CHAPTER V.
THE FARMER GIRDS HIS LOINS.
The journey from Tsu to Ki[^y]oto may be made by one in haste, mountedon a strong horse, in two days, but in a land where trade is carriedon in perfunctory fashion, time is and ever was a cheap commodity. Ina shop the traders squat smoking on the mat, grin, prostratethemselves with head-knockings on your entrance, offer a cup of teaand a pipe, and consider that all has been done that may in fairnessbe required of them. In need of goods, you must search yourself, pullthings from shelves, till you do or do not find the object yourequire. As with trade so is it to this day with travel. Anenergetic foreigner, by a liberal showering of yens, may induce hiskuruma-runners to cover thirty miles per diem; but the Japanese of allranks prefer to journey quietly, jogging along in kagos, at thefavourite and decorous pace of the familiar snail. Indeed the higherthe social status of the traveller, the slower will be his progress,for impedimenta are symbols of dignity.
Our magnificent young General, although on horseback, was surroundedand followed by a rabble, who for the most part were on foot. Therewas the inevitable bodyguard of swaggering samurai, who, with hairshorn from temples, and swords in red lacquer scabbards ostentatiouslydisplayed, cultivated a scowling expression of perpetual defiance,incarnation of haughtiness, fanatical patriotism, and contempt ofeverybody but themselves. Then there were cotton-coated andstraw-sandalled baggage-men by scores in charge of strings ofpackhorses; a group of sutlers; and, swaying in rear of theprocession, an unwieldy but gaily-bedizened kago, for my lord torecline in when fatigued.
There being no professional fun toward, neither master nor men were ina hurry. To come upon a roadside tea-house, with its bevy of laughingwaitresses, meant the performance of a variety of operations:tea-sipping, smoking, drowsy lounging, jesting, active dallying, andthen unlimited sleep.
At first the method of progression was of the slowest, for the marshyplain was cut by various rivers, which had to be crossed in barges;then came a stretch of paddy, or rice fields; a green sea of slushbisected by a narrow gangway of stones, along which two men wereunable to trudge abreast. Then, the foot of the hills being reached,there was a long and weariful ascent of rock and sliding stones--aclimb over precipice and crag by a way that could scarce be called apath--and a descent on the other side as difficult. This feataccomplished, it was, of course, necessary to bathe, and worship in anadjoining temple, and rest and sleep again, and so it took more than aweek for the cavalcade to reach the capital.
At approach of the noisy procession the mountaineer cottagers peepedout of their secluded dwellings, but perceiving the company ofsamurai, speedily put up their paper shutters, and made believe to benot at home. For the two-sword man was apt to ape the vices of hisbetters, and leave behind a trail of ruin such as marks the passage ofthe locust.
Sampei was too busy with his own thoughts--which were gloomy enough,in sooth--to take heed of those he passed; and even if he had done so,would probably have failed to recognise an elderly pedestrian, whoglared with hate from under beetle-brows, at the young noble ridingby. Having forgotten even the name of the luckless Mine, it was notlikely that he would quickly recognise her father, clad now in dustypilgrim garb of white, and wide mushroom hat of rice straw. ForKoshiu, true to his resolve, was also going to Ki[^y]oto to watchevents, and fulfil, if need were, his self-imposed and dangerousmission. Like all fervent worshippers of Buddha, the sturdy farmer hadno fear of death; like other natives of Japan, he was eminentlysuperstitious. Among the Asiatic poor, where ceaseless drudgery,and hunger never fully satisfied, are the common lot; where thetax-gatherer and the avaricious noble are the representatives ofgovernment; where earthquake and typhoon cause the forces of nature tobe feared as malignant influences; life is not so pleasant as to causethe earthly wayfarer to long for its continuance.
The announcement of the Christian dogma that "the gift of God iseternal life," would rather pain than delight a Japanese, for to himlife in any form is to be dreaded--not because death is at the end ofit, but because another birth and death must follow (possibly morepainful still)--then other births and deaths--links in a long andweary chain, before attaining the ultimate haven. The moral pang thatmay possibly attend decease, consists in the parting from those whomhe holds dear, and will, save under miraculous circumstances, neversee again; for the Christian hope of meeting in a better world findsplace but rarely in the Buddhist's mind. The chief deity, if slow andsomniferous was just, and would (Koshiu argued) surely protect thefamily of him who was sacrificed for the common weal. There is atemple even now at Ki[^y]oto, standing on a dizzy height, whoseterrace is protected by a strong pallisade, for, unless prevented, itis the practice of the faithful to crave a boon of the god, then flingthemselves over the precipice, in the firm belief that--if the boon isto be granted--the deity will hold them scathless. It is strange thatthe number of bodies shattered on the stones below should not haveshaken their faith either in the goodness or the power of the god.Having made up his mind that, if need were, he, the humble peasant,would invoke the sacred and mysterious Mikado's aid, Koshiu passed anight in prayer, then washed and dressed himself in the attire commonto high and low who are engaged on a holy mission, and took a tenderfarewell of his family. There was his dear wife, Kennui; his threeboys, Gennosuke, Sokei, and Kibachi, ranging in years from thirteen toseven. Mine was unaccountably absent, but she was always a froward andunruly maid, wild and disobedient. On this solemn occasion, however,her father left for her a tender message of farewell, and amid thetears and outcries of those who feared that they never again mightlook on him, tore himself away.
