Ugetsu Monogatari or Tales of Moonlight and Rain (Routledge Revivals)

by Ueda Akinari

  287 ‘Japan, the Land of Peace and Calm’ Urayasu no kuni: a poetic epithet for the nation. According to the Nihon shoki, the god Izanagi in naming the country said that Yamato is the Land of Urayasu. Ura is explained as ‘in one's heart,’ and yasu means ‘peace’ or ‘tranquillity.’ See Aston, Nihongi, I, 135; NKBT, vol. 67, pp. 214-5; and Man'yōshū miyasu hosei, 1, 44a.

  288 ‘Tiller as their pillow’ Kaji-makura: poetic metaphor for travel by sea or for sleeping on board ship.

  289 ‘Strange shores of Tsukushi’ Shiranui no Tsukushi: Shiranui no; in the Man'yōshū used as a pillow-word for Tsukushi, the old name for the island of Kyushu. Although its origin and meaning are not clear, one explanation is the ‘Unknown Land of Hi’ - namely, the provinces of Hizen and Higo. According to another explanation, hi, or ‘fire,’ refers to the mysterious lights that guided the Emperor Keikō safely to shore when he went to conquer the Kumaso people. Indeed, late in the summer around the inlets and bays of the Sea of Yatsushiro, in southwestern Kyushu, lights from phosphorescent insects are said to appear.

  290 Tsukuba: a prominent mountain in Ibaragi rising above the Kantō plain. The name is associated with the art of linked verse, because here The Brave of Yamato made an inquiry of an old man, and his words took the form of the upper half of a waka. The old man in turn couched his reply in the form of the lower half of a verse. Use of the place name foreshadows how linked verse figures later in the tale.

  291 Ōka: a town in the district of Taki, in Mie Prefecture; home of a physician and acquaintance of Akinari. See Introduction.

  292 ‘Though he did not actually become a priest’ Imu koto mo naku: a common practice in early modern times. For a similar instance in real life, see my Takizawa Bakin, p. 101. Imu koto, lit., ‘to mourn,’ also means ‘to take Buddhist orders.’

  293 Yoshino: a town in the district of the same name in Nara Prefecture. Since early times the region has been famous for the splendour of its cherry-blossoms and its mountain scenery. Places like Hitome Sembon (‘A-Thousand-Trees-at-a-Single-Glance’) and Oku Sembon and historical shrines such as the tomb of Emperor Godaigo, among many others, have perennially attracted visitors. For Akinari's journal of his own visit, see ‘Iwahashi no ki,’ in Akinari ibun (see Introduction, note 14; and text, notes 462-5).

  294 ‘Never been to Mt Kōya Imada [3, lb] Kōya-san wo mizu, Kōya, in the district of Ito, Wakayama Prefecture; the holiest place of Shingon Buddhism; site of a great temple and a sacred shrine to Kukai (or Kōbō Daishi, 774-835), who introduced the Shingon teachings into Japan.

  295 Tennokawa: a village in the district of Yoshino; also the name of a river that rises in the heart of the Yoshino mountains. Here, at a remote shrine, antique no masks are preserved, some dating from the middle ages, and a circuitous route approaches Mt Kōya to the west.

  296 ‘Mountain of Mani’ Mani no mi-yama: poetic epithet for Mt Kōya, derived from a Sanscrit word, mani-, ‘jewel.’ For the prefix mi-, see note 212.

  297 ‘Central halls,’ etc. Danjō shodō mitamaya: referring to the area around the Kongōbuji temple and also to the vicinity of the inner shrine. These two places are known as the ‘two platforms,’ the first representing the Diamond World, or ‘wisdom,’ and the second the Realm of the Womb, or ‘heart.’ See Uzuki, Ugetsu, pp. 337-8.

  298 ‘Wouldn't be the same as sleeping at home’ Ono ga furusato ni mo arazu [3,2a]

  299 ‘Japan’ Fusō: a literary name for the country, derived from the Chinese fu sang, a sacred tree thought to grow in the Eastern seas, and by extension the land where the tree was found. For Bashō’s use of the name in Oku no hosomichi, see Keene, Anthology, p. 367, ‘. . . The most beautiful place in Japan’; and NKBT, vol. 46, p. 82.

