Pathway to Japanese Literature

I

In the town of Hōjōzu in Etchū Province, there was a grassland scattered with pine and zelkova trees that served as the children’s playground.
In the center of that grassland, beneath an ancient zelkova tree with bare branches, there stood a small shrine called Deity Suwa that resembled a crouching toad; its wood-shingle roof had rotted away, and the grain of the wooden lattice had darkened like roof tiles or something of the sort.

It was an evening on a windless, stifling day in early summer.
In a reed-choked pond of an unnamed stream that flowed from the grassland toward Hōjō Lake—where they had been chasing river crabs—a group of five or six children had eventually made their way to the shrine's front to play war games; but having grown tired even of that, they all settled down on the grass.
It was because one of them had started telling a story.
The story concerned the Dangling Fire said to appear at the foot of Annenbō by the Jintsu River.
The Dangling Fire was a local legend that told how Sassa Kuranosuke Narimasa, suspecting an affair between his beloved concubine Sayuri and a minor retainer named Takezawa, slew Takezawa with a single stroke of his Aoe blade. He then stormed into the main hall, seized Sayuri by her long black hair, dragged her to the Jintsu River, and beheaded her—casting her torso into the water while tying her head to a willow branch. From Sayuri’s resentment arose the Dangling Fire, and ever after, whenever Narimasa’s armies crossed the Jintsu River and marched past Annenbō, they met with defeat. In the end, it was Sayuri’s curse that brought ruin upon his house—or so the tale surviving in those parts claimed.

“Where the Dangling Fire appears, there’s a woman’s head with hair that looks like it’s been grabbed from above—my grandfather saw it, they say.”

“That’s so scary!”

“It sure is scary!”

“Does it still appear even now?”

“It does appear! A woman’s head with hair all disheveled like this comes dangling out!”

The child who had been talking about the Dangling Fire—a boy of about fourteen or fifteen—raked both hands upward through his hair while thrusting forward his lion-like nose crusted with dried snot.

“Matsu-kō, do you know the tale of Hōjō’s turtle?”

A child perched like a rider on bamboo stilts atop the exposed pine root to the right of the lion-nosed boy called out to him.

“In Lake Hōjōzu—where the river narrows too much for passage—there lives a turtle king.”

The lion-nosed boy made a triumphant face as if to say he knew everything.

"That’s not the story."

The child perched on the pine root spoke to the lion-nosed boy in a pressing tone, so the lion-nosed boy was not pleased.

“Then what kind of story is it?”

“A man once took a boat out onto Lake Hōjōzu in summer and fell asleep. Before he knew it, he’d turned into a fish swimming in the lake. Wondering how he’d become a fish, another fish approached and said, ‘The sea god has arrived—you must come with us.’ As he followed them, he looked at himself and saw he’d become a large golden crucian carp. Desperate to understand why but unable to ask, he kept following until they reached a grand palace like the Dragon King’s realm. A kingly figure sat there with all the fish lining both sides, so he went and sat among them. Then a massive fish wearing a black suō robe appeared before the king. When he asked someone nearby, they told him, ‘That’s Lord Akani-kō.’”
“When Lord Akani-kō said to the king, ‘I wish to go to Your Majesty’s realm, but my body is too large to pass through the river mouth,’ the king replied, ‘I am aware of that—I have placed you here for a reason. But recently I heard that when the villagers try to take mud from the lake to make rice fields, you order turtles to kill them. This is unacceptable! As punishment, I will command venomous snakes to breed iron lice under your scales and torment you.’ Lord Akani-kō protested, ‘That is not true! When the villagers take mud from the lake, it kills the young of the turtles living there. We tried threatening them to stop taking mud, but since the villagers are poor swimmers, they end up drowning.’ The king summoned the turtles and asked if Lord Akani-kō’s words were true. The turtles confirmed, ‘It is as he says. But now the villagers claim that since turtles take people’s lives, they must exterminate us. If we flee, they will say turtles and snakes are allies and burn to death the snake living in the mulberry tree at the castle ruins. The snake already knows this and weeps every night. Please ensure neither we nor the snake are killed.’ The king then declared, ‘In that case, I will order the villagers to build a Turtle Shrine on an island in the lake where your clan can dwell beneath it. To achieve this, we must restore today’s crucian carp man to human form so he can inform them.’ Having said this, the king departed. The crucian carp man wondered how to become human again and was told he must be caught by a fisherman’s hook or net and cooked by humans. He searched for hooks but found none since no fishermen came. He tried getting caught in nets instead, but no one cast any. Meanwhile, the villagers reasoned that if they enshrined turtles, attacks would cease, so they built the Turtle Shrine on the island. Desperate to be caught, he finally encountered visitors from Kanazawa casting nets. One skilled person cast his net ahead and missed him, but an unskilled man tangled his net under the boat and caught him. After being beheaded and cooked, he turned human again and awoke in his boat—only to find the shrine already built. But when he told others his story, no one believed him.”