This was on the day before Sampei's arrival,--on the morning whichfollowed the consultation in the farmer's dwelling. The elders, filledwith admiration for the single-minded heroism of the man whom they haddeemed slow and selfish, went with him, marshalled by Rokubei andZembei, to the entrance of the town, and with many blessings andprayers, wished the traveller success.
Urged on to speed by an engrossing object, he caught up, and, strongand stout of limb, passed the straggling array of Sampei, arriving inthe capital two days before him. The imprisoned envoys were still indurance, he learned from one of those who had escaped, and lurked inhiding. My lord No-Kami--orders having in heat been issued for seizureand incarceration--had apparently forgotten their existence. Thethreatened vengeance of torment had not been wreaked, and yet theirposition was no pleasing one, for my lord's soldiers--the peasantsand the military class were never friendly--amused themselves withthe poor wretches, as cats play with mice--haling them out fordiversion--depriving them of drink--pretending to offer sake, and whenthey held out eager hands for it, playfully pricking them with dirks.At the relation, the blood of Koshiu boiled within him.
These men--honoured and revered at home--who had done naught savehumbly to implore redress of grievances, were being murderedpiecemeal. It mattered not that my lord had never ordered it. Hislawless myrmidons took from him their cue, satisfied that they wouldnot be punished. If the poor things must die, the more speedily thebetter; but Koshiu swore, with oaths that terrified his listeners,that their deaths should be avenged. Alack! Koshiu must be mad. Heprated as if himself a daimio, or a least a samurai or hatamoto! Amosquito on a wall might as well shake a paw, and vow to avenge theslaughter of his fellows! And then at the boldness of his speech theyshivered, considering whether it would not be more prudent to withdrawfrom the society of so rash a person, and sneak back to theircrumbling homes. Of a certainty it would, for with even the Mikadohimself, the revered and mystical, the insect presumed to find fault.Next he would be falling foul of Buddha, who, putting out a finger,would crush him--and them along with him--the blasphemer; and whatthen would be their fate in the next cycle? In horror and dread theywrung their hands, and banged their apologetic foreheads on the floor,and, drawing forth beads, told them with feverish rapidity.
These were the words that entered their astounded ears. "Forgenerations stretchin
g back into the shadow of time," the over-boldfarmer said, "has our master dwelt behind a screen, looked on by noeyes but those of the kuges and his attendants. Nothing outside thescreen penetrates to him save through the mouths of these. Being amortal, if a highly-privileged one, he cannot see all, like Buddha,himself unseen. We are his, and we revere him, but he knows naught ofus, and can know naught, secluded and fenced about, and therebyneglects his duty--for even he has duties; and if, which is unhappilytrue, the latter-day Mikados have been evilly entreated and dethronedand sent into banishment, 'tis by reason of this sin, and the vileHojos have been but instruments of retribution in the hand of anoffended deity."
What subversive doctrines were these uttered by a presuming pigmy? Thehorror-stricken elders glanced furtively one at the other with thesame thought. Instead of a possible saviour, this man was a firebrandwho would involve others in his well-merited ruin. Perchance it wouldbe well to betray him at once to my lord No-Kami, and thereby earntheir pardon? Koshiu read their thoughts, and sighed, wishing them noevil. The views of the sturdy farmer were beyond them. As well talk tothe trees--better, for the leaves would not shake with terror, andconsider the expediency of treachery. He resolved to shut up hisopinions therefore within his own bosom, and calmly discussed, withoutfurther blasphemy, what the next move should be.
