Goshozakurabaishoroku - 6

There came someone with offerings,
who visited also for a prayer of safe delivery.
She was in a maid's fashion
the same as the former,
but seemed to belong to much lower class.
She was blushed for being tipsy.
With slovenly drunken eyes,
She said in pouts,

"Hey, sir, my master has to bear a heir.
If the baby is a girl, It'll be so much labor lost.
Please pray for the safe birth of a boy
with your technics in sorceries."

The priest was surprised at this insolent behavior,
however, he accepted it and took her inside.
After a while, she called the priest and said,
"How a carefree person you are!
forecasted sunny, good for cherry blossom viewing,
It is unnsettled weather and I have no rainwear.
So I'm in a hurry to return.
Please make haste in a prayer."

The priest nodded and said,
"I see that. But there is a precede visitor applied for a prayer.
Please wait for minutes..."

Before he finished the words,
she bursted into laugh and said,
"Hohohohoho... that's funny.
It's stupid to say the first or the second
like the line of flying wild geese or something.
Even if there were a lot of preceders,
you should do for me first,
because I'm in a hurry very much."

Then she took a glance at the adjacent room.
There was a woman she knew in sight.
Watching her more, she noticed the maid
who worked at the same place, Aoba.
Aoba waited Matsu, so was not intimate with her.
Conscious of Matsu's conception,
she was at a loss for words with astonishment.
Also, Aoba guessed who is the woman there
for a while, and came to notice her, Ibara,
the maid waited Kuretake.

Then Aoba, knew Kuretake's conception,
from her loyalty to her master, felt mortified at it
and said to the priest hot-bloodedly,
"Nay, Listening to the words of this maid,
I think she is full of conceit.
I know her, behaving too arrogantly.
She is a lower class servant in my residence,
and I am closer to the head of family than her.
So I don't have to be reserved.
As I came here first, please do in the exact order."
Aoba casted a glance at Ibara,
and began to smoke with her silver pipe.

Goshozakurabaishoroku - 5

Then quite a few people took shelter from rain in the temple.

A party entered there among them composedly.

Everyone wondered who they represented.

A good looking lady,

with servants carryng a lot of offerings,

called a priest and said to him calmly,

"I am a relative of a certain noble lady.

Recently she had a conception.

We have heard about the principal image of this temple, which has powers for safe delivery.

She asked me to visit here on behalf of herself

for the safe childbirth

and give her best regard to you."

The priest received the offerings and said

"I see the all.

Now I'm going to take you inside."

Goshozakurabaishoroku - 4

Kiyomizu temple has been

the sacred place in Kyoto,

Since founded by Tamuramaro Shogun.

The holy power was being increased day by day.

Those who sought miracles by its power

visited there incessantly.

Innumerable people wanted profits in real lives.

It is the middle of the March.

Everywhere cherry blossoms were being out

to be misread for clouds or snow.

The blossoms were more graceful than

that of plums or peaches in the ancient China,

It was more popular than Yoshino or Hatsuse.

Looking around from there,

We could see the cascade of Otowa in a mist,

and felt as if being in the heavenly castle.

It was the holy place above human powers.

Visitors from various parts of the country

streached curtains, set up screens,

and composed poems.

The common people brought

each picnic lunch and flask.

Under cherry trees,

they performed plays and drank together.

Some felt good by getting drunk,

tapped kegs as hand drums,

and sang and dansed to it

with putting on faceclothes on the heads.

Suddenly overtook the rain this interesting scene.

The continuous rain surprised visitors,

who rolled up the sleeves, skirts or cuffs,

and returned home in a stir.

Goshozakurabaishoroku - 3

Three characters.

Koreyoshi (the center)

Lady Matsu (the right)

Kuretake (the left)

Sir. Koreyoshi had no offspring,

though he was nearly 40 years old.

He lamented it everyday,

"We are the descendants of Amehohi,

and the lineage has come through centuries.

If I would cease it,

I must feel very sorry for my ancesters.

How undutiful am I!"

