ROMANCE
I
Y
W. OHAMPNE
y
By ELIZABETH W, CHAMPNEY
ROMANCE OF THE FEUDAL CHATEAUX.
ROMANCE OF THE BOURBON CHATEAUX.
ROMANCE OF THE FRENCH ABBEYS.
ROMANCE OF THE ITALIAN VILLAS.
ROMANCE OF ROMAN VILLAS.
ROMANCE OF THE FRENCH CHATEAUX
(FEUDAL RENAISSANCE BOURBON).
ROMANCE OF IMPERIAL ROME.
ROMANCE OF OLD BELGIUM.
ROMANCE OF OLD JAPAN.
Kasuga Shrine, Nara
" A rose-red temple, half as old as time "
(From a water-colour by Fr&re Champney)
ROMANCE
OF
OLD JAPAN
BY
ELIZABETH W. CHAMPNEY
AND
FRERE CHAMPNEY
WITH 96 ILLUSTRATIONS
G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS
NEW YORK AND LONDON
Cbe Iknicher bo cher press
1917
COPYRIGHT. 1917
BY
ELIZABETH W. CHAMPNEY
Ube ttntcherbocfeer press, -Rew fiorfe
PREFACE
IN our sojourn in their fair islands, greeted every-
where with smiling courtesy and kindly welcome,
we were struck by the likeness of this child-hearted
folk to men of gentle mind the world over.
Brave, sensitive, and resourceful, achieving master-
pieces of art which the world can scarce rival, they
show the keenest appreciation of European knowledge
and inventions, and a wondrous facility for their
adaptation.
It is the aim of the authors to trace the floating
bubbles of romance which reveal the deeper tide of
history; to show how, despite utter isolation, Japan
has kept pace through the ages with the march of
nations.
Tradition tells of a mythology as rich in poetic
imagery as Ancient Greece. Then dark ages lowered,
until Shotoku Taishi, the King Arthur of Japan,
brought enlightenment.
The high chivalry of Richard Cceur de Lion finds
its counterpart in Yoshitsune, the hero dearest to
Nippon's heart.
2031205
IV
Preface
Ere Drake delivered England from Spanish invasion,
Hojo repulsed the Invincible Armada of the Mongol
Khan.
While Philip II. was burning heretics in the Nether-
lands, leyasu crucified the innocent disciples of
Francis Xavier, and a Spartan code of honour wreaked
the vengeance of the Ronins.
Art and learning flowered under the Tokugawa as
in the golden days of the Renaissance.
The expedition of Perry opened the gate to world
power, for which the triumphs of Port Arthur and
Tsushima proved Japan's preparedness.
Their National Art displays a gradual development
from the naive sculpture of Shotoku, which recalls the
groping of Pre-Raphaelites, to the realistic modernity
of Hokusai.
Their Architecture reveals an evolution from the
primitive simplicity of ancient Nara to the incredible
magnificence of Nikko, where art emerges from its
sombre chrysalis, "a flaunting butterfly, painted with
the hues of dreams. "
The spirit of their Poetry is so exquisitely elusive,
the charm of the thought half-said so truly untrans-
latable, that any attempt to render literally its rare,
fantastic grace must be foredoomed to failure. May
we then be pardoned if, in the effort to suggest in
English a hint of the original, we have permitted
ourselves the liberty of an overfree translation.
Preface
Nippon
Immortal land of chivalrous Japan,
What dynasties of "heaven-descended" came
Since Amaterasu, Sun-Goddess flame,
First flushed the snow of Fujiyama's fan,
And her great parents there created man!
While Buddha taught the life aloof from blame,
Monarch and minion fought for endless fame
And Minamoto crushed Taira's clan.
Then Hojo saved the realm from Kublai Khan,
And Xavier raised the Cross a little span,
The Tokugawa kindled Learning's light,
The Ronins died an ancient wrong to right
Ere Perry oped the door to Liberty
And Togo swept the Tartar from the sea.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors acknowledge indebtedness to the follow-
ing authorities :
ALCOCK, SIR RUTHERFORD. The Capital of the Tycoon.
ASIATIC TRANSACTIONS, Publications.
ASTON, W. G. History of Japanese Literature.
BRINKLEY,CAPT. FRANK. History of the Japanese People.
CHAMBERLAIN, BASIL. Things Japanese.
DAVIS, F. HADLAND. Myths and Legends of Japan.
GRIFFIS, W. E. The Japanese Nation in Evolution.
HEARN, LAFCADIO. Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan,
Kotto, etc.
HYAKUNIN ISSHU. Songs of a Hundred Poets. Literal
Translation by Clay MacCaulay.
JOLY, HENRI L. Legend in Japanese A rt.
LONG, JOHN LUTHER. Short Stories.
LONGFORD, J. H. The Story of Old Japan.
viii Acknowledgments
MACLAY. Mito Yashiki.
MITFORD (LORD REDESDALE). Tales of Old Japan.
MIYAMORI, A. Tales from Japanese Dramas.
MURDOCK, JAMES, and YAMAGATA, GOH. History of
Japan.
NOGUCHI, YONE. American Diary of a Japanese Girl
and the Spirit of Japanese Poetry.
OKUMA, SHIGENOBU (COUNT). Fifty Years of New
Japan.
PERRY, COMMODORE MATTHEW CALBRAITH. Narrative
of the Expedition of an American Squadron to Japan.
POLO, MARCO. Account of Japan. Translation by
Henry Yule.
KINDER, FRANK. Old World Japan.
RIORDAN, R., and TAKAYANAGI. Sunrise Stories.
SEMENOFF, COMMODORE WLADIMIR. Rasplata.
CONTENTS
PAGE
PREFACE ...<.. iii
PART I
MYTHOLOGY AND LEGEND
CHAPTER
I. THE TRAVAIL OF THE GODS * . . . i
II. THE LABOURS OF YAMATO . . . 29
III. MYTHS OF THE FLOWERY ISLES . . 62
PART II
MEDIEVAL ROMANCE
IV. THE LOTUS LIFE . . . . . 78
V. A MIKADO AND A GEISHA . . ... : 101
VI. THE CLASHING OF THE CLANS . ' -. '. .125
VII. THE FOLLY OF THE KHAN . . . f 157
VIII. THE THREE DEVILS . . . . .206
IX. THE QUEST OF LIFE 252
X. THE SCARLET THREAD .... 296
x Contents
PART III
LATTER-DAY TALES
PAGE
CHAPTER
XI. THE OPEN GATE -323
XII. A MODERN SAMURAI ..... 354
XIII. THE TRIUMPH . . 393
XIV. NOTABLE EXAMPLES OF JAPANESE ARCHI-
TECTURE 424
Chapter XIV. and the verse, where not otherwise
credited, are by Frere Champney.
ILLUSTRATIONS
KASUGA SHRINE, NARA . . . Frontispiece
From a water-colour by Frere Champney.
"THEN TO THE CAVERN THEY HIED WITH UZUME, THE
GODDESS OF LAUGHTER" ....
From "Shinto, " by W. G. Aston.
Permission of Longmans Green & Co.
"AMATERASU LOOKED ON THE MIRROR OF GOLD".
From " Old-World Japan, " by T. H. Robinson
Permission of Macmillan Co.
"As SHE STOOPED OVER THE WELL, OF A SUDDEN SHE
SAW THE FACE OF PRINCE FIRE-FADE REFLECTED
THEREIN ".......
From "Old-World Japan, " by T. H. Robinson
Permission of Macmillan Co.
12
xii Illustrations
PAGE
"WHEREUPON IT BECAME UNSEEMLY DRUNKEN,
LAUGHING HILARIOUSLY, SLASHING AND CAVORT-
ING ITS SEVERAL TAILS" (Hokusai) . . . 13
"DAYS AND MONTHS AND YEARS TOGETHER, SAILED
HE ON THROUGH WlND AND WEATHER " . . 4O
From "Old-World Japan," by T. H. Robinson
Permission of Macmillan Co.
"MOUNTED ON ITS SNOWY PINIONS SWIFTLY SOARED
ACROSS THE FOAM " . . . . 4 1
From "Old- World Japan, " by T. H. Robinson
Permission of Macmillan Co.
" A GIANT BOAR POSSESSED OF A DEMON, SUSA-NO-WO"
(Hokusai) .... -44
"YAMATO BESTRODE THE BOAR AND GRASPING THE
TAIL SEVERED IT FROM THE SPINE " (Hokusai) . 45
"GLEAMING MID FLEECY CLOUD, A DAMSEL FAIR"
(Sozu Eshin) . . . .. . . . 52
Permission of Armand Dayot
"THE CRUEL FISHER SHOOK HIS HEAD" . . 53
From "Old-World Japan, " by T. H. Robinson
Permission of Macmillan Co.
"EMPEROR CHIUAI" (Hokusai) . . . . 64
BENTEN, THE DRAGON'S DAUGHTER (Hokusai) . 65
" I ENCOUNTERED THE WINSOME MAID, RUDDY PEACH-
LING" (Hokusai) . . . . . .78
"MERRY MONKS" (Hokusai) . ,. . . 84
"I SPRANG INTO THE BASKET AND FERRIED MYSELF
ACROSS THE CHASM " (Hokusai) 85
Illustrations xiii
PAGE
PRINCE UMAYADO . . . . . .86
From "In Japan," by Gaston Migeon
Permission of Wm. Heineman, London
"ALL MERCIFUL KWANNON" .... 86
From " In Japan, " by Gaston Migeon
Permission of Wm. Heineman, London
"CROUCHED BENEATH A MAPLE TREE, WITH ANKLES
CROSSED, AS HOLY BUDDHAS SIT " (Hokusai} . 87
"SIPPING SWEET SAKE FROM QUAINT POTTERIES"
(Kiyonaga} . . . . . . ,102
Permission of Armand Dayot, Paris
"A WICKED LIGHT GLEAMED IN THE EYES OF THE
FUJIWARA" (Sharaku} . . . . .103
Permission of Armand Dayot, Paris
"O UME SAN UTTERED A STIFLED SOB" . .. 108
Colour-print Toyokuni
"PLUM BLOSSOM SMILED" ..... 109
From " Old- World Japan, " by T. H. Robinson
Permission of Macmillan Co.
"THE MIKADO AND THE GEISHA SOUGHT SHELTER
FROM THE DRIVING SNOW" (Harunobu) . .114
Permission of Armand Dayot
"TOKIWA AND IKI ENTERED" (Utarmaro} . .115
Permission of Armand Dayot
"THE HIGHWAYMAN HELD HER CAPTIVE" (Hokusai} 130
PAVILION OF THE PHCENIX, SUMMER PALACE OF YORI-
MASA, Uji 131
From "Japanese Temples and their Treasures"
Permission of the Department of Education, Tokyo,
Japan
xiv Illustrations
PAGE
"YOSHITSUNE SPURRED HIS STEED OVER THE PRECI-
PICE" (Hokusai) . . . . . 148
"A RINGING CRY ROSE FROM A THOUSAND THROATS
AS THE GREAT SHIPS GRAPPLED " . . . 149
(Colour-print, Kunitsuna)
" MUNEMORI EVADED THE STROKE AND PLUNGED INTO
THE SEA" . . . -. I . : . 152
(Colour-print, Kuniyoshi)
"So THERE HE SENT A MIGHTY FLEET ". . . 153
THE FORD OF THE UJIGAWA. . . , . 153
"MAD MERCHANTS AND THEIR MOUNTAINOUS DROME-
DARY" (Hokusai} 158
THE DAIBUTSU . . . . . . 159
MIYAJIMA "A HARVEST MOON SILVERED THE SACRED
ISLE AS WE DRIFTED THROUGH THE WATER-
GATE" . . . . . . . ' 182
(From a water-colour by Frere Champney)
"THE WIND GOD FUJIN, BRANDISHED THE SACK OF
THE TEMPESTS" . . . . . . 186
"THE TYPHOON FELL UPON us WITH RENEWED
FURY" 187
(From colour-print, Hokusai)
"AT LAST, TO OUR UNBOUNDED DELIGHT, WE BEHELD
MY GALLANT GALLEY" . r . ... . 196
(From Yule's Marco Polo)
Permission of John Munroe
' ' A PIRATE BOLD OF A GALLEON OLD ' ' (Hokusai) . 197
Illustrations xv
PAGE
FRANCIS XAVIER . . . . . 216
(Prom "Arabia, Egypt and India" by Isabella Burton)
"A SHOT RANG OUT AS NOBUNAGA GALLOPED TO OUR
RESCUE" (Hokusai) . . . . . 217
"BROTHER JUDE LEERED UPON AZALEA COWERING AT
HIS FEET" (Hokusai) . . . .' . 224
" MANY A LOVESOME EVENING DID WE BEGUILE WITH
LUTE AND PSALTERY " (Hokusai) . . . 225
"LET HIM BE CRUCIFIED AS A KRISHITAN" . . 246
From an old Japanese print
" THE ARTIST DIPPED A BRUSH, AND WITH A DEXTER-
OUS FILLIP HURLED IT INTO THE AIR " (Hokusai) 247
THE TOKAIDO (Heroshigi) . . . ., .258
Permission of Armand Dayot, Paris
" LOWLY WAYFARERS AND LABOURERS" (Hokusai} 259
"Up STEEP AND TORTUOUS TRAILS THEY TOILED" 268
"BRINDLE, MY BULLOCK, CAN BEAR MORE GRIEVOUS
LOADS AND WHISK HIS TAIL IN THE FACE OF ANY
STEED" (Hokusai) . . . . . 269
" STRONG MEN WRESTLED AND TUMBLED " (Hokusai) 274
"MOUNTEBANKS PERFORMED MERRY ANTICS"
(Hokusai) . . . . . . . . 274
"ON A DAIS STOOD WHITE PEONY" .. -. . . 275
SNOW-BLOSSOMS . . . ' .. . . . 286
From a colour-print by Hiroshige
"A LIGHT FLARED FITFULLY UPON THE MALIGNANT
FACE OF MATSAKURA" ..... 287
(Colour-print, Kunisada)
xvi Illustrations
"HALF THE BAND CLAMBERED OVER THE ROOFS". 314
Reproduced from "The Faithful, " by John Masefield
Permission of Wm. Heineman, London
"SHIKARA LOOMED ABOVE HIM, HIS BLADE FLASHING
LIKE A LIGHTNING BOLT" . . . 315
From " Old-World Japan, " by T. H. Robinson
Permission of Macmillan Co.
PERRY'S FLEET ....... 322
From "Narrative of Expedition to Japan," by Commo-
dore M. C. Perry
W. Heine, U. S. Government Report
" BEYOND THE MIST-SHROUDED HORIZON LOOMED THE
SNOW-WHITE CONE OF FUJIYAMA" . .- . 323
"STRAINS OF PATRIOTIC Music RENT THE AIR AS WE
ENTERED THE TREATY HOUSE" . . , 346
From U. S. Government Report. W. Heine
"DRIVING WIND PINNED HIS ANTAGONIST TO THE
GROUND" ....... 346
From U. S. Government Report. W. Heine
"GRAVELY THE REPRESENTATIVES OF BOTH NATIONS
AFFIXED THEIR SIGNATURES " . . . , 347
" THE PENDENT CLUSTERS OF WISTARIA DROOP THEIR
PURPLE TASSELS O'ER THE TRANQUIL LAKE " . 354
Copyright by Underwood & Underwood, N. Y.
NAGOYA CASTLE . . . . . 355
" IN THE OFFING FLOATS A FLEET OF FISHING JUNKS " 366
(From a colour-print by Hiroshige)
Illustrations xvii
PAGE
CHERRY-BLOSSOM AND HER KOTO . \. . . 367
Permission of Theodore Wores and Century Magazine
THE SNOW-WHITE Fox AND THE APE-GOD (Hokusai) 382
"WITH A BLOW OF HIS SABRE MINAMOTO SEVERED A
COSSACK'S HEAD" . . . . . . 383
From a modern colour-print
"MAKE NOT HONOURABLE TEAR-DROPPINGS" . 412
"WITH A BLAST OF STEAM THE BOILERS EXPLODED" 413
Prom a sketch by Lionel James
Permission of The Graphic, London
"ALL NIGHT WE CRUISED FROM ONE SINKING VESSEL
TO ANOTHER RESCUING THEIR DROWNING CREWS " 420
From a sketch by Lionel James
Permission of The Graphic, London
ADMIRAL TOGO ....... 421
From "The Japanese Nation in Evolution," by Win.
Elliot Griffis.
Permission of Thos. Y. Crowell, Publishers, N. Y.
' ' O HANA SAN STRUMS HER SAMISEN AND SINGS ' ' . 424
Permission of Theodore Wores and the Century Co.
' ' A LONELY BELFRY SHRINED IN SHADOWY FOLIAGE ' ' 425
W. Heine, " Narrative of Expedition to Japan by Com-
modore M. C. Perry," U. S. Government Report
PAGODA OF HORIUJI . . . . , . . 426
Permission of Nara Museum
PAGODA OF YAKUSHIJI . . , . . 426
Permission of the Department of Education, Tokyo, Japan
KONDO, HORIUJI ...... 427
Permission of Nara Museum
xviii Illustrations
PAGE
THE GOLDEN PAVILION (Kinkaku-ji) . . . 427
PAVILION OF THE PHCENIX, Uji .... 430
Permission of the Department of Education, Tokyo, Japan
BRONZE INCENSE-BURNERS ... . . . 431
THE SILVER PAVILION (Ginkaku-ji) '. . . . 432
THE YOMEI-MON (Nikko) ' . ( '^ . . 433
THE STABLE OF THE SACRED HOUSE . /". . 436
THE THREE MONKEYS (Nikko) .... 437
HOLY-WATER FONT (Nikko) . . . . , 438
INTERIOR TEMPLE OF IEYASU . . , . 439
TOMB OF IEYASU (Nikko) . . . . . 440
"SHINTO PRIESTS AND A GOLD AND IVORY GATEWAY " 441
GATEWAY TO THE TEMPLE OF IEMITSU . . . 442
ROMANCE OF OLD JAPAN
Romance of Old Japan
CHAPTER I
THE TRAVAIL OF THE GODS
I
Ere the beginning of Time, Izanagi, the God of the Heavens,
High in the uttermost realms of the limitless chaos above,
Far in the vaporous vast of the infinite twilight of even,
Took unto wife Izanami, the beautiful Goddess of Love.
Out of her plenteous womb sprang the numberless worlds
in commotion;
Sprang generations of gods, in unending miraculous birth,
Sprang generations of men and the beasts and the fish of
the ocean,
Issued the fathomless sea and the mountainous reaches
of earth.
She from the firmament first, to mankind in her mercy
descending,
Water and knowledge of Fire and the wonderful vision
of Light
i
2 Old Japan
Brought, and ordained every part of the life-giving earth
never ending,
Then, in her death throe, gave birth to the Isles of the
Dragon-fly bright.
KOJIKIDEN.
DEFORE the beginning of Time, ere yet were heav-
*~^ ens or earth, sun or moon, or the multitudinous
waters, all was gloomy chaos.
Out of this infinite void rose a cloud, floating upon
the sea of silent space. In its hidden depths sprouted
a bud, which shot like an iris-stalk into the air. As it
rose it put forth leaves and blossomed, growing ever
more pure and bright, till the wonder-flower mounted
to Taka-ma-no-hara (the high plain of heaven), where
it bloometh ever, the bright-shining Sun.
At the same time there fluttered downward from
the heavenly firmament a night-blooming flower,
which slowly unfolded its translucent petals and became
the Moon.
Out of the hearts of these blossoms sprang a score of
gods and goddesses, the last of whom were Izanagi
(all-powerful-God-of-the-Air), and Izanami (Fair-God-
dess-of-the-Clouds). From them issued all life: the
eight hundred myriad deities of heaven, the countless
generations of man, and the beasts and the birds and
the trees.
Izanagi and Izanami stood upon the "Floating-
Bridge of Heaven," a vast, aerial arch, which spanned
The Travail of the Gods 3
the abyss between the realms celestial and the lower
world. Izanagi spake to his heaven-born sister, saying :
"Needs must be that beneath us lies a kingdom.
Let us descend and visit it."
Whereupon he plunged his sacred jewelled spear into
the seething caldron of the sea. When he had stirred
it about, vainly groping for land, he withdrew the lance
and from its point fell drops of liquid which became
congealed into the island of Onogora. Stirring once
more he heaped up a vast and lofty mountain, to the
summit of which he attached the Floating Bridge, and
thereupon the Earth-Makers descended.
When they alighted upon the island, Izanagi turned
to the right and skirted the base of the "Pillar of Earth,"
while Izanami turned to the left.
When they met, the "Goddess of the Clouds" ad-
dressed her brother saying: "Who art thou, fair and
lovely youth?"
Thereupon the heart of the "God of the Air" was
wroth within him and he retorted, "I, that am a man,
should have been the first to speak, whereas thou, a
woman, didst address me. This is ill-omened. That
our wedding may be auspicious let us begin anew."
! Thus it came to pass that, as again the two deities
skirted the base of the "Pillar of Earth," Izanagi ex-
claimed at their meeting : "Who art thou, fair and lovely
maiden?" and Izanami replied enraptured: "How de-
lightful! I have met with a fair and lovely youth!"
4 Old Japan
Whereupon they clasped hands, and their marriage
was accomplished.
Now when they had dwelt long time on the isle of
Onogoro in love and happiness, to Izanagi and Izanami
were born the eight islands of Japan. First the great
Yamato (the Flowery Isle of the Dragon-fly), then
Tsukushi (the White Sun Youth), lyo (the Passing-
fair Princess), Tsushima (the Stepping Stone), Ahaji
(the Isle of Grieving), Shikoku (the Pearl of the Inland
Sea), Oki (the Islet of the White Hare), and Lado (Gold
Maid of the North).
Out of the foam of the billows were born numberless
islets and from the clouds of the heaven they created
Korea, Cathay, and the uttermost realms of the earth.
Then were born the Kami : the Ruler of the Rivers, the
Monarch of the Mountains, the Deity of the Trees,
and the Deities which preside over the miracles of
Nature.
Now the "God of the Heavens" looking upon his
kingdom found it exceeding fair, and spake to the
"Goddess of Love," saying: "All that now wanteth is
a sovereign to rule over this great realm."
Whereupon were born to them a daughter, the
Bright-Shining-Amaterasu, and a son, Susa-no-wo no
mikoto.
Then Izanagi rejoiced greatly, saying: "Many are
the generations I have begotten, but of all my multi-
tudinous offspring the fairest are these."
The Travail of the Gods 5
Now Amaterasu was passing fair and outshone the
very heavens. So Izanagi spake and said: "Child
upon child have I fathered but none of them is like
unto thee." Then, taking from his shoulders a neck-
lace of precious stones, he gave it to Amaterasu, and
leading her to the summit of the mountain and over
the Rainbow Bridge, he commanded: "Rule thou
henceforth over Takama no hara" (the High Plain of
Heaven).
When Amaterasu mounted to her glittering throne
in the sun the Spirits of Heaven rejoiced with exceeding
joy, saying: "Forever shalt thou gladden the Eternal
Land with the grace of thy celestial light. Clouds
shall be thy handmaidens and the Heaven-descending
showers thy messengers of mercy to the earth."
Then Izanagi addressed Susa-no-wo, saying: "Rule
thou over the Moon and the multitudinous salt water."
Unlike his ever smiling sister the Moon God was
morose, turbulent, and sinister. When he waxed wroth,
grass withered on the plains, flowers faded, and the
Children of Earth perished.
Of her numberless progeny Izanami best loved her
Earth Children, and most of all the lords of the Isles
of the Dragon-fly. To these she gave eternal dominion
over the fairest of lands, and bestowed upon them god-
like powers : Wisdom, Valour and Craft, Justice, Mercy
and Love. She commanded the Kami to minister to
her Earth Children : the River God to water their rice
6 Old Japan
fields, the Mountain God to delve for them his ruddy
gold, the God of Trees to fell them timber for their habi-
tations, and the Goddess of Abundance to heap their
wains with overflowing fruit.
Whereat the immortal Gods were exceeding wroth
and assembled in high council.
"Celestial Mother," thundered Susa-no-wo, "thou
hast elevated thy Earth Children to the rank of Gods;
so that even I must needs toil as their slave and harness
my storm steeds to their sea chariots!"
Thereupon the divine council were moved with august
jealousy and murmured to one another: "She loveth
her Earth Children more than us, wherefore let her
descend and abide with them!"
To this Izanami made appeal: "Shall my very off-
spring condemn me though I have done no evil!"
Then spake Ame-no-kami, the August Master
Deity, saying: "Izanami, Goddess of Mortals, for that
thou hast dragged thine immortal vesture in the mire
of Earth shalt thou put off thine immortality and
dwell a mortal in the abode of Death!"
Like to a thirsting flower withered the gentle God-
dess, and withdrew to the solitudes of the mountains,
where she bore a son, Kagu-tsuchi the terrible God of
Fire. In her birth throes she was mortally burned;
but ere she perished Izanami bethought herself: "I
have given birth to an evil-hearted child, a menace to
the world of men."
The Travail of the Gods 7
So she bare yet another son, the God of Water, say-
ing: "When the temper of thy brother waxeth vio-
lent do thou assuage it with thy cooling streams."
Whereupon Izanami died and descended unto Yomi,
the abode of departed spirits.
Izanagi grieved sorely for the loss of his beloved
spouse, and resolved to seek her in the domain of the
dead.
He descended thither through Ifuya-zaka (a hole
in the centre of the earth), and came to the portal of
Yomi, whence none may return. Here he perceived
the spirit of Izanami waiting to meet him, and addressed
her saying: "Beloved sister, come thou back I entreat
thee, for the land that we created is not yet finished."
Whereupon Izanami answered: "Alas! thou comest
too late. Look not thou upon me, for I have eaten of
the bread of Yomi. I would fain return but it may not
be!" Thus lamenting she retired within the portal
of the underworld.
But the God of the Heavens heeded not the warning
of the Goddess of Love, but pressed forward in swift
pursuit. Through innumerable tortuous caverns dark
and loathly with the odour of death he passed, fol-
lowing the scarce-seen wraith of his fleeing wife. On
every hand flitted vague shadowy shapes, and phantom
fingers groped after him through the gloom.
He cried to Izanami, and besought her to return,
but she gave no response save a pitiful moan. He
8 Old Japan
redoubled his efforts to overtake her and strove with
all his might to grasp her fleeting form. After long
elusion, in the cavern of Despair at the extremity of
the kingdom of Yomi he came upon Izanami writhing
in her death agony.
Tenderly he strove to raise her but her spirit melted
to mist in his grasp and vanished forever in the shadowy
night.
Izanagi, pursued by the Furies of Remorse, ascended
the Earth-stairway, and dwelt thenceforth upon the
isle of Ahaji, in an abode of eternal gloom.
II
THE MIRACULOUS MIRROR
Amaterasu, the bright, the Sun Goddess, high in the heaven,
Giver of bountiful light and the manifold glories of day,
Sat at the loom of the night, with her beauteous hand-
maidens seven
Weaving the dark web of Doom with its symbols of joy
and dismay.
Speeding her shuttle of Fate, interwove Izanagi's fair
daughter,
Lotus-pure blossoms of Love with the flame of a raptur-
ous star;
Twining the green woof of Life with the scarlet-stained
ribbon of Slaughter
Silver-bright Peace interweft with the red warp relentless
of War.
Amaterasu looked on the mirror of gold and perceiving her image
therein, deemed that she saw there a rival"
From " Old-World Japan " by T. H. Robinson
Permission of Macmillan Co.
The Travail of the Gods 9
Sudden from out of the void, by the wrath of the hurricane
driven,
Into the Hall of the Gods, with the crash of a thunder-
bolt dire,
Down from the summit of Heaven, through a rent in the
firmament riven,
Hurtled the Dragon of Hell, Susa-no-wo, demon of Fire!
Down from her throne in the sky fled Amaterasu affrighted,
Down to the bounds of the sea to a cavern of shadowy
night,
Where she immured her secure from the rage of her brother
benighted,
Leaving to Stygian gloom the Isles of the Dragon-fly
bright.
Sorely the people bewailed the loss of their Jewel of Heaven,
Vainly the people besought the return of their Sun-
Goddess bright,
All unavailing their prayers, until Vulcan one auspicious
even
Fashioned a mirror of gold that gleamed with miraculous
fight,
Then to the cavern they hied with Uzume, the Goddess of
Laughter,
Who danced in the light of the moon on the marge of
the frolicsome wave,
Rending the welkin with cries, till Amaterasu soon after,
Roused from her slumberous couch, peered forth from
the door of her cave.
"Why this boisterous mirth, and what this unseemly
commotion ? ' '
Demanded the Goddess irate, and to her made Uzume
reply:
io Old Japan
"Queen of the Day, we rejoice in a princess more fair than
the ocean,
Even more glorious-bright than the sun in the shimmering
sky.
"Lo, now behold her," she spake, and Amaterasu, return-
ing,
Looked on the mirror of gold and, perceiving her image
therein,
Deemed that she saw there a rival, and straightway,
with jealousy burning,
Ran from the door of the cave, in astonishment, wrath,
and chagrin.
Scarce had she quitted the cave when suddenly unto the
portal,
Taji-Karad (the Strong) rolled a boulder of mountain-
ous height,
Cutting her off from retreat, our sun-giving Goddess
immortal,
Ever to smile on the land with the grace of her bountiful
light.
Ill
THE EIGHT-FORKED SERPENT OF KOSHI
One day Susa-no-wo discerned a chop-stick drifting
down the River Hi, and, deeming that there must
needs be folk dwelling in the country above, set forth
questing what manner of men they might be.
When he had journeyed far into the forest fastnesses
he came upon a grey -bearded man and an aged crone
The Travail of the Gods 1 1
weeping, with a fair maiden set between them, whom
they caressed as though bidding her a last farewell.
Susa-no-wo saluted them courteously, saying: "Who
are ye, Gods or mortals? for ne'er before have I be-
held Children of Earth in these lone mountains."
Thereupon the greybeard answered: "Thy humble
servant, Great Augustness, is a deity of earth cleped
Ashinadzuchi (Foot-stroke Elder), son of the Moun-
tain-God. My wife is Tenadzuchi (Hand-stroke Elder) ,
and this damsel is our daughter, Kushinada-hime
(Wondrous-fair Princess).
"Why lament ye thus piteously?" asked Susa-no-wo,
and the aged man answered:
"Alas, most honourable Lord, we bewail the loss of
our eight beloved daughters, who, year after year, have
been slain and devoured by the terrible eight-forked
serpent of Koshi. Time is that the loathly monster
cometh and this our last remaining daughter will
surely perish. Wherefore do we grieve exceedingly."
"Tell me," entreated Susa-no-wo, "what manner of
fish is this monster?"
"It hath eyes as red as a ripe mountain cherry, a
noisome blood-inflamed body, armed with eight fear-
some heads and eight forked tails. Moreover its
back is all overgrown with firs, cedars, and pines, and
it trails its tortuous coils over eight valleys and as
many mountains."
Quoth Susa-no-wo: "Aged stranger, I will gladly slay
12 Old Japan
the loathly dragon, if thou wilt but give to me this
thy beauteous daughter in marriage."
"With all reverence be it said," replied the father.
"I am ignorant of thine august name."
"Thou beholdest in me," boasted Susa-no-wo, "none
other than the brother of the glorious Sun Goddess
Amaterasu, Heaven-descended ruler of Yamato."
Whereupon the deities Ashinadzuchi and Tenadzuchi
made no further ado, but assented joyously to his re-
quest.
Forthwith Susa-no-wo took the maiden from the arms
of her honourable parents and transformed her into a
many- toothed comb which he thrust into his dishevelled
hair. He then bade the aged crone brew a great quan-
tity of sake of eightfold strength, and fashioned a
rampart of pointed logs wherein he hung eight goodly
doors. At each portal he set a vast vat which he
filled with the sake of eightfold strength. Then,
with the utmost deliberation, he awaited the coming
of the dread monster.
After a little the great serpent came lumbering its
enormous carcase over hill and ravine until it reached
the rampart of pointed logs. Here it paused at the
portals and lapped up the liquor with its eight forked
tongues. Whereupon it became unseemly drunken,
laughing hilariously, slashing and cavorting its several
tails like one bewitched, until, overcome little by little
by a great drowsiness, it lay down to sleep.
As she stooped over the well, of a sudden she saw the face of Prince
Fire-Fade reflected therein"
From " Old-World Japan " by T. H. Robinson
Permission of Macmillan Co.
" Whereupon it became unseemly drunken, laughing hilariously, slashing and
cavorting its several tails"
(Hokusai)
The Travail of the Gods 13
Thereupon Susa-no-wo of a sudden drew his ten-span
sword and slashed the monster into a thousand frag-
ments. A river of blood gushed from each separate
head, and as he severed the last remaining tail the
edge of his august sword was notched. Marvelling
greatly, he slit the tail of the serpent and discovered
therein a miraculous sword, the divine Kushanagi
(Herb-queller) , which he delivered to the God of
Heaven.
Then Susa-no-wo retransformed his many-toothed
comb into the beauteous Kushinada-hime, whom he
wedded forthwith in the province of Izumo, composing
for that occasion the following verses:
Like high ramparts manifold
Lo the clouds appear:
On all sides they firm enfold
Kushinada dear,"
Prisoned mine for e'er to hold
In their ramparts manifold!
KOYOSHI.
IV
THE HEAVEN-DESCENDED
When began the earth and heaven,
By the margin of the River
Of the firmament eternal,
Met the Gods in high assembly,
Met the Gods and held high counsel,
Myriads upon myriads gathered ;
Then to each high charge was given.
14 Old Japan
On the Goddess of the Sunlight,
Her who fills the sky with radiance,
They bestowed the realm of Heaven.
To her grandchild they delivered
This, the mountain-land Yamato,
This, the land of fairest rice-ears,
His with god-like sway to govern,
Long as heaven and earth endured.
HITOMARO (724-756).
From Manyoshiu ("Garner of a Myriad Leaves "). Trans-
lated by W. G. Aston.
Now the eight hundred myriad gods gathered in
council in the bed of the Tranquil River of Heaven.
And Amaterasu, the Bright-Shining Sun Goddess
spake, saying:
"The Netherland of Rice Plains is rife with discord.
By day the Earth Spirits swarm like flies in the fifth
month, and by night they raise a clamour like the flames
of fire. Wherefore must we send down a deity to quell
these unseemly uprisings and restore the Sunny. Land
of Rice Plains to prosperity and peace."
Thereupon Amewaka (Heaven- Young-Prince) de-
scended the Rainbow Bridge to govern the land. As
he set foot on the shores of the Isle of the Dragon-fly
he encountered a beauteous earth spirit, the Princess
Shita-teru-hime (Princess Nether-Shining).
Bewitched by her loveliness, Amewaka wedded
the maiden forthwith and remained for eight long years
feasting and revelling in the Land of Sunny Rice Plains.
The Travail of the Gods 15
The Sun Goddess, marvelling greatly at the long tarry-
ing of her heaven-sent messenger, sent the faithful
pheasant, Na-naki, to inquire the cause of his silence.
; The pheasant flew down to earth and perched upon
a many-branched cassia-tree which grew at the gate
of the Prince's palace.
Then Ama-no-sagu (the Heaven-Spying Woman)
went to the young Prince and said: "An evil bird
percheth on the top of yonder cassia-tree. I fear its
cry bodeth no good."
Forthwith Amewaka took his heavenly bow and
arrows and shot the pheasant through the heart, so
that it died. Upward and onward sped the feathered
arrow through leagues of endless sky, till it pierced
the highest clouds and fell at the very feet of Bright-
Shining Amaterasu, seated upon her throne in the sun.
Then spake the Sun Goddess: "This is the very
arrow I gave to Amewaka. Behold its feathers are
stained with blood; perchance he hath been fighting
with the Earthly Deities."
Thereupon she took up the arrow and flung it forth
to earth, saying: "If this arrow be one shot by Ame-
waka at the Earth Spirits let it not attain to him; but
if he hath an evil heart, may the heavenly arrow fly
straight to that mark."
Now at this time the Heavenly Prince was sleeping
after the feast of first fruits, and the feathered arrow
pierced Amewaka to the heart.
16 Old Japan
When she beheld the dead body of her youthful
husband Princess Nether-Shining wept long and bitterly.
She would not be consoled and the sound of her cries
rose to the High Plains of Heaven.
Whereupon Ame-no-kuno straightway knew that her
son Amewaka was dead, and raised a mighty tempest
which upbore the body of the young Prince to the
Celestial Realms. Here they built a great mourning-
house and wept and wailed for eight long days and
nights with ceaseless lamentation.
Sang the mourners :
More lustrous than the precious gems,
Worn by Heaven's Weaving-Maidens bright,
More fair than their great diadems,
Was Amewaka, wondrous knight.
Alas, the glory of his face
No more shall shame the shining day.
Unblemished gem of loveliness,
Thy light is quenched now for aye! 1
At the same time to the obsequies of the pheasant
Na-naki flew myriads of the swift-winged birds of
heaven, in endless procession, the wild geese of the
river, the storks, the kingfishers, and the eagles, who
mourned their slain brother with a great wailing.
Thereafter the Sun Goddess summoned her grand-
child Ninigi (Prince Rice Plenty), and thus exhorted
him:
1 From the Nihongi.
The Travail of the Gods 17
"Tis the appointed time when thou shouldst de-
scend to rule in the Sunny Land of Rice Plains. Go
thou, and may fortune attend thee, that thy dy-
nasty, like the immortal Heaven, may endure for
ever!"
Whereupon she conferred upon him three divine
gifts: the Necklace of Jewels, which her father Izanagi
had bestowed upon her at her birth, the Sacred Sword,
which Susa-no-wo discovered within the tail of the eight-
forked serpent and the Miraculous Mirror whose lus-
tre had lured her from the magic cave, commanding
him the whiles :
"Guard jealously all these tokens, but the mirror
with thy life, for when thou lookest therein thou shalt
ever behold my countenance."
When Ninigi was about to descend to the Land of
Rice Plains, a herald, who had been despatched before
to announce his coming, returned saying:
"There dwelleth a Giant God at the Eight Cross-
Roads of Heaven, whose stature exceedeth seven
fathoms. A great light shineth from his mouth and
his eyeballs glow like the sun at noonday."
Now among all the eight hundred myriad deities of
Heaven there was none who durst confront this pro-
digious giant. Wherefore Ninigi called to him Uzume,
the Goddess of Mirth, and commanded: "Of all the
heavenly goddesses thou art superior in the power of
thy looks. Do thou go and make inquiry."
i8 Old Japan
So Uzume attired her shapely body in seductive
raiment, bared her beauteous breasts, and hied to the
Eight Cross- Roads of Heaven. Fearlessly she accosted
the formidable monster and with a mocking laugh
demanded :
"Who art thou that darestthus impede my progress?
What meanest thou by this unseemly behaviour?"
The giant, mightily amused by the fearless mien of
the playful Goddess, made answer:
"My name is Saruta-niko (Deity-of-the-Field-
Paths). I respectfully beg to pay homage to the grand-
child of Amaterasu and to attend upon him as his guide.
Let his august highness descend upon the mountain
of Takachihi. There I shall await him. Return to
thy master, O wondrous-fair Uzume, and convey him
this message."
Thereupon the august grandchild quitted his Heav-
enly Rock-Seat, and, thrusting apart the eight-piled
clouds of Heaven, clove his way with an awful way-
cleaving and descended to earth!
Fr6m the Rainbow Bridge of Heaven, Ninigi stepped
forth and alighted upon the peak of Takachihi in the
isle Tsukushi, where, as had been agreed upon, the
Deity-of-the-Field-Paths awaited him. When Ninigi
had journeyed throughout his kingdom and had viewed
the cloud-soaring mountains and endless primeval
forests, the fertile valleys, and smiling sapphire lakes,
he chose a fair hill overlooking the Inland Ocean, and
The Travail of the Gods 19
builded him a vast and lofty palace "whose pillars
rested on the nethermost rock, and whose beams rose
to the High Plain of Heaven."
So content was Ninigi with the faithful services of
the Deity-of-the-Field-Paths that he bestowed upon
him the beauteous Uzume in wedlock. Thereupon
the terrible giant took the merry Goddess to his moun-
tain fastnesses, where they dwell forever in joyance
and mirth.
Thereafter Ninigi bethought himself of his own lonely
and unromantic lot, when on a day as he walked upon
the shore, he beheld a maiden of exceeding loveliness.
Straightway he became greatly enamoured and ac-
costing her forthwith demanded: "Who art thou, most
beauteous Princess?"
To him modestly the maiden answered: "My name
is Ko-no-hana (Princess Tree-Blossom), and I am the
daughter of Oho-yama (Great-Mountain-Possessor)."
Hastily Ninigi betook himself to her father and im-
plored the hand of the fair Princess.
But the monarch of the mountains had an elder
daughter, Iha-naga-hime (Princess Long-as-the-Rocks),
an ill-favoured dame of adamantine heart, unlike unto
her sweet-souled sister. Oho-yama desired that the
offspring of Ninigi should, like the rocks, endure eter-
nally and flourish as the blossoms of the trees. Where-
fore he gave to Ninigi both of his daughters, clothing
20 Old Japan
each in bright raiment and lading them with costly
gifts.
But of Princess Long-as-the-Rocks, Ninigi would
have nothing, bidding her return to her father.
Angered by his rejection the ugly daughter cried
out in imprecation: "Hadst thou chosen me thy de-
scendants would have lived for ever; henceforth shall
they wither as the blossoms of the trees!"
Wherefore is the life of man brief as the bloom of
the flowers.
Nathless Ninigi and the Princess Tree-Blossom dwelt
long time together in peace and happiness, till on a
woeful day a sudden cloud shrouded them in deepest
gloom.
The ardent Summer Wind wooed Princess Tree-
Blossom with importunate caresses; and, although
he had no cause for jealousy, a madness fell upon
Ninigi so that he disowned his sons.
His faithful wife, confident in her innocence, demanded
the Ordeal by Fire. Retiring with her children into
her dwelling she applied the torch and invoked thus
their divine ancestress:
"Celestial Sun-Goddess, if these be the offspring of
thy Heavenly grandchild suffer not the fire to harm
them!"
Out of the very flames and into the arms of their
father sprang the laughing boys. Thereupon Ninigi,
perceiving the princess also untouched by the flames,
The Travail of the Gods 21
knew how shamefully he had wronged her, and falling
upon his knees besought her forgiveness protesting:
Like Mina's stream that foaming falls
From white Tsukuba's height,
My whelming love shall flow to thee
Strong as a torrent, pure and free,
Calm as a pool of night. l
THE FORTUNATE FISH-HOOK
Once upon a time there dwelt upon the isle of Tsu-
kushi a lad called Ho-wori (Prince Fire-Fade), the
son of Ninigi, Heaven-descended grandchild of Amate-
rasu. This youthful prince was a famous hunter,
who slew all manner of furry "things, both rough and
soft of hair."
Ho-deri (Prince Fire-Flame), his older brother, was
a famous fisher who caught all manner of finny "things,
both broad of fin and narrow of fin."
One day Ho-deri, weary with waiting for the wind
to abate and the sea to calm, thus challenged Ho-wori:
"Let us for the nonce exchange callings. Lend me,
I pray thee, thy miraculous bow and arrows, that I
may become a hunter. In return I will give thee my
magic fish-hook."
So Ho-wori consented and did as Ho-deri bade him.
1 Yogei.
22 Old Japan
But the elder brother, skilled as he was in luring the
denizens of the deep, was but a sorry huntsman. After
an arduous day he returned weary and empty-handed.
He accordingly gave back to Ho-wori his bow and
arrows, saying:
"Thou hast the fortune of the mountain; and to me
is given that of the sea. Restore thou my magic fish-
hook!"
Then Prince Fire-Fade answered: "In vain have I
furrowed the jade-green water and cast my line beyond
the bounds of the sea. No fish have I caught, and
moreover I have lost thy worthless fish-hook."
Prince Fire-Flame flashed with indignation, and
threateningly demanded his lost talisman. His brother
generously offered to replace the missing fish-hook by
a new one, but Ho-deri scornfully refused his proffered
gift.
Ho-wori then took his sword, and, breaking it into
a thousand pieces, forged from it a myriad fish-hooks,
which he piled in a great heap and presented to Ho-
deri. But even this did not appease Prince Fire-
Flame, who retorted :
"These be not my magic fish-hook. Were they
numberless as the beasts of the sea would I none of
them!"
Now Prince Fire-Fade, grieving because of the re-
sentment of his brother, went down one day to the jade-
green sea. While he stood sighing and lamenting
The Travail of the Gods 23
upon the shore, of a sudden appeared to him Shiko-
tsutsu (the Old Man of the Sea).
"Why grievest thou thus, Ho-wori?" demanded
the kind old man, and Prince Fire-Fade recounted to
him the tale of the lost fish-hook.
Quoth the Salt-sea Elder: "Be of good cheer, Ho-
wori; I will give thee aid." Plaiting together withes
of bamboo, the old man fashioned a basket, wherein he
set the young prince, who sailed in it far out to sea.
Now when he had passed the bounds of ocean, the
basket burst its fragile seams and began to sink.
Down it fell through endless depths of seaweed forests
till it descended in the courtyard of a great castle,
the abode of Wata-tsumi (God of the Ocean).
Before its gate stood a well, and above the well
grew a wide-spreading cassia-tree. Ho-wori climbed
into its tangled branches, and watched the myriad
glittering fishes glide through its fantastic foliage.
As he gazed upon the brilliant scene, he perceived a
maiden bearing a golden bowl approaching the well.
It was the lovely Princess Toyo-tama (Peerless Jewel),
daughter of the Sea-God.
Ho-wori stood spellbound by her wondrous beauty.
As she stooped over the well, to draw water, of a
sudden she saw the face of Prince Fire-Fade reflected
therein. Whereupon she let fall her golden bowl and
ran trembling to her father.
"Father," she cried, "I have beheld a youth with
24 Old Japan
the countenance of a God within the branches of yonder
cassia- tree."
Wata-tsumi, the Sea-God, went forth, and calling
Ho-wori, cried:
"Descend, thou Son-of-the-Gods, and deign to ac-
company me to my unworthy dwelling."
Leading Ho-wori through his stately palace he seated
him upon a throne cushioned eightfold with the skins
of sea-lions. Before him, upon a table of coral, he
set a sumptuous banquet, served on plates of pearl.
They sipped rare ocean-sake from silvery shells, while
fiddler crabs discoursed sweet music on the golden
strand.
^When they had feasted to their hearts' content,
Ho-wori led the peerless Princess to the terrace, where
in a shadowy garden of sea-blooms, he whispered his
undying love, and Toyo-tama graciously consented to
become his bride. They confided their joyous secret
to the Sea-God who gave them his fatherly blessing,
whereupon they plighted their troth anew and ex-
changed nuptial cups of the sweet ocean-sake.
Thereafter Prince Fire-Fade related to the Sea-God
the tale of the lost fish-hook, and Wata-tsumi summoned
before him all the fishes of his kingdom. Thousands
upon thousands they came, fishes "broad of fin and
narrow of fin," from the remote recesses of the mounts
and valleys of the sea.
When they had all assembled in the Court-of-Sea-
The Travail of the Gods 25
weed the Ocean-God questioned them, saying: "Know
ye aught, my faithful subjects, of the magic fish-hook
of Prince Fire-Flame?"
"We know naught," answered the Lobster, "except
that the Red Woman (the Tai) bideth at home with
a wounded mouth."
Wata-tsumi then despatched a fleet-finned swordfish
to summon the Red Woman to their council. After
a little the Tai came, and within her swollen gills was
discovered the lost fish-hook!
For three long years Ho-wori dwelt happily with
his Peerless Jewel Toyo-tama in the palace beneath the
ocean. Then a great longing came upon him to return
to his earthly home and to restore the lost fish-hook to
his brother.
Toyo-tama, sorely troubled, told her father of her
sorrow. But the Sea-God, by no means resenting the
desire of his son-in-law, delivered unto him the fish-
hook, bidding him:
"When thou givest this to thy brother spit thrice
thereon and hand it to him with averted face saying,
1 'Tis a hook of poverty, of ruin, and of downfall.' "
Moreover Wata-tsumi presented Ho-wori with two
talismans wherewith to rule the tides of the sea, enjoin-
ing him :
"If thy brother be wroth bring forth the Jewel of
the Flowing Tide, and the waters shall drown him.
But if he craveth thy forgiveness do thou display the
26 Old Japan
Jewel of the Ebbing Tide and the waters shall sudden
recede and therewithal thou shalt save him."
As Ho-wori was about to depart Toyo-tama confided
to him that she was soon to become a mother.
"Yet tarry not," she entreated, "but build for me a
house upon the strand. On a day when the tempest
rageth I will come to thee."
Prince Fire-Fade mounted a sea-dragon and rode
swiftly over the mountains and valleys of the sea to his
own land.
When he found his brother he restored to him the
lost fish-hook; and Prince Fire-Flame begged his for-
giveness and promised eternal subjection.
On a day, "when the winds and waves were raging,"
Princess Peerless Jewel came gliding over the water
throned upon a great tortoise.
On the strand Ho-wori had builded a cottage ' ' thatched
with cormorant feathers," and here, in due season, was
she delivered of a beauteous son. When she had laid
him in his joyous father's arms, Toyo-tama, transformed
into a mermaid, disappeared for ever, in the depths of
the jade-green sea.
Long and bitterly lamented Prince Fire-Fade:
Gone is the Moon from out the summer sky,
Spring's wonted flowers for me no longer bloom.
All changeth; former light is present gloom,
But still my changeless love lives on exhaustlessly. x
1 Narahira.
The Travail of the Gods 27
The boy grew apace, lithe and graceful as a sea-gull,
blithe offspring of the sea and sky.
He longed to become a fearless sailor and skim the
foamy billows in his speedy sampan, questing ever
strange and unknown lands. Distant voices called
to him from the deep. The winds whispered ever of
a fairy country overflowing with fruit and flowers.
Nevertheless he lingered in Kyushu, biding with
his beloved father rather than leave him childless
in his declining years. When Prince Fire-Fade's
spirit was borne to the Eternal Land, whence none
may return, his son committed his body to the
waves.
Years after, feeling himself at death's door, he sum-
moned to his bedside his son, Jimmu Tenno, and
commanded him :
"Of old the beneficent Heavenly Deities conferred
our Sunny Land of Rice Plains upon Ninigi, my divine
ancestor. Now I learn that eastward lieth Yamato,
a fair land girt by snow-crowned mountains, an isle
of ease and plenty circled by the sapphire sea. Up
therefore, journey thither, subdue its savage tribes,
that thy descendants may dwell for ever in that fair
country."
Then the ever-bountiful Sun Goddess sent Yataga-
rasu the raven to guide him upon his way; and Jimmu,
bearing with him the sacred regalia, necklace, sword,
28 Old Japan
and mirror, sailed through the Sea of Myriad Isles
to the flowery land of Yamato.
There he established his kingdom, which, thus the
eternal gods have ordained, shall last from generation
to generation so long as sun and moon endure !
CHAPTER II
THE LABOURS OF YAMATO
I
THE RESCUE OF THE PRINCESS
T ONG, long ago in the old half-forgotten ages,
*~* when this world was in its tender infancy, there
lived a lad named Yamato, the four times great-grand-
son of Amaterasu, Goddess of glorious light.
This Yamato was a youth of comely mien, great of
stature, strong and fearless and skilful in the use of
arms. It fortuned that on a day he fared forth from
his palace to bathe in the breakers of Suminoye. Up
through forests of giant cryptomeria, over hill and vale,
through flooded moorlands verdant with the glow of
the young rice ears, he journeyed till he came to the
cliffs of the great surging sea.
Mounting a crag, and divesting himself of his rai-
ment, he plunged deep into the heart of the swirling
surf. Manfully he strove through the briny breakers
which like great white chargers came galloping ever
29
30 Old Japan
onward to the strand, now breasting their foamy
summits with a stroke of his powerful arm, then
whelmed in the emerald hollows with the ebb of the
wave.
When he had disported himself like a playful por-
poise to his heart's content, he laid him down upon the
sunny strand. As he lay thus he fell a-dreaming,
whereupon, through drifting mists of revery, there
came to him the vision of a mermaid beauteous as the
Night with raven tresses and eyes of larkspur blue,
who glided suddenly from a cavern in the cliff hard by.
Yamato rubbed his sleep-laden eyes, and halloing
lustily, plunged into the surges and swam swiftly after
her. But the siren, affrighted, with a quick flip
of her lustrous-scaled tail sank beneath the water
and vanished from view; and though Yamato searched
diligently for the entrance to her cavern no trace of it
could he find.
Oft thereafter the youth wandered to Suminoye
questing the siren. For hours he would lie prone upon
the rocks vainly searching the darkling water for the
glitter of her lithe body; but the lovely Nereid came
nevermore.
Many tides flowed and ebbed upon the beach of
Suminoye, and the long-deferred day for the wedding
of Yamato with the Princess Tacibana had at last
come.
The Labours of Yamato 31
He was returning from her father's palace with his
betrothed bride.. As he rode beside her litter, his
band of warriors trailing behind them through the
dusky forest, he passed a great and lofty castle seated
upon a beetling crag. It was walled about with pali-
sades and defended moreover by rocky bulwarks
overhanging a wide and turbid stream.
Here lurked a band of mounted brigands armed to
the teeth, commanded by a bandit notorious for his
crimes through all Izumo.
Scarcely had Yamato and his bride appeared than
the brigands galloped over the drawbridge and with
pike and gisarme fell upon them. Whereupon the litter-
bearers fled incontinently, leaving Yamato to confront
the bandits single-handed.
As flash the lightning bolts about Fujiyama so fell
the sword of Yamato upon the heads of the unhappy
miscreants. A score of the foremost brigands fell
before his terrible lunges; the remaining cravens were
fleeing for their lives, when the chieftain sprang sud-
denly upon Yamato with a thunderous mace-stroke
felling him instantly to the ground.
Then all was dark. Far away, like the murmur of
distant surges, Yamato heard the shrieks of his be-
trothed as the bandit bore her to his castle.
With might and main he vainly strove to raise him-
self, but his steed lay across his body, and black waves
of death surged over his soul.
32 Old Japan
Some while later he recovered consciousness, in the
temple of Ise, whither his warriors had borne him in
the litter of the Princess. Here the chief priestess
salved his wounds with a wondrous healing balsam,
so that he speedily revived, no whit the worse for his
encounter, and clamoured lustily for steed and men.
Nevertheless the high priestess stayed him with
wise and timely counsel. "This castle," quoth she,
"is so stoutly defended that none may take it either
by siege or assault. Its lord is the infamous outlaw
Takeru. He hath assembled thither a host of desper-
ate and vicious men who carry off maidens from their
homes and hold them in durance vile."
Yamato flashed with rage: "Gird on my sword,"
he cried, "and bid my warriors make ready!"
Whereupon the priestess protested: "Nay, take the
sacred sword of Susa-no-wo, but hide it neath thy
garments, for these be the weapons whereby thou shalt
conquer."
Then she brought forth a woman's broidered robe,
and, tiring his hair like a dancing maiden's, decked it
with a gleaming tiara, and hung about his shoulders
the sacred necklace of the Sun Goddess.
Yamato, seeing himself thus transformed into a
maiden of surpassing beauty, doubted not that in this
guise he would compass the ruin of his foes.
Bidding his warriors follow at a little space, he jour-
neyed alone to the outlaw's castle.
The Labours of Yamato 33
When he reached the gate the sentry, little deeming
that this beauteous damsel was a sturdy warrior,
with an evil smile permitted him to pass.
Yamato traversed an interminable gallery leading to
a lofty chamber where in solitary grandeur the noto-
rious bandit sat at meal. Sodden with sake, he leered
drunkenly upon Yamato, as, with a graceful obeisance,
the seeming dancing-maid addressed him: "Permit,
honourable Lord, that I pour thee a cup of sake."
Perceiving his queenly visitor, the bandit let fall
the pheasant which he was devouring and gaped upon
her in astonishment.
"How earnest thou hither, my sweet hussy?" he
thundered.
"The warriors of Yamato pursued me, gracious
Lord, and I seek thy honourable protection in this
thy castle."
"Of a surety," exclaimed the delighted bandit, "thou
shalt find all thou seekest. Come sit thou beside me,
for none other shall pour my wine so long as I
do live."
"That were too great honour," answered Yamato,
the whiles he said within himself: "Thou speakest more
truly than thou knowest, for when I have done with
thee thou shalt drink no more."
Whereupon Yamato poured sake for the bandit,
simulating the mincing steps of a dancing-maid and
casting upon him sly alluring glances.
34 Old Japan
Takeru became more and more enamoured of his
fair servitor, and, inflamed by his potations, clasped
the pretended maid in his arms.
Yamato wrestled with such unforeseen might that
Takeru, perceiving his supposed sweetheart to be no
fragile maiden, but a steel-sinewed warrior, howled with
affright, and releasing his grasp, stealthily whipped
forth a knife.
Yamato, nothing daunted, sprang beneath his up-
lifted arm, and grasping the wrist of Takeru bent it
backward until the bones snapped.
Letting fall the dirk Takeru groaned:
"Verily thou hast conquered; but tell me, I beseech
thee, by whose hand I die, for myself have I ever held
to be the most valiant of men."
"I am called by the name of my country," cried
Yamato, as he dealt the avenging death-stroke.
"Henceforth," gasped the bandit, "be thou known
as Yamato-take (Stout-hearted- Yamato) , for there be
none like thee in all the land ! " Thus speaking the ban-
dit gave up his evil soul.
Like flame borne by the whirlwind, Yamato swept
through the castle questing the imprisoned Princess.
"Tacibana!" he cried from deepest dungeon to the
topmost tower, "Tacibana, thou art free!"
At last he heard a faint wail, like the cry of a wounded
bird, and, bursting in the massive gate of a treasure-
chamber, discovered the unconscious Princess lying
The Labours of Yamato 35
prone upon the pavement, her hands bound behind
her back. In her agony of apprehension she had
loosed from her headdress a jewelled dagger which
she held between her teeth, ready to fall thereon at
the coming of Takeru.
Yamato severed her bonds with a swift sword-
stroke, crying, "Tacibana, it is I."
Then raising his hunting horn to his lips he sounded
the signal for the onset.
L Thereupon, after a turbulent encounter in the castle-
court, his doughty warriors overwhelmed with sore
disaster the astonished bandits, who, learning that
their chieftain had perished, soon lost heart and gave
themselves up, yielding subjection to this unknown
avenging amazon.
Placing his joyous Princess before him upon the
bandit's charger, and followed by a goodly cavalcade
freighted with rich loot from the castle treasuries,
Yamato rode in triumph to his palace at Kashiwa-
bara. *
In the evening, mid great rejoicing, were the wedding
cups of sake exchanged ; and though Yamato bestowed
many precious gifts upon his lovesome bride, none
gladdened her heart more than the gaily embroidered
robe, garbed in which he had delivered her from the
bandit Takeru.
1 Old Nara.
36 Old Japan
II
THE GROT OF LOVE
When 'neath the drowsy hill the Day doth fade,
And Eve with ebon wing doth earth enfold,
Then come to me and in my grot abide;
There will I cloak thee from the winter cold
Within warm-nestling arms, with thine enlaced.
Pillowed upon my breast more bright than gold,
Clasping the silken girdle of my waist,
Thou 'It lie beneath a coverlet of flowers,
And sleep and dream away the idle hours.
Then, if my passion thou wouldst deign to prove,
Come dwell with me within my grot of love.
KOJIKI.
Now it came to pass that, though his Princess was
ever an obedient and gentle wife, the fickle Yamato
soon wearied of her constant devotion. Since there
was no more fighting to be done in her behalf, Tacibana
seemed to him tedious and of little worth. Wherefore
sought he distraction in the zest of the chase, riding
far afield in quest of stag and boar and neglecting his
dutiful Princess, who grieved sorely but uttered no
word of plaint.
Yamato longed for his lost siren, the mysterious mer-
maid. One day he wandered on the isle of Enoshima,
led thither by strains of elfin music, floating from the
realms of air. On and on he followed the haunting
melody, seeming now to issue from the very bowels of
the earth.
The Labours of Yamato 37
Descending the jutting cliff to the ever-seething
vvaters he beheld a great grotto from whose hidden
depths glowed a wondrous emerald light. While he
pondered upon this, he heard again the eerie music and
saw a flitting of faint shadows as of strange celestial
damsels.
