TAIKO: AN EPIC NOVEL OF WAR AND GLORY IN FEUDAL JAPAN

Instead of answering, Hiyoshi said, 'Ah, you're from Kaito district? That's not far from my village.' He suddenly became more friendly. Here was his chance to ask for news about Nakamura. 'Well, seeing we're from the same district, I'll change my mind,. You can have the boat.'

He took the bundle of merchandise he'd been using as a pillow, slung it over his shoulder, and climbed up onto the bank. Koroku silently watched his every movement. He noticed first the air of a street vendor and the offhand retorts of an adolescent had traveled here and there all by himself. Hiyoshi resigned himself, sighed, and started to leave with a heavy heart.

'Wait, Hiyoshi. Where are you going from here?'

'My boat's been taken, so I have no place to sleep. If I sleep in the grass, I'll get damp from the dew, and my stomach will hurt more. There's nothing else I can do. I'll walk around until dawn.'

'If you like, come with me.'

'Where to?'

'Hachisuka. Stay at my place. We'll feed you and look after you until you're cured.”

'Thank you.' Hiyoshi made a meek little bow. Looking at his own feet, he seemed to be thinking of what to do next. 'Does that mean you'll let me live there and work for you?' he asked.

'I like your manner. You've got promise. If you want to serve me, I'll employ you.”

'I don't.' He said this very clearly, his head held high. 'Because my aim is to serve a samurai, I've gone around comparing the samurai and provincial lords of various provinces. I've decided that the most important thing in serving a samurai is choosing the right one. One does not choose one's master lightly.'

'Ha, ha! This is getting more and more interesting. Am I, Koroku, not good enough to be your master?'

'I wouldn't know about that until you hired me, but the Hachisuka clan is not well spoken of in my village. And the master of the house I served in before was robbed man said to be a member of the Hachisuka clan. It would pain my mother if I worked for a thief, so I can't go to the house of such a person and serve him.'

'Well, I guess you worked for the pottery merchant Sutejiro.'

'How did you know?'

'Watanabe Tenzo was a member of the Hachisuka clan. But I myself have disowned the scoundrel. He escaped, but we have defeated his band and are now on our way back home. Has the name of the Hachisuka been slandered even as far as your ears?'

'Hm. You don't seem to be like him,' Hiyoshi said this very frankly, looking right at Koroku. Then, as though he had suddenly remembered something, he said, 'Well, sir, without any sort of obligation, will you take me as far as Hachisuka? I'd like to go to my relative's house in Futatsudera.'

'Futatsudera is right next to Hachisuka. Who do you know there?'

'The cooper Shinzaemon is related to my mother's side of the family.'

'Shinzaemon is of samurai stock. Well then, your mother too must be a descendant of samurai.'

'I may be a peddler now, but my father was a samurai.'

The men had boarded the boat and fixed the pole in place, and were waiting for Koroku to get on board. Koroku put his arm around Hiyoshi's shoulders and they got on the boat.

'Hiyoshi, if you want to go to Futatsudera, go to Futatsudera. If you want to stay in Hachisuka, that'll be all right too.'

Being small, Hiyoshi was hidden among the men and their spears, which stood like a forest of trees. The boat cut across the wide river, but the current was swift, and the cross­ing took time. Hiyoshi got bored. Suddenly he saw a firefly on the back of one of Koroku's soldiers. Cupping his hands, he caught it and watched its light flash on and off.

The Mountain of the Golden Flower

Even when he had returned to Hachisuka, Koroku was not about to let Tenzo get away unpunished. He had sent assassins after him and had written to clans in distant provinces to ask his whereabouts. Autumn came, and he still had nothing to show for his efforts. Rumor had it that Tenzo had found refuge with the Takeda clan of Kai. He had presented them with the stolen gun and had entered their service as one of the army of spies and agitators working for the province.

'If he's reached Kai…' Koroku muttered bitterly, but for the time being he could nothing but resign himself to waiting.

Soon after, he was visited by a messenger from the retainer of the Oda clan who had invited him to the tea ceremony. The man brought with him the akae water pitcher.

'We know that this has been the cause of considerable trouble in your family, though we bought this famous piece in good faith, we feel that we can no longer keep it. We believe that if you return it to the pottery shop, you will restore the honor of your name.'

Koroku took the pitcher, promising he would pay a return visit. In the end he did not go in person, but sent a messenger with gifts: a splendid saddle and gold worth twice much as the pitcher. That same day he summoned Matsubara Takumi and told him to get ready to go on a short trip. Then he went out onto the veranda.

'Monkey!' he called.

Hiyoshi came skipping out from the trees and knelt before Koroku. He had first gone to Futatsudera, but he had come back directly to Hachisuka and settled into his new life. He was quick-witted and would do anything. People made jokes at his expense, but he refrained from doing the same. He was talkative but never insincere. Koroku put him to work in the garden and became quite fond of him. Although Hiyoshi was a servant, he did more than just sweep the grounds. His work kept him close to Koroku, so he was under his master's eye day and night. After sunset he became a guard. Naturally, this kind of assignment was only given to the most trusted men.

'You're to go with Takumi and show him the way to the pottery shop in Shinkawa.'

'To Shinkawa?'

'What are you making such a long face for?'

'But—'

'I can see you don't want to go, but Takumi is to return the water pitcher to its right­ful owner. I thought it would be a good idea if you went along too.'

Hiyoshi prostrated himself and touched his forehead to the ground.

Since he had come along as an attendant, when they arrived at Sutejiro's Hiyoshi waited outside. Not knowing what to make of this, his former co-workers came up and stared. He himself seemed to have completely forgotten that some of them had laughed at him and beaten him before he had been sent home. Smiling at everyone, he squatted in the sunshine, waiting for Takumi. Presently, Takumi came out of the house.

The unexpected return of the stolen pitcher made Sutejiro and his wife so happy they were not sure they weren't dreaming. They hastened to arrange their visitor's sandals so he could slip them on easily, then hurried on ahead of him to the gate, where they bowed repeatedly. Ofuku, too, was there, and he was startled to see Hiyoshi.

'We'll try to find the time to come to Hachisuka and pay our respects in person,' said Sutejiro. 'Please give His Lordship our very best regards. Thank you again for taking the trouble to come all this way.' Husband, wife, Ofuku, and all the employees bowed low. Hiyoshi followed Takumi out and waved to them as he left.

As they walked past the Komyo hills, he wondered sadly, How's my aunt in Yabuyama? And my poor sick uncle? He may be dead already. They were close to Nakamura, and naturally he thought of his mother and sister. He would have liked nothing better than to run over for a moment and see them, but the vow he had made on that frosty night stopped him. He still had done nothing to make his mother happy. As he turned reluctantly away from Nakamura, he met a man in the uniform of a foot soldier.

'Say, aren't you Yaemon's son?'

'And who are you, may I ask?'

'You're Hiyoshi, aren't you?'

'Yes.'

'My, you've gotten big! My name is Otowaka. I was a friend of your father. We served in the same