Early Modern Japanese Literature: An Anthology, 1600–1900

by Shirane, Haruo, ed.

  OMAKI: Is anyone home? May I come in?

  ALL THREE: Who could that be?

  IEMON: Someone’s here. Stick Kohei in the closet.

  ALL THREE: OK, OK. Get in there. (They drag Kohei to the closet, slide the door open, throw him in, and close the door. Omaki presents the gifts and a packet of medicine she claims will cure Oiwa. She goes into the room at left to attend the mother and child. Mosuke, a pawnbroker, enters and demands the repayment of five gold pieces plus the rental for mosquito netting, bedding, and a padded nightgown. Iemon is forced to give the pawnbroker his precious medicine and the accompanying document.)

  MOSUKE: Well, now that’s cleared up. Now the rentals. I’ll just take the mosquito net and the bedding. Excuse me.

  IEMON: What are you doing? You’re still taking the other things?

  MOSUKE: Yup. If you don’t pay another gold piece, I can’t clear the account. Excuse me. (He heads toward the room at stage left, but Omaki comes out and stops him.)

  OMAKI: Pray wait a moment. Don’t force your way into a sickroom. If I heard correctly, it’s a matter of money, isn’t it? Here, this will probably do. Go away and leave the things here. (She hands Mosuke a paper-wrapped bundle, somewhat more than the amount that is owed. Iemon is surprised and wonders what he will have to do in exchange.)

  MOSUKE (examining the packet): Hey, this is too much.

  OMAKI: Shh, there’s no need to wake up the mother. Well, sir?

  MOSUKE: Uh, well, I’m speechless. This is truly a great favor, ma’am.

  IEMON: After all this help, there is no way to show my thanks.

  OMAKI: Please, there is no need to worry about it. Well, I must take my leave now.

  MOSUKE: I’ll walk you to the street.

  IEMON: Nurse, thanks. You’ve been a great help.

  OMAKI: My best wishes to all of you. Well, Mosuke?

  MOSUKE: After you. (Omaki and Mosuke exit to lively music. The rest are silent for a moment, impressed with the generosity of Itō Kihei and his household.)

  CHŌBEI: Well, Iemon, we’ve been getting a lot of help from the Itō mansion. You probably should go over there and say a few words of thanks.

  IEMON: Maybe I should, but I can’t do it.

  CHŌBEI AND KANZŌ: What do you mean?

  IEMON: Itō Kihei is a retainer of our enemy, Lord Kō no Moronao. Our master is dead, and his retainers have been expelled from his mansion and scattered. Meanwhile, Kō no Moronao lives in the best part of town in a rich mansion. I was once a retainer of Lord Enya, a victim of Lord Moronao’s evil plots. Even after all they’ve given us, I can’t go to my enemy’s house.

  CHŌBEI AND KANZŌ: You’re right, that’s a problem. (During this time the baby starts crying in the room at stage left.)

  TAKUETSU: Oh, no. That child again.

  IEMON: That brat cries a lot. Maybe the fleas are getting to him. (The music becomes languid, suggesting the atmosphere of a sickroom. Iemon pushes open the sliding screens to reveal his wife, Oiwa, sitting on the cotton bedding and looking sick and weak. A large mosquito net hangs from the ceiling, and a small folding screen protects the bed from drafts. An amulet for safe birth hangs around Oiwa’s neck, and she is holding her baby and patting him on the back.)

  IEMON: Oiwa, are you better today? How do you feel?

  CHŌBEI AND KANZŌ: We came to visit you.

  OIWA: You are very kind. Please excuse me. They say one always feels ill after giving birth. But perhaps because of the strange weather we’ve been having lately, I feel even worse than usual. (Takuetsu helps her into the main room. She puts the baby on a cushion and covers him with a robe.)

  IEMON: Oiwa, I’ve never seen that kimono before. Did you make it?

  OIWA: This came a moment ago from the Itō mansion with the warm wishes of the widow Oyumi. Dear, please go and thank them.

  IEMON: Is that so? They’ve been so generous it’s embarrassing. I don’t understand why.

  CHŌBEI: Look here, it’s like I always say. What’s past is past. Tamiya Iemon, now you’re a rōnin. Forget about ideas like duty and avenging former masters and go to the enemy’s mansion.

  OIWA: He’s right. You really must go to the mansion and thank them.

  IEMON: You’re right, Oiwa, I have to go, but I shouldn’t go alone, without you.