Plunging through the surges, Yamato swam to the
mouth of the cave. Here he paused as though he
would fain draw back, for often had he heard old
wives' tales how this grotto was a trap baited with
unearthly bliss, whence no mortal might e'er return.
Then he heard the heart-enthralling strains anew, and
a voice wondrous sweet calling his very name, and
he struck out manfully for the cavern.
His foot fell upon a seeming rock, which yielded
suddenly beneath his weight and a monstrous dragon,
snorting terribly, lumbered forth into the sea. Nothing
daunted Yamato entered the grotto, and, ever follow-
ing the strange emerald light through long and tor-
tuous galleries, came at last to a vast and lofty chamber.
Here burst upon his enraptured vision
So fair a scene,
That mortal eye might ween
It scann'd the very heavens' unknown delight.
For ne'er in those old vasty halls imperial
Bath'd in the moonbeams bright,
Or where the dragon soars on clouds ethereal,
Was aught like this to entrance the sight :
With golden sand and silvern pebbles white
38 Old Japan
Was strewn the floor;
And at the corners four,
Through gates inlaid
With diamonds and jade,
Pass'd throngs whose vestments were of radiant light. r
Upon a couch of coral bowered mid glittering sea-
blooms, reclined his lost siren, singing softly the whiles
she gently fingered a gold and amber lute.
"Mortal, behold Benten, Goddess of Deathless
Love," sang the mermaid. "Deign, most worshipful
stranger, to taste the pleasures of our watery realm."
Even as she spake her beauteous handmaidens
spread before the delighted youth a banquet of rare
and delicious dishes, such as he had never known.
Sweet ambrosial sake they poured into cups of frail-
stemmed sea-lilies. Heaps of gem-like fruits gleamed
on plates of opalescent anemones. Translucent shells
of pearl shed throughout the chamber a soft silvery
light, and entrancing strains pulsated from unseen
recesses, breathing of peace and love.
Yamato, kneeling spellbound at the throne of the
Goddess, implored: "Grant me thy love, sweet siren
else I shall surely die."
With eyes abased Benten fingered idly her gold and
amber lute. Strangely sweet the songs she sang, but
sweeter still the caresses she lavished upon the in-
fatuated youth.
1 From a "No Drama" translated by Dr. B. H. Chamberlain.
The Labours of Yamato 39
Suddenly she cast him from her: "To win my love
thou must dare death," she demanded imperiously.
"There is naught I would not venture, gentle God-
dess," he declared fervidly, "for the sake of life with
thee."
Benten smiled incredulously. "Sail to Horaizan,"
she commanded. "Gain the Golden Apple of Immor-
tal Youth; and thereafter shalt thou dwell with me
in unending love."
"I pray thee tell me of this land," besought Yamato.
"List," cried the siren; the whiles strumming her
golden lute she sang:
THE QUEST OF THE GOLDEN APPLE
In the long-forgotten ages of the heroes and the sages,
Far across the Yellow Ocean in the kingdom of Cathay,
Once there dwelt a cruel creature, mean of soul and cold
of feature,
Whom all worshipped as an idol, bowing neath his
despot sway.
Now Jofuku, court physician, sore lamented his position,
Ever fearing lest the morrow were his last remaining day,
So the leech one lovely morning to his master giveth warn-
ing
And salaams his august kingship and these words to him
doth say:
"Grant me but a junk, good Master, wherein I without
disaster
To the ' Isle of Life Eternal,' far beyond the sun, may sail ;
40 Old Japan
Then will I the Apple Golden for thee pluck, whereby thine
olden
Limbs shall leap with youth immortal, ever beautiful
and hale."
So the King, in jubilation, made but little altercation;
And Jofuku journeyed southward o'er the smiling,
sapphire sea.
Days and months and years together sailed he on through
wind and weather,
Till above the far horizon he beheld a Wonder-Tree!
Floating on the idle billow like a head upon a pillow,
Fast asleep upon the ocean dreaming midst the foam-
flowers white,
Loomed the Tree of Youth Immortal, of eternal life the
portal,
Growing out the misty marges of an Island of Delight.
Quoth Jofuku: "Yon fair island is no other isle than my
land,
Here shall I abide for ever eating of this Wonder-Tree!"
So forthwith the junk he stranded and upon the shore he
landed,
In a Forest of Enchantment floating on the sapphire sea.
And for fivescore years he dwelt there, nor the flight of
time he felt, where
Birth and Death and Age exist not lightly sped the
'tranced hours,
In a round of endless pleasure, rife with joyance beyond
measure,
Lived Jofuku in this paradise of ever-blooming flowers.
Till one day he longed to sally o'er the ocean's foam-flowered
valley
14 Days and months and years together
Sailed he on through wind and weather."
Till above the far horizon he beheld a Wonder-Tree ! "
From " Old-World Japan," by T. H. Robinson
Permission of Macmillan Co.
" Mounted on its snowy pinions swiftly soared across the foam "
From " Old-World Japan," by T. H. Robinson
Permission of Macmillan Co.
The Labours of Yamato 41
As he wistful watched the sea-fowl winging southward
through the sky;
Then he hailed a storklet siender and in accents sweet and
tender
Pleaded: "Pray kind bird transport me to my home ere
yet I die!"
And the stork forthwith consented and the leech, with joy
demented,
Mounted on its snowy pinions, swiftly soared across the
foam,
Bearing thence the Apple Golden safe within his arms
enf olden,
To his native land returning, never more again to
roam.
For the tyrant's life had ended and Jofuku now as-
cended,
Khan of Khans, enthroned for ever o'er the kingdom of
Cathay,
Far across the Yellow Ocean, worshipped with a blind
devotion,
Wields he o'er a myriad Tartars still the sceptre to this
day.
ENVOY
"Prince! if thou wouldst be my lover, that Enchanted
Isle discover,
Bring me back the Golden Apple, thy devotion thus to
prove !
Then in joyance beyond measure, in a round of ceaseless
pleasure,
Thou shalt dwell with me for ever in eternal youth and
love."
42 Old Japan
III
THE DEMON BOAR
Returning to Kashiwa-bara, Yamato demanded of
all his courtiers concerning the Island of Golden Apples,
but none had heard thereof.
Thereupon he wandered to the ports and harbours,
questioning ever the sailors and fishermen, nor had any
of these bold seafarers beheld the wondrous land.
A lethargy of despair fell upon him. He delighted
no longer in the sports of the field, neither in feasting
with his boon companions nor in biding at home with
his fair and lovesome wife.
Right joyously did Tacibana greet him after his
long absence, though ofttimes the tears welled to her
eyes as she beheld him gazing wistfully upon the sea.
"Why do you weep?" he asked impatiently; and
sweetly she answered: "For happiness, good my Lord.
"Like rain upon a parching flower
Thy presence is to me;
But grieving lone for many an hour
I withered without thee."
(FUJIWARA NO MOTOSHI.)
On a day came certain of the country folk to Yamato
plaining:
"Know, great Prince, that in the forest of Hakone
rageth a giant boar. None is there who dareth oppose
him, for he is possessed of a demon, even by Susa-no-wo,
The Labours of Yamato 43
who rideth upon him brandishing spear and sword,
scattering fiery arrows and carrying murrain and
pestilence throughout the land."
Then cried Yamato: "I will forthwith to Ise and
take counsel how I may vanquish this demon boar!"
Right gladly the high priestess welcomed Yamato.
"Eagerly have I awaited thy coming," she exclaimed.
"Fain would I tender thee the Sacred Sword, for with
no other weapon can this boar be slain. In his tail
alone is the monster vulnerable and he runneth more
swiftly than the wind."
Greatly marvelling, Yamato took the sword. "How
then, save in sleep, may I overtake him?" he pondered.
"Yet would I not slay him defenceless. Such easy
conquest delighteth not my heart."
With a band of hardy huntsmen Yamato set forth
to a forest at the foot of Fujiyama.
Startling to air myriads of winged creatures, out-
running swift-footed hares in tempestuous flight, cours-
ing hither and thither with nose to earth, the pack
pursued the scent, lustily giving tongue while the merry
cavalcade galloped furiously upon their heels.
Ever higher through dusky forest glades they climbed
to the bright-shining uplands. A scent of thyme floated
on the breeze; velvet heather lay like a carpet beneath
their feet. Towering like mighty castles one above
44 Old Japan
the other, peak overtopping peak in never ending flight,
mighty mountains loomed their time-scarred battle-
ments against the cloudless sky.
Up steep ravines and beetling cliffs they mounted to
a jagged crag, where, backed against a writhen cedar,
beset about by the clamorous hounds, roaring in wrath
at this invasion of his secret lair, stood at bay the
giant demon boar.
Valiantly the pack drove upon him, only to be
tossed instantly in air and to fall, tusked through the
entrails, in pools of gore. Whereat the bowmen let
fly a cloud of arrows, but their shafts rebounded like
hail from the boar's invulnerable hide.
Then Yamato, heedless of the warning of the high
priestess, set his spear in rest and urged his stallion
to the charge. An instant later the steed impaled
itself upon the terrible tusks and Yamato toppled
headlong to the ground.
Staggering dazedly to his feet he strove to raise
his steed, but the noble creature quivered in its death
agony, gazing helplessly upon its master with mute,
appealing eyes.
Of a sudden, bristling with baffled wrath, snorting
furiously, and gnashing his murderous tusks, the mon-
ster charged.
Hoping to spear him as he passed, Yamato sprang
behind the trunk of a tree. But the boar had halted,
and with cruel cunning bided his time.
" A giant boar possessed of a demon, Susa-no-wo,
" Who rideth upon him brandishing spear and sword scattering fiery arrows
and carrying murrain and pestilence throughout the land"
(Hokusai)
" Yamato bestrode the Boar and grasping the tail severed it from the
spine"
(Hokusai)
The Labours of Yamato 45
Thereupon our hero found himself in sorry straits.
On the one hand yawned a black abyss, on the
other stood a threatening monster. To leap into
the chasm or to dare the demon were alike certain
death. But Yamato, undaunted, drew the Sacred
Sword, and with an agile bound springing clean over
the boar's head, he bestrode the astonished creature
and, grasping his tail, severed it suddenly from the
spine.
Blind with pain the demon plunged over the
precipice, and was dashed into a thousand fragments
upon the rocks below; while Yamato, sliding dex-
terously from its back, remained in safety upon the
brink.
IV
THE GRASS-CLEAVING SWORD
Then came Yamato and his valiant warriors to the
pine-clad shore of Suruga. Having pacified the unsub-
missive savages of the mountains and rivers, they
journeyed until they came to the wide-spreading plains
of Sagami.
Here the chieftains welcomed Yamato with feigned
hospitality, inviting his warriors to a deer-hunt upon
the moor.
Little deeming the treachery in store for them, they
set forth eagerly on the chase. All day long they
46 Old Japan
stalked the stag through the wide-spreading moorlands,
and at eve bivouacked upon the dry and grassy plain.
"At the hour when rivers are most clamorous,"
Yamato was awakened by a strange, unwonted sound,
a crackling as of goblin laughter and a swishing as of
ghostly shrouds.
"Surely," he said within himself, rubbing his
smarting eyelids, "'tis but a dream, an evil-boding
dream."
But the crackling swiftly increased, till it became
a mighty roar. An unwonted light glowed in the
heavens and the stars were shrouded by a cloud of
lurid smoke writhing ever upward like a serpent of
living fire.
Springing to his feet, Yamato saw that the entire
moor (before him, on either hand, and behind) was a
sea of leaping flames! Shouting to his comrades, he
strove vainly to discern an opening in the impenetrable
barrier of fire.
Meantime another and greater peril fell upon them.
Thousands of deer, terror-stricken before the approach-
ing flames, rushed frantically to and fro, trampling
and goring horses and huntsmen in blind insensate
flight.
Wrenching themselves free of their tethers, the fright-
ened horses galloped screaming through the camp. In
mad stampede they coursed round and round, within
the ever-narrowing wall of flames, surging onward
The Labours of Yamato 47
with their long streaming manes, like foaming billows
breaking over rocks.
Thereupon, rather than to meet death beneath
those cruel hoofs, Yamato bade his archers shoot down
the maddened steeds.
But the fire waxed more and more furious, hemming
them within an ever-narrowing circle, till all hope died
within the hearts of the prisoned men.
Of a sudden amid the fiery smoke wreaths, Yamato
beheld a spectre which wavered upon the sea of flames.
Ever nearer it came till he perceived a maiden in fiery
garments running through the burning grass. As she
ran she tore off her flaming vestments, till, her long
hair singed, her fair body pitifully scorched, Tacibana
fell trembling at his feet.
She uttered no cry of pain, but joyously bespake
him:
"Behold this fire-drill, Beloved! By its aid thou
mayst find safety."
Then Yamato mowed down a circle of grass with
the Sacred Sword, and, taking the drill, kindled back-
fire; thus making an isle of safety in the ocean of
flame. Whereupon the wind, turned the fire upon the
treacherous savages, consuming them utterly.
Thus did my hero and his warriors make good their
escape, by virtue of the "Sacred Grass-Cleaving
Sword," yet, methinks, more justly by the brave devo-
tion of the Princess Tacibana.
48 Old Japan
V
THE SACRED SWORD
Benten
'Neath jutting cliffs, upon relentless sands
Where thund'rous surges ever seethe and boil,
And writhen trees, sprung from the barren soil,
Outstretch to heaven gaunt, supplicating hands,
There hides a grotto on the island strands
With winding chambers, worn by ocean's toil,
Lighted by taper-flare of fragrant oil,
In whose umbrageous depths an idol stands.
Bestride a dragon belching fiery breath
In wreathed incense on the humid air,
Benten immortal, shrined mid wind and rain,
Goddess of Love, lurks in her loathly lair,
Lady of sorrow and eternal pain,
Sleek serpent-goddess with the kiss of death.
Riding homeward Yamato and his Princess took
their way along the shore, the fateful isle of Enoshima
glimmering dimly through distant mists.
Again rang the siren's song in the ears of Yamato
and his former madness fell over him.
"Ride home," he commanded Tacibana; "hide thy
' visage until thy flame-singed tresses have grown anew,
and thy scorched skin hath regained its satin lustre,
for verily thou art hideous in my sight."
A teardrop glistened in the eyes of the devoted
Princess, as she meekly did her husband's bidding,
The Labours of Yamato 49
singing to her sad heart the whiles a song of Hope, on
this wise:
If 'tis for long this love will last"
I neither know nor care.
One morn I'll hold him tangled fast,
Within my lustrous hair. *
Yamato plunged through the foam-flowered surges
and swam to the emerald grotto of Benten.
Treading upon the threshold, his foot sank in the
folds of a noisome dragon; but he slashed it with the
Sacred Sword, and, bellowing with pain, the monster
glided away.
Hearing the uproar Benten cried in alarm:
"Vain, presumptuous youth, anger not my faithful
guardian, else will he slay thee!"
"Nay," replied Yamato, sheathing the blade, "this
is the Sacred Sword, against which neither beast nor
man, nor e'en the immortal gods may prevail."
Then was the siren glad, for the dragon who guarded
her cave was none other than her father, the evil god,
Susa-no-wo, who having striven in vain to possess
himself of the sword by force, had bidden his daughter
lure it from Yamato through guile and treachery.
When Yamato lamented that he had not gained the
Golden Apple the siren reproached him but lightly;
and summoning her beauteous handmaidens, spread
1 After Lady Horikawa.
4
50 Old Japan
before him a sumptuous banquet, mingling in his sake
a sleep-compelling potion, the whiles she discoursed
drowsy lullabies upon her golden lute.
Heavily slumbered Yamato, but awaking ere dawn,
he groped for the form of Benten and discerning her
not, called:
"Where art thou, Beloved?" But none gave
answer.
Then a peal of mocking laughter rang out, and,
springing from his couch, Yamato perceived by the
silvery morning twilight that he was indeed alone.
Though he searched through every cranny of the
cavern he found not the siren, when suddenly, to his
great dismay, he realized that the Sacred Sword had
also disappeared.
Swiftly swam he to the shore and distraught wan-
dered for hours through the forest bewailing his folly
and the treachery of woman.
While treading through the crimson leaves
Far up the mountainside,
I hear the stag's faint plaintive call
Upon the autumn tide,
Sad as the wind-blown leaves that fall
Swift scattered far and wide.
SAMNARU.
Fain would he have returned to his faithful Princess
but in the labyrinthine forest he lost the trail. The
white cone of Fujiyama loomed ghostlike through the
The Labours of Yamato 51
distant mists, and thither, weary and sorrowful, he bent
his lonely way, beseeching Kwannon, the Merciful, to
aid him in his sore distress.
The Vision of Yamato
Then to his mazed eyes appeared a star,
Shaming the summer moon's ethereal light.
Above the crest of Fujiyama, far,
Shimmered a vision Paradisal bright!
Gleaming mid fleecy cloud, a damsel fair,
Robed in vague vestments of translucent white,
Showering bright blossoms on the azure air,
Hovered upon the ebon sea of Night!
Yamato fell upon his knees and prayed,
Scarce drawing breath, so utter his dismay.
Beseemed she was no merely mortal maid,
This queen celestial gleaming like the day.
"0 Goddess," thus he spake, "whoe'er thou art,
Throned in the highest heaven o'er gods and men,
Strengthen mine arm, embolden thou mine heart,
That I may gain the Sacred Sword again."
Then him the angel answered: "Lo
Yamato-take, heaven-descended lord,
Fear not, nor rend thine heart with utter woe,
Deliverance I bring. The Sacred Sword
Thou soon shalt find hard by a mountain mere,
Upon the antlers of a Magic Deer!
Haste then the stag to slay, ere it shall bear
The precious blade to Susano for e'er."
52 Old Japan
Thus spake the Goddess; then upon the night,
Mid dulcet strains of lute and psaltery,
Like fleeting dew before morn's radiant light,
Melted to mist and vanished utterly!
KOYOSHI.
Then Yamato knew that the damsel he beheld in
the vision was none other than the celestial Kwannon,
Goddess of Mercy and Love, and obedient to her
command scoured moor and mountain in quest of
the magic stag.
"Had I but my trusty javelin," he spake within
himself; "but naked-handed and weaponless how may
I slay the demon deer? Nathless will I strive mine
utmost."
Of a sudden before his amazed eyes there shot up
from the earth a mighty bamboo-stalk, tall and slender
but exceeding strong. Yamato clove the shaft and,
binding therein a pointed flint, fashioned a goodly
lance.
Scarce had he finished when there sounded across
the forest a far-off trumpet-peal, the belling of a
mighty stag!
11 for my hounds!" cried Yamato, despairingly.
"Gentle Kwannon, dost thou mock my helplessness?
Would that I had the scent of a dog, whereby to track
this stag, or four fleet legs wherewith to match its
flight."
Yamato cast himself upon the earth in despair, and,
" Gleaming mid fleecy cloud, a damsel fair'
" Robed in vague vestments of translucent white
Hovered upon the ebon sea of night"
(Sozu Eshin)
Permission of Armand Dayot
" But still the cruel fisher shook his head "
" Dance first and I thy wings will straight restore "
Prom "Old- World Japan," by T. H. Robinson
Permission of Macmillan Co.
The Labours of Yamato 53
lying thus, he discerned, approaching ever nearer
through the silent forest, a faint pattering as of softly
padded feet.
Sudden there darted across the moonlit glade a gaunt
shadow, like that of a great, shaggy dog. It leaped
lightly over his body, then was lost in the wild-wood.
Yamato wondered: "Can it be that some other
huntsman is on the scent of the stag?"
Another and another shadow slipped stealthily by.
Crouching behind a tree Yamato gave them free
way, as in serried ranks, a pack of famished wolves
trotted by, the slaver dripping from their long, lolling
tongues. After them bounded Yamato, crying : ' ' Kwan-
non hath lent me her hounds."
Through marsh and wilderness, out of the ferny
forest, up lava-encrusted slopes, he climbed to a point
of vantage, whence all the countryside could be dis-
cerned.
Beneath him in a meadow, on the marge of a placid
lake, browsed a great white deer; and behold! as in the
palace of a daimio his precious blade lies on the carven
rack, thus amid its wide-spreading antlers rested the
Sacred Sword!
Suddenly the stag sniffed the air, stamped the earth,
and bellowing lustily, bounded toward the lake. Little
by little the wolves gained upon him and their leader,
springing at his throat, was instantly transfixed by
his ten-forked antlers.
54 Old Japan
Into the waters leaped the Magic Stag, and the pack,
balked of their longed-for prey, slunk, crestfallen and
silent, back into the forest.
Above the glittering wake Yamato discerned the
Sacred Sword, still resting upon the antlers and, hurling
his lance, plunged into the lake.
Swimming with might and main he gradually gained
upon the struggling stag, when the reddening tide told
him that his spear had gone straight to the mark.
Seizing the Sword, Yamato plunged it clean to the
hilt in the heart of the Stag.
Bellowing lustily, down through unfathomable depths
sank the dying demon, and Yamato, the Sacred Sword
between his teeth, swam joyously to shore.
VI
THE DRAGON
Exulting in his victory Yamato descended the forest-
clad slopes of Fujiyama.
Joyous at having regained the Sacred Sword, his
heart leaped with a greater happiness. At last he
realized that not for love of him but to gain the Sacred
Sword had Benten woven her guileful web; and his
heart yearned for the faithful Tacibana. But first,
he told himself, he must visit the sorceress to charge
her with treachery and theft.
The Labours of Yamato 55
He hastened to their trysting place, and, gazing into
the jade-green water, presently perceived the glitter
of her golden scales.
Yamato plunged headlong in pursuit of the fleeing
siren and the dark wave closed above him.
As a stone cast into a bottomless well sank Yamato,
and ever, as he descended, the sea crooned in his ears
a sweet yet sorrowful slumber-song bodeful of love
and death. Then was he mindful of returning earth-
ward, but of a sudden he felt himself enveloped by
the folds of a loathly serpent, and a chill struck to his
very heart.
The song of the sea became louder and more articu-
late till he recognized the voice of Benten :
"I hold thee for ever," sang the siren. "Thrice
have I held thee, and thrice hast thou eluded my
grasp. Henceforth none may wrest thee from me, save
a goddess whom thou shalt acclaim more beautiful,
whose love is even greater than mine own."
Then dim and far, above the endless leagues of
jade-green water, Yamato was ware of the Prin-
cess Tacibana gently murmuring his name. Through
the infinite depths he beheld her lovesome face
smiling to him from out the dusky cloud-rifts of her
hair.
Then knew Yamato that "the goddess more beautiful
than Benten whose love was greater than her own,"
was none other than his faithful Tacibana.
56 Old Japan
Downward, like the tendrils of some miraculous vine,
grew the dusky tresses of Tacibana. They enveloped
Yamato in a fragrant cloud and enlaced him in the
meshes of a silken net. Like strong encircling arms
they upbore him, through endless leagues of water,
to the sea-swept isle of Enoshima.
Tacibana, pitiful and wan, gazed anxiously upon
him. Her warm white hands clasped his in fond
solicitude.
He strove to speak, but a great weariness over-
came him and he fell upon the breast of his faithful
Princess.
When Yamato came to himself Tacibana had van-
ished, whither he knew not.
"She hath gone for help and will presently come
again," he said within himself; but hours passed and
she did not return.
Distraught by vague forebodings Yamato turned his
steps toward Kashiwa-bara.
He found the city in a state of utter panic.
Their household chattels piled upon bullock-carts,
or borne upon their bended backs, the terror-stricken
natives were rushing hither and thither as though sur-
prised by a sudden conflagration .
Demanding the cause of their alarm Yamato was
informed that a terrific dragon had descended upon
the land, slaying cattle, devastating rice-fields, and
overwhelming the people with pestilence and death.
The Labours of Yamato 57
When last descried the monster was entering the
royal palace, whence lamentable cries had issued telling
the fate of its inhabitants.
Yamato hastened thither. All was silent and de-
serted. From cellar to turret he rushed, calling fran-
tically upon Tacibana, only to find a mass of mangled
and lifeless bodies. He searched gardens and outbuild-
ings, following trails of blood, but nowhere could he
discern trace of his lost Princess.
Of a sudden he heard a sound as of a priestess chant-
ing, and mounting a Pagoda found Tacibana clad in
white vestments waving a wand, and chanting the
norito. *
Suddenly her voice was whelmed in a terrific up-
roar. The Thunder God Raiden beat furiously upon
his drums ; great leaden clouds shut out the sky. Futen,
the Wind God, unloosed his tempests; while with a
flash of forked lightning, from a rent in the midnight
sky, hurtled Susa-no-wo, Dragon of the Sea.
His head was like a camel, his horns were like a
stag, and his eyes were glowing coals of fire. Scaled
like a crocodile, he brandished a tiger's paws, armed
with the talons of an eagle.
Belching forth the steam of a score of geysers and
rearing itself upon its terrible tail, the dragon charged
at Yamato.
1 An ancient exorcism to protect the faithful from serpents, sprites,
and goblins.
58 Old Japan
Dexterously evading the onslaught, he thrust, lunged,
and slashed, burying his blade in the dragon's belly,
but in vain, at every stroke he was enwrapped more
closely in the great constricting coils.
Thus the battle raged, the reptile answering each
stroke with an ever-tightening grip, until it seemed
that the hero's strength would fail.
But Yamato, gathering himself in one supreme effort,
thrust his sword to the hilt in the dragon's throat.
With lightning-like convolutions the monster strove
to wrest the blade from the hand of his antagonist,
then with a thunderous battering of wings soared in
air. Writhing in its death-throes it hovered a moment,
then fell crashing to earth.
Yamato heard afar the voice of Tacibana chanting:
"Henceforth shall all evil and calamity through
writhing reptiles for ever disappear, as the wind of
morning blows away night's chill-enfolding mist.
As ships sailing from the harbour so shall these evil
spirits be borne to the Sea Plain, then swept through
the Whirlpool Gate to Yomi, that the earth be rid of
them for ever."
Yamato lifted his weary lids to behold the wondrous
smile of Tacibana .
"My divine Lord," she murmured, "thouhast de-
livered me for ever from Susa-no-wo."
"Henceforth, my Beloved," replied Yamato, "naught
may part us. No longer shall our arch-enemy defile
The Labours of Yamato 59
the land. Hereafter hath he power alone over the sea."
Full long and joyously lived Yamato with his ever-
loving wife.
One day, in the month of the watery moon, he fared
forth upon a foray against the tempestuous Ainos.
Loth to hazard the toilsome mountain passes, he
chose rather to embark his army upon the sea.
Princess Tacibana, in sore distress that her lord was
in no mind to renounce this venture, implored to be
permitted to accompany him.
Laughing away her fears, Yamato consented:
"'Tis my last fight," he declared. "Henceforth
will we spend our days in never-ending peace."
When they had journeyed to the wave-washed shores
of Idzu, Yamato exclaimed exultingly:
"Why should I fear to encounter Susa-no-wo upon
the sea, since I have already conquered him on land?"
Whereupon the Sea God, angered at the defiant
words of Yamato, raised a mighty tempest. The rains
descended and the winds blew and beat upon the
ship. Thunderbolts crashed about them and lightning
blinded their eyes. Great billows swept the decks,
sails were rent in ribbons, and masts were split in
twain.
Out of the depths he heard a siren singing:
"Reckless Yamato, thou hast adventured upon my
ever-verdant Sea Plain and defied my father, the God of
60 Old Japan
Ocean. Therefore shalt thou perish, else another vic-
tim be granted me. "
In the seething emerald waters Tacibana beheld a
mermaid stretching out moon-blanched arms.
Forgetting his former infidelity she resolved to sacri-
fice herself in the place of her beloved lord.
"Take me, Benten, to thy watery kingdom, " cried the
Princess, then plunged into the foam-flowered waves.
Of a sudden the tempest abated, the sea was calmed,
and a snow-white heron soared upward to the sun.
"With thee let me live or perish!" cried Yamato,
leaping into the jade-green sea.
Long he battled beneath the wave, groping through
the depths for his faithful Princess. At last he rose bear-
ing in his arms a white and lifeless burden. The snow-
white spirit of Tacibana had soared to the Eternal Land.
"Alas, my beloved wife!" sobbed Yamato, "may the
foam-flowers bloom for ever on thy grave!" 1
The Autumn flames with ruddy, golden light
The verdant leaves, ere sere and dead they flee,
But ever pure and fair, like blossoms white,
The foam-flowers bloom upon the deathless sea.
YASUHIDE.
BEREAVEMENT
Her face displayed the flush of autumn day,
Lissome her form as stem of frail bamboo,
1 From the lament of Yamato, the eastern province 'of Japan is
still known as Azuma, "Alas! My beloved wife."
The Labours of Yamato 61
Unfathomable her eyes as ocean blue.
For her we hoped a life as long and gay
And flowery-full as the sweet month of May,
Not evanescent like the morning dew,
Or eve's light veil that vanisheth anew
With morrow's wind, blown whither none may say.
If we, who glimpsed but momently her charm,
So moved are, how must he be forlorn
Who pillowed once his head on her white arm,
Now desolate indeed as lone he lies,
Sundered so swiftly from her loving eyes,
Like fleeting mists of eve and dew of morn !
HlTAMARO.
CHAPTER III
MYTHS OF THE FLOWERY ISLES
I
THE FAERY ROBE
"Tis dawn on lone Suruga's pine-clad land
And, save the lap of wavelets on the strand,
All silence is, and, redolent of spring,
The pendant branches 'neath the zephyrs sway,
And cloud of fragrant bloom endues the day
With weft of snowy flakes on filmy wing.
(A lone fisherman speaks:)
"But hark! methought I heard a far-off roar
Of rushing waters, midst the wailing pine.
Ethereal strains of melodies divine
Float to mine ear along the foam-fringed shore.
"But nay! no tempest frets the slumbrous seas,
Nor mars the cradle-song the waters sing.
'Tis but the gentle voice of Mother Spring
That softly croons within the vibrant trees. "
Then from the crest of Fujiyama grand,
Fluttered to earth a cloudlet fleecy-fair,
62
Myths of the Flowery Isles 63
Hovered a moment o'er the pine-clad strand,
Then melted in the silent azure air.
'Tired in a stainless robe of feathers white,
A fairy stood beside the smiling sea,
Touching a dulcimer with fingers light,
The while she chanted most enchantingly.
Then laughingly laid down her idle lute,
Hung her bright robe upon a branch of pine,
And, while the fisher gazed with wonder mute,
Plunged like a mermaid in the silvery brine.
The fisher spied the robe upon the tree,
Light as the plumes of some celestial dove.
"A garment of the gods!" he laughed in glee,
"Twill bring me fortune, happiness and love."
Then from the ocean swift the fairy came
And thus the fisher-lad she did implore :
"Pray, give me back my robe of winged flame,
Or ne'er again may I to cloudland soar. "
Whereat the crafty fisher made reply:
"Nay, that I will not, else, before you fly,
You trip for me upon the grassy ground
The dance that makes the very Moon go round. "
"First give me back my robe, and I will tread
That mystic measure of the days of yore. "
But still the -cruel fisher shook his head,
" Dance first and I thy wings will straight restore.
64 Old Japan
"Fie on thee, evil man!" exclaimed the fay,
"To doubt the promise of a heavenly sprite.
I cannot dance reft of my plumage bright.
Dear Fisher, give it back to me I pray!"
Then, moved by pity, love, and sudden shame,
The fisher plucked the plumage from the tree,
And gave unto the maid her robe of flame
"Now take thy pinions, Fairy, and be free!"
And now the fairy dons her rainbow wings;
Touching again her lute with fingers light,
A merry madrigal she blithely sings
And trips a measure frolicsome and bright.
The fair celestial dance that moved to mirth
The myriad gods by sweet Uzume's wile,
And lured their glorious goddess back to earth,
Fore'er to greet us with her wondrous smile.
The fisher gazed with love-entranced eyes,
Ravished with untold wonder and delight.
Beseemed a blossom born of Paradise
Was this frail fay, too fair for mortal sight.
Waving her rainbow raiment to the breeze,
She skims the surface of the slumbrous seas,
Then flutters from the mazd fisher's sight
Into the realms of air, with laughter light.
On pinions swift she circles, swoops, and veers,
Cloud-soaring to the sun, till suddenly,
O'er Fujiyama's crest, she disappears,
Whence erst she came into the azure sky.
Emperor Chiuai reclined in his summer pavilion, gazing over the
jade-green sea"
(Hokusai)
Benten, the Dragon's Daughter
(Hokusai)
Myths of the Flowery Isles 65
Again on lone Suruga's pine-clad land
All silence is, upon the slumbrous seas,
Save lap of wavelets on the silver strand
And moan of voices in the vibrant trees.
(Ancient "No Drama.")
66 Old Japan
II
THE JEWEL OF HEART'S DESIRE
I. The Land of Morning Calm
Emperor Chiuai reclined in his summer pavilion,
gazing over the jade-green sea.
His slender fingers drew from a silver lute strains of
heart-rending melody. In all the world he knew but
two delights, the art of music and his high-hearted
bride.
The Empress was an adept in manly sports, a fearless
Amazon, a hardy huntress, and the clash of arms was
as music in her ears.
Roundly she rated her spiritless spouse :
"Art thou indeed the son of valiant Yamato?" she
scoffed contemptuously.
"Verily," rejoined the Emperor placidly, "for that
my father hath subdued the country there remaineth
for me naught but my queen, my kingdom, and my
lute."
The brow of the Empress clouded :
"Unworthy son of a glorious sire, I would have thee
bear the sword of Yamato beyond the sea. In a dream
the Sun Goddess came to me, saying : ' Westward lieth
the Land of Morning Calm wherein is hidden the
Crystal of Heart's Desire; that jewel I now bestow
upon thee.'"
Myths of the Flowery Isles 67
"Put not thy trust in dreams, " admonished the Em-
peror, pointing toward the sea. "Look! Seest thou
aught save the great water? Even those who ascend
to the mountain-tops discern no more. Think not to
wield the sword, but content thyself with the distaff
and needle. There is no land beyond the Western
Sea!"
Of a sudden a blinding light flooded the chamber and,
with a rustling of wings, Amaterasu descended, terrible
in her anger.
"Faithless craven!" she flashed, "for that thou
doubtest my celestial prophecy thy Queen shall sub-
due this land, and thou shalt die!"
The Emperor went white; his eyeballs rolled in
their sockets.
"My Heavenly Sovereign," besought the Empress,
"in pity look upon thy wife!"
Lifting his trembling fingers she placed them upon
the lute.
"August Lord," she pleaded, "be pleased to wake
again thy silvery strains. "
"Let us set sail, set sail to the Land of Morning
Calm, " he sang softly.
Slowly his lips froze to immobility. The lute fell
from his nerveless fingers, the music lingering still upon
the vibrant strings.
Seizing a taper from the shrine, the Empress trem-
blingly held it before His lips. But the flame did not
68 Old Japan
flicker. The gentle monarch had passed to the Land
of Morning Calm.
Now it was the custom in Yamato that no woman
might rule save in the name of her consort. Therefore
the Prime Minister, Takeuchi, adroitly concealed the
death of his sovereign, asserting that he had delegated
to the Empress the command of the expedition to the
Western Land.
To this end he assembled munitions and builded a
goodly fleet.
Empress Jingu, erstwhile so belligerent, timorously
besought an omen of the gods:
"My departed lord was pleased to commend to me
the distaff and needle. Vouchsafe a sign, gracious Sun
Goddess. Grant that with a fragile thread I may
draw to land a great fish. "
Ravelling from her obi a silken thread and bending
her needle into a hook, she baited it with a cherry bloom
and cast it into the sea. Scarce had the blossom sunk
when the waters boiled in sudden fury and, with terrific
lashing of its mighty tail, she drew to land a monstrous
shark. Wherefore the spot is called to this day Mat-
sura, the Wonderful.
Again the doubting Empress implored:
"Wide-shining Amaterasu, goddess of Ever-Glorious-
Light! if I am destined to subdue the Land of Morn-
ing Calm vouchsafe, I pray, another omen. By thy
Myths of the Flowery Isles 69
miraculous might, arm thou my body for this enter-
prise."
Thus beseeching she plunged into the deep. Slowly
the fateful moments lagged while the throng waited
with bated breath.
Meanwhile, beneath the billows, unseen tire-maidens
ministered unto the mazed woman. Uncoiling her
jewelled headdress, they knotted her hair in manly
guise. On her head they placed a dragon-crested hel-
met and upon her bosom a breastplate of golden-lac-
quered steel ; in her hand a spear of eight arms length,
and girded round her waist, the Sacred Sword.
A mighty shout greeted the Empress as she emerged
from the sea transformed into a gleaming warrior.
"Sons of Yamato, " she cried triumphantly, "behold
the sign! The Sun Goddess hath armed me for
victory!"
Whereat their hearts were filled with joy and, gather-
ing the fleet, they embarked upon the unknown ad-
venture.
Escorting them upon their way all manner of sea-
monsters issued from the depths. Tritons blew favour-
able winds, mermaids pushed the sterns, and sea-dragons
seized the cables, flying onward until the prows leaped
through the foam-flowered waves.
Sailing by the pavilion of the Emperor, they heard
his voice still singing :
"Sail on Beloved, to the Land of Morning Calm!"
70 Old Japan
After days of fruitless questing at last they sighted
land. Lofty mountains and emerald plains loomed
through the sapphire haze. Rounding a rugged prom-
ontory they entered a tranquil bay, in whose shelter
nestled a white- walled city; but a massive chain was
stretched across its goodly harbour, forbidding entrance.
Standing at the prow of the foremost galley, the Em-
press held aloft the Tide-flowing Jewel of Prince Fire-
Fade.
Suddenly the waters gathered in a mighty tidal-wave
which swept over the flooded city and bore the fleet to
the very temple gate.
Deeming this prodigy the fulfilment of an ancient
prophecy, 1 the panic-stricken King came forth waving a
white banner and knelt before the Empress in token of
subjection.
Far into the interior, inundating plains, villages, and
cities, swept the tidal wave.
Believing that their country was being swallowed by
the ocean, the Koreans swore:
"Until pines of the mountains descend in long pro-
cession, and stars of heaven rain upon the sea, so long
shall we remain thy loyal subjects." 2
1 Of old an oracle had foretold: "When ships shall walk upon the
dry land and a woman lead an army into the temple then shall
Korea fall."
a This prophecy was recalled during the Russo-Japanese war, when the
Russians set up in the valley of the Yalu telegraph poles, cut from
mountain pines, and their rockets showered the sea with falling stars.
Myths of the Flowery Isles 71
2. The Quest of the Jewel
In token of their submission the Koreans presented
the Empress with the Jewel of Heart's Desire, a won-
drous crystal ball flawless in contour and of such
exquisite limpidity that its presence could be discerned
by touch alone.
In time of peril it emitted fires like the lightning bolt;
in peace a radiance as the moon, conferring upon its
possessor his heart's desire.
The Empress entrusted the crystal to Takeuchi, who
hung it at the masthead, that its kindly rays might
guide the helmsman on their homeward course.
Scarce had the army set forth upon its voyage
when the jewel flashed its warning flame, as Futen, the
Wind God, unloosed a great typhoon and darkness cov-
ered the face of the deep.
Now Benten, the dragon's daughter, longed with
keen desire to possess the crystal ball. Mounting to
the masthead, she tore the jewel from its fastenings
and bore it to the depths of the sea.
Terrible was the wrath of the Empress at the loss of
the precious treasure. Angrily she commanded that
the Prime Minister be denied audience until he should
restore the lost talisman.
The journey ended, ruined and disgraced, Takeuchi
retired from court. Resolved on self-destruction, he
climbed one night to the summit of a cliff.
72 Old Japan
A fisher-maid, the gentle Tamatori, followed him un-
seen as he wandered thus, deeming himself alone. Long
and silently had she loved the great minister, locking
the secret in her woeful heart for well she knew that
only a princess might hope to wed the famous daimio.
Marking his distraught mien, her loving heart boded
his fatal purpose :
"Stay, my Lord," she screamed as he ungirded his
swords, "relinquish thy resolve, I beseech thee."
In vain he strove to unlock her clinging arms. "Let
me die," he commanded, "I am disgraced." Then he
told her of the lost crystal and the wrath of the Empress.
"Behold!" she cried, "yonder gleams a wondrous
light. Can it be that some great star hath fallen into
the sea?"
Thunderstruck Takeuchi gazed into the darkling
water.
In its unfathomable depths loomed a coral pagoda
of an hundred stories, and, upon its topmost pinnacle,
like a lustrous star, glittered the Jewel of Heart's
Desire!
" 'Tis the palace of Benten" he exclaimed wonderingly.
"Be of good cheer, " laughed the fisher-maid. " Like
a fish can I dive; wait thou here. I shall attain my
heart's desire for I shall give thee thine!"
Girding on his swords she leaped into the sea. Down
through the emerald water she plunged, until she reached
the spire where gleamed the wonder-jewel
73
Strange, loathly fish leered at her with great round
eyes, as she seized the magic crystal.
Then suddenly the waters were lashed into furious
commotion and the vile sea-dragon crawled from his
hidden lair. On every side sea-monsters hurried to his
call: sharks opened their terrible jaws, swordfish
darted at her, cuttlefish blinded her eyes with their
inky spittle, and devilfish entangled her limbs with
clinging tentacles; while the dragon stood apart and
smiled upon her with his evil smile.
Then Tamatori feared that her hour had come.
Knowing that a dragon will not touch a corpse, she
plunged her sword into her bosom and thrust the jewel
within the gaping wound.
Impotent with wrath the foiled monster slunk slowly
away and the waters were calmed.
Long and anxiously had Takeuchi waited; and bitter
was his remorse when the lifeless form of the maiden
drifted to his feet. Her cold hands, crossed upon her
breast, still guarded the coveted treasure, and the smile
upon her pallid face was wondrous to behold.
Takeuchi caused her to be placed upon a lordly cata-
falque and conveyed with all honour to the capital.
The fame of her noble deed outran the cortege.
From every village came maidens bearing garlands;
from the temples priests with incense, from the citadel
samurai with drums and dirges, even as they would
have honoured a general after a great victory.
74 Old Japan
As they passed through the city gates crowds swarmed
about her in wonder. From the palace floated mystic
strains of the Emperor's lute.
The Empress knelt at the fisher-maiden's bier.
Reverently she placed within the maiden's lifeless hand
a patent of nobility, creating her, all too late, Princess
of Heart's Desire.
Overjoyed at the recovery of the crystal she elevated
to the regency her devoted minister.
If it is true, as some contend, that they were secretly
wedded, the ancient chronicles are discreetly silent as to
this episode in the career of their militant Empress.
Ill
URASHIMA
On a dreamy day in springtime I sailed forth to Suminoye,
O'er the hills of jade-green water to the strand of beaten
gold;
And as there I lingered, musing on its ancient vanished
glory,
I bethought me of the story by the hearthstone often
told,
How the fisher Urashima, the bonito ever questing,
O'er the hills of jade-green water past the bounds of sea
did roam,
And for seven long suns together, oaring onward, never
resting,
Came not back to Suminoye, nor returned unto his home.
Myths of the Flowery Isles 75
After long and fruitless questing, Urashima, melancholy,
Drew, from out the jade-green water, a great tortoise
suddenly !
But the tortoise is a symbol of long life, you know, and
holy,
So he spared the sacred creature and returned it to the sea.
Fanned by zephyrs, lulled by wavelets, Urashima fell
a-dreaming,
When to him there came a vision of a maid surpassing fair,
Came the daughter of the dragon, on his face her radiance
beaming,
With the glory of the sunset in the halo of her hair.
" Urashima, Urashima, " whispered low the dragon's daugh-
ter,
"For that thou didst spare the tortoise, little deeming it
was I,
Come thou with me to my castle down beneath the jade-
green water,
With thy flower-wife, Otohime, e'er to live and ne'er to
die!"
Then in joy laughed Urashima and his heart leapt with
elation,
For ne'er before had he beheld a maid so wondrous fair;
And right willingly he yielded to her winsome invitation,
So the daughter of the dragon led him to her elfin lair,
To the palace of the dragon, where the nixies guard his
treasures,
In the land of ceaseless sunshine down beneath the jade-
green sea,
Where they dwelt for generations in a round of endless
pleasures,
Never ageing, never dying, ever young and ever free.
76 Old Japan
And he might have dwelt for ever, with his flower-wife
enamoured,
Had not longing stirred within him home and kin once
more to see.
"I would fain go to my father, to my mother," thus he
stammered,
"After one fond look upon them, I will come again to
thee."
Thus he spake, and, sorely troubled, Otohime answered sadly,
" If unto the Land Immortal to return thou e'er wouldst
hope,
Here again to live forever, I thy wish do grant thee gladly.
Take this talismanic casket, but beware its lid to ope!"
Strongly did che thus enjoin him, loudly swore he to obey,
And at dawn they fondly parted and he journeyed on his
way;
On his way to Suminoye, oared he on the ocean old
O'er the hills of jade-green water to the strand of beaten gold.
But when once he reached the harbour where his home was
wont to be,
Naught he saw of Suminoye, not a hut did he behold;
Though he sought from dawn to sunset not a vestige could
he see,
Naught but hills of jade-green water and the strand of
beaten gold!
Then his heart was rife with wonder and in anguish he did
wail:
"In the space of three short summers since I left my
village here,
Can it utterly have vanished, leaving naught to tell the
tale?
Were I now to ope the casket, would it not again appear ? "
Myths of the Flowery Isles 77
And forgetting, reckless fellow, every caution, in dismay
Loosed he then the silken cordage that the magic casket
bound,
Whereupon a fleecy cloudlet issued forth into the day,
Talisman of life eternal mounting heavenward from the
ground!
Urashima ran and shouted, waving wild his sleeves in air,
Of a sudden then he tottered and fell writhing to the earth,
Withered, wrinkled, old, enfeebled, spent of breath and
white of hair !
He, who erst had been so youthful, comely, strong, and
full of mirth,
Now from life fore'er departed on the strand of beaten gold,
By the hills of jade-green water where stood Suminoye old.
CHAPTER IV
THE LOTUS LIFE
"If thou hast Buddha's sacred fire,
Then art thou like the Lotus white,
Springing in pureness from the mire!"
FOREWORD
TN joyous gratitude to my master the august Prince
1 Umayado (known to posterity as Shotoku Taishi,
the Saintly Prince), do I, the humble bonze Fu, of the
Temple of Horiuji, dedicate my paltry chronicle.
What time my lord was regent of the Empire, ruling
wisely and faithfully for his aunt, the aged Empress
Suiko, I, a samurai in his service, shared his martial
adventures and the brilliant life of courts. Now, alas,
am I but a lonely priest, doomed to expiate my countless
sins of former existences by mumbling interminable
orisons to the accompaniment of a brazen gong.
In moments snatched from my devotional duties
have I compiled these memories of manifold misfortunes
now sweet to the taste as cooling sake upon the parched
lips of age.
78
" On an exceeding windy morning, I encountered the winsome maid,
Ruddy Peachling "
(Hokusai)
The Lotus Life 79
Juvabit Meminisse
If but long enough I dream
Then perchance these present hours
May. again appear to me
Just as childhood moments seem
Fraught with fragrant memory.
HYAKUNIN-ISSHU.
LOVE'S SACRIFICE
Admonition
Where, by Sumida's tide sweet cherries blow,
Showering their snowflake petals on the stream,
The smiling damsels loiter to and fro,
Fairer than blossoms white, their eyes agleam,
Wherefore, if you would heed my counsel wise,
Beware to look upon those lustrous eyes;
Nor thither roam, but safe at home abide
When blossoms bloom by swift Sumida's tide.
What time the autumn moon with radiance bright
Floodeth the leafy wold with silvery light,
Sudden from out the shadows there will gleam
A maiden's face, more fair than moonlit stream!
Then better 'twere to turn your steps aside
Than go moon-gazing by Sumida's tide.
The sages of the golden age of yore
Lived arduous days and scorned all earthly ties.
Think ye that ye will gain the light of lore
Beholding moonbeams in a maiden's eyes?
Nay! by a lonely path must ye aspire,
If ye would e'er attain the sacred fire.
8o Old Japan
Lo! threescore years have I with Shaka sought
The light of Wisdom, shining through the gloom.
Full many a youth I've seen to madness brought
Through moon-light roaming mid the Cherry-Bloom.
AZUMI RYOSAI.
It fortuned upon an exceeding windy morning that I
encountered the winsome maid Momo San (Ruddy
Peachling), whose skirts the wanton breezes fluttered
with such seductive audacity, that, had not the dust
blinded mine eyes, I might have accosted the wench
with unseemly flatteries.
Poring that day over the sacred tomes I came upon
this curiously apt scripture:
"Through gazing at the ivory-white shins of a maiden
washing clothes the Wizard of Kume fell from his magic
chariot, and was drowned in Sumida's stream."
Nathless I took no warning, and one lovely summer
evening Prince Umayado surprised me moon-roaming
with Ruddy Peachling beneath the cherry-bloom.
"Alas, thou Merry One," thus he upbraided me.
"Didst thou but dream
"What utter dole doth lie
Beholding moonbeams in a maiden's eye!
Loth wouldst thou be beneath the trees to hie
On April nights moon-gazing at the sky. "
Whereupon Ruddy Peachling retorted:
" Didst thou but dream what bliss for thee doth lie
In unbeholden moonbeams in her eye,
The Lotus Life 81
Whose radiance thou dost mercilessly scorn,
Wouldst quit thy couch, and roam the meads till morn. "
Anent my moon-gazings with the lovesome Ruddy
Peachling much might be recounted but that were
another chronicle.
Prince Umayado was like his countenance, gentle,
spiritual, and calm. Overmuch study had given him
the look of one who, aloof from earth, walks the high,
untrodden ways of passionless delight. Yet was his
sympathy ever ready, and cruelty stirred him to relent-
less wrath.
Learned was he in the ancient sutras, and in all man-
ner of curious arts; but naught dreamed he of the
endless wiles, witchery, and loveliness of womankind,
concerning whom the Sanskrit Bddhisattva wrote:
Long ages gone, as ancient sutras tell,
Twashti, the blacksmith, did the earth create,
Welding each metal with such lavish spell
That beggared were the mines of Chaos great.
Then, since to fashion woman naught was left
Each creature of some trifle he bereft.
He stole the roundness of the silver moon,
The grace of clinging tendrils for her arm,
The doe's calm gaze, the nightingale's sweet tune,
The serpent's silent stealth, its power to charm,
The coo of doves, the raindrop's merry patter,
The parrot's scolding and its senseless chatter.
The modest shrinking of the tender grass,
The pride of peacocks of their plumes elate,
6
82 Old Japan
Softness of roses, stubbornness of brass,
The dog's devotion and the tiger's hate,
The wanton breeze's coy solicitude,
The fears of hares who hunters swift elude.
Thus in the cauldron cunningly combined
Were heat of fiercest flame, of snow the chill,
Tears of the rain and fickleness of wind,
The diamond's firmness, laughter of the rill,
Of these and much beside did Twashti great
Woman, man's blessing and his curse, create.
KOYOSHI.
Such a pretty paradox was the Princess White Chrys-
anthemum. Compounded was she of such unforeseen
pranks and whimsies that none could comprehend her
heart; nay not even did the Princess know herself.
Now Prince Umayado loved the wilful damsel right
manfully and besought her oft and ardently, deeming
from sundry glances and flushings of her ivory cheeks
that the prideful Princess was not unmindful of his love.
But with witching coquetry the obdurate maiden
withheld surrender.
It chanced upon a day that a certain rebel chieftain,
one Mono-nobe, whose ambition soared to heaven and
whose treachery sounded the depths of hell, met with
the Princess as she walked in the palace garden.
"Prince Umayado," he asserted vehemently, "is a
sexless monk, enwrapt in this strange new cult of the
Koreans. "
The Lotus Life 83
"Is this the faith they call the Lotus Life, taught by a
holy Buddha?" questioned White Chrysanthemum.
"By Benten I know not," replied Mono-nobe.
"But one day, wandering to their temple, I heard the
bonze Fu discoursing the whiles he hammered upon a
brazen gong:
" 'Observe, my children/ he droned, 'the beasts and
the birds! They love their consorts and suffer pangs
of jealousy and wrath therefore is love a thing bestial
and unworthy the soul of man. ' "
"Spake he thus, indeed, " quoth the Princess, "and is
Umayado thus heartless?"
"Aye," answered Mono-nobe, "a being utterly
passionless, impotent to love or hate. Grant me,
Princess, the jewel he doth scorn; give me in sooth thine
ever radiant self. "
Whereupon White Chrysanthemum demanded:
"Wouldst thou wed me were I dowerless?"
Mono-nobe mused, leering at her through his slanted
eyelids. "Forfeit not the empire," counselled the
hypocrite, "but wed Umayado and grant me still thy
love."
The eyes of the Princess flashed fire, but, cloaking her
indignation under a smile, she guilefully demanded:
"Honourable lord, how might this be?"
"The way is simple, " he answered. "Upon thy wed-
ding night will I slay the Prince. Then wilt thou be
free to wed with whom it pleaseth thee. "
6
84 Old Japan
Of a sudden the boughs parted and Prince Umayado
stood before them wide-eyed, pallid, and relentless:
"Princess," he declared, "I hereby renounce heir-
ship to the throne; and, since thou lovest Mono-nobe,
do give him unto thee!"
Whereupon came the Prince to the Empress Suiko.
"August Sovereign," he besought, "I crave thy
sanction that I may renounce the world and devote
myself to a life of meditation. "
Nathless not a word did he breathe of the treachery
of Mono-nobe, lest he might soil the name of her he
loved.
Whereupon the Empress was exceeding wroth.
"Bonze me no bonzes," she cried. "To thee alone do
I entrust the Empire, for there is none other fit to mate
with my prideful daughter. "
Umayado winced, as though struck upon an un-
healed wound. "Methinks, August Empress, " he said,
"thou dost little know the Princess, since from her very
lips have I heard that her heart is given to Mono-nobe."
By evil chance it fortuned that Mono-nobe also
sought audience with the Empress and openly avowed
himself the lover of the Princess.
To the indignant denials of her daughter the mother
would not listen: "Thou shalt wed this knave forth-
with, " commanded the infuriated Empress.
White as her name-flower paled the Princess: "I
_.-iV 1*1 n\iL,*X\',. 't \ . vJII *v ' ' v '
Our merry monks passed their hours in a ceaseless round of revels,
pranks and pleasantries"
(Hokusai)
I sprang into the basket and ferried myself across
the chasm "
(Hokusai)
The Lotus Life 85
will wed with none but my Umayado, " she murmured.
Her mother laughed scornfully: "Fool, the Prince
will none of thee. Even now did he renounce suc-
cession to the throne for sake of Buddha."
Wherefore, sorely against her will, was the White
Chrysanthemum wedded with the black-souled Mono-
nobe.
When the bridegroom went to the nuptial chamber
he found the raiment of his bride strewn heedlessly
upon the floor; but the Princess had vanished none
knew whither!
II
OF MARVELLOUS MISUNDERSTANDINGS CONCERNING A
PARASOL AND A HORSE
Our merry monks of Horiuji passed their hours in a
ceaseless round of revels, pranks, and pleasantries.
The butt of their jests was a half-witted lad, Kawaki,
who swept the manifold mats and illumined the temple
tapers.
Pardon, honourable Reader, this playful digression,
for, incredible though it seem, this dullard was destined
to become the guiding deity through whom my master
discovered his lost Princess.
But here I outrun the march of my chronicle. Let me
set down these happenings in due sequence without
haste or confusion.
86 Old Japan
On a certain day Kawaki astounded me with the
confession that he had given my most precious parasol
to a beggar.
" Lumpkin ! " quoth I, "thou shouldst have denied this
request, making such courteous and soft answer that
the suppliant would have departed contented."
"How, Master, should I have spoken?" stammered
the witling.
"In some such wise as this:
" 'Honourable Pilgrim, on what auspicious errand dost
honour my humble dwelling?
" 'Wouldst borrow a parasol? Joyfully I haste to
render this trifling service.'
"Then, my wise Kawaki, thou shouldst have offered
my meanest parasol, since ne'er would we behold its
face again, lamenting the whiles: 'Woe is me that I
find it in such sorry case. My master while holding it
above his head encountered a gust of wind, whereby all
its ribs were broken, and its skin blown over the pagoda.
Naught now remains, alas, but its beautiful handle,
which I fear will scarce serve thine honourable purpose.'
Thus shouldst thou speak, that thy words be wise and
courteous. "
Now it fortuned on a day that Prince Umayado de-
spatched a samurai to the temple in quest of a horse.
Whereupon the witless Kawaki made answer:
"Woe is me that I find myself unable to comply with
thine august request, since, while holding it above his
Prince Umayado
From " In Japan," by Gaston Migeon
Permission Wm. Heineman, London
All merciful Kwannon embodied in the form
of his beloved princess "
From " In Japan," by Gaston Migeon
Permission Wm. Heineman, London
" Crouched beneath a maple tree, with ankles crossed, as
holy Buddhas sit "
(Hokusai)
The Lotus Life 87
head, my master encountered a gust of wind, whereby
all its ribs were broken and its skin blown over the
pagoda. Naught remains, alas, but its beautiful tail,
which I fear will scarce serve thine honourable purpose. "
Thereupon I berated him soundly, the whiles he
whimpered: "These very words, Master, didst thou
bid me speak!"
"Fool!" I cried, "an thou liest (and a pretty lie is a
heaven-descended succour in time of trouble), order thy
speech so like the truth that none may be the wiser. "
"Tell me, Master, " implored Kawaki, "how I should
have answered. "
"Verily, since I have need of a horse that I may
carry Ruddy Peachling to a fair, thou mightest have
spoken thus: 'Joyfully would I render thee this trifling
service, most august Prince, but my master turned him
out to grass and, becoming frolicsome, he fell, dislo-
cated his thigh, and is now lying, much swollen, on the
stable floor. I fear therefore that he will scarce serve
thine honourable purpose. ' '
Now it came to pass that a courier brought to the
temple a mandate requiring the presence of Prince
Umayado at court.
Whereupon did this addlepate answer: "Joyfully
would the Prince render thee this trifling service, but
my master turned him out to grass and, becoming
frolicsome, he carried Ruddy Peachling on his back to
the fair, fell, dislocated his thigh, and is now lying, much
88 Old Japan
swollen, upon the stable floor. I fear therefore he will
scarce serve thine honourable purpose."
Ill
THE FLAME OF LIFE
Many and contrary were the surmises of all concern-
ing the whereabouts of White Chrysanthemum. Mono-
nobe spread a malicious report that Prince Umayado
had abducted the lost Princess. There were others
who maintained that she had slain herself rather than
yield to the loathed embraces of Mono-nobe.
When I ventured to broach this opinion to the Prince
he protested:
"Nay, methinks the Princess but lieth in hiding
waiting release from this loveless bondage. "
When the Empress told him of the words of White
Chrysanthemum: "I will wed with none but my Uma-
yado, " then first came to my Prince an understanding of
her wondrous white-souled love.
For twelve weary months he sought through the
length and breadth of the kingdom; but despite his
untiring zeal no trace could he discover of her whom he
loved.
At last hope died within his heart, and he strove to
realize the peace which, Buddha taught, cometh through
renunciation.
The Lotus Life 89
The Lotus Life
"All things," said Shaka sage, "are merely dream!
Like silly apes, who see within a well
The shining moon reflected for a spell, ,
We vainly strive to clutch the silver beam,
Mistaking for the truth its imaged gleam,
Dupes of illusion void we fondly dwell
In folly f s paradise, an empty shell,
Not knowing joy is root of rue supreme.
Then banish all desire and pleasures shun,
And lift your hearts from thought of death's dread gloom.
As sleeps the flower within its wintry tomb,
Blooming anew with Spring's benignant sun;
So shall ye find from sorrow sure surcease,
And sleeping wake again in ceaseless peace."
KOYOSHI.
Each night the Prince bent over the sutras seeking
extinction of desire, but though he laboured till the
break of day the image of her whom he loved hovered
ever before his imagination, banishing the peace of
Buddha from his troubled soul.
His heart cried unceasingly:
Though I may not pluck to-day
Yet again I fain would see
That pure violet of May,
Left ungathered once by me.
(MOTOORI.)
In unremitting toil he strove to crush his love. He
plunged anew into turmoil of life, solving the problems
90 Old Japan
of the state, giving to his country her first code of laws,
and spreading enlightenment among his people. From
Korea he summoned priests, architects, sculptors, and
artificers, who builded him a vast monastery, a con-
vent for holy women, and a lofty pagoda, like the
stalk of some magic lily shooting upward toward the
stars.
