u] hung this poem on the flowering plum tree to which he\ngave the name of Kimura no Ume; a conscious tribute to the chivalry of\nShigenari. And O[u]kubo Hikozaemon risked life and favour in the\ndestruction of the plant, and rebuke of the bad taste shown to men who\nhad lost fathers, brothers, gone down before the deadly spear of the\nyoung captain.\n\nThe fall of O[u]saka-Jo[u] decided the fate of the Toyotomi House. Not\nat once, for the rumour of the Udaijin's escape to Kyu[u]shu[u] kept\nalive hopeful resentment in the minds of the scattered _samurai_ whose\ncaptains had perished in the battles around O[u]saka, had died or cut\nbelly in the final assault, or had lost their heads by the executioner's\nsword in the bed of the Kamogawa. Among those who found refuge in the\nhills of Iga was a certain Ogita Kuro[u]ji; a retainer of Nagato no\nKami. This man gathered a band of kindred spirits, among whom his\nfavoured lieutenant was Mo[u]ri Muneoki, although he much leaned to the\nastonishing acumen of Kosaka Jinnai, a mere boy in years, but hiding in\nhis short and sturdy form a toughness and agility, with expertness in\nall feats of arms, which discomfited would be antagonists. In the\ndiscussions as to future movements there was wide difference of opinion.\nMuneoki, the true partisan, proposed to rejoin Hideyori in Satsuma. \"The\nprince is now harboured by Higo no Kami; Shimazu Dono of Satsuma, close\nat hand, will never permit the entrance of the Tokugawa into his\nborders. It is at Kagoshima-Jo[u] that the prince will reorganize his\nparty; and thither duty calls.\" But Kosaka Jinnai was equally positive\nin the opposite sense. He turned Muneoki's own argument against the\nproposal. The prince could well be left to organize the West. It was\nfor others to see how affairs went in the North. Therefore the first\nthing was to hasten to Edo, to ascertain the position of Date Masamune\nand the great northern lords at this final triumph of the Tokugawa, when\nat last their jealousy and fear might be aroused to opposition.\n\nAdventurous inclination, the desire to meet rather than run away from\nthe enemy, turned the scale to Edo. Reluctantly Muneoki agreed. With\nJinnai he proceeded, to learn the state of affairs as to the great\nnorthern House, so devoted to the new creed of Yaso (Jesus) as certain\nto be angry and alarmed at the savage persecution now entered on by the\nsecond Sho[u]gun. They returned to meet Ogita and the other captains at\nOdawara, and with unpleasant news. Masamune Ko[u], luckily for his would\nbe interviewers, was absent at Sendai. However there was no difficulty\nin finding out that far from dreaming of further embassies to Rome from\nthe Prince of O[u]shu[u], he had and was acting so vigorously that\nprobably in no quarter of Nippon was the hostile and treacherous creed\nso thoroughly stamped out. The watch and ward of the north country was\npractically left to a loyalty of which the Tokugawa felt assured.\nMuneoki made this report with bitter joy, and Jinnai could not say him\nnay. Then the former carried out his first plan. He made his way to\nKyu[u]shu[u], to learn the truth as to the Udaijin's fate. Assured of\nthis he harboured with the malcontents of Higo and Hizen, to take his\npart and perish some years later in the Amakusa uprising.\n\nPerhaps the tartness of Mori's criticism made his company unacceptable.\nOgita preferred to follow the urging of Jinnai and his own inclination\nto observe how matters were going in Edo. Most of the company followed\nhim, to establish themselves as best they could in the confusion of the\ngrowing town, rendered a thousand times worse by the settlement of the\nlater troubles and the flocking of all classes to this eastern capital.\nOgita set up as a doctor in Daikucho[u] (carpenters' street) of the\nNihonbashi ward, under the name of Gita Kyu[u]an. His chief lieutenant,\nJinnai, settled close to his leader in Kuremasacho[u], figuring as a\nphysiognomist, of near enough relation to excite no comment in the\ncompanionship with the older man. His own years were disguised by an\nample growth of hair and the past experience of an accomplished rascal.\nJinnai could have passed himself off for a man of thirty odd years. The\nhouse of a physiognomist was overrun with visitors, whom Jinnai knew how\nto sift, and who had no particular wish to encounter each other. Hence\nthe presence of the leaders, with his own particular followers, Watanabe\nMondo, Ashizuke To[u]suke, Yokoyama Daizo[u], Hyu[u]chi To[u]goro[u],\nexcited no comment among the neighbours. The question of the marriage of\nthe Senhime, the honoured widow of the Udaijin Ko[u], soon was stirring\nup a ferment in higher circles than these in Edo town. Sakai Uta no Kami\nand Doi Oi no Kami of the _ro[u]ju[u]_ (council of state) were keen to\nurge the match. She was young, and they plead the cruelty of forcing\ncelibacy on her. She was the centre of the ill disposed and most\nwillingly so. The stern old soldier Aoyama Hoki no Kami took the\nopposite ground. It was for her to cut short her hair and pray for the\nsoul of the husband perished in the flames of O[u]saka-Jo[u]. Such was\nthe precedent, and, he hinted with good ground, the disposition of the\nprincess, then coquetting with Toshitsune lord of the great Maeda House\nof Kaga. Besides he knew that Kasuga no Tsubone, powerful influence in\nthe private apartments of the palace, was urging on the match. The mere\nfact of her constant interference in the public affairs irritated Hoki\nno Kami beyond measure. He was acting through sentiment and\nconservatism. Kasuga and her allies were acting on political motives.\nThey carried the day; to the great indignation of Hoki no Kami, and of\nan assistance he never dreamed of.\n\nAmong the band of _ro[u]nin_ the matter was discussed with all the\ngreater heat and bitterness of purpose, inasmuch as they had to do so\nmouth to ear. Ogita expressed their feeling when he summed up the matter\nas an outrageous breach of chastity on the part of a princess, who could\nnot positively know whether the husband was yet living, or really had\ndied at O[u]saka--\"Hence she is doubly guilty, of treachery and\npollution of her living lord; or of shameful lechery in this open\nneglect of his memory and seeking another bed. Moreover to put her to\ndeath will strike terror into the partisans of the Tokugawa, and give\ncourage to all the adherents of the cause, of whom thousands are\ngathered here in Edo. A display of vigour will maintain those inclined\nto the new service true to the cause.\" All rapturously agreed. The\noccasion of the marriage and procession was settled upon for the attack,\nin which the leaders and some eighty men were engaged. The result, as\ntold, was disastrous to them. Watanabe and Ashizuke were killed by\nTajima no Kami's own hand. Kondo[u] Noborinosuke thrust his spear\nthrough the belly of Yokoyama Daizo[u]. Jinnai brought off in safety the\nbulk of the party. Ogita had tried to bring down the lady princess by a\ngun shot. In the straggle with Hiko[u]zaemon he purposely did the old\nman as little injury as possible. Respect for the grand old warrior, an\namused interest in one whose influence lay in plain speaking, held his\nhand. If O[u]kubo Dono was entitled freely to express his opinion of the\nSho[u]gun Ke, Kuro[u]ji took it as no insult to endure the same himself.\nHe reached his home with a painful but not dangerous wound in the\nshoulder, to grunt over the infliction and this latest discomfiture.\n\nHis nurse was not at all to the taste of Kosaka Jinnai. O'Yoshi was a bare\ntwenty-three years in age. She was a beauty and a flirt. Ogita indulged in\nthe greatest expansion with her; as would the man of fifty years to the\ngirl, a mistress young enough to be a daughter. The months and weeks\npassed following the attempt on the Senhime. The effort to hunt out the\nperpetrators had been given up in despair. The population of Edo as yet\nwas too fluid and shifting to take very exact account of its movements.\nDoubtless they were _ro[u]nin_, and had promptly scattered on failure of\nthe attack. Then the constant attempts at incendiarism, in many cases\nsuccessful, began to attract attention. The two _machibugyo[u]_, together\nwith the particular office for detection of thieves and incendiaries, were\nat their wits end to trace out this gang of fire bugs. One day O'Yoshi was\njust leaving the bath house in Daikucho[u] called the Cho[u]senya, when\nshe met with an adventure. A young _samurai_ coming along the street\nattracted her admiring attention. He was barely twenty years of age, of\ngood height and commanding presence. In black garb and wearing _hakama_,\nhis two swords tucked in his girdle, and his cue trimmed high, attended\nby a _do[u]shin_ and several _yakunin_, the procession greatly flattered a\nwoman's feeling. She tripped along, towel in hand, and her eyes anywhere\nbut on her footing. Suddenly the strap of her clog broke. She was pitched\nforward, just able to keep her balance. The _samurai_ trod sharply on the\ndiscarded _geta_. A cry of pain followed, and O'Yoshi was all discomfiture\nat sight of the blood staining the white _tabi_ of the young lord. At once\nshe was humble apology for her awkwardness, very badly received by the\n_do[u]shin_ who scolded her most severely--\"Careless wench! Such rudeness\nis not to be pardoned.\" He would have laid rough hands on her, but Aoyama\nShu[u]zen interfered. The woman was pretty, the injury painful, and he was\nyoung. \"Don't scold her. It was by accident.... Don't be alarmed.... Ah!\nIt hurts!...\" He looked around, as seeking a place to rest.\n\nO'Yoshi was very solicitous over the handsome young man. \"Deign to\npardon the careless action. Alas! The foot of the young master is sadly\ninjured. My husband is a doctor, Gita Kyu[u]an, of wondrous skill in the\nDutch practice. Condescend to enter the poor house close by here, and\nallow drugs to be applied to the wound.\" Shu[u]zen really was suffering\ninconvenience and pain from his wound. Besides, as attached to the\noffice of the _machibugyo[u]_, he sought all means of contact with the\nclass whose offences were to be dealt with. He at once agreed. Ogita was\nabsent when they entered. O'Yoshi tended the wound herself. The salve\nreally had wonderful effect. Flow of blood and pain ceased. Cakes and\ntea, for refreshment, were placed before Shu[u]zen. O'Yoshi entertained\nhim with amusing talk of the wardsmen of Nihonbashi, not the most stupid\nin Nippon. She retailed the bath house gossip, and Aoyama carefully took\nin costume, manners, and the conversation of the beauty, which did not\nat all accord with her station in life. If she was connected with a\ndoctor now, at some time she had been intimate with men of affairs in\nhis own caste. He thanked her graciously and would have forced lavish\npayment on her. O'Yoshi was all pained surprise and refusal. That her\nreluctance was genuine he could easily see. \"I am Aoyama Shu[u]zen, and\nlive in the _yashiki_ at Surugadai. The kindness shown is not to be\nforgotten, and perhaps some day this Shu[u]zen can serve his hostess.\"\nWith compliments he took his leave. O'Yoshi watched the handsome youth\nwell out of sight. She could not hear the remark of Shu[u]zen to the\n_do[u]shin_--\"A suspicious house; no frowsy doctor shows such favour to\nhis dame. Dress, manners, language, betray contact with the _samurai_.\"\nThe officer nodded admiring assent to his young lord's acumen.\n\nOgita Kuro[u]ji came limping home, to find O'Yoshi--Cho[u]senburo[u]\nYoshi, as this adventure dubbed her--overflowing with her experience. At\nfirst he was rather pleased at such addition to his acquaintance.\nO'Yoshi was a bait to all but Jinnai, who would detach him from her. The\nothers sought his favour to secure hers with greater ease. At mention of\nthe _do[u]shin_, subordinate officials of the legal machinery, the\nofficial grade of the visitor, his brows knit. \"Of official rank--that\nwill never do! Deign Yoshi to be careful in relations with this man, if\nhe should again appear. Engaged as is this Kuro[u]ji, the slightest\nhint, a suspicion, would be most disastrous.\"--\"Then the affair of the\nSenhimegimi did not block matters? This Yoshi yet is to ride in\npalanquin, to be a _daimyo[u]'s_ wife?\" The tone was a little jeering,\nand the laugh as of one sceptical. With thoughts on this new love the\nreference to this futile scheming annoyed her. She would push this\nacquaintance to the full effect of her charms. Ogita took some offence.\nHe spoke braggingly, but disastrously to the point--\"Assuredly 'tis\nYoshi who shall be the lady of a _daimyo[u]_ of high place, not of a\nmeagre fifteen or twenty thousand _koku_. Kaga Ke, Maeda Toshitsune, is\ngrinding his sword. The great Houses in the west--Hosokawa, Bizen,\nKato[u], Mo[u]ri, Satsuma, will follow him. Give them but the\nopportunity in the disorder of Edo, and the sword will be drawn. In a\nmonth, Edo, fired at a hundred points will lie in ashes. Then....\" He\nstopped a little frightened. But she feigned the greatest indifference,\nteased him into opposition. Sitting down before the wine she got out of\nhim the whole affair. Reverting to the accident--\"But yourself, an\naccident has been deigned. Has another Yoshi encountered Kuro[u]ji\nDono?\" To the tender solicitude half laughing he made jesting answer.\n\"A Yoshi with beard and wearing two swords. To-day the contract was\nsigned by all with the blood seal. The wine feast followed. The talk was\nearnest, some of it rash. Interposing in the quarrel, the dagger\nintended for the belly of one, was sheathed in the thigh of this\nKuro[u]ji. A trifling flesh wound; well in a day or two, at present rest\nis needed.\"--\"A dangerous affair; if it gives rise so easily to\ndispute.\" Such her comment. \"Not so,\" answered the infatuated veteran.\n\"They are too far in to withdraw.\" Before her eyes he unrolled the\nscroll. Her eye quickly ran along the crowded columns of the names--by\nthe score. Here was indeed a big affair. Out of the corner of one eye\nshe watched him put it away.\n\nThe salve Ogita Kuro[u]ji used for his wound had no such benefit as that\noffered Aoyama Shu[u]zen; and perhaps O'Yoshi could have told the reason\nof its failure. By the next day the wound was inflamed enough to make\nmovement difficult. Feeling the necessity of repair, Kuro[u]ji left all\nmatters to his mistress, and sought early recuperation in complete rest.\nOn plea of needed articles O'Yoshi was out of the house and on her\nhurried way to the Aoyama _yashiki_ at Suragadai. The distance was\nshort; yet her plan was already laid. Her dislike for the ageing Ogita\nwas sharpened into hate by her love for the handsome young _samurai_.\nClose to the _yashiki_ on pretext she entered the shop of a tradesman.\nTo her delight she learned that the Waka Dono, Aoyama Shu[u]zen, as yet\nhad no wife. She had a hundred yards to go, and her purpose and ambition\nhad expanded widely in that short distance. Her application for an\ninterview with his lordship was quickly granted. She had often been\nsubject of talk and comment between Shu[u]zen and his subordinate\nofficer. The _do[u]shin_ happened to be present, and the attendant\nannounced her at once. Passed to the inner apartment she found Shu[u]zen\nas if he had been eagerly awaiting her coming for hours. Her reception\nwas flattering. The ordinary salutations over they passed to most\nfamiliar talk, as of oldest friends between man and woman. When\nShu[u]zen would go further, and in love making press still greater\nintimacy, her refusal was of that kind which sought compliance. Said she\nwith a smile--\"Make Yoshi the wife of the Waka Dono and she will make\nthe fortune even of one so highly placed as Aoyama Dono.\" To his\nincredulity and astonishment she would say no more. Shu[u]zen now was\ndetermined not to let her go. He feigned consent, agreement to\neverything, with much regard for her, and small regard for the promotion\nat which he jested. Now they were in the very heigh-day of love. She\nresented his scepticism, and in the heat of her passion gave him\neverything--including the contract. His mistress by his side, seated in\nthe confidence of an accomplished love affair he listened to her stream\nof revelation. This \"doctor\" and \"husband\" was neither doctor nor\nhusband. His name was Ogita Kuro[u]ji, an O[u]saka _ro[u]nin_. With\nKosaka Jinnai and others of the same kidney he had been the head and\nfront of the attempted rape of the Senhime. Shu[u]zen knew enough to\ndiscount all the talk as to Maeda Ko[u], of the Hosokawa, and other\ngreat Houses. They were beyond his sphere. But here in his hands lay the\nweb of a most important affair; so important that it frightened him a\nlittle. As his brows knit O'Yoshi too grew a little frightened;\nregretted that she had told so much all at once. She had babbled beyond\nmeasure in her transport. She had misgivings. Shu[u]zen reassured her.\nFor her to return to Daikucho[u] would never do. A breath of suspicion,\nand Ogita's sword would deprive him of his mistress. Safe quarters were\nto be found in the _yashiki_. He called the _do[u]shin_, one Makishima\nGombei, and put her in his charge. The two men exchanged glances as she\nwas led away.\n\nThe office of the south _machibugyo[u]_ was in a ferment when Aoyama\nmade his report. All available _yakunin_ were at once gathered. The list\nwas carefully gone over with the minister for the month, Hoki no Kami.\nDespatched on their various missions the squads departed. To Shu[u]zen\nwas assigned the capture of Ogita Kuro[u]ji, leader of the conspiracy.\nThis latter was chafing at the prolonged absence of O'Yoshi. Some\naccident must have happened to her. Then he remembered. She had gone to\nHacho[u]bori. Here lived a sister, whose delivery was daily expected.\nDoubtless this commonplace event, yet surpassing in interest to every\nwoman, detained her. A confusion outside attracted his attention. There\nwas a crowd, and some disturbance. Hatsu! The people were being kept\nback by _yakunin_. \"The thoughts of Kuro[u]ji were those of the wicked.\"\nAt once he attributed their presence to himself. A look out at the rear\nand he quickly shot to the wooden bar. Between the bamboo of the fence\nmen could be seen passing to and fro in numbers; and they were\n_yakunin_. He had been betrayed. The counsel of Jinnai came to mind, and\nhe ground his teeth as he stood with drawn sword before the empty drawer\nof the cabinet. The scarlet of the _obi_ of his false mistress flashed\nbefore his eyes. He had to die unavenged. \"On his lordship's business!\nOn his lordship's business!\" The harsh voices sounded at the front.\nThose who would enter uninvited found themselves face to face in the\nnarrow space with the old Kuro[u]ji, the man who had fought from Sagami\nto Tosa, from Cho[u]sen to Kyu[u]shu[u]. The more incautious fell\nsevered with a cut from shoulder to pap. A second man put his hand to\nhis side, and rolled over to breathe his last in a pool of blood.\nVisions of \"Go-ban\" Tadanobu came to mind. Kuro[u]ji would die, but he\nwould leave his mark on the foe. Shu[u]zen's men could make no progress,\nexcept to swell the death roll or their wounds. In rage their lord\nsprang to the encounter. Shu[u]zen was young, but it is doubtful if the\nissue would have been successful with this man turned demon by the\ndouble injury and treachery. But Ogita amid this horde of assailants had\nsuffered in his turn. In a parry his sword broke off short near the\nhilt. With a yell he sprang to close quarters, dealing Shu[u]zen a blow\nwith the hilt that sent him reeling senseless to the ground. Then,\nunable to accomplish more, and taking advantage of the respite caused by\nthe rescue of his foe, he sprang to the ladder leading above. Once on\nthe roof he saw that escape was hopeless. Already they were breaking\ninto the rear. Men were approaching over the neighbouring houses. In the\nold style of ages past he waved them back with drawn dagger. There was\nno Shu[u]zen to give command--\"Take him alive!\" They were only too glad\nto halt and let him do his will. Stripping to his girdle, before the\nassembled crowd he thrust his dagger into his left side and drew it\nacross his belly. Then he made the cross cut through the navel.\n\"Splendid fellow! A true _bushi_!\" Admiring voices rose in the crowd.\nThe body of Kuro[u]ji fell forward and down into the street. Thus he\ndied.\n\nThis affair had ended in a way to redound greatly to the credit of\nAoyama Shu[u]zen. Others had not been so successful. Of nearly two\nhundred names only eighteen prisoners were secured. Shu[u]zen stamped\nwith impatience on learning of the escape of Kosaka Jinnai. He had\nlearned much about him from the hate of O'Yoshi. \"That man is the real\nleader of the band, the inspiration of Ogita Kuro[u]ji. Ah! Why could\nnot this Shu[u]zen be in two places at once!\" Older officials bowed low,\nand smiled to themselves and each other at youth's self confidence.\nO'Yoshi now found short entertainment. Shu[u]zen had no further use for\nthe woman, for the means of his promotion. One day a _chu[u]gen_ led her\nto the postern gate of the _yashiki_, put a paper containing a silver\n_ryo[u]_ in her hand, and unceremoniously shoved her into the roadway.\nThe gate closed behind her. At first she hardly comprehended the meaning\nof this treatment. Then, as it filtered into her mind, her rage passed\nall measure. \"Ah! The beast and liar! Yoshi was not fit to be the wife;\nnay, not even the female companion of this arrogant lord?\" She had been\njuggled out of the secret of such value to him, then cast forth with the\nwages of a prostitute summoned to the _yashiki_. The woman was helpless.\nBroken in spirit she dragged herself off, to undergo a severe illness\nbrought on by despite. Her foul role ascertained, friends and family\nwould have nothing to do with her. Once recovered, she found herself\ndeprived of all means of subsistence, even that of beauty, by her\ndisease. Never more would she deal with the noble class, to be left with\nsuch a legacy. She would pray for the salvation of the man she had\nbetrayed. On her way to the Asakusa Kwannon she passed the jail, then\nnear the Torigoebashi. Stumbling along just here she raised her head, to\nconfront the long line of rotting heads there set forth. Just facing her\nwas that of her ex-lover Ogita Kuro[u]ji. It took on life. The eyes\nopened and glared fierce hate. The lips moved, and the teeth ground\ntogether. Then the other heads made measured movements. \"Atsu!\" With the\ncry she fell fainting to the ground, and it was difficult to restore\nher to consciousness. For several years the half crazed beggar woman\nsought alms near the jail, to act as guide and comment on the fresh\nheads exposed, until as nuisance she was driven off by the guard. Then\nthe shameful swollen corruption of the body was drawn from the canal\nclose by; thus to end on the refuse heap the treachery of Cho[u]senburo\nno O'Yoshi.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XV\n\nTHE GOD FAVOURS SHU[U]ZEN\n\n\nThe influence of a House close to the person of the Sho[u]gun was no\ndrawback to the close attention Aoyama Shu[u]zen gave to official duty\nthroughout his career. The Aoyama stood high in the council of the\ngoverning power. Even an old blunderbuss like Hoki no Kami could not\nshake this influence. When Yukinari tore the mirror from the hands of\nthe young Sho[u]gun Iyemitsu Ko[u], berated him roundly for effeminacy,\nand dashed the offending object to pieces on the stones of the garden,\nthis wanton treatment of the prince could not be overlooked. \"Invited\"\nto cut belly by his intimates and opponents in the council\n(_ro[u]ju[u]_) he defied them, laid hand to sword, and swore they should\njoin him in a \"dog's death.\" The timely entrance of O[u]kubo Hikozaemon\nprevented the unseemly spectacle of three old soldiers and statesmen\nenjoying the fierce and deadly pastime of one of the duels of Keicho[u]\n(1596-1614). Hoki no Kami in his own way was right--and knew it; and he\nhad the tacit approval of Hidetada Ko[u]. The result was not _harakiri_,\nbut the offending noble was consigned to the care of his brother. He and\nhis were \"extinguished\"; for the time being, and to the greater glory of\nhis other relatives near the Sho[u]gun's person. Such was the rough\ndiscipline in Hidetada's camp of Edo. The second Sho[u]gun, now retired\n(O[u]gosho[u]--_inkyo[u]_), never lost the manners or the methods of the\nbattle field.\n\nThe career of Aoyama Shu[u]zen therefore was a steady rise in the\nGovernment service; in younger years attached to the immediate train of\nthe prince, in greater maturity to the enforcement of the edicts through\nthe legal machinery of the Bakufu. At this time he ruffled it bravely\nwith the other young blades. The younger _hatamoto_ on their part\nopposed to the _otokodate_ of the townsmen the far more splendid\n_Jingumi_ or divine bands. Yamanaka Gonzaemon knocked out several front\nteeth and inserted in their places gold ones. Hence the rise of the\n_Kingumi_ or Gold Band. Aoyama Shu[u]zen did likewise with substitution\nof silver. Hence the _Gingumi_. They were all of the Mikawa _bushi_;\nthat is, drawn from the native province and closely affiliated to the\nTokugawa House. Hence these _hatamoto_ carried themselves high even\nagainst the greater _daimyo[u]_, sure of support from their over-lord\nthe Sho[u]gun. As for the town, they did as they pleased, seeking\nquarrels, distributing blows, and only restrained by wholesome reprisals\nof _ro[u]nin_ or the _otokodate_ of the townsmen, who in turn relied on\nsuch _daimyo[u]_ as Date Ko[u] and Maeda Ko[u], valued allies of the\nTokugawa House, yet showing no particular liking for the encroachments\nof the palace clique on their own privileges.\n\nThe necessity of moving quarters was equally an embarrassment to Aoyama\nShu[u]zen and to his intimate and neighbour O[u]kubo Hikoroku. O[u]kubo\nsuggested Honjo[u]--\"The water lies close by. Hence in winter the place\nis warm, in summer cool.\"--\"And of mosquitoes swarms,\" interjected the\npractical Aoyama. \"If the hillside be cold, it surely is no drawback to\nHikoroku Uji.\" The one named made something of a wry face, and Aoyama\nsmiled apart. He knew that Hikoroku was not so affectioned to the\nmeetings of the Gaman Kwai as himself. However, smoothly--\"This matter\nof the Yoshida Goten coming up offers fair opportunity. The failure of\nEndo[u] Uji need not discourage O[u]kubo Dono and this Aoyama.\" Both\nsmiled a little. They could put palace influences better to work. \"It is\ntwo thousand _tsubo_,\" said Shu[u]zen. \"Just the thing: moreover, it is\nclose to palace duty. On this point Honjo[u] is not in the running.\nBesides, the site has its own attraction. Of course Shu[u]zen takes the\nwell, in the division.\" O[u]kubo interposed a lively objection, the\nshallowness of which Shu[u]zen could detect. He humoured his friend's\nobstinacy. \"Leave it to the lots.\" In haste the slips were\nprepared--\"Hachiman, god of the bow and feathered shaft, grant your\ndivine aid and bestow the old well ghost haunted on this Aoyama.\" Okubo\nlaughed at his earnestness. \"Aoyama Uji leaves this O[u]kubo no resort\nbut in the Buddha. Good fortune to O[u]kubo, and may the will of the\nLord Buddha be done.... Naruhodo! 'Tis yours after all. The shaft of the\nwar god is stronger than the Buddha's staff.\" He took his disappointment\nso well as to be the more urgent in securing the transfer. This was\ngranted, with expenses of removal.\n\nAoyama Shu[u]zen superintended in person the preparation of his new\nresidence. This was soon in readiness as little was to be done. O[u]kubo\ntook cash and construction. The former villa, fallen to Shu[u]zen's\npart, needed mainly air and light, and repairs to its rotten woodwork.\nWhen it was time to think of the water supply Aoyama ordered the\ncleaning out of the old well. The workmen began to talk--\"'Tis the old\nwell of the inner garden, the Yanagi-ido of the Yoshida Goten. Danna\nSama, deign to order exorcism made, and that the well be filled up and\ncovered from men's sight.\" The Danna laughed at them, and was obstinate\nin his purpose. He took upon himself all the wrath of the disturbed and\nangered spirits. He hoped that they would not furnish material for more.\nTo hearten them, he and his men descended to the level of the water.\nWith headshakes and misgivings the chief ordered his men to the\ntask--\"Pfu! It stinks of ghosts, or something. Surely there will be dead\nmen's bones for harvest; and perhaps those of the living. The old well\nhas not seen its last ill deed.\" As for the dead men's bones, the well\nrefuse was laid aside, and on Aoyama's order buried with no particular\nreverence in the bowels of the _tsukiyama_ close by. \"Let all the\nspirits of the place find company together,\" he jeered. The _yashiki_ of\nKomiyasan in Honjo[u] had its processions of marvels--dead men, frogs,\n_tanuki_, and fox--to shake its _amado_ at night and divert the monotony\nof those who lived therein. The portentous foot perhaps he could not\nmatch, but he would share in this contest with ghostly visions. Chance\nhad offered him the opportunity. All was prepared. Shu[u]zen had\nestablished himself. Nightly with his camp stool he took his seat by the\nold well, to smoke his pipe and drink his wine--\"Now! Out with you,\nghosts! Here present is Aoyama Shu[u]zen, _hatamoto_ of the land. He\nwould join in your revels. Deign to hasten.... What! The ghosts would\nrest this night?\" Thus night after night passed with his jeering and no\nsign of the supernatural objects, not thus to be conjured. Time made the\npastime stale--as stale as the waters of the Yanagi-ido which never\nfurnished supply for the house or its tasks. Aoyama had the excuse of\ndrinking wine. As for the household, the women would not even use the\nwater for washing. They said it stunk too badly. In so far Shu[u]zen\nfailed.\n\nIt was about the time of his entrance on this new possession that more\ngood fortune came to Shu[u]zen. He was made the magistrate whose office\ncovered the detection and punishment of thieves and incendiaries. It\nshowed the estimation in which he was held, and satisfied both the\nvanity and the hard cold temper of Aoyama Shu[u]zen. Looking to results,\nmore than method, the selection was most satisfactory; if return of the\nnumber of criminals was the index assumed. Until a method attracted\nunfavourable attention by some scandal, only results were regarded by\nthe Bakufu. But his household could not regard with any easiness a\ndevotion of his lordship to the wine cup, which turned his court into a\nwine feast. Up to this time Aoyama Shu[u]zen in all official duty had\nshown himself hard, unbending, callous, conscientious. Now the element\nof cruelty appeared, to develop rapidly with exercise until it was the\npredominant tone. Some illustrations are to be given from events\noccurring in these first three years of Sho[u]ho[u] (1644-6).\n\nAoyama would show himself the strict disciplinarian. His chamberlain\n(_yo[u]nin_) Aikawa Chu[u]dayu close beside him, his _do[u]shin_ seated\nat either hand, he gave his orders and rebuke to the assembled\nconstables. He scowled at them. Then with voice harsh from the contents\nof the big wine cup beside him he commanded--\"Diligence is to be\nexpected of all. He who fails to make many arrests shows sloth or ill\nwill to his lord. Anyone against whom there is the slightest suspicion,\neven if he or she be abroad late at night, is to be brought to the jail.\nNo explanation is to be allowed. There must be many arrests. Examination\nin the court is to follow; and many crimes, discovered under the\ntorture, will be brought to punishment.... Heigh! Call up that old\nfellow there.... Who? That Ryu[u]suke.\" At Shu[u]zen's order Ryu[u]suke\nforthwith came close to the _ro[u]ka_. \"You, fellow ... what manner of\nman to act as constable are you? Days pass without a single prisoner\nbeing brought in. This jade, found in the street at the hour of the rat\n(11 P.M.) pleads excuse of illness and the doctor. This lurking\nscoundrel, seeking to set half the town on fire, pleads drunkenness as\nkeeping him abroad. Thus many of these villainous characters, whores and\nfire bugs, find field for their offenses. No more of such leniency.\nFailure to arrest means dismissal from the service and punishment as an\nill-wisher. Oldest and most experienced, the greatest number of\nprisoners is to be expected at your hands. Shu[u]zen shows mercy. Your\nage remits the punishment, but dismissal shall afford example to the\nrest as to the wisdom of showing energy.\" Thus he cast forth without\npity an ageing officer whose only offense was an experience which sought\nthe mission of the night straggler, and allowed the harmless to go free.\nRyu[u]suke went forth from the office of the _bugyo[u]_ stripped of the\nmeans of living and of reputation, and assured of the unforgiving\ncharacter of his lord. That night he cut belly, recommending his family\nto mercy. This was soon found--in debt and the debtor's slavery allowed\nby the harsh code. Thus was the jail kept full, with the innocent and a\nsprinkling of the guilty. No one dared to be lax; for life hung on\nsalary, and on zeal the continuance of the salary. Moreover all revelled\nin the reward of the wine cup liberally bestowed for zealous\nservice--and the more liberally as Shu[u]zen took his turn with his big\ncup, every time he sent down the _sake_ to his underling.\n\nIn Bakuracho[u] lived one Zeisuke, a poor but honest fellow who made his\nliving by peddling the smaller kinds of fish and the salted varieties,\nfor his trifling resources allowed no larger outlay for his trays. In\nthis way with greatest difficulty he managed to support an old mother, a\nwife, a young child. Locally he was known as \"Honest Zeisuke\" for the\nnot often found quality of representing the antiquity and character of\nhis wares much as they were. When bad weather forbade the opening of the\nfish market, Zeisuke readily found some task at day labour by which a\nfew _mon_ could be secured, and for which his character for honest\nservice recommended him. One night, when on his way homeward, he was\npassing the Asakusa Gomon just as the cry of fire was raised. Knowing\nthe alarm of his aged mother Zeisuke at once bolted towards home. When\nall were running toward the fire this at once attracted attention. By\nthe law it was the strict duty of the citizen to betake himself to his\nward, and to be ready for service in preventing spread of the often\ndisastrous conflagration. His action was noted by the ever present\nmyrmidons of Shu[u]zen. In a moment they were after him. Surrounded he\nwas quickly caught. His explanation was not heard. \"Say your say at the\nwhite sand, under the strokes of the _madake_,\" was the rough answer.\nThus he was dragged off to the jail.\n\nThe next day Aoyama's first motion was to reward the captors with the\nwine cup. Harsh was the vinous scowl he cast on Zeisuke now cringing at\nthe white sand. \"Ha! Ah! A notable criminal; a firebug caught in the\nact, and attempting to escape. Make full confession. Thus much suffering\nis escaped, and the execution ground soon reached.\" Zeisuke had no\nconfession to make, and to his explanation Aoyama turned a deaf ear.\n\"Obstinacy is to be over-ruled.\" He made a sign. At once Zeisuke was\nseized. His head drawn downward two stout fellows now began to apply in\nrhythm the _madake_--strips of bamboo to the thickness of an inch\ntightly wound together with hempen cord, and making an exceedingly\nflexible and painful scourge. The blood quickly was spurting from his\nshoulders. Aoyama and his chamberlain sat enjoying the scene immensely.\nAt the seventieth blow the peddler fainted. \"A wicked knave! Off with\nhim until restored.\" Then he settled himself for the day's pastime; for\nthe torture had come to have the zest of an exhilarating sport. The\ncries of pain, the distortions of agony under the stones, or the\nlobster, or suspension, the noting of the curious changes of flesh\ncolour and expression under these punishments, the ready assent to\nabsurdly illogical questions, all this not only amused, but interested\nShu[u]zen. The naivete and obstinacy of the fisherman was just of the\nkind to furnish the best material. The fellow was sturdy of frame, and\nunder skilled hands readily submitted to this dalliance for days without\nbending from his truth.\n\nMeanwhile things went on very badly at the house in Bakuracho[u]. The\ndisaster of the arrest fell like a thunderbolt on the wretched little\nhousehold. Day after day, hoping for the acquittal and release, one\narticle after another went to the pawn shop. Reduced to absolute misery\nthe house owner and the neighbours came to the rescue with a small sum\nraised among them. The long continued official suspicion affected even\nthese toward the \"Honest Zeisuke,\" and their support grew cold. Then\ncame the news that Zeisuke had died in the jail under the torture.