Mukashi-Wotoko

## 昔男/むかしをとこ: Mukashi-Wotoko (a man in the past, anonymous famous)

昔男:Mukashi-Wotoko is the main character of 伊勢物語:Ise-monogatari, an elegant, graceful horseman who excelled at martial arts, especially adept in archery and hawking, and often drawn carrying arrows on his back with such as poem letters;

##### **From a woman;**

> 君や来し　われやいきけむ　思ほえず
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> Kimi ya Koshi / Ware ya Iki kem(u) / Omo(h)oezu
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> 夢かうつつか　寝てかさめてか
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> Yume ka Utsutsu ka / Nete ka Samete ka
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> *Did you come to see me?*
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> *Or did I go to see you?*
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> *I'm not sure*
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> *that was dream or reality?"*
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> *we were asleep or awake?*
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##### **Mukashi-Wotoko Reply;**

> かきくらす　心の闇に　まどひにき
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> Kaki kurasu / Kokoro no Yami ni / Mado(h)i niki
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> 夢うつつとは　{今宵}定めよ
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> Yume Utsutsu towa / {Koyoi} Sadame yo
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> *I lost my way in the dark of my mind.*
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> *Make up your mind dream or reality tonight.*
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=> "Saana..." To cut a long story short with Mihawk sword.

He is a man of まめ:Mame (true honest) to send his fine poem, Waka.

I'll compose 狂歌:Kyohka (comical Waka) with Mihawk quotations;

> "さすがだな　懲りぬ男よ"　今宵もか？
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> "Sasuga dana / Korinu Otoko yo" / Koyoi mo ka?
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> 二夜連続か？　迷子のふりか？
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> Niya Renzoku ka? / Maigo no Furi ka?
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> *"You are indeed...a slow learner."*
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> *tonight again?*
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> *over two consecutive nights?*
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> *under cover of a lost child?*
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Mihawk words are easy to re-use for composing Waka as he had told, keeping them untouched.

## 在原業平朝臣:Ariwara no Narihira Ason.

昔男:Mukashi-Wotoko is based on the historical man, 在原業平朝臣:Ariwara no Narihira Ason. He was a courtier in 9th century in Japan, a grandson of two emperors, one of the Six Poetic Geniuses, competent official keeping confidential documents, secretary of emperor, middle captain, expert horseman adept in archery and hawking, a synonym of good-looking gentleman, evaluated happy-go-lucky free fool, known as a great lover, devil-may-care idiot love, scandalous affairs beyond holy taboo, so an anarchic vagabond to east or west. Anyway, by the end of his life he had risen to Chamberlain and Provisional Governor of Mino.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariwara\_no\_Narihira

Mukashi-Wotoko's reply in The Tales of Ise is mild arrangement of Narihira's original one.

##### **Original Reply of Narihira;**

> かきくらす　心の闇に　まどひにき
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> Kaki kurasu / Kokoro no Yami ni / Mado(h)i niki
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> 夢うつつとは　{世人}定めよ
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> Yume Utsutsu towa / {Yohito} Sadame yo
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> I lost my way in the dark of my mind.
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> Judge whether dream or reality as you wish,
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> You, people who know me.
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=> "Saana...(I'll keep the truth in my mind with closed mouth)"

Truth is stranger than fiction.

History is wilder than story.

Reality is more radical than dream.

He lost everything with "Saana" affairs. except his poetic inspiration and passion.

He was passed strictures as happy-go-lucky free fool without any common sense (放縦不拘略無才学) in the official documents in official language in those days.

He was so emotional and passionate that his poems were criticized severely in 古今和歌集:Kokin Wakashū ("Collection of Japanese Poems of Ancient and Modern Times", an Imperial anthology, conceived of by Emperor Uda) like the following;

> その心あまりて、ことばたらず。
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> Sono kokoro amarite, kotoba tarazu.
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> His mind is overflowing with full of passion, I'm afraid he fails to express all he wants to say in his few words.
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> しぼめる花の色なくて、にほひ残れるごとし
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> Shibomeru hana no iro nakute, nioi nokoreru gotoshi
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> Like a withering flower faded its color, leaving only its scent.
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> 月やあらぬ　春や昔の　春ならぬ　わが身ひとつは　もとの身にして
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> Tsuki ya aran / Haru ya Mukashi no / Haru naranu / Waga Mi Hitotsu wa / Moto no Mi ni site
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> Where is the moon?
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> Where is the spring in the past?
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> Only I'm left alone as I was.
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> おほかたは　月をもめでじ　これぞこの　積もれば人の　老いとなるもの
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> Ohokata wa / Tsuki wo mo Medeji / Kore zo Kono / Tsumore ba Hito no / Oi to naru mono
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> Generally speaking, we should not admire the moon, well you know, growing is aging.
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> ねぬる夜の　夢をはかなみ　まどろめば　いやはかなにも　なりまさるかな
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> Nenuru Yo no / Yume wo Hakanami / Madorome ba / Iya Hakanani mo / Nari Masaru kana
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> I missed my dream at the night,, and dozed again, then! I missed it more. more and more...
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The last poem is also inserted into "The Tales of Ise" with some narration, and also criticized severely.

> さる歌のきたなげさよ。 Oh no! That poem is unseemly.
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Mimic Robin speaking, "he is shameful as a man". "I can't see you as a man any more". "Never ask me. Never."
Honesty is such a lonely word....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokin\_Wakash%C5%AB

Then its suffocating scent still stays such as Mihawk today.

## 伊勢物語:Ise-monogatari (The Tales of Ise)

伊勢物語:Ise-monogatari (The Tales of Ise) is a collection of waka poems and associated narratives as a compact biography (include fiction, folktale) of a man in the past who is regarded as 在原業平朝臣::Ariwara no Narihira Ason. This tale is a long-time editing patchwork author unknown.

