AN ECCENTRIC FELLOW
WHEN all the wholesale dealers in oranges in the vast city of Yedo heard
that an orange-ship had at last arrived from Kishu, they vied with one
another in coming to Bunkichi’s ship and buying up his oranges. The
inevitable result of the rise in the price of oranges was to make him a
gainer of more than fifty thousand _rio_.
Bunkichi, after this, carefully reasoned out that on account of the
recent continuance of the west wind no ship could possibly have sailed
from Yedo to Osaka, so that there must be a scarcity of salted salmon in
that city, while there was now an abundant and specially cheap supply of
them in Yedo. So he thought he would take a supply over to Osaka and
make another great profit.
When he spoke of this plan to his men they were ready to go, for his
sake. Thereupon Bunkichi bought up a cargo of salted salmon, and,
putting it on board, waited for the return of better weather. Nor had he
long to wait. As a reaction, as it were, to the stormy westerly wind, in
a few days an east wind began to blow, and, availing himself of the
first opportunity, he hoisted sail. He soon entered the harbor of Osaka,
and there he again made a profit of tens of thousands of _rio_.
Every speculation he had planned was crowned with success, and in little
more than a month he had amassed the enormous sum of near upon a hundred
thousand _rio_. He was aided in this success largely by the exertions of
Kichidayu, and gave him one thousand _rio_ out of the profit, while he
handsomely rewarded every one of the crew, who were all greatly
delighted at their good fortune.
Captain Kichidayu, taking his money with him as a present to his family,
returned to Sakai, his native town, where he met again his dear wife and
children after his long absence, and then went back to Osaka. Thence he
accompanied Bunkichi to Kumano-Ura.
At Kumano the news of his safe arrival at Yedo had been received at the
Daikokuya and by the townspeople with the liveliest satisfaction. They
had been waiting eagerly for his return. Sure enough, Bunkichi had come
back on board that very _Iurei-maru_, and the people, whether they were
personally known to him or not, flocked round him with their
congratulations.
From that day the master of the Daikokuya treated him as his guest,
while the people of the town respected him as a gentleman, and no one
called him the Wanizame-Kozo any more.
On his arrival home Bunkichi recounted all his transactions to the
master of the Daikokuya, and then went at once to the merchants from
whom he had bought the fruit that he sold in Yedo. “I thank you for the
cargo of oranges you sold me some time ago at such a cheap price,” said
he. “I made a great profit by that cargo, but I don’t like to be only a
gainer myself while you all are losing your money, so I’ll give you
double what I then paid you for the oranges.”
On account of this unexpected liberality they were very grateful to him,
and his fame went abroad all over the province of Kii, and everybody
began to know him, and whenever he wanted to invest in any goods, he had
no difficulty in getting all he wished.
The day came at last when Bunkichi determined to go up to the great city
of Yedo to make his name famous in the whole of Japan by trading on a
large scale. With this resolve, he negotiated with some of the big
merchants of Kumano as to whether they would make a contract with him to
send up all their oranges and timber to his shop as their only agency in
Yedo. As they were already under a debt of obligation to him, every one
of them agreed to do his best to keep Bunkichi’s store in Yedo well
supplied. Bunkichi was greatly rejoiced, and, on this occasion traveling
overland, he arrived at Yedo in due time and established himself in the
Hatcho-bori district, under the name of Kinokuniya.[28] This happened in
the second year of the Sho-o era (1653 A.D.), when he was nineteen years
of age. Then he changed his name Bunkichi into Bunzayemon (his father’s
name), and began to trade on a large scale in timber and oranges from
Kishu, selling them to the whole city of Yedo. Thus his prosperity
increased.
Footnote 28:
House of the Kino Kuni (country of Kii).
One day a master carpenter, who had the entrée to the house, came to see
Bunzayemon, saying: “I have come to consult with you on a rather strange
matter. How would you like to engage a man for your business?”
“Well, it all depends on what kind of a man he is,” was the reply.