\nTearless, aghast, deprived of all support, the wife and mother long\nlooked in each other's faces. Said the old woman--\"Alas! Alas! Neither\ngods nor the Buddha exist. Faithful and devoted was Zeisuke to this old\nmother. Unfortunate in his life, he has been equally unlucky in death.\nWhat now is to be done!\" She put her sleeves over the old and wrinkled\nface, and bending low concealed tears and a long farewell to the beloved\nin the person of her grandchild.\n\nThe wife was in little better case, but had to soothe this grief. A few\ncoins remained. She would buy the necessaries for the evening meal. \"But\na moment, honoured mother. The return is quick. 'Tis but for the needed\nmeal.\" Taking the child on her back she started off into the darkness.\nFor a moment she turned to look at the mother. The old woman was\nfollowing her with eyes tear dimmed in the sunken hollows. Thus they\nparted. For a moment the wife halted on the bridge over the Edogawa. The\ndark slimy waters were a solution, but she put it aside in the face of a\nhigher duty. Soon she was on her way back. To her surprise the house was\nin darkness. Surely a little oil was left in the bottom of the jar. She\ncalled, without getting an answer. In alarm she groped her way in the\ndarkness, to stumble over the body of the old woman, lying limp and\nhelpless. Something wet her hand. Now she was in all haste for a light.\n\"Ah! Ah! The honoured mother! What has occurred? Has not ill fortune\nenough fallen upon the home of Zeisuke?\" Alas! the hand was stained with\nblood. The old woman had intended the parting salute to be the last.\nLeft alone she had bit off her tongue, and thus had died. Rigid, as one\nstupified, the wife sat; without tears, but thinking. Now she was left\nalone. But what as to the child? A girl too? Ah! There were enough of\nher sex in this hard world. She reached out a hand to the long\ntriangular sharp blade close by. She touched edge and point of the\n_debabo[u]cho[u]_ (kitchen knife) with the finger.\n\nHere was the solution. Rapidly she loosed the child and lowered it to\nthe ground. It took but a moment to open the little dress and expose the\nbreast. Then knife in hand she leaned over it. As she did so the child\nopened its eyes, smiled, then laughing began to finger her bosom seeking\nsustenance. The feelings of the mother came over the woman. She put\naside the knife to give the babe the breast. Alas! Starvation afforded\nbut scant milk. Failing its supply the child cried peevishly. This last\nstroke of poverty was too much. The original purpose came back in full\nsway. With quick motion she put the child beside her and held it firmly\ndown. The sharp pointed knife was thrust clean through the little body.\nA whimpering cry, the spurting of the blood, and the face began to take\non the waxen tint. With the same short energetic movements the mother\nnow sought her own end. Guiding its course with the fingers the knife\nwas now thrust deep into her own throat. Both hands on the heavy handle\nshe tore it downward; then fell forward on the mats. The wardsmen made\nreport.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVI\n\nTHE AFFAIR OF THE ASAKUSA KWANNON\n\n\nAoyama Shu[u]zen stalked forward to his cushion near the _ro[u]ka_.\nCarefully adjusting his robes he scowled--most heavily; mainly at the\nalmost boy crouched before him at the white sand. Expectant the\n_yakunin_ stood by. Their leader stated the case against this outrageous\ncriminal captured in the dead of night on the very steps of the\nJizo[u]do[u], in the very shadow of the great temple of the Asakusa\nKwannon. The sacred structure, object of his nefarious design guarded\nhis slumbers; the healing Yakushi Nyo[u]rai, Jizo[u] the god of youth\nand childhood, casting stony glances of benevolence through the closed\nlattices. \"A most hardened wretch, an evident firebug, and probable\nthief; at once make full confession of the offence. Thus the torture is\nto be avoided, the punishment in so far mitigated.\" The voice was harsh\nand unrelenting, admitting of no explanation. The look accompanying it\nwas without trace of pity, but full of the official scorn and dislike\nwhich would anticipate the turns and doubles of its quarry. The hare in\nthis case but thought how best to meet this unforeseen and disastrous\nturn to events. He had heard much of the Yakujin--the god of disease and\npestilence--under which pet name Aoyama Shu[u]zen was known by a certain\nelement of Edo town. He would tell the truth, with the certainty that in\nthe effort enough lie would slip in to make out a good case.\n\nThe story at root was a simple one. Great of reputation for beauty and\nattraction in the Yoshiwara was \"Little Chrysanthemum\"--Kogiku. In\ncompany with friends this Masajiro[u], second son of the wealthy\nIwakuniya of Kanda Konyacho[u], (dyers street), had met and loved the\n_oiran_. He had been favoured in turn by the great lady of the pleasure\nquarter. Hence the displeasure of his father, who learned the fact by\nthe unanticipated and unpleasant presentation of bills he thought had\nbeen settled long before by the diligence of Masajiro[u]. Hence the\npreceding night, on the boy's return from dalliance with his mistress,\nhe had been summarily turned out.... \"Ha! Ah!\" roared Shu[u]zen. \"A self\nconfessed vagrant; a thief! Gentle the face and wicked the heart it\nconceals. Plainly a case for the jail and torture. The truth is to be\nlearned. The scourges will bring it out. Make full confession....\" A\nsign, and the attendants with their _madake_ stood forward. In his\nterror Masajiro[u] crawled toward the _ro[u]ka_. \"Confession!\nConfession!\" he bawled out. With grim smile Shu[u]zen signed a halt. The\n_do[u]shin_ prepared the scroll.\n\nYes: he had been turned out, but not as vagrant. The mother, so severe\nin the presence of the father, had fondled and wept over him. The\nBanto[u] Sho[u]bei had grave and kindly words of admonition. All would\nbe well, and forgiveness follow in time. He was to go at once to his\nnurse at Koshigeyatsu. Such effects as were needed would follow him.\nMoney he was better without; beyond the little needed for the short\njourney. The father's anger was not to be aggravated. Soon he would\nenter for his night's draught, so haste was to be made. Thus he was\nbundled forth, to make his way in the darkness to the distant country\nvillage. The Baya's kind aid in the little conspiracy was assured at\nsight of her once ward. Overwhelmed with advice and woe he departed into\nthe night, his step growing slower and slower with separation from his\nhome. No money! That meant no Kogiku. The idea of never again seeing her\nface made his stomach turn. It did turn the direction of his footsteps,\nwhich now was toward the Yoshiwara.\n\nKogiku was overjoyed at sight of him. He had but just left her, and now\nreturned to her side. What greater proof of love could she have? The\nfavouritism of the Go-Tayu found favour for her lover's presence. Seated\ntogether she soon noticed his gloom, which all her efforts failed to\nlighten. Somewhat nettled she showed displeasure, charged him with the\nfickleness of satiation. Then he took her hands, and told her that this\nwas the final interview. His dissipated life, the discovery of their\nrelations, had so angered his father that under sentence of banishment\nfrom Edo he had come for a last look at her face. \"What's to be done!\nWhat's to be done!\" The lady wrung her hands in genuine grief over the\nhandsome youth thus torn away. She had welcomed his presence as means of\nescape from her own difficulties. But a few hours before the master of\nthe Uedaya had announced her sale and transfer to a wealthy farmer of\nChiba. Ransomed by this country magnate she was to leave the gay life\nand glitter of the Yoshiwara, for a country life and the veiled\nhardships of a farm. In exchange for the twenty years of\nMasajiro[u]--she obtained this settlement and a master passing fifty\nodd. She was in despair. The brilliant beauty, thus to sink in a few\nyear's course into a farm wench, felt the sacrifice too great. Finding\nno aid in the boy lover, long she lay weeping, her head on his knees,\nhands pressed against her temples.\n\nMasajiro[u] was at no happier pass. \"Up to the arrow point in love\" his\nidea at bottom had been of a temporary separation. To find another\nKogiku, a petted _oiran_, whose fame and beauty flattered any lover, was\na stroke of good fortune not likely to occur. His own expression showed\nhow little real idea of separation was in his mind. She noted it.\nLooking steadily in his face--\"Constant the vows of this Kogiku, met by\nthe love of Masa San. No matter how remote the prospect, the bond is\nthat of husband and wife. With this old suburban drake Kogiku pollutes\nnot her charms. Condescend to agree to a mutual suicide. Thus the\nobligation is avoided. Together the lovers pass to Meido (Hades) to\nwander its shades until the next and happier existence unites them in\nthe flesh.\" In amazement and discomfiture Masajiro[u] hung down his\nhead. He would conceal the shock to his boyish timidity this proposal\ngave. His mind was full of such stories. He knew the earnestness of\nKogiku. Then and there would she not draw her dagger to accomplish the\ndeed? He was dreadfully frightened. Never would he have sought her\npresence, if such result had been anticipated. Now he must accompany her\nin death, or endure her grudge if successful in escaping her insistence.\nHe temporized. Pointing to his plain disordered garb--\"As to\nthat--heartily agreed. But there is a seemliness about such procedure. A\nmore befitting, a holiday costume, is to be sought. Then together, as on\na joyful occasion, Masajiro[u] and the Oiran will consummate the vows\nof husband and wife in a joint death.\" She looked him over, and was\neasily pacified by the evident truth and good sense. Again herself, in\nprospect of this avoidance of the unpleasant future she sought to\nentertain her lover with all the skill and charm she was so noted for.\nAt midnight he left her, to secure an interview with Sho[u]bei on plea\nof forgotten needs; then he would return in more fitting garb.\n\nHis course lay through the now silent precincts of the great temple.\nMore than the sun's circuit passed in these excesses, physical and\nmental, weighed upon him. He would rest a moment and consider his course\namid the holy surroundings. Yakushi? The god was the physical healer in\nhis theology and his services the strong and healthy youth did not need.\nJizo[u] Sama, or the six Jizo[u] Sama, but a little way off? Probably\nthe gentle divinity no longer regarded him as under tutelage. But the\nLady Merciful--Kwannon Sama--why not make his petition to her? It was an\ninspiration, and earnest was the prayer which followed it--\"Lady of\nMercy, deign to regard with pity the unfortunate lovers. Grant that some\nexit be found for their woes, less harsh than the severance of the vital\nknot, offence to the Lord Buddha. Kwannon Sama! Kwannon Sama!... may the\nBuddha's will be done!\" As he spoke a heavy object fell from above, to\ngraze his shoulder and land at his feet. He stooped and picked it up.\nWith astonished delight he noted the glittering coin within the bag. Ah!\nAh! Away with all ideas of self destruction. Here was the means to\nescape the guilty consequence. Here was the ransom of Kogiku. He had\nshuddered at thought of return to the side of that woman, in death to\nwander the paths of Shideyama (in Hell) with the unhappy ghost--bald\nheaded! Here now was the solution, in wine and the flesh and blood of\nthe living long-tressed Kogiku, a very different person. His thought now\nturned to Yoshiwara. But--Naruhodo! Here was a second petitioner at this\nextraordinary hour. With amazement he saw a girl come flying across the\ntree and lantern dotted space before the great temple. There was\nsomething in gait and manner that he recognized, despite the deep\n_ko[u]so[u]-zukin_ concealing her features. From the shadow of the steps\nhe sprang forward to confront her. It was so! The face beneath the\n_zukin_ was that of O'Some the beloved of his brother Minosuke. The\ngreat dye house of the Iwakuniya sent much work to the minor\nestablishment of Aizawaya in Honjo[u]. His brother had such matters in\nhis charge. At sight of Masajiro[u] the face of the sixteen year old\nO'Some was dyed like unto the maple. \"O'Some San! Here; and at this\nhour! Is it some visit to the shrine that in such haste....\" In place of\nanswer she wrung her hands and plead to be released. She must die. The\nriver was not far off; there to end her woes. The scandal caused in the\naffair between herself and Minosuke had brought her to shame. Solemn had\nbeen the vows passed between them, tender the acknowledgments. By some\nretribution from a past existence thus she had found pollution with a\nbeast. The heart yet was pure, and there was nothing to do but die.\nDeign forthwith to release her.\n\nIn his amazement he nearly did so. Alas! All these young girls, at least\nthe desirable ones, wanted only to die. To become a divinity by\ndeath--_Shingami_--seemed to the feminine brain in youth the height of\nfashion. Very well: but he would seek to dissuade her. His pockets full\nof gold the present beauty of O'Some dimmed the past charms of Kogiku.\nShe yielded to force and his urgency in so far as to accompany him to a\nrefreshment stand just opening with the dawn. The mistress greeted them\nwith kindness and affection. She showed them to an inner room. Here he\nurged his suit; flight and a home with the devoted nurse at\nKoshigayatsu. But O'Some was unwilling. She had been \"foxed\"--herself\nwas but a mere moor-fox. Deign to leave her to her own sad fate. It was\nthe brother that she loved. Since she was deprived of him, she would\nseek the embraces only of the waters of the river. She urged and plead\nso prettily that her sadness and gloom entered into his own heart. She\nshould be his companion. Kogiku in despite would join them. Thus the\nthree together would find comfort in the shadow land of Meido. He gave\nup all attempt to persuade the girl. Briefly and almost harshly--\"Be it\nso. Then we will die together. This Masajiro[u] is under contract to\ndie; and too tired to walk so far to find a partner. Condescend to await\nthe night. Then we will take the shortest course to the river.\"\n\nTo this O'Some joyfully agreed. The day was passed in such harmless\ndalliance and favour as a young girl can show, who has had her own way;\nwith a young man willing to dispense with thought during the intervening\nspace of time before a not overly agreeable ending; and under the\nauspices of an honoured hostess fee'd by the glitter of coin into a\nconsenting obtuseness. With the night they set forth in the rain. The\nriver bank was not far off, but such vulgar plunge from the edge of the\ncoarse promiscuity of Hanagawado[u] was not to the taste of either.\nThen, as now, a ferry not far from the Adzuma bridge crossed to the\npretty sounding \"Eight hundred Pines.\" _Yashiki_ then surrounded, a\npalace to-day covers the site. They watched the ferryman pushing off\ninto the river's darkness. Then hand in hand they strolled up the bank\nof the stream, under the gloomy trees, seeking the favoured spot of\ntheir undoing. Suddenly O'Some stopped; sank at the feet of Masajiro[u].\nHis hand sought the handle of the dagger. The weapon raised he was about\nto plunge it into the tender neck. Then a shout startled his ear. \"Rash\nyouths--Wait! Wait!\" A powerful grasp was on his arm. With a shiver he\ncame to consciousness. O'Some, the river, the bag of gold in his bosom,\nall had disappeared. He was lying on the steps of the Jizo[u]do[u],\nsurrounded by the _yakunin_. All had been a dream!\n\nWith open mouths the _yakunin_ in the court looked at each other. Lo!\nThey had nabbed a mere dreamer. How would his lordship take it? One more\nquick witted and thirstier than the rest answered for all--\"Ha! Ah! A\nwretched fellow! Not only thief and firebug, but murderer also!\" To the\nastonished and stammering protest of Masajiro[u] there was the answering\nscowl of a very Emma Dai-O[u] on the bench. \"Miserable wretch! What is\nin the heart at best comes to the lips. This matter is to be sifted to\nthe dregs, the witnesses examined. For offence so far disclosed he can\ntake the lash. Then off with him to the jail.\" Masajiro[u], his back\ntorn to ribbons and bloody with the fifty blows, was supported out of\nthe court. Then the wine cup was condescended to the energy and\nacuteness of his captors. Enlivened by the morning's entertainment and\nhis own big cup Aoyama Shu[u]zen rose and departed.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVII\n\nEMMA DAI-O[U] GIVES JUDGMENT\n\n\nGreat was the excitement and lamentable the experience of the Aizawaya.\nThe matter of O'Some had been under discussion with the Iwakuniya.\nBeyond good words and cold courtesy little satisfaction could be\nobtained; nor could it be expected. The offence had been the work of a\nfox, and the jewel of a girl's reputation had been trodden in the mire.\nReturned to the saddened home, the nurse of O'Some was found awaiting\nthem. At the news she had hastened from the country to console her old\nmistress and to take her one time charge in her arms. \"Alas! Alas! Is\nthe matter so beyond remedy? Surely with a good dower the\nIwakuniya....\"--\"'Tis no such affair,\" answered the mistress, wiping\naway her tears. \"As fact the girl is a wretched wench, disregardless of\nthe parents. The little fool fell madly in love with the figure of the\neldest son of the dye-shop. It seems that daily she made pilgrimage and\nprayer to the Ushi no Gozen, to the Gentoku Inari. What more malign\ninfluence could be invoked! One day Minosuke came on a mission to the\nshop. She followed him to the street, and for hours her whereabouts was\nunknown, until this return in disgrace. Accompanying him to Asakusa,\nthere she exchanged vows and pillows with him at a convenient\nassignation house. Alas! On the return he was taken with a fit in the\nstreet. The prior of the Kido-ku-In, the great priest of the Shu[u]genja\n(Yamabushi), was passing. His aid invoked, at once he recognized the\nrascal's disguise. Under the charms recited by the priest the true\nappearance was assumed, and a huge fox with a long tail darted away from\nthe gathered crowd. No reputation has the girl gained by consorting with\nsuch a mate.\"\n\nThe nurse listened with amazed horror, turning first to the mother,\nthen intently regarding the damasked face of O'Some, dyed red at the\nstory of her shame. \"Oya! Oya! Possessed by a fox! Alas! Truly it is\nalmost irreparable. If it were mere defloration by the young master of\nIwakuniya, that could be endured. But a fox mixed up in the matter....\nTruly it would be well to take her off somewhere, to some hot spring in\nIdzu. There the influence can be removed, and O'Some San at least\nrestored in mind.\" With this advice and gossip, with whispered\nconsolation and laughing cheer--\"'Tis no great matter after all; in the\ncountry--will be found girls a'plenty, quite as lucky or otherwise\"--the\nkind and jovial dame took her leave.\n\nThe advice as to the hot spring seemed so good that preparations were\nunder way in all haste. The straw baskets with their convenient deep\ncovers to fit the larger or smaller needs of travel (_ko[u]ri_), the\n_furoshiki_ or large square wrapping cloths, lay in the middle of the\nroom, amid the pile of wraps and clothing for daily and more formal use.\nSkilled hands of maids and youths (_wakashu[u]-kozo[u]_) employed in the\nhouse were fast packing these latter into convenient parcels. Then to\nthe hustle and bustle within the house was added the more unusual murmur\nof voices and tread of many feet without. The house owner (_ienushi_),\naccompanied by the head of the house block (_gumigashira_), entered in\nhaste. Close at their heels followed the land owner (_jinushi_), the two\nbails (_jiuki_ and _tanauki_). All looked with surprise and suspicion at\nthese hurried preparations for departure. \"Oya! Oya! This will never do.\nHonoured Sir of Aizawaya, the _yakunin_ are now at hand from the office\nof Aoyama Sama. Your daughter in summoned to the white sand. Remove at\nonce these signs of what looks like a flight.\" Eyes agog the frightened\nparents watched their neighbours and the servants hustle goods and\nparcels into the closets. They had hardly done so when the _do[u]shin_,\nfollowed by several constables, burst into the room. \"The girl Some,\nwhere is she? Don't attempt to lie, or conceal her whereabouts.\" Eyes\nferreting everywhere, the parents too frightened to move, the _yakunin_\nsoon entered, dragging along the weeping O'Some. \"Heigh! Heigh! The\nrope! At once she is to be bound and dragged before the honoured\npresence.\" Amid the bawling and the tumult at last the father found\nopportunity to make himself heard. He prostrated himself at the feet of\nthe _do[u]shin_, so close to O'Some that the process of binding and\nroping necessarily included his own ample person. \"Deign, honoured\nofficial, to forbear the rope. There is no resistance. The girl is very\nyoung, and ill. We accompany her to the presence of his lordship.\"\nWeeping he preferred the request. Iyenushi, Jinushi, Gumi-gashira, in\npity added their own petition to the officer. This latter surveyed the\nslight figure of this fearful criminal. Besides, notoriously she had\nbeen foxed. He grumbled and conceded. \"The rope can be forborne; not so\nas to the hands, which must be securely tied to prevent escape. The\naffair is most important. Delay there cannot be. His lordship is not to\nbe kept waiting.\" Then he swept them all into his net. _Do[u]shin_,\n_Yakunin_, _Jinushi_, _Iyenushi_, _Gumi-gashira_, _Ban-gashira_,\n_Jiuki_, _Tanauki_, debtors, creditors, all and every in the slightest\ndegree connected with the Aizawaya fell into the procession. But Edo\ntown was growing used to these. 'Twas merely another haul of the active\nofficers of the honoured Yakujin. \"Kimyo[u] Cho[u]rai\"--may the Buddha's\nwill be done, but spare this Taro[u]bei, Jizaemon, Tasuke, or whoever\nthe petitioner chanced to be.\n\nAoyama Shu[u]zen stalked slowly forward to the _ro[u]ka_. Scowling he\nran his eye over the crowd, taking in each and every. Then his eyes\nfell--first on Kogiku, the harlot of the Uedaya; then on the shrinking\nbeauty of O'Some of the Aizawaya. Shu[u]zen was improving in these days.\nThe Ue-Sama (Sho[u]gun) spoke harshly of those retainers who made no\nprovision for issue to support loyally the fortune of his House. Let him\nwho would seek his lord's favour furnish forth such noble and lusty\nissue as in the Kamakura days, when Ho[u]jo[u] Tokimasa, Wada Yoshimori\nHatakeyama Shigetada, the Kajiwara, Miura, Doi, attended the hunting\nfield of their suzerain followed by a dozen lusty heirs of the\nline--direct and indirect. Hence of late Shu[u]zen had renewed his\nmatrimonial venture, and taken to his bed a second partner. For side\nissue and attendance on his household affairs, his office was a fruitful\nfield. The families of those condemned suffered with them, and the more\nfavoured served in Aoyama's household, in all offices, from that of\nladies in waiting to menial service--down to the _yatsuho[u]ko[u]nin_.\nThese latter, slaves for life, were more fortunate than their sisters\n_yatsu yu[u]jo[u]_, who were condemned to be sold for life service as\nharlots in the Yoshiwara. It was a hard law; but it was the law of the\nTokugawa, of before the days of the ruling House. Shu[u]zen profited\ngreatly by it in the domestic sense. The harlot and the girl budding\ninto womanhood would be acceptable addition to the companionship of his\nthen bachelor existence.\n\nHis manner softened as he took his seat. His robes were more carefully\nadjusted. His cue bristled more erect. He was strikingly good looking.\nDismissing all minor offenders he took up at once the great case of the\nday. The wretched Masajiro[u], his back bloodily marked by the scourge,\nwas crouching in shame at the white sand before him. Shu[u]zen gave him\none savage glare, which added terror to his confusion before those once\nfriends and relations. Then Shu[u]zen began carefully and insistently to\nscan the faces of the girls. They were well worth attention. O'Some,\nsixteen and a beauty, had these aids to her other charms--a _kimono_ of\nthe fine striped silk of Izu, made in the neighbouring island of\nHachijo[u] by girls well fitted themselves to give grace to the\nbeautiful tissue, an _obi_ (sash) of fawn and scarlet into which was\nwoven the shadowy figure, here and there, of a landscape--sketchy but\nsuggestive. The belt which girded it within was of egg coloured crape,\nand the orange tissue broadened and hung down to add its touch of\ncarefully contrasted colour. The hair was built high in the\n_taka-shimada_ style, tied on top with a five coloured knot of thick\ncrape. The combs and other hair ornaments were beautiful, and befitting\nthe cherished daughter of the well-to-do townsman. Then Shu[u]zen's look\nwandered to the harlot. Kogiku, Little Chrysanthemum, was noted in Edo\ntown. Her beauty was more experienced, but hardly more mature than that\nof the town girl. Sedately she met the look, and without movement eyes\nplead smilingly for gentle treatment. She was dressed[19] in a robe of\ngauzy water coloured silk. The sleeves were widely patterned--as with\nher class--but worked with rare harmony into the light grey colour of\nthe robe. The long outer robe thrown over the inner garment (_uchikaku_)\nin these brilliant colours, in its tamer shades yet harmonized. Taken\nwith the broad sash of the _obi_ it made her rival the peacock in his\ngrandest display. Her hair dressed high, was a bewildering harmony of\nthe costly tortoise shell combs and pins (_kanzashi_) arrayed in\ncrab-like eccentricity. The gold ornamentation glistened and sparkled\namid the dark tresses. Truly Shu[u]zen was puzzled in this claim for\npriority between the unrivalled beauty and the fresher and naiver charms\nof inexperience. Ah! Both should be the cup-bearers. But the sequel!\nBenten Sama alone could guide the lot.\n\nIt was ordered that the confession be read. Once more the judge,\nShu[u]zen carefully watched the faces before him of those most\nconcerned. It was not difficult to detect amid the confusion of O'Some,\nthe growing wrath of Kogiku, an unfeigned astonishment. With some\nsatisfaction he noted this evident discrepancy in the plea. Suave, yet\nstill somewhat harsh, he addressed O'Some. \"The confession of this\nwicked fellow has been heard. What has Some to say in answer thereto.\"\nFor a moment the girl raised her head to that of this Emma Dai-O[u].\nThen in confusion she half turned as seeking support--\"Mother! Mother!\"\nIt was all she could say in her fright, and more than the mother could\nstand. She was the townswoman; self-assured in her way. She boldly\nadvanced a knee. \"With fear and respect: the girl is but of sixteen\nyears, and the white sand has paralysed her thought and utterance.\nDeign, honoured lord, to pardon the mother's speech.\" Then she went into\ndetails as to the late unfortunate occurrence. With indignant looks at\nthe crushed and unfortunate Masajiro[u], she gave her own testimony\nwhich rang with truth. \"Well he knows all this matter. For the past six\ndays the girl has not left home or parents caring for her afflicted\nbody. 'Tis only this fellow Masajiro[u] who claims to be the lover, to\ntake the place of his brother Minosuke; a poor exchange in either case,\nwith fellows who do but run after the harlots of Yoshiwara, to the\nbewitching of innocent girls.\" Tenderly she took the now weeping O'Some\nin her mother arms, and added her own tears to the soothing.\n\nShu[u]zen slowly leaked a smile. He left the pair to themselves and\nturned to Kogiku. \"And you?\" Kogiku was not so easily confused. Readily\nshe confessed to the contract between herself and Masajiro[u]. \"This\naffair of the rich purchaser from Kazusa came up suddenly. There seemed\nno outlet but suicide--if the dreary life away from Edo was to be\navoided.\" Shu[u]zen took her up harshly--\"Bound to the Uedaya for a term\nof years then you would cheat your master out of the money he expended\non you. This is theft, and most reprehensible. For such it is hard to\nfind excuse.\" His roughness puzzled and frightened even the experience\nof Kogiku. She became confused. Shu[u]zen was satisfied with the\nimpression. He was unwilling further to delay his own prospects. Sending\nthe matter over to the next sitting for final settlement he remanded all\nthe accused--Masajiro[u] to the jail and repeated scourgings for the\nlies contained in his confession; the girls to his own care. His\nexperiences for the time being would largely condition the final\njudgment.\n\nShu[u]zen was regular in his irregularities. Promptly, the case again\nconvened, he gave judgment. There was none of the customary roughness in\nhis manner. Even the official harshness was smoothed down. He dilated on\nthe importance of the case, the necessity of making an example of this\nevident depravity of manners and morals affecting Edo town--\"As for the\ngirl Some, it is matter of question with whom she is involved,\nMasajiro[u] or Minosuke; both well could be her lovers. Thus she has\nfallen under strange influences and been foxed. Such a girl is not to be\nallowed to wander at random. As act of benevolence henceforth charge is\ncontinued as in the present conditions. Kogiku is still more\nreprehensible. The attempt to cheat her master being so brazenly\nconfessed is hard to overlook. Owing to her previous life perhaps the\nfeelings have become blunted. The same benevolence and punishment is\nawarded to her--with hope of future amendment.\" The master of the\nUedaya, crouching close to his head clerk made a wry face. The two men\nexchanged glances, and the clerk opened a very big round eye for his\nmaster to observe. The latter sighed. Continued Shu[u]zen severely--\"As\nfor this Masajiro[u], he is not only liar, but would-be firebug and\nthief. What is harboured in the mind he would put into deed. It is but\nchance which has saved the life and purse of the passing citizen, and\nthe sacred structures from the flames. To him the severest punishment is\nmeet. However benevolence shall still hold its sway. Instead of the\nsword, banishment to the islands for the term of life, to serve as slave\ntherein to the Eta--such his sentence. To this judgment there is no\nappeal.\" Abruptly he rose. The weeping father and mother were baffled by\nthe nonchalance of the daughter, who had no chance to give them comfort,\nbut was at once removed in company with the willing lady of pleasure and\nexperience. The huddled form of Masajiro[u] was hustled roughly out with\nthe kicks and blows to which he was becoming accustomed. Two or three\nyears, under the rough charge of his new masters, were pretty sure to\nwitness his body cast out on the moorland to the kites--or into the sea\nfor fishes to knaw.\n\nIt was the _banto[u]_ (clerk), faint with the hunger of long waiting,\nwho led the parents into the first cook shop encountered on the way.\nHere over greens and cold water the father sighed, the mother wept\napart, the clerk eyed biliously the meagre fare. Then in poured the\ncompany of Kogiku--a noisy, merry crowd. There were expressions of\namused discomfiture, caught by the sharp ears of the clerk; suggestive\nreferences. He watched them; heard the lavish orders for food and\nwine--\"Plenty of wine, and piping hot\"--\"Respectfully heard and\nunderstood.\" The waiting girls were at their wit's end. The feast in\nprogress the _banto[u]_ came boldly forward. \"Honoured sirs, deign to\nnote these parents here, deprived of their daughter. Your honoured\nselves have lost a girl of much value to your master. How is it then\nthat you thus deign to rejoice? Plainly the grief of these must be out\nof place.\" The man addressed more directly looked him over coldly; then\ncast an eye on the distressed father and mother, at their meagre fare.\nHis manner changed. He became more cordial. \"Good sir, the affair is not\nto be taken thus! Sentence has been given, but....\" He laughed--\"it can\nbe revoked. Already in the inner room the master is in consultation\nwith the agent of Takai Yokubei San (Mr. Highly Covetous), Aikawa\nDono,--the honoured _yo[u]nin_ of Aoyama Sama. A round bribe, and the\ngirl will be released....\" The words were not out of his mouth when the\nfather was on his feet. Led by the _banto[u]_ he made the rounds of\nall--pimps, bawds, and bouncers--soliciting their influence--\"Honoured\ngentlemen of the Yoshiwara, deign to interfere in the matter, to plead\nwith the master of the Uedaya. House, lands, goods, all these are\nnothing if the cherished daughter be restored.\" He wept; and they took\npity on his inexperience. The first speaker at once sprang up and went\nto the inner room. The master of the Uedaya cordially desired their\npresence. Added funds were no drawback to his own petition in the\ndealings with Yokubei San. The parents introduced he told them--\"It is\nbut a matter of cash. Kogiku, within the next three days, must be\ndelivered to the _go[u]shi_ of Kazusa, or else a large forfeit paid. She\ncan kill herself on the day following. 'Tis no affair of the Uedaya. Add\nyour gift of a hundred _ryo[u]_ to the bribe of the Uedaya, and Saisuke\nSan, here present, can assure success. Aikawa Dono surely has not left\nthe court. He awaits report, with as great anxiety as your honoured\nselves. As for the Tono Sama, he has had the presence of the girls for\nthe six days, and will be all the more easily worked on. But from all\naccounts the honoured daughter had little to lose in the experience. She\nwould make a splendid Go-Tayu.\" Seeing no sign of acquiescence he\nshrugged his shoulders, and continued to the honoured Saisuke San--\"A\nmost annoying affair: a hundred _ryo[u]_ to this shark, and only the\npremium and the debts of the _oiran_ will be paid. But he will take no\nless?... Be sure she shall learn the use of the _semeba_ (punishment\ncell) before she finds her new master.\" Saisuke San with slow smile made\nanswer--\"Be sure that by night she will be in your hands, ready for the\nexperience.\"\n\nRejoicing the parents gave thanks, and betook themselves to their home.\nHalf ruined, again O'Some would gladden their hearts. But the mother had\nan eye to the expense, and promised a reception hardly better than that\nawaiting Little Chrysanthemum. Why show favouritism? There was small\ndifference between the two. But this the father energetically denied.\nMeanwhile Aoyama Shu[u]zen was preparing for his wine feast, one of a\npleasant succession extended over this interval. With misgiving and no\npleasure he saw the entrance of Aikawa Chu[u]dayu. The chamberlain\nbrought with him the account books. Shu[u]zen's experience, however,\nnoted past profit as salve to annoyance. He was a bitter hard man in\ndomestic administration; cutting down food, and by fines the wages, of\nthose more regularly employed in the household. This made the threatened\nloss of women serving by compulsion the more severe. Chu[u]dayu knew how\nto deal with his master. Affairs in the household were not going well,\nunder the free indulgence of Shu[u]zen toward himself and his pleasures.\nBesides he was about to deprive him of his new favourites. At a sign\nKogiku and O'Some, already present by the lord's favour, withdrew. The\nyounger girl had aged ten years in experience with this companionship of\nthe week. Chu[u]dayu watched them depart. Then sighed heavily. \"Ah! Ha!\nSo it's _that_.\" Shu[u]zen moved testily, as sharply he regarded his\nsatellite. \"Acting under the instructions of your lordship, the box of\ncakes has duly been received from Saisuke. The affairs of the household\nrequire a large sum. Her ladyship's confinement is to be considered, the\nentertainments required by custom for the expected heir. To return the\ngift means to your lordship--the sacrifice of two hundred _ryo[u]_. May\nthe Tono Sama deign to consider a moment. Such double good fortune is\nrare--and the messenger waits upon this trifling sacrifice of a pleasure\nfor which substitutes easily can be found.\" He drew the _furoshiki_ from\nthe box. Shu[u]zen sighed; but did not hesitate. \"Hasten Saisuke off at\nonce; with the exchange.\" He placed the box in a closet close by. \"As\nfor the wine feast, Chu[u]dayu shall be the cup-bearer. Shu[u]zen is in\nan ill humour.\" He had an ugly look. Chu[u]dayu, however, did not draw\nback. Leaning forward with a smile--\"This Chu[u]dayu would make report,\nto the pleasure of the Tono Sama.\"--\"Of what?\" asked Aoyama, in some\nsurprise at his chamberlain's earnest manner. \"Of the whereabouts and\nclose proximity of Kosaka Jinnai.\"--\"Ah!\" The tone of voice had the\ndepth of years of expectant hate.