The story told by the child perched on the pine root ended there.
The lion-nosed child had unwittingly become engrossed in that peculiar story.

“So the shrine on that island—is that the Turtle Shrine?”

“That’s right.”

The child perched on the pine root grinned as if something were amusing.

"If someone turned into a crucian carp, that’d be pretty wild, huh?"

“What kind of being is Lord Akani-kō?”

“What kind of snake do you think lives in the mulberry tree at the castle ruins?”

All the other children had been drawn into the story.
Then the child perched on the pine root burst out laughing.

“Why’re you laughin’?”

The lion-nosed child stared at him with a puzzled look.

“Why’m I laughin’? ’Cause that story’s all lies! Some scholar made it up—that’s what my uncle said.”

“W-wait… so… it’s fake?”

The lion-nosed child and the others all exploded into laughter.

When the laughter had somewhat subsided, someone called out, “Over there! The kid from Edo’s here! The kid’s here!”
The lion-nosed kid looked toward them.

“That’s right—it’s that kid. Let’s trick him. Call some others over here.”

The child perched on the pine root said.

“I know—go call them over.”

From the direction of two or three thatch-roofed houses visible at the grassland’s edge came a fair-skinned child who looked about ten years old.
Then one of the local children went over and exchanged words with him, soon returning this way with the newcomer in tow.
Seeing this, all the children stood up as if by some unspoken agreement.
The child who had been perched on the pine root stepped forward to block the pair’s path.

“What’s your name?”

The fair-skinned child stopped in his tracks.

“I’m called Genkichi.”

“So you’re Genkichi? Starting today, we’ll play together—so go over to that god’s place.”
The child who had been perched on the pine root pointed toward the shrine and said, “Sit on the ground and say, ‘Deity Suwa, Deity Suwa, let’s play together.’
“Deity Suwa likes children, so He’ll come out and play with us—right, everyone?”

Following the words of the child perched on the pine root, everyone responded.

“That’s right.”

“That’s right.”
“That’s right.”

The child named Genkichi listened while shyly lowering his eyes.

“What’s Deity Suwa like?”

“That’s right—He looks like a white, white snake.”

“A white snake?”

Genkichi said with a hint of surprise and looked at the other’s face.

“That’s right—He is a white snake, but since He’s a deity, there’s nothing to fear.”

“I see.”

“Go on, try it.”

“Okay.”

Genkichi said that and, after darting his innocent eyes around to look at his companions, headed toward the shrine.
On the enoki branches lining the right side of the shrine, a single faint beam of sunlight was shining.
Genkichi went to the front of the shrine and plopped down right there on a spot where short grass grew.
When he saw this, the child who had been perched on the pine root looked around at the lion-nosed boy’s face and those of his companions, but his own expression was one of barely contained mischievous glee.

“Go on, say it.”

Urged by the child perched on the pine root, Genkichi began to speak.

“Deity Suwa, Deity Suwa, let’s play together.”

It was a reverent way of speaking.
When they heard this, the children’s laughing faces gathered.
The child who had been perched on the pine root waved his hand as if to suppress it.

“Deity Suwa, Deity Suwa, let’s play together.”

Genkichi repeated over and over.
The child who had been perched on the pine root, having ascertained that Genkichi was so single-mindedly focused that he wasn’t looking around, raised his hand to beckon the others, then first stood on tiptoe himself and began walking in a manner that made no sound.
When they saw this, the lion-nosed boy and the other children in the group also began staggering off from behind, mimicking the same posture.
As they abandoned him and fled, Genkichi’s voice reached the children’s ears in broken fragments.