  300 ‘Lantern hall’ Tōrōdō: a large structure in front of the park-like enclosure consecrated to Kukai's spirit. This passage shows the influence of'Miyakata on-ryō roppon sugi ni kai-suru koto’ (‘The Meeting with the Ghost of the Emperor Godaigo’), in the Taiheiki, NKBT, vol. 35, pp. 447-8; see also Uzuki, Ugetsu, pp. 333-6.

  301 ‘When Kūkai became a deity’ Daishi no jinka: Commentators are divided over interpretation of this passage, with Uzuki, Ugetsu, p. 344, for instance, stating, ‘As if he were a deity.’ I have more nearly followed Suzuki, Ugetsu, p. 246.

  302 ‘Spots where his deeds are remembered’ Ihō rekisō [3, 2b].

  303 ‘Trident’ Sanko: religious implement commonly used in Shingon rites. Its form was derived from an ancient Indian weapon, and its three prongs represent the three divisions of the Realm of the Womb: namely the Buddha part (which stands for spirit), the Lotus part (growth), and the Diamond part (intelligence).

  Among the various legends about Kūkai, one tells of his meeting with the god who lived on Mt Kōya. The deity informed Kūkai that his trident happened to land here, and that thereafter the mountain would be reserved for his holy purposes. See Sangoku denki, comp. Gentō, around the end of the 14th century (Kyoto: Murakami Kambei, 1656), 3, 8b-9a. For other editions, see Dai-Nihon Bukkyō zensho, vol.12 (Tokyo: Bussho Kankōkai, 1912); and Koten shiryō, vol. 3 (in 3 parts) (Tokyo: Sumiya Shobō, 1969). As with the Senjūshō (see Introduction, note 1, and Text, notes 8, 19, 27, 33, and 40), this little-known collection of Buddhist short stories and anecdotes is deserving of further study.

  304 ‘Bird of paradise’ Buppōsō: Akinari wrote that he had actually heard the bird on Mt Kōya, though he was unable to see its form. See ‘Tandai shōshin-roku,’ NKBT, vol. 56, p. 281. The buppōsō is a migratory bird about the size of a robin with brilliant blue-green markings, legs and bill of red, and a bluish-white patch under its wings, which is especially noticeable when it flies. It lives in the high branches of cedars and cypresses in the forests of southern Honshū. But the bird whose cry is identified with the three treasures of Buddhism (butsu, ‘the Buddha,’ ho, ‘the law,’ and so, ‘the monastic order,’ read together buppōsō), is now known really to be a species of owl called the Konohazuku. See Uzuki, Ugetsu, pp. 327-8.

  305 ‘Hearing it before’ Kikishi to iu hito [3, 3a]. Literally, ‘People who had heard it before.’

  306 Mt Kashō: north of Numata, in the district of Tone, in Gumma; site of the Ryūgeiin temple, said to have been founded by Ennin (794-864), who is best remembered for the diary of his travels to T'ang China. See Uzuki, Ugetsu, p. 350.

  307 Mt Futara: another name for Nantai-zan, which overlooks Lake Chūzenji, in Nikkō National Park. Since early times this peak has been identified as a sacred mountain associated primarily with the worship of the deity Ōkuninushi.

  308 Daigo Ridge: in Daigo-Garan-machi, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto. The Daigo-ji temple was founded here in the year 847, and prayers for rain were traditionally conducted at this site.

  309 Mt Shinaga: in the district of Minami-Kawachi, Osaka Prefecture, bordering Nara Prefecture. On the eastern slope, in the district of Kita-Katsuragi, is the Taima temple. Nearby are the tombs of the emperors Bidatsu, Yōmei, and Kōtoku, as well as those of Prince Shōtoku and the Empress Suiko. See also note 460.