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVIII\n\nKOSAKA JINNAI\n\n\nWhen Takeda Shingen swept down upon the lower provinces in 1571, fought\na rear guard action at Mikatagahara, in which he nearly extinguished\nTokugawa Iyeyasu, with a taste of the latter's remarkable powers of\nrecuperation, he went on to his real aim of a trial of strength with the\nmain Oda forces in Mikawa and O[u]mi. The great captain lost his life by\na stray bullet before Noda castle. His death for long kept secret, until\nthe northern forces had withdrawn into the fastnesses of Kai, the war\nlanguished, to be renewed with greater activity under the rash and\nignorant leadership of his son. Katsuyori and his tribe cut belly at\nTemmoku-zan, the last and successful bid of Iyeyasu against his former\nenemies. Then the Tokugawa standard was planted from Suruga to Mikawa,\nand Iyeyasu became indisputably the first of Nobunaga's vassals--and one\nnever thoroughly trusted.\n\nAmong the twenty-four captains of Takeda Shingen was a Kosaka Danjo[u]\nno Chu[u]den. His son Heima inherited the devotion, as well as the fief,\nof the father. Unlike many of the Takeda vassals in Kai he clung to\nKatsuyori Ko[u] through all the bad weather of that unlucky prince. Kai\nwas no longer a safe place for vassals true to the native House. Better\nluck could be assured with the old enemies, the Uesugi in the North. But\nHeima would not seek other service than that of his once lord. He only\nsought a place to live.\n\nWhen the ex-soldier appeared with his wife in the village of\nNishi-Furutsuka at the base of Tsukuba, the people thereabouts had more\nthan strong suspicion that he who came so quietly into their midst was\nnot of their kind. However his presence was accepted. His willingness to\ntake up farm labour and another status, to become a _go[u]shi_ or\ngentleman farmer, his valued aid and leadership in the troubled times\nwhich followed, were much appreciated. The year 1599 found the old fox\nIyeyasu Ko[u] planted in Edo castle; and Jisuke, as Heima now called\nhimself, leaning over the cradle of a boy just born--a very jewel.\nJisuke's wife was now over forty years in age. Hence this unexpected\noffspring was all the dearer. In the years there had been losses and\ndistress. The new-comer surely was the gift from the Kwannondo[u]\nnestled on the slopes of the mountain far above the village. To the Lady\nMerciful many the prayers for such aid.\n\nThe child grew and prospered. A farmer's boy, yet he was the _bushi's_\nson; made plain in every action. Under the tutelage of the priests of\nthe neighbouring Zen temple he learned all that they chose to teach, far\noutstripped his fellows, and in class room and in sport was their\nnatural leader. Sport was the better test. With years Jinnosuke tired of\nthe clerical teaching. The leader of the village band he was its\nmainstay in the wars with boys of rival hamlets thereabouts. These were\nsoon driven away, and their own precincts invaded at will. The mountain\nbecame distinctively the property of Jinnosuke and his youthful\ncompanions, whose whole sport was devoted to mimic warfare. Their\nleader, thus unchallenged, became more and more reckless; more and more\nlonged to distinguish himself by some feat beyond mere counterfeit war.\nOne day, under his direction, in the storming of the hill which\nrepresented the enemy's castle, much brushwood and dried leaves were\ngathered. \"Now then! Set the fire! The foe, blinded by the smoke,\nperishes under our blows. On! On!\" The other children eagerly obeyed.\nThe blazing mass towered up and up. The trees now were on fire. The wind\nblowing fiercely drove the fire directly on to the Kwannondo[u], which\nstood for the citadel of the besieged. Soon the temple itself was in\nflames. Greatly excited the boys swarmed amid the smoke and confusion as\nif in real battle. \"Now--for the plunder!\" At Jinnosuke's order the\nfurniture of the temple was made the object of loot, heaped up at a safe\ndistance for future division.\n\nThus engaged loud shouts met their ears. In fright the band of\nyoungsters turned to meet the presence of the enraged incumbent, the\n_do[u]mori_. The temple was his charge and residence. His small\nnecessities were supplied by visits to the villages below. \"Oi! Oi!\nwretched little villains! Thus to fire the temple in your sport is most\nscandalous. Surely your heads shall be wrung off--one by one. Terrible\nthe punishment--from Heaven and the Daikwan.\"[20] The boys in confusion\nbegan to slink away. Then the voice of Jinnosuke rose above the tumult.\n\"On! On! This priest stinks of blood. Be not cowards! The commander of\nthe castle would frighten with words. 'Tis he who is afraid. It is his\npart to cut belly in defeat and die amid the ruins.\" In a trice the\nwhole pack had faced around. Boldly with staves they set upon the\npriest. Numbers brought him helpless to the ground. There was a large\nstone lying close by. Heaving it to his shoulder Jinnosuke stood over\nthe prostrate man. \"According to rule the matter is thus to be\nconducted. This fellow is to be given the finishing stroke; then buried\nin the castle ruins.\" He cast down the heavy block with all his force.\nThe priest's brains were spattered on the ground. Under the direction of\nJinnosuke the body with feebly twitching limbs was thrown into the now\nblazing mass of the temple. Then forming in line, and raising the shout\nof victory, the youthful band of heroes marched off to the village.\nUnder pain of his displeasure--which meant much--Jinnosuke forbade any\nbragging or reference to the affair. Wisely: a day or two after a\npeasant came on the scene. In fright the man hastened to make report. At\nonce buzz was most tremendous. Was it accident or the work of thieves,\nthis disaster? Said one man sagely--\"The _do[u]mori_ was a great\ndrunkard. Deign to consider. The temple furniture is untouched. Thieves\nwould have carried it off. He carried it out to safety, to fall a victim\nin a further attempt at salvage. The offence lies with the priest, not\nwith the villagers.\" The report pleased all, none too anxious to offend\nthe bands of robbers ranging the mountain mass and the neighbouring\nvillages. Thus report was made by the village council to the Daikwan's\noffice. The temple authorities had a severe reprimand for allowing such\na drunkard to be in charge of the shrine. Jinnosuke stuck his tongue in\nhis cheek. \"Trust to the valour and skill of this Jinnosuke. These\nconstables are fools.\" But his companions were a little frightened with\nthis late exploit. Their numbers fell off. Many of them now came to the\nage fit for farm work. Jinnosuke was not long in finding substitutes in\nthe real thieves who haunted the neighbourhood. Their spy, and often\nengaged in their raids, yet in his own district he was only known as a\nbad and dissipated boy.\n\nSomething of this had to come to the ears of Jisuke; but not the full\nextent of his son's wickedness. He sought a remedy for what he thought\nmere wild behaviour. Now in the town, years ago, there had lived a poor\nfarmer and his wife; \"water drinkers,\" in the local expression for\nbitter poverty. The man laboured at day tasks, and the wife laboured as\nhard with him, bearing her baby girl on her back. Jisuke aided as he\ncould, and as was his wont, and when the pair were taken down and died\nwith a prevailing epidemic disease, it was Jisuke and his wife who took\nthe child to themselves, to bring her up as their own. O'Ichi San grew\ninto a beautiful girl, and at this time Jisuke and his wife trusted to\nher favour and influence to bring Jinnosuke to the sedateness and\nregularity of a farmer's life. The girl blushed and looked down as she\nlistened to what was more than request, though put in mildest form. \"One\nso humble is hardly likely to please the young master. Filial duty bids\nthis Ichi to obey, and yield her person at command.\" The mother was more\nthan gratified at the assent and modesty--\"Dutiful you have always been.\nWe parents have no eyes. The whole matter is left to you. If Jinnosuke\ncan be taken by your person, perchance he will devote his time to home\nand the farm work, now so irksome to his father. Where he goes in these\nlong absences is not known; they can be for no good purpose.\" Thus the\narrangement was made. The girl now busied herself about and with\nJinnosuke. She was the one to attend to all his comforts, to await his\noften late return. Thus used to her he soon began to look on her with\nanything but brotherly eyes. Was she not the daughter of old\nTaro[u]bei, the water drinker? He knew the story well. Thus one night he\ntook O'Ichi to himself. She pleased him--as with the parents. No\nobjection was anywhere raised to the connection; a village of Nippon has\ncognizance of such matters; and in short order public notice was given\nof the marriage.\n\nThe influence was not of long duration. With his wife's pregnancy\nJinnosuke disappeared. From the age of thirteen years he had been hand\nin glove with all the rough fellows of the district. These were stirring\ntimes in the south. There was something to pick up. After all was not he\na _samurai's_ son. Jinnosuke was too late for action. Although but\nseventeen years old his short sturdy and astonishingly active frame and\nskill with weapons was a welcome addition to the band that Ogita\nKuro[u]ji had gathered after the fall of O[u]saka-jo[u]. Now Jinnosuke\nfigured as Kosaka Jinnai. Here first he came in contact with the law and\nAoyama Shu[u]zen. On this failure he betook himself at once to the\ndisguise of his native village; to enter it as quietly as if he never\nhad left it, to find himself the father of a baby girl, Kikujo[u], and\nto procreate another on his patient wife. But before this second girl,\nO'Yui, was born Jinnosuke, as the village still knew him, had again\ndisappeared. This was in strict accordance with his principle, of which\nsomething is to be said.\n\nOf these O[u]saka _ro[u]nin_, determined not to take another master,\nthere were three Jinnai. In council over past failure, said Tomizawa\nJinnai.[21] \"The ambition of this Tomizawa?\" He laughed. Jinnai was no\ndistinctive term in this gathering. \"It is to collect all the beautiful\ncostumes of Nippon.\"--\"Admirable indeed!\" chimed in Sho[u]ji Jinnai (or\nJinemon, as he called himself). \"But why stop at the surface? As you\nknow, the ambition of this Sho[u]ji had long been to see gathered\ntogether all the most beautiful women of Nippon. And you, Kosaka?\"--\"To\nsee all distinction done away with between other men's property and my\nown.\"--\"Splendid indeed! But don't poach on our ground.\" The two others\nclapped their hands and laughed. Kosaka Jinnai did not. \"Well then--to\nput the matter to the test,\" said he callously. Tomizawa Jinnai\nforthwith took up the collection of old clothing and costumes of divers\nsorts. He can be said to be the ancestor of the old clothes trade of\nEdo--To[u]kyo[u]; and the Tomizawacho[u] at Ningyo[u]cho[u] no\nYokocho[u], the place of his residence, is his memorial. To this day it\nis a centre for old clothes shops. Sho[u]ji Jinnai pressed the petition\nhe had once put in (Keicho[u] 17th year--1612) as Jinemon before being\nfinally convinced of the righteousness of a Tokugawa world. He was lucky\nenough to find oblivion and reward in the permit for a harlot quarter.\nAs its bailiff (_nanushi_) he assembled three thousand beautiful women\nfor the service of the Yoshiwara, then at Fukiyacho[u] near Nihonbashi,\nand of which O[u]mondori is the chief relic. Kosaka Jinnai, under such\nencouragement and auspices, betook himself more vigorously than ever to\nrobbery; enhanced by a mighty idea which the years gradually brought to\nripeness in his mind. From being a sandal bearer Hideyoshi the Taiko[u]\nhad risen to rule. He, Jinnai, would emulate the example and rise to\nrule from being a bandit. He was not, and would not be, the only one of\nthe kind in the political world. Hence his wide travels through the\nprovinces, his seeking out all the most desperate and villainous\ncharacters, for he had \"trust\" in few others, his weaving together of a\nvast conspiracy of crime, not to be equalled in any time but the closing\ndays of the Ashikaga Sho[u]gunate--and that not so far off. Of this\nperiod of Jinnai's life there is a tale to relate.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIX\n\nA MATTER OF PEDESTRIANISM\n\n\nUp to the very recent days of Meiji the precincts of the Shiba\nSan-en-zan Zo[u]jo[u]ji, now known more particularly as the most\naccessible of the burial places of the Tokugawa Sho[u]gun, were an\nexcellent example of the old monastic establishments. The main temple\nwith its wide grounds was completely girdled by a succession of halls or\nmonastic foundations, some of which were famed through the land for\ntheir theological teaching of the principles of the Jo[u]do[u] sect.\nConspicuous among these were the Tenjingatani and the Mushigatani,\nseminaries widely sought for the erudition of the professors. In all\nnearly three thousand students attended the halls, with an eye to an\necclesiastical future.\n\nOn the dawn of a cold winter morning a priestly clad man, a _shoke_ or\none of the lowest clerical order, mainly notable for the vastness and\nrobustness of his proportions, could have been seen leaving the gate of\nthe Tokucho[u]-in. His size alone would have attracted attention, for\nthe mouse coloured _kimono_, the white leggings and mitts (_tekko[u]_),\nthe double soled _waraji_ (sandals) fastened on a pair of big feet, were\nusual travelling equipment of his kind, made sure by the close woven\n_ajiro_ or mushroom hat covering his head; admirable shelter against\nheat in summer, and a canopy--umbrella like--against falling snow in\nwinter. By somewhat devious route he strode along a narrow lane, crossed\nthe Gokurakubashi and halted before the Chu[u]mon on the broad avenue\nleading up to the temple. A glance thither satisfied him for a\nleave-taking, which yet displayed some sentiment. A few moments carried\nhim without the entrance gate, and but few more saw him crossing\nKanesujibashi, evidently on some long tramp, if the steady swing of a\npractised walker, in no haste and conserving his strength, is any test.\n\nThe road in those days passed through a long succession of village\nhouses, the _cho[u]_ of Shiba village, broken very occasionally by a\n_yashiki_ wall. It was not until he reached the barrier at Takanawa,\nKurumacho[u], that he came full out on the bay just lighting up with the\ncoming day--a beautiful stretch of water, now spoiled by the ugliness of\nthe railway and the filling in which has turned the haunt of thousands\nof wild fowl into a prairie, soon to be covered by hideous factories and\nother sites of man's superfluous toil. Close by the little saddle at\nShinagawa, now a railway cutting, a stream came into the bay from the\nwest. On the bridge the priest Dentatsu stopped for a moment.\nThroughout, from the time of leaving Kanesujibashi, he had had a feeling\nof being followed. Now he determined to get a good look at his pursuer,\nit was not particularly satisfying. \"Iya! An ill looking chap--with an\neye like a knife.\" The object of these remarks had halted with him, at\nthe further side of the bridge. He was contemplating the water with one\neye, the priest with the other. A short sturdy man of forty odd years,\nDentatsu noted the good but thin upper garment, the close fitting\nleggings, the well chosen _waraji_, the copper handled dagger in his\ngirdle. Furthermore he noted a cold decision in the glance of the eye\nthat he liked least of all in the fellow's equipment.\n\nThis was a man he would not choose for companion--\"Bah! Short Legs, this\nDentatsu will soon leave your stumps in the rear. A little speed, and\nthis doubtful fellow is left behind beyond hope.\" So off started his\nreverence at the full pace of his huge legs and really great endurance.\nThrough O[u]mori and Kamata, crossing in the same boat at the Rokugo\nferry, through Kawasaki and Tsurumigi--totsu-totsu-totsu the stranger's\nlegs kept easy pace with those of the priest. \"A most extraordinary\nfellow,\" thought Dentatsu. \"He moves as on springs. It would be well to\nsettle matters at once with him.\" Halting he waited for this pursuer to\nclose up the few score feet maintained between them. His frowning manner\nhad a genial greeting. \"Ah! Ha! Truly the Go Shukke Sama[22] is no mean\nwalker. But even then company on the road is good. From the\nZo[u]jo[u]ji; by that _kesa_ (stole), dress, and carriage? Probably the\nhonoured priest has a long journey before him--to the capital?\" Dentatsu\nduly scanned his company--\"To the Chion-In, the parent temple, and none\ntoo fond of companionship on the road. Deign, good sir, to spare yours;\nwith such short legs the task of precedence would be out of the\nquestion. Drop the useless effort of this pursuit, which becomes an\nannoyance.\"\n\nDentatsu's manner was truculent, his grasp on his stick even\nthreatening. The fellow met this rough greeting with the suavest\ndetermination. \"Oya! Oya! Naruhodo, Go Shukke Sama! A very rude speech\nindeed! After all the highway is free to all, and I too travel the\nTo[u]kaido[u] toward the capital. Deign to grant your company and the\nentertainment will be all the better. Don't be deceived by length, or\nlack of length, in one's legs. The promise will be kept not to detain\nyou.... That you came from Zo[u]jo[u]ji is plain from your garb, if you\nhad not been seen to turn into To[u]kaido[u] from the temple avenue....\nI too travel Kyo[u]to way.... See! In our talk already Hodogaya town is\npassed. This climb.... here is the top of the Yakimochizaka. The mark\nstands here to bound Sagami and Musashi. Ha! Ha! The Go Shukke Sama has\nsplendid legs, but he is handicapped by his weight. Surely it cannot be\nless than two thousand _ryo[u]_ in coin that he carries in the pack on\nhis shoulders. That contains no bills on the Sho[u]shidai (Governor) of\nthe capital.\"\n\nAh! The matter now was fully lighted. The fellow then had known his\nmission from Zo[u]jo[u]ji to the parent temple, to remit this sum to the\ncapital. Dentatsu had not anticipated difficulty so early in his\njourney, nor did he much care for the contest which was offered him. He\njudged the man by his legs, and these were almost miraculous in\nswiftness, activity, and strength. \"Alas! A dangerous fellow indeed. The\nluck of this Dentatsu is bad. What now is to be done?\" The cold sweat at\nhis responsibility gently bedewed his forehead. Yet Dentatsu was a brave\nman. The tradesman--or robber--laughed lightly. \"Don't look so queer, so\nput out, honoured Shukke Sama. Truth is told in saying there is business\non To[u]kaido[u]. Even if highwayman, the last thing thought of would\nbe to meddle with the funds of the honoured Hotoke Sama (Buddha). Be\nreassured; and as such be more assured in having a companion. The coin?\nPure guess, and from the small size of the parcel and the evident\ndifficulty found in carrying it. It weighs too much on one shoulder.\nTrust not only the thief, but the trader to know the signs of cash....\nYou would breakfast at Totsuka town? Did they send you forth with empty\nbelly? Surely the monastery kitchen has no such reputation for\nstinginess among the vulgar.\" His manner was so reassuring that Dentatsu\ngained confidence in him and his profession. Gladly now he accepted this\nfailure to relieve him of his precious burden, and this offer of\ncompany. He resented however the reflection on the monastery\nkitchen--\"Not so! Nor is this foolish priest so at odds with the cook as\nnot to find a bit of mountain whale (flesh) in the soup. Repletion is\nthe aim and object of a monastic existence.\"--\"Ha! Ha! Ha!\" laughed the\nfellow. \"Yet the honoured Shukke Sama would breakfast so close to Edo\ntown! Good sir, deign to leave the matter to me. Both are in haste--you\nto the capital; I almost as far.... This Fujisawa is a wondrous place.\nAs priest you know its temple and its wandering prior, the precious\nrelics of the Hangwan, but the woman Terute of course the priest\ndespises; yet Oguri owed much to her--life and success in his vendetta.\nBesides in a copse, just over yonder hill, is the shrine of the other\nHangwan--Yoshitsune. A prayer to his head there buried brings success in\nwarlike adventure, no great affair for cleric or tradesman.... Already\nthe Banyu[u] ferry is close at hand. Surely if we would reach Sumpu\n(Shizuoka) this day there can be no lunching short of Odawara town.\"\n\nDentatsu would have stopped short, if such halt had not involved the\nrapid disappearance of this elastic and now entertaining companion. As\nit was both had to slow pace to let him get breath taken away by pure\namazement. \"Odawara town! Sumpu before night! Tradesman, have you gone\nmad? To Sumpu it is full forty-eight _ri_ (120 miles). You talk like a\nfool. Who is there, to walk such a stage in a day?\"--\"The honoured\nShukke Sama and this tradesman. In talk and argument the ground flies\nunder the feet of such walkers, and the promise to keep pace will be\nmaintained. Just see--this is Kodzu town; yonder the waters of\nSakawagawa. 'Tis early yet, but time can be spared for food. For\nexercise belly timber is needed. A good lining of wine and food to the\ninwards is the tonic to more talk and exertion. Now in with you, to this\nbroad space leading to the castle--the keep of O[u]kubo Kaga no Kami,\nwith his hundred thousand _koku_ and the trust of the suzerain worth all\nhis other honours. Ah! Here is the eight roofed Minoya, best of its kind\nin the town. And what a town. Between wine, food, and singing girls, one\nloiters as long as a second Odawara conference; at times to one's\nruin.... Ah! Ha! A stop for the mid-day meal. Ne[e]san, no more delay\nthan needed. Speed is urgent, yet food and wine of the best. The\nhonoured Shukke Sama is affected toward vegetable food.... What! The\nBuddha called wine _hannyato_--hot water bringing wisdom? Ne[e]san, the\nhonoured Shukke Sama is a man of sense, no ascetic when unsatiated--or\non a journey. He would wear out belly and _waraji_ (sandals) on the same\nservice. Fish boiled with a little salt, _sashimi_ (sliced raw\nfish)--and _don't_ forget the _kamaboku_ (fish paste). Two bottles for\neach, with as much more heating. Bring a large bowl, empty. Never mind\nthe change.... And now, honoured Shukke Sama, deign at least to the\nuninitiated the basis of this wondrous argument.\" Dentatsu could not\ntake offence at his merry humour. Himself he smiled, as he poured from\nthe second bottle of the wine. \"Yes; the Buddha has called wine\n_hannyato_, thus permitting its use to the initiated; just as stronger\nfoods, properly labelled, are fit for the belly. Thus by the mouth is\npurified what goes into the belly. If the mouth can perform lustration\nin the one case, it can do so by its exercise in another and more\nintimate fashion.\" The fellow was immensely pleased. Leaning over he had\ndrunk in the countenance of the priest in the course of his\nargument--\"Naruhodo! A big body: 'twas feared the mind would be small.\nDeign, honoured sir, to wait a moment; a purchase to make....\" Off he\nbolted with the _domburi_ or large bowl, something of a mystery to the\npriest. It was soon solved by his reappearance with the vessel filled\nwith the small salted squid (_ika_). \"There! Honoured Shukke Sama,\nsample the best of Odawara town, noted for _kamaboku_ and its small\nfish-salted; and of these the _ika_ is unsurpassed.\" As they drank the\nwine, urged on by the savoury relish, he gave few and brief directions.\nThe food was wrapped up by the _ne[e]san_, several bottles of wine put\nin the package, for use in a journey that must be pressed. \"Now--the\nbill; for you, _ne[e]san_, what is left over. Honoured Shukke Sama, a\ngentle pace for the time being. The belly full, one loiters to let it do\nits work. From here to Yumoto is a _ri_ (2-1/2 miles), of most gentle\nrise. And what a pretty scene; the valley narrowing to its clinging\nhills hiding the strange and beautiful scenes beyond, yet which cause a\nlittle fear even to the stoutest hearts. This river seems alive,\ntwisting, and turning, and pouring in multitudinous and minute falls\nover the rounded boulders. The greater falls are naught else--on the\nlarger scale. All day one could watch the twists and turns of one spot\nin a rivulet, white, green, almost black, yet never the same.... Note\nhow the pass narrows. This is Hata, beyond is the monkey's clinging\nhill--well named. More than one rock from the steep above has torn away\nthe traveller's grasp and crushed a skull as if an egg shell.\" They\nbreasted the steep hills through forest, came out on the gentler upper\nslopes covered with the long bamboo grass through which could be seen\nthe rough heaped up surface of volcanic debris. The trader came to a\nhalt. \"A request to make.\"\n\n\"Ah! Now the fellow's mask is off--in this lonely spot.... He shall have\na tussle for it.\" Dentatsu was as much enraged as scared. Grasping his\nstaff he faced the townsman with harshness and visible irritation. Said\nthe latter testily--\"Put off the honoured scowl. Truly the distrust of\nthe Shukke Sama is most uncomplimentary. But--as priest of Zo[u]jo[u]ji,\nand on its mission, there is a passport. Women or guns with such, and\nthose unfurnished, cannot pass the barrier. I am unfurnished.\" Dentatsu\nshowed his amazement--\"Yet you would journey to the capital!\nAnd....\"--\"Started in great haste, without time even for equipment, as\ncan be seen--in a way. Deign to grant the request of entering in\n'companion.' With this favour all will be well, and the obligation\ngreater.\" Said the priest gravely--\"True: and companions for the day,\nbreaking food together, it is no great matter. But a townsman as\ncompany--the barrier guards would certainly make question.\"--\"Write the\nmatter in; write the matter in. They shall have answer.... For whom? The\nname is Jimbei, of Kanda ward; but just now a servant of Zo[u]jo[u]ji.\nJimbei will be a credit to the honoured Shukke Sama. Write it in.\" His\nmanner was so peremptory that the priest drew forth his writing\nmaterials. With one hand grinding his tablet of ink, with one eye\nwatching Jimbei, he saw him disappear into the bushes. With misgiving\nthe characters were added to the passport, a gentle forgery easy to the\ncleric in mind and hand. Who would not cheat barrier and customs, and\nfeel all the better for the deed? To the misgivings were added a gasp of\nastonishment. From the bush appeared Jimbei clad in full raiment of a\ntemple servant, carrying pole and the two boxes (_ryo[u]gake_) on his\nshoulders, and so like to the role that Dentatsu felt as travelling in\nthe style of his betters. \"But ... in this lonely place how effect such\nchange? How....\" Jimbei quietly removed the document dangling from his\nfingers. \"How--and why--and which--and where--all these are for later\nexplanation. Time presses if Sumpu is to be reached at night. Jimbei\nanswers for the credit of the Go Shukke Sama. Now, honoured sir--down\nthe hill with you.\" They were standing on the crest overlooking the lake\nfar below. Jimbei set the example by starting off at a rapid pace. Never\nhad priest better attendant, or one more skilled in dealing with barrier\ncuriosity. He was loquacious, without giving information. The matter was\nclear, and Jimbei gave hint as to the mission and the burden. Dentatsu\nwas given early clearance. At the top of Muko[u]zaka Jimbei loyally\nrestored to him the precious burden until then assumed. \"Now, sir\npriest, be assured of Jimbei Dono's good faith. The favour has been\ngreat. The acknowledgment shall be as great. In this life the Go Shukke\nSama and this Jimbei are bound in brotherhood.\" If Dentatsu felt\ngrateful, he also felt a little chilled.\n\n\"A wonderful fellow! Such legs on such a small body have never been\nseen.... Nor such an eye. This man is as much brains as bulk. Every\nmember is intelligence--Extraordinary!\" He kept this opinion to\nhimself. Aloud--\"This Dentatsu admits his inferiority. He is worn out.\nSince Jimbei balks Mishima town, from there onward this foolish priest\ntakes nag or _kago_.\" Was he speaking truth, or trying to get rid of\nhim? Jimbei stopped and observed him keenly. Bah! His was the master\nmind over this poor cleric. \"The Shukke Sama already has had test of\nJimbei's wit and talk. Deign not to spit folly. Leave the matter to\nJimbei, and be assured that the passage of time and space will go\nunobserved.\" Nor did the priest find it otherwise. The leagues passed on\napace. At this rest shed they stopped awhile for tea, and to consume\nprovision. At another Jimbei halted to order _sake_ for himself and\ncompanion. The sun was far down as the ferrymen landed them on the\nfurther side of the Fujikawa. Okitsu? Mio no Matsubara? No indeed:\npassing under the walls of the Seikenji, Jimbei spoke with enthusiasm of\nthe place famed for eatables--Sumpu town. To[u]to[u]mi-wan, Suruga-wan,\nfurnished the fish, unsurpassed; the _tai_ (bream) of Okitsu, famed for\n_sashimi_--all these, including the best _sake_ in Nippon. Dentatsu\nsighed with weariness and anticipated pleasure of the table set. Passing\nthrough the darkness of full night the mass of a castle bulk could be\nmade out. Then they came into the blaze of such light as a large\nprovincial town afforded. Said Jimbei, with some exultation--\"Sumpu\ntown, and its inns of note. Eh! Honoured Shukke Sama!\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XX\n\nTHE AFFAIR OF KISHU[U] KE\n\n\nJimbei, as of one born and bred in the town, at once led his companion\noff from the castle precincts. The many lanterns hung out in the narrow\nstreets showed this Jinshukucho[u] to be the lodging quarter of the\ntown. Approaching the entrance of one more conspicuous--\"The\nYorozuya.... Ah! Shelter for the night.\" The maids kneeling at the\nentrance chorused their welcome. Keenly they took in the prospective\nguests, garb mainly, possessions less conspicuous. All Nipponese travel\nlight, and tea money is to be judged by outward appearance. \"Deign to\nenter;\" the usual mechanical and none too enthusiastic greeting. Jimbei\nwas at home--\"And the eight mat room over looking the street?... Oh!\nNe[e]san is without memory.\" The girl, a little puzzled, admitted the\ndefect and made apology. Alas! The room had been taken for one of the\ntrain of Kishu[u] Ke. They were _samurai_, on their lord's business, and\nwould have no near neighbours. Another room of size and suitability was\navailable. \"Honoured Shukke Sama, water for the feet.\" Deftly he\nstripped off the sandals of Dentatsu, acted the servant to perfection,\nand attended to his own purification with practised swiftness. Then\nunder the guidance of the maid the room was sought. The host appeared\nalmost as soon with the inn register. \"Dentatsu, _shoke_ of\nJo[u]jo[u]ji; one companion--from Mishima this day.\" With grave face\nJimbei made the entry; and Dentatsu gave all the approval of an outraged\nweariness.\n\n\"And now--the bath? Ne[e]san, the Danna Sama is large of body and\nliberal of needs. No vegetation as repast for him. Just a....\" Jimbei\nwent into a huge order of food and wine to repair their tired bodies.\nThe girl sighed in relief--\"The honoured _bo[u]zu_-san (sir priest) is\nmost considerate. He asks but what is easily supplied.\" To Jimbei's\nsupposed inquiry--\"To furnish out of the usual course is never easy. The\nhonoured priests often give trouble.\" A serving man stuck his nose\nwithin the _sho[u]ji_. \"For the honoured guests the bath....\"--\"Danna,\nthe bath.\" The girl stood expectant. Following her guidance the weary\nDentatsu, under the manipulation of his more active companion, underwent\nthis partial renovation. Before the _zen_, well covered with the\neatables, Dentatsu sighed--\"Ah! Ha! This Dentatsu is weary beyond\nmeasure. To-morrow he will rest here. The distance....\" Jimbei cut him\nshort--\"The Danna deigns to jest. The rest of a night, and all the\nweariness departs. Wine and food, sleep, will show the folly of such\nthought. Besides, the temple's important affair....\" Dentatsu did not\nseem to be so solicitous concerning temple matters as his attendant.\nJimbei gave him little chance to show it. He prattled and talked, had\nmuch to ask of _ne[e]san_. This shortly, and as decided--\"With an early\nstart let the beds be laid at once.\" Off he dragged the unwilling\nDentatsu. When they returned from preparation for the night the beds\nwere laid. Dentatsu tumbled incontinently into one, and in a moment was\nsnoring. Jimbei sat smoking, watching him and the girl making the final\npreparation of the chamber for the night. As she passed close to him\nsuddenly he seized her and drew her down to him--\"Ara! Danna, this won't\ndo at all. A maid in the inn, such service must be refused. Condescend\nto loosen.\" But Jimbei did not let her go. He drew her very close.--\"Ha!\nAh! Indeed one is much in love. However don't be alarmed. It is another\naffair. The Go Shukke Sama has a little soul in a big body. He is\nwearied beyond measure; yet the temple affairs require an early start.\nDeign to call us at the seventh hour, but be sure to say it is the\nsixth. Is it agreed?... For a hair ornament.\" The maid understood the\ncoin and the innocent deception. Dimming the night light she took her\ndeparture. An inn of Nippon never sleeps.\n\nDentatsu was aroused, to find the lamp still burning brightly in the\nroom. The maid, somewhat frightened, was vigorously shaking him. \"Oya!\nOya! To shake up such a big Danna, 'tis terrific. He may deign to bestow\na beating.\" Said Jimbei, with calm philosophy--\"For the _kerai_ to\ninconvenience his master is not to be permitted. You are of the inn\nservice. Hence not to be reproved by strangers. It is your function to\narouse.\"--\"The sixth hour!\" grumbled Dentatsu. He rubbed his eyes as one\nwho had just gone to sleep. Jimbei carried him off to the cleaning\nprocesses of early morn. The return found the table laid with the meal.\nWith quietness and despatch Jimbei settled all matters with the aplomb\nof the practised traveller. Before he was well awake Dentatsu found\nhimself following after through the dark streets. \"Surely the maid has\nmistaken the hour.[23] 'Tis yet the darkness of night.\"--\"Not likely,\"\ninterjected Jimbei, as swiftly he urged him on. \"The girl sees to\ndeparture every day in the year. It is the darkness of bad weather, and\nall the more need for haste.\" He looked around in surprise. They had\nreached the ferry at the Tegoe crossing of the Abegawa, at the edge of\nthe town. \"Naruhodo! Not a coolie has yet appeared. There is no one to\ncarry us across the river. How now! Has the girl really mistaken the\nhour?... Return? Why so? That would be to look ridiculous, and the woman\nis not worth scolding. However, this Jimbei knows....\" With misgiving\nand protest Dentatsu followed him a little up stream, toward the\nAmbai-nai or Nitta crossing. Here the broad middle space is usually left\nbare of flood. Jimbei began to strip.\n\n\"Naruhodo! Townsman, surely the crossing is not to be trod without the\npractised guidance of the coolies? This Dentatsu budges not a\nstep....\"--\"Deign to be silent,\" was the reply. Jimbei was already in\nthe water; with the priest's luggage and his own. With fright and\ninterest Dentatsu watched him feel his way through the stream. Surely he\nwas a most surprising fellow. On the other bank doubtless he would\ndisappear at once. The big legs of Dentatsu trembled under him. He had\nthoughts of entrance, but the impossibility of overtaking these legs of\nquicksilver prevented him. \"Ora pro nobis\"; these departing treasures.\nNo! Now he was returning. \"Now, Go Shukke Sama, up with you.\" He made a\nback for Dentatsu, but the big man backed away. \"Jimbei! Are you mad? Is\nJimbei one to carry the big....\"--\"Body in which is lodged such a small\nsoul? Be sure, sir priest, this Jimbei easily could shift double the\nweight. Up with you!... Don't put the hands over my eyes. A little\nhigher: that's it.\" Off he started into the flood. The first channel was\neasy; barely to the thigh. Dentatsu walked across the intervening sand,\nwith more confidence and not a word of doubting protest. Again, and\nreadily, he mounted this surprising conveyance. The second attempt was\nanother affair. The river flowed swift. The legs of Dentatsu were wound\naround the neck of Jimbei, now in water to his chest. He looked in\nfright and some pleasure at the waves, flicked here and there with\nwhite. Jimbei halted--\"A fine sight, sir priest. Note the deep blue. It\nshows depth, yet this is the ford. Just below it runs far over man's\nhead, with swift undercurrent. He who once is caught in it rises not\nagain until the crossing is reached, far below.\" Said Dentatsu, scared\nand annoyed--\"Why loiter then in such a dangerous place?\"--\"Because just\nnow the world is Jimbei's world.