<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="page91" id="page91"></SPAN></span>
<h2>THE WONDERFUL ADVENTURES OF FUNAKOSHI JIUYÉMON</h2>
<p>The doughty deeds and marvellous experiences of Funakoshi
Jiuyémon are perhaps, like those of Robin Hood and his
Merry Men, rather traditional than historical; but even if all
or part of the deeds which popular belief ascribes to him be
false, his story conveys a true picture of manners and customs.
Above all, the manner of the vengeance which he wreaked upon
the wife who had dishonoured him, and upon her lover, shows the
high importance which the Japanese attach to the sanctity of
the marriage tie.</p>
<p>The 50th and 51st chapters of the "Legacy of
Iyéyasu," already quoted, say: "If a married woman of
the agricultural, artisan, or commercial class shall secretly
have intercourse with another man, it is not necessary for the
husband to enter a complaint against the persons thus confusing
the great relation of mankind, but he may put them both to
death. Nevertheless, should he slay one of them and spare the
other, his guilt is the same as that of the unrighteous
persons.</p>
<p>"In the event, however, of advice being sought, the parties
not having been slain, accede to the wishes of the complainant
with, regard to putting them to death or not.</p>
<p>"Mankind, in whose bodies the male and female elements
induce a natural desire towards the same object, do not look
upon such practices with aversion; and the adjudication of such
cases is a matter of special deliberation and consultation.</p>
<p>"Men and women of the military class are expected to know
better than to occasion disturbance by violating existing
regulations; and such an one breaking the regulations by lewd,
trifling, or illicit intercourse shall at once be punished,
without deliberation or consultation. It is not the same in
this case as in that of agriculturists, artisans, and
traders."</p>
<p>As a criminal offence, adultery was, according to the
ancient laws of Japan, punished by crucifixion. In more modern
times it has been punished by decapitation and the disgraceful
exposure of the head after death; but if the murder of the
injured husband accompany the crime of adultery, then the
guilty parties are crucified to this day. At the present time
the husband is no longer allowed to take the law into his own
hands: he must report the matter to the Government, and trust
to the State to avenge his honour.</p>
<p>Sacred as the marriage tie is so long as it lasts, the law
which <span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="page92" id="page92"></SPAN></span> cuts it is curiously facile,
or rather there is no law: a man may turn his wife out of
doors, as it may suit his fancy. An example of this practice
was shown in the story of "The Forty-seven Rônins." A
husband has but to report the matter to his lord, and the
ceremony of divorce is completed. Thus, in the days of the
Shoguns' power, a Hatamoto who had divorced his wife
reported the matter to the Shogun. A Daimio's retainer
reports the matter to his Prince.</p>
<p>The facility of divorce, however, seems to be but rarely
taken advantage of: this is probably owing to the practice of
keeping concubines. It has often been asked, Are the Japanese
polygamists? The answer is, Yes and no. They marry but one
wife; but a man may, according to his station and means, have
one or more concubines in addition. The Emperor has twelve
concubines, called Kisaki; and Iyéyasu, alluding
forcibly to excess in this respect as <i>teterrima belli
causa</i>, laid down that the princes might have eight, high
officers five, and ordinary Samurai two handmaids. "In the
olden times," he writes, "the downfall of castles and the
overthrow of kingdoms all proceeded from this alone. Why is not
the indulgence of passions guarded against?"</p>
<p>The difference between the position of the wife and that of
the concubine is marked. The legitimate wife is to the handmaid
as a lord is to his vassal. Concubinage being a legitimate
institution, the son of a handmaid is no bastard, nor is he in
any way the child of shame; and yet, as a general rule, the son
of the bondwoman is not heir with the son of the free, for the
son of the wife inherits before the son of a concubine, even
where the latter be the elder; and it frequently happens that a
noble, having children by his concubines but none by his wife,
selects a younger brother of his own, or even adopts the son of
some relative, to succeed him in the family honours. The family
line is considered to be thus more purely preserved. The law of