Watching the sculptors at their work a desire awoke
within him to carve a statue which should surpass all
others in spirituality and grace, an embodiment of
Kwannon, the all-merciful goddess, who forswore
Paradise that she might more fittingly minister to the
sorrowful sons of men.
Laboriously he chiselled the unwilling wood; but
the elusive goddess refused to be conjured forth.
Upon a midsummer night when a silvern moon sailed
idly in the heavens, and earth was rife with song of
myriad nightingales, my Prince gazed from his "Hall
of Dreams. "
In the ebon depths of the lotus pool floated a celestial
vision. A goddess, white, vague, and evanescent, glided
mysteriously toward him.
Smiling she stretched forth wide appealing arms.
In a voice of haunting sweetness the vision spake:
"0 thou who deemest thyself forsaken, lift up thine
heart. Kwannon, the all-merciful, pitieth thy sorrow
and will bring thee love. "
Rapt with wonder and awe Umayado strove to kiss
The Lotus Life 91
the hem of her fluttering robe, but the goddess vanished,
leaving but brimming water upon his eager lips.
All night he laboured the whiles, under deft strokes of
his mallet, the dead wood assumed the living semblance.
At break of day, his chisel still in hand, sleep fell upon
the weary sculptor.
Wondrous was the statue in form and colour and my
Prince, amazed at his own workmanship, reverently
enthroned it in a golden-lacquered shrine.
Morn and eve he prayed before his statue. Through-
out long days of toil and nights of loneliness came a
nameless solace, a calm, submissive trust in the goddess
that tranquillized his love-deluded soul.
One evening he gazed upon the statue with enraptured
eyes, dreaming within his heart:
As fragrant incense smoulders slow away
So wastes my life in unattained desire.
This earthen censer, seared by passion's fire,
A shattered shard, returneth to the clay
Wherewith 'twas fashioned once upon a day.
The glowing embers of life's flaming pyre,
Fanned by vain hope, through disillusion dire
Slowly consumed to ashes cold and grey.
But should the goddess at whose shrine I kneel
Bestow fresh aloes on the embers dead,
The flame would kindle and the incense rise
Seeking anew immeasurable skies,
And living fragrance all around be shed,
For love again this burned-out heart would feel !
92 Old Japan
Then of a sudden a sweet voice called his name and,
lifting his head, the Prince beheld, through clearing rifts
of incense, All-Merciful Kwannon embodied in the form
of his beloved Princess.
Descending from her golden lotus-blossom the di-
vinity folded warm human arms about the bewildered
worshipper and laid his head upon her bosom!
Tenderly he led her into the moon-silvered garden.
And as they wandered 'neath the cherry-bloom I know
not in what words they voiced their great felicity; save
that I heard the Princess murmur:
"Beloved, my joy is now so great I fear some secret
doom!"
IV
THE LAW OF MIGHT
Now it came to pass that the Empress fell sick of a
strange malady, which the Shinto priests averred to be
a chastisement for her desertion of the old religion,
i Believing his sovereign to be at death's door, Mono-
nobe fomented a great uprising and proclaimed himself
Emperor.
With a mob of frenzied fanatics he descended upon
Horiuji, burned the monastery, razed the convent,
and put the defenceless inmates to the sword.
"By the mace of Bishamon!" cried my master, "for
this shall Mono-nobe die!"
The Lotus Life 93
Even as he spake there fell upon his knees be-
fore him a woeful figure besprent with mire and
blood.
"Who art thou?" cried Umayado, but the grovelling
creature answered not, save by inarticulate moans.
Then, opening his mouth, he revealed a bloody cavity,
whence his tongue had been torn.
"It is Kawaki," exclaimed the Prince. "This thing
hath Mono-nobe done!"
The youth bowed assent.
"Whither hath he fled? " demanded Umayado.
The mute pointed to the mountains.
"Bore he thither captive the holy priestesses?"
Lifting two mutilated fingers Kawaki strove most
piteously to speak. Of a sudden he ran to the garden,
and returning, laid before the Prince a red peach and a
white chrysanthemum/
Lifting the lad to his saddle, Umayado summoned his
samurai and fared forth in quest of the Princess.
Up a steep and tortuous road we wended, along the
marge of beetling cliffs overhanging a foaming torrent.
After many a weary mile, upon the brink of a sheer
abyss we beheld a mighty castle jutting its turrets into
the cloudless sky. Whereupon we gathered about our
leader, taking counsel amongst ourselves f
Of a sudden upon the topmost tower fluttered a silken
banner.
94 Old Japan
"Behold! the white chrysanthemum!" he cried.
"Kwannon be praised, the Princess bideth within."
With that the Prince blew a great blast upon his
horn. Whereupon Mono-nobe, clad cap-a-pie in lac-
quered armour, came forth upon a balcony.
"Wouldst parley with me, Priest?" he shouted.
"Nay malefactor," retorted the other, "but with the
captive Princess. Announce to her forthwith that
Umayado craveth audience. "
Muttering imprecations Mono-nobe turned upon his
heel, and withdrew within the castle.
Somewhile we waited till he came again, bowing
obsequiously.
l"The Princess granteth thy prayer, augustly hon-
ourable lord, " he fawned, "so thou comest alone. "
"First give me sight of her, caitiff, for in sooth I
trust thee not, " demanded Umayado.
Growling within his beard, Mono-nobe was about to
reply, when the Princess, ghost-white and fair as a
goddess stepped forth upon the balcony.
"Venture not within the castle!" she cried, "there
lurketh treachery and death!"
Clutching her throat the infuriated ruffian thrust
White Chrysanthemum back into her prison.
Maddened by that sight, Umayado drave the rowels
deep into his steed and bounded across the draw-bridge.
With clang of bolt and rattle of chain it rose, severing
my master from us by a gulf impassable.
The Lotus Life 95
v
THE CHASTISEMENT OF THE GODS
Well we deemed that our Prince was doomed; nor
could we devise any means to compass his deliverance.
Wherefore, with a few sturdy knaves, I fetched a
circuit about the castle spying if there might be other
port of entry. But on all sides was it moated about
by a wide and deep abyss, and other bridge or portal
was there none.
Howbeit, in the course of my rambling, I chanced
upon some woodsmen felling trees upon the brink of the
castle moat. To my amazed delight I perceived a
cord, stretched from a tree to the lower story of the
castle; and a travelling crate, in which the foresters
were transporting fuel to the cellars.
Descending suddenly upon the unsuspecting woods-
men, we stripped them of their raiment and attired
ourselves therewith. Bidding my men follow, I sprang
into the basket and ferried myself across the chasm to
the castle cellars.
One by one, in like manner, my lusty rascals climbed
into the crate and propelled themselves across the deep
abyss.
When all had crossed I bade them wait, crouching
silently within the charcoal pen until call, the whiles I
mounted to the kitchens.
Mistaking me for a woodsman, the cook welcomed me
96 Old Japan
with a savory mess of toothsome carp from the castle
moat.
"The Princess be here," he boasted, as I praised his
cookery.
"Nay that will I in no wise credit, " I shrugged, "save
I see her with these mine eyes."
"Out upon thee, yokel, to deem thyself worthy
to gaze upon the beauteous White Chrysanthemum!
That canst thou not forsooth. But here cometh one
who will certify the truth of that I speak. "
With this there ran into the kitchen, her terror-wide
eyes starting from a blanched face, my little Ruddy
Peachling !
"Kwannon have mercy!" she cried. "They have
lured the good Prince Umayado hither to certain
death."
"Lead me to the Prince forthwith," I commanded;
and shouting: "To the rescue my good rascals!" we
charged after Ruddy Peachling.
Indeed we had no great need of her guidance, for a
tumult had arisen in the great hall whither we rushed
to the deliverance of our master.
"Men of Mono-nobe, are ye samurai or dogs?" out-
rang the voice of the Princess. "Stand back all. Let
them fight a fair fight, and the gods give victory to the
better cause !"
A clash of steel and the swords of Umayado and
Mono-nobe flashed above us.
The Lotus Life 97
The rebel chieftain howled imprecations as he hacked
and slashed.
The Prince, silent, cool, and relentless, deftly count-
ered.
Thus they fought, furiously, craftily, like lion and
tiger, till of a sudden Mono-nobe warded a swinging
slash and caught the Prince a sharp blow which sent
his blade flying.
Seizing a mace from a bystander, Umayado crashed
it on the head of his adversary and Mono-nobe crumpled
instantly upon the floor, his skull crushed in.
A mighty roar rang forth from the dead man's ruf-
fians as they surged forward to tear the Prince limb
from limb.
Scarce had they drawn sword when my good fellows
fell upon them from behind and hewed a path through
their ranks. They outnumbered us two to one, brave
men all and trained fighters, yet steadily we gained
ground and fought our way to the Prince.
"Save the Princess!" he cried, and, clustering to-
gether, we formed a wall about them and hacked
through that pack of wolves to the castle-court. Then
my blood congealed to ice as I beheld the abysmal moat
that yawned beyond us. All hope was lost, for a band
of samurai guarded the lifted drawbridge.
"Trapped, ye rats!" they yelled, laughing fiendishly,
as they caught the despair written upon our blanched
faces.
98 Old Japan
Then fought we but the more desperately, as men,
knowing they must die, sell their lives most dearly.
Suddenly the Prince espied a great kettle of oil.
Seizing a torch from a cresset he flung it into the caul-
dron. Clouds of smoke and blinding flame burst forth
as a fearsome ally came to our rescue.
"Fire! fire!" shrieked hundreds of frantic soldiery;
and the terror-stricken warder flung down the draw-
bridge.
Crying: "Save not yourselves alone, but all our fallen
foes, " the Prince leaped to the back of his stallion and
lifting White Chrysanthemum to the saddle galloped
across the trembling planks.
Fighting indiscriminately for precedence in flight,
our foes rushed forth to safety.
But we, mindful of the mandate of the Prince, bore
from that flaming hell each one a wounded enemy.
Last of all came Kawaki with the corpse of Mono-nobe.
Wherefore I marvelled, until from the lofty bridge he
hurled his grewsome burden into the yawning chasm.
Then understood I, for Kawaki was a Fire Worshipper
and would not suffer the soul of Mono-nobe to mount
purified by flame to the Eternal Land, but committed
it to wolves and kites.
AFTERWORD
My garden is a lovesome thing to view,
A tangle of bright bloom and darkling green,
The Lotus Life 99
Frail fronded fern, a plashing brook between,
And lichen-lacquered stones of every hue
Whose mossy fissures flame with lithe bamboo.
Gnarled, pigmy pines their writhen branches lean,
Like goblins in the moonlight's ghostly sheen,
O'er elfin flowers, besprent with gleaming dew.
Like clouds of rosy smoke, the cherry-bloom
Its wreathed incense softly round me rolls,
And, in the pleached shades of fragrant gloom,
A fountain leaps ecstatic toward the skies,
Ever to fall, like our star-soaring souls,
To earth again, ever anew to rise!
What further remaineth to chronicle?
All the world knoweth how Prince Umayado sub-
dued the rebellion, united the worship of Buddha with
the ancient Shinto faith, and was honoured by his
country with the title of Shotoku Taishi (the Saintly
Prince).
I have seen my long-suffering master rewarded for
all his trials by the wondrous constancy and love of the
Princess White Chrysanthemum.
I have seen Ruddy Peachling blossom from maid to
bride not mine, alas! but the wife of Kawaki. Happy
is she. Why should not a woman be content who may
prate and chatter to her heart's desire for her husband
may not answer back?
I, a dim-eyed bonze, am also happy, while, with
ankles crossed, as holy Buddhas sit, I couch me, neath
ioo Old Japan
a maple-tree in my lovesome garden and muse upon
friends and days departed. Verily
Our fleeting life is like a boat,
That with the dawn doth seaward float,
Leaving no trace behind!
(MANYOSHIU.)
CHAPTER V
A MIKADO AND A GEISHA
She toddles by on cloven-stockinged feet;
A white plum-blossom in her raven hair,
Combed in large, lustrous coils with endless care,
Framing the ivory oval of her sweet
And placid face, where slanted eyebrows meet,
Like tiny bridges on her forehead fair,
O'er eyes, whose tranquil depths so debonair
Know naught of struggle, triumph, or defeat.
As with a childlike smile, a glance demure
And flutter of her dainty painted fan
And swish of silk-embroidered robe, she seems
A winged elfling from a land of dreams,
A floating lotus-blossom, frail and pure,
This little, laughing maid, Ume San.
UME SAN (Plum Blossom) was the fairest Geisha
in the kingdom.
From Nikko to Nagasaki none could whirl the
broidered draperies with such seductive grace, nor touch
the plaintive samisen with more entrancing art.
101
102 Old Japan
In all Nara there was not a finer foot or whiter hand
and her eyes "twin jets in a lake of milk!"
And so it befell that when the heaven-descended
Prince Yorimito espied her in the sacred rice-field,
where he kept vigil upon the night before his
coronation, he was beside himself with wonder and
delight.
Vague and mystical she loomed in the silver moon-
beams, her black hair streaming in lustrous waves about
her pallid face.
"Princess, if mortal thou mayst be," spake the
Mikado, "deign to tell me who thou art, for ne'er have
I beheld a maid so fair. "
"In sooth I am but a simple Geisha, called O Ume
San, " she answered timidly.
The Prince smiled approval.
"Good my Lord, grant me pardon that, over-bold,
I have disturbed thy holy vigil." The voice was
that of a child, wondrous sweet, thrilling him to the
very soul.
"Well content am I, sweet maiden, that thou hast
sought me thus, " he replied, "but what mission, I pray,
bringeth thee hither in the dead of night?"
Tremblingly Plum Blossom peered into the shadows.
"August Sovereign," she faltered, "thy very life is in
peril, the Fujiwara doth plot to poison thee!"
Yorimito caught his breath suddenly. "Poison,"
he mused dazedly. "Why doth he seek my death?"
" Sipping sweet sake from quaint potteries "
(Kiyonaga)
Permission Armand Dayot, Paris
" A wicked light gleamed in the eyes of the
Fujiwara "
" Then a noisome bed beneath the lotus!"
(Sharaku)
Permission Armand Dayot
A Mikado and a Geisha 103
"A living death hath he in store, " replied the Geisha.
"How thinketh he to compass this?" the Prince de-
manded.
"Through me. He doth command by secret drugs
to sap thy strength until thy soul shall rot. Beloved
Sovereign, I implore thee, set not foot within his trap.
Beware the Fujiwara, beware of me!"
With a rustling of silken robes Ume San vanished
in the shadows. A cock crew. A stroke of green,
glowing slowly to gold, was drawn by a mighty brush
across the canvas of the sky.
The sacred vigil had ended; Yorimito was Emperor of
Japan.
Through the solemn coronation ceremonies a vision
flitted ever before his eyes the spirit-maiden of the
rice-fields.
"Beware of me!" she had commanded; but by the
eight hundred myriad deities he would not heed her
warning !
II
The lichen-lacquered lanterns gleaming bright
Loom in long lines between tall camphor trees,
Guarding the dusky shrine where, in the breeze,
Flutter frail gonfalons of gold and white.
Like silken sails of Dawn's wan silver light
Against the wine-dark murk of sunless seas,
They rise and float their dragon draperies
Upon the sea of ebon-plumed night.
104 Old Japan
Spirits of ancestors, dead samurai,
Teem in the sacred wood and hover near;
Daemons and Devas with the evil eye
Inhabit the lithe herd of dappled deer
That browse within the forest's pleached shade;
Each sloe-eyed doe, erstwhile a gentle maid.
Shrined in roseate cherry-bloom, mid dusky groves
of sandal and camphor, smiles the imperial park of
Kasuga.
Along the shadowy avenue thousands of ancestral
lanterns loom like samurai in review. Mild-eyed
gazelles browse in verdant glades. Glittering gold-
fish glide in the dusky lotus pools. Cloud-white wis-
taria droop pendant clusters from the lichened trees.
Within this paradise nestled a pleasure-pavilion
wherein lurked a deadly serpent the Fujiwara, Kam-
baku, plotting the ruin of his sovereign.
" O Ume San, " he whispered, as he furtively mingled
seeds of the slumbrous poppy with the gloom-dispelling
sake in a brew of deadly potency, "to thee I confide
a most delicate task. Ply the Mikado with this potion
until it doth lull his senses to sodden sleep. Then
filch from him the signet, with which he is wont to seal
his imperial mandates, and fetch to me this talisman of
power."
Plum Blossom tossed her glorious tresses. "And if
I refuse?"
A wicked light gleamed in the eyes of the Fujiwara.
A Mikado and a Geisha 105
"Then a noisome bed beneath the lotus! But verily
thou wilt not refuse. Thine ambition is one with mine.
When thou hast won the Mikado thou shalt bend him
to my will. "
O Ume San laughed mockingly. "When I have
wedded my lord I shall bend him to my will."
' ' Wed the Mikado ! " he sneered. " Art so simple as to
deem thyself worthy thou, a Geisha?"
The eyes of Plum Blossom flashed flame as she
cried, "Ay, that I am, were he a thousand times an
Emperor!"
Amazed by her audacity, Kambaku assented: "Well
might it be, wert thou of other birth. "
"Tell me, I implore thee, the secret of my parentage, "
pleaded the Geisha.
" Seek not to know, for on that day the Emperor will
cast thee forth. Be content with love, nor hope to be
his wife!"
A scarlet flame swept her cheek as she abased herself
in simulated submission.
"Nay, Kambaku," she smiled within herself, "still
shall I save him from thee!"
The Garden of the Geisha
Singing, like shrill cicadas in the trees,
Strumming on samisen with fingers fleet,
To plaintive flute and rhythmic tambour beat,
They fill the night with elfin revelries.
io6 Old Japan
Sipping sweet sake from quaint potteries
And dancing on deft silken sandalled feet,
Swift speed the hours within this blithe retreat,
As whirl the Geisha their bright draperies.
Like golden moths they hover, glide, and flit
Within the shadows of the garden cool;
Or silent and impassive cross-legged sit,
Like brazen Buddhas, round the lotus-pool,
While over all the samisen intones
Its poignant music, like a dove's low moans.
Lights glittered in the geisha-garden and amorous
strains floated from secluded balconies. Within the
pavilion, fireflies gleaming in their dusky hair, graceful
Geisha flitted before the youthful monarch in a bewilder-
ing measure of butterflies and flowers.
Yorimito thrust his untouched sake-cup aside and
scanned in vain each passing face.
With glare of lightning and thunder of drums, whirl-
ing their flaming raiment in tempestuous flight, the furies
of the Storm God Futen flashed swiftly before him.
Despite their blithe allurements Yorimito wearied of
the deft-footed Geisha, and joyless and distraught strode
forth into the garden.
Through the moon-silvered dusk he wandered, seek-
ing ever the one he loved. Fair flower-maidens lured
and caressed him with rose-red lips smiling for his
delight ; but ever the disappointed lover flung them off,
crying:
A Mikado and a Geisha 107
"Thou art not she I fain would find."
Of a sudden the pine-boughs parted, and, gleaming
in the moonlight like a silvery lotus, stood Ume San.
Clasping her to his breast Yorimito whispered:
"Flower of my heart, I hunger for thy love!"
For a moment she lay unresisting in his arms, then,
as his hot breath fanned her cheek, struggled free.
"Forgive me," he pleaded, "I meant thee no dis-
honour. Till death shall I worship thee. "
"Thus is my love for thee," murmured Plum Blos-
som; "thee, and thee only, so long as my soul hath
being!"
There was silence betwixt them for a space, then,
taking the golden chain, from which depended the im-
perial signet, he laid it upon her shoulders, saying:
"Thus I make thee captive, chained with bonds of
love!"
The Geisha's eyes grew wide with fear:
" 'Tis the same the Fujiwara bade me steal! " Then
unloosing the chain with trembling fingers she gave
back the precious signet.
"My Lord, " she cried, "for thy life renounce not to
Kambaku this talisman of power!"
Ill
Kambaku grovelled upon the ground before the
Emperor:
io8 Old Japan
"What is thine august pleasure?" he fawned.
"Trusted Servitor," replied Yorimito, "thou hast
among thy Geisha a certain singing-maid, O Ume San,
whom I fain would purchase. Tell me, I pray, if thoa
wouldst part with her and for what price."
With folded arms the Fujiwara pondered, scanning
furtively the Emperor's face.
"What is her value in thy sight, most august Sover-
eign?"
"She is indeed a pearl beyond all price. Were I to
measure her worth in gold 'twould beggar my treasury. "
Kambaku smiled assent: "Even so, Lord, hold I
her in priceless estimation. She hath not her like in the
kingdom; and for all thy wealth I would not barter
her."
"Stay, be not so hasty. I will yield thee of new-
coined pieces her weight in gold. Hath ever man paid
greater price?"
The light of avarice gleamed momently in the eyes
of Kambaku, then he shook his head.
"A greater guerdon would I fain request, a goodlier
boon, though but an idle honour thou couldst not gain-
say, " he purred with simulated humility. " Do me but
the favour to requite my trifling act by elevating thy
servant to the post of Keeper of the Seal. So shall the
girl be thine. "
Yorimito frowned. That would be to confer upon the
Fujiwara absolute power of life and death, he reflected,
" Yorimito stammered: ' Twas but a bauble of carven jade "
" O Ume San uttered a stifled sob "
(Colour-print, Toyokuni)
" Plum Blossom smiled: * The Queen is little worth,' she said, * so that
my King is free ! ' "
Prom " Old-World Japan," by T. H. Robinson
Permission of the Macmillian Co.
A Mikado and a Geisha 109
when his reverie was broken by the voice of Ume San
singing behind the lattice:
"Life held no joys and death no fears
Ere first I met with thee.
But now, howe'er so long my years,
Too brief they seem to me. "
(YOSHITAKE.)
"The seal is thine," cried the Emperor. "Hadst
thou demanded the very throne the price were not too
great!"
IV
THE GEISHA
As smoothly as a wavelet laps the strand
She melts from pose to pose with fluent grace,
Long swirling curves her broidered garments trace,
A'flickering flame to lambent motion fanned
By pliant wrist and slender rhythmic hand;
While from the ivory oval of her face
Asia's slant eyes, through lids of filmy lace
Smile sadly forth with gaze serene and bland.
To strumming samisen and droning drum
She postures slowly with consummate art,
Her lips, as those of some pale priestess, dumb,
Wreathed in a smile of elfin mystery,
Her eyes demure as childhood, and her heart
Unfathomed as the deep's infinity.
Tranced days sped by, wherein Yorimito found ever
in his betrothed some new revelation of infinite variety.
no Old Japan
"Soon, Beloved One, shall we drink the nuptial sake, "
he exclaimed joyously.
Plum Blossom smiled. "Lord, my cup of happiness
were overflowing, shouldst thou but grant me one little
boon."
"Thou knowest, dearling, there is naught I may
deny thee."
Trembling the Geisha drew from her girdle a silken
purse.
"Lo, here are a score of silver pieces I have hoarded
from my paltry earnings. Do thou, august Master,
take them to Kambaku and buy my freedom."
Yorimito smiled indulgently, thinking what great
price he had paid:
"Thou art free, little Blossom, free as the air thou
breathest. Even now did I redeem thee from the
Fujiwara for my very own. "
"Yet am I still a slave, though bound in bonds of
willing love. Suffer me Lord, to ransom myself of thee. ' '
"Wherefore wouldst thou seek freedom?" he de-
manded in sudden alarm.
"That I may give myself back to thee," she laughed,
nestling coyly in his arms.
"Tell me, Master mine, what sum did that usurer
extort, ere he yielded thy worthless slave?"
Yorimito stammered. "'Twas but a trifle, a bauble
of carven jade. "
Ume San uttered a stifled sob :
A Mikado and a Geisha in
"Beloved," she cried reproachfully, "thou didst not
heed my warning! The Fujiwara will make of thee a
powerless Puppet-Emperor, the whiles he ruleth tyrant
in thy stead!"
"Nay, his presumption shall not go unpunished,"
cried the Mikado.
Then suddenly bethinking himself: "Alas, no longer
may I mete justice upon him! He alone wields power
of life and death. He hath the Seal!"
A vague sense of impending doom clouded the present
joys of O Ume San, a dread she could not banish of the
certain vengeance of the Fujiwara.
Amidst her forebodings she strove to find distraction
in divers pastimes. Of these the one in which she took
most delight was the game of chess. Beneath a bower
of oleanders, she played one summer's day with a sister
Geisha, Jasmine.
Of a sudden her opponent clapped her hands: "I
have won!" she laughed.
"'Tis true," assented Plum Blossom moodily; "but
hadst thou known the stake thou wouldst have yielded
me the game. "
"What secret gage didst thou venture?" demanded
the other.
" My life against the Fujiwara," sighed Plum Blossom.
ii2 Old Japan
"Daikoku aid us, that we devise some stratagem by
which thou yet mayst win. "
"First must I save my Queen, whom the Black
Knight threatens," cried Plum Blossom.
"Then wilt thou lose thy King," warned Jasmine.
"Thou must sacrifice the Queen; there is no other way.
Then shall the Black Knight be taken, and thy King be
saved. "
Plum Blossom smiled. "The Queen is little worth, "
she said, "so that my King go free!"
A shadow fell across the board. Glancing upward
O Ume San beheld a samurai standing over her.
Bowing courteously he extended to her a sealed mis-
sive.
Breaking the silken thread Plum Blossom read with
beating heart:
Beloved:
I have been grievously wounded, and lie at the monastery
of Yakushiji. Come to me in all haste.
Thy Yorimito, to whom death may be very near.
A palanquin waited at the postern, and Ume San,
recking naught but the peril of her lover, entered un-
questioning. Neither did she note that the bearers wore
the Fujiwara crest, nor suspect aught until something
tapped lightly against the lacquered panels. Peering
forth Plum Blossom beheld, drawn closely about her,
the meshes of a net.
A Mikado and a Geisha 113
Naught availed that she shrieked and beat upon the
door. Bystanders merely raised their eyebrows and,
muttering: " 'Tis some drunken Geisha," passed heedless
on their way.
Hours passed. Peering from the shutters Plum
Blossom perceived that it was night. A tang of brine
struck her nostrils. A roar of breakers boomed in her
ears. They were skirting the marge of a cliff, be-
neath which, her sails billowing in the breeze, rocked
a high-prowed sampan.
Suddenly she heard a thud of galloping hoofs.
1 ' Help ! " she screamed, ' ' in the name of the Emperor !' '
The yellow hawk's eyes of Kambaku stabbed at her
through the dusk.
"Hold thy tongue, wanton," he hissed, prodding
the bearers angrily with his spear.
An answering cry rang out from the pursuers, as they
gained inch by inch upon their quarry.
In vain did the Fujiwara strive with threats and im-
precations to goad his samurai to swifter flight. Yori-
mito with relentless wrath charged furiously upon them.
The rear-guard faltered under the sudden onslaught
of the imperial swordsmen. With desperate fury they
struck out terrific blows that ripped open bodies and
crashed through helmet and skull to the very jaw.
Over severed heads and mangled bodies they leapt,
their flashing blades cleaving lacquered mail, and biting
deep into sinew and bone.
H4 Old Japan
Decimated by pitiless slaughter the hirelings of the
shogun gave way and paralysed with terror sought
safety in flight.
Meanwhile, beset by a band of ruffians, the Emperor
with a lightning stroke felled his foremost assailant and
sent a second reeling to earth, when suddenly from
behind him rang a woman's cries.
"Ware thee, Yorimito!"
Wheeling he parried a treacherous side slash from a
stealthy samurai, and slicing the war-mask from his
assailant's helmet revealed the blood-mad visage of
Kambaku !
Like two lithe leopards they glared at each other, on
the brink of the beetling cliff.
Blade clashed against blade in furious slash and wary
feint, till, with a sudden stroke, Yorimito sent his op-
ponent's sword flying from his hand.
Scorning to take advantage of an unarmed antagonist
the Mikado sheathed his blade.
Bowing, as in surrender, Kambaku rushed upon him
like a maddened bull.
Breast to breast they grappled, writhing back and
forth on the slippery sod, each striving to thrust his
opponent over the marge.
Kambaku gripped the Mikado's throat, tightening
his merciless fingers as the other rained upon him mur-
derous blows of his mailed fists. The relentless talons
bit deeper and deeper into the tender flesh. Ever
Weary and spent the Mikado and the Geisha sought
shelter from the driving snow "
(Haiunobu)
Permission Armand Dayot
" A servitor threw wide the fusuma. Tokiwa and
Iki entered "
(Utamaro)
Permission Armand Dayot
A Mikado and a Geisha 115
nearer the fearful brink they strained and struggled,
each alternately uppermost.
Of a sudden Yorimito saw red. His eyeballs started
from their sockets, and a bloody froth oozed from his
lips.
A despairing wail: "Namu Amida, butsu," sounded
faintly in his ears.
Summoning one supreme effort, Yorimito tore off the
strangling fingers and thrust his adversary to the
brink.
Digging his feet into a crevice Kambaku strove to
rise. The rock crumbled. He tottered backward,
dangling over the abyss. Thus he hung clutching the
feet of the Mikado, striving to drag his enemy to
death.
The sword of Yorimito flashed pitilessly above him. *
"One word, ere thou slayest me!" besought the
Fujiwara.
"Speak!" commanded the Emperor.
"Thy betrothed is a vile and accursed Eta!"
"Thou liest!" flashed Yorimito. The avenging
blade descended. The clutching fingers relaxed. From
ledge to ledge the body rebounded and splashed into the
sea. Then all was silent save the lapping of the waves.
With a swift slash Yorimito severed the net, and
clasped O Ume San to his heart.
"Grieve not, Beloved, 'twas but a fearsome dream.
Thou shalt awake to joy!"
n6 Old Japan
VI
DE PROFUNDIS
Tis night! without, the tempest waileth,
Mingled with sleet swift falls the driving snow.
So cold am I my very blood congealeth,
I munch my smoked salt fish in utter woe !
I cough and sneeze, and, 'twixt the trembling wheezes,
I sip of sake dregs a potion cold,
I hug my bed and shiver with the breezes,
And heap upon me all the cloaks I hold.
But, as I shudder thus for hours together,
I strive to think of others still more poor,
Who, starving, shelterless in wind and weather,
Must beg their daily crust from door to door!
Unhappy ones, than me more sunk in sorrow,
Lost souls, how pass ye then your days?
(Voice of the Wind;)
"Wide are the earth and heavens, but for me narrow,
Bright are the sun and moon, but not for me!
From my bent frame, chilled to the very marrow,
A seaweed cloak falls tattered to my knee.
"For on the hearth no embers bright are burning.
Within the pot the spiders spin their lace.
And now the village head-man is returning
To drive me homeless from this squalid place."
MANYOSHIU.
Weary and spent the Mikado and the Geisha sought
shelter from a sudden tempest in a roadside hovel.
A Mikado and a Geisha 117
Huddled beneath a heap of rags upon the earthen
floor lay an aged man.
"Come not near me," he muttered. "Touch me
not for I am an accursed Eta. " x
A paroxysm of coughing shook the sufferer. O Ume
San ran to his side and drew the ragged coverlet about
him.
"I had a daughter once," he said, his eyes lingering
upon Plum Blossom, as she heaped the hearth with
faggots. "When she was but a child I sold her to a
teacher of Geisha, who swore never to reveal her par-
entage. "
"Didst give her no birthright token?" asked O Ume
San, placing a pot of rice upon the fire.
"Verily, a sure token, the mirror of her mother, a
daughter of a samurai, who left home and kindred to
share my shame. Soon she faded, a pale plum-blossom
drooping neath the sun."
"Father!" cried O Ume San, clasping his trembling
hands, "dost thou not know me?"
" Nay, " protested the Eta, "never daughter of mine,
so wondrous fair thou art ! "
"Behold the token!" she laughed, drawing from her
girdle a silver mirror: " Thou didst give it me saying:
' The mirror is the soul of a woman, even as the sword
1 The Etas were a caste whose occupations necessitating the hand-
ling of dead bodies caused them to be looked upon with horror and
disdain.
n8 Old Japan
is the soul of a samurai. Behold thy mother's face.'
Oft would I caress it, deeming the face I beheld therein
my mother's. "
Tears coursed down the father's cheeks: "Thou art
indeed my child!
" Ne'er shall summer skies
Dry the ceaseless dew
From my aged eyes,
Wept for loss of you.
Long I have known not
Where thine home might be
Nor what pain thy lot.
Thus I grieved for thee. " l
Turning to the Emperor he cried: "She is thy love.
Thou wilt not cast her forth!"
Yorimito fell upon his knees: "Naught save
death shall part us, Father," he murmured rev-
erently.
A wondrous smile lighted the careworn face.
A terrific paroxysm rent the dying Eta. Piteously
he strove to speak, but his lips refused utter-
ance.
"Come back to me, Father!" cried Plum Blossom,
then fell sobbing upon his breast.
"He bideth with Buddha," whispered Yorimito.
"Behold the smile of ineffable peace!"
1 Murasake no Shikibu.
A Mikado and a Geisha 119
VII
Never the shrill cicada's cry
Giveth a sign from flower or tree,
How soon, alas ! 'twill surely die.
Nor know we more our destiny.
BASHO.
One evening as the shadows deepened a frighted
gazelle leaped through the shoji and fell trembling at the
feet of Ume San.
"Little Coward!" she smiled, "what fearest thou?
Naught of evil lurketh here. "
Through the shattered shutters she peeped forth into
the forest where two burning coals gleamed in the dusk.
A panther sprang from an overhanging bough and
vanished in the night.
"This bodeth some hidden evil," she shuddered.
" I will seek Yorimito, and he will laugh away my fears. "
Threading the bosky labyrinth leading to the impe-
rial palace a shadow sprang from the thicket.
" Kambaku ! " she cried, " hath thy da3mon come back
to earth?"
The Fujiwara smiled significantly. "I thought not
to find thee here," he growled, gripping her by the throat.
"Be silent, and thou shalt go free."
"Unhand me then, and let me pass," she com-
manded imperiously. "Thou shalt answer to the Mi-
kado for this assault upon his bride!"
120 Old Japan
Kambaku laughed. "His bride forsooth, " he mocked.
"When the Emperor knoweth thy parentage he will
cast thee off."
The Geisha's eyes flashed triumph: " Yorimito know-
eth all, yet am I his betrothed!"
"Hast thou so little love that thou wouldst smirch
him with thy shame?" demanded Kambaku.
"The Emperor is above all soilure of mine or thine, "
Plum Blossom murmured.
"Nay," retorted the Fujiwara, "thy very touch is
pollution. Thou art an Eta!"
O Ume San fell quivering upon the ground and buried
her face in her hands.
"Nor may he wed thee if he would, " resumed Kam-
baku pitilessly, "save by relinquishing the throne and
becoming an outcast. Shall he thus abase himself for
thee?"
" Never, " sobbed Plum Blossom, vanquished. " Bet-
ter 'twere that I should perish. "
"Listen, little Spring Flower," he pleaded, his voice
assuming a gentler tone, "thy wilfulness hath wrought
thy ruin. Hadst thou bent Yorimito to my will ye
might have dwelt in happiness. But thou didst play
against me, to win the Mikado. Little deemed I, when
the game began, that thou wouldst win me too. Nath-
less hast thou triumphed, and I am thine, body and
soul."
"Sooner death!" she flashed defiantly.
A Mikado and a Geisha 121
"Death for the Emperor," threatened Kambaku,
"so thou yield not to my desire."
"In the name of Buddha, spare him, good my Lord, "
implored Plum Blossom, "and upon the morrow shall I
grant thee thy will, " she temporized guilefully.
"This very night, "jaied Kambaku, his eyes aflame
with desire.
" Grant me then a trifling boon," besought the Geisha.
"Whate'er thou wilt, Little Blossom."
"Give me, as troth plight, this bauble seal," she
smiled with coy solicitude.
" Little Devil, I can deny thee nothing, " he shrugged,
placing the seal within her palm.
"Come when I quench the light," she whispered.
"It shall be a sign that the Emperor sleepeth."
"When he sleepeth," echoed the Fujiwara, then
laughed sardonically: "This night, in sooth, shall he
slumber deep!"
VIII
DUSK AT KARA
The pliant, wind-swept oleanders veer,
Etching vague, velvet shadows on the sand;
And camphor trees, a venerable band,
Stretch out gnarled, sinuous branches gaunt and sere.
Innumerable lanterns, tier on tier,
With visored helmets, looming on each hand
In long defile, like silent sentries stand,
While in the meadows browse the dappled deer.
122 Old Japan
Forgotten figures haunt these gardens cool ;
Contorted trunks of the wistaria fair
Seem feudal warriors in the ghostly gloom.
The Fujiwara, stealing from his tomb
To slay the young Mikado, waiting there
For the fair Geisha by the lotus pool.
Within the pavilion O Ume San knelt in prayer be-
fore her mother's mirror. She had heard the muttered
threat and knew that no power of earth or heaven would
let the Fujiwara from his revenge.
Dry-eyed and calm she rose, her resolution fixed.
Never, for love of her, should the Emperor relinquish
his high destiny.
Then wrapping the seal within a scroll she wrote
thereon: "Beloved, I pay thee back my too great
price.
"As the swift stream is rent in twain
By boulders in its flow,
Yet, speeding on, unites again;
So may our souls though parted now
Unite in aeath anew."
Placing the missive upon the tokonoma she took from
an armour-chest a samurai's helmet and cloak.
Tiring herself therein she stood before the lamp,
throwing her shadow upon the translucent shoji, well
knowing that Kambaku would mistake it for the Em-
peror.
After a moment she extinguished the light, and, creep-
A Mikado and a Geisha 123
ing beneath her quilt, prayed for the happiness of
her lord.
Ghostly moonbeams pencilled upon the floor frail
fluttering clusters of wistaria. Suddenly the silver
luminance was shrouded by a creeping shadow.
Plum Blossom shrank deeper within the covering,
her heart scarce beating.
Little by little the shadow slowly lengthened. She
heard a stealthy tread upon the floor. The loosened
planks uttered shrill creaks like cries of a wounded bird.
Softly, very softly, the shoji were slipped aside.
A sudden flash as of lightning. Then all was night.
No more she knew of earthly pain or bliss of mortal love.
Plum Blossom's butterfly spirit had fluttered upward
through the night.
Kambaku lifted the severed head and leered upon its
blood-bespattered loveliness, his eyes wide with horror.
As he glared thus, gibbering impotently, a shout rang
through the night. He wheeled abruptly about, then
reeled to earth, his heart transfixed by the sword of the
Emperor.
Oft in the misty spring
The vapours roll o'er Mount Mikasa's crest
While, pausing not to rest,
The birds each morn with plaintive note do sing.
Like to the mists of spring
My heart is rent; for, like the song of birds,
Still all unanswered ring
The tender accents of my passionate words.
124 Old Japan
I call her every day
Till daylight fades away;
I call her every night
Till dawn restores the light;
But my fond prayers are all too weak to bring
My darling back to sight. 1
1 Translated from Akahito (in The Myriad Leaves) by Professor
Basil Hall Chamberlain.
CHAPTER VI
THE CLASHING OF THE CLANS
PRELUDE
THE MINAMOTO CUBS
TIER husband dead, a sheaf of spears in his breast,
the roof falling behind her, Lady Tokiwa and her
little sons fled from the flaming Minamoto Castle.
With sublime audacity, she sought refuge in the
palace of her arch enemy, the Taira tyrant Kiyomori.
In all Nippon there was but one who did not tremble
before the cruel daimio, his dauntless mother, Iki.
So, when Tokiwa implored her to intercede with
Kiyomori in behalf of her fatherless children, Iki
peered through her time-dimmed eyes into the faces of
the Minamoto princelings : Yoritomo, sullen and defiant,
Yoshitsune, laughing and cuddling her withered bosom.
"Jizo bless thee, little Elf," she cried. "Thou hast '
the very countenance of my lost babe. Rise Lady
Tokiwa, I will conduct thee to my son."
All Kyoto rang with the Taira victory. Kiyomori
125
126 Old Japan
and his exulting retainers were carousing in the high-
roofed banquet-hall. His heart was hot with sake.
Lust of battle had yielded to lust of flesh. He had
apportioned the precious Minamoto loot among his
trusted samurai, and was now tasting with delight
the cup of their fulsome flattery. Drunk with wine
and glory, he surveyed the gods, the world, and himself
with self-complacent pride.
A servitor threw wide the fusuma. Tokiwa and
Iki entered. The young matron prostrated herself
timorously before the mazed daimio, the aged mother
seating herself fearlessly at his side.
"Is she not surpassing fair?" Iki whispered.
"By Benten," cried Kiyomori, "'tis the peerless
princess of the Minamoto. They spake sooth who
named thee most beauteous flower of Yamato."
Tokiwa smiled pitifully : "I come, most august and
gracious Lord, to beseech a priceless boon."
"What wouldst thou seek?" demanded the tyrant
as the trembling lips of Tokiwa denied her speech.
"That, in thine infinite mercy," besought Tokiwa,
great tears welling to her eyes, "thou wouldst spare my
fatherless children."
"Thy Minamoto cubs? Never," he thundered.
"Soon will they grow to panthers, and rend the hand
that feeds them."
"Mark her well, my son," insinuated Iki. "Is she
not worth the venture?"
The Clashing of the Clans 127
Kiyomori's gaze drank the shrinking figure from tiara
to sandal, gloating upon her gently rounded curves.
"Bring thy brats," he grunted, clicking his fan.
Laughing and unaffrighted, the children romped
in, Yoshitsune clambering upon the knee of Mother
Iki, rummaging her robes in quest of sweetmeats,
Yoritomo planting himself sturdily before the tyrant,
scornful and unabashed.
Tokiwa bade him bow obeisance, but he refused,
insolently thrusting out his tongue.
Kiyomori grinned: "Fierce little panthers! Mina-
moto to the bone!"
"Nay, my son, he is like to thee," cried his mother.
"Even so thou didst honour thine elders when a child."
"And wouldst thou rear such another cub, fond,
long-suffering dam?" demanded the daimio jestingly.
"Yea, more than one," she smiled, "grant me
both, that I may pare their baby claws."
Kiyomori laughed, "Thou shalt have thy will, little
Mother," he muttered grudgingly.
Tokiwa crept to the tyrant's dais and clasped his
feet, weeping for joy.
HOW A MINAMOTO BEFRIENDED A TAIRA
Kwannon
Beneath far-jutting eaves, whose sword-like sweep
Slashes the verdant lacquer of the pine,
128 Old Japan
A forest of vast figures fill a shrine,
Portraying one in contemplation deep,
Whose weary lids know neither death nor sleep.
Tier upon tier the golden idols shine,
Three thousand, thousand-handed, loom in line,
And pitying peer on all who pray and weep.
Goddess of Mercy, bountiful and kind,
Who givest succour to the sore opprest,
Within thy shrine, where, muttering their prayer,
Old bonzes bow, like Buddhas bent and blind,
Grant me at last the benison of rest,
Thy blest Nirvana and an end of care !
A youthful samurai knelt in the temple's golden
gloom intoning his mournful prayer. Suddenly he
rose and beat his breast: "Not rest or peace for such
as I," he cried despairingly. "Thou knowest, merciful
Kwannon, these are not the boons I fain would seek."
"The gifts of the Goddess are of her own choosing, "
spake a gentle voice at his elbow. "Yet shouldst
thou entreat her with whole-souled faith, she will
bestow upon thee thy heart's desire."
Turning swiftly, the samurai beheld a smiling maiden,
who extended to him a silken scrip and a lacquered
begging-bowl.
"August and honourable Lord," she entreated,
"pray make thy benevolent offering, and thrust thy
hand into the bag of Fortune."
"Surely thou art no priestess, but the daughter of
The Clashing of the Clans 129
Kwannon," spoke the samurai noting the delicate,
aristocratic, oval face, from under whose high-arched
brows wistful eyes met his own with the trustfulness
of a young child.
"The Imperial Maids-of -Honour assist the priestesses
upon this day of days," she smiled.
Dropping a silver coin in the bowl, the samurai
slipped his hand within the scrip, fumbling among a
mass of tiny amulets. His brow clouded with dis-
appointment as he drew forth a little brazen sword.
"A life of strife is allotted thee," she murmured,
her eyes aflood with laughter. "Is this not thy heart's
desire?"
The youth stood wonder-struck by the sudden
sympathy revealed to him in the maiden's naive delight.
"Already is that mine, fair votaress, but I would
fain have greater guerdon, " ventured the enraptured
samurai.
"The bounty of Kwannon is beyond measure,"
rejoined the maiden. " 'Tis permitted the benevolent
donor to entreat her grace anew."
"Request is proffered that the noble lady will
select the gift which the Goddess granteth me."
The charms in the scrip tinkled musically as her
fingers stirred them. A smile of mingled mischief
and tenderness deepened her dimples as she laid in his
palm a tiny golden heart.
"The gods have granted a happy omen," laughed
130 Old Japan
the delighted youth, "since it comes from thy hand to
mine."
Her ebon lashes swept her flushed cheeks, and with a
little inclination of her delicate head the maiden glided
away. She passed from group to group, jingling her
coins and amulets, chanting sweetly the whiles : " Gifts,
gifts of Kwannon; to the benevolent the thousand-
handed Goddess granteth his heart's desire."
The youth sped after his fleeting lady, drawn by a
lodestone uncomprehended but irresistible, and paused,
his progress suddenly stemmed by the suite of the
Regent, Taira Kiyomori.
A score of years have passed since, as a lad,
Yoshitsune stood in the despotic presence and gazed un-
abashed into the tyrant's relentless face. Little recks
Kiyomori that "the Minamoto cubs" he caged within
fortress and monastery, grown to lithe young panthers,
have burst their bonds and even now are crouching for
the spring.
"Thou seest, my son," spake Kiyomori exultingly,
"not a single Minamoto dareth show his crest!"
Munemori pointed to the smiling seller of amulets:
"Asagao, Morning Glory, fairest flower of the Mina-
moto, " he protested courteously.
"Daughter of dotard Yorimasa, " sneered the tyrant,
"a toothless cur, that may no longer bite!"
"Yet can the old dog snarl," laughed Munemori,
-r-S
3
O _
O (H O
4) P E- 1
8 *
'C
3 3
CO O,
e?
^ &
o S
ri O
2 Z
,
^ 2
_. **-"
= o
O +j
3 c
G
p< S
rt
H
** p
The Clashing of the Clans i 3I
"for when I besought the hand of his daughter, me-
thought he would have rent me limb from limb." '
" Shall a Taira abase himself to beseech a Minamoto? "
thundered Kiyomori. "An the maid pleaseth thee, take
her, forsooth !"
Yoshitsune gripped his sword, then, mastering
himself, resolved at all hazards to shield his fair votaress
from her hidden peril. He plunged into the seething
throng, seeking ever the Flower of the Minamoto.
But Morning Glory, in her gilded norimon, had quitted
the temple-court.
The bearers had plodded but a little space when
Munemori, riding in hot haste, overtook and forced
his escort upon the maiden.
"The proffered service of the Taira lord is not de-
sired, " replied Morning Glory courteously
"Nay, beauteous lady," laughed the insistent Mune-
mori, "without thy leave still shall I guard thee on thy
way."
With a sudden clash Asagao closed the shutters.
Unabashed, Munemori pursued the one-sided inter-
course, well knowing, howsoe'er ill-content the maid
might be, she had no choice but to listen.
"Flower of my heart," he cried, "I have long time
sought thee of thine august father. Why doth he
still deny my suit? Such an alliance would slay the
hatred of our rival clans."
132 Old Japan
"The hatred of a Minamoto is deathless," rejoined
Morning Glory. " Beware to anger me with thine unwel-
come importunities, else thy folly bring thee evil fate."
"Deathless too," echoed Munemori, "is the love of
a Taira. Know, my sweet enemy, that no hatred, not
even thine own, shall stay me from my will. Entreat
thy father to grant my suit else, Body of Kwannon, I
shall take thee without his consent or thine!"
As he spake, a highwayman sprang from covert, and,
with lowered halberd, commanded them to halt.
"Who art thou?" demanded Munemori, "who thus
waylay eth peaceful citizens?"
"I am Benkei, a monk of Hiei-zan, " cried the burly
bonze. Wherewith the bandit laid about him so
lustily that he beat the sword from Munemori's hand,
slashing his charger in such grievous wise that it threw
its rider heavily to the ground.
Morning Glory leaped from her litter, trusting to
save herself in flight. But the highwayman with
a dexterous sweep of his halberd held her captive
within its scythe-like curve.
Sudden, from out the darkness, ran a youthful
samurai. Grasping the bandit in a grip of steel, with
relentless might he bent his wrist slowly backward
till the halberd fell clanging upon the stones.
As the cut-throat stooped to regain his weapon, with
a crashing blow the unknown samuari struck him sud-
denly to earth.
The Clashing of the Clans 133
The vanquished ruffian cringed before his triumphant
adversary: "Spare me, most valiant lord, " he pleaded.
"Suffer me to become the henchman of my conqueror."
"My henchman!" echoed the other. "Never! I
make not war on maids nor rob defenceless knights."
"Softly, august master," fawned the contrite high-
wayman, "I plotted no scathe for this fine gallant
and his lovesome lady. I sought but his sword. A
vow have I sworn to gain a thousand blades wherewith
to arm the merry monks of Yoshitsune against the vile
Taira."
Joyously laughed the knight. "I am Yoshitsune,"
he declared, "and since there be need of valiant blades,
I accept thy proffered fealty. "
Turning to Morning Glory, he bespake her full
courteously: "Lady of the understanding heart,
suffer thine unworthy servitor to guard thee on thy
way."
Shyly yet eagerly the maid made answer: "Will-
ingly doth the daughter of Yorimasa accept the prof-
ered service of the valiant Minamoto; but first let us
succour this misfortunate knight."
Yoshitsune devoured his enemy with hungering eyes.
"Little love, "he said, "wouldst thou bear this Taira
didst thou know his secret soul?"
"Nay," protested Asagao earnestly, "I love thy
foeman not. Belike ye may meet one day in battle;
then would I pray that thou shouldst conquer."
i34 Old Japan
Yoshitsune smiled:
The Morning Glory's fragile tendrils twine
Around the rope with such bewitching spell
I cannot bear to break the tender vine;
But draw my water from my neighbor's well.
"Benkei, " he commanded, "bring water, wherewith
to revive this wounded knight."
The henchman ran to the river, filled his helmet,
an4, returning, poured it over the head of the bemused
Munemori, who rubbed his astonished eyes and groped
dazedly for his sword.
Placing the wounded man's arm about his shoulder,
Yoshitsune spake reassuringly: "Fear not, Brother,
we would but take thee to thy dwelling." Then to the
erstwhile highwayman: "Lend a hand, Benkei, " he
cried, "'tis for the honour of the Minamoto!"
Gently he bestowed the maiden in her gilded nori-
mon, whispering the whiles, "Lady of the under-
standing heart, 'tis for thy sake I have done this deed!
Tell me, I pray, that I may greet again thy wondrous
smile."
Asagao abased her mist-dimmed eyes: "When
the first morning glory opens, " she murmured timidly,
"in the temple garden."
"Then, Flower of the Dawn, will I keep the
tryst," smiled Yoshitsune, his heart singing with
delight :
The Clashing of the Clans 135
"If thou shouldst wish to meet me, Dear,
We two, alone, again,
Come to the temple tori near,
Or sunbeam, storm or rain;
And if the idlers scoff or sneer,
Discreetly to them say :
Upon the passing throng to peer
Thou wendest thus thy way.
If thou shouldst wish to meet me, Dear,
Alone, but thou and I,
Hide 'neath the murmurous pine boughs here,
Till I to thee draw nigh,
Bide in the sheltering bamboo patch,
If any folk ask why,
Say that thou earnest there to catch
A burnished butterfly."
FLOWER DANCE, BINGO PROVINCE.
II
HOW A MINAMOTO CAME TO HIS TRYST AND ENCOUNTERED
WHOM HE WOULD NOT AND THEREAFTER
FARED BETTER THAN HE HOPED.
At the unfolding of the first white convolvulus
Yoshitsune hastened to the temple tori. Vainly
questing Morning Glory he wandered through the
deserted garden to the vast and lofty temple.
Within its interminable verandah he fell upon a
band of Taira samurai absorbed in a contest of archery.
They had set their target at the very end, emulating
one another in vain attempts to reach the goal.
136 Old Japan
Munemori clapped Yoshitsune upon the shoulder.
"Take my bow, Comrade," he exclaimed, "and try
thy fortune!"
"Comrade of thine am I not," laughed Yoshitsune,
"nor may I avail myself of thy courtesy since graver
matters await me."
"Thy business shall wait forsooth, an thou wouldst
not become target for our shafts."
Loth to provoke a quarrel, Yoshitsune drew bow.
Over-confident in his skill, he neglected to take account
of the wind. His arrow swerved to the side and buried
itself in a beam.
With a shrug he yielded the bow to Munemori.
Tossing into air a handful of feathers the Taira noted
the trend of the breeze; then stretching the great bow
with all his strength he sent a shaft far beyond his
antagonist.
A ringing cry from the bystanders acclaimed the shot.
"Try again, Friend, " smiled Munemori complacently.
Parting his legs for a sturdier stance, Yoshitsune
drew the great Kwanto bow to its utmost stretch.
An arrow trembled in the heart of the target.
"A master-shot!" cried the Taira bowmen.
Aflame with envy, Munemori muttered: "'Tis
wondrous chance, if indeed it be not magic. Who
art thou, stranger?" he demanded. "Surely ere now
have I beheld thine evil-favoured visage."
Yoshitsune smiled significantly: "A man without
The Clashing of the Clans 137
home or name," he rejoined, hastening into the temple.
The Taira glared lowering after, probing his memory.
Of a sudden he struck his thigh.
"Clansmen," he stormed, "'tis the Minamoto
panther who hath burst his cage! Guards, bolt the
doors, that he may not escape!"
Little recked the eager youth the trap into which he
had fallen. But Morning Glory, waiting within the
temple, had heard.
"Hide, dear my Lord," she implored, "else will
they surely slay thee!"
"Fear not, loved Blossom," he replied reassuringly.
"None may draw blade within this holy place."
"Nay," she protested, "Munemori stayeth not for
Gods or men! Thou art unarmed. The Taira will
drag thee forth to torture."
Against his will, Asagao silently led him to a curtained
alcove behind the golden image of Kwannon.
"'Tis the shrine of the Mikado," she whispered.
"None may enter here on pain of death."
"Yet thou dost dare?" he marvelled.
"Love dareth even death!" she smiled triumphantly.
Sudden shouts and the tramp of iron feet! " Death
to the Minamoto!" roared the thunderous voice of
Munemori. "Seize and strip him, then cast him in
the panther's pit. We shall see with what love his
kindred caress him!"
138 Old Japan
The temple walls re-echoed as the Taira troop rushed
in. Back and forth they quested through the endless
ranks of golden idols, closing slowly in upon their prey.
As Munemori grasped the glittering veil of the
Goddess, an imperious voice stayed his profane hand.
"Bow down, Sacrilegious One," commanded Kwan-
non. "Sheathe thy sword lest I destroy thee utterly!"
The great idol slowly revolved, her myriad arms
raised in wrathful menace. Munemori fell back
abashed.
Within the shrine a trap-door opened, leading to a
secret, subterranean passage. The youth and the
maiden descended, the .Goddess turned, wrapped her
gleaming robes about her, and the sword of Munemori
shivered in fragments against the bright impenetrable
folds!
Through many and tortuous windings they hastened
till they came to a grated doorway. Recognizing
Asagao, a sentry led them up a narrow stairway out into
a cloistered court. To his astonishment, Yoshitsune
saw before him the palace of the Emperor, whose
guard Yorimasa commanded.
Circling the cloister, Asagao conducted the youth to
her father's dwelling.
The daimio salaamed with sibilant indrawings of
breath: "August Highness, dauntless chieftain of our
clan," he greeted, "deign to honour with thy presence
my humble abode. ' '
The Clashing of the Clans 139
"My Daughter, it is thy privilege to offer refreshment
to our princely guest."
Morning Glory silently glided from the apartment.
The eyes of the aged warrior lighted with a sudden
flame:
"Time is," he exclaimed, "that we raise the white
standard of the Minamoto and rend in tatters the red
Taira banner. For this have I long plotted in secret ;
now is the hour to strike!"
"In truth," returned Yoshitsune, "even now my
brother Yoritomo doth raise an army in the east.
With the fighting monks of Hiei-zan will I go to join
him."
"My Lord," interposed Yorimasa, "the Minamoto
shall 'set up a Heaven-descended Emperor, in whose
veins runs no taint of the Taira blood."
The voice of Yoshitsune vibrated with deep emotion.
"When the last Taira lieth in his bloody shroud," he
entreated, "wilt thou grant me to wife thy gentle
white-souled daughter?"
Yorimasa recoiled as though stabbed to the heart.
"Highness," he stammered, "my life is thine, to be
poured out at thy bidding; but my daughter is already
given to another!"
The youth swore a mighty oath. The earth reeled
suddenly beneath him. Had Morning Glory, the soul
of truth, made a mock of his affection? In the twink-
ling of an eye his faith reasserted itself.
140 Old Japan
"To whom hast thou pledged Asagao?" he demanded
eagerly.
"To thine enemy and mine, Taira Munemori, "
was the curt answer.
Yoshitsune sprang to his feet. "Munemori!" he
cried. "Madman, wherefore hast thou done this deed?"
Yorimasa raised his hand in mute deprecation:
"The truth shall be known," he said simply. "This
very day did Taira no Kiyomori demand the hand of
Asagao for his son "
"Thou didst not consent," the youth asserted.
"Rather would I doom her to death," affirmed the
heroic daimio.
"But Kiyomori told me our children had plighted
their troth beneath the eternal stars!"
The eyes of Yoshitsune grew dark with wrath :
"Amida Butsu!" he murmured beneath his breath.
" Only last night when Munemori rescued my
daughter from bandits."
"'Tis sooth," laughed Yoshitsune, "save that thou
hast sadly misnamed the actors in this little comedy.
'Twas not to the Taira that Asagao plighted troth."
" I had it from her very lips, " insisted Yorimasa.
The youth smiled incredulously.
"Last night," resumed the father, "a boding dream
oppressed me. I sought my daughter, fearing lest
some dread sorrow had befallen. The moonbeams
fluttered upon her frail, white figure, a fleeting smile
The Clashing of the Clans 141
dimpled her peach-tinted cheek. Wistfully she mur-
mured: 'Prince of my dreams, L love thee! In the
Temple of Kwannon have I given thee my heart!'
Forgive her, Yoshitsune, she is very young!"
"Forgive her!" cried the blissful youth, "in sooth
I shall, since she hath given her heart to me!"
Yorimasa's aged eyes lighted with a joyous smile.
He clicked his fan sharply and Morning Glory entered
bearing upon a vermilion lacquered tray the ceremonial
tea.
She had donned a robe of mist-grey cre"pe, girded
by an orchid-tinted obi. In the spread wings of her
raven hair glittered golden dragonflies.
"My daughter," smiled Yorimasa complacently,
"the august prince, Minamoto no Yoshitsune honours
our unworthy house by demanding thee in wed-
lock."
Asagao prostrated herself till her white brow touched
the floor: "The will of my father is the delight of his
child," she answered dutifully.
Yoshitsune clasped her to his heart: "Worshipped
One, through a thousand existences shall my love for
thee endure," he murmured fervently:
"The way a river runneth to the sea,
The way an eagle wingeth through the day,
The way my passion floweth, Love, to thee!
These changeless are and ne'er shall know decay!" 1
1 Japanese folk-song.
142 Old Japan
III
THE BATTLE OF THE FIREFLIES : AND HOW "A TOOTHLESS DOG"
DID BITE
It was night; great, white mourning-lanterns gleamed
upon the Taira gate. The tyrant, Kiyomori, had
journeyed to the Eternal Land.
"Perform no funeral rites," he had commanded.
"Seize Minamoto no Yoritomo, behead him, and hang
his skull before my tomb."
The death of the masterful Kiyomori was the signal
for the long-smouldering Minamoto rebellion, which
suddenly burst forth and swept the country like a
devouring flame.
Rallying a horde of clansmen, ronins and fighting-
monks, Yoritomo kindled the fires by marching against
Kyoto.