  310 ‘Verse’ Shlge: shi-, the Chinese shih, ‘poetry,’ and -ge, derived from the Sanscrit gatha, scriptural writing in poetic form, usually in four line stanzas. Romanised, the verse reads,

  Kanrin doku za sōdō no akatsuki

  sambo no koe wo itchō ni kiku

  itchō koe ari hito kokoro ari

  seishin un-sui tomo ni ryō-ryō.

  Rendered in Chinese, the verse has a rhyme scheme of AABA.

  311 Verse: by Fujiwara Mitsutoshi (1210-76); found in several collec tions, including the Fuboku waka-sho, in Kōchū kokka taikei, vol. 22, p. 292, where it appears with three other poems on the subject of the buppōsō.

  Matsunoo: now Matsuo, in Arashiyama Miyanomae-chō, Ukyō-ku, Kyoto; site of a shrine to the deities Ōyamakui-no-mikoto and Nakat-sushima-hime-no-mikoto.

  312 Enrō: (1130-1208) a priest of the Tendai sect, who rebuilt the Saifukuji on this location. The temple was destroyed in the 14th century, but a dei
ty of the mountain is described as showing favour for the Lotus Sutra. See Sangoku denki, 6, 31b-32b.

  313 ‘How can I resist the inspiration’ Kokoro nakaran ya [3, 4b].

  314 ‘Haikai mode’ Haikai-buri: here designates linked verse in a lighter style than that of the ordinary renga. It is related to what is now called haiku poetry.

  315 ‘Sacred mountain/ Has flourished and grown’ Himitsu no yama no shigemi: himitsu no yama; referring to Mt Kōya, headquarters of the esoteric Shingon sect in Japan. Shigemi, ‘flourishing,’ a kigo, or poetic ‘season word,’ for summer, referring both to the occasion and to the prominence of the temple.

  316 ‘Travelling ink stone’ Tabi-suzuri: smaller than the usual receptacle of carved stone in which caked ink and water are mixed to use for writing with a brush.

  317 ‘Loud reverberation of shoes’ Kutsu oto takaku hibikite [3, 5a]. An unusual kind of footgear in Japan before the modern age, worn only with formal court dress when out-of-doors.

  318 Hitachi: Kimura Hitachi-no-suke; follower of Toyotomi Hidetsugu; committed suicide at the Daimonji temple, in the village of Ishikawa, district of Mishima, Osaka Prefecture. See Taikōki, in Shiseki shūran, vol. 6, p. 419; see also Introduction.

  319 Shirae: Shirae Bingo-no-kami; retainer of Hidetsugu; committed suicide at the Joanji temple (now, the Daiun'in), at Teramachi Shijō-Sagaru, Shimokyō-ku, Kyoto. Ibid.

  320 Kumagae: Kumagae Daizennosuke; retainer of Hidetsugu; committed suicide at the Nison'in temple, present-day Saga-Nison'in Mommae, Ukyō-ku, Kyoto. Ibid., p. 420. These three men, who did not accompany Hidetsugu to Mt Kōya, may be thought to have joined their companions later.

  321 Mansaku: Fuwa Mansaku; page of Hidetsugu; a youth in his eighteenth year; he preceded his lord in death on Mt Kōya. Ibid., p. 418.

  322 ‘We haven't enjoyed Jōha's conversation lately’ Taete Jōha ga monogatari wo kikazu [3, 5b]: Satomura Jōha (1524-1602; the generation's most widely acclaimed master of linked verse. Suspected of being in sympathy with Hidetsugu, he was ordered into confiement at the Mii temple. An early haikai master, Matsunaga Teitoku (1571-1653), described him in terms similar to those Akinari uses. See Taionki, in NKBT, vol. 95, p. 67; see also Keene, ‘Matsunaga Teitoku and the Beginning of Haikai Poetry,’ Landscapes and Portraits, pp. 71-93.

  323 ‘Muzen and his son had prostrated themselves’ Waga usuzumarishi; here the narrative shifts from the third to the first person. Note that the reverse change takes place in ‘White Peak.’ See note 38 and Introduction.

  324 ‘Brook of Jewels’ Tamagawa: name of the stream that flows under the wooden bridge in front of the Tōrōdō.