succession is, however, extremely lax. Excellent personal
merits will sometimes secure to the left-handed son the
inheritance of his ancestors; and it often occurs that the son
of a concubine, who is debarred from succeeding to his own
father, is adopted as the heir of a relation or friend of even
higher rank. When the wife of a noble has a daughter but no
son, the practice is to adopt a youth of suitable family and
age, who marries the girl and inherits as a son.</p>
<p>The principle of adoption is universal among all classes,
from the Emperor down to his meanest subject; nor is the family
line considered to have been broken because an adopted son has
succeeded to the estates. Indeed, should a noble die without
heir male, either begotten or adopted, his lands are forfeited
to the State. It is a matter of care that the person adopted
should be himself sprung from a stock of rank suited to that of
the family into which he is to be received.</p>
<p>Sixteen and upwards being considered the marriageable age
for a man, it is not usual for persons below that age to adopt
an heir; <span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="page93" id="page93"></SPAN></span> yet an infant at the point of
death may adopt a person older than himself, that the family
line may not become extinct.</p>
<p>An account of the marriage ceremony will be found in the
Appendix upon the subject.</p>
<p>In the olden time, in the island of
Shikoku<SPAN id="footnotetag40"
name="footnotetag40"></SPAN><SPAN href="#footnote40"><sup>40</sup></SPAN>
there lived one Funakoshi Jiuyémon, a brave Samurai
and accomplished man, who was in great favour with the
prince, his master. One day, at a drinking-bout, a quarrel
sprung up between him and a brother-officer, which resulted
in a duel upon the spot, in which Jiuyémon killed his
adversary. When Jiuyémon awoke to a sense of what he
had done, he was struck with remorse, and he thought to
disembowel himself; but, receiving a private summons from
his lord, he went to the castle, and the prince said to
him—</p>
<p>"So it seems that you have been getting drunk and
quarrelling, and that you have killed one of your friends; and
now I suppose you will have determined to perform
<i>hara-kiri</i>. It is a great pity, and in the face of the
laws I can do nothing for you openly. Still, if you will escape
and fly from this part of the country for a while, in two
years' time the affair will have blown over, and I will allow
you to return."</p>
<p>And with these words the prince presented him with a fine
sword, made by Sukésada,<SPAN id="footnotetag41"
name="footnotetag41"></SPAN><SPAN href="#footnote41"><sup>41</sup></SPAN>
and a hundred ounces of silver, and, having bade him
farewell, entered his private apartments; and
Jiuyémon, prostrating himself, wept tears of
gratitude; then, taking the sword and the money, he went
home and prepared to fly from the province, and secretly
took leave of his relations, each of whom made him some
parting present. These gifts, together with his own money,
and what he had received from the prince, made up a sum of
two hundred and fifty ounces of silver, with which and his
Sukésada sword he escaped under cover of darkness,
and went to a sea-port called Marugamé, in the
province of Sanuki, where he proposed to wait for an
opportunity of setting sail for Osaka. As ill luck would
have it, the wind being contrary, he had to remain three
days idle; but at last the wind changed; so he went down to
the beach, thinking that he should certainly find a junk
about to sail; and as he was looking about him, a sailor
came up, and said—</p>
<p>"If your honour is minded to take a trip to Osaka, my ship
is bound thither, and I should be glad to take you with me as
passenger."</p>
<p>"That's exactly what I wanted. I will gladly take a
passage," replied Jiuyémon, who was delighted at the
chance.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="page94" id="page94"></SPAN></span>
<p>"Well, then, we must set sail at once, so please come on
board without delay."</p>
<p>So Jiuyémon went with him and embarked; and as they
left the harbour and struck into the open sea, the moon was
just rising above the eastern hills, illumining the dark night
like a noonday sun; and Jiuyémon, taking his place in
the bows of the ship, stood wrapt in contemplation of the
beauty of the scene.</p>
<div class="figcenter"
style="width:100%;">
<SPAN href="images/094.jpg"
name="image094"
target="blank" id="image094"><ANTIMG width-obs="100%"
src="images/094.jpg" alt="JIUYÉMON ON BOARD THE PIRATE SHIP." /></SPAN>