Taira Munemori, with an army of twenty thousand
samurai, set forth to meet him.
Yorimasa with a paltry three hundred waited at the
Uji River. As his warriors were sawing asunder the
last remaining planks of the bridge, a sudden clatter
of hoofs broke the stillness of the night!
" 'Tis Yoshitsune ! " cried Asagao triumphantly. "Be-
hold his snowy banner flashing in the dusk."
Yorimasa raised his hands in mute despair! "Alas,
my child, he cannot cross! The bridge no longer
will bear his weight!"
The Clashing of the Clans 143
Heedless of her father's warning Morning Glory
mounted the trembling timbers. A plank splashed
into the stream as she glided swiftly across.
"If I but had a lantern wherewith to warn him,"
mused the maiden longingly.
The meadow glimmered with the light of a myriad
glow-worms. Asagao smiled with sudden delight.
Descending to the river she gathered the fireflies by-
scores, and, prisoning them in her veil, made a gleam-
ing torch.
Pursued by a squadron of Taira horsemen, Yoshi-
tsune with a score of samurai galloped toward the
bridge.
Suddenly Morning Glory flashed her lantern.
"Halt, Yoshitsune!" she screamed. "The bridge
is sawn asunder!"
Throwing his steed back upon its haunches, Yo-
shitsune lifted her to the saddle. A shower of arrows
from the Taira bowmen whistled around them as he
spurred into the stream.
Her arms clasped tightly about his shoulders, Morn-
ing Glory clung to her knight as, swimming steadily,
the great charger safely bore them through the seething
torrent.
Even as they gained the bank their pursuers neared
the fatal bridge. Unwitting the trap which lay before
them, the Taira troop rode recklessly onward. When
the foremost horseman reached the middle span the
144 Old Japan
planks gave way, hurling steeds and riders, amid a
crash of splintered timbers to sudden death.
White with terror, Morning Glory sank swooning
upon the ground. Yoshitsune raised her gently.
"Courage, Love," he cried. "Ride with all speed
to Yoritomo. Spare neither spur nor lash!"
"Nay, I am not affrighted," she smiled, tossing her
head resolutely. "A Minamoto feareth not the hour
of battle!"
"Await me then in thy father's palace. Should
the Taira cross the threshold, thou wilt know I am
no more."
"At that moment will I go to join thee," Asagao
flashed.
"We shall meet here or in a happier life, " Yoshitsune
smiled, and turned to face the foe.
Munemori led his twenty thousand samurai into the
ford. A tempest of shafts from Yorimasa's valiant
bowmen greeted the Taira as they reached midstream.
But how could a few score archers prevail against
such overwhelming odds! On they came, creeping
up the bank like an endless swarm of ants, their lac-
quered harness gleaming blue in the moonlight.
Sitting his steed like a brazen statue, waited Yoshi-
tsune. Against his breast-plate a shower of shafts
glanced and splintered. Still he waited until the fore-
most Taira were but a lance's length away. Then,
with a sudden cry, he spurred furiously upon them.
The Clashing of the Clans 145
Desperately fought the Minamoto but in vain, for
the Taira surged upon them relentless, numberless,
and invincible.
Yoshitsune shivered his sword upon the shield of
Munemori, who rose in his stirrups, his blade about to
fall.
Springing suddenly between, Yorimasa cried: "Out
upon thee, caitiff, to strike a defenceless foe!"
The great blade fell, cleaving the casque in twain.
Catching him in his arms, Yoshitsune bore the
stricken general from the field. But when he looked
for Munemori, no trace of the Taira could he find.
Yorimasa soon revived under the gentle ministrations
of Morning Glory. "Time enough for women's work, "
he cried impatiently. ' ' Watch ! ' '
The trembling girl crouched upon the balcony.
Affrighted by the clash of arms, a swarm of fireflies
rose from the river bank, soaring upon the night like
sparks from a mighty conflagration.
"The souls of the Minamoto!" cried Asagao despair-
ingly. ' ' Father, we are lost ! ' '
Hearing no response, she ran into the chamber.
Upon the white matting lay Yorimasa weltering in a
pool of blood. Preferring death to surrender the un-
conquered chieftain had committed seppuku.
With a thunderous crash the palace gate fell. Snatch-
ing an axe from an assailant, Yoshitsune rushed into
the archway. His blows rained like a flail upon a
146 Old Japan
threshing-floor. Gathering about him, his warriors
formed a rampart, from which the Taira drew back
discomfited.
"Munemori!" he shouted, "darest thou not leap
this little barrier?"
"All in good time," returned the Taira, his face
contorted with an ugly leer: "Archers, clear the way of
yonder wildcat !"
A hundred arrows whistled through the archway.
Yoshitsune fell, transfixed by a dozen shafts.
A heart-rending wail arose above the tumult. Run-
ning to her lover's side, Morning Glory grasped his
sword, bent on self-destruction.
Munemori roughly unclenched her trembling fingers.
"Thou wouldst slay thyself, sweet Blossom," he
laughed, crushing her in his cruel embrace, "but by
the Gods, thou art too late!"
Asagao sank from him in loathing and fell swooning
upon her father's breast.
IV
THE FLIGHT OF THE TAIRA
" A firefly in a prison pent,
Ne'er more to flame upon the moor."
Taken captive by the Taira, Morning Glory lay in
delirium, bereft of her dauntless lord.
The Clashing of the Clans 147
"My Worshipped One, I did vow to join thee in
the Meido. Alas!" she wailed, "I have not kept my
tryst."
But Yoshitsune still lived. Raised from the dead
by his faithful Benkei, he gathered a mighty army and
descended anew upon his foes with fierce and bloody
onslaught.
Vainly fighting a losing cause the Taira withdrew
within the mighty fortress of Kobe.
Through a twelve-months' siege the Minamoto
gripped the struggling city in an ever-tightening
grasp.
Landward, cyclopean walls engirdled the city on
all sides save one, where towered a sheer, impregnable
cliff. Crouched thereon the Minamoto panthers glared
upon their prey ready to spring; but still Yoshitsune
delayed the death-stroke.
Morning Glory stood upon the ramparts with the
Child Emperor flying a kite. Her eyes scanned anx-
iously the cliff where she discerned a white banner
waving amid the Minamoto ranks.
"'Tis Yoshitsune," she cried, her heart beating with
delight, "he hath recognized my signal!"
Her little plan had succeeded, Yoshitsune had
guessed the riddle of the morning-glory kite.
Even as she spake, an arrow whistled above her head
and quivered in the heart of the flower.
"Alas! he would slay me!" she wailed.
148 Old Japan
" Look ! " cried little Antoku, drawing in the cord and
displaying a barbless shaft, about which was wrapped
a scroll. "Someone hath sent me a letter!"
Morning Glory untwined the missive: "'Tis mine,
dear child," she smiled, and hid it in her bosom.
In the solitude of her chamber she read
What is this life! A seed-plume idly blown
By turns this way and that by vagrant wind,
Wafted we know not why by instincts blind,
Unwitting whence we came or whither flown :
But, like the seed unto the tempest sown,
That springs to fruitage 'neath the sunbeams kind,
My soul doth seek unceasingly to find
In thy dear smile the Sun of Life unknown.
So, like the morning-glory, consciousless of aught
Of earth's vast mystery of ceaseless pain,
Bloom thou in beauty, or in sun or rain;
Fear not, nor take a solitary thought,
Of morrows doomful, yesterday's annoy;
Bloom for the day in unremitting joy!
Smiling between her tears, Asagao wrote an answer-
ing stanza, and pasting the poem over the rent, repaired
the broken kite, fraying meanwhile several strands
of the cord.
Scarcely had little Antoku given it to the wind when
the threads parted, the kite soared high in air, fell, and
was caught in the branches of a pine at the summit
of the cliff.
" A ringing cry rose from a thousand throats as the great ships grappled"
(Colour-print, Kunitsuna)
The Clashing of the Clans 149
Yoshitsune climbed and, discovering the missive,
read:
The morning-glory holds for one brief day
A soul as full and free from idle fears,
As that of some great fir, born to decay
Though it may flourish for a thousand years!
MATSUNAGA.
At sunset came an arrow winging a burning message :
"If thou lovest me, Worshipped One, fail not for thy
life to wait this night at the Water-Gate. With the rising
of the moon will the Minamoto panther spring!"
Morning Glory doubted not that her lover would
keep his tryst. Well she knew ere dawn not a living
soul would be left in the palace. In fancy she heard
the roar of the onslaught, crashing of doors, shrieks
of women, and through it all one shrill small voice
pitifully lisping her name. No quarter would be
granted to the Taira infant, grandson of the hated
Kiyomori.
Silently she tiptoed through dim corridors to little
Antoku's chamber. Wrapping the sleeping child in a
futon she sped to the Water-Gate.
A narrow river flowed to the harbour, where the
Taira fleet lay at anchor, ready for instant flight,
Above the cliff a silver moon was rising.
Through the midnight hush she heard a light rustle
as of wind-swept branches, at first scarcely audible.
150 Old Japan
then rising little by little to the crash of a mighty
avalanche !
With a picked band of warriors Yoshitsune waited
on the summit of the cliff. At the rising of the moon
he commanded the onslaught.
The Minamoto warriors drew back aghast at the
brink of the deep abyss.
Suddenly a startled stag sprang from covert and
bounded down the cliff.
Shouting to his comrades: "Where a stag can go
there can a man ! " Yoshitsune spurred his steed over the
precipice.
Down plunged the powerful charger, through bramble
and bracken, sliding, stumbling, clambering, amid an
avalanche of crumbling stone, down the bed of a dried
torrent. On he galloped, frightening sea-fowl from
their airy nests, crushing small furry things beneath
his heavy hoofs, hurtling downward like a meteor
from the sky. But ever, as he neared the silent,
sleeping city, a great exultation swelled his heart.
He rode to the rescue of his beloved !
Close behind charged his devoted samurai crouching
over the necks of their steeds. Rearing, rolling, and
diving, down the beetling cliff, a tempest of floundering
horses and mailed men. Into the stream they plunged,
led by Yoshitsune, swimming the tide to the very steps
of the Water-Gate.
Through dark deserted streets swept the samurai,
The Clashing of the Clans 151
waking the doomed inhabitants to sudden massacre.
Shrieks of terror rose from the Taira : "To the ships ! "
they cried. "To the ships! The Minamoto are upon
us!"
Beneath a flaring cresset stood Morning Glory, hold-
ing little Antoku in her arms. Yoshitsune sprang to
her side and strained her to his heart.
So absorbed were they in their supreme felicity
that they scarcely heard the deep bourdon which,
like great organ chords, swelled through the teeming
streets, as the flood of fugitives surged in mad stampede
to the harbour.
Nor did they note that, from the fighting junk
anchored in the roadstead, a sampan was sculling si-
lently toward them.
With a sudden shriek Morning Glory was dragged
over the thwarts, pinioned by the powerful hands of
Munemori.
Instantly Yoshitsune sprang into the sampan, slash-
ing his way to the Taira, who cowered behind the
body of Asagao.
But as he stood, fearful to strike lest the blow might
fall upon his loved one, the boatmen beat him heavily
over the head with their oars and flung him into the
sea.
The sampan bounded for the ship; but, hurriedly
as the Taira seamen weighed anchor and hoisted sail,
the Minamoto samurai were at the shore to bid them
152 Old Japan
devil's speed. Their arrows rained upon the deck like
hail upon a temple roof.
Morning Glory stood at the stern stretching her
arms in mute appeal.
Mounting his steed, Yoshitsune rode into the water
crying: "Leap, Asagao! To life and safety, Light of
my very soul!"
Vainly the maiden strove to free herself, Munemori,
laughing derisively, held her fast.
The white sails bellied and like a living creature the
great ship took the sea.
V
THE VENGEANCE OF THE MINAMOTO
O ruthless, wind-tossed wave,
Upon Tsushima's strands,
How many ghosts of warriors brave
Lie shrouded in thy sands!
IZAYOI NO Kl.
Through the tortuous channels of the Inland Sea
fled the affrighted Taira. From port to port they
scurried, the Minamoto pursuing relentlessly, "as the
hawk urges the pheasants when the moors are burnt
and no cover is left."
In the narrow strait of Dan-no-ura they turned and
faced their foes. But to their consternation their
ally the Governor of Kyushu ran up the white flag, re-
"Munemori evaded the stroke and running to the bulwarks plunged into
the sea "
(Colour-print, Kuniyoshi)
" So there he sent a mighty fleet
With horse and foot and arms replete,
To scourge the land with famine, sword and flame '
The ford of the Ujigawa
I
" In the midst of the turbulent stream the litter was suddenly overturned"
The Clashing of the Clans 153
inferring the Minamoto to eight hundred ships and
leaving but two hundred to the doomed Taira.
Yoshitsune stood on the bow heartening his clansmen.
"Banish all fear," he cried. "Death cometh soon
or late. Let us live this day so that future ages may
acclaim our deeds!"
The air was thick with a tempest of whirling shafts,
a ringing cry rose from a thousand throats as the great
ships grappled. Their blades between their teeth the
Minamoto leaped upon the Taira flagship.
Smiling, but pitiless, swinging his two-handed sword
like a gleaming scythe, as it reaped on every hand its
harvest of sudden death, came Yoshitsune.
Behind a mast crouched Munemori, till his adversary
passed, when he sprang suddenly upon him ; and the
Taira's blade glanced from the Minamoto's shoulder.
Yoshitsune whirled abruptly about and steel clashed
against steel as the two slipped and staggered upon
the gory deck.
With a quick spring Munemori dashed beneath
his adversary's guard and thrust deep into the Mina-
moto's side. But Yoshitsune with a thunderous
slash severed the Taira's helmet and the raven hair
dripped red.
For a moment he reeled drunkenly, slashing aim-
lessly right and left.
Warily parrying his blows Yoshitsune beat back his
dazed antagonist.
154 Old Japan
Suddenly Munemori slipped in a pool of blood and
fell prone upon the deck.
In an instant with upraised sword the Minamoto
was upon him.
Munemori deftly evaded the stroke and running
to the bulwarks plunged into the sea.
Swift as a flash Yoshitsune bounded after the fleeing
Taira. In the seething waters they rioted and wrestled
like two great dolphins.
Diving under his adversary Yoshitsune seized him by
the neck, driving his powerful fingers deeper and deeper
into his enemy's throat.
Gasping for breath, Munemori whipped from his
baldric an ugly dirk.
With a mighty wrench Yoshitsune tore it from him
and hurled it into the air, as the Taira writhed like a
serpent struggling to free himself from that relentless
grasp. His strength was failing rapidly and his brain
whirled as Yoshitsune ever tightened his inexorable
fingers.
"Spare me," he gasped, his voice scarce audible.
"I yield!"
Yoshitsune, all too late, relaxed his iron grip. The
Taira smiled as he sank lifeless upon the breast of his
enemy.
An agonized wail broke from the Taira. Fighting
to the last, shattered but unconquered, one by one
the great ships sank. Where once had been a fleet
The Clashing of the Clans 155
was now but a mass of mangled bodies and blood.
Only the flagship remained afloat with the trembling
women of the court.
" 'Tis the end, " cried the Taira. "Shall our beloved
live to be slaves of Minamoto lords? " Thrusting their
swords into the hearts of wives and children they cast
themselves into the sea.
Morning Glory crouched in a corner with the child-
Mikado. She had seen her lover, locked in the arms
of his enemy, vanish in the deep and deemed him lost.
Buckling the sacred sword about the infant's waist
she cried defiantly:
"Ne'er will I suffer the foe to lay hands upon my
heaven-descended sovereign." Stroking his forehead
lovingly she joined together his little hands, and bade
him breathe a prayer.
He turned to the west and called upon the name of
Buddha. He turned to the east and bade adieu to the
shrines of the Immortal Gods.
Asagao clasped him to her breast.
"Let us journey to the Eternal Land," she cried and
leaped into the sea.
"Alas, the pity! Alas, the pain! The merciless bil-
lows engulfed the Jewel Child!" A fleeting moment
and the divine sovereign was but flotsam upon the
tide of Eternity.
Down fathomless depths sank Asagao. It seemed
to her that the Sea Dragon enwrapt her in cold
156 Old Japan
envenomed coils. Vainly she strove to throw them
off, they only held her closer. Then suddenly, no
longer cold, they were bearing her swiftly upward !
When Morning Glory drifted back to consciousness
all was silent, save for drowsy lapping of the waves.
The sun laughed in a cloudless sapphire sky. Beaming
upon her with love unutterable stood Yoshitsune.
"In vain I strove to save the Jewel Child," he said
self -reproachfully ; then, smiling: "Kwannon be
blessed, thou art restored to me!
" My life a darksome garden was, before
Therein one day you came, the Sun to bring,
Flower of the Dawn ! to fill for evermore,
My heart with Love's bright Spring."
(KOYOSHI.)
CHAPTER VII
THE FOLLY OF THE KHAN
(From the " Perilous Peregrinations " of Messer Marco Polo.)
To Chipangu 1 did Kublai Khan
An expedition vast decree;
Where dwelt the Minamoto clan,
'Mid treasures measureless to man,
Beyond the eastern sea.
So there he sent a mighty fleet
With horse and foot and arms replete,
To scourge the land with famine, sword, and flame,
The flowery isle where blooms the cherry tree,
Till all should yield subjection to his name!
Thus Kublai in his folly did decree.
But of that Mongol horde, which boldly started
Down the green hills athwart the sea to sail,
A merry crew that from Cathay departed,
Returned a sorry handful broken-hearted,
Famished and spent, to tell the shameful tale.
And so befell, an if ye list my story,
Unto the fleet as I shall now relate,
Disaster dire and murder red and gory,
A' harvest reaped of two dead brothers ' hate.
1 Chipangu ancient Chinese name for Japan.
157
158 Old Japan
FOREWORD
rjORASMUCH as my most veracious chronicles
* have been slanderously named lying fabrications,
do I hereinafter reserve these, the most curious of my
voyages in orient lands, to be set forth publicly only
after this generation shall have utterly departed, and a
more enlightened race arisen to give them credence.
As to the wanton insinuations concerning my ve-
racity, suffice it to state that the sobriety and modera-
tion of this narrative refuteth these accusations. For,
look you, were it my will to deceive, could I not
prevaricate with greater proficiency? Hath not my
creator endowed me with sufficient imagination and
ingenuity of conceit? An I would, I might uncover
such a tale of wonder as should pale to pretty prat-
tle the misadventures of Sailor Sindbad or the
amorous nocturnal prowlings of that he-cat Haroun
Al Raschid.
In the stead thereof what have I indited? Marry
but a plain tale of a few paltry fights, slayings a many
and rescues innumerable, sweetly spiced with torture by
fire and bitings of mad wolf-hounds. The closeting
in a bath-house with a nymph more beauteous and
bare than Venus, hidings in the mazzard of the idol
Daibutsu, love most brave and ardent, death most dire
and lamentable. The wreckings of a typhoon in all
history most vast and terrible, with the miraculous
1
o
o
I
g
a
"S
CO
The Folly of the Khan 159
bringing together of two hearts fashioned for one
another from the foundations of the world.
Such, gentle reader, is the simple, tempered, and
unadorned tale of unassailable truth now laid before ye
by one whose heroic deeds have ever spoken more
loudly in his praise than his over-modest and self-
deprecatory tongue.
There be likewise reasons of state wherefore the
secrets herein sealed should not be disclosed during the
lifetime of that puissant potentate, my gracious patron,
the all-powerful monarch, Kublai Khan, King of Tar-
tary and Emperor of Cathay; for so contrary to the
policies of that august sovereign are certain of the
emprises, that belike he himself might be constrained
to disown them.
So, enough of exordium and let us to the meat of our
chronicle.
HOW I CAME TO CATHAY, THE REALM OF THE GREAT GRAND
KHAN
For your silks to Sugarmago! For your dyes to Ispahan!
Weird fruits from the Isle o' Lamaree!
But for magic merchandise,
For treasure trove and spice,
Here's a catch and a carol to the great grand Khan,
The King of all the Kings across the sea!
Merchants from Cathay, WILLIAM ROSE BENET.
160 Old Japan
It was in autumn of the year of our salvation one
thousand two hundred and seventy-five that I, Marco
Polo, Venetian merchant and voyageur, stood in a
bazaar of the ancient city of Bokhara chaffering rugs,
when into the market-place wended a caravan of mad
merchant-men.
Mad do I advisedly nominate them, for a more
disordered, brawling, bawling, cursing, sword-loosing,
maid-bussing, lewd, and loathly crew hath it ne'er been
my lot to encounter.
Bronzed were their faces beneath scarlet fez and
white turban, broidered their robes, but foul with desert
dust, and keen their scimitars as many a poor wretch,
foolhardy enough to anger them, learned to his cost.
Strange little, striped mules, cleped zebras, they be-
strode, and mountainous dromedaries bedecked with
sumptuous trappings and tinkling bells.
Many and outlandish were their costly wares: all
manner of attars and gems, carven tusks of elephants,
tiger and panther skins, and countless chests of a cer-
tain dried herb, whence they decocted a hot seductive
beverage.
All these they spread in the bazaar, bartering for
my commodities. Having overmatched them in every
bargain, so great was their admiration that perforce
must I journey with them to their land, and to this,
after much chaffering as to my recompense, I at length
consented.
The Folly of the Khan 161
Across interminable deserts and over lofty moun-
tains toiled our motley caravan. Through dangers
manifold we came at last to Cambaluc 1 in the
Empire of Cathay; and with much rejoicing I was
conducted to the great grand Khan.
II
THE CAVE OF VOICES AND TWO DEAD BROTHERS' HATE.
In Xanadu did Kublai Khan
A stately pleasure dome decree
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.
Wherein a mighty fountain flung up ever
Mad dancing rocks from out that sacred river,
And, 'mid this tumult, Kublai heard from far
Ancestral voices prophesying War!
COLERIDGE.
Upon a day the Emperor summoned me saying :
' ' Come with me, Friend, and I will disclose to thee a
wonder of wonders. "
Whereupon we journeyed far without the mighty
wall Jenghis Khan had builded, across leagues of
tawny desert to the snow-mantled mountains, in whose
verduous depths nested a lovesome garden. Amid
black cypresses I beheld pinnacles and golden domes
1 That part of Peking now known as the Tartar City.
1 62 Old Japan
illumined by the sun till they blazed as though carven
in amber against a sapphire sky.
Oft had I heard of its forbidden delights, wondrous
silver peacocks, which moved gem-studded tails,
golden singing-birds, scented viands served by houris
of Paradise; therefore great was my chagrin when the
Khan entered not its open portal.
In the stead thereof he plunged into a deep ravine,
winding his way along a tumbling torrent, which, 'neath
overarching boughs, descended ever deeper in gloom,
till it glided beneath a natural archway of rock at the
foot of a lofty precipice.
Then Kublai set free his horse, and I likewise, and
we entered into a boat which lay moored among the
rushes, loosing which we swept into the cavern and a
great darkness wrapped us in its gloom.
But, presently, as we whirled on, I saw lights as the
eyes of panthers in the night. No eyes were they but
torches set in iron sockets, where the subterranean
river swept in sharp angles round walls of jagged rock
which we avoided by the means of boathooks. And
so on and on through cavern after cavern which as we
neared and passed the torches I perceived to be hung
with stalactites of many-coloured crystals as it were
great gems. Thus came we at length to the great and
dazzling Hall of the Chrysolites; gorgeous with my-
riad lights, each lamp reflected an hundred times from
its many-facetted crystals.
The Folly of the Khan 163
In the centre was a bottomless pit, circular in shape
and parapeted by a low wall of shining crystal. The
place reverberated with a roar as of surges breaking
upon the shore.
"What is this awesome sound?" I questioned tim-
orously.
Drawing me back from the yawning abyss, the Khan
cried, "Wait!"
Then, with a roar of thunder, there rose a geyser,
casting up stones, which fell at our very feet.
Suddenly the fountain uttered hoarse, menacing cries.
War! War! War!
Certes I was affrighted ; my hair rose like bristles on the
mane of a boar and my flesh was suffused with icy sweat.
When the tumult had subsided the Khan caught
my arm:
"Thou didst hear the talking water?" he questioned.
"Tis the spirit of my grandsire, crying ever, 'Chipangu !
Chipangu!' Ne'er will that voice be silenced until I
have obeyed its mandate and conquered the cradle of
his race. "
" Thy grandsire, august monarch, as the world doth
know, was the all-puissant Mongul conqueror, Jenghis
Khan!"
"The world doth stand in misprision, Friend Marco, "
he retorted, "for Jenghis Khan was none other than the
famous outlaw, Minamoto no Yoshitsune.
164 Old Japan
While we cantered joyfully homeward, under the
blessed luminance of moon and stars, the Khan related
to me the story of two dead brothers' hate.
Returning in triumph from Dan-noura to lay the
heads of the Taira chieftains before Yoritomo at
Kamakura, Yoshitsune was most foully set upon by his
brother's samurai, and fled to mountain fastnesses.
Surrounding his home, Yoritomo took captive his
defenceless wife. Though she was soon to become a
mother he demanded that Morning Glory be brought
before him to dance, for the entertainment of his court.
Undaunted she came, singing the prowess of her mis-
fortunate lord so winsomely that all who beheld and
heard wept for very pity.
All save Yoritomo who, with heart harder than a
nether millstone, doomed her to instant death.
But his wife, the noble Lady Masa, took pity upon
her and shielded the woeful woman until her son was
born.
Thereupon Yoritomo commanded that the child
be strangled; and cast the mother forth to wander
barefoot 'midst the winter snows.
But the faithful Benkei, strong as a bull, yet gentle-
hearted as a child, discovered Morning Glory and bore
her in safety to her husband.
Yoritomo gave out that Yoshitsune, seeing himself
vanquished, committed seppuku, having first plunged
his sword into the heart of his loyal wife.
The Folly of the Khan 165
Most false was this report as my story shows, for,
guised as begging-bonzes, Yoshitsune, Morning Glory,
and the faithful Benkei plodded over mountain and
vale till they made their toilsome way to the Yellow
Sea. Here it was their hap to fall in with a pious
pirate, who through manifold ventures, dire and peril-
ous, brought them safe at last to the sunny land of
Arabia.
A full score years dwelt Yoshitsune among the wild
and turbulent Tartars, when, their chieftain dying,
they made him monarch, the all-powerful Jenghis
Khan.
At the head of a mighty army he swept like an
avenging flame across the steppes of Tartary, conquer-
ing and unconquerable, over the Ural Mountains
to the gates of Moscow. Here he met with bloody
defeat, and, turning eastward, subjugated Cathay
and established his kingdom at Cambaluc. 1
Whereupon he laid up vast stores of munitions
against the invasion of Chipangu, not so much to make
himself sovereign of so fair an isle as to wreak ven-
geance upon his unnatural brother.
"So bitter was my grandsire's hatred," said
Kublai Khan, "that, though I was but a lad of ten
years when he died, yet he made me swear eternal
enmity toward Yoritomo and his descendants, till
1 Jenghis Khan placed under tribute a greater territory than was
ever before subject to a single sovereign.
i66 Old Japan
the last remaining spawn of his vile tribe be for ever
exterminated.
"One other scene," quoth he, "do I remember.
Some whiles after his master's death, Benkei bade me a
last farewell ere he returned to avenge the murder of
the infant son of Yoshitsune."
"A blithe and wondrous tale, Sire, I exclaimed.
"Indeed I marvel not that thou fain wouldst view
thy fair ancestral land. When dost thou purpose
thither to set sail?"
"This very month," cried the Khan eagerly, "thither
will I despatch an embassy demanding submission,
wherein, garbed as a simple subject, I shall accompany
them unknown. "
"Yet, Sire, " I protested, "were it not a most exceed-
ing reckless venture thus to put thy life in jeopardy?
Should these rascals penetrate thy disguisement they
would tear thee limb from limb. "
" 'Tis for this small peril," quoth he, "that the
notion liketh me well. I had thought, my valiant
Marco, to hale thee with me on this quest, but if thou
hast no stomach for the wild bee's honey I shall in no
wise upbraid thee. "
"Verily," I cried, "whither thou wendest thither will
I; and, though we be stung to the quick, yet perchance
we shall sip of such honey" (and here I spake more
truly than I wotted) "as we shall deem cheaply pur-
chased, even by the sting of death."
167
HOW WE CAME TO A HIVE OF WILD BEES; AND OF THE HONEY
WHICH WE GATHERED
A fair wind blows. The good ship goes
Swift flying o'er the sea.
The sails uplift and clap their hands
In eagerness and glee.
Thus came we to Kamakura the capital of the Re-
gent, for none might approach the sacred person of the
Mikado, and the Shoguness, the awesome Lady Masa,
on account of her great age, held herself in seclusion.
The Khan, better to preserve his incognito, kept him-
self in the background and bade me address the Regent.
This I did through the medium of a Korean interpreter,
not willing to divulge the fact that I both understood and
spake Chipangese.
When I had concluded, a doomful hush fell upon the
throng. Hojo Tokimune scrabbled within his beard
the whiles a deep scowl knitted his brows.
A lean, fox-faced councillor whom I particularly
disaffected, addressing the interpreter, pointed at me
significantly and I heard the whispered words.
In a flash I comprehended that my kingly bearing
had so impressed itself upon these gentlemen that
they mistook me for the Grand Khan. Swelling with
gratification and frowning haughtily, I turned my back
upon the person who had so complimented me.
168 Old Japan
But now the eyes of Tokimune glared upon me, search-
ing, suspicious, and menacing, like a cat watching a
mouse, which, fascinated, ventures nearer and nearer,
while the crouching furry flanks grow tense and the
deadly claws steal from their sheath ready for the
spring.
Then a veil seemed drawn over those windows
whence the soul had momently peered, and he spake
in purring accents, bowing obsequiously the whiles.
"The illustrious General declareth," translated the
Korean, "that had my Lord advertised him aforetime
of his purposed visitation "
"It is my desire," I made answer condescendingly,
"that my entertainment shall in no wise differ from
that of my envoys."
The words and mien of Tokimune were alike inscruta-
ble. Smiling sardonically he led the way to the garden.
I followed in blind incertitude as to what this might
portend.
My forebodings were confirmed when the Khan
suddenly grasped my arm:
'"Ware thee, Marco," he cautioned beneath his
breath. "Hojo hath commanded that we be beheaded.
For the moment mask thine alarm; but when I give
the sign flee!"
An icy sweat oozed from my every pore.
Tokimune with hateful sneering face pressed close
upon me.
The Folly of the Khan 169
' ' Is the honourable Tojin ill ? ' *>e snarled. ' ' Meseems
thy complexion hath assumed the hue of a green
olive."
"Verily," assented the Khan, "the melons of which
my master partook anon have engendered most damn-
able gripes. Needs must he repose himself for a little
space. Request is proffered that the august General
retire. "
Bowing obsequiously our host resumed his prome-
nade.
Parting the foliage the Khan disclosed a wall.
"Mount upon my shoulder and leap!" he whispered.
"But what of yonder side?" I gasped.
"It can hold naught worse than death!" was his
reply.
In a trice I gained the summit and, giving my friend
a hand, we were over. Before us lay a garden won-
drous fair. Crimson peonies glowed like lanterns in the
bosky gloom. A path of stepping-stones led to a lotus
pool upon whose marge stood a little temple.
Into that sanctuary incontinent I rushed. Within
its perfumed dusk, to our mutual confusion, I found my-
self face to face with, nay almost in the arms of a tooth-
some morsel of female loveliness ! With one hand she
strove to gather her scanty raiment about her nude
white body while with the other she would fain have
thrust me forth.
Kneeling I kissed her feet beseeching, in words that
170 Old Japan
rushed haphazard from frenzied lips, somewhat on
this wise:
"O Goddess of all beatitude, have pity upon a
fugitive doomed to die. Fountain of bliss, peach of
lusciousness, thy cheek is the heart of a sea-shell, thy
lips slices of ripe pomegranates, thy bosom a foam-
flowered wave, thine arms "
Here the Goddess stayed my transports in accents
that strove to be severe, yet, meseemed, were kind :
"August Stranger, cease thine ill-timed importunities ;
and tell me from what peril thou dost flee."
As hunters beating a jungle where croucheth a great
tiger so at that instant there arose the hue and cry
of my pursuers.
Better to move her compassion, most shamelessly
I lied: "Behold in me Kublai, Khan of great
Cathay, secretly come to these shores for fame of thy
surpassing charm. Now that I have seen thee I die
content. "
"Nay, thou shalt not die," she whispered, casting
over me her silken robe, as there came a loud knocking
at the door and a disrespectful hand wrested it wide,
and abashed by that celestial vision as swiftly closed it
again.
A voice rose in pleading apology: "Light of my
eyes, jewel of my heart, thou delight and torment
of my soul had I known thou wert here I would
have thrust my hand into the flame rather than so
The Folly of the Khan 171
have affronted thee. My beloved, my betrothed, for-
give this outrage of thy modesty "
But the lady thus addressed shrilled: "Off with thee,
and take thy rude soldiery from my garden. Call
me no more betrothed, for I die of shame and hatred at
thought of thee, thou mountain of vileness, thou
demon of audacity. "
With that, like a whipped dog, he led his myrmidons
from the place; and we heard the clank of their armour
dwindle to silence.
Arraying herself in the robe with which she had
beshrouded my head, the lady sallied forth and in a
while returned bringing sweet assurance that all were
indeed clean gone. "Wend swiftly," she counselled,
"to the seashore yonder. There are fishing boats
whereby thou mayst escape."
To the nearest of these I prepared to swim, but
started back in horror, for, washed close to shore by
the sluggish current, there rose and fell two headless
bodies.
I knew these mutilated corpses for our comrades
and, sickening at the gruesome sight, turned from
the river, seeking other means of escape. Happily it
was close at hand, a wicket gate in the wall. As I
discerned it I was ware of a pack of wolf-hounds
scenting the bloody corpses; and faint with fear, I
sprang through the gate and bolted it on the farther
side.
172
HOW I HID IN THE HAZARD OF THE IDOL DAIBUTSU
At Kamakura in the forest gloom
O'ertopping palm and pine in solemn guise,
There sits a brazen god serene and wise,
Enthroned upon the golden lotus bloom.
Mysterious, peaceful, passionless as doom,
Peering from half -closed lids, his slanted eyes
Softened by sorrows of the centuries
Gaze gravely down on garden and on tomb.
Greeting with equal face both joy and dole,
Faint flickering shadows from the fronded palm
Touch his impassive lips as though he smiled
Pitiful, gentle as a little child,
Benignant Buddha, god of blissful calm,
Embodiment of all the Orient's soul
A towering tori guarded an avenue whose fronded
palms shaded a mighty temple. x
Casting off my sandals I reverently entered. Through
shadowy dusk and wreathing incense, like a giant
genie, loomed before me a golden idol, silent, colossal,
and mysterious. Breathless with awe I stood at gaze,
so grand and godlike was the giant.
Suddenly the hush was broken by the hue and cry
of my pursuers. Trembling with terror I cast myself
upon my knees and prayed: "
"Benignant Buddha, succour a fugitive in woeful
1 The Daibutsu, now vaulted only by the sky, was anciently enclosed
in a temple, destroyed in 1369 by a tidal wave.
The Folly of the Khan 173
plight. Suffer not these devils to pollute thy holy shrine
with my unworthy blood. Thou, who gavest thyself to
a tigress to feed her famished cubs, save me who am of
greater worth than a host of tiger cats!"
Belling lustily the wolf-hounds drew nearer and
nearer till I heard the stealthy padding of their feet.
Then dallied I no longer for vain orisons but ran for
very life. Round the great Daibutsu post-haste I
sped, and, chancing upon a door, found myself within
his capacious carcase, where, half hidden in the gloom,
dangled a welcome rope.
Swiftly I clomb, but not in time to 'scape the fore-
most hound which tore my gamashes from my calves,
inflicting wounds both grievous and bloody. Kicking
lustily I freed myself from his ravenous fangs and
mounted into the mazzard of the god. Drawing up
the rope, I nursed my gnawed shins and looked down
with equanimity upon the baffled brutes as they leaped
and yelped, lolling their long red tongues from which
dripped a frothy slaver.
While I was laughing at their discomfiture there
entered the temple two suppliants: a bent old bonze,
prating garrulously with the fair maiden of the bath,
who bore a basket of meats.
Sniffing this the curs swarmed greedily about her.
Seizing a besom the old man, more valiant than wise,
belaboured them soundly. Whereupon the infuriated
hounds sprang snarling at his throat.
174 Old Japan
Suddenly, whence I know not, with unsheathed
scimitar, leapt the Khan, and with a twirl of his flash-
ing blade, sliced me their heads.
"Hast suffered scathe, Stranger?" he questioned
courteously, his eyes the whiles drinking the maiden's
beauty.
"Nay," grunted the bonze, "had this besom but
been a halberd, right lustily would Benkei have dis-
embowelled those curs."
Here I marvelled, "So this doddering, dim-eyed
tonsure is the heroic henchman of Yoshitsune!"
But the Khan had eyes only for my nymph of the
bathing-pool, whom he thus bespake:
"Lady, art thou in sooth a mortal, or e'en a heaven-
descended houri of Paradise?"
The Maiden: "Noble Seignior, I am but a mortal
princess, cleped Flower of the Orange, hither come in
quest of thine august master. "
The Khan: "My master! Of whom dost thou
speak?"
The Maiden: "Verily of the all-puissant Khan of
Cathay, whom I sheltered from his foes. "
The Khan: "Vaunted that scurvy rascal that he
was the Emperor? "
The Maiden: "Truly, my lord, had he not admitted
it, his royal mien would have betrayed to me his rank.
Let us straightway bear him these viands for it is not
meet that his imperial majesty should die of hunger. "
The Folly of the Khan 175
"That he will not," cried the Khan, incontinently
devouring a collop of venison, garnished with sea
slugs. Thereupon, perceiving the goodly viands vanish-
ing beneath my greedy eyes, I descended.
"Lo, behold!" cried the Emperor, winking at me
behind the maiden's back, "here cometh my noble
lord and master, the great, grand Khan. "
Lowlily I louted, "Truly, noble Lady, I disclaim
these paltry honours," I mumbled deprecatingly.
"Eat, Sire," thundered the Khan, stuffing my mouth
with morsels of flesh, as he whispered me:
"Hold thy tongue, rascal. Let it appear that thou
art myself."
"Beware, my Masters," Benkei cried suddenly,
"these be the wolf-hounds of Tokimune!"
"Belly of Beelzebub!" I spluttered, my stomach
turning at the thought, "this dainty venison is then
but damned dog-flesh?"
"Heaven forbid," laughed the Khan, "rather the
beasts I but lately slew. "
"Yea, honourable Sir," reiterated Benkei, "and
anon the lord of the beasts will be upon us to wreak
vengeance for their death. "
But the Khan, who had turned again to Orange
Blossom, gave him no heed; and Benkei besought me
anxiously:
"I pray thee, good Sir, aid me to cast their carcases
in the river."
176 Old Japan
"That will I gladly," I replied; but Orange Blossom
cried out :
"Thou art wounded! See, good Sir, thy master
bleedeth!"
"Nay, 'tis but a scratch," I shrugged, and shoulder-
ing a hound I trudged after Benkei.
Of a sudden armed men sprang upon me crying:
"'Tis he whom we seek," and binding my limbs they
bore me to a cave, whose mouth was stockaded with
great logs chained stoutly each to other.
Within, a fire of coals burned upon a forge as in a
farrier's smithy and grievous instruments of discom-
fiture, pincers, pulleys, goads, and their like, lay littered
about. Holding my head in place with a great pronged
fork, two Etas bound me upon a plank and stripped
my feet for the bastinado.
Thus I lay in agonized suspense until the arrival
of Ho jo Tokimune and his councillors, who took their
seats on cushions, laid upon a raised platform at the
end of the apartment.
"Cursed Mongol," he hissed, "slayer of my
beauteous dogs, spying monkey, confess the in-
The Folly of the Khan 177
fernal schemes which thou dost meditate against this
country."
"I am no Mongol," I retorted, "but a noble Vene-
tian gentleman cleped Marco Polo, fallen in by mis-
chance with these accursed Tartars."
"Liar!" he exclaimed, giving me a stinging slap
upon the cheek with his fan, "the truth shall be forced
from thee. Bid the torturer enter and apply the
moxa!"
With that an executioner, whose face was blackened
with charcoal, stepped from behind a screen and, lifting
a pot of molten copper from the fire, placed it beside
me. I felt the heat rising therefrom but it scorched
me not so much as the pitless glare of Tokimune's
evil eyes.
"Whelp, wilt thou die inch by inch under tor-
ture, or \ by a swift and merciful stroke? If the
latter, confess and thy raw wounds shall have other
anointing."
"Have mercy, dreadsome potentate," I besought.
" I have told thee the truth. "
"The moxa!" he commanded, "and if that looseth
not the beast's tongue give him to drink of thy hot
liquor."
With that the executioner drew from out the forge
a white-hot metal rod and thrust it hissing upon my
lacerated limbs; the whiles Tokimune laughed derisively
at my agonized howls. But, as my tormentor forced
178 Old Japan
open my jaws, holding a steaming ladle above my face,
Tokimune cried: "Hold, let him not yet drink that
draught lest he be not able to answer further inquisi-
tion."
As he spake I heard a light step, then respect-
ful sibilations such as greet an honoured guest,
and the voice of the Princess Orange Blossom rang
forth.
"Reckless man, dost thou put to torture the monarch
of a mighty realm who hath honoured our land by
visiting it nebon? 1 Know that thy guest is the great
Khan of Tartary. Wherefore do I counsel thee, release
and entreat him honourably, that he forgive thee thine
offence."
Tokimune regarded her with sullen suspicion. "How
earnest thou by this knowledge?" he demanded.
Imperiously she tossed her head. "Not yet am I
thy wife to endure thine inquisition. Only to the
Ama Shogun will I make answer!"
Red waxed his face as the setting sun. "Doubt
not," he muttered, "that the Shoguness shall have
full knowledge of thy deeds. Torturer, loose the
prisoner's bonds, but let him not flee this dungeon!
Assuage his burns with oil, for he must not perish
without the command of the Ama Shogun!"
Thus speaking he departed leading with him the
Princess.
1 Nebon, incognito.
The Folly of the Khan 179
Whereupon the torturer wiped from his face the
charcoal, and to my great amaze I beheld the
Khan!
Whereat I waxed exceeding wroth: "Serpent that
I nursed in my bosom, fiend that I deemed my friend, "
I vituperated, "why hast thou thus maltreated
me?"
"Softly, softly," he expostulated. "When thou
wert carried to this place, with gold 1 bribed the torturer
that thus I might save thee. I did but cauterize
thy wounds, fearing the cur that mangled thee was
mad."
"But wherefore wouldst thou have seared my
throat with molten copper, seeing the curs bit not my
tongue?"
"Friend, I did but feign. Had Hojo persisted thou
shouldst have drunk but hot water. But, an thou hast
stomach for other sport 'twere well, methinks, to
profit by the laxness of our host. Benkei waiteth
without. There be but a few poltroon guards. Thy
hands are unhurt. Meseems we are a match for the
rogues."
Arming myself with a great sledge, I followed. But
ere we gained the portal the sentries fell upon us. The
entry was so narrow that all could not win at us at the
same time. The greater number the Khan transfixed,
the rest put I gently to sleep with my hammer. More-
over it was no fragile besom but a mighty halberd
i8o Old Japan
with which Benkei pierced their bellies and scythed their
heads.
And thus, night having fallen, we sought shelter
once more within the mazzard of the Buddha.
VI
OF THE MARVELLOUS MANNER IN WHICH WE ESCAPED
"Needs must," cried the Khan, "that we seek our
ship and flee this accursed land. Bestir thyself, Ben-
kei, and fetch us steeds."
"In all the temple compound is but one, the Sacred
Horse, which none but the Mikado may bestride,"
demurred the bonze.
'T faith it will suffice, " grinned the Khan. "Fetch
it forthwith. "
But Benkei remained obdurate. "Who art thou,
Stranger, that I should further imperil my head for
thy safety?" he demanded doggedly.
Whereat I shouted: "Fool, thou didst boast thyself
the henchman of Yoshitsune. Know then that thou
beholdest now his august grandson!"
With loud in-sucking of breath, Benkei kowtowed at
the feet of the Khan, humbly kissing his sandals.
When he had left us the Khan spake: "Friend
Marco," he confided timorously, "whilst thou didst
leave me yestreen with that lovely lady she made known
The Folly of the Khan 181
to me her parentage. She is the Princess Orange Blossom,
granddaughter of Yoritomo. Yet forgat I the blood
feud between us and wooed her warm and tenderly; nor,
meseemed, was the maid unmindful of my suit. Where-
fore I will not leave her. Mount thou the steed and
seek the ship. Here will I bide till I devise some
scheme whereby to take her to Cathay. "
"Nay, that thou shalt not," I opposed him strenu-
ously, as Benkei led forth the Mikado's steed. "Away
while yet there is time."
"Then mount behind me," commanded the Khan,
setting foot in stirrup.
"My wounded legs will not suffer me to grip the
charger's flanks," I urged. "Since I can neither run
nor ride needs must I hide. Wait thou at Miyajima,
thither will I fetch thy lady. "
"Here in sooth is friendship," cried the Khan.
"May the god who watcheth over love-smitten fools
protect thee, " and flinging the bonze a purse he gave
spur to his steed.
Now as I stood racking my brains how to fulfil
my promise came a boy with a pannier of victuals from
the Lady Orange Blossom. Therein she had con-
cealed a letter advising me that our flight from the
torture chamber had been discovered and entreating us
to return with all speed to our own land. But of this
I wotted not till after, for Tokimune, deeming that
through her he might compass our discomfiture, had
1 82 Old Japan
supplanted the missive by another which read thus
wise:
" In vain throughout the endless night
I wait thy coining, Dear,
Until the moon's wan silvery light
Pales on the morning clear.
Therefore, divine Master, at moonrise meet me by the
bathing-pool. There will I grant thee thy heart's desire."
"Thinketh Tokimune to befool me thus simply?"
I laughed, penetrating his schoolboy device. "This
from Orange Blossom, the very soul of purity? Nay, it
cannot be."
But soon thereafter, her face aglow with an un-
dreamed joy, came Orange Blossom to the temple.
"I found thy letter," she faltered, her eyes abased,
"but someone spyeth by the pool, so came I hither."
"My letter! I sent thee none, " I blurted in amaze-
ment.
"Didst thou not bid me forsake all for thee?" she
questioned trembling. "Then in sooth am I shamed. "
"Heaven forbid, dear Lady, that I, a hopeless fugi-
tive, should bid thee share my peril. Yet hath mine
enemy wrought me a blessing in bringing thee. "
Then passionately I strove to persuade her to journey
with me to my friend.
"What friend is this," she flashed scornfully, "who
deserteth his sovereign?"
Miyajima
" A harvest moon silvered the sacred isle as we drifted through the
water-gate "
(From a water-colour by Frere Champney)
The Folly of the Khan 183
"Sweet Princess," I cried, "I can no longer conceal
the truth he is the Emperor!"
"Why didst thou deceive me?" she reproached
sadly.
' ' I did but play his part to save him from Tokimune, "
I pleaded. "In pity, merciful Goddess, despise me
not."
"Despise thee!" she laughed, her eyes agleam with
delight. "Thou art the noblest friend I e'er have
known. List, " she urged, "yestreen for love of thee I
broke with Tokimune. Today I go to the Shoguness.
Even now am I upon my way, and will bear thee with
me."
As she spake the Princess threw off her broidered robe
and tired me, willy-nilly, therein.
"Give me thy dirk," she commanded. In a twin-
kling she had severed her glorious tresses, and, coiling
them about my head, fastened them with jewelled pins,
and with a fragment of charcoal pencilled me arching
eyebrows.
"Lo, thou art now a lovely maid!" she laughed.
"Hold thy fan thus, and thou wouldst deceive Hojo
himself."
"And thou a most adorable boy!" I exclaimed, for
she had donned my doublet and hose.
"Haste thee to my norimon," she cried, "for time
is that we were upon our way. "
Bestowing myself therein I chuckled complacently:
184 Old Japan
"Marco, thou art surely the favourite of Fortune, for
in sooth the Princess loveth thee. "
But while I thus laughed within myself, suddenly,
with a clatter of hoofs and clank of mail, the troop of
Tokimune galloped up.
Mistaking me for the Princess, Hojo gallantly
saluted :
"Vouchsafe, my Adored One, that I may escort thee
on thy journey. "
"I will befool him to my heart's content, " thought I,
simpering maidenwise.
"Paragon of Beauty, I die for love of thee," he
pleaded.
"And I for thee, my Hero, " I sighed amorously.
Thereupon he sprang from his steed and burst into
the norimon. Babbling words of endearment he
crushed me in a passionate embrace.
Shrieking in outraged modesty I buffetted him a
resounding smack.
Agog with stupefaction he glared at me a moment
and was gone.
On we journeyed o'er vale and mountain till we
reached the Ujigawa. In the midst of the turbulent
stream the litter was suddenly overturned.
Encumbered by my unaccustomed draperies I was
sinking, when Hojo plunged into the seething cur-
rent, and, as I was on the point of drowning, dragged
me to the shore.
The Folly of the Khan 185
Fearing for my discovery, Orange Blossom ran to me
and set straight my wig, which was sore awry.
I vomited forth firkins of water while he gloated
upon my throes.
When we left the mainland for the sacred isle Toki-
mune bade us farewell.
"Doubt not that I shall seek thee again," he smiled
ironically, "then thou wilt not escape. "
VII
MOON GAZING AT MIYAJIMA. CAT AND MOUSE
So beauteous is thy face, O autumn moon,
I fain would gaze thereon the livelong night.
TEITOKU.
A harvest moon silvered the sacred isle as we drifted
through the water-gate.
The locks of Orange Blossom gleamed like the aureole
of a madonna.
" Miyajima!" I mused regretfully; "our journey is
nearly ended."
Methought a cloud shadowed the serene brow of my
companion. "Then must we part?" she sighed.
"Nay," I remonstrated, "oft shall we meet upon
the ship."
"How may that be?" she queried, perplexed.
1 86 Old Japan
"Wouldst thou not for love's sake sail to far
Cathay?" I urged.
"For love's sake," she smiled assent, lifting her joy-
brimmed eyes to mine.
Whereat I kissed her mouth in true Venetian fashion.
She lingered a moment, then drew back affrighted.
Then, abashed that I had forgotten my friend, I
burst into his praise, pleading his suit with all my
wonted eloquence.
But the hand in mine lay limp and chill. The love-
light faded from her eyes. Her lips moved tremulous-
ly, striving in vain to smile.
"Bring the Khan on the morrow," she said coldly.
"Our little comedy is ended. "
THE TEMPLE OF FUJIN
Frail fluttering bamboo fingers beckon me
And a great bell intones its. mellow boom,
Reiterant, mysterious, as doom,
Bidding me bare my feet and silently
Enter, where fringes of linked filigree,
Like rays of sunshine, filter through the gloom,
And fill with golden glory all the room,
Blazoned in cinnabar and lazuli.
An aged priestess calmly sits within
This wondrous, gleaming, gem-encrusted shrine,
O'ershadowed by a carven baldachin,
Whose silken ropes, hanging in heavy line,
Drip blood-red tassels through the incense mist,
The Shinto symbol for Rome's eucharist.
" Niched in its gate a gruesome idol, the Wind God Fujin, brandished the
sack of the tempests "
1.8 S-
31 J, ^
~ & -
11-3
,
I?
The Folly of the Khan 187
In the mists of morning we mounted a rock-hewn
staircase to the Temple of the Winds. Niched in its
gate a gruesome idol, the Wind-God Fujin, brandished
the sack of the tempests.
We entered the glorious interior, at the extremity of
which stood a gem-encrusted shrine.
Unseen hands slid the screen aside, disclosing, on a
great dragon-throne, a little, wizened crone.
Orange Blossom crept forward on her hands and
knees and bumped her dainty head upon the floor, the
whiles she kowtowed obsequiously.
Bent and shaking the Shoguness rose.
"Foreign Devil," she shrilled, "thou art the Mogul
monarch, come hither in disguise. Knowest thou not
the penalty is death? Nathless, for that the Princess
hath besought me, I pardon thy folly. Return for ever to
thine own land!"
"Hear me, gracious Priestess," besought the Khan.
"No foreign devil I, but thy countryman, a Minamoto
of thy very clan."
The Lady Masa descended from her throne and
peered into his visage through age-dimmed eyes. With
trembling fingers she traced the profile of the Khan.
"'Tis Yoshitsune," she shrieked, "come to avenge
his murdered son!"
On her knees she sank beseeching piteously: "Spare
me, mighty Monarch, even as I saved thy helpless
babe from the wrath of Yoritomo. Hearken to my tale.
1 88 Old Japan
Upon the night thy child was born, gave I birth to a
son, for whose father's crimes, alas ! the gods sent dead
into the world. Unknown to all I changed my babe
for thine, nourished it with these breasts, and reared
him for my son."
Reverentty he raised the weeping woman and placed
her upon the throne :
"Noble Priestess, the spirit of Yoshitsune doth bless
thee for thy wondrous love. Grant of thy gracious
clemency yet another boon! Give me the Princess
Orange Blossom to be my wife and Empress!"
The aged Shoguness lay pallid, silent, and unheeding.
With a heartrending wail the maiden ran to her side,
and chafed the cold hands, crooning the whiles words
of vain endearment.
' ' She heareth not, ' ' murmured the Khan. ' ' Her soul
hath found Nirvana."
Of a sudden there arose a mighty tumult. Priests
and attendants rushed hither and thither wailing
piteously as they perceived that their beloved Mother-
Priestess was indeed dead. Verily they would have torn
us limb from limb but that a commanding voice cried :
"Hold! Leave the miscreants to me, " and Tokimune,
armed cap-a-pie, strode into the hall.
Orange Blossom fell at his feet, beseeching mercy,
while the Khan, with bared blade, rushed upon his
enemy.
The Folly of the Khan 189
Calmly Hojo folded his arms, reproved him for
drawing sword in that sacred place, and bade us follow
to the terrace.
Fool, ' ' he scoffed derisively, ' 'from the day when first
we met have I followed thine every move, playing
with thee as cat with mouse. An it pleased my fancy
I might have seized and crucified thee. But, Son of
Yoshitsune, rather will I fight thee in fair combat
to the death."
"Willingly," cried the Khan. His heart throbbed
with a great elation. He was drunk with love.
"I will carve my name upon thy heart," he boasted
confidently.
They charged like stags battling for a doe.
With a lightning flash Hojo severed the crest of his
antagonist, baring his cheek to the bone. "She will not
love thy visage when I have done," he jibed triumph-
antly.
Fast and faster they circled, in a furious dance of
death. Many a famous fight have I witnessed, but
never one like this.
Little by little his breath came short and the Khan's
lips grew set as he knew his hour had come.
Suddenly, with a mighty stroke, Hojo cleft through
mail and vambrace, slicing his arm from shoulder to
v/rist. The sword fell from his nerveless grasp.
Setting foot thereon Tokimune scornfully com-
manded: "Mouse, get thee gone to thy hole! But if
190 Old Japan
e'er thou dost venture forth, I swear by the tempests of
Fujin, I will devour thee utterly. "
VIII
THE MAGNIFICENT MISADVENTURE
Remembrance
A wistful rune of perished melodies,
Sweet aftermath of music longsyne fled,
Lurks in my inner ear, as sea-shells dead,
Still chalice in their souls the ocean's sighs.
Across the night of yesteryear you rise,
To bless my life with gladsome memory
Of days rose-scented, made of love and thee,
And sweet allurements of thy wild-flower eyes.
Then all my being trembles in a prayer
That once again before my spirit flee
I yet may look upon thy semblance fair,
Still shrined so deeply in my secret soul,
And live a little while with love and thee.
Then come what may ! My happiness were whole.
Now you must know that the Khan's flagship lurked
hard by. Whereupon by dint of valorous swimming we
gained it without further mischance, and, scudding before
the favouring monsoon, sailed in safety to Cathay.
A twelvemonth passed. His heart still rankling with
revenge, the Khan determined to return with a vast
armada, and ravish the isles of Chipangu, if the only
The Folly of the Khan 191
plunder he might bear thence were the peerless Princess
Orange Blossom.
Wherefore he levied a mighty army of horse and foot
and burden-beasts, huge engines of siege and vast sup-
plies.
When I recounted how, during the siege of Modena,
by means of a mangonel, I had slung a long-defunct
ass into the city, poisoning the enemy by its deadly
stench, he was filled with admiration and delight; and
bade me fabricate a mighty mangonel such as we
Venetians do nominate mal vezina (bad neighbours),
which would vomit boulders of tremendous weight.
Therewith, in a mock battle, I cast a thousand pig-
skins filled with muddy water upon the dumbfounded
foe, drenching them most foully, and putting them
to ignominious rout.
This moved the Emperor to unseemly merriment,
for well he wotted that the Chipangese boasted no
such fabrications, and with our "bad neighbours" we
would belabour them most mercilessly. Wherefore he
commanded that each of his ships should be fur-
nished with a mangonel.
Four hundred fighting junks, war-galleons and lesser
ships innumerable, manned by one hundred thousand
warriors and twice as many mariners, he gathered
for the venture.
Now it fortuned moreover that the Venetians having
fallen into dispute with the Genoese, my kinsmen had
192 Old Japan
equipped a galley of an hundred oars and as many
lances. Desirous that I should return to take command
they voyaged to Cathay, and would have haled me
home but that the Khan would hear none of it, entreat-
ing me most handsomely to lead his vast enterprise.
Whereat like an oat-fed war-horse eager for the fray
I joyously consented.
So confident was the Khan of victory that he took
with him a train of gold-caparisoned elephants, where-
with to wend in triumph to the capital. In each
ship was one bestowed. A pack of fearsome tigers,
with which he was wont to hunt, fetched he also,
swearing that they should gnaw the bones of Tokimune.
But of that Mongol horde, which boldly started
Down the green hills athwart the sea to sail,
A merry crew that from Cathay departed,
Returned a sorry handful broken-hearted,
Famished and spent, to tell the shameful tale.
And so befell, and if ye list my story,
Unto the fleet as I shall now relate,
Disaster dire and murder red and gory,
A harvest reaped of two dead brothers' hate.
In the Serpent month of the year Fire (June, 1281),
the great, grand Khan with a mighty fleet embarked
upon his magnificent misadventure.
Having sailed serenely across the Yellow Ocean,
we were rounding the rock-bound isle of Tsushima,
when the fighting-junks of Tokimune fell upon us,
The Folly of the Khan 193
like hounds upon a stag. Keen were their fangs, yet
with caliber and mangonel we thrust them off, goring
many and driving the remnant yelping to their kennels.
Swiftly we followed and drew up our ships in battle
array eager for the conflict. But behold! so far as the
eye could see the countryside teemed with myriads of
Chipangese like swarms of crawling ants building
a barricade along the shore.
Into their wattled earthworks we flung pots of
burning pitch, setting them aflame. Whereat the
panic-stricken soldiery sought safety in the open.
Lashing together a long chain of rafts we made a
goodly bridge, across which the Khan's horsemen rode
swiftly to the land. Making the welkin ring with most
unholy clamour, they charged, clashing their gleaming
scimitars upon the fleeing foe.
With my Venetian lancers mounted upon mad little
zebras, I spurred furiously after. Misliking the pipes
and kettledrums the malicious creatures suddenly
balked, refusing to budge. Perceiving this, Tokimune
and his hatamotos dashed between, cut off our advance,
and surrounded the Khan.
Thereupon our misbegotten beasts took bits in teeth
and scampered willy-nilly in mad stampede, plunging,
kicking, and cavorting into the very thick of the fray.
Seizing the imperial banner, I brandished it in the face
of Tokimune.
"Cat," I cried, "thy mouse hath quit his hole!"
13
194 Old Japan
Gnashing his teeth, Hojo slashed at me impotently,
his blows raining upon my zebra's head. The infuriated
little devil turned instant tail and, striking out with its
heels, belaboured his charger so merrily that it bolted,
bearing its humiliated rider incontinent from the field.
And so befell that we slew the base idolators with
gruesome slaughter and carried the Khan in triumph to
his flagship.
Full glorious renown gained I for this paltry bicker-
ing "The hardiest feat," thus weened my master,
"that ever knight essayed." Wherefore he invested
me with the high exalted order of the Flying Zebra.
