stopped before a house of modest dimensions, but of light and
elegant construction, and, bowing, preceded his companion. Stopping
on the verandah, he uttered his name in a low but distinct voice.
An answer was returned, and he beckoned Inouye to enter. The latter
did so, and, prostrating himself, ejaculated rapidly such phrases of
self-depreciation as the high rank of a Kugé demanded.
Karassu Maru,[72] the master of the house, was a young man of about
Inouye’s age, dressed in haori, hakama, and kimono all of fine silk. He
scanned Ito’s features keenly, and appeared satisfied with the result.
He was evidently of a quick, impulsive temper, but used the courtly
language, and strictly observed his own dignity.
“I am informed that you have a proposition to place before me on behalf
of Mori.[73]”
“I am but the messenger, My Lord, and my authority extends only to
requesting an audience of your lordship for the first councillor and
friend of my Lord Mori.”
“But, you know, there is some danger in coming to and going from the
Gosho. Our friends of the Aidzu Clan, whom the Go rojiu has kindly
deputed to guard us here, seem to scent danger, for they have drawn the
lines tighter and tighter. It would be better if I knew something of
what Mori wishes, so that both time and risk could be saved.”
“I will tell you, my lord, what I know.”
Inouye then gave a comprehensive but concise review of Kido’s
intentions, reserving, of course, the conclusions of his leader, and
the share he intended to assign to the Gosho. Karassu Maru listened
attentively, and when Inouye concluded, he said:
“When do you expect the councillor of your clan?”
“He will come, your Lordship, as soon as I let him know that he may
have an audience.”
“I am willing to hear him, but he will need great powers of persuasion.
Of my personal friends, one is an idiot, and the other a fool. No; I
can’t do a thing, although I would like to try. The affair ought to
be begun by one of the Miya,[74] but that is altogether out of the
question. Ni-jo?[75] bah! he would not stir. Sanjo? Yes, he might. Aye,
I think that he would. Hold on! There is Tomomi. He is the man!”
This was evidently not destined for the ears of Inouye, who was
listening but without any expression in his features. Karassu Maru
looked up, and said:--
“See that Mori’s councillor is here on the tenth day from now. The same
retainer who brought you here will call for him, and I shall arrange
a meeting. Now about getting out. He clapped his hands, and when the
attendant appeared, he said: ‘Get the football ready, and invite
Honami and Gojo with their retainers to join me in a game. You, sir,
come along. When we come to the wall near the gate the guard will be
watching us. See to it that you do not kick it over the wall, for I am
a good hand at scolding, and you would not care to be called clumsy,
would you? If, however, you should send it flying over the wall, run
after it, and throw it back. We shall entertain the guard.’”
It was dark when Inouye returned to the temple, but he wrote at once to
Kano. The letter was foolish, and made the writer appear to live only
for amusement. It described the magnificence of the temples and urged
Kano to be present at a festival to take place on the tenth day. There
was nothing in it of the slightest interest to any spy.
Kano was at home when the letter was delivered to him. He saw, after
a close examination, that it had been opened, but smiled after he had
read its contents. He knew the spy. Why had Sawa so earnestly requested
him to admit among his retainers a young friend who had some slight
trouble in his own clan? Kano had demurred to keep up appearances,
but finally he had agreed, and he knew that there was no longer any
privacy in his house. It was immaterial to him. He did not know of one
member of his clan in whom he could trust. Not that there was any doubt
whatever of their loyalty, but one thoughtless word or action would
upset all his plans. He was glad that he had two such friends as Ito
and Inouye. Sonno-Joï! Why he had heard that cry in his own clan, here
at the confines of Hondo. There had been no communication from him, and
this was the first that he received from Inouye. Truly, there was a
chance for Choshiu when the clan numbered among its members such men.
O! if Ekichi might only grow up to such a standard.
He clapped his hands and ordered the child to be called. The boy came,
knelt at the threshold, and saluted his father with the reverence due
to him, and the gravity of a man. Kano bowed in return, and said:--
“Come here.”
The boy came, bowed, and squatted down.
“Are you doing well at school?”
Ekichi bowed.
“Read that to me,” he continued, taking up a book. The boy began to
read in the sing-song tone necessary to render ideographic writing
intelligible to the reader. His father then inquired after his progress
in athletic exercises, and finally said: “Come, we shall go into the
garden!”
