Pathway to Japanese Literature

One

At the very front toddled Issunbōshi, wearing a red Turkish hat.
After that came a great elephant wearing an enormous sack with only the eye areas cut out, its thick legs plodding steadily along.
On the elephant’s back sat three cute girls in pink dresses, perched in a neat row like dolls.
Following them came the band members, all wearing red pants and carrying large trumpets, small trumpets, clarinets, bass drums, snare drums, and the like, marching in step as they played a lively march.

Following these came carts carrying wild beasts like lions, tigers, and bears confined in iron cages.
Following these came about ten horses, each carrying a cute girl or boy, their hooves clip-clopping as they approached.
Finally came a great crowd of people carrying red, yellow, and blue flags, trailing along in a straggling line.
On each of those flags were dyed in white characters proclaiming such titles as "Oriental’s Greatest Circus Troupe," "Oriental’s Premier Traveling Grand Zoo," "World-Class Grand Magic," and "World-Renowned Beast Tamers."

From Issunbōshi at the very front to the flag bearers at the rear stretched a procession some 150 meters long, the long parade enveloped in the band’s ineffably pleasant marching rhythm and scattering its ineffably lively hues about as it advanced through the dazzling sunlight of an August morning.

This was a small town on the shore of a lake located approximately eighty kilometers north of Tokyo.
In this quiet, quiet town with no trains or streetcars—where only two buses passed through each day—the sudden arrival of such a grand procession caused quite the commotion.
The town suddenly sprang to life as if waking from sleep, the townspeople’s hearts pounding with excitement as they abandoned their work and poured into the streets to watch the procession with wide eyes.
The children, especially those bored during summer vacation, rejoiced as if a year’s worth of festivals had arrived all at once, unable to stay still any longer as they trailed along behind the procession in a long straggling line.
The spirited boys, feeling as if their feet barely touched the ground, leaped about and hopped around—standing before Issunbōshi to compare heights, creeping near Fatman to peek at his long trunk beneath the sack, keeping rhythm with the band’s beats, warily observing the lions and tigers and bears, trying to steal touches from the boys and girls atop horses, shouldering the flag bearers’ banners—utterly enthralled by it all.
After all, this was an event unprecedented since the town’s founding—for many children here, it marked their first time not only seeing Issunbōshi but even encountering elephants, lions, tigers, or bears—so such commotion was only natural.

Two

At the town’s four corners where a fire watchtower stood, where fig leaves cast black shadows, there stood a blacksmith shop.
There was an eleven-year-old apprentice named Shinkichi.
That morning too—from early hours—he kept up his *tottenkan*, *tottenkan* hammering in the dirt-floored workshop while being yelled at by his mean master.

Then, from afar came resounding notes of an unfamiliar brass band.
At first, he thought it might be the occasional traveling cinema band as he raised his hammer, but as the sound drew nearer, he realized this was no ordinary band.
Before long, the brass band's sound had drawn near enough that peering out from under the eaves would likely reveal it.
But at times like these—if one were to carelessly peek out—the master's hammer would come knocking against their shin with a thud.
Shinkichi gritted his lower lip and raised his hammer, wishing he could simply be rid of his ears altogether.

The circus troupe's procession arrived under the fire watchtower beside the blacksmith shop.
Then Issunbōshi at the very front swung around to face the rear, took off his red Turkish hat with one hand and raised it,

“Stooop!” he shouted.
Issunbōshi let out a deep, hoarse voice unbefitting his small frame, startling the spectators.
The children, who had thought he couldn’t speak human language at all, were all the more astonished.

Issunbōshi lifted the hem of the sack covering the elephant before him. When about a foot of the elephant’s trunk tip emerged, he placed a hand upon it. No sooner had he done this than he spun into a mid-air flip and landed squarely among the three girls on the elephant’s back. Needless to say, the children were astonished, and the adults too found themselves utterly amazed by this.

Issunbōshi then took wooden clappers from his trouser pocket and clacked them twice—clack-clack—

“Orchestra stop!” he shouted.
And with that,the band abruptly ceased playing.
“Clack-clack-clack! Ladies and gentlemen!” Issunbōshi puffed out his chest and while looking around began his spiel.

“Now then, ladies and gentlemen! Until now, you’ve taken me for the world’s smallest man—even children deigned to compare heights with me and made light of me—but now I’ve become the world’s greatest giant! Lo and behold, ladies and gentlemen—have you not all become pitiful Issunbōshi who cannot even reach my feet? If you resent this, come here and try comparing heights with me—do! Ahem.”