JIUYÉMON ON BOARD THE PIRATE SHIP.</div>
<p>Now it happened that the captain of the ship, whose name was
Akagôshi Kuroyémon, was a fierce pirate who,
attracted by Jiuyémon's well-to-do appearance, had
determined to decoy him on board, that he might murder and rob
him; and while Jiuyémon was looking at the moon, the
pirate and his companions were collected in the stern of the
ship, taking counsel together in whispers as to how they might
slay him. He, on the other hand, having for some time past
fancied their conduct somewhat strange, bethought him that it
was not prudent to lay aside his sword, so he went towards the
place where he had been sitting, and had left his weapon lying,
to fetch it, when he was stopped by three of the pirates, who
blocked up the gangway, saying—</p>
<p>"Stop, Sir Samurai! Unluckily for you, this ship in which
you have taken a passage belongs to the pirate Akagôshi
Kuroyémon. Come, sir! whatever money you may chance to
have about you is our
prize."</p>
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="page95" id="page95"></SPAN></span>
<p>When Jiuyémon heard this he was greatly startled at
first, but soon recovered himself, and being an expert
wrestler, kicked over two of the pirates, and made for his
sword; but in the meanwhile Shichirohei, the younger brother of
the pirate captain, had drawn the sword, and brought it towards
him, saying—</p>
<p>"If you want your sword, here it is!" and with that he cut
at him; but Jiuyémon avoided the blow, and closing with
the ruffian, got back his sword. Ten of the pirates then
attacked him with spear and sword; but he, putting his back
against the bows of the ship, showed such good fight that he
killed three of his assailants, and the others stood off, not
daring to approach him. Then the pirate captain, Akagôshi
Kuroyémon, who had been watching the fighting from the
stern, seeing that his men stood no chance against
Jiuyémon's dexterity, and that he was only losing them
to no purpose, thought to shoot him with a matchlock. Even
Jiuyémon, brave as he was, lost heart when he saw the
captain's gun pointed at him, and tried to jump into the sea;
but one of the pirates made a dash at him with a boat-hook, and
caught him by the sleeve; then Jiuyémon, in despair,
took the fine Sukésada sword which he had received from
his prince, and throwing it at his captor, pierced him through
the breast so that he fell dead, and himself plunging into the
sea swam for his life. The pirate captain shot at him and
missed him, and the rest of the crew made every endeavour to
seize him with their boat-hooks, that they might avenge the
death of their mates; but it was all in vain, and
Jiuyémon, having shaken off his clothes that he might
swim the better, made good his escape. So the pirates threw the
bodies of their dead comrades into the sea, and the captain was
partly consoled for their loss by the possession of the
Sukésada sword with which one of them had been
transfixed.</p>
<p>As soon as Jiuyémon jumped over the ship's side,
being a good swimmer, he took a long dive, which carried him
well out of danger, and struck out vigorously; and although he
was tired and distressed by his exertions, he braced himself up
to greater energy, and faced the waves boldly. At last, in the
far distance, to his great joy, he spied a light, for which he
made, and found that it was a ship carrying lanterns marked
with the badge of the governor of Osaka; so he hailed her,
saying—</p>
<p>"I have fallen into great trouble among pirates: pray rescue
me."</p>
<p>"Who and what are you?" shouted an officer, some forty years
of age.</p>
<p>"My name is Funakoshi Jiuyémon, and I have
unwittingly fallen in with pirates this night. I have escaped
so far: I pray you save me, lest I die."</p>
<p>"Hold on to this, and come up," replied the other, holding
out the butt end of a spear to him, which he caught hold of and
clambered up the ship's side. When the officer saw before him a
handsome gentleman, naked all but his loincloth, and with his
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="page96" id="page96"></SPAN></span> hair all in disorder, he
called to his servants to bring some of his own clothes,
and, having dressed him in them, said—</p>
<p>"What clan do you belong to, sir?"</p>
<p>"Sir, I am a Rônin, and was on my way to Osaka; but
the sailors of the ship on which I had embarked were pirates;"
and so he told the whole story of the fight and of his
escape.</p>
<p>"Well done, sir!" replied the other, astonished at his
prowess. "My name is Kajiki Tozayémon, at your service.