\" The tone of voice, the look up he\ngave, froze the soul of Dentatsu.\n\n\"Just consider, sir priest. A movement, and the honoured Go Shukke Sama\nis food for fishes. His disappearance accounted for, his luggage, the\ntwo thousand _ryo[u]_ of the temple, pass to Jimbei as his heir, and\nnone to make report. The honoured Shukke Sama, is he prepared?\" Dentatsu\nwas no fool. This man was in earnest for the moment. With all the\ncalmness of a desperate position he made terms--\"Life is everything.\nDeign to place this foolish priest on solid ground. Jimbei takes the\ncoin, goes unscathed, without word now or hereafter. The priest's word\nfor it--and surely Jimbei fears not for himself.\" He clung fast to\nJimbei's neck. The latter had gone off into a most outrageous peal of\nlaughter which almost shook his freight from the perch aloft. Then\nslowly and carefully he proceeded into the shallows, set down his charge\non the further bank--\"A magnificent compliment: but no more of this.\nPerhaps now the Go Shukke Sama will have trust in Jimbei, submit to his\nguidance. For once in earnest, the escape was a narrow one.... Ah! Ha!\nHa! Ha! How scared!\" Dentatsu did not deny it--\"More than frightened;\nthoroughly scared.\" He scanned his companion. \"A most surprising fellow!\nSurely....\" He was perplexed. But Jimbei paid no attention to his\nquestioning deferential manner. He was plainly the master--\"Come now!\nAll haste is to be made.\" Urging the pace soon they were amid the hills.\nThe white light of dawn was approaching as they were reaching the top of\na difficult climb. \"The Utsunoya-to[u]ge (pass),\" said Jimbei. A\npeculiar vibration in his voice made Dentatsu look at him with surprise.\nHis mouth was set. His eyes shone colder than ever. Every faculty of the\nman was awake and alert. Silent he halted, put down the pack on the\nsteps of a little wayside shrine, drew out his pipe to smoke. \"Beyond is\nthe Tsuta no Hosomichi, running along the mountain side for some\n_cho[u]_; the 'slender road of Ivy,' for it is no wider than a\ncreeper.\"--\"A bad place!\" mechanically murmured Dentatsu. \"A very bad\nplace!\" was the grave reply.\n\nThen the sound of steps was heard. A man, puffing, came up on the run.\nHe addressed himself with respect to Jimbei--\"Honoured chief, they enter\non the pass.\"--\"Good: now--vamoose; but be at hand.\" The man saluted, to\nJimbei and the priest, and disappeared in the direction whence he came.\n\"Vamoose? Vamoose? What and why this word vamoose?\"--\"Shut up!\" was the\nemphatic reply of Jimbei. His eye turned to wayside shrine, close by at\nthe summit of the pass. \"Now, in with you, sir priest. No word or\nmotion, if life be valued.... In with you.\" Dentatsu looked him all\nover. In resentment? If he felt it, he did not dare to show it.\nMechanically he turned and huddled himself within the grating. Jimbei\nforced it in on him, for the space would but hold the big body of the\npriest. He had hardly done so when another man came running up, almost\nbreathless--\"Chief! They are at hand.\"--\"Good: vamoose.\"--\"Again\n'vamoose'\", grumbled Dentatsu openly.[24] \"Why such strange words; and\nat least why not explain them?\"--\"Ah! Ha! A noisy priest; these clerics\ncan do nothing but clack, clack, like a parcel of geese or women. Even\nthe best of them--who thus consorts with Jimbei. Remember,\nBo[u]zu--silence, or the Go Shukke Sama finds Nirvana--not Gion; or was\nit Chion.\" With a silent ferocious laugh, or expression of such, he\ndisappeared into the bushes.\n\nBut few moments passed. Dentatsu wriggled uneasily in his robes, the\nonly motion space permitted. Then was heard the merry sound of bells. A\npack train appeared; or rather two horses, one as carrier. A _samurai_\nrode in front; another followed on foot. Four or five grooms were in\nattendance. Close by the shrine, at the top of the ascent, they halted\nto get wind after this last steep pull. \"What a splendid sight!\nNaruhodo, Gemba Dono! The sun rises from the bosom of the waters. How\nblue they seem! The hills take shape in the dawn's light. Truly the\nstart, so inconveniently early, is repaid in part. One could stay here\nforever ... what call you this place?... Tsuta no Hosomichi? And the\nresort of highwaymen. But the _samurai_ has his sword. Such fellows are\nnot of the kind to trouble. Much more so a _tanka_ couplet to celebrate\nthe beauty of the spot.\" He laughed, and his companion swaggered to the\nfront of the shrine, with that peculiar hip motion of his caste.\nDentatsu held his breath. The grooms chanted the few lines of a\nsong--\"The eight _ri_ of Hakone--the horse's pack; the Oigawa--its wide\nflood, not so.\" Slowly they rose to follow the masters. He who walked\npreceded. The pack horse followed. The rider was well engaged in the\nnarrow way. The grooms were preparing to follow. Then a man burst forth\nfrom the bushes at the roadside. \"Atsu!\" The _samurai_ had but hand on\nhis sword hilt when his assailant had cut deep into shoulder and pap.\nHis companion tried to turn. Then Dentatsu saw the animal he rode\nstagger and fall. The rider had but time to throw himself to the ground.\nBefore he could rise his head rolled off a dozen paces, then bounded\ndown the steep slope. Striding over the body smoking in blood, Jimbei\ngrasped the rein of the pack horse. The grooms, who had looked on eyes\nagog, took to flight down the pass as they had come. The whole affair\nhad not taken two minutes.\n\nGasping with fright Dentatsu allowed himself to be dragged from the\nshrine. \"Ah! Ha! Ha! A surprising fellow! Such activity was never shown\nby man. Truly Jimbei is of the hobgoblin kind.\" Jimbei was once more\ntransformed. His costume of priests' attendant had been resumed. The\ncarrying boxes, now much heavier, were ready to shoulder. Gravely he\nindicated the burden. \"Four thousand _ryo[u]_ there; a thousand _ryo[u]_\nto be carried elsewhere. But now there is need for great haste. Neither\nJimbei nor the Go Shukke Sama is to be found in these parts. On with\nyou, sir priest.\"--\"Ah! Jimbei! Jimbei! A strange fellow indeed! What\nmanner of company has this Dentatsu fallen in with?\"--\"This is no time\nfor questions--or answers,\" was Jimbei's stern reply. \"The relation\nevidently is for life. Jimbei recognizes it.... Yes, the crest is that\nof Kishu[u] Ke; the money, funds remitted to his treasury. Hence all the\ngreater need to hasten.\" Speed they did, by paths and shorter ways\nunknown to Dentatsu as frequent traveller of this road, and which spared\nthe Hamana bight and rest at the tea sheds of the To[u]kaido[u]. Fright\nurged on Dentatsu without protest; settled purpose hastened Jimbei. Thus\nYoshida post town was reached in good time to inn, for the priest was\nhalf dead with fatigue.\n\nJimbei surveyed his charge, critically and with much kindness, as one\ndoes what has been of greatest use to him. \"Not a step further can this\nDentatsu go.\" It was not refusal; it was plain assertion of fact; and\nJimbei agreed. \"There is no longer need for haste. Two, three days\nstoppage, with the best of food and wine shall be the reward of the\nhonoured Shukke Sama. Nay, until thoroughly restored.\" They had come\nfrom the bath and were seated at a table loaded with wine and food.\nDentatsu prepared to eat. Just then the landlord stuck his head in\nbetween the _sho[u]ji_. His face was anxious and frightened. \"Regret is\nfelt. On Utsunoyama, at the crossing of the pass, the honoured money\ntrain of Kishu[u] Ke has been held up and robbed. 'Tis a great affair;\nby some notable robber! At Yoshida none are allowed exit or entrance\nduring the next six days. People and strangers are to undergo strict\nexamination. Deign the honoured pardon, but ... after all the charges\nare to be met for the detention.\" The morsel then being conveyed to the\nmouth of Dentatsu stopped short. A warning look from Jimbei nearly made\nhim choke. The townsman was all suavity and glee--\"How fortunate! The\nhonoured Shukke Sama, foot sore, would rest several days. And at no\nexpense! The generosity of Matsudaira Ko[u] passes measure. Are we not\nlucky, Danna?\" To the host--\"So it makes no difference. But at this\ndistance....\" The host shrugged his shoulders. \"It would seem so; but\nthe order is official. The notice came by boat from Oigawa. The whole\nTo[u]kaido[u] is up--from Yoshida to Numazu town.\"--\"And why not to Edo\nand the capital (Kyo[u]to),\" Jimbei laughed. The host laughed too. Well\nsatisfied with his guests' satisfaction he withdrew. Dentatsu did but\nblink.\n\nThe meal removed Jimbei sat in apparent thought. \"A boat--and Yoshida!\nWho would have thought it? Ah! The wicked are not to escape punishment.\nThree feet nearer Heaven--on a stake; and one's belly full of wind\nholes--from the spears. Go Shukke Sama, the crime was a dastardly one.\nFive thousand _ryo[u]_! Surely it means crucifixion on the embankment.\nWe will furnish poles for plover--to roost upon.\"[25] Dentatsu made a\nsign of frightened repulsion. He could not speak. Jimbei seemed to catch\nan idea. \"Ne[e]san! Ne[e]san! keep the honoured Shukke Sama company over\nhis wine. There is a purchase to make.... By the house? No such trouble\nasked. It is for _waraji_, with cloth in front and rear,\nindispensable.... Not found here? Nay, these eyes saw them on entering\nthe town. Someone will get ahead in the purchase--with great regret. The\nplace was seen, but not knowing the streets it is not to be described.\"\nWhen the girl carried out the dishes, to bring in more wine, Dentatsu\nraised heavy reproachful eyes--\"Then Jimbei would run away, leave the\npriest in the lurch.\" He cast a look at the hateful _ryo[u]gake_,\nstuffed with recent spoil. Jimbei froze him into silence--\"From the town\nthere is no escape. Leave the matter to Jimbei. Drink: even if the\nliquor chokes.\"--\"A means of escape will be found?\"--\"Truly a big body\nand a cowardly heart. Why, man this but a difficult place. Jimbei\nleaves, to find an exit.\"--\"Just so!\" was the gloomy answer of the\npriest. He put his head in his hands. Meanwhile Jimbei betook himself to\nthe front. To avoid annoyance he borrowed an inn lantern. With its broad\nmark of \"Masuya,\" the name of the inn, he sallied out into the darkness.\n\nHe was gone nearly a whole watch. Dentatsu, assured of his desertion,\nwas in despair. He had relied on the fertile mind of this scamp. Ah!\nWhat a predicament this fellow had got him into. Then the voice of\nJimbei sounded at his shoulder. Dentatsu almost leaped up. Instead he\ngulped down the _sake_, until then barely touched, to the maid's great\nastonishment. \"Surely the Danna Sama must be ill.\"--\"More likely tired,\nthan unwell. But the wine will make it pass. The _waraji_? Here they\nare.\" He laughed as he drew them from his bosom. The girl was all\nastonishment. They were just as described; such as were never seen west\nof Hakone. Truly a sharp-sighted guest! When alone Jimbei spoke\nbriefly--\"Take courage. The matter is arranged.\" Said Dentatsu,\nheavy-eyed--\"The mission settled? Has some other lost his life at\nJimbei's hand?\" Jimbei laughed; then frowned. \"Neither blood nor coin\ndoes Jimbei spill for mere pastime. He has purpose.\" He handled the\n_waraji_. Said Dentatsu in some amaze--\"Where did you get them?\"--\"In\nOdawara.\"--\"Has Jimbei been to Odawara?\"--\"Just so: but not now. Jimbei\nis no Tengu Sama. Did not the Go Shukke Sama take food at Odawara? This\nkind are only found there; and pretexts are always needed to range a\ntown in darkness. The mission is performed. Be assured that before day\nthese very people will urge departure.... How so? Jimbei is not without\nfriends; and has done his own part as well. The train is laid, and in\nall quarters of Yoshida town the fire will break out. The wind blows\nstrong, and ... 'tis them or us.\" His look was so cold as to freeze.\nDentatsu, in ecstasy of gratitude did but seize his hands and\nmurmur--\"Wonderful man--truly a great captain!\" For the first time\nJimbei looked a genuine benevolence.\n\nDentatsu pushed the covers partly away and sat up in bed. Severe had\nbeen the chiding of Jimbei--\"Honoured Shukke Sama, such conduct will\nnever do. Fortunate it is that the event is postponed but an hour or\nso. Ne[e]san surely is amazed at the sudden abstinence of the Go Shukke\nSama from food and drink. Moreover there is work to be done. The body\nunnourished, it gives way. Deign to rest. Be assured the urging will\ncome from others.\" These the final words before the townsman-bandit had\nhimself dropped off into soundest slumbers. Dentatsu watched him, with\nconfidence and some awe. Smoothed out in sleep and under the influence\nof some pleasant dream, Jimbei was as harmless looking as one of the\ndoves in the temple of the war god Hachiman. He leaned over and would\nwake him. \"_Urusai!_ Annoying fellow! Ah! This _bo[u]zu_ is part hare,\npart ass, part swine. When not braying, he is stuffing, or ears up in\nfright. Deign to rest, honoured priest. Legs and body will soon have\nenough to do.\" Again he turned over; and again the snores rose loud.\nDentatsu could not sleep. He lay awake, listening to the diminishing\nsounds of inn life.\n\nThe temple bells were striking the sixth hour. The sound was a strange\none. The strokes of the hour ran into one continued roar.\nJan-jan-jan--pon-pon--gon-gon--cries of men, the racket of wooden\nclappers and of drums, were now added to the uproar. For a few moments\nDentatsu stood the increasing excitement. Through the cracks of the\nclosed _amado_ he could see a reddish glare, becoming brighter and\nbrighter. He sat up and roughly shook Jimbei by the shoulder. \"Oh! This\nrascally cleric. Nothing will satisfy his stupidity, but to carry it to\nextremes. Honoured Shukke Sama, wait the urgency of others; don't supply\nit. We at least lack not preparation.... Ah!\" The _sho[u]ji_ were thrown\nhastily back. The host of the inn appeared, his face pale and lips\ntrembling. \"Honoured guests! Still in bed? Deign at once to flee. The\ntown is in a blaze. Every quarter has its conflagration which walks\napace; and in this gale hopeless to overcome....\"--\"Don't talk folly,\"\nsleepily answered Jimbei. \"Is not the town in ward for these six days.\nWhy disturb oneself? Let all burn together?\" The host wrung his\nhands--\"Honoured sirs, the blame and punishment falls on this Masuya if\ninjury befall its guests. All lies wide open. Deign at once to leave....\nNaruhodo!\" His mouth was wide open. Jimbei and Dentatsu rose as on\nsprings, full clad, _waraji_ on their feet. The way \"lies wide open.\"\nThis was the watchword to Jimbei. \"Edokko (sons of Edo) always are\nready, and need no urging.\" With this genial explanation he and Dentatsu\nshouldered past the astonished landlord. If the latter would have had\nsuspicions they were thwarted or postponed by the cries which rose\nbelow. His own main house was now in flames. Hands to head in this\nconfusion of ideas he abandoned all thought of his guests and rushed\ndown below. As if in his own home, with no guide but the outer glare\nJimbei passed to the inn rear. In the darkness of the passage he had\nstopped, leaned down and struck a light. The precious _ryo[u]gake_ on\nhis shoulders, with the priest he took to the fieldpaths in the rear of\nthe town. The ground was level; the land rich rice field with its\ninterspersed and picturesque clumps of trees and bamboo, its verdure\nbowered villages. From time to time they looked back at the sky, flaming\nred, and in its darker outer parts a mass of glittering flying sparks\n\"like the gold dashes on aventurine lacquer ware.\"\n\nFor two days they had lain at Okazaki town, Dentatsu incapable of\nmovement after the mad run along the classic highway in the darkness of\nthat fearful night. As refugees from the stricken town they met with\nkind reception. The greater part of Yoshida town lay in ashes; and so\ngreat the disaster, so unsuspected the cause, that men looked rather to\nthe hand of Heaven than of human kind for the source of such punishment.\nJimbei spoke gravely as the two stood on the long bridge leading to\nYahagi across the river. \"The luck of one, the misfortune of\nanother--'twas the life of the Go Shukke Sama and of this Jimbei against\nthe lives and fortunes of those wretched people. And is there aught to\noutweigh life?\" The priest nodded a lugubrious and pleased assent to\nthis plain doctrine. \"It is just as well the host of Masuya lost life as\nwell as goods. He might have made plaint, and had too long a tongue....\nJimbei could not foresee such weakness in so huge a body.\" He looked\nDentatsu over with a little kindly contempt. \"And so the honoured Shukke\nSama would ask the name of this Jimbei? Honoured sir, the favour of your\nears--for Kosaka Jinnai, son of Heima of that name, descendant of the\nKosaka known to fame in service with Shingen Ko[u] of Kai. Times have\nchanged, and misfortune driven Jinnai to seek revenge for his lord's\nundoing.\" He mocked a little; the tone was too unctuously hypocritical.\nThen abruptly--\"Sir priest, here we part. Your way lies ahead to Gifu\ntown. Delay not too much, until the lake (Biwa-ko) is reached. Travel in\ncompany, for Jinnai, though his men are numbered by the thousand,\ncontrols not all the craft. A priest can scent a true priest. Seek out\nyour kind.... Ha! You make a face.... Here: two hundred _ryo[u]_. The\nmonastery is none too generous, and would have you live--abroad. _Sutra_\nand prayers are not amusing. By face and years the honoured Shukke Sama\nloves the sex as well as the best of his kind. The very shadow of a\nmonastery is prolific. More merriment is to be found with the girls of\nGion than with those who dance the _kagura_ (sacred dances) at\nHigashiyama. Besides, these are for your betters. If further off--seek\nShimabara (the noted pleasure quarter). Go buy a Tayu; the funds are\nample and not to be hoarded.... There need be no hesitation. 'Tis money\nof no thief. The prince robs the public; and Jinnai robs the princely\nthief. No trader ever has hung himself from the house beam for act of\nJinnai; and more than one owes credit and freedom from a debtor's\nslavery to his aid.\"\n\nIt was with thanks, the parting with a man famed by deed before one's\neyes, that Dentatsu slowly passed on to the bridge. From its further end\nhe could see the road leading into the Nakasendo[u] hills. Long he\nwaited until a diminutive figure, hastening along it, appeared from time\nto time between scattered houses on the outskirts of Okazaki town. Then\nin earnest he took his own way, partly impelled by fright and anxiety at\nloss of his companion and being thrown on the resources of his own wits.\nHe felt for a time as a blind man deprived of his staff. It was years\nafter that Yoshida Hatsuemon, he who died so bravely at O[u]saka,\naccompanied Marubashi Chu[u]ya to the new fencing room opened at Aoyama\nEdo by the teacher of the _yawatori_--a new style of wrestling\nintroduced from Morokoshi (China)--of spear exercise (_so[u]jutsu_), of\nju[u]jutsu. Marubashi Chu[u]ya had tried the new exponent of these arts,\nand found him master in all but that of the spear, in which himself he\nwas famed as teacher. At this time (Sho[u]ho[u] 3rd year--1646) the\ncrisis of Jinnai's fate and the conspiracy of the famous Yui Sho[u]setsu\nwere both approaching issue. To his amazement Hatsuemon recognized in\nOsada Jinnai the one time Jimbei of the days when he had journeyed the\nTo[u]kaido[u] in priestly robe and under the name of Dentatsu. The\nrecognition was mutual, its concealment courteously discreet on the part\nof both men. Sho[u]setsu appreciated the merits, the audacity, and the\ncertain failure ahead of Jinnai's scheme. The better remnants he would\ngather to himself. Yui Sho[u]setsu Sensei aimed to pose as a new\nKusunoki Masashige, whose picture was the daily object of his prayers\nand worship. All was grist to the mill of his designs; but not\nassociation with such a chief--or lieutenant--as Kosaka Jinnai.\nForewarned Marubashi and Yoshida (Dentatsu) held coldly off and sought\nno intimacy. Thus watched by keen wits of greater comprehension Jinnai\nrushed on his course into the claws of Aoyama Shu[u]zen and the meshes\nof the Tokugawa code for criminals of his class.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXI\n\nIF OLD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT\n\n\nThus Kosaka Jinnai, under the name of Osada, at the beginning of\nSho[u]ho[u] 2nd year (1645) was established at Aoyama Harajuku-mura. For\na gentleman of such abilities his pretensions were modest. It is true\nthat he hung out a gilt sign before his fencing hall, with no boasting\nadvertisement of his qualities as teacher. Yet his fame quickly became\nsuch that students flocked to him by the score. In a few months, on plea\nof being over-stocked, he was turning away all who would seek his\ninstruction. Some he could not refuse--retainers of _yashiki_ in his\nvicinity. But the generality of his disciples were a very rough lot; and\nthis finer quality of his flock were carefully segregated, came and went\nat their appointed time apart from the common herd; and as matter of\nfact profited much from their teacher, and knew very little about him.\nWhich was exactly the aim of Jinnai. This was remembered of him later.\n\nThere is but one domestic episode connected with this period, so short\nand purposely obscure in its duration. About the time of his first\nestablishment a villager, on visit to Edo town, chanced upon the\npractice hour of Jinnai. The years had passed, yet the rustic had no\ndifficulty in recognizing in the Sensei the one time Jinnosuke. When\nlater he sought a more personal interview the great man was found\ncourteous but freezing cold in the reception. The news from Tsukuba\ndistrict was of that mixed character not to afford any exuberant\npleasure. His reputation for bad company had gone abroad, though no\ngreat deeds of wickedness had been attributed to him. With the devotion\nof a daughter his wife had nourished the old folk, brought up her two\ndaughters. On her shoulders during all these years had rested the\nmanagement of these small affairs. The girls grew toward womanhood.\nWhen O'Kiku was in her seventeenth year Jisuke had died--unconsoled at\nthe ill turn fortune had played him in this unfilial son. These\ngrandparents had lingered out the years, crippled and helpless, urging a\nre-marriage on O'Ichi--always refused on the plea that such relation was\nfor two lives. Jisuke Dono had united them, and he alone could separate\nher from Jinnai. She sought no second relation herself and plead against\nit; and Jisuke would not force it on this filial daughter, who thus\nwould block the disinheritance of the son. Thus the farm stood, ready\nfor the master on his return. Truly the whole village wondered, and\nadmired her filial conduct.\n\nTo most of this Jinnai listened with indifference. \"These girls--their\nlooks and age?\" Replied the man--\"O'Kiku now is seventeen years; O'Yui\nDono has fifteen years. Truly they are the village beauties, and rarely\nfound in such life, for they would spare the mother all labour.\" He\nspoke with enthusiasm. \"Then the mother lives?\" The man shook his\nhead--\"The grave mound yet is very fresh. When she died she spoke no\nword of Jinnosuke Dono.\" Boldly he looked in rebuke at the unfilial man.\nJinnai, if anything, showed annoyance. The old woman alive would have\nkept the inconvenient wife--the three women--at the distance of\nTsukuba's slopes. His plans admitted of no possible descent on him at\nAoyama Harajuku. Briefly he made request for the favour of bearing a\nmessage. Gladly the mission was accepted. With a discouraging cordiality\nin the leave taking the old acquaintance took his way back to the\nvillage. With something of a flutter O'Ichi opened and ran out the\nscroll he brought--\"Unexpected and gratifying the meeting with\nTaro[u]bei San. The news of the village, not pleasing, is subject of\ncondolence. Deign to observe well the instructions here given. The time\nwill come when a summons to Edo town will be in order. At present the\nestablishment is new and tender, and stands not the presence of\nstrangers to the town. Condescend to show the same care in the present\nas in the past. The farm and its tenure is left to the hands of Ichi. As\nfor these girls, look well to their care. They are said to be handsome\nand reputed the daughters of this Jinnai. Obey then his command. These\nare no mares for the public service, or for the private delectation of\nsome rich plebeian. Service in a _yashiki_ need not be refused, and\njumps more with the plans and purposes of Jinnai. Keep this well in\nmind, and await the ripeness of time. With salutation....\" Such the cold\ngreeting through the years. \"Reputed the daughters of this Jinnai.\" Ah!\nHe thought and knew the years turned the beauty Ichi into the worn and\nwrinkled country hag of nearly forty years, only too ready to market her\ngirls for her own necessities. She was ill and worn in her service. Here\nJinnai was to be recognized. He was the man of his caste, with contempt\nfor the plebeian he turned to his uses, but who must have no intimate\ncontact with him or his.\n\nEdo town was in a turmoil. North, East, South of the town the lives and\npurses of men who walked were at hazard. Plainly some band was operating\nin these quarters of the town. Aoyama Shu[u]zen was hard put to it. His\narrests, outrageous and barbarous, increased with his difficulties. Some\nspecimens have been instanced. His bands of _yakunin_ lay out in a wide\nnet around the threatened quarters of the city. On the outskirts of\nHonjo[u] a country mansion would be fired and plundered. In O[u]kubo a\ntemple (the Jisho[u]-in) was clean gutted of its treasury--without\nnotice to its neighbours. Not a sign of the spoil could be traced until\nthe Sho[u]shidai of Kyo[u]to sent as present to the suzerain a most\nvalued hanging picture (_kakemono_) of Shu[u]bun, picked up for him in\nO[u]saka town, and worthy of being seen by the eyes of Edo's ruler.\nMurder and rape were the common accompaniments of these crimes, the\ndoers of which left no witness, if resisted. _Tsujikiri_, cutting down\nwayfarers merely to test the value of a sword blade, found revival. Such\nmurders in the outward wards of the city were of nightly occurrence. Yet\nthey all centred in Aoyama's own precinct; starting forth from the\nfencing hall of Osada Jinnai. What a band they were! At this long\ndistant date the names read with that tinge of the descriptive which\nsuch nomenclature gives--Yamaguchi Chiyari, Kanagawa Koni, Sendai no\nO[u]kami, Okayama Koshin, Kumamoto Kondo[u], Tsukuba Ende;[26] their\ngreat chief being Kosaka Jinnai.\n\nThe eleventh month (December) was closing its first decade. The wine\nshop at Shiba Nihon Enoki was celebrating a first opening, a feast in\nprogress for some hours, and to be maintained for the few ensuing days.\nThe enthusiasm was at its height, and the wine flowed like water. Some\nfew guests, who could, tottered home at midnight. Clerks and\ndomestics--there is little difference in Nipponese practice--shut up the\npremises as well as their drunken state permitted. Those who had still\nsome trace of sobriety proceeded to guzzle what was left in the opened\ncasks. When the hour of the ox (1 A.M.) struck, not a man in the place\nknew front from rear. They lay sprawled out dead drunk--as were some of\nthe women. This was the hour watched for and chosen by Jinnai. Such of\nthe females as could give the alarm were bound and gagged by the masked\ninvaders. Then they gutted place and store-houses. With bending backs\nthey betook themselves over the hills the short distance to Harajuku.\nHere Jinnai, in the unwise benevolence of the bandit chieftain, gave\nrein to the licentiousness of these favourites of his mature age, to\nthese lieutenants and agents in the great movement for which all this\nloot was gathered. The circuit was formed. The heads of wine barrels\njust stolen were broached. The grizzled, tousled member who officiated\nas cook, and as such had been left behind to his own offices, produced\nthe feast of fish and delicacies in celebration of the great deed and\naccomplishment. \"Now is the turn of this company,\" said Jinnai in\npleasant reference to the victims of the raid. \"A real banquet of\nextreme intoxication.[27] Alas! We have no _tabo_.... Too dangerous a\nloot,\" commented Jinnai amid the roar of laughter and approval. \"Use and\nabuse go together; and the necessity to slit the throats of such\nchattering parrots. For this company the remains would give trouble,\nand might bring unexpected visitors about our ears. Be virtuous--and\nspare not the wine.\" The advice was followed to the letter. Soon the\nhouse of Jinnai was a match for that of the looted wine shop.\n\nWith the light of the December dawn a metal dealer (_doguya_) was\ntrudging his way over the sifted cover of an early snow fall. He lived\nthereabouts; often had had small jobs of mending the weapons and\nimplements of this sturdy establishment of Jinnai, hence had some good\nwill to its owner, which was more than could be said of most of the\nneighbours. To his surprise he noted the wide open gate to Jinnai's\nentrance, the many tracks leading within. Strange sounds were heard. He\nwould venture on a look. \"Oya! Oya!\" The man stood stock still, half in\nfright and half in a wondering concupiscence of curiosity, as he took in\nthe riotous vision of the fencing hall. Some twenty men lay scattered in\ndifferent postures--all dead drunk. The noise arose from their wide open\nsnoring mouths and nostrils. A score of wine casks lay tumbled, the\nliquor spilled on the _tatami_. Mingled with the remains of food and\nvomit were stained cups and dirty plates. More suggestive to his\nfrightened eyes was the heap of packages laid out at the side. Some of\nthem had been opened, and displayed the varied assortment of the\ncontents. Most conspicuous was Jinnai, who had gone to sleep with the\nbag of all the coin found in the wine shop as pillow. Ah! Ha! The scene\nneeded no interpreter. This was a mere band of thieves, the house their\nden. The man stole to the kitchen. He knew his ground, and that in these\nbachelor quarters no women would be stirring. Jinnai was a\nmisogynist--on business principles. Hearing a stir he would have fled at\nthe rear, but the body of the drunken cook, the intermediary of their\ndealings, lay square across the exit. Fearful he made his return. As he\npassed out the front--\"Alas! Alas! What is to be done? The Sensei, so\njust and prompt in his dealings, so kind in his patronage, is a mere\nthief. Report is to be made. As witness this Sentaro[u] will send the\nSensei to the execution ground. But the honoured mother--no trouble is\nto be brought on her. By other discovery ... and perchance someone has\nseen this entrance! What's to be done? What's to be done?\" He did one\nthing in his perplexity. He shut the outside door, closed fast the big\ngate, and departed by the service gate. Thus no others should intrude on\nthis rash man; and likewise Jinnai had no inkling of his visit. Then the\n_doguya_ fled to his home, so blue in the face and overcome as to\nfrighten the household. They gathered round the unhappy man with hot\nwater to drink as restorative. \"Had he seen a ghost?\"\n\nAll day he pondered. Then he told his story to Aikawa Chu[u]dayu. The\nofficer was indebted to Sentaro[u]; for many a hint in his operations.\n\"Deign somehow, honoured _yo[u]nin_, that the Sensei be allowed to\nescape. For this Sentaro[u] to appear as witness will bring down the\ncurse of one sure to be visited with execution. Condescend this favour.\"\nChu[u]dayu looked on him with approval, but shook his head in\ndoubt--\"Never mind the curse of one dead. The service to the suzerain is\nmost opportune. Thus surely there will be reward, not punishment. For\nthe present you cannot be allowed to leave, but the mother shall suffer\nno anxiety. There is much serious matter against this man; perchance no\ntestimony will be called for.... Strange he should be caught thus; on\nboth sides, and in accordance.\" He looked over the scroll he held in his\nhands, and with it took his way to his master's apartment. Thus it was\nhe could spring on Shu[u]zen the greater affair concerning the long\nmissing man. Making his report of the tale of the _doguya_ he passed\nover the scroll he held in his hand--\"The fellow is caught in both\nquarters. There are three of these _ro[u]nin_, most intimate. Of this\nMarubashi Chu[u]ya little favourable is known, but he has the support of\nYui Sensei, the noted master of the Ushigome Enoki fencing room, and\nfavourite of all but Hida no Kami, whom he would rival in attainment.\nShibata Saburo[u]bei and this Kato[u] Ichiemon seem honourable men, of\nclean lives and reputation beyond the fact of being _ro[u]nin_. All\nexperts at arms they live by teaching one form or other of the practice.\nCuriosity led Chu[u]ya to the encounter of this Osada at his fencing\nhall, to find him more than his match at everything but his favourite\nart of the spear. But here lies the point. Later he returned, in company\nwith a one time _shoke_ of the Zo[u]jo[u]ji. As Dentatsu the priest had\nmet with Jinnai, and nearly suffered at his hands. In what way he did\nnot say, but told Chu[u]ya that the man's real name was Kosaka--of the\nstock of Kosaka Dansho[u] no Chu[u]den of Kai; of him your lordship\nalready has had experience in early days. At last he comes into the net\nand under such fair terms.\"\n\nAoyama did know his man; even after all these years. He had ripened\nmuch. Why not Jinnai? He would have gone himself, and chafed at not\ndoing so; but his satellites showed him the lack of dignity in such\nprocedure. The magistrate in person to take a common thief! Darkness\noffered chance of escape; so with dawn a host of _yakunin_ was sent\nunder a _yoriki_[28] and several _do[u]shin_. Aikawa Chu[u]dayu himself\nvolunteered. Jinnai and his men were not yet up. On the previous day\nawaking amid the unseemly debris of the night's debauch, with no clear\nrecollection of its progress and ending, the chief's first alarm had\nbeen dissipated by finding the outer gate locked. The unbarred wicket\nwas attributed to an oversight which hardly would attract notice from\nthe outside. Indeed he had not been the first to rise and take tale of\nhis companions, to ascertain which one had occasion to open it and go\nwithout. With such a chief few would admit negligence. The day passed\nwithout notice. Confidence was restored. Now from the outside was heard\na hum of voices. \"On his lordship's business! On his lordship's\nbusiness!\" The cries came together with an irruption of _yakunin_ into\nthe entrance hall, Jinnai and his men promptly sprang to arms. A\nscattered fight began, with none too great stomach of the officers\nbefore the stout resistance offered. It was no great matter to reach a\nladder to the loft. Jinnai was the last man up. The more daring to\nfollow was laid low with an arrow shot from above, and the ladder\ndisappeared heavenward. Panels now were thrust back, short bows brought\ninto use, and almost before they had thought to fight or flee the\nconstables had five of their men stretched out on the _tatami_.\n\nBefore the shower of missiles they could but retreat. At the request\nfor aid Aoyama Shu[u]zen was in a rage. There was now no preventing his\ndeparture. Mounting his horse off he rode from Kanda-mura toward\nHarajuku-mura. But it had taken some little time for the messenger to\ncome; and more for Aoyama with his staff to go. Meanwhile much had taken\nplace. The ward constables had joined the _yakunin_ of Shu[u]zen. The\nplace completely surrounded, _tatami_ were taken from the neighbouring\nhouses for use as shields against the arrows. Then on signal a concerted\nrush of the hardiest was made. Pouring in, with ladders raised aloft;\ntumbling each other into the ditches, in the confusion pummelling each\nother with mighty blows, and in consequence securing stout whacks from\nthe enraged recipients; the unlucky constables were soon\nindistinguishable in their coating of mud and blood. The outrageous\nruffians, however, were soon tumbled from the posts of vantage and\nprecise aim by well directed thrusts. A dozen men poured up the ladders\nand through broken panels into the loft above. Here in the uncertain\nlight they hesitated. The figures of the foe could be seen, armed and\nready for an arrow flight. Then a shout was raised from below. Stifling\nsmoke poured up from every quarter. The scene was illuminated by the\nblazing figures of the archers, for these were old armour and weapons,\nlay figures stuffed with straw and meant but to gain precious moments of\nrespite. The _yakunin_ now had themselves to save. The retreat was as\ndisorderly as at their first advent, but their rear was not galled by\naught but flying sparks and burning timbers. Discomfited they watched\nthe blazing mass of Jinnai's once establishment; watched it until it was\na mere mass of ashes and charred beams.