![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
seven_samcham
Disclaimer: I don't own Samurai Champloo or any of its characters.
Chapter 25
Miscellaneous Musings, Part I
I. Extract from the Diary of Hoshina Masayuki, Advisor to His Excellency the Shogun Tokugawa Ietsuna
Day 11, Third Month of Enpo Year 3 (April 11, 1678)
I have a meeting scheduled this evening with Lord Ietsuna regarding the possible link between former regent Sakai Tadakiyo’s activities and the recent events in Kofu. His reputation and record as Tairo, or head of Edo’s Council of Elders, has been abominable. In light of his political ambitions, his link with a well known assassin needs to be scrutinized. To be honest, I do not know what to think of these events myself, so I am not sure what advice I should give to Lord Ietsuna.
There is also the matter of that mysterious scroll the metsuke managed to get hold of. This scroll had been supposedly stolen by Kariya Kagetoki, the former captain of the shogun’s guard, from the Kisarazu dojo. Should it be returned to its rightful owner Takeda Jin? I wonder what the shogun will have to say about it.
--
II. Imano Yatsuha’s Narrative
Day 8, Third Month of Enpo Year 3
I went to the Sekisuiji Onsen Inn as soon as I heard what had occurred this morning. The event is almost impossible to comprehend. That slip of a girl killed Inuyama in a duel? But then again, as Manzou-san remarked, stranger things have happened.
I hope the outcome of this event is not as tragic as some of us fear it might be. The physician attending Fuu chose his words carefully, but I could sense the feeling of pessimism he was attempting to mask. Jin, who is also quite perceptive, closed his eyes for a brief second when Dr. Watanabe uttered that unpleasant phrase: ‘We must hope for the best’. I think he was attempting to gain control over his emotions. When he reopened his eyes he had a calm and stoical look about him, as if he had accepted the possibility of her death as something he would have to deal with, just as he had to deal with other traumatic incidents in his life.
I get the feeling that there have been many such events in his past, and it seemed as if the burden of those events had suddenly reasserted itself. He had a look of weariness about him, like a traveller on an endless journey who had briefly believed it to have come to an end, only to find the illusion shattered by events that were beyond his control.
The contrast between the two friends, Jin and Mugen, couldn’t be more striking, especially as far as their reaction to emotional pain is concerned. While Jin withdraws inward, going into a shell and retreating from the world, Mugen lashes out, venting anger on his surroundings. In this case Mugen ran around town picking fights with the local yakuza, leaving a trail of incidents that would have ended up involving the local police had it not been for the intervention of Manzou-san and me.
I seriously doubt that Jin and Mugen will be able to carry out the tasks Manzou-san has in mind for them. They are just not in the right frame of mind to do so. And it would be quite insensitive to even mention such things at this time, wouldn’t it?
At the moment Fuu is running a high fever, which according to Dr. Watanabe is a matter of concern. A fever suggests that she might have acquired a potentially fatal infection. Dr. Watanabe has prescribed some herbal treatments for this, in addition to the yomogi (mugwort) application that is typically used for such wounds. In my experience, yomogi is a very effective coagulant, and I hope it works well in Fuu’s case too. Fortunately, Jin had the presence of mind to apply pressure on her wound, and the bleeding had almost stopped by the time the yomogi treatment was used.
--
III. Miyamori Hideo’s Narrative
Day 9, Third Month of Enpo Year 3
This is probably the most depressing time of my life. Young Fuu is still in a precarious condition, running a high fever, even though her wound appears to be healing. We are all desperately praying for her recovery.
I cannot dismiss the feelings of guilt I am experiencing at this moment. Am I responsible for what happened yesterday? I must be. Had I told Fuu about my conversation with Lord Masakuni about a year ago, this might not have happened. She was, after all, under the impression that the bakufu wanted her dead, and would leave her family and friends alone once that objective was achieved. In fact, during her bouts of delirium she keeps muttering something to this effect: “Leave me alone, I must be alone, or they will kill all of you.”
