The next day Yokoyama sent to Prince Kane-uji a message, inviting
him to come to his house, there to perform the wine-drinking
ceremony of greeting each other as father-in-law and son-in-law.
Then the Princess Terute sought to dissuade the Hangwan from
going there, because she had dreamed in the night a dream of ill
omen.
But the Hangwan, making light of her fears, went boldly to the
dwelling of the Choja, followed by his young retainers.
Then Yokoyama Choja, rejoicing, caused many dishes to be
prepared, containing all delicacies furnished by the mountains
and the sea(1), and well entertained the Hangwan.
At last, when the wine-drinking began to flag, Yokoyama uttered
the wish that his guest, the lord Kane-uji, would also furnish
some entertainment(2).
"And what shall it be?" the Hangwan asked.
"Truly," replied the Choja, "I am desirous to see you show your
great skill in riding."
"Then I shall ride," the prince made answer. And presently the
horse called Onikage(3) was led out.
That horse was so fierce that he did not seem to be a real horse,
but rather a demon or a dragon, so that few dared even to
approach him.
But the Prince Hangwan Kane-uji at once loosened the chain by
which the horse was fastened, and rode upon him with wondrous
ease.
In spite of his fierceness, Onikage found himself obliged to do
everything which his rider wished. All present, Yokoyama and the
others, could not speak for astonishment.
But soon the Choja, taking and setting up a six-folding screen,
asked to see the prince ride his steed upon the upper edge of the
screen.
The lord Oguri, consenting, rode upon the top of the screen; and
then he rode along the top of an upright shoji frame.
Then a chessboard being set out, he rode upon it, making the
horse rightly set his hoof upon the squares of the chessboard as
he rode.
And, lastly, he made the steed balance himself upon the frame of
an andon(4).
Then Yokoyama was at a loss what to do, and he could only say,
bowing low to the prince:
"Truly I am grateful for your entertainment; I am very much
delighted."
And the lord Oguri, having attached Onikage to a cherry-tree in
the garden, reentered the apartment.
But Saburo, the third son of the house, having persuaded his
father to kill the Hangwan with poisoned wine, urged the prince
to drink sake with which there had been mingled the venom of a
blue centipede and of a blue lizard, and foul water that had long
stood in the hollow joint of a bamboo.
And the Hangwan and his followers, not suspecting the wine had
been poisoned, drank the whole.
Sad to say, the poison entered into their viscera and their
intestines; and all their bones burst asunder by reason of the
violence of that poison.
(1) Or, "with all strange flavors of mountain and sea."
(2) The word is really sakana, "fish." It has always been
the rule to serve fish with sake; and gradually the word
"fish" became used for any entertainment given during the
wine-party by guests, such as songs, dances, etc.
(3) Literally, "Demon-deer-hair." The term "deer-hair" refers to
color. A less exact translation of the original characters would
be "the demon chestnut". Kage, "deer-color" also means
"chestnut." A chestnut horse is Kage-no-uma.
(4) A large portable lantern, having a wooden frame and paper
sides. There are andon of many forms, some remarkably beautiful.
Their lives passed from them quickly as dew in the morning from
the grass.
And Saburo and his father buried their corpses in the moor
Uwanogahara.