Translated, with an Introduction, by

Helen Craig McCullough

Stanford University Press

Stanford, California
376 Chapter Eleven

of the large boat, and sent him headlong into the bilge. (It is impossible to
say whether or not he was killed.) Asari no Yoichi was a born archer: people
said he had never missed a cunning deer at seven hundred feet.
After that, both the Genji and the Heike attacked and fought in reckless
disregard of their lives, shouting and yelling. Neither side seemed inferior,
but the Genji were afraid that they might be unable to prevail against ene-
mies who had the Emperor with the Regalia on their side. Then something
appeared in the sky that looked for a time like a white cloud. But it was not
a cloud: it was an unidentified white banner, which floated downward until
its cord seemed close enough to touch the bow of a Genji vessel. “A sign
from the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman!” Yoshitsune said. Overjoyed, he
rinsed his mouth and made obeisance, and all the warriors did the same.
Furthermore, a school of one or two thousand dolphins surfaced and
swam trom the Genji side toward the Heike. Minister of State Munemori
summoned the learned Harenobu. “Dolphins always appear in schools, but
we have never seen such numbers as these. Use your divining arts to find out
what it means,” he told him.
“The Genji will be destroyed if the dolphins stay on the surface and turn
back; we will be endangered if they dive and pass us." No sooner had
Harenobu spoken than the creatures passed straight under the Heike ves-
sels. “This is the end tor us," the diviner said.
In loyal service to the Heike during the last three years, Awa no Minbu
Shigeyoshi had more than once fought defensive battles at the risk of his life,
But at this juncture, he suddenly went over to the Genji. (Perhaps he saw no
alternative, now that his son, Dennaizacmon Noriyoshi, had been taken
prisoner.) The Heike had stationed theit prominent men of noble birth on
the fighting boats and their subordinates on the Chinese-style ships, with the
Intention of surrounding and annihilating the Genji when they attacked the
ships. But thanks to Shigeyoshi’s defection, the Genji ignored the ships and
aimed at the boats carrying the disguised Commanders-in-Chiet. Tomomori
suffered a thousand useless regrets. “If only | had cut off that wretched
Shigeyoshi’s head and thrown it away!” he thought.
Meanwhile, all the warriors from Shikoku and Chinzei deserted the
Heike for the Genji. Yesterday's subordinates wielded bows against their sov-
ereign and drew swords against their masters. High seas barred the way to
distant shores; lines of enemy archers denied access to ne arby beaches. That
day seemed destined to witness the end of the struggle between the Genji and
the Heike for mastery of the realm.

'9] The Drowning of the Former Emperor

The Genji warriors had already boarded the Heike boats, which were
veering out of control because the sailors and helmsmen were lying in the
bilge, slain by arrows and swords. The New Middle Counselor Temomori
went ina small craft to the Emperor's ship. “We seem to have reached
the
final extremity,” he said. “Jettison everything that might offend the eye.” He
ran about from stem to stern tidying the ship with his own hands, sweeping,
mopping, and dusting,
 Chapter Eleven 277

The Nae of Second Rank prepares to leap into the sea with the young Exrperar
pobre ares,

“How is the battle going, Lord Middle Counselor? How are things going?”
the ladies asked.
Tomemori uttered a sarcastic laugh. “You will be getting acquainted with
some remarkable eastern warriors.”
“How can you joke at a time like this?” They all began to shrick and
scream.
The Nun of Second Rank, who had long ago decided on a-course of ac-
378 Chapter Eleven