But what could I have done? Lord Abe Masakuni had ordered me not to reveal the content of our discussion, not even to my wife Ayako.
I had always been worried about what might happen in the event Lord Masakuni found out Fuu’s identity, i.e. the fact that she was Kasumi Seizo’s daughter. It was a fact that had worried Ayako and me even on the day she landed on our doorstep, for a supposedly brief visit. She had a very vulnerable and frightened look about her, and her eyes seemed to voice a silent plea for help. Ayako and I didn’t have the heart to tell her to leave; in fact we invited her to stay as long as she liked.
It soon became obvious that she had been through a very traumatic experience. When showing her around the house, I had briefly touched the back of her shoulder with my hand, and she had flinched involuntarily in response, almost jumping a couple of feet away from me, as if I was about to hurt her. There were also some bruises on her arms. At that time, Ayako and I were both of the opinion that she had been raped. How could we have turned away a young orphan child, so desperately in need of protection? It was not her fault that she had been abandoned by Seizo, or that he had been one of the leaders in the Shimabara uprising.
Later we were relieved to hear that she hadn’t been raped as we had feared. But the fact that she had escaped had been a matter of chance. By an interesting coincidence, the person who had saved her from that awful fate had been my jojutsu master! Given the difficult circumstances she was living in, however, it was only a matter of time that something of this nature would recur. In Edo, sixteen year old orphan girls invariably end up as prostitutes in the Yoshiwara pleasure district.
Loyalty to Lord Masakuni dictated that I tell him about Fuu’s background, and let him decide her fate. But somehow, that didn’t sit right with my conscience. And as time went by, young Fuu became a very important part of our household. Ours had been a happy marriage, but there had been something missing, a void of some sort we didn’t even know existed until Fuu came into our lives. Until then we didn’t realize that we had regretted the fact that we didn’t have any children. But by the grace of Buddha, this little girl was sent to us. Why refuse such a blessing?
And then, I am only a low-ranked retainer of Lord Masakuni. Why would he ever concern himself with the lives of his petty vassals? Surely it was just a matter of changing her name and adopting her, and we could get away without drawing too much attention to ourselves?
So when I was summoned by Lord Masakuni about a year after Fuu had been with us, I wasn’t particularly nervous. Poison tasters didn’t have much to do, and were therefore very likely to be given odd jobs and errands. Typically, the order came indirectly through a higher ranked retainer, but having the honour of a direct audience with Lord Masakuni was well within the realm of possibility. I certainly didn’t think that this meeting would have anything to do with Fuu.
Imagine the shock and surprise I experienced when Lord Masakuni said to me on that fateful day, “So, Hideo-kun, I hear that the daughter of Kasumi Seizo is your niece.”
I had thought he would order me to commit seppuku after turning in Fuu to the authorities. But he did no such thing. Instead he said, “Don’t worry Hideo-kun; we think that she is harmless. And it is quite providential that she should be under the care of one of my loyal retainers. That way we can keep an eye on her.”
He had a very bland, unreadable expression on his face, but the way he had emphasized the word ‘loyal’ had sent a chill down my spine. I suspected that he had some sort of plan in relation to Fuu – a plan that I was expected to execute. I also expected that it would be something that would involve a conflict between my loyalty to Lord Masakuni and my personal feelings.
But to my great relief he had said, “Hideo-kun, just make sure she stays the way she is now. That is, she remains a practising Buddhist girl, who does not have any connection with the Hidden Christians or anyone associated with the Shimabara Rebellion.”
“When she marries, make sure that she marries into a respectable Buddhist family. I would advise marrying her into a samurai family working for a fudai daimyo; that is, a daimyo closely aligned with the Tokugawa family. Of course, any marriage connection would have to have my approval.”
