Shank's Mare

  With the landlord leading the way they went upstairs and sat down.

  'By the way, Master Yaji,' said the Kyōto man, 'suppose we pretend that you're the head-clerk of a big shop?'

  'Ah, that's a good idea,' said the landlord of the Fujiya.

  'But you must take care about your language,' said the Kyōto man, 'as you're supposed to be at the head office. It would be better if you spoke like the Kyōto people.'

  'That's easy,' said Yaji. 'You just hear me talk like a Westcountryman. Here, girls, just come here a moment. For some reason I cannot explain my throat is uncommonly dry. Please bring me a cup of tea.'

  'Ay, ay,' said the girls.

  'Ain't I good at the Kyōto language?' said Yaji. 'What do you think, my dear?'

  'Bravo! Bravo!' said the Kyōto man.

  Meanwhile the maids had brought sake and some comestibles, and the landlord of the Fujiya had passed the cup round.

  'Here, waitress,' called the Kyōto man, 'where are the girls? This is a very wealthy gentleman from Edo, so bring out the best girls you have. If he takes a fancy to them he won't mind staying three or four months with you. He doesn't care what he spends.'

  'Yes, yes,' said the landlord of the Fujiya. 'When I was in Edo last year I passed his shop. It is a big place. That exchange shop of yours is quite a big place too,' he added turning to Kita.

  'My place is not very big,' said Yaji. 'The frontage is scarcely more than thirty-three houses, but as there are thirty-three thousand three hundred and thirty persons inside they make a fearful row.'

  'His Kyōto establishment is in Juzuya-machi, Rokujō,' said the landlord of the Fujiya.

  'That's so," said Yaji. 'My father and mother are very anxious about me because I'm always climbing the mountain. I'm afraid I'm a bad lot.'

  Then the maid called for the girls to come in and four or five of them came and bowed politely to the guests. 'Welcome all,' they said.

  'Aha!' said Yaji. 'Very pretty.'

  'Just pass them the sake cup,' said the Kyōto man.

  'Ay, ay,' said Yaji. 'I'll give them one.'

  He took a sake cup and handed it to the most beautiful of the girls with a smile.

  'I say,' said Kita. 'I want to see the Drum Chamber.'

  'You're always talking of the Drum Chamber,' said the Kyōto man. 'It's the Tambourine Chamber.'

  'There's a guest from Edo in the Tambourine Chamber,' said the waitress.. 'He's got all the girls in there dancing and singing. Listen.'

  From the Tambourine Chamber came the sound of samisen and of girls singing.

  The mist is wafted by the breeze,

  And far and near the shadows break,

  While deep within the encircling trees

  The moon's face floats upon the lake.

  'They're having a dance in the other room,' said the Kyōto man. 'Let's do something too, —something out of the common.'

  'All right,' said Yaji. 'I feel just ready to enjoy myself. I can't be bothered with the Kyōto talk any more. Yoi, yoi, yoi!'

  'Tochin, tochin!' chimed in the Kyōto man.

  Then from the back room there came another song:

  All my love affair is known.

  What care I? Play upon the samisen

  A softer melody. Stay my tottering feet. To-night

  I must haste to love's delight.

  'Bravo! Bravo!' cried the Kyōto man. 'But where is my darling companion? What is your name? Ben? Oh, how thankful I am. I, Yotakurō Henguriya, living north of Naka-dachiuri, Sembon-dōri, Kyōto, respectfully and thankfully announce that I have for companion Ben of the Chizukaya of Furuichi in Seishū, as lovely and as charming as St. Benten. Come a little closer.'

  He took her hand as he spoke and pulled her closer to him. He was a little drunk and had a habit when in that condition of repeating himself at length. The girl was the one to whom Yaji had presented the sake cup and who, he thought, would be his companion. Now that she was claimed by the Kyōto man he began to feel very jealous.

  'Here, Master Kyōto,' he said, 'that girl's my companion.'

  'What are you talking about?' said the Kyōto man. 'Here, waitress, what's your name?'

  'My name is Kin,' said the girl.

  'Then I, Yotakurō Henguriya, living north of Nakadachiuri in Sembon-dōri, Kyōto, call upon you, Kin, waitress at the Chizukaya at Furuichi, in Seishū, to say whether I did not a little while ago secretly engage Ben, as beautiful and charming as St. Benten, namely I, Yotakurō Henguriya, living north of Nakadachiuri...'

  'That's enough, that's enough,' said Yaji. 'I don't care where you live. Tell me this. Didn't I first hand my sake cup to that girl?'