二

Genkichi had been earnestly calling out to Deity Suwa, but when his surroundings grew eerily silent and desolate, he suddenly glanced back over his shoulder.
Since none of the children remained, he stood up.

“Genkichi, were ya there? I was startin’ to wonder where you’d gone off to.”

It was a voice tinged with light joy.

A gaunt old man with a face like an aged Noh mask, clad in a thin underrobe and hakama trousers, stood there.
It was his grandfather Tamesaku.

“Grandfather.”

“What’ve you been doing here all alone? I came looking to get you fed since dinner’s ready. Even with your mother off helping, she’s been fretting over you nonstop. Let’s hurry home and eat.”

“Grandfather, Deity Suwa likes children.”

“Deity Suwa likes children, you say? Like ’em? Oh He does indeed—specially the likes of you!”

“Deity Suwa comes out as a white snake.”

“I don’t rightly know about that,” said Tamesaku, “but to those with true faith, He may reveal His form.”

“Deity Suwa said He turns into a white snake and plays with children,” Genkichi replied.

“Who told you such things?” the old man asked.

“The kids playing here earlier said so.”

Tamesaku rubbed his chin. “Hmm... Could be. To a good child, He might show Himself that way. Come now—let’s head home.”

“Okay.”

As Genkichi began walking, Tamesaku followed along unsteadily.
Tamesaku adored his grandson beyond measure.
Tamesaku’s son had also been a carpenter. When he went to Edo during the domain residence’s reconstruction project, he resolved to hone his skills there and stayed on even after its completion. While remaining in Edo, he started a household with a woman he had grown close to in Yoshiwara, and soon they had a child. Just as Tamesaku had been planning to visit Edo to meet his grandson, his son fell ill with a cold at year’s end and passed away. Carrying that new mortuary tablet, Tamesaku—along with his never-before-seen daughter-in-law and grandson—trudged through the still-deep snow of the northern provinces to seek refuge here.
Tamesaku, who had not been particularly affected by losing his elderly wife several years prior since he still had his son, was deeply disheartened. However, as he gradually came to understand the feelings of his daughter-in-law and grandson, he began to find solace in them.

“Grandfather, what do we have to do for Deity Suwa to come out for us?”

The two exited the grassland and were walking between the wheat fields.

"If you go every day to pray and ask, He'll come out for you."

"Okay."

Tamesaku's house was a small dwelling partitioned by a reed fence among wheat fields, but unlike makeshift huts, it had elevated floors with properly closing storm shutters.
Tamesaku sat Genkichi down beside the hearth and served him supper from the pot hanging on the adjustable hook.
Tamesaku poured sake from the flask and began drinking.
The hearth fire flickered, illuminating Tamesaku's face like an aged Noh mask.

“Come on, you’ve got to eat up—eat up and grow big. What’ll you become?”

“I’m going to be a samurai, I tell you!”

“Hmm, so you want to be a samurai? If you become one and get a stipend, there’s nothing sweeter—but if you step wrong, you’ll have to slit your belly. Think you can do that?”

“If it’s my belly, I can cut it!”

“Hah! Damn impressive, that. With the right resolve, you could be anything—samurai, scholar, monk, or priest—if you set your mind to it. Speaking of priests, Lord Maki’s a damn fine one. Your mother’s sharp-witted and attentive, so he’s taken a liking to look after you.”

“When will Mom come back?”

“She’ll be back soon enough. Once Lord Maki finishes his dinner, she’ll return. He’s a damn impressive man—not that you’d understand even if I told you.”

Just as Genkichi set down his chopsticks, there was the sound of footsteps, and someone entered.

“Good evening.”

“Good evening.”

Tamesaku, still holding his sake cup, looked toward the moonlit veranda.
There were the faces of a man in his forties and another in his thirties.

“Shū and Kinji? You need something?”

Tamesaku’s words held no welcome.
The forty-year-old called Shū laughed awkwardly.

“Not really. Just came to talk.”

“Hmm. If it won’t hinder tomorrow’s work, go on then.”

The two men exchanged glances and said something to each other as they sat down, then the thirty-year-old man called Kinji spoke.

“Uncle, how’s work?”