“Clack-clack-clack. Ladies and gentlemen! Now then, ladies and gentlemen—it has come to pass that I, Issunbōshi, the world’s greatest giant, shall humbly extend greetings on behalf of our entire circus troupe. It is none other than this. Our esteemed circus troupe is none other than a grand circus troupe and grand zoo renowned not only throughout Japan but across the entire Orient. Featuring ninety-eight species of animals—elephants, lions, tigers foremost among them—eighteen trick horses, thirty-six acrobats, twenty-eight theatrical and dancing youths, plus a world-class grand magician, world-renowned beast tamer, and Japan’s finest orchestra! And finally—” *ahem* “—this humble one/I/me: Issunbōshi, Japan’s handsomest man! Clack-clack-clack!”

“Now then, ladies and gentlemen! What manner of plays shall these performers present? What manner of dances? What manner of acrobatics? What manner of magic? What manner of wild beasts? All shall commence tonight at six in the grand tent behind our honorable town hall!
“Regarding this matter, we have received immense support from His Honor the Mayor of this town, the esteemed police officials, and our town’s distinguished benefactors—support for which our entire troupe remains endlessly grateful.
“Therefore, on this opening day—as an expression of our gratitude—both adults and children shall be admitted at half price!
“Now we humbly implore you, ladies and gentlemen! Kindly spread word from neighbor to neighbor—with bustling excitement and eager haste—that you may grace us with your presence in great numbers! On behalf of our entire troupe—” here he pressed his palms together in supplication atop the elephant’s back “—we bow low to beseech your most gracious attendance!”
Clack-clack-clack.”

Thereupon Issunbōshi spun around in one fluid motion and performed a handstand on the elephant’s back.
No sooner had he done this than he spun upright once more and turned to look back at the procession,

“Orchestra, go!
“Procession, advance—…”

Three

Shinkichi the blacksmith’s apprentice became so thrilled that his head reeled, and he wanted to babble wildly about the circus troupe right then and there without holding anything back.
But if he uttered even a single unnecessary word during work, the master’s hammer would come flying with a thud.
Reluctantly, Shinkichi swung up the large hammer with all his might and struck down—Tottenkan, Tottenkan—over and over.
And then, after the circus troupe’s band sounds had faded into the distant outskirts of town, his mind finally settled.

The blacksmith shop’s work was finally finished after evening grew dark.
Before the work was even completed, sure enough, the circus troupe’s band began resounding from the direction of the large tent behind the town hall.
And thus, the sound of the band coming from afar resounded once more in an indescribably soft, quiet, and pleasant tone.
The sounds of clarinet and trumpet drifted apart and intertwined, conveying a dreamlike resonance as though from some unknown distant land.

Before long, people began passing in front of the store—in twos and threes, as though drawn by the band’s music—hurrying along.
There were children too—siblings holding hands—running off.
Seeing this, Shinkichi suddenly felt sorrowful about his own circumstances.

Shinkichi had no parents. His only sister had gone into service at his uncle’s house in Tokyo, and he himself had attended elementary school for barely two years before becoming this blacksmith’s apprentice.
Going to see the circus with siblings was out of the question—he couldn’t even go alone.
When Shinkichi went to the town bathhouse once every three days, the mistress gave him only three one-sen copper coins—that was the arrangement—and as for pocket money, he wasn’t given a single sen.

"At least I'll go see the circus's outer perimeter," he thought.

Shinkichi resolved to endure with just that.

When work ended, Shinkichi hurriedly tidied the workplace and began wolfing down his cold rice in a rush.
And just then, the baby who never slept well at night began wailing at full volume as usual.

“Shinkichi, how long you gonna keep stuffing your face?”
“Get moving and mind the baby already!”

The mistress’s shrill voice cut through the workshop.

Shinkichi had to hoist the scab-headed infant onto his back, pacing before the shop dozens upon dozens of times until its wails subsided—all while those ear-splitting cries battered his eardrums.
The circus would be over before he ever got there.

At last he stood weeping in the shadows beneath the fire watchtower, tears plopping one after another into the dust.

Four

However, the next night was Shinkichi's turn to go to the town bathhouse.
The circus troupe’s band had long been resounding with magnificent liveliness.
Shinkichi dashed outside while wolfing down his dinner.
And toward the circus opposite the bathhouse he raced—so fast he marveled at his own speed—his soot-blackened face shaking wildly as if he were the wind itself.

