九

務傷t疏 霧
t暖
Life is shOrt;10vc is 10ng。
.Tllcrc Oncc was a cooPcr WhO,frOm thc cttns hc
built with his Own hands,rcalizcd hOw iinPcrmanCnt

意 芯 軍 Lr廿 盤 甘 ど 驚 現 ∬ l∬ 嶽 ξ 喘
could rcnt Only a thatchcd hut in C)sakao Hc livcd in
a manncr bcrltting thc p00rer scction of Tcmina.
There was also a girl whO surpasscd all thc Othcrs
wh0 1ivcd in hcr rcmOtc villagc.Hci complc On was
IB。 。
whitc cvcn to thc cars and hcr fcct wcrc not staincd
` %。 by cOntact with thc sOil. On Ncw Ycar's Evc of hcr

BゝεIBα ι
τε[Lα ′
ετ thirtcenth ycar hcr paFCntS Wcrc short thc sun■ Of silver
rcqulred as a villagc tax,which amOuntcd t0 0nc‐ third

Bι ι
″
わ′0/
of their incOmと ,and so thc giri was scnt tO scrvc as a
lady's maid in an imposing city― housc ncar Tcmina。
As dme wcnt On hcr natural disPOsidOn alld ready
ふ 屹
76 こ q4ら ′
9ι σ ら
らにノ 」
震れ ヽ 毬 」
“ “
wit came to bc apprcciatcdo SAc was solicitous toward
thc old couplc,plcascd thc lady of thc housc,and was
wcll thought of by ali the cthcrs. Latcr shC Was
a110wcd frcc access to thC inncr storcroorrl whcic all
thc flnc things werc kCpt. Everyonc thought so highly
Of hcr that it was said: ``What wo■ ld happcn to this
housc if Oscn wcrc not around P''This was all bccausc
Of hcr intcnigCncc.
Oscn kncw nothintt of thc ways of lovco She had
SPCnt all of hcr nights in a manner which some nlight
think unworthy of hcr― alonc. Oncc whcn a light‐
hcartこ d fcllow pullcd her drcss shё rこ s,ondCd With
a full‐ thrOatcd shrick,lca ng thc han to bcwail this
unfortunatc turn of cvcnts. Aftcr that no man wotld
cvcr sPcak nirtil■ gly to hcro Pcoplc IIlay criticizc 9scn
fOr such bchavior, but it would probably bc a good
thittg if all mcn's daughtcrs actcd as shこ did。
Our story bcgins ott thc scvcnth day of aututtn,thc
Tanabata Fcstival day, whcn silk clothes一 guaranteed
ncvcr to havc bccn worn before一 arc PilCd uP scven
high, right slccve ovcr lcft, to be rcntcd to celebrants.
It is amusing to scc hOW thc uppcr_class ladics cclcbratc
by tying familiar p∝ ms to lunipCr twigs whilc dl,
poor pcoplc dccoratc thcir houscs with gourds and
Persirrlmons on thc branch.
This particular day wls a Spccial occasion fbr thc
9%Bα ι 腸 逸τBι 可 じ1。/∠ ″ 77
pcoplc Of the ncighborh00d bccausc thc commOn wcll
was bcing clcancd. Thc pcOple living in rcntcd hOuses
on thc sidc lancs Participatcd in this clcaning and kept
watcr on thc bOil fOr tca to be sと rvcd tO thc wOrkmcn.
ハLftcr most of thc dirty watcr had bccn scOoPcd out,
thc bottom Of d■ c wcll was scrapcd and uP camc a
varicty 9f things nlixcd in with Pcbblcs. A kitchcn
knifc,thc disappcarancc of which had puzzlcd PcOPlc,
camc to light, and sO did a bunch Of scawccd into
which a nccdlc had bccn thrust.I wOndcr why that
was donc.l Thcn,On furthcr tcarch,mOrc things camc
up including somc 01d POny― dcsign coppcrs, a nakCd
d01l without a facc, a onc― sidcd swOrd_handlc Pcg of
crudc workmanshiP, and a patchcd― o'cr baby's bib.
You can ncvcr tcll just what you will flnd at thc
bottom of an uncOvcrcd, outsidc wcll.
Thcn,whcn thc wcll clcancrs got down tO thc barrcl
Planking c10sc tO thC Spring, an old two_hcadcd nail
camc loosc and dlC Planki,g camc apart. They scnt
for thc cOoPCr wc havc incntioncd tO makc a ncw hOoP
fOr thc barrclo When he had succccdcd in stOpping
up thc slowly lowing water,thc c00per noticcd an Old
woman with a crOokcd back who was fondling a livc
lizard.
lTo put a cursc or cast a sPcll upoh sOmconc an cttgァ
of scawccd
with a nccdic through it was stuck to a trcc or cast into a wcll.
7ε 9ι 研二WO″ ι″ ゝ ゝοttЪ σノ
=Ъ “
Hc askcd hcr whatit was,and shc answcred:“ This
is a ncwt which iust now was brought up frOm thc
wcll. Don't yOu rccognizc one whcn you scc itP If
you put this lizard in a ban■ boO tubc and burn it,and
thcn sprinklc its ashcs in thc hair of thc pcrsOn you
lovc, that pcrson will 10vc you in tuin." Shc spokc
with a grcat dcal of convictiOn.
This wOman was forrrlcrly an abortiOnist known as
Kbsan frorn Myoto Pond,but whcn this prOfcssiOn was
prohibitcd she gavc up hcr crucl practicc and workcd
at rnaking n00dlc_lour with a mortar. Bccausc Of thc
hand=to‐ mouth naturc Of such an OccupatiOn, shc had
to work so hard that shc did not cvcn hcar thc tcmplc
bcll sounding thc cnd Of thc day. Howcvcr, as shc
sank lowcr and lowcr in thc social scale she lcarncd thc
lcsson of k〔 lrma and shc thought inorc about thc futurc
lifc。
Whcn shc told thc coopcr about the tcrriblc things
that would happcn to pcoplc who did wrong in thi,
world,hc paid nO attcntion to hcr. Rathcr, hc qucs´
tioned her thc mOrc intcntly about thc cttcacy of burn‐
ing a ncwt tO hClp in onc's lovc aIIairs.
Naturally,shc bccamc morc sympathetic as hc talkcd
tO hcr with such carncstncss, and shc inally askcd:
「 to fccl 10vc fOF you.In my lifctimc I'vc hclPcd thOu―
“Who is it that you lovcP I wOn't tcH inother soul."
Thc coopcr forgot himsctt so muCh Was hc thinking
%Bα ι“腸 んt Bι ι
可犠′ィん ″ 79
Of dle Onc hc 10vcd,and as hc bcat On the bOttOm Of
the cask hc lct himsclf bc cariicd away by his Own
words,pou ng out a11 0f his stOry t6 thc 01d w6興 an.
“Thc Onc 1 10vc dOes ■Ot livc far awa,. 1 lovc Oぶ cn,
thc inaid Of thc hbusc here. I have scnt hcr a hundred
icttcrs without gctdng a wOld in rcply.''
ThC 91d WOman noddcd and said: “You dOn't necd
any ncwts tO win hcr. I can bridgc the strcatt of
lovc fOr you. I win disPcrsc the c10uds and makc
your 10vc succcssful in nO timc at all."
Thc c∞ pcr was suTriSCd tO hcar hcr undcrtakc the
matter sO lighdy.“ If this will inv01vc a grё at dca1 0f
moncy, I aIIl afraid l wOn't bc ablc tO supply iち 五o
mattcr how much l wOuld likc tO,fOr this has bccn a
糧ぷ猟』
Xポ it.lI翼 量I:L鶏 上sl葛 LI
kimOnO dycd tO your ttking at Ncw Ycar's and a tct
of Nara_hcmp clothcs of sccOnd quality fOr thc nlid_
summcr festiva1 0f(D_BOn. Is it a bargain P"
Lovc that can talk that way must bc bascd On scli
“
1霧
ゝul罵 凛 r:環 ■ aliltti毛 窯よ
:
sands Of Pc9plc, and always with success. I'1l scc tO
it that you incct her befOrc thc Chrysanthcmum Festival
in Scptcmbcr.
 ￨