\n\nJinnai had been long prepared for such an adventure. The _yakunin_ at\nfirst driven back he followed his company through the tunnel[29] leading\nto beneath a subsidiary shrine in the grounds of the neighbouring temple\nof the Zenkwo[u]ji. Here he dismissed them, with hasty division of the\nraided coin, and instructions to their chiefs to meet him at the\nfestival of the Owari no Tsushima in the fifth month (June). Himself he\nwould go north, to give notice and gather his recruits. Thus exposed at\nEdo, the great uprising now must centre in O[u]saka. They scattered to\ntheir different courses; and thus Jinnai failed to meet the enraged\nAoyama Shu[u]zen, now present on the scene. But even the harsh\ndiscipline of their master had to yield to the piteous appearance of his\nmen in their discomfiture. Aikawa Chu[u]dayu bent low in most humble\napology. They had underestimated the man, had virtually allowed him to\nescape--\"Naruhodo! The figures were of straw, and no wonder yielded so\nreadily to the spear. Only the sight of the flames rising amid the\narmour betrayed the deceit in the gloom of the loft. Deign to excuse the\nnegligence this once.\" A _do[u]shin_, an old and experienced officer,\nspoke almost with tears. Aoyama gave a \"humph!\" Then looking over this\nmud stained, blear eyed, bloody nosed, ash dusted band of his\nconfederates he began to chuckle at the battered and ludicrous\ncomposition. All breathed again. But when he had re-entered his\n_yashiki_, and was left to himself, without concubine for service, or\nJinnai for prospective amusement, then indeed he stamped his feet, his\nbelly greatly risen. Alas! Alas! How could Yokubei Sama find a\nsubstitute for the one; and secure the real presence of the other?\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXII\n\nTHE SHRINE OF THE JINNAI-BASHI\n\n\nIt was one of those small Fudo[u] temples, tucked away on a shelf of the\nhillside just above the roadway, embowered in trees, with its tiny fall\nand rock basin for the enthusiastic sinner bathing in the waters of this\nbitterly cold day. The whole construction of shrine, steep stone steps,\nand priestly box for residence, so compactly arranged with the\nsurrounding Nature as to be capable of very decent stowage into a\ncase--much like those of the dolls of the third or fifth month. The\nnearest neighbour was the Shichimen-shi--the seven faced Miya--in this\ndistrict so dotted even to day with ecclesiastical remnants, from\nTakenotsuka to Hanabatakemura on the north edge of Edo--To[u]kyo[u].\nHowever it was not one of their resident priests who stood at the\n_ro[u]ka_ of the incumbent cleric seeking a night's lodging. The kindly\noldish _do[u]mori_ (temple guardian) looked him over. Nearly fifty years\nof age, two teeth lacking in the front, his head shaved bald as one of\nthe stones from the bed of the Tonegawa, a tired hard eye, thin cruel\nand compressed lips added nothing to the recommendation of the rosary\n(_juzu_) and pilgrim's staff (_shakujo[u]_) grasped in hand; and indeed\nthe whole air of the man savoured of the weariness of debauch, and of\nstrife with things of this world rather than of battles against its\ntemptations. Yet the wayfarer was greeted with kindness, his tale of woe\nheard. His own quarters--a flourishing tribute to the mercies of the\neleven-faced Kwannon, with a side glance at Amida--had gone up in smoke\nthe day before. Naught remained but the store-house, with its treasure\nof _sutra_ scrolls and hastily removed _ihai_ of deceased parishioners.\nThe disaster was not irreparable. His enthusiastic followers already\nsought to make good the damage. Himself he would find aid from the cult\nin Edo.\n\nKosaka Jinnai, for the unfortunate cleric was none else, seated himself\nin the comfortable quarters of the _do[u]mori_, to earn his shelter by a\ntalk which in interest richly repaid the meagre fare, and made amends\nfor no prepossessing exterior. On his pleading weariness the _do[u]mori_\ngot out _futon_ and spread a couch for the guest. This suited Jinnai's\nreal purpose, which was not to loiter close to Edo and Aoyama's claws,\nbut to push on that night toward Tsukuba and old friends, and recent\nones he knew he would find on its none too savoury slopes. But Heaven\ndoes not permit the wicked a continued license in ill deeds. The\nweariness and indisposition pleaded, in part genuine, rapidly grew\nworse. The chilled feeling passed into its palpable and physical\nexposition. With alarm the _do[u]mori_ watched the progress of this\nailment. His hot drinks and solicitude would not produce the needed\nperspiration. Instead the chill was followed by high fever and delirium.\nThe medical man, summoned from the village, was taking leave--\"A plain\ncase of ague from Shimosa's swamps. Is he friend or relative of the\nhonoured Shukke Sama? No?... Alas! A case of resting under the shade of\nthe same tree; of drinking from the same stream.[30] Deign to have a\ncare with this fellow. He says strange things, and raves of robbery and\nstrife--'I am Kosaka Jinnai; the famous Jinnai.' Truly you are to be\npitied at being saddled with such a guest. Doubtless it is affliction\nfor some deed committed in a previous life, a connection of two worlds\nbetween the honoured Shukke Sama and this doubtful guest.\"\n\nThe _do[u]mori_ was an old and foolish fellow; but still able to catch\nthe warning tone and manner of the leech. With anxiety he went to his\nguest. Jinnai was sleeping under influence of the draught administered,\nand on the word of the medical man was insured for some hours\nunconsciousness under the drug. Placing food and drink close to hand,\nout into the darkness went the sturdy old chap. The day saw him at\nHarajuku-mura, wandering around the site of ashes and charred beams of\nthe late conflagration. No sign of renovation was there found. For\nsatisfaction and a meal he turned to the benches of a near-by eating\nshed. His inquiries confirmed his own fears and aroused the suspicions\nof others. \"Truly the honoured Bo[u]zu San must live far from this part\nof Edo. These ruins are of no temple. Here stood the fencing room of one\nOsada Jinnai, a _ro[u]nin_. This fellow turned out to be a famous bandit\nand escaped criminal; no less a person than the Kosaka Jinnai engaged in\nthe attempt of years ago to carry off or slay the Tenju-in-Den of the\nsuzerain's House. Heaven's vengeance long since visited the others. Now\nAoyama Dono seeks this fellow. Is he friend or relative that thus\ninquiry is made?\" The _do[u]mori_ in fright cut short his meal and\nquestions. Paying his scot he made off in a hurry. Soon after one of\nShu[u]zen's spies passing, he was informed of the matter. Then the hue\nand cry was raised through the ranks to find this suspicious cleric.\n\nFrom Jinnai the _do[u]mori_ got little satisfaction on return at dark.\nHe found him sitting, with natural and restored presence, smoking, and\nmeasuring him with the cold cynical glance which froze the marrow in his\nspine. \"Ha! Ah! The honoured Shukke Sama wanders far and long.\" The\npriest did not attempt to conceal fright or mission--\"Honoured guest,\nthe poor quarters of this foolish cleric are open to the afflicted of\nhis kind. But Kosaka Dono, deign at once to remove from here. Already\nthe _yakunin_ are on the trail. Yourself, in the mad fits, you make no\nconcealment of name and exploits. Found here, discredit is brought upon\nthe Buddha, and ruin to this his follower. Condescend at once to seek\nother quarters.\" He looked earnestly and pleadingly at the bandit chief,\nwith squawking groan to lower his head almost to the _tatami_. Jinnai's\neye went through him in his cold wrath--\"Be assured of it; that I am\nKosaka Jinnai; and hence one without fear. Let the _yakunin_ come--to\ntheir own destruction. These quarters just suit this Jinnai--for the\ntime. Cowardly and foolish cleric, you would prattle and bring trouble\non yourself with that wheel of a tongue. Then get you hence. This Jinnai\nundertakes the charge and exercise of the weapons of the furious god.\nBah! They are but of wood.\" To the horror of the priest he gave the\nwooden Fudo[u] which adorned the chamber such a whack that the\nunfortunate and flawed divinity parted into its aged fragments. \"What!\nYou still delay!\" A hand of iron was laid on the old fellow's neck.\nJinnai bent him to the ground. He looked around for implement. None was\nbetter to hand than part of the outraged god. Holding firm his victim,\nand raising his robes, a vigorous hand applied to the priest's cushions\nsuch a drubbing as he had not had since childhood's days. Then grasping\nhim neck and thigh Jinnai cast him out onto the _ro[u]ka_ and down the\nsteps which led to it. The old fellow heard the _amado_ close tight with\nnoise. Thus the unwilling god entered on the service of this new\nsatellite.\n\nThe hue and cry was loud. In the cold of the night the _do[u]mori_\nwandered, afraid in his shame and trouble to approach parishioners;\nafraid in the chill outside air to sleep. A hail came to his ears--\"Sir\npriest, have you not dropped coin?\" Ah! Here was a stranger; and his\ntale he did unfold. Parlous his case; and for him the sky was upside\ndown. \"Most lucky! At our place to-day a prayer of _hyakumanban_\n(memorial service) is to be held. Food, sleep, and counsel, wide enough\nfor this weariness and distress are offered. Deign to go in company.\"\nThus the spy led him to his officer, a _yoriki_ established at\nFuchiemura in the attempt to net this desperate fellow. With joy the\nnews of Jinnai's close proximity was heard. Entrusting the tired and\nbarely conscious priest to the village head-man, officer, _do[u]shin_,\nand _yakunin_ set out. Jinnai had overrated his capacity. Again the fit\nwas strong on him. He shook and shivered, helpless under the weight of\nevery covering he could find, and dared not move or turn in fear of the\nchill aroused. Then at the outside came the shout--\"His lordship's\nbusiness! Make no resistance; submit at once to the rope, in hope to\nsecure grace.\" The _yakunin_ roughly broke down the doors of the\npriest's house. They found Jinnai on foot. Growled he--\"You are not the\nkind to face Jinnai. A rush--to freedom; with such of you as stand for\ncarrion.\" He boasted overmuch. His fit was too strong even for such iron\nresolution. The crisis of the fever was at hand, and his legs bent under\nhim. A shove from behind sent him weakly sprawling in a heap. Then they\nall fell on him, bound him hand and foot, and carried him to the\nvillage.\n\nThe cortege halted on its way to Edo town. Loud had been the lamentation\nof the unfortunate _do[u]mori_. He was a ruined priest. At best a\nwitness, perhaps to be regarded and tortured as the accomplice of this\ndesperate villain; jail or the execution ground awaited him. He plead\nwith this one and with that. With sympathy they heard, but in stolid\nsilence. The spy, who had accosted him, knew the old man well--holy,\npure, somewhat simple and guileless of mind, he was object of reverence\nand gentle derision of the parishioners who sought his service in every\ntrouble. The man spoke to the _do[u]shin_, explained the matter. The\n_do[u]shin_ took him to the _yoriki_ seated beneath a tea shed. The\nofficer nodded; then called for the report. \"There is an error of\ntranscription.\" Thus he altered the characters [tsujido[u]] to\n[tsujido[u]]. Instead of _tsujido[u]_ a cross road temple, now it read\n\"taken at the cross roads\"--\"Call the old man here.\" To the\npriest--\"Through no fault of yours has this man visited you. Be better\nadvised as to other guests.... But now--take this coin. This man's\ncourse is run. He surely will be ordered to the execution ground. Great\nhas been his wickedness, and his grudge is not to be visited on others.\nPrayers are to be said for his soul in the next world. The _do[u]mori_\nof the Fudo[u], his zeal and honesty, his purity of heart and manners\nare vouched for by those who know. Pray for him.... Now--get you hence!\"\nHe put a gold _koban_ in the priest's hand, allowed the joyful\nreverence, and cut short the protests of inconvenient gratitude. The\n_do[u]shin_ shoved him off to the rear. The friendly spy carried him\napart and pointed to a path running through the fields behind the houses\nof the hamlet. None cared to observe his departure. Thus Jinnai came to\nEdo, minus his ghostly purveyor.\n\nFirst carefully was his body nourished for the coming entertainment.\nWith clement genial smile Aoyama Shu[u]zen claimed the acquaintance of\nthis one time antagonist. As to the past and recent events there was no\ndoubt. Aoyama had hazy, but little confirmed, ideas of greater objects;\nknowing as he did the early nature and history of Jinnai. But the\nTokugawa were now so firmly seated. Confession was to be secured in the\nfirst place, to legalize the execution; and information in the second\nplace, if such existed. Of confession there was none; not even answer.\nJinnai closed tight his lips in scorn. Then first he was scourged; the\nscourging of he who is already condemned. The stout fellows stood\nforward with their _madake_; those thin slips of rattan, two feet in\nlength, wrapped into a bundle an inch in thickness with stout hempen\ncord. Ah! How flexible and painful! As they laid on quickly the welts\nand bloody stripes appeared. At the hundred and fiftieth blow the\nmedical man and legal procedure demanded forbearance. He was removed.\n\"Cure his back!\" roared Shu[u]zen. \"Rub salt into the cuts. Next time\nthe tender surface will force at least words from his lips.\" But he\nunderestimated his man. Bound to a stake, with arms behind, kneeling on\nthe sharp grids, Jinnai hugged the stones--five, six, seven--Chu[u]dayu\nleaped down to aid the _do[u]shin_ in pressing down the weight of nearly\neight hundred pounds resting between chin and doubled hams. The body of\nJinnai grew lobster red, his lips were tinged with bloody foam and gouts\nappeared. The hours passed. The black colour of the feet rose upwards.\nThen the sign was given and the man taken away in a dead faint, without\nthe utterance of word or groan.\n\nThus the game went on. Now it was the lobster. Aoyama would not go to\nthe prison, nor miss the sight. For a whole morning with curiosity he\nwatched the progress of the torture. Jinnai lay on a mat. Arms pulled\ntight to the shoulders and behind the back, the legs drawn together in\nthe front and dragged up to the chin. The body at first had the dark red\nof a violent fever, but the sweat which covered it was cold as ice. Then\nthe colour darkened to a purple, changed to an ominous blackish green.\nSuddenly it began to whiten. In alarm the doctor ordered relief. With\nwrath Shu[u]zen rose from his camp chair close by; still no confession.\n\nWhat was suspension to this? Jinnai hung limp as a dangling fish from\nthe beam. Arms drawn behind his back and upward to the shoulders, a\nweight added to the feet made any movement of the limbs agony to the\nwhole body. It was a sort of prolonged crucifixion. When blood began to\nooze from the toes again removal was ordered. Of the latter part of the\ntorture Jinnai knew little. He was unconscious. This hardy body of his\nwas adding to his torments. Even Shu[u]zen could not help admiring this\nobstinate courage. He would try one other means--flattery; genuine in\nits way. \"Useless the torture, Jinnai, as is well known with such a\nbrave man. But why prolong this uselessness? Done in the performance of\nofficial duty, yet it is after all to our entertainment. Make confession\nand gain the due meed of the fear of future generations, their\nadmiration and worship of such thorough paced wickedness. Surely Jinnai\nis no ordinary thief. Shu[u]zen never can be brought to believe him\nsuch.\" He spoke the last somewhat in scorn. At last Jinnai was touched\nwith anger. He opened eyes, and, for the first time, mouth--\"Aoyama Dono\nspeaks truth. But why regret past failure? My followers? They number\nthousands. Why rouse envy or show favour by giving name of this or that\nlusty fellow? The object? As to that exercise your wits. Fat wits; which\nin these twenty years could not hunt out this Jinnai. Ah! 'Twas but this\nunexpected illness which played this evil trick; else Jinnai never would\nhave faced Shu[u]zen; except sword in hand. This Jinnai is a thief, a\nbandit; the tongue grudges to say. Such is his confession. Not a word\nmore--to Aoyama Uji.\" He closed his eyes and mouth. Enraged at the\nfailure and familiarity Aoyama shouted out--\"The wooden horse! The water\ntorture!\" They mounted the man on the sharp humped beast. Lungs, belly,\nabdomen wide distended, in every physical agony, his body could but\nwrithe, to add to the torture of his seat as they dragged down on his\nlegs. Eyes starting wildly from his head, gasping for air, the\nunfortunate wretch was given the chance to belch forth the liquid.\n\"Atsu!\" The cry was between a sigh and a yelp of agony. Then he fainted.\nWith chagrin at his failure Aoyama Shu[u]zen put official seal to the\nconfession bearing the thumb print of Kosaka Jinnai. Thus ended this\nphase of the contest between the two men.\n\nJinnai's body was too racked by the torture for immediate sentence. When\nhe was brought in the court Aoyama Shu[u]zen had another wicked surprise\nto spring upon him. Jinnai's rejuvenating eye noted the band of\npeasants, the two beautiful girls brought captive in their midst. He\nknew at once who they were; even if the viciously triumphant look in\nShu[u]zen's eyes, the piteous fright and affectionate sympathy in\ntheirs, had not enlightened him. The presence of O'Kiku and O'Yui was\ndue to an ill freak played by fortune. In the fall of the year an\nillness of the mother--cold?--came to its end and herself with it. What\nwas to be done with farm and girls? To the villagers this question was\nof serious debate. Of one thing they were in dense ignorance. Three\nyears before a new farm hand appeared in Jisuke's household, and men\ncould well wonder at the favour he found with the old man. With some\nmisgivings they had warned him against recklessly introducing a strange\n_muko_, without first consent of the village. Jisuke assured them\nagainst what was actual fact. Wataru Sampei was a _samurai_, of\n_samurai_ stock, and liegeman to his own old masters of Kai province. It\nwas with the consent and approval of the dying man that O'Kiku was\nunited to him. The household in Nippon is adamant in its secrets to the\noutside world--and that against the most prying curiosity anywhere\nfound. O'Kiku lay in of her child and nursed the babe in her own nurse's\nhouse. Thus in full ignorance the council met to consider the request\nmade by the girls to communicate with Jinnai--Osada Sensei--at the\nfamous _yashiki_ of Aoyama.\n\nMost of them were ready to consent. Then rose one Jinemon, smarting\nunder the sense of having fields adjacent, coupled with flat refusal to\nhis son of the simple girl O'Kiku. He suspected this virginity of nearly\ntwenty years; and with an ill turn to this obstacle might do himself a\ngood one. \"Take heed, good sirs, what counsel ye come to. News fresh\nfrom Edo couples the name of Osada Sensei with Kosaka Jinnai; makes him\nout a violent bandit and would be ravisher years ago of the\nTenju-in-Den. Surely his fate will be hard. Send them to the _yashiki_\nof Aoyama--but to that of Aoyama Shu[u]zen Dono. Thus their request is\nmet; and no blame incurred. The honoured _bugyo[u]_ (magistrate) answers\nfor the district (Aoyama), and the girls will not suspect the\ndestination. Otherwise, look well to yourselves. Aoyama Sama is known as\nthe Yakujin. Great his influence in Edo, and sour his wrath as that of\nEmma Dai-O[u]. It will fall heavy on you.\" This intimation, that he\nwould do what they would avoid, soured all the milk of human kindness.\nWataru Sampei, departed in all haste to Edo, returned in fright to\nannounce his discovery of the state of affairs. The father Jinnai then\nwas undergoing the harsh tortures of Shu[u]zen. He found the farm in\ncharge of Jinemon and his son; the two girls already sent in all\nignorance to the _yashiki_ of Aoyama. Receiving a harsh dismissal he\ndared not punish, from the house and tears of the old nurse he received\nas if by theft his infant son. With him he took his way to Edo; to\nestablish himself as gardener at Honjo[u] Koume; or at Narihira, some\nsay.\n\nIn daily rounds of the jail the _do[u]shin_ stood over Jinnai. In three\ndays this man was to go to Torigoebashi. Here he was to be crucified and\nspeared--\"with many spears\" ran the sentence, to indicate the\nprolongation of the torture. \"Jinnai, you have shown yourself brave,\nhave refused to name even one associate. The time passes. Perhaps some\nwish, not incompatible with duty, comes to mind.\" Jinnai opened his eyes\nat the unexpected kindly tone and words. It was as if one soldier looked\ninto the eyes of his compeer on the battle field, as well could be the\ncase with this man older and of more regular experience than himself.\nThe answer came with the measured slowness of an earnest thanks and\nappreciation--\"The offer comes from a kind heart, shown on previous\noccasions.... There are women held here.\" He hesitated. \"Deign the last\ncup of cold water at their hands.\" The officer did not refuse. O'Kiku\nand O'Yui knelt beside the couch on which lay the broken body of the\nfather. Said Jinnai--\"The end is most unseemly; words grudge to speak\nthat mere accident thus should determine the fate of Kosaka Jinnai; he\nwho sought to determine the fate of Tokugawa Ke. A dagger would have\nsecured the fitting ending, that you two should not bear the public\nservice of the town, a certain fate. This remedy Jinnai now forbids.\nWith life changes occur; old scores are wiped out. Hearken well: live\nwith patience; serve well to the hour. Now the last cup of life is to be\ndrained; this first meeting brought to an end.\" Tears running down her\nface O'Yui, mere child budding into womanhood, presented to her sister\nthe vessel never used as yet and filled with the cold liquid. From the\nhand of O'Kiku it was accepted. Jinnai drank, looked long and earnestly\ninto the face of both, then with a wave of the hand dismissed them. He\nhad had his say. The hardness of the man returned, and all his courage\nwith it.\n\nThree days later--Sho[u]ho[u] 2nd year 12th month 1st day (17th January\n1646)--the procession was formed to move to the execution ground at\nTorigoebashi. The assembled cits marvelled at sight of the man and\nrumour of his extraordinary wickedness. There was a concentration of\nmind and energy in the face of Jinnai, which under any condition would\nattract attention. The centre of the scene, he bore himself splendidly.\nDespite the pain he suffered no incapacity was pleaded. Thus he forced\nnature. The costume of the famed robber at this noted execution in Edo's\nannals? He wore--\"a wadded coat (_kosode_) of fine silk from Hachijo[u]\nin Izu, and that of quintuple stripe. The _obi_ (sash) was seamless and\nof a purple crape. Into brick coloured leggings was twisted bias white\nthread, and his straw sandals (_waraji_) matched them.\" The jail had\ngiven to a naturally fair colour a somewhat livid greenish tint,\nrendered more commanding and terrible by the piercing cold eyes. Those\nfar off said--\"How mild looking! How tranquil!\" Those near at hand\nshuddered and were glad at the removal of such wickedness. The\n_yoriki_--informed of the purport--let him speak. Jinnai turned to the\ncrowd. His voice reached far. \"Brought to contempt and a punishment\nwords grudge to mention, this Jinnai holds not evil thoughts against\nthose who carry out the law. The ill fortune of unexpected disease made\ncapture easy, and has brought about this vile ending. Hence on death\nJinnai will not leave this place; but as an evil spirit remain to answer\nthose who pray for relief from the mischance of this ill disease. Those\nafflicted with _okori_ (malaria) shall find sure answer to their\nprayers. Held now in no respect, this later will be bestowed. The last\npurposes of those about to die are carried out.\" He ceased speaking. A\nsign and he was stripped and raised on the implement of torture [ki] ill\ndescribed as a cross. For hours he hung, revived from time to time with\nvinegar. Then signal was given for the end. First one, then another,\n_yakunin_ thrust a spear into his belly, seeking least injury and\ngreatest torture. As he approached the utter prostration of a\ndissolution the _yoriki_ gave sign. The spear point thrust into the\nvitals showed through the left shoulder. And Jinnai died.\n\nTo the north, just beyond the present Torigoebashi, is the Jinnaibashi,\nrelic of this episode. On the north, close by the Torigoe Jinja stands\nthe shrine to Jinnai, the god granting cure to sufferers from ague. No\nmean resort is it; nor modest the offerings of wine to his service.\nThere it has endured through these hundreds of years. Jinnaibashi,\nJigokubashi (Hell Bridge) is a relic of the place of execution soon\nabandoned. After the fifth year of the period the jail was removed to\nTemmacho[u]; the execution ground to Kotsukabara.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXIII\n\nA WINTER SESSION\n\n\nAoyama Shu[u]zen was in conference with Chu[u]dayu. Preparations were to\nbe made. It was with something like dismay that the members of the\nEndurance Society received the missive--\"At this season of the great\nheat your honoured health is matter of solicitude. More and more may it\nthrive. Hence the condescension of the honoured (your) litter is\nrequested on the coming sixteenth day. The wish is expressed to offer a\ncup of inferior wine. With fear and respect:--\n\nTo....\"\n\nAlas! Alas! If they could have but reached the ceremonies of the New\nYear.[31] This rascal Aoyama would have been too occupied with the\nofficial visits to press his right to a meeting in the season of extreme\ncold (the _tai-kan_). But now--on the 16th day of the 12th month (2nd\nFebruary): Ah! Ha! He was a wicked fellow. The grudge properly lay\nagainst Kondo[u] Noborinosuke who had sweated the juice out of them in\nthe intense heat of the hot season. Now Aoyama proposed to freeze it on\nthe surface of their bodies. But to refuse was out of the question.\nCharged with weakness and effeminacy one would be laughed at as a fool;\nbe unable to show his face. After all perhaps one could escape the\nordeal with life.\n\nThe 15th day, on which the invitations were issued, was threatening. The\n16th day fulfilled the promise. Cold blew the blasts down from snow clad\nTsukuba, with full sweep across the Shimosa plain. As it caught the\nunfortunates crossing the Ryo[u]gokubashi in their progress toward the\nBancho[u], they shook and shivered with more than anticipation. An\noccasional flake of snow heralded the heavier fall. At the _yashiki_ of\nAoyama all was in readiness to welcome the guests. Shu[u]zen stood at\nthe house entrance to greet them. With thin open silken robe thrown over\nhis _katabira_ or summer robe, lacking shirt, and wearing the wide woven\ngrass cloth _hakama_ (trousers) which sought every breeze, he carried a\nfan in his hand. The _kerai_ met the guests with ice cold water for such\nas cared to dip the hands--and none dared refuse. Shu[u]zen fanned\nhimself vigorously; and his guests were zealously supplied with fans, or\nthe heat inspired by their progress was dissipated in the draught raised\nover them by energetic hands. The door-man (_toritsugi_) monotonously\nsang out the new arrivals--\"Abe Shirogoro[u] Sama, Kondo[u] Noborinosuke\nSama, O[u]kubo Hikoroku Sama, Yamanaka Genzaemon Sama, O[u]kubo Jizaemon\nSama, Endo[u] Saburo[u]zaemon Sama, Kanematsu Matashiro[u] Sama, Okumura\nShu[u]zen Sama...\"; and Shu[u]zen had greeting for all. \"Ah! Ha! Such\nterrific heat! Not for sixty years has such been experienced. An old\nfellow in the _yashiki_ will answer for it. But be sure all has made\nready for comfort. Truly the honoured presence in these dog days in a\ngratification. The viands, the drink, all have been carefully cooled.\nDeign to come within, to a cooler place, away from this desolating heat.\nCondescend to notice how the very leaves have been withered off the\ntrees.\"\n\nWith inward groans, their teeth chattering and their bodies shivering,\nthey followed this merciless fellow. \"Ha! Ha! For tobacco there will be\nfire in the braziers. At least one's fingers are assured of warmth.\"\nThey smirked at the anticipated pleasure. Warm fingers and the heated\n_sake_! But--Oya! Oya! Bare were swept and wide open thrown the rooms.\nScreens (inner and outer) had all been taken away. From the garden came\nthe cold blast, blowing icily through this wide bare space. For\ncushions--the straw _zabuton_; for fire in the braziers--punk! Explained\nShu[u]zen in all kindness and suavity--\"Fires in the braziers in this\nheat were too terrific even to think of; so punk (_hinawa_) has been\nsubstituted.... No need for thanks; the mere duty of the host. And\nnow--no ceremony: off with the garments of all. A middle cloth answers\npurposes of decency. Deign the trial. Here is cold water to cool the\nheated body.\" Promptly he stripped to the skin. The _kerai_ were\nbringing to the verandah black lacquered basins filled with water in\nwhich ice floated. Before this terrific fellow there could be no\nhesitation. They followed his example in being soused from head to foot.\nIn the wiping--\"Let the rag hang loose. Don't wipe with knotted towel.\nStupid fellows! The cool wetness clinging to the skin gives a shiver of\ndelight.\" Thus shouted Shu[u]zen to his officiating satellites. Then all\nthe guests took seats. The mucous was running from the noses of the old\nfellows who had fought campaigns at Odawara, Sekigahara, O[u]saka.\nAoyama noted it with delight; and even Kondo[u] felt a grudge against\nhim, yet was compelled to laugh.\n\nThe viands were brought--to send a chill down the spines of all;\nmacaroni in cold water (_hiyamugi_), and the equally heating sea ear in\nfrozen salt water (_mizugai_). Shu[u]zen urged the latter, as better\nfitted for the season. As piles of _sashimi_ (sliced raw fish), resting\non neat beds of shaven ice, were brought eyes looked to heaven--to hide\nthe expression. When the wine appeared, the bottles immersed to the neck\nin tubs filled with salted ice, the more recondite parts of the room\nechoed groans. Even Shu[u]zen smiled with complacence. He felt he had\nscored success. It was Endo[u] Saburo[u]zaemon who showed no sign of\ndiscomfiture. \"Naruhodo! Aoyama Uji, in this great heat how explain a\nthing so strange? Deign, honoured sir, to look. This white substance\nfalling from the sky; if it were not so hot, one would call it snow.\"\nSaid Aoyama undisturbed--\"Not so, Endo[u] Uji. It is but from wild geese\nfighting in the sky, their feathers; or perchance _kanro_--the sweet dew\nwhich falls from heaven when a virtuous lord condescends to rule. Who\nmore virtuous than the honoured suzerain?\" All bowed in heartfelt\nenthusiasm and respect. Then said Saburo[u]zaemon--\"'Tis a thing to note\ncloser at hand; a stroll in the garden, to seek its coolness in this\nheat.\" He leaped down into the fast accumulating snow.\n\nOthers too stole away, at least to get protection from the outrageously\ncold blasts of the exposed rooms, and the further exactions to be\nanticipated from the ingenuity of their host. Growled Kanematsu--\"It is\nthe value of one's life risked with such a fellow as Aoyama. Where\nKanematsu sits the snow drifts in on his shoulders. He is without\nconsideration or mercy.\"--\"For any: his women must find service in such\na _yashiki_ a substitute for the torments of Emma Dai-O[u].\"--\"Not so,\"\nsneered Kondo[u]. \"Even the wife is but a wooden figure; much like\nKondo[u]'s fingers.\" An idea seemed to come to him. He left them for the\ntime being. The others stood sheltered from the wind, to talk and\nshiver, Endo[u] joined them from his garden stroll. Seeing Kondo[u] on\nhis return, said Abe Shiro[u]goro[u]--\"Eh! Naruhodo! The smile of pain\nrelieved! Kondo[u] Uji, has he found means to unbend, to thaw out those\nfingers? Ha! The rascally fellow knows the way about. There is hot water\nat hand. Deign to give the hint, Kondo[u] Dono.\" Kondo[u] leaked a\nsmile, then snickered--\"It was but an idea. Hot water in this _yashiki_\non such a day there is none. But it is always to hand for the effort.\nThe fingers of Kondo[u] were turning white, were in danger, and so....\"\nHe held out his fingers for inspection. Abe looked with envy. \"They\nfairly steam!\" Then suddenly putting his fingers to his nose--\"Oh! Oh!\nThe filthy fellow! Kondo[u] Uji! Deign to wash your hands. Indeed hot\nwater is always carried on one's person. But....\" All grasped their\nnasal members and protested. Noborinosuke laughed outright, and\nsubmitted to the ablution. Abe in malice gave the hands a copious\nlibation. For the nonce his fingers had been saved and Kondo[u] was\nsatisfied with the outcome.\n\nA woman dressed in the summer garb for service came from a room close\nby. The opening and closing of the _sho[u]ji_ gave Endo[u]\nSaburo[u]zaemon a glimpse. At once--\"This way....\" His tone commanded\nattention. Abe Shiro[u]goro[u], Kanematsu Matashiro[u], O[u]kubo\nHikoroku followed him. It was the maids' sleeping room they entered.\n\"Are! Are! Have not the honoured sirs made a mistake? Deign to return to\nthe other apartment. This is the maids' dressing room.\"--\"And in no\nbetter place can one be,\" grumbled Shiro[u]goro[u]. His eyes took in the\nroom with avid curiosity. Here the girls quickly slipped into winter\ngarb, until called to the banquet hall for service. But it was not the\nglimpse of shoulders of the one so engaged at the moment, as the brazier\ncovered by a quilt and placed in the centre of the room. From this the\ngirls had emerged in confusion. Said he reprovingly--\"Eh! Eh! In this\ngreat heat to have a brazier--it is more than out of season. Surely it\nis against the order of the master of the house.\" The girls, uneasy and\nat a loss, had but for answer--\"It was the idea of O'Kiku....\" The\nbeauty, still flushed with the suddenness of her effort, came forward\nsmiling. The attention of all was riveted. A little taller than the\naverage of her sex, very fair of skin, the sparkling eyes in the pure\noval of the face framed in tresses reaching almost to her feet, the tiny\nfeet and long fingers appearing from the edge of the robe, the\nincomparable poise of head and neck, this woman was a beauty, to be\nrivalled by few in Edo town. The voice too was as musical as were her\nwords to the frozen men--\"It is but a water _kotatsu_; so that one can\nbe cooled in this extreme of heat.... Within? Ice--of course. Deign to\nenter.\" The suppressed groan of Abe was cut short. He looked fixedly at\nthe bright laughing face before him. The smile was pained and\nstereotyped, but the sympathy was evident. He understood. \"Ho! Ho!\nEndo[u], Kanematsu, O[u]kubo, deign to try this delicious coolness. Ah!\nHa! This water _kotatsu_ is a splendid idea. In this great heat it\nrestores one to life. Truly Kiku is as clever as she is beautiful; one\napart from all the others.\" The men crowded together under the\n_kotatsu_--\"More ice! More ice! The _hibachi_ grows warm.\" Laughing\nO'Kiku brought the necessary supply with the tongs, blew it into life\nwith a little bellows.\n\nAll the time Endo[u] observed her closely. To Abe--\"Truly she is a\nbeauty.... Your name is Kiku.... And age?... Twenty years only!... So\nKiku is sempstress in the house of Aoyama Uji. So! So!\" He and Abe\nregarded her attentively. They praised her beauty. The crimson blush\nspread over face and neck, adding to her charm. Thoroughly warmed the\nmen left the room. Said Endo[u]--\"Oh, the liar! This Aoyama poses as a\nmisogynist, takes a wife--perforce, and charges those of us who like\nwomen with effeminacy. O[u]kubo, how about this Kiku.... The Sempstress?\nOh, you stupid fellow! Why--there is no more beautiful woman in Edo. She\nis the mistress of Aoyama; who deceives and mocks us all. And now--to\nbring him to open shame.\" Aoyama Shu[u]zen, quick to note their absence,\nand the return so refreshed, was much put out. \"Where have these fellows\nbeen?\"\n\nEndo[u] Saburo[u]zaemon was not slow in the attack. \"Truly, Aoyama Uji,\nwords do not fit deeds. Are you not a bit of a rascal?\"--\"Why so?\" was\nthe calm reply of Shu[u]zen, always ready to a quarrel. \"You pretend to\nhate women; you charge us with effeminacy who have wives; and take your\nown but on compulsion. Yet in this very house there is not only a wife,\nbut the most beautiful woman in Edo for concubine.\" Shu[u]zen's\nastonishment was too manifest. \"Who?\" said Endo[u], with some misgiving\nthat he had missed fire. \"This Kiku; would you deny it?