They walked together to an artificial hillock, found in every Japanese
garden of any pretensions, and ascended to the top. Here, safe from
spies, Kano turned to his son:
“Listen, Ekichi,” he said. “You know the new attendant who came here
some months ago?” The child bowed. “Very well; I want you to be the
shadow of that man. He must not be anywhere, or you must see him; he
may not say a word, or you must hear what it is. I am going away for
a few weeks, and when I am back, you must read on this hillock every
afternoon, until I come up, and then you must tell me what this man has
done, whom he has seen and what he has said. Can you do that do you
think?”
The little fellow felt overjoyed at this token of his father’s
confidence, but not a look betrayed that feeling. He accepted the
charge with a simple bow, and went with his father back to the house.
Kano dressed, and ordered his chair. When he entered it, he said
briefly: “To the castle!” Alighting at the inner entrance, he
distinctly ejaculated his name; a servant appeared and bade him enter.
The room was almost the same as his sitting-room in his own house.
There was no furniture, but a kakemono,[76] of priceless value in
Japanese eyes, hung from the wall so that the light fell upon it. A few
bronze pieces, masterworks of art, stood where they appeared to demand
admiration. In the middle of the room sat the owner of the estate,
an estimable gentleman of middle age, dressed in magnificent silk.
Kano saluted dutifully and was bidden to approach. He sat down at the
prescribed distance, and waited for his master to address him.
“I am glad you called,” said Mori. “I want the garden changed, and my
cousin told me that the council had appropriated too much money for
the fortifications at Shimonoseki. What fad is this? Those works were
constructed under my grandfather, and could not be made better. It is
more important by far that the garden be altered. Come here! Do you not
see that if I sit here and look out, that hillock yonder interrupts the
view? It must be changed.”
Kano bowed low and said: “It shall be done, my lord. I am going to
Kyoto on business for the clan. Is there anything I can do for you?”
“Why, certainly. If you can pick up any fine antiquities, do so. And
you must order new haori for the retainers. They will need them on our
next journey to Yedo.”
Kano promised to attend to these matters, and took his leave. Closing
the sho ji behind him, he went to a distant part of the palace, and
called an attendant. “Request Mr. Hattori to come here,” he said.
Hattori came, and his friend told him that he was called to Kyoto
on private business, and would be absent for two or three weeks. He
requested him to see that the garden was altered according to the
wishes of the Lord of the Manor. Hattori promised to comply. Kano then
proceeded to Sawa’s yashiki, and told him that he had come to bid him
good-bye, as he was going to Kyoto under orders from my lord to buy
some new ornaments. He asked for a letter to the commandant of the
castle at Kyoto, a request which was willingly granted. When Kano left,
a small bag of gold remained on the cushion which he had occupied.
XIV
WITHIN THE PALACE
In one of the kuge residences, not far from the palace occupied by the
Tenshi sama, four men had just exchanged the protracted salutations
prescribed by their rank. All knew that this very meeting would be
considered as treason if it were known to the authorities at Yedo, and
they felt, intuitively, that it would exercise a great influence upon
their lives. Yet every face bore but one expression, that of placid
contentment.
Sanjo, as the highest in rank, spoke first:--“His Lordship, Karassu
Maru has informed us that the chief Councillor of Mori desires to make
a communication. It is long since the chief of a clan desired the
intercession of a kuge.”
Kano bowed:--“It is the fault of the Tokugawa, My Lord. The clans
are shut out from Kyoto. We are not permitted to occupy our yashiki
here, unless we secure the gracious consent of the men who rule at
Yedo. I know none of the old families, Mori, Shimadzu,[77] who would
not willingly enroll himself among the lowest servants of the Son of
Heaven. If you are robbed of the homage which is your due, surely we
suffer more severely by being shut out from the sacred presence.”
Sanjo bowed, and looked at Iwakura Tomomi, who said:--“You speak
well, Sir Knight, and we do not hold the clans responsible for their
compulsory neglect of His Majesty. But we shall be glad to hear what it
is that Mori of Nagato desires of us.”
“Your Lordships, the Tokugawa has admitted barbarians within the realm
of the divine ancestors. They are now upsetting all our time-honored
customs at Kanagawa, and demand admittance at Hyogo. Your humble
servant has dwelt for six weeks among them. I desired to study
them, because I was anxious to know if their unhallowed presence
foreboded evil to our country. I am convinced that it does. The five
relations[78] upon which our social system rests are disregarded and
set at nought by them. They respect nothing we respect. They are rude
and insolent, and act as if the country of the gods was theirs by right
of conquest. They defy our laws. Who ever heard of a merchant talking
back to a samurai? Not only do they do this, but they dare order them
about.”