“
・…〃ノο
″′′″キルα ″ ル αレ″みθο′″多′′″ノι
〃 ″
″ル′′″
′
′
ル″∫ “ ル揚 α勁 ′″′力θヵα
ルθ ″
Prr″ 々 θ
ノ ′̀だ ο″ノ ο
わ″′ ′″″ “畿 ん″′ ο ル ″′
′′arfο ″″ り s乃 “
ノ .″

ο 〃ルカα α
′′ルα “
′0/rο ″〃
`
ψ を を′′
θ″……
『
& 9ι q偽 ″ た ｀ 跳 ∠ フ
暉ノ ∠ 凛 %Bα ιτこ腸 んt Bι ι
ィ L′ ο
F_ん み
“ “
Our sOuls arc dark indccd. And it was so dark thc
This sct thc namcs of lovc burning morc ACrccly in
twcnty― cighth night of July that hanging lantcrns
l:P滞 漱鶴♂lmfl:u靴 鮒ざ潔 thrCW n。 light undcr thc cavcs Of hOuscr∞
fs.strcct
tca thc rcst of.your lifc." . dancers, hOping tO sustain thcir rcvcls till dawn,
In this l″ orld n0 0nc knows how long a PcrsOn may shOutcd,“ JuSt onc morc day tO dancc till thc mOnth is

livc, and it is amuξ ing to think that lovc should have OVCら "but dlcy too rcluctantly brOkc up and rcturncd
adc him prOInisc so much. to thcir hOmcs. Evcn thc vigilant dOg of FOur COrncrs
fcll fast aslccP。

At this latc hOur 01d Nanny, thc FniSChicvOus crOnc

ノ
こ
角島 ι
in whOm thc c00pcr had put his trusち
nOticcd that
2・

」′ ::″
``:
thc cntrancc tO the grcat land10rd's hOusc was stiH opcn,
Shc burst iュ , slaniincd thc d。 0ち
and tumblcd dOwn
onto thc kitchcn 100r9 crying: ``oh, Oh, it's tcrriblc.
Givc inc a drink Of watcr!''
Thcrc arc scvcn mystcrious things in thc Tclnina scC‐
'11:￨し shapcd namc bcforc thc To thOsc within thc hOusc shc appcarcd on thc brink
tion of Osaka: thc umbrclla‐
of dcath,but hcr cOntinucd brcathi,g cncOuragcd thcm
Dalkyo Tcmplc;thc boy without hands at Shimmci
to caH hcr back to cOnsciousncss, and withOut morc
Shrinc;2 thc topsy‐ turvy lady at Sonczaki;3 thc Phan_
ado shc camc tO lifc.
tom noosc of Elcvcnth Avcnuc; thと Crying mOnk of
“What can you haVC sccn that was s6 tcrrifyingP"
Kawasaki;thc laughing cat of lkcda_machi;and thc
asked thc land10rd's wifc and hcr agcd mOふ cr_in_law.
slnouldcring Chincsc mOrtar at the Bush‐ Warbler's
``Well,it's a shamcful thing fOr an Old woman tO
MOund.But thcsc arc lust thC magical tricks of old
admち but l went Out walking thc strccts tOnight. I
fOxcs and badgCrs. Much morc to bC fCarcd arc thosc
wcnt tO bcd carly and cOuldn't gct to slccp,sO I dccidcd
dcmons in hlllnan form who play havoc with dlc livcs
Of ignorant incn. 10 gO SCC thC dancingo Mb it was wOndcrfuH I
couldn't gct cnough Of it csPccially thc Kudoki4 songs
2A Shinto shrinc frcqucntcd by homosexual prostitutc,.
3QuartCr knOwn foF itS femalc Prostitutes.
`A lOng ballad in which onc tunc was rcpcatcd Ovcr and Over.
■ 9ι ∝ ｀ S″ ε″ υ tt。 ノЪ“ノ Jら ¨ 郵 εBα ι 腸 んt Btι ィ ュ′イ ム % あ
“
with rhymcs nlade up using y′ ″″and″ α
ぉ″. Therc houschold. Oh, hc was sO frightsomc! Hc had a
was onc fc110w down in frOnt of d■ c Nabcshilna man‐ grcat n9sc, hiS facc was nushcd with fcver, and his
sion whO sang cxactly likc Nihci, thc grcat Doncn6 c,Cs giCamed, just as if he wcrc possessed by thc ″
ノ″ 8
singcr of Kyoto. whosc ngurc is paradcd bcforc dlc Sumiyoshi fcst `F″al
I pushcd my way through a crOwd of lncn and
“ proccssion. I was so frightcncd that l had to run in
watchcd thc sho、′vrith my fan as an cyc‐ shadc so hcre.'
that Pcoplc couldn't scc what an old woman l was. Evcryonc who had crowdcd around to hcar hcr
But the mcn kncw what was what,cvcn in the dark. story was aghast, and thc housch01dcr's agcd father
I wigglcd my 01d hips in a most nirtatious way and was wcpt a ttic.
rcally quitc scxy in this whitc gown and black sash. “TO bc unhappy in lovc,'' hC‐ Said, ``is not unhcard
But n0 0nc sO much as pinchcd my bottom.`A WOman Of。 Oscn is 01d cnOugh to get marricd now,and、 wc
6
ls a somctllnc thing。 shOuld kccP this lnan in mind if hё has a suitablc livcli´