The morn dawned wan and sultry; from a far-off
monastery, doomful and dolorous, boomed a mighty
bell. The sea, a tawny green like the mottled coat of a
serpent. Beneath the calm, satin surface it heaved
with rhythmic undulations. There was no wind, yet
from the heavens came a muttering weird and ominous,
the wrathful drums of the Thunder God.
It seemed to my bemused fancy that the spirits of
Taira warriors were rising from their watery tomb to
wreak vengeance upon the grandson of Yoshitsune.
And now a cloud, like unto a mighty dragon, came
winging through the east.
Drawing in the oars we furled the sails and lashed the
helm, holding the junk's nose to the wind. The hissing
spume leapt high above our towering masts. The
The Folly of the Khan 195
boom of the surges was like ceaseless salvos of artillery.
They bit and tore at embankments, scattering huge
boulders as they were tiny pebbles. Only flashes
of lightning revealed to one another our terrified
faces, for a blackness of night covered the face of the
deep.
The dumb beasts below, frantic with fear, burst
their tethers, and, careering amidships, drove the af-
frighted sailors to the hold. Scarce had they escaped
when a great whirling column of water burst upon us
with a tremendous shock, flooding the decks, washing
masts and gear overboard, and all but swamping the
ship.
Then came a lull in the tempest. The Khan roared
to his crew, but not a Tartar dared to venture forth.
Crashing down his gates the elephant ran amuck
upon the deck, trumpeting and spouting geysers of
water. The zebras clustered about him, biting and
kicking in fury unimaginable.
The huge beast responded, trampling, goring, and
throttling them with his powerful trunk. Ever and
anon the rolling of the junk would cause him to fall,
crushing them beneath his monstrous bulk, until the
remainder plunged headlong into the sea.
Blundering about in blind confusion, the elephant
wrenched the hatchway from its hinges, thrust in his
trunk, and dragged forth a cage of tigers, which he
rolled like a ball about the ship. On a sudden it
196 Old Japan
burst and the enraged beasts sprang upon him, sinking
claws in eyes and teeth in throat.
Then ensued such tumult as hell had broken forth,
causing us all rare and pleasant disport.
But now the tempest suddenly burst upon us with
greater fury. Certes I would have been washed
adrift but that I clung to the bulwark for very life.
At the same time someone (the Khan, as I thought) em-
braced me from behind, digging his nails into my ribs,
with a force to which Hojo's clutch in the Ujigawa was
but as the blandishments of a gentle maid. Thus he
clung while in the inky darkness I beheld and heard
naught though he gibbered incoherently in mine ear.
Then I felt the beating of his great heart and the rasp
of his bristling beard upon my neck. Then my nostrils
were assailed by a foul and loathly odour, obscene and
most unsavoury.
Grasping the hands which were causing me much
discomfiture by their vise-like grip I saw that they
were mittened in fur and suddenly comprehended
that I was clasped not in the embrace of my friend,
but by the claws of the dreadsome tiger!
Whereat I instantly gave myself up for dead; but,
as the brute did not molest me, I presently perceived
that it clutched me, not with murderous intent but in
deadly fear.
A sudden flash quivered in the sky, and a ghastly
shriek burst from the Khan as he staggered feebly to
a
Ml
I
TJ
" A pirate bold of a galleon old,
A buccaneer and a ruthless brute"
(Hokusai)
The Folly of the Khan 197
his feet. Small wonder; he had clung to the tiger, mis-
taking it for me!
A freezing chill succeeded to the sultry tropic heat.
Shivering and benumbed the beast slowly relaxed his
grasp and was swept into the sea.
The typhoon now fell upon us with renewed fury,
churning the inky waters into frothing suds, whirling
us round in a dizzy maelstrom mounting ever higher
in a toppling wall, which threatened each instant to
crush the ship. Above, great swirling clouds joined
in the mad dance, gyrating like ghouls about the grave
engulfing the doomed vessel.
Suddenly a tremendous upheaval lifted the junk
in air, held it suspended for a moment, then hurtled
it back into the sea.
As some mighty Cyclops dashes the heads of his
victims each against his fellow, so the whirlwind crashed
our helpless ships one upon another and beat them
into shreds.
With a shudder like that of a dying man, the ship
gave up its spirit and swirling in the mighty whirlpool
sank into the deep. Mingled with the roar of the
tempest there rang in my ears a weird, unearthly wail,
the death-throes of a myriad drowning men. Then
a great darkness engulfed me.
How long I lay tossed midst foam and flotsam, the
sport of the pitiless billows, I know not, but at last
beneath my foot I felt solid substance and fell swooning
198 Old Japan
upon the strand. At my feet, famished and spent,
lay the Khan, and hard by, reeking under the noonday
sun, the corpse of the tiger. Near and far the beach
was a tangled mass of jetsam and dead bodies, our dear
comrades, chill and lifeless, alas! a scene most dire and
lamentable. Of all our great armada not a ship re-
mained !
From the heavens glared down a red and merciless
sun. Afar, reverberated ever the awesome boom of
the temple bell, while cold and relentless a band of
wreckers calmly looted the dead.
All day we skulked in the marshes. When night
fell, quitting our hiding we quested the coast hoping to
find some friendly craft. At last, to our unbounded
delight, safe at anchor in a sheltered inlet we beheld
my gallant galley, from whose masthead flaunted
defiantly the lion of St. Mark !
IX
HOW, BY MEANS OF A MANGONEL, A MOST UNEXPECTED
PROJECTILE WAS CAST AT THE FEET OF MY
LADY, AND I CAME UNTO MY OWN
My Venetian mariners welcomed us with shouts of
delight, rejoicing beyond measure at our miraculous
deliverance.
Clapping me on the shoulder, the Khan laughed.
"Mindest thou, Friend, the temple islet wherein thou
The Folly of the Khan 199
didst go moon-gazing with the lovesome Orange
Blossom?"
"Marry, that I do, Master," I sighed. "In the
chart of my memory is that isle indelibly bemapped."
"This very night," he declared vehemently, "shall
we voyage thither. It likes me to do some small moon-
gazing upon my own behalf. "
The tempest had abated. In the shadows of the
night we stole forth under the very poop of a great
fighting junk.
A Daimio armed cap-a-pie strode to the bulwarks
and peered malignantly upon us. Though his face
was shaded by his visor I could not but recognize his
lambent, catlike eyes.
"Aha!" he cried, "the mouse hath 'scaped the tem-
pest but by the thousand hands of Kwannon he shall
not 'scape the cat!"
Heedless of his threat, eagerly we sped through
the night upon our amorous quest.
A wan moon waned in the west. Dim and ghostly
loomed the sacred tori. Beyond, upon a pine-fringed
promontory rose the scythe-like roofs of the Temple
of Fujin.
"Miyajima, the shrine of my pilgrimage!" cried
the Khan, as he leapt into the pinnace and bounded
over the foam like a hound unloosed from leash.
Sorely against my will I kept my loveless watch,
waiting peevishly for his return. A grove of cedars
2oo Old Japan
concealed my galley from the channel, where I sud-
denly spied, sailing swiftly toward the isle a Chipangese
war-junk. In a twinkling I resolved to steal through
the landward passage, outspeed the junk, and advertise
my master of his peril.
But the fairway was shallow and the shore sur-
rounded by marshes. How to overcome this obstacle
would have taxed the cunning of a less imaginative
mind, but my native resourcefulness stood me in good
stead.
Mounting my trusty mangonel, I trained it assidu-
ously upon the midst of the marsh and, bestowing
myself therein as projectile, resolutely let fly.
Like Icarus soared I gloriously through the heavens,
and, as ingloriously, fell ; but, dropping in the soft and
squashy mire, rose foully besmirched but in no wise
scathed. By good fortune I had calculated with per-
fect nicety the trajectory of my flight, else had I dashed
out my brains upon the adamantine rocks.
Here I encountered, plying his peaceful craft, a
heaven-sent fisherman. By dint of sundry fisticuffs I
persuaded him to divest himself of all his habiliments,
viz., a broad-brimmed hat, a straw rain-coat, and a crate
of eels. Armed with these weapons I boldly clambered
up the rock-hewn stairway to the Temple of the Winds.
Well was it that my mud-caked visage constituted a
sure incognito, for the terrace swarmed with samurai.
There also, to my astonishment and consternation, I
The Folly of the Khan 201
beheld my master and Tokimune confronting each other
in the same defiant attitudes as a twelvemonth since.
The Khan stared dazedly at his rival as though he saw
him not, his courage crushed by sudden-blighted hope.
Tokimune laughed pitilessly.
"Before thee, Princess, stand two men," sneered
the victor. ' ' Choose thou between. Never shalt thou
taunt me that I took to mine arms an unwilling
bride. Say the word and ye shall this hour be wedded
and have safe-conduct to Cathay. But, an thou
lovest him not, will I tear his heart from his carcase
and cast it quivering at thy feet. "
Dumb with horror Orange Blossom stared from one
to the other. Methought that, had the Khan's eye
glanced the slightest appeal, she would in sheer pity
have sacrificed herself.
Instantly, he answered for her.
"The Princess hath made choice," he said, and I
knew that there was no fear in the whitened face.
"Even now hath she trampled upon my heart. "
Tokimune stood amazed, scarce believing his senses.
At last, "Hast thou in sooth cast off this rogue?" he
asked.
"Aye," assented Orange Blossom fearlessly, "yet,
for that he is my kinsman, he must go unhindered to
his land."
Tokimune hesitated, loth to forego his long-waited
revenge.
2O2 Old Japan
"The safe-conduct," the Princess demanded imperi-
ously.
Whirling upon his heel he snarled: "Begone fool, ere
I repent my mercy and slay thee. Advertise the
Khan, thy master, of my triumph. 'Tis not for love
but hate I spare thee!" Then to Orange Blossom
he murmured exultingly: "This night shall I claim
my reward," and thus speaking clattered adown the
rock-hewn stairway.
Never had the Khan seemed to me so great a hero as
now in his humiliation and despair. He paused for
an instant.
"Farewell, lost Blossom, mayest thou have ceaseless
joy with him thou lovest, " he smiled bravely.
Her face flushed until it belied her name.
"Bring him to me, " she pleaded, "for it is not Toki-
mune, but Marco whom I love!"
Dumbfounded by this unhoped pronouncement I
let fall my crate of eels which now squirmed and
wriggled slimily about my lady's ankles.
"Remove thy reptiles, " she shrieked, "get thee gone
to the scullery ! ' ' Suddenly she stood at gaze. ' ' Those
eyes!" she gasped, "thou art, forsooth, no fisher."
"Thy pardon, gem-bright maid," I parried courte-
ously, "verily a fisher who dareth death for one
surpassing pearl. "
With that she laughed for joy, and leaping into
my mire-bedaubed arms yielded her lips to mine
The Folly of the Khan 203
in true Venetian fashion. Thence haled she me to a
feast of purification, so that my last hour upon the
isle of Chipangu ended as my first, in the torrid
torrents of a bath !
AFTERWORD
Now ye shall understand, if it like you, that at
our home-coming we were wedded with due festivities
in the duomo of San Marco, which could scarce con-
tain our admiring and loving friends, also so great
a convoy of galleys and gondolas led us to our house one
would have thought our barge was the Bucentaur
wherein the doge was wont to wed the sea.
Assoiled am I by holy Church of all that lay upon
my conscience: to wit the pilfering of his betrothed
from Tokimune, who was a parfit, gentil knight, not
devoid of courtesy to his foes; and yet more especial
the like scurvy trick played upon my most beloved
friend, the great grand Khan, though methinks he
would have served me a like turn but for his impotent
insuffisance.
Some small solace hath he in his garden of an hundred
wives and sundry other sweethearts, though none,
nor all together, could surpass my one sole Orange
Blossom.
A camel's load of presents: rubies, peridots, and
diamonds; raiment of orfrays set with orient pearls;
chalices of jade and crystal, together with a moult
204 Old Japan
of such like trifles, conveyed he me by caravan under
escort of the very same mad merchants that fetched me
to Cathay.
These gentlemen I entertained with carnival and
blithe disports, painting the good town a glorious
vermilion, so that the Council haled them over the
Bridge of Sighs, wherefrom I was at sorry costage to
ransom them.
Thus I, a simple gentleman adventurer who mean-
dered in many strange lands and oceans, consorted with
kings and emperors, and wrought many a fair deed of
arms, am come at last to the end of my peregrinations.
And so, honoured Reader, of your courtesy repeat for
me an Ave Maria that so the good Lord may shrive
me of this my mendacious galimatias, that in his
holiness I yet may live.
Written by me, Marco Polo, in my palazzo in the
Contrada of San Giovanni Chrisostomo, Venice, the
year of grace one thousand two hundred and ninety-
five.
'Tis Christmas Eve. Upon the moonlit balcony
stands my child-wife, bearing upon her fragile shoulder
a bouncing bambino. About her placid forehead, like a
golden aureole, gleams a starry diadem.
From gliding gondolas belated revellers look up in
amaze and cross themselves, deeming that they behold
the Madonna.
The Folly of the Khan 205
OKA SAN
Honourable Little Mother
Elaborately robed, a dainty doll,
In flowing Kimono and Obi square,
Fantastically coiffed, her lustrous hair
Crowned by a gem-encrusted aureole.
A babe, with mouth agape, like some small troll,
Bestrides her bended back with little care,
As on her wooden clogs she patters here and there,
Beneath a stork-emblazoned parasol.
Dream- painted butterfly on golden wing
She seems, this elfin fluttering dame,
Or some more exquisite and sacred thing,
A Raphael rare, stepped from an altar-frame
This Eastern-world Madonna, slim and mild
Child-Mother with her heavy clinging child.
CHAPTER VIII
THE THREE DEVILS
I
THE BUCCANEERS
A pirate bold of a galleon old
In the trough of the tropic sea,
With a swarthy crew aroam for loot,
A buccaneer and a ruthless brute,
Is the lawless life for me.
Chorus:
With a yo, ho, ho! and a brandished blade
Here's a toast to the jolly rover!
A braver lad ne'er bussed a maid
Than he, the wide world over.
As we plunder ingots of sunken gold,
And drink of the life so free
Of a pirate bold on a galleon old,
In the trough of the tropic sea,
Chorus.
After BERTON BRALEY.
206
The Three Devils 207
HTHE Pirate stood before me, as ugly a brute as has
* ere been my ill fate to encounter.
Slit eyes, lewd and suspicious, leered above his
shapeless nose ; the moustachios of an angry cat bristled
above his cruel, sensual lips; and swine's jowls sagged
in folds of fat beneath his brutal chin.
His mighty paunch girt by a leathern baldric was
draped in a soiled Mandarin robe, revealing beneath its
folds the boots of a samurai. In his hairy hand he
brandished a bared blade.
Such was the formidable figure that met my gaze as
I straightened from salute.
' ' Flames of Fudo ! what have we here ? " he thundered.
"A fugitive from justice who seeketh passage in
thine honourable galleon, " I faltered.
"Bowels of Bishamon!" he bellowed, "thou darest
to seek the ship which all men flee?"
"Is not this the galleon of Mendez Pinto?" I
demanded.
' ' By all the demons the junk is mine. I slaughtered its
filthy crew, save Pinto whom I spared to work the guns."
My jaw fell in consternation. "Thou art Kosenya,
King of the Pirates!" I stammered.
He laughed contemptuously.
"Thou blind puppy, thou sucking pig, what crime
couldst thou commit?"
"I slew a bully in a quarrel," I shrugged, "and am
like to slay another an thou mendest not thy manners. "
208 Old Japan
"The bantam cock can ruffle his crest," he grinned,
"mayhap his spurs will grow."
" Meanwhile Mate, since we are short-handed, shackle
him to the captive. "
They dragged me aft, where, chained to the wheel,
Pinto bent to his task, great beads of bloody sweat
trickling from a gash on his forehead.
He regarded me curiously. "Methinks the devil
tricked himself, when he made thee pirate, " he smiled,
noting my samurai attire.
"As pretty a pirate as thou, " I retorted, "for if thy
doublet were less tattered one might think thee a
Seignior. "
"A Seignior am I in sooth," he bridled. "Let any
say that Fernando Mendez Pinto, lord of two castles in
Portugal, and erstwhile Captain of this vessel, is no
gentleman and I will slit his lying tongue. "
"First let us slice the Pirate," I suggested suavely.
"Good!" he cried, "thou art a lad after mine own
heart. Remain with me and I will make thy fortune. "
"Prate not of fortune," I protested, "but contrive
some scheme whereby we may escape from this den of
devils."
"That will I," he assented, "but ere I go, Kosenya
shall pay me well for his treachery. "
Then he told me of an isle cleped Calempuy, where
seventeen kings had been entombed in golden sarco-
phagi, filled with treasure and gems innumerable.
The Three Devils 209
"Thither we shall sail, " he laughed, "to plunder this
golden loot."
After long questing we sighted the treasure isle.
Through the dim dawn-mist the wind brought a scent
of flowers. A parakeet winged by with a mournful
screech. A purplish blur darkened the horizon, glow-
ing slowly with the sun.
" Ylha Encantada, the Enchanted Island!" exclaimed
Pinto.
A drift of white butterflies, fluttering seaward, folded
their weary wings and fell like snow-flakes on the deck.
We anchored the galleon and beached our boats on a
palm-fringed strand, beyond which the temple walls
glinted jasper and jade in the shimmering sunlight ; then
plunged into a dusky forest where mossy creepers
trailed from writhen limbs and wan, white orchids out-
stretched their beckoning fingers. Myriad birds of
lustrous plumage chanted within the bosky gloom, and
winged from palm to palm like flying flames. Monkeys
stoned us with cocoanuts and scurried chattering to the
tree-tops.
At length we came to a goodly avenue guarded by
great green monsters leading to the golden temple.
Its dim interior gleamed with gold and gems through
rifts of drifting incense. We fell to our ruthless task,
rifling the shrines and looting tombs, tearing tiaras,
crowns, and necklaces from the mummied bodies till
we had laden the boats to the gunwale.
210 Old Japan
Returning for a last foray a blare of pipes and cymbals
smote upon our ears, as a wedding procession wended to
the temple.
On seeing us the bridegroom advanced and greeted
Kosenya courteously. Behind him stood the bride,
smiling timidly and clasping a rude doll, in token that
her child-life was ended.
Drawn by her beauty I ran to the little bride : "Ware
thee!" I whispered, intent to save her from Kosenya.
Tossing me an azalea blossom: "My name," she
smiled winsomely.
Suddenly, without warning, Kosenya discharged his
pistol in the face of the bridegroom, who fell wounded
to the death. A volley rang from his followers, as the
amazed Koreans sprang upon us with spears and axes.
Thinking to bear her to safety I caught up the bride;
but, misinterpreting my action, the frantic natives tore
her from my arms.
Back to the beach they drove us inch by inch. A
lance bit my shoulder and my temple bled from a sling-
shot.
Grasping the gunwale of a boat I strove to push off,
but a burly Korean tripped me and I fell heavily to the
strand.
Kosenya and his cut-throats with arquebus, pistol,
and cutlass, charged in a demoniac onrush. Yelling
and cursing they slashed, hacked, and thrust, fighting
the Koreans into the sea.
The Three Devils 211
As I staggered blindly to my feet all was a chaos of
naked writhing men. Mistaking me for a native a
pirate gripped my throat in an iron vise. After a
mighty tussle I threw him off and, plunging into the sea,
struck out blindly for Pinto's voice. Then darkness
fell over me till a hand drew me from the water.
"Did the maid win free?" I demanded eagerly.
Pinto shook his head sorrowfully. "She might have
escaped had she not clung to her husband's body, but
Kosenya bore her to the ship and flung her senseless
into his cabin. "
Drunk with sake the crew fell to singing and capering
like maniacs. In sooth there were but three sober men
upon the ship; Pinto, a little lascar, and myself.
The galleon rode before a light breeze over a satin sea.
One by one the pirates sank into sodden slumber.
Suddenly a heartrending scream broke the stillness.
Little deeming the fate that lurked in the silent
shadows Kosenya came from the cabin. Going to the
mast he took down the cat-o'-nine tails with which he
was wont to lash mutinous sailors.
My head swam as I realized that he would flog the
maid into submission.
With a bound I was upon him and drove my dirk
through his flabby throat.
Groaning piteously he sank in a huddled heap.
Seizing his pistols I dragged him to the bulwarks and
flung him headlong in the sea.
212 Old Japan
"Azalea," I cried, "thou art free," but she gave no
answer.
Covering the lascar with a pistol I commanded him
to unshackle Pinto, who cried out in amaze :
"Where is Kosenya?"
"In the depths of hell," I muttered, whereat he
flung his arms about me and laughed like a child.
II
MY STAR
Surpassing fair she seemed, the light of a lantern
glinting upon the bridal tiara crowning her blue-black
hair.
A trustful smile gleamed from her fawn-like eyes and
a faint flush flooded her cheeks, as she sank upon her
knees pressing her forehead to the floor :
"August Lord, thou didst slay that monster," she
murmured. "Forever shall I be thine humble slave."
"Nay, thou shalt be my little daughter," I smiled,
enraptured by her elfin beauty. She was but a mere
child, exquisite as a humming-bird, in her dainty
broidered robes and jewelled ornaments.
When I proposed returning to her own country she
shook her head with a wistful smile which I could not
fathom.
She pattered about the ship the spoiled pet of all on
board. Even gruff Pinto returned from the forests, his
The Three Devils 213
arms laden with orchids which he suspended in cocoanut
shells from the cabin roof, making a bower of beauty.
In the evening she would sing ditties to the accom-
paniment of a koto, 'neath the flowery tropic starlight.
The flower of -the sky is the Star
That blooms in the garden of Night.
The star of the earth is a Flower
That flames ever fragrant and bright.
But when with the dawn skies grow clear,
And fadeth the flower of the sky,
The Star of the earth drops a tear
Of the dew from its sorrowful eye.
BANSUI Tsucmo.
"Little Flower," I smiled, "soon shall we come to
Nippon, mine own land!"
' ' The land of my Star is mine ! " she echoed.
"Flower of my Heart, " I laughed, "we will drink the
nuptial sake; for with all my soul I love thee. "
With the dawn we anchored 'neath the green-clad
hills of Oita.
Here I fell in with an old friend, the youthful daimio
Odo Nobunaga, who was afterward to stand us in good
stead. He listened eagerly to my converse but little
answered, concealing a mort of shrewdness behind his
little, slanted eyes. Much he marvelled at our fire-
arms for ne'er before had he witnessed the might of
gunpowder.
214 Old Japan
When, upon a hunt, I despatched a wild boar he was
filled with admiration ; and his delight knew no bounds
as I courteously presented him with my arquebus.
Methinks he foresaw how by that same "Devil's Dust"
he would one day overcome the Fighting Monks.
But of this in due time. Suffice it to recount that he
purchased our cargo for many times its value, paying
therefor in good gold bullion.
Longing for Azalea I took my leave and hastened to
the harbour.
A vague foreboding oppressed me as I noted that the
crew were already hoisting sail.
I sprang into a sampan urging the boatman to his
utmost. By dint of great effort we breasted the
breakers and gained the ship. Catching a rope I
swung myself to the deck, only to be confronted by
the threatening gun of Kosenya.
The arquebus blazed! The flash scorched my eyes,
a ball grazed my scalp, and I fell unconscious on the
deck.
A sharp lash of the cat brought me to my senses,
as, my wrists triced to the mast, I winced under the
ruthless blows of the Pirate.
"So, thou didst think to slay me," he laughed, "to
steal my ship and my mistress!" driving home each
word with a lash. "Ne'er shalt thou behold her more,
for I sold her to a tea-house!"
Pinto lay bleeding in the scuppers, bound hand and
The Three Devils 215
foot and gagged with a thole-pin. Kosenya kicked him
into unconsciousness and only refrained from killing me
for the pleasure of seeing me suffer.
This living death dragged on for days. Taunted,
flogged, starved, I suffered the tortures of the damned.
Nor was my physical suffering to be compared with the
mental anguish which ceaselessly beset me. Day and
night I was haunted by the eyes of Azalea looking
upon me with pitiful reproach. My heart was rent
with fear lest she had suffered some nameless fate, and
my conscience lashed me with whips of remorse. I
longed to grip Kosenya by the throat and wrest his evil
soul from his loathsome body; but the Pirate read my
purpose in my eyes and stood ever on his guard.
It was the lull between Monsoon and Trades.
The heat became intense. There was no wind. The
sails drooped limply from the spars. The sea shone in
blinding calm.
Drop by drop the water dwindled, till we were driven
to slake our thirst with the death-giving brine.
Then broke out a deadly pestilence, spreading like
wild-fire through the death-doomed ship. One by one
the plague-stricken mariners perished and we gave
them to the sea.
Pinto lingered between life and death murmuring
paternosters. Kosenya lay in his cabin swearing oaths
foul and blasphemous.
At last I was stricken. Barbs darted through every
216 Old Japan
nerve of my body. My throat was a raging furnace,
my brain a flaming Bedlam. I lay on the deck shivering
and burning by turns, watching sharp-finned sharks
disporting in the green and purple sea. Then delirium
fell upon me. I fell down an unfathomable gulf, down,
down, unendingly. I dreamed that the eternal waters
closed above me and prisoned me in hell.
It seemed to my disordered fancy that the spirit of
Azalea rose from the deep in flaming vestments and
called me to her rescue. A great gulf of fire yawned
between us, across which, upon a bridge of burning coals
I ran.
Of a sudden beneath my naked feet the fiery embers
became as the velvet petals of a dew-sprent rose. The
leaping flames were transformed to fragile lilies, through
whose fragrant bloom Azalea peered with a smile of
celestial peace, murmuring tenderly:
"Through death to life; through bitter strife to love
unutterable ; through winter night to ceaseless light and
bliss beyond believing."
I dreamed that she had gone the unknown way,
whence there is no returning.
MY STAR
She walks the high, untrodden ways
Where dwelleth all delight.
Fair as a star her lovesome face
A-gleam upon the night.
Francis Xaviei
" Within his eyes abides celestial light "
Portrait from an oil painting, made in 1552, in the church of Bom
Jesus, Goa
("Arabia, Egypt and India," by Isabella Burton)
" A shot rang out as Nobunaga galloped to our rescue"
(Hokusai)
The Three Devils 217
Her petaled lips like roses were.
Smiles blossomed in her eye,
A breath of music followed her
As she fled swiftly by.
Since when in loneliness I wait,
Unwitting how or why;
And knock upon the door of fate
'Neath a relentless sky.
But ne'er again her starry grace
Will greet my eager sight;
She walks the high, untrodden ways,
Where dwelleth all delight!
Then all was still save for the babbling of a hidden
brook whose welcome waters laved my brow with cool
refreshing streams.
The rain, the blessed rain had come !
I drew in deep breaths of healing and slept the sleep
of a child.
With sunrise the storm ceased. A sapphire sky gleamed
through swirling draperies of mist. A light breeze had
arisen, but there was none to hoist the sagging sails.
Presently I heard a rhythmic beat of oars throbbing
nearer and nearer, then voices raised in altercation:
"Go not on board, Father, I beseech thee, the ship is
accursed!"
' ' I follow my Master who descended even into hell to
seek and to save, " replied a resolute voice.
A calm, angelic face bent over me, a strong but
2i 8 Old Japan
gentle hand caressed my brow ; and yet I knew that it
was no vision, for my delirium was past though I was
still so spent I scarce could speak.
With what little strength I could muster I warned
him: "Touch me not, Father, for I am stricken of the
plague!"
"Nay," the priest protested, "the Lord hath called
thee to new life, for the former things have passed
away. "
III
OUT OF THE DEPTHS
Francis Xavier
Out of life's dread and melancholy gloom,
Like falling star-dust in the silent night
Lighting its darksome vasts for our delight,
Springeth a stainless flower of perfect bloom.
The glint of dawn is on his knightly plume,
Within his eyes abides celestial light,
His lips breathe Faith, seen with eternal sight
That fears not death nor dust of earthly tomb,
Nor doubt nor pain he knows, nor vain desire.
Scorning life's little lusts, his spirit free
Treadeth ethereal pathways passionless,
Greeting the unseen goal with fearlessness,
His heart a quenchless flame of living fire,
Lit from the altar of eternity.
Again I slept, how long I know not, and waking
gazed about me in amaze. I lay in a sunny, white-
The Three Devils 219
walled chamber, through whose open archways I caught
a glimpse of a palm-shaded cloister. A line of snow-
white pallets stretched away in endless vista, and black-
robed monks, with noiseless tread, ministered gently to
my needs.
It was the hospice of Malacca, built upon a rock-bound
islet for the succour of the shipwrecked.
Here, like an angel of mercy, there came to me each
morning the blessed Father Francis. To the tenderness
of a maiden he united the valour of a knight. Like a
young staghound he was spare and clean of limb.
Slender, strong, and wiry, a stranger to sloth and ease.
The little lusts of life for him had no appeal. The pomp
of courts, delusions of wine, witchery of women, delights
of the table all were naught. Only the vision of the
spirit realized in service was to him the very breath of
life.
His thin, firm lips and placid, lofty brow proclaimed
the anchorite; but the flaming eyes and square-cut
jaw betokened a relentless will that knew neither fear
nor defeat.
To him I confessed my broken life and great dismay.
With loving patience he comforted me, promising
forgiveness through repentance.
I confided my love for Azalea; how she had loved and
trusted me, and told him how my unwitting negligence
had compassed her ruin.
"All manner of sin shall be forgiven," he murmured,
220 Old Japan
"but whoso shall cause one of my little ones to perish
it were better for him that he were drowned in the depths
of the sea.
"Thou shalt find her," he promised "and lead her
to the light. Thou hast won me for Japan, even as I
have won thee for Christ. Thither thou shalt lead me,
and together we shall teach."
After passing my novitiate in the Jesuit College at
Goa I took the vow and became a priest.
Kosenya, hypocrite to the core, simulated repentance
and became a Franciscan friar, thereafter known as
Brother Jude.
One spring morning Pinto came to us with the glad
tidings that he was ready to sail, and laden with a
cargo of cotton fabrics and leather we embarked for
Nippon.
SPRING
The Spring hath come but still Yamato bears
Her ermine mantle of the stainless snow,
Heaven send us soon the breath of zephyrs low
To melt the nightingale's melodious tears!
ANON.
The coast gleamed purple and white beneath its
wintry burden. A veil of amethyst shrouded the
ancient cliffs, down whose beetling foreheads trickled
thin streams of light. The morning sun embroidered
The Three Devils 221
their velvet shadows with a myriad glittering jewels.
Across the silken sea a toy-like town gleamed, like a
willow plate, with tiny streaks of white and blue against
mist-wreathed mountains of porphyry and pearl.
My heart swelled with the bursting buds, for some-
where in this flowery isle waited Azalea. Tears of
hope welled to my eyes and my lips sang a song of
EXPECTANCY
Heaven spreadeth o'er the world her iris bow:
The teeming womb of all-prolific Earth
Is quick with trembling life and promised birth;
From Fujyma's crest now melts the snow
And frost-bound streams in joyance overflow;
The verduring valleys lose all trace of dearth,
The bright plum-blossoms leap in madcap mirth,
And from the memory fades all sense of woe.
How many days must pass ere first we go
To cull the cowslip in the dewy mead;
And, while the nightingales their nocturnes sing,
Shall stray together where the cherries blow?
These are the dreams our fertile fancies breed,
When to a heart expectant cometh Spring!
KEICHIU.
From town to town I wandered with Father Francis
in fruitless quest of Azalea. At last I found a clue:
the keeper of a tea-house told me of a Korean geisha,
who sang this song:
"And from the memory fades all sense of woe
When to a heart expectant cometh spring!"
222 Old Japan
Then I knew that this was none other than Azalea.
But alas ! he had sold her and she had gone he knew not
whither.
These tidings rent my heart and well-nigh drove me
mad. But Father Francis sustained me in the faith
that we would find her.
"Let us forth!" he cried, "for truly I believe the
Master will reward his husbandmen. "
As we were nearing the outskirts of Kioto a band of
Buddhist bonzes trudged sullenly by.
Black looks they flung us and blacker oaths, nor was
this the worst, for of a sudden from behind a hedge a
volley of shots blazed forth.
Our coolies took to their heels in consternation as
Father Francis fell wounded at my feet.
Leaping from ambuscade three burly ruffians sprang
suddenly upon me. I had no weapon but my pilgrim's
staff, but this I let fly so lustily about their heads that
the caitiffs drew off apace.
Their leader paused at a little distance and hastily
reloading his arquebus sighted it upon me.
Though cloaked and cowled methought I recognized
the malevolent features of Brother Jude.
Suddenly a shot rang out, the gun dropped from his
hand, and he fled shrieking to the forest as a troop of
samurai galloped to our rescue.
The Three Devils 223
Then all was a chaos of plunging steeds and clashing
blades.
Having pursued the fleeing bonzes to the forest,
where he was unable to penetrate the undergrowth, the
leader of the samurai rode up to us and courteously
demanded if we had suffered scathe.
"By the Ship of Good Fortune," he cried, "it is
Anjiro! The arquebus thou didst give me hath served
thee in good stead!"
With delight I recognized the youthful daimio Oda
Nobunaga.
" Of late the monks have grown arrogant be-
yond endurance," he flared indignantly. "There
are three things I can scarce control: the throw
of the dice, the waters of the Kamagawa and
the monks of Hiei-zan! But I will humble their
pride."
"Noble Seignior," I proffered, "mayhap it is in
my power to aid thee. "
"How?" demanded Nobunaga eagerly. "Hast thou
brought the Devil Dust wherewith we may send them
to Hell?"
"Nay," protested Father Francis, "we bring the
peace of God which leadeth unto Heaven. "
"Bah! Religion!" he scoffed, "I would liefer have a
vat of Devil's Dust than all thy paternosters. "
"That will I give thee!" I cried, "for I alone possess
the secret formula. "
THE CLOISTERED LIFE
Summer
i \ \
The first bright clusters of wistaria sway
Their fragile tassels o'er the plashing rill
As comes a lone wild cuckoo from the hill
To thrill my heart with his melodious lay.
HlTOMARO.
The days were bright and balmy, a riot of ceaseless
sunshine and cloudless azure skies. From a thousand
arbours, purple and white wistaria drooped graceful
clusters over brook and pool. Pale pink lotus buds
peered shyly forth from great green spatulas, and timid
cuckoos quitted wood and mountain to wake the
meadows with melodious song.
But my heart was sad with vain longing, for despite
incessant questing I could not find Azalea.
Night and day Father Francis toiled throughout the
streets of Kioto to seek and to save.
In teeming marts and before tea-houses in the
"Flower Quarter, " he lifted up his voice in supplication:
"Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy-
laden and I will give you rest. "
From a balcony where a group of glittering geisha
postured to the tinkling samisen, a heart-sick Magdalen
came and threw herself weeping at his feet.
Brother Jude, motionless and malevolent, leered upon
Azalea cowering in terror at his feet "
(Hokusai)
The Three Devils 225
Little deeming to whom he spake, Father Francis
told her the story of that Mary of the long ago:
"Thy sins," he said, "are forgiven, for thou hast
loved much, " and lifting his hand in blessing, bade her
gently, "Go and sin no more."
White with anger the owner of the tea-house rushed
forth and grasping the trembling girl thrust her brutally
within. >V, :
Towering to his full height, his eyes blazing with
divine wrath, Father Francis cried: "Renegade, open
thy doors and let the girl go free! Else shalt thou burn
forever in eternal fire!"
Cowering before the dauntless apostle the panderer
unbarred.
Revenge fired my heart as I recognized Brother
Jude.
"Traitor!" I cried, leaping through the doorway into
a gilded banquet-hall.
Clatter of cups, tinkle of samisens, mad lauhter, and
swish of silken draperies flooded the chamber. Flitting,
dancing maidens poured hot sake for drunken guests,
while Brother Jude leered motionless and malevolent
upon Azalea cowering in terror at his feet.
Snatching a sword from the tokonoma, I swept aside
the bystanders and rushed upon him.
"Let me pass," I shouted while the noisy crowd
grew mute.
A sudden slash was his only answer,
is
226 Old Japan
I parried and thrust, fencing warily, waiting carefully
for an opening. His prowess was well known to the
company and they thought to see him spit me at the
first onset.
As this expectation was deferred they watched each
stroke with bated breath, as steel clashed against steel
till sparks flashed from our whirling blades.
Slowly the leer faded from his face and a grim fore-
boding glazed his shifty eyes. He tried one form of
attack after another, for he had mastered all the tricks
of Japanese swordsmanship. But he had found his
match at last, and knew it. I had learned the Portu-
guese style of fencing, and my mode of attack bewildered
him, for I used the point as readily as the blade.
A tricky feint of his roused my wrath and, forgetting
all restraint, I lunged with renewed vigour.
Sweat stood in great beads on his forehead and his
breath came in short laboured gasps.
I would not let him breathe but pressed him more and
more mercilessly.
, Fear glared from his blank protruding eyes.
At last his nerveless fingers relaxed their grip, and,
with a sudden parry, I sent his sword flying into the
crowd.
A shout from the onlookers acclaimed my victory.
As the caitiff shrank back covering his face with his
hands, I stood unable to strike the death-blow, for a
voice rang out :
The Three Devils 227
"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who
trespass against us. " Father Francis stepped between :
"Go, Jude!" he cried, "but beware to cross my path
again. "
He stayed not for a second bidding but bounded
through the doorway like a frightened cur.
Father Francis smiled upon me reproachfully :
"My Son, I fear 'the sword of the spirit' hath not
yet replaced thy sword of steel."
Ne'er was sinner more devoutly penitent than Azalea.
She had been caught in the toils like some poor bird.
She had tasted of the cup of pleasure and had found it
gall.
My heart was filled with a divine joy. I loved her
with an affection in which was mingled no unworthy
earthly thought. Her presence glorified the dawn and
blessed the tranquil evening. These halcyon days were
very near to Heaven.
We journeyed to Hikone, seeking the protection of
Nobunaga; who received us with warm hospitality,
converting his castle into a chapel and rearing thereon
the cross.
Many a lovesome evening did we beguile with lute
and psaltery. Azalea was beloved by all, more es-
pecially by the children who trooped about her like a
brood of pheasants.
"Thou shalt minister to the little ones, " said Father
228 Old Japan
Francis. "The motherless shall find in thee a
mother."
Autumn
The pearly dewdrops gleam beneath the night
Translucent, pale, and pure, like crystals white,
Then tell me, gentle jewels, truly why,
Your crystal dews, with such alluring hues
Blazon the gold brocade of autumn bright?
TOSHIYUKI.
Sleep had fallen on the silent forest. The ancient
firs towered hoar and holy in the misty moonlight. The
flaming tapestry of oak and maple faded to faint bro-
cade of russet rose. Dew dripped from the lacquered
branches, streaming in strands of silver down their
mossy stems. The velvet shadows gleamed with a
myriad lustrous pearls. Silent and sinister loomed the
slumbering forest, august, mysterious as death.
Beneath the moonlight we repeated to one another
a joyous litany of love :
"A mo te card," I murmured.
"Amo te, " she echoed with fluttering lids.
"Semper me amabis?" she questioned shyly.
"Semper, et solo te," I vowed.
But, like an unproved knight, I was over-confident
in my strength.
"Azalea," I cried, "I love thee body and soul.
God hath made me man and thee woman. Thou dost
The Three Devils 229
love me. Thou canst not forswear thyself, my Heart,
my Love, my Life!"
She drew back suddenly and buried her face in her
hands.
Then it came over me that she shrank not in shame
but with the sorrow a mother feels for a wayward
child.
"Am I then so base," she flared, "that I lure thee
to sin? Nay, Anjiro, thou hast given thyself to me, I
give thee back to Christ!"
"Soul of my Life," I pleaded, "for me there is no
Heaven save thy love!"
"Thou wbuldst love me not," she 'chided gently,
"should I yield to thy desire."
And in my inmost self I knew that she spake
sooth.
"I have lost all, all," I moaned. "Christ have pity
on me!"
Clasping her hands in prayer she whispered, "Grieve
not, Beloved, he will take thee to his heart."
Beyond the tranquil blue of Lake Biwa loomed a
mighty mountain upon whose beetling cliffs frowned
the monastery of the warrior monks of Hiei-zan.
From his fortress of Hikone the Regent frowned back,
angered by their surly insolence.
"They roar through the city," cried Nobunaga,
"like the Kamagawa in flood. 'Twas all my guards
230 Old Japan
could do to beat me passage with the flat of their
swords. Belike soon these lawless knaves shall feel the
blade."
"Aye, Master," I assented. "Time is to burn this
nest of hornets."
"Even now," he answered, "go I to take counsel
with the Emperor, for they threaten to burn his palace
else he yield them ransom."
One evening, as I moored my boat and mounted to
the castle, there broke from the forest such a flood of
melody that I was smitten with foreboding.
It was the sad, sweet song of
The Uguisu
Like silent samurai the cedars loom,
Lifting their serried lances to the light,
About the moonlit pool where iris white,
Wan little ghosts in shadowland a-bloom
And lotus pale the fragrant dusk perfume;
While from the forest near with fond delight
The nightingale pours forth unto the night
Its love-sweet ecstasy of joyous doom.
Elusive sound-flowers, waning fast to death
Like wind-blown blossoms in the sunless sky,
Brief as an evanescent thought, an idle breath;
Thus vanisheth life's summer-dream of vain delight :
A little gleam of love, of beauty, bliss,
Then endless darkness blind as winter night."
The Three Devils 231
Suddenly from the shadow of the cedars a cowled
figure advanced to meet me. He lifted his hand in
blessing and I recognized Father Francis. He gazed
upon me with a look of such infinite sympathy that I
trembled ere he spake.
"My Son,", he faltered, "strengthen thine heart to
bear a great sorrow. Azalea "
"Tell me not, " I implored, "that she is dead!"
"Not dead, but lost, " he answered sadly. "Seeking
her at the chapel I found the children weeping instead
of playing as is their wont. Then they told me the ill
tidings that Azalea had been carried away by a band of
horsemen."
"This is Jude's work," I cried, and ran to the
stables.
As I sprang to saddle, Father Francis gave me a
sword :
"The time hath come, my Son, to gird the sword of
steel!"
When I reached the "Flower Quarter" to my astonish-
ment I found the tea-house deserted. The great doors
of the banquet-hall were barred. The firefly lanterns
swung no longer from the eaves. As I paced to and
fro in bewilderment I perceived, upon the pavement,
a little golden flower, a fragment from the tiara of
Azalea.
I crossed the street. A faint light flickered through
232 Old Japan
the shoji. Suddenly a woman's shadow flitted across
and I heard the plaintive murmur of a lute.
Aglow with hope I threw wide the shutters and made
my way into the dim interior. Softly I tiptoed from
one deserted chamber to another, whither I knew not,
in fruitless quest of my beloved.
Of a sudden the earth yawned beneath me and I fell.
Down, down I hurtled, through fathoms of pitchy
darkness, as it seemed a lifetime, till I landed, bruised
and bleeding, in the noisome slime of a cistern, an
oubliette where many a wretch had been cast to rot in
filth and darkness.
How long I lingered there I know not, save that at
last I was awakened by a clamour of voices.
A lantern was lowered and I discerned, peering down
upon me, a ring of ghostly faces. A gruff voice bade
me grasp a rope and I was drawn, spent but exultant, to
the light of day.
Then the slit eyes of Jude leered upon me in male-
volent triumph, and I knew my hour had come !
V
DEVIL'S DUST
"So my bait lured thee, " laughed Jude, "this should
teach thee that the way of sinners leadeth to hell!"
"Have a care, Hypocrite," I cried, "thine insolence
will not go unpunished."
The Three Devils 233
' ' Look not to Nobunaga for aid," he muttered ; ' ' soon
shalt thou be beyond his power. Meanwhile, keep a
civil tongue in thy head lest it be torn from thy caitiff
throat."
Whereupon his minions bound, gagged, and cast me
helpless into a bullock-cart, and, covering me with
straw, lumbered from the city.
At the barrier I heard a samurai bid the wardens
keep careful watch in quest of a certain Krishitan priest
whom the Buddhist bonzes had secretly spirited away.
Whereat the guard prodded the straw with his
halberd, but, strive as I might, I could make no outcry.
Then he turned to interrogate a band of monks, and
Jude lashing the bullocks, we jolted on our way.
I heard the laughter of the bonzes as they overtook
us, and learned that they were bearing me to the
Monastery of Hiei-zan.
The roads were a quagmire of pools and ruts, and so
shaken was I by my fall that I feared each jolt would be
my last. After hours of tedious plodding the bullocks
halted, I heard the clang of portcullis, a rattle of bolts
and screaming of hinges; the cart jolted a pace or two
farther then, heaving out its load of straw, I tumbled
suddenly forth.
Massy walls frowned on every hand, a great keep
towering black against the rising sun. Stern, mailed
warriors scowled down upon me from tile-roofed para-
pets. It was the fortress of Hiei-Zan.
234 Old Japan
"So this is the knave who hath the secret," blurted
the truculent Abbot. "Verily there are three devils:
Gunpowder, Christianity, and the Portuguese, and in the
first only have I faith. Therefore deliver to us thy
formula. "
"Nay, of thy courtesy, gentle Sir, I have it not," I
asseverated truly.
"Hast searched the lying rogue?" demanded the
Abbot unconvinced. "
"Of a surety," shrugged Brother Jude, "but found
naught. "
"Trouble me then no further, but behead him forth-
with!"
"Nay, reverend Father," protested the other, "let
not the secret perish with him. Perchance, an he
willeth, he may recall the formula to his mind. "
"Lead him to the torture-chamber," smiled the
Abbot. "'Twill jog his flagging memory."
I eyed my inquisitors calmly. They were men
who knew neither pity nor remorse, but I vowed within
my heart that neither rack nor crucifixion should wrest
from me my secret.
Lighting a link from a cresset, Jude led me down a
slimy stairway to the bowels of the fortress, where,
unbolting an iron-studded door, he thrust me into a
vaulted dungeon.
A fire glowed in a furnace, the floor was littered with
crucibles, and the air reeked with noisome stenches.
The Three Devils 235
For days I laboured in this inferno, sleeping on the
dank earth, nor ever passing that bolt-studded door.
I had hoped to gain time by a pretence that I was
wildered in my wits, but Jude fathomed that subterfuge
and flogged me piteously.
This only served to rouse my spirit. Each lash the
malefactors rained on my bleeding shoulders strength-
ened my resolve never to reveal my precious secret.
As my torturers heated their irons at the forge, a
battle-hymn of the spirit rang within my ears, hearten-
ing my courage to endure, j
The Sword of the Soul
Forged in the furnace flame of Life
The sword-blade gleameth white,
Beneath the bludgeonings of strife
Reverberant and bright.
The stern artificer of years
Tempers youth's ardent fires,
Within Truth's well of joy and tears,
Made free from base desires.
Thus shall our souls, through slow anneal,
Within Fate's furnace cast,
Beneath Time's tireless sledge reveal
Life's flawless steel at last.
Each day I suffered a fresh ordeal: lashed, burned, and
racked until I prayed that death might end my misery.
Meanwhile Jude strove feverishly to fabricate the
23,6 Old Japan
Devil's Dust, mingling various compounds of sulphur
and saltpetre, in a vain hope of discovering the secret.
One day a youth entered bearing a pannier of char-
coal, which he threw carelessly upon the floor.
Jude glared in astonishment at the black dust,
struck by its resemblance to gunpowder. Of a sudden
the conviction dawned upon him that this was the
missing ingredient.
Clutching a handful, he flung it into the mortar and
pounded furiously. A blinding flash illumined the
laboratory, shaking the walls and filling the chamber
with a smother of lurid smoke.
Scorched and blackened, frantic with fiendish delight,
Jude danced and sang like a raving maniac. He had
found the secret formula !
Nor was I ungrateful for his discovery. My torture
was ended, though now, I thought, in all likelihood
will he slay me since I am no longer of use.
But in this I was mistaken. Commanding me to
store the powder in a vault outside the monastery walls,
he committed to me the task of excavation.
The course of this subterranean gallery lay beneath
the gate-tower. I could hear the guard laughing and
singing above me as I worked, and determined upon
my plan of escape.
Day and night I descended and, little by little, dug a
tunnel to a grove on the shore of the lake.
Many weary days I laboured thus, scarce stopping
The Three Devils 237
to sleep or eat. Having no sure means of judging
the distance I delved on until I encountered a thick
tangle of roots; then burrowing upwards to the air, I
beheld with delight the full moon shining through the
pines.
I turned to cast a last glance behind, when suddenly,
at a barred window in the topmost tower, I saw
Azalea. Well it was I had not known this before, else
should I have gone mad, for I could not have rescued
her, nor could I now without an army at my back.
But I thought of Nobunaga and laughed aloud as I
planned a means for her deliverance.
Hastening back to the magazine I emptied sack after
sack of gunpowder beneath the gate-tower and laid a
fuse therefrom along my secret tunnel to the outlet;
then sped through the forest to the lake.
A lone fisherman with a flock of cormorants was
plying his curious craft. Drawing in his greedy fowls
he gave me an oar, and in the misty moonlight we
sculled silently across the lake.
The mighty castle of Hikone bristled with warriors,
and the broad champaign teemed with a myriad horse-
men eager for the fray. Nobunaga was rejoiced
beyond measure at my miraculous deliverance.
I told him of Azalea's imprisonment, and of my plan
to capture Hiei-zan.
"Go back," he commanded, "burst asunder the
gates. At dawn I will attack the fortress!"
238 Old Japan
Disguised as a fisherman I oared across the lake,
crept through the wood, and came to the hidden way.
To my consternation the tunnel was blocked by a pile
of stones!
I believed my plan foiled, until after many moments
of digging I found the fuse undisturbed.
Striking a flint I ignited the end, and a fiery serpent
hissed swiftly along the ground.
Suddenly the barbican rose in a blinding shaft of
fire, with a shock that seemed to shatter the universe,
and a pall of soot-black clouds shrouded the sky.
Then a great bell boomed. Shrieks of terror rang
from the panic-stricken monks as the samurai of Nobu-
naga rushed to the assault. Through the smouldering
ruins of the barbican burst the mailed warriors thrusting
with pike and halberd, slashing with sword and axe;
while, heedless of the foe, in flaming vestments the
half-burned inmates staggered blindly forth and fell
writhing upon the ground.
Warrior-monks poured from archways and shot from
arrow-slits. For a space they fought desperately,
then, overpowered by the ever-increasing numbers,
fled up burning stairways through toppling galleries,
out upon the battlements whence they leapt, only to
be dashed in fragments upon the stones.
Foremost in the panic-stricken mob I caught sight
of Jude fleeing for his cowardly life, leaving Azalea
imprisoned a prey to the relentless flames.
The Three Devils 239
And ever the merciless samurai of Nobunaga poured
ceaselessly in, putting all to sword and flame. Through
underground burrows they ferreted their fleeing foes,
slaughtering them like rats in their holes.
Of a sudden, at a loop-hole in the topmost tower, her
arms outstretched in appeal, I beheld Azalea, wreathed
in a ring of flames.
I leaped over the smoking threshold into the blazing
furnace. Up the burning stairway I hurried till I came
to a bolted door.
"Azalea, " I cried. "Unbar; 'tis I, Anjiro."
But she gave no answer.
Putting forth all my strength I wrenched the door
from its hinges, as the stairway crumpled behind me and
was swallowed in a well of fire.
With a joyous cry I lifted Azalea in my arms and ran
with her to the window.
Seizing the lattice I wrenched it from its fastenings;
and grasping Azalea by the wrists lowered her until her
feet touched the tile roof of the story below. Then,
using the window-lattice as a ladder, I climbed cau-
tiously down.
A cheer rang out as the samurai of Nobunaga
watched us from the court.
r The tower terraced beneath us, each roof of its seven
stories jutting out beyond the one above. My ladder
was just long enough to reach from one gable to the
next. Along the tiles we crept, clambering down the
240 Old Japan
ladder, from eave to eave, until we reached the lowest
cornice.
Below us yawned a sheer wall of masonry full fifty
feet above the court !
I paused aghast, to leap would be certain death !
But even as I hesitated a tongue of flame lapped the
parapet.
Clasping her hands about my neck, Azalea buried her
face in my bosom:
"Leap!" she cried, "into the great unknown."
Raising her above me, I leaped backward that my
body might break the shock of her fall.
But lo ! 'Twas not to death.
We lay cradled safely in a net, which the samurai of
Nobunaga held beneath us. Their cheers rent the air
as the great keep toppled suddenly in, throwing up a
volcano of flame into the very heavens.
VI
THE BETRAYAL
First wee snowflakes white
On the lily lending,
Their frail freight so light
Scarce its petals bending.
Thus musing, I culled a lily for the altar; then, glanc-
ing at the belfry, noted that the lantern was not dis-
played, and, seeking the old sexton, I reproached him
for his remissness.
The Three Devils 241
"Father," he pleaded, "strange rumours are abroad.
'Tis said the cruel Hideyoshi hath come to enforce his
edict against the Christians. Shall I light the wolf to
thesheepfold?"
"Our Shepherd will care for his flock," I answered,
as with shaking fingers he set the tapers aglow.
A step rang upon the pavement and I beheld a man
cloaked in a fisherman's straw raincoat who entered
the chapel and disappeared within a confessional.
Pondering who this stranger-penitent might be I
followed and knelt within the curtained alcove.
"My Son," I asked, "hast thou some secret sin
whereof thou wouldst ease thy conscience?"
"Sins a-plenty," he replied, "but not that of desert-
ing a friend in peril."
Then with a thrill of pleasure I recognized the
voice of Pinto.
"Come forth, Sinner," I cried, "that I may embrace
thee!"
"By your leave we will deem embraces exchanged,
and bide in hiding," he whispered cautiously.
"Art thou in peril, Friend?" I questioned.
"Nay, Anjiro, 'tis thee I have come to warn. Jude
came on board my ship today and offered to betray to
me the citadel of Nagasaki. He maintained that thou
wast in the plot; but well I knew he lied. I kicked
him from my deck as a scurvy traitor, and have it
upon my conscience that I slew him not."
1 6
242 Old Japan
"'Tis like the rogue," I mused, "but how can this
avail since his plot hath failed?"
"Listen, Friend," he resumed, "Hideyoshi hath
commanded all Christians to leave Japan on pain of
death. There are but two courses: to fight or to flee;
in which shall I aid thee?"
"In neither, faithful comrade," I made answer.
"I must not desert my flock. I will betray neither my
country nor Christ. "
"Nay, 'tis not betrayal, " he persisted. "Come with
me until this peril be overpast. I will wait by the
lighthouse of Hirado until the morrow."
I wrung his hand warmly but shook my head.
"Fool," he muttered, yet methought with kindly
feeling, "thou shalt still have thy day of grace," and
was gone.
' ' My day of grace ! " I echoed, falling upon my knees.
"Merciful Father, let me not fail!"
Of a sudden I discerned the clank of arms, tread of
mailed feet, and roar of wrathful voices. Up the toil-
some path trailed a troop of grim samurai, their foot-
steps dogged by a flock of Christians shaking clenched
fists and muttering anathemas.
A skulking form darted swiftly forward and thrust
a parchment into the hand of the officer:
"Proof, Captain," he hissed, "damning proof!
Mark the red light within the belfry. Take him to
Hideyoshi, his guilt is clear!"
The Three Devils 243
"Judas!" I cried, "thou traitor, wouldst seek to
shoulder thy crime upon the innocent?"
He made no answer save a smiling shrug, as the
samurai pinioned my arms and led me forth.
The tidings sped like flame. My faithful converts
flocked around me by scores, kneeling to kiss my robe.
Youths hurled stones and imprecations. Women
wailed and beat their breasts. Thus they attended
me to the citadel where the samurai clanged the brazen
gates in their faces as they thrust me into a dungeon.
Fleeting Life
A cloudlet white as mountain snows
Blows blithely by,
And whence it comes or whither goes
It scarce knows why:
Till, like an iris aureole,
It melts in sky.
E'en thus, man's soaring cloud-like soul
Is born to die!
MlNAMOTO NO JUN.
After hours of blind suspense I was at last summoned
before the relentless Hideyoshi.
Flanked by two councillors he sat upon a dais,
smoking unconcernedly, heeding not my presence as I
knelt submissively at his feet.
At length he glared upon me with his loathly, serpent
eyes.
244
"Thou hast not the visage of a murderer," he
muttered. "Why have ye brought this miscreant
to me? There is a lower court for thieves and
vagabonds."
"Nay, august General," protested the Captain,
"the prisoner is accused of treason."
"Ha! this promises well," smiled Hideyoshi, rapping
the hibachi with his pipe. "Let the accusation be
read."
In a perfunctory tone a clerk droned the trumped-up
indictment :
" "Tis charged that the accused, a notorious pirate,
by name Kosenya, cloaking his identity under the
alias, Brother Paul of the Evil Sect, hath hatched a
vile conspiracy to deliver our Heaven-descended
Empire into the hands of King Philip of Spain!'"
"Art thou Brother Paul of the Evil Sect?" demanded
Hideyoshi.
"By the name of Paul of the Holy Faith am I hon-
oured," I answered proudly, "but I am innocent of
this shameful plot. Though a Christian I am a true
son of Nippon, and would sooner suffer death than
sell my country."
"Enough," interrupted the General, "we have
proofs. Let the scrolls be read. "
"This letter," explained the Captain, "was found
concealed beneath the chapel altar." Whereupon he
read :
The Three Devils 245
" To the Reverend, FATHER PAUL of the Holy Faith:
" Be it known that His Majesty Philip II. King of Spain
having duly considered thy petition, hath despatched me
with a fleet of armed galleons, to complete the conquest
of Japan, which thou hast inaugurated.
" Send runners to all thy churches. Instruct thy people
to seize the arsenals and citadels. 1 will subdue Nagasaki,
join thy insurgents in Kioto and the victory will be
complete.
" As sign that thou dost consent, within the belfry of thy
Church display tonight a red lantern; I will come thither
that we may perfect our plans.
" (Signed) FERNANDO MENDEZ- PINTO.
" Commander of the Spanish war-galleon San Felipe,
and accredited agent of His Majesty Philip II. of Spain."
"Permission is humbly implored," I besought, "to
defend myself from this false accusation."
For answer the guard smote me in the face, bidding
me hold my tongue.
Hideyoshi regarded me malevolently: "Dost thou
deny knowledge of this letter and that it is the answer
to thine own?"
; "I deny both, " I replied firmly.
"Didst thou not signal the Spanish ship with a red
lantern?" he thundered, pointing to the belfry, where
the light still glowed like a ruby star.
"I displayed the lantern to call my worshippers to
midnight mass, " I explained.
246 Old Japan
"Write that the prisoner doth admit the charge,"
commanded the General.
"Dost thou deny that thy fellow conspirator came
at thy signal, and that together ye did take counsel
concerning the plot?"
"This also I deny," I maintained stubbornly.
"Are there witnesses to this meeting?" asked
Hideyoshi.
The Captain thereupon attested that at mid-
night he had seen a Spanish officer leave the
chapel; that his troops had pursued him to the port,
but that he sprang into a sampan and escaped to his
galleon.
"Write," commanded the General, "that the prison-
er's denials have all been proven false.
"Summon the chief witness, the Buddhist bonze
Anjiro!"
I could scarce credit my eyes when, in answer to my
name, Brother Jude strode confidently forth.
"Art thou that Anjiro, friend of my late master Odo
Nobunaga?" the General demanded.
"Even so, " assented the traitor unabashed.
"Thou art a member of the Evil Sect?"
"Nay, august Lord, when I learned their plot to
seize the Emperor through the murder of Nobu-
naga, I forswore their faith and entered a Buddhist
monastery."
"Write that the testimony of Anjiro is admitted to
S3 s
jj *4)
<* "S
O *H
w .2
-a
s
The artist dipped a brush, poised it between thumb
and forefinger, and with a dexterous fillip hurled
it into the air "
(Hokusai)
The Three Devils 247
evidence," commanded Hideyoshi: "Recount further
the history of the prisoner."
Whereupon Jude poured forth such a tissue of mali-
cious lies, as made me doubt if he were not Satan in-
carnate. According to his tale we had completely
changed characters. I, as Kosenya, was the scape-
goat for his many crimes : First, I had rapt from Korea
a princess whom I held as paramour. Second, I had
supplied the Monastery of Hiei-zan with Devil's Dust;
Third, I had betrayed Nobunaga to his assassins, and
Fourth, under the guise of preaching the faith, I had
sown sedition throughout the land.
