In the Shelter of the Pine, by Ōgimachi Machikol, translated by G. G. Rowley (chapter 7)

A MEMOIR OF YANAGISAWA YOSHIYASU AND TOKUGAWA JAPAN

ō g i mach i mach i ko T R A N S L AT E D BY G . G . R O W L E Y

7 spring pond 1697, Spring Through Winter

F

rom the very turning of springtide, the very dawn of New Year’s Day, the plum trees in My Lord’s garden looked as if they might at any moment burst into particularly fragrant bloom; and as new green unfolded on the nearby willows, their serenely swaying tendrils seemed ceaselessly to whisper to one another auspiciously, This year is his fortieth.1 On all sides, people busied themselves with preparations, quite as if that were more eagerly to be awaited than the first song of the warbler!

On the eighteenth of the First Month, His Highness commanded that a celebration be held, and My Lord was fêted most majestically. Indeed, it is impossible to put into words one’s delight at witnessing, upon the advent of the New Year, how much greater than that of others was his power and influence. When the toast had been drunk, he received a long sword known as “Ichimonji,” a cane with a grip in the shape of a dove,2 and suchlike, directly from His Highness’s own hands. On that day, as was usual, our side too presented splendid gifts: cypresswood boxes of delicacies, exquisitely dyed silks, saké, and savory delicacies. Not to be outdone, the women of the house also presented him with a variety of gifts. The items he received unofficially were beyond number. The set of folding screen paintings produced by the Bureau of Painting were splendidly brilliant.

They came with silk floss, saké, and savory delicacies. For the women, there were Cathay silks and a great many other gifts. Congratulatory greetings were received from all and sundry, so much so that it seemed the whole world was celebrating.

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To go on about the gifts, listing this one and that, is deemed the sort of thing some presumptuous country bumpkin greedy for possessions would do—even though in the old tales, on occasions such as this, everything is described in tiresome detail. Still, the old tales contain nothing like this.3 Everything was exceptional, even by the standards of our own day, and as one who saw it with her own eyes, it is incumbent upon me to pass on some small part of it.

Within the household a great many poems were offered, all of them clumsily proffering their felicitations on My Lord’s “ten thousand ages”; and indeed, even the words “hill of a thousand years”4 are not sufficiently celebratory for him. Rays of sunlight shone soft and bright in a cloudless sky, and here, where all cares were quite forgotten, those who served him had not a worry in the world and were inclined to go about their business with perpetual smiles on their faces. And it was no wonder they were so pleased with themselves, feeling as they did that the very sun shone upon them. Even the spring breeze blew softly, bearing the scent of blossoms, for in the garden the plum trees were in full bloom and gave their all; this delicious scene was indescribable.

If you would blow, blow! For in the morning breeze that does not chill my sleeves, even the dew that falls is perfumed with the scent of plum. (fukaba fuke sode samukaranu asakaze ni / koborete tsuyu mo niou ume ga ka)

How splendid he looked, murmuring verses like this! And no doubt all those who depended upon him to crown them with his favors were able to conceal their old age too.5 In the Second Month, His Highness deigned to visit, and as usual the occasion was most dignified and festive; but that he should fête My Lord so in addition to his birthday celebrations was simply extraordinary, indeed incomparable; there is no other way to describe it than providential.

His Highness’s poem: To the many years ahead add another thousand: what a delight to celebrate together our ever-increasing age! (iku hisashi chiyo o kasanete morotomo ni / tsukusenu toshi o iwau yorokobi)

For My Lord to be mentioned in the same breath as His Highness—what an uncommonly fortunate fate was his! The gifts both given and received

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went on and on and, since everyone agreed that they were nothing out of the ordinary, I shan’t record them.