“So l started homc again,iny lnind rccol19cting the hoodo PrOviding ho is,ot a gambler or widow chaser,
01d days of my youth, and suddcnly ncar your gatc I and is thrifty a,d frugal,hc rnight inake a good choicc。

was halicd by a ha■ dsomc young fc1low of twc,ty‐ four Of cOursc,I do not kn6w thc man at ill,but I,an
sympathizc with him."
or twcnty‐ ■vc. Hc was dcspcratcly in lo'c,sO torturcd
by his fatal passion that hc had only a day or two to
By thc long silcncc which fol10WCd,it was Plain
that thc Othcrs syttpa,hiZed widl him too.Thc shFCWd
livc in this Flccting World. It was thc crue1 0scn,
old hcn ccrtainly knew hcr buβ incss whcn it came to
hc said,upon whom his hcart had ixcd itsclf so hopc‐
promoting a lovc afair.
lcssly.7 Hc sworc that within a wcck aftcr his dcath
It was■ ow past midnight and,aftcr shc had bccn
his'ghost would comc to kill cvcry icmbcr Of this
hclpcd to hcr fcct, old Nanny rcturncd to hcr hovcl.
6D。 ″′ ι ∫力′――a typc of ballad madc poPular by Doncn Canzaburo
"‐ “
Of Kyoto during thc Jokyo cra(1684-88). While shc lay thcrc plotting her next movc,dawn brokc
6Litcr』
ち“a wOman“ md量 Ю ° through theこ ast windowo Nearby she could hcar thc
7Thc languagc uscd is that ass ::∬ 『 継tFTttdh」 :li:i con.
ccrning human passions, according to which obscssiOns of thc soul sOund Of lint On stcel, as a ncighbor startcd up his
奮力″ ′
″ Will, if unsatisicd or uniclicvcd during a Pcrson's lifctimc, 8Fabulous bcing reprcscntcd with wing= and an cxtrcmcly long nosc.
`力
rcturn aftcr dcath to l″ rcak'cngqュ nce uPOn thc obicct Of that pa,S10n.
 9ι ヽ 0れ こ
た Wttο 」
島露ノコ
ら ワ 毎
“ “
Arc.
“ SOmcwherc an infant bcgan tO cry. SIccpily thc
tcnants of that squalid quartcr chascd out thc mos―
quitOcs which had slippcd through thc brcaks in their
papcr ncts and plagucd them thrOughOut thc night.
One minutc thc womcn's flngers wcrc pinching at the
ncas in thcir undcrc10thcs, dlc ncxt pinching fOr sOmc
odd coins on thc sanctuary shclf With which tO buy a
fcw grccn vegetableso Still,amidst thc bittcr snggic
fOr cxistcncc,pleasure could yet be found by thosc、″hO,
thrOugh wcdlock,had wOn partncrs for their bcds. In
what dclights may thcy nOt havc indulgcd, with
pillows t6 the sOuth9 and mattrcsscs in uttcr disarray,
violating thc vigil of Kinoc´ nc Pl°
At last thc sun rOsc to shinc upon a brisk, brcezy
autumn d,y. Thc 01d wOman ticd hcr hcad up in a
tOwcl and trcated hcrsclf for a hcadachc,calling upon
thc scr ccs Of Dr. Okalima withOut w9rrying how
thc bill would bc Paidi Shc had iust sCrvcd hcrsclf
sOmc bioth Of fresh herbs,whcn Oscn camc in from
thc back allcy to visit hcr。
``HOw arc you todayP" C)sen inquircd swcctly, as
fr9■ ■hcr icft siccvc shc brought fOrth half a mc10n
9Whilc ЬOth husband and wifc wcrc alivc thcy sicPt with thCir pil‐
￨。 ws at thc sOuthcrn cnd Of thc bcd, widows and widowcrs placcd
thcir pillows tO thc north as a sign'of mOurning.
100n this night a vigil was kcPt in honor of thc COd Of Picnty and
contincncc was to bc obscrvcd until midnight. Childrcn cOnccivcd at
thi3 tim OWcre thOught tO bこ comc criminals.
Bα t“ 脇 ん t Bι ι2/L′ OF∠ ,α 駒
Picklcd in thc Nara stylc and wrappcd in a lotus
icaf,which shc sct down oh a bundlc Of flrcwood.
“Pcrhaps you would likc it with somc soy saucc,",hC
said mOdcsdy and madc to go gct it without waiting
fOr thc Othcr's thanks.
“Wait,"thc old woman insistcd.“ It is bccausc of
yOu that l am about tO dic bcforc my timc,and sincc
l have nO daughter Of my own,you must pray for mc
whcn l am gonc." Thcn,rcaching intO a hcmp baskct,
shc brought Out a pair of purplc sOcks widl rcd ribbons
and a patchcd‐ up rOsary bag,frOn■ which shc rcmoved
hcr divorcc papcFS・ ThC socks and bag shc gavc to
C)scn,saying thcy would bc kccpsakcs.
Imprcssionablc,is most women arc,Oscn bclicvcd
thc story and wcpt。 ``If thcrc is truly somconc in lovc
with mc,why didn't hc comc for hclp from a 10vc_wiSC
PCrSOn likc yOurscifP If l had known his intcntions,
I shOuld nOt havc spurncd him lightl'0''
01d Nanny saw that this was as good a tin■ c as
any to comc out with dlc wholc story. “ Thcrc is no
rcason to hidc anything frOm yOu nOw. He did comc
tO me many dmcs,and thc dCCP Siュ ccrity of his lovc
fOr you was morc touching and Pitiful than l can say.
If you should rcicCt him now,my rcscnmcnt will fall
upon no onc but you." Shc spoke with ali the cicver_
ncss that ycars of widc cxPcricncc had givcn hcr, _、
 磯
喘
磯
哺
曇 馨 饉
gぷ 9ι σε %妬 に′
2 q夕 %。 4。 こ
ノん g`

and, as was only to havc bccn cxPcctcd, C)Scn s∞ n

督韻懺
yicldcd.

磯
“I shall bc glad tO mcct hiin anytimc,'' shc cricd,

遭
機
dizzy with cmOtiOn.

鵞
Thcrcupon the 01d cronc, delightcd tO lavC Obtained

磯
置
such a prOmisc,whisPcrCd: “It iust OCCurrcd to mc

醜
hOw yOu might bcst mcct him. On thc cleventh day

儘
of August you must inakc a sccrct pilgriinagc tO Isc.11

饉
覇
Travcling a10nc tOgcthcr, you would becOmc fast

闇
fricnds and cOuld sPcnd your bedtiinc hOurs swcctly,

瞳
圃
hcart murmuri,g to hcart of undying lovco And you

鯛
knOvら '' shc addcd casually, 1`hc is nOt at all bad 100k_

畿
lng.

卜
麟
Without furthcr pcrsuasion and bcforc shc had cven

醐
sccn hiln,Osen was consumed with lovc fOr this,an。

鱚
翻
“Can hc writc lctters himsclfP Docs his haif fall 10ng

鐵
and Prctty bchind his hcadP I′ supposc, sincc hc is

鐵
a craftsman, his back may bc a littic stoopcdo Wcll,

蠅
爾
whcn wc sct Out from hcrc,I should likc tO stOp at

翻
n00n in Moriguchi Or I‐ Iirakata,so wc can gct a room

翻
and go to bcd carly."