“He is rather an eccentric sort of fellow. If I tell you plainly about
him there will be little chance of your employing him; but the strange
thing is that he wishes me to do so. ‘If Bunzayemon will employ me,
good; if he will not employ me, he is a fool, and I don’t want to be
employed.’ Those were the very words he said to me, and added, to my
surprise: ‘As for you, if he hasn’t the sense to engage me, you needn’t
regret losing such a customer as he is.’”
“I don’t wonder you were surprised,” replied Bunzayemon; “but what has
he been hitherto?”
To this question the carpenter replied: “He is the second son in a
warrior family; but as far as I can see he is an idle, lazy man. There
are many of his kind in the world, as you know; but he is rather an
extreme type of the class. He doesn’t like to get up early nor to move
about at any time. In spite of his being dependent on me for his
support, he doesn’t hesitate to demand to live in luxury. And then he
has the impudence to request me to recommend him to you.”
Bunzayemon meditated awhile and then said: “It’s rather interesting,
what you tell me. At all events, bring him here.”
“Do you really mean to engage him? You had better give him up.”
To which the merchant replied: “When I see him I shall decide whether I
shall engage him or not. Bring him here first!”
Then Seihachi, the carpenter, went home, fearing inwardly lest he should
lose his customer by bringing this man to Bunzayemon’s notice, though he
could not help acceding to the man’s request.
After a time Bunzayemon heard high words in the front of the shop. One
of the voices he recognized as that of Seihachi, who was exclaiming:
“Chobei San, you ought not to go in by the front door; manners should
compel you to go to the back door. And don’t give yourself airs here; if
you do I shall be disgraced.”
To this the other replied: “What are you talking about? We are not dogs;
why should we go round to the kitchen?” And so saying, the young man
stalked up to the shop called Kinokuniya, in spite of Seihachi’s
remonstrance, and asked somewhat loudly: “Is the master at home?”
Hearing him, Bunzayemon entered the shop from the inner room.
No sooner did Seihachi see him than he began to apologize: “Master, I am
more sorry than I can tell you, and I beg your pardon for this fellow’s
rudeness.” As he spoke he was holding Chobei by the sleeve.
Bunzayemon, without heeding the apology, civilly welcomed the strange
guest, saying: “Come in, sir.”
The young man stalked into the inner room, while Seihachi, feeling like
a fish out of water, followed him. Bunzayemon ushered the guests into
one of the finest rooms in his house. Seihachi was troubled at heart,
for the man’s clothes were muddy, and said: “Sir, I fear we shall soil
your floor.”
Without even listening to Seihachi’s words, or showing that he had heard
them, the host courteously said: “I am Bunzayemon of the Kinokuniya; and
what is your name?”
“My name is Chobei,” answered the youth somewhat haughtily.
“I’m glad to make your acquaintance.”
Seihachi kept making signs to Chobei as to his behavior, but the latter
did not take the least notice.
Seihachi in his distress said to Bunzayemon: “Please, sir, I beg your
pardon for his unmannerly behavior. I think he must be a little out of
his mind. I’m sorry to have brought such a fellow.”
Meanwhile Bunzayemon and Chobei sat with the _tabakobon_[29] between
them and looked into each other’s face. For a while neither of them
spoke, while Seihachi, whose trouble of mind was increased by this state
of affairs, tried to extricate himself from this uncomfortable position
and said:
Footnote 29:
A tobacco-tray.
“Chobei San, we had better take our leave now.” Then, turning to the
host, “Sir, you won’t engage him after all, will you, sir?”
At this Bunzayemon, speaking somewhat loudly, said: “Oh, yes, I’ll
engage you, Chobei San, and take you on as one of my men, if that is
your wish.”
“Then do you really engage me?” And as he spoke Chobei quickly moved
backward a little and bowed to the floor, in the act of showing respect
and thanks to his superior.
Bunzayemon then put on a lordly air and asked him: “Chobei, are you
skilled in working the abacus?”[30]
Footnote 30:
The Chinese reckoning-board, consisting of beads or balls strung on
wires or rods set in a frame.
“I don’t know much about it,” he replied, as he placed both his hands on
the matting in the attitude of respect, “because I was bred in a warrior
family.”
“If that is so you’ll be of no use in the shop,” said the master,
scornfully. “What can you do, then?”