When he arrived, Shinkichi stood astonished.
What a wondrous palace of light and color!
From the tent’s peak stretched red and blue ropes of electric lights in all directions, swaying and glimmering in the night wind from the lake.
Golden and silver drapes hung across the tent’s front, flanked by painted signboards and encircled by red, yellow, and blue flags while countless glittering bulbs shone brilliantly—all enveloping the band that stirred up a roaring sound within.

“Step right up, step right up!”
“The aerial acrobatics mark the beginning of our grand aerial feat—begiiin!”

The barker pressed one hand to his cheek and shouted—then the front curtain whisked upward, revealing three or four horses emerging from within, each bearing two girls clad in red outfits with gold and silver stars glittering across their chests.
In their place, boys and girls of identical appearance filed inside.
The emerged horses parted to either side.
There stood a row of identical steeds, each carrying a girl who sat as motionless as a crafted doll upon its back, not so much as blinking an eye.
The longer Shinkichi stared, the more marvels he discovered—whether this was the dragon palace beneath the sea or some heavenly realm above the clouds, he could no longer believe he still dwelled in the mortal world.

“Step right up, step right up! The beast tamer will wrestle a lion! Hurry, hurry!”

From within came spectators' applause resounding like a storm.
The brass band's sound swelled like a great wave.

Shinkichi walked around the tent again and again, feeling as though his body were floating in mid-air.
Then at one spot he found a small gap offering a fleeting glimpse inside.
He pressed against it and peered through.
There they were performing the bamboo-walking act.
A beautiful woman in an iridescent dress held a painted parasol in one hand, attempting to quietly slide her slender legs forward.
It stood at a height that seemed to measure six meters.
The long bamboo pole suspended by ropes at both ends trembled violently with minute vibrations.

"Ah, dangerous!"
Shinkichi instinctively leaped back from the gap.
His heart pounded wildly.

"What an incredible stunt... Peeking like that will bring bad luck!"

Clutching his chest, he circled around to the front entrance.

Time had slipped away unnoticed.
He might have lingered long enough to visit the bathhouse three times over.
If I keep dawdling, the mistress will yell at me again.
Shinkichi began trudging homeward, stealing resentful glances backward again and again.

When he reached the street corner where the tent’s lights disappeared from view, Shinkichi planted both hands on the ground and peered between his legs.
When viewed upside down from between his legs, the circus tent appeared even more beautifully resplendent, like a palace floating in mid-air.

Five

The following day, Shinkichi was filled with such happiness that it sent shivers throughout his entire body.
Why was he so happy? He himself couldn’t clearly grasp the reason.
And he barely registered his master’s usual angry shouts, nor did he find it painful to swing the heavy hammer.

The following day, and the day after that, Shinkichi felt exactly the same way.
Or rather, with each passing day, the feeling of happiness spread wider within his chest.

That evening, the familiar sounds of the circus troupe’s band failed to reach Shinkichi’s ears. Had the troupe departed without his knowledge while he remained unaware? As this thought took hold, a sudden loneliness washed over him—like a lantern’s light being snuffed out.

Then came the clatter of multiple carriages passing before the shop. Caged lions and bears rode atop their platforms. The elephant lumbered by wearing its customary sackcloth covering. Next rumbled a carriage crammed full with boys and girls, followed by several more wagons laden with assorted luggage bringing up the rear.

At last, the circus troupe was withdrawing toward the train station.
The train station was located a little over one ri north along the lake’s shore.

Shinkichi stood blankly under the fire watchtower watching them leave, but he had grown so lonely he could no longer stand still.
He felt as though that circus troupe was taking all his present happiness away with them.

At last, Shinkichi started running after the circus troupe.
All I could think was that I wanted to stay with the circus troupe; I couldn't consider a single thing beyond that.
The figure of Shinkichi—the blacksmith’s apprentice with face, hands, and feet as jet-black as an Indian child—walking alone away from the town where lights were beginning to flicker on, his eyes shining with apparent happiness, was truly no ordinary sight. Yet not a single soul in that town knew of this.

Six

Shinkichi caught up to the circus troupe’s luggage-laden carriage and stealthily climbed onto a corner at its rear.

Stars began twinkling in the sky.
As he gazed absently at that starry expanse, Shinkichi imagined various scenarios about joining the circus troupe.
Every one of these imaginings shone bright with happiness.

When full night had descended, the circus troupe’s procession reached the train station.

"What should I say to get them to let me join the troupe?"

Shinkichi was thinking about that.
Then, out of nowhere, a girl in a red merino kimono appeared.
Though she was a circus horse rider, wearing a kimono made her look like any ordinary town girl.
The girl, upon noticing Shinkichi,

“Oh, there’s a sooty kid here,” she said.
Shinkichi, flustered, slid down from the carriage.