Around the same time, there were also celebrations of Her Ladyship of the Fifth Perimeter’s fortieth year. My Lord could not let the occasion pass unnoticed, and so greetings were exchanged and gifts of one sort and another presented. Her Ladyship: Together today we first set foot upon the slope of old age, and even as we pass the peak we shall serve him forever. (morotomo ni kyō fumisomuru oi no saka / koete ya chiyo wa kimi ni tsukaen)

And, “celebrating the beginning of old age”: We two seedling pines who begin to age: this year and now on, more than ever shall we brim with the color of a thousand years. (oi somuru futaba no matsu no kotoshi yori / kanete mo chiyo no iro zo komoreru)

Though there were no particularly pleasing passages in either of these, she had marked the occasion with a suitably celebratory tone, and that was special. As I recall, his reply contained the usual “thousand years” and “through ten thousand ages” and other such phrases, but for some reason I have forgotten them—what a pity!6 My Lord’s eldest son was growing into a mature young man. Privately My Lord was of the opinion that the young man should live separately and began planning to build him a residence of his own. At about this time, he gave the order to begin work, and by the beginning of the latter Second Month, it was finished.7 His Highness heard about it too and intimated that, on the occasion of his visit in the Fourth Month, he should like to come and see it for himself. No effort was spared in the preparations.

On the eleventh, His Highness arrived during the Hour of the Serpent [9–11 a.m.] At his request, the young lord was honored to guide him as, first of all, they entered the new building. Temporary seating and such had been readied, and he was invited to sit. He then made a thorough inspection of the building and deemed it very well done indeed. Various eminent personages came forth to offer their greetings, at which time Lord Terusada and the Governor of Tango, Lord Masatada,8 took charge of the introductions. Although this was not the first time such ceremonies had been observed, they were dazzlingly auspicious.

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The gifts, as befitted the special nature of the occasion, included long swords and many other such items of exceptional quality. For the father of the young lord, there was a famous sword known as “Norishige.” For his eldest son, there was a long sword by the name of “Sadamune,” a bay horse with black points and fitted with a saddle, and much else besides.

My Lord’s fourth son received a long sword known as “Kiku,” his fifth son “Sukezane,” His Lordship the Right City Commissioner “Mitsutada,” and the Governor of Buzen “Kanemitsu.” For the women of the house and the young ladies, there were silk twill and a variety of furnishings, all of them eye-catchingly beautiful, but I shan’t list them. Among the gifts presented to His Highness, the most noteworthy were the long swords.

From the young lord, there was a genuine blade forged by Nobukuni. It was accompanied by the sword “Yukimitsu,” a horse fitted with a saddle and other equipment, robes, and suchlike. His father presented the sword “Kunitoshi,”9 a genuine blade, as well as a horse and such. His fourth and fifth sons presented him with a long sword said to have been forged by someone called Aoe Sadatsugu, and one known, I think, as “Shirikake.” My Lord’s two sons-in-law presented tsurugi, one called “Ryōkai” and the other “Naotsuna.”10 The men thought very highly of all of these. Ignorant of such matters, I have fashioned my account just as it was told to me, and no doubt it is either too detailed or not detailed enough.11 The other gifts were also remarkable, but I think it better to refrain from listing them.

His Highness took great pleasure in seeing the young lord grown into such a mature young man, expertly acting the host and showing him around. When he graciously explicated the opening section of that text known as the Great Learning, the young lord, quite inadvertently, sat down very close to him, which His Highness found most affecting. Indeed, the sight of his sweet earnestness moved people to tears, inauspicious though it was to cry.

Soup and saké were served. Both father and son partook with His Highness. The ceremony with which the cup passed from His Highness to them both was quite out of the ordinary. After the meal had been served, His Highness proceeded to the usual reception pavilion.12 And here too, proceedings began with a round of gift giving and receiving, followed by the usual lively performances and such; then, after the formalities were over, His Highness departed. There was much else that was majestic and elegant—but that was as it always was, and it would be tiresome of me to go on.