“Have you seen that yourself?” asked Sanjo.
“I have, my Lord.”
“And what did the Tokugawa Knights do?”
“They did as they were bidden; they obeyed the orders of the insolent
dogs.”
“Was no complaint brought?”
“Who would bring a complaint, and before whom? The samurai is not
accustomed to seek protection. He protects, and in such a quarrel,
his good sword is both judge and executioner. But, alas! the Tokugawa
samurai is no longer a knight. He has forgotten the existence of the
word duty, and has substituted the word pleasure. The country is no
longer safe under the guidance of the Tokugawa. It must be taken away
from them.”
“And given to Mori?” asked Karassu Maru.
“That may be decided later, my lord,” said Kano calmly. “At present it
is not a question of who shall rule with Tenshi Sama’s consent, but if
the country shall be safe from the invasion of the barbarians. They may
not come in large numbers for some years; but if they upset all our
sacred customs, they can ruin Japan without any armed invasion. They
are but few in number now, your lordships, and we can expel them. But
if we wait for a few years, they will have obtained such a foothold
that we may not be able to succeed.”
“But what can we do?” asked Iwakura.
“Your lordship, there is but one way. Tenshi Sama may order the
Tokugawa to expel the barbarians, the order will not be obeyed, because
the clan can not do it, and will not entrust the work to other clans.
But Tenshi Sama can give an order to all the clans to do it, and I know
of some who will obey His Majesty’s orders, regardless of consequences.”
“But,” said Sanjo, “you know that Tokugawa is Shogun; all orders must
be issued to him; such is the law and the custom.”
“But if Tokugawa can not, or will not obey?”
Here was a supposition which was very unpalatable, and the three kuge
were silent. Orders had been issued from the Palace before, and had
been disregarded, but the kuge had been respectfully assured that
they had been obeyed. Iwakura knew of one instance, and the angry
blood appeared almost through the thick coating of self-control and
restraint. At last Karassu Mara said:
“What would you have us do?”
“Send peremptory orders to the Go rojiu, and let the clans know that
such orders have been sent.”
“Do you know, Sir Knight,” he asked, “how we are situated here? Aidzu,
one of the Tokugawa clans that will fight, confound it! has a guard at
every gate. Not a soul goes in or out, but they know who he is, and I
shall be very much astonished and glad for your sake, if you return
home without some disagreeable encounter. Why! They discovered after
your messenger had left that a stranger had been in the palace grounds,
and there was a fine hue and cry. The captain of the guard came to
me and dared ask questions; I don’t think he will do it again, for I
made him understand the difference between a kuge and a dog. We could
contrive, perhaps, to send a secret order. But an open order to the
clans! Why, that messenger must be nimble-footed who could get as far
as one hundred yards from the gate!”
“No!” said Sanjo, “that suggestion is worthless. Mark you, Sir Knight,
I do not deny that the Tokugawa hand has rested heavily upon the Gosho,
but under whatever circumstances, the Court has maintained its dignity.
Nor would any infringement be permitted. Besides, while it is true that
his Lordship Iwakura and myself are members of the Inner Council, we
are but two, and the majority is composed of old men, wedded to the
secluded, contemplative life we lead. If you have no other suggestion
to offer, I am afraid that we can not help you.”
“But, my Lord,” said Kano, “surely, that life of seclusion and
contemplation ends as soon as the barbarians land at Hyogo. They are,
even now, clamoring to be admitted into Yedo. It is only a question of
time, perhaps of very brief time, before they will demand admittance
in Kyoto, and from what I have seen of them, they will not show any
respect for the Sacred Enclosure.”
Karassu Maru grasped the hilt of his sword, while Iwakura and Sanjo
were startled.
“Ah! That must be prevented at any cost!” said the former, and Sanjo
bowed assent.
After a few moments Iwakura made a movement indicating the termination
of the audience, saying: “Sir Knight, we shall report our conference to
the Council. We do not pretend to know what the result will be, but I
suppose that, if we wish to communicate with you, his lordship Karassu
Maru will know how to reach you.” Deep bows and sucking of the breath
followed, and Kano left escorted by Karassu Maru, who led the way to a
secluded part of the grounds.