In addition to being relieved, I had been very surprised, and it must have shown on my face. Lord Masakuni remarked, “I suppose you are wondering why the shogun rescinded the execution order against her. Let’s just say she is not considered a threat any more. But if things were to change…”
He left the sentence unfinished; he obviously knew there was no need to complete it. I knew only too well what would happen if Lord Ietsuna were to ‘change his mind’. Our entire family would be executed.
“And one more thing Hideo-kun, before you leave. You must not repeat this conversation to anyone, including members of your family.”
I had felt uncomfortable about keeping such a big secret from Ayako and Fuu, but I could console myself with the fact that I had been ordered to do so. My father’s last words came to my mind. He had said, “Hideo, remember that loyalty to your lord counts above anything else. It is a samurai’s first duty to serve his lord with unquestioning and absolute obedience.”
After that, life went on as usual, as if that particular incident had never happened. But the discussion had left a lot of questions unanswered, and I couldn’t help thinking about it from time to time. Especially now, in light of what has happened, I have been going over it again and again. Why had the bakufu changed its mind in relation to Fuu? Based on that conversation, I am inclined to believe that the bakufu didn’t hire Inuyama. But then, who did? Or did the ‘powers that be’ change their mind again?
Another thing has me worried, but I can afford to think about it later. Miyoshi-sama, the nakodo (go-between) who arranged the miai that is to take place at the end of this month, sent me a message to the effect that Lord Masakuni strongly approved of Tanaka-san as a suitor for Fuu. In other words, if the Tanaka family made a marriage proposal, I would be ordered by Lord Masakuni to accept.
But as I said, I will think about that later. At the moment, the most important thing is the recovery of my adopted child.
--
IV. Sakami Manzou’s Narrative
Day 10, Third Month of Enpo Year 3.
The town of Kofu is rife with rumours. Some say that an onna bugeisha travelling through town prevailed in a duel with a tsujigiri (serial killer). This female warrior is a woman with a considerable reputation; she is said to have a record of victory in twenty-odd duels. (Earlier during the day the number of duels was stated to be around five). Others speculate that the woman in question is a kunoichi in disguise of a tourist, hired to get rid of an assassin who was planning to murder Lord Ienobu.
There are many colourful versions of this tale circulating around Kofu, but only a few people know that it is based on a duel in which young Fuu-san killed Inuyama. Yatsuha-san, who is one of those people, was quite intrigued with these rumours, and we had an interesting conversation about it this morning.
“People seem to have a morbid fascination with events that involve violent and dramatic killings. If you were to talk to some of the Kofu townsfolk, they’d tell you various versions of what happened. And they seem to take enjoyment in making it sound as macabre as possible.”
“Perhaps, Yatsuha-san, it breaks the monotony of their otherwise mundane lives. Since the events do not involve their loved ones or friends, they are somewhat removed from it. It becomes a form of entertainment – like a joruri play involving human beings rather than puppets.”
She had probably detected a note of cynicism and disapproval in my voice, and looked at me with some curiosity.
“I take it that you don’t feel much removed from this incident, even though your loved ones aren’t involved. You have got to know Jin, Mugen, and Fuu, and you like them.”
The statement she made was a rhetorical one, and she didn’t expect a comment. Nevertheless, I said, “Even if I didn’t know them, the death of a young girl of eighteen years is a tragic thing isn’t it?”
“Don’t say such things Manzou-san, she isn’t dead yet,” she said, somewhat sharply.
“I take it that you too don’t feel particularly removed from this incident. You too have developed a liking for Jin, Mugen, and Fuu.”
We were both silent for a while, not wanting to discuss these sentiments further. As officers working for the bakufu we recognized the need for objectivity; we couldn’t afford to look at things from an emotional point of view. There was work to be done. To that end, I decided to change the subject.
“Yatsuha-san, the town magistrate Takeda-sama has asked for a report on this incident, as well as our progress on the kitsunetsuki case. In relation to the former, do you have any specific directives from Edo?”
“An official from Edo will arrive in a couple of days to brief him on what really happened here. For the time being you can only report what seems to have happened – an attack by a tsujigiri in which Fuu-san killed in self defense.”