“Where did you come from?”

“I-I-I,” Shinkichi stammered, then continued, “I want to join the circus troupe.”

He finally managed to say it.

“No way.”

No sooner had she spoken than the girl spun around and ran off.
Before long, the girl returned, bringing with her an older woman.

“You want to join the circus troupe?”
“Where on earth did you come from?”

"They were doing their circus acts until yesterday. I followed from that town."

"And your home?"

"I'm the blacksmith's apprentice."

“No wonder your face is all black,” she said.
“So you sneaked out of the blacksmith shop without a word.”
“What a naughty child.”
“Your master will be furious—scurry back home this instant.”

“But I don’t want to go back.”
“The master and mistress are cruel—they’re always making me suffer awful things.”

“The circus troupe’s no better.”
“Life there’s nothing but harder hardships.”
“So quit these silly notions and march straight home.”
“Understood?”

“…………”

As Shinkichi struggled to respond,

“Hey, time’s up! If you keep dawdling, the train’ll leave without us!” came a loud shout.
The woman took the girl’s hand and ran off toward the ticket gate.

Before long, the train carrying the circus troupe departed.
Left behind alone, Shinkichi stood there dejectedly, rooted to the spot.
Before long, the circus troupe’s luggage was towed toward the warehouse.
On the rails in front of the warehouse, about three freight cars had been pulled in.
The luggage was being loaded along with elephants, lions, tigers, and other animals.

Realizing this, Shinkichi took advantage of the open freight car door and stealthily crept in from the dark side, then nimbly darted inside like a mouse.

Seven

And so Shinkichi had finally come to the town at the northern edge of Tokyo.

At first, when he jumped into the freight car, Shinkichi curled up in a corner.
Then the elephant climbed into the freight car.
Even Shinkichi was startled by this.
Because if he wasn’t careful, he’d be crushed under the elephant’s feet.
Shinkichi frantically huddled like a baby mouse.

The elephant, snorting through the tip of its long trunk, touched Shinkichi’s head and shoulders.
Shinkichi felt more dead than alive.
But after that, the elephant grew quiet.

“Oh—there’s a human child sleeping here—poor thing.”

The elephant might have thought that.
Before long, Shinkichi fell fast asleep just like that.

“Hey, brat!”

Startled by the loud voice, Shinkichi opened his eyes to find a large man in Western clothes standing before him, eyes glaring fiercely.
This was the Circus Leader.
Before they knew it, night had broken, and before they knew it, the freight car had arrived at the station in the town at Tokyo’s northern edge.
The elephant had already been unloaded from the freight car.

“Hey, brat.”

The Circus Leader repeated,

“How about I let you join the circus troupe?” he said with a gentle expression.

“Mister, will you really let me join?”

Shinkichi sprang up energetically and asked again.

“Ah.
If you obey quietly and work your hardest, I’ll let you join.”

“I’ll work as hard as I can! I’ll do anything!”

“There there, good boy.”

The Circus Leader smiled benevolently and patted Shinkichi’s head.

With this, Shinkichi had managed to join the circus troupe exactly as he’d wished.

Eight

The circus tent had already been splendidly completed along the town’s main street.
The roof bore illumination, the front hung with gold and silver curtains, countless flags stood in lively rows—all exactly as they had been built in Shinkichi’s hometown.

Until just yesterday, he hadn’t even been able to peek inside this circus tent, yet now Shinkichi had already become one of the troupe—this splendid structure was his home.
Shinkichi was so happy that he even wondered if this was all a dream.

Shinkichi was so overjoyed that he began hopping around the circular sawdust-covered performance area when, from behind the entrance curtain, a girl and an older woman emerged.
When he looked closely, they were the two who had given Shinkichi various warnings at the rural train station yesterday evening.
The two women widened their eyes in mild surprise,

“You’ve ended up joining after all,” said the older woman.
Then she added—
“Even if you get sick of it, you’ll never escape this troupe.”

“Really, how pitiful,” the girl said sympathetically.

To Shinkichi, who thought of the circus troupe as nothing but a dazzlingly happy thing, it was simply mystifying why these two women kept saying such things both yesterday and today.

Shinkichi slipped through the curtain without responding and ran toward where the elephant was.
The elephant flapped its large ears, swung its long trunk from side to side, and stomped its feet.
Even to Shinkichi, who knew nothing, it was clear the elephant was tremendously pleased.
Having spent the entire previous night together in the same freight car, the elephant seemed to regard Shinkichi as a friend.