I am an officer attached to the governor of Osaka. Pray, have
you any friends in that city?"</p>
<p>"No, sir, I have no friends there; but as in two years I
shall be able to return to my own country, and re-enter my
lord's service, I thought during that time to engage in trade
and live as a common wardsman."</p>
<p>"Indeed, that's a poor prospect! However, if you will allow
me, I will do all that is in my power to assist you. Pray
excuse the liberty I am taking in making such a proposal."</p>
<p>Jiuyémon warmly thanked Kajiki Tozayémon for
his kindness; and so they reached Osaka without further
adventures.</p>
<p>Jiuyémon, who had secreted in his girdle the two
hundred and fifty ounces which he had brought with him from
home, bought a small house, and started in trade as a vendor of
perfumes, tooth-powder, combs, and other toilet articles; and
Kajiki Tozayémon, who treated him with great kindness,
and rendered him many services, prompted him, as he was a
single man, to take to himself a wife. Acting upon this advice,
he married a singing-girl, called O
Hiyaku.<SPAN id="footnotetag42"
name="footnotetag42"></SPAN><SPAN href="#footnote42"><sup>42</sup></SPAN></p>
<p>Now this O Hiyaku, although at first she seemed very
affectionately disposed towards Jiuyémon, had been,
during the time that she was a singer, a woman of bad and
profligate character; and at this time there was in Osaka a
certain wrestler, named Takaségawa Kurobei, a very
handsome man, with whom O Hiyaku fell desperately in love; so
that at last, being by nature a passionate woman, she became
unfaithful to Jiuyémon. The latter, little suspecting
that anything was amiss, was in the habit of spending his
evenings at the house of his patron Kajiki Tozayémon,
whose son, a youth of eighteen, named Tônoshin, conceived
a great friendship for Jiuyémon, and used constantly to
invite him to play a game at checkers; and it was on these
occasions that O Hiyaku, profiting by her husband's absence,
used to arrange her meetings with the wrestler
Takaségawa.</p>
<p>One evening, when Jiuyémon, as was his wont, had gone
out to play at checkers with Kajiki Tônoshin, O Hiyaku
took advantage of the occasion to go and fetch the wrestler,
and invite him to a little feast; and as they were enjoying
themselves over their wine, O Hiyaku said to him—</p>
<p>"Ah! Master Takaségawa, how wonderfully chance
favours us! and how pleasant these stolen interviews are! How
much nicer <span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="page97" id="page97"></SPAN></span> still it would be if we could
only be married. But, as long as Jiuyémon is in the
way, it is impossible; and that is my one cause of
distress."</p>
<p>"It's no use being in such a hurry. If you only have
patience, we shall be able to marry, sure enough. What you have
got to look out for now is, that Jiuyémon does not find
out what we are about. I suppose there is no chance of his
coming home to-night, is there?"</p>
<p>"Oh dear, no! You need not be afraid. He is gone to Kajiki's
house to play checkers; so he is sure to spend the night
there."</p>
<p>And so the guilty couple went on gossiping, with their minds
at ease, until at last they dropped off asleep.</p>
<p>In the meanwhile Jiuyémon, in the middle of his game
at checkers, was seized with a sudden pain in his stomach, and
said to Kajiki Tônoshin, "Young sir, I feel an
unaccountable pain in my stomach. I think I had better go home,
before it gets worse."</p>
<p>"That is a bad job. Wait a little, and I will give you some
physic; but, at any rate, you had better spend the night
here."</p>
<p>"Many thanks for your kindness," replied Jiuyémon;
"but I had rather go home."</p>
<p>So he took his leave, and went off to his own house, bearing
the pain as best he might. When he arrived in front of his own
door, he tried to open it; but the lock was fastened, and he
could not get in, so he rapped violently at the shutters to try
and awaken his wife. When O Hiyaku heard the noise, she woke