He prayed to Gods and Buddha for a child

with his greatly pious mind.

He often talked Matsu or Kuretake about it.

So, both women hoped to get ahead of the rival

for satisfying her husband

and the support of herself.

They also prayed with the vows.

It might be the effect of it,

one day Matsu had no mense.

Recently she liked light dishes.

Lady's maids expected the conception.

Matsu put down their frantic commotion

and asked the doctor.

the diagnosis certified the exact conception.

Matsu was delighted at it.

But she forbad them to speak it.

It was for avoiding Kuretake's envy.

"If Kuretake had known it,

she would have been up to something.

If I had a miscarriage,

she would rejoice my unhappiness.

I would rather declare it at the last moment

to outwit Kuretake."

Matsu made up her mind, which nobody knew.

Not noticing why she concealed the happy event,

Maids felt confused on it.

Goshozakurabaishoroku - 2

The picture above is the covers.
Gokans were usually sold in a form
in which two divided parts compose one story.
The right one is the cover of the first part.
And the left is the second's.

Looking around the scene of Kyoto,
We can see cherry blossoms blooming and
leaves of willows coming out.
It is like a brocade descrives the spring.

We can find a splendid residence
in the Gojo-Bomon-west.
This mansion is the property of Koreyoshi,
who is the doctor of literature
and tutors the Emperor.
The appearence is incomparably magnificent,
and Koreyoshi thrives matchlessly.

His wife is called Lady Matsu,
who is the smart woman of sublimity and beauty.
Though she is intrinsicly envious unexpectedly,
her discretion hide it away.
Everyone looks her as a virtuous wife.

Koreyoshi has an another mistress named Kuretake.
She is shallow headed and perverse awfully,
and has no personal charm.
Comparing Matsu to a crystal of snow,
Kuretake were a stain of ink.

Everyone wonders at Koreyoshi's cherishment,
however, Kuretake boasts of it.
her haughtiness grows more and more spontaneously,
and her conceit makes her think she is respected
more than Lady Matsu.

She has misunderstanding
that no one can be equal to herself.

Goshozakurabaishoroku - 1

I wrote about Takahide several times,

and will write more.

But I would like to show other things

than my majoring.

There were a kind of books called "Gokan".

They were story telling book

whose each page was accompanied with woodcuts.

They were easy to read since few Kanji were used.

The woodcut illustrations were sophisticated and beautiful.

The book, named "Goshozakurabaishoroku",

was written in the Edo period.(exactly in 1860s)
I am going to translate it into English.

The name "Goshozakurabaishoroku" is consist of several words.

"Gosho" means the Court.

"Sakura"("Zakura") is cherry trees or blossoms.

"Bai"(="Ume") is plum trees or blossoms.

"Sho"(="Matsu") is pine trees.

"Roku" means records or stories.

So, the rough translation is

"The Story of Cherry, Plum and Pine in the Court".

Three plants represent three characters,

you will notice in the story.

The picture on the right is the jacket.

Gokans were usually sold in jackets like this.

The next entry will be the biginning of the story.

Takahide Mitsui - 4

We can see Takahide's Haiku or Renku in

"Hatsu-Kaishi"(Kito, 1785)
"Hounoshu"(Ranko, 1786)
"Hatsu-Kaishi"(Kito, 1786)
"Houno-Sonosanshu"(Ranko, 1786)
"Hana-Kuyo"(Ranko, 1787)
"Higonomono"(1789)
"Hana-Kuyo"(Ranko, 1790)
"Yoshino-Kiko"(Shigyo, 1790)
"Hana-Kuyo"(Rogai, 1791)
"Mnonoyuhana"(Teiga,1791)
"Sakura-Muko"(Teiga, 1791)
"Konoshigure"(Shigyo, 1791)
"Akebono- Soshi"(Shigyo, 1792)
"Shinaerabi""(Teiga, 1792)
"Chanosiori"(1792)
"Namohotoke"(Teisho, 1793)
"Momonohikari"(Ranko, 1794)
"Tsukinokai"(1797)
"Hana-Kuyo"(Ranko, 1798)
"Hana-Kuyo"(Ranko, 1799)
"Hana-Kuyo"(Ranko, 1801)
"Hana-Kuyo"(Ranko, 1802)
"Tsuyu-Hitotsu"(Teiga)
"Chinteiki"(Teiga)