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Soon thereafter, the young lord moved. Dazzlingly appointed and at every turn delightful, the residence was all that one could wish. Care had been taken over the charming miniature mountain, the delightfully attractive trees, and the bushes and flowers; without striving for effect, everything had been beautifully laid out, and there was much to admire. The new pond shone with “soft spring sunshine,”13 and the pines near the water’s edge seemed only too pleased to spread out their lower branches adorned with fresh new needles sprouting from evergreen tips of unchanging color—truly, one felt, their shade would “endure for a thousand years.”14 My Lord paid a visit: The green of the pines mirrored in the water of the pond this spring: how I should like to see it on the waves a thousand years hence. (haru no ike ya matsu no midori mo masukagami / chitose no nami no sue kakete min)

Its celebratory tone was perhaps a bit overdone.

Now that the young lord had grown up and come of age, there seem to have been many who intimated that My Lord might now provide him with a suitable wife.15 At that time, My Lord gathered that there was a chamberlain by the name of Mayabashi who had a daughter he had brought up with exceptional care; he seemed very keen to offer her, and since his house counted among those with whom it would be appropriate to form a long-lasting alliance, it appeared that she would be his first choice.16 For his own part, then, My Lord seemed to have made up his mind on the subject.

In the Ninth Month, Her Ladyship of the Third Perimeter deigned to visit. Since it was the first time she had done so, everything was very formal. For pleasingly elegant amusements, it would have been natural to entrust the entertainment to the women of the house, but His Highness indicated that he would like to take charge of them himself, and since he would accompany her, it became a glittering formal occasion the likes of which had rarely been seen.

The day was the twelfth. We had heard that they would arrive in the morning, so everyone had been up all night without a wink of sleep, noisily going to and fro as they got their outfits together. The old tales contain delightful descriptions of the night before a festival, poking fun at the women here and there up all night fixing their hair or busily sewing as they wait impatiently, and the scene here was just like that.17 Even worse

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were the men as they got ready, scurrying here and there the whole night through with their trousers bloused up over their shins!

My Lord presented himself at the Castle before dawn to express his gratitude. Then, after daybreak, His Highness arrived ahead of the main party. Everyone turned out to greet him, My Lord first of all. A great many people were there to facilitate matters, even more than usual. His Highness was seated, the appropriate ceremonies performed, and obeisances made by the women of the house—all was as usual.

The gifts received, both official and unofficial, were unwarrantedly lavish: silk floss, twills, beautiful silks, sets of robes, Nō costumes, Cathay silks, and so on—far more than usual, quite as if this were a first visit in spring. The gifts presented included sets of robes, Nō costumes, tabi, and fabrics, the hue and weave of which were most unusual. My Lord presented a vessel made of silver and much else so exceptional as were seldom to be seen.

Before long, Her Ladyship of the Third Perimeter arrived. In the inner quarters, all of the women made obeisance. First the meal was served, with Lord Munesuke in attendance.18 The gifts given and received were many and various, but I do not see why I should have to list them on each and every such occasion.

While His Highness was present in the central pavilion, scholars in My Lord’s service debated the Book of Changes. Her Ladyship listened from within the blinds. Further, one of the scholars debated the “commonality of the three mystic practices,” or something of that sort, with the Prelate of the Gojiin.19 Then two of the scholars conducted a colloquy with the Zen Master of the Konchi’in. It was full of twists and turns and quite as sublime sounding as ever could be. The entertainments began with His Highness and were followed by performances by the young lord and My Lord’s sons-in-law; their striking beauty was quite indescribable. At Her Ladyship’s special request, Chamberlain Masamichi and the Governor of Hida, Lord Toshishige, were suddenly called upon to dance, and lovely they both were too.20 Toward evening, both His Highness and Her Ladyship were served a meal. My Lord and the women of the house waited upon them, serving and being served saké. What with one course after another, the banqueting continued until sundown. Her Ladyship was served rice cakes and then made her departure. His Highness too seemed in even greater good spirits than ever. Presenting us with many other gifts, he made his departure.

