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happened now was unavoidable, and I was compelled by the circumstances. Certainly you could see that this was so.
Although I would like to sheathe my sword, it is difficult to do so due to the tone of your words. It is unpleasant, but I
shall be glad to accept your challenge.''
Rokurouemon immediately threw down his spear and said courteously, "What you have said is reasonable. My name
is Fukuchi Rokurouemon. I will bear witness that your conduct was quite admirable. Moreover, I will back you up
even if it means forfeiting my life. Now put away your sword.''
"With pleasure," the man said, and sheathed his sword. On being asked where he was from, the man replied that he
was a retainer of Taku Nagato no kami Yasuyori. Therefore Rokurouemon accompanied him and explained the
circumstances. Knowing that the woman in the palanquin was the wife of a nobleman, however, Lord Nagato ordered
his retainer to commit seppuku.
Rokurouemon came forward and said, "Because I have given the promise of a samurai, if this man is ordered to
commit seppuku, then I will commit seppuku first."
It is said that the affair was thus finished without mishap.
Lord Shima sent a messenger to his father, Lord Aki, saying, "I would like to make a pilgrimage to the Atago Shrine
in Kyoto." Lord Aki asked, "For what reason?" and the messenger replied, "Since Atago is the pod of archery, my
intentions are for the sake of fortune in war." Lord Aki became angry and answered. "That is absolutely worthless!
Should the vanguard of the Nabeshimas be making requests to Atago? If the incarnation of Atago were fighting on the
enemy's side, the vanguard should be equal to cutting him neatly in two."
Dohaku lived in Kurotsuchibaru. His son was named Gorobei. Once when Gorobei was carrying a load of rice, a
ronin of Master Kumashiro Sakyo's by the name of Iwamura Kyunai was coming from the other direction. There was
a grudge between the two of them from some former incident, and now Gorobei struck Kyunai with his load of rice,
started an argument, beat him and pushed him into a ditch, and then returned home. Kyunai yelled some threat at
Gorobei and returned to his home where he related this event to his older brother Gen'emon. The two of them then
went off' to Gorobei's to take revenge.
When they got there the door was open just a bit, and Gorobei was waiting behind it with drawn sword. Not knowing
this, Gen'emon entered and Gorobei struck at him with a sweep from the side. having received a deep wound,
Gen'emon used his sword as a staff and hobbled back outside. Then Kyunai rushed in and struck at Dohaku's son-in-
law Katsuemon, who was sitting by the hearth. His sword glanced off the pot hanger, and he cut off half of
Katsuemen's face. Dohaku, together with his wife, grabbed the sword away from Kyunai.
Kyunai apologized and said, "I have already achieved my purpose. Please give me back my sword and I will
accompany my brother home. But when Dohaku banded it back to him, Kyunai cut him once in the back and severed
his neck halfway through. He then crossed swords with Gorobei again and both went outside and fought an even
match until he cut off Gorobei's arm.
At this point Kyunai, who also suffered many wounds, shouldered his elder brother Gen'emon and returned home.
Gen'emon, however, died on the way back.
Gorobei's wounds were numerous. Although he stopped the bleeding, he died on account of drinking some water.
Dohaku's wife suffered some severed fingers. Dohaku's wound was a severed neck bone, and since only his throat
remained intact, his head hung down in front. Now boosting his head up with his own hands, Dohaku went off to the
surgeon 's .
The surgeon s treatment was like this: First he rubbed a mixture of pine resin and oil on Dohaku's jaw and bound it in
ramie. He then attached a rope to the top of his head and tied it to a beam, sewed the open wound shut, and buried his
body in rice so that he would not be able to move.
Dohaku never lost consciousness nor did he change from his everyday attitude, nor did he even drink ginseng. It is
said that only on the third day when there was a hemorrhage did he use a little medicinal stimulant. In the end the
bones mended, and he recovered without incident.
When Lord Mitsushige contracted smallpox at Shimonoseki, Ikushima Sakuan gave him some medicine. It was an
exceptionally heavy case of smallpox, and his attendants both high and low were rather tense. Suddenly his scabs
turned black. The men who were nursing him lost heart and secretly informed Sakuan, who came immediately. He
said, "Well, this is something to be thankful for. The scabs are healing. He should soon make a complete recovery
with no complications. I give you my guarantee."
The people who were at Lord Mitsushige's side heard this and thought, "Sakuan looks a little deranged. This has
become all the more hopeless. "
Sakuan then set folding screens around, came out after a while, and fed Lord Mitsushige one packet of medicine.
Very quickly the patient's scabs healed, and he made a complete recovery. Sakuan later confided to someone, "I gave
the master that one packet of medicine resolved that, as I was undertaking this treatment alone, if he did not recover I [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]