Lotus & Other Tales of Medieval Japan

by Takeshi Umehara

  Observing how repentant the king was, Chiken said, "Even the wisest of kings would think and act as you did. You were not at fault, and I am sure the prince does not resent you at all. Only, his feelings of longing for his mother are so strong. It would be easier to make the sun rise in the west than to change the prince's feelings."

  The king grieved all the more. "Isn't there some way to make the sun rise in the west? Isn't there some way of freeing my son from his attachment to his poor dead mother and bringing him back to me?"

  "There is a way, your majesty—one way only," said Chiken. "And that is to bring Lady Gosuiten back to life."

  "Can such a thing be done?" asked the king.

  "It can, through certain mystic rites and mantras. A monk who has undergone the strictest training can, once in a lifetime, bring the dead back to life by means of these secret rituals. I have studied the esoteric teachings and mastered the secret practices to a greater degree than any other monk. Through the power of my long years of study and practice, I will bring Lady Gosuiten back to life!"

  Then Chiken set about erecting an altar on which he placed the skull and various other bones of Lady Gosuiten, exhumed from her tomb. For seven days and nights he prayed, taking neither food nor water. Then, something wondrous happened: on the last day, Lady Gosuiten suddenly appeared upon the altar. At that very moment, Chiken, who had been praying continuously, fell down as if dead.

  The king and the prince were amazed at the success of the ritual. "Mother, Mother, it's me, your son," cried the prince, clinging fast to Lady Gosuiten. "The son you fed with your milk for three years even after you died!" But the Lady had no memory of those three years. Strangely enough, she could remember all the happy things—how the king had favored her with his love, how she had borne a son; while all the bad memories—the nine hundred and ninety-nine other wives' abuse, the sudden appearance of the nine hundred and ninety-nine old women, the king's flight, her arrest by the seven soldiers, her beheading on Mount Chikoshakuō—all these had vanished without trace.

  The king decided that Lady Gosuiten had such a pure heart that she had left all such bad memories in the other world, unwilling as she was to dwell on the evil in human beings. He wanted nothing more than that the three of them should live together happily for the rest of their lives. He knew, though, that the hearts of the people of Magadha had grown evil. Even if he drove the nine hundred and ninety-nine ladies from the court, there was no telling what kinds of plots they might hatch from outside. He could never trust the ministers, great nobles, and courtiers whom they controlled. And so he hit on the idea of going off somewhere, the three of them, with only a few loyal and pure-hearted retainers. He discussed the matter with Chiken, who advised, "Far, far to the northeast of this land of India, there is a country called Japan. In comparison with our Magadha, it is a very small island nation; but I have heard that it is green with trees, and that the hearts of the people are still pure. Why not go there?"

  And so it was decided. But how would they go, you ask? In those days, there was a kind of boat that flew through the air—a boat equipped with wheels, for some reason. The king and his lady and the young prince got into this boat-with-wheels and flew high into the air, crossing many lands and seas. Several fine monks like Chiken himself also flew off in the direction of Japan in another one of these wheeled flying ships. And a select group of retainers also embarked on three more ships, racing through the air so as not to be left behind. All the ships arrived safely in Japan, in the mountains of Kumano, first at the Original Shrine, then at the New Shrine, and finally at Nachi. It was decided that the king would live at the first, Lady Gosuiten at the second, and the prince at the third site, and each became the lord of his or her particular mountain. The monks and retainers who accompanied them became the various gods and buddhas we know today. Thus, the gods who are known to us under names like "Prince So-and-so" were all originally retainers of the newly arrived royal family. And so you see, dear pilgrims, that these three mountains of Kumano are indeed holy places where the spirits of the prince and the king and the lady who crossed so many lands and seas are enshrined.

  So come and worship at Kumano! If you do, you will receive rich blessings in this life, and in the life to come, rebirth in Amida's Paradise. Come to Kumano; yes, come to Kumano!

