Pathway to Japanese Literature

General Sonbayu, Guardian of the North, and the Three Brother Doctors

I. Three Brother Doctors

Long ago, in the capital called Rayu, there were three brother doctors.
The eldest Rinpa was a doctor for ordinary people.
His younger brother Rinpu was a doctor for horses and sheep.
The youngest Rinpo was a doctor for plants and trees.
And the three brothers had built three blue-tiled hospitals side by side at the southernmost tip of the capital's yellow cliffs, each flying white and vermilion flags that fluttered in the wind.

When observed from the foot of the slope, monks with lacquer rashes, horses limping slightly, gardeners hauling carts laden with wilted peony pots, birdcages holding parakeets—all these would ascend one after another. Upon reaching the hilltop, those with human ailments turned left to Dr. Rinpa; those with horses, sheep, or birds went to the middle Dr. Rinpu; and people bearing plants headed right to Dr. Rinpo—thus dividing into three streams.

Now, all three brothers were truly skilled in the medical arts and possessed considerable compassion, undoubtedly already belonging to the category of renowned physicians; however, having yet to encounter favorable opportunities, they held no official rank, nor had their names reached distant lands.
However, one day, something strange finally occurred.

II. General Sonbayu, Guardian of the North

One day, just around sunrise, the people of Rayu Capital heard occasional peculiar sounds from the distant northern fields—as if multitudes of birds or something were flocking together and calling in unison.
At first nobody paid attention, continuing to sweep their shops, but when the noises gradually drew closer after breakfast time and everyone recognized them as splendid chalumeau and trumpet tones, the entire capital suddenly stirred with commotion.
Between these sounds came pattering drumbeats and similar noises.
By then neither merchants nor artisans could concentrate on their work at all.
The soldiers guarding the gates first securely barred them, stationed sentries along the town's encircling walls, then dispatched word to the palace.

And around noon that day, with the sounds of hooves, the presence of armor, and voices shouting commands, it became clear that the forces had completely surrounded the town.

The sentries and all the townspeople peered through the arrow slits, their hearts pounding all the while.
From beyond the walls to the north stretched an army vast as clouds and mist.
Fluttering triangular flags and spears stood like a forest.
What was truly bizarre was that the soldiers were all ash-gray and disheveled, appearing almost like smoke.
At the forefront rode a general with piercing eyes, a two-toned pure white beard, and a bent back, mounted on a white horse whose broom-shaped tail stood stiffly erect behind him. He raised his large sword to the sky and sang in a booming voice.

“General Sonbayu, Guardian of the North,”

“Now from THE desert beyond THE frontier,
I HAVE finally MANAGED TO RETURN.”

“I would call this a valiant triumphal return—
But truth be told, I’ve been worn ragged.
That place—cold beyond measure.
What they call thirty yellowed years...
I led a hundred thousand troops
Through this very gate, chest puffed with pride.
And then? Nothing but sky filled my sight—
Wind parched dry, whipping sand,
Even wild geese shriveled and fell mid-flight.
All that time I galloped on,
My horse collapsing time and again—thud—
Tears pooling as it stared at distant sands.
Each time—from my armor’s hidden fold—”

"I would take out some salt from my armor's hidden compartment.

I would make the horse lick it to restore its vigor."

"That horse is now thirty-five years old.

Even to gallop twenty kilometers takes four hours.

And I'm already seventy.

I had thought I could never return, but

mercifully, all enemies perished from beriberi.

This summer was unusually humid, you see.

And the cause of beriberi

because they pursued us too relentlessly

It’s because they ran through the sand.

Considering that, how about it? It’s still a triumphal return, wouldn’t you say?

Especially one thing worthy of praise was"

Of the hundred thousand who had set out,
Ninety thousand managed to return.
The dead are unfortunate, but
Over thirty years,
Even if they didn’t go to war,

Wouldn’t about ten percent have died?

"So then—Rayu’s old comrades—and make proper arrangements for the children too. General Sonbayu, Guardian of the North—that army had returned. 'You may open the gate now.'"

