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U N E S C O C0LLI:C’t’lO.V (It: Rlfl’Kl~Sl~N’l‘A’l‘II’t: l.I’l‘t:K.4H~’ I1’ORKS
THE LIFE OF AN AMOROUS WOMAN
ANO OTHER Vi’RIl‘INC;S
hy ~I~ARA SAIKAKU E d i t e d nrld trmslnted by IV A N M O R R I S
Final two pages of the first edition of 77~ Life c/an Amorous Woman. The text cor- responds to the translation in the present book from “ I fell down to the ground ‘.’ on page 207 to the end of page 208, and the following colophon: Published in the second decade CJJ the sixlh moon of I/W lhird year o/ rhe j?kyo era, the year in which the^ Elder^ &o&r of Fire is rombined with the Sign of the T<qer [ 16861: on the presses^ of^ K&k^ Saburaemon, bookseller by the, Shitrsai Bridge at the comer of Cofukuch6 in Osaka.
Translation of the cover of the sarne edition (see overleaf); note that the poem breaks off with the implication that nothing clsc could have any beauty or interest: Illus- trated / THE LIFE 01: AN AMOROUS WOMAN / Book I. / Hiding his&e hc cwters the plea- sure quarrers and makes his inquiries, 1 Whereupon he hears of a^ woman^ who grows^ more wanderfirl the more they tell 4 her. / in Ihe ~qital~yirls blossom a$ [hick as the hills, / And in every province there are women to be had. / Bul even among a rhousond women rhere is none 10 compare with this _one, / So he pays two hundredgold koban towards_* her ransom. / For him who has seen Ihe pleasure quarters of Shimnb~m: / The red bves of autumn, the glory of Ihe moon, [he women ourside tile quarrersj- A NEY D I R E C T I O N S B O O K 356 \
F I V E W O M E N W H O C H O S E L O V E
T H E T A L E O F G E N G O B E I , T H E M O U N T A I N O F L O V E
I. How Sorrowfully Ends the Concert ofthe Fluter 189 Gengobei-he^ of^ whom^ they^ sing^ in^ the^ ballads-hailed^ from Kagoshima in the Province of Satsuma, but for a native of so out- landish a place he displayedm h’is taste a most unusual fastidious- ‘90 ness. He shaved his hair, according to the fashion of that region, so that his sidelocks fell down at the back, and he wore his topknot short. The long sword that he carried by his side was most striking, 191 but, this too being a custom ofthese parts, none thought to reprove him. Day and night this Gengobei devoted himself to the love of men; nor had he once in the twenty-six springs of his life dallied with the frail and long-haired sex. For many years now he had been enam- oured of a young boy by the name of Nakamura Hachijuro, to whom hc had from the outset bound himself by the deepest vows of Iifclong loyalty. Hachijuro was a youth of the greatest beauty, Iike in purity to a single-petalled cherry whose blossoms are yet but 192 haIf opened. His indeed was the flavour of a flower endowed with the gift of human speech. One evening as the rain fell gloomily outside, the two young men immured themselves in the little room where Gengobei was wont to stay, and played their flutes in concert. The sound of the music echoed quietly in the dark, adding to the night’s gentle melancholy. The wind that blew in through the window carried with it the fragrance of plum blossoms, scenting therewith the loose sleeves of the young men’s dress; outside, the birds at roost were startled by the rustling of the black bamboo, and the sound oftheir wings as they fluttered to and fro had a mournful note.
Gengobei and his young paramour play their flutes together for the last tlmc. Out- side it is ram@, and the sound oftheir music adds to the Scntle melancholy of the night.
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F I V E W O M E N W H O C H O S E L O V E the holy shelf, thereon quaintly adding cucumbers, eggplants, dried green soybeans and other offerings. By the dim light of the square Iantcm he busily recited sutras for the dead, and in front of the houses the hempcn reeds burned away in the sacred bonfires. However, in the gathering dusk of the fourteenth day, the peaceful air was rent with thr clamours of the bill collectors; for even tcmplcs arc not spared their debts. Mcanwhilc the sound of drums beating the Bon dances rcsoundcd outside the temple gates. For one who had retired here like Gengobei to fly the tumult of the world all this was nothing short of odious, and he resolved forth- with to make a pilgrimage to Mount Koya. Accordingly, on the following day, the fifteenth of the Poem Month, he set forth from his native place. His black vestments, it is said, were bleached with tears and the sleeves thereof quite worn away from all his weeping.