  325 Verse: as in the Fūgashū, with the warning that the Brook of Jewels is contaminated by poisonous insects. See Kokka taikan, p. 524 (no. 1778); and also Akinari's discussion in ‘Tandai shōshin-roku,’ NKBT, vol. 56, pp. 281-2.

  326 ‘On the surface of which’ Kawa no minakami [3, 6a] ni.

  327 ‘In various provinces’ Kuniguni ni arite: these are known as the Roku-Tamagawa, or Mu-Tamagawa, ‘Six Jewel-Rivers,’

  1 Ide no Tamagawa: in the town of Ide, district of Tsuzuki, Kyoto Prefecture (between Kyoto and Nara).

  2 Noji no Tamagawa, or Hagi no Tamagawa; in Noji-chō, city of Kusatsu, in Shiga, near the southern end of Lake Biwa.

  3 Tamagawa no sato, or the ‘Hamlet of Tamagawa,’ mentioned in the Man'yōshū and identified with present-day Mishimae-chō, city of Takat-suki, Osaka Prefecture (on the Yodo River between Kyoto and Osaka).

  4 Kōya no Tamagawa, or Takano no Tamagawa, which I have translated as the Brook of Jewels.

  5 Chōfu no Tamagawa, rising in the Chichibu mountains west of Tokyo and flowing along the southern edge of the city into Tokyo Bay to form a boundary with the city of Kawasaki.

  6Noda no Tamagawa, or Chidori Tamagawa, east of the town of Tagajō, district of Miyagi, Miyagi Prefecture, near Shiogama. All of these names are famed in ancient poetry, and not long after the publication of Akinari's tales the verses were combined into a musical composition, Roku [or Mu-] Tamagawa no kyoku, ‘Melody of the Six Jewel Rivers.’

  328 ‘Should one pursue his doubts more deeply’ Mata fukaku [3, 6b] utagau toki ni wa.

  329 ‘When the capital was moved to Kyoto’ Ima no miyako no hajime; in AD 794.

  330 ‘Garland of jewels’ Tamakazura: The prefix tama- (imparting a decorative or poetic quality to the word it modifies), and kazura (a poetic variation of kuzu, or tsurukusa, an ivy-like vine) - first of all means an ornament for the hair. The expression is also used as a pillow-word for kaku, ‘to hang,’ kage, ‘image,’ or omokage, ‘form,’ ‘face,’ ‘shape,’ ‘demeanor.’ Lastly, Tamakazura is the name of one of the memorable women in The Tale of GenjL

  331 ‘Jewel-bedecked curtains’ Tamadare: wood-block, tamatare; variously, an elegant synonym for sudare (‘bamboo curtains or screens’), for a palace, or for a kind of confection; e.g., Man'yōshū,

  Tamadare no Though it may have shone

  osu no ma tōshi Through the jewel-bedecked curtains,

  hitori ite Where I sit alone,

  miru shirushi naki It has brought no sign of you -

  yū-zukuyo ka mo The moon now fading in the sky.

  NKBT, vol. 5, pp. 200-1 (no. 1073).

  332 ‘Bejeweled finery’ Tamaginu: literally, a jewel-bedecked robe; used metaphorically for beautiful clothing; e.g., Man'yōshū,

  Tamaginu no Silk and finery,

  sai-sai shizumi Her gowns rustled quietly -

  ie no imo ni Though the girl that I love

  mono iwazu kite Is now far away,

  omoi kanetsu mo I think of her all the time.

  NKBT, vol. 4, pp. 246-7 (no. 503).

  333 ‘A person who devotes himself to Buddhism’ Hotoke wo tōtomu hito: namely, Emperor Hanazono (1297-1348), who became a Buddhist priest before compiling the Fūgashū, where the note in question first appeared.

  334 ‘My short verses’ Soregashiga tanku: tanku, here meaning the hokku, the first, or opening part of a renga, ‘linked verse,’ sequence. He is saying in effect that Hidetsugu is quite familiar with his style and might enjoy a little change.

  335 ‘He can write poetry in the haikai style’ Haikai-buri wo mōshi-[3, 7a] te haberu.