  What's that? You say you have a question? You want to know what became of the nine hundred and ninety-nine ladies? Sorry, I forgot to tell you about them. They were very resentful at being left behind when the king flew off to Japan, so they had ships of their own made and went after him. There were ten ships in all, each holding a hundred ladies. Well, you can imagine the pushing and shoving. A good many of them fell off in mid-voyage, it seems. But most of the ladies did manage to make it all the way here to Kumano—oh, the tenacity of a woman scorned!

  When the king saw them, he cried out, "I planned to create a new kingdom here in this fine land, and now you've come to spoil it all!" And he turned them all into "red worms." In this region, that's the term we use for a kind of big leech. We have lots of them in Kumano, and they're all transformations of the royal ladies who couldn't bear children.

  When people go walking through the dark forests of Kumano, these "red worms" crawl unnoticed on to their bodies via their necks and wrists and ankles. They attach themselves firmly to people's flesh and then begin to suck their blood. It's said that they're especially fond of young men, and make quite a feast of them. At first it feels awfully good when they suck, but gradually it starts to hurt; and they're very difficult to pull off. There was a handsome young man (a famous actor from Kyoto, in fact), and the red worms got on him and sucked his blood. He laughed about it at first; but then, when he decided to pluck them off, he found he couldn't, and more and more of them attached themselves until at last he lay down and died there in the forests of Kumano.

  It's a very holy place, Kumano is. You can meet your long-dead loved ones; you'll find a cure for grief and sadness; you can gain a long life, and a happy one. Only, be careful of the red worm. Come to Kumano; yes, come to Kumano! But do, oh do, be careful of the red worm.

  Sansho Dayu

  In the port of Naoi in the province of Echigo, there was a notorious slave-dealer named Yamaoka Dayū. He would offer lodging to travelers, luring them in with honeyed words, and then sell them to other slave-traders waiting in their boats just off shore. There were rumors of what was going on, and the local officials had issued orders forbidding anyone to give lodging to strangers, yet the evil practice was not easily uprooted. Yamaoka had made a small fortune in the trade. He was able to carry on because he was very cautious, taking care not to get caught; then, too, he made a point of bribing the officials and winning their goodwill.

  One day a party of four including a mother and her two children came to Yamaokas house asking for lodgings. The mother was a refined-looking woman of about thirty-five— probably the wife of a man of importance. With her were a daughter of about fifteen and a son who was perhaps two or three years younger. They were accompanied by a maid who looked to be about twenty. Yamaoka knew at a glance that they would be easy victims. The women were clearly unused to travel and innocent of the ways of the world. A kind word or two and they would be taken in. This foursome meant money: that thought alone was enough to make Yamaoka drool with excitement.

  "You all look exhausted by your long journey and I'd like to offer you a room, but the governor has forbidden anyone to give lodging to strangers, so I'm afraid I can't."

  "But why is it forbidden?" asked the lady.

  "Well, there are slave-traders in this area from time to time, and they prey on travelers—especially women with children. There are some real scoundrels in this world, believe me."

  "Are people as bad as that? I've never heard of such things happening in the village of Shinobu, where we come from..."

  "Well, at any rate, be very careful. On the outskirts of town there's a bridge called Tsurumibashi (Coupling Bridge), and by it there's a w
oods that offers some shelter from the wind and rain. People around here say it's a good place for a traveler to stop for the night. I'm sorry, but I think you'd better spend the night by that bridge. I'm sure you'll find something better for the next night."

  Yamaoka already had a plan in mind. He had planted the seeds of fear in the lady and ensured that she would stay by the Coupling Bridge rather than try going elsewhere. When night came, he would invite the little group, trembling with fear of wicked slave-traders, to stay with him. The next day he would take them by boat to his accomplices offshore and sell them.

  When darkness fell over the northern port-town, Yamaoka went with a lantern to the woods beside the bridge. Though it was only mid-autumn, the northern night was cold, especially in this lonely woods at the edge of town. He was sure the four travelers would be literally trembling with cold and fear; but, on the contrary, he found them all fast asleep.

