He began to recite the poem by Ishikawa Takuboku On a rocky beach on a small island in the eastern sea, but his loud, grating voice canceled the sounds of the wind outside.
If I said, "Horrible," he'd say, "That bad? Well, I'll try again," take a deep breath and raise his grating voice again.
"On a small island on a rocky beach in the eastern sea."
This time he jumbled the poem and, for some unknown reason and with no warning, launched into the tale Masukagami as if written in the present and the past. He seemed to groan, shriek, and scream. It was awful. I was nervous and thought it'd be better if the old woman inside didn't hear. As I expected, the sliding door opened wide and the old woman came in.
She said, "Oh, you are reciting a poem, but it'll soon be time for bed."
She brought in a tray and deftly spread out the futons. His generous but harsh voice scared the wits out of her. I thought about drinking more, but that turned out to be a stupid idea.
"That was bad. The poem was bad. One or two are enough. More than that would shock anyone," I said displeased but meekly acquiesced.
The next morning, I listened in bed to the enchanting singing voice of a little girl. The winds had quieted down, and the morning sun shined into the room. The girl was on the street in front singing the handball song. I raised my head to listen.
Se-se-se
Summer is near
Eighty-eight nights
In the fields and in the mountains
Waves of wisteria blooms in winds of green leaves
Time for having fun
I found it irresistible. Until now, I never thought I would hear an invigorating song with these beautiful tones in the northern tip of Honshu thought of as the land of the Ezo and held in contempt by people from the center of the country. According to an explanation by Professor Sato:
To speak of the people of current-day Oshu, the pent-up power of emergence seen in Italy before the Renaissance must be recognized in the land of Oshu. In culture and in industry, the generous heart related to the education of the gracious Meiji Emperor permeated all of Oshu in no time. The sounds peculiar to the people of Oshu are unpleasant to hear. Reduction in the nasal sounds and adoption of the standard language are promoted. The light of civilization is given and already seen in the lands that are home to the uncivilized, savage tribes of the Ezo who sunk to their previous primitive state.
I felt light resembling dawn filled with hope in the singing voice of that lovely girl and found it irresistible.
Chapter Four
The Tsugaru Plain
Tsugaru The former name of the region at the northeastern end of Honshu bordering the Sea of Japan. In the age of Empress Kogyoku (642-645, 655-661), the provincial governor of the Koshi province administered the Ezo lands in the Dewa region, the home of Abe no Hirafu; his reach extended to Akita, Nushiro (today's Noshiro), and Tsugaru, and eventually reached Hokkaido. This was the first appearance of the name Tsugaru, that is, the chief of this land ruled the Tsugaru district. On this occasion, the Japanese envoy to Tang Dynasty China, Sakaibe no Iwashiki, mentioned the Ezo to the Tang emperor.
The accompanying government official, Yuki no Muraji Hakatoko, described the Ezo tribes in response to questions. The closest of the three tribes was called the Nigi Ezo, next the Ara Ezo, and the furthest the Tsugaru. Naturally, the other Ezo were recognized as distinct tribes. The name of the Tsugaru Ezo was seen here and there at the time of the rebellion of the Ebisu of Dewa in the second year of the Gangyo era (878). At that time, Shogun Fujiwara no Yasunori put down the rebellion, reached Watarijima island from Tsugaru, and previous generations of mixed natives never returned and all came under the jurisdiction of the state. Watarijima is today's Hokkaido. In Mutsu in Tsugaru, Minamoto no Yoritomo controlled Ou and came under the protection of Mutsu.
Origin of Aomori Prefecture The land of this prefecture is a unified province consolidating the lands of the Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima Prefectures until the first year of the Meiji era and called Mutsu. In the first year of Meiji, the Mutsu Province had the five domains of Hirosaki, Kuroishi, Hachinohe, Shichinohe, and Tonami. In July of Meiji year 4, many feudal clans were abolished, and all became prefectures. In September of that year, the administration and jurisdiction districts were abolished and reorganized. All five districts were temporarily combined into Hirosaki Prefecture, but Hirosaki Prefecture was abolished in November, Aomori Prefecture was established and given jurisdiction over the domains mentioned above. Later, Ninohe was made a part of Iwate Prefecture and remains so today.
The Tsugaru Clan This clan originated in the Fujiwara clan. The eighth generation Hidei from Shogun in Defense of the North ruled over the land of Mutsu, Tsugaru District during the Kouwa era, and later came to live in the castle in the harbor on Lake Jusan in Tsugaru. Tsugaru became the clan. During the Meiou era, Masanobu, the son of Konoe Hisamichi, became the heir. The clan achieved distinction with Tamenobu, the grandson of Masanobu. The grandson created a branch family and was the origin of various families mainly in the domains of Hirosaki and Kuroishi.
Tsugaru Tamenobu A shogun during the Sengoku (warring states) period. His father was Oura Jinzaburo Morinobu. His mother was a daughter of Takeda Shigenobu, the lord of the Horikoshi Castle. He was born in January of Tenmon year 19 (1550). His childhood name was Ougi. In March of year 10 of Eiroku (1567), when he was eighteen years old, he was adopted by his uncle Tsugaru Tamenori and became a nephew of Konoe Sakihisa. His wife was a daughter of Tamenori. In May of year 2 of Genki (1571), he fought and killed Nanbu
