Yamada Kagashi

“ At the moment when Asojirō's tanzaku reached the boat in its zigzag flight there arose from the little craft the sound of a samisen or guitar, accompanied by a song in a voice of exquisite sweetness. Captivated by the strains the young soldier listened with attentive ear till some time had passed, and a sigh escaped him as he turned at last to his companion and said:
"Voice and music are alike charming, my friend, in the extreme. The possessor of such a voice must be a paragon of beauty. It's a great shame that we cannot sit by her side to listen." ”

“ This river the girl had chosen to be her grave. Taking hold of one of the willow-boughs, she was just in act to leap into the stream, when suddenly she felt herself firmly grasped and held. Her captor was an old woman. Miyuki struggled hard to shake her off, crying: "I pray you, let me go." But the old crone grasped her only the more firmly and said in ingratiating tones: "My dear young lady, you seem to be travelling alone. It is a lover that leads you on this chase, I suppose. But if you choose to live, there is no reason in the world why you should not in the end join your lover. ”

“ But Takita, quite unaware of this, roared out:
"What a disgusting spectacle! I say, you beggar, you can't wait upon us in such a plight. Take yourself off!"
"Don't speak so cruelly, Takita," said Jirōzayémon, his heart big with grief and compassion. "She is here because I have sent for her—it ill beseems a samurai to chide a woman. Come, girl,
Mr. Gadō as Asagao
sing us your favourite song—the 'Moming-glory Song' if I remember aright." ”

“ Then, strange to say, two nights ago I saw your nurse, Asaka, in a dream, and from her I learned that you were then at the Ebisuya, an inn at Shimada. I gathered but this, for something broke my dream. But travelling day and night I made all haste to the inn, and have had the good fortune to come in time to save your life. This is a joyful moment for me! But in regard to Asaka, I believe that she donned the habit of a pilgrim and set out along the Tokaidō in search of you. Have you not come across her anywhere?"
"Yes," answered Miyuki, tearfully. ”

“ Tokuyémon, in leaving Jirōzayémon's apartment met Takita on his way in. The two samurai had talked for some time together when the chamber-maid appeared and said: "Asagao has just come, sir."
"Asagao!" exclaimed Takita, with a look of wonder. "Who is this Asagao, my friend?"
"The name, I am told," answered Jiroōzayémon "is that of a blind girl who goes about begging in this neighbourhood, and playing on the koto or the samisen. As I feel lonely to-night I have sent for her. I wish to listen to her music——"
"A blind woman—and a beggar!" broke in Takita, with a forbidding expression. ”

“ Even as he spoke, he drew his dagger and plunged it into his side.
"Why do you thus devote yourself to death?" cried Sekisuké in amazement.
Tokuyémon's answer came, broken by groans of agony: "I was told by Jirōzayémon that the remedy he gave to Miyuki was of miraculous potency, and was brought from China. He said, too, that if it were administered mixed with the blood of a man born in the year of the Rat, it would cure, on the instant, any affection of the eyes. By great good fortune I was born in the year of the Rat, and I have resolved to give my life in return for Yuminosuké's kindness. ”

“ Just at this juncture, Wanuké, the procurer, chanced to pass that way. He looked hard into Miyuki's face. "Ho! Ho!" said he. "This is the girl that I bought for a hundred ryō from the old crone on Mt. Maya. It's a great pity, indeed, that you have become blind. But that is an evil that physicians, I hope, can remedy. At all events, with me you must go." But as he caught Miyuki by the hand, Asaka broke in upon him. "Women though we are," she cried, "insolence such as yours cannot be overlooked," and she laid her hand upon the hilt of her sword-cane. ”

“ In my lord's presence I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of Komazawa Jirōzayémon, a samurai who has come on a mission of importance from the Yamaguchi Clan. He is young, of exceptionally fine appearance, and, better than all, an adept in military arts and well-versed in literature. Our lord seems to hold his character in the highest esteem. While we all three drank together, we talked with the utmost frankness. Our lord, who has very much in mind the marriage of our daughter, inquired of this gentleman if he was a married man. ”