麒
欄
Shc was babblng on like this whcn thc chicf maid‐

錮
servant was hcard calling outsid9: “ Miss C)scn, you'rc

褥
鰤欄輔櫛欄蠅蠅
wantcd!'' ″′
“
・・ノ
・ ο ∫ ′解α々̀′ ∫″″θ′Pr亀 ″ g`′ οル
￨″ ′ ′. 7ra″ ″ g′ ′
ο
1llt was a popular custorn to FIlakC thc Pilgrimagc to lse without thc “ ““ ο ″θ″み ″ο″′ル∫ ″ あα ″′ ′ο ″
`″
′
′
οg′ ′
ル″′ノ ィ″′θ ″`″ ‐
knowicdgc of Onc'8 ParCntS Or mastcr. Whcn thc pilgrim returned hc
ο
″ み“
″″ 解 “
′乃ο″ ″″ ノ 力
′″ ″″ “″ルg
was suPPoscd tO bC forgivcn, not ccnsurcd for his ict. 、 ノ″ rJ∫ タ
'0/ル ルgあ ″
r,解
“ “

爛
″ ル`″ ク ′。…
.″

脳
9ο εヽ
9ι σ s_れ Wtt。
=Ъ
ι
σノ ZЪ 。
こ %Bα
Oscn quickly t00k hcr icavc: ``It'S all sct for thc
clcvcnth thcn..
。 4 α4
J. 4、 洗丘こι `ん
“
:止
寛し
寄盤笠 ι
芳""産
“The morning_glorics arc in bloom and it would be
nice to have a 10ok at them tomOrrow carly― _nice and
cool, too;" thC lady of the hOusc addcd as shc bcgan
hcr instruご tiOis tO d■ c scrvants that cvcning. ``I want
you to arr`tngc somc scats out ncar thc back hcdgc,
away frOrn thc housco SPrCad out thc lowcr_mats,put
bakcd ricc and toothpicks in thc diffcrcnt cOmpart“
mcnts of the picnic box,and don't forgct thc tca bOttlc.
I shall takc a bath iust bCfOre six in thc morning and
then l want my hair dOnc uP sittPly in thrcc Plain
r9ns. As for a gown, let mc havc thc hcmPcn onc
with opcn slcccves and a pink lining. I shall wear
my gray‐ satin sash with circ17 dcsigns On it, the in_
[Ormal,twepiccc onc dottcd with our family crcst. I
want yot to takc thc utmOst carc in cvcrything bccausc
wc may bc sccn by PcoPlc in thc adiaccnt Strccts. So
cach of yoll must drcss in dcccnt‐ loOking clothcs◆
ι
露傷 αんt Bιι
ィ L′ a/ョ島 “ 9′
littcr shOuld bc scnt at thc usual rising timc tO my
sister's hOusc in Tcniinbashi."
Shc put all dlc arrangcmcnts in thc chargc Of Oscn,
whO attcndcd thc lady upOn her rctircmcnt lnto an
4mplc mosquito nct,at thc four cOrncrs of which littic
bclls iingiCd Whilc Osen gcntly fanned her tO slccP。
Imaginc sO much fuss Ovcr nOthing but sOmc lowcrs
in yOur back yard!
But Pcrhaps such vanit, iS nOt thc wcakness Of
womcn alonc. At this timc thc mastcr Of thc hOusc
was probably wasting hiinsclf and his mOncy on Miss
Nokazc Of Shiinabara and 〔 iss(Dgin0 0f Shiinmachi,12
b ying both Of thcrn thc samc day, onc fOr cach cnd
Of his carrying― P01c. ThOugh hc sPOkc Of visiting Tsu‐
mura Tcmple cach moining,and carricd a shOuldcr
pad13 for that purposc, it is much morc likcly that
hc wcnt straight to thc liccnsed quarter for a morning
Of spOrt and Plcasurc.
JuSt bCfOrC dawn on thc clcvcnth Of August old
Nanny hCard a light tapping on thc d00r of hcr shanty.
“It is Osen,"the gir1 0utsidc"hisPCrcd as shc thrcw
in a bundle whith had bccn hastily wrappcd in a largc
kcrchicf. Rcturning imlncdiatcly tO her lnastcr's
housc,(Dscn did nOt rcalizc that thc 01d cronc wOuld
12 Namcs uscd by high‐ class Pr9,titutcs in thc liccnscd quartcr3 0f
A Kyoto and osaka rcsPcctivcly.
13An item Of priestly vcstment3 SOmCtimes carricd by lay dcvOtccsi
92 9ι に ヽ Qれこ れ Wtt。 」%匪 ノ コ らに
10sc nO timc in scarching through thc bundlc tO scc
what was thcrc:flvc strings of cash worth about onc
farthing of silvcr cach, and Pcrhaps cightこ cn ″ο″ %θ
,′
Of pOny― cngravcd silvcr picccs; ncarly a pcck Of pol‐
ishcd ricc;a dricd bOnitO;twO COmbs in a charln bag;a
onc―piccc sash Of lnany colors;a silvcr and brOwn gar_
ment for c001cr wcather; a lightcr gOwn, wcll worn,
witt a fan pattern;cottOn s6cks,thc solcs Of which
wcrc uninishcd; sandals with 10osc straps;、 and a
paraso1 0n which(Dscn had naivcly writtcn hcr address!
Thc 01d wOman quickly sct about erasing the telltale
char琴 〕
tcis in such a way as 10 1Cavc no unsightly smcar
upon thc Paras01. As ζ hc did sO,sOmconc grcctcd hcr
frOm thc cntranccway.
“C)ld Nanny, I shaH go on ahcad noⅥ ら" thC C00Pcr
callcd in On his way past.
Latcr Oscn appcarcd,trcmbling a littlc. “SOrry to
bc late. I 、vas dctaincd at thc house."
Thc old woman thcn toOk up the bundic Of PcrsOnal
bc10ngings and hastcncd with Oscn dOwn an un‐
fanliliar byway. “It would bc a grcat cffort fOr mc,
but pcrhaps for thc sakc Of the pilgriinagc l shOuld
accompany you to lsc,''Old Nanny suggcstcd.
C)scn was Plainly upsct. “ It's a long trip for an
cldcrly woman and you would ind it hard goillg。
Why don't you takc thc night boat down fronl Fu‐
%Bα に 免α 昴 ′。
F.ん 斃 95
`gthavc
shiini aftcr you Bιtakcn mc tO mcct this manP"
shc rcplicd tacticssly,for shc had nOw nO pa,icnCC Wi山
anything that might uPsct thc head10ng progrc,s of
hcr aFalr.
JuSt as thcy wcrc crossing thc Capital Bridgc,a10ng
camc Kyushichi, a manscrvant in thc samc hOusch01d
as C)scno Hc had cOmc this way to watch thc mOrning
changc Of guard at C)saka Castlc, but, his curiOsity
arouscd whcn thc twO wOmcn camc by, Kyushichi
incvitably bcca c a furthcr Obstaclc in thc pad1 0f thc
lovers.
“WhL I havc bccn thinking fOr sOmc timc Of inak_
ing thc samc pilgrilnagc and thcrc cOuld bc nO bcttcr
companions fOr thc,OurnCy than yoursclvcs. IuSt iCavc
your baggagc for mc tO carry. FOrtunatcly, I havc
plcnt,Of spCnding moncy and can scc tO it that you
sulcr n0 1ncOnvcnlcncc On that scOrc。 ' From his cx_
ccssivc politcncss Onc cOuld gucss that Kyushichi was
insPircd by sOmc sccrct acsign on Oscn,and old
Nanny's hostility was imlncdiatcly arouscd.
“A young lady travcling in thc cOmpany Of a man!
NOw wOuldn't dlat sccm mOst cxtraordinary tO thc
pcoplc whO saw us! Bcsidcs,thc gods Of lsc frOwn
on that sOrt of dling. I havc hcard and sccn cnough
Of pcOplc whO Willfully disgracc thcmscivcs bcfOrc