2. Frail as the Life of the Birds He Catches Is the Lif of the Bird-Cat& In the mountain village, preparations for the winter were well afoot. Bush cover and brushwood had been cut and stored, snow guards erected in anticipation of the heavy drifts, and the northern windows firmly boarded. The sound of clothes being beaten on the fuller’s block echoed loudly in the winter air. By a field not far from this same village a lad was taking careful aim at the little birds that fluttered among the red-tinged foliage fighting for a nesting place. From seeing the boy one would have judged him to be fourteen, or at the most fifteen, years of age. He wore a hempen kimono, lined with the same light-blue material and secured with a purple sash of medium width. The short sword that 202 hung by his side was embellished with a gilded guard. His long hair 203 was artlessly secured in a whisk style, and he had about him a volup- tuous, feminine beauty. This stripling held his lime stick in the middle and, as the birds of passage fluttered overhead, he tried time after time to catch them. 104
THE TALE OF GENGOBEI
Yet.he did not succeed in ensnaring a single one, and a look of dis- may settled on his face. Gengobei stood there, feasting his eyes upon the scene. “To think that there exists in the world a lad of^ such exquisite beauty !” hc murmurc.d to himself.^ “111^ years^ hc^ h a r d l y &&ers from Hachijuro when yet he lived. But in beauty he far cx- cd him !” AU Gengobci’s pious resolutions^ were^ forgotten^ as he stood gazing in rapture on the boy. As dusk fell, hc approached his side. “Though I be a priest, ” he said, “I am not unskilled in catching_. birds. Pray lend me your stick.” Setting about his task, Gengobei first addressed himself to the birds. “You fowls above,” said he, “why should you begrudge your lives at the hands of this fair youth? Come, come, you inelc- gant creatures, have you no feeling for such boyish charms?” in no time at all Gengobei had caught a goodly number of the birds and presented them to the lad. The latter was overcome with
joy.
“Pray tell me how you came to take your vows?” he said. Thereat Gengobei gave himself over to relating the story of his life. The boy listened with such distress that he was moved to tears. “To renounce the world for such a cause seems to me especially worthy, ” said hc. “Come with me, I pray you, and spend this night in my poor dwelling.” So saying, he led Gengobci in most friendly fashion to a splendid manor house set in the midst of a dense forest. Horses neighed in the stables and armour shone on the walls. Passing through the great hall, they emerged on a veranda, whence a long gallery led to the garden. Here, striped bamboos grew luxuriantly and in the back stood a great aviary, where various sorts of birds-white and golden 204 pheasants, Chinese pigeons and the Like-joined their voices in song. On a balcony a little to the side was a room which commanded a view in all directions. The walls were worthily lined with book- 105 I - -...
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F I V E W O M E N W H O C H O S E L O V E shelves, this being the youth’s habitual place of study. After they had seated themselves here, the boy called for the servants. “This travelling priest,” he said, “is to be my reading master. See that he wants for nothing.” The evening passed in many pleasant entertainments. When dark- ness fell, the two of them held intimate converse and soon had pledged their fervent vows. Retiring, then, to bed, they exhausted 205 their ingenuity in making this into “a thousand nights.” On the following morning, they were much loath to part from each other. “I know that you must make your pilgrimage to Koya,” said the boy, “but on your return voyage pray do not fail to come and see me here.” They exchanged solemn promises, weeping the while at the thought of their separation. Then Gengobei left the manor, unbe- known to any other members of the household. Reaching the 206 village, he made inquiries. “The master of that manor is the Gover- nor of these parts,” people informed him, and told him also about the Governor’s handsome son. “Well indeed,” thought Gengobei, much pleased at the status of his new-found love, and he begrudged each step that took him to (^207) the capital. Plunged alternately in memories of the departed Hachi- juro and in fond thoughts of his successor, he had scant room in his mind for the Holy Way of Buddha. (^208) Finally he reached the sacred mountain of Saint Kobo. He spent one day in a visitor’s lodging in the Southern Valley; then, without so much as paying his respects at the Saint’s tomb, he set forth on his rerum journey. He proceeded, as promised, to the house of his young friend, and the latter, not changed one jot since when they last conversed, came forth to greet him. Together they entered a certain chamber, and here exchanged news of all that had happened since their parting; 106
during which time, Gengobei, much wearied by his travels, fell into a sleep. When dawn broke, the boy’s father came into the room. Seeing a strange priest, his suspicions were aroused and he awakened Gengo- b& The latter was taken by surprise and straightway blurted out in frankest detail all that had befallen him, from the time when hc took the tonsure until the vet-y present. Hearing this, the master of the house clapped his hands in amazement. “Passing strange.1”^ he exclaimed. “Though it ill becomes a father’s^ modesty,^ i^ could not but feel proud of that boy’s beauty. Yet in this world of ours all is transitory and mortal. Some twenty days ago he died most unexpectedly. Until the very last moment he called out the words: ‘The priest! The priest.^1 ’^ At the time I fancied that these were but feverish rantings.... So it was you for whom he called?” So say- ing, the gentleman fell into the most grievous lamentation. Hearing these words, Gengobei^ felt,^ more^ strongly^ than^ ever before, that his life was a thing of utter worthlessness. why should he not throw it away here and now-this existence that meant S O little to him? Yet in this world of ours the life of man is not S O easily cast off. Thus in a pitifully brief space of time Fate had robbed Gengobei
of two young men, and bitter indeed it was to linger on himself.
Yet perhaps in these very deaths lay a rare karma: perhaps, these youths had died so that he might learn the sorrows of this world. And sorrows they truly were.