\"--\"Surely so,\"\nwas Shu[u]zen's assured reply. Then seeing the curiosity of those around\nhe added with courtesy--\"This Kiku is a slave girl, a criminal under\njudgment, a _yatsu-ho[u]ko[u]nin_ by favour. Would you know about her?\nShe is daughter to the robber Jinnai, not long since put to death. The\nlaw may be harsh, yet it condemns the line of such men to extinction,\nand sends their issue to the execution ground. Whether through good\nwill, or mistaking the Aoyama Harajuku, the resort of this Jinnai, for\nthis _yashiki_, the villagers brought the two girls Kiku and Yui from\nnear Tsukuba. In pity one was taken into the life service of the\n_yashiki_. For his business Jinzaemon of the Yoshiwara Miuraya\nconsidered the younger Yui as more fitting. To him she was bound as\n_yatsu-yu[u]jo[u]_.... Husband? No: and thus all posterity of the robber\nis stamped out. Yui serves for life as harlot in the Yoshiwara, with no\nrecognized issue. Kiku serves for life at the _yashiki_. The case is a\npitiable one.\" All present echoed what he said. \"It is the offence, not\nthe person, which is to be hated. Truly it is a hard lot.\" They were\ncurious to see her. Said Shu[u]zen--\"Surely she has been rated too high,\nbut--summon Kiku here.\" As the girl stood in the midst for all to\nobserve, blushing and panting a little with fright at all these eyes\nupon her, there was no gaze more intent than that of Aoyama Shu[u]zen.\nThe pity expressed and the praises lavished reached his ears. He studied\nher from head to foot, heard the caustic criticisms--\"Such a beauty, and\na serving wench! Aoyama is a fool.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXIV\n\nTHE TIGER AT THE FRONT GATE; THE WOLF AT THE POSTERN\n\n\nThus it came about that O'Kiku was an inmate of Aoyama's _yashiki_. He\nhad told the tale, the fatal error drawn by the mother from the\npeasant's message. It was her own deed. Thus \"evil seed produces evil\nfruit. In one's posterity is punishment found.\" All knew Kiku's story.\nPromptly with her appearance in the household she was named\nShioki--O'Shioki San, O'Shioki San; when not addressing her these\ncompanions called it to each other for her to hear. Shioki? It means\n\"the execution ground.\"\n\nA flower blooms but to wither; and this flowering branch was to be\ntended by the master's hand. Now she was faced with a new and terrible\ndanger. O'Kiku was quick to note the state of Shu[u]zen's household. Of\nthe _koshimoto_, two were the favoured concubines during the\nincapacitation of the wife. The lowliness of her own position--menial\nservant and mere serving wench--would seem to protect her. Moreover she\nwas not brought into contact with the house master. But after all she\nwas the _bushi's_ daughter, brought up by a mother trained from youth at\nthe hand of the _samurai_ grandmother. Thus dragged out into the light\nby indiscreet curiosity the tiger's eye had fallen upon her. Shu[u]zen\nmarvelled at his stupidity, his oversight. This woman was indeed a\nbeauty, the concubine for long sought, and to hand free of her charms.\nHe stood adjusting his robes; then lost in thought. There were\nobstacles--in the girl's position. But that night O'Kiku was ordered to\nserve the wine. The intelligence and training, corresponding to the\noutward physical charms, aroused in him a very fury for possession.\nAbrupt, blunt, overbearing he approached her in the coarsest way--\"Kiku,\nfirst pity and now love has seized upon the heart of Shu[u]zen. With\nwomen all his relations have been those of cold formality--the business\nof connection or the necessity of an heir. Now an entirely different\nfeeling is aroused. The very sight of Kiku's figure inspires fondness,\nan exclusion of all others of her sex. 'Tis Kiku alone who remains the\nobject, all others are mere lay figures. You are a woman, and by nature\nknow of such things. Is not this truly love? Consent to become the\nconcubine of Shu[u]zen. Let this very night seal the union.\"\n\nHe attempted to draw her close to him, but she shrank away in confusion\nand fright. Shu[u]zen was amazed--\"What! You refuse?... Ah! Then it is\nhate of this Shu[u]zen which is felt. Most unreasonable hate, for he\nacted but as _bugyo[u]_ of the land. It is a disloyal hate.\" In his mad\nand thwarted lust his lips trembled. The girl humbly remained\nprostrate--\"Condescend the honoured forbearance. Such could not be the\ncase. Great the favour of Heaven, of your lordship as its agent, in\nsaving this Kiku from the final punishment, the coarse assault of\nmenials. But deign to consider. Kiku is the daughter of Jinnai. She is a\nreprieved criminal in the land, can be naught else but of lowest status.\nKind the honoured words, great the gratitude inspired; but is not the\nsummons unseemly. Deign forbearance; add not to the offence of Kiku.\" In\nher mind was the last scene with her father Jinnai; the tortured,\ndistorted, suffering body of the condemned bandit. Pollute her body with\nthis man who had thus played with the one to whom she owed life and\nduty; to the man who had sent the father to the execution ground? She\nwould have used her dagger first on herself, rather than on him. His\nwords did inspire uncertainty. He was the officer in the land, the\nrepresentative of the suzerain, hence guiltless. But that made not the\nidea of his embraces less repulsive, though she wavered in thoughts of\nvendetta--between filial duty and loyal service to the suzerain. Her\nattitude puzzled Aoyama. The unusualness of his proposition he put\naside. Her claim to loyalty, in his hopes as the successful lecher, he\nwas disposed to accept. Was there not something deeper?\n\nThen the battle began between them, to last for those weeks of the\nwinter months. Force matters he would not. There was a zest in this\npursuit, far apart from any mere sensual gratification. The desire he\nfelt for her person was all cruel. It was joined to the desire to humble\nher, to force her to consent by her own lips and motion and against\nreason, to grant the gift of herself even if unwilling. There was an\nenjoyment in soiling the body and mind of this beauty. Thus with refusal\nlove began slowly to turn to a hatred full of malice. One night Aikawa\nChu[u]dayu was present. O'Kiku as usual served the wine. Shu[u]zen\nturned to him impatiently--\"The speech of the overlord is without\neffect. Chu[u]dayu, try your hand, and bend Kiku to consent to my\nwishes, to become my concubine.\" Shamed before the whole household?\nO'Kiku had grown used to this grossness in the determined pursuit of\nShu[u]zen. Now openly addressed before the chamberlain and others she\nlooked down; a little flushed, and hearing with astonishment the words\nwhich came from such a quarter. Chu[u]dayu spoke slowly; addressed her\nwith a severity of tone which belied his intent. \"O'Kiku Dono, why are\nnot thanks given for such condescension on the part of the Tono Sama?\nApart from his rank is not the experience of his fifty years, on the\nbattle field of war and love, to count in his favour? Most imposing and\nstrong his figure, despite his age. All bow in respect before the lines\nmarked by the wisdom of years in his lordships face. Why refuse to\nfollow the example of the other women of the household--and share with\nthem? These are indeed _koshimoto_; your promotion to the position, from\nthe vilest status, but a caprice and kindness. You should obey the order\nof the Tono Sama. His face alone would inspire fear. All regard it with\nawe, as if in contemplation of that of Emma Dai-O[u]. And who refuses to\nobey the mandate of the king of hell? Answer--who?\" He leaned far over\ntoward her. O'Kiku looked at him; then hid her face in her hands.\n\nThese were not her only trials in this Jigoku _yashiki_ (Hell mansion).\nThere was her ladyship to take into account. Says the proverb of the\nNipponese--\"dabble in vermilion, and one is stained red.\" Contact with\nShu[u]zen had developed all the harsher traits in this stern _samurai_\ndame. She despised the former character of her husband, and now was mad\nwith jealousy at his unrestrained lechery. However there was some\nconsolation in this new pursuit. Promiscuous in his intercourse with all\nand every other of her household, she could do but little. These were\nwomen of more or less position. Now he threatened to turn all devotion\nin the one direction of this beautiful girl, to condescend to a serving\nwench.\n\n    \"The Rangiku: it has a fox's shape.\"[32]\n\nThus sneered her fellows. O'Kiku now was punished as scapegoat for all\nthe others. The natural harshness of her ladyship's character turned to\nbarbarity. This \"slave\"--O'Shioki--in no way could satisfy her. The\nslightest fault, of self or other, was visited on O'Kiku. One day her\nladyship in her rage seized her and dragged her by the hair over her\nknees. A short baton of bamboo was to hand, and with this before all she\nput the girl to the shame of childhood's punishment, and with a malice\nand heartiness of will and muscle which left O'Kiku lame, and thus\nvictim in other derelictions of duty. This so pleased the _okugata_ that\nit became a favourite pastime, whenever the girl was at hand and her own\narm had rested. She would have starved her, but the rest contributed of\ntheir store out of mere fellowship. Her ladyship recognized the\nuselessness. She did not dare deface her beauty. Believing in\nShu[u]zen's love her vengeance was confined in its exercise. With\ndespair she regarded her bloated disfigured person, the wan faded aspect\ndue to her advanced pregnancy. Ah! If she could but fasten some offence\nupon her. She would bring about this interloper's death. With delight\nshe noted the signs of dislike and malice in Shu[u]zen. Surely the tales\nwere true that the beauty was holding out for the price of her charms.\nIt should be a case where beauty would not secure pardon.\n\nIt was at this time that, with Shu[u]zen's consent, she put O'Kiku in\ncharge of ten plates condescended in trust to the House by the\nTo[u]sho[u]gu[u] (Iyeyasu). It was a bid of Shu[u]zen, the mark of the\nconferrence of position as _koshimoto_ in his household. Only in the\nmadness of love--or lust--would he have risked such impropriety. The\nregular time for counting had arrived. O'Kiku carefully replaced the\nbeautiful objects, marked with holly hock crest, into their lacquered\nbox. Again Shu[u]zen importuned her with his suit. Then in\nvexation--\"Ah! Truly a rebellious and wicked grudge is held by this\nKiku. Attempt at denial is useless, it is not only rebellion against the\nmaster, but against the decree of the master of all. Decide at once.\nEither be the concubine of Shu[u]zen; or suffer the sword cut.\" Again\nshe plead with him, and Shu[u]zen's eyes opened wide with astonishment.\n\"Condescend the honoured hearing. Kiku has plead as one no longer of\nthis world. 'Tis true. But before now she has already taken the vow of\ntwo worlds.\"--\"What!\" said Shu[u]zen in amazement. His mind lighted up\nas she proceeded--\"It is true. Under guise of farm hand at the village\nlived Wataru Sampei, a _samurai_ and _ro[u]nin_ of the Takeda House of\nKai. By him there is a child--now three years old. Alas! The father\nlives in direst poverty. Twice in the month--the 15th day when the\nfestival of the Ichigaya Hachiman shrine is held, the 25th day when that\nof the Hirakawa Tenjin Sama is held--with the child Jumatsu he is to\npass. A wave of the hand--'Is it Kiku?... Is it mother?' The\nrelationship longed for and regarded as enduring to the whiteness of the\nhair thus is reduced to the wave of a hand. The chaste wife suffers not\nthe embrace of two men. Oh! Husband! Son!\" Weeping O'Kiku hid her face\nin her sleeves as she made her plea.\n\nHarsh and triumphant was the voice of Shu[u]zen as he pressed on this\nnewly discovered weakness. \"Then you lied; Jinnai lied, in calling you a\nmaid. This Sampei and Jumatsu rightly are gallows-birds, doomed to the\nexecution ground. Shu[u]zen has but to say the word. Seized they are put\nto the torture; the child to know the bitterness of the scourge. Such a\ntiny body will be cut to ribbons. Listen well! Obey the command of this\nShu[u]zen. 'Tis the choice between the jewelled palanquin of the\nfavoured mistress, or torture for these two. The kind offices of the bed\nfor Shu[u]zen, or the rottenness of the jail for these two criminals.\nThe gift of Kiku's chastity secures for them oblivion.... You would ask\ntime? To-morrow night, after the counting of the plates, the answer will\nbe received.\" He ceased--to turn to Chu[u]dayu, who for a little time\nhad stood by, as one waiting on a matter of business. O'Kiku, face white\nand drawn, tottered away to her room.\n\nShe had played false, and at a cast lost all. Gloomy, the long hair\nframing the distraught and unhappy face, she sat. \"Unhappy the lot of\nthis Kiku. The sisters left without a father's sanction, to witness the\nshadow on the mother's life; to know that father but as criminal ready\nto be sent to the execution ground; and now, by rashness of the tongue,\nto condemn husband and infant son to such a hideous fate! Remedy there\nis none. Perchance the life of this Kiku in sacrifice for both arouses\nkindness to pardon; or at least secures them in ignorance.\" Now she was\nall decision. Rapidly she loosed the girdle of her sash. The safety of\nher beloved was at stake, and no father's command held. The feet bound\nshe seated herself before the mirror, took up the dagger and felt its\nkeen point, then the morbid soft flesh of the neck. As she raised her\narm it was seized at her side. Noiseless Chu[u]dayu had entered and\nacted in prevention. With a grunt he bent down and severed the sash cord\nwhich restrained her. Then holding the dagger daintily he spoke his\nwill--\"Is not this madness, O'Kiku Dono? The Tono Sama has issued his\nsummons, and the heart does not conform. The secret thought is known to\nthis Chu[u]dayu. Turn therefore to a friend. Safety is not to be sought\nby the drastic method of the steel. Look to flight. Chu[u]dayu aids--nay\ngoes in company. Against him there can be no grudge. If Sampei and this\nboy exist, they are not to be met within the _yashiki_ of Aoyama\nShu[u]zen--either by submission and riding in the jewelled palanquin, or\nby the argument of the dagger. It is an easy matter for Chu[u]dayu. An\nerror confessed in conducting of the accounts, and with purse well lined\nwith the gold of Shu[u]zen this _yashiki_ is abandoned. O'Kiku Dono goes\nin company. Between the two known connection there is none, and without\nthe wife this Sampei and Jumatsu go unharmed. In the relationship with\nJinnai the link is missing and Edo too wide a mark to pick them out. So\nmuch can Chu[u]dayu answer for.\"\n\n\"Ah!\" At times a Buddha is met in Hell itself. With astonishment and\nreverence O'Kiku regarded this saintly apparition. Noting the impression\nmade Chu[u]dayu sat close by her. A little disturbed and restive she\nmoved away. \"The words of Chu[u]dayu Dono are more than kind; never to\nbe forgotten in this world. By such means are Sampei and Jumatsu really\nto be saved?\"--\"Most assuredly,\" was the smooth reply. \"Chu[u]dayu acts\nat once. Deign but the required pledge....\"--\"The pledge?\" O'Kiku spoke\nnow with misgiving filtering into a sinking heart. Said Chu[u]dayu with\nimpatience--\"Pledge: don't feign innocence, O'Kiku Dono. Does Chu[u]dayu\nsacrifice all for the mere amusement of the affair. Amusement there is\nindeed for him. O'Kiku must consent to accept this Chu[u]dayu. Deign to\nchange ox for horse. Failing Sampei, it is to Chu[u]dayu she grants her\nfavours. This is to be agreed--and right now, as pledge, a proof offered\nof her sincerity.\" Now there was no mistaking the words in invitation\nmade plain by eye and gesture. She wrenched away the detaining hands\nlaid upon her; sprang up. \"Ah! Villainous man! You would rob your lord,\ndeceive and betray this Kiku. Such speech is pollution to the ears; the\ntouch of such a creature is loathsome. Chu[u]dayu has the weapon of\nKiku; but Kiku can still cry out and bring the household about your\nears. Beast--away from here!\" Armed as he was Chu[u]dayu was\nafraid--\"'Pollution'--'beast'? Ha! The woman's thought rises after all\nto the surface in her hate. For this you shall pay. Just wait.\" He left\nthe room in haste, to betake himself at once to the apartments of the\n_okugata_. O'Kiku crouched on the _tatami_, her eyes wide open, fastened\non the texture of the straw surface, saw nothing but this new and\nterrible position. She could not die; she could not live; and yet the\ntiger was at the gate, the wolf at the postern.\n\nA maid came to summon her to Shu[u]zen's presence. Knowing her position,\nher feelings, the solidarity of sex had veered to kindliness for this\nunwilling rival. The girl was shocked at sight of her. \"O'Kiku Dono! Tis\nbut for the counting of the plates--as usual.\" She aided her to don the\nceremonial costume. In all the magnificence of her apparel, with hair\ndressed high, she followed after the girl. In her beauty a splendid sight,\nin her heart \"she was as the sheep going to the butcher.\" Her ladyship sat\nclose beside Shu[u]zen. Other _koshimoto_, with Chu[u]dayu and several\nretainers, were present. Despite the customary nature of this vicarious\nreverence to the spirit of the To[u]sho[u] Shinkun (Iyeyasu) there was an\noppression, a suppressed interest, which seemed to fasten every eye on\nO'Kiku as slowly and gracefully she bore the box before her lord, made\nsalutation. \"Open;\" the word from Shu[u]zen's lips came dry and\nharsh--\"One\"--\"Um\"--\"Two\"--\"Um\"--\"Three, four\"--\"Um\"--\"Five\"--\"Um\"--\"Six,\nseven\"--\"Um\"--\"Eight\"--\"Um\"--\"Nine.... Oya! Oya!\" Then in fright--\"What\nshall I do!\" With horror O'Kiku gazed at the fragments of the tenth plate\nlying at the bottom. Shu[u]zen, all moved by his wrath and excitement,\nleaned forward. The holly hock crest ground to powder was almost\nindistinguishable. Hardly able to believe her eyes O'Kiku mechanically\nbegan to finger the pile of porcelain--One, two, three ... they followed\nup to nine.... \"What shall I do!\"\n\nThe malice and ferocity of Shu[u]zen's tone sent a thrill through those\npresent--\"Vicious jade! This is a sample of Kiku's hatred to this\nShu[u]zen, through him of her disloyalty to the revered House. What\nexplanation can be offered? What expiation?\" Slowly and in despair\nO'Kiku raised her head. She caught the triumphant glance passed between\nthe _okugata_ and Chu[u]dayu. All was illuminated. This was Chu[u]dayu's\nthreatened vengeance. As of one dying her voice--\"This is not the deed\nof Kiku. Daughter of the criminal Jinnai she holds no grudge against\nlord or suzerain; would but pray in this world for oblivion of those\noffences in a future existence. Deign, my lord to believe this Kiku.\nMalice acts here. But a short time ago Chu[u]dayu....\" The man sprang\nforward--\"Lying hussy!... Tono Sama, this woman would save herself by\nslander. Plain has been her ill feeling against the honoured lord in\nrefusal to obey his summons. Here lies the proof of ill intent and\nrebellion against the suzerain's House. Surely there is no punishment\nfor such but death!\"--\"Surely there is no punishment for this but\ndeath!\" The harsh voice of the _okugata_ was heard in repetition.\n\nShu[u]zen spoke--\"'A twig broken on the flowering branch of plum, and\nthe whole is to be cut off.' Such the words of Kuro[u] Hangwan\nYoshitsune. Kiku, you are a vile, treacherous woman; undeserving of\nHeaven's favour and the kindness shown by Shu[u]zen. Now you lie--with\nthe fancy tale of child and husband, in order to escape the bed of\nShu[u]zen; with slanderous insinuation to throw your crime against\nothers.... Here!\" At the command the _kerai_ came forward and dragged\nher within reach. Shu[u]zen seized a hand. \"Ten the plates: one broken,\nthe tale destroyed. Apology is to be made. Make full confession. No? For\nthe one, ten are due.\" There was a _hibachi_ close by his side. He\ndragged her arm over the brazier, drew his dagger--\"One.\" At the middle\njoint the finger fell severed into the ashes. \"Two\"--\"Two,\" faintly\nanswered O'Kiku. \"Three\"--\"Three\"--\"Four\"--\"Four\"--\"Five\"--\"Five.\"\nShu[u]zen laughed. \"Kiku cannot hold grudge as being maimed. The stumps\nremain.\" Chu[u]dayu sprang forward at Shu[u]zen's sign. Roughly holding\nthe bleeding stumps he pressed them into the harsh cautery of living\ncoals. A suppressed wailing cry from Kiku, a shuddering and turning away\nof the frightened women; her ladyship laughed out loud. Kiku raised her\nhead and gave her a long look. Shu[u]zen grasped the other arm. The\npunishment went on. \"Six.... No confession?\" One by one the remaining\njoints fell. Only the thumb remained. Like a demon the _okugata_ sprang\nforward. She snatched away the keen weapon, and pressing down the edge\nof the blade triumphant raised the severed digit torn away to the wrist.\nShu[u]zen himself rose in astonishment at the act. All were in a wild\nexcitement. The violent woman strove to shriek, but choked in her rage\nand utterance. They surrounded her and bore her off to her own\napartment.\n\nA wave of the hand and all but Chu[u]dayu had departed. Shu[u]zen was\ndivided between his hate and the certainty of having been deceived.\nBesides, only the body was maimed, and in the malice of his heart he\nwould soil this woman's soul. He leaned over the helpless figure. \"Your\nown deed, Kiku: make confession and submission. There is yet life to\nplead for. Ha! 'Tis true. Vicious wench, you would seek the destruction\nof Shu[u]zen by temptation; the grudge is to be carried to the end.\"\nFrom far off came the answer--\"Alas! To this Kiku are imputed the wet\ngarments. A lie destroys her to whom life is displeasing. Aye! The\ngrudge is to be carried to the end. Against this treacherous Chu[u]dayu,\nagainst Aoyama and his House the grudge. Remember well!\" In fury\nShu[u]zen sprang to his feet--\"Chuu[u]dayu, take hold of this woman. Out\nwith her to the garden!\" With practised hand the chamberlain bound hands\nand feet. Then following after Shu[u]zen he dragged her through the snow\nto the old well. \"'Tis here,\" said Shu[u]zen briefly. Removing the\nbucket the rope was tied under the arms of O'Kiku. \"Your own act and\ndeed, Kiku. In your punishment apology is made to the suzerain House. Go\njoin your father Jinnai at the Yellow Fountain (Kwo[u]sen) in Hell....\nChu[u]dayu, kill her by inches.\" Seeing the chamberlain's hesitation\nShu[u]zen gave the body a push. Swift the descent. The splash of the\nwater was heard. \"Heave up!\" With eager energy Chu[u]dayu brought O'Kiku\nto the curb. \"No confession yet?\"--\"Aye! Grudge the last thought; grudge\nagainst Chu[u]dayu; against this Aoyama, him and his.\" The long wet hair\nhanging about the chalk white face, the bulging glaring eyes, the\ndisordered saturated garments of the half drowned girl, were too much\nfor Chu[u]dayu. The man now was struck with fright. He sought to save\nher. \"Tono Sama, is not the purpose satisfied? A request....\"--\"Coward!\nAre you afraid of the ghost? Surely Kiku will visit the couch of\nChu[u]dayu--as perhaps to his desire.\" But Chu[u]dayu now openly was\nafraid and not ashamed. \"Deign to spare her, Tono Sama.... O'Kiku Dono,\nthis is no affair of Chu[u]dayu. As ghost deign to haunt the Tono Sama.\n'Tis the Tono Sama who kills you.\" He plead; but inexorable the\nwhispering voice--\"The grudge! Against Chu[u]dayu....\" Then in terror\nChu[u]dayu sought the end--\"Ah! Vile bitch!... Tono Sama, deign to cut\nshort the curse, and with it the breath of this hussy.\"--\"Your act and\ndeed, Chu[u]dayu....\" Shu[u]zen took up the rest of the sentence. \"Pass\nyour sword into her belly, Chu[u]dayu; the lord's order.\" Chu[u]dayu\nhesitated. Then looking away he thrust--once, twice. There was a\nsquishing sound, as of steel entering something soft. A heart rending\nscream rang through the air. It was like the ripping apart of silk.\nShu[u]zen stepped to the curb, looked into the agonized staring eyes.\nThen he gave the final thrust of his dagger into the windpipe, and cast\nthe weapon to Chu[u]dayu to cleanse. As if an automaton the man went\nthrough his task: brought the heavy stone to bind into the long trailing\ngarment. Seeing his helplessness Shu[u]zen shrugged his shoulders with\ncontempt. With his dagger he severed the rope. _Dobun!_ A final splash\nof water at the end.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXV\n\nCHU[U]DAYU WINS HIS SUIT\n\n\nChu[u]dayu's legs bent under him. \"Ah! My lord! O'Kiku grasps my neck!\"\nA cold hand laid upon him he shrieked in fear. Shu[u]zen turned--\"Fool!\n'Tis a clod of snow from the tree above, fallen on your collar. Off with\nyou to bed. Truly in these days such fellows are good for nothing.\" Off\nhe strode to the _ro[u]ka_. For a moment he looked out--on the heavy\nflakes coming down like cotton wadding, at the figure of Chu[u]dayu\nstaggering like a drunken man to his quarters. With a laugh he closed\nthe _amado_, seated himself before the heated wine. Yet the woman would\nnot get out of his thoughts. \"What a fool! A matter of no import would\nhave given her position with others and influence with this\nShu[u]zen.... Ha! Ha! How frightened was Chu[u]dayu! It is not the\nshadowy fingers of the dead which do good or ill, but the flesh clad\nmuscles of the living. As to your ghosts....\" He snapped his fingers and\ndrank wine in derision. Thus he spent the early hours of the night.\n\n\"What's that!\" He put the bottle down at the sound of voices in\nexcitement, of running feet. Soon an officer appeared. The _okugata_ was\nthreatened with premature delivery. A physician was to be had at once.\nShu[u]zen shrugged his shoulders with indifference. Five months--seven\nmonths--nine months--what a matter to trouble a man with! So angry was\nhe that they dared not tell him more. Matters were going very badly with\nher ladyship. In her delirium she raved over the past scene of the\npunishment. The tortures of this present delivery were added to an\nhundred fold by the disorders of the over-wrought brain. Then the child\nwas born. The assembled women whispered to each other. A very monster\nhad seen light: perfect in its main parts, but with the face of Emma\nDai-O[u] as a foetus--with the fingers lacking on the hands. They dared\nnot let the sick woman see it. She detected their confusion, asked to\nsee the child. She grew more and more excited with refusal, and they\nwere at a loss what to do. Finally the child was brought, to her\ndistress and confusion. Then--as from the ceiling--\"Shame on the House\nof Aoyama Shu[u]zen. A maimed child, a monster is born as its issue.\"\nAnd the voice began to count, followed by the moving lips of her\nladyship--\"One\"--\"One\"--\"Two\"--\"Two\"--\"Three\"--\"Three\"--monotonously it\nwent on to--\"Nine.... Ah! What shall I do! One is missing. Wa! Wa!\" So\nlamentable the crying voice that a chill went to the hearts of all.\nAgain the count went on; again the failure and the lamentable cry and\nweeping. Her ladyship sat up. They strove to restrain her, but in her\nmadness she shouted back in answer to the counting--\"One, two, three,\nfour, five, six, seven, eight, nine.... Ha! One is missing! Vile slut!\nThus to maim the child in malice.\" She raved and tore at the covering.\nFrom the disordered hair streaming around face and bust looked out at\nthem the wan face of O'Kiku. In disorder the women fled. Driven back by\nthe necessity of their duty they found her lying dead in a pool of\nblood. As for the maimed and deformed monster, he took well to the\nnurse's breast. Such they always do.\n\nWhere was Chu[u]dayu in all this confusion? Shu[u]zen had men hunting\nhim high and low. Angered at his absence, his own dislike and suspicion\nof him as possible rival grew with the night and the hours, rendered\nbitter by these household scenes. He would settle matters with\nChu[u]dayu. \"Yokubei\" he had heard him called; and covetousness turns\nnot only to gold and such like. As fact Chu[u]dayu had good excuse for\nabsence. Much out of sorts he had betaken himself to his own rooms and\nthe care of the old woman in charge, his only female companion in lieu\nof wife. Ah! What weather! The snow changed to sleet and rain drove into\nand chilled to the marrow those out in the storm. The _baya_ (old woman)\nat his entrance was all astonishment--\"Danna Sama! The garments are wet\nthrough. Condescend at once to make a change.\" Gruffly Chu[u]dayu\naccepted her aid. Stripping off first one and then another of the outer\ngarments he too grumbled in his turn--\"What a fool the woman was! To\nlose life against the sacrifice of such a trifling thing. Ah! She was a\nmaddening beauty; of the kind to drive the blood to boiling heat. Never\nagain.... What's that?\" Pon-pon: the sound of someone knocking ashes\nfrom a pipe into the receiver came from the inner room. The _baya_ was\nlaughing--\"Ha! Ah! The Danna Sama is a sly one. He is the one to make\nfriends with the beauties. The lady regretted the Danna's absence, said\nthat she would wait the honoured return.... Who? 'Tis she so sought by\nthe Tono Sama himself; and who instead favours the Danna. O'Kiku\nDono....\" Before the wild stare of Chu[u]dayu, the clutch on her wrist,\nthe old woman stopped in fright. Then from within came the\ncounting--\"One, two, three, four, five\"--\"Six,\" Chu[u]dayu mechanically\njoined in. \"Seven\"--\"Seven\"--\"Eight\"--\"Eight\"--\"Nine\"--\"Nine\"--the words\nwere followed by the chilling lamentable wail of a soul in agony. \"What\nshall I do! What shall I do!\" With a yell Chu[u]dayu dashed to the\n_sho[u]ji_ and threw them back. No one! With astonishment and terror the\nold woman gazed at him as seeking an explanation which did not come.\n\"The lights in the Butsudan! Namu Amida Butsu! Namu Amida Butsu! Praise\nto Amida, the Lord Buddha!... Wine! Wine, and much of it; very hot!\"\n\nHe sat, his head in hands, watching the flickering light in the altar\nstand. \"Ha! 'A woman and a man of small comprehension: these are hard to\ngovern.' Ko[u]shi (Confucius) says it. This Chu[u]dayu has played the\nfool to the Tono Sama's extravagances.\" The bell of Gekkeiji began to\nstrike the hour of the watch. It came clear and mournful across the\nsnow. \"How like a woman's nature,\" says the native scribe.\n\"One\"--\"One\"--\"Two\"--\"Two\"--\"Three\"--\"Three.\" ... Chu[u]dayu went on,\nmechanically following the blows hammered into his brain. Then came the\nheart rending hopeless wail which chilled his very soul. The old woman\nin amazement and pain gave a howl as the hot wine ran over hands and\nfingers. Chu[u]dayu on his feet stupidly gazed at the bottle rolling to\nthe end of the room. \"'Tis of no import,\" he muttered. \"Now--to get\nhence. Close up all. To-night Chu[u]dayu returns not.\"--\"But Danna Sama!\nCondescend to consider! The Danna Sama is not himself. Truly he will be\nill. Deign the honoured couch.\" The couch in that room! He shuddered all\nover. The old woman wrung and wiped her scalded fingers, and would\npersuade him to seek rest. She simpered in her blandishment. \"Where\ncould she possibly have gone, for _baya_ saw no exit? Perhaps the lady\ncomes again; and in the _yashiki_ there is no greater beauty than O'Kiku\nDono. Fortunate the Danna....\" Truly she thought him gone mad. \"Shut\nup!\" roared Chu[u]dayu. His eyes blazing under the heat of the quantity\nof his hot stimulant he thrust her, a heap huddled into a corner of the\nroom. Trembling hands adjusted what garments he could lay eyes upon.\nOver all he threw a long wool cloak with hood and eyelets against the\nsnow. Turning to the entrance he glowered at her, hand on his\ndagger--\"More words of that vile jade, and _baya_ joins her own beneath\nthe stone. This Chu[u]dayu goes to Nakacho[u], to a public woman. If\nthat O'Bake comes again.... Ha! Ha!... Let her lie with Baya.... Why!\nShe's not even rotten yet!\" He left the old woman stupefied and quaking,\nhimself to leap out into the storm and darkness.\n\nOutside the gate he had a shock. In the shadow he ran into a woman\nstanding by, who turned at his greeting. O'Kiku's face? With clenched\nfist he would have struck, but the vision faded. \"Truly the _baya_ is not\nwrong. Chu[u]dayu is mad, or drunk.\" His knuckles had near encounter with\nthe brazen crest fastened into the post. This brought him to himself.\nRapid was his descent of Gomizaka. At its foot was a _kago_ stand. \"The\nDanna Sama from the Aoyama _yashiki_--he condescends the _kago_. One all\nclosed? The Danna Sama will lie as snug as in a _koshi_ (_kwanoke_ =\nhearse).\" Chu[u]dayu took the joke badly. The fellow sprawled on the\nground under the blow--\"Is this a funeral procession? Truly the night\nitself is bad enough--without the joke.\"--\"A scurvy knave,\" humbly\nexplained the _kago_ chief. \"A country recruit, just to hand. Deign to\npardon his impertinence.\" He edged the fellow off, called up another\nman--\"The Danna stands not on the fare? Truly 'tis such a night as rarely\nhas been seen. With wind and sleet the men can barely stand. But the\nDanna is in haste. Surely a woman is at the journey's end.... Not a\npalanquin but with mats.\" Chu[u]dayu was neatly bundled into the litter.\nThe mats were lowered at the sides and covered with oiled paper. \"To\nNakanocho[u]; and at good round pace.\" He hardly heard the functionary's\nwords. \"Ah! How she hated this Chu[u]dayu! How she glared into the Tono\nSama's eyes as he dealt the blow into her pap!... A vicious jade; yet a\nbeauty. Where could such beauty be encountered? May the _kami_ (gods)\ngrant Chu[u]dayu the same good fortune this night!\" More pleasing vision\nsoothed him. He was filled with hot wine and fast grew dazed and sleepy.\nThe gentle motion of the _kago_ rocked him as in a cradle. Yet he could\nnot get sleep. Her voice was in his ears; without, in talk with the\n_kago_ men? He raised a corner of the mat. With surprise--\"Heigh,\n_kagoya_! What place is this?\" He was passing the moat on his right not\nleft; the hill sloped down, not up toward Nakano (Shinjuku). \"Danna Sama,\nit is Suido[u]bashi.\"--\"Suido[u]bashi! And does one go to Nakanocho[u] by\nSuido[u]bashi? Knaves! About with you, and to the right course as\ndirected.\"\n\nThe men, after their kind, grumbled; but to themselves; and in a way\ntheir fare should hear. \"Naruhodo! What a beast of a night is this!\nMate, it is to Nakanocho[u]; but Nakanocho[u] whither? The Danna Sama is\ntesty. He is not to be questioned. He might give a cut. Jubei is lucky.\nHe has changed head for rear. A care there! A care there! What? Again\naround? What a night, and what a Danna to deal with!\" The unconscious\nChu[u]dayu was borne onward. Again the vinous fumes passed off. To his\namazement be saw the water on the left; but not what he sought. \"Heigh!\nHeigh! _Kago_ men, whither now? What place yonder?\"--\"Yanagibara, Danna\nSama.\" Chu[u]dayu's voice was big with wrath. \"True _kago_ men as\nguides! Does one go to Yanagibara to go to Nakanocho[u] of\nShinjuku.\"--\"Oya! Oya! The Danna always tells us to go this way, that\nway. Nakanocho[u], Nakacho[u]--is it Yoshiwara, or Fukagawa, or Naito[u]\nShinjuku to which the Danna goes? 'Tis but the lady at the pole who has\na clear head and forces us to go this way.... Danna, never mind the fare\nmoney. Condescend to alight. It is a hard night; too hard for such a\nbaffling task.... Here is your pretty friend again!\"\n\nChu[u]dayu raised the mat and looked out. Vaguely outlined in the again\nwhirling snowy darkness stood O'Kiku. With wild cry he sprang out, sword\ndrawn. The _kago_ men dropped the litter and took to their heels. Dazed\nChu[u]dayu looked around him. Ah! He was drunk with wine, and visions\nhaunted him. Yanagibara? Let it be Yoshiwara then. Stalking through the\nO[u]mon he made his way to the Nagatoya, a tea house at which he was\nknown. \"Oya! The honoured Danna Sama of the Bancho[u] _yashiki_. In good\nseason Aikawa Dono; the lady awaits the honoured _buke-sama_.\"--\"A lady\nwaiting? Fool! Who brings a woman to this market where he comes to\npurchase?\" The _banto[u]_ (clerk) of the tea house insisted. \"Aikawa\nSama, is it not fact? She is barely of twenty years; outstripping in\nbeauty the greatest of the Go Tayu.... Her name? O'Kiku San....\" In his\namazement the man rose from his kneeling salutation, craned his neck to\nwatch the flying figure of Chu[u]dayu disappear. Perhaps the Danna had\ngone mad. Surely he was mad; and not one to come on foot on such a night\nand all the way from the Bancho[u]. He sighed at loss of such an eager\ncustomer.\n\nChu[u]dayu walked into the first tea house to hand when he had stopped\nfor breath. A first visit, his tea money (_chadai_) was munificent. Such\na customer deserved good treatment from the Izuzuya. Hence the attendant\nguided him to the Miuraya, where was bespoken the presence of the\nbrilliant _oiran_ O'Yodo. The hour was late. The _oiran_ was detained.