  "Excuse me, madam, excuse me—please get up. I'm sorry, but I forgot to tell you something very important earlier. Today is the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, Midautumn Night. Now, on this night when the moon shines brightly, they say a male dragon comes down from the sky, and a female dragon crawls up from the sea, and they have their yearly rendezvous here. That's why this bridge is called 'Coupling Bridge.' Anyway, after mating, the female gets very hungry and will gobble down anyone unlucky enough to be found nearby," concluded Yamaoka in a calm, cool manner.

  The lady and her maid exchanged glances of horror at this news and now indeed began to tremble. "What a fearful thing! Oh, please, won't you let us stay with you, just for tonight?"

  "I shouldn't, really. I may have trouble with the authorities later on... But never mind—I want to help you. You may stay in my house for tonight."

  The lady and her maid could have danced for joy. They were sure they could rely on this stoutish man of forty. As in the old saying, they had "met a buddha in the midst of hell." People who are suddenly plunged into a terrifying situation tend to regard anyone who says a kind word to them as a buddha in the flesh.

  When they reached Yamaoka's house, his wife went over and whispered in her husband's ear: "Well, you've brought along another bunch of dupes, I see. But I've had enough of this slave-trading business. You never know when the authorities'll figure everything out; and if they do, I'll be branded a slave-trader's wife. No, if you must carry on with this business, give me a divorce first!"

  "This isn't slave-trading, it's helping your fellow-man! I felt sorry for the lady and her children, with all their troubles, so I decided to let them stay—that's all! I gave them a room out of sheer goodness, like the merciful Kannon himself."

  "Oh, really?" said his wife, and went over to the two women. "My husband says he's putting you up out of the goodness of his heart—'Buddha Yamaoka,' I guess we should call him! Well, stay as long as you like. But if by chance he suggests that you go off somewhere with him, you be sure and let me know."

  Now the lady thought it a bit odd the way this woman was talking; but perhaps it was the custom of the people of Naoi to say things like this. At any rate, she was not greatly concerned. Watching all this, Yamaoka decided that at this rate his wife would be saying something she oughtn't to the lady. Besides, "make haste to do good" was his motto, so he went right up to his guest and said, "You seem to be in something of a hurry, dear lady. Now, the fastest route to Kyoto is from this port by boat to Tsuruga, and I've just learned that there's a boat leaving before dawn tomorrow. Of course, we'd be happy to have you stay on here for some time, but if you are in a hurry, may I suggest tomorrow's boat?" The lady nodded in reply.

  Well before dawn, Yamaoka secretly led the little group from his house to a waiting boat. The night sea had an eerie look to it. Particularly to these people who had never seen the sea, a trip by boat seemed fraught with danger. Nevertheless, the two women had great confidence in this "buddha met in hell." He rowed the boat a short distance out to where two more boats were moored in the offing. The two waiting boatmen drew Yamaoka's boat close to theirs and whispered something in his ear. They seemed to be counting something on their fingers and having quite a lively discussion. It appeared that the transaction was successfully concluded, for Yamaoka turned to the group in his boat: "These two boatmen are my nephews, and each of them wants to take you to Tsuruga. They're being awfully stubborn about it. I'd like to ask you a favor, so that neither of them will lose face: would you and your maid go in one boat, and the little master and mistress in the other? You'll all be heading for Tsuruga, after all."

  The lady agreed to this suggestion, so she and her maid got into the front boat while the children boarded the second.

  "Well, then, I'll be on my way. These two are excellent boatmen, so just leave everything to them. Take good care of yourselves, and have a nice safe journey to Kyoto!" And he rowed back to shore.

  The two boats proceeded together for a while, but then the second boat began to fall behind. The lady begged the boatman, "Please row more slowly. The children's boat is getting further and further away from us." But the boatman just grinned and answered, "Never mind. You'll be together again at the next port. Just relax and enjoy the view of the sea on this fine morning." But the second boat not only drew no closer but actually moved off in the opposite direction until it could hardly be seen. "What's the meaning of this, boatman? It's going in the wrong direction!"