  It is the custom in Edo, when one goes to such places, for the man to hand his sake cup to the girl he wishes to select. In the West country it is different, however. There these matters are arranged secretly with the goodwife of the house or some other woman. Thus the Kyōto guest had already arranged with the waitress that he should have the best looking of the girls and that others he had selected should be given to Yaji and Kita. Of this Yaji was quite ignorant, and following Edo custom he thought that the girl he had presented his sake cup to was to be his companion. This was how the dispute arose.

  'There, there,' said the waitress, trying to soothe Yaji. 'This girl is this gentleman's companion. Yours is the one with the chignon.'

  'Don't talk nonsense,' said Yaji. 'I saw that girl first and there's no mistake I was the first to hand her a sake cup, so she's mine.'

  'You don't understand how these matters are arranged,' said the Kyōto man. 'Whereabouts in Edo do you come from?'

  'I'm Yajirobei Tochimenya of Hatchōbōri in Kanda, Edo,' said Yaji, 'and I'm a ticklish chap to handle.'

  'Aha!' said the Kyōto man. 'So this terrible man to handle, Yajirobei Tochimenya, of Hatchōbōri, Kanda, Edo, meeting Yotakurō Henguriya who lives north of Nakadachiuri, in Sembon-dōri, Kyōto, claims as his companion Ben of the Chizukaya in...'

  'What are you jawing about?' said Yaji. 'Bother your Yotakurō Henguriya!'

  'So Yajirobei Tochimenya of Hatchōbōri, Kanda, Edo, miscalls Yotakurō Henguriya, who lives north of Nakadachiuri, in Sembon-dōri, in Kyōto, and the said Yotakurō Henguriya, who lives north of Nakadachiuri, in Sembon-dōri, Kyōto, hearing the said Yajirobei...'

  'Oh do shut up,' said Yaji. 'What an infernal chatterbox you are!'

  'I want to see the Drum Chamber instead of listening to this,' said Kita. 'What about the Drum Chamber?'

  'There's no such place as the Drum Chamber,' said the waitress. 'Do you mean the Tambourine Chamber?'

  'Yes, yes,' said Kita. 'Tambourine, of course.'

  'That's a different question altogether,' said the Kyōto man.

  'What we have to decide now is who is the companion of Yotakurō Henguriya.'

  'I don't like this sort of joking,' said Yaji. 'There can be no doubt that the Tambourine Chamber is mine and I'm going to have her.'

  'Ha-ha-ha!' laughed the landlord of the Fujiya. 'Do you mean you're going to embrace that large room?'

  'Never mind whether she's big or small, " said Yaji, 'she's mine.'

  'No, no, no,' said the Kyōto man. 'I can't allow that.'

  'What is it you can't allow?' said Yaji. 'I don't care what you say, she's the companion of Yajirobei Tochimenya of Naka-dachiuri, Sembon-dōri, Kyōto.'

  'No, no,' said the Kyōto man. 'She belongs to Yotakurō Henguriya just above Hatchō-bōri, Kanda, Edo.'

  'Ha-ha-ha!' laughed Kita. 'You've got yourselves so mixed up you can't tell which is which.'

  'I thought this gentleman was from Kyōto,' said the waitress, 'but now he's talking like an Edo man.'

  'Don't be a fool,' said Yaji. 'Do you think this is a time for me to talk like a Kyōto man?'

  'But while you gentlemen are disputing,' said the waitress, 'all the girls have run away.'

  'Botheration!' said Yaji. 'I'm going home.'

  'No, don't do that,' said the waitress.

  'Let'
s arrange it this way,' said the landlord of the Fujiya. 'Suppose we go and see the Pine Chamber at the Kashiwaya, or else all go to the Asayoshi.'

  'I'm not going,' said Yaji. 'I'm going back to the inn.'

  'No, don't do that,' said the landlord of the Fujiya.

  Yaji got up to go in spite of all the apologies of the waitress, and broke away from her when she tried to detain him by force. Just then the courtesan named Hatsué, who had been selected for him, came running in.

  'What's the matter?' she asked.

  'I'm not going to be stopped,' said Yaji. 'Let go, let go.'

  'Is it because you don't like me that you want to go?' asked the girl.

  'No, no, it's not that,' said Yaji. 'Let go, let go.'

  'No, no, no,' said Hatsué, and while he was trying to get away from her she caught hold of his cloak and pulled it off.

