南総里見八犬傳 Nanso Satomi Hakkenden
滝沢馬琴 Takizawa Bakin
[The East Vol. XXX No.5 January/February 1995]

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27 Gakuzo's Escape

The boat carrying Shino, Nobumichi, and Kobungo down the Kaniwa River reached Musashi Province on the same day the three left Shimousa Province. This was the same river where Shino's wicked uncle, Yayayama Hikiroku, had contrived to steal the renowned sword Murasame from Shino.
Going ashore, the three men met a fisherman named Yasuhei, who recognized Shino. "Terrible things have happened since you left," he said to Shino. "Your fiancee Hamaji was killed by Aboshi Samojiro at the foot of Mt. Marutsuka, and your uncle Hikiroku and his wife Kamezasa were cut down by Hikami Kyuroku and his cunning subordinate, Nurude Gobaiji. Gakuzo avenged the couple by killing Kyuroku and seriously wounding Gobaiji. However, Gobaiji had him arrested. I hear that he is tortured everyday. Soon he will be executed."
Shino was struck dumb. Nobumichi and Kobungo were also surprised to learn of Gakuzo's imprisonment. The three decided to rescue him. They established quarters at a temple a little way from Otsuka Village. Every evening they disguised themselves as merchants and went into the village to gather information about Gakuzo. Finally they learned that he was to be executed on July 2.
On the scheduled day, Gakuzo was led to the execution ground. Although he had been tortured incessantly, he had borne up well, for he had in his possession the bead bearing the Chinese character for loyalty, which he had obtained from Inuyama Tadatomo when the two had fought at the foot of Mt. Marutsuka. Tadatomo's bead had fallen into Gakuzo's hands, and Gakuzo's bead, bearing the Chinese character for justice, had fallen into Tadatomo's. Each time Gakuzo had been beaten in prison, he put the bead in his mouth or rubbed it against his body. The pain subsided, and his wounds healed overnight.
Gakuzo was suspended from the bough of a tree with his hands tied behind him. Numerous officials surrounded the tree, and executioners prepared to impale him with spears. Suddenly arrows whistled through the air, striking the executioners. The next instant Shino, Nobumichi, and Kobungo, wielding spears, appeared from behind a haystack. They drove away the officials and rescued Gakuzo.
Pursued by twenty or thirty men, the four dog warriors raced to the Toda River, hoping to find a boat. But there was none in sight. Just then Yasuhei appeared in a boat. He yelled for them to come aboard. Two young men also appeared and held off the pursuers.
Yasuhei took the warriors across the river. "I used to be a samurai," he said. "My real name is Obayuki Yoshiro. The men fighting your pursuers are my sons, Rikijiro and Shakuhachiro. Go to Mt. Arame in Kozuke Province. At the foot of the mountain lives an old woman named Otone. Go now and leave my sons to hold off the men chasing you."
As soon as he dropped the four off, Yasuhei sculled back into the middle of the river, where he set about scuttling his boat to prevent the warriors from returning to the other shore to help his sons. Soon Yasuhei and his boat vanished beneath the water.
Moved to tears by Yasuhei's act, the warriors hurried toward Mt. Arame. Shino introduced everyone along the way. They stopped to rest at a teahouse halfway up Mt. Myogi in Kozuke Province. The teahouse had a telescope. Looking through it, Gakuzo saw a samurai walking toward Shirai Castle, which was near the foot of the mountain. The samurai looked like Inuyama Tadatomo.
Gakuzo told the other dog warriors about Tadatomo. "I hear that Shirai Castle is now the home of Ogigayatsu Sadamasa, the object of Tadatomo's vengeance," Shino said. "Tadatomo could be looking for a chance to kill Sadamasa. I'm convinced that Tadatomo is another dog warrior. Let's go down to Shirai and meet him." The others agreed.
Shino was right; Tadatomo was trying to kill Sadamasa. He planned to ambush Sadamasa as the lord returned from hunting. As Sadamasa's party approached, Tadatomo held up Murasame and yelled, "It's a shame that Murasame is not in the hands of a person who appreciates fine swords!"
Sadamasa stopped and ordered Tadatomo to show him the blade. Tadatomo pretended to offer Sadamasa the sword, but instead grabbed him and pulled him to the ground. "I am the son of Inuyama Dosaku, a vassal of Nerima Masumori," he said, raising Murasame. "While fighting against you my father was killed. This is for him!" Tadatomo brought down the sword, killing Sadamasa.