After that, Shinkichi and the elephant became close friends.
The elephant’s name was Fatman.
It meant "fat man".

Around ten o'clock, the band began.
And then around noon, the circus performances began.
People streamed by, but fewer entered than during their show in Shinkichi's hometown—merely a third of the spectator seats were occupied. Yet act after act continued endlessly: horseback stunts, bicycle acrobatics, bamboo pole walks, tightrope crossings, aerial flights, the elephant's tricks, wild beast taming acts, and the girls' dances.

Shinkichi was dying to watch, but he couldn’t do so.
He had to prepare feed for over ten horses.
He had to prepare food for dozens of species of animals.
And then, in a small tent behind the circus tent, he had to prepare meals for dozens of troupe members.
There were many other people responsible for these tasks outside, but they were all tool handlers—mean-spirited lazy good-for-nothings.
Therefore, Shinkichi was worked to the point of dizziness as orders came one after another—fetch water, polish rice, peel potatoes, buy pickled radish.

But Shinkichi worked with all his might. He did anything. Because he had promised the Circus Leader, he couldn’t voice any dislike, nor could he slack off even slightly. Thus Shinkichi became even more soot-blackened than during his time at the rural blacksmith shop, working from morning till night—on that night too, he kept laboring until around eleven or twelve. The morning work wasn’t particularly grueling, but the hardship of cleaning up after evening performances ended and spectators left defied description. His stomach empty, body exhausted, head nodding with drowsiness—Shinkichi simply worked in a frenzy.

Nine

After about ten days of performances there, the circus troupe moved next to a town at Tokyo’s southern edge, where they performed for another ten days or so.
Then they went to Yokohama.
Next came Odawara.
Then Shizuoka, followed by Hamamatsu—after which they traveled through Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, Kanazawa, and Nagano. By the time they finally reached Kofu City, autumn had passed, winter had come and gone, spring had slipped away, and summer had returned once more.

A full year had now passed since Shinkichi joined the circus troupe.
In that time, he had become a master elephant handler.
During their endless journeys from town to town, Shinkichi always rode in the freight car alongside the elephant.
Though they had been friends from the start, these long travels made Shinkichi and Fatman as close as brothers—the elephant now understood every word Shinkichi spoke and obeyed every command without hesitation.

The Circus Leader was both astonished and delighted by this. Therefore, he decided to present Shinkichi before the audience as an expert elephant handler.

The previous elephant handler had been that Issunbōshi, but all Issunbōshi could do was have the elephant raise one leg, blow a trumpet, or stand on a go board. But when Shinkichi handled him, Fatman would do anything an elephant’s body was capable of. The most entertaining act of all was when Shinkichi and Fatman performed their blacksmith routine together. A large xylophone was crafted; Shinkichi carried it while walking around in circles. Fatman would follow behind while walking and strike the xylophone with a stick held at the tip of his trunk.

When Shinkichi struck with a “Totten,” Fatman struck back with a “kan.”
“Tottenkan, Tottenkan”—the xylophone rang out in perfect rhythm.
Wearing a tricorn hat and a clown costume, Shinkichi sang out loudly:

“Strike and strike, baldy,
Tottenkan.

Sparks will fly, baldy,
Tottenkan.

Ahaha, ahaha, hahaha,
Tottenkan.”

Tottenkan.

"Sparks will fly, baldy,

Tottenkan.

Ahaha, ahaha, hahaha,

Tottenkan."

Needless to say, this act was one Shinkichi had conceived from his time as a former blacksmith apprentice, and the lyrics "Strike and strike, baldy" in the song had been created by recalling his former blacksmith master’s bald head.

When Shinkichi began singing this, Fatman would flap his ears noisily, wag his tail, lift a foot, and laugh with his entire body.
The spectators all doubled over with laughter at this.

If that mean old blacksmith were among the spectators, what kind of face would he make?
Thinking this, Shinkichi found himself amused again, his spirits rising ever higher until his performance grew all the more entertaining.

From then on, Shinkichi was given the nickname "Tottenkan," and wherever he went, being called "Tottenkan of the Circus Troupe" made him a tremendous crowd favorite.

Ten

Shinkichi, who had once worked from morning till midnight until he was pitch-black, had now become Tottenkan of the circus troupe—an expert elephant handler so popular that he alone shouldered the entire troupe’s renown—and no longer had to lift a finger except when performing before spectators.
When they pitched their tent in Kofu City, spectators flocked in droves daily solely due to the reputation of “Tottenkan of the Circus Troupe.”

