AMBITION SATISFIED—THE MERCHANT PRINCE
KINOKUNIYA BUNZAYEMON, who unknowingly had left such a big fire behind
him and sought the mountainous districts of the neighboring provinces as
his field of action, went over to Sagami Province the same day, and
negotiated with the chief owners of forests there and made a contract
with them, paying them guaranty money in advance. The next day he
crossed over to Awa Province and visited in turn the owners of mountain
forests in Kazusa, Shimo-osa, and Musashi, and struck bargains with them
to buy all their salable timber. Four or five days only were occupied in
these rapid negotiations, at the end of which time, as the rumor of the
big fire of Yedo had got abroad to these neighboring provinces, Kibun
hastened on his way back to Yedo. As he was passing amidst the
smoldering ruins on the way to his depot at Fukagawa, he continually
heard the people talking of himself. Every time he stopped and listened.
“Well, Genbei San, Kinokuniva Bunzayemon is a fine fellow, isn’t he? One
would think he had foreseen the fire and prepared that enormous amount
of _bento_ beforehand; otherwise he could not possibly have given it out
to the people so readily. I and others had nowhere to find food, so we
supported ourselves for three days on that _bento_.”
“Is that so, Hachibei San? I also received it every day. For three days,
wherever one went among the ruins one was met with his charity. It’s
said that within three days no less than two thousand _koku_[38] of rice
were given away. Had it not been for that charity nearly the whole
population of the city would have famished. Moreover, Genbei San, the
charity was extended even to the mansions of many _daimios_, and the
nobles and their families ate of his _bento_.”
Footnote 38:
Ten thousand bushels.
“To be sure. Even the nobles with their heaps of gold and all their
power couldn’t buy a single grain in the general consternation! Really
that Kibun, whoever he may be, is a sagacious fellow!” Thus the men
talked who had received his alms.
While Bunzayemon, who listened to this current talk, was inwardly
rejoicing that Chobei had managed his affairs so admirably, he passed
two women who were talking.
“Oh, Haru San, when I lost sight of my child in the crowd,” one of them
was saying, “I became almost mad in my search for her; but as I could
not find her in the hurry and bustle, I gave her up for being trodden to
death or else for being suffocated in the heat. In my grief I lost all
care for my own life. But then I heard the people say that some
thousands of strayed children had been taken to Kibun’s country place at
Fukagawa. I ran there at once, and lo! I found my little girl there
among the children. My joy, of course, knew no bounds. Let people say
what they wish, Kibun must be a merciful man; in such a fire as this
naturally there are a lot of strayed children, and therefore he sent out
his men to every quarter of the city, ordering them to bring such to his
house. In three days a thousand or more people were rescued, they say.
Henceforth I will always have a niche for Kibun Sama in my heart.”
“I will, too. Your case was not so bad as mine. For my part, when I lost
sight of my mother, no words could express my anxiety. If she had been
in sound health, I would have felt a little easier, but she has been
laid up since last winter on account of her great age. At first we
thought we were safe from the conflagration, as the fire had passed by
us toward Takanawa; but then by the change of wind the sparks started
the fire afresh at the very next door to our own. The men belonging to
the house had gone to Takanawa to help a relative of ours there, and I
thought it would be a shame to me if by my indecision the fire should
cause the death of my mother; so, holding mother’s hand, I dragged her
from the house.
“After two or three _chos’_[39] run, mother was out of breath and
consequently couldn’t walk a step farther. I put her on my back and ran
on, but we were both soon suffocated by the smoke, and then I tumbled
down. I couldn’t get up for some time because other people who were
running to escape from the flames trod on me.
Footnote 39:
One _cho_ equals about one hundred and twenty yards.
“In another minute the sparks set fire to my dress and my whole body was
nearly burned. However, I braced myself up and got on my feet, being
very anxious about my mother. I looked round, and she was not there. I
knew she couldn’t possibly have run away, owing to her helplessness; so
I looked around me, being sure she must be either in a ditch or
stupefied by the smoke. The fire, however, was too quick for me. I
couldn’t stay to make further search, so I ran away. I have been weeping
since at the thought of mother’s death, when yesterday I heard a report
that mother was safe at Fukagawa. I flew to the place and met her. When
I asked how she had got there she told me that she had been rescued by
the coolies of a certain Kibun, and after being brought there had
received the most kind treatment. Henceforth I’ll not sleep with my feet
toward Fukagawa.”
Hearing this, Bunzayemon was further struck by the excellent management
of Chobei. On his way home through the desolation and ruin he also
passed by many of the _daimios’_ palace-grounds, when he saw his own
trade-mark on all the boardings put up as temporary inclosures.
As he was wondering at this new proof of Chobei’s energy and wisdom, two
_samurai_, or retainers, came by talking.