28. Encounter at Mt. Arame

The dew on the sword cleansed the blade of Sadamasa's blood. Tadatomo took off after Sadamasa's followers, who had fled. But as he approached a grove, he heard a huge war cry. A group of over thirty men appeared from the grove. "You are no match for our lord Sadamasa," their leader shouted. "You have not killed him, but a vassal acting as his double. What a fool you were not to notice! The odds are against you. Surrender!"
Distressed at having been tricked, Tadatomo realized that there was no escape. Suddenly the four dog warriors arrived and attacked Sadamasa's men. Amid the confusion, however, the dog warriors and Tadatomo were separated and fled in different directions. Unable to find Tadatomo, the four resumed their journey to Mt. Arame, counting on Otone.
Otone had once been a servant at the mansion of Inuyama Dosaku, who was in the service of the Nerima. She fell in love with Dosaku's young retainer, Obayuki Yoshiro, and bore him twin sons, Rikijiro and Shakuhachi. But such a liaison was against the rules of the Inuyama. Dosaku dismissed Yoshiro, but retained Otone as a nurse for his son, Tadatomo, because she secreted so much milk. Later Dosaku also employed Rikijiro and Shakuhachi, who became Tadatomo's companions. As the twins grew, Dosaku married them to Hikute and Hitoyo, the daughters of samurai. Soon after their marriages, however, the Nerima rose against the Ogigayatsu. Otone fled to Mt. Arame with Hikute and Hitoyo. Dosaku led Rikijiro, Shakuhachi, and other Nerima retainers against the Ogigayatsu, but was killed in the fighting. The rebellion ended with the fall of the Nerima. Rikijiro, Shakuhachi, and Tadatomo fled. Then the brothers parted from Tadatomo and went with their father, who now bore the name Yasuhei and made a living as a fisherman.
Several days after Gakuzo's escape, at midnight there was a knock at the door of an isolated house at the foot of Mt. Arame in which lived Otone, Hikute, and Hitoyo, worried about Rikijiro and Shakuhachi. Upon opening the door, the three women were overjoyed to see the two brothers. At dawn, however, they suddenly disappeared.
Within the next few days Otone received a visit from Yoshiro, from whom she had separated long ago. Yoshiro was carrying the heads of Rikijiro and Shakuhachi. It had been the wraiths of the brothers that had come several nights ago.
Yoshiro had helped Shino, Nobumichi, Kobungo and Gakuzo in the hope that they would meet up with Tadatomo near Mt. Arame. Even though Yoshiro had gone down with his boat in the Toda River, he was too good a swimmer to drown. He searched for Rikijiro and Shakuhachi, eventually finding their heads and bringing them to Mt. Arame.
As Yoshiro finished his story, Tadatomo showed up, having come to see his former nurse. Before long Shino, Nobumichi, Kobungo and Gakuzo also arrived.
Tadatomo learned that he was a dog warrior, and he and Gakuzo exchanged the beads which had been accidentally switched during their fight at the foot of Mt. Marutsuka. The five dog warriors mourned Rikijiro and Shakuhachi and burned incense for the repose of their souls.
Meanwhile, many men from Shirai Castle approached Mt. Ararne. Yoshiro asked Kobungo to place Hikute and Hitoyo under the care of his father Bungobe in Gyotoku. Kobungo departed, leading a horse with the two women on its back. The other dog warriors battled their way from the house. Yoshiro and Otone, after setting fire to the house, were the last to leave.
On their way to Gyotoku, Kobungo, Hikute, and Hitoyo were attacked. A bullet struck the horse carrying the two women, knocking it to the ground. Suddenly two fireballs appeared from nowhere and flew around the horse. Incredibly, the horse arose and galloped away, still carrying the two women. The two fireballs flew above the horse as if to protect its riders.
Scattering the enemy with his sword, Kobungo tried to catch up to the horse, but to no avail. He didn't know what to do. However, he assumed that the two fireballs were the wraiths of Rikijiro and Shakuhachi. He took heart at the thought that Hikute and Hitoyo, protected by their husbands' wraiths, would surely be reunited with Yoshiro and Otone, who had promised to visit Bungobe in Gyotoku once they were safe.