3, A Lover of Men^ Has the Flowers Scatteredfiom^ Both Hands Naught is as abject and unfeeling as the heart of man. Looking about us in the world, we see that when great sorrows strike-when parents lose a child at the very height of their devotion, or again, when a man’s wife, to whom he has sworn vows of eternal loyalty, is brought to an early grave-though our first thoughts be to put an 107
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F I V E W O M E N W H O C H O S E L O V E l a t e! H o w hateful they wcrc to her, (^) those black vcstmcnts that Gengobei had donned! Come \vhat may, rcsolvcd Oman, she must pay him a visit and chide him with his cruelty to her. Thus rcsolvcd, she stealthily made her prcparntions, thinking for- cvcr to renounce her prcscnt lift. With her own hands she fitly cut her hair and shaved hcr hca m * d t hc fas h‘ion (^) favoured by young boys. Then, having changed into clothes which she had set aside for this purpose, and which artfully transformed her into a boyish paramour, she left her home in secret. (^216) From the moment that Oman “set forth up the Mountain of Love,” she had to brush away the dew that clung to her clothes from 217 the ground-bamboo; and for all the deceptions of the Godless Month, her woman’s heart was chilled by the perils of the journey that lay ahead. After much walking she passed a village and entered a grove of cedars of which she had been told. Behind her, great boulders were piled in fearsome array, and to one side there opened up a yawning cavern, into which she gazed forlornly, feeling that into its depth her very heart might sink. Next, her path led her across a fearful bridge wrought of a few unstable logs of rotten wood, beneath which the rapid waters of a mountain stream thrashed against the banks, seeming at the same time to thrash her spirits with their awful roar. Coming at last to a small stretch oflevel ground, Oman perceived a hermit’s cell with sloping roof and overgrown with vines and creepers. (^) Drops of water trickled from the sodden eaves-so steadily, indeed, that one might have thought it was a local shower. On the south side of the hut a dormer window opened up, and, peering through it, Oman saw a type ofhumble kitchen range often to be found in rustic hovels, in which a fire of pine needles had been left to bum. A pair of tea bowls completed the hermit’s chattels, which did not include so much as a soup ladle. To such a wretched state had Gengobei come! 110
THE TALE OF GENGOBEI
“He who inhabits such a place,” thought Oman, “must indeed find favour with Buddha himself.” Looking round about, she^ ascertained^ to^ her^ dismay^ that^ the master of the cell was absent. There was none hcrc of whom SIX might inquire his whereabouts-only the pint trees that stood by^218 silently to watch her pine as she waited now for Gengobei’s return. Fortunately the door was open, and the girl entered the hut. On a lectern Oman noticed a book. This scemcd admirable indeed in such a humble place, but when she came to examine the tltlc, she saw that it was Both Sleeves Wet with Tears from Waitiq .for His Lover, a volume that set forth the mysteries of manly IOVC. “So this passion is one thing that even now hc has not rchn- quished, ” thought Oman, as she began her tedious wait for^ Gcn- gobei’s return. Soon dusk gathered, and, there being no way for Oman to light the lamp, it grew hard for her to read the characters in the book. As 2’ time passed, she felt ever more desolate, and thus she kept solitary watch through the long night hours. All this she could endure for the sake of love. It must have been about the middle of the night when the bonzc Gengobei made his way back to the hut by the dim light of a pine torch. Seeing him, Oman was overcome with delight; but then she noticed two elegant young boys emerging from a clump of withered reeds. They seemed to be equal in age and no less close in beauty; for one was like a springtime blossom, the other like a maple leaf in all its glory. Eac was competing for amorous attention, theh one with resentful pouting, the other with tearful wailing; here was a veritable battle for manly love. Gengobei was one, his lovers two- and seeing him dragged, now one way, now the other. tormented by the importunities of his boyish lovers and a troubled look of sorrow on his face, Oman was overcome with pity. At the same time she could not but experience distaste at the damping scene I I I
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F I V E W O M E N W H O C H O S E L O V E before her. “Well, well,” she thought, “here is a fickle man indeed.” Howbeit, she had set her heart on this love and could not leave things in their present state. If nothing else, she must briefly un- bosom herself of the sccrct that consumed her. So resolved, she stepped forth from the hut. Startled by her sudden appcarancc, the two young paramours disappeared into thin air, much to Oman’s bewilderment. “What now?” she thought. Gengobei, no less surprised, addressed himself to her. “Pray, what manner of young boy are you?” hc said. “As you see, sir,” answered Oman, “I am one who has embarked on the way of manly love. For some time past, I have heard speak of you, Sir Priest, and thus it was that I risked all to steal hither to your mountain fasmess. Little did I know, alas, how inconstant a man you were, and now I perceive that I have set my heart on you in vain! A grievous disappointment in truth.” There was bitterness in Oman’s tone, but, hearing these words, Gengobei clapped his hands with joy. “Your aim in coming here is gratifying indeed!” said he, and once again his fickle feelings were aroused. He told Oman, then, of how his two earlier lovers had already departed this world and of how the boys outside the hut were merely their phantoms. At this piteous narration, they both shed tears in unison. “They have gone,” said Oman, “but do not, I pray, abandon me.” “No,” said Gengobei, with deep emotion, “I shall never give you up. Nor, priest though I be, can I give up the form of love I have es- poused.” And even as he spoke, he set to wantoning with his young ztu (^) visitor. To know nothing is to enjoy the peace of Buddha; and even Buddha would surely have pardoned Gengobei, who little knew that this was a maiden in his hermit’s cell.