As there was no possibility of, for the present at least, making anymove at all, they were still idly chattering when, a few days later,they were startled by the appearance of the very envoys whose rescuewas under discussion. They were thin, and gnarled, and haggard, andwrinkled--but then a Japanese peasant over the age of twenty is nevera pretty object--yet in health seemed well enough. The tale of thesake and dirks must have been the invention of the foe. And yet toKoshiu these village elders looked suspiciously meek and lowly, moreso than the humblest peasant should; indeed their bearing was notunlike that of a mongrel dog, that still smarts under severecorrection. At first it was impossible to get anything out of them butfawning praise of the Hojo, uttered in trembling accents, in whichfear battled with incoherence. Hojo was excellent and merciful. Had henot deigned to forgive their unpardonable sin, and set them freeunhurt? Let them live under their own hats and be content, he haddeclared. If there were any noble individuals more admirable than thegracious lord No-Kami--and that was scarcely possible--those two weretheir liege lady and the General Sampei; for 'twas through theintervention of these that my lord had condescended to remember theexistence of his humblest tenants, who might otherwise have been stillin duress.
With lowering brow Koshiu looked upon his fellows, for these cringing,spirit-broken villagers belonged to the same class as he. Were theyworth saving, at the risk of his own life? And then a vision of themisery at Tsu, the growing suffering of all down-trodden Japan, roseupon his vision. No-Kami, thanks to the pleading of his wife andbrother, had been pleased, after outrage and ignominy, to release themen who had committed no crime. But what of their petition? Thepetition? Let it go hang! The well-whipped hounds preferred that thesubject should be dropped. How ill-timed was any mention of thepetition. It had brought nothing but trouble--the less said about itthe better. All they desired was to depart with speed. The sportivesamurai might swoop again. Baring their arms, the envoys showed theirwounds. The story of the sake was true, then. Little wonder if thestarved wretches had had enough of the facetious horseplay of thesoldiers.
Koshiu paced the mat with folded arms. Yes, they were right, and hadbetter go and save their wizened carcases. Here they were of noservice, only butts for scoffers. My lady O'Tei all knew to be anangel; but that the newly-arrived General should interest himself inpeasants, was curious; and then the thought flashed suddenly on theindignant father that the absence of Mine from her home had coincidedwith the arrival of Sampei. Her tender pronunciation of his name, andconstant championship, recurred to his memory, and he shrank as fromstrokes of the bamboo. As profligate as all the Hojos, he had, ofcourse, signalled his return by the seduction of an innocent andtoo-trusting maiden, who, by-and-by, he would fling away. Perhaps fromout that curtained kago on the road his erring daughter may havepeeped at him. If it were so, never, never would he forgive his child.Had he not warned her of his undying hatred of Hojos, of all connectedwith bloodthirsty brutal tyrants? With difficulty controlling hisemotions, while his comrades more than ever deemed him dangerouslyinsane, he told them they were right. Since they could serve nofurther purpose, they had better go back to Tsu, and speedily. For hisown part, he would remain, and bide his time, and, when opportunityoffered, present the petition to the Emperor.
And so, after a sad and parting feast, the band of elders returned totheir place, and Koshiu dwelt alone, brooding over his wrongs, overthe oppression of his class, and the ruin of his daughter, while hisfamily bewailed at home. His impression was that the Mikado'ssupineness rose not from weakness but from indifference, out of whichhe might be roused. One day arrived a pedlar with news from Tsu, and amelancholy message from his wife, the faithful Kennui, whichcompletely satisfied his mind that his suspicions were but too wellfounded. Mine had never again sought the legitimate shelter of herparents' roof, but was dwelling, if report spoke truly, with themother of Sampei. Even she, then, the peasant-born, suffered under thetaint which enveloped that hated race. The Abbess, who pretended to bepious, could stoop to shield his daughter's infamy, and give shelterto the mistress of her son. Poor soul, had she not been herself aconcubine, and debased by pernicious surroundings? Ah, but theposition of second wife--acknowledged concubine--was different fromthat of his own degraded daughter. No fixed position was hers, ofcourse, or ever would be, since she had been so misguided as to throwherself into her lover's arms. And when he was weary of her? It wouldnot bear thinking of, for Koshiu in his way was proud as any noble.Sampei and his mother were as bad as the rest, worthy to wear thecognisance of Hojo. The longer the farmer brooded, the harder grew hisheart, the more bitter his resentment, and he hailed with fierce joythe news, at last, that the Mikado was to visit Nara.
It was a solemn ceremony the pilgrimage of the Emperor to the SacredGroves of Nara, one which, although the distance was short, he wasexpected to perform but once or twice during his career. Unlike lessermagnates, who were content with kagos--litters, more or lesssumptuous, borne on men's shoulders--the Mikado travelled in aponderous carriage on huge cumbrous wheels, its roof thatched with thelong grey straws of a peculiar grass, its wood-work elaboratelylacquered with the imperial crest, its windows closely curtained withthe finest matting, which flapped with many tassels. The progress ofso unwieldy a machine over a primitive road was slow. In front went abodyguard on foot, followed by soldiers on horseback; then came theweighty kagos of the kuges in attendance, brave with banners anddevices; then the Mikado's swaying uneasy carriage, drawn by eighthorses in broidered housings; then more heavy litters and moresoldiers, and a long straggling tail like that of a kite, composed ofservants and rabble. It took many hours to penetrate through thetortuous and squalid suburbs of the capital, consisting for the mostpart of the shops of pawnbrokers and vendors of cheap toys and idols,jutting at will into the road, the procession stopped from time totime by hosts of the faithful on their faces.
