English
Tametomo on one occasion was allowed to attend a lecture given before the Mikado by a scholar named Shinsei. The conversation afterwards turned on the great archers of ancient and modern times. Tametomo, at this time a boy of twelve, broke in with the cami speech :— “<Tt is useless to discuss the superiority of this one or that, for among archers of the present day I do not think there are any who excel Tametomo in repulsing myriads of stalwart foes.’ Shinsei, on hearing this, was so taken aback that fora while he made no answer. Then bursting 356 JAPANESE LITERATURE suddenly into a boisterous laugh, he said, ‘An art requires months and years of hewing and polishing before it reaches perfection. Even if you had practised since your baby- hood, you are little over ten years of age. Bethink your- self. Men are not wooden figures. If you try to shoot them, they will try to shoot you. Those who are skilled in shooting should also learn to ward off the shafts. Are you prepared to catch the arrows shot at you?’ Tame- tomo, without waiting for him -to finish his speech, replied, ‘ Hoi, in his eighth year, acted as general for the Chinese Emperor Shun; Duke Yeki, in his fifth year, had the direction of fire. Wisdom and folly, skill, and the want of it, are not to be reckoned by years. Be pleased to summon archers the most nimble-handed. Even though it were the arrows endued with understand- ing of the goddess Kwannon, I will show you how easily I shall catch them.’ Shinsei, who from the first had intended to give him a sharp lesson, at the unflinching attitude of Tametomo became highly exasperated. Pro- bably thinking it an opportunity for making a display of his own influence, he stood up abruptly and called out, ‘Who are in attendance? Let them bring bows and arrows.’ ‘Your will shall be obeyed,’ was the answer. Two of the Imperial Guards, named Norishige and Nori- kazu, now advanced with bows and arrows to the foot of the stairs [leading from the courtyard up to the hall where the Mikado held his court]. Shinsei, turning to them, explained the circumstances, and told them to have a shot at this youngster. “Now, these two guards were originally soldiers of the Emperor Shirakawa, and skilled archers. When Gotoba no In came to the throne they were enlisted in the Imperial Guards. Once the Mikado gave them BAKIN 357 a target of 3} feet in diameter, telling them to shoot away its centre. The order was given at the hour of the Serpent [ten o’clock], and the target was returned without its centre at the hour of the Rat [two o’clock]. ‘Yoyu himself could do no better,’ exclaimed everybody in admiration. These men were now advanced in years, but their vigour had not failed. Even my Lord Yorinaga thought that Tametomo, had he six arms, could never escape the arrows of such archers. He could no longer bear to look on, and, turning to Shinsei, said, ‘Tame- tomo, though he has a grown-up appearance, is still, so to speak, a yellow-mouthed boy. Even a joke should have some relation to the person it is practised on. This conduct is most unlike Shinsei.’ Then turning to Tame- yoshi [the boy’s father], he advised him to retire at once and take his son with him. Tameyoshi, who up till now had remained silent, replied with deep respect, ‘Tame- tomo is only twelve, but he is no longer a baby. If he does not stand the test on this occasion, I would call it worse than to turn his back on the enemy. I could bear the loss of one son without regret. What I should hate would be to disgrace the soldier-fame of the house of Gen, established for many generations. I earnestly beseech your Lordship to grant your permission, and allow the matter to proceed as Shinsei wishes,’ “Yorinaga Offered no further opposition. Tametomo was delighted, and addressed Shinsei as follows : ‘ Nort- shige and Norikazu are peerless bowmen. To bea target for their shafts is an inappreciable boon. But if I fail to seize their arrows my life will end in a moment. I am therefore placing it in your hands. What will you give me if I succeed in catching their arrows?’ Shinsei smiled. ‘If you succeed, this head of mine shall be your recom- 24 358 JAPANESE LITERATURE pense. Shinsei belongs to the Gate of Buddha, and should you now be slain, he will not continue his revenge: after your death. Tametomo paid no attention to this taunt, but rushed down into the larger courtyard and stood up at the distance of a bowshot.... The two archers took two arrows each, and stood over against him. Not only the sovereign but all present wrung their hands till they perspired, expecting every moment to see Tametomo’s life fade faster than the clear dew beneath the sunbeams. Norishige fitted an arrow to his bow, and drawing it till it bent into a full moon, let fly with an accompanying shout. With his right hand Tametomo caught the arrow in the nick of time, while with his left he stopped the shaft which Norikazu the next moment shot at him just as it flew close to his heart. ‘A miss !’ exclaimed the two archers, disappointed. ‘We don’t want to kill him, but this time he won’t catch our arrows. They drew their bows together, and watching a proper moment, let fly with a whiz. One arrow Tame- tomo stayed by entangling it in the sleeve of his garment ; but as he had no other means of catching the second, he seized it firmly between his teeth, and at once crunched its head to atoms. All this was done with a rapidity which may be compared to the flickering air dancing over the hot ground, or to the lightning’s flash. To all the spectators it seemed more than human. They felt as if intoxicated. It was beyond all praise, and no one said. a word. Tametomo flung aside the arrows to right and left. ‘Now, your Reverence, you will be so good as to give me your head,’ he cried, and springing up the stairs, was about to take hold of Shinsei, when his father, Tameyoshi, interfered.” . Tametomo has to leave Kidto for political reasons, He BAKIN 359 goes down to Kiushiu, where he has a number of surpris- ing adventures. He becomes possessed of a wonderful crane, and an equally remarkable tame wolf. A strange hunter, who has neither bow nor shafts, but who brings down his prey by stones flung with marvellous precision to an incredible distance, attaches himself to his service. With him he proceeds to Loochoo, where, among other adventures, he falls over a cliff “several thousand feet” to the bottom. He is a little stunned, but walks home afterwards as if nothing had happened. He subsequently goes to Hachijé and other islands off the Bay of Yedo, and then again to Loochoo, where the principal events of the story take place. Bakin’s Sezyukz, or “Journey to the West” (1806), is not an original work, but an adaptation of the well- known Chinese romance Szyuwkz, in which a Buddhist ecclesiastic, attended by a magician-monkey and a semi- human hog, goes to India from China in order to procure Buddhist scriptures. It is full of supernatural occurrences from beginning to end,! and is wholly lack- ing in human interest. He also translated the Shuz2-hsii-ch’uan (Sut-ko-den in Japanese), a much more amusing Chinese story, which fills over two thousand pages of small print in the modern Japanese edition. The influence of these and other Chinese romances is very noticeable in the works of Bakin and his school. The Nanka no Yume (1807) is a story of fairyland in the Chinese manner. The Shichiya no Kura (“ Pawnbroker’s Store”), 1810.— 1 An episode of this story has been dramatised in Japan. A version of this in the Ingoldsby legend style is given in M‘Clatchie’s /apanese Plays Versified, 360 JAPANESE LITERATURE © In this work a pawnbroker lying awake at night hears a noise in his storehouse. He peeps in and sees the pledges deposited there assembled in conclave. Each -tells its story. : The Musdbioye Koshé Monogatart’ is an allegorical novel in which the hero visits the Land of Childhood, the Land of Lust, the Land of Drunkenness, the Land of Avarice, the Village of Lies, the Village of Sinful Desires, the Village of Grief, and the Village of Pleasure. The idea is borrowed from the older work Wasédbidye, noticed in a previous chapter. It is very learned, intensely moral, and insufferably tedious. The same criticism will apply to the Shichiya no Kura. The most famous of Japanese novels is the enormous work entitled Hakkenden. Begun in 1814, it was not | finished until 1841. In its original form it consisted of one hundred and six volumes, and even in the modern : reprint it forms four thick volumes of nearly three thousand pages. The Hakkenden (“Story of the Eight Dogs”) narrates the adventures and exploits of eight heroes of semi- canine parentage, who represent the eight cardinal — virtues. After a perusal of some hundreds of pages of this work I can only express my amazement at its extra- ordinary popularity in Japan. It is full of physical and moral impossibilities, and, worse still, is often pedantic and wearisome. Yet it was greedily bought up by the public. The wood-engravers came daily for copy, and as soon as a part was ready it was printed off in an 1 This work has been translated into English by L. Mordwin (Yokohama, 1881), An English version of Bakin’s Kuma no tayema amayo no tsuki, by Edward Greey, was published in Boston in 1886, A French translation of his Okoma appeared in Paris in 1883. BAKIN 361 edition of ten thousand copies, creating a demand for paper which, we are told, appreciably affected the market-price of that commodity. In addition to his novels, Bakin wrote a miscellany entitled Yensek? Zasshi, which gives interesting informa- tion on such subjects as folk-lore and popular supersti- tions. His Gendo Hogen is another work of a somewhat similar character.