with a start, and roused the wrestler, saying to him in a
whisper—</p>
<p>"Get up! get up! Jiuyémon has come back. You must
hide as fast as possible."</p>
<p>"Oh dear! oh dear!" said the wrestler, in a great fright;
"here's a pretty mess! Where on earth shall I hide myself?" and
he stumbled about in every direction looking for a
hiding-place, but found none.</p>
<p>Jiuyémon, seeing that his wife did not come to open
the door, got impatient at last, and forced it open by unfixing
the sliding shutter and, entering the house, found himself face
to face with his wife and her lover, who were both in such
confusion that they did not know what to do. Jiuyémon,
however, took no notice of them, but lit his pipe and sat
smoking and watching them in silence. At last the wrestler,
Takaségawa, broke the silence by saying—</p>
<p>"I thought, sir, that I should be sure to have the pleasure
of finding you at home this evening, so I came out to call upon
you. When I got here, the Lady O Hiyaku was so kind as to offer
me some wine; and I drank a little more than was good for me,
so that it got into my head, and I fell asleep. I must really
apologize for having taken such a liberty in your absence; but,
indeed, although appearances are against us, there has been
nothing wrong."</p>
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="page98" id="page98"></SPAN></span>
<p>"Certainly," said O Hiyaku, coming to her lover's support,
"Master Takaségawa is not at all to blame. It was I who
invited him to drink wine; so I hope you will excuse him."</p>
<p>Jiuyémon sat pondering the matter over in his mind
for a moment, and then said to the wrestler, "You say that you
are innocent; but, of course, that is a lie. It's no use trying
to conceal your fault. However, next year I shall, in all
probability, return to my own country, and then you may take O
Hiyaku and do what you will with her: far be it from me to care
what becomes of a woman with such a stinking heart."</p>
<p>When the wrestler and O Hiyaku heard Jiuyémon say
this quite quietly, they could not speak, but held their peace
for very shame.</p>
<p>"Here, you Takaségawa," pursued he; "you may stop
here to-night, if you like it, and go home to-morrow."</p>
<p>"Thank you, sir," replied the wrestler, "I am much obliged
to you; but the fact is, that I have some pressing business in
another part of the town, so, with your permission, I will take
my leave;" and so he went out, covered with confusion.</p>
<p>As for the faithless wife, O Hiyaku, she was in great
agitation, expecting to be severely reprimanded at least; but
Jiuyémon took no notice of her, and showed no anger;
only from that day forth, although she remained in his house as
his wife, he separated himself from her entirely.</p>
<p>Matters went on in this way for some time, until at last,
one fine day, O Hiyaku, looking out of doors, saw the wrestler
Takaségawa passing in the street, so she called out to
him—</p>
<p>"Dear me, Master Takaségawa, can that be you! What a
long time it is since we have met! Pray come in, and have a
chat."</p>
<p>"Thank you, I am much obliged to you; but as I do not like
the sort of scene we had the other day, I think I had rather
not accept your invitation."</p>
<p>"Pray do not talk in such a cowardly manner. Next year, when
Jiuyémon goes back to his own country, he is sure to
give me this house, and then you and I can marry and live as
happily as possible."</p>
<p>"I don't like being in too great a hurry to accept fair
offers."<SPAN id="footnotetag43"
name="footnotetag43"></SPAN><SPAN href="#footnote43"><sup>43</sup></SPAN></p>
<p>"Nonsense! There's no need for showing such delicacy about
accepting what is given you."</p>
<p>And as she spoke, she caught the wrestler by the hand and
led him into the house. After they had talked together for some
time, she said:—</p>
<p>"Listen to me, Master Takaségawa. I have been
thinking over all this for some time, and I see no help for it
but to kill Jiuyémon and make an end of him."</p>