Takahide wrote a preface in "Kyoka-Teiryuden"(1790),
the biography of an mentar of Kyoka written by His father Takanari.
I try to translate it:

There have been a lot of atreams of Kyoka since old times,
now Teiryu's tastes are prospering
and accepted enthusiasticly everywhere.
My father determined to learn Kyoka.
He wrote this "Teiryuden", respecting the mentar.
Although I know little about Kyoka,
there are no difference of appreciating nature's delicate splendors
between Kyoka and Haiku.
I am glad to have the oppotunity to write here.
I try to write with forgetting my unskillfulness in compositions.

Here we can know that He understood about Kyoka.
And also, we notice his dicision to Haiku.

Consequently, he created plenty of Haiku as above.

Takahide Mitsui - 3

Some books told the story about Takahide and Nobu.
Nobu was the most famous hostess in Osaka.
(She was "Geiko", whose meaning almost equals "Geisha")

Nobu was called "Kubi-Nobu" because of her beauty of the neck.
(In Japanese "Kubi" means necks.)
A lot of rich people cherished and courted her.
But she would not accept their courtships.

One day, Takahide loved her at first sight.
Nobu seemed not to feel badly.
Takahide visited her frequently,
and spent dozens of thousand ryo for her.
("Ryo" was the currency of Those days,
an amount of rice consumed annually by 1 person was bought for 1 ryo.)

because of his unusual expenses,
The Mitsui family disowned him
and shut him away in Matsuzaka.
(The hometown of Mitsui family)

Contrary to everyone's expectation,
Nobu followed him to Matsuzaka.
She took care of him diligently.

The clerks of his family company were confused at this.
They told Nobu to part from Him.
Persuaded by them, she determined to do so
after her 13 year's life in Matsuzaka.

She returned to Osaka and worked as a hostess again.
Soon she took back her popularity as once.
(Bakin met her this time.)
Takahide cameback to Kyoto and worked as before too.


This story is not all true.

Bakin met Nobu in Kyowa 2 (1802),
and then she was 43 years old.("Kiryomanroku")
"Naniwa-kenbun-zatsuwa"(1818) tells
she was later 40s in Bunka 1 (1804).
Supposing Nobu was born in 1760, Takahide was 7 years yonger.

There is no blank of 13 years in Takahide's life.
Nobu's Haiku is seen in "Akikaishi" (1794),
So she was not in Matsuzaka in 1794.
It is difficult to think Nobu went there when 20 years old.

We can see Nobu's Haiku in some collections of Ranko's and Teiga's Parties.
It was possible that Takahide and Nobu were
in a close relationship in Haiku.


There are numerous mysteries which fascinate me.
The more I know, the more I realize that I know only the little.

Takahide Mitsui - 2

One of Takahide's hobby was Sado
(tasting Japanese green tea in a certain manner).
He began Sado, affected by relative Takasuke.

Later of his life, he created 21 Jiuta rylics.
Most of them are seen in "Shin-Utanohayashi"(1870) ,
and also in "Mitsui Takahide Zenshu"("the complete works of Takahide") edited by Takaharu Mitsui, the grand son of Takahide.
We can read it at Mitsui-Bunko(Mitsui Library).
http://www.mitsui-bunko.or.jp/

We can not talk about Takahide's Jiuta
without considering his relationship with Teiga Nishimura.

Teiga was born as the heir of Misuya needles wholesale family.
He was a lavish spender, and exausted all his inheritance.
On the other hand, He was a big name in a wide area of literature.
He was good at novels and Haiku.
He played Shamisen, and created some rylics for Jiuta.

I will write about datails of his works some other time.
(I will write master's thesis on works and friendship of Teiga)

Although Teiga did not belong to Ranko's Haiku party,
He made friend with Takahide.
They sometimes created Renku(cooperative poems).