To which Chobei answered, “I know how to turn a lot of money, sir.”
“That’s interesting!” replied the master.
The carpenter, stricken dumb with astonishment while the negotiation was
going on, said at last, when Chobei had gone, “Sir, have you really
engaged him? I can’t tell you how relieved I am. I’ve been greatly
troubled by the thought that I should be disgraced on account of him.
Please tell me why were you so civil to him at first?”
“You don’t understand, I see,” said Bunzayemon, laughing. “Before I
engaged him he was my guest, and as he belongs to the warrior class, his
social rank is entitled to consideration. But when I have once engaged
him, then I am his master, and he is my servant, and I must treat him
accordingly.”
“I see, I see,” said the carpenter. “That is a fine way of looking at
it. Well, then, suppose I go to another man’s house, I may act in a like
haughty manner myself before I get engaged!”
[Illustration:
“Bunzayemon then put on a lordly air”
]
“Certainly; but if you do, you may get disliked instead of engaged”; at
which reply the carpenter was profoundly puzzled.
Early the next day the new employee begged his master to advance him
some pocket money, which was promptly given him; and having got it, off
he went, no one knew whither, and did not return even for the midday
meal.
Then the other employees warned their master, saying: “Sir, what is the
use of that sort of man? We don’t know where he has come from. It’s
really unsafe to have that sort of fellow about the house, sir.”
But the master paid no heed to their warnings. “Not a bit of it! No
matter where his birthplace is, so long as the man is worth having, my
purpose is served. I can see he has plenty of common sense, and I’ll
warrant he’ll be of good service some day. Whenever you plan on a large
scale you must have good assistants: there were four kindly men under
Yoshisune, the great general, and twenty-eight generals under Shingen,
the great lord of the middle ages. Such men we look to for our examples.
Since the days of old every distinguished man has attached to himself
able supporters. Merchants should do the same, and, as certain as the
day dawns, success will come to the business man who employs many good
hands under him. Wait and see. Chobei will do some noteworthy things!”
Thus he instructed his servants in his principles.
Toward the evening of that day Chobei came back, but with a downcast
countenance. Bunzayemon did not ask where he had been, nor did Chobei
volunteer any information. The next day again, and the next, he asked
for more money, and went out early in the morning, coming back late at
night. He continued in this way for about half a month. The others once
more warned their master, but he still refused to listen to them.
One day Chobei came to his master and said: “Sir, you import a lot of
timber from Kii Province and try to sell it at once among the people of
this city. But Yedo is a place where fires are so frequent that, if you
buy up a lot of timber at a time when the price is low and keep it, it’s
certain you will make a great profit when some big fire occurs. But to
find a good place for keeping timber,” he went on, “is one of the chief
difficulties, because, as you are well aware, if you keep it near at
hand, in the heart of the city, there’s danger of its being destroyed by
fire, and if you keep it in a river or the sea, either it rots or is
eaten by worms. Now, every day I have been going about looking for a
good place to keep it, and at last I have found one at Kiba in Fukagawa.
Keep timber in the water of that place, and, on account of the quality
of the water, worms will not eat it, but the wood will become shiny and
improve by keeping. Besides, no danger will come to it from fire.” And
he concluded his far-sighted plan with, “For these reasons, I hope you
will soon construct a reservoir for timber in that place.”
The master clapped his hands in admiration and joy, saying: “Upon my
word, that’s a capital idea! I thought you must have been planning
something, but I never thought you were looking out for a place to keep
timber. I myself had turned the matter over in my mind some time ago,
but on account of my many other duties I hadn’t the time to see to it
myself, and I thank you for undertaking it for me.” And then and there
he intrusted the building of the timber reservoir to Chobei.
Chobei lost no time in going to Fukagawa and buying ten thousand
_tsubo_, or about forty thousand square yards, of ground near the temple
of Susaki. He built a large reservoir there and removed to it all the
timber imported by his master from Kii Province. Besides, Chobei got his
master’s permission to send out men to the neighboring mountains to buy
up timber where it could be got cheap, and having deposited it all at
Fukagawa, waited contentedly for the time to sell.
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