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THE TALE OF GENGOHEI
4. Love Turns T o p s y - t u r v y “When first I took my vows,” continued Gcngobei, “I swore to Buddha that I would once and for all -abjure the love of women. Yet fair boys with their forelocks-they were a thing that I could ill banish from my heart. Ever since that time, I have prayed to all the Buddhas that this form of love at least may bc vouchsafed mc, and I feel sure that none will now reproach me for my bent. YO U, my young friend, were moved to pity mc in my bereavement and have even gone so far as to visit mc in this lonely place. Having shown yourself to be ofso compassionate a nature, never, I pray you, forsake me.” So saying, he pursued his amorous dalliance. Oman was much tickled by all this, and, to stifle her mirth, she pinched her thighs and held her breast. “Pray listen, sir, to what I say,” quoth she, “and give heed to my meaning. I loved you as you were before, and, seeing you now in priestly guise, I love you all the more. How greatly you have troubled my spirits, you may judge yourself from my having come here, from my having risked life itself for the sake of the love I bear you. Since such, then, are my feelings, you must banish from your mind all thoughts of making tender vows to other boys. If I may have your written oath that henceforth you will do as I say, even if at times it may not suit your wishes, I will pledge you my heart- ay, and my body, too-in this world and the world to come.”^221 Hearing this, the bonze Gengobei most imprudently inscribed the oath. “For a boy like you,” said he. “I could do anything-even renounce the cloth.” The words were hardly out of his mouth before he began to pant with passion, and slipping his hand up^221 Oman’s sleeve, he set to feeling her naked body. Finding that she wore no loincloth, he showed a puzzled look, which once again amused the girl. Reaching into his bag, Gengobei put something in his mouth, 223 which he then began to crunch. 113
F I V E W O M E N W H O C H O S E L O V E Gcq@rmn of whom you ask,” he said, “was at first a man of ample means. But he had a son, by name Gcngobei-as handsome and as lustful a youth as ever you would chance to meet in this province. This youth managed in the course of eight years to do
230 away with close upon seventy-five hundredweight of silver, which, alas, caused his father to come down sadly in the world. As for
23’ Gengobei himself, they say he went and became a priest because of some love trouble. To think that there are such fools in the world! I wouldn’t mind setting my eyes once on that rascal’s face. It would certainly prove a good topic of conversation in days to come!” “You have that very face before you now,” thought Gengobei in shame, and, pulling his sedge hat far down over his head, he re- turned to his cottage. Here all was poverty and gloom. In the evenings they had no oil to bum in their lamp and in the mornings no firewood for their stove. Much is said of the joys of love and of love-making, but they last only so long as does prosperity. At night Gengobei and Oman lay down side by side, but no sweet
232 lovers’ talk passed between them. The next morning was the third day of the Third Moon. Children went about serving mugwort rice cakes; cock fights were arranged and various other diversions set afoot. But in the shingled cottage sadness reigned. They had their
233 tray for the Gods, but not so much as a dried sardine to lay thereon. Their celebrations were limited to breaking off a spray of plum blossoms and placing it in their empty sak& bottle. Thus the day drew to a close and on the fourth things looked even more forlorn. Then it was that Gengobei, having pondered with Oman over how they might make their living, bethought himself of the plays that he had witnessed in the capital. Thinking to turn these memories to account, he lost no time in making up his face and painting on a beard. Thus Gengobei, who in his life had been a bondman to 234 love, came to copy the role of^ bondman^ on the stage, and, in 116
THE TALE OF GENGOREI
so doing, bore a striking resemblance to Arashi Sandmon himself. 235 “Yakkono, Yakkono!” he intoned, but his trembling legs be-^236 trayed his inexperience. Then he would start singing: “Gengobei, Gcngobei, whither are you bound? 237 To the hills of Satsuma you go With your three-penny scabbard Your two-penny sword knot
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And in it your sword of rough-hewn cypress!” Hearing his rough voice, the children of the villages through^^239 which he passed were much delighted. Oman, for her part, performed Cloth Bleaching posture dances,^240 and so they eked out their meager livelihood. When we think about this couple, we can see that those who become slaves to love lose all sense of shame. Gradually they wasted 241 away, wholly losing their former beauty; yet this is a harsh world and there was none to take piry on them. As helpless, then, as the wistaria’s purple blossoms, that are doomed to fade away and die, 242 they sank ever lower in fortune and, receiving no help from any quarter, could but think with rancour of their former friends. Bit- terly they bemoaned their fate, until it seemed that their final day had come. Then it was that Oman’s parents, who had been wearily search- ing for their daughter’s whereabouts, finally discovered them-and great was their rejoicing. “Since this is after all the man she loves,” said they, “let us unite the two in marriage and then convey this house to them!” Forthwith they dispatched a number of their retainers to fetch the young couple home, where, when they arrived, there was much jubilation on every side. To Gengobei they handed the various keys of the house-three hundred and eighty-three in all. Then, an auspicious day having been determined, they set about a Storehouse Opening. First they 243 117