“Work? If there’s any, I’ll do it since I can’t eat otherwise—but at this age, all I can manage are menial jobs.”

“At my place too, they keep saying they want to build a shed, but with no money coming in…”

“If the money comes through, they can build it. As for carpenters—whether it’s Zenpachi or Kirōku—there’s plenty of skilled ones around.”

“Can’t you do it yourself, Uncle?”

“It’s not that I can’t do it, but at my age—who knows when I’ll kick the bucket. I can’t make any guarantees.”

Tamesaku’s words remained blunt and brusque through and through.
Kinji had no choice but to laugh.
“Hasn’t the missus come back yet? Genkichi seems to be all alone.”

Shū remarked casually.

“She can’t come back even if she wants to—it’s not like she’s out playin’ around.”
“Aye, s’pose not.”

Shū, too, found himself at a loss for words.
The two men, having nothing left to occupy them, returned home.

Tamesaku clicked his tongue.

“You stray dogs—she’s not some kept daughter-in-law for the likes of you! What’re you loitering around here for?”

Genkichi was lying on his stomach.

“Mom will be back soon. You should stay up a bit longer.”

Tamesaku was eating.
Then a woman’s scream was heard.
Tamesaku froze his chopsticks mid-motion.

“Hmm?” Tamesaku tilted his ear, and once more, a woman’s scream reached it.
“That’s the daughter-in-law’s voice! Damn it! Genkichi—stay in the house! Don’t you dare go outside!”

As he shouted, Tamesaku stood up, stepped down into the earthen-floored entryway, grabbed the cane propped against the wall, and rushed outside.
Genkichi, startled, scrambled to his feet and paced restlessly around the room.

III

Under the moonlight, O-Katsu had the end of her obi seized by a tall assailant who carried a single short sword.
O-Katsu had just left the Maki residence and was about to head home when—since the moon was bright—she took a shortcut through the grassland. There, under a pine tree’s shadow, the assailant had been waiting.
Though clad in a small-patterned kimono befitting her station, she—accustomed to handling men—had tried to soothe her inflamed assailant’s temper while seeking an opening to flee. But just then, the assailant revealed his beastly nature, seizing the end of her obi to drag her back.

O-Katsu was in dire straits. If she were pulled back and the assailant’s hand came to rest on her shoulder, she would lose all freedom of movement. O-Katsu struggled frantically to avoid being dragged back. At that moment, the knot of her obi came undone. One end of the black satin sash remained gripped in the assailant’s hand as O-Katsu’s slender body spun wildly under the moonlight. Her form rapidly put two or three shaku between them, but seizing the opportunity, she dropped to her knees. As if to fend off the lunging assailant, O-Katsu thrust one hand toward him while trying to rise with the other. Her oval, pale face looked bewitchingly alluring. The assailant discarded the obi and pressed closer.

“What do you think you’re doing, you lawless brute!”

A voice thick with fury rang out as a cane flashed before the assailant.
The assailant staggered back.

“You’re one of those ronin, ain’t ya? What’re you doin’ with my daughter-in-law?”

The tall assailant bearing a short sword was Hayashida Yosaemon—a masterless samurai who taught penmanship.
Hayashida rolled bulging eyes toward his opponent.
There stood Tamesaku’s weathered face, as familiar as yesterday’s sun.

“I’ve got business with that woman. Get in my way and you’ll regret it.”

“That’s my line! This woman is my family’s daughter-in-law! What do you think you’re doing with my family’s daughter-in-law, you lawless brute?”

The cane in Tamesaku’s hand flashed once more.
Hayashida nimbly dodged, closed in on Tamesaku’s position, snatched away the cane, and raised it overhead.
At that moment, something terrifying suddenly flashed before Hayashida’s eyes.
It was the purple-tinged claw of a giant crab, resembling two halberds combined.
Hayashida, startled, threw down the cane and staggered back.
The giant crab’s claw was also there.

“Gah!”

Hayashida covered his eyes and fled.
Tamesaku and O-Katsu returned home relieved that the assailant had fled.

“The way that lawless brute ran off was strange, don’t you think?”

“He covered his eyes as he fled—did something happen to him?”

“Must’ve been struck by the cane’s tip or such.”

“Do you think so?”

“Aye—divine punishment.”