Members of the household received the customary gifts from His Highness, as well as a great variety from Her Ladyship. It was an

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auspiciously celebratory occasion. Oh, and yes—My Lord was presented with poems by Her Ladyship: May your house flourish for how many thousand years blessed by our Lord whose grace extends to the furthest reaches of Akitsusu.21 (iku chitose yado mo sakaemu akitsusu no / hoka made hiroki kimi ga megumi ni) Learn from the pine tree whose color is unchanging—may this willow and yes of course its branches too continue forevermore.22 (kore zo kono yanagi ga eda mo iro kaenu / matsu ni naraite iku yo henuran)

I remember only bits and pieces of what I heard then, and so this may well be the blundering of one who only caught the half of it.23 Around this time, My Lord’s eldest son was dressed in armor for the first time.24 It was the first of the Eleventh Month, an auspicious day for the ceremonies. The Governor of Tango, Lord Masatada, was the scion of a famed and formidable warrior lineage from long ago in the province of Kai and closely related to the family, so My Lord invited him to officiate and left everything in his hands.25 There was a helmet that had been passed down in the house and that everyone regarded as superb; it was said once to have belonged to Suwa Hosshō.26 Lord Masatada took it in his hands and placed it briefly on the young lord’s head. How manly and full of promise he looked! The long sword too was one that had been passed down through the ages. It was named “Kadaigiri”27 and was most decoratively fashioned. The short sword was one that the revered father of Hosshōin had always worn.28 These were placed by his side. The appropriate felicitations were offered, and then, dazzlingly dressed in armor with vermilion silk lacing, he was seated upon a battlefield stool and took a cup of saké in celebration. It was all very splendid, though nothing out of the ordinary as far as that world was concerned, so I shall omit the details.29 His Highness deigned to visit a second time that month. The usual dignified ceremonies came to an end, and then he announced that My Lord’s eldest son should take as his wife the daughter of the Mayabashi Chamberlain. This being just what everyone had long wished, they were overjoyed at the tidings and expressed their delight and gratitude that all should have gone so well.

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Now then, that day My Lord summoned some lowly merchants who had quarreled with each other, and others who had had something stolen from them—people who had been unable to resolve matters on their own and had appealed to the authorities. He then commanded competent people to adjudicate their cases. He must have felt that such would make an unexpected change from the usual fare. Blinds were lowered before His Highness, and everyone else was seated in rows in the great garden to listen. The Hikone Major Naooki,30 the Iga Chamberlain Takahisa,31 the Mayabashi Chamberlain Tadataka, the five men charged with executing His Highness’s orders and their four assistants, all took their seats.32 The four Commissioners of Temples and Shrines, the two City Magistrates, and the four Superintendents of Finance judged the cases.

The first case was about meadowland. The next concerned a servant who had embezzled some of his master’s gold. In the third, a woman alleged that a man had been intimate with her without consent, angering her greatly. The fourth concerned a saké dealer who had accumulated a number of IOUs but was unable to collect payment. In the fifth case too, a merchant complained of failure to pay for rice, oil, and such. The sixth case concerned an ugly brawl over a man’s wife. And then there was a disputed laneway; and someone who refused to return some gold he held in safekeeping for another. There was also a thief who’d been arrested and brought in—fifteen cases in all. With filthy, unrefined faces, they pleaded with their superiors. And there were others, convinced that they were in the right, who held forth pompously and stupidly. Still others made allegations that were not borne out; and when they were told “Stuff and nonsense! Fools!” they had to retreat.33 They were frightened, pitiful, amusing, loathsome, quite extraordinary.34 As you might expect, when they came out with something ridiculous, there were many who found it impossible to control themselves and burst into peals of laughter. Almost everything was difficult to make sense of on the spur of the moment, but those who did the judging were discerning; it was an era in which there were a great many superior officials serving whom the world thought highly of, and thus they judged each case on its merits, without prejudice, demonstrating their competence and distinction. The common folk whose pleas were granted smiled with delight, whereas those in the wrong were hauled off, which—though it served them right for being wicked— did look pitiful.

Even these mere glimpses of the workings of his government His Highness in his wisdom turned over in his mind and asked detailed questions about each. It was not often that he could so easily hear of the dealings of

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the lowly, and he surely found it rare and strange. Everything came to an end, and the judges were given their rewards. Needless to say, they looked delighted as they went off with their gifts over their shoulders.