Shinkichi was at the pinnacle of his glory.

Now, it happened one day at the beginning of September.
Shinkichi had become friends not only with the elephant Fatman but also with two pole-climbing performers named Kie-chan and Waka-neesan; however, Kie-chan had been suffering from dizziness since the previous day and seemed unlikely to manage that day’s performance.
Because Kie-chan had messed up an act the previous day, she was only allowed to eat once daily as punishment.
That was why she felt dizzy.
However, the Circus Leader,

“You lazy bum! Keep dawdling around and I’ll beat you senseless!” he bellowed.

As Shinkichi watched, he became unbearably sorry.
When Shinkichi had fled his rural town a year earlier and chased after the circus troupe all the way to the train station, it was this Kie-chan who first spoke to him.
“The circus troupe was an even harsher place,” It was Waka-neesan who had admonished him then.
From then on, these two became Shinkichi’s allies in every way. When he was made to work from morning until late at night until he was pitch-black, they would shed tears of sympathy and secretly help him with grueling tasks beyond his ability.
And so, Shinkichi now considered these two his irreplaceable benefactors.

Given that one of them—Kie-chan, who was younger than Shinkichi—was now suffering through such hardship, there was no way Shinkichi could stay silent and keep watching.

“Hey, Kie-chan, I’ll do the act for you.”

So Shinkichi suggested.

“But you can’t do my act, Tottenkan.”

“Don’t worry—I won’t try anything complicated.”

“But if we get someone else to substitute, they’ll punish us again.”

“Here’s the plan: I’ll wear your clothes and have Waka-neesan do my makeup to become a girl who looks exactly like you.”
“I’ll turn into a girl even the Circus Leader won’t recognize.”
“Then everything should work out,” Shinkichi declared with unwavering confidence.

Eleven

Shinkichi the Tottenkan was finally going to perform the bamboo-climbing act in place of the sick Kie-chan.

This act began with Waka-neesan standing atop the elephant Fatman’s back.
Then she erected a thick bamboo pole about three meters long on her shoulder without using her hands.
Kie-chan would climb up to the top of that bamboo pole and there, without using her hands, lie face down, lie on her back, stand ramrod straight, or hang by her ankles.
For Kie-chan, who specialized in it, this feat was not particularly difficult, but for Shinkichi attempting it for the first time today, difficult didn’t even begin to describe it—there was no way he could satisfactorily perform even a single one of those stunts.
And if he messed up and fell, that would be disastrous.
After all, the distance from the top of the bamboo pole to the elephant’s feet was seven meters, so even if he didn’t die, he was bound to sustain serious injuries.

“You should stop, Tottenkan,” Waka-neesan said uneasily.

“But if I stop, then Kie-chan will have to do it, right? If Kie-chan, who’s so weak she can’t even stand, does it, she’ll fall and die for sure!”

“That’s why no one does it.”

“Then you’ll be the one getting punished next!”
“I don’t care one bit.”

“No way! No way! If I do it, everyone will be saved. I’ll do it no matter what. I—if it’s an act performed on Fatman’s back, I’m confident I won’t fail at anything. Don’t worry so much—just let me do it.”

In the end, even Waka-neesan could not dissuade Shinkichi from his resolve—not when he was insisting this strongly. Moreover, since Waka-neesan was performing the act of standing below to support the bamboo pole, she thought to herself that if he were to fall, she could skillfully rescue him from below.

Waka-neesan hid Shinkichi behind the curtain and did his makeup there. She applied white foundation, added rouge and lipstick, drew eyebrows with sumi ink, shaded around his eyes, then dressed him in Kie-chan’s performance costume and topped it with a silk triangular cap. When viewed from a slight distance, he looked exactly like Kie-chan. In stature too, Shinkichi closely resembled her.

“In that case, it’s fine.”
“But you mustn’t speak,” Waka-neesan cautioned.
“Oh come on! I can do Kie-chan’s voice perfectly for just some shouts.”

Shinkichi said that and laughed.

Twelve

It was around eight o'clock at night.
The venue was packed with spectators.
Since Kofu was a town encircled by mountains, September brought autumn winds sweeping down from the peaks that made the large tent's roof flap loudly in the gusts.

The band burst into a lively fanfare.
Then Shinkichi disguised as Kie-chan emerged first from behind the stage curtain.
Next appeared Waka-neesan wearing a costume that glittered with gold and silver stars across its bodice.
Following them came the great elephant Fatman lumbering forth with ponderous steps.
A tempest of applause erupted from the audience seats.
The three performers lined up in a row and bowed to the crowd.