  The immediate reply was loud laughter. Then, "You finally noticed, eh? Yamaoka sold you! Each of us paid five kan for the four of you. The two little mites are on their way now to be sold off somewhere or other."

  And so the lady understood that she had been duped. "You tricked us! You plan to sell us all, don't you? If I'm to be sold into slavery, I want to be with my children! That would make it bearable. But to be separated like this—it's too cruel! My poor Anju, my poor little Zushiō!"

  She got up on the stern and shouted in a loud voice in the direction of the other boat, now a mere speck in the far distance. "Anju! Zushiō! Forgive your mother for being too trusting. Forgive me! You're going to be sold as slaves, but never lose heart! Anju, don't lose the holy image of Jizo you have around your neck—he'll save you in time of danger. And Zushiō, guard the paper with our family's lineage on it. Put up with every difficulty that comes, and show that paper to one of the Ministers or Grand Councilors. Someday your father's name will be cleared, our lands restored, and the sun will shine on you both again!" She shouted as loud as she could, but her voice could hardly reach the other boat. She and her maid took one another's hands and broke down in tears.

  "It's tough, of course," said the boatman. "But it's your own damn fault, after all. You're a foolish, ignorant woman— that's why it happened. Try looking at it that way! Anyhow, I need to make some money out of this. I guess I can sell this little parcel here to a whorehouse. She should bring maybe ten kan. And you, I'll take as my wife. I'm still a bachelor, and now at last I've found me a good bride. What's the saying? 'All things come to them that wait'?"

  At these words, the maid went at the boatman: "This lady as your wife? Unforgivable impudence! This lady is the wife of a provincial governor in charge of fifty-four counties around Shinobu. I won't let you lay a finger on her!"

  "She may be the wife of a provincial governor in charge of fifty-four counties, but in this boat she's just another woman. There's only the three of us now, and I can do what I like with both of you, 'cause I'm lord and master here! A lord with a beautiful wife and a concubine. Maybe I should start things off with the concubine...." The boatman decided to have a little fun pretending to chase the maid, who tried hard to escape. As they struggled, she slipped and fell into the sea. She couldn't swim, and disappeared into the waves as they watched. "Uwataki, Uwataki," cried the lady, but it was no use. "Uwataki's dead! She's dead, and I don't want to go on living either!" She tried to jump into the water, but the boatman held her back.

  "Damn! I got too randy and lost myself a valuable piece of property. Should've waited
till we got to shore. Damn! If I let something happen to you, I'll lose five whole kan. You'll be my wife, or be sold for a whore, but the one thing you won't do is die on me!" He tied her hands and feet with thick rope and put her in the bottom of the boat.

  Anju and Zushiō, after being separated from their mother, were taken to the distant port of Yura in the province of Tango where they were bought by a man named Sansho Dayū for thirteen kan. There were great differences of opinion as to the right price for the girl and boy. They were obviously children of good family, and it would enhance anyone's prestige to have such well-bred slaves—that was the positive view. The negative view was that they would be worthless as laborers. Thus, their price fluctuated wildly. They had been bought and sold twenty times over by the time they reached Yura, and it took quite an effort for Sansho to convince himself to lay out thirteen kan for the pair. He was known in the area for his wealth and was engaged in a variety of businesses including fishing and the making of salt. He had five sons named, in numerical order, Tarō, Jiro, Saburō, Shirō, and Gorō. Having made a fortune for himself, he had now begun to be concerned about the future of his descendants. He planned on each of these two slaves eventually marrying and producing offspring, who would in turn serve Sansho's children and grandchildren as slaves, and so on forever. It was a piece of luck, then, that their hometown was Shinobu in the faraway province of Mutsu; for, lacking relatives, they would have no one to rely on but their new master.