‐
s∝ ictyo PIcasc dOn't f0110w us."
 9ι ∝ 9/。 ′
露″ Wtt。 」
らにノノ
らα
“WcH, I hardly CxPcctcd to run into obicctiOns Of
tliS SOrt.Bclicvc mc,I havc nO dcsigns on Miss Oscn;
faith a10nc mOvcs mc to this.In 10vc,the gOds will
assurc my succcss,Without my ha ng tO solicit thcir
protcction, for my hcart is truc, truc as thc road wc
shall travcl togcthcr. If thc sun and moon favOr us
and Miss Osen so inclincs,wc can travcl anywhcrc―
to ttc capital Pcrhaps.This would bc ivst thC tittc
to spcnd four Or flvc days thcrc,sccing thc rnaplcs of
TakaO in thcir bright fall c010rs and thO b100■ ling
mushrooms of Saga. Thc mastcr gcncrally stops at a
hotcl in Kawara‐ lnachi,but l think wc would flnd it
awkward thcrco Wc could dO bcttcrr'Kyushichi con‐
tinucd as if h9 would havc cvcrything his Own way,
“by taking sOmc cOzy roolns at thc wcstcrn cnd of
Third Avcnuc. Thcn thc 61d lady hcrc could visit thc
Tcmplc of thc C)riginal Vow,On Sixth Avcnuc.
By this tiinc thc autimn sun was up Ovcr the moun_
tainside,and thc travclers wcrc halfway past thc Pinc‐
shadcd banks of thc Yodo Rivcr whcn thcy ran upon
a man who lookcd vcry c8nsPicuous,scatcd bcncath a
cat's,Paw wil10W as if waiting for somconc. On c10scr
cxamination thc 01d crOnc rccognizcd hiin as thc
coopcr. From thc look in hcr cycs hc cOuld tcll that
somcthing had gonc wrOng; it had nOt wOrkcd Out
as planned〔 lftcr hc wcnt On ahead of thcm.
%Bα ι“Z揚んτBtⅢ ′。/_ん “ 95
“You loOk as if yOu wcrc going to lsc t00," old
Nanny addrcsscd him.`IBut why gO alonё P You sccm
to bc an agrccablc fc110w and wc'd likc tO havc you
spcnd thc night with us sOmcwhcrc。 "
Thc c∞ pcr was dclightcd,Of cOursc.“ It's sO truc:
`1]hc kindncss Of Othcrs always brightcns a ,ournc,。 '
I am ccrtainly gratcful fOr thc invitation."
Kyushichi, On thc Odlcr ha,d, 100kcd bcwildcrcd.
It sccms a littlc Odd, csPccially with this young lady
“
along,tO havc sOmconc,Oin us whcn yOu dOn't cvcn
knOw whcrc hc's going."
“Oh,"thc 01d wOman rcPlicd,“ God watchcs Ovcr
cvcrythi,ge And with a stout fcllow likc you a10ng,
what can Pos,ibly happcn P''
Thcrcaftcr thc fOur Of thcm slcpt in thc samc inn
cach night. Kyushichi,watChing carcfully fOr any
opportunity tO Satisfy his sccrct dctircs, rcmovcd Onc
of thc slding d00rs which scparatcd h n from thc
ladics and would Pcck in at thё m On his way to dlc
bath.At night,whcn thc fOur Of thcm sicPt in a rOw,
hc strctchcd out his hand and tipPcd up thc Oil lamp
so as to smodlcr thc light.
Thciゝ ,ust aS it Was ab()ut tO fail, thc c001Pcr cX‐
daimed,“ It's awfully warln fOr fall,"and Opcncd thc
window ncar him so that bright m∞ nlight shOnc
through upon dle four sleeping ngurcs. 「
′
96 9ι σε q降 られに″ qル ∠Ъσε
ο ん σεノ “
Again,whcn Oscn madc a prCtCnsc“of snoring and
Kyushichi movcd his right icg ovcr upon hcr,hc was
qvickly dctcctcd by thc coopcr, who PrOmptly startcd
uP a SOng about thc Soga brOthcrs,``Lovc Plays nlischicf
"
with a11。 。。 whilc bcating dmc with thc cnd of
his fano C)scn thcn abandoncd thc Prctcnsc of slccPing
and startcd tO talk with 01d Nanny.
“Thcrc is nod■ ing so calamitous as to bring a giFl‐
child intO thc world. I havc bccn thinking that it
wOuld bc a g9od idca to bccomc a novicc at thc Fudo
ChaPcl of KitanO ncxt Ncw Ycar's and cvcntually
bccOmc a nun。 ' Nonc of tlc grOuI)had any rcal i,tcrcSt in thc Pil_
``Vcry good idca,"thc cronc answcrd slccPily. “Bct‐
tcr than to livc on ln a world full of disappoinmcnts."
Thus thc two mcn stood in cach othcr's way thc
wholc night ttrOugh. Thc uPshot of thcir bcdthnc
acti dcs was onl,thiS:that Kyushichi,whO startcd
thc cvcning with his Pil10W tO thc wcst, wriggicd
around and wound up with his hcad to thc south and
his undcrc10dling missing― a shocking piccc of care
lcssncss for a pilgriin with moncy in his waistband;
whilc thc coopcr slcPt witt a rcscntful scOw1 0n his
facc,,wad of tissuc paPcr in his hand,and a clamshcll
full of clovc oil14 bcsidc him.
Thc nё xt morning at Mt.Osaka thcy hircd an Otsu
14u8Cd likc tollct watcr.
郵 εBα セ んα
“
んに37ιィL′ o/“ん
“ 97
man's horsc and PrOcccdcd On their iOurncy with oscn
riding in thc nliddlc and thc mcn mountcd on cithcr
sidc Of hcre Funny though an On100kcr wOuld havc
fOund dlis arrang, cnt,thCrc was somcthing,whcthcr
fatiguc Or simply plcaturc, which madc thc ridcrs
ObliViOus to thcir abζ urdity.On Onc sidc Kyushichi
fOndicd C)scn's toes; On thc Othcr thc c06Pcr rcaChCd
up and put his arlln around hcr waist; and cach play‐
fuHy indulgcd his sccrct dcsircs as bさ st hc cOuld in a
manncr dlat sccms somcwhat amusing tO βny6nc who
knOws what cach was aftcr.
gr・ nagcitsclf. At lsc thcy failcd t6 visit thc lnncr
Shrinc Or thc sacrcd bcach at which hOmagc is paid tO
thc Sun,stOpping Only at thc Outcr Shrinё fOr a fcw
minutcs and purchasing as thcir Only sOuvcnirs a ptri´
Acat10n brOach and sOmc scawccd.
On thc way back thc twO mcn kept thcir cycs on
,aCh OthCr,sO nOthing of cOnscqucncc happcncd, Whcn
,hCy rCachcd dlc capital,Kyoto,and Kyushichi had
guidcd thcn■ tO thc hOtcl hc kncw,thc c00pcr rcckoncd
in his hcad what hc 9wcd Kyushichi fOr bills thc lattcr
had paid, thankcd him fOr his trOublc, and t00k his
icavC with a bow.Thinking that hc wOuld icnccfOrth
have Oscn tO himsctt KyuShiCli WCnt Out and bOught
,any prcscnts and souvcnirs for hcre Hc cOuld hardly ′
 Ⅳο οノ″′grο ″ ′ルノα ″ ノ″θ′′ル″′富′力 ′ 力θ′〃をガ解α
ε
°
0″ θ
"`∫
′′Ky″ ∫
′ θ ル′ο∫
みた力′ノ
"ノ
θ ο ′ο
"t′ “
″′ 力′0′ 力″ ′
み
ノ
′ "θ
ル∫〃.∠ ′f∫ θ″ッ ル勝ノ′
′ θ〃カルル′f″ ″′ ″Sル ル′
″