  336 ‘Chancellor’ Kampaku: wood-block, Kambaku; official title of Toyo-tomi Hidetsugu (see note 97). The post was created during the Heian period for members of the Fujiwara family, who exercised de facto rule in the emperor's name. Hideyoshi had prepared a geneology that showed him to be descended from the Fujiwara and therefore entitled to occupy this position. After he formally retired in Hidetsugu's behalf, the title was passed on to his nephew.

  337 Sasabe Awaji: When Hidetsugu was forced to commit suicide by seppuku on Mt Kōya, Sasabe, Lord of Awaji, served as his second and afterward followed his master in death. See Taikōki, p. 419.

  338 Awano Moku: retainer of Hidetsugu; upon hearing word of his lord's fate, he committed suicide at his home in the vicinity of Awataguchi-chō, Sakyō-ku, Kyoto. Ibid., p. 420.

  339 Hibino Shimotsuke: Lord of Shimotsuke; father of Hidetsugu's concubine, O'Ako; he committed suicide in the vicinity of Kitano, near the Kinkakuji temple. Ibid.

  340 Yamaguchi Shōun: father of another concubine, O'Tatsu; committed suicide in the Kitano area. Ibid.

  341 Marumo Fushin: retainer of Hidetsugu; saying that he was too old for seppuku, he asked that he be beheaded. This was done in front of the gate of the Sōkōkuji temple, Kamikyō-ku, Kyoto. Ibid.

  342 Lay Priest Ryūsai: retainer of Hidetsugu, whom he preceded in death on Mt Kōya. Hidetsugu, himself, acted as his attendant. Ibid., p. 418.

  343 Yamamoto Tonomo: a young retainer; first of the party on Mt Kōya to commit suicide. Ibid.

  344 Yamada Sanjūrō: second on Mt Kōya to commit suicide; still a youth in his eighteenth year. Ibid. The mass suicide of Hidetsugu and his party was without precedent at Mt Kōya. The monks were loath to permit

  the orders to be carried ou
t, but they feared that Hideyoshi might completely destroy their temple, as Nobunaga had the Enryakuji on Mt Hiei some three decades earlier.

  345 ‘And myself, Jōha’ Kaku iu wa jōha [3, 7b].

  346 Keshi taki: literally, ‘burning mustard seed.’ Owing to its hardness and its bitter taste, it is used in esoteric Buddhist rites to overcome demons and to destroy illusions.

  347 ‘Said ... by way of compliment’ Kyō-ji tamaite [2, 8a].

  348 ‘Demons from the Hell of Fighting Beasts’ Ashuradomo: from the Sanscrit ashura or sura, demons who war with Indra. They are the titanic enemies of the dêvas, and in Buddhist thought they represent one of the eight classes of sentient creatures. People who in a previous existence suffered from pride or jealousy or took pleasure at gaining victory over others entered this category of existence after death and were forced to endure the constant torment of warfare or competition.

  In Japan the idea of a hell for power-hungry men or overly ambitious rulers may be traced to such medieval texts as the Hōgen monogatari, Gempei seisuiki, Taiheiki, and Shasekishū. Emperors like Sutoku, Gotoba, and Godaigo, who tried to assert themselves and who died harbouring resentment, were said to have entered this hell. Here they were forced to drink molten metal three times a day and to endure various other torments. Nevertheless, they retained the spiritual power to effect curses and assume the form of tengu, or demons, who dwelt on famous mountain peaks in many provinces. Shaped something like persons but with a long nose, a beak, and wings like a bird, these demons appeared in the world as a portent of disaster. Sometimes they carried away haughty and prideful persons and pecked them to death or hung them from the branches of trees. See Nakamura, in NKBT, vol. 56, p. 384, n. 8.

  349 ‘Ishida, Masuda, and all the rest’ Ishida Masuda ga tomogara: Ishida Mitsunari (1560-1600); native of Ōmi; famous warrior of the Azuchi- Momoyama period, and one of Hideyoshi's most trusted advisors. After Hideyoshi's death, he supported Hideyori against Ieyasu and was defeated at the Battle of Sekigahara, in 1600, and beheaded in Kyoto.