29. Namishiro and Funamushi

Kobungo headed home. As he was walking along a road at the foot of Mt. Torigoe in Musashi Province, a large wounded boar appeared in front of him. As the boar rushed him, he leaped aside and then jumped on its back. Mustering his strength, he beat the boar to death. After dusting off his clothes, Kobungo resumed his way. Some time later he encountered a man with a spear lying unconscious in the road. Kobungo surmised that this was the person who had wounded the boar. Kobungo had some pills in his money belt. He put one in the man's mouth. The man groaned and opened his eyes. Kobungo told the man that he had killed the boar. "Thank you for saving me," the man said. "My name is Kamomejiri Namishiro. I am from Asaya Village. There is a reward for that boar, which had been destroying the crops in the region. I would like to take its body to the village headman."
Kobungo returned the pills to his belt, which held a lot of money. Then he took Namishiro to where the boar lay dead. Namishiro was delighted. "You have not only saved my life," he said, "but also earned me the reward for the boar. Let me put you up for the night. Asaya and the neighboring villages are controlled by the Chiba, who are based in Ishihama. We are prohibited from putting up strangers, but I'm going to ask my village headman to make an exception in your case."
"Thank you very much," said Kobungo. "I'd like to stay with you overnight. My name is Inuta Kobungo. I'm going to Shimousa from Kozuke."
"I'm taking this boar to the village headman," said Namishiro. "Please go to my house. Asaya Village is a little ways northeast. My small house is on the outskirts, next to a big hackberry tree. My wife, Funamushi, is home. I will return shortly."
Kobungo had little trouble finding Namishiro's house. His knock at the door was answered by Funamushi. Kobungo explained why he had come. She expressed her thanks for his kindness and showed him in. She had him take a bath and then served him a meal and sake.
Funamushi seemed to be in her late thirties. She said that she and her husband had lived in the house for a long time. But Kobungo noticed that the house was practically bare and the walls were crumbling.
Funamushi spread out some quilts and put up a mosquito net. Bidding him good night, she withdrew to the kitchen.
Kobungo dozed off. But he woke because he sensed someone approaching. Thinking it was a burglar, he grabbed his short sword, rolled out from under the mosquito net, and hid in a corner. The burglar stole into the room and unsheathed his sword. He cut down the mosquito net and plunged the sword into the quilts. Kobungo charged the burglar, eventually overpowering and beheading him.
"Wake up!" Kobungo shouted to Funamushi. "I've killed a burglar. Bring a lamp!" It was some time before she appeared with a lamp in her hand. Kobungo looked at the burglar. He was surprised to see that it was Namishiro.
Funamushi wept bitterly, but she eventually pulled herself together and said, "He returned home at midnight, saying that you have a lot of money. But I never dreamed he'd do such a thing. I don't blame you for killing him." After a pause, she continued. "He married into my family and squandered away my fortune by gambling and drinking. I didn't like him, but I had no choice but to live with him."
"I'm sorry," Kobungo said, "but I think we should report this incident to the village headman as soon as possible."
"But if my husband's crime is made public," she replied tearfully, "it will bring disgrace on my ancestors. I will be unable to bear it. Please keep his wrongdoing to yourself. I would also appreciate your leaving early tomorrow morning.
Kobungo consented. Funamushi took from her closet a bamboo clarinet. "Please accept this as a token of my gratitude," she said. The clarinet appeared invaluable, so Kobungo refused to take it. But Funamushi persisted until he finally accepted it. Relieved, she said, "Now I'll go to my family temple to arrange my husband's funeral. Please wait here until I get back."
After Funamushi left for the temple, Kobungo thought about the situation. He wondered if she was tricking him in some way. He put the bamboo clarinet back in the closet. Then he wrapped in a cloth a piece of wood about the same size as the clarinet.
Toward dawn Funamushi returned. Kobungo bid her farewell and departed, holding the piece of wood wrapped in the cloth. He had not gone far when he was confronted by several policemen. There was no hope of overpowering so many men. They tied his hands behind him. Then the samurai in charge said, "I am Hatagami Takanari, a vassal of the Chiba. Funamushi told us that not only have you stolen Arashiyama, the superb bamboo clarinet that is an heirloom of the Chiba, but you also killed her husband."
"The charges are false," Kobungo calmly replied. "My name is Inuta Kobungo. I am on my way to Shimousa Province. Let me tell you what really happened."
As Kobungo finished his story, Funamushi appeared from behind a tree. Tearfully she said to Takanari, "Don't be deceived by this villain. If you unwrap the piece of cloth he carries, you will find the Chiba's heirloom.