\nChu[u]dayu was sleepy and demanded his room. Hardly had he taken to his\ncouch to await her presence than he was asleep. Leaving her other guest\nO'Yodo pushed open the _sho[u]ji_ and entered. She deserved her\nreputation for beauty. A splendid girl, for she was not more than woman\nyet. A little tall for her sex; fair and with but little powder, an oval\nface, long trailing hair, and shapely hands and feet for all this\nbusiness. _Batan-batan_ the sound of the _zo[u]ri_ (sandals). She\ndropped these on the outside. The stranger was asleep. Sitting beside\nhim she gathered the folds of her crape night robe about her bare feet.\nWith a deft touch she adjusted the knot of the pink sash which confined\nit; then turned attention to the long silver chased pipe and the face of\nthe sleeping man. Some feeling was aroused she could not understand.\nThere was much she did not yet understand in this bitter toil of hers.\n\nChu[u]dayu began to speak; at first in halting and broken sentences;\nthen in a continued flood--\"Ah! Ha! That look of hate! Chu[u]dayu\nacted most foully. 'Twas he who took the plate, to secure his\nsafety and O'Kiku's death. Deign to pardon. It was not Chu[u]dayu;\n'twas the Tono Sama who dealt the fatal blow.... What? The\nsuffering?... Ah! But the suffering of mind.... Now she\nbegins--one--two--three--four--five--six--seven--eight--nine....\nKiya!\" The shriek rang through the room, bringing O'Yodo to her feet.\nCrouched beside the _andon_ was outlined vaguely the figure of her sister\nO'Kiku. \"Ne[e]san! Here! And what....\" At the words she turned to meet\nthe wide open frighted gaze of Chu[u]dayu. The matter of fact, gentle\ntones calmed him. \"A first meeting with the honoured guest. Deign to\npardon the awkwardness of Yodo.\" Chu[u]dayu came out of his sleep\nreassured. He had dreamed; a frightful dream. She told him so, and\npressed him curiously as to why he had called out. \"The honoured\n_samurai_ (_buke-sama_), who then favours Yodo?\" He spoke, as being again\nhimself--the military man, and no less a person than the chamberlain of\nAoyama Shu[u]zen Sama, _hatamoto_ with a _yashiki_ in the Bancho[u].\n\"Perhaps then a serving maid called O'Kiku is known to the honoured sir.\"\nAgain Chu[u]dayu's doubts were raised at evident resemblance--to be\nreassured. \"No kin: we knew each other well in early life. The father was\na great criminal, and O'Kiku, it was heard, was condemned to be a slave\nfor life. Entered in this business nothing has been seen of each other.\nShe is well--in mind and body?\" The question was timid, and Chu[u]dayu\ndid not notice the unnatural eagerness. \"In Kiku's place mind and body\nare assured their lot; to undergo no change.\" Captivated by this beauty\nhe was now eager for his good fortune. Reluctant and with misgiving she\nallowed him to draw her close.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXVI\n\nSAMPEI DONO\n\n\nHe was poor; coarsely and scantily clad as he came on his return through\nthe darkness and snowflakes now coming down wet and moist, whirling and\ntwisting under the increasing gale and gradually turning into a\npenetrating chilling sleet against which the straw raincoat was poor\nprotection. In this guise Wataru Sampei was the gardener, making a\nprecarious living at which his skill was accidental and vicarious. In\nhis shabby home he was the _samurai_, his two swords treasured,\ncarefully wrapped and put away in the closet; struggling to live in\norder to bring up this boy Jumatsu in his own cult, to better times and\nretribution on the upstarts from the South. This night too had been part\nof his _samurai's_ duty, in its _sankei_ or pilgrimage to the Asakusa\nKwannon. O'Kiku believed in efficacy of prayer to the goddess of mercy.\nA hasty word, implied rather than spoken, as to a passer by during the\nfirst sight of her, and the gesture of acquiescence on his part who had\nlittle faith. But the gesture was as strong in its obligation as an oath\nwritten and signed in blood.\n\nOn approaching his home with surprise he noted a woman by the door. She\nseemed to be in the act of coming or going. Surely he could not mistake\nthat figure; nay, throwing the light of his lantern ahead a glimpse of\nthe white wan face startled him. His heart leaped within him--\"Is it\nKiku? How comes the wife here at this hour? How has exit from the\n_yashiki_ been permitted?\" But the woman answered not. Instead she moved\naway from him, into the darkness. More and more astonished Sampei called\nafter her and followed. Always she eluded him. Thus he was led away two\nhundred, three hundred yards. There she was, halted beneath the willow\ntree on the river bank. His pace broke into a run. Now she did not move\nor attempt to elude him, but as he came up the figure was but a stela to\npoint the way to a near-by shrine. Sampei passed his hand over his brow.\nKiku was too much on his mind; this forced widowerhood with charge of a\ntoddling boy. Ah! If pity and affection would but allow him to transfer\nthe child to others! Better would it be for both. But how face the\nmother without the child--and then, the lot of one's favoured child in\nthe house of strangers and under their cold glances? Sampei himself\ncould not part with Jumatsu. Easy was it for him to cut belly--and leave\nmother and child in this desolate condition. Meanwhile his uneasiness of\nmind at their present outlook was driving him to delusions.\n\nTaking off his wet outer garments he stole into the bedroom. Now it was\nvery late in the night; he would not disturb the child. To his surprise\nhe found him sitting up on the quilts, shivering and weeping.\n\"Bo[u]chan! What's gone wrong?\" He took the child's hands, anxious to\nnote any sign of distress or fever. But Jumatsu made answer in his\nturn--\"Mother has just been here. She was crying. She said--'Bo[u], the\nparting is for long. Never again will the mother be seen. Grow up,\nBo[u]; grow up to be a fine man.' Then she cried more than ever.\" A hand\nseemed to grasp the heart of Sampei--\"Mother here, Bo[u]chan!\" Surely\nthe child could not lie, even make up the story at this age, so fitting\ninto his own uneasy vision. Continued the little fellow mid his\ntears--\"It was not her fault. Someone broke the holly hock plate and\ncharged mother with the crime. Then the Tono Sama killed her. He wanted\nher for his concubine; and so came to hate her and easily took the tale.\nIt was not her fault. She said this--then went away.\"--\"Whither?\"\nSampei's tone was so abrupt and harsh to startle the child into\nquiescence. He pointed to the house altar on its stand--\"Mother just\nwent away; into the Butsudan.... And she hasn't come back--to\nBo[u]chan.\" He ended in a wail and childish weeping. Ah! The hands now\ngrasping at Sampei were of ice. Slowly he approached the Butsudan.\nStartled he saw the snow within it. This wild tale was taking the hold\nof certainty on his mind. He lit first one light, then the other in the\naltar stand. Then sharply of itself rang the little bell. A cold sweat\nstood out on Sampei's body--\"Namu Amida Butsu! Namu Amida Butsu!\"\nEarnest the prayer for some departed soul. Unconvinced, yet feeling the\ntruth of the impression he passed the night with eyes wide open. With\ndawn he would go forth to make inquiries at the Bancho[u] _yashiki_.\nThis would be the fifteenth day. Anyhow Kiku would be expecting him.\n\nHe set out early, carrying the boy on his back. Humbly and with\nexperience of such places he approached the gateman. \"An inquiry to\nmake.\"--\"What is it?\"--\"At this _yashiki_ is there not a woman\nlabouring, one O'Kiku?\" The man eyed him with the contemptuous tolerance\nof him who knows--\"Woman labouring? In the _yashiki_ there are two score\nand more. Of Kiku more than one; although those of the men's quarters\nhave nothing to do with such matters. Perhaps the slave girl Kiku is\nintended.... See her! Good fellow, are you mad? One under condemnation\nis not to be seen.... You have come far? Even if you had come from\nO[u]shu[u] or Kyu[u]shu[u] you could not see her.... But all the way\nfrom Honjo[u]; it's too bad.\" The man looked at him with more\nbenevolence. After all he had some heart, and many distressed people\ncame to this _yashiki_; entered into it. \"Are you thirsty?... No? In\nthat case entrance there is none; although the water of the well in the\n_yashiki_ is said to be superior to all other, sovereign to cure\nthirst.... Ah! You have been dying with thirst all night. Your tongue\ncleaves to the roof of the mouth. Then the case is altered. For the\nsilver thanks are felt. Just enter. Perhaps some maid will come to the\nwell to draw water. Perhaps this Kiku herself. One so ready--of\ntongue--can easily excuse his presence and this Yo[u]zaemon, if there be\nquestion.\"\n\nWith humble thanks and joy Sampei followed the instructions. The well\nwas at the corner of the larger paved space and from it he could see\ninto the inner garden and the greater privacy of the establishment. Here\nhe could note more life at this early hour, and even the stir of\nexcitement. People were running to and fro as under some unusual\nstimulus. Slowly he drank, delayed as long as he could, unnoticed and\nunquestioned. He could not thus act too long. Indeed as he moved off a\nfoot soldier (_ashigaru_) passing asked his business. He gave excuse as\non mission to a servant, whose name he picked up from one just gone by.\nAs the man had taken a message outside his answer was a safe one.\nSharply the _ashigaru_ repeated the fact of absence, and Sampei had no\nexcuse not to leave. The excitement now was spreading to the front\nquarters of the _yashiki_. Fragments of talk showed him that his visit\nwas most inopportune. Her ladyship had just died, and the household was\nin a buzz. When he would again speak to the gateman, the functionary's\nmanner did not encourage it, Sampei took the hint of his cold\nunrecognizing eye and bowed in humble acknowledgment to all in going out\nthe gate. \"Chu[u]dayu Dono--where is Aikawa Sama to be found?\"--\"The\nhonoured chamberlain? He left the _yashiki_ last night in the other\nwatch. There has been no return during this of Yozaemon.\" So much he\ncaught in passing.\n\nSlowly Sampei passed down the Gomizaka and along the moat of the castle.\nIt was with greatest reluctance he left this place. The child began to\nwhimper. \"_Otosan_ (father), this Jumatsu is hungry.\" The little\nfellow's whimper turned to genuine tears. The father heartened him. Just\nahead, on the Kudanzaka, all that should be remedied. Of the number of\nsmall shops Sampei noted the sign of the Kikkyo[u]ya--the House of the\nFull Well Bucket. Bending under the curtain strips hanging at the front\nhe entered the cook shop. \"Deign to come up here.... For food? Of the\nbest: clam soup, a stew of vegetables and fish, hot boiled _to[u]fu_ ...\nand _sake_, none better.\" The place did not promise much despite the\nadvertisement. Avoiding the doubtful stew Sampei ordered wine for\nhimself and hot boiled bean paste (_to[u]fu_) for Jumatsu. As he fed the\nchild, and at opportunity sipped his wine, a blind shampooer entered; in\nthis tiny place to take a seat close by. Apparently he was well known\nthereabouts. In bringing wine the host sat down beside him to\ntalk--almost into the ear of Sampei.--\"Toku no Ichi San, you are early\nabroad. Does illness or luxurious idleness summon the honoured _Amma\nSan_ to the couch?... But yourself, you do not look well. Work late\ninto the night goes not with early rising. This is going to excess.\" The\nman coughed and drank, turned his sightless eyes on Sampei. What he said\nmade this latter all attention.\n\n\"It is no early call brings out this Ichibei. Ah! What a night this\nlast!\"--\"Truly so,\" replied the matter of fact host. \"And no sign of the\nstorm's cessation.\" He looked out for a moment on the flakes of snow,\nagain coming down thick and heavy. \"Drink your wine, Ichibei Dono. In\ntruth you are as white as yonder falling flakes which you do not see.\nAnd 'tis said your kind cannot see ghosts.\"--\"See them; no. To those\nwhose eyes are darkened by the night of blindness the gods have granted\ngrace against such visions. But alas! Other faculties have been\nsharpened. He who cannot see, can hear. Listen Jiro[u]bei San. Last\nnight this Ichibei was called to the _yashiki_ of O[u]kubo Sama. The\n_okugata_ was in pain and needed his treatment for the limbs. It is a\nkindly house, one good to go to. The storm kept Ichibei in the\n_yashiki_: Food and the mat was granted, for his lordship would not send\na cur, once granted shelter, out into storm and darkness. But next door\nit is very different. Here is the _yashiki_ of Aoyama Shu[u]zen\nSama--the Yakujin of Edo. Jiro[u]bei San knows of him. His lordship took\nthe _yashiki_ for the old well of the Yoshida Goten. 'Tis said at nights\nhe takes wine and pipe, sits by the well, and in his hardiness and\ndefiance of weather and season challenges the ghosts to appear. Last\nnight.... Ah! The scene rung into the ears appears before the eyes even\nof the blind. It was the sound of blows--as of a wet cloth striking bare\nflesh. A woman plead for mercy. 'Vile wench.... Kiku.' These words were\nheard. Then such a scream--'Kiya!' as of rending silk--that yet it rings\ninto the ears of this Ichibei; to banish sleep and peace of mind for the\nrest of the night. What could it be? Had the ghosts appeared? Or had\nsome maid displeased the Tono Sama, and hence suffered death at his hand\n(_te-uchi_)? He is not one to spare suffering.... Ah! How she suffered!\nAll night Ichibei has lain awake and suffered with her. It seems as if\nher cry never would depart from these ears. With dawn I fled--without\nfood, and doubtless to the astonishment of all. Feeling faint, your\nshop offered refreshment.\"--\"Another bottle?... O'Kabe! At once: for\nToku no Ichi San.... Honoured guest, thanks. Deign again the honoured\npatronage. Sixty _mon_ the price, _sayonara_.\"\n\nSampei paid the scot, and with Jumatsu carefully wrapped up against the\nstorm passed out into the open air. Now he was himself again; the\n_samurai_ of Kai, with the old traditions of his province and his\nliegeship to the great Takeda House. Against this Aoyama double was the\nvendetta--for Jinnai, for his wife Kiku. His ears had drunk in the\nconvincing tale of the blind shampooer. His decision was as ready. His\nsteps now were bent to the Miuraya in the Yoshiwara. At his name the\n_banto[u]_ expressed surprise. \"The _oiran_ was about to send a message;\nmost opportune the honoured coming. Deign for the moment to wait.\"\nRelated to their great attraction Sampei had every attention. Shortly\nthe sound of _zo[u]ri_ was heard, and O'Yui entered the room. Jumatsu\nviewed her beauty and splendour with grave approval, astonishment, and\nfear. \"Obasan (auntie)? But she is young; beautiful, just like mother.\nOh! Just like the pictures of the great Tayu.\" The two elders listened,\npreoccupied and with pained smile. \"What book; and where seen?... Oya!\nOya! In the priest's room at the Fukuganji? That should not be. Priest\nand _oiran_ are not of kin.\" O'Yui's laugh was so silvery that Jumatsu\nin admiration pressed close to her knee. Clasping him she spoke to\nSampei. Ah! How great was her anxiety. As she told her tale the heart of\nSampei was filled with wrath and certainty--\"This Chu[u]dayu is such a\nstrange fellow. The weather still holds him to the place. Hence by good\nluck it was possible to ask for a consultation. Has not some injury\nbefallen the person of Ne[e]san? The ravings of this man in his drunken\nsleep, the vision of the sister, the face and garments all dyed with\nblood, cannot these find confirmation or disproof? In the embrace of\nthis man Yui shudders.\" She wept.\n\nWith growing weight and terror at heart she noted the increasing gloom\nof Sampei's face. \"Kiku is no longer of this world. It is true. Herself\nshe told the tale to Jumatsu. At the _yashiki_ all is confusion with the\ndeath of the lady of the House. By accident Jumatsu's vision is\ncorroborated by the blind shampooer, led into the cook shop of Kudanzaka\nby the same hand which led Chu[u]dayu to the arms of the _oiran_ O'Yodo.\nThe evidence is complete for this Sampei. To-night--at the first\nopportunity--Sampei kills this Aoyama Shu[u]zen; then cuts belly. As for\nChu[u]dayu, Kiku has brought him to O'Yui San. Deign to accept the\ncharge. Last night he has been the lover, and the chance of the weather\nand the charms of O'Yui have kept him here. Let the coming night be his\nlast.\" He put a restraining hand on the sleeve of O'Yui. In vengeance at\nonce she would have rushed off to poniard this obscene fellow. Be once\nmore the object of his embraces? Alas! Hers indeed was \"the bitter\ntoil,\" which led her to the arms of this scoundrel dripping with a\nsister's blood. But she listened to the cold and cautious counsel of\nSampei, and nodded comprehension and assent. When she re-entered the\nroom where Chu[u]dayu was drinking and roistering there was not a sign\nof any emotion. Once again she was the harlot, to charm and inveigle him\ninto remaining with her. Ha! Ha! The gods had granted his prayer. \"Kiku?\nShe was a beauty--and the impression of childhood would be corroborated\nby her later appearance. But even thus she is a faded old woman to the\nhonoured _oiran_. A bag of bones!\" He roared with drunken laughter; and\nO'Yui fingered the handle of the dagger in her bosom, in frenzy at the\nvile jest. \"Come now! Kiku has been the object of Chu[u]dayu's love. He\nconfesses it. But now--away with such an O'Bake. He seeks the greater\nsolace of O'Yodo's arms.\" The wine nearly choked him. His eyes stood\nout. He gasped and choked. Anxiously the _oiran_ nursed him back to\nbreath.\n\nLate that night he had gone to bed very drunk. The ninth hour struck (1\nA.M.). O'Yodo, who had sought temporary excuse, entered. Chu[u]dayu again\nwas dreaming, horribly. Ah! This vision would never pass. O'Kiku was\nstanding by him. At first faint, then loud came the voice, and Chu[u]dayu\ncounted with her--\"One\"--\"One\"--\"Two\"--\"Two\"--\"Three\"--\"Three\".... On\nwent the count. Now she was astride of him, pressing him down, throttling\nhim. \"O'Kiku Dono! It was not Chu[u]dayu. The treachery was his; but the\nTono Sama gave the blow.\" He writhed and struggled in his sleep. Then\nO'Yui dealt the thrust, straight downward. \"Yai! Yai! Ah!\" The scream\nrang out, startling all around. Alas! A little misdirected the dagger\nglanced from the bone and pierced the shoulder. As the man rolled her off\nthe girl made one desperate effort. Deep she thrust the blade into his\nright side, ripped it up and side ways. \"Kiya!\" Chu[u]dayu staggered and\nrolled over, hands to his side to hold in the severed liver and guts.\nWhen she would strike again her hands were held. The bawd (_yarite_),\naroused and passing, saw the shadow of the raised dagger. The _banto[u]_\nhad come to her aid. While some sought to aid the desperately wounded\nman, others drew away O'Yodo, again the woman and overcome with tears of\nregret at her failure.\n\nJinzaemon of the Miuraya questioned her. Was it _shinju[u]_--a mutual\nsuicide to insure happiness together in the next life? Had she really\nknown the man before, and not pretended new acquaintance? Then, without\nmention of Sampei, she told the story of her vision, her certainty that\ninquiry would establish the truth of its accusation. Jinzaemon had no\nrecourse. The Yoshiwara _bugyo[u]_, with _do[u]shin_, was soon at hand.\n\"To kill a man on such evidence....\" But before applying torture he\nwould question the victim. Chu[u]dayu's case was hopeless. The liver was\nalmost severed. Death was but a matter of an hour or two. During that\ntime his ravings in delirium, his confession in lucid moments, added a\nnew and momentous phase to the case in corroborating the tale of the\n_oiran_ as to the strange vision. The _bugyo[u]_ did not dare to go\nfurther. He must consult those higher in authority. A _hatamoto_ of the\nland was involved; one just favoured with appointment as _tsukaiban_\n(staff officer) to the suzerain. The _machibugyo[u]_ himself had no\npower in this case. Hence the affair--its nature and its proof--must be\nsubmitted to the _waka-toshiyori_, the officer of State in immediate\ncharge of the _hatamoto_, their control and interests. Meanwhile the\naffair must be smothered and strict search made for the recent visitor\nSampei, who had completely disappeared. Jumatsu readily was traced to\nthe care of the house master (_iyenushi_) at Koume. His tenant, on plea\nof business in Kai, had left the child with him. Thus they went astray,\nand thus failed to act. Meanwhile Shinano no Kami at last determined to\nsend for and question Aoyama Shu[u]zen. The seventh day following the\nretribution was reached--to the great enlightenment of these puzzled\nmagistrates.[33]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXVII\n\nAOYAMA WINS HIS SUIT\n\n\nAoyama's _yashiki_ blazed with light. The guests looked around, at the\nmany lamps, the waiting-women in dainty attire, the ornament of service\nand of substance; and then looked into each other's faces. The\nunseemliness of the thing was on the minds of all these dozen to twenty\ngentlemen. The body of the wife had hardly been carried from the house\nto the funeral pyre. It was true that grief was to be given no display\nin the _samurai_ code. The new promotion offered excuse for its\ncelebration. But on the whole this feast seemed an indecent exhibition\nof rejoicing. \"Aoyama Uji is not the Shu[u]zen of old. What has got into\nthe man this past month?\" Thus Okumura Shu[u]zen spoke of his namesake.\n\"Bah! It is the shadow of Kiku, the 'sewing girl.' Aoyama rejoices in\nthus replacing old material. May he get a better heir on her than his\nlast. 'Tis said to be a monster!\" Endo[u] Saburo[u]zaemon whispered,\nhalf in jest and half in a savage earnest of disapproval.\n\nO[u]kubo Hikoroku first broached the matter openly at table. \"Aoyama\nUji, is this not a strange meeting? Here we are, all members of the\nGaman Kwai; as _hatamoto_, men close to the suzerain's knee and ready\nfor the call to battle. But this--with the glitter of apparel in\nsubstance and women, it is show and feast for _kuge_ (court nobles), a\nmeeting to view the moon and its light upon the snow. Deign to explain.\"\nAoyama smiled. He might have made some formal excuse for this\neccentricity. Saburo[u]zaemon spoke out for him--\"Don't be obtuse,\nO[u]kubo Uji. The one lacking here is the cause of the feast. O'Kiku\nDono still delays. Is it not so, Aoyama Uji?\" He spoke with cold\ncertainty, a curious intonation in voice. Aoyama was black with a fury\nabout to burst forth when O[u]kubo sprang up. He looked around. \"Just\nso! Wait but a moment. We'll have her here.\" Aoyama was turned aside,\nand would have detained him. \"Hikoroku Dono, it is useless. Kiku is not\nin the _yashiki_.\" To the dubious look of astonishment--\"It is fact. She\nwas a vile disloyal woman. Breaking the holly hock plate, the trust gift\nof the To[u]sho[u]gu, this Aoyama put her to death. This shall be\napology to the suzerain's House.\" O[u]kubo sat down again in pure\namazement--\"For what is said one feels regret. The apology is made; but\nsurely....\" Endo[u] Saburo[u]zaemon laughed outright. He seemed with\nintention to egg him on. O[u]kubo turned indignantly. \"Why laugh,\nEndo[u] Uji? Is the life of a human being to be put against a piece of\nporcelain?\"--\"Saburo[u]zaemon laughs at your credulity, O[u]kubo Dono.\nIt is but a ruse to put us from the search. Kiku certainly is not far\noff.\"\n\nO[u]kubo danced up in a fury. This time he was not to be kept. \"'Tis\ntrue! But the badger's lurking hole, the place where he keeps her, is\nknown. Soon she shall be here.\" Defying Shu[u]zen's wrath he and Endo[u]\nleft the room. O[u]kubo was ahead. Throwing open the _sho[u]ji_ of the\nmaid's room he looked within. Ah! Standing by the closet in the dim\nlight was the figure of O'Kiku. \"Kiku, why are you here, not joining in\nthe feast? The beauty and the lady, whose love seduces so stern a man as\nShu[u]zen to soft ways, is not to neglect the guests. Come to the\nbanquet hall.\" He seized her sleeve. Said Saburo[u]zaemon from the\n_ro[u]ka_--\"Whom do you address, O[u]kubo Uji?\" He looked around the\nroom. \"There is no one here.... Kiku? You grasp a garment hanging on the\nclothes rack.\" It was true. Dazed and somewhat upset O[u]kubo returned\nto the banquet room. Aoyama met defiantly the hard look of Endo[u], the\ninquiring question of O[u]kubo--\"Is it true Aoyama? Did you really value\na human life against a plate, and kill her?\"--\"It is plain fact,\" was\nthe answer.\n\nAgain the strange looks passed between the guests. Some shrugged their\nshoulders. Others looked at him and whispered. Some laughed, with\nglances at the frightened faces of the waiting women. \"It's not to be\nbelieved,\" said the emphatic tones of O[u]kubo. Suddenly a breath seemed\nto go round the room. Every light went out; except the one before\nHikoroku. Dimly outlined by Shu[u]zen's side could be seen the figure of\nO'Kiku. The wan face amid the long disordered dangling hair; the gore\nsmeared face, and neck, and bosom, sent a thrill and shudder through\nthose present. At the exclamations Shu[u]zen turned. He saw her--\"Vile\njade! You too would reproach Shu[u]zen. A cut for you!\" He sprang up,\ndagger in hand to cut her down. Then followed a wild scene with the\nraving man. The maids sought to avoid death; happily with success beyond\ntrifling injuries, for sight of a woman made him frantic. Surrounding\nShu[u]zen the men drew him on. From behind O[u]kubo, Okumura, Endo[u]\nrushed upon him. Overpowered he was secured. With the madness of the\nhost the banquet came to an end. As they left O[u]kubo said to Endo[u]\nSaburo[u]zaemon--\"Really Endo[u] Uji, why so rough in speech with\nAoyama? With those of one band quarrels are not to be sought.\"--\"Nor\nwill be,\" answered Saburo[u]zaemon with a slight tinge of contempt. Then\nhe added slowly--\"There is a strange affair in Yoshiwara. The\nchamberlain of Shu[u]zen, one Chu[u]dayu, is involved; and Shu[u]zen\nwith him. This matter of Kiku threatens grave issue with the\n_waka-toshiyori_. It is said that the two murdered the woman--because\nboth wanted her for concubine.\" He laughed harshly--\"Why tell these\nfacts to neighbour O[u]kubo?\" Said Hikoroku, with his blunt truth--\"The\nsounds and sights from Shu[u]zen's _yashiki_ are not always pleasant.\nThere are tales in the household of a night--that on which Shu[u]zen's\nwife died. All there was in confusion. It is for fellow-members to\nprotect the reputation of each other.\" Endo[u] was rebuked in turn.\n\nShu[u]zen was himself again. With the passing of the wine, the guests,\nthe confusion, he was the cold, collected, dreaded master of a few hours\nago. Respectfully the _kerai_ withdrew. Left to himself he pondered the\nevents of these hours. He recognized and measured the concentrated\ndislike expressed in the words and actions of Endo[u] Saburo[u]zaemon,\negging on O[u]kubo, irritating himself to desperation. To Shu[u]zen it\nwas a question as to just what was meant. At his age even in his caste\nmen did not seek each other out to draw the sword. The issue was much\nmore serious, involving disgrace. He would like to get at the inner\nmotive of this fellow's action. How invaluable the aid of Chu[u]dayu,\nwho knew the ins and outs of the _yashiki_ of all Edo, and particularly\nof his lord's intimates. But he had disappeared--as if the earth had\nswallowed him. Shu[u]zen had condoned too many instances of the\nchamberlain's free use of his lord's funds, to come upon him harshly for\nany peculation. The man had been useful in many dubious actions; in\nbribery, solicitation, pimping, as a useful and facile witness.\nChu[u]dayu would worm himself to the bottom of this matter in short\norder.\n\nThus he went to rest. Despite disordered brain his sleep was sound. It\nwas Gekkeiji's bell striking the ninth hour (1 A.M.) which roused; or\nelse the throat fouled and dried his mouth. He was parched beyond\nmeasure; his tongue seemed to fill the whole cavity. Impatiently he\ncalled--\"Heigh there! Water! Is there no one to attend?\"--\"At the lord's\nservice....\" The gentle tones of a woman made answer. She knelt at his\npillow. The water pitcher was offered. He took it and drank greedily.\nThen--\"What maid is this? Does she seek Shu[u]zen's bed? He is in no\nhumour for such favour.\" And the girl wailed in answer--\"Ah! Ah! Harsh\nhis lordship's tone, harsh his words. Has not long since his command\nbeen issued? The fault lies not with Kiku. A lying officer stands\nbetween the Tono Sama and his handmaid.\" Shu[u]zen sat bolt upright,\nglaring. Framed by the long trailing hair there appeared to his eyes the\nwan, blood smeared face of O'Kiku. With a yell he was on one\nknee--\"Wretched woman! Does Kiku still pursue and solicit Shu[u]zen?\nMake ready! Again a cut!\" He sprang to his feet, grasped and drew the\npillow sword. With smothered cry of terror and anguish the figure turned\nto flee; but he cut her down from shoulder to pap. As he did so the\n_sho[u]ji_ were flung wide apart. The moonlight from the opened _amado_\nflooded the room and lighted up the intruder.\n\nRage and hate growled in the tones of Shu[u]zen--\"A bandit thief and\ndoubtful fellow, thus to push himself into the presence of a _hatamoto_\nof the land! Fellow, name yourself: who thus by night breaks into\nShu[u]zen's presence, intrudes upon his pleasure.\" Harsh and insulting\nthe laugh of Sampei. He pointed with his drawn sword to the bleeding\nprostrate corpse of the unfortunate waiting maid, cut down by Shu[u]zen\nin belief of the apparition of her namesake. \"More than one Kiku\nharbours in the lair of Aoyama. Would he slay them all in sacrifice to\nhis lust? Wataru Sampei comes to ask account of his wife Kiku, daughter\nof Jinnai, _ro[u]nin_ of Takeda Ke of Kai, as is himself. Now--to the\ncontest! God of the bow and feathered shaft, favour this\nSampei!\"--\"Favour this Shu[u]zen!\" Both men made invocation almost in\nthe same breath as they sprang at each other. Sampei was pushed on by\nrage and vengeance; Aoyama by a savage joy in combat. Here was a worthy\nantagonist, a true taste of old of the battle field. If Sampei was the\nyounger man, he was also in worse training than Shu[u]zen; and in his\npoor condition hardly a match for the practised soldier. However\nShu[u]zen was compelled to admire a resourcefulness in parrying his own\nfierce attack, the beauty of his enemy's Muramasa blade, which seemed\nitself to act and seek his life. \"Shu[u]zen's prize--the sword of\nSampei!\" He shouted in exultation. Sampei was forced back to the\n_ro[u]ka_. At the sill he tripped and fell. \"Now off with you--to Meido\nand the Yellow Fountain, to join wife and parent thief.\" Shu[u]zen in\njoy swung high his blade for the fatal blow. Sampei without sword was\nhelpless at his feet. But the blade did not descend. Shu[u]zen's arm was\nheld fast. By the outraged wife, O'Kiku, as later tradition would\nassert? At this pass Sampei used his dagger. Plunged straight into the\nbelly of Shu[u]zen with it he disembowelled him. Abandoning hold on his\nweapon, with a screech Aoyama fell, twisting and writhing in the pool of\nhis blood. When the _kerai_, roused by the disturbance, the shouts and\nthe clashing of swords, fell on Sampei, to disarm and make short work of\nhim, the _karo[u]_ Makishima Gombei prevented them. With difficulty he\ndragged Shu[u]zen's sword out from the deep cut it had made in the beam\nof the partition. \"Stain not good weapons with the blood of a rascal and\nthief, who shall undergo the torture and the disgrace of the execution\nground. Be sure his lordship will be well avenged. It is better so.\"\n\nThus with bitter regret Sampei found himself avenged, but still in life.\nThe next day, with the presence of the messengers from Shinano no Kami,\nthe situation changed. With the report from Makishima was demanded the\nperson of Wataru Sampei, whose story fitted into present evidence\nobtained. Deeper and deeper went the investigation into Aoyama's house\naffairs. Here was great disorder--harshness, lust, ill discipline. On\nthis latter charge--lack of discipline--official displeasure gladly\nfell. The tale of the monster, obviously unfit for any service to the\nsuzerain, came out. The _kaieki_ of the House--deprivation of rank and\nincome--followed. As far as posthumous action could disgrace, so far did\nShu[u]zen suffer.\n\nMuch better was the fate of Sampei. The case of the Bancho[u] _yashiki_\nno longer could be hid under a bushel. It was the affair of a\n_hatamoto_, so hated by the _daimyo[u]_. Satsuma no Kami sought and\nobtained his charge. During the weeks which followed Sampei was the\nobject of respect and solicitude of those who had the care of him. As\n_ro[u]nin_ of the Takeda House this was all the greater in this\n_yashiki_ where the Tokugawa were held in no great affection. The\nbreaking into the _yashiki_ of a _hatamoto_, the slaying of its lord,\ncould not be condoned. The official world was glad to combine this with\nthe lack of discipline decision. When the inevitable order came to cut\nbelly it was a chamberlain of Satsuma no Kami who acted as _kaishaku_\n(second); and Sampei knew that to this man would fall the possession and\nadoption of his little son. Thus came he to his end, and his House into\nthis brave heirship. Thus was disappointed the malice of Shu[u]zen, in\nhis last breath denouncing his slayer as the husband of O'Kiku.\nAnnounced Horibe Izumi no Kami, the _machibugyo[u]_ who made final\ndisposition of the case--\"Between Sampei and Kiku no marriage being\nproved, the issue belonging to the man, the child Jumatsu is held\nsinless; for the woman Yui detention for further examination of conduct\nand condition.\" This examination never came; nor was intended to come.\nFor some months she was detained in the _yashiki_ of Horibe Sama. Then\nthe third Sho[u]gun died; a general pardon followed of all ordinary\noffenders. Under this order she was released, and the Miuraya had the\nhint or good sense not to press for renewed service. A nun, she cut off\nthe long and beautiful hair, to pray in this world for the souls of\nfather, sister, he who had acted as more than brother in the vengeance\ntaken. Thus through the long years to her final and irrevocable release\nwithout any earthly condition.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXVIII\n\nTHE SARAYASHIKI\n\n\nAgain the site of the Yoshida Goten lapsed to waste land. Through the\nyears stood the _yashiki_ of Aoyama Shu[u]zen, in wall and roof and beam\ngradually going to rot and ruin. Passing by on nights of storm wayfarers\nsaw most frightful visions--the sports and processions of spectres\nissuing forth from the old well of the one time inner garden. Their\nwailing cries and yells were heard. Conspicuous among them was the sight\nof the unfortunate Kiku, her wan face framed in the long rank disordered\nhair; the weird beauty frightful in its expression of horror, as with\nthe stumps of fingers she counted--\"One, two, three ... four, five, six\n... seven, eight, nine.\" Then came the haunting fearful cry--\"Alas!\nWhat's to be done? One lacks. Oh! Oh!\" Sight, sound, glare went to the\nhearts of the stoutest witnesses. Soon the ill fortune of those thus\nfavoured with the vision of the Lady of the Plates was rumoured abroad.\nWounds, money losses, even death fell on them or on their households.\nMen no longer were curious. They fled the neighbourhood of this ill\nomened gap in Earth's surface, unseemly exit for these foul spirits. On\nnights of rain and storm none passed that way. Even by day the children\nwere rebuked and forbidden to approach the well.\n\nMany are the stories as to the place. To instance one of these: It was\nHo[u]ei third year (1706)--the approach of winter in this tenth month\n(November). Then came to Edo town a wandering pilgrim (_shugenja_) and\nhis wife. Tramping the land all summer to Nippon's varied shrines and\nsights, now they were on the return to their home in Michinoku\n(O[u]shu[u]). Much had they heard of Edo, capital seat of Nippon's great\nlord. Every day busied with its sights they returned wearied to their\ninn in the Shitaya district. This day they had wandered far. Returning\nfrom Renkeiji of Kawagoe they passed the Naito[u] Shinjuku quarter.\nAlmost as great, if of different kind, was the woman's curiosity at\nsight of the caged beauties, waiting the summons of those far better\nsupplied with cash than her own spouse. Finally in indignation she\ndragged away the loiterer; and muttering rebuke followed after the\njingle of the rings on his pilgrim's staff. They were passing through\nthe Go Bancho[u], along the long stretch of _yashiki_ wall. From a\npostern gate came forth a woman. The light of her lantern fell on the\nman and his equipment--\"Oya! Oya! Good fortune indeed: honoured\n_shugenja_, a moment's stay. To-night a memorial service is to be said\nfor the mansion's lord. Condescend to enter and grant service.