  OIWA: If you have to go with someone, take those two along.

  CHŌBEI: Yeah, we’ll go—

  IEMON: Well, as they say, the sooner the better. Let’s go.

  TAKUETSU: And I’ll look after things while you’re gone. It’s best for you to go and express your gratitude.

  IEMON (puts on his two swords and an old short formal jacket): I’m going, but I haven’t fixed anything to eat yet. Could you do it?

  TAKUETSU: Yes, yes. I’ll take care of everything.

  IEMON: Remember, keep your eye on the closet. (Points to Kohei’s sword) He thinks that thing makes him look important. (To Oiwa) This medicine for your blood circulation came from the Itō mansion. You’d better take it. They said it was an old family secret. (He hands over the packet of powdered medicine.)

  OIWA: Oh? A little while ago the nurse said something about some medicine. Please give it to me. I’ll take it when the water is ready. (Slips the medicine into her kimono) Come back quickly.

  IEMON: I’ll come right back. Let’s go. (To Takuetsu) Remember to make dinner.

  TAKUETSU: OK.

  IEMON: I’m going now, Oiwa.

  OIWA: Please come back as soon as you can.

  IEMON: What would keep me there? Let’s go. (Moderately lively music plays as the men depart. The sound of a temple bell increases the feeling of loneliness and creates a foreboding mood. The shamisen music begins again, slowly and pensively, as Oiwa stares after the men.)

  OIWA: Iemon has been mean to me from the moment we were married. He didn’t even look pleased when I told him his baby was a boy. Every day, from dawn to dusk, he calls the boy a brat, saying he is nothing but a nuisance. He grumbles that the baby is just another mouth to feed. He says things like that even when he knows I can hear him. Living in this house is constant torture, with little wounds that never heal. But I must remember that Iemon promised to help me attack my father’s murderer.4 (She stops and weeps, then continues to speak while crying.) If I can just endure this a little while longer, I’ll be able to leave this evil man. Please, let us avenge my father’s murder soon. (She pauses in fervent prayer. A decorative tortoise-shell comb in her hair drops to the floor. She picks it up.) This tortoiseshell comb was my mother’s. Look at the cheerful swirl of chrysanthemums and the beautiful old-fashioned silver work. Even though we need money desperately, I’ll never give up this comb. But since I had my baby, I’ve been so sick—I feel so weak I’m not sure I can live. If I die, I want my sister Osode to have it to remember our mother. It’s the only thing from our mother that I still have left. (She gazes at the comb. The baby starts crying. She comforts him and returns him to his cushion.) Oh, I’m dizzy again. It must be my bad circulation. I hope that the powder will help. (To slow background music, she picks up the packet of medicine with a prayer of thanks. Ominously, the action is emphasized by the boom of a temple bell. She lays down the package and picks the comb up off the floor and puts it back in her hair. She pours the medicine directly onto her hand, happily lifts both hands to her forehead in a gesture of gratitude and takes the medicine.) I’m sure I’ll feel better now. Here, my precious little boy. (She dangles the new kimono in front of the baby.). You got something nice today, didn’t you? I wonder who made it, little Oume? The nurse? (She drops the kimono unknowingly and continues to wave her hands. After a moment she notices the kimono on the floor, picks it up, dangles it in front of the baby, but drops it again. She notices that her fingers are numb and begins to rub them. Suddenly she gasps as she feels a sharp pain in her chest and starts to moan as her face begins to burn with fever.) Oh, oh! The medicine has made me feel worse. Oh! My face is burning. It’s never felt like this before. The pain
. (She huddles on the floor in pain. Just then, there is a sharp pounding on the door of the closet where Kohei is tied up.)

  TAKUETSU (enters from the back and, since Oiwa is hunched over, is totally unaware of what has happened to her): Oh Oiwa, shall I fix some soup? (She lifts her head, and he can see that she has changed, but the room is too dark to see clearly.) This is awful. What happened to you? You’re pale, your face looks different.

  OIWA: I took the powder and right away—Oh, it hurts.