第 Ъ
軍
:,1,51;″ tソ lZメ 1′ 7::1:`二 fill%[′ :lZilχ ,″ __ ο″″′″″θ
0″ ′
ノレα εル.… ∫
′ο ルgο ″
ク′
″″′/ο ′αル″″ノ η″′
ど
夕′ ′ル′
,.¨ .
‐
″ 4 ″α″″
′ οttθ ″力″ ′″ ∫
み′′f`′ 解∫ ∫
′ ルg..¨
`rS力
`″ “
οο
ァ 9ι ε
れ ヽ ゝ。 ノЪσ
ε ヽ 。れε
σ ε
ノ コらσ
wait for night to fall,but dCCidcd to whilc away thc
tilnc visiting sOmconc hc kncw n thc ncighborh00d
Of Karasumaru.
In thc IIIcantime old Nanny lcft thc hotcl wi,h
Oscn,ostcnsibly tO visit Kiyornizu Tcmplc.Thcy went
dircctly to Glon-lnachi, to a littic shop which sold bOx
ldnchcs, and thcrc found a card upon which was
writtcn“ Gimlct and Saw." Rccognizing this as thc
cobper's way of identifying hilnsclf,(Dsen slipPcd lntidc
allnost unnotictably. UPstairs shc found hcr lovcr,and
togcthcr thcy drank thc ctP of betrothal, Plcdging
thcmsclves tO cach othcr forcvcr.
Thcrcupon old Nanny rctircd dOWnstairse Thc
“ back. But tO makc a sccrct pilgriinagc in thc fantastic
watcr hcrc is silnply dclicious," shc cxClainlcd as shc
guzzlcd cups of tca onc aftcr anothcr.
Having won from Oscn tllc■ rst installmcnt on thcir
n■ arriagc, thc cooPcr l「 ft carly for C)saka by day boat.
C)ld Nanny and C)Scn,upon thcir rcturn to thc hotcl,
gavc notiCC of inllncdiatc dcParturC・ Kyushichi Plcadcd
with thこ m to stay fOr a fcw morc days of sightsccing,
but thc olだ Iwoman was dctcrmincd.
``No, ■oo What Would your nlistrcss say if shc
thought(Dscn was Chasing around with IIlcn P" So off
thcy startcd.
“I knOw it's a lot to ask,but this bundlc is So hCavy。
恥ア
on't you hdP us witt it,KyushichiP"
郵 g3α ι /4露
たτ3ι 晰 ノ ο
7こ 傷。 ′
0′
“My back aches. Sorry,'I hc rcPlicd.
And when thcy stopPcd to rcst in a wisteria grove
bcfOre thc C)rcat Buddha of lnari,thc womcn had to
・
Pay for their own tca。
4ガ ι αμ ε
寃 け ιれ ε" ′εατιだ`ο
`′
“If yOu had told us you wantcd tO go on a pilgriinagc,
wcヽ″Ould havc scnt you in a littcr Or on hircd horsc_
way you did, and comc back with βll thcsc PrCSCnts
bought by lord knows whOm― why,it's―一it's iust thC
sort of thing onc ncvcr docs,not 9vcn marricd couplcs。
And travcling to thc capital togethcr, drinking and
slceping togcther― who would dare go that farP
“Oscn is iust a woman,and it may bc too much to
CXPCCt that shc could rcsist thc urgings of Kyushichi.
But Kyushichi,the smart alcck,thinks hc must tcach
thc innOccnt gods what manlincss is, and tcach this
innoccnt girl..."
Thcir mistrcss was in a frighful rage. Kyushichi's
cxplanations had nO cfFcct On hcr at all,and thc poor,
guiltlcss fc110w was inally dischargcd,wittout waiting
′02 9ι σ ηε
εQι も′ ″ Wた。 ‐ σ
ε ε
ノ ソらσ
fOr thc rcgular biannual rcPlaccmcnt tilnc of ScPtcm‐
ber flfth. Latcr hc workcd several tcrlns in a wholcsalc
hOusc caHcd Bizcn_ya in KitanO and marricd a driftcr15
namcd Longic of Eighthbridgco Now hcと arns a living
″∫ 16 vcndOr On Willow Lanc and has silnply
as a ∫ /2ノ
fOrgottcn about C)sё n。
.
C)scn wcnt back to thc uncvcntful routinc of housc_
hold dutics, but she was unablc to forgct hcr brief
romancc with thc coopcr or gct hiin out of hcr mind.
Shc bcgan to ncglcct hcrsclf, bcconling shabby in ap‐
PCarancc, carclcss in conduct, and littic by littlc morc
gaunt aid Palc. Finally,losing contr01 0f hcrsclf,C)scn
startcd to wail throughOut thc night likc a sick hcn.
Abott thc samc timc a scrics of furthcr misfOrtuncs
ovcrtook thc houschold. Thc grcat cauldron rustcd so
that its bottOm fcll out; thcrc was a suddcn changc
bctwccn brcakfast and suppcr in dlc tastc of the prc_
Parcd bcan― pastc; and lightning struck thc roof Of thc
storchousc, sctting flrc to thc shinglこ s. All of thcsc
tings had a pcrfcctly natural cxPlanation,ヽ but pcoplc
fclt that in this casc thcy had somc sPccial signincance.
Somconc said: :`It is thc implacablc spirit of thc man
who is madly in lovc with Oscn‐ 一thc coopcr."
15 LitcraHy, ``lotus‐
lcaf woman"― ―a prostitutc hircd by a busincss
organization to cntcrtain travcling mcrchants. Shc noatcd, llkc a lotus
icaf On thc watcr, from onc man to anothcr.
16 cakCS of cold, cookcd ricc toppcd with cggs, 6sh, ctc. _ ,
ワE Bα ιτι んt Bι ィュ Fム ∝ ア
Whcn hcr `″ `ο
mastcr and nlistrcss hcard this, thcy“
dccidcd to do cvcrything in thcir powcr tO bring C)scn
and thc cooPCr tOgcthcr in wcdlock.Nanny was callcd
in fOr a cOnsultatiOn。
︱ ︱ ︱
“C)scn," thc 01d cronc said craftily, “has told mc
scvcral tiincs that shc would not havc a hand laborcr
︱ ︱
︱ ︱
fOr a husband,and shc isn't surc whethcr Or not thc
︱ 日 構 囃 博 認 撼 博 潟 橿 Ⅷ 欄 欄 機 欄 媚 機 職 欄 蠅 鷺 棚 職 棚 機 翻 欄 欄 棚 爛 爛 瀾 瀾 爛 岬
C00PCr will do. But it scclns to mc that shc is being
unnccessarily choOsy. Ifl in SPitC of all, thcy can iuSt
gct along in lifc tOgcthcr, shc should bc satisflcd."
Ha ng hcard old Nanny's idcas on thc subiCCt,
C)scn's cmploycrs scnt for thc coopcr and concludcd
a marriagc contraこ t with him.Soon aftcrward,Oscn
had hcr slccvcs scWn up and hcr tccth blackcncd in
prcparation fbr thc marriagc, an ausPicious datc for
whifh had alrcady bccn choscn. Hcr dOwry consistcd
Of twcnry‐ thrcc iterns, including a secOnd― gradc chcst
with a natural inish,a wickcr hampcr for hcr trOus‐
scau,a folding pastcboard bOx,two CastOfF gowns from
hcr rnistrcss, quiltcd bcdclothes, a mosquito nct with
rcd lining, and a scarf of classic colors. With a1l of
thcsc, morc than a pound of silvcr was scnt to thc
C00PCr's housc。
Thc ncwlywcds provcd quitc compatiblc and thcir
luck was good. Honcst and industrious, thc husband
kcpt his hcad bcnt assiduously Ovcr thc work of his
 欄曜︱
︱機躍躙罐畷隠隠吻鯰隕吻吻吻瑕吻晰隕隕隕躊同颯鰈隕瑕瑕緻晰餞輻
%Bα ιτε ttα ′
Lt Bι ι
ィL′ ο
/4σ こ ア
0`ラ