There are various persons, young or old, male or female, central or local, high or low, major or minor, and variety of relationship such as lovers, friends, parents and children, master and servant, host and guest, and so on.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Tales\_of\_Ise

#### **一　初冠 : Uhi Kafuburi (to put a crown on for the first time after coming-of-age ceremony)**

昔、男、うひかうぶりして、奈良の京春日の里にしるよしして狩りに往にけり。その里に、いとなまめいたる女はらから住みけり。この男かいまみてけり。 思ほえず、ふる里にいとはしたなくてありければ、心地まどひにけり。 男の、着たりける狩衣の裾を切りて、歌を書きてやる。 その男、信夫摺の狩衣をなむ着たりける。

In old times, a man who had reached adulthood, put a crown on for the first time and went hawking to Kasuga town in Nara Old Capital City, because of his territory. In the town, there were fresh and beautiful sisters. The man caught a glimpse them through the fence. They were more beautiful he imaged in the old local town, and he had a feeling of restless agitation. He cut the bottom of his kariginu (informal clothes worn by the nobility from the Heian period onwards), and wrote his poem on it to give them. The man was wearing the hunting clothing patterned very "shinobu-zuri" (using squirrel's foot fern) just in time.

> 春日野の　若紫の　すりごろも　しのぶの乱れ　かぎりしられず
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> Kasuga no no / Waka Murasaki no / Suri-Goromo / Shinobu no Midare / Kagiri Shirarezu
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> I'm wondering how (beautiful you are and I fall into disorder like such) random, the clothing is dyed with fresh vernal mauve in the field of Kasuga (literally: a spring day)
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となむ 追ひつきて言ひやりける。ついでおもしろきことともや思ひけむ。
He send them the poem quickly. Maybe he thought that it was nice for his occasion, I suppose.

> 陸奥の　しのぶもぢ摺り　誰ゆゑに　乱れそめにし　我ならなくに
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> Michinoku no / Shinobu Modizuri / Tare Yuwe ni / Midare Some nishi / Ware Nara naku ni
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> The clothing is dyed random patterns, made in Shinobu town, Michinoku area, as you know.
> Even so, I wonder who threw it into such disorder ? No, I don't know. (Do you know, my dear?)
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といふ歌の心ばへなり。昔人は、かくいちはやき みやびをなむしける。

It is his sympathy of that famous older poem. A man in the past used to perform such tasteful presentation as soon as possible.

##### **notes:本歌取り:Honka-dori (adaptation of a famous poem)**

The second poem is the quotation of 河原左大臣源融: Kawara no Sa-Daijin Minamoto no Touru. The first paragraph of "The Tales of Ise" is the note of "本歌取り:Honka-dori " and and its sample. The first one is a adaptation of the second famous one. It is very important rhetoric of composing poem and story in Japan.

##### **河原左大臣源融: Kawara no Sa-Daijin Minamoto no Touru**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minamoto\_no\_T%C5%8Dru

#### **六　芥川 : Akuta-gawa (The river of Akuta-gawa, one of the place famed in poetry)**

> 白玉か　何ぞと人の　問ひし時　つゆとこたへて　消えなましものを
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#### **二十一　おのが世々: Ono ga Yoyo (own partner apiece)**

> いでていなば　心かるしと　いひやせむ　世のありさまを　人はしらねば
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> 思ふかひ　なき世なりけり　年月を　あだにに契りて　われやすまひし
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> 人はいさ　思ひやすらむ　たまかづら　おも影にのみ　いとゞ見えつゝ
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> いまはとて　忘るる草の　たねをだに　人の心に　まかせずもがな
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> 忘れ草　植うとだに聞く　ものならば　思ひけりとは　しりもしなまし
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> 忘るらむと　思ふ心の　うたがひに　ありしよりけに　ものぞ悲しき
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> 中空に　たちゐる雲の　あともなく　身のはかなくも　なりにけるかな
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#### **二十三　筒井筒 : Tsutsu I Dsutsu (a round well-curb)**

> 筒井つの　井筒にかけし　まろがたけ　過ぎにけらしな　妹見ざるまに
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> くらべこし　ふりわけ髪も　肩すぎぬ　君ならずして　たれかあぐべき
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> 風吹けば　沖つしら浪　たつた山　夜半にや君が　ひとりこゆらむ
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> 君があたり　見つつを居らむ　生駒山　雲なかくしそ　雨はふるとも
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> 君来むと　いひし夜ごとに　過ぎぬれば　頼まぬものの　恋ひつつぞ経る
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#### **六十九　狩の使 : Kari no Tsukai (a imperial envoy of hunting)**

> 君や来し　われやゆきけむ　おもほえず　夢かうつつか　寝てかさめてか
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> かきくらす　心の闇に　まどひにき　夢うつつとは　今宵さだめよ
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> かち人の　渡れど濡れぬ　えにしあれば
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> またあふ坂の　関はこえなむ
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#### **百二十五　つひにゆく道 : Tsuhi ni Yuku Michi (at last I would take this road)**

> ついに行く道とはかねて聞きしかど
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> Tsuini Iku / Michi towa Kanete / Kikishikado
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> 昨日今日とは思はざりしを
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> Kinofu Kefu(Kyo) towa / Omohazarisi wo - Narihira
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> I have always known
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> that at last
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> I would take this road.
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> But yesterday,
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> I did not know
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> it would be today.
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> - translation by Pike Place Flowers in Pike Place Market, Seattle
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https://www.junglecity.com/enjoy/enjoy-sightseeing-spot/ariwara-no-narihira/

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