  TAKUETSU: It started to hurt after you took the medicine? The draft is bad for you, come here. (He bends over her and screams at the sight of her face, but quickly recovers and rubs her back, being careful not to look directly at her face, which the audience still cannot see. The baby begins to cry, and Takuetsu goes to comfort him, but then Oiwa cries out in pain, and he runs back to her. Just as he is running back and forth between them, the closet door slides open and Kohei tries to get out.) Hey! Don’t try to escape! (Slides the closet door shut and tries to decide what to do) If I take care of one thing, the other two will get away from me. What a time to be house-sitting. (Oiwa is in pain. Takuetsu puts the baby in the room at left and closes the door. He tries to comfort Oiwa, patting and massaging her back. The action is punctuated by the sound of the temple bell as the stage revolves.)

  Itō Kihei’s Mansion

  Lively folk music sounds as the stage revolves to reveal the grand and luxurious home of the rich doctor Itō Kihei. The interior is surrounded by a veranda with a step down into the garden. The alcove at stage left contains a precious scroll and a flower arrangement. Iemon is seated in the center with Chōbei and Kanzō to his right. Behind them sit Oyumi, Kihei’s widowed daughter and Oume’s mother, wearing a somber kimono befitting a widow; and Omaki, Oume’s nurse. Chōbei and Kanzō enjoy the banquet while Bansuke performs a folk dance in the garden below. Kihei is dressed in the restrained colors of a prosperous retired man and wears glasses with round black frames. He is carefully washing gold coins in a large copper basin and putting them away in a small wooden box. When the stage stops turning, Bansuke tumbles and everyone laughs. Bansuke joins the banquet, and the scene begins with some improvised light conversation about the private lives of the actors on stage. Servants in formal divided skirts bring in three covered soup bowls on trays, which they set in front of Chōbei, Kanzō, and Bansuke.

  IEMON (observing Kihei’s actions): Sir, are those sword ornaments you are cleaning?

  KIHEI: No, nothing so important. These are just some old coins I inherited from my father. If I don’t wash them from time to time, the gold and silver gets all tarnished. This is about all an old retired man can do anymore. Ha, ha, ha.

  IEMON: Not a bad job to have.

  At the Itō residence, Kanzō and Chōbei gasp in awe at the gold coins in their soup bowls. Behind them stand Oyumi and her daughter, Oume (far left), in a long-sleeved robe. Kihei (far right), the master of the house, stands behind Iemon.

  ALL THREE (KANZŌ, BANSUKE, AND CHŌBEI): Let us give you a hand. Ha, ha, ha.

  OYUMI: It’s not much, but please have some soup and a cup of sake.

  OMAKI: Please do have a drink.

  ALL THREE: You’re going to too much trouble. But Iemon doesn’t have a tray.

  BANSUKE: Here, let me. (He tries to pass his tray to Iemon.)

  OYUMI: Oh no. We have something very special for Master Iemon. Please, it’s not much, but go ahead and eat.

  CHŌBEI: Let’s eat then. (They lift the lids of their soup bowls. To their astonishment, the bowls are filled with gold coins.) This is a real delicacy.

  KANZŌ AND BANSUKE: We’re much obliged.

  OYUMI: We’ve invited Master Iemon so many times. Now that he has graciously accepted our invitation and you have been kind enough to come along with him, please have as much as you like. We are happy that you like our humble meal. Omaki, give them another helping if they want more.

  OMAKI: As you wish. Please don’t hesitate to ask.

  ALL THREE: What a great banquet. (They put the money away in the breasts of their kimono.)

  KIHEI: Now that we’ve taken care of your companions, what shall we serve you, Iemon, our eminent guest of honor?

  IEMON: It must be something special. (The music stops.)

  OYUMI: If you are ready, we can serve you, but—if you will excuse us for a few moments.

  KANZŌ AND CHŌBEI: We understand. Let’s give them some time alone.

  OYUMI (to Omaki): Please take care of our guests.

  OMAKI: Let me show you around the grounds. (Omaki leads Chōbei, Kanzō, and Bansuke through the curtained door at the rear. Oyumi exits. Kihei puts the coins he has been washing on the lid of the box, which he slides over in front of Iemon.)

  KIHEI: Please be kind enough to accept these, Iemon.

  IEMON: Why are you giving me all this money? (Looks pointedly at Kihei)

  OYUMI (from behind the curtained door): Let me explain the matter to you. (She leads her daughter, Oume, through the doorway. Oume is wearing a kimono with long flowing sleeves, the dress of a young, unmarried girl.) This girl is Oume, my daughter by my late husband Mataichi.

