With Yusai’s advice and help, Shinzaburō was able before dark to fix
the holy texts over all the apertures of his dwelling. Then the
_ninsomi_ returned to his own house,—leaving the youth alone.
Night came, warm and clear. Shinzaburō made fast the doors, bound the
precious amulet about his waist, entered his mosquito-net, and by the
glow of a night-lantern began to recite the _Ubō-Darani-Kyō_. For a
long time he chanted the words, comprehending little of their
meaning;—then he tried to obtain some rest. But his mind was still too
much disturbed by the strange events of the day. Midnight passed; and
no sleep came to him. At last he heard the boom of the great
temple-bell of Dentsu-In announcing the eighth hour.[15]
[15] According to the old Japanese way of counting time, this
_yatsudoki_ or eighth hour was the same as our two o’clock in the
morning. Each Japanese hour was equal to two European hours, so that
there were only six hours instead of our twelve; and these six hours
were counted backwards in the order,—9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4. Thus the ninth
hour corresponded to our midday, or midnight; half-past nine to our
one o’clock; eight to our two o’clock. Two o’clock in the morning,
also called “the Hour of the Ox,” was the Japanese hour of ghosts and
goblins.
It ceased; and Shinzaburō suddenly heard the sound of _geta_
approaching from the old direction,—but this time more slowly:
_karan-koron, karan-koron!_ At once a cold sweat broke over his
forehead. Opening the sutra hastily, with trembling hand, he began
again to recite it aloud. The steps came nearer and nearer,—reached the
live hedge,—stopped! Then, strange to say, Shinzaburō felt unable to
remain under his mosquito-net: something stronger even than his fear
impelled him to look; and, instead of continuing to recite the
_Ubō-Darani-Kyō_, he foolishly approached the shutters, and through a
chink peered out into the night. Before the house he saw O-Tsuyu
standing, and O-Yoné with the peony-lantern; and both of them were
gazing at the Buddhist texts pasted above the entrance. Never
before—not even in what time she lived—had O-Tsuyu appeared so
beautiful; and Shinzaburō felt his heart drawn towards her with a power
almost resistless. But the terror of death and the terror of the
unknown restrained; and there went on within him such a struggle
between his love and his fear that he became as one suffering in the
body the pains of the Shō-netsu hell.[16]
[16] _En-netsu_ or _Shō-netsu_ (Sanscrit “Tapana”) is the sixth of the
Eight Hot Hells of Japanese Buddhism. One day of life in this hell is
equal in duration to thousands (some say millions) of human years.