As for Narihiro, who had been wheedled out of his pipe, he was not so
unhappy as you might suppose. This was evident from the fact that when
he retired from the castle, the samurai attending him were surprised to
find an expression on his face which seemed to indicate an unusually
pleasant frame of mind.
He felt a sort of satisfaction at having given the pipe to Sōshun.
Perhaps this satisfaction was greater in degree than that he had felt
when he had the pipe. But this was most natural. Because, as has
already been explained, his pride in the pipe lay not in his fondness
for the thing itself. Really he was proud of his million _koku_ in the
form of the pipe. Wherefore, just as his vanity was satisfied by the
using of this pure gold pipe, would it not be the more fully satisfied
by the giving of it willingly to another? Even if he was somewhat
governed by outside circumstances when he gave it to Kōchiyama, his
satisfaction was not the least bit lessened by that fact.
So when Narihiro returned to his residence in Hongo, he pleasantly said
to the retainers nearest him,
“I gave the attendant Sōshun my pipe.”
V
When Narihiro’s household heard this, everybody was surprised at his
generosity. But just three men, Yamazaki Kanzaemon, chamberlain, Iwata
Kuranosuke, keeper of the stores, and Ueki Kurouemon, treasurer,
involuntarily knit their brows.
Of course the cost of one pure gold pipe was nothing to the finances
of the Kaga Clan. But if one had to be given to an attendant every
time Narihiro went to the castle on festival days, and the first, the
fifteenth, and the twenty-eighth of every month, it would entail an
alarming expenditure. There was no denying that the taxes might have
to be increased to pay for the pipes. That would be terrible, and the
three loyal samurai were one in their anticipatory fear.
Therefore they decided to hold a council at once and devise remedial
measures. But of course there was only one possible remedial measure,
and that was to change entirely the material of which the pipe was made
and use some metal that the attendants would not covet. But Iwata and
Ueki differed in their opinions as to what metal should be used.
Iwata said it would be derogatory to the honor of their lord to use any
metal cheaper than silver. Ueki thought that, if they wanted to put a
stop to the avarice of the attendants, nothing could be better than the
use of brass. To regard honor now was temporizing. Each stuck to his
own opinion and argued for it hotly.
Then the experienced Yamazaki said that there was the greatest reason
in both opinions and offered a compromise, suggesting that they might
try silver first, and then, if the attendants were still covetous,
it would not be too late to use brass afterwards. Of course neither
could make objection to this. So the council at last decided to order
Sumiyoshiya Shichibei to make a silver pipe.