IV

The next morning, Tamesaku sent O-Katsu out after deciding that a woman walking alone at night was too dangerous and that he would go meet her at an appropriate time. After that, while keeping watch over Genkichi, he set about making the storm shutters commissioned by another household.

Tamesaku spread a straw mat in the shade before the garden and worked there.
Genkichi was sometimes by Tamesaku’s side and sometimes not.

When evening came and Tamesaku set aside his work to prepare dinner, Genkichi suddenly came and stood before the garden.

“Grandfather,”

Tamesaku was by the hearth.

“Oh, Genkichi! Where’ve you been? Grandfather was about to go search for you.”

“I went to Deity Suwa, Grandfather. Today, Deity Suwa came out!”

“What? Deity Suwa did?!”

“That’s right! I went before Deity Suwa, and when I said, ‘Deity Suwa, Deity Suwa, let’s play together,’ Deity Suwa came out!”

Tamesaku thought Genkichi was saying something nonsensical, but since Genkichi looked utterly serious, he stopped stirring the pot.

“You say it came out—what exactly came out?”

“It’s Deity Suva.”

“What kind of Deity Suva are you talking about?”

“It’s a white snake.”

“Where did the white snake come from?”

“When I kept saying, ‘Deity Suwa, Deity Suwa, let’s play together,’ [Deity Suwa] came out from between the stones under the shrine!”

“What happened then?”

“At first I got scared and ran away, but [Deity Suwa] didn’t chase me—just lay there or coiled up instead. So when I said, ‘Deity Suwa, make a circle!’ [Deity Suwa] made a circle! And when I said, ‘Deity Suwa, crawl!’ [Deity Suwa] crawled!”

“Th-that... is that true?”
Tamesaku emerged crawling toward the veranda. “Is that true, Genkichi?”

“It’s true! Then when I said, ‘Deity Suwa, please bring crabs along,’ he brought lots of crabs for me!”

“Is that true? If it is, that’s sacrilege! Doing such a thing will bring the deity’s punishment—we must go apologize to the deity.”

Tamesaku had already forgotten about dinner.
He descended into the garden, washed both hands with water from the bucket, took out a wooden tray, and heaped salt and rice upon it.

“Genkichi, come—we’re going to Deity Suwa now.”
“Are we going to Deity Suwa again?”
“If we don’t go and apologize, punishment will strike.”
“Okay.”

Tamesaku walked ahead.
Genkichi followed behind, trotting along.
Outside had faded to a dusky amber.
They left the wheat fields—where rows of full ears stood straight—and entered the meadow, but beneath the standing trees of the grassland, it was dark.

The two of them walked beneath that darkness.
The old zelkova tree that stood as though embracing Deity Suwa’s shrine soon came into view.
There, the surroundings had brightened, likely from the moonlight.
Tamesaku felt a mix of fear and reverence, unable to walk forward as calmly as he usually did.
He sat down about two ken away from the shrine and, while respectfully placing the wooden tray heaped with salt and rice before him, pressed both hands flat against the ground and lowered his head.

“Today, my grandson—who knew nothing—has committed an act of grave irreverence, and I have no words to express my apologies. Moreover, my son has passed away, and I am still in the first year of mourning. Though he is but a helpless child, I can offer no sufficient apology. Yet as he is a pitiable child without a father, I humbly beg your forgiveness—this old man offers his deepest apologies.”

Tamesaku slightly raised his head—which had been lowered like a flattened spider—and looked at the profile of Genkichi sitting beside him on his left.

“You apologize too.”

Genkichi was unperturbed.

“Deity Suwa won’t get angry. Why don’t I call Him?”

“Wh-what are you saying?!” Tamesaku frantically cut in. “D-doing such a disrespectful thing is unthinkable! Even if you’re just an ignorant child, doing that will bring the deity’s harsh punishment!”

“But Deity Suwa does whatever I say, you see.”
Genkichi said with a straight face while clasping his hands, “Deity Suwa, Deity Suwa, please come out for a moment.”

“Hush! I-I’m telling you not to speak such things! You impossible child!” After saying this, Tamesaku again pressed his head flat against the ground like a huntsman spider and pleaded, “Please hear me—this child understands nothing. I humbly beg you not to take offense.”

As Tamesaku was wholeheartedly apologizing, Genkichi’s cheerful voice reached his ears.