“ She certainly is a lucky woman who is destined to become his wife—such a fine gentleman as he is! She will be the happiest woman in all Japan!"
At the hour appointed, Lord Ōuchi, with Iwashiro Takita in attendance, duly arrived. Jirōzayémon, with all reverence, welcomed him at the portal, and ushered him into the guest-room with words of greeting: "It gives me great delight to see you well and in good spirits, my lord. I am very grateful that you deign to honour my humble dwelling with your august presence. No greater honour could fall to the lot of our family, my lord." ”

“ Tokuyémon, looking after them as their figures lessened in the distance, said to himself: "Both those men are samurai, yet how different they are in nature! One a very rascal, and the other all kindness and compassion! What a fine character that Jirōzayémon is! But I think that, for all his kindness, these gifts for Asagao are too great a price for her trifling services to-night. I fancy there is more in this than meets the eye."
Scarcely half an hour had passed, when Miyuki again appeared at the inn. ”

“ In the neighbouring vessel all were asleep save Miyuki alone. She had not yet retired and, her little heart full of thoughts of her lover, she was singing his "morning-glory" song to the strains of a koto or zither. As the song came to his ears Asojirō inclined his head and looked wonderingly down into the other ship. At that very moment Miyuki cast her eyes upon the deck of Asojirō's vessel. ”

“ Ill-fated Miyuki! She did not know of the adoption of her lover Miyagi Asojirō, by his uncle, and the consequent alteration of his name to Komazawa Jirōzayémon. To her Jirōzayémon and Asojirō were different men. Hence her mother's words struck despair into her heart. She reflected that at all costs she must hold to her vows with Asojirō. In accordance with the precept that "a chaste woman never marries twice," she ought not to enter into marriage with another man. But her father, through the good offices of her lord, had now betrothed her to a stranger! ”

“ So the girl now wanders alone about this neighbourhood and in spite of her blindness she is a very sweet singer so that everybody feels for her and lends her patronage. Among us this song of hers is very well known and we generally call her 'Asagao' ('Morning-glory') . An unhappy fate for a young girl, is it not, sir?" concluded the landlord, his eyes running over with tears.
"Unhappy, indeed," said Jirōzayémon, his heart beating fast with the thought that this forlorn girl might be Miyuki. "To-night I feel strangely lonesome. I should like to listen to the blind girl's singing. ”

“ This question startled Miyuki as she fancied that it might very well refer to herself, but she answered with assumed composure:
"Well, people not a few come and go along this road, you see; and among all these there may be found many girls travelling alone. But tell me the name of this particular girl, and what province she hails from."
"Her name is Akizuki Miyuki, and she is of the Kishido Clan in Aki Province."
Great was the amazement of the blind girl, when she realized from these words that the questioner was none other than her nurse, Asaka, who had come in search of Miyuki herself. ”

“ At this moment, arrived two samurai, the worse for drink, who leapt into Miyuki's boat without a preliminary, "By your leave." With churlish rudeness they desired her to supply them with saké, demanding that she serve them with her own hands and entertain them with music while they drank. To all appearance a refusal would excite them to resort to any violent deed. So Asaka implored them not to press their demands on the shrinking girl, but her polite entreaties only had the result of driving them to greater length in rudeness. At this Asojirō cotdd no longer contain himself. ”

“ Misao had gathered from her maids that Miyuki had been passionately in love with Asojirō, ever since her visit to the Uji River, and in her motherly sympathy had it in mind to do her best to ascertain the lover's whereabouts and bring about his marriage to her daughter. But now that Yuminosuké had formally betrothed his daughter in the presence of his lord, the engagement was too binding to be broken. So Misao came to the conclusion that there was nothing left for her but to break the news of the arrangement to Miyuki and prevail on her to submit. ”