Teiga sometimes used the word "Shamisen" in Haiku,
which was, I think, not used often.
(For example, in "Chinka-bunshu"1787)
And Takahide used this word in Renku with Teiga.
(in "Sakuramuko"1791)

Takahide's Haiku are frequently seen
in collections of Haiku edited by Teiga.
Teiga was one of the intimate friends of Takahide.

The exchange between Ranko's party and that of Buson(Teiga belonged to)
was explained in "the Reconstructure of Basho's tastes"(Michio Tanaka, 2000, Iwanami).

Most of the composers of Takahide's Jiuta rylics were the same as those of Teiga's.
Teiga's creation was earlier than that of Takahide.
So I think Teiga drew Takahide into the world of Jiuta.

Takahide Mitsui - 1

I wrote my graduate thesis on
the works of Takahide Mitsui.

Takahide was the heir of the Mitsui-South family.
Mitsui families managed the projenitor of Mitsui & Co., Ltd.
which is one of the largest trading company in Japan.

He was born in Kyoto in 1767.
In 1781 he leave for Edo (now Tokyo) to study management.
In 1784 he began to work as the chief of his family firm.
His base was in Kyoto,
and 4 times he stayed at Edo for business, for about a year each.

In 1796 the government punished him for something. (I do not know the datail.)
After that, He never visited Edo,
and worked among Kyoto, Osaka, and Kishu (now Wakayama).
His life style seemed to change,
because his works became less harder than before.

His father Takanari was a well-known poet of Kyoka (funny poetry on daily life).
And some of his family also created Kyoka.
So he was brought up with being surrounded by cultural persons.

He learned to create Haiku in Tenmei years(1781-1788).
His teacher in Haiku was Ranko, the leader of Haiku in those day's Kyoto.
We can see the name Kakiku (Takahide used this name in Haiku)
in some collections of Haiku related with Ranko.

After 1976, we miss the name Kakiku.
Instead of Kakiku, we can find a new comer, Koraku.

We know Takahide created rylics of Jiuta,
which is Japanese traditional songs accompanied with Shamisen.
When creating them, he used the name Koraku-en.

I concluded Koraku was Kakiku (Takahide).
At the same time, I reached the fact that
Takahide's creation of Jiuta rylics began sometime after that year.

The year 1976 was the turning point of his whole life.

Geisha

When Japanese people talking about what images foreigners have about Japan,
some says that they do not know more than Geisha or Harakiri.
I do not know how much normal foreigners know about Japanese culture,
but it is not only me feel the foreigner's images on Geisha or Harakiri
are different from the exact meaning of them.

The movie "Sayuri" described a Geisha.
I have not watched it, but a friend of mine watched it and said
"It was too funny to try not to laugh.
That is the Geisha foreigners visualize."

I am novice in Harakiri but not in Geisha.
So I try to write something about it.

The word Geisha is composed of two words "Gei" and "Sha".
"Gei" means artistic accomplishments.
"Sha" means persons.
So "Geisha" means persons with artistic acomplishments.

I can not deny the Exeptions,
but I think most of Geisha were not just prostitutes.

Commonly women who is called Geisha now were thought to be
highly sophisticated cultural ladies.
They had to be good at Haiku and other Poems , musics, caligraphy, and many other arts.

I had a research on one whose name was Nobu.
She was very famous lady for her beauty in the end of 18th century.
Bakin , the great writer of the Edo period, also wrote about her in "Kiryomanroku".
He met her at the party and told her to make an impromptu Haiku.
Then Nobu made a nice one and wrote down finely.

We can see her Haiku in collections of Haiku edited by Ranko or Teiga.
She also created rylics of Jiuta, popular songs accompanied with Shamisen.
I think she was one of the greatest cultural persons in those days.

The area women who are called Geisha worked in was not the redlight district.
It was the place cultural persons communicated with each other.

We can not talk about Japanese culture (in Edo period)
without knowing about Geisha and their surroundings.