craft,whilc his g00d wifc t00k up wcaving striPcd c10th

Of dark_dycd Fushikanc thrcad. Night and day they
workcd and ncvcr failcd tO mcct thcir dcbts on thc

Ⅲ last day 6f thc ycar Or thc day bcfOrc thc BOn Fcstival.
C)scn t00k cspccially g00d carc Of thc c00pcr. In wintcr,
on windy days Or whcn it snOwcd,shc carcfully covcrcd
his rice tO kccP it warm when hc t00k it 6tt. In
summcr shc kcpt a fan c10sc tO hcr pil10w tO c001 hiin
with. Whcn hc was Out Of thc hOusc shc 10ckcd thc
gatc and ncver 100kcd at anOthcr inan. If shc had Occa_
sion tO spcak Of anything,it was always ``Iny husband
this,Iny husband that." EOcn whcn,aftcr scvcral ycars
and mOnths, shc bOrc twO childrcn, C)scn did not fOr_
sakc hcr husband fOr thcm。
Alas, hOwcvcr, mOSt wOmcn arc icklc crcaturcs.
Captivatcd by somc dcliciOus 10vc stOry, or dcludcd by
thc latcst dramatic pr6ductions Of DOtOm_bori17 thcir
souls arc caught up in giddy corruption. Ainidst thc
falling chcrry b10ss9mS Of thc TclnPlc Of thc Hcavcnly
Ki,gs or under a b100■ ling wistcria trcnis, thcy fall
hcad Over heels in 10vc with sOmc handsOmと fcl16w。
And so,upon rcturning homc,thcy ind 10athsOmc thc
man whO has supportcd thcm fOr many 10ng ycars.
Thcrc is nO grcatcr 101ly than this. FrOrn thc
Sο ο″′ル・ ″α″ノ,0∫ 乃αノ力″jノ ′ ∫ ′″″ ′α ″ノカ ′ カ
多
ルθ
`′ `″
・ `ク `∫ “ `″ ``′
momcnt of thcir scductiOn such wOmcn abandOn all
々θ″θ
ノノ ″ ′κ′″α ″ο ″メο″′ た 解α ″ ″
ルr′ α
"α “
σ
′ あ″∫
′αた ノ θ
″ ″力をみ 力α ノ α″θα々 み ″″
`乃
ο
∫σ″ .″
`′
ヴ 17 Thcatrc scctiOn of Osaka。

ノ ″″‐
.

どο″Tり rθ ″∫カメ ′ど ο ′
″ θ r/1″ θ
′ル ∫ .¨
.
`解
06
ア 9ι
“
ヽ 0燿 ε ε
た Wtt。 ふ σノ コらに %Bα τ“腸 んι3に ι
ィノ0/4,“ ′07

prudcncc alld frugality, light grcat flrcs in thcir oVCns But thcrc arc gods and thcrc is rctributiOno Evcry
and lcavc thcm untcndcd, burn lamps thoughtlcssly sccrct win bc madc known. How IIluch to bc drcadcd
whcre no lamp is necdcd,and whilc thcir family for‐ ――this ruinous rOad!
tuncs dwindlc, wait iinpaticntly fOr icisurc hours tO
sPcnd away frOm hOmc. Suchヒ larriagcs arc drcadful
indced.
And should thcir husbands dic,in scvcn days these 5・ 4 ιう
′
`
οι
ιετ`ブ ″ α
womcn arc out looking for other husbands. E)ivorccd /2/2ぶ ο滋″ο
凛基 ル`α ο洗′
ασι
勾`
oncc,thcy marry and divorct again,six Or scvcn tilncs. `00ι

That,unfortunatcly,is what thc mOrals of thc lowcr οα

7カ を 舟 ′ ″″ο″″ε
θα ″/0″ ″α
″ノ ′∫″クク′
″′α
″′ノ′
οttθ
classcs havc sunk tO, but this sOrt Of thing,Of cOursc, 乃 グα ″ η2ノ 乃ο″′ ο″ ″力θ ∫″′
′ ′
′″″力 ″′
κノ. r ∫″。″′
ノ
`ん
ncvcr cvこ r happcns among thc uPPcr classcs. A wottan カ′乃ο″ο″οノノο″″σ οη′α″ノ
g″ ′ ノα
′ ′′″ ′´
′α′
′力α ″
′″g ノ .

`α
ο ′ク″ο″ルθ“″″.18
shOuld givc hcrsclf t0 0nly onc man during hcr lifc_ PoS.G″ θ 二 ′
な″0′ 腸′ノ′ ″ο″ノ ο ノ′
tiinc. If trOublc ariscs or nlisfortunc strikcs, cvcn
`″
“
whcn shc is young, it is quit,Possiblc fOr hcr tO bc_ Chozacmon, thc ycast makcr, found thc ycars and
comc a nun in thc Convcnt of Kaga or in thc Hokkcil months passing as if lifc wcrc only a drcamo Alrcady
Nunncry di thc SOuthcrn Capital, for this has bccn it was flfty ycars siFiCC his fathcr dicd, and hc had

donc inany timcs bcfore. rcason to congratulatc hilnsclf on living long cnough
Thcrc arc」 many ottcrs in the Flccting World who 10 ccicbrate such an annivcrsaryo According to tllc
livc in sin witll sccrct lovcrs,but whcn thcy arc dis‐ ancicnts: “ Whcn onc gocs into mourning on thc
covcrcd,cithcr thcir husbands scnd thcm homc withOut flfticdl annivcrsary of his fathcr's dcath,it is customary