Once free of buildings, the imperial _cortege_ advanced by a wide waystraight as an arrow across a plain devoted to the cultivation of tea,and by nightfall reached Uji. Here there was a villa overhanging withwide, wooden balconies a rushing stream--the Uji-Kawa, which rises inlake Biwa--spanned by a semicircular bridge formed of an intricatenetwork of heavy timbers, for in winter this river swells into atorrent, sweeping all that is weak before it. This villa was for thespecial use of the sovereign, as might be guessed, from its lack ofadornment. So high is the Mikado, that, in a general way, he is abovethe employment of ornament. His villas and summer-houses (unlike thoseof his brother of China) are as conspicuous for simplicity as hisdress. Everything is of the very best that skill can produce, thewoodwork of the very finest which the hand of man can command, themats trimmed with a red and
white braid forbidden to other men. Hiseyes look upon no pictures or porcelains or bronzes, for to one whocommunes at will with deities or spirits, and may peep even sometimesinto Nirvana, such trivialities are, of course, superfluous. In theImperial Palace of Ki[^y]oto it is different, for there he deigns toassociate in a degree with mere common nobles and wives, to whomaustere simplicity would be depressing if not soul-withering. In thisvilla, the Emperor, by time-honoured custom, was to pass the night,his _cortege_ camping around for the protection of the sacred person.
Now Koshiu, whose object in life was the presenting of a memorialwhich should lead to the abrogation of imposts, and the holding up ofthe Hojos to deserved obloquy, knew right well that there was noreaching the imperial ear, either in Ki[^y]oto or on the road to Uji,by reason of a throng of guards. During the next day's route over themountains, on the other side of which was Nara, the cumbrous carriagewould be prevented from toppling over by myriad hands pressed oneither wheel, but the brilliant idea had occurred to the farmer thatin crossing the timber bridge, whose width was just sufficient for thepassage of the vehicle, there would be none to defend either of thecurtained windows, the guards of necessity passing on in front ordropping behind until the stream was crossed, and that here lay hisonly chance. In the night therefore, after prayers and ablutions, hetook advantage of the darkness to swim into mid-stream unnoticed, andbeing washed against one of the pillars, to make good his footing, andclimbing on the bridge, to secrete himself under a convenient shadow.Then with his knife he pruned a long bamboo, split it at the top, andinserting the memorial therein, awaited day.
The journey was yet long to Nara, and over the mountains fraught withpossible disaster, so all were early astir. With wildly-beating heartand throbbing temples Koshiu heard the clatter of horses overhead, therhythmed step of infantry, and then the thunder of the great wheelsgrinding under their heavy load. Now or never. Calculating his time toa nicety, the farmer nimbly climbed upon the parapet, and before theastonished guards could stop him, lifted a corner of the mat, andinserting his bamboo, cried in a loud voice,--
"Take, O great Mikado! Fountain of Honour, this the petition of yourhumblest slave. Have pity on your people, O sovereign lord, grounddown by the wicked Hojo!"
The driver of the horses, aghast, stopped open-mouthed; the cavalcadestood still; the guards, with a yell, dashed clambering forward, tofling into the stream this audacious one, riddled with sword-thrusts;but the old Daimio of Nara, who, disdaining a kago, rode close behind,spurred quickly through the men, and, raising both hands, bade themrefrain. He had caught the words "wicked Hojo," saw that what mighthave been a spear was already withdrawn, and was no more than a cleftstick, and guessed the purport of the attempt.
"'Tis a petition," Nara cried. "Our imperial lord already holds theman's paper in his sacred hand. It is for him, and not for us, todecide upon his fate."
Clutched by a dozen fists, Koshiu remained poised and stifled on theparapet, and presently a low voice issued from the shadow.
"I will read the petition on my return from the sacred groves. Keepthe man close and safe. See that no harm comes to him."
The Daimio of Nara, with a cunning smile lurking about his lips, gaveorders that the pilgrim should be safely conducted to his own privateapartment in the palace, and then the ponderous procession moved onagain, and crawled up the mountain.
The Curse of Koshiu: A Chronicle of Old Japan Page 5