F I V E W O M E N W H O C H O S E L OV E 244 inspected six hundred and fifty chests, each marked “Two Hundred 245 Great Gold Pieces,” and eight hundred others, each containing one 246 thousand gold koban. The ten-kan boxes of silver, which they next 247 examined. were mildewed from disuse and a fearful groaning 248 seemed to come from those beneath. In the comer of the Ox and 249 Tiger stood seven great jars, filled to bursting with rectangular gold pieces, which sparkled as when they had issued from the mint; and copper coins lay scattered about like grains of sand. 250 Proceeding^ now^ to^ the^ outside^ storehouse,^ they^ found^ treasures galore: fabrics brought over from China in olden days were piled up to the very rafters; next to them precious agalloch lay stacked like so much firewood; of flawless coral gems. from ninety grains to over one pound in weight, there were one thousand two hundred 251 and thirty-five; there was an endless profusion of granulated shark skin and of the finest willow-green porcelain; all this, together with the Asukagawa tea canister and other such precious ware, had been left there pell-mell with utter disregard for the damage that might befall it. Other wonders too were in that storehouse: a mer- maid pickled in salt, a pail wrought of pure agate, the wooden rice 252,253 pestle that Lu Sheng used before his wondrous dream, Urashima’s 254 carving-knife box, the hanging purse worn in front by the Goddess 255,256 Benzai, the razor of the God of Riches and Longevity, the javelin 257 ofthe Guardian God of Treasure, a winnow of the God of Wealth, the petty+zash book of God Ebisu and so many more that memory cannot hold them all. 258 Here, indeed, were the treasures of the world in full array, and, seeing them, Gengobei was happy and sorrowful in turn. For, 259 thought he, with riches such as these, not only could he buy up all the great courtesans of Edo, Kyoto and Osaka, but he could invest 260 money in the theatres so long as he lived and yet not exhaust his boundless means. In vain he searched for ways to squander all his new-found wealth. And how, indeed, can he have managed? 118
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T H E E T E R N A L S T O R E H O U S E O F JAPAN silver. When he reached the age of eighty-scvcn, pcoplc reprdcd him with envy, and, aspiring to take after this worthy elder, asked 68.3 him to carve them a strickle. Nevertheless, thcrc comes a limit to every man’s lift, and when 684 [he autumn rains began to fall that year, dlstrcssing cloudy of ill health gathered about him. Before they knew it, the old man was dead. His only son was standing by his deathbed. He inherltcd his father’s cntirc fortune, and thus at the age of twenty, without any 685 cxcrtion on his own part, became a man of great wealth. For this young man economy was even more important than it had been for his sire. When it came to distributing kcepsakcs to the numerous relatives, he would not give so much as a single chopstick. 686 As soon as the ceremonies of the seven days were fmishcd, he opened the shutters and the front door of his shop and began to devote himself single-mindedly to business. He thought constantly of ways to save money. When he went to pay a visit of condolence to people who had suffered loss in a fire, he walked slowly, lest he should needlessly stimulate his appetite. Thus the year drew to an end, and before long it was the atmi- versary of his father’s death. On this occasion the young man visited the family temple to pay his respects. On his return home he was plunged in memories of the past, and the tears flowed over the sleeves of his kimono. “Father used to wear these very clothes,” he muttered to himself. “Well I remember how he used to say that this hand-woven cheq- uered pongee was the most durable material. Ah yes, life is indeed a 687 precious thing! If he had but lived another twenty-two years, he 688 would have been a full hundred. It is truly a loss to die as young as he did!” So it was that even in matters of living and dying, avarice came first for this young man. 689 As hc passed the bamboo^ hedge of the Impeiial Botanical Gardens in the neighbourhood of Murasakino, the servant girl who accom- 212
THE FAN MAKER’S SHOP panicd him noticed a scaled lcttcr lying on the ground. She was carrying the empty bag for of&tory rice in OIIC hand; with her free hand she picked up the Ictter. Her master took it from her and read the inscription, “For Hanakawa from Nisan.” The lcttcr had been closed with rice past?, and carefully imprcsscd with a seal. ovc’r which were clearly written the characters, “The Five Great Bodhi- sottvar.” “Hanakawa-that is surely the name of some great nobleman of whom I have not heard,” said the fan maker, and when he rcturncd home, he made inquiries of his assistant. “This must have&en addrcsscd to SOJllC strumpet in the Shima- bara,” he said at a glancc, and handed the letter back to him. “Well,” said the young man, “at least I have profited by acquir- ing one sheet of good Sugihara paper. I don’t come out the loser.” So saying, he calmly broke the seal, whereupon one rectangular gold piece dropped out of the letter. “Good heavens!” he cried in utter amazement, and lost no time in testing the coin with his touchstone. Having made sure that it was solid gold, he placed it on the upper scale of his weighing machine and found to his delight that it weighed precisely one momme’ and two fun. Calming his throbbing breast, hc admonished his servants to keep silence. “This was an unforeseen stroke of luck,” hc said. “Do not breathe a word about it to anyone outslde!” The fan maker then looked at the letter, and found that it was a sensible piece of writing, in which everything was clearly set forth in businesslike form: “I am well aware that this is the season for requests, bur the fact is thar I, too, am pressed for money. However, because of my great devotion to you, I have drawn in advance on my spring stipend and am able to send you the enclosed coin. Pray use two mom& out of this to defray the various entertainment expenses that I have in- 2x
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T H E E T E R N A L S T O R E H O U S E O F JhPAN