Next His Highness partook of the meal, and then he explicated “The wise find joy in the water” passage from the Analects.35 Beginning with Major Naooki, all took their places before His Highness and listened attentively. As usual, My Lord also explicated a passage from the same text.36 House scholars too explicated many a splendid passage from the classics.37 At dusk, the entertainments began. They were extremely enjoyable. My Lord’s eldest son, though still a handsome youth, performed his assigned dances beautifully; the moment when he tossed his sleeves was especially striking, and everyone gazed upon him in ceaseless wonderment.38 The performances came to an end, and the women made their customary obeisance. His Highness greeted us in a friendly manner. As gifts were being distributed, it grew dark and he made his departure. The gifts received today, as well as those offered, exhausted the possibilities of the extraordinary. Bolts of silk twill and plain silk in white and scarlet, light and dark, were strewn about like so many flowers or autumn leaves.39 There were also unusually exquisite furnishings, and—established custom though it was—at the sight of them being sent and received, one after another, how could one not but be astonished?

When My Lord’s eldest son expressed his gratitude that the person with whom he would live had been decided, as usual the world could not ignore the news from this quarter and congratulations were received from here and there—and no wonder, since everyone felt that it was a most suitable match. Still, though he was of an age to be betrothed, it would be some time before he understood fully just what this meant, so both houses bided their time, waiting for him to grow up a bit.

IN N TH THE EARLY EIGHTEENTH CENTURY, the noblewoman Ōgimachi Machiko composed a memoir of Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu, the powerful samurai for whom she had served as a concubine for twenty years. Featuring Machiko’s keen eye for detail, strong narrative voice, and allusive prose, In the Shelter of the Pine sheds light on everything from the social world of the Tokugawa elite to the role of literature in women’s lives.

“A graceful translation of an eighteenth-century classic, In the Shelter of the Pine introduces readers to a world in which little girls grind their fathers’ ink, concubines write elegant prose, and an ambitious man—the author’s husband—defies social convention to rise in the world.”

A M Y B E T H S TA N L E Y , author of Stranger in the Shogun’s City:

A Japanese Woman and Her World

“This is an enormously important work, wonderfully translated and annotated. Not only is it one of the few lengthy memoirs written by a woman during the Tokugawa period, it offers the reader insight into daily life, sociopolitical networks, and the symbolic and practical manifestations of power during the reign of the fifth shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi.”

M A R C I A YO N E M OTO , author of The Problem of Women in Early Modern Japan

“G. G. Rowley’s sparkling translation reveals Ōgimachi Machiko’s experience as a woman of great learning, sensitivity, and taste whose study of the Japanese classics thoroughly informed her writing. Despite her use of a classical idiom, one has the strong sense that she is writing of her own place in the scheme of Edo period society. The book will be a must-read for all students of Edo history, government, and literature.”

S T E V E N C A RT E R , author of How to Read a Japanese Poem

“Written by a noblewoman in Edo and elegantly translated by Rowley, this unique memoir illustrates how shogun Tsunayoshi and his attendant Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu brought noblewomen from Kyoto into their households and used them as conduits for courtly cultural capital that they employed for diplomatic and political ends.”

A N N E WA LT H A L L , editor of Servants of the Dynasty: Palace Women in World History

G. G. R O W L E Y teaches English and Japanese literature at Waseda University in Tokyo.

She is the author or translator of several biographies of Japanese women, including An Imperial Concubine’s Tale: Scandal, Shipwreck, and Salvation in Seventeenth-Century Japan (Columbia, 2013) and Autobiography of a Geisha (Columbia, 2003).

TRANSLATIONS FROM THE ASIAN CLASSICS Cover design: Lisa Hamm

ISBN: 978-0-231-19950-6

Cover image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

C Kubo Shunman (Japanese, 1757–1820), Court Woman at her Desk with Poem Cards. CC.

CO O LU M B I A U N I V E R S I T Y P R E S S / N E W YO ORK P R I N T E D I N T H E U. S . A .

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