“Yes, but it might be considered rather odd that she was at the Tsutsujigasaki ruins at such an early hour.”
“A lot of martial artists practise early in the morning. The Tsutsujigasaki ruins are like a shrine to the people here; they are sentimental about the history of the Takeda clan. Fuu-san chose a place with some atmosphere, that’s all.”
“Do you know what really happened Yatsuha-san?”
She averted her eyes, pretending to examine the cup of tea she was holding. There weren’t too many customers at the tea house we had decided to meet in, but she spoke in a low voice as she remarked, “I don’t know much Manzou-san, and even if I did, I would have been ordered not to tell you.”
I was somewhat amused by the gravity of her tone. It had sounded as if she was saying, ‘If I told you then I would have to kill you’. Sometimes, I think, the younger generation of these times takes itself too seriously.
But perhaps she is right; the nature of truth is very complex, and there are times when it is better not to know it. And knowing too much about the past of our young friends might bring in a conflict of interest. That would certainly get in the way of our investigation of the kitsunetsuki case.
In any case, the purpose of this meeting was chiefly to discuss the latter, so without further ado I told Yatsuha-san about the plans I had in mind for the investigation.
“Now then – regarding the trap we are going to set for Takatoshi, there is an element of risk involved, especially for you, Yatsuha-san. You understand that, don’t you?”
“Yes, and I am willing to take that risk. But we have to get Jin, or Mugen, or both, to meet Takatoshi again, and hint that they want me dead. At the present time, I am a little hesitant to approach them about it.”
“I guess we can wait a few days. But I have already postponed quite a few things I had in mind. I reported to Takeda-sama the day before yesterday, in lieu of Jin-san. I told him briefly about the duel and mentioned the fact that Jin-san was a close friend of Fuu-san, and therefore unable to make the report himself.”
“Why does Takeda-sama have to be interviewed by Jin? You could do it, or perhaps Kansuke-san.”
“Well, it is rather awkward to interrogate a town magistrate; it is somewhat offensive and disrespectful. In fact, I told him that Takeda Jin would be ‘reporting’ to him as the investigation progresses. I thought that it might be easier for Jin to find out facts in relation to the death of Takeda-sama’s son Yoshiyasu. After all, he too is supposed to have been afflicted by kitsunetsuki.”
“Why is that?”
“He has the Takeda name, and as far as I know he is definitely a descendant of the Takeda house of Kai. The fact that they may be relatives, albeit distant ones, might make it easier for Jin to ask personal questions.”
“In the meantime, Yatsuha-san, perhaps you and I can look into the dealings of Toshitsugu and Hachiemon. We also need to investigate each of the kitsunetsuki deaths a little closely, to see if there are any common links to be unearthed.”
We continued discussing the case for a while, although our hearts were not in it. Anxious to get some news regarding Fuu-san’s recovery, we concluded by resolving to visit the Sekisuiji Inn around mid-day.
Author's note:
Some comments in relation to this chapter:
(1) As you can see, I have started to take some licence with real life historical characters. The ones that appear in this chapter, namely Tokugawa Ietsuna, Hoshina Masayuki, Sakai Tadakiyo and Abe Masakuni, have been mentioned previously in this novel. I will provide some details about some of them in the next chapter's historical footnotes.
(2) Many thanks to Illegitimi for clarifying some details in relation to treatment of stab wounds in the 17th century. I found a reference to the yomogi treatment mentioned here in Stephen Turnbull's 'Warrior's of Medieval Japan'. The book is available on the internet - on the Google books website.
(3) A footnote on 'tsujigiri' appears in chapter 2. In the context of this chapter the translation 'serial killer' was convenient. The character Shoryu in Samurai Champloo was referred to as tsujigiri in the episode titled Lethal Lunacy. The subtitles translated it as 'serial killer', but Wikipedia provides a more elaborate explanation.