“ What was his surprise to read in them the "Morning-glory Song" which, in the previous year, he had composed for Miyuki on the Uji River! Who and what, he asked himself in wonder, had caused this song to be written on a screen in a public inn? Then all at once came back into his mind the blissful hours he had spent on the Uji River, his regretful parting with Miyuki, and that moonlight night in the harbour of Akashi. A thousand thoughts of his sweetheart rushed upon his mind. ”

“ On a certain day it happened that the household of Jirōzayémon were in a bustle of preparation, wishing to give a fitting welcome to his lord, who had announced his intention of honouring him with a visit at his private residence. As the sweeping and dusting went on busily the maids incessantly laughed and chattered, their tongues no less busy than their hands. "Surely in all this great world there is none who is like to our master either in looks or in brains. ”

“ The old woman, at this, flew into a rage and caught the girl by the arm. "You thankless hussy!" she roared. "So you presume to object to being a woman of pleasure! It is clear that a very severe lesson is needed to bring you to your senses!" With that she snatched the red-hot tongs from the hearth and pointed them at Miyuki's face. "Come, will you drive me to sear that pretty face of yours with these tongs, or brand your cheeks with them?" ”

“ If we leave them unmolested a very serious state of affairs will develop. What do you advise? Shall we strike now and try to wipe them out once and for all?"
"That, my lord," said Takita, "is out of the question. The Ōtomo partisans are not, by any means, to be made light of and if, at the rallying-cry of war, all the adherents of that house make head against our clan from several provinces our peril will be very grave indeed. They will muster so strong that to face their great forces with our small army would be more futile than to attempt to smash a huge rock with a hen's egg. ”

“ But Miyuki put her head out of the cabin window, and peering through the moonlight, cried: "Oh! That is Sekisuké, is it not?" Then the sailors forced her in and slammed the window to.
Now this old woman, whose name was Aratayé, had formerly been chief maid-of-honour to Ōtomo Munéshigé, the lord of the province of Buzen. Some years before, Ōtomo had hoisted the standard of revolt against the Shogun. This rebellion quickly ended in his defeat and death at the hands of Ōuchi Yoshitaka, then Governor-General of Chinzei. This Yoshitaka was the father of Asojirō's lord, Yoshi-oki. ”

“ She had now spent the last penny of the money that Chisato had given her to speed her flight. Nothing remained for her but the wretched resource of begging for alms from door to door with staff in hand and to the music of a samisen, well-nigh worn-out, singing the "Morning-glory Song." ”

“ But in presence of his colleague such action was impossible.
"You have indeed shown yourself the most loyal of women, Asagao!" he exclaimed. "Surely your lover would rejoice, if he could but hear your story."
The night was wearing on. Miyuki, therefore, bade farewell to the samurai and rose in act to go, but she departed with great reluctance, with Jirōzayémon's kindly words still lingering in her ears. Takita also withdrew to his bedroom.
Jirōzayémon then hastily called the maid and bade her request the landlord to come at once and see him. ”

“ Miyuki sobbed. "I am told that Chinese vessels visit Nagasaki. Nothing can humiliate a woman so much as to have her person polluted by the embrace of Chinese sailors! Pray spare me that, whatever may befall me. ”

“ Miyuki!" but her charge was nowhere to be seen. Everywhere she searched, and what was her amazement to find on the desk a letter in Miyuki's hand, bearing the superscription: "Left to my Dear Parents!" In answer to her piercing cry: "My lord! My lady!" Yuminosuké and Misao rushed into the room. The father made no delay in opening the ominous letter, which was couched in some such terms as these:
"My Dear Parents:
I have exchanged vows of betrothal with Miyagi Asojirō. To marry another man would mean the violation of my duty as a chaste woman. ”

“ The letter further stated that as Asojirō's uncle distrusted his own tact and ability to cope with this crisis, it was his intention to adopt Asojirō as heir to his estates, and to resign his office in his favour. He enjoined the young man to proceed to Kamakura and to do his utmost, in virtue of his office as Chief-Councillor, to win back Yoshioki, his lord, to sobriety and decorum, but before leaving for Kamakura, he was to make all haste to his native town and there confer with his uncle as to further details. ”