Before long, Waka-neesan climbed onto Fatman’s trunk and lithely leaped up onto his back.
And then she received the long bamboo pole.
When Shinkichi tried to climb onto Fatman’s trunk next, Fatman curled his trunk slightly and stared at Shinkichi’s face for a while.
Though he was disguised as Kie-chan, Fatman clearly discerned that this was his sworn brother Shinkichi.

Fatman suspiciously curled up his trunk and placed Shinkichi onto his back.
However, not only the Circus Leader standing before the central drop curtain but also the four or five stagehands surrounding Fatman did not have the slightest inkling that this was Shinkichi.
On Fatman’s back, Shinkichi bowed once more to the audience as Kie-chan always did, and then smoothly climbed up the bamboo pole standing on Waka-neesan’s shoulder.

Having climbed to the top of the bamboo pole, Shinkichi first sat cross-legged and looked down at his surroundings. Then he barked a sharp shout and stood stiffly upright. Next he lay face down on top of the bamboo pole, spread his arms and legs wide, and swayed precariously like an upturned turtle. All of it was no different from what Kie-chan would do. Waka-neesan, keeping the bamboo pole balanced on her shoulder, looked up at Shinkichi performing such feats with a sense of wonder.

Now Shinkichi moved on to a trick where he lay on his back—that is, face up on the bamboo pole—and moved his arms and legs like a turtle.
This was a heart-stopping act to watch and the most difficult one for the performer themselves.

Shinkichi first let go with his feet.
And then, at the very moment he tried to let go of his hands.
The moment his head swayed unsteadily, he came plummeting down with a whoosh—

“Ah!” Waka-neesan cried out.
Then, throwing aside the bamboo pole, she spread her arms wide to catch Shinkichi’s body.
But Shinkichi’s momentum-driven form slipped through Waka-neesan’s outstretched hands, collided with Fatman’s head, somersaulted downward—and in that split second seemed certain to slam headfirst onto the wooden floor below.
Fatman thrust out his long, powerful trunk and softly caught Shinkichi’s body mid-air.

Thirteen

The spectators had all risen to their feet.
And when Shinkichi’s body was skillfully caught at the tip of Fatman’s trunk, the spectators burst into cheers of joy.
The spectators had completely forgotten about Shinkichi’s botched performance and were beside themselves with joy—nearly moved to tears—at how Fatman’s long trunk had masterfully halted him at the critical moment.

But the spectators were shocked when they saw what happened next.
It was when Shinkichi had safely descended from Fatman’s trunk that the Circus Leader suddenly rushed over and struck him across the cheek with a sharp slap.

“Good-for-nothing!” the Circus Leader bellowed.
Then he pulled so hard that Shinkichi’s hand nearly came off and dragged him behind the central drop curtain.

“Even though we’re delighted, that bastard’s over there getting angry.”
“What an idiot,” the spectators murmured among themselves.

The Circus Leader took Shinkichi to the dressing room and then beat him harshly again.

“You went and pulled another good-for-nothing stunt, you Tontchiki fool!”

At that moment, from nearby,

“Mr. Leader, Mr. Leader—please show him mercy!” came a voice trembling with tears.
Looking over, there stood Kie-chan wearing her everyday kimono.
The Circus Leader had been certain he was berating that Kie-chan, but when another Kie-chan appeared right beside them, he could only gape in blank astonishment.

But soon, when he learned that Shinkichi had performed the act as Kie-chan’s substitute, the spiteful and contrary Circus Leader began raging over this new offense.

"Why’d you let someone else do the act?" he accused Kie-chan.

"And why the hell did you go playing substitute when you can’t even perform?" he bellowed at Shinkichi anew.

At that moment, Waka-neesan appeared.

“I was the one who made them do it all. Please blame me instead of those two.”

Waka-neesan said those words.

“Idiot!”
The Circus Leader let out a voice like shattering glass,

“You all—every last one of you—colluded to do whatever you damn well pleased.”
“Alright then—just see what you’ll do now!”

Having said that, he left the place while glaring with his terribly cunning, eagle-like eyes.

Fourteen

From that night on, Shinkichi, Kie-chan, and Waka-neesan were all punished.
Their pocket money was cut off entirely, and three daily meals became two.
Even those were crude meals fit for dogs.

Kie-chan, who had already been weakened long before this, finally developed a terrible fever and could no longer lift her head.
Then she developed acute pneumonia and continued to ramble deliriously, but on the fourth night, she finally died.