"I have sentenced many a man on less evidence,"
smiled Hideyoshi. Though thoti dost merit instant
death, yet will I grant thee one last chance.
"Trample upon the cross in token thou dost abjure
the evil faith and I will set thee free!"
Jude whispered something in the ear of the General.
"Nay, one more condition," cried Hideyoshi.
"Renounce forever and deliver into my hands the
Korean Princess Azalea! Dost thou consent?"
"Never," I cried, "were I to suffer an hundred
deaths!"
Hideyoshi's eyes flashed flame, and he muttered a
string of foul imprecations. Seeing that I was not to
be shaken he resumed:
"Since the criminal persists in denying his guilt,
lead him to the torture-chamber! Should he confess,
248 Old Japan
let him be beheaded as a political offender! If he still
denies his crime, let him be crucified as a Krishitan
before the eyes of his deluded converts, that, as they
mark his sightless eyeballs upturned in vain entreaty
to a powerless god they may take warning by his
fate!"
VII
IN TUAS MANAS
Thou standest at the brink. Behind thee lie
Fair flower-decked meads and rivers of delight,
With reach of verdured hill and valley bright,
Which men call Life. Lo, now before thee nigh
Yawneth an unknown lake of dread infinity!
And, as thou cowerest there in sore affright,
Thou tremblest lest some vague, malignant might
Should thrust thee in the dark abyss to die.
Fear not, within these depths hides Mercy, Friend!
For he who wove the fabric of the wold
Bedecked the darksome pool with blossoms rare.
Plunge boldly in, nor fear the waters cold!
Life's meadows know not death nor any end
E'en the black mire is white with lilies fair.
Transcribed from The Japan Magazine.
Here endeth the chronicle of Brother Paul. With it
I found a letter traced in the blood of his wounded
hands.
The Three Devils 249
To AZALEA,
Abbess of the Bleeding Heart.
BELOVED SISTER:
Hideyoshi with a band of warriors hath set forth to sack
thy convent.
Disperse thy flock and hasten to the harbour, where thou
wilt find my old friend Mendez Pinto, who will convey thee
in safety to Portugal.
Tarry not, but flee. On the morrow I shall have gone
whither no evil may befall.
And so God give thee grace to endure till thou findest
me in Paradise.
Thine ANJIRO.
Winter
When falls from out an ebon clouded sky
The snow's white petals, fluttering down in showers,
Meseems, somewhere beyond the gloom doth lie
Eternal Spring-tide, bright with festal flowers !
FUKAYABU.
The long, long night was over; in the heavens the
stars were paling; a wan luminance whitened the
leaden sky.
A cock crew, first timidly as if in doubt as to the day,
then confidently with zestful flapping of wings. The
hour was rife with rumours, a mystic undertone of
vague foreboding wails. Now and again from a
distant farmstead came the lowing of cows and bleat
of baby lambs. The rose of dawn was bursting into
flame.
250 Old Japan
Then over the purple hills rang clear and sonorous
the boom of a mission bell, the Angelus of Brother
Paul.
Up the steep path that mounted to the little chapel
I wended my eager way. The door was open, the
guttering tapers threw their feeble rays upon a form-
less mass.
Drawing nearer I beheld a cross, shaped like that of
Saint Andrew. Upon it, lashed hand and foot, stretched
a body transfixed by bloody spears.
On the wan face, uplifted to the dawn, was no trace
of fear or agony, only a childlike smile, "the peace that
passeth understanding. "
Half buried in the snow at the martyr's feet crouched
a white-faced woman, her hands clasped about the
cross in an agony of despair, her glazed eyes turned
heavenward in vain appeal.
I strove to raise her, but the frozen limbs refused to
move.
"Azalea!" I cried repeatedly, but the wan lips gave
no answer.
"In tuas manas, Domini," I murmured. "The
long, long night is over. Thou hast found eternal
day!"
My God, I love thee not because
I hope for heaven thereby:
Nor yet for fear, if I love not,
I must for ever die.
The Three Devils 251
But, O my Jesu, thou didst me
Upon the cross embrace;
For me didst bear the nails and spear,
And manifold disgrace,
And griefs and torments numberless,
And sweat of agony,
E'en death itself; and all for me
Who was thine enemy!
Then why, blessed Jesu Christ,
Should I not love thee well?
Not for the hope of winning heaven
Nor of escaping hell;
Not with the hope of gaining aught
Not seeking a reward;
But as thyself hast loved me,
ever-loving Lord!
E'en so I love thee, and will love,
And in thy praise will sing;
Solely because thou art my God,
And my eternal King.
FRANCIS XAVIER.
CHAPTER IX
THE QUEST OF LIFE
I
THE BARRED GATE
HPHE mighty Shogun leyasu lay upon his death-bed.
* In a sudden flash of conscious'ness he turned his
glazing eyes upon his little grandson.
' ' ' Take, ' ' * he gasped, ' ' Heed my dying counsel. Three
barbarian devils have invaded Dai Nippon: Gun-
powder, Christianity, and the Portuguese. The first
have I made an ally against the rest. Our land is
now secure from the last, but the Evil Sect, expelled
to the Spanish Isles, doth return in secret to corrupt
our credulous folk. Wherefore, my child, thou must
for ever bar the door."
Springing to his feet, the boy swiftly closed the
shoji. "Look, Grandfather, " he laughed, "there is not
a cranny where-through the devils may enter. '\
1 Pet name for lemitsu.
252
The Quest of Life 253
' ' Tis well, ' ' approved the Shogun. ' ' Let them ne'er
be opened. "
His eyes closed. A smile fluttered on his grim lips. The
mighty leyasu lay in the grasp of the inexorable Master.
The Funeral
Down sinuous streets the cortege gaily trails,
Led by bald bonzes clad in purple frieze
Loosing aloft great banners to the breeze,
Gorgeous with glyptic gold, like galley sails.
Mild mousmees follow, wreathed in rosy veils
With lotus-bloom bedight, from neck to knees,
Swarming about the chrysalis like bees,
Wherefrom the spirit shed its silken scales.
Then mourners file on foot, a motley crew,
Masking their smiles with ill-pretended sighs,
Beneath huge parasols of every hue,
Blazoned with flying storks and butterflies.
Incongruous appears this festive funeral,
So little bitter death it doth recall !
Amid a group of onlookers stood a craftsman holding
upon his shoulder a little girl. To her childish fancy
this never-ending procession up the sinuous streets of
Kunozan seemed a festive fairy pageant.
lemitsu spied the little maid and, spurring his pony
forward, smilingly offered her a white peony.
He remembered how his grandfather had once taken
him to a temple, and pointing out among the carvings
a lion surrounded by peonies had said :
254 Old Japan
"The peony is the queen of flowers, even as the lion is
king of beasts."
Presenting the blossom leraitsu murmured gal-
lantly: "Behold thy name, beauteous Princess Peony."
Smiling timidly the little maid took the gift. "White
Peony shall be my name," she replied as the boy
galloped swiftly away.
The moonlight flooded his chamber, a restlessness
possessed him, and, stealing out of the castle, he strode
into the forest. The glamour of its lanterns illumined
the gloom, and woke in the lad's mind a sentiment of
mysterious awe. He half hoped that his grandsire's
spirit might burst its brazen sepulchre and descend
the long flight of steps to meet him.
He was turning back crestfallen from his vain and
ghostless quest when a sound as of a child sobbing
broke upon his ear.
"Where art thou, darling? Come to me, else my
heart will break?" moaned the voice.
"I come, sweet child," cried the lad compassion-
ately. Was he bewitched, he wondered, was it a
goblin luring him to his lair?
Again the elfin voice called, "Take, Take, I was
talking to Amber. She hath run away, help me to find
her."
The bushes parted and White Peony stood beside
him.
The Quest of Life 255
"Thou must return," he commanded manfully.
"Little maids should not wander forth by night."
"I am not affrighted," she protested, "and 'tis not
dark. See, there is the moon." She broke into a
little nursery song :
"Lady Moon, Lady Moon, peep out again,
Open thy shoji. A cat and a rat
Scamper now swiftly, o'er mountain and plain,
Bearing of sake a wonderful vat.
Lady Moon, Lady Moon, peep out again. "
"Old wives' tattle, " flouted the lad, with the superi-
ority of his sex. "In the moon are no cats. They be
base, degraded beasts."
"Cats be not beasts," retorted Peony. "Amber is
my own child. When she dieth she will be a Buddha,
and will live in the moon."
"Stupid! Cats become goblins. They haunt tombs
and devour corpses, that they may return to life in
their likenesses."
"'Tis false! My Amber ne'er would do so foul a
deed. She is an angel cat, with more wit than horrid,
teasing boys."
Of a sudden a bloodcurdling howl rent the stilly
night, and the angel cat leapt upon her mistress.
Mistaking the pet for some malign brute lemitsu
chivalrously strove to wrest it from her shoulders.
With a demoniac snarl the infuriated cat buried its
256 Old Japan
claws in his throat. Crazed with pain the lad tore it
off and trampled it to death.
"Assassin!" cried the little maid, "thou hast slain
my angel Amber. My child! My beautiful child!
Odious monster, I ne'er will speak to thee
again!"
Clasping her pet, White Peony ran weeping away,
while sullen and abashed the boy strode slowly home-
ward.
II
THE PILGRIMAGE
Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licour,
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephyrus eek with his swete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his halfe cours yronne,
And smale foweles maken melodye
That slepen al the nyght with open eye,
So pryketh hem nature in hir corages;
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages.
CHAUCER.
A score of years have passed, and the boy, grown to
manhood reigns all-powerful Shogun of Japan.
Implicitly had he obeyed the last counsels of his
grandfather. Believing that the Jesuits were but
The Quest of Life 257
emissaries of Philip Second he had posted at every cross-
road the following proclamation :
So long as the sun shall warm the earth, let no Christian
be so bold as to come to Japan; and let all know that the
King of Spain himself, or the Christian's god, or the great
god of all, if he violate this command, shall pay for it with
his head.
Nippon was now as wholly isolated from the world
as the lonely Shogun from his light-hearted folk.
He burned with a flaming desire to share their
humble joys and sorrows. He craved a life that would
bring into full play a stalwart body and a subtle mind.
Relinquishing his lofty office he would make trial of his
strength, and, a simple man among men, risk his throw
in the great hazard Life.
At dawn lemitsu went to the stables and lovingly
patted his great black destrier farewell. The stallion
was too well known and he selected instead a fleet and
slender mare. Mounting hastily he rode out into the
vast unknown. Twilight shrouded the sleeping city in
a veil of opal mist. The streets and gardens were
deserted, vague, and mysterious.
It was late April; the great festival of Inari 1 would
take place at Kyoto in May. Already pilgrims were
setting out for the imperial city to witness the pro-
1 Inari, the Fox God, was also god of rice, of sword-smiths, and of
thieves.
17
258 Old Japan
cessions, horse races, and contests of swordsmanship.
No festival was dearer to the popular heart or cele-
brated with more joyous abandon. lemitsu deter-
mined to make pilgrimage thither in the guise of a
simple samurai, absconding from his shogunate with
the eagerness of a schoolboy stealing a holiday.
Silently he crossed the palace moat, and, traversing
an avenue of cherry-trees, entered the quarter of the
artisans. Here he chanced upon two men engaged in
lively altercation before a newly lettered sign.
The complainant, a dealer in horses, was roundly
rating his painter for omitting a dot in the ideograph
denoting horse :
"That animal hath four legs, hath he not? Thou
hast made but three! People will laugh me to scorn,
saying that I deal in crippled beasts. Get thee hence,
rascal, fetch thy ladder and mend thy work."
"That shall I not," retorted the painter of the sign.
"Then no money shalt thou have from me."
"Nay, not so hasty, good sir; I shall speedily correct
the fault , but verily I have no need of a ladder. Behold !' '
Whereupon the artist dipped a brush, poised it between
his thumb and forefinger, and with a dexterous fillip
hurled it into the air.
It described a flying somersault, smote the sign, and
fell; but in its brief impact the brush had placed the
missing dot in exact position.
"Bravo," cried lemitsu.
V
o> ~
ll
d .0
w, fl
o ^2
11
"e **
Is
o
s
.
I
tk
o
i
i
D
I
12 5
2 ^
In -3
d"*
as
it
The Quest of Life 259
The dealer's jaw fell in mute astonishment and he
grudgingly counted out the painter's hire.
"How art thou called, my young magician?" asked
the Shogun, regarding the artist shrewdly.
"Jingoro, at thy service, worthy Sir." .
"Thy service would greatly content me," assented
lemitsu. "In faith I sorely need a squire, and if thou
art minded to journey with me on a merry pilgrimage I
shall not haggle over thy wage."
"Gladly will I go withthee, sweet Sir, for I perceive
that thou art a valiant samurai. I doubt not I shall
tumble into choice adventures ; but first, with thy good
lief, we will seek certain instruments of my craft
wherewith we may earn a dinner upon the road if thy
purse be light."
Jingoro led the Shogun to his workshop, where
bloomed a garden of sculptured peonies and painted
peacocks preened their lacquered plumes.
"Worker of wonders," marvelled lemitsu, "I would
that the Shogun might see thy handiwork."
The artist smiled scornfully: "The great leyasu was
pleased to commend my paltry talent; but thy master
lemitsu is a witling who knoweth not genius when
he setteth eyes thereon."
"I call no man master, Sirrah," stormed the
Shogun.
"If thou be a freelance wherefore wearest thou the
Tokugawa crest?" questioned the artisan. "Caitiff,
17 J
260 Old Japan
thou didst steal thine armour. Not one step will I go
withthee, thief!"
"Nay, my good man, I came by it honestly;
yet since I am a ronin, I would fain rid me of this
device."
"Two dabs of my brush thus, and thou art now a
masterless man," rejoined Jingoro, suiting the act to
the words.
"Hast thou a fitting mount?" queried lemitsu, "for
in sooth my squire must not trudge afoot."
"Better than horse have I," boasted Jingoro, "for
Brindle, my bullock, can bear more grievous loads, and,
pricked by the goad, whisk his tail in the face of any
steed. "
"'Tis a quaint mount," smiled the Shogun within
himself, "still so much the better, since none will
suspect who goeth thus escorted." Then jauntily
"Bravo, my gallant defender. Caparison thy charger,
and let us to the road."
lemitsu and his sculptor-squire jogged merrily along
the Tokaido. 1
Lithe and gleaming the long highway uncoiled before
them like a serpent. It wound its sinuous folds around
wind-swept cliffs and surf-lashed promontories. It
meandered through flowery moors and watery rice
'The Tokaido ("the Eastern Sea Road") which united Kyoto, the
ancient capital, with Yedo (Tokio), the city of the Tokugawa Shoguns.
The Quest of Life 261
plains. It undulated over naked knolls and pine-clad
uplands till it lost itself in distant forest gloom.
Near and far the highway was thronged with a host
of wayfarers daimios in palanquins, escorted by
mounted samurai, throwing clouds of dust into the eyes
of lowly foot-passengers; merchants belabouring jaded
pack-mules, and labourers, laden with faggots tramp-
ing stolidly homeward, their naked shoulders glistening
with the sweat of toil.
"An we find an inn," pledged Jingoro, "I vow to
Inari a torii built of steel. "
"That were a strange and costly gift," marvelled
the Shogun.
"Pst!" whispered the artisan behind his hand, "'tis
simply done; thus " and taking three needles he set two
uprights in the earth and crossed the third above them.
"Trickster," laughed lemitsu. "Inari send the
hostlery soon, for I perish of hunger."
Doubtless the Fox God condoned Jingoro's jest for,
rounding a turn, they came upon a tavern. The court-
yard swarmed with samurai bearing the Owari crest.
Loth to encounter the daimio, lemitsu demanded
that his repast be served behind a screen.
He gulped his seaweed soup, and was greedily devour-
ing a freshly broiled tai when a troop of horsemen entered.
The raucous voice of their leader lemitsu knew for
that of Matsakura, daimio of Arima, a knave and
miscreant whose malversations were renowned.
262 Old Japan
"Methought when last I met thee, pretty Prince,"
said the newcomer, "thou hadst no mind so soon to
visit Yedo."
"A solemn duty summoneth me thither," assented
Owari pompously.
"Such as the purchase of a poodle for the Princess?-"
chaffed the other.
"Nay, a mandate from our beloved Shogun, " re-
torted the Prince with irony.
lemitsu pricked his ears and crouched closer to a
rent in the screen that he might better play the eaves-
dropper.
"Listen, " cried the Prince, "I will read thee a letter:
" To the PRINCE OF OWARI:
"TRUSTED AND BELOVED KINSMAN:
" I am about to quit Yedo upon a secret quest. During
my absence I desire thee to assume the responsibilities of
the shogunate, which, in the event of my death, may one
day fall upon thy shoulders.
" In the bonds of secrecy.
" IEMITSU."
"He is mad," laughed Matsakura. "Truly he is
possessed by a fox."
"Of a surety," assented Owari, "and must be
trapped and skinned."
"I am not an Eta to slay and flay," growled the
bravo.
"Nor I," retorted Owari, "yet is his pelt a rich one,
The Quest of Life 263
and one may hunt with hounds what we would disdain
to slaughter with our own hands."
"And if I put my pack upon the scent, what share
of the game have I, but carrion?" demanded Matsa-
kura, "since the pelt falleth on thy shoulders. "
The Prince pondered. "There is a little trifle
pending, the mur err we will say the disappearance
of a certain Christian daimio, whose seigniory thou now
holdest. We will imagine the affair forgotten. "
The bravo bowed. ' ' I will slay the fox, ' ' he promised,
"though I hunt through hell."
"Search the hells of Yedo," chuckled the Prince,
"none should know them better than thou!"
' ' The morrow, ' ' agreed Matsakura. ' ' I have business
this night. "
"A love-tryst?" leered Owari.
"Yea, though my mistress weeneth it not."
"Beware lest coursing two foxes thou miss the nobler
quarry and art trapped by the vixen. "
"Never fear, I shall bag them both," bragged the
bravo, swaggering from the room.
Ill
HOW THE SHOGUN IN HIS OWN DESPITE BECAME A SQUIRE
OF DAMES
"Have the rogues departed?" whispered lemitsu.
"Yea, Master," Jingoro rejoined tremblingly, "the
264 Old Japan
Prince hath gone; but Matsakura and his henchmen
bide, as goodly a band of cutthroats as e'er mine eyes
beheld. But now the daimio did pour into the palm of
mine host a stream of gold rios, bidding him, like the
three monkeys, this night neither speak, hear, nor see!"
"I trust thou art not affrighted, " smiled the Shogun
reassuringly.
"Nay, Master, but yet misliketh me their monkey
tricks; for in the chamber adjoining thine bideth a
lone and lovely damsel."
"Alone in this nest of hornets!" exclaimed lemitsu
indignantly. "No maid may bide by night beneath
the same roof with that scoundrel and keep her name
unsullied. Listen, Friend, eavesdropping behind the
screen I discovered Matsakura and the Prince conspir-
ing 'gainst my life. Fear not, but heed what I com-
mand. When all is still, saddle our mounts and wait
in yonder grove. Perchance we may yet deliver the
maid."
The Shogun hastened to his chamber. Faintly
through the shoji came a stifled sobbing. lemitsu
pondered. It woke within his slumbrous memory a
vague forgotten voice. He tapped softly and the
sound suddenly ceased.
He strove to thrust the partition aside, but the voice
cried imperiously:
"Dare not to enter else will I throw myself into the
sea!"
The Quest of Life 265
"In pity hear me," he pleaded insistently. "Thou
art in peril and I fain would aid thee."
An eye peered stealthily through the crevice. Then
the voice murmured :
"Jesu be praised, who hath sent thee to mine aid.'
With a crashing sword stroke he splintered the frail
partition and entered.
A sudden cry of alarm rang from a startled sentry.
"Quick!" cried lemitsu, "the hounds yelp at our
heels."
Tearing her kimono in strips and braiding it in a rope,
the maiden fastened it to the balcony. ' ' To the ravine ! ' '
she whispered, "the road swarms with samurai."
Down sprang lemitsu and the maid followed, clamber-
ing, slipping, swaying till she reached the extremity of
the rope. Full two lance lengths lay between her and
the river-bed.
"Leap," urged lemitsu, stretching forth his hands.
The maiden hesitated for an instant, then with a little
cry fell swooning in his arms.
Clasping his light burden lemitsu plunged into a
thicket of tall bamboo. Scarce had he advanced a
dozen paces when he heard the crashing of branches
behind him.
Wheeling upon his heel he found himself suddenly
confronted by a masked samurai.
1 ' Matsakura ! " he laughed. "By good fortune I have
found the very man I would meet. "
266 Old Japan
The sword of the daimio flashed a semicircle, but
springing deftly aside the Shogun smote him upon the
temple with mailed fist. He fell like a stone, his
armour clanging upon the ground.
"Is he dead?" gasped the maiden, pallid with
terror.
"Nay," smiled lemitsu, "but somewhiles will he
bide quiet." Then turning to the girl he asked
gallantly: "Who art thou, my fair and nameless
Lady?"
"Lord, I am called White Peony, hither faring in
quest of my father, " she answered simply.
"Come with me, Peony, and I will aid thee in thy
pilgrimage, " he pleaded.
Nothing speaking, with eyes abased, the maid as-
sented, toddling beside him with little limping steps.
Her feet were clad only in thin cloven tabi, scant protec-
tion from the rough stones over which she toiled.
Nevertheless the maid plodded on uncomplainingly,
until, swaying as about to fall :
"Suffer me to rest a little space, good my Lord,"
she panted.
"Nay, Peony, I shall bear thee," he protested,
lifting her tenderly. Her head drooping upon his
shoulder, her sweet breath fanning his cheek, lemitsu
bore the maiden to the grove where in the shadows
waited Jingoro.
With a sudden laugh of delight she ran to the sculp-
The Quest of Life 267
tor. "My father," she cried, sobbing for very joy,
"have I truly found thee?"
"My little Peony, my White Peony," murmured
Jingoro gently, tears welling in his eyes.
lemitsu stood at gaze, bewildered by the conscious-
ness that fate had revealed to him the object of his
quest.
"Strange," he pondered, "its appeal lay for me in
freedom from human ties; yet here is a distressed
maiden thrown unsought upon my chivalry; and rny
only misgiving is the fear lest she vanish as suddenly as
she came!"
; Converting his cloak into a pillion he invited the
maiden to mount behind him.
"By thy leave, good my Lord, I would fain ride
upon Brindle, " she replied modestly. "The bullock
knows me. See how he licks my hand."
Well pleased to secure her company on any terms,
lemitsu transferred the pillion to the bullock and seated
White Peony gallantly thereon.
Grey Shinto shrines blurred here and there the mossy
tapestry of trees. Palpitating in the sunlight like a
gleaming mirror stretched interminable rice fields,
their turbid waters spotted with smears of green. A
lonely stork winged its zigzag flight across the sky.
Pale lotus buds peered from out crumpled pads, while
268 Old Japan
nude peasants, knee deep in the mire, bent their bronze
backs beneath the sun.
"Thou wilt not return to Yedo?" demanded lemitsu.
"Never," she answered firmly, "so long as Matsakura
bideth there."
"A most sweet and treacherous knave," commented
lemitsu drily.
Peony only smiled sadly.
"The daimio of Arima, " explained Jingoro, "sent a
go-between to demand my daughter in marriage; but
she would none of him, wherefore I thought the matter
ended, else would I not have left Yedo."
"But that very morning," resumed the maiden,
"Matsakura sent me a letter bidding me meet him
secretly, wherefore I fled from Yedo seeking thee."
"Yet is he a great and wealthy lord. Wouldst thou
not be happy as his lady?" asked lemitsu wonderingly.
The maiden shuddered. "Nay my Lord, to the
Christians he is merciless."
Suddenly she clutched her father's arm and hid her
face upon his shoulder. A ragged ronin was resting his
hard-ridden nag by the roadside. As they neared
he turned, glanced shiftily at them, then spurred
furiously toward the inn.
"One of Matsakura's sentinels," smiled lemitsu;
"we would best press forward ere we are overtaken."
' 'Ware, Master," warned Jingoro, "an we go forward
we fall into the hands of more of these gentry. See,
.s
o
V
.a
3
>
V
3
I
o^^\>jiv/^Hr^^
^r:>;Vi"-' : ^\^j '/7/l/A V3' s '*''f<':''-/'<$.
' '
The Quest of Life 269
here are fresh hoofprints of a troop of horse, and me-
thinks I discern yonder the glint of halberds. We are
trapped, nathless I will essay to hew for ye a passage."
"Nay! valiant squire, when one is not strong, needs
must one be crafty. We will double on our tracks
like sly foxes, and take the mountain trail we passed
upon our right an hour syne. The spy will tell Mat-
sakura that he met us beyond it. Thus shall we throw
the hounds from the scent and lie in covert till the
course be clear."
IV
THE HERMITAGE
Fuji San
Our stout-calved kurumayas groan and strain
Beneath the burden of the sedan-chair,
As up the steep and tortuous trail we fare,
Through bamboo thickets, lush with tropic rain,
To the high lake, above the verdurous plain,
Where, like the facets of a diamond rare,
Hakone flashes in the summer air,
A dazzling jewel without flaw or stain.
While far beyond, the slopes of Fuji loom,
Up-slanting o'er the hills aloof, alone,
Shimmer of snow by sunset softly kissed
'Mid shattered shards of scudding cloud, its cone
Limned like the lotus that beneath it bloom,
A vague, inverted fan of amethyst.
270 Old Japan
Up steep and sinuous paths they toiled, through
groves of frail bamboo and giant cryptomeria, by grassy
ways and stony mountain-trails, up, ever upward to a
sapphire lake shrined in dim purple hills. Above its
azure waters, floating miraculously in the sunset sky,
glimmered a shining vision, slope rising above slope,
height towering over height, in ever uplifting might,
enwrapt in a mantle of roseate cloud loomed Fuji-
yama, Mountain of Eternal Fire !
Descending, they fared through dusky forests till
they came to a lonely hermitage beneath whose straw-
thatched shelter sat a solitary bonze.
"Far from all worldly care and strife
Remote from pomp and pride
Let me pursue my peaceful life,
And in an humble hut abide,
On some lone mountainside."
(ARCHBISHOP JIYEN.)
Thus droned the hermit.
Then the instinct of acquisitiveness overcoming him,
as he caught sight of the wayfarers, he solicited
humbly:
"I have, great and august seigniors, a guest-house,
with noble entertainment for man and beast, furnished
with all manner of bathing-pools, both cool and torrid,
and grateful bowers wherein ye may repose your wearied
limbs for but a paltry pittance."
The Quest of Life 271
"Well met, good Hermit," rejoined lemitsu joy-
ously, "for we be both sorely famished and spent."
The bonze led them to a cluster of cottages, shrined
amid bosky leafage in a mossy glen, a safe retreat from
all pursuers. He proved a most assiduous host, serving
his guests with shoots of young bamboo, rice-cakes, and
goat's milk; while Jingoro lured a trout from the moun-
tain brook, which he broiled most toothsomely.
Hard by simmered a hot spring in which the hermit
was wont to hibernate, entering with First Frost, and
never quitting it until Cherry-Bloom; sleeping, eating,
and dreaming of Nirvana, the while steaming torrents
swirled about his withered limbs.
Jingoro took up mallet and chisel to carve an image
of his daughter.
"Why canst thou not portray her wistful smile?"
demanded the Shogun. "E'en her eyebrow hath lost
its likeness in thy pencilled curve."
The sculptor shrugged and hummed an ancient saw:
"A maiden's eyebrow is a whetted scythe that
moweth down the mind of man."
With deft strokes of his brush he applied a lustrous
lacquer to the coils of blue-black hair.
"'Tis but a sorry likeness," still insisted lemitsu,
"that none would recognize."
"Brindle, my bullock, hath more wit than thou,"
bandied the carver. "I wager thee a bowl of sake that
272 Old Japan
he will know the maid." With that he set the image
upon a stone lantern.
Whereupon the bullock ceased his cropping, burst his
tether, and, snorting gleefully, galloped to the statue.
Lovingly he licked the painted cheeks and lacquered
tresses, lowing gently the while.
lemitsu gazed in round-eyed wonder.
"My roguish little father is ever at his tricks,"
laughed White Peony. "He hath daubed the image
with brine and Brindle is daft for salt ! "
On a day, the portrait completed, they bade their
hermit-host a regretful farewell and resumed their
journey.
"No longer need we fear the hounds of Matsakura,"
chuckled the sculptor. "They have coursed in pursuit
of other game."
"Wherefore mounted they not hither?" demanded
the Shogun bemused. ~
"Verily thou shalt see with thine own eyes, " grinned
Jingoro, pointing to a newly painted sign which read:
"Lazar house for Lepers!"
-OF SUCH IS THE KINGDOM
In Sai-no-Kawara, land of the Departed,
The little white spirits of dead children dwell.
Remote from their parents, they roam broken-hearted
On the pebble-strewn shores of the River of Hell.
The Quest of Life 273
And the sound of their cries and their pitiful moaning,
Is not like the voices of children alive.
"0 Chichi, Koishi!" with sobbing and groaning,
" Koishi! Koishi! " they wail as they strive;
As they strive at the pitiless task never-ending
To gather white stones from the River of Souls.
Each day thus they labour, their little backs bending,
To heap up great towers in the pebble-strewn shoals.
Pagodas of Love for their father and mother
They toilsomely build in the bed of the stream,
Each pebble a prayer for a sister or brother
Abiding on earth in the sun's joyous gleam.
From daylight till dusk, thus they toil ever- weeping;
But soon as the sun sinketh low in the west ;
Come the Oni, the demons of Hell, never sleeping,
To torture their victims with scoffing and jest.
And they cast down the towers with blows of the hammer,
And they shatter the shrines which each child-ghost
uprears,
And they scatter the stones with a terrible clamour,
When Lo! In the heavens a vision appears!
'Tis Jizo, the gentle, the father benignant,
The patron of children who fatherless dwell
In Sai-no-Kawara mid spirits malignant
On the pebble-strewn strand of the River of'Hell.
"Too soon little souls, from the world ye departed
To Sai-no-Kawara the land of the dead,
Remote from your parents to roam broken-hearted.
Children mine never fear!" Thus the good Jizo said.
it
274 Old Japan
Then he brandished his staff and the demons departed!
Enfolding his robe with a fatherly grace
He takes to his bosom each child broken-hearted
And kisses the tears from its sorrowful face.
And they cling to his garments no longer affrighted,
Like lambkins they gambol and sweetly they sing:
"0 Chichi! Jizo, our Father !" Delighted,
They laughingly dance round the feet of their King !
After LAFCADIO HEARN.
Before a rock-carven statue of Jizo knelt a bereaved
mother. She had heaped at the feet of the Never
Slumbering God her little pile of pebbles and was
showering thereon her tears, crooning the whiles a
piteous rune:
' Where doth my little child to-night,
Beneath ne'er darkening skies,
In some far land still find delight
In chasing dragonflies?"
(CHIYO.)
As though in answer to her prayer, from the face of
compassionate Jizo there fluttered down a golden
dragonfly to the sorrowing su'ppliant.
"Grieve not, dear mother," cried White Peony,
enfolding the weeping woman gently in her arms.
"Jesu shall bring thy lost one back to thee." She
moved her hand slowly from brow to heart and
shoulder to shoulder in the sign of the cross.
3 I
o> o
On a dais stood White Peony, her robe bedight with gleaming jewels "
The Quest of Life 275
lemitsu gasped in consternation. She was a Chris-
tian, one whom he must punish with banishment or
death.
"Thou wilt not betray me to thy master!" she
pleaded.
"I swear," vowed the unsuspected Shogun, "that I
will keep thy secret. I love thee with a deathless
flame; I will renounce my hope of Nirvana and fight
for thine evil faith."
She laid her hand in his. " Jesu will give thee light,"
she said, "thou shalt know it is not evil."
"Since thou dost love me," he protested, "there is
no power of earth or heaven can part us. Let us go to
my sister in Kyoto. There shall we be wed," and
he smiled, thinking of the little maid's surprise when
she should know his sister was the Empress.
VI
THE PASSING SHOW
A land not like ours, that land of strange flowers,
Of daemons and spooks with mysterious powers
Of gods who breathe ice, who cause peach-blooms and
rice,
And manage the moonshine and turn on the showers.
Each day has its fair or its festival there,
And life seems immune to all trouble and care
Perhaps only seems, in that island of dreams
Sea-girdled and basking in magical air.
276 Old Japan
They've streets of bazaars filled with lacquers and jars,
And silk stuffs, and sword-blades that tell of old wars;
They've Fuji's white cone looming up, bleak and lone,
As if it were trying to reach to the stars.
They've temples and gongs, and grim Buddhas in throngs,
And pearl-powdered geisha with dances and songs;
Each girl at her back has an imp, brown or black,
And dresses her hair in remarkable prongs.
On roadside and street toddling images meet,
And smirk and kowtow in a way that is sweet;
Their obis are tied with particular pride,
. Their silken kimonos hang scant to the feet.
With purrs like a cat they all giggle and chat,
Now spreading their fans, and now holding them flat;
A fan by its play whispers, "Go now!" or "Stay!"
"I hate you ! " "I love you ! " a fan can say that !
Beneath a dwarf tree, here and there, two or three
Squat coolies are sipping small cups of green tea;
They splutter, and leer, and cry out, and appear
Like bad little chessmen gone off on a spree.
At night ah, at night the long streets are a sight,
With garlands of soft-coloured lanterns alight
Blue, yellow, and red twinkling high overhead,
1 Like thousands of butterflies taking their flight.
Somewhere in the gloom that no lanterns illume
Stand groups of slim lilies and jonquils in bloom;
On tiptoe, unseen 'mid a tangle of green,
They offer the midnight their cups of perfume.
The Quest of Life 277
The whiles, sweet and clear from some tea garden near,
A ripple of laughter steals out to your ear;
And the fragrant wind brings from a samisen's strings
The pathos that's born of a smile and a tear.
THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH.
Kyoto was abloom. Festooned with multicoloured
lanterns it resembled a sunny garden, quivering with a
swarm of brilliant butterflies.
From all the countryside madcap throngs flocked
into the teeming city, mingling song and laughter with
droning of drum and samisen, the treble of women and
children with the bass of brawling men. Hawkers
shouted wares of every description, from a child's
trumpery toy to a priceless Muramasa sword-blade.
Goldsmiths lured the ladies with jewelled gewgaws and
carved jade. Humble maidens bartered hard-earned
sen for paper fans and cotton fabrics, whose painted
patterns vied in beauty of design with the broideries of
proud aristocrats.
Booths lined the streets, with tarnished armour,
images and kakemonos pilfered from crumbling castles
and forgotten fanes. Parasol painters splashed flying
storks and pine-boughs upon glowing sunset skies.
Tea-houses flung wide their doors. From over-
hanging balconies smiling geisha showered fragrant
blossoms.
Stalwart bronze-skinned coolies bearing the gilded
norimon of some great lady, whose slant eyes peered
278 Old Japan
between the silken curtains, beat with fist and halberd
a pathway through the crowd.
Everywhere was joy and tumult. In the square
mountebanks performed merry antics. Strong men
wrestled and tumbled, pole-vaulters climbed, balanced,
and capered. The bullock of Jingoro attracted scant
notice, for here were stranger beasts ; bears, snakes, and
monkeys danced, writhed, and mimicked the carnival of
humanity.
The travellers paused before a troupe of acrobats
who, guised in feathered garments as Tengu, with long
prehensile noses, juggled balls and coins while a feminine
member of their company wrote fortunes upon a screen.
Recognizing White Peony the girl traced the word,
"Beware," then drew a picture of a pack of hounds
pursuing a frightened fox.
At that instant like a sudden avalanche a troop of
Hatamotos galloped furiously down the street. Shriek-
ing women and children flattened themselves against
the walls and fled helter-skelter in frantic fright from
beneath the chargers' hoofs.
White Peony was thrown violently to the ground,
but lemitsu snatched her swiftly aside.
"What dog dares thus imperil the lives of our people ? "
he cried indignantly, when to his astonishment he
descried his own crest, the Tokugawa trefoil.
"It is the garrison of the citadel," rejoined a by-
stander, "ordered forth to crush the uprising in Arima."
The Quest of Life 279
Peony caught his arm. "Arima!" she echoed anx-
iously. "That is the daimiate of Matsakura, my child-
hood home, whose folk are meek and peaceful Christians.
Intercede with the Mikado, I pray thee, to stay this
bloodshed."
The Shogun flushed with wrath, but swiftly mastering
himself he reassured her: "I will seek the Emperor
and plead for thy friends. Meanwhile wait my return
here in the temple of Inari. Thou wilt be safe with the
gentle priestesses."
Her heart freighted with vague foreboding White
Peony entered the temple torii.
The priestesses were busily arranging their famous
festival-float, on which was to be presented a scene
from an ancient drama.
Delightedly they added White Peony to their cast,
while Jingoro aided them in the decoration of their
sumptuous car. Stretched across the front of the lofty
float was a magnificent tapestry, a gift from the mer-
chants of Deshima. Above, on a canopied stage, were
posed the actors and actresses garbed in wondrous robes
of blood-red satin spangled with silver suns. On a dais
stood White Peony representing the Fox Goddess Inari,
her white fur robe bedight with gleaming jewels.
Musicians clashed cymbals and beat upon gongs as
the sacred car lumbered by, its lofty pagoda over-
topping the roofs.
280 Old Japan
The tumult of the forenoon had increased tenfold.
Doves from the temple hovered bewildered over the
crowd, unable to alight upon the pavement.
Into a surging sea the car wedged itself and halted.
Suddenly the mob shrieked :
1 ' The samurai ! The samurai ! ' '
A troop of soldiery rode down the helpless bystand-
ers. Throwing back his helmet the leader stared
wonder-stricken at White Peony.
The colour fled from her cheeks as she met the gaze
of Matsakura.
With a sudden wrench he tore her from the car and
muffling her in his cloak, rode from the city gate.
VII
SHOGUN VERSUS MIKADO
Meanwhile lemitsu hastened to his ancestral castle
of Nio and robed himself in sumptuous court regalia.
Despatching a herald to announce his coming he
mounted a great black stallion and accompanied by
a suite of mailed Hatamotos rode into the palace
court. Here he dismounted and followed only by
a page bearing his sword entered the palace. Tra-
versing a series of antechambers he was ceremo-
niously conducted to the "Mysterious Purple Hall."
The great golden doors flew open as by magic at the
whisper of his name. The Shogun entered. The
The Quest of Life 281
daimios of an hundred provinces were convened in a
grand council of war. Ranged on successive terraces
according to rank, they waited in hushed expectancy.
Suddenly the chrysanthemum-broidered draperies
were drawn aside and revealed a timid, slender youth.
With one accord the throng prostrated themselves and
chanted reverently 1 :
In the vale of Kashiwara dwells the monarch of the
mountains,
In Yamato, land of mountains, isle of ever-blooming trees,
Sweet and gentle is the murmur of its ever-plashing
fountains
And its ever-rushing rivers, seeking ceaselessly the seas.
Here, of yore, Amaterasu, she the goddess of the heaven,
Throned her offspring in Yamato o'er the flowery isle to
reign,
Here through endless generations till the earth to dust be
riven,
And the firmament eternal fade to ceaseless gloom again.
Then as long as on the mountains blooms the plum with
blossoms bending,
And as long as in the valleys sings the nightingale of love,
And as long as in the forests 'neath the showers of heaven
descending
Fall the blood-red leaves of Autumn from the maple
boughs above,
Shall our god-descended monarch ever reign in joy unending
O'er Yamato, land of mountains, isle of plenty, peace, and
love!
1 Hymn to the Mikado.
282 Old Japan
On bended knees lemitsu approached the throne.
"Thou art too late, trusted Shogun, " smiled the
monarch; "the die is cast, the deliberations of our inner
council are ended."
"Ended, and without us!" lemitsu ironically
repeated. "I could scarce believe my ears were it not
that my troops have been ordered forth without my
authority. Who hath put this affront upon me?"
The Mikado winced, but gave no answer.
Scanning the Shogun with narrowed lids, Owari
interposed adroitly:
"Mine honoured kinsman, thou didst confer upon
me power to act in thy behalf, and the need was
urgent."
"What momentous matter could not await my con-
sideration?" questioned lemitsu contemptuously.
The Mikado clicked his fan. Thereupon the Chan-
cellor droned :
"Whereas a violent and sudden uprising hath broken
out in the province of Arima, his Heaven-Descended
Majesty the Emperor Go Komatsu, having duly
hearkened to the counsel of his advisers, hath despatched
an army of one hundred thousand warriors, under the
command of Matsakura Shigasaira, to take whatsoever
measures he deemeth fitting for the quelling of said
revolt and the restoration of peace."
"Hath just inquisition been made concerning the
cruelties that caused this peace-loving folk to rise
The Quest of Life 283
against their tyrant?" demanded the Shogun sternly.
"A petition hath indeed been submitted which doth
not meet my imperial pleasure," retorted the Mikado.
"Shall thy subjects, Sire, be condemned without
a hearing?" demanded lemitsu indignantly. "Let the
petition be read!"
Casting a furtive glance at the Mikado, who bowed
assent, the Chancellor read:
"For the sake of our wives and children we have taken
refuge in this castle.
" It must not be thought that our act is one of rebellion
against the august Mikado. It is simply because we
consider our faith in Christ the one matter of supreme
moment. . . . For this we have suffered shame, torture,
and death !
"It is not a malicious insurrection against our humane
government, but the appeal of a loyal people to the protec-
tion of their loved sovereign."
"August Tenshu and most wise Councillors,"
pleaded lemitsu, "doth not our ancient faith teach
compassion to our enemies? How much more, then,
should we display to our friends
The Spirit of Bushido"
(Chivalry)
From dim, departed days the Sunrise Isle
Hath shrined an heaven-descended Trinity,
Three sister-goddesses celestial smile,
Wisdom and Valour, and Humanity,
To hearten man to deeds of chivalry.
284 Old Japan
Three heaven-sent treasures have the gods assigned,
The threefold emblems of "The Knightly Way":
The shining Mirror, symbol of the Mind,
The sacred Sword, sceptre of Valour's sway,
And flawless Jewel, sign of Mercy kind.
Wisdom the warrior's helm is, we are taught,
And Valour is his shield amid the press.
Yet, an he hath not Mercy, hath he naught;
For vain is Wit and idle, Dauntlessness
Companioned not with Pity 'gainst distress.
For e'en the knights most valiant and most great,
The most endeared in memory reverent,
Were yet withal the most compassionate.
Like Kusunoki, who, with pity rent,
Wept for his vanquished foes' untimely fate.
Like to that hero, who, one wintry day,
Beneath the frosty moon, undaunted, led
His little band of warriors to the fray,
'Gainst whelming odds, into the conflict red.
With one great shout, clashes the surging throng.
Fast flows the tide of battle to and fro.
Now falls a youth, upon his lips a song;
Anon, a burly bonze rides high and low
With lance in rest and brave uplifted shield, .
Like an avenging god against the foe,
Charging on stallion fleet across the field,
Sends two score warriors down to endless woe.
Bleeding with grievous wounds from sword and spear
The leader turns his flagging troops to flight,
And spurs his sore-spent steed, in mortal fear,
Into the icy waters of the night.
The Quest of Life 285
Then the brave victor, satiate of gore,
Sped to the succour of his drowning foes,
And haled them safe to land and dressed each sore,
Gave them to eat and solaced all their woes,
And set them free his friends for evermore!
That perfect knight, fearless and free from blame,
Prince Satsuma, of brave, benignant reign,
Who home in triumph from Korea came,
Raised a great tomb to all the unknown slain,
Foeman or friend, in Pity's sacred name,
That their shrived souls might mount to Heaven's High
Plain!
Such are the men we needs must emulate
To gain the crown of kingly chivalry,
The holy lives of knights compassionate
Who hold within their hearts the virtues three,
Greatest of which is sweet Humanity.
Then grant us zeal to tread "The Knightly Way,"
And hearten us to deeds of Chivalry,
That Mirror, Sword, and Gem of Shining Day,
Wisdom, and Valour and Humanity,
These glorious heaven-sent gifts of purest gold,
We keep unsullied as in days of old!
TENSHU NISHIMURA.
"Surely," declared lemitsu, "our course is plain.
The code of leyasu commands: 'Should a daimio, by
unwarrantable cruelties, provoke his vassals to just
revolt . . the castles and estates of said daimio shall
286 Old Japan
be forever confiscated.' Wherefore let a courier be
dispatched instantly to Matsakura summoning him
hither to answer to this indictment."
"Nay, the code of leyasu doth not concern this case,"
retorted the Emperor. ' ' These members of the accursed
sect are beyond the pale and should suffer banishment
or death."
"Know, most august Tenshu, " replied the unruffled
Shogun, "that thou hast been maliciously deceived,
leyasu banished the Jesuits, not on account of their
faith, but because they were secret spies of Philip, King
of Spain. These Krishitans are thine own kindred, than
whom no more loyal subjects of thy rule exist.
"Unknown to all I have witnessed their sacred rites
and marvelled at the wondrous spirit wherewith in
long-suffering silence they have borne the causeless
oppressions of their brutal daimio.
' ' They have suffered the torments of hell. They have
been burned, torn asunder, crucified, and boiled alive;
they have wandered naked and shelterless, destitute and
despised of men.
"Wherefore, most august Master, thou hast erred
in despatching Matsakura, for a keener blade than his
should cut this knot!"
Seizing the edict lemitsu with a single brush-stroke
blotted out the name of Matsakura, then calmly
inscribed his own.
"If I may not even be permitted to name my
" May it not be that there behind the sky
Snow-blossoms falling, falling from on high,"
" The spring, the long-longed spring hath come at last ? "
(Hiroshigi)
" A light flared fitfully upon the malignant face of Matsakura"
(Colour-print, Kunisada)
The Quest of Life 287
servitors," stormed the incontinent Mikado, "I
will not remain a helpless puppet; but do hereby
abdicate!"
"Thy wise and august determination is most obed-
iently accepted. Faithfully shall I guard the reins of
power for thine infant son," smiled lemitsu blandly,
while, white with fury, the dethroned monarch stag-
gered from the hall.
Seating himself upon the throne the Shogun ad-
dressed his subjects :
"My friends, it is now my prerogative to command,
yours to render me implicit obedience. If any one
here resents this claim, I will end the argument with
my sword!"
Enthusiastic acclamations greeted this announce-
ment, and lemitsu commanded:
"The Council shall conduct affairs of state in my
absence, for upon the instant shall I set forth to deal
punishment upon Matsakura. "
VIII
THE ASSAULT
Krishitan Jashu-mon
(Battle Hymn of the Arima Christians.)
Let us march, tramp ! tramp !
Against the Powers of Gloom,
The sons of Faith, in Christ his name,
Defying Death's dark tomb,
288 Old Japan
With dauntless will unbeaten still,
The legion of the Lord,
A smile of Peace upon our lips
But in our hands a sword !
While shot and powder still remain
Our thund'rous guns shall flame
And blast Sin's teeming ramparts till
The craven foe in shame,
Like sand before the whirlwind swept,
Shall falter, fall, and flee.
By grace of God and our great guns
We'll gain the victory!
Chorus:
With dauntless will, etc.
At the head of an hundred thousand warriors rode
Matsakura, proud, triumphant, and exultant.
It seemed to him that Fortune had granted all his
desires. The confiscation of the Christians' estates
would mean for him untold wealth. The quelling of
the rebellion would elevate him to the rank of Com-
mander-in-Chief, why not to the very Shogunate?
Nay, softly, ambition was bearing him too far. lemitsu
must be reckoned with.
But where was the wary fox?
"What matters?" he shrugged. "Suffice it for the
nonce to annihilate the Evil Sect ! A mere handful of
peasants and ronins, " he smiled, "pitted against my
army!"
The Quest of Life 289
"However there is no time to lose," he reflected.
"Each day the rebels gather strength. They burn and
plunder castles and cities. Each hour counts!"
Hara Castle jutted from a crag girt on three sides
by the sea. On the fourth it was fortified by a wide
moat. Within its massy walls were gathered twenty
thousand Christian warriors with their wives and
children, waiting vainly their appeal to the Mikado.
Matsakura rushed to the assault, but the valiant
garrison repulsed his army with bloody loss. His
culverins could scarcely scratch the massive walls.
' t But a deadlier foe confronted the Christians Famine.
One moonless night a thousand warriors filed from a
sally-port in a desperate sortie.
Skirting the cliff in single file they clambered down
to a fishing hamlet. Here the friendly peasants gave
them food, and they set forth for the castle.
Scarcely had they reached the cliff when the rising
sun disclosed them to their foes. With sword and
lance the samurai of Matsakura fell upon them and
massacred them to a man.
Still undismayed the starving Christians held out,
but their hearts turned to stone as they beheld a vessel
flying the Dutch flag enter the roadstead. From its
deck the Hollanders lowered a score of monstrous guns.
These the troops of Matsakura mounted in position and
trained upon the fortress.
290 Old Japan
They battered the beleaguered castle, shattered
battlements and towers, breached the walls, but the
white-cross banner floated still.
In the face of death the unconquerable Christians
chanted their battle-hymn :
"With dauntless will unbeaten still,
The legion of the Lord,
A smile of Peace upon our lips
But in our hands a sword!"
Attaching thereto a missive, Matsakura shot an
arrow into the castle, promising pardon in the name
of the Shogun if the defenders would lay down their
arms.
The trustful garrison complied, hoisted a white flag,
threw their arms from the battlements, and opened
their gates.
The treacherous host poured in, putting the weapon-
less Christians to fire and sword.
Wresting stones from the battlements, the defenders
hurled them upon the assailants. Tooth and nail they
fought, clutching their foes in a desperate struggle
with death.
So swift was the onslaught that the invaders slew
each other in blind confusion. Wounded and dying
they trampled underfoot. Men, women, and children
they ruthlessly slaughtered. Babes from their mothers'
bosoms they flung into the sea.
The Quest of Life 291
Suddenly there rose a shout: "The Shogun! The
Shogun!" as lemitsu and his brave hatamotos surged
into the shambles.
He wore an expression of implacable wrath.
"How he hateth us!" murmured the Christians.
Hate indeed possessed his soul, the holy wrath of an
avenging god, cold, silent, and inexorable. But that
hate was not for the Christians.
"Succour the wounded," he commanded; "dispose
the dead for burial ! Proclaim pardon to all who have
survived this ruthless massacre! Matsakura hath
signed his death-warrant!"
He stayed not for further parley but rushed into the
castle. From crypt to parapet he searched, questing
vainly his beloved.
At last, when hope had died within his heart, he
spied upon the battlements a frail pagoda. From its
topmost story fluttered a white peony !
Threading a labyrinth of fallen timbers, he gained a
shattered gate. The great bronze doors stood ajar.
Crossing the courtyard he passed a guardhouse whence
issued voices; but none perceived him as he stole
silently to the stairway.
Of a sudden a plank creaked under his tread! A
guard came forth and peered stealthily around.
"Only the mad maid, screaming in vain for aid,"
he shrugged, slinking back to the guardhouse.
292 Old Japan
lemitsu smiled. She was there. He had come in
time.
A light gleamed from an upper landing.
He climbed the stairway and tapped softly upon the
shoji.
"Peony," he whispered.
A footstep rustled the matting, then all was still.
Again he tapped and called.
A soft voice questioned timidly: "Who art thou? "
"It is I, lemitsu," he murmured.
A quick cry of delight greeted his ears.
Bracing himself against the wall he thrust with all his
strength. The shoji failed to budge. Drawing his
sword he splintered the screen with a sharp crash.
Alarmed by the uproar the guards ran out in angry
altercation.
lemitsu waited, scarce drawing breath.
Of a sudden he caught the glint of a pair of eyes
peering at him through the shadows.
He lunged at them with his sword. With a fright-
ened gasp the samurai scurried down the stairs.
A roar of curses and clatter of armour rose as a
group of guardsmen rushed in.
The Shogun unsheathed his sword and sprang to
meet them, his blade brandished prepared to strike.
From the shattered shoji a light flared fitfully upon
the malignant face of Matsakura.
lemitsu smiled, waiting in scornful silence.
The Quest of Life 293
The leader paused midway up the flight, not daring to
engage at such disadvantage.
"So my fox," he gibed, "thou didst plot to rob my
hen-roost!"
lemitsu stood calm and motionless, disdaining to reply.
Matsakura burst into a volley of oaths :
"Vile accomplice of Krishitans, come down, and I
will carve the cross upon thy heart!"
Still the Shogun was silent, biding his time.
Finding threats futile Matsakura shifted from bluster
to flattery.
"Most honoured friend," he fawned, "do not force
me to slay thee. Yield me but the maid and I will set
theefree!"
A smothered cry came from behind the shoji.
With a sudden sweep lemitsu crashed his blade upon
the helm of Matsakura, who staggered back upon the
landing.
Two samurai sprang instantly into his place. The
first attacked furiously; the second edged around the
Shogun, striving to stab him from behind.
With a twist of the wrist lemitsu sent the sword of
the first flying, then, wheeling abruptly, he thrust the
other through the throat.
Groaning horribly he fell lifeless to the floor, while
his companion fled terror-stricken down the stairs.
lemitsu looked sternly down. "Come dog," he
muttered, "'tis thy turn!"
294 Old Japan
Matsakura cowered, cursing between his teeth.
"Poltroon," scoffed the Shogun, "if thou wilt not
fight slay thyself!"
Stung by the taunt Matsakura bounded up the stairs.
The tower rang like a smithy. Steel clanged upon steel,
in lightning thrust and parry. Inch by inch Matsakura
lost ground, beset more and more relentlessly by his
exultant adversary.
Step by step he retreated, till, suddenly, lemitsu
with a swift stroke sent him reeling against the rail,
which crashed beneath his weight bearing him lifeless
to the pavement.
lemitsu ran to the chamber and threw open the shoji.
With a joyous cry White Peony sprang into his arms.
"A little more beloved, and thou wouldst have been
too late, " she smiled.
"Wouldst thou have slain thyself?" he demanded
anxiously.
"Nay," she laughed. "I would have fled with
another."
Lifting the hibachi she disclosed a hidden ladder,
from whose lower rungs emerged Jingoro.
"Brindle waiteth at the postern gate, good Master,"
he whispered; "thou knowest he can carry double."
"Nay," cried lemitsu, "thou shalt bestride thy
trusty bullock and ride at my right hand, as becomes
the sire of the Shogun's bride."
The Quest of Life 295
Jingoro threw himself on his knees.
"Daughter of mine is she not," he confessed, "but
child of the murdered daimio of Arima, whom I saved
from this very castle, and reared as mine own daughter."
"Wherefore twice hast thou rescued her," smiled
lemitsu. "Still shall I call thee Father. Thou shalt
make resplendent with thy carving my ancestral temples
of Nikko. What shall he carve for thee, my Love?"
"A portrait of Amber in a bower of peonies," she
pleaded winsomely.
"Thy cat!" he smiled.
Peony clapped her hands.
"Thou art the lad," she laughed, "who played with
me in the long ago!"
"I am indeed that unlovely youth," he confessed,
clasping her to his heart.
Felicity
White shine the buds a-dream against the sky,
In verdant glades small, feathered fowl give voice,
All joyance is! The very gods rejoice,
Gladsome to greet Earth's merry minstrelsy.
KOYOSHIU.
CHAPTER X
THE SCARLET THREAD
I
THE SOUL OF THE SAMURAI
The girded sword is the living soul of the Samurai.
IEYASU.
The Sword's the Soul of thy vast seigniory,
Forged in the white hot flame, from flawless steel,
With mighty hammer-stroke and slow anneal,
Upon the anvil of eternity.
Their hearts aglow with pride and loyalty
For Sire and Land, thy sons with dauntless zeal
Press forward to the fray, through woe or weal,
Seeking delight in life's extremity !
Land of the Gods! Thy sword-smiths as of yore
Still forge the perfect glaives of purest ore.
Still live the Samurai, who honour breathe,
And, rather than to shame their ancestry,
To live dishonoured and dishonour thee,
In their own hearts their swords would sooner sheathe.
TAKESADA.
296
The Scarlet Thread 297
HTEN score years syne, in the fruitful province of
* Harima, there dwelt a mighty daimio, Asano no
Kami, overlord of the puissant castle of Ako, who was
beloved by all for manifold deeds of kindness through-
out his seigniory.
Now it fortuned that after long years of laborious
upbuilding of his province, Lord Asano was one day
summoned by royal decree to appear at Yedo in com-
pany with another nobleman, Lord Kamei, to receive
and feast the Envoy of the Mikado.
Accordingly, the Master of Ceremonies, Kira, an
overbearing, boorish knave, was appointed to teach
them the ritual. Overwhelming his pupils with un-
ceasing insult and irony, he jeered at their provincial
manners, seeking to make laughing-stocks of them in
the eyes of the Envoy.
Upon Asano most especially he vented a resentment
born of greed and envy. Long had he coveted the
grand domain of Ako, and under pretext that all mines
were imperial fiefs, had seized its mountain fastnesses.
But the ancestral castle still remained in possession
of Asano, wherefore Kira plotted to provoke its lord
to some violent act, which would compass his disgrace
and the confiscation of his seigniory.
Kira commanded each daimio to bring a councillor
or second. The Lord of Ako had bidden his friend
Kurano attend him; but this nobleman had been un-
willingly detained and Asano came alone.
298 Old Japan
Kira would hear neither explanation nor apology,
insisting that Asano had shown wilful negligence and
contempt of ceremony.
"Unmannerly boor," he blustered, "Atone for
thine insolence. Kneel and tie the ribbon of my
sandal."
Asano rose to his full height.
"If my loyalty to the Mikado requires such menial
service," he smiled, "I will perform it for the Imperial
Envoy, but I decline to act as the foot-servant of Lord
Kira."
Foiled in his attempt to provoke Asano, Kira sneered :
"Perchance thou deemest thyself sufficiently versed
in etiquette to dispense with my instruction! So be
it then. The lessons are ended."
Whereupon Honzo, councillor of Lord Kamei, deem-
ing that the ill-will of Kira might be propitiated by a
bribe, prostrated himself at the foot of the dais.
"A thousand pardons, sweet and gentle lord," he
fawned, "I have failed to fulfil a command most ur-
gently enjoined upon me by my master."
"We have no further concern with thy master,"
retorted Kira arrogantly.
"Nay, most august Seignior," protested Honzo,
"my Lord, realizing thy condescension in squandering
so much precious time, bade me present thee this
trifling token of his gratitude, the largest and most
perfect pearl of his fisheries."
The Scarlet Thread 299
Kira eyed the jewel greedily.
"This is a wondrous gem," he gloated, "perfect of
form, of size unexampled, and lustre exquisite. Its
worth must be beyond all price."
"But not so priceless as the value my master places
upon thine honourable instructions."
"Fool," thundered Kira, "why didst thou not give
this to me before?"
"My master enjoined me to wait until the lesson
was terminated, 'Else,' said he, 'Lord Kira may think
it a bribe, whereas 'tis merely a token of gratitude. ' '
"Lord Kamei has displayed both tact and munifi-
cence. Summon thy master that I may complete
his instruction."
II
HYMN TO THE ENVOY
"May our heaven-gendered lord with joys o'erflow,
Live for a thousand ages!" Thus we pray,
"Until the tiny pebbles slowly grow
To giant boulders clad with lichens grey!"
Twin-peaked Tsukuba hath a shadow vast
On this side and on that alike down-cast,
But thy great shadow stretcheth on and on,
Its length exceeding and excelled by none !
TSURAYUKI.
Thus chanted courtiers and singing-maidens, scatter-
ing chrysanthemum petals before his triumphal path,
300 Old Japan
the whiles with fanfare of trumpets and droning of
drums the Imperial Envoy and his majestic suite filed
solemnly into the hall.
An hundred daimios fluttered their broidered robes
of rainbow-painted silks. Golden lacquered pillars
gleamed against a background of multicoloured carv-
ing. Azure wreaths of incense curled upward from
bronze censers to the coffered ceiling, and the air was
laden with scent of many flowers.
When the procession had wound its lengthy train
through the pillared galleries amid gasping genu-
flexions of the multitude, Prince Taiko mounted the
dais and thus addressed the assemblage:
"Loyal subjects of my heaven-descended brother,
we thank you for this fitting welcome so graciously
vouchsafed us. May ye ever dwell in ceaseless love
and righteousness in this fair-flowered land of our
fathers.