cur&. Au the rest 1 bestow on you, so that you can pay off any debts that may have accumulated during the past year. “The gifts that people give should always be attuned to their standing in the world. Thus it is that a certain great merrymaker from the West Country could give three hundred gold coins to Nokazi: of the Ozakaya, telling her, ‘This is to^ see^ you^ through^ the^ Chrysan- themum Festival.’ Now when I send you this one humble coin, my intention is no less than his. If I had more to give, you may bc sure that I should not begrudge anything on your behalf.:’ Thus was the lcttcr charged with feeling. and, as he read it, the fan maker felt more and more sorry for the unknown couple. “Whatever happens,” he thought, “I cannot keep this money for myself. That would be a terrible thing to do to a man who shows such devotion. But since I don’t know his address, how can I return the letter? My only proper course is to go to Shimabara, whose whereabouts I know, to ask for Hanakawa and to deliver the coin to her myself.” With this resolve in mind, he smoothed down his side-locks and left the house. On his way it occurred to him that it was a shame to return the coin free of charge, and time after time he almost changed his mind and retraced his steps. Nevertheless he soon reached the gate of the gay quarters. He hesitated before entering, and, while he stood thcrc, a man came out of a house of assignation to fetch some sak&. The fan maker approached him and said, “Pray, sir, may I inquire whether it is all right for me to enter this gate without advance notice?” The man did not deign to reply, but simply nodded his head. “Well, I suppose it’s all right,” thought the fan maker, and removing his sedge hat, he entered the gay quarters, crouching timidly as he walked. He soon passed in front of the teahouses and reached the streets where the ladies of pleasure lived. Here he ap (^707) proached the great courtesan, known as the Present-Day Morokoshi 214
TllE F A N M A K E R ’ S SHOP of the Ichimonjiya, who was just then setting forth in full style to join a customer at a house of assignation. “Where might I fmd the lady called Madam Hanakawa?” he asked her. The courtesan did not answer him directly, but simply turned to the procuress by her side and said, “I do not know.” The procuress pointed to a shop with blue curtains, saying, “You’d 7 0 8 better ask somconc over thcrc.” Meanwhile, the manservant who was following the courtesan glared angrily at the fan maker and shouted, “Brmg that doxy of yours over hcrc and Ict’s have a look at her!” “I am calling on her for my own business,” rcplicd the fan maker, “and don’t require any help from you.” So saying, he stepped aside and let them pass. After numerous inquiries hc finally discovered the correct house. On his arrival somconc hurriedly informed him that Hanakawa was a trollop whose price was fixed at two mom& of silver. For the (^709) past few days, however, she had been unwell and confined to her bed. Now as the fan maker set forth on his return journey, with the letter still undelivered, he was overcome by an unwonted mood of wantonness. “In actual fact,” he told himself, “this gold coin does not belong to me. Why don’t I enjoy myself here, just to the extent that this money will permit? I could make this day serve as a memory for my entire life, something to talk about in my old age.” So resolved, he made inquiries at a teahouse (a proper house of assignation being far too expensive for his taste) and arranged to visit the second storey of the Fujiya Hikotmon. Here he summoned (^710) a courtesan at nine momme’ of silver for the day period. Being un- (^711) accustomed to sakt, it was not long before he found himself utterly bemused. Thereafter the fan maker set his hand to these new pursuits. 21s
THE ETERNAL STOREHOUSE OP JAPAN
(^728) having submitted a bill of disownment, hc cast Shinroku out alone into the world. His was truly a wrathful nature that he could be- come thus utterly estranged from his own son. Shinroku now saw that there was no help for it, and, unable to 7.29 remain any longer in his temporary lodgings, he set out for the East. Realizing that he could not afford to buy even a pair of sandals for the journey, he was plunged in lonely sorrow. However, lamen- tations were of no avail. On the evening of the twenty-eighth day of the Twelfth Moon Shinroku was having his bath when the cry rang out, “Your father’s here!” Terrified at this news, the young man threw some wadded clothes over his wet body and, without even bothering about his loincloth, grabbed his sash and fled the place. AS he now set forth (^730) on his journey, he was much distraught at not even being able to tuck up his clothes. On the following day the sky was unsettled. The scattered flakes of snow settled heavily on the pine groves of Fujinomori. Shinroku did not even have the protection of a sedge hat and the moisture dripped down his neck, while the mournful sound of the temple bell announcing the vespers echoed in his heart. At Okamedani and Kanjuji he was attracted by the sight of the teahouses, where steam issued pleasantly from the kettles. Here he might have found refuge from the unbearable cold; but he did not have a single copper to his name and had to give up all thought of resting. A constant stream of palanquins stopped at the inns on their way to Otsu and Fushimi, and in the bustle of the crowds Shinroku managed to enter one of the places and to quench his thirst with a cup of water. On leaving he took along a piece of Teshima matting that someone had hung up on entering the teahouse. Having thus for the first time been inspired by the idea of theft, he made his way to the village of Ono. Under a bare persimmon tree a group of children had gathered, 218
The spendthrift Shinroku is surprised by his irate father and has to make a quick escape from his bath. Three bathhouse girls rxcltedly watch the sccnc; at the bottom left a servant holds the young man’s clothes.
