In the era of Bummei [1469-1486] there was a young samurai called
Tomotada in the service of Hatakéyama Yoshimuné, the Lord of Noto (1).
Tomotada was a native of Echizen (2); but at an early age he had been
taken, as page, into the palace of the daimyō of Noto, and had been
educated, under the supervision of that prince, for the profession of
arms. As he grew up, he proved himself both a good scholar and a good
soldier, and continued to enjoy the favor of his prince. Being gifted
with an amiable character, a winning address, and a very handsome
person, he was admired and much liked by his samurai-comrades.
When Tomotada was about twenty years old, he was sent upon a private
mission to Hosokawa Masamoto, the great daimyō of Kyōto, a kinsman of
Hatakéyama Yoshimuné. Having been ordered to journey through Echizen,
the youth requested and obtained permission to pay a visit, on the way,
to his widowed mother.
It was the coldest period of the year when he started; and, though
mounted upon a powerful horse, he found himself obliged to proceed
slowly. The road which he followed passed through a mountain-district
where the settlements were few and far between; and on the second day
of his journey, after a weary ride of hours, he was dismayed to find
that he could not reach his intended halting-place until late in the
night. He had reason to be anxious;—for a heavy snowstorm came on, with
an intensely cold wind; and the horse showed signs of exhaustion. But
in that trying moment, Tomotada unexpectedly perceived the thatched
room of a cottage on the summit of a near hill, where willow-trees were
growing. With difficulty he urged his tired animal to the dwelling; and
he loudly knocked upon the storm-doors, which had been closed against
the wind. An old woman opened them, and cried out compassionately at
the sight of the handsome stranger: “Ah, how pitiful!—a young gentleman
traveling alone in such weather!... Deign, young master, to enter.”
Tomotada dismounted, and after leading his horse to a shed in the rear,
entered the cottage, where he saw an old man and a girl warming
themselves by a fire of bamboo splints. They respectfully invited him
to approach the fire; and the old folks then proceeded to warm some
rice-wine, and to prepare food for the traveler, whom they ventured to
question in regard to his journey. Meanwhile the young girl disappeared
behind a screen. Tomotada had observed, with astonishment, that she was
extremely beautiful,—though her attire was of the most wretched kind,
and her long, loose hair in disorder. He wondered that so handsome a
girl should be living in such a miserable and lonesome place.