The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-06-04
TALE OF JAPANESE HONOR

TALE OF JAPANESE HONOR
(rrom the Japanese OF saikaku. who wrote near
II 200 years ago. Translated for the New
There was once samurai who
went by the name of Naisuke Harada
and rented q cottage near the Wistaria
teahouse in Shinagawa. Being out Of
service, he was poor and lacked the
necessary fuel for the cold mornings,
and there were evenings toward the
end Of the year when the light OF q
lamp could not be seen in his house.
It was indeed melancholy ending
for the year, but there was his wife,s
brother, Seian Nakarai by name, a
physician, who lived on a cross street
by the Myolin. shrine in Kanda, and
to him Naisuke sent a letter request
Ing aid. The physician was annoyed
by this letter, which was by no means
the first Of it's kind, but he had no
heart to refuse the request and SO
wrapped 10 roys in a paper and wrote:
Gold currency, the best remedy for
pecun1ary embarrassment and an eff
c1ent cure for innumerable ailments"
| This package he sent to Naisukes
wife. OF course Naisuke was over
| joyed, and he Immediately sent out
invitations for the new years festi-
val to his intimate fellow samurai,
who were all out Of service like him
self.
A lucky snowfall lent enchantment
to the evening, and opening the hith-
erto forsaken brushwood gate, he hos
pitably ushered in seven guests. The
sleeves Of their paper frocks--for, like
many other oyerty-stricken samurai,
they were obliged to wear outer gar
i nents made Of paper-were laid in q
row neatly, as the clothes Of gentle
men should be, and their ancient
coats, altho tattered and without linz
ing, somehow savored Of the better
days that they had seen.
i When the usual salutations were
over the host said:
II have been fortunate enough to
receive help in my embarrassment
and am able to enjoy the new year
with my friends to my hearts con-
} tent"
They all said It was an enviable
piece of good fortune. The host then
produced the package of money and
wrapper.
handed it from one to the other.
The sake cup made it's repeated
rounds, and, at last, apologizing for
:. having sat SO long. and saying that
, they had had q happy time chasing
the old year into oblivion, they began
.. to sing a farewell song.
They helped to clear away the
warming-pan of the sake and the
minced-meat pot, and then collected
the pieces of gold. passing them from
! hand to hand, and begged the host to
| put them away.
! One piece, however, was lacking out
8 of the ten, and SO they all left their
!, places, shook their sleeves and looked
i before and behind, until at last l. was
a settled fact that the coin was gone.
The host explained that he had paid
out one piece for certain purchases,
and that it was altogether the fault of
Y his memory. But they insisted that
q they were sure they had seen ten
IS pieces; that it was a question Of hon
!, or; and that each one Of them wished
6 from suspicion.
e At this the man who had occupied
IS the first place began untying his belt
IS and removing his garments, and the
y next followed his example. The third.
who had hitherto sat silent and crest
fallen, thereupon sat up and said:
''Such is the affliction one has to
meet with in this transient world.
= There is no need of my shaking my
self. for I am unfortunate enough to
= have a roy on my person. Most I'M
: expectedly, feel myself bound to re-
:, nounce my life."
Il Il When they had heard his resoluts
h decision they all said with one ac.
- cord:
- "That may not be the case with you
81 alone. Being in Strengthened circum.
If stances does not make the possession
"a Of one roy impossible. We know you
10 to be man Of honor"
THE way in which I came int
possession OF the money" said the
unfortunate samurai, "is indeed az
plain as can be, for only yesterday
sold a kozuka Can ornamental knife
set in the sheath Of a sword) Of To.
kujo workmanship to Juzaemon Kano.
| Pow ~ hn1P p,rkf
Is an unlucky coincidence, as you mus
all admit. For the sake of our time.
tried friendship. be SO good as to
search for the money after I have
dispatched myself. This is my las
request-that you will thus take ava,
the reproach from my memory"
Fills hand was on the leather-coveret
hilt Of his sword before the last wore
died on his lips. But just at thai
instant q voice was heard, Here II
the coin,' and it was thrown ou'
from underneath the shade OF a pa.
- per lantern. In the sernidarkness the
!" company did not notice who threw 1t
Happiness and honor were thus re
8 stored, to eve1ybody's relief, and the,
r. all said there was nothing like max
n ing quite sure.
(. But the hostess now called ou
N from the inner chamber that she hat
found tina coin, and she handed \
out on the 10 OIL a laCQu0TSu DO6. DIN
had served some boiled tano n TIL,
:. box, and tho moisture had made tn,
20 thin coin stick to the lid.
The number Of coins was thus in
y creased to eleven and the guests con
-, y, graduated their host on the increas,
at Of his treasure as being a good omen
Isl But the host replied:
o. Look here, comrades. There wer
on nine coins, a search was made for thu
w tenth. and now here are eleven pieces
The natural conclusion is that one o
you. who happened to have the money
X. produced it awhile ago to relieve on
distress. I cannot keep the aAt1;
ke coin. It must go back to its ow1er.
he Nobody made answer. Since al
ts were embarrassed, they could no
a. leave, altho the night waned until TIN
d time Of cock-crowing. They agreed
that the man who had given the coli
must not confess, as he would fee
himself obliged thereupon to renounc
r, his life because he had embarrasset
ha his friends. At last the host entreatet
of them to trust him to extricate then
or from the dilemma. They answere,
that they would be glad to leave tn
matter wholly to his management.
Thereupon he deposited the coin a
the bottom Of a square measure AM
las placed it over the wash basin out II
-. the yard, saying to the company:
.ev THAT one of you who is the owne
" of the roy will please take 1t as h