"If ye have petitions I will hear them. If injustice
hath been done, it shall be requited. All wrongs shall
be redressed."
"August honourable Prince," fawned Kamei, "the
spirit of our heaven-descended sovereign is as the rising
sun upon the cherry-blossom. Under his beneficent
rule sorrow is illusory and evil unknown."
The eyes of all turned to Asano in tense expectancy.
White with wrath the haughty daimio loosed the pent-
up passion of his soul.
The Scarlet Thread 301
"Enough of flattery," he cried. "Thou hast pro-
mised, most august Prince, to requite all wrong. I there-
fore "accuse Lord Kira of stealing my estates, and
condemning to servitude my free-born peasants!"
"Silence," thundered the Envoy. "Retire forth-
with from this sacred place whose spirit thou hast
profaned!"
Asano was about to go when a sudden blow sent him
sprawling on the mats. Staggering to his feet he rushed
upon his adversary with bared blade.
"Seize the miscreant," cried Kira, "he would assas-
sinate the Prince!"
Asano slashed, cutting a gash in Kira's forehead.
The guards sprang upon him. He lunged blindly
and fell beneath their crashing halberds.
That night Kurano came to his prison.
"Ne'er shall I forgive myself," he mourned, "that
I deserted thee in thine hour of need!"
"Friend, do not reproach thyself," protested Asano,
I must suffer the penalty of folly. My daughter I
commit to thy care. In happier days I hoped that
she might wed thy son. But alas! Kira will despoil
me of all and Camellia will be dowerless."
"Nathless," vowed Kurano, "I swear that, betide
what may, my son shall wed thy daughter!"
A troop of white-robed Hatamoto tramped solemn-
ly in.
"I have the unwelcome duty, Lord Asano," vouch-
302 Old Japan
safed the leader, "to apprise thee of the imperial
decree. Thou art condemned to commit seppuku!"
Asano bowed in calm assent.
"Tis the dearest privilege of a samurai," he smiled
dauntlessly.
Ill
BEFORE THE STORM
Fair"goddess of the sapphire Nippon sky,
Upon what elfin loom with fingers light
Weavest thou thus for our supreme delight
Thy wondrous web of living broidery,
The red brocade and russet tapestry
Of forest, field and moor aflame and bright,
Glory of golden grain and blossoms white,
All merged through mellow haze in harmony?
Dreaming awake, the mild-eyed cattle stand
Knee-deep within the lilies of the rill.
A breathless languor broods on every hand
In plenitude of peace, unspoken, still,
Save for a single, bold, upsoaring butterfly,
Winging its fragile petals to the sky.
The castle of Ako gleamed white through billow-
ing oaks and maples, its massy abutments jutting de-
fiantly from the russet hillside. Behind frowned a wall
of serrated ranges; while before it, sloping gently to
the sea, drowsed a grassy moorland, dotted with thatch-
roofed cottages wherein dwelt the joyous peasants of
Asano.
The Scarlet Thread 303
Where the highway rounded an escarpment a youth
drew rein, and gazed wistfully upon the scene. He
was now returning, after years of absence, to the home
of his childhood.
Struck by the grandeur of this ancestral domain,
a vague, unwonted sense of aloofness oppressed him.
He wondered whether Camellia would be changed
from the rompling little playfellow, so winsome in
all her moods, to whom he had been betrothed in
infancy.
Of a sudden a short, shrill whistle rent the air. It
was their signal in the long ago. Upon the bough of
a twisted pine, whither she had so often clambered in
her boyish girlhood, sat Camellia, her little feet flitting
in and out of covert, like timorous birds. A flame
leaped and died on her dusky cheeks. A smile blos-
somed a moment, then faded from her lips. Her jade-
blue eyes sought the youth's questioningly.
"Camellia!" he cried, joyously, "I am come to claim
thy love!"
"All the morning Shikara, have I been watching for
thee," she smiled shyly. "Why didst thou ride so
slowly?"
"Beloved, I came as swiftly as my steed could gallop.
Tell me," he pleaded. "Hast thou longed for me as I
for thee? Art thou content that I have come?"
With a faint cry she nestled in his arms, her eyes
brimming with joy:
304 Old Japan
"Content indeed, for I love thee more than life."
Shikara felt the tumultuous beating of her heart.
Her sweet breath fanned his cheek. The assurance of
requited love swept away all barriers of wealth and
caste that lay between them.
"Longer than life," he vowed, "shall my love for
thee endure."
Onward they rode, their hearts athrill with a joy
hitherto undreamed, all unconscious of the tragedy
enacted by their fathers.
The moorland gleamed silver in the morning sun-
shine, the hills loomed lazuli beneath lowering clouds.
A hush brooded over all the countryside, broken only
by the cawing of rooks, and a myriad feathered crea-
tures flying frantically to shelter.
But little heed paid the lovers to these doomful cries,
nor did vain foreboding cloud their bliss. They babbled
of childish trifles: the familiar objects they passed, the
cave where they played at pirates, and the cliff they
had often scaled in search of cormorant eggs.
A turn of the road brought Ako again into view.
"Dost thou not love its time-stained walls?" asked
Camellia.
A moment before he would have answered: "I hate
it, since it bars me from thee."
But now her love had transfigured the grim old
castle. Its great gate opened in whole-souled'welcome ;
its massive walls spelled protection and hospitality.
The Scarlet Thread 305
"I love it," Shikara answered, "since it bars me in
with thee."
"But why are the villages so silent, the farms de-
serted?" he asked; "no smoke wreaths rising from the
cottages, no fishing boats upon the bay?"
"Kira hath forced the peasants to leave their homes
and labour in the mines," she said sadly.
Suddenly a furious gust of wind smote the overhang-
ing trees till they writhed like accursed spirits.
"Shikara! I am affrighted," she shuddered. "Some
terrible evil bodeth."
"Nay," he laughed, "what evil may befall while I
am at thy side?"
The youth spurred his steed forward; but ere they
could reach the castle-gate a horseman overtook them.
"Art thou of the household, little rose-blossom?" he
demanded leering upon Camellia with lustful eyes.
"Insolent knave, this is the Lady of Ako!" Shikara
retorted, hand upon hilt.
"I would thy words were sooth," laughed Kira,
"for I am Lord of Ako!"
"When my Lord Asano returneth he will dispute
that claim," flared the youth haughtily.
"He hath disputed his last claim," sneered Kira.
"The castle now is mine."
Camellia went suddenly white.
' ' Nay, do not take it so hard, my pretty, thou hast but
to accept my love and thou shalt remain Lady of Ako."
306 Old Japan
"Dastard!" cried the youth, dismounting swiftly.
Kira drove his spurs deep into the flanks of his steed.
As the powerful stallion reared above him with dis-
tended nostrils and threatening hoofs, Shikara struck
it across the face with his riding whip. The charger
swerved suddenly and flung his rider violently to the
ground.
Clambering heavily to his feet the daimio strove to
draw his sword; but Shikara, with a trick of jujutsu,
tripped him suddenly. Kira stumbled and fell. Ere
he could recover the youth sprang to the saddle.
Lightning flashed, a peal of thunder rent the heavens.
Camellia crouched shuddering behind her lover.
"Fear not, Dear One," he whispered, "the clouds
will swiftly flee.",
IV
MY SWORDS
Within my treasure house a casket lies,
And shut therein two dragons writhe and moan;
As I keep vigil in the night alone
My spirit is tormented with their cries.
i
Be still my swords. Alas! not yet, not yet.
The day of vengeance dawns; ye need not fear,
Inexorably swift it draweth near.
Be still nor deem that e'er I shall forget !
PEAKE-KIMURA.
The Scarlet Thread 307
The next day Kurano confirmed the evil tidings ; bid-
ding the lonely orphan come to Yedo and share his home.
"Father," entreated Shikara, "since Camellia and I
love each other may we not now be wedded?"
"Graver duties now confront us," confided Kurano.
"It is written: 'A man may not live under the same
heaven with the murderer of his friend. ' '
"Wilt thou slay him?" gasped the youth.
"Verily he shall die; but this is not the hour. A
thousand samurai guard him night and day, while we
have scarce six score. Nathless shall I bide my time!"
To all observers it appeared that he had forgotten
his oath. He dismissed the samurai of Asano, seventy
of whom sought service under new masters. Two score
and seven, however, remained loyal, meeting secretly
at a mountain camp where Kurano unfolded his plan.
"Let us bide our time," he counselled, "till Kira
deem all danger past, when we shall more surely
compass his death."
Each conspirator signed the compact with his blood
and as symbol of allegiance bound about his arm a
silken scarlet thread. Full well each warrior knew the
certain penalty. Though enjoined by ancient custom,
avenging murder was punishable by death.
Having sworn vengeance they parted, wandering
throughout the lands as ronins (masterless men),
maintaining themselves as best they might. Coolies,
3o8 Old Japan
fishermen, and porters, they plied their menial tasks,
patiently biding their time.
Their arms having been confiscated, they fabricated
helmets, bucklers, and swords. A thieves' patter
enabled them to communicate with one another and
peddlers bore their messages.
Disguised as servants they listened to the secret
councils of Kira and reported all to Kurano.
Kira immured himself in his yashiki. The great
gate was flanked by strong guardhouses. About a
central courtyard loomed the barracks. A labyrinth of
corridors led to the vast audience hall patrolled by
vigilant guards. A band of archers on the roof com-
manded all the courtyards. Thus stoutly defended,
how could the ronins hope to take the yashiki?
When Kira fared abroad mounted samurai sur-
rounded him with a wall of steel. At board he was
served by armed retainers, and "drank his wine through
helmet barred." Day and night he wore chain-mail
beneath his broidered robe. A lurking fear of sudden
death stalked ever at his side, banishing sleep from his
sunken eyelids.
1 Golden wine in a silver bowl
Is true contentment to the soul.
A Geisha maid with lustrous eyes
Is true contentment to the wise.
Then dance and drink for man is meant
To laugh and love and be content!"
The Scarlet Thread 309
Months dragged by and the ronins gave no sign. To
all seeming they had vanished from the face of the earth.
Kurano sought to lull Kira into a sense of security.
He feigned the life of a drunkard. Abandoning wife
and children he frequented the Yoshiwara.
Ishi surprised him one evening roystering amid a
troop of geisha.
Tearfully she pleaded, "Come back with me my
husband. Hast thou forgotten, when our first-born
babe died, how affliction only bound us more closely?
No sorrow can be too great for us to face together."
"Get thee gone, old hag," Kurano retorted, tossing
down a bowl of sake. "By Benten, I am weary of
thee. Here be pretty maids aplenty. These be my
sweethearts!"
LAUGHTER, SAKE, AND SONG.
"How true the saying of the olden age
Of sages, now whose learned lips are dust,
Who gave to sake blest the name of ' Sage.'
Drink ere ye crumble too to common rust!
Better than futile mouthings of the wise
Is sake sweet, beloved of all good men.
Drink while ye may ! The golden moment flies,
Once flown, you ne'er the cup may sip again.
Who loves not sake, song, and women sweet,
Remaineth all his life a beggar blind.
When such an one I sometimes sadly meet,
Scarce better than an ape this fool I find.
310 Old Japan
What worth are priceless gems and treasures rare,
Or all the gold of Ophir shining bright?
Can they with one small sake cup compare
To banish care and summon sure delight?
So long as in my hand I hold the key
To open wide the door of life's glad feast,
What boots it though the future fate decree
That I become an insect or a beast?
If in another form, another life,
Aught else but man, I rather then would be
A sake-jar, my heart with gladness rife,
Though wrought from earth I hold the heavens in me ! "
YAKAMOCHI.
"Surely, dear husband, thou art mad," bemoaned
Ishi. "Grief for thy friend hath crazed thy mind."
"Art thou not af eared to live with a madman?"
laughed Kurano.
"Nay, beloved Lord, I fear thee not. Cruelty and
unkindness are foreign to thy nature. Come, let me
take thee home! "
Kurano smiled for a moment in his old, loving way:
"Thou art a noble soul," he whispered, then resumed
his raving.
"Canst thou give me back my dead Asano, whom I
loved more than wife or child? Canst thou efface
the memory of his murder? These hands dealt the
death-blow that he might not linger in agony. With
his own sword I severed his dear head. It rolled a
The Scarlet Thread 311
little way, then gazed upon me with wide reproachful
eyes. I lifted it, the lips quivered as though they
whispered. I listened but the lips were silent. Then
I wrapped it in my robe and fled. Alas! my beloved
Asano, thou wilt ne'er return!"
He droned a plaintive rune :
" Fate with her changing tune
Keeps her appointed time,
Her ever breaking thread
For ever spinning,
We who are singing, soon
Will cease to rhyme,
Our moment will be sped ..."
JOHN MASEFIELD.
SNOW LANTERNS
How sad his heart as slowly he departed
Far from his home, where oft his feet had trod
Through the deep snow of fallen cherry blossoms,
Far from Harima, where on autumn nights
He donned the red brocade of maple leaflets.
Despondent now, his mind could dwell on naught
But thought of home, of wife, and child beloved,
Whose future loomed so sinister and dark.
KOJIMA.
One bitter evening as Camellia crouched over the
hibachi, the shoji were thrust suddenly aside and
Kurano staggered in.
312 Old Japan
With a trill of joyful recognition she ran to greet
him, then shrank back in dismay Kurano was drunk!
"Where is fam-'ly?" he asked thickly.
"Mother has gone to Yedo and Shikara not yet
returned from work. The children are playing in the
garden." .
"Ho, Take!" called Kurano. "What mischief art
thou about ? Burying thy brother in the snow ? Faith,
'tis a pretty game. Let me play it with you," and he
sallied forth. "Lo we will make each others' funeral
lanterns."
Camellia watched with vague misgiving.
"Lanterns of the dead! an evil omen," she shuddered.
Kurano was not as drunk as he seemed, for he
worked with the skill of a stone carver, chiselling his
lantern with bold strokes, to the unbounded delight
of the boys.
Shouts of uproarious hilarity resounded from the
garden.
Shaking the snow from his straw coat Shikara entered.
"Father is here!" he exclaimed eagerly.
"His body is here," sighed Camellia, "his soul
hath not yet returned from its wandering."
Kurano entered erect of bearing and clear of speech.
Camellia gazed upon him in wide-eyed wonder.
"Father," rejoiced Shikara, "thou hast come at
last!"
"0 lad of little faith," he reproached gently, "didst
The Scarlet Thread 313
thou not divine that my madness was but a ruse to
deceive Kira?"
"Thanks be to the gods," cried the youth. "Wilt
thou not give Camellia a father's blessing? May we
not wed when fall the cherry blossoms?"
"Alas!" he sighed. "I fear it may not be."
He pointed to the snow-lanterns. "The monuments
of men outlast their lives," he said solemnly. "Ere
the camellias flower thy lantern and thy life may alike
have vanished."
"Grant us hope," Shikara besought, "if only for a
winter's day."
"Then hope one little blissful hour
Brief as the fleeting dew,
Though she henceforth like some frail flower
Yearn endlessly for you."
Murmured the father, joining their hands in blessing.
Amidst the silver-lichened branches light
Singeth the nightingale: "Lo, spring hath come! "
Perchance it dreams mistaking snowflakes white
For wind-blown blossoms of the burgeoned plum.
SOSEI.
Thus carolled Camellia as she went to meet her lover.
Snow had fallen. Bare boughs and tiny twigs
gleamed as with a burden of blossoms.
"Spring will soon be here," smiled the maid, her
heart filled with ineffable joy.
314 Old Japan
The plangent boom of a monastery bell echoed
through the wood. Its solemn notes died mournfully
away. A thud of galloping hoofs suddenly hammered
the ground.
Camellia leaped behind a tree, as a troop of horsemen
rushed from the forest.
Springing to earth they dragged her from hiding,
and threw her swooning into a norimon.
Shikara waited in bitter apprehension. Why had
Camellia failed to keep the tryst? Had some unknown
peril encompassed her? He strode swiftly forward
hoping each moment to glimpse her smiling face.
Then he came to a clearing where the fresh fallen
snow was mired by trampling feet. Presently he
discerned prints of little cloven tabi. Following these,
half hidden in the snow, he found a maiden's clog.
Assailed by dire forebodings he hurried home.
"Where is Camellia?" he cried distractedly.
"Didst thou not meet her?" gasped his mother.
"Is this her geta?" he demanded, displaying the tiny
clog.
"Of a surety Shikara. Behold the band is broken
I mended yestreen."
The youth ran to the garden. "Father," he cried,
"Kira hath rapt Camellia! Now is the time to strike!"
He lifted from the tokonoma the blood-stained sword
of Asano. Raising the blade reverently to his forehead
he prayed:
O
*"
J" :
3 -
S .2
m.
" Instantly Shikara loomed above him, his blade flashing like a
lightning-bolt "
From " Old- World Japan," by T. H. Robinson
Permission of Macmillan Co.
The Scarlet Thread 315
"Dread Amida! Grant me the honour of washing
away these stains in the blood of Kira!"
VI
RETRIBUTION
The time dragged by till our hearts were broken,
The time dragged by till we cursed the sun;
Now the hour has struck and the word is spoken.
The time is fallen and the deed begun.
JOHN MASEFIELD.
Cautious taps on darkened shoji, hurried whisperings
at doors held stealthily ajar, and the forty-seven,
gathered for the attack, tramped grimly through the
thick-fallen snow.
At a few paces from the yashiki they halted, while
Kurano alone approached the great gate. Without,
retainers holding their lords' horses and litter-bearers
stamping to keep themselves warm, thronged the
courtyard. Within, lights glittered, servitors ran to
and fro, and from encircling galleries lute, samisen,
and laughter broke upon the winter night.
"Kira holds high revel," he warned. "We must
wait until the drunkards have departed and the house-
hold is wrapped in slumber: Then half our band shall
clamber over the roofs while I will force the water-
gate."
316 Old Japan
"How can I wait?" cried Shikara. "While he
carouses with his boon companions, Camellia is
still safe; but after . Let me go to her upon the
instant!"
"They might deem thee a guest wert thou fittingly
garbed," mused Kurano, "but thine armour will
betray thee."
The youth drew from his saddlebag a gilt encrusted
robe.
"'Tis well, my son," assented the father, "but
beware to attack Kira until I give the sign. I will
sound my horn when we have overpowered the guards
at the water-gate."
Having donned the broidered robe above his lac-
quered mail, Shikara made his way unchallenged to
the lofty banquet-hall. Behind the dais, where Kira
was enthroned before a group of parasites, crouched
the youth silently biding his opportunity.
Overcome with sake a roysterer lumbered against
the tokonoma, crashing its sacred images to the floor.
Kira went suddenly white.
Drawing his sword, Shikara edged his way nearer and
nearer the doomed man. An instant later a trium-
phant cry rang through the silent courtyard.
Guards and guests rushed madly forth.
Kira rose and met the relentless eyes of Shikara, a
scornful sneer tightening his flabby lips.
They glared at each other like two mountain
The Scarlet Thread 317
lions, the giant daimio towering over his diminutive
antagonist.
Nearer and nearer, with stealthy step, crept the
avenging youth. The smile of disdain upon the face
of Kira widened to a snarl of rage. Like a stroke of
lightning his sword flashed and fell!
Lithe as a serpent Shikara darted from beneath the
descending blade, as its keen edge fleshed his left arm,
from elbow to wrist.
Blind with pain the boy lunged blunderingly against
his cool and watchful adversary.
With a sudden feint Kira caught him off his guard
and, tripping his feet, threw him to the floor.
Ere he could recover the dastard dashed over his
prostrate body into the open court.
Clambering dazedly to his feet, Shikara pursued his
fleeing enemy through courtyard and palace, gallery,
loft, and chamber, till he came to the garden of the
geisha. Thrusting aside shrieking women, the youth
rushed in, only to find it vacant.
Returning to the corridors he found himself con-
fronted by a dozen lusty knaves. Fencing warily he
was driven backward, step by step.
He had smitten two to earth, but the remainder were
slowly closing in upon him. A halberd point had
pierced his mail and he felt himself growing faint from
loss of blood.
Suddenly the sound of a horn was heard, succeeded
3i 8 Old Japan
by the boom of a great battering ram. Kurano was
charging through the water gate !
A clamour of shouts mingled with clash of steel and
the youth's opponents fled.
All was silent save for the piteous cries of the
geisha.
"Go," commanded Kurano loosing the bars of the
great gate, and sounding the assembly.
Eagerly each ronin scanned his fellow, then bowed
his head. No trace of Kira could be found. Their
enterprise had failed !
"Lend a torch," cried Shikara, and bent himself to
scrutiny of a plan.
But as his finger traced chamber after chamber the
ronins swore they had made the rounds of all.
"Have you searched this building?" demanded
the youth pointing to a "go-down," near the outer
wall.
"There is no door by which we may enter," pro-
tested the ronins.
"Then will we make one," declared Shikara.
Followed by the band the youth stole down a
corridor, tapping the walls cautiously with his
hands.
As he pressed the frame of an ancient painting the
panel yielded, revealing an opening through which a
man might pass.
Climbing through the screen, the youth found him-
The Scarlet Thread 319
self in a cloistered garden. Upon its snow-strewn
pathways he discerned footprints, which led to the
storehouse, hidden behind a thicket of tall bamboo.
Forcing the heavy door he entered. In the sooty
darkness half -concealed beneath a pile of 'charcoal
crouched a white-robed form.
"Come forth, murderer," cried Shikara, but the
cowering figure only shrunk more deeply into the
gloom.
The youth prodded the heap with his halberd.
Crying for mercy knelt the craven Kira.
Inexorably the ronins led him to the Judgment
Chamber. Respectfully as became his exalted station
Kurano addressed the condemned daimio.
"We are the followers of Lord Asano, sworn to avenge
our master's unjust death. It is my duty, Lord Kira,
to command you to perform seppuku."
But the trembling prisoner gave no answer. Again
the demand was repeated and a sword extended to
him.
He snatched the dirk and aimed a treacherous
thrust at Kurano, which the latter parried; then,
springing through the doorway, Kira strove to save
himself by flight.
Instantly Shikara loomed above him. His blade
flashed like a lightning-bolt, and from Kira's severed
head a "Scarlet Thread" reddened the snow-white
pebbles of the court!
320 Old Japan
VII
THE BREAKING OF THE THREAD
The Heart of a Samurai
The snow-flowers frail are falling cold and white,
Athwart thin pines the pallid moonlight gleams,
Slanting its frosty rays in fitful streams
Upon the dark brocade of winter night.
A loveliness endues the mountain-height
Born of the drifting mist of dying dreams;
So to my frost-bound heart all living seems
But ghosts of vanished blooms of vain delight.
Sorrow and Joyance, Fear and Hate and Love,
Phantoms of faded blossoms cold and stark,
Blown to that endless Nothing whence they came,
Melting like snow-flowers falling from above
Beneath the ruthless rays of Noon's red flame,
Thus flares our light a little then is dark.
Soon shall a scarlet-thread pollute my sword
And give my earthly spirit back to Death;
But, though my body be bereft of breath,
Still shall my deathless Soul protect my Lord.
KATSUTOMO.
Wiping his blade upon the robe of the dead daimio,
Shikara hurried forth in quest of Camellia.
The stillness of death brooded over the vast yashiki.
White and silent the murdered guards lay before the
open gate.
The Scarlet Thread 321
The youth made his way through the dim, deserted
galleries. A gust of wind chilled him to the bone as
he entered a frost-bound garden. A wan moon threw
its blue-white beams upon the muffled forms of flowers.
Frozen lilies bent their fragile stalks burdened with
wealth of mimic bloom.
An ancient quatrain came to his mind :
The lilies shrouded lie beneath the snow,
So deep we may no trace of them behold;
But still their presence we may surely know,
Their fragrance fadeth not, though dead and cold.
v TSURAYUKI (KOKINCHIU).
A great stone lantern threw its ghostly ray upon a
maiden's snow-shrouded form.
"Camellia," he cried, a cruel foreboding gripping
his heart.
Silent and motionless she lay in the drifting snow, a
scarlet ribbon fluttering from her throat.
Clasping her in his arms Shikara strained her to
him with the strength of inexorable hope.
A poniard fell from her hand. She uttered a low
moan. A smile blossomed on her lips, then swiftly faded
and was gone.
A flurry of snow petals fell upon her flower-white
face.
"Grieve not, Beloved," whispered Shikara. "I shall
clasp thy spirit as I clasp thy body!"
322 Old Japan
He sank upon his sword and a great darkness came
over him.
Snow Blossoms
As fall the silent snowflakes to the ground,
So drifts my soul unto the ceaseless night
Of life's relentless winter stark and white,
Where Time is not nor Light nor any sound,
Only an endless silence all around,
Ruthless Nirvana, cold and infinite,
Eternal nothing, void of love's delight
Is thus my worn out thread of life unwound.
Wherefore as falls a fragile frosted flower
Beneath the crushing weight of winter's blast,
Break now my thread of life this hour!
May it not be that there behind the sky,
Snow-blossoms falling, falling from on high,
The spring, the long-longed spring, hath come at last ?
SHIKISHI-FUKAYABA.
AFTERWORD
Dauntlessly the forty-seven paid with their own
hands the death-penalty.
Upon the grave of their lord they laid the head of
Kira, praying:
"Spirit of our dead master! We come this day to
cheerfully lay down our lives. We who have eaten
thy bread could not live under the same heaven nor
tread the same earth with the enemy of our lord!"
21
w fe
CHAPTER XI
THE OPEN GATE
I
THE GRAND OLD MAN
TT was in the fall of 1852 that I, Dave Hazard, foreign
* correspondent of the American Reptiblic, received
the following letter:
NEW YORK, November 21.
MY DEAR HAZARD:
You have probably heard that Commodore Perry has
sailed on his diplomatic expedition to Japan.
The press has exhausted every means in its power to
obtain permission to send correspondents with the fleet,
but the Government has rigorously refused.
However, yours truly proposes to scoop his rival brothers
of the ink-well, in the following manner. With the enclosed
passports and letter of credit sail immediately to Bombay.
Thence overland to Calcutta, two months ought to make
it. Then by mail steamer to Shanghai, where we figure
the fleet will anchor about the middle of May.
Present credentials to Commodore Perry, and obtain
some sort of commission on his flag-ship. If you get the
323
324 Old Japan
Republic in first you can have any place on the staff. You
are a live-wire and your linguistic attainments fit you
admirably for the post.
We depend upon you to succeed. Stoker or cabin-boy,
it does not matter what, but get something. If the "old
man " is obdurate go as a stowaway. Stay not on the man-
ner of your going but go!
WILLIAM NUTLEY,
Editor-in-Chief.
J followed instructions but reached Shanghai, too
late. Perry had just sailed for Japan!
By good luck, however, I found a Japanese fishing-
craft bound for the Loo-Choo Islands and bribed the
captain to give me passage.
After a nasty voyage on the treacherous Yellow
Sea we sighted the island of Oshima. Perry's fleet lay
at anchor in the palm-fringed bay.
Presenting my credentials I hopefully boarded the
Susquehanna. But to all my eloquence "the grand old
man" turned a deaf ear.
In vain I urged him to accept me as interpreter, since
I possessed a rudimentary knowledge of the Japanese
language.
"Do you not see, Commodore, that I can be of vital
service?" I persisted; "I have, moreover, a friend at
Nagasaki, who will present me to the Shogun, on whose
favour the treaty depends. "
He reflected a moment and my hopes soared only to
crash suddenly to the ground.
The Open Gate 325
"Impossible," he blurted with finality.
"Very well," I shrugged; "if you have no use for me
I shall go on my own account. Should I secure the
Shogun's consent to the treaty, may I infer you would
not be altogether displeased?"
"I wish you success and shall be glad to hear the out-
come of your venture," he smiled, "but are you aware
how they treat 'Foreign Devils' here?" He drew his
forefinger across his throat with a significant sound.
"Will you not relinquish this reckless plan?"
"Never," I insisted; "a fool and his folly are ill
parted!"
"Damned if I don't like your pluck!" he laughed,
wringing my hand.
II
FALSE FRIEND AND FRIENDLY FOE
Ephemera
Beneath her broidered robe of satin rare,
Bound by an obi tied in a great bow,
White, cloven-stockinged feet flit to and fro,
Like butterflies a flutter in the air.
While, from the lustrous lacquer of her hair,
And pallid oval face and forehead low
Her eyes, twin jets within a lake of snow,
Gleam gladly forth, with glances debonair.
A fleeting flower, abloom for our delight,
A winged essence from a blither sky,
Born but to blossom for a single night,
326 Old Japan
Then swift to fade into the realm of gloom.
But not in vain thy bright ephemeral bloom,
Thy fragrance lingers still in memory!
The day was deadly sultry. Suddenly out of
a vivid cobalt sky came a torrential tropic down-
pour.
The glad little hills gleamed green and glossy like
Delia Robbia enamels, then faded grey and leaden like
Hiroshige prints. Again the sun blazed forth revealing
the rain- washed landscape.
Hard by, a vermilion temple unsheathed its sword-
like roof. Beyond, a grassy moor-land ribboned by a
silver stream rolled away to coral crags, floating mid
sky and sea.
Down a tortuous trail rode a cavalcade. Stalwart
spearmen strode in advance bearing plumed lances,
crying as they came:
"Make way for his exalted Highness, the august
daimio of Satsuma!"
I drew aside to allow the troop to pass; when, to my
surprise, riding by the side of the daimio I recognized
my old friend Van Zwyn.
"By all the gods!" I greeted; "you are the very man
I am looking for!"
But the fat Dutchman gave me only a cold and glassy
stare.
"Does not the Honourable Hollander recognize the
Hairy Barbarian?" I asked, extending my hand.
The Open Gate 327
"I never saw you before in my life," retorted Van
Zwyn, scorning my proffered courtesy.
Astonishment, anger, and chagrin rankled within me.
I could not believe he had failed to recognize me. Why
did the cad disdain my acquaintance?
"Quit joking," I laughed ; " you know me well enough.
What is the meaning of all this pretence?"
"It means," he frowned, "that Holland does not
intend to share her monopoly with the United
States. Give yourself up to me peaceably and I
will send you home; or else I will deliver you to
my friend the Daimio and the delights of Japanese
torture!"
Cutting him across the face with my riding whip I
cried:
"Swine of a Dutchman, take that for an answer."
In a flash he drew his revolver and fired! The bullet
whizzed by my ear wounding a samurai, who slashed
at me blindly with his halberd.
Wrenching it from him, I belaboured the rascal
roundly.
A second samurai rode to his assistance. I struck
the sword from his hand.
On came another. I sent him reeling with a crash
on the head.
The fourth I gored in the gorget. Then, hurling the
spear in his face, I struck the rowels into my pony and
galloped down the road.
328 Old Japan
There was a pounding of hoofs behind. A shot rang
out and my bridle hand hung limp.
My pony raced on through the gathering dusk.
I looked back. The entire troop were after me, Van
Zwyn riding in advance.
A volley of shots! My little steed bolted like a
hunted hare.
I drew away from my pursuers. All but Van Zwyn,
who gained rapidly upon me.
I waited till he was abreast, then, turning in my
saddle, aimed at his eyes.
He went suddenly white. He had emptied his re-
volver and realized that he was at my mercy.
I thought of our old student days as I pulled the
trigger, and shot his horse through the chest.
Mount and rider fell in a huddled heap.
Up an avenue of palms I rushed to a little yashiki.
I thrust the shoji aside and entered.
A girl raised her child-like face questioningly to mine.
With a low sibilation she sank like a wave until her
charming nose touched the mat.
"Ohayo, Honourable Foreign Debbie!" she smiled
enchantingly.
Taking both her hands I raised her gently. Then
catching sight of my bleeding wrist :
"Goddess of Light!" she shivered; "what those
bloodeys? Speak! You enjoy honourable suffering.
Sweet Shaka! What cruel barbarian done that?"
The Open Gate 329
Instantly she raised my hand to her lips and sucked
the blood from the wound. Then, tearing a strip
from her kimono, she bandaged it tenderly, crooning
the while as a mother to a sleepless babe.
Suddenly a rapping resounded at the shoji.
Pointing to a ladder, ''Quick, make honourable
hurryings, " she whispered.
Scarcely had I mounted to the loft when, with a
shattering of shoji a troop of samurai clattered in.
" Most Honourable Princess, " fawned Van Zwyn, "I
have strong suspicions that a certain Tojin spy is hiding
here."
Bamboo Blossom laughed nervously:
"Ha! ha! Spy-To jin. How that is funny, ha! ha!
I din' see nobodys excep Swine Dutch Tojin!"
"But he was seen to enter," insisted the Hollander.
"I'm sorry but I must search."
She gave a sudden gasp, then recovering :
"All light," she laughed, "I don' keer Hddle bit."
The samurai ransacked the room from end to end.
Setsu San turned triumphantly upon the intruder:
"Now you satisfy, you fooel? Tha's what I say,
nobody's home !"
His brows knitted in a vicious frown:
"Evidently not, " he grunted. Then, his eyes light-
ing upon the ladder, " Search the loft, " he thundered.
The light of battle glinted in her eyes. She struck
her fan against her palm:
330 Old Japan
"Shimadzu, " she cried sharply.
A mild-faced youth entered quietly.
"Make searchings, brother," she commanded. "Tell
those Honourable Dutch swine Setsu San is liar!
Tell him she make hidings bad Hairy Barbarian in
bedrooms. "
The youth bowed. A faint smile of comprehension
flamed, then went. He climbed the ladder and gazed
at me with wide, appealing eyes..
Placing his finger upon his lips he smiled significantly,
then clambered down.
"There is no one!" he asserted calmly.
"Did you search thoroughly?" questioned Van
Zwyn sternly.
"Everywhere, Honoured Tojin," the youth insisted.
The Dutchman mumbled a clumsy apology.
"Make goings," cried Bamboo Blossom, "your
Honourable companys not desire is. You are permit
to withdraw. "
A clank of mailed feet. The shoji clattered angrily
and all was still.
I waited till night-fall, then began to descend the
ladder, when a little hand pressed my lips:
"Sh sh!" she warned, "bad Swine Dutchman make
moon - shine - prowling outsides. Goon nighty," she
smiled, "Nize dream, sweet res till sunbeam!"
I clasped her tenderly and kissed her in true Ameri-
can fashion.
The Open Gate 331
She trembled like a frightened bird:
"You loaf me liddle bit?" she questioned timorously.
"More than life!" I whispered.
"Fare bye, beeg beautiful Foreign Debbie," she
laughed, "Peace sleep till sunbeams."
Ill
THE INN OF HAPPY MEETINGS
The traveller from far-off foreign land,
The friend, his long-lost friend to gladly greet,
Fare to and fro, a blithe and motley band,
Upon the hill where, wending hand in hand
Beneath the moon, the smiling lovers meet.
(SEMI MARU.)
Disguised as a daimio travelling nebon I journeyed
safely to Kioto.
Entering the inn, where a party of Hatamotos were
carousing, I fell into the arms of Van Zwyn, gloriously
exhilarated with sake.
Feigning forgetfulness of our late quarrel, he slapped
me effusively upon the back, insisting that I should
drink with him.
Fearing that refusal might result in a brawl, I invited
him to share my supper.
He hiccoughed a maudlin farewell to his companions
and staggered up the stairway.
"Good fellowsh," he spluttered, "but fishus, too
damn off off vicious."
332 Old Japan
" Yes, vicious officials, " I volunteered sympathetically.
"Letsh make night of it," he gurgled, "Drinksh all
on me, Hap Hazhard. Order whasher like for shelf,
but for me oceans of sake. "
"What brings you to Kioto?" I questioned, as a
maid brought the desired lubricant.
"Sush a lark!" he laughed draining his sake at a
gulp. " Lishen Hap Hazhard, old boy. Been sent for
by Shon-of-a-gun thash a joke, shee point?"
"The Shogun?" I ventured.
"Yes, Slowgun," he corrected, "wansh me to trans-
late letter from Presh-agent United States. Jush your
job, Hap Hashhouse, Press Agent Fillmore. Nishe
name, fill glash more," suiting the action to the word.
"Nishe job if thash all hash do, eh what?"
"Yes," I assented enviously, "it might be the
nucleus of great achievement. "
"Thash sho," he laughed, caught by the unfamiliar
term, "a nukelus, ha! ha! shush a nukelus!" and bab-
bling a ribald song fell sweetly into Nirvana.
A pock-faced Hatamoto entering eyed us doubtfully.
All foreign devils evidently looked alike to him.
"Which Honourable Tojin," he asked, "is the Sho-
gun's interpreter?"
Van Zwyn opened a bleary eye, mumbling drowsily,
"Too vicious, too damn vicious."
" Give your message to me, Officer, " I bluffed, shad-
ing the light that he might not note my face.
The Open Gate 333
"The Honourable Interpreter should not forget that
in the morning we must make an early start."
"True enough," I promised, "I will be ready."
Kowtowing obsequiously the Hatamoto withdrew.
Van Zwyn, rolling upon the matting grunted:
"Yesh, ol* fishy, call me early, Mother Dear, goin'
be Queen of the May!" and snoring stertorously,
relapsed into oblivion!
Running through his pockets, I appropriated his
credentials and left him to sleep off his debauch.
The night was filled with plaintive strains of samisen.
Through the garden trees I could see a bridal couple
drinking the nuptial sake.
Laughter and song, clatter of cups and rap of pipes
upon hibahi resounded from neighbouring tea-houses.
The youth bent over the girl and whispered some-
thing. She knelt upon the floor, clapping her hands and
droned a prayer.
The lanterns were extinguished ; I threw myself upon
the mats and fell asleep dreaming that I was the youth
and the maiden O Setsu San in a moonlight of mother-
of-pearl.
Dreams
O wondrous magic of the Nippon night !
When, like a ghostly galley, silently
The crescent moon sailed down the cloudless sky
And from the slumbrous earth rose laughter light
334 Old Japan
With whisperings of love mid lanterns' bright,
Burning before old shrines innumerably;
We were alone together you and I
Breathless and mute with wonder and delight.
Out of the past there floateth through the gloom
The click of clogs upon the pavement white
And sigh of samisen in booths above,
With intermingled scent of cherry-bloom.
O wondrous magic of the Nippon night,
When through the darkness gleamed the light of love !
(After YONE NOGUCHI.)
IV
THE PUPPET SHOW
Lurking behind a screen in majestic isolation the
Shogun watched the marionettes, while unknown to all
I craftily pulled the strings.
Throned upon a dais between the Princes of Owari
and Satsuma sat the Gotairo, 1 cold, impassive, and
inscrutable. Ranged about the walls of the great
chamber crouched -the bright-robed daimios of the
realm.
"August Council of Elders," greeted the Gotairo,
"we are gathered here to take council concerning a
grave and unknown menace. The sacrilegious Tojin
threatens to profane our sacred land, so long protected
by the ancient code of leyasu. "
1 The Gotairo, the Shogun 's representative and chief executive.
The Open Gate 335
Lifting from a rose-wood casket a vellum document
bearing the seal of the United States:
"Behold the message!" cried the Gotairo.
"Let it be heard," rumbled the assembly in unison.
Taking the paper I carefully translated:
Millard Fillmore, President of the United States of
America, to his Imperial Majesty the Emperor of Japan,
Great and Good Friend:
" I send this letter by Commodore Matthew C. Perry (a
naval officer of the highest rank) to propose to your Majesty
that the United States and Japan should live in friendship
and have commercial intercourse with each other."
"These be but idle pretensions," stormed Satsuma.
"Beware, the Tojins plot to invade Dai Nippon and
reinstate the Evil Sect!"
A muttered imprecation rose from the hundred
daimios.
" 'Tis false!" I cried, meeting their eyes unflinchingly.
"The Constitution and laws of the United States,"
I read, "forbid all interference with the political and
religious concerns of other nations!"
A hush of incredulous surprise fell over the assembly.
"Your Highness," flashed Satsuma, "I challenge the
accuracy of the translation ! Who is this interpreter? "
"The official expert from Nagasaki," affirmed the
Gotairo, imperturbably.
"Nevertheless," stammered Satsuma, momentarily
bewildered, "He is an impostor!"
336 Old Japan
The Gotairo smiled inscrutably.
"Are you perchance aware," sneered the Prince,
"that he is an American spy?"
"Preposterous," scoffed the Gotairo. "Your accu-
sations are groundless. "
Satsuma bowed defeat. "On the morrow," he mut-
tered, "your Highness shall have proof."
"Meanwhile," resumed the Gotairo, "if you still
doubt the validity of this translation, know that it has
been verified by the Chinese linguist Hayashi. "
Thereupon a grave, goggled gentleman, salaaming
profoundly, announced: "The transcription of the
Honourable Interpreter is unassailably exact. "
I could not forbear a smile of triumph as Satsuma
sank chin upon breast.
"Why is it," I demanded, "that you have granted
to Holland a commercial monopoly? The Americans
are a wealthier people than the Dutch ; might it not be
to your advantage to trade with them?"
Mutterings of dissent ran through the chamber.
"We have no need of the Tojin's money," protested
Satsuma, "nor wilt we barter our honour for their
filthy trade."
"Nor their long guns and great, black ships?" I
smiled.
"Might we not rather buy their weapons, that
we may arm ourselves against them?" suggested
Mito.
The Open Gate 337
"Precisely," I assented, "should you ratify the
Treaty!" The Shogun clicked his fan and passed the
Gotairo a letter.
Pressing it to his forehead he read:
" In the last famine, our people perished by thousands,
though Korea possessed food in abundance, which the
Code of leyasu rendered us powerless to purchase. Let
us arm ourselves against such disaster by revoking this
outworn law!"
Satsuma knitted his brows. Had another than
the Shogun made such a demand he might have
assented; but fighting to the last he thundered!
" The Code of leyasu is immutable!"
"Immutable as fate," echoed the puppet daimios.
I waited till their uproar subsided, then resumed my
reading:
" We know that your ancient laws do not allow foreign
trade; but as the world changes it seems wise to make
new laws. If your Majesty is not satisfied to entirely
abrogate ancient decrees they might be suspended for
a temporary period."
Satsuma reiterated firmly:
"From the Code of leyasu there is no appeal!"
"Is permission given that 'The Code' be consulted,"
I asked.
"Permission is granted," assented the Gotairo.
The Council waited in hushed expectancy.
338 Old Japan
A herald crept in on his knees bearing a time-stained
scroll upon a tray.
"When in the course of time foreign nations beseech inter-
course" [I read], "the matter shall be deliberated in a council
of the daimios and the Shogun may act as he deems best.
"Ancient customs may be modified as it becomes expedi-
ent. This is the Shogun's duty."
"Ye have deliberated. Let the Shogun act!"
A sudden crash resounded through the chamber!
The screen fell. Every man sprang to his feet, hand
upon hilt!
In a movement as simultaneous they sank upon their
knees with reverential sibilations like the rustling of
windswept boughs.
The Shogun stood before us, his face transfigured
by a wondrous fire:
"Sons of Nippon," he cried, "I have listened to the
beating of your loyal hearts. I have heard how,
rather than break our honoured ancient law, ye have
with heroic devotion scorned the wealth of the foreigner;
how with unflinching courage ye have suffered famine
and pestilence, beholding your loved ones perish of
hunger, rather than buy the stranger's bread.
"Ye have resolved in childish pride to pit our obsolete
and worthless weapons against their invincible artillery,
which will crush us as inevitably as the typhoon crushes
a skiff. Shall we not rather arm ourselves with their
resistless weapons even as the immortal leyasu con-
The Open Gate 339
quered his enemies by means of the Tojin devil
dust?
" This opportunity is now offered us. We needs must
form with the United States a pact for permanent
peace!"
"leyasu hath spoken," shouted the daimios. "He
hath given thee power!"
Raising his hand in calm command leyoshi quelled
the tumult:
"The spirit of my great ancestor stands before me,"
he smiled as one a-dream. "His hand is on mine own.
He bids me sign the pact ! "
V
THE CELL OF TORMENT
When cometh spring with footsteps light
And clotheth earth with verdure bright,
The songless birds with songs resound,
And cherry petals flood the ground.
So flowerless since 'neath winter's white,
I scarce can bide the lovely sight,
So soon to pass into the night,
Of life perfected without blight,
When cometh spring.
But in the winter-tide at night,
When earth is bathed in wan moonlight,
And fallen leaves drift o'er the ground
With russet rustlings all around
Then yearn I for the year's delight
When cometh spring
(OHOGIMI.)
340 Old Japan
A dull foreboding obsessed me as I rode from my
lodging that drear March morning in quest of Setsu
San.
In the sleety park, oblivious of discomfort, a white-
haired artist was painting industriously.
"What maniac is this?" I asked myself. Then
suddenly I recognized the gentle enthusiast Hiroshige.
"A beautiful morning," he smiled, "amethyst and
pearl!"
"Mire and murk," I muttered irritably.
"I can't hear a word you say," he shrilled, cupping
his ear.
"Slush and gloom!" I shouted, at the top of my
lungs.
"Yes, yes," he piped, "the plum trees are in bloom,
though we can scarcely see them. You remember the
poem?
" How shall I know the plum's white bloom,
In the silver snow of the winter moon ?
By the fragrant breath of the frosty air,
You shall know my fragile blossoms fair! "
Heartened, as by a stirrup cup, I resumed my ride.
Dusk was falling when I reached Satsuma yashiki.
I inquired for Setsu San and the guard informed me
that she was waiting at the "go-down."
I hurried to the treasure-house. From its open door-
way glimmered a vague light.
The Open Gate 341
" Setsu San, " I called, peering into the dusk.
But there was no answer. I entered cautiously.
The great bronze door clanged behind me. I was
caught like a rat in a trap.
I stumbled heavily, fell, and lay for hours hungry,
thirsty, and despondent, for, strive as I might, I could
devise no means of escape.
A rasping voice broke the silence:
"I will not use the poniard. I will rush upon him
and break his neck!"
"No," protested the other; "stab him to the
heart!"
"When?" inquired the first stolidly.
"After the wrestling-match, when the Commodore
shakes your hand. "
Incensed beyond control: "Coward!" I cried, "let
me out of this rat-trap!"
"No, my dear friend," laughed Van Zwyn, "you will
stay just where you are. You've had your innings,
Hazard, it's my turn now!"
Then, turning to the wrestler:
" Driving Wind! keep strict watch! At the hour of
the rat he shall have a taste of Japanese torture."
For hours I waited in suspense, eating my heart out
with impotent despair.
The wrestler was not amenable to bribery. He was,
however, susceptible to drink and drained my flask,
which I passed through a crevice in the floor. All night
34 2 Old Japan
he sang hilariously, but at last collapsed into sodden
slumber.
Time was passing; I must act quickly, but how?
I looked about me. A lantern hung from the ceiling.
An armour-chest stood beneath.
A bamboo pipe protruded through the floor.
A gruesome tale of boiling to death in a bath flashed
into my mind! I plugged the pipe with a tattered
kimono, and waited for my fate.
The air grew foul. An odor of death filled the cham-
ber. I became faint with nausea.
A monastery bell knelled its melancholy boom.
Twice it struck, reverberating slowly to silence.
"The hour of the rat!" I reflected hopelessly.
Suddenly the lantern swayed!
It seemed to me that the ceiling was descending.
With eyes starting from their sockets I strove to
pierce the darkness.
A reiterant sound of wailing echoed in my ears.
Again I looked upward.
To my consternation the ceiling had lowered by nearly
a foot.
A clammy sweat oozed from my every pore.
Inch by inch, in a descent scarcely perceptible,
through moments that seemed interminable, down and
down it came.
The roots of my hair stirred as I realized that, do
what I might, I could not escape my impending doom.
The Open Gate 343
Down, unceasingly down it vibrated, tilting and
swaying as it came.
I struggled to rise but a rigid paralysis held me fast.
Lower and lower, slowly but relentlessly it closed
down upon me, till it was within a yard of my head.
In vain I strove to thrust it back; its inexorable
weight crushed me to my knees.
I shut my eyes and prayed that a miracle might stay
its irresistible descent.
Down, ever downward it crept, till it hovered just
above my head.
I fell upon my face and shrieked in blind despair.
Suddenly it paused, held by the heavy chest!
A light flashed in my eyes! A voice called my name,
and in the open doorway stood Setsu San!
"Quick, make hurryings!" she cried. "Here is the
Khan, mos* swiftest horse in all Japan!"
I strained her to my heart, then leaped to saddle.
"Ride like debble!" she laughed. "You gon' save
those Perry daimio, then come back marry Setsu San!"
Striking spurs to flank I was off like the wind.
I galloped through a misty landscape like pictures on
painted fans.
Old gnarled pines and thatch-roofed Shinto temples,
344 Old Japan
billowy, green hillsides and level, flooded rice-fields
whirled swiftly by. Scarcely a soul was yet abroad,
save an occasional, straw-clad peasant leading a spare-
ribbed pack-horse.
Far and near the country-side bloomed like a garden.
The pools were thick with the spreading spatulas of
the lotus, though not a solitary blossom yet peeped out.
Now and again I caught a glimpse of the shimmering
sapphire sea. Then through a rent in the leaden cloud
beyond the mist-shrouded horizon where hills and rice-
fields merged, loomed a phantom mountain, pale, pure,
and unearthly, the snow-white cone of Fujiyama.
I recalled an ancient poem:
The Mount of Fire
Betwixt Suruga and the land of Kai
Thou liftest, Fujiyama, thy white head!
The very clouds of heaven in reverent dread
Forbear to touch thy hoary summit high.
Even the tireless eagle, soaring nigh,
Fails to attain thy heart of burning red
Where ceaseless fires from hidden craters fed
On fields of endless snow flare fitfully.
Within thy heart a lake unfathomed lies
From which a river floweth joyously,
O'er far Yamato, land of fair sunrise,
Blessing her fruitful plains with glad increase,
Mountain of Fire, Father of pain and peace
Flame within ice, Devil and Deity!
ANON (MANYOSHIU).
The Open Gate 345
A rain-drop whipped my face! A bolt of lightning
flashed across the sky. I was riding before the wrath
of the March monsoon.
Suddenly a bullet zipped above my head. Glancing
backward I saw a troop of mailed samurai galloping
upon my heels. I struck home the spurs; the Khan
snorted and sprang forward like a thunderbolt.
A volley rang behind and the rain burst in torrents.
With the next flash I saw that I had gained slightly
upon my pursuers. I spurred again, the Khan answered
with a rush. Thoroughbred though he was, could he
hold the pace?
I looked over my shoulder; the samurai were closing
up ! I could hear their muttered imprecations.
I pressed the Khan's flanks with my legs. He
responded nobly, but his stride soon flagged. He had
raced three miles at break-neck speed and was failing
fast.
A volley rattled behind me.
I urged him again, spurring relentlessly, but the
rasping wheeze of his breathing told me he was nearly
spent.
A bullet grazed my cheek. I unholstered my re-
volver and fired blindly into the galloping troop.
Two burly ruffians fell, but the remainder pressed
on drawing nearer with every stride till I could hear the
laboured breathing of their steeds. I spurred inces-
santly but the Khan could give no more.
34 6 Old Japan
A shot rang close behind me, I wheeled and fired
into the face of the leader. The flash revealed the
fright-bleached features of Van Zwyn, as horse and
rider sank in a huddled heap.
The storm had ceased. Before me unrolled the
vale of the Kamagawa like a brilliant kakemono, each
knoll and pine grove gilded with the sun. A turn in the
road revealed a streak of silver in the grey-green valley,
where a river gashed the plain.
A bamboo bridge spanned it, and beyond, only a
quarter of a mile distant, lay Kamagawa and safety.
I reached forward and patted the Khan's neck:
"Only one more spurt, Little Devil," I coaxed as I felt
the pumping of his heart. But the spring was gone
from his haunches. The end was near.
The clatter of hoofs drew nearer and nearer! An-
other volley rang from my pursuers!
A flare of lightning illumined the road and the
storm crashed about me with renewed fury. On I
splashed through mire and murk, shouting encourage-
ment to my floundering horse.
A flood of turbid water swelled the rivulet to a
raging torrent.
Suddenly, to my consternation, where should have
been the bridge, I saw only a yawning gulf. I bit my
lips and cursed.
It was not too great a leap for a fresh mount; but
the Khan was done for!
" Banzais rent the air ! Strains of patriotic music broke from the ship's bands, as we
entered the Treaty house "
From U. S. Government Report. W. Heine
" At last, with a supreme effort, Driving Wind lifted his antagonist and pinned
him violently to the ground ! "
From U. S. Government Report. W. Heine
a
I
a
o
1
The Open Gate 347
I had emptied my revolver. The game was lost!
Suddenly I felt him stiffen under me. I laughed
like a madman. He was willing to try the leap !
"Go it, Little Devil!" I cried, gripping the reins and
leaning to the take off.
"Hai! Hai!" I yelled giving him the spur.
He left the bank like a shaft of lightning!
I gritted my teeth, expecting to fall into the stream or
be dashed in fragments against the further bank. I
shut my eyes and prayed. That one moment seemed a
lifetime !
The Khan faltered an instant, then rose.
He landed safe! He made the jump, but it broke his
heart. He staggered blindly on to the village, his knees
collapsed, and he dropped like a stone.
Shots resounded from my baffled pursuers, who pulled
in their horses at the very brink.
A great darkness fell over me.
The next thing I knew a Jacky from the Mississippi
was bathing my head with a wet sponge.
VII
RECOMPENSE
The Commodore bent over me in kindly solicitude:
"You have done the impossible, Hazard," he laughed.
"You have forged the key to the Open Gate!"
His words heartened me like wine. I recalled my
34 8 Old Japan
mission, telling him of Van Zwyn's cowardly plot against
his life.
"He has found his final recompense," he interposed.
"Return with me; your good work shall not pass
unnoticed. "
Longing for O Setsu San held me inexorably.
"My heart is in Japan, " I confided frankly.
"H m, I see," he smiled. "You shall stay as
Secretary of the American Legation. "
He wrung my hand as I stammered my gratitude.
The Wrestlers
Upon the beach a troop of bronze-skinned Nios were
lumbering about like burly elephants.
About their loins were girded silken sashes embla-
zoned with the crests of their respective daimios.
Their massive chests and stalwart thighs were bare.
Never had I seen men of greater stature nor more
prodigious weight.
Their patrons were proudly displaying to the Ameri-
can officers the points of their champions.
As a test of strength the daimios ordered them to
carry sacks of rice to the shore. Each sack weighed
over a hundred pounds, and each wrestler bore two
sacks. One carried a sack by his teeth, and another
turned somersaults with his load as easily as if it had
been a feather.
While we watched, a gong sounded for the wrestling.
The Open Gate 349
A ring twelve feet in diameter was laid out near the
treaty-house, and divans reserved for the Commodore
and his suite. The bands blared joyously as with
characteristic Oriental ceremony we were conducted
to our seats.
On a signal from the herald, Driving Wind and
Tajikarao lumber clumsily into the ring. They ad-
vance slowly toward each other stamping their feet
and clapping their powerful thighs, then stooping to
the ground they grasp handf uls of sand which they toss
over their monstrous shoulders.
For a while they crouch glaring at one another like
two wild beasts about to spring.
The umpire hovers about, watching till the com-
batants draw breath at the same time, then suddenly
clicks his fan !
They hurl themselves against each other like tigers
springing on their prey! They grip their brawny arms
in desperate tussle. Glistening with sweat their sinews
stand out like the knotted muscles of some sculptured
Hercules. Their faces grow livid. Their monstrous
bodies strain and heave!
Each of forty famous throws they try by turns.
The umpire darts here and there scanning each com-
batant for a sign of victory.
At last, with a supreme effort, Driving Wind lifted
his antagonist and pinned him violently to the ground !
A frenzied yell burst from the Japanese. Mad with
350 Old Japan
delight they threw coins, hats, and coats, their own or
their neighbours, indiscriminately into the ring !
The victor was conducted to the Commodore that he
might admire his brawny limbs.
He grasped the massive arms and ran his hand over
the thick, bull-like neck.
Suddenly Driving Wind snatched a knife from
his loin-cloth and brandished it in the air!
The Commodore eyed him unflinchingly.
The wrestler wavered an instant then struck!
With a sudden bound I leapt between and caught his
wrist. He writhed and squirmed, striving to free his
hand from my relentless grip.
Slowly but steadily I bent his wrist backward,
then, with a quick wrench, bore his arm, elbow down-
ward, over my shoulder!
It was a well-known trick of jujutsu. The bone
snapped; the knife fell from his weakened grasp and
clanged upon the floor!
Before he could recover, a band of Jackies rushed
upon him, overpowered the dumbfounded champion,
and put him in irons.
The Commodore gripped my hand:
"Come with me," he smiled, "and enjoy the fruit
of your labours!" and we hastened to the Treaty
House.
I spare you the solemn ceremonial. Suffice it to
say that it was a complete triumph. Gravely as be-
The Open Gate 351
fitted their sense of responsibility, the representatives
of the two governments affixed their signatures.
Banzais rent the air! Strains of patriotic music
broke from the ships' bands! My eyes dimmed with
joyous tears as I read the President's prophetic words:
"There shall be a perfect, permanent, and universal
peace, and a sincere and cordial amity between the
United States of America and the Empire of Japan!"
Without You
The cherry-blossoms call you. Far and near
They shed their snowy petals in the light
Like flakes of flame! The first frail lotus white
From timid lids like frightened children peer,
In thickets lush the iris lifts its spear
And wings its purple plumes in mimic flight.
The air is rife with rumours of delight
And myriad rustlings murmurous and clear!
And yet 'tis winter still without you here
Without your love to light the ceaseless gloom.
Spring's wonted flowers for me no longer bloom,
Beneath the leafless bough no birds do sing.
The night is void. The day is bleak and drear
Else thou art nigh, my sunshine and my spring.
Spring was here; my task was completed; the game
was won! But my heart was chill with apprehension.
At last I was conscious of the spell that bound me to
Japan. Not the zest of adventure or hope of petty
reward. The awakening of a sleeping nation to its
352 Old Japan
world-wide life was but a pretext for the great adven-
ture the quest of O Setsu San!
A heavy hand fell upon my shoulder, and, turning, I
looked into the cold, impassive face of Satsuma.
"Hazard Sama, " he muttered. "You are here-
by summoned to appear instantly before the
Emperor!"
I repressed a shudder as I realized that this was but a
courteous announcement of arrest. Well I knew the
crime for which they would indict me, conspiracy
with the Shogun against the ancient laws the penalty
death!
As I knelt before the Mikado, his face inscrutable as
the Daibutsu, hope faded from my heart.
"Reckless Tojin," he stormed, "why did you not
return to your own country while there was yet
time?"
"Because, your Majesty, I wish to make Japan my
home." I stammered clumsily.
"Are you aware, Hazard Sama, that I heard every
word you spake in the council of daimios?"
"Possibly, your Majesty, but by what means passes
my comprehension. "
A faint smile fluttered the thin moustache.
"Most simple," he shrugged. "I was seated with
the Shogun behind the screen. That you undertook
this task without my Imperial sanction, ignoring me
The Open Gate 353
as a powerless puppet, is an affront punishable with
death!"
"Death!" I gasped, falling upon my knees in silent
appeal.
Bidding me rise he conducted me to the adjoining
chamber.
"Fool," he laughed, "behold your fate!"
In the shadow, white and trembling, stood Setsu
San, holding a sealed scroll.
"Read!" she cried anxiously.
Breaking the seal, I read:
IMPERIAL PALACE, KYOTO,
May 30, 1854.
The will of the Mikado is that the criminal, having
embroiled himself in a conspiracy, be exiled to the Island
of Perpetual Youth, in life imprisonment with his co-
conspirator O Setsu no Satsuma.
Komei, Tenno.
A sudden smile shot across her face.
"Sprite!" I laughed, kissing her peach-blow cheek
and cherry mouth.
She trembled unresisting in my arms.
"You lig some great god," she whispered, "so white
and beeg and brave. Yaes, you mos' bes' beautiful
Barbarian Debbie in all worl' !"
"Dearest," I faltered, "the moment you risked
your life to give me shelter, I loved you body and soul.
Tell me you care for me a little!"
354 Old Japan
"No," she flashed; "I don' loaf you liddle bit. I
loaf you beeg tarrible lot. Say, you gon' many with
me? Stay Japan for aever and aever?"
"Forever," I echoed, clasping her to my heart.
She laughed abandonedly.