tion, draped her two dark-gray underrobes over her head, hitched up her
divided skirt of glossed silk, tucked the Bead Strand under her arm and the
Sword into her belt, and took the Emperor in her arms, “Although | am only
a woman, [ wall not fall into enemy hands. | will go where His Majesty goes.
Follow swiftly, you whose hearts are loyal to him,” She walked to the side of
the ship.
The Emperor had turned eight that year, but seemed very grown up for his
age. His face was radiantly beautiful, and his abundant black hair reached
below his waist. “Where are you taking me, Grandmother?” he asked, with
a puzzled look.
She turned her face to the young sovereign, holding back her tears. “Don’t
you understand? You became an Emperor because you obeyed the Ten Good
Precepts in your last life, but now an evil karma holds you fast in its toils,
Your good fortune has come to an end. Turn to the east and say goodbye to
the Grand Shrine of Ise, then turn to the west and repeat the sacred name of
Amida Buddha, so that he and his host may come to escort you to the Pure
Land. This country is 4 land of sorrow; | am taking you to a happy realm
called Paradise.”
His Majesty was wearing an olive-pray robe, and his hair was done upin a
boy's loops at the sides. With tears swimming in his eyes, he joined his tiny
hands, knelt toward the east, and bade farewell to the Grand Shrine. Then
he turned toward the west and recited the sacred name of Amida. The Nun
snatched him up, said in a comforting voice, “There is a capital under the
waves, too,” and entered the boundless depths. Ah, how sad that the spring
breeze of impermanence should have scattered the august blossoms in an in-
stant! Ah, how heartless that the wild waves of transmigration should have
engulfed the jewel person! We are told of an imperial hall, Longevity by
name, that was designed to be a long-standing imperial residence, and of a
gate, Eternal Youth, through which old age was powerless to enter—yet now
a sovereign less than ten years old had become debris at the bottom of the
sea. Words cannot express the wretchedness of such a karma! A dragon
above the clouds had descended to. become a fish in the ocean depths. In the
past, he had held sway over kin by blood and by marriage, with State Minis-
ters and senior nobles on every side, dwelling as it were on the heights: of
Bonten’s lofty palace and within Taishaku’s Joyful-to-See City; now, alas, he
went from shipboard life to instant death beneath the waves.

[rol The Death of Noritsune

Upon witnessing the fate of her son, the Imperial Lady Kenreimon’in put
her warming-stone and inkstone into the right and left sides of her bosom
and plunged beneath the waves. Gengo Uma-no-}o Mutsuru of the Watanabe
League raised her by the hair with a rake, not knowing who she was. “Ah,
how shocking! That is the Imperial Lady,” all the women said. Mutsuru in-
formed Yoshitsune, and they transferred her to the imperial ship at-once,
Lady Dainagon-no-suke tried to leap into the sea with the Chinese chest
containing the Sacred Mirror, but an arrow pinned the hem of her skirt to
 DROWNING OF THE EMPEROR

Nitdono turned her gaze to him and suppressing her tears,

replied: “Your Majesty cannot know what this is all abour! Since
you had mastered the Buddha’s Ten Préecepts in a former life, you
were blessed to ascend to the supreme place of honor as the ¢m-
peror in this world. But the day of this destiny is over, and now
an evil karma is about to carry you away to the world beyond. |
pray you—first turn to the east to bid farewell to the Sun Goddess
of the Great Ise Shrine, and then to the west to repeat “Hail Amida
Buddha,” so that Amida will welcome you to the Pure Land Paradise
in the west.”
Thus instructed by Nii-dono, the emperor put ona parrot green
silk outer robe and had his hair bound up at the sides, Tears rushed
down his cheeks as he joined his little palms. He first turned to the
éast to bid farewell toa the Sum Groddess and then to the west to
repeat “Hail Amida Buddha.”
Nii-dono took theemperorin herarms and consoled him, saying:
“In the depths of the waves you will find a capital!” With these
words, she plunged with him to the bottom of the sea.
What a pity itewas that the fleeting spring breeze should carry:
away the sacred flower, and that the uncompassionaté waves of
life and death should thus engulf the jeweled person! His abode tn
the capital was called: Long Life Hall, and the gate of his palace
Eternal Youth, through which nothing of great age was allowed to
pass. In spite of this, before he reached the age of ten he became
but mud‘at the bottom of the sea. How transient his life—thart
he was obliged to abandon the throne rewarded him for his mastery
of the Buddha’s Ten Precepts! The dragon above the clouds sud-
denly plunged below the surface of the sea only to become a fish,
In times past he had resided in a heavenly palace as great ay that of
the king of the Paradise of Bonten or the Palace of Correct Views
of Ten-taishaku, and had been waited upon by kinsmen, courtiers,
and ministers. After such an elegant life at court, he had been de-
prived of his comfort and was forced to live rudely on board a
tossing boat until at last he met an ignominious end beneath the
eee
t The palace Located atesp Mount Sumeruin the Tusita Heaven, Ten-taishake, one
‘of the tutelary gods of Buddhism, resides there,

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