On this side of the city walls erupted a commotion like boiling water—some wept through their joy, others ran with hands raised, those trying to pry open the gate themselves got scolded by guards—of course a messenger dashed toward the king’s palace—and with a clang, the castle gate swung open. The soldiers at the front clung weeping to their horses’ necks.

General Sonbayu, Guardian of the North—his face and shoulders ash-gray—deliberately wrinkled his face, quietly took hold of his horse’s reins, faced straight ahead to stand at the forefront, and then soldiers bearing trumpets and drums, spears with triangular flags, verdigris-corroded copper halberds, and white-fletched arrows entered.
The horses matched their steps to the drums, and above all, General Son’s white horse creaked at the knees with every stride as if keeping time.
The soldiers sang a military anthem.

“The last night and the first dawn,
A black moon stands over the desert.
On nights when winds blow from west and south,
The moon stays crimson even in winter.
When wild geese fly high,
The enemy flees far away.
When we mount our steeds to pursue,
Suddenly snow cascades down.”

The soldiers marched onward.
The mere sight of ninety thousand soldiers was enough to leave one utterly drained.

“On days when snow falls even at noon,
The sky turns utterly dark,
The faint path of migrating geese
Appears faintly white.
Sand freezes and comes flying,
The frozen sand uproots clumps of withered mugwort.”

The uprooted mugwort clumps flew one after another
“Toward the capital they fly off.”

Everyone formed barriers along both sides of the road, crowding into rows as they watched with tears streaming down their faces.

When General Sonbayu had advanced about three blocks and reached the town square, yellow flags came fluttering from the palace direction while someone approached.
This confirmed that word had been sent and the king’s welcoming party arrived.

General Son halted his horse, raised a hand high to shield his eyes, scrutinized the scene intently, then suddenly bowed and hurriedly tried to dismount.
Yet he could not dismount—the general’s legs were now firmly attached to the saddle, which itself had become inseparably fused to the horse’s back.
Even this valiant general turned thoroughly flustered, his face reddening as his mouth twitched sideways. He desperately strained to leap down, but his body refused to move.
Ah, this was indeed because the general had spent thirty years in the arid border desert shouldering heavy duties without once dismounting, becoming one with his steed.
Moreover, in that desert midst where no grass grew, those things had likely sprouted upon finding the general’s face.
The ash-gray mysterious growths now covered his face and hands completely.
The soldiers too bore these growths.
Meanwhile, the messenger minister gradually drew nearer until the foremost large spears and flag emblems came into view.

“General, dismount from your horse.”
“This is a welcoming party from His Majesty the King.”
“General, dismount from your horse.”
Someone in the opposite line spoke.
The general flapped his hands again, but still his body wouldn’t come free.

However, the welcoming minister was more nearsighted than a mole.
He thought the general was deliberately refusing to dismount and instead waving both hands to issue some command to everyone.

“It’s a rebellion.”
“Very well.”
“Retreat.”
So the minister said to everyone.
Thereupon, the minister’s delegation swiftly swung their horses around and retreated in a headlong rush, kicking up yellow dust.

General Son saw this, hunched his shoulders and sighed, stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly turned around and called over the Chief Strategist.

“You there—strip off your armor immediately, take my sword and bow, and make haste to the palace.”
“Then say this to someone:”
“General Sonbayu, Guardian of the North, upon that border desert for thirty years day and night, found no moment to dismount from his horse, until at last his body fused to the saddle, and that saddle in turn fused to the horse, rendering him utterly unable to present himself before Your Majesty.”
“I will now go to the doctor and then attend court.”
“Convey this politely.”

The Chief Strategist nodded, swiftly removed his armor and helmet, took General Son’s sword, and dashed off at full speed. General Son addressed them all: “Entire army—dismount from your horses quietly, remove your helmets, and sit on the ground. Commander Son will go to the doctor right now and return shortly. Until then, rest quietly without making a sound. Understood?”

“We understand, General,” the soldiers shouted in unison. The general motioned for silence with his hand and whipped his horse urgently. This renowned white horse—which had often collapsed exhausted in the desert—now summoned its final strength and clattered away faster than the wind. After driving his horse frantically for about ten blocks, General Sonbayu reached the foot of a large slope. Then he abruptly demanded:

“Who exactly is this skilled doctor?”