30. The Wicked Vassal of the Chiba

Takanari unwrapped the cloth, revealing the piece of wood. Funamushi was amazed. Kobungo said to Takanari, "Why don't you have your men search her house? They are sure to find Arashiyama in her closet as well as Namishiro's sword with fibers from the quilts on which I was sleeping."
Takanari sent policemen to Funamushi's house. They returned with Arashiyama, proving Kobungo's innocence.
Funamushi, furious, took a knife from inside her obi and fell on Kobungo, screaming, "Let me avenge my husband!" But Kobungo kicked her away. The policemen grabbed her and tied her up. Takanari untied Kobungo's hands.
Just then Chiba Yoritane, the lord of Ishihama Castle, appeared with a hunting party. Takanari presented him with Arashiyama, explaining how it had been recovered. Delighted, Yoritane said to Takanari, "When I was a young man, I lost this clarinet along with the two swords Ozasa and Ochiba. Perhaps this wicked woman Funamushi also knows the location of the swords. Kobungo seems to be a wise and courageous samurai. Take him to Ishihama Castle and have my councillor Makuwari Daiki Tsunetake entertain him. I'll speak with him when I return from hunting."
After seeing off his lord's procession, Takanari ordered his men to take Funamushi to the headman of Asaya Village. Then he took Kobungo to Ishihama Castle.
That night the headman of Asaya Village received a message to take Funamushi to Ishihama Castle. As he and his men were approaching the castle with Funamushi, a gunshot came from the woods ahead. Suddenly several masked men appeared and attacked the group. They grabbed Funamushi and spirited her away.
Meanwhile at Ishihama Castle, although Takanari had told Tsunetake of Yoritane's order to entertain Kobungo, Tsunetake treated Kobungo coldly. He even said he suspected Kobungo of having stolen Arashiyama. When Yoritane returned to the castle, Tsunetake told him that he thought Kobungo was an enemy spy.
Tsunetake confined Kobungo in a secluded room in his mansion on the castle grounds. Kobungo could not help but think that the councillor had evil intentions. He decided to wait and see what would happen.
Kobungo was held through the new year. One day in March he began talking with Shinashichi, an old gardener. Shinashichi told a surprising story:
"Years ago the Chiba split into two groups: those supporting Ashikaga Nariuji and those supporting Ogigayatsu Sadamasa. Yoritane and his elder brother Sanetane, who was lord of Ishihama Castle, sided with Sadamasa.
"At the time Tsunetake served a supporter of Nariuji. But he incurred his lord's displeasure and fled to Ishihama Castle. The smooth-talking Tsunetake won Sanetane's favor by describing his former lord's faults and weaknesses.
"But Sanetane, a sickly man, planned to become a priest and hand over Ishihama Castle to Yoritane. This worried Tsunetake, because the young Yoritane had full confidence in two senior vassals, Aibara Tanenori and Komiyama Yoritsura. Tsunetake knew that Yoritane would bring them with him to Ishihama Castle. Tsunetake was afraid of being overshadowed by Tanenori and Yoritsura.
"So Tsunetake stole Arashiyama from Sanetane. He secretly carried the invaluable clarinet to Tanenori. 'I have come at the behest of Sanetane,' he said. 'There is a rumor that Nariuji is going to make peace with Sadamasa. So my lord suggests that your lord send a goodwill envoy to Nariuji in Koga. My lord entrusted me with this renowned clarinet, Arashiyama, so that it could be presented to Nariuji.'
"Tanenori took Arashiyama and conveyed Tsunetake's story to Yoritane. Delighted, Yoritane made Tanenori the envoy. He gave Tanenori the treasured swords Ozasa and Ochiba as additional presents for Nariuji."