“Now then, Sir Knight, what do you think of the prospect? Encouraging,
is it not? And the two gentlemen whom we have left just now, are the
most progressive. Now, let me give you a hint. The Miya and kuge, I say
it with all respect, have taken root into the ground. That root must
be torn up by main force, before they will move. Pull the ground from
under them and you will succeed. If you can not find means to do that,
return to your clan and prepare to defend yourself. By the way! Are you
acquainted with a gigantic Satsuma knight, who loves the Tokugawa as
much as you do?”
“I am not, my Lord,” said Kano, surprised.
“Well, he, too, is in hiding in some temple. Hunt him up, and work
together. Two can do more than one. Now, how are you going to leave
here?”
“I saw a nosimono going to one of the palaces a moment ago, is it going
beyond the gate?”
“Yes, that is his lordship Honami, who is so exceedingly bright that he
can go wherever and whenever he pleases, but why?”
“Can not your lordship arrange that I shall be one of the bearers?”
“Why, certainly. Come this way and wait in that copse.” Karassu Maru
returned after half an hour’s absence, evidently in great glee. He said
that Honami had consented to carry a package to the temple where Inouye
had rooms. Karassu Maru then handed to Kano a chair-bearer’s coat, and
kerchief to tie around his head. It took only a minute to change the
clothes, and to make a bundle of haori, hakama, kimono, and swords. A
little later Honami’s well-known nosimono passed through the gate borne
by four stalwart men. When it returned there were only three. One had
been lost, and poor Honami’s privileges were curtailed, while the other
chairbearers were subjected to a severe but useless examination.
XV
UNDERGROUND RUMBLING
The Choshiu Clan was by no means alone in taking the alarm at the
admittance of foreigners. The Japanese, as a nation, possess a dual
character, which was typified in their government. Just as the
Gosho at Kyoto presented the highest degree of refinement attained
by the nation, as well as the amiability, natural kindness, and
light-heartedness of the people, so did the Camp at Yedo picture the
sterner side of their character inculcated and developed to the utmost
in the samurai. But the samurai shared with the people the curiosity
which is a national characteristic, and many had visited Yokohama
for the sole purpose of examining and taking the measure of these
strangers. The early history of that open port, is one of bloodshed.
Numerous are the names of foreigners in the graveyard upon the bluff,
with the inscription: Murdered. Yet in not one single instance was the
perpetrator brought to justice. Not one of these murders was for the
purpose of robbery; in every instance the sharp sword had been used to
avenge some real or fancied insult.
Except the missionaries who arrived as soon as Japan was opened, there
were few, very few foreigners who made any effort to propitiate this
people. Most of them had lived for some time in China, where they had
met a submissive people. They treated the Japanese in the same manner,
with very unexpected results. The resentment turned from the foreigners
upon the government which had admitted them, and the Tokugawa dynasty
was doomed.
But of the Genrô, the statesmen of revolutionary time, no one had
any thought of uniting Japan into an Empire under the direct rule of
Tenshi Sama. They knew of no history save that of their own country,
and that demonstrated the Son of Heaven as too sacred a person to be
troubled with mundane affairs. All desired a strong country under a
strong Shogun. There is not the least doubt that Satsuma, Choshiu, and
Tosa, to whom Japan chiefly owes its present greatness, worked with
that end in view. Nor does it detract from their credit that probably
each worked with the ultimate hope to see his own clan take Tokugawa’s
place. There was not an atom of selfishness in this. The chief impulses
constituting our motives in life, the acquisition of wealth and honor
or fame, were unintelligible to the Japanese at that time.
* * * * *
Kano returned to the temple, where he had left his chair and bearers,
for he was stopping at the Choshiu yashiki, and entered the room where
Inouye was waiting for him. Having satisfied himself that there were no
listeners, he briefly summed up the result of his interview with the
kuge. “There will be no opening of Hyogo,” he said. “The Court will
move heaven and earth, before it concedes that demand. But Karassu Maru
is right. The ground must be pulled from under them, before they will
abate one jot of their dignity, such as they understand it. By the way.
Go back to Nagato as soon as you can. The attention of the spies will
be drawn toward this temple, because one of the bearers of Honami’s
chair disappeared here. I shall follow you in a few days.”