  'Here, what arc you doing with my cloak?' cried Yaji. 'Let go, let go.'

  Then she took away his purse and his tobacco pouch, all the time scolding him for being so obstinate. As he still persisted in saying that he would go, she then caught hold of his girdle and undid it and began to take off his kimono. As Yaji had only got a dirty loincloth on underneath he did not like to have himself exposed and felt greatly embarrassed.

  'Here, here,' he cried, catching hold of his kimono with both hands, 'forgive me, forgive me.'

  'You'll stop here then?' asked Hatsué.

  'Yes, yes,' said Yaji.

  'Take pity on him, Hatsué,' said the waitress.

  'There, there,' said the landlord of the Fujiya, 'everything's all right now. Come along.'

  He took hold of Yaji's hand and made him sit down again. The dispute being thus over, the waitress cleared up the room, and having pulled the drunken Kyōto man to his feet she led him and Kita away to other rooms, leaving Yaji to follow.

  Yaji, who was very vain of his personal appearance, was anxious lest anybody should see his dirty loin-cloth, so while he was going along he took it off and flung it through the lattice of a window out into the garden. He looked round as he did so to see if anybody had observed him, and nobody being in sight, he followed the waitress with his peace of mind restored.

  As it was now late the singing in the back room was hushed and the only sound to be heard was the snoring of the travellers. But soon the four o'clock bell rang, and then followed the crowing of ten thousand cocks, while through the window of the dawn came the dim light of day. Rubbing their eyes the travellers arose.

  'Come along' said the Kyōto man. 'Let's get up. It's time to start.'

  'Come on, Yaji,' called Kita. 'The sun's risen. Let's go.'

  Going into the room where Yaji was sleeping they woke him up from a deep sleep.

  'I did sleep well,' he said.

  'Won't you stay another night?' asked the girl.

  'Never, never,' said Yaji. 'Let's go.'

  After they had made their preparations to start all the girls came out to bid them farewell, and one of them happened to peep out through the lattice window.

  'Halloa!' she said. 'Look there. There's a napkin hanging to the pine tree.'

  'Let me look,' said Hatsué. 'So there is. Whose is it?'

  'That's funny,' said Yaji. 'It reminds one of the feather-robe pine tree, eh? The tree with a loin-cloth is funnier still.'

  'Isn't that yours, Yaji?' asked Kita.

  'So it is,' said Hatsué. 'Isn't it your loin-cloth?'

  She looked at Yaji and laughed, but Yaji, although he was secretly amused that the loin-cloth he had flung out of the window should have caught on to the pine tree, put on an innocent face.

  'Nonsense!' he said. 'What should I be doing with a dirty loin-cloth like that?'

  'Yes, but when I pulled off your kimono last night,' said Hatsué, 'you had a loin-cloth on just like that.'

  'That he had,' said the Kyōto man.

  'It's all nonsense,' said Yaji. 'I don't like cotton loin-cloths. I always wear silk.'

  'Ho-ho-ho!' laughed Hatsué. 'It's not true. It's his.'

  'I know it quite well,' said Kita. 'That's it. If it's a lie show us the one you have on. I believe you're like the spearmen of a daimyo's procession, with nothing on.'

  'Ha-ha-ha!' laughed Hatsué. 'Here, gardener,' she called through the lattice. 'That loin-cloth belongs to a guest. Just get it for him will you?'

  The gardener picked it off the tree with a bamboo and thrust it through the lattice. 'There it is,' he said.

  'Oh, how it smells!' said Hatsué.

  'There you are, Yaji,' said Kita, laughing. 'Take it.'

  'What spiteful things you say,' replied Yaji. 'I tell you it's not mine.'

  'Well, show us the one you've got on, then,' said Kita. He seized hold of Yaji's girdle to undo it, but Yaji broke away and fled down the passage to the amusement of them all.

  It was thus that they left the house.

  'Botheration!' said Yaji. 'You put me to shame, Kita.'

  'Well, a loin-cloth in a pine tree is rather a curious thing,' was Kita's reply.

  Returning to the inn in Myokencho they determined, as the day was a fine one, that they would immediately start to go round all the temples. Their hurried preparations finished, they returned to Furuichi, where the keepers of the stalls and sideshows were calling to the people to come in, and there they saw Sugi and Tama, who allow people to throw coppers at their faces while they play on the samisen and sing a song which nobody understands.

  'I'll see if I can't hit that girl on her dimple,' said Yaji.

  He took two or three coppers and threw them, but each time the girl bobbed her head to one side so that he missed.