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THE ETERNAL STOREHOUSE OF JAPAN and Shinroku heard them lamenting, “Alas, Benkei is dead!” Ben- kei turned out to be a great black dog, the size of a prize bull. Shin- roku went up to the children and obtained the body from them. He wrapped it in his piece of matting, and, when he reached the foot of Mount Otowa. beckoned to a man who was ploughing the fields. 73’ “This^ dog, ” said he, “will make a wondrous cure for inflamma- tion of the brain. For three years I have been feeding him on various medicines and now I am going to char the body.” “Aye, to be sure,” said the man, “this will be of great benefit to our people.” Shinroku gathered brushwood and dried bamboo grass from round about, and, taking out his flint bag, set fire to the dog. He gave some of the charred ashes to the villager and wrapped the re- mainder in his matting, which he flung over his shoulder. Thereafter Shinroku went from place to place peddling the ashes. “Charred wolf for sale!” he cried in a strange voice, aping the dialect of the mountain folk. 732 He crosssed the Osaka Barrier, where people leaving the capital pass those who return, and thrust his wares “on people who knew 733 each other and those who were strangers.” Eiren sharp needle pedlars and men who sold titing brushes,, accustomed though they were to the wiles of itinerant salesmen, were tricked by Shin- 734,735 roku’s deception. From Oiwaki to Hatch0 he received five hundred and eighty coppers, thus for the first time earning the title of a man of ready wit.
736
“If only I had hit on this scheme while I was still in Kyoto, I should not have had to venture all the way to Edo!” he thought, and, as he walked along, he was plunged into alternate moods of sorrow and of joy. Crossing the Long Bridge of Seta, he wished that it might bode him well. He welcomed the New Year at a travelers’ inn in Kusatsu 220
THE DAIKOKU near Mount Kagami, and, as hc munched the Uba rice cakes, hc called to mind the Kagami rice cakes that he had eaten in past years.
737
When he saw the village of Sakurayama, where the cherry trees were almost in bloom, the fiowcr of his heart, too, began to blos- som forth and hc regained his spirits. “I am still in the bloom of my youth,” hc told himself, “and have lost neither the colour nor the fragrance of my young years. The God of Poverty is not so fleet of foot that hc can catch up wirh true diligence. Indeed, he is but a tottering old man.”
738
While he was thinking in this way, he noticed the sacred straw festoons in the Forest of Oiso and was put in mind of the approach- ing spring. This must be a pleasant place for seeing the moon in the autumn, reflected Shinroku ashe continued on his journey. He advanced steadily day after day, crossed the Fuwa Barrier, followed the Mino Highway into Owari, passed the several stages of the Tokaido and on the sixty-second day after leaving the capital arrived at Shinagawa.
739
740 74’ The sale of the dog medicine had so far provided him with his subsistence and he still had two km and three hundred man of copper in reserve. He now threw what remained of the charred animal into the waves of the sea and hastened his entry into Edo. As it was be- coming dark, and as he had no particular destination in mind, he de- cided to spend his first night before the gate of the Tokai Temple.
742
Hard by the temple gates lay a small group of outcasts clad in rush matting. Even in springtime the wind blows violently from the bay, and it is noisy for those whose pillows are close to the waves of the seashore. Unable to sleep, the outcasts lay there into the depth of the night, telling each other their life stories. As he listened to them, Shinroku discovered that they were all men who, like himself, had been cut off from their families.
743 744
745
746 One of them came from the village of Tatsuta in Yamato. “I used to have a small sak; brewcry,” he said, “and was easily able to 221
THE ETERNAI. STOREHOUSE OF JAPAN Edo. But now that I have heard each of you tell his story, my future seems less hopeful. ” He then told them without reserve of his own circumstances. Having heard his story, the outcasts said with one accord, “Have 760 you no way of making your apologies? Have you no aunt who could intercede for you?^ On^ no^ account^ should^ you^ have^ come down to Edo.” “All that belongs to a past to which there is no return,” rcplicd Shinroko. “Now I must make my plans for the future. Each of you who lies here is a clever man, and it seems strange that you should all have sunk to such a sorry state. If you had settled on some form of work, whatever it might be, surely you would have found what you wanted.”