The two devoted samurai reached their own province in safety, and the
affairs of the clan continued peaceably, except that a considerable
number of young samurai resigned as members of the clan, and
disappeared. It was not generally known that their names were not
stricken off the rolls, but that the letters of resignation were held
in a safe place, in case of emergency. Nobody heard from Ito; at
least not directly. Indirectly the cry of Sonno Joï! growing more and
more common, showed that he was still gathering recruits in the ranks
against the Tokugawa.
Kano smiled grimly when he received from Yedo a copy of a letter
sent by the Court to the Daimiyo of Mito. “The Bakufu” (Camp or Yedo
Government) it ran “has shown great disrespect of public opinion in
concluding treaties without waiting for the opinion of the Court, and
in disgracing princes so closely allied by blood to the Shogun. Tenshi
Sama’s rest is disturbed by the spectacle of such misgovernment when
the fierce barbarian is at our very door. Do you, therefore assist the
Bakufu with your advice, expel the barbarians, content the mind of the
samurai, and restore tranquillity to his Majesty’s bosom.”
The wedge had entered, but time was required before it could be driven
deeper. Kano had gradually prepared his friend Hattori to share his
hopes and fears, and effective improvements had been made in the
fortifications on the coast of Nagato. Cannon, not of very modern
make, but decidedly better than the rusty fire pieces of old, had
been purchased at Nagasaki and smuggled in at Shimonoseki; a supply
of powder was also procured, and several companies of young samurai
practiced daily with the guns. Ekichi had attached himself to Inouye
and was rapidly growing into an expert swordsman.
One evening, in the beginning of April, Kano was sitting in his room,
talking to his son. The rain doors were up, for it had been blowing
hard all day, and it looked like rain. Kano began to think that it was
time to retire, when Ekichi told him that there was a knock at the rain
doors. Kano took up a lantern, and went on the verandah, when he heard
a muffled voice calling him. He opened a door and asked who was there,
when he recognized the voice of Ito. He gladly invited him to enter,
and reclosing the door, led the way to his room. After the customary
salutations, seeing that Ito was cold and wet, he ordered dry garments
to be brought, and then inquired when he had arrived. Ito replied that
he had come straight to Kano’s yashiki, and then asked him if he had
heard the news. He received a negative answer and said:--“Before I
tell you what it is, I must warn you that you have a spy in the house.”
“O! I know that, but he is harmless.”
“Yes; he is harmless now; but he must have found out something because
the Go rojiu dogs were hot on my trail.”
“Ekichi,” said Kano, “watch around the rooms; and if you see any one
trying to listen, silence him.”
The boy bowed and slipped out.
Ito sipped a cup of tea, and, seeing that Kano expected him to speak,
said:
“Ii Naosuke is dead.”
“Is that so? When did he die?”
“He was assassinated in Yedo on the 23rd of last month.”
Kano knocked the ashes out of his pipe, put it up, and looked for
further particulars. Ito continued:--
“It was blowing a severe storm in Yedo that day. There was rain and
sleet, and sometimes it snowed very heavily. The streets within the
moats of the castle are almost always deserted, but this time they
were wholly so on account of the weather. It appears that there was
some meeting at the castle. At all events the Daimiyo of Kii and Owari
with their respective retinues were marching across the bridge into
the inner walls, when the retinue of the Lord Regent also approached.
The last of the Kii samurai had just left the bridge when the head of
Ii’s retinue reached it. Several men in rain coats had been loitering;
they flung off their coats and as samurai in full armor, attacked the
regent’s escort. These men were taken unawares, and before they could
drop their rain coats a number of them had been killed and Ii was
dragged out of his nosimono, and decapitated. Several of the assailants
lost their lives, but the leader escaped with the head. It is said that
they were Mito rônin.”
Kano was silent for some time. At last he said: “This is a death
blow for the Tokugawa, for Ii Naosuke was the only man, so far as I
know, who could have propped up that falling house. For that reason I
am glad. But I am sorry too, for Ii was a patriot. I disagreed with
him, but he may have been right when he said, in defense of the treaty
which he had made: ‘Let us have intercourse with foreign countries,
learn their drill and tactics, and let us make the nation united as one
family.’ I do not think that he could have succeeded, but--”
There was a stifled cry and a blow. A moment later a sho ji opened, and
Ekichi came in holding in one hand the bleeding head of the spy, and in
the other his drawn sword. The boy said simply: “I have silenced him.”