“Deity Suwa has come out! Deity Suwa has come out! Grandfather, Deity Suwa has come out!”

“What?!” Tamesaku raised his face as if forgetting his words of apology and looked ahead.

“You can see it—Deity Suwa’s coming this way—facing right toward me!”

However, Tamesaku could not see what was inside.

"You can see it—the white, lovely snake!"
Genkichi pointed ahead and said, "That’s the snake—right there!"

The grass, the shrine, even the zelkova tree embracing the shrine were clearly visible, but there was nothing else.

"I—Grandfather—can’t see [You], even if I can’t see [You], it’s, it’s disrespectful!" Tamesaku said in a fluster, pressing his head to the ground. "Thank You, thank You for deigning to heed this child’s words!"

“Grandfather must have eye gunk—if you wash your face and come back, you’ll see [Deity Suwa].”

Tamesaku did not raise his face.

“Disrespectful, disrespectful! Grandfather doesn’t matter—thank You, thank You! Please withdraw now! And you—don’t keep doing disrespectful things forever! Hurry and ask the Deity to withdraw! Disrespectful, oh so disrespectful!”

“Grandfather, Deity Suwa has coiled into a circle now.”

“This is irreverent! You mustn’t utter such disrespectful things!”

“Deity Suwa, Grandfather says he cannot see You. Please come accompanied by crabs and show Yourself to him.”

“I keep telling you, blasphemous wretch—you mustn’t make such selfish entreaties! Deity Suwa, I implore You—do not deign to heed this child’s words any longer!”

“The crabs are emerging! The crabs are emerging! Grandfather, since Deity Suwa summoned them, crabs are streaming forth from the tree hole!”

“I keep telling you it’s disrespectful! You blasphemous wretch—you mustn’t speak such things!”

“They’re coming out! They’re coming out! Grandfather, so many crabs—look!”

“Disrespectful, disrespectful—you mustn’t speak such disrespectful things!”

Tamesaku’s head was lifted as if by something and suddenly rose.
A great many small river crabs were swarming forward, their purple-tinged claws raised high.
Tamesaku once again pressed his head flat against the ground.

“Disrespectful, disrespectful—to have brought such disgrace upon myself, this old man’s life would not be worth sparing even if taken this very moment. Deity Suwa, how irreverent I have been!”

Tamesaku’s words filled with deep emotion were abruptly cut short.

“This old dog—I knew your behavior seemed fishy, fishy! So here you are cookin’ up schemes in this hole.”

Tamesaku raised his face.

There stood Hayashida from the previous night, accompanied by two men.
Hayashida had come to take the woman while also seeking revenge from the previous night.

“That former courtesan from Edo—I knew she’d brought some trickery with her! Last night, I nearly had this precious eye stabbed by those conniving crabs’ claws!”

Tamesaku’s mind remained captivated by the divine portent.
Tamesaku kept his head pressed against the ground just as before.

“Deity Suwa, how irreverent I have been! Truly, I have no words to express my remorse! Deity Suwa, I humbly beg You to withdraw.”

Hayashida looked at the two men he had brought with him and sneered.

“Where’s this ‘Deity Suwa’ supposed to be? Confucius taught us not to speak of strange forces and chaotic spirits! In this day and age, how could any gods show themselves? Nothing’s more suspicious nowadays than underhanded schemes! With all the scheming dying out lately, even mirages’ve grown scarce—yet here you go starting your tricks again!”

“Disrespectful, disrespectful! I’m worshiping Deity Suwa here! Your warped eyes might not see Him, but my grandson’s do! Keep talking like that and divine punishment will strike! Deity Suwa, how irreverent they’re being!”

One of the men accompanying Hayashida said.

“Hah! You expect us to believe Deity Suwa’d be holed up in some bird’s nest of a shrine?”

Genkichi sat composedly without averting his gaze, looking straight ahead as he spoke.

“Deity Suwa is right there—He’s come with crabs, you know.”

“Where is He, you sleepy brat?”

Hayashida snapped and took a step forward.

“He’s right there.”
Genkichi calmly pointed about one ken ahead.

“He’s coiled in a circle now.”

“Sleepy brat! What’re you staring at to spout such nonsense? Nothing here but weeds sprouting from dirt!”