31. The Tragedy of the Aibara

Kobungo listened intendy to Shinashichi, who seemed to be approaching the climax of his story. After a pause, the old man continued:
"Tanenori left for Koga with ten men. Then Tsunetake visited Yoritane and said, 'Rumor has it that Tanenori has been in secret contact with Nariuji. He must be planning to rebel and pledge loyalty to Nariuji by presenting him with the Chiba heirlooms.'
"Yoritane believed Tsunetake and sent a detachment of men after Tanenori with orders to bring back Arashiyama, Ozasa, and Ochiba. The detachment, which was led by Yoritane's other key vassal, Komiyama Yoritsura, caught up with Tanenori and his party and attacked them. Tanenori was killed during the fight, but the box containing the Chiba's heirlooms was dropped. A man and woman, their features concealed by kerchiefs, appeared from behind a tree and made off with the box.
"Yoritsura was frightened by the loss of the treasured clarinet and swords. Too ashamed to present himself to Yoritane, he fled. His men returned home and reported what had happened. Yoritane was upset at the loss of the heirlooms. Tsunetake convinced him that their loss was a result of the treachery of Tanenori.
"So Tanenori's fifteen-year-old son, Yumenosuke, was forced to commit seppuku. Tanenori's wife Inagi and their five-year-old daughter were executed. In addition, Tanenori's concubine. Tatsukuri, who was pregnant, was forced to take an abortion-inducing medicine. But the medicine had no effect, so it was assumed that she was not really pregnant, and she was exiled. Three years later, however, Tsunetake heard that she had given birth to a child at Inusaka in Sagami Province. Surprised, he sent a man to kill her and the child, but they had left by the time the man got there.
"Sanetane, shortly before he died, handed over Ishihama Castle to his brother Yoritane. Now Tsunetake is Yoritane's councillor. Undoubtedly Namishiro and his wife Funamushi stole the renowned clarinet and swords at Tsunetake's behest. And Tsunetake must have had his men rescue Funamushi."
The day after Shinashichi spoke of Tsunetake's treachery, he suddenly vomited blood and died. Kobungo thought that Shinashichi had been poisoned for revealing Tsunetake's secret. Kobungo himself had had severe stomach pains after meals, but each time he had put his bead against his stomach, and the pain had gone away. Following Shinashichi's sudden death, Kobungo was more wary of Tsunetake than before.
Weeks later a dance troupe from Kamakura arrived at Ishihama. Among the members of the troupe was a beautiful sixteen-year-old girl named Asakeno. She became the talk of the castle town. Tsunetake invited the troupe to perform at a banquet he was hosting in late April.
Tsunetake invited Kobungo to the banquet. Although worried about the councillor's intentions, Kobungo decided to attend, leaving his fate in the hands of the gods.
Kobungo presented himself to Tsunetake, who was in a good mood. He introduced Kobungo to his twenty-year-old son, Kurayago.
As night fell, Tsunetake called the dance troupe. Asakeno, fan in hand, stepped forward. She wore ornamental hairpins modeled after peach blossoms and was dressed in a gorgeous wide-sleeved garment perfumed with incense. She sang and danced to the music played by her fellow performers. The audience was spellbound by her beautiful figure and enchanting voice.