A carpenter replied.

"That would be Dr. Rinpa."

“Where is that Rinpa?”

“It’s right at the top of this slope.”
“Among those three flags, it’s the leftmost one.”

“Very well—away!” said the General， lashing his white horse once and charging up the slope in one breath.

The carpenter muttered afterward.

“What’s this—he’s a barbarian through and through.”
“After getting directions from someone, what in blazes does ‘Very well, shū’ even mean?”

However, General Bayu paid no heed to such matters.
Wandering about there and leaping over the patients milling around, he reached the front of the gate.
Sure enough, on the gatepost hung a plaque reading *Dr. Rinpa, Minor Physician* alongside a golden signboard.

III. Dr. Rinpa

Now, General Sonbayu had passed through Dr. Rinpa’s grand entrance and was clattering down the corridor.
As expected of Rinpa Hospital, every ceiling and door in the rooms stood about twenty feet high.

“Where is the doctor?
I need to be examined.”
General Sonbayu barked.

“What in the world are you?
To enter on horseback—this is utterly barbaric.”
A disciple wearing a long pale-green robe and with a shaved head grabbed the horse’s bit.

“Are you Doctor/Dr.Rinpa? Hurry up and examine my illness!”

“No.Dr.Rinpaisintheroomoverthere.”
“Howeverifyouhavebusinessherekindlydismountfromyourhorse.”

“No, that’s impossible.”
“If I could’ve dismounted straightaway, I’d have been before Your Majesty by now.”

“Ah—you can’t get off the horse.”
“That’s leg stiffness.”
“Then it’s acceptable.”
“Enter.”

The disciple opened the opposite door.
General Sonbayu clattered his horse forward and entered.
Inside was packed with people, and in the very center sat a small man who appeared to be the doctor on a camp stool, intently examining someone’s eye.

“I’ll leave this to you.”
“I can’t dismount from the horse.”
Gently, the General said.
However, Dr.Rinpa did not so much as glance his way and made no move.
He continued to stare fixedly at the eye.

“Hey, you! Look over here quick.”
The patients flinched when General Sonbayu shouted.
However, the disciple said quietly,
“There is a queue for examinations, you see.
You are number ninety-six, and since it’s currently the sixth person, please wait for ninety more people.”

“Shut up! Are you telling me to wait for seventy-two people? Who do you think I am? I am General Sonbayu, Guardian of the North. I have ninety thousand soldiers waiting in the town square. For me to wait for one person is seventy-two thousand soldiers waiting over yonder. If he doesn’t examine me this instant, I’ll tear this place apart!” The General raised his whip; the horse gave one great leap, and the patients burst into tears. However, Dr. Rinpa still did not budge an inch and did not so much as glance this way. From the doctor’s right side, a girl wearing a yellow twill robe stood up, took a single stem of some flower placed in the vase, dipped it in water, and gently presented it to the horse. The horse snapped at it, took one great breath, folded all four legs with a thud, then began snoring thunderously as it dropped its head and fell fast asleep. General Sonbayu was flustered.

“Ah, that blasted horse has gone and done it again.
“This is troublesome.”
“This is troublesome.”
“This is troublesome,” he said, hurriedly pulling out a salt bag from a hidden compartment in his armor and attempting to make the horse eat it.

“Hey! Wake up.”
“What a pitiful fellow.”
“After enduring such hardships and finally returning to the capital, to immediately let your guard down and die—what sort of logic is that?”
“Hey! Wake up!”
“Wake up!”
“Huff, puff, come on—hey! Eat just a bite of this salt, won’t you?”
Even so, the horse was still snoring away.
General Sonbayu finally cried.

“Hey, you, at any rate, please just examine the horse.”
“This one has worked at the northern border for thirty long years.”

The girl was silently laughing, but at that moment Dr. Rinpa suddenly turned this way—his sharp eyes seeming to pierce through the General’s breastbone as if perceiving even the horse’s head—and spoke quietly.

“The horse will recover shortly.”
“I only made the horse lie down to examine your illness.”
“Did you contract any diseases over there?”

“No, I didn’t fall ill.”
“I didn’t have any particular illness, but I was often troubled by being deceived by foxes.”

“In what manner did that occur?”

“The foxes over there are no good.”
“They’ll deceive nearly a hundred thousand troops all at once.”
“At night they’d light numerous fires, and in daytime suddenly conjure a great sea upon the desert—even castles and such.”
“They’re downright nasty.”

“Is it the foxes that do that?”

“Foxes, and then sandgrouse—they’re birds, you see. Sandgrouse, I mean.”
“When no one’s around, they fly high up, but when they spot someone, they come down to test them.”
“They’d pull out horses’ tails, you know.”
“They’d go for the eyes too, you know. Once these critters showed up, the horses’d be trembling and shaking something fierce.”

“Then, if you’re deceived once, about how many days does it take to recover?”

“Well, four days, I suppose.”
“There are times when it takes five days, I suppose.”

“So, about how many times have you been deceived up until now?”

“At least ten times, I suppose.”

“Then I shall now inquire.”
“What is the answer when you add one hundred and one hundred?”

“A hundred eighty.”

“Then, what about two hundred and two hundred?”

“Indeed, three hundred sixty, I suppose.”

“Then allow me to ask another question: What is twice ten?”

“That is of course eighteen.”

“I see—I fully understand.”
“You are still somewhat fatigued from the desert even now.”
“In other words, ten percent.”
“Then let me heal you now.”

Dr. Rinpa waved both hands and instructed his disciple.
The disciple filled a large copper basin with some medicine and brought it over with a cloth.
General Sonbayu extended both hands and properly received the basin.
Dr. Rinpa rolled up one sleeve, soaked a cloth in medicine, poured it over the helmet from above, and when he shook it with both hands, the helmet came off cleanly.
Another disciple brought different medicine to another copper basin.
Thereupon Dr. Rinpa washed with another medicine, splashing vigorously.
The droplets were pitch black.
General Sonbayu asked with a worried look, keeping his head bowed.

“How about it? Is the horse alright?”

“Soon now,” said Dr. Rinpa, continuing to wash vigorously.
The liquid gradually turned brown, then became a pale yellow.
Then finally, when all color had vanished, General Sonbayu’s white hair shone whiter than a bear’s.
Thereupon, Dr. Rinpa discarded the cloth and washed his hands, while the disciple wiped the head and face.
The General shuddered and properly sat up on the horse.

“How do you feel? Refreshed, I trust? By the way—what do you get when you add one hundred and one hundred?” “Of course that would be two hundred.” “Then what do you get when you add two hundred and two hundred?” “Indeed, it must be four hundred.” “What is twice ten?” “That is of course twenty.”

“That is of course twenty.”
As if he had forgotten what had just transpired, General Sonbayu said nonchalantly.

“You have made a full recovery.”
“In other words, the eyes of your head were obstructed, leaving you ten percent deficient.”

“Ah, no—I couldn’t care less about calculations and such, whether it’s ten or twenty.”
“That’s what arithmeticians do, I suppose.”
“I want you to separate me from this horse at once.”

“Indeed, separating your legs from your clothes is something I can do immediately.”
“No—they should already be separated.”
“However, separating the pants that are attached to the saddle and the saddle that is attached to the horse is a different matter.”
“That is being handled by my brother next door, so please proceed there.”
“Moreover, this horse has also contracted a terrible illness.”

“Then what about this tangled growth that’s sprouted from my face?”

“That too lies yonder.”
“At any rate, let me dispatch a disciple to accompany you to the neighboring clinic.”

“Then we shall make our way there.”
“Farewell.”

The girl wearing the white garment blew a breath into the horse's right ear.
The horse leaped up with a start; General Sonbayu suddenly grew taller. The general took the horse's reins and exited the room alongside the disciple.
They then crossed the garden and came before a thick earthen wall.
A small crawl space stood open.

"I shall have the back gate opened now."
The assistant entered through the crawl space.

“Nay, there is no need for that.”
“My horse doesn’t give a whit about this sort of thing.”

General Sonbayu whipped the horse.

Crack, thwack, huff!
The horse leaped over the earthen wall and stood there trampling Dr. Rinpu’s poppy field into a mess.

Four: Dr. Rinpu, Horse Doctor

As General Sonbayu and the physician's disciple trampled through the poppy field and walked onward, low brrr-like whinnies of fellow horses arose from every direction.
And when the two entered the great building ahead, over twenty horses came galloping from all sides, their hooves clattering and heads swaying in greeting to the general's steed.

Over there, Dr. Rinpu was applying white medicine to a brown horse with a crooked neck.
The disciple from earlier stepped forward and whispered something briefly, whereupon Dr. Rinpu, the horse doctor, turned this way with a laugh.
The way the massive iron breastplate was firmly fastened resembled armor.
It was apparently to avoid being kicked by horses.
The General immediately rode his horse up before him.

“Are you Dr. Rinpu?”
“I am General Sonbayu.”
“I have a request to make.”

“Ah, no—I have been apprised of the circumstances.”
“Your horse is indeed approximately thirty-nine years of age.”

“Rounded off—yes, thirty-nine it remains.”

“Very well—I shall commence the procedure forthwith.”
“You will remain mounted; some smoke may ensue.”
“Do you consent to this?”

“Smoke?”
“What trifle is smoke? When desert winds raged, we’d have our horses leap forty-five times a minute.”
“Had we paused thrice, we’d lie buried to our crowns.”

“Ah, then let us proceed.”
“Hey, Fūshu.”
Dr. Rinpu called the disciple.
The disciple bowed once and brought a small jar.
Dr. Rinpu removed the lid, took out some brown medicine, and applied it to the horse’s eyes.
Then Dr. Rinpu called “Fūshu” again.
The disciple bowed once, entered the adjacent room, and after some clattering about, soon returned bearing small red rice cakes on a plate.
The doctor picked them up, pinching them between his fingers and sniffing at them for a while; then seeming to resolve himself, he had the horse gobble them down.
General Sonbayu, atop his white horse, grew weary of waiting and yawned.
Then suddenly, the White Horse began to clatter and tremble violently, and then its entire body gushed out sweat and smoke.
Dr. Rinpu stepped back and observed from afar.
Clattering noisily, the horse continued to spew smoke.
The smoke was unbearably harsh.
General Sonbayu too had endured it at first, but finally covered his eyes with both hands and coughed with a rough, hacking sound.
Gradually, the smoke dissipated, and this time, sweat began cascading more violently than a waterfall.
Dr. Rinpu approached closer, placed both hands lightly on the saddle, and gave it two or three shakes.

In an instant, the saddle cleanly separated, and the general, caught off balance, was dropped onto the floor with a thud. But true to form for a general. Before long, he was standing properly. Moreover, not only had the saddle and general completely separated, but the general was briskly slapping his bent legs with both hands, while the horse—suddenly freed of its load—swayed its back as if utterly disoriented. Then General Bāyū grabbed the horse’s broom-like tail and suddenly gave it a strong pull. Then, a pure white, tail-shaped lump thudded onto the floor. The horse, now seeming quite light, wagged its tail—now reduced to mere fur—in a bushy manner. Three disciples gathered and thoroughly wiped down the horse’s body.

“That should do it.”
“Go ahead and walk.”

The horse calmly began to walk.
The knees that had creaked so gratingly now fell completely silent.
Dr. Rinpu raised his hand, called the horse back to his side, and bowed once to the general.

“No need for thanks.”
“Well then.”
The general hurriedly placed the saddle on his horse and lithely mounted it, whereupon the ailing horses nearby began neighing farewell greetings.
General Sonbayu exited the room, nimbly vaulted over the wall, and plunged into Dr. Rinpo’s chrysanthemum field next door.

5. Dr. Rinpo

Now then, Dr. Rinpo’s clinic for healing plants resembled a forest.
Every variety of tree and flower stood arrayed throughout the space, each adorned with large gold and silver tags.
There, General Bāyū dismounted from his horse and slowly approached Dr. Rinpo.
The disciple had evidently concluded prior arrangements through negotiation—Dr. Rinpo waited with utmost deference while holding a medicine case and large red fan.
General Sonbayu raised his hand,

“This is it,” he said, pointing at his face.
Dr. Rinpo took yellow powder from his medicine case, sprinkled it liberally over General Sonbayu’s face to shoulders, then grabbed that familiar fan and began flapping it vigorously.
In that instant, all the hairs across the general’s face turned bright red and fluttered away, and as they watched, his face became completely smooth.
Truly at this moment, the General smirked for the first time in thirty years.

“Well then, we shall proceed with this.”
“Your body has lightened as well, I daresay.”

The general, overjoyed, exited the room like a gust of wind and leapt onto the waiting horse; no sooner had he done so than the horse dashed through the hospital’s massive gate.
Afterward, six disciples, carrying medicine bags and fans to remove the ash-gray hair that had grown on the soldiers’ faces, gave chase to General Sonbayu.

6. General Sonbayu Becomes an Immortal

Now then, General Sonbayu burst out of Dr. Pō’s entrance like a beam of light, sped past the neighboring Rinpu Hospital like a gale, glanced sidelong at the next Rinpa Hospital, and in another sprint, dashed down the slope from earlier.
Because the horse was five times faster, the soldiers resting ahead had already come into view.
The soldiers had been watching this way with worried expressions, but before they knew it, they burst into cheers and all stood up together.

At that moment, from the direction of the palace, the Chief Strategist who had served as the earlier envoy came running at full speed.

“Ah, His Majesty has come to fully understand.”
“Having heard about you, he even deigned to shed tears and now awaits your arrival.”

Just then, the disciples from earlier came bringing medicine.
The soldiers, rejoicing, sprinkled powder and fanned vigorously.
Thereupon, the 90,000-strong army now took clear shape.

The general issued a loud command.
“Mount your horses and stand at attention!”
When everyone had mounted their horses, soon the area fell completely silent, save for just two lagging horses snorting through their nostrils.

“Advance forward!”
Drums and gongs began to sound, and the army marched solemnly.

Before long, the ninety thousand soldiers formed a square formation of exactly three hundred men in each row and column within the one-ri garden before the palace.

General Sonbayu dismounted from his horse, quietly ascended the platform, and pressed his forehead to the floor.
The king calmly spoke thus.

“You have truly endured long hardships.”
“From now on, remain here and continue to devote yourself diligently as the leader of leaders.”

General Sonbayu, Guardian of the North, shed tears and responded.

“Your Majesty’s words are truly awe-inspiring, and I find myself utterly at a loss for how to respond.”
“Though I say this, I am now but a living skeleton, of no use whatsoever.”
“During my time in the desert, ever vigilant against unseen enemies and determined not to be underestimated, I kept my chest thrust out rigidly and eyes wide open at all times—yet now that I stand before Your Majesty and receive such gracious praise, even my vision seems to fail me abruptly.”
“My spine has also become bent.”
“I humbly request to take my leave herewith and return to my hometown.”

“Then, name five generals who can serve as your replacements.”

Thereupon, General Sonbayu named four generals.
And in place of the remaining one, he requested that the three Rin brothers be appointed as royal physicians.
Because the king promptly granted this, General Sonbayu then and there removed his armor and helmet, and donned a thin, rustling hemp garment.
And he returned to the foot of Su Mountain in the village where he was born and sowed some millet.
Then he thinned the millet seedlings.
However, as time passed, the general gradually ceased eating—even the millet he had painstakingly sown himself, he would only take a single bite of, and guzzle water instead.
However, when autumn drew to a close, he stopped drinking water altogether and would often look up at the sky, frequently making a peculiar gesture as if startled by something.

Eventually, one day, General Sonbayu vanished without a trace. Thereupon, everyone proclaimed that General Sonbayu had become an immortal, erecting a small shrine atop Su Mountain where they enshrined the white horse as a sacred steed, offering millet cakes and raising hemp banners. However, the aforementioned Dr. Rinpa—now appointed as a national physician—said the following to everyone he met.

“There’s no way General Bāyū lived off nothing but clouds.”
“I’ve examined General Bāyū’s body thoroughly—I know it inside out.”
“The lungs and stomach aren’t even part of the same system.”
“His bones must be lying in some grove right now.”
Indeed, many came to think that might well be the case.