<p>"What do you want to do that for?"</p>
<p>"As long as he is alive, we cannot be married. What I
propose is that you should buy some poison, and I will put it
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="page99" id="page99"></SPAN></span> secretly into his food. When
he is dead, we can be happy to our hearts' content."</p>
<p>At first Takaségawa was startled and bewildered by
the audacity of their scheme; but forgetting the gratitude
which he owed to Jiuyémon for sparing his life on the
previous occasion, he replied:—</p>
<p>"Well, I think it can be managed. I have a friend who is a
physician, so I will get him to compound some poison for me,
and will send it to you. You must look out for a moment when
your husband is not on his guard, and get him to take it."</p>
<p>Having agreed upon this, Takaségawa went away, and,
having employed a physician to make up the poison, sent it to O
Hiyaku in a letter, suggesting that the poison should be mixed
up with a sort of macaroni, of which Jiuyémon was very
fond. Having read the letter, she put it carefully away in a
drawer of her cupboard, and waited until Jiuyémon should
express a wish to eat some macaroni.</p>
<p>One day, towards the time of the New Year, when O Hiyaku had
gone out to a party with a few of her friends, it happened that
Jiuyémon, being alone in the house, was in want of some
little thing, and, failing to find it anywhere, at last
bethought himself to look for it in O Hiyaku's cupboard; and as
he was searching amongst the odds and ends which it contained,
he came upon the fatal letter. When he read the scheme for
putting poison in his macaroni, he was taken aback, and said to
himself, "When I caught those two beasts in their wickedness I
spared them, because their blood would have defiled my sword;
and now they are not even grateful for my mercy. Their crime is
beyond all power of language to express, and I will kill them
together."</p>
<p>So he put back the letter in its place, and waited for his
wife to come home. So soon as she made her appearance he
said—</p>
<p>"You have come home early, O Hiyaku. I feel very dull and
lonely this evening; let us have a little wine."</p>
<p>And as he spoke without any semblance of anger, it never
entered O Hiyaku's mind that he had seen the letter; so she
went about her household duties with a quiet mind.</p>
<p>The following evening, as Jiuyémon was sitting in his
shop casting up his accounts, with his
counting-board<SPAN id="footnotetag44"
name="footnotetag44"></SPAN><SPAN href="#footnote44"><sup>44</sup></SPAN>
in his hand, Takaségawa passed by, and
Jiuyémon called out to him, saying:—</p>
<p>"Well met, Takaségawa! I was just thinking of
drinking a cup of wine to-night; but I have no one to keep me
company, and it is dull work drinking alone. Pray come in, and
drink a bout with me."</p>
<p>"Thank you, sir, I shall have much pleasure," replied the
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="page100" id="page100"></SPAN></span> wrestler, who little
expected what the other was aiming at; and so he went in,
and they began to drink and feast.</p>
<p>"It's very cold to-night," said Jiuyémon, after a
while; "suppose we warm up a little macaroni, and eat it nice
and hot. Perhaps, however, you do not like it?"</p>
<p>"Indeed, I am very fond of it, on the contrary."</p>
<p>"That is well. O Hiyaku, please go and buy a little for
us."</p>
<p>"Directly," replied his wife, who hurried off to buy the
paste, delighted at the opportunity for carrying out her
murderous design upon her husband. As soon she had prepared it,
she poured it into bowls and set it before the two men; but
into her husband's bowl only she put poison. Jiuyémon,
who well knew what she had done, did not eat the mess at once,
but remained talking about this, that, and the other; and the
wrestler, out of politeness, was obliged to wait also. All of a
sudden, Jiuyémon cried out—</p>
<p>"Dear me! whilst we have been gossiping, the macaroni has