“Since Grandfather can’t see Him either, you won’t either. Go wash your grimy face! Deity Suwa’s become a white snake now!”

“If that god’s really there, I’ll squash ’im under my boot!”

Hayashida marched forward and stomped hard where Genkichi pointed.

“Deity Suwa’s coiled round your leg!”

At the same moment as Genkichi’s words, Hayashida let out a startled cry and tumbled spinning past Tamesaku’s nose like a thrown ball.

Five

O-Katsu had returned from the Maki residence, escorted by Maki Chizaemon, the master of the household.
She had been about to wait for her father-in-law to come fetch her after recounting the previous night’s incident when Chizaemon suggested escorting her home under the beautiful moon, leaving her no choice but to accept his offer.

When the two had left the residential area and entered a farm path, Chizaemon hesitantly began to say something unexpected.

“Lady O-Katsu, the reason I escorted you home tonight is because there’s something I wish you to hear.”

“Yes.”

“I wish to look after you and the child. As you know, I lost my wife three years ago. Relatives and acquaintances urged me to remarry, but I refused them all until now, thinking it pitiful for the child. Yet since you began helping at my house, that resolve has weakened.”

O-Katsu was at a loss.

“Please let me care for you. I’ll ensure the child grows splendidly. In your place, I’ll see old Tamesaku wants for nothing his remaining days.”

“Yes.”

“As one who serves the gods, I’ll speak no falsehoods.”

“I well understand your generous intent, but this isn’t mine to decide alone—and I’m of base standing besides.”

“That matters not. I know your history full well—knew it when making this offer. A soul purifies itself through earnest effort. Let me provide for you.”

“I already fully understand your gracious intentions, Lord, but it has not yet been a year since my husband passed, and I have resolved not to consider such matters at all.”

“I too am aware of this, and had thought it premature to speak—but after last night’s events, I feared there would be no undoing it should your heart turn elsewhere.”

“Thank you.”

The two reached a fork in the farm path at that moment.
If one were to go right on that path, it would be very close to the grassland where Suwa Shrine stood.
They did not consider the path’s distance, but unwilling to let villagers witness their appearance or overhear their conversation, they continued toward the grassland.
Clusters of pine and zelkova trees created shadows under the moon.

“Lady O-Katsu, won’t you let me hear your answer?”

“Yes.”

Just as O-Katsu was struggling to respond, a clamor of voices erupted in the distance.

“Something’s happening.”

Chizaemon could no longer continue that conversation.
He was reluctant to hurry there together with her, but since he could not show hesitation toward O-Katsu, he feigned composure and walked onward.

In front of the shrine stood Tamesaku and Genkichi, while beyond the grassland before them, two men were attempting to lift Hayashida’s cold body.

Six

As the strange rumor spread that Hayashida Yosaemon, the ronin, had died after trampling Deity Suwa’s snake, the townspeople’s reverence for Suwa Shrine deepened, and it was decided to rebuild the shrine into a grand and imposing hall. Since it was agreed that a family member of the child favored by Deity Suwa’s divine will should oversee this, Tamesaku became the master carpenter and began construction.

Genkichi would sometimes play with Deity Suwa even during the construction.

The shrine hall was completed by the end of that year, so it was decided to hold the relocation ceremony.
The priest was Chizaemon, who had been in charge from the beginning.

On that day at the front of the worship hall, Priest Chizaemon sat facing the altar, with Genkichi seated slightly behind him accompanied by Tamesaku. The town leaders sat in rows with their backs to the hall’s entrance.

When the time came, Chizaemon began reciting the norito prayer, but his voice abruptly failed. The townspeople wondered at this strange occurrence.

“Ah! Deity Suwa’s on Lord Maki’s neck!” Genkichi exclaimed.

The worship hall fell utterly silent. At that moment, Chizaemon’s body contorted backward.

“My heart is tainted and unworthy of the august deity’s divine will. From this day forth, I shall have Lord Genkichi serve as this shrine’s priest while I act as his guardian.”

There, Genkichi put on the suikan that Chizaemon had been wearing and was seated before the altar.

This young priest would occasionally play with Deity Suwa before the worship hall even after that, but the townspeople would sometimes see swarms of river crabs or clusters of frogs there.