32. Asakeno's Revenge

After the troupe's performance the banquet resumed. Toward dawn Kobungo stood, preparing to leave. But Tsunetake showed him to a room upstairs that commanded an extensive view of the sea.
"I have something important to tell you," Tsunetake said. "Yoritane is so incompetent that his people are miserable. So I want to overthrow him and have my son take over Ishihama Castle. Since you are both wise and brave, I would like your assistance. If you succeed in helping replace Yoritane with my son, you will receive half of Kasai District as a reward."
But Kobungo resolutely said, "I'm sorry, but I must decline your offer. I'm far from equal to such a task."
An angry expression flickered across the face of Tsunetake. Masking it with a smile, however, he said, "I was only joking. I just wanted to see how you would react to such a suggestion."
Kobungo returned to his room, convinced that Tsunetake was plotting to kill him.
One day in mid-May, Kobungo, who had been staying awake as much as possible, fell asleep early in the evening. He awoke to the sound of a man screaming right outside of his room. Opening the shoji, Kobungo found a man lying dead with a sword in his hand. A hairpin in the shape of a peach blossom was buried in his neck. The man was one of Tsunetake's subordinates. There was no doubt in Kobungo's mind that Tsunetake had sent the man to kill him. Kobungo threw the body in the pond of his garden. As the body sank, Kobungo wondered if the man had been killed by Asakeno, who wore the same kind of ornamental hairpin. Suddenly someone came over the fence and into the garden. It was Asakeno.
"What has brought you to my garden this late?" Kobungo asked.
"I have yearned for you since I first saw you," replied Asakeno. "That's why I killed your enemy."
Embarrassed, Kobungo said, "Thank you very much. I'm sorry that I am unable to repay your kindness, since I'm just a prisoner here."
"Then I'll arrange for a 'pass' to leave the castle, even at the risk of my life," said Asakeno. "I will return tomorrow night. Please be ready to leave." She stole out of the garden.
Dawn broke the following day, May 15, the birthday of Tsunetake's son, Kurayago. Tsunetake realized when the assassin did not return that his plot to kill Kobungo had failed. But he decided to hold a banquet celebrating Kurayago's birthday as planned. The banquet began at noon and lasted far into the night. Tsunetake, his son, and his followers drank themselves unconscious.
Kobungo sat on the veranda of his room waiting for Asakeno. Around two in the morning she rushed into the garden with disheveled hair and bloodstained clothes. In her right hand she held a sword.
"I obtained the pass I promised you," she said. Kobungo caught his breath as she put Tsunetake's head on the veranda. With a smile she said, "To tell you the truth, I'm not really a woman." Kobungo was struck dumb.
"My name is Inusaka Keno Tanetomo. My father was Aibara Tanenori. He had me by his concubine, Tatsukuri. After the Aibara's fall she went to Inusaka in Sagami Province and gave birth to me. For my protection she pretended that I was a girl. After several years we moved to Kamakura. Although I was raised as a girl, I devoted myself to martial arts in order to take my revenge on Tsunetake."
A full moon shone on the gallant figure of Tanetomo.

continued [The East Vol. XXX No. 6 March/April 1995] 33. The Seventh Dog Warrior home