"Pardon! it is I,--Yayoi![68]... I have something to say to Matsumura
Sama,--something of great moment. Please open!"...
[Footnote 68: This name, though uncommon, is still in use.]
Matsumura half opened the door, very cautiously; and he saw the same
beautiful face that had smiled upon him from the well. But it was not
smiling now: it had a very sad look.
"Into my house you shall not come," the priest exclaimed. "You are not
a human being, but a Well-Person.... Why do you thus wickedly try to
delude and destroy people?"
The Well-Person made answer in a voice musical as a tinkling of jewels
(_tama-wo-korogasu-koë_.):--
"It is of that very matter that I want to speak.... I have never
wished to injure human beings. But from ancient time a Poison-Dragon
dwelt in that well. He was the Master of the Well; and because of him
the well was always full. Long ago I fell into the water there, and
so became subject to him; and he had power to make me lure people to
death, in order that he might drink their blood. But now the Heavenly
Ruler has commanded the Dragon to dwell hereafter in the lake called
Torii-no-Iké, in the Province of Shinsh[=u]; and the gods have decided
that he shall never be allowed to return to this city. So to-night,
after he had gone away, I was able to come out, to beg for your kindly
help. There is now very little water in the well, because of the
Dragon's departure; and if you will order search to be made, my body
will be found there. I pray you to save my body from the well without
delay; and I shall certainly return your benevolence."...
So saying, she vanished into the night.
* * * * *
Before dawn the tempest had passed; and when the sun arose there was
no trace of cloud in the pure blue sky. Matsumura sent at an early
hour for well-cleaners to search the well. Then, to everybody's
surprise, the well proved to be almost dry. It was easily cleaned; and
at the bottom of it were found some hair-ornaments of a very ancient
fashion, and a metal mirror of curious form--but no trace of any body,
animal or human.
Matusmura imagined, however, that the mirror might yield some
explanation of the mystery; for every such mirror is a weird thing,
having a soul of its own,--and the soul of a mirror is feminine. This
mirror, which seemed to be very old, was deeply crusted with scurf.
But when it had been carefully cleaned, by the priest's order, it
proved to be of rare and costly workmanship; and there were wonderful
designs upon the back of it,--also several characters. Some of the
characters had become indistinguishable; but there could still be
discerned part of a date, and ideographs signifying, "_third month,
the third day_." Now the third month used to be termed _Yayoi_
(meaning, the Month of Increase); and the third day of the third
month, which is a festival day, is still called _Yayoi-no-sekku_.
Remembering that the Well-Person called herself "Yayoi," Matsumura
felt almost sure that his ghostly visitant had been none other than
the Soul of the Mirror.
He therefore resolved to treat the mirror with all the consideration
due to a Spirit. After having caused it to be carefully repolished
and resilvered, he had a case of precious wood made for it, and a
particular room in the house prepared to receive it. On the evening
of the same day that it had been respectfully deposited in that room,
Yayoi herself unexpectedly appeared before the priest as he sat alone
in his study. She looked even more lovely than before; but the light
of her beauty was now soft as the light of a summer moon shining
through pure white clouds. After having humbly saluted Matsumura, she
said in her sweetly tinkling voice:--
"Now that you have saved me from solitude and sorrow, I have come to
thank you.... I am indeed, as you supposed, the Spirit of the Mirror.
It was in the time of the Emperor Saimei that I was first brought here
from Kudara; and I dwelt in the august residence until the time of
the Emperor Saga, when I was augustly bestowed upon the Lady Kamo,
Naishinn[=o] of the Imperial Court.[69] Thereafter I became an
heirloom in the House of Fuji-wara, and so remained until the period
of H[=o]gen, when I was dropped into the well. There I was left and
forgotten during the years of the great war.[70] The Master of the
Well[71] was a venomous Dragon, who used to live in a lake that once
covered a great part of this district. After the lake had been filled
in, by government order, in order that houses might be built upon
the place of it, the Dragon took possession of the well; and when I
fell into the well I became subject to him; and he compelled me to
lure many people to their deaths. But the gods have banished him
forever.... Now I have one more favor to beseech: I entreat that you
will cause me to be offered up to the Sh[=o]gun, the Lord Yoshimasa,
who by descent is related to my former possessors. Do me but this last
great kindness, and it will bring you good-fortune.... But I have also
to warn you of a danger. In this house, after to-morrow, you must
not stay, because it will be destroyed."... And with these words of
warning Yayoi disappeared.
[Footnote 69: The Emperor Saimei reigned from 655 to 662 (A.D.);
the Emperor Saga from 810 to 842.--Kudara was an ancient kingdom in
southwestern Korea, frequently mentioned in early Japanese history.--A
_Naishinn[=o]_ was of Imperial blood. In the ancient court-hierarchy
there were twenty-five ranks or grades of noble ladies;--that of
_Naishinno_ was seventh in order of precedence.]
[Footnote 70: For centuries the wives of the emperors and the ladies
of the Imperial Court were chosen from the Fujiwara clan--The period
called H[=o]gen lasted from 1156 to 1159: the war referred to is the
famous war between the Taira and Minamoto clans.]
[Footnote 71: In old-time belief every lake or spring had its
invisible guardian, supposed to sometimes take the form of a serpent
or dragon. The spirit of a lake or pond was commonly spoken of
as _Iké-no-Mushi_, the Master of the Lake. Here we find the title
"Master" given to a dragon living in a well; but the guardian of wells
is really the god Suijin.]
* * * * *
Matsumura was able to profit by this premonition. He removed his
people and his belongings to another district the next day; and almost
immediately afterwards another storm arose, even more violent than the
first, causing a flood which swept away the house in which he had been
residing.
Some time later, by favor of the Lord Hosokawa, Matsumura was enabled
to obtain an audience of the Sh[=o]gun Yoshimasa, to whom he presented
the mirror, together with a written account of its wonderful history.
Then the prediction of the Spirit of the Mirror was fulfilled; for the
Sh[=o]gun, greatly pleased with this strange gift, not only bestowed
costly presents upon Matsumura, but also made an ample grant of money
for the rebuilding of the Temple of Ogawachi-My[=o]jin.