  'Let me have a try,' said Kita. He threw, but he also missed.

  'You'll never be able to hit her,' said the Kyōto man.

  'You see this time,' said Yaji. Then he threw, but missed again.

  'I've thrown a whole string of coppers and not hit her once,' said Kita. 'There must be a way of doing it. I'm going to hit her ugly mug somehow.'

  He picked up a pebble and threw it, but the girl caught it in her mouth and spat it out, so that it hit Yaji on the face and made him yell.

  'Ha-ha-ha!' laughed Kita. 'That was a good one.'

  Passing on they reached Naka-no-Jizō, on the lefthand side of which stands the Honsei Temple, where a fine view is to be obtained. There also is the famous Samukazé, the Gochi-no-Nyōrai, the Nakagawara, and many other places too numerous to mention. From there they came to Ushiyazaka, where a number of young beggar-girls were asking the passers-by for money. Some of the girls were dressed in coloured paper hats.

  'Please give us some money, Master Edo,' they cried. 'Throw us some money.'

  'Shut up,' said Yaji. 'Be off with you.'

  'Oh, don't say that, Master Edo,' they cried. 'Do please give us a little.'

  'Well, you mustn't pull me about,' said Yaji. 'There, I'll give you some.'

  He took out some coppers and scattered them on the road and the beggar-girls all picked them up with many thanks.

  A little further on they came upon a boy of seven or eight, who had a white towel tied round his head and was wearing a cloak without any sleeves. He was dancing and waving a fan at the same time, while behind him a man in a woven hat was rubbing two pieces of bamboo together and singing.

  'Give us some money,' they cried.

  'There, there's a four-copper piece for you,' said Yaji.

  'If it's a four copper piece,' they said, 'you must give us three coppers change.'

  'They're a sharp lot,' said Yaji. 'This is Ujibashi, I suppose.'

  'Yes,' said the Kyōto man. 'And look. There are the men with nets to catch your money.'

  'Where?' cried Yaji.

  Looking over the bridge he saw some men standing in the river bed with nets fastened to the end of long poles, with which they were catching the coppers flung by the travellers.

  'I say, Master Yaji,' said the Kyōto man, 'just lend me some small change.'

  He took Yaji's mo
ney and flung it down, whereupon the men under the bridge caught it in their nets.

  'Isn't it wonderful how they do it,' said the Kyōto man. 'Let's try again. Here, Master Kita, just let me have a few coppers. Look out, I'm going to throw some more. Ha-ha-ha! Wonderful!'

  'You're very fond of throwing other people's money,' said Yaji. 'Suppose you throw some of your own.'

  'It wouldn't make any difference; they'd catch it just the same,' said the Kyōto man.

  'I know,' said Yaji, 'but you're a little bit too stingy.'

  'When I was here last time,' said the Kyōto man, 'there was a terrible fool here. He must have thrown from forty to eighty pounds of coppers over the bridge, and then because they caught it all so well he got spiteful and thought he would like to break their nets. So he took a large silver coin that he had in his pocket and threw it just to see, and they caught it in their net just like any other coin. So he asked them how they managed to catch it, and one of them said, 'That's easy. It's because the net has eyes (holes) to see it with.' Ha-ha-ha! That beat him. Come on, let's go.'

  They passed through the first torii and then through to the Yotsuashi Gate and the Sarukashira Gate, and finally prostrated themselves before the Honsha. This is the place where the Holy Mirror and the Holy Sword have keen kept since the days of the great god Amaterasu.

  Bright shines the sun on sacred ground,

  Divine the breeze that's wafted round.

  Here they saw the Asai Shrine, Toyo Shrine, Kawaguya-furu-dono Shrine, Taka Shrine, Tsuchi Shrine and many others too numerous to mention, all of which filled them with such awe that their jokes were forgotten and their idle talk silent. Thus for a time they went round looking at the shrines with serious faces, and then, having finished the round, they returned to Myokencho. There they parted from the Kyōto man and started at midday for the Gekū Temple, which is dedicated to the Toyouke Daijin, who is the god called Kunitokodachi, one of the seven divine generations. Afterwards they went round the Shinji Shrine, the Hōken Shrine and many others, till, when they were climbing up to the Ama-no-Iwato, Yaji, for some reason, began to suffer from a stomachache. Quickly reaching the top they rested for a time, while Yaji took some pills they had with them. The pain did not abate, however, so they returned quickly to Hirokōji to look for an inn. While they were wandering about there the landlord of an inn addressed them.