“Look, my friend! The inclosure of this mansion, too, seems to have been
put up by Kibun’s people. The man is wonderfully ready for everything!
And no doubt the fact that he has put up the temporary inclosure means
that the rebuilding will be put into his hands, and no better man could
probably be found.”
“You are right. If we employ him he’s certain to lose no time about it.”
Bunzayemon, who overheard this conversation, clapped his hands in
admiration, and, turning to his attendants, said: “How now, my fellows!
You didn’t think much of Chobei at first, did you? Well, what do you
think of him now?”
The attendants looked at one another and said: “Really, he is very
clever—even more clever than you, sir! Yes, unless a man employs some
men cleverer than himself he can never become great!”
With unbounded joy Bunzayemon soon arrived at his depot at Fukagawa. No
sooner did he catch sight of Chobei than he held out his hand to him,
saying: “Ah! I have no words in which to express my thanks to you. I
have been hearing from the chance talk of the people on my way home of
all you have been doing in my absence, and have been much struck by your
sagacity. Indeed, I have never felt so much joy as I experience to-day!”
Bunzayemon, who was not accustomed to show joy or sorrow in his face,
could not suppress his emotion on that day.
Almost all the houses in the city of Yedo were destroyed by the fire.
Warriors and merchants had to build their abodes afresh, and because all
the timber in the city was reduced to ashes, the price at once went up
tenfold. Now Kibun alone, at this juncture, had already a great stock of
timber on hand at his depot at Fukagawa, and he had fresh supplies
constantly being sent in from the mountains in the near-by country,
being the timber he had lately bought. The profit which he gained by
selling all this material was something enormous.
[Illustration:
“‘I have no words in which to express my thanks to you’”
]
Moreover, on account of his alms and the inclosures he had put up for
various great feudal lords, they too became his customers and asked him
to rebuild their mansions. By these orders he again made a great profit.
He ascribed this good fortune entirely to Chobei, to whom he gave a
great sum of money as a token of appreciation of his services. Besides,
he handsomely rewarded the other men and boys in his employ.
He also sent for that chief carpenter, Seihachi.
“Well, Seihachi, this is the prize which I give you.”
Thus saying, he put a box which contained one thousand _rio_ in front of
him.
The other was frightened out of his wits.
“Oh! do you say there’s a gift of a thousand _rio_ for me in this
packet? Isn’t it empty?”
“No, it’s not empty. Lift it and see.”
Whereupon Seihachi tried to lift it and said: “Truly, it’s too heavy; I
can’t lift it! Isn’t this a dream?” said he, as he pinched his knee.
Bunzayemon laughed. “It is not a dream. It’s a reward to you, sure and
certain, and you had better take it home with you.”
“Really, I thank you, sir. In the time of the fire I carried charity
_bento_ only three times, for I was working at other things; therefore
I’m not worthy of so great a reward!”
“It isn’t a reward for that.”
“Then for the inclosure which I did for Sendai Sama, the _daimio_; for
that work my assistants came late, so I couldn’t finish it till late in
the evening. The work ought to have been finished much earlier.”
“It isn’t for that.”
“Not for that, either? For what is it, then, sir?”
Bunzayemon pointed to Chobei, who was then in the shop, and said: “You
brought me that excellent article, there. It’s for that.”
The carpenter misunderstood him and said: “Is that so? I see, for that
article. That’s an article rarely found, and I thought it would be a
great loss if it was burnt, so before other things I sent it down on a
raft from Hachobori to Fukagawa. Then on the way it collided with a ship
and the raft was nearly broken to pieces.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You mean that hinoki plank, do you not, of eight inches both in breadth
and thickness?”
“No; you don’t understand me, yet. It is your prize for bringing Chobei
to me.”
“You mean Chobei San. Ah, I see, I see! I did not understand you. I
wondered why you gave me such a handsome reward. But Chobei San has
certainly proved to be an excellent man. I thought he was a hopeless
fellow. Shall I bring you another Chobei San? I have a lot more.”
“What sort of Chobei is he?”
“The next idlest fellow who depends on me for support.”
Bunzayemon laughed, saying, “No, thank you; I don’t want another Chobei
of that kind.”
In this wise, Bunzayemon, by the help of Chobei, undertook various
important schemes and accumulated great wealth. Thus in time his fame
had sounded through the whole of Japan and he had built a big
establishment at Honhachobori,—a street in Tokio, near the heart of the
city,—which covered one _cho_ square. Always strenuously pushing forward
his business, he at last, as had been his ambition, became the leading
merchant in the whole of Japan. As the old verse says:
The heavy gourd from slender stem takes birth,
From strenuous will spring deeds of weighty worth.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
● Transcriber’s Notes:
○ Missing or obscured punctuation was silently corrected.
○ Typographical errors were silently corrected.
○ Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only
when a predominant form was found in this book.
○ Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_)