"Banzai, Banzai!" she cried, clapping her hands, "I
mos' happy female-woman in all Japan in whole, wide
worl'!"
" The pendent clusters of wistaria droop
Their purple tassels o'er the tranquil lake "
Rainbow Bridge at Kameido
Copyiight by Underwood & Underwood, N. Y.
3
at
U
-B
s
M
1
a
CHAPTER XII
A MODERN SAMURAI
PRELUDE
THE CHILDREN'S ISLE
Satin sails in a crimson dawn
Over the silky, silver sea.
Purple veils of the dark withdrawn;
Heavens of pearl and porphyry;
Purple and white in the morning light
Over the water the town we knew,
In tiny state, like a willow plate
Shone, and behind it the hills were blue.
There, we remembered, the shadows pass
All day long like dreams in the night,
There in the meadows of dim blue grass
Crimson daisies are ringed with white,
There the roses flutter their petals,
Over the meadows they take their flight,
There the moth that sleepily settles
Turns to a flower in warm soft light.
There when the sunset colours the streets
Everyone buys at wonderful stalls
Toys and chocolates, guns and sweets,
Ivory pistols and Persian shawls;
355
35 6 Old Japan
Everyone's pockets are crammed with gold ;
Nobody's heart is torn with care,
Nobody ever grows tired and old,
And nobody calls you baby there.
There with a hat like a round white dish,
Upside down on each pig-tailed head,
Jugglers offer you snakes and fish,
Dreams and dragons and ginger-bread,
Beautiful books with marvellous pictures,
Painted pirates and streaming gore
And everyone reads without any strictures
Tales he remembers forevermore.
There when the dim blue daylight lingers
Listening, and the West grows holy,
Singers crouch with their long white fingers
Floating over the zithern slowly;
Paper lamps with a peachy bloom
Burn above on the dim blue bough,
While the zitherns gild the gloom
With curious music! I hear it now.
The Flower of Old Japan.
ALFRED NOYES.
was making holiday.
His student life was over. An unknown world
loomed before him. Just for today he would be a boy.
He strolled through the Kameido rejoicing in the
motley amusements of the children's fte. He bought
a penny whistle and added his quota to the universal
A Modern Samurai 357
hubbub. He watched jugglers and wrestlers, fed
monkeys, and played with the children.
Then, wearying of the crowd, he wandered to the
lake.
A maiden stood on the Rainbow Bridge gazing idly
at the gold-fish as they darted like flying flames through
the darkling water. Pendent, purple tassels of wistaria
framed her lithe figure, robed in a kimono of dove-grey
crepe.
In the butterfly loops of her blue-black hair nestled
a spray of cherry bloom.
Okama smiled ; never had he seen a more enchanting
creature. Approaching the maid with quiet courtesy
he offered her a handful of mochi (rice cakes).
"Fairest of maids art thou, " he murmured, "as
Kameido is the queen of parks."
The girl laughed a rill of silver and tossed a mochi
to the carp.
"Fairer than ever it seems," he sighed," now that I
am about to leave for many years. "
"You gon' ver', ver' far? " she asked with ill-concealed
solicitude.
"To America," he frowned moodily.
"'Merica!" she cried. "Way down bottom of
worl'!"
"Why do you persist in looking down?" he com-
plained.
The maiden gave no answer.
358 Old Japan
Then, pointing to the water he smiled: "I like it
better now. "
"Why?" she asked naively.
"Because I see you down there in America with me.
That is a good omen. I will go. "
"Better liddle snail an crawl roun* worl', as stay for
aever mossy tile on house top ! " she babbled, paraphras-
ing an ancient proverb.
"The snail will crawl till it reaches the goal!" he
said firmly.
"Then liddle snail skip back to Sakura San?" she
queried wistfully.
"Yes, Cherry Blossom," he laughed, "I shall come
from the bottom of the world. "
"I gon' wait," she smiled. "I gon' wait for you
all my million lives, Sayonara, Honourable-Husband-
to-be," and tossing a mochi to the carp she pattered
down the rainbow archway.
Sayonara (Good-bye)
The creaking windlass slacks its rattling chain,
And raucous voices of the swart-skinned crew
Are stilled as shrill the farewell whistle blew,
The broad-beamed scows, which from the distant plain
Brought endless tubs of sake melt in rain;
The engine's throb and ever-whirling screw,
Churning to foam the sea's unruffled blue
All fill me with a sense of loneliness and pain.
A Modern Samurai 359
For I am off to ceaseless toil and strife
In that far land 'neath the horizon's rim,
And may not know again for many years
The glamour of my joyous, child-like life,
And, as the town-lights glimmer, vague and dim,
I am not sure if 'tis through mist or tears.
TOPSY-TURVY LOVE-LETTERS
The Alien
Only a little, smiling Japanese,
Though kingly blood is flowing in my veins.
Dishonoured here, my forebears o'er the seas,
With their twin swords, washed out dishonour's stains.
Only a little, smiling Japanese.
Only a little, alien Japanese,
No suffrage may I claim, howe'er I choose
To toil and take the starving wage you please.
What have I done, the guerdon meet to lose?
Only a little alien Japanese.
Only "a little, yellow Japanese!"
The scum of Europe throng your fetid streets.
And fester here in filth and dread disease.
My race, though white, scorn and injustice meets,
Only "a little, yellow Japanese!"
Only a little smiling Japanese,
In silence stifling my indignities,
360 Old Japan
And blithe at heart as are the busy bees;
But in the years that soon will come, mayhap,
You'll change your mind about the little Jap.
SAN FRANCISCO*
March 15, 1863.
SWEET-HEARTED-ESTEEMED MlSS : "
Please excuse honourable English. I write it so your
august parents not make spyings at our affections.
Ah! it is not without symbolism that Uniteds State is
situate on bottom side of earth. All Merican moralities are
likewise down-side up.
On the yesterday I behold honourable Samurai at parting
of wife subject her to revolting kiss-ceremony ! You imagine
not such disgustingness.
The participapers place their mouths shamelessly in con-
junction, then explode breath noisomely as child's orange-
juice-sucking!
Merican female-ladies is most frightsome.
I make boldness to address one in hotel, cigarette-stalk-
selling. Her hair is a redness of demons. Her eyes a
monstrousness of cow. She masticate ceaseless sweet-
meat I have vainsome endeavour for eat. But it is im-
mortal as gods, refusing to perish under tooths or digestum.
Her name is Mees Maud.
"Flower names Japanese female prefer." I explain.
"Chambermaid-lady possess pure, spotness name Lily,"
she but in dispolitely.
This I uncover is most surprise, for Lily is African
female of midnightness complexion!
More I see of Merican female-women more I am en-
amelled of you. Everywhere I go in solitary like off-cast
rose. My liver leap with disgust and I make tear-droppings
from eye like Pacific Ocean.
A Modern Samurai 361
My fortunes are at height of lowness, and rain pour
through hat I stole from scare-crow.
Hoping that you are the same.
Your faithless, insignificance servant
ITAHASHI OKAMA.
P. D. Q.
I disclose poem I decompose for you.
Disgust
At the midnighty all by loneness only God and self,
In beastful slumber snores the universe.
Palpitating on lonesome couch, like ship on ocean,
Besat by boneless winds of black disgust,
With sleepness eye and wild wide-opened soul,
I contemplate the memories of bygone in light of ink
Until, alas, the voice of winds erupt about my dwelling:
God made the midnighty for dream of lonesome love.
Oh! delicious pain of love!
Flit in by bursted window with Lady Moon welcome!
Ever a genteel violet upgaze her damp blue eye.
Ever a reddy rose manicure thorn against window-pane,
Alas! such bright sun-blossoms not for cast-off Jap boy!
I have such of none hope not at all.
Only a withered, black, night-coloured soul! 1
TOKIO, May 30, 1863.
MOST RESPECTABLE SIR:
How true the proverb that "heart of man changes more
swiftness as autumn sky. "
How can you be so crule to make forgiddings your love-
1 Transcribed from English as she is Japped, by Basil Hall Cham-
berlain.
362 Old Japan
some Cherry Blossom for those big, bad Barbarian-female-
women.
I am submerged in sorrowful of your unkindsomeness.
I make studyings in Honourable Children's-Noise-Mak-
ing-Place; (Kindergarten) and am learn Merican Battle
Hymn Star-Spangled Banner and Columbia Jam of the
Ocean.
Now is that springtime. Littel birds is songing and
flowers is smiling bright perfumery at blue heavens. Pretty
soonly I go Kameido-bridge-roaming enjoy delightsome sor-
rowful thought of you. Ah ! dear Okama, moon is shining
through shoji. I think of old-fashion-by-gone sing-song:
"The sky is sea
Where cloud waves sway.
The moon is boat
On sky afloat.
To stars so free
It sail away.
"Would I on sea,
Like moon in sky,
Might float like boat
To stars and thy!"
Yours lonesomely
CHERRY BLOSSOM.
SAN FRANCISCO,
January I, 1864.
HONOURABLE SAKURA SAN,
DELICIOUS Miss:
I have honour to denounce through influenza of Mees
Maud I have secure desireful position whereat I support self
by same time I make night-school-studyings. I am
honourable-assistance-barber to Italian samurai Christofo-
Colombo-Santa-Maria-Garibaldi !
A Modern Samurai 363
When in gratesomeness I demean myself to make Merican
kiss-ceremony by Mees Maud she say :
"Cut mush stuff, Kid. Crissy C'lumbo give you biff in
slats. He's my steady. See?"
Wherefor I make observation moralities of Merican
female-lady more great than I imagination.
My most best cuspidor is corpulent daimio I have
honour to make shampooing and ice-towels when he out-
comes steam-bath in alcoholler status, with brain-ache of
great frightfulness.
His name is George Washingtown Steal. When I re-
quire: "Can do deeds of Washtown?" he explode:
"Can do what George Washingtown could never. Can
tell lie. By those doings I am become Congreaseman. "
"Will take me to Washtown for study politic ecomics,
so I becoming Barbarian diplomat?" I require with eye-
wink.
"Perhapsly," he response, his corpulency shaking like
Tokio earth-quake.
Hoping you suffer good healthy, and likesome Honour-
able Ancestors, ;
I remaining,
Yours respectably,
ITAHASHI OKAMA.
P. D. Q.
I disclose poetical-spasms in praise of sufferingents,
because I have brain-storm.
"O ladies, during idle moments
Inclined to make coyness with giggly expression
Yet when sick-sorrow-time of brain-ache come along
You are very skilful about being an angel. "
HASHIMURA-TOGO
(WALLACE IRWIN).
364 Old Japan
Female- Woman
The coldest ice, the hottest heat
Are Female- Woman's power on earth;
Sinz Eve did Adam's appel eat
And make a pair-a-dice his place of birth.
For where? For why? Can thou tell me?
For what did Nature'destine you?
Cement of Nations, Sphinxly mystery!
To bound man's hart with loving social glue!
If thou be move from erth, Good-by!
What dark disgust oerhelm the human flocks!
Then who to populous? Or make reply?
Or. diner cook? Or darn the holy sox?
How sweet, how useless, full of mirth!
What boon-thing can exceed on erth?
Man's blessing and his oftenest curse,
His chest-protector and his cross-red-nurse. 1
TOKIO, May 20, 1864.
HONOURABLE DEAR MISTER:
I am sorrowful to learn you make shameless Merican
female-woman-kees-ceremony. If you don lig' your little
Sakura San no more, then I marry beeg Hairy Barbarian
Russian, Vasiline Villanoff.
Ha! Ha! Ha! laughing inside self he so diriculous, look
like great beeg ape.
I sending you by Merican Maru one liddle present hoping
will be sprize. Now you wonder what those are?
Somethings I uncover in curious shop: your honourable
Samurai Sword! How I pay? Liddle, significant pearl
from neck-lacings.
1 Transcribed from Things Japanese by B. H. Chamberlain.
A Modern Samurai 365
What you thing? Beeg Hairy Villanoff he sneak in
shop, see me buy that sprize for you. Dirty Russian
Spy! He threatnings to told Honourable Fadder less I
make Barbarian kees-ceremony. I not like him told, so I
suffer those noisome lip-suckings.
Hoping you eggscuze me so terrible misdoing.
Yours very obedient truly
CHERRY BLOSSOM.
R. S. V. P.
' Here is love-song I tie to plum-tree on poem-writings-day,
hoping kindsome dragon-fly carry to you.
"When I recall to memory
Those days before we met,
How disgustfull they seem to me
And full of long regret
"Tis though I not had bloomed ere yet
I first met love and thee!"
CHERRY BLOSSOM.
II
THE QUEST OF THE GOLDEN SCALE
Darsuka was a ronin brave
And he loved Eikibo fair,
A geisha, light as a foam-flowered wave,
Demure and debonair.
He wooed the maid with passion bold,
As a reckless ronin can,
But she only laughed, a laugh of gold,
And clicked her painted fan.
366 Old Japan
"Your vows are vain as the fleeting dew,
Or the fickle butterfly,
That steals a sip from the lotus blue,
Then wings to the summer sky. "
"Nay, Sweet," he cried, "to prove my love
I will plunge for the pearls of sea,
Or soar the sky to the stars above
And steal the moon for thee!"
The geisha laughed: "'Twill naught avail,
Unless you bring as proof,
A golden scale from the dolphin's tail
On the ridge of the castle roof.
"Then bring the scale and I will know
Your heart both true and brave!
Farewell, my friend, I now must go
To my dance of the foam-flowered wave. "
So the ronin bold made a giant kite,
Like a monstrous winged-whale,
And he soared the sky one stormy night
And he sundered the golden scale,
With a single stroke of his dagger bright,
From the golden dolphin's tail!
But he dropped the scale with a sudden scream,
Through a rift in the wrack of night,
The moon shone forth with a silver gleam
And revealed the ronin's kite!
Darsuka, seized by the castle band,
Was condemned by the daimio's word;
And he fearless sheathed, with his own right hand,
In his loins, his naked sword!
e- "3
o o
60
.tt
A Modern Samurai 367
The geisha whirled no more, we're told,
Her waltz of the foam-flowered wave ;
For they found her, stabbed with a scale of gold,
On the reckless ronin's grave!
A little fishing village hugs the rocky shore, its
straw-thatched cottages shouldering each other into the
sea. Upon the beach on slender bamboo poles the
tattered nets are spread to dry. In the offing floats
a fleet of fishing junks, their great square sails of open-
seamed matting billowing in the breeze.
From the latticed bulwarks blue-bloused fishers,
singing at their task, haul up the dripping nets
while the helmsman beats time with a mallet to their
mournful drone.
Behind a pine-fringed promontory a bevy of laughing
pearl-maidens sport in the bright lagoon.
The light glints from their sun-bronzed bodies as they
glide like mermaids through the jade-green waters. ;
Suddenly the raucous chug-chug of a motor-launch
breaks the stillness and they scatter like frightened
dolphins pursued by a greedy shark.
"What a chorus for the Rhinegold!" laughed a big,
blond Russian as the startled maidens scampered to
covert.
"I camp right here," he commanded, beaching the
launch; then crashed into the undergrowth in pursuit
of Lotus, fairest of the pearl-maidens.
Fleet as a fawn she darted through bog and bracken,
368 Old Japan
doubling on her tracks in frantic effort to reach the sea.
But with every step the amorous Viking gained upon his
gentle quarry.
Breathless with the chase and faint with exhaustion
the trembling girl tripped and fell.
He caught her in his arms and kissed her roughly.
The maid went white and buried her face in her
hands; then, wriggling like a serpent, struggled
free.
"Listen little Devil," laughed the Russian, "I am
Master here and you are going to be Mistress of the
Master!"
"That all same big Barbarian's wife?" she queried
dubiously.
"H'm, precisely, precisely," he nodded.
"You promise faithless drink those three times three
sake-cups with me?"
"Many more than that, my little Rhine maiden, " he
protested vehemently.
"What you do for me supposings I marry with you?
You gon' climb topside Nagoya Castle steal those goldy-
dolphin fish, all same Darsuka do for geisha-girl?
Yaes?"
"Certainly," he promised, "I'll climb the sky and
steal the moon for you. "
"Yaes, thass what Darsuka say. Then he make his-
self honourable-killing, for cause those dance-foam-
flower-wave. You so brave fool, love me lig all those? "
A Modern Samurai 369
Villanoff crushed her in his powerful arms, and kissed
her long upon the lips.
"Oh, how those is nize!" she laughed. "I naever
'magine Barbarian kees-ceremony half so sweet!"
Ill
MORE TOPSY-TURVY LOVE-LETTERS
COLUMBIA ADVERSITY,
NEW YORK, Sept. 21, 1864.
LADY OF SPRING-FRUITS BLOSSOM,
ESTEAMED MADAM:
Those samurai sword I sold for steamer ticket is come.
I thankings you from bottom heart; but thing mebby if you
not faithfulness I make honourable seppuku, then come back
do same to sinful Russian!
What you spose? Most unpossible wonderfully thing is
happen. Honourable Congreaseman Steal is send me to
Merican Adversity.
Here I educate in Politic Ecomics and Denaturalized
Law, and by same time require difficult art of tripe-writer,
a musical instruments that makes letter-printings.
I hope, by virtuous of this scarce accomplishments, to
require some high financials.
I have misfortunate obsequies in examinations.
- Inspectorator say must speak fluidly two dead languages
and two living tongues.
I expectorate:
I. Japanese, Living. 2. Chinese, Dead.
3. Dead Chinese. 4. Living Japanese.
But those species-of-fictions not satisfaction. Then I
make substitutings:
i. Living Japanese. 2. Dead Chinese.
3. English, Living. 4. Dutch, Dead.
370 Old Japan
Then Honourable Inspectorator entirely satisfaction.
I have join following Associations:
Society for Preservation of Cruelty to Animals.
Consolidated Jap-American Native Sons.
Young Men's Intemperance Union. :
Hoping you are the same
Your humble servant
I. OKAMA.
P. D. Q.
Enclose please find photographer I have executed for you.
Maybe you not reconize for disguise of Derby hat and Mer-
ican mustache. How you like?
Please excuse following philosophical spasm, I decompose
for Society of Idiotic Transactions:
Immense Awful Mystery of Life
j
"A littel learning are most dangerously!"
Like sightless beggars groping in the dusk,
One blind-man feels the elefantys tusk:
"'Tis like sharp sword!" he glote with glueish glee,
Another feel his side: "A wall!" cry he.
A third his trunk embrace: "A sarpint dread! "
A forth his tale: "All same a rope!" he said,
The last his legs: " 'Tis some great-gnarly-tree!"
Thus each a portion feels, nor heeds the whole,
Swareing his fellow lie, like blind-mans we
But feel one symblem those black mystery
Of elef antine bulk men name-sake Life !
Blind-bluffing-blind ! in game of infant strife
We make a Buddha minus only Soul !
A Modern Samurai 371
SHIMONOSEKI,
December 15, 1868.
DEAR MISTER FOOLISHNESS:
I thing you not nize make scoldings at your loving Cherry
Blossom.
Hairy Vasiline Villanoff he not nothings to me. He only
Honourable Fadder's fren; sold him ole fashion useless guns
for fortifications.
Now he gone Pearl-fisherings. That make me ver', ver'
happiness, cause for I see him naever more.
What you thing? One ver' dreadful, tarrible thing is
happen. Honourable Shogun make rebellion on Heaven-
descended Emperor, same time Honourable Fadder make
shootings on Merican sail- junks and star-spangled banner!
Pretty soonly dreadsome Tojins come back, beeg, black
volcano war- junks bust Shimonoseki thousand million
pieces. All beautiful city burn blazes.
I plore you stop those frightsomeness, make those Meri-
can Eagle fold his wings like Peace Dove and lie in lap of
Japanese Dragon.
I so happiness you not here, for cause you Hairy Barbar-
ian mustache mebby Honourable Fadder keel you.
Yours frightfully
CHERRY BLOSSOM.
R. S. V. P.
I have join Honourable Ladies Suffering-gents, on account
of down-troddy condition Japanese female women.
WASHINGTON,
July, 1869.
FLOWER-BRIDE, THAT MAY SOMETIME BE:
I very much sorry your august Father shoot on Uniteds
State ship. Mexicans are very indignation.
Now I make hurryings to Washington fix up that
Shimonoseki-shootings .
372 Old Japan
What you spose? Congreaseman Steal take me for be
Private Secretary.
Pretty soonly he demand instructions Japanese Politics
Ecomics. Wherefore I write honourable speech for him.
But I horrify see he falsify those fact to prejucate gainst
Japan.
So I borrow secretly Honourable Steal's frockaway coat-
unicorn, make ceremonial-tea in White Palace with august
heaven-descended President Useless S. Grant!
I tell him how your Honourable Father is persuade to
emboil himself by sinful Russian.
Heaven-descended President make chewings on big
cigar long time, then promise remit those $700,000 in-
demnity. Now your august Father not be ruin in his
financials.
I so happiness I make honourable beer-ceremony with
scorched dog-biscuit and camel's-hair cheese.
But next morning Congreasman Steal denounce:
"Jap-Boy! Your honourable attentions is no longer
desire, you are permit to skedaddle. 23. Fare bye forever !"
I experience by-gone proverb:
"Mouth is front-gate all misfortune."
Hoping you are the same through eight thousand
million carnations.
YOUR OKAMA.
P. D. Q.
Through window glows dawn-blush-sunbeam, I make
remembrance your pink cheeks and old fashion
Japanese Love Song
Tadzune"tsura,
Hana ka tote" koso,
Hi wo kurase"
Akinu ni otori
Akane* sasura su.
A Modern Samurai 373
"Flower One why, fore wedding day
Glows those dawn-blush ere the hour?
Can it be, Sweet, tell me pray,
Thou does love me, Flower?"
IV
"DEBBLE"
Vj
The Ferry
Crossing the ferry o'er Sumida's tide
I met one day a lad of gentle mien,
More fair than any youth I e'er had seen,
Who wooed me tenderly to be his bride.
Wherefore I chided not, nor sought delay,
But yielded to his fond solicitude;
And we were wed upon that very day
And drank the nuptial sake" sweet and good.
Since when more dear than life he seems to me,
Now that my brooding doubts have passed away,
My heart is clear as swift Sumida's flood.
Like two Miyako birds we never part,
But while with flying wing the fleeting hours,
Content with little wealth, but rich of heart,
Heedless of harm, like ever-blooming flowers.
But more than wealth or treasure is the joy,
Dearer than cherry-bloom, the bliss I know
To dwell forever with my blond-haired boy
Until we reach the shore of silver hair.
Heaven grant we fare together when we go
Across the wonder-ferry, whither-where!
374 Old Japan
Behind a screen of slender, pale bamboo a cottage
rears its mossy roofs. A brooklet, crystal pure, pours
its blithe cadence over mossy stones. Smiling iris like
little children peer from dew-drenched lids. Cicadae are
singing in the pines. The air quivers with myriad life.
Beyond, faraway in the infinite blue, motionless, calm,
and mysterious, stainless with eternal snow, shimmers,
like a pallid phantom, the dawn-kissed crest of Fuji-
yama.
One day, in the month of plum-blossoms, came a baby,
a big, blue-eyed, flaxen-haired boy.
O Hasu San (Lotus Blossom), joyous as only a
Japanese mother can be, laughingly named it " Debbie,"
from its father's favourite oath.
^ "You beeg, beautiful Russian how surprize you
popper be wen he see you! "What you thing he gon*
do?" she demanded savagely.
But the baby only gurgled and rolled its great round
eyes.
"You don' know. Then I tol' you. He gon' make
that kees-ceremony many, many time till he mos*
smother us.
1 ' Then he say : ' Sacramenski ! That mos' fine* man-
male boy-baby in whole world!'"
Catching up her samisen, Lotus crooned a lullaby:
"Nenneko, nenneko,
Nennekoyo !
Oraga akanbowa
A Modern Samurai 375
Itsudekita?
Sangatsu sakurano
Sakutokini !
Doride okawoga
Sakurairo. "
Cradle Song
Sleep, Little One, sleep!
When was my baby made?
In the April month of the cherry bright
Wherefore his face is as pink and white.
A blossom that shall not fade.
Sleep, happily sleep.
Sleep, my Pretty One, sleep
Safe with thy mother nigh,
My love for thee is as strong and deep
As the numberless trees on the mountains steep,
As the countless leaves of the forest high
And the myriad stars of the endless sky.
Sleep, my Little One, sleep!
"Blue eyes," she laughed, straining him to her
breast.
"Those glory Sun-Goddess Amaterasu send you me
from Rainbow Bridge of Hebben. "
The baby opened two wide cerulean eyes.
"Sky-blue eyes and goldy ha-are, and such peenk
cheeks, all same Ueno cherry bloom! Was ever babe
like those?"
"Blub, blub," bubbled the baby, kicking in charac-
teristic assertion of sex.
376 Old Japan
Lotus shook him belligerently and made as if to
chasten his spankable plumpness.
"Yaes," she laughed, "you lig your f adder! Great
beeg Tojin. You most beautiful boy-debble in all
world!"
Out of a leaden sky came a sudden flurry of sleet and
hail.
The sampans rocked in the offing, like writhing
spirits. The shoji creaked and groaned with each
passing gust.
The baby slept pig-a-back on the shoulders of its
child-mother. She crooned an Izumo folk-song:
"Snow-flakes! Hail-stones, ever turning!
In your kitchen, what a row !
Beans are boiling, soup is burning.
Baby squalling. Dad returning.
Isn't that a pretty mix of flurry-worry now?"
Suddenly Lotus started as she caught the sound of a
shuffling step.
She ran to the shoji.
The babe uttered a quick, sharp wail.
Staggering through the doorway, his eyes bloodshot
with sake, Villanoff lurched in.
Hasu San inclined herself in piteous appeal.
"You damned Yellow Devil," he muttered, kicking
her upon the face. Then, spying the infant:
"Whose brat is that?" he shouted.
A Modern Samurai 377
"Youse, " smiled the mother, wiping her bleeding
forehead.
Villanoff broke into a volley of foul imprecations.
Then, tearing the baby from her cuffed it into senseless
silence.
"So, this is what you do when I leave you! Instead
of diving for pearls. A fine pearl this!"
Lotus faced him with dilated nostrils and heaving
breast :
"Vasili!" she gasped, "why you looking at me like
those? What have I make?"
"What!" he laughed. ''You know well enough.
Get out or I'll kill you!" he thundered, throwing her
to the floor.
"Spare me, for love of liddle Debbie!" she pleaded
clinging to his knees. "Think of those happy days we
make Miyako-bird together. I will naever, naever
lose my hold. You can not outcast me. I swear 'fore
all those thousand million gods I been true good faithful
wife. You have not heart for keel me ! "
He struggled to withdraw her clinging arms but, strive
as he might, he could not tear them off.
" Listen, " she implored, "we go far off Tojin country,
live foraever happiness. I promise make forgiddings
aevry things, and naever make you angry, only always
peace and love. "
Villanoff wrenched himself free and drew his
revolver. Then, fearing, if he fired, that he might
378 Old Japan
be convicted of murder, crashed the butt upon her
face!
Blood raining from her forehead, Hasu San fell,
breathing a prayer for her husband:
"Namu Amida Butsu!" she moaned, "he no knowing
what he make!"
V
MOST TOPSY-TURVY LOVE-LETTERS
TOKIO, Jan. 18, 1871.
HEART'S DEAREST, OKAMA SAN:
How can thank for those wonderfully thing you do for
doar Japan.
Alast! how unconvenient is those English languish for
repress my love.
No more shall I call you Honourable Sir never, Dic-
tionary say it is "servilious title of thing what have no com-
pensation."
my dear dishonourable Okama, ever you shall have
compensations of my love.
1 have mos' sorrowfull tail to tell. One day I make
wandering round Nagoya castle, see girl with boy-child
making tear-droppings.
She tell me ver' ver' sad story. One time was pearl-
maiden. Then come beeg foreign Debbie-husband bring
liddle boy-child. They all, all happiness till suddenly he
out-cast her. Now she make wanderings aevrywhere for
find him, crazy of love.
She thinks she those Eikibo what dance flower-foam-wave.
Say Darsuka come on big kite, steal Goldy Dolphin for her.
A Modern Samurai 379
I give sweet-meats liddle boy, ask what he name.
Now what you thing? He say: "Debbie, Liddle Debbie
Villanoff!"
Then I look him very searchful. Ah! those blue eye,
those goldy hare. Sure is sinful Russian's child!
Then she run away. Naever I find her no more.
When I tell August Fadder, he laugh, say all is lies.
Those Vasiline Villanoff make talking with Honourable
Fadder. He say Sakura San mus' marry with sinful
Russian!
O, my brave Fairy Prince, come quickness, save me from
ape-face Barbarian.
Yours in despair
CHERRY BLOSSOM.
R. S. V. P.
I make Moon-Dream sing-song for you. It sound most
sweetly to Koto-strumming.
Moon-Dream
Last night I dream, when moon-beams make
Kiss-ceremony to iris-flower,
When amorous frogs make song in mud-pool
And stork-bird stand with bill neath wing-bone.
Love!
Delicious pain of heart intoxication!
1 rejoice with lonesome bliss of joyous sorrow,
With laughing soul!
And voice of disembowelled spirit,
To overhelming disgust of august parent,
Rather than drink sake-cup with sinful Russian
I will commit honourable hara-kiri
Or cut my lovesome locks and be a Nun!
380 Old Japan
WASHINGTON,
February 30, 1871.
O MY MOST ALWAYS-FRAGRANT CHERRY BLOSSOM:
How distressful to think you have such heart-bursting
experience.
Yet I also little happy you comprehensive wickedness of
shameless VillanofL
Never will I suffer him touch so much as your tabi.
"Liddle Snail," is coming ver' ver' fast. Unexpectable
event is perspire.
In recognition those trifle 'demnity-service Mikado
make me Commissary to Vienna Exposition. So I is
untold happiness for have Bank Savings for sewerage
passage; soonly come to Sakura San, make Kameido-
Bridge-roaming, hear Japanese hum-bee by silverous
stream.
Morever, if you is willing defy Honourable Fadder, we
marry and go far Vienna-country together.
When I think this I most crazy of joy.
0, my soon-be-bride, this only hope remunerate all those
years of loneless toil.
"Will you be change, my Flower? Only one thing naever
change through all my million lives my love for Sakura
San!
Foraever Your
OKAMA.
Love-Changelessness
Such wonder-sweetness met my eye
Those day I first see you.
The cherry snow-flakes fell from sky,
Heaven's tears from out the blue.
A Modern Samurai 381
You seemed like flowery fairy sprite
Awing like butterfly
A wild-wood blossom, ghostly white,
Blown from a blither sky.
Since then, what e'er the time of year,
The Cherry Blossoms sing;
Within my heart forever, Dear,
The world is spring!
VI
THE FOX-BRIDE
Long ages syne, so mossy legends tell,
There dwelt, in flowery-fair Izumo's isle,
A lady-fox of gentle, guileless spell,
Beloved by all good folk for many a mile.
Glad were they if, at eve against the pane,
She softly tapped her silken, snow-white tail,
And swift would ope the door, with gladness fain
To give her of their cheer and welcome hale;
The whiles with graceful gambol she would play
The babes among then steal back to the vale.
Long ages syne, so mossy legends say.
But wicked hunters spied Inari fair
One summer evening frisking in the wood,
And straightway, thirsting for her guileless blood
With cruel hounds pursued her to her lair.
Fleetly she fled across the rice-green plain,
Like flame before the wind, seeking to gain
The temple of the fox-god in the dell
And find therein a refuge not in vain.
Long ages syne, so mossy legends tell.
382 Old Japan
Now Prince Yashima knelt within the fane
Telling his beads, in contemplation bent.
Inari, trembling sore and sorely spent,
Ran to the Prince, and hid beneath his train!
With pity moved, he stroked her snowy nose:
"Fear not," he smiled, "I'll shield you from your foes!"
Then straight Inari shed her great dismay;
When sudden at the door the huntsmen rose!
Long-ages syne, so mossy legends say.
"Hast spied a snow-white fox?" they questioned him,
Seeking its life to slake their bloody lust,
"Nay!" swore Yashima, faithful to his trust,
"Naught have I seen within the temple dim."
The huntsmen turned, about to quit the door,
When swift, beneath the robe Yashima wore
With greedy eyes and mad, triumphant yell,
They spied a trembling tail upon the floor!
Long ages syne, so mossy legends tell.
With wrathful cries demanded they their prey,
Stoutly the Prince refused, a boar at bay!
They rush upon him bent on murder dire,
With sword and pike the lacquered mail strikes fire!
Whereat the Prince laughed low with bitter mirth,
And laid about him with such valiant worth,
That, in the frantic press and red affray,
He felled his caitiff foemen to the earth!
Long ages syne, so mossy legends say.
Then from the shadows fell an eerie rune.
He turned, and to his mazed eyes, a sprite,
A maiden fairer than the autumn moon,
Stepped from the darkness out into the light.
*-^ t,
:~-"
8
3
o
a c>
9 -g
a ?
3
4> C
I "8
S s
| |
w &
O :
^ a
ii
<jj "
^
"E
a
5
.a
bO
I
A Modern Samurai 383
Yashima told her of the fox snow-white,
Beset by cruel hunters in the dell,
And how he saved it by his valiant might,
And softly she bespake the lovesome knight,
Long ages syne, so mossy legends tell.
With tender words of fond solicitude,
She solaced then his grief with such sweet ruth
He saw the dream was true in very sooth,
Whereat the maid right manfully he wooed.
She, nothing loth, his passion did requite
And they were wed, and after, many a day
In joyance dwelt in fair Izumo bright,
Blessing the gods that brought them such delight.
Long ages syne, so mossy legends say.
Now on a day when sultry was the sky,
A son was born to crown their cup of bliss.
Whereafter wept the Princess grievously, ^
And when Yashima asked what was amiss,
She took his hand and said: "My husband fair,
Our life has been a dream of long delight;
But now the Ape-god calls me to his lair!
I am none other than the fox snow-white
Whom once you sheltered from the huntsmen fell;
Farewell, my Prince!" Then swiftly took her flight
Long ages syne, so mossy legends tell.
And never more, in fair Izumo's isle,
Was seen the snow-white fox, beloved so well
By all good folk around for many a mile
But when an ebon fox descends the dell
384 Old Japan
The trembling peasants whisper in dismay:
"The Ape-god comes to steal our babes away!"
Long ages syne, so mossy legends tell.
A maiden stood upon the "Rainbow Bridge, " gazing
idly into the lake.
A breeze fluttered her white-fox furs, and drawing the
mantle about her shoulders she raised her head.
"I have found you at last, my little Fox Bride,"
cried Okama.
"Yaes," she stammered, "I poor hunted fox, lig
liddle Inari. You great beeg hero, lig Prince Yashima.
Hide me 'neath your coat-tail. Protect me from Ape-
God Russian. Cause why? .1 your liddle Foxy Bride,
an' you gon* marry me, take me Vienna-country for-
aever and aever!"
"Yes," he promised, embracing her in true Western
fashion, "nothing shall part us now, my Cherry Blos-
som."
She laughed roguishly:
"Oh! how that is sweet. Where you learn those
embrace? You been make kees-ceremony with blue-
eye Merican female-lady!"
"No, never," protested Okama. "Look, little Fox-
Bride, I have brought you the very pearl with which you
ransomed my sword. "
She gave a little joyous cry : " Oh ! I so glad, cause ole
Ape-Face he say if I objections marry him he tell how I
A Modern Samurai 385
buy those samurai sword. Then Honourable Fadder
make tarrable swearings, cause I compromise of you.
"Now I put pearl back on neck-loose, then say:
4 Honourable Fadder, count! Where is those pearl what
not was? Where is?'"
"What right has this scoundrel to frighten you?"
Okama demanded indignantly.
"Not no light," she faltered, "jus only one liddle
thing. Pretty soon he gon' marry me, thaz all!"
He winced as though struck upon the face.
"You are betrothed!" he gasped.
" Yaes, " she shuddered. "Honourable Fadder blige
me do those tarrable thing. Mebbe you bedder go.
Naever can I make talkings with you aever more. "
"Where the devil are you, Cherry Blossom?" called
a gruff voice. "I've been looking for you all over the
park."
"All light. I coming, Honourable Villanoff, I
coming," she laughed.
"Sayonara, foraever," she whispered and pattered
down the Rainbow Archway.
.:
VII
EAVESDROPPING
In a fashionable Viennese cafe, the Tzigane orchestra
was playing a last languorous waltz. On the waves of
its melody Okama drifted to the shores of his dear Japan.
386 Old Japan
The music stopped. One by one the guests departed ;
a waiter was turning out the lights.
"Are you sure we are alone?" whispered a voice in an
adjoining alcove.
Okama pricked his ears.
"Yes, your Excellency," replied another.
" Good, let us get down to business, " growled the first.
"You know as well as I that it's the Gibraltar of the
Orient. It commands the Yellow Sea and is the key to
'Manchuria. "
"Exactly," assented the other, "fifty miles from
Tsushima. Midway between Vladivostok and Port
Arthur, an ice-free port big enough to shelter a world's
fleet. Masampo is the ideal naval base. But, your
Excellency, I fail to see how this concerns me. "
" Have patience. I am coming to the point. Listen,
Villanoff. You must go to Masampo and, pretending
you are the agent of a Japanese steamship company,
little by little purchase from the Koreans all the
strategic sites surrounding the harbour.
"I will give you letters to our agents in Fusan who
will assist you. Having acquired the sites you will set
about building fortifications.
"Buy the Koreans who stand in your way, they are
all corrupt."
"A pretty scheme," laughed Villanoff. "But what
do I get? What was my reward in that Shimonoseki
fizzle?
A Modern Samurai 387
" I am doing some promising gold-fishing now. Did
you notice the little beauty with me at the opera last
night? The richest catch in Japan, and I've nearly
landed her.
1 ' No, thank you, your humble servant has had enough
of unrequited patriotism!"
"How would an admiral's commission strike you?"
asked the first speaker, tentatively.
He shook his head.
"A patent of nobility?"
Villanoff shrugged. " Masampo means Korea, Man-
churia, China. It is worth the highest price!"
"Alliance with a Princess then?"
"Very well," laughed Villanoff. "Make it a royal
Princess and I go!"
VIII
THE WAY OF THE GODS
"Who in blazes fired that rocket?" muttered the
captain. " The ship is not in danger. "
"Look, look!" cried Okama, "there is an answering
signal!"
Out of the black fog there shot into the night a bol
of blood-red fire, revealing in its flash a bleak and rugged
headland.
"Toshima Island!" he exclaimed, but the lamp :
extinguished.
"Impossible!" laughed the captain.
388 Old Japan
the beacon on our port quarter. We are off Izu, in
deep water. "
*'Why then are we slowing down?" asked Okama
puzzled.
Suddenly the sputtering of a motor came to his ear,
and, through the smother, he saw a launch. A shout
rang from the crow's nest: "Land ahoy! Land ahoy!
dead ahead!"
The fog thickened into a solid wall.
The next instant the steamer crashed against a rock.
The water poured through the broken bulk-heads
filling the engine room with hissing steam.
Above the shrieks of panic-stricken passengers called
the calm voice of the captain:
"Launch the boats!"
" My daughter ! " wailed Baron Mori. " She is asleep
in her state-room!"
"I will bring her," cried Okama, leaping into the
companion-way.
Half-way down the stairs he met Villanoff bearing a
lifeless burden. A scarf steeped in chloroform was
bound over the girl's face.
To his consternation Okama recognized Cherry
Blossom.
He followed to the 'tween decks. In the trough of
the sea wallowed a launch.
Lowering the maiden into the arms of a sailor Villan-
off was about to leap when Okama grappled with him.
A Modern Samurai 389
Locked in each other's arms they struggled upon the
deck of the sinking ship. With a strength born of des-
peration, little by little Okama overpowered the giant
Russian and flung him to the deck.
"Go," he cried, "take your chances with the rest.'
"Leap!" shouted the pilot, "or you'll be carried
down with the suction!"
Okama sprang from the doomed vessel as the launch
rose on the crest of a comber.
A moment later the steamer keeled over and, stern
in air, plunged suddenly into the sea.
A muffled roar rose from the maelstrom as the little
craft climbed a cataract of seething foam and bounded
toward the shore. ;
Bereft
How well I recollect the day
Now many years agone,
When as a mousmee, mild and gay,
I left my mother's home.
How dearly I remember too
The cottage where was born
The boy-babe whom I cherished so,
So swiftly from me torn.
Without a thought of selfishness
I lived but in my boy.
My every dream, his happiness,
My very life, his joy.
390 Old Japan
And when he grows to man's estate
Another heart he'll find
To solace him, what e'er his fate,
I With loyal love and kind.
Alas, my dreams were all untrue
/ For, pitiless and blind,
Death took my dear-ling ere he knew
\ The love of mother-kind.
Since when in childlessness I wait,
' Heedless of grief or joy,
Till Death shall come, compassionate,
And take me to my boy.
(After LAFCADIO HEARN.)
Wan and haggard Lotus scanned the billows, as the
sea gave up its dead.
From corpse to corpse she ran gazing eagerly into each
white face in futile quest of him she loved.
At last the waves cast a gruesome burden at her
feet.
Vainly she laboured over the body of the drowned
man, tirelessly chafing the bloodless hands, striving to
quicken it to consciousness.
Into unheeding ears she poured her passionate appeal,
breathed between stiffened lips her own warm breath,
and searched staring eyes in vain for some vague sign
of life.
Not until the white-haired priest told her that the
erring spirit had found Nirvana, did the bereaved
woman relinquish hope.
A Modern Samurai 391
Beneath a flickering taper lay the shrouded form.
Blue wreaths of incense fluttered upward in the gloom.
Lifting the pall, Hasu San peered with tearless
eyes upon the cold, relentless face.
Silently she glided to the tokonoma, and drew forth
a samurai sword, the sword of her father, the soul of his
ancient faith. A golden dolphin wound about the heavy
hilt. Upon the Muramasa blade was graven in dim
ideographs a half obliterated verse:
The Soul of the Samurai
"Still live the samurai who honour breathe,
Who rather than to shame their ancestry
To live dishonoured and dishonour thee,
In their own hearts their naked swords would sheathe. "
Lifting the sword to her forehead she prostrated her-
self in piteous appeal.
"Amaterasu no Mikami," she murmured, "make me
not coward in my honourable duty!"
Then, with a sudden thrust, she plunged the blade
into her throat.
A slender scarlet thread crimsoned the stainless
matting.
The sword fell from her lifeless fingers.
Through the tattered shoji swept a scent of cherry
bloom. A white butterfly winged upward on
breath of a sunbeam.
392 Old Japan
O Hasu San no longer knew, nor pain, nor fear, nor
grief. Upon her flower- white face blossomed a smile of
child-like innocence. Her lotus-pure soul had fled the
mire of earth.
Upon the body of Villanoff was found a packet of
papers, incriminating evidence of a double conspiracy:
the wrecking of the steamer Nil, to conceal his theft of
the Golden Dolphin, and his treacherous plot to gain
Masampo.
Okama brought a salvage ship to the island and, after
patient fishing, succeeded in raising the Golden Dolphin
from its watery tomb to its airy home on the ridge of
Nagoya Castle, where it kicks its tail in ceaseless trans-
port to this day.
By dint of shrewd diplomacy he procured for his
country the very sites at Masampo which Russia had
coveted, making Japan possessor of the Gibraltar of
the Orient, the key to Manchuria and Korea!
The Fleeting World
Through lazy lane and bustling mart we go,
Gliding in smooth kuruma down the street,
Drawn by a sun-bronzed coolie, brave and fleet,
As round us whirls the motley passing show,
Bulky, black bullocks, lumbering and slow,
Led by brown, buxom maids so smiling sweet,
Plod heavy hoofs beneath the sultry heat,
Bearing great vats of sake to and fro.
A Modern Samurai 393
From out dim, dingy shops old tradesmen leer
Like lewd netsukes laughing in the gloom;
While, in the sunshine, romping, plump, and dear,
Nude babies dance beneath the cherry bloom.
O happy folk! who hold of joy the art,
Ye grown-up children, young and blithe of heart.
It is wistaria-time at Kameido, and Okama and
Cherry Blossom, honey-mooning, are gliding in rick-
shaw to the flowery f &te.
The years have brought the realization of their
dreams. Okama has been appointed Minister of For-
eign Affairs. He has lived to see his countrymen
rewarded for their patient efforts by a constitution and
national assembly, a "government of the people, for
the people, and by the people. "
Once more they stand upon the Rainbow Bridge,
long purple tassels of wistaria trailing in the little lake.
Golden carp dart through the darkling shadows, and
greedily leap for mochi.
"Fairest of brides art thou," murmurs Okama, "even
as Kameido is Queen of parks!"
"Mos* greatest male-man-Mikado thou," smiles
Cherry Blossom, "all same Fujiyama Mikado-Moun-
tain!" and tossing their rice-cakes to the carp they
patter down the archway.
CHAPTER XIII
THE TRIUMPH
The Samurai
Cloud-girt among her mountains
Nippon in wrath, as of old,
Unleashes her young warrior,
Lo, the world's champion behold!
He comes abysmal as chaos,
A boy with the smile of a girl,
Tumbles his man with a hand-shake
And spits him up with a twirl.
Nourished on rice and a dew-drop,
He fans him to sleep with a star,
Believing the fathers of Nippon
Created things as they are.
So up and across the short ocean
He sails to the land of can't
To keep up the name of his fathers
And smash down the things that shan't.
Ah! What a freshet of glory,
When into the noisy fray,
Against a shaggy old giant
Comes this youth asmile and gay !
RICHARD BARRY.
394
The Triumph 395
PRELUDE
IT has come at last!" smiled Minamoto, his voice
* trembling with elation. "Tomorrow, little wife,
I shall start for the front!"
He had hoped for this moment with the eagerness of
a hound straining at the leash.
It was the noblest privilege of a samurai to die for his
country.
O Hana San subsided to the mats and bumped her
dainty head.
"Wondrous is honour descended down on worthless
wife by augustness heaven-born Mikado," she smiled
courageously. But her voice belied her words; her
secret soul was rent with anguish.
' ' Have courage. I will soon return, ' ' he said cheerily.
Breaking off a spray of cherry-bloom he wreathed it
about her brow.
"Arigato," she laughed pitifully, drooping her
slanted lids.
Suddenly her heart failed her and she sank weeping
before the Buddha:
"Namu Amida Butsu," she sobbed, "make pity for
shameless Hana San !
"Holy, Merciful Shaka, spare my sweet Yoshida!
Make august wonder. Stop those crule war!
"Oh, all Gods in sky, Hana San die rather than keep
him from honourable duty. But she mus' live, for
cause of liddle one what is to be."
396 Old Japan
Minamoto clasped her tenderly :
"I will stay," he faltered, "I will not desert you in
your hour of agony. "
Her eyes flashed fire.
"No, " she shrilled, "you gon' go with your reg'ment.
Nobody's gon' say: 'Those coward Hana San made you
stay!'"
He no longer recognized in this inexorable goddess
his gentle child-like wife.
"I shall go," he assented simply.
A smile of triumph lighted her face:
"Ah! those most happy moments all my life!"
"Give me a talisman, " he pleaded, "to bring me safe
again to you. "
"Loog!" she laughed. "Liddle Iris-Blossom flower,
Hana San own self!"
Unclasping a golden iris, she pinned it on his breast.
He kissed her hands tenderly; "Sayonara, " he whis-
pered, and was gone.
I
THE IMPERISHABLE
They stand, though merciless the battle flood
Thunders its mighty avalanche of death,
Waiting the fateful hour with bated breath,
Eager to serve their country with their blood,
To keep undescrate its sacred name;
And plant the banner of the Rising Sun
Above the muzzle of the Russian gun,
Upon the topmost tower fore'er to flame.
The Triumph 397
Unconquered still, though unrelenting fate
Their fragile bodies may annihilate,
Ye cannot slay with swords their souls the while,
Nor dim the lustre of their shining smile,
That deathless light which ever gleaming lies
Imperishably bright within their eyes.
Minamoto stood in the trenches amongst his men.
He was in the firing line of a great battle. Scarcely
three hundred paces separated the rifles of the opposing
armies. The ground was furrowed with the scars of
countless shells and littered with mangled bodies of the
dead. All that day had the Japanese striven desper-
ately to dislodge the Russians from their vantage, but
in vain.
The screech of the shells had ceased. There was a
lull in the din of battle, broken only by the bullet of an
occasional sniper whistling overhead, or slapping into
the mud of the parapet.
Minamoto peeped through his loop-hole, his eyes
fixed upon a little knoll half way between the two
firing lines. Suddenly he caught the glint of a thou-
sand bayonets as a regiment of Russians sprang from
their trench, and swarmed like ants upon the plain.
Like a single shot crashed the opening volley from the
Japanese rifles, and a hundred burly moujiks fell in
their tracks. On came the white tunics in a sanguinary
rush led by a great red-bearded Cossack with the
shoulders of an ox.
Again the Japanese rifles barked in a simultaneous
398 Old Japan
discharge. Another hundred, reeling, collapsed only a
few paces in front of their fallen comrades.
Relentlessly the rifles pour forth their leaden ava-
lanche of death. One by one, with a look of stupefaction
upon their blanched faces the mighty moujiks sink
lifeless to earth.
The remnant, surging backward, strive to save them-
selves in flight; but the Japanese redouble their fire,
and the Russians melt like snow before the sun. Only
a handful now remain. Throwing their arms into the
air they rush blindly upon the naked bayonets of their
enemies. x
Suddenly the firing ceases. Minamoto leaps over the
parapet and, brandishing his two-handed sword, races
towards his adversary.
Silent and sinister the stalwart Russian salutes him.
A great cheer goes up as they cross swords and meet in
mortal combat.
Whirling his Muramasa blade, the sword his forbears
had wielded in a hundred battles, Minamoto springs
upon the giant Russian. For once he has met his match,
for the burly Cossack is the best swordsman in Moscow.
Swift fly the blades like flashing flames in a ceaseless
clash of thrust, tierce, and parry. For a time they fence
carefully, each seeking to undermine the other's guard.
Then suddenly, before he is aware how or why, with a
1 A thrilling "Trial by Champions" is described by Lionel James,
Military Correspondent of the Times, in his Yellow War.
The Triumph 399
quick twist of his agile wrist Minamoto whips the
Russian's sword high into the air.
1 ' Banzai ! Banzai ! " shout the Japs springing from the
very ground as Minamoto stands with blade uplifted
about to strike.
But he will not take advantage of his weaponless
opponent. Bowing gravely he lays his sword aside
and faces the Russian empty handed.
For a moment they stand thus eyeing each other
warily; then with a sudden spring they come to grips.
At first the powerful Russian thrusts his little antagon-
ist hither and thither apparently at will. But, like a
serpent, Minamoto writhes from his grasp, and, with a
sudden trick of jujutsu, throws his lumbering opponent
upon his back.
A great shout goes up from the Japanese soldiery as
their commander lifts his prostrate foe.
The Russian salutes his victor.
Minamoto grasps his hand :
"Captain Ivanovitch, you are my prisoner, " he smiles
and extending his cigarette-case: "Have a smoke!"
he said boyishly.
II
INTRIGUE
Amida
Ruthless as death, implacable as hate,
In mouldering cerements of lacquered gold,
Sloe-eyed Amida, queen of asons old,
400 Old Japan
Daughter of strife and victory elate,
Goddess of War, of blood insatiate,
Whose image grim the ancient Shoguns bold,
Wrapped close within their mailed tunic's fold,
To battle bore, a talisman 'gainst fate. ,
She stands inscrutable, her slanted eyes
Peering between the wrack of incense fire,
That smoulders slowly upward to the skies,
Like some pale lotus springing from the mire,
Passionless goddess, pure, inviolate,
Aflame with ceaseless fires of ruthless hate.
Ruthless as death, but how surpassing fair, like pale
Amida worn with vain desire, her lustrous eyes lit with
the fires of hate.
Thus she seemed to Minamoto as he first caught sight
of her inscrutable face at Dalny. This Russian god-
dess, cold, haughty, and relentless sleek serpent-woman
with the sting of death. But like the serpent, obsidian-
eyed and slothful, this smiling sorceress exercised over
the little Japanese a fascination malign but irresistible.
Tacita was an enigma. Why she lingered in Dalny
after the evacuation of the Russians no one knew.
Minamoto stood wonder-struck as he met her at
the door:
"Pardon,"^ he stammered, "I am assigned quarters
here."
"Soldier, the house is yours, what the Russian
looters have left," she smiled sadly. "Come -and
see."
The Triumph 401
Through the vacant mansion she led him to a base-
ment store-room littered with precious heirlooms.
"This is all I have in the world," she sighed wist-
fully.
Opening a door she disclosed a hidden passage.
"It leads beneath the city wall to the Port Arthur
post-road," she volunteered. "My husband brought
in contraband goods through this entrance. We were
wealthy till they crushed him," she cried bitterly.
"They sent him to Siberia where he died by inches, my
poor Nicolai!"
"And you are Russian?" Minamoto questioned in
bewilderment.
"la Russian!" she flashed indignantly. "I am Pol-
ish. I detest them. They executed my father, impris-
oned my brothers, and exiled me. Tell me you will not
turn me from my door. "
"You may stay. You are one of us," he smiled
trustfully.
He saw but little of Tacita in the busy days that fol-
lowed. At times she would come to his office to bring
him biscuits and conserves, then with a smile would
swiftly glide away.
One night Colonel Imazawa, Chief of the Engineers,
came to consult some plans.
"Port Arthur cannot be taken by assault, " he coun-
selled. "Ten years of fortification have made its
a
402 Old Japan
enceinte of thirty forts impregnable. Our engineers
must open the way with mines."
He bent his head over Minamoto's plans:
"The tunnel must be pierced at this point, " he com-
manded, "the mine laid here."
A slight click, almost imperceptible, was heard at the
door. Glancing up, Minamoto saw the knob turn
slowly.
Springing from his seat he threw open the door.
Tacita stood in the hall confused and blushing hold-
ing a tea-tray.
"You were working so late," she faltered. "I
thought you needed refreshment."
"It was very thoughtful of you, " he said ironically.
"Take these plans to the front tomorrow," com-
manded the Colonel. "Guard them carefully; they
are the key to Port Arthur. "
Grasping Minamoto's hand warmly he took his
leave.
Barcarole
Small fingers on the silken strings;
Sunset and rising moon;
Far hills of lapis, whirr of wings
Of homing birds in June:
And thou wert there, the twilight on thy brow
bitter is the biwa's music now!
Beneath the scented tamarinds
On some celestial trail
We drifted with the purple winds
The Triumph 403
That filled our sampan sail;
The purple winds blow once and not again
bitter is the biwa's tender strain!
PAI TA-SHUN (FREDERICK PETERSON).
In the moon-silvered garden some one was playing
the biwa.
The music woke infinite longing in the heart of
Minamoto, for it recalled halcyon days with Hana San.
An unwonted loneliness beset him and he went out
into the scented night.
Beneath the tamarinds sat Tacita, her fingers flitting
across the strings in a languorous melody. As her eyes
met his a scarlet blossom fell from her hair.
Minamoto strove to grasp the flower, but snatching
it from him she thrust it in her breast.
A light flashed from his window. He turned, won-
dering who had entered his room; but Tacita caught
his face and pressed it passionately against her own.
Suddenly she thrust him off, her eyes aflame with
loathing.
"You yellow monkey!" she shrilled, "how dare you
touch me!" and was gone.
A moment later he saw a shadow upon the pane.
It was Tacita clasped in the arms of Ivanovitch.
White with anger Minamoto hurried to his office.
The room was empty and the plans were gone!
404 Old Japan
A cloud of dust whirled across the plain. Above the
haze white coats could be discerned; then the tossing
heads of horses and flying manes as the cloud circled
nearer and nearer. The plain thundered with the thud
of galloping hoofs.
Suddenly with a cry as of wild beasts a band of Cos-
sacks swooped down upon the gate.
Minamoto with a handful of samurai leaped to the
saddle and gave chase. Though twice outnumbered
by their stalwart antagonists the intrepid little troopers
sabred, slashed, and thrust with the fury of demons.
Steel rang against steel like flails upon a threshing
floor.
The Cossacks, driven back, circled in every direction,
seeking vainly to escape. So furious was the onset
that, in spite of their superior numbers, the field was
strewn with bloody bodies of the slain. Their horses
reared, screamed, bit, and kicked, then bolted in mad
confusion.
The little Japanese pressed them closer and closer.
Several of the Cossacks dismounted and strove to flee
between the legs of the horses. These were trampled
to death by their terrible hoofs or sabred relentlessly
from above.
From a neighbouring thicket sounded the nauseous
laugh of a hyena.
Thither the Russians galloped, pursued by the aveng-
ing samurai.
The Triumph 405
With a blow of the sabre Minamoto severed a Cos-
sack's head. The corpse fell heavily to earth; the
riderless horse galloped on.
A figure sprang from the thicket and leaped to the
saddle. Suddenly Minamoto recognized Ivanovitch.
Closing about him in a wedge the Cossacks cast them-
selves against the Japanese in a desperate charge. Cost
what it might they were determined to hew their way
through.
Then began a terrible slaughter. Minamoto, flam-
ing like a fire, spurred into the midst. In vain he strove
to reach his cowardly adversary. The brawny bandits
kept him off with their long lances, huddling about
Ivanovitch in a ring of steel.
In the blind mUee his horse stumbled on a fallen
body and Minamoto fell under the trampling steeds of
his men.
The little band drew rein; and down the dim horizon
the Cossacks scattered like a cloud of leaves.
Ill
THE ETERNAL DRAGON
The Russian land forces were securely bottled up
within the fortifications, as tightly as their fleet which
dared not poke a nose outside the harbour.
It was the beginning of the end of Port Arthur.
The Japanese army was halted before a six-mile line
406 Old Japan
of cliffs stretching across the peninsula, precipices
seven hundred feet high crowned by the old Chinese
wall, fortified by every appliance of modern gunnery.
Only madmen would attempt to scale such a wall.
Twenty-five thousand Japanese dead had been the
price of the last assault. They had now resolved to
resort to mining.
Across the wide plain they dug zigzag trenches to the
foot of Dragon Hill.
They did the work at night, carrying back the earth
on stretchers, and covered the trenches with corn-stalks,
so that they could not be distinguished from growing
maize.
The assault of the fortress, to be preceded by explosion
of the mine, was set for the following day.
Minamoto stood before General Nogi in his field
headquarters. He reported that all was in readiness.
A mere touch of the General's hand on the electric key-
board would let loose a volcano.
Suddenly the telephone rang.
Mysterious tappings had been heard in the heart of
the cliff. The Russians were countermining!
"Take a squad of men," commanded the General;
"patrol the galleries and defend the mine!"
Minamoto saluted and was gone.
Listening intently for the slightest sound, Minamoto
and his men cautiously explored the tunnel. All was
silence save for the drip of water from walls and roof.
The Triumph 407
At the end of the passage glimmered a strange, un-
earthly light. Groping slowly forward they discovered
that it came from an opening inside of the fortifications.
Suddenly the light is eclipsed and the tramp of feet
echoes through the rocky corridor.
"Fix bayonets!" rasps Minamoto, drawing his sword.
Alarmed by the noise the burly moujiks pause.
Before they can recover, crash the Japanese rifles
and with a wild "Banzai!" Minamoto's men rush
blindly forward.
In the bowels of the Dragon they fought a bloody
fight.
The front rank of Russians fall like grain beneath the
scythe. Over their bodies springs Minamoto, his men
following like a pack of hounds. Shouting, lunging, and
slashing they fling themselves upon their foes.
The air is black with a thick curtain_of smoke.
Through the sombre pall flashes unceasingly the fiery
avalanche of death.
Above the rattle of rifles and swish of bullets re-
sounds the triumphant war-cry :
"Banzai! Banzai! Nippon!"
The firing ceases. The few remaining Russians save
themselves in a frenzied rush to the mouth of the gallery.
Minamoto turns, restrains his men, and goes to the
telephone:
"We have driven them out, General, but they will
come back. Wait no longer, but set off the mine!'
408 Old Japan
Scarcely had he quitted the transmitter when a blast
of blinding flame rent the tunnel with sudden convulsion
then all was dark !
For hours Minamoto lay unconscious. When he
came to himself it was night. Around him was the vast
plain alive with hostile trenches. Above loomed the
shattered fortress, its casemates still bristling with
Russian cannon. But over it, fluttering triumphantly
from the topmost tow 