taking dlc llnattcr to court,for fcar Of crcating a scnsa´
tion,or,in thc casc of husbands grccdy for gold,somc
kind of dcal is made and thc mattcr drOppcd. Thus
sinful womcn arc sparcd through laxity in punishmcnt,
and fOr this rcason adultcry cannot bc stampcd out.
tO abstain fronl lncat in thc mOrning,but cat ish for
suppcr and drink and sing throughout thc cvcning,
having thcrcaftcr nO furthcr ObligatiOns to pcrform。 "
18Thc samc invitation was scnt to all gucsts. Frcqucntly thciF
namcs wcrc listcd in ordcr of prOmincncc, but this formality could bc
disPcnscd v′ ith by adding thc abOvc nOtc.
 ′Og ¶,ι σε ヽ ο″ 2ε ″ Wttο _raσ こノ ∠Ъσこ
Sincc th(〕 sc、 ″crc tO be thc last scrviccs,chOzacmOn did
not bcgrudgc a littlc cxpcnsc in conducting thcm
prOpcrlyo Thc 、 vivcs Of thc ncighborh00d ,Oincd in
thc prcparatiOns. Thcy gOt out thc w00dcn bOwis,
trays, crockcry, and difcrcnt kinds Of w。
Odcn platcs
uscd Only on spccia1 0ccasions, dustcd dlcnl, and sct
thcII1 0n thc sldcbOard.
It happcncd that thc cOopcr's wifc was on fricndly
tcrrl■ s、 ′
ith thcsc PcOplC,SO shc t00 drOppcd in t0 0fFcr
hcr scrviccs.“ Isn't ttcic sOmc work tO bc donc五
thc kitchOn P"
Oscn was knOwn as an intclligcnt and capablc
PCrSOn, and thcy gavc hcr a dclicatc ,Ob. “
Thcrc arc
somc s、 vcctS ln dlc bcdr00mo sct thcrn Out On thc
dccp trays。 ''
Oscn bcgan hcr iOb of arranging d■ c impc
al
pcrsilnmons, Chincsc wainuts, falling‐ g00sc candics,
and t00thpicks Of kaya and cryptOmcria w00do whcn
shc was almOst flnishcd, fastcr ChOzaclnOn carnc in tO
fctch a ncst Of bOwis frOrl■ thc shclf, but in dOing so
hc clumsily drOPPcd Onc On C)scn's hcad sO that llcr
hairdO camc apart all at Oncc. Hc apo10gizcd prOfuscly.
i
``Oh,it didn't hurt at all,''osen assurcd him as shc
hastily ticd up hcr hair and wcnt intO thc kitchcn.
ヽヽア
hcn thc lady of thc housc saw hcr, hOwcvcr, shc
was immcdiately arOuscd。 `Until a fcw minutcs ago
」
[フアこ Sα τ
τこι βε れル′o/ザごЪσε
t Bτ こ フ
ο9
“
yOur hair was donc up most bcautifully. How could
it bccomc disarrangcd so suddcnlyP"
C)scn,with a clcar conscicncc,rcplicd calinly: ``Thc
mastcr was taking sOmc bOwis down frOm thc shclf
and onc fc1l on mc. That's how it happcncd."
But thc ladyヽ Ⅳould not bclicvc hcr at all. ``Indccd!
A bowl falling oF dlc shclf in broad daylightl WVhat
a playful bOwi that rnust bc. If you ask mc,sOmcbody
fcll into bcd without going to slccP and hcr hair camc
undonc.Of all dlillgs for an oldcr man to bc doing;
whcn hc is supposcd to bc mourning for his fatllcrl"
In a violcnt ragc,shc pickcd up somc sliccs of frcsh
ish,which had bccn cut and arrangcd with much carc,
and bcgan throwing d■ cm about thc kitchcno No
mattcr what anyonc clsc talkcd Of during thc day,
vincgar or 10ur or anydling, shc would drag in thc
SubiCCt Of Oscn and not lct it droP,tO thC Complctc
disgust of all who hcard about thc incidcnt latcr.
Truly it is thc grcatcst of misfortuncs for a man to
havc a wifc of such flcrcc,ca10usy.
At irst Oscn put up paticntly with thc lady's rant‐
ing, though shc could not hclp bcing annoycd by it.
Latcr, thC morc shc thought abOut it thc mOrc bitter
and dcprcsscd C)scn bccamc。 ``卜〔y slccvc is alrcady wct
with tcars.Having suFcred thc shamc,血 crc is nothing
lcft to losco l shall lnakc lovc to Chozacmon and tcach
.… ′
“ θ α
ノノ 々 溜′
∫ ′∫θ722′ ι
θノ ノノ ι〃ノ ″′οι ″ルカθ′gο liag′ θ
ノ″′“ カルg∫“ノ
`ど
α″グル″力 αfr″ 解′夕 ″ノο .0チ α 〃′ ο
′α″
"θ
″ ′
oだ ′ ル ノο ′″g′ ″ル な∫″′′ο∫ノ
′
“
ο多
′
"カ
′解ο″ πル gノ ο″カ カ
"た′ル ′
′
ルr′
…
.

“
 ′
ァ2 9ι に 91/0″ ε
′2Wた0_r。 けノ ふ σこ %Bα ι
露Jttα β
zτ Bτ 饒/ttr ο
/=ら σ
ε アフ
1'

″Oman a lcsson。 '' And,dwclling upon dlis idca,

that 、
shc arOuscd in hcrsclf a passiOn fOr ChOzacmOn which
soon rcsultcd in a sccrct cxchangc of prOrniscs bct、 vccn
thc t、 vO. Tllcy waitcd only for a suitablc Occasion to
fullH thcir dcsircs.
Thc cvcning of January twcnty∼ sccond,in thc sccond
ycar of″ okyO (1685),sccn・ Cd a prOPitious onc fOr 10vcrs
「
sincc thc wOmcn and childrcn Of thc ncighbOrh00d
wcrc ainusing thcrllsclvcs at thc traditiOnal spring
pastimc Of drawing strings for prizcs. On intO thc
night thcy playcd, complctcly absOrbcd in thc gamc.
Somc 10st and quit, Othcrs won and kcPt On with in‐
satiablc cnthusiaslno Sti11 0thcrs dOzcd Off and startcd
to snorc。 111lc coOPcr turncd dOM′ ll his lamp and wcnt
tO bcd carly, apparcntly sO tircd frOrn thc day's tOil
that hc wOuld nOt havc a、 vakcncd cvcn if sOmcOnc had
‖ Pinchcd his nOsc.
￨￨11‐ ￨11‐
Chozacmon quickly thrcw oF thc bcdcovcrs. Nakcd
and tcrriflcd, hc dashcd Out and ran a grcat distancc
tO the housc Of a c10sc rclativc, barcly cscaPing With
his lifc.
C)scn, rcalizing that it was a hopclcss situation for
hcr,plungcd thc bladc Of a carpcntcr's planc intO hcr
hcart and dicd. Hcr cOrpsc、 vas cxPoSCd in thc Shamc
Ficld with that Of thc scOundrcl ChozacmOn whcn hc
was at last cxccutcd. Thcir namcs,knOwn in countlcss
ballads and songs,sPrcad tO distant provinccs with thё
warning: This is a stcrn world and sin ncvcr gocs
unPunlshcd.

ChOzacmon fO110wcd Oscn hOmc frOm thc Party.

11‐

「
￨

￨:￨‐ ￨.￨
“
Now is thc timc to fulll1 0ur mutual prOmisc,"hc
urgcd, and C)scn, unablc tO rcfusc hirn, t00k chOzac_
mon into hcr hOusc.
Thcn bcgan what was tO bc thcir irst and last
attcmpt at 10vc_lnaking.
NO s00ncr had thcy rcmovcd their undcrc10thcs than
thc cooPcr a｀ VOkC. “HOld On! If l catch you,1'1l ncvcr
ict you gol'' hc shoutcd。