  KIHEI: Oume is my dearest granddaughter. By some mysterious fate, she fell in love with you the first time she saw you and began to suffer from love sickness. One day we thought it would do her good to get outside, and so we all went to the Asakusa Temple. There she miraculously—

  OYUMI: Saw you again. She was happy for the first time in so long. (To her daughter) Well, dear, now you can finally say what you’ve kept hidden in your heart for so long. (She leads Oume to Iemon’s side.)

  OUME: After having worried my dear mother so much, how can I hide anything? One day, shortly after you moved into this neighborhood, Master Tamiya, I caught a glimpse of you, and from that moment—I have done nothing but dream of you.

  OYUMI: She was so consumed with love that she would not leave her bed. Every day her face and body grew thinner. When I questioned her, she told me about you, the man she could not forget.

  OUME: But you’re married. I couldn’t hope to have my wish granted; I tried to be firm and put you out of my mind. But when two people are linked by fate, it’s impossible to forget. Let me be your servant or even your scullery maid. I don’t mind. Anything to let me stay by your side. (Bows to Iemon)

  KIHEI: It’s just as you have heard. I would like to have you as my son-in-law. Please grant Oume her wish.

  OYUMI: My daughter has become obsessed with you. Listen to her, she says she would even condescend to live as a commoner. She would be Oiwa’s servant or your mistress. But this is a samurai household, and such a breach of class could not be kept secret. (To Oume) Now that my husband is dead, you are all I have left. How can I allow you to do such a thing?

  IEMON: Your daughter’s feelings leave me quite speechless. I was adopted as the heir to the Tamiya family, and duty binds me to my wife, Oiwa. It’s all heartbreaking, but unfortunately—

  KIHEI: So you deny my granddaughter’s request?

  OYUMI: It is only right that you refuse her. And now, Oume, we must be resigned to forgetting about Iemon.

  OUME: Yes, I’m resigned to it. I’ve made my decision, and I will prove it to you now. (Takes a razor from her sash) Hail Amida Buddha! (She bends over and tries to cut her own throat, but they stop her.)

  KIHEI: You have acted virtuously. Your heart’s desire was not granted. . . .

  OYUMI: So you have decided to die with honor. My daughter’s spirit is worthy of a samurai. How sad that your prayers could not be granted.

  CHŌBEI: Hey, Iemon, you’re making a big mistake. Look, Oiwa’s going to die sooner or later. After she’s gone, you’re going to need a wife anyway. So why don’t you make these two nice people happy and go ahead and change your nest? That’s what you should do.

  IEMON: No, no. Even if it makes me rich, it’s not right for me to abandon Oiwa. That’s the one thing I couldn’t do.

  KIHEI (takes all the gold from the box and
presents it to Iemon): Please, kill me. Please kill this poor old man.

  IEMON: What are you talking about? I know that it must be a shock for Oume to be refused, but why are you asking me to kill you?

  KIHEI: There is something else I must tell you. I found my granddaughter’s suffering pitiful, but I knew that because you already had a wife, getting you to marry her would be difficult. I considered all kinds of plans, and finally, without telling Oyumi anything, I sent a disfiguring poison to Oiwa, falsely claiming it was medicine. I thought that the problem would solve itself as soon as her beauty disappeared. Your love for your wife would vanish, so you would divorce her and marry my granddaughter. I kept this evil plan to myself and sent the medicine by way of the nurse. I knew that it would ruin her face but leave her life untouched. It would leave her alive! I clung to that fact, telling myself that it wouldn’t be such a great crime. However, matters have not worked out as I hoped. I am responsible for a great tragedy. That’s why I want you to kill me.

  OYUMI: You thought up this evil plan all for the sake of my poor young child?

  OUME: This is how I am being punished for my sinful desires.

  KIHEI: If you’re able to forgive me, all my family’s gold is yours.

  CHŌBEI: It would be a big mistake not to take what’s on your plate.

  KIHEI: Get rid of your anger by killing me!

  OYUMI: No! Not here in your own house.

  OUME: It’s better for me to die. (She tries again to kill herself, but Oyumi stops her.)

  KIHEI: Will you forgive me?

  IEMON: I, I—

  OYUMI: If you die, how can I protect this child all by myself?

  IEMON: Well—

  KIHEI: Then kill me!

  IEMON: I, well . . .

  KIHEI: I’ve done a monstrous thing.

  OYUMI (forcefully): Please, give us your answer.

  IEMON: I’ve made my decision. I’ll leave Oiwa and take your granddaughter’s hand.

  KIHEI: Then you give your consent?