Shinkichi and Waka-neesan clung to Kie-chan and cried.
Shinkichi lashed out at the Circus Leader through his tears.

“You demon! You cursed wretch! Go hang yourself and die!”

The Circus Leader merely smirked as he watched Shinkichi, pale-faced and shouting.

The next day, Waka-neesan called Shinkichi to a secluded spot and said these words.

“Shinkichi-san—let’s stop calling you Tottenkan.”
“Become Shinkichi-san again—the real you—and please run away from this circus troupe.”
“And please go back to the blacksmith’s place in your hometown.”

“I did think about that too, but I don’t want to go back to that blacksmith master.”

“Then isn’t there somewhere else? Someplace that would take in Shinkichi-san?”

“I have an uncle in Tokyo. Since my sister’s there too, maybe I should go there.”

“That’s good. I’ll give you some money too. If you keep dawdling here forever, you’ll end up suffering the same fate as Kie-chan.”

“Now I finally understand what Waka-neesan told me before I joined this circus troupe. So what will you do, Waka-neesan?”

“As for me, I’ve got my own plans to think through, so you don’t need to fret over me.”

The two of them discussed this and, that night, slept in a corner of the hut while listening to the autumn wind rustling the tent.

The following morning early, just as the eastern sky was beginning to pale, Shinkichi—dressed in summer clothes and shoes, wearing a straw hat, and carrying a single cloth bundle—slipped out of the tent cabin he had called home for over a year.

As Shinkichi slipped out of there, he stealthily made his way to the side of Fatman, his sworn brother, and stroked the long trunk that had done everything for Shinkichi’s sake over the past year and even saved his life in the end.

“Fatman, thank you. Goodbye, goodbye,” he said.

Fifteen

When Shinkichi arrived at the train station, he boarded the first train.
And before noon, he arrived at Shinjuku Station.
Then he took the train and headed toward Koishikawa, where his uncle’s house was located.

However, Shinkichi became completely at a loss there.
Because his uncle’s house had moved away somewhere, and he had no idea at all where they had relocated.

Shinkichi, clutching his cloth bundle, wandered around the area in a frantic daze.
As he walked on, he came to the edge of a wide pond.
That was Shinobazu Pond—before he knew it, Shinkichi had wandered into such a place.

Beyond the pond lay a wooded hill. That was Ueno Park, though Shinkichi didn't know it. For no reason other than its resemblance to the forested rise on his hometown's outskirts, he felt drawn upward. Shinkichi climbed into the park.

The sun soon sank. He wanted to cry. From the park's heights, Shinkichi stood gazing endlessly at the city's glittering lights below.

That night, Shinkichi ended up sleeping on a stone in the shaded depths of the park.
In Shinkichi’s drowsing and waking mind, fragments of his hometown, the blacksmith master, and countless moments from the circus troupe surfaced and faded, faded and surfaced.

It was at dawn that day.
Shinkichi first heard a lion’s roar.
Then he heard the cries of various animals.
Since these were sounds he’d grown accustomed to hearing at the circus troupe’s menagerie, Shinkichi walked toward their source while wondering if his ears were deceiving him.
Then he came upon a place encircled by high stone walls.
Ah—so this was Ueno Zoo—Shinkichi finally pieced together.

Shinkichi, remembering Fatman from the circus troupe, grabbed onto the iron-barred gate and peered intently inside.

Then, a refined old man wearing white trousers appeared there, smiling as he—

“Did you come to see the zoo this early, young man?” the old man asked Shinkichi.

Shinkichi answered that it wasn’t and then,

“Mister, please make me an elephant keeper at the zoo,” he said with a serious expression.

“Just what kind of child are you?!” the old man asked him.
Thereupon, Shinkichi recounted how he had joined the circus troupe and escaped from it, come to Tokyo seeking his uncle, and ended up wandering lost in this state.

“So you’re homeless, then.”
“That’s a problem.”
“I can’t readily make you an elephant keeper here, but until we find where your uncle’s gone off to, I’ll take you in and care for you.”
“If you’re already used to circus work, you might as well help with feeding the animals.”
“Come along inside.”

The kind old man said this and led Shinkichi through the gate.

As for what became of Shinkichi afterward, we do not know, but in this world—where there exist stubbornly mean souls like the blacksmith master and the Circus Leader—there also dwell many kind-hearted people like this zoo old man who truly understood.
Shinkichi, honest, earnest, and deeply compassionate, must have come to live a happy life, in time recognized by such people.