\"\nWillingly husband and wife heard the invitation to rest their wearied\nbodies. Passing through the garden water was supplied to wash the feet.\nThen they were seated before an ample feast fit for their kind; of\nglutinous rice balls coated with the sweet bean paste (_botamochi_), of\nmacaroni the savour of which tickled the nostrils, _sake_ followed, in\ngenerous quantity and of quality to match.\n\nSaid the girl--\"It is an all night service that is requested. Deign to\nundertake the watch and prayer. Ample shall be the reward.\" Prostrate the\n_shugenja_ spoke his thanks. The Butsuma, or room containing the little\nshrine, was close at hand. Seating himself, his woman just behind, he\nbowed and made reverence. \"Thanks for the honoured entertainment so\ngenerous and excellent. May the honoured spirit find rest, at once\nentering Nirvana ... and now, the Hannya Shinkyo[u]--_Sutra_ of the\ndivine intelligence.\"[34] He began the recitation, accompanied by his\nwife. Both intoned the _nembutsu_--\"Namu Amida Butsu! Namu Amida Butsu!\nPraise to Amida the Lord Buddha!\" Again the recitation of the _Sutra_ was\nbegun. The hours of the night advanced. Man and wife became more and more\ndrowsy; slower and slower came the words of the sacred writing. Then the\nman nodded off to sleep; as long before had the wife. The hour of the ox\nstruck at Gekkeiji, filling this whole district with its heavy boom. The\nman woke with a start. What fearful shriek was that? Close by in the\nnext room a woman's voice began counting. But such a voice! \"One, two,\nthree....\" on it went to \"nine.... Ah! Woe is me! One lacks. What's to be\ndone!\" Shrill, blood chilling the cry of anguish which followed.\nCuriosity overcame terror. The man stole to the screens and gently opened\nthe merest slit. Over his shoulder looked the startled wife.\n\nA shudder went through both at the sight. Wan, frail, the beautiful\nanguished evil face of a girl could be seen through the long tangled\nhair framing it. Slender to the emaciation of great suffering she knelt\nbefore the pile of plates she was counting--\"One, two, three, four,\nfive, six, seven, eight, nine....\" The wild chilling scream froze man\nand woman. For at the moment in sprang another female, in whose worn\nemaciated face and figure was displayed such concentrated evil passion\nof hatred and jealousy as rarely to be seen on human being. Like the\nflying hateful god Idaten she sprang upon the girl, grasped her long\nblack hair, and hurled her to this side and that. Helpless the victim\nheld up the bloody stumps of fingers. Now the face was seen to be dyed\nin blood, the garments dyed red with blood, the girl again agonizing in\na pool of blood. With horror the pilgrim and the woman hid their faces.\nThe man's hands trembled as he struck the bell and intoned the holy\nrecital. Thus in a daze, amid the counting, the cries and shouts, the\nweeping and the wailing, he went on. The cry of the cock was heard. As\nif by magic all the wild sounds ceased. The wanderers looked around in\namazement. The altar was the stone curb of a well. The _yashiki_ and its\nmagnificence stood close by; but the building was roofless and in ruins.\nChilled to the bone, half dead and half mad with fright, the two\nfled--to reach their inn.\n\nAt their tale host and those assembled shook their heads. \"It is the\nSarayashiki of the Bancho[u], the well that of the old Yoshida Goten,\nwhence ghosts issue; unless by good fortune the vision be a trick of fox\nor badger. Honoured Sir, have prayers said to avoid ill fortune.\" But a\nmerry, foul, cynical old fellow--peasant turned townsman--twinkled in\nhis laughter. \"Then O'Kiku San has favoured the _shugenja_ and his\nspouse with feast and gifts?\"--\"'Twas very strange,\" naively replied the\npilgrim. \"Copious and splendid the entertainment. Of the reality there\ncan be no doubt. This Jubei did not feast in a dream on those dainties.\"\nThe host and other auditors broke into coarse laughter--\"Feast! The\n_botamochi_ was of horse dung, the macaroni was earth-worms, the\nwine--was urine.\" All roared in their great joy. The unfortunate\npilgrims, much put out, made gesture of discomfiture and fright. Said\nthe peasant-townsman, in sly hit at the host--\"Perchance O'Kiku brought\nthe viands from near-by inn or cook shop. Surely these furnish little\nbetter.\" Laughing he left the now angry innkeeper to aid his wretched\nguests, writhing and retching in all the pains, actual and imagined of\nsuch a feast.\n\nCommand went forth to the holy man--and from the Sho[u]gun Ke himself. A\nhalt must be brought to these unseemly proceedings so close to the\nsuzerain's dwelling. These priests of the Dendzu-In, in the shadow of\nwhose temple rested so many of the Tokugawa dead, were famed for\nlearning and for piety. The founder of the Hall, Ryo[u]yo[u] Sho[u]nin,\nhad set to his successors this standard as necessary accomplishment,\nbequeathing to them perhaps the ability to meet the demand of his title\nof Mikatsuki Sho[u]nin. Between his eyes was a mole in shape like to the\ncrescent moon of the third day. Hence the appellation and its meaning\napplication; for as the moon waxed to its full, so did the Sho[u]nin\nwith advancing years wax great in learning, and throw his increasing\nlight upon mankind. Of this first prior there is a tale. It was the\nperiod of the Ashikaga wars, and the Sho[u]nin, for safety and on\nbusiness of his order, was resident for the nonce at Asonuma in Kotsuke\nprovince. As he prayed and wrought in the night, without rose violent\nsound of fighting and disturbance. Rising he looked forth. Two bands of\nmen at direst odds displayed the greatest cruelty to each other. But\nwhat men! Emaciated to flesh and bone, weird and unhappy of face, the\nSho[u]nin saw that these were not of this world. His determination was\nat once taken. Rosary in hand and intoning the _nembutsu_ he stepped\nforth. The strife parted before him; its actors were prostrate in his\npresence. \"What means this fierceness of battle?\" asked the prelate.\n\"Surely ye are not of the world, thus without mercy to strive to do such\npitiless cruelty.\"--\"Not of this world,\" said one raising his head; \"but\nno more cruel than men in the flesh. In the Gempei wars, fighting we\nlost our lives. Our bodies tumbled promiscuously into one common ditch,\nwithout rites or worship, the grudge still continues through the\ndecades. Deign, honoured priest, the aid of prayers of one so holy, for\nthe rest of all.\" Gladly the prior grasped the opportunity--\"For such\nsurely is the charm of the Sacred Name--the paper with the sacred\ncharacters of the Nembutsu, Namu Amida Butsu. Not this ignorant foolish\ncleric, but the vow of the Nyo[u]rai, Amida, relieves you from the Hell\nof fighting (Shurado[u]). Deign to accept the charm and enter Nirvana.\"\nGladly the outstretched hands received it. Then all vanished in a mist.\nOn the following day with discretion and modesty the prior told his\nexperience to his open mouthed and credulous disciples. An ancient man\nof the place was found to point out where tradition placed the burial\nand its mound. The bones found on digging were sorted, and with rites\nfound burial. Never after were prior, disciples, or villagers troubled\nwith these visions. But the prior's reputation took an upward bound, to\nthe credit of his sect.\n\nThus it was with his successor--himself a true Mikatsuki Sho[u]nin in\nthe illumination of his learning--\"From his youth he had abandoned the\nworld, and all the scripture had passed under his eyes. At eighteen\nyears he knew all the _sutra_ and the doctrines of Shaka (Sakyamuni),\nand books whether exoteric or esoteric. Moreover he understood\nthoroughly astrology and almanacs, the poetry of Morokoshi (China) and\nNippon, and instrumental music. Truly once heard he knew ten times, so\nclever he was.\" It was to this Saint, in his eighty-second year, that\nthe order came to lay the ghost of O'Kiku, to dispel the disorderly\nspectres of the well of the Yoshida Goten. \"A difficult, nay a severe\ntask; but one well within the power and mercy of the Buddha. To-night we\ngo forth to the attempt. Let all exert themselves.\" His subject clerics\nbowed low--\"Respectfully heard and obeyed.\" They liked it not. The\nnights were cold; the place noted for bad company, and bad weather. But\nthe order of their head was not to be disobeyed.\n\nWith the first watches of the stormy night the Sho[u]nin and some thirty\npriests were assembled about the well curb. Earnestly the Sho[u]nin read\nthe sacred writing. Vigorously his followers made the responses. Louder\nthe voices and greater their confidence as the night progressed without\nsign of visions. Then said the Sho[u]nin--\"Surely great is the efficacy\nof the _sutra_. Namu Amida Butsu! Namu Amida Butsu! All evil visions and\nspectres vanish; to seek the peace and oblivion of Nirvana. Let the\nevent prove the efficacy of the charm.\"--\"Namu Amida Butsu! Namu Amida\nButsu!\" Loud the voices of the priests, but now in terror. The bell of\nGekkeiji was striking the hour of the ox (1 A.M.). Crouching and\nshivering they saw the spectral lighting up of the well. The blue\nglittering points began to dot its mouth. Then swarms of spectres began\nto pour forth, obscene and horrible. Among them appeared the ghost of\nO'Kiku. Stricken with fear the priests stopped all reading of the holy\nwrit. Flat on their faces, their buttocks elevated high for great\nconcealment, they crouched in a huddled mass. \"Namu Amida Butsu! Namu\nAmida Butsu! Spare us, good ghosts--thus disturbed most rudely in your\nnightly haunt and revels. Ha! Ah! One's very marrow turns to ice. No\nmore! No more! Away!\" But the Sho[u]nin held firm. Surrounded by the\njibing menacing mass of spirits, steadily and without fear he hung on to\nhis scroll, read the _sutra_, intoned the _nembutsu_. One by one his\ncompany stole away; as did the spectres with approaching dawn.\n\nHe did not reproach his flock. Said the prior to the shamed assembly--by\ndaylight: \"Surely this is a very difficult undertaking. This curse of\nthe dead is no ordinary one. It is a soul without light, of some highly\ndebauched sinner, of some woman vowed to eternal hate. Deep the\nmalignancy; but deeper yet the efficacy of Mida's vow. Seven nights will\ndo it. Let all make every effort.\" He looked around, with trace of\ngentle rebuke--\"We are men who have left the world (_shukke_). Why then\nfear the dead; when ye are part and parcel of them? Perhaps greater\ncompany is needed.\" He sought it from his fellow priors. From Shiba to\nAsakusa they swarmed. With fifty, with seventy, with a hundred and\nseventy priests, all reciting the _Sutra_, intoning the _nembutsu_, the\nnoise and confusion rose high above the sound of storm and spectre.\nSleep was banished far and wide thereabouts. But this could not last.\n\"One, two, three, four....\" with the counting of the plates the chilling\nheart rending shriek, the wail of the unhappy girl, the stoutest\nvolunteers quailed and with their hands shut out the spectral vision.\nThese volunteers disappeared with the second week of recitation entered\non by the Sho[u]nin. Even his own band began to fail him. They sent\nsubstitutes, in the shape of the temple servants, the lowest grade, the\nShoke Sama. When a third week was announced, as sure to accomplish the\nexorcism, there was open rebellion. It was with sadness and admiration\nthat the Sho[u]nin saw his band thus reduced to a few faithful men, the\noldest of his flock, almost as old as himself--and these deaf, blind,\nand almost dumb. \"Ah! It is a tremendous affair. Deep the malignancy of\nthis curse. This foolish priest has overrated his reputation with the\nBuddha. Great the discredit to the sect and temple at the wide heralded\nfailure.\" He felt as ill and out of sorts away from the presence of the\nvision, as did his disciples in its presence. He was old and foolish and\nover-confident.\n\nThe prior slept on his cushion, his robes still wet with the storm and\nrain of the previous night. Then came a woman, dressed in sombre garb.\nApproaching the sleeping priest she wrote upon his sleeve the character\n_ki_ [ki], bowed reverently, and disappeared. He awoke seeming to hear\nher footsteps. How clear was this dream! The character _ki_, what did it\nportend? The Buddha would not fail his priest. Taking himself to the\naltar he prostrated himself before the seated figure. Then he prayed.\nAnd as he prayed--perhaps resumed his nap--wonderful to say again the\ncharacter [ki] appeared, this time on the Buddha's sleeve. The Sho[u]nin\nrubbed his eyes. Was he awake or dreaming? He did not know. \"_Ki_,\" the\nchance, the opportunity that the successful man in every undertaking\ngrasps, where others fail. He must apply it to his own calling and the\ncrisis. They exercised their brains; he was reputed to be well\nfurnished. This next night was the last of the third seven days.\nFailing favourable issue he would take up his staff and depart to other\nplace, never to reappear in the beloved precincts of his hall. Thus\ninspired he thought and thought. The grave, kindly, piercing eyes became\nbrighter and brighter. Then his monks came running in surprise and\nalarm. The reverend prior was laughing--not in merriment, but with the\njoy of him who has found the successful issue to be so plain and easy.\n\nThis last and critical night in storm and riot proved to be the worst of\nall. Said the Sho[u]nin with grave kindness--\"This night the Sho[u]nin\ngoes; others need not accompany.\" All rejoiced--until they saw his\npreparation to face the rain and cold. Then they weakened, and all plead\nto accompany him. Splendid the train assembled around the well curb.\nAgain the reading of the _sutra_ began, the intonation of the\n_nembutsu_. Again the clerics cursed their ill timed enthusiasm, which\nbrought them out in the storm and to such unseemly company. Again the\nghosts issued forth from the old well in their obscene riot. Jeering,\nmenacing they swarmed around the frightened priestly band. Immoveable\nthe prior. Natural and supernatural seemed to hang on the issue between\npriest and spectres. The figure of O'Kiku, wan, sad, malignant appeared.\nShe counted--\"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight,\nnine....\"--\"Ten!\" shouted the Sho[u]nin, extending the Junen. \"Ara! What\njoy! None lack. Ah! By the Sho[u]nin's virtue this Kiku secures Nirvana.\nGratitude and obeisance are due.\" With the words the figure faded, the\nspectres disappeared, the storm rumbled and passed off rapidly to the\ndistance, and the stars shone out on the cold clear sky of a perfect\nfall night with its studded firmament.\n\nThus did the Sho[u]nin find the secret in the _ten_ repetition of the\nsacred formula--the _ju_ nen. On her finger stumps O'Kiku\ncounted--counted as does the successful man in the business of life. But\nO'Kiku was maimed. The thumb was lacking. Hence the tale went but to\nnine. The missing factor once supplied her count found completion. Long\nhad been accomplished her vow of indignant vengeance, but still the\nplates remained to count for her own release, and this she could not\neffect. Great was the reputation thus acquired to priest and temple.\nProbably it was this feat which has confused him with his greater\npredecessor, the founder of the temple; transferred most\nanachronistically to this latter the tradition of the actual laying of\nthe ghost.\n\nThere is an old book[35] in which the matter is discussed--\"It was in\nthe old well that Kikujo[u] was drowned, says tradition in Sho[u]ho[u]\n3rd year (1646). By the ability, merit, and power of Mikatsuki Sho[u]nin\nher soul was saved, and at once she became a Buddha. Though such be the\nstory, by the temple register the founder of the Dendzu-In, Ryo[u]yo[u]\nSho[u]nin, entered the Hall in O[u]ei 22nd year 9th month 27th day (29th\nOctober 1415). One smiles. Ho! The Sho[u]nin lived two hundred and\nfifty-six years before, and dates do not amalgamate. How many\ngenerations had the Sho[u]nin seen when Kikujo[u] became a Buddha! The\nMikatsuki Sho[u]nin becomes a bubble Sho[u]nin. The learning of this\nMikatsuki Sho[u]nin was notorious, and it has been banded down to people\nof later generations in matters concerning Ryo[u]yo[u] Sho[u]nin. Deign\nto take a glance at facts here indicated. The 'Edo Bukkaku Ryakuden'\n(Epitomised Record of Buddhist teaching in Edo) says under the heading\n'Muryo[u]zan Jukyo[u]ji Dendzu-in'--\n\n     'Koishikawa Ji-in: 600 _koku_ (income). The founder was\n     Yurensha Ryo[u]yo[u] Sho[u]nin, early in the Meitoku period\n     (1390-1393). This Sho[u]nin had between his eyebrows the\n     figure of the moon on the third day. Later people called him\n     Mikatsuki Sho[u]nin. Native of Jo[u]shu[u] he was the son of\n     the castle lord of Iwase in Kujigo[u]ri, Shirayoshi Shima no\n     Kami Yoshimitsu. Through prayer at the Iwase Myo[u]jin his\n     mother became pregnant. He was born Riaku-O[u] 4th year 1st\n     month 24th day (11th February 1311). Later his father was\n     killed in battle, and the mother took him to the\n     Jo[u]fukuji, at So[u]jiyama. Putting him in charge of\n     Sho[u]jitsu Sho[u]nin his head was shaved. At eight years\n     old he was received at the Mikkyo[u] (Shingon) Ho[u]don-In\n     Yuzon. Taishu[u] (secret cult) was learned through the\n     teaching of Shingen Ho[u]shi. The Zenshu[u] was taught by\n     the aged Tajima no Temmei and Gwatsuryu[u]. Shinto[u] by\n     Jibu no Tayu Morosuke. In the poetry of Nippon he followed\n     Tona, for ancient and modern example. He wrote ten books of\n     importance. Noted for learning, in Eiwa 4th year (1378) he\n     was transferred to Taitei-san O[u]sho[u]-in Nan-ryu[u]bo[u]\n     in Shimotsuke no Kuni. Here he taught the seed of the Law.\n     The son of Chiba Sadatane, Toku Sendai Maru, had a younger\n     brother. It was he who founded the Zo[u]jo[u]ji and became\n     Yu[u]yo[u] Sho[u]nin. Ryo[u]yo[u] Mikatsuki Sho[u]nin died\n     in O[u]ei 27th year 9th month 27th day (3rd November 1420).\n     The San-en-zan Kwo[u]-do[u]-in Zo[u]jo[u]ji had to fief\n     10540 _koku_. It is the chief seat of the Jo[u]do[u] sect in\n     the Kwanto[u], and its schools swarm with students.'\n\nThe large hanging bell of this Zo[u]jo[u]ji (_tsurigane_) has the\nthickness of a foot. At the time it was the largest of all bells. In the\ntemple record it says that the Sho[u]nin of Shiba San-en-zan, generation\nfollowing generation, were highly noted for learning. From Ryo[u]yo[u]\nSho[u]nin the predecessor the principles must have been inherited. Hence\nin the foolish talk of people the honoured name of the Sho[u]nin was\nborrowed and adopted into the affair of Kikujo[u], as of the noted and\nerudite priest Mikatsuki Sho[u]nin; no matter of offence.\"\n\nBut no such laboured explanation is required. The sanctity of learning,\nthe inheritance in these bishops and priors of the merits of those who\nwent before, has kept and keeps the appellation in the minds of the\ngenerations of the Nipponese. Ryo[u]yo[u] Sho[u]nin, his merits and his\nnickname, passed in the public mind to his successors. It is the\nlaboured and learned effort of these days which fastens on the prior of\nDendzu-in the tales of the long past founder of the temple. It was the\nlearned Osho[u] of the time of Tsunayoshi Ko[u], that fifth\nSho[u]gun--the Inu Kubo--basely devout and devoted to the Buddha's Law,\nwhen to save the life of a dog (_inu_) the lives of men were sacrificed\non the execution ground.[36] The piety and learning of the great priest\nsurely is needed to counterbalance the cruel folly of his master. Both\nqualities of this later cleric were the needed light in this period so\ndark for men. In which the wife, more faithful to tradition and the\nland, drove her dagger into the Sho[u]gun's heart, and kept from his\nseat and succession the favoured person of his catamite.[37] To be sure\nthe little lady, of _kuge_ not _samurai_ stock, daughter of the Kwampaku\n(Premier) Takatsukasa Fusasuke, of courage and truly noble stock, then\nused the dagger on herself; and has kept busy ever since the historians\nof Nippon, official and other kinds, in explanation of how \"it didn't\nhappen.\" This is but a tale of outside scribes, to explain the taking\noff between night and morning of a perfectly well man (or divinity)--not\nsanctified with official and Tokugawal benediction; and no wonder. The\ntale and the event was not one to brag of. And the lady died too--very\nshortly.\n\nThe eagerness to ascribe a local habitat to the story of the Sarayashiki\nhas led to-day to some curious confusions, dovetailing into each other.\nTo follow Ho[u]gyu[u]sha--in the far off quarter of Yanaka Sansaki, near\nthe Negishi cut of the Northern Railway, is the Nonaka well. Despite its\nfar removal this _pool_ is ascribed to O'Kiku, as the one time well of\nthe Yoshida Goten. As fact--in Sho[u]ho[u] a harlot, by name Kashiwaki,\nransomed by a guest here established herself. Death or desertion cut her\noff from the lover, and she turned nun. The place at that time was mere\nmoorland, and the well near by the hut had the name of the Nonaka no\nIdo--the well amid the moor. In time the lady and her frailty\ndisappeared, and the kindly villagers buried her close to the hut, scene\nof her penance.\n\n    \"Vain the tranquil water mid the moor--mere surface;\n     Gone, nought remains--of the reflection.\"\n\nHer well? People call it now the _yobi-ido_, the calling well, a pool\nfurnished by springs and some thirty feet in diameter. Now only a few\n_cho[u]_ (hundred yards) to the north of Sansaki, at the Komizo no Hashi\nof Sakanoshita, is an old mound called the grave of O'Kiku. \"Here a\nsmall seven faced monument has been erected. But this is not the O'Kiku\nof the Sarayashiki. This woman named Kiku died of an incurable disease.\nAs her dying wish she asserted that any who suffered pain from incurable\ndisease had but to pray to her to receive relief. With this vow she\ndied.\" It is the connection between this Kiku and the _yobi-ido_ which\nhas so transferred the well established site of this old story.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nThus comes to a finish these tales of the Edo Bancho[u], the story of\nthe Sarayashiki with its cruel fate of the unhappy Kikujo[u], the Lady\nof the Plates. Long had the distressed figure of the wretched girl\nceased its wailing over the never completed tale of the porcelain\nplates. But the memory of her misfortunes, of the ill-omened well of the\nYoshida Goten has remained for centuries in the mind, and thought, and\nspeech of Nippon. Up to the early years of Meiji the Ko[u]jimachi-ido\nstill existed, to be pointed out to the superstitious ever present in\nthis land. The Bancho[u], for many decades of years, had become the\ncrowded Bancho[u] of the proverb which asserts that one born and living\nout life therein, yet could not be expected to know the windings and\nintricacies of its many ways and byways. In time the _yashiki_ of\n_hatamoto_ disappeared; in recent years to make way for a residential\nquarter of prosperous tradesmen, minor officials; nay, for bigger fish\nwho swim in the troubled waters of court and politics. The old\nKo[u]jimachi village, with its bustling street and many shops, remains.\nTrue the old well has gone the way of the ruined _yashiki_ of Aoyama\nShu[u]zen, of the waste land ([sarado]) on which at one time both stood.\nBut to this very day the tradition remains firm and clear. So much so\nthat those who leave their homes, to fail of reappearance ever after,\nare spoken of as having met the fate of the unhappy victims of the\nKo[u]jimachi-ido. To quote again the very ancient poem in assertion of\nthe verity of its evil influence:\n\n    \"Yoshida: to passers by the token;\n     Long sleeves wave invitation.\"\n\nYokohama--21st September to 14th November, 1916.\n\n--FINIS.--\n\nTo follow--The Hizakurige (To[u]kaido[u]) of Jippensha Ikku--in English.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[Footnote 1: Benincasa hispida (Brinkley).]\n\n[Footnote 2: Of about fifteen dollars in terms of present money.]\n\n[Footnote 3: Comments the scribe of Nippon (Matsubayashi Hakuen)--\"This\nkind is not the animal known as fox. There are foxes in human shape\nwhich extort money. They dwell round about Yoshiwara and Shinagawa.\nThese are found in the Shin-Yoshiwara. In Meiji 33rd year 8th month\nliberty was granted to give up their occupation. Blowing wide cast a fox\nfever, the brothels of the Yoshiwara displayed a magnificent confusion.\nIn round terms Tokyo town was in an uncontrolled disorder. Among these\nhuman foxes there was a guild, and this was the source of the tumult.\"]\n\n[Footnote 4: Mizuno Juro[u]zaemon Shigemoto, son of Hiuga no Kami\nKatsunari. He was ordered to commit _seppuku_ (cut belly) for the\nassassination of Bandzuin Cho[u]bei: Kwanbun 4 year 3 month 27 day (22\nApril 1664).]\n\n[Footnote 5: _Kokorozashi wa matsu no ha to moshimasu_.]\n\n[Footnote 6: Second daughter of Hidetada; wife of the Prince of\nEchizen.]\n\n[Footnote 7: At the severest cold, clad in breech clout, or thinnest of\nwhite linen, the pilgrim after sunset makes his round of the temples for\nworship.]\n\n[Footnote 8: The Pluto of Indian (Yama), Chinese and Japanese (Emma)\nmythology. Dai-O[u] (Great King). Cf. Eitel's \"Chinese Buddhism,\" p.\n207.]\n\n[Footnote 9: Other accounts say that these heroes used--pith bullets.]\n\n[Footnote 10: He was of great strength, and is said to have carried the\nSho[u]gun in his palanquin on his shoulders himself back to Edo in the\nflight from Suzume no Miya. With the approval of Iyemitsu he forced his\nway into the castle gate, thereby incurring official censure and\nbanishment to an island--to Hitotsu no Jima, or the present Ishikawa\nJima at the mouth of the Sumidagawa! The sentence was purely formal. His\nfavour with Iyemitsu was very high owing to this Tsuritenjo[u] (hanging\nceiling) affair.]\n\n[Footnote 11: These stories were not likely to be published under a\npaternal Government; except in the mouths and tales of the people. Too\nmany scandals have been \"excerpted\" from the official histories and\nrecords of Nippon to have a robust confidence in what is left. The\n_ko[u]dan_ lecturers and writers make the Senhimegimi, eldest daughter\nof Hidetada, the heroine of the scandals emanating from the Yoshida\nGoten. History refers them to the Takata no Kata. But this lady left\npowerful issue. Not so the Senhimegimi (Princess Sen), in ways a\nsplendid woman. Better known as the Tenju-in-Den she lies buried under a\nmost imposing monument at the Dendzu-in in Tokyo. Tenju-in-Den lived to\nover eighty years; the Takata no Kata died, aged seventy-two years.]\n\n[Footnote 12: _Itsuwari to omoi sutenaba ikani sen; Sue kakete chigiri\nmo aru wo afu yo sae; Iku sue to fuku chigiru makoto wo._ (1) _Hedatsu\nkoro mono urami to zo omou._ (2)]\n\n[Footnote 13: Burned down a few years ago: a fire disastrous to the\ntemple records.]\n\n[Footnote 14: Dosanbashi is the site facing the castle and lying just\nnorth of the wide avenue facing the main entrance to To[u]kyo[u]\nstation. It ran north to Kanda bridge. It formed part of the\nDaimyo[u]-koji, which extended from Kandabashi to the Hibiyabashi and\nthe Sukiyabashi at the south. Roughly speaking this Daimyo[u]-koji was\nthe district between the inner and outer moat and the bridges mentioned,\nnow traversed by the elevated railway from Shimbashi to the To[u]kyo[u]\nstation. The Dosan bridge crossed a wide canal which connected the inner\nand outer moats with the Sumida river. The street running from\nGofukubashi to the castle moat covers the site of this canal, and the\nbridge itself was about where the spur of the elevated railway crosses\nthe present highway (1916). The Embukasane inspired the famous tale of\nEncho[u]--the \"Shinkasane-ga-fuchi\"--and, like many Nipponese stories,\nis founded on actual occurrence.]\n\n[Footnote 15: Also called, Naomori, or Narimasa, or Nariyuki.]\n\n[Footnote 16: There was great opposition to the introduction of _Kuge_\n(court noble) influence into the Sho[u]gun's household at this time. The\nsame reasons of course did not apply to marriage of Tokugawa women into\nthe Kyo[u]to circle. The Sho[u]gunal Court was to be ruled by _samurai_\ncode and influence.]\n\n[Footnote 17: Marriages at that date were performed in daytime. Note in\nthe original.]\n\n[Footnote 18:\n    _Ume ka ka wo sakura no hana ni motase tsutsu;\n     Yanagi no eda ni sakashite zo min._]\n\n[Footnote 19: Momogawa Jo[u]en: _ko[u]danshi_ differ in their treatment\nof such detail. Some emphasize it, after the manner of the chronicle;\nothers do not.]\n\n[Footnote 20: The _Daikwan_ was the chief representative of the feudal\nlord in the particular circumscribed district. His authority rarely\npassed beyond a few miles. Note the Daikwanzaka and the site of his\n_yashiki_ in Yokohama (_Motomachi_).]\n\n[Footnote 21: Momokawa Jo[u]en.]\n\n[Footnote 22: Shukke, one who has left the world--turned\npriest--\"Honoured Mr. Recluse.\"]\n\n[Footnote 23: The Nipponese \"watches\" covered two hours. Hence he had\nbeen aroused between 3-5 A.M., not 5-7 A.M. as expected.]\n\n[Footnote 24: _Dentatsu_--\"Jimbei, mata 'fukeru' to itta na. Nan no\nkotta (kotoba) sono 'fukeru' to iu no wa.\" _Jimbei_--\"Yai! Yai! Bo[u]zu\"\netc. To the erudite is left closer approximation to _fukeru_ (in\n_kana_). This story is told, following the details of Koganei Koshu[u]\n(\"Yui Sho[u]setsu\"). Gion, equally known for its _hetairai_.]\n\n[Footnote 25: In the vernacular.]\n\n[Footnote 26: The first--Yamaguchi etc.--are place names, from\nKyu[u]shu[u] to O[u]shu[u]; widely scattered. Otherwise--\"Bloody Spear\"\n(Chiyari), \"Iron Chin,\" \"Wolf,\" \"Fox-heart,\" \"Iron head,\" \"Monkey\nhand.\"]\n\n[Footnote 27: He has played on the ideographs--[kyoku-sui no en] and\n[kyoku-sui no en], _kyoku-sui no en_; the last meaning--\"Winding water\nentertainment,\" cf. \"Benkei\" Vol. II. p. 195.]\n\n[Footnote 28: The _yoriki_ is hard to place--\"commanding officer.\" He\nwas not of the office, yet as of rank was chosen to lead these more\ndangerous and trying expeditions, or to act in more important arrests.]\n\n[Footnote 29: In the conspiracy of Sho[u]setsu such did exist, directed\nto the house of one of his followers, placed not far off in another\nstreet. [But recently such a tunnel was discovered under the garden of\nBaron Sakatani at Haramachi, Koishikawa, To[u]kyo[u]; believed to belong\nto the Hakusan Goten, and dating 250 years back. 20th May, 1917].]\n\n[Footnote 30: Brinkley's Dictionary gives it--_Ichiju no kage ni yadori,\nichiga no nagare wo kumu mo, mina kore tasho[u] no en narubeshi_.]\n\n[Footnote 31: Sho[u]ho[u] 3rd year the New Year fell on 16th February\n(1646) of the modern calendar.]\n\n[Footnote 32: _Rangiku ya: kitsune ni no se yo[u] kono sugata. Rangiku_\n= Caryopteris mastachantus.]\n\n[Footnote 33: In Buddhist theology the seventh day is one of the\nimportant dates of the _hotokes_ (deceased spirit) sojourn upon Earth.]\n\n[Footnote 34: Pradjna--\"highest of the six paramita, principal means of\nattaining Nirvana, knowledge of the illusory character of all\nexistence.\" Eitel--p. 119.]\n\n[Footnote 35: The quotation and what follows is from Ho[u]gyu[u]sha\nTo[u]ko[u]--\"Bancho[u] Sarayashiki.\" The exactness of these old temple\nregisters in essential dates is worth noting.]\n\n[Footnote 36: Tsunayoshi 1646-1709. A vassal of Akita Danjo[u] killed a\nswallow. He was executed; his children were executed; and he and his are\nbut one case out of many.]\n\n[Footnote 37: Or son, by the more respectful account. Yanagizawa\nYoshiyasu took the name of Matsudaira. His son Yoshishige, said really\nto be the son of Tsunayoshi by the wife of Yoshiyasu, was to be adopted\nby Echizen no Kami Tadanao, brother and heir to the Sho[u]gun. Tadanao\n\"removed,\" left the field open to the success (and succession) of the\npowerful premier. Yanagizawa as _tairo[u]_ (premier) was an irregularity\nin itself.]\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n  +------------------------------------------------------------+\n  | Typographical errors corrected in text:                    |\n  |                                                            |\n  | Page   v: The modern kanji character has been used for     |\n  |           yeast (_ko[u]ji_)                                |\n  | Page  11: crysanthemum amended to chrysanthemum            |\n  | Page  22: masterhand amended to master hand; rotten        |\n  |           amended to rotted                                |\n  | Page  26: embarassment amended to embarrassment            |\n  | Page  29: on amended to an                                 |\n  | Page  41: missing /s/ in gesture added                     |\n  | Page  47: made amended to make; pallour amended to pallor  |\n  | Page  51: villanious amended to villainous                 |\n  | Page  57: dependant amended to dependent                   |\n  | Page  59: state raft amended to statecraft                 |\n  | Page  63: circumambiant amended to circumambient           |\n  | Page  69: spoken off amended to spoken of                  |\n  | Page  73: milklivered amended to milk livered              |\n  | Page  95: gallopping amended to galloping                  |\n  | Page 102: herhaps amended to perhaps                       |\n  | Page 105 et seq.: superintendant amended to                |\n  |           superintendent                                   |\n  | Page 132: preceded amended to proceeded                    |\n  | Page 140: lead amended to led                              |\n  | Page 143: Aoyoma amended to Aoyama; embarassment amended   |\n  |           to embarrassment                                 |\n  | Page 147: exhilirating amended to exhilarating             |\n  | Page 169: astonishly amended to astonishingly              |\n  | Page 171: mits amended to mitts                            |\n  | Page 173: he amended to be                                 |\n  | Page 175: quid amended to squid                            |\n  | Page 176: multidinous amended to multitudinous             |\n  | Page 182: peel amended to peal                             |\n  | Page 192: exhuberant amended to exuberant                  |\n  | Page 212: condescenscion amended to condescension;         |\n  |           effiminacy amended to effeminacy                 |\n  | Page 213: icely amended to icily                           |\n  | Page 214: maccaroni amended to macaroni                    |\n  | Page 221: conferrence sic, meaning conferring              |\n  | Page 227: squshing amended to squishing                    |\n  | Page 232: yashihi amended to yashiki; impertinance         |\n  |           amended to impertinence                          |\n  | Page 239: Ototsan replaced with Otosan                     |\n  | Page 241: feint amended to faint                           |\n  | Page 252: maccaroni amended to macaroni                    |\n  | Page 254: maccaroni amended to macaroni; apellation        |\n  |           amended to appellation                           |\n  | Page 260: apellation amended to appellation                |\n  |                                                            |\n  | Where two different spellings occur an equal number of     |\n  | times in the text, both spellings have been retained       |\n  | (Koshigeyatsu/Koshigayatsu; Surugadai/Suragadai).          |\n  |                                                            |\n  | Where there is an equal number of instances of a word      |\n  | occurring as hyphenated and unhyphenated, the hyphens      |\n  | have been retained: Ban-gashira/Bangashira;                |\n  | fire-ward/fireward; go-kenin/gokenin;                      |\n  | Kanda-bashi/Kandabashi; Mita-mura/Mitamura;                |\n  | new-comer/new comer; overlord/over-lord;                   |\n  | raincoat/rain-coat; Tayasu-mura/Tayasumura;                |\n  | wheel-wright/wheelwright;                                  |\n  | yatsu-ho[u]ko[u]nin/yatsuho[u]ko[u]nin.                    |\n  |                                                            |\n  | The Senhimegimi: Hyphenation and/or word separation, as    |\n  | well as italicisation, is varied. The variations of Sen    |\n  | himegimi, himegimi and Senhime have been retained as they  |\n  | appear in the text.                                        |\n  |                                                            |\n  +------------------------------------------------------------+\n\n       *       *       *       *       *","title":"Bakemono Yashiki (The Haunted House), Retold from the Japanese Originals: Tales of the Tokugawa, Volume 2 (of 2)","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":98673}