“Far from it,” said the outcasts. “This is a great castle town, to
be sure, but it is also the gathering place for the shrewdest people from all Japan and they won’t let one come by even a couple of 761 coppers for nothing. When all is said and done, people who have money in this world think only of piling up more money.” “Yet surely,” said Shinroku, “while you have been looking about the place, you must have^ hit^ upon^ some^ new^ shift^ for^ making money.” “Indeed,” they replied. “You can pick up the shells that are al- 76.2 ways being thrown away in great quantities, take them to Reigan Is- land and make them into lime by burning. Also, since trade is so lively in this city, you can prepare shredded seaweed or the shavings of dried bonito and go about the streets hawking it by the measure. You can also buy lengths of cotton and cut them into towels which can be sold by the piece. But apart from that, you won’t fmd any simple way of making money in these parts.” Shinroku thereupon conceived his plan. As soon as dawn broke, he took leave of the outcasts, first bestowing three hundred coppers 224
T H E D A I K O K U upon the three men to whom h c^ h a d spoken.^ They^ wcrc bcsidc themselves with joy. “Your luck will be sure to turn,” they said, “and before long your wealth will be piled as high as Mount Fuji itself!” Having left Shinagawa, Shinroku^ went to call on an acquaintance of his who had a draper’s shop on Temmacho. He told him o f his present circumstances and received a sympathetic response. “This is a good city for a man to work,” the draper told him. “I shall help you.” Shinroku was much enlivened by these words. As he had planned, he now bought some lengths o f c o t t o n a n d c u t t h e m i n t o towels. Then on the twenty-fifth day of the‘ Third Moon he pro- 763 ceeded to the Tenjin Shrine at Shitaya and started selling the towels by the water stand. Those who had come to pay their respects at the shrine bought his wares, saying, “Luck to the buyer,” and by the^764 evening Shinroku had cleared a good profit. Every day thereafter he thought of some new device for making money, and before ten years had elapsed, he had become the cynosure of admiration for his ready wit, and was noted as a man 76s of wealth worth no less than five thousand koban. The townsmen came to him for guidance and he was now the very treasure of the people in that place. He had his shop curtains dyed with a painting of the god Daikoku wearing a sedge hat, and people therefore called his shop the Sedge-Hat Daikoku. $ Eighth, he had access to the residences of the various samurai; 767 ninth, he invested his wealth in gold koban; tenth, he had the good 768 fortune to live in no other period than this peaceful and auspicious 769 reign.
770 T H E^ T E N^ V I R T U E S^ O F^ T E A^ T H A T^ A L L
D I S A P P E A R E D A T O N C E
(^771) Numerous are the ships that call at the harbour of Tsuruga in the 772 province of Echizcn. The daily kcclage is said to average one great 773 gold piece-no less, indeed,^ than^ what^ is^ collected^ from^ all^ the 774 boats that ply the Yodo River. Every^ nunncr^ o f wholcsalc^ mcr- chant flourishes in this place. Things^ arc^ especially^ lively when autumn comes; the markets bustle with activity, nutnerous tempo- rary buildings are put up for business and it is as though one had the capital itself before one’s eyes. Nor is it only a world of men; for the women whom one sees are handsome and of good disposition. Tru- ly, this can be called the Kyoto of the North. Strolling players make their way to this town, and it is also a favourite resort for pickpockets. The inhabitants, therefore, have learned to be careful; they never carry their medicine boxes hanging 775 from their sashes, and they even tuck their bags under their clothes where no one can reach them. It is impossible to get so much as a single copper from these people for nothing, and even when robbers speak of this town they sigh and say, “What a difficult world we live in!” Yet, difficult though it may be, he who goes 776 about his trade diligently and with an honest head, who treats even his casual customers with respect and who is ever ready to welcome buyers in his shop will never be hard put to make his livelihood. Now in the suburbs of this town there lived a man of ready wit called Risukt? of Kobashi, who, having neither wife nor children, was obliged to support himself. For this end, he had equipped himself in fine fashion with a portable tea stall. He tied back his sleeves with a spruce sash, smartly tucked up the bottom of his 777 trousers and wore an Ebisu headgear with most comic effect. Thus attired, he would set out early in the morning before anyone else 226
THE TEN VIRTUES OF T6A
was about and walk through the market strccTs, calling out. “Ebisu morning tea for salt.I” Hearing this cry, the merchants, who were ever looking out for something new, would buy his tea, even though they might not be thirsty, and as a rule would throw twelve coppers into his cup. (^) 778 Every day Risuke made more money, and before long he had accumulated a goodly capital. He used this to start a large tea shop; later hc began to rmploy ntuncrom clerks and bccamc one of the great wholesale merchants of the town. By dint of hard work hc grew to be a man of wealth and basked in the sun of universal ad- miration. Many notable families in the area were desirous of having (^) 779 him for a son-in-law, but he invariably replied, “I shall not marry until my fortune has grown to ten thousand koban. Even if I should have to wait until I am forty, it won’t be too hte.” He calculated every expenditure with the minutest care, and thus one lonely year followed another, with the accumulation of money as his only pleasure. In the conrse of time Risukt was inspired to indulge in some base trickery, and he dispatched one of his clerks to Etchu and to Echigo to buy up discarded tea grounds. He gave out that these were to be used for dyeing material in Kyoto, but in fact he mixed the grounds with the tea leaves in his shop and sold them to un- suspecting customers. For a time this practice bore fruit and his business flourished more than ever. But it would seem that Heaven wished to rebuke him; for thereafter Risukt suddenly went mad and himself began to spread abroad an account of his own misdeeds. “Tea grounds, tea grounds (^) !” he prated, until people began to mutter among themselves, “Ah, so it was by such knavish practices that he acquired all that wealth!” and they would have no more to do with him. Risukt summoned a physician, but none would an- swer his call. Gradually he became so weak that he could not even swallow a glass of water. As his end was not far off, Risukt tear- 227