been getting cold. Let us put it all together and warm it up
again. As no one has put his lips to his bowl yet, it will all
be clean; so none need be wasted." And with these words he took
the macaroni that was in the three bowls, and, pouring it
altogether into an iron pot, boiled it up again. This time
Jiuyémon served out the food himself, and, setting it
before his wife and the wrestler, said—</p>
<p>"There! make haste and eat it up before it gets cold."</p>
<p>Jiuyémon, of course, did not eat any of the mess; and
the would-be murderers, knowing that sufficient poison had been
originally put into Jiuyémon's bowl to kill them all
three, and that now the macaroni, having been well mixed up,
would all be poisoned, were quite taken aback, and did not know
what to do.</p>
<p>"Come! make haste, or it will be quite cold. You said you
liked it, so I sent to buy it on purpose. O Hiyaku! come and
make a hearty meal. I will eat some presently."</p>
<p>At this the pair looked very foolish, and knew not what to
answer; at last the wrestler got up and said—</p>
<p>"I do not feel quite well. I must beg to take my leave; and,
if you will allow me, I will come and accept your hospitality
to-morrow instead."</p>
<p>"Dear me! I am sorry to hear you are not well. However, O
Hiyaku, there will be all the more macaroni for you."</p>
<p>As for O Hiyaku, she put a bold face upon the matter, and
replied that she had supped already, and had no appetite for
any more.</p>
<p>Then Jiuyémon, looking at them both with a scornful
smile, said—</p>
<p>"It seems that you, neither of you, care to eat this
macaroni; however, as you, Takaségawa, are unwell, I
will give you some excellent medicine;" and going to the
cupboard, he drew out the letter, and laid it before the
wrestler. When O Hiyaku and <!--blank page 101-->
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="page102" id="page102"></SPAN></span> the wrestler saw that their
wicked schemes had been brought to light, they were struck
dumb with shame.</p>
<p>Takaségawa, seeing that denial was useless, drew his
dirk and cut at Jiuyémon; but he, being nimble and
quick, dived under the wrestler's arm, and seizing his right
hand from behind, tightened his grasp upon it until it became
numbed, and the dirk fell to the ground; for, powerful man as
the wrestler was, he was no match for Jiuyémon, who held
him in so fast a grip that he could not move. Then
Jiuyémon took the dirk which had fallen to the ground,
and said:—</p>
<p>"Oh! I thought that you, being a wrestler, would at least be
a strong man, and that there would be some pleasure in fighting
you; but I see that you are but a poor feckless creature, after
all. It would have defiled my sword to have killed such an
ungrateful hound with it; but luckily here is your own dirk,
and I will slay you with that."</p>
<p>Takaségawa struggled to escape, but in vain; and O
Hiyaku, seizing a large kitchen knife, attacked
Jiuyémon; but he, furious, kicked her in the loins so
violently that she fell powerless, then brandishing the dirk,
he cleft the wrestler from the shoulder down to the nipple of
his breast, and the big man fell in his agony. O Hiyaku, seeing
this, tried to fly; but Jiuyémon, seizing her by the
hair of the head, stabbed her in the bosom, and, placing her by
her lover's side, gave her the death-blow.</p>
<div class="figcenter"
style="width:100%;">
<SPAN href="images/101.jpg"
name="image101"
target="blank" id="image101"><ANTIMG width-obs="100%"
src="images/101.jpg" alt="JIUYÉMON PUNISHES HIS WIFE AND THE WRESTLER." /></SPAN> JIUYÉMON PUNISHES HIS WIFE AND THE WRESTLER.</div>
<p>On the following day, he sent in a report of what he had
done to the governor of Osaka, and buried the corpses; and from
that time forth he remained a single man, and pursued his trade
as a seller of perfumery and such-like wares; and his leisure
hours he continued to spend as before, at the house of his
patron, Kajiki Tozayémon.</p>
<div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />