Jitsuroku

Our first Jitsuroku tale is the classic Japanese revenge story known as the story of The 47 Ronin. 

At the death of their master Asano no Kami at the hands of the wicked Kira Kotsuke no Suke, a band of Ronin (masterless samurai) hatch an elaborate plan of revenge that will take one year to complete and see through to the end.

A now classic epic, this work is a republishing of A.B. Mitford's version of the 47 Ronin from his now out of print and public domain work Tales of Old Japan.

You can read the article provided as a lecture in this section, or pick up an updated E-Book version of the single tale on Amazon with updated commentary from our instructor Justin Hagen under the resource section.  Alternatively, you may also Download the original work by A.B. Mitford also available in the resource section.

This tale is also available within the full print anthology of all these tales available on Amazon via the resource section.

The second installment of the Jitsuroku series, Ungo Zenji is the story of a young servant by the name of Heishiro wronged at the hands of the powerful warlord Date Masamune. Fueled by revenge, Heishiro embarks on a grueling spiritual journey to try to surpass Date Masamune the only way one of the lower class could; by becoming the most powerful priest in all of Japan. A now classic epic, this work is a republishing of Asatori Miyamori and Kido Okamoto's version of Ungo Zenji from their out of print and public domain work Tales of the Samurai and Lady Hosokawa.

You can read the article provided as a lecture in this section, or pick up an updated E-Book version of the single tale on Amazon with updated commentary from our instructor Justin Hagen under the resource section.  Alternatively, you may also Download the original work by A.B. Mitford also available in the resource section.

This tale is also available within the full print anthology of all these tales available on Amazon via the resource section.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT: Ungo Zenji

Statue of Ennin*

This version of the story of Ungo-Zenji embodies the embellishing and dramatic nature of the Jitsuroku genre, with a final dramatic meeting between Ungo-Zenji and his long time enemy Date Masamune culminating at the end. Unlike other stories of this genre however, this one had a much more peaceful resolution with a moral message in the end rather than a bloody showdown. Such a peaceful resolution embodies the Buddhist aspect of samurai culture and how often it is the obstacles we face in life that shape who we are. Moreover, while we cannot always change or prevent negative events from happening, we can however change our reaction to them. While this is quite an impactful message, this begs the question of how much truth is there to this story?

Date Masamune (1567-1638) was indeed a daimyo of the Tohoku Region (Northeast Japan) during the Edo period. Masamune was known as the “One Eyed Dragon of Osho” (dokuganryu) due to having lost his right eye. At age 17, Masamune succeeded his father Terumune as head of the Date clan, which would indeed put him at a young age for Ungo-Zenji to have served under him in his youth as the story suggests. During his reign, Masamune aggressively expanded his territory throughout the 1580s. Upon Toyotomi Hideyoshi's inception as the unquestioned ruler of Japan, the Northeastern castle of Odawara was seized in a military campaign, however Masamune delayed in coming to Hideyoshi's aid despite a direct order to all Northeastern daimyo's to assist him. As a result, Masamune was spared his life however the size of his territory was reduced and he was instead given Iwadeyamato to reside over. Masamune would continue to support Hideyoshi in his campaigns in the Imjin Wars of Korea, however upon Hideyoshi's death would go on to support the Tokugawa clan at both the Battle of Sekigahara and the Siege of Hasedo instead of the Toyotomi.

As Tokugawa Ieyasu rose to the level of shogun, Masamune also continued to rise in power and was given the Sendai Domain, which he presided over until his death. Upon receiving lordship over Sendai, Masamune did indeed rebuild the Zuigan-ji Buddhist temple at Matsushima (a series of islands outside of Sendai) where the end of our story of Ungo Zenji takes place.

While there is indeed no question as to the existence and great exploits of Date Masamune, the existence of Ungo-Zenji is a bit more obscure to identify. In regards to the name “Zenji” this is actually a title given to the high ranking masters of Zen Buddhism, primarily referring mainly to only Zen masters Dogen and Keizan, however based both on the history of their lives and them living in the 13th and 14th centuries, it is safe to conclude they are not the same as the Ungo Zenji from this story. It would appear then, that Zenji is used to indicate a title representing that Ungo Zenji was a Zen master, however does not mean that he is Dogen or Keizan. A more appropriate title would be adding the prefix “Dai” to his appointed titled to represent “number one,” which the author does make allusion to upon declaring Ungo was given the name “Daizenji” before the author then shortens it to “Zenji.” Here we can firmly conclude that this was to indicate that Ungo Zenji was meant to represent him as a head priest of the temples he was appointed.

As the temple of Zuigan-ji was located at Matsushima, we can start by looking to a passage in the Hagakure, also known as the book of the samurai by Yamamoto Tsunetomo (1659-1719). In this excerpt, Tsunetomo recounts a story of priest by the name of Ungo of Matsushima and is as follows:

“Once when the priest Ungo of Matsushima was passing through the mountains at night, he was set upon by mountain bandits. Ungo said, "I am a man of this area, not a pilgrim. I have no money at all, but you can have these clothes if you like. Please spare my life." The bandits said, "Well, our efforts have been in vain. We don't need anything like clothes," and passed on. They had gone about two hundred yards when Ungo turned back and called to them, "I have broken the commandment against lying. In my confusion I forgot that I had one piece of silver in my moneybag. I am truly regretful I said that I had nothing at all. I have it here now, so please take it." The mountain bandits were deeply impressed, cut off their hair right there, and became his disciples.”

We can therefore suppose this Ungo of Matsushima is likely in reference to our Ungo Zenji, demonstrating that this person was an actual person of note in Feudal Japan.

The 17th century poet Matsuo Basho brings clarity to the veracity Ungo Zenji's identity in his poetic writing memoir titled Narrow Road to the Deep North.1 Within his writing, he discusses his travels to Matsushima saying, “Ojima Island where I landed was in reality a peninsula projecting far out into the sea. This was the place where the priest Ungo had once retired, and the rock on which he used to sit for meditation was still there.” This is Basho's first reference to Ungo being a priest of the temple at Matsushima and brings final clarity by continuing and saying, “I went to the Zuigan-ji temple on the eleventh. This temple was founded by Makabe no Heishiro after he had become a priest and returned from China, and was later enlarged by the Priest Ungo into a massive temple with seven stately halls embellished with gold. The priest I met at the temple was the thirty-second in descent from the founder.” Here the puzzle begins to unwind as Basho has identified two separate historical personages: Makabe no Heishiro as the founder of the Zuigan-ji temple and Priest Ungo as its expander generations later. It is here we see where the author of Ungo Zenji has merged two separate personages into a single character.

Upon cross-referencing historical accounts, it appears that the original Zuigan-ji temple was founded in 828 AD by a Tendai sect Buddhist priest by the name of Ennin, not Heishiro. Records indicate Ennin was from the town of Mibu in present day Tochigi Prefecture. This conflicts with the story of Ungo Zenji stating Heishiro was from Makabe, which was a town located in Ibaraki Prefecture. Ibaraki however borders Tochigi to its southeast making it plausible that the names of the towns were mixed up over the years resulting in two separate conflicting locations for this historical figures birthplace. This mix up theory is further reinforced by the fact that the temple of was Zuigan-ji destroyed multiple times throughout its history, coupled by little records existing in the first place during this time in Japanese history (Late Nara and Early Heian Periods).2 Alternatively, the birthplace of Heishiro could be in reference to Ungo who expanded the temple later in life whom we will discuss later on.

A further commonality between these two personage is that as the story of Ungo Zenji explained was that lower class citizens were not given surnames, which accounts for the single names of Ennin and Heishiro unaccompanied by a surname. Furthermore, as it was common in Japanese culture at the time for names to change throughout one's life. This could have been the case with the names Ennin and Heishiro being names bestowed upon the same figure at various stages of his life. This is reinforced by this story of Ungo Zenji where Heishiro's name was changed multiple times from Heishiro, to Joben, to Issan Kasho Daizenji and then lastly Ungo Zenji.

A memoir of Ennin's exploits was kept by him and is known as the Nitto guhō junreikōki. This document yields a remarkable backstory akin to the one laid out in Ungo Zenji. Ennin is said to have studied at the Enryaku-ji temple at Mt. Hiei in his youth at age 14. This coincides with our Heishiro from the story who is said to have studied at the same temple. Ennin rose to prominence, founding many temples throughout Japan including the Zuigan-ji temple and would go on to travel to China in his later years. Just as the story of our Ungo Zenji reads of Heishiro, Ennin studied Buddhism at multiple Buddhist temples throughout China. The major discrepancy here from our tale to that of the life of Ennin was that the Chinese Emperor Wuzong of the time vehemently persecuted Buddhism and did not welcome Buddhist priests to his court as the story suggested. Therefore we can infer that Ungo saving the Chinese Emperor from sickness was added to our story of Ungo Zenji to embellish Ungo's greatness as is characteristic of jitsuroku stories.

Upon returning to Japan in 847 Ennin spread Pure Land and Tendai Buddhism throughout the country. In 854 he became the head abbot of the Enryaku-ji temple just as our Ungo from Ungo Zenji did as well. Throughout his life and for the rest of his days he dedicated his life to the spread and refinement of Tendai Buddhism.3

Upon his death Ennin was bestowed with the name of Jikaku Daishi, which he is most commonly referred to. Here we can see how the name “Daishi” is a title with the prefix of “dai” indicating a person of high honor. In conjunction to the shortened title of Daishi, Ennin has also been bestowed the titles of “Daihosshi” which means “great priest” as well as “Hoin Daichi” which is the highest title a Buddhist priest can attain. This therefore accounts for him receiving the title “Zenji” in Ungo Zenji alongside the great Zen masters Dogen and Keizan.4

While Ennin was not a Zen priest, the history of the Zuigan-ji temple can shed light onto the bestowing of the title “Daizenji” instead of “Daishi” in the story of Ungo Zenji. Zuigan-ji was originally founded as a Tendai Buddhist Temple, it was changed to a Zen Buddhist temple during the Kamakura Period under the personage of Hojo Tokumune (1251-1284). As such we can see how Zen was now introduced to the founder Ennin's title in our story of Ungo Zenji to change from “Daishi” to “Daizenshi(ji)” when he became Issan Kasho Daizenji and then shortened in the end to Zenji.

At this point it is quite clear that the back story of Heishiro from the first half of the story of Ungo Zenji is indeed taken from the life of Ennin and the two are one and the same. What becomes unclear is the relation of this Heishiro and Date Masamune as Ennin lived over half a millennia before Date Masamune was even born. As such, we must explore the identity that this Heishiro represents in the second half of our story in order to have a complete picture.

According to historical records, in 1604 Date Masamune ordered the rebuilding of the Zuigan-ji Temple which had fallen into disrepair over the centuries. Involved in this task we find one Ungo Kiyo (1583-1659). As the story indicates, the name “Ungo” is referring to the temple of Ungo-ji, which is located in Tsushima, Japan. Therefore, we can perhaps infer that Ungo Kiyo had been a successful high ranking Buddhist monk from the Ungo-ji temple and as such was conscripted by Date Masamune to oversee and head the newly rebuilt Zuigan-ji Temple. This is further effaced by Basho's assertion that Zuigan-ji Temple was, “enlarged by the Priest Ungo into a massive temple with seven stately halls embellished with gold,” the undertaking that was indeed commissioned by Date Masamune.

Additional claims further indicate that Ungo Kiyo became the 153rd head priest of the Zuigan-ji temple. As the Zuigan-ji temple would become the family temple of Date Masamune that is continued to be patronized by the descendants of the Masamune clan to this day, it is to be sure that this Ungo Kiyo and Date Masamune would highly likely to have met and had frequent encounters upon inception as head priest of the temple.5

This Ungo Kiyo also supposedly sought to pacify tensions between Zen sects and Pure Land Buddhist sects by advocating simultaneous practice of both.6 Attempting to unify the two sects to that of the original faith practiced by Ennin could further have entwined the two personages into one. We can therefore conclude that this Ungo Kiyo is one and the same as the Ungo Zenji that is discussed in the second half of our story of Ungo Zenji.

As to the veracity of whether this Ungo Kiyo was a sandal-bearer under Date Masamune years earlier, there is little evidence to support this claim. What we do find however is a supposed account from a recent priest of the Zuigan-ji Temple today by the name of Yoichi Chiba who claims that during the building of the temple, Date Masamune had strict rules, one of which, “One was to never enter the construction site wearing shoes.”7 If such strictness is true, then perhaps an incident involving a worker wearing shoes against the rules resulting in a reprimand could very well have been a possibility during the construction of the temple and this could have been embellished and intertwined into the story of Ungo Zenji we see today.

Whether or not either Ungo Kiyo or Ennin were fueled by revenge in reality becomes an irrelevant point as their actual undertakings in life were quite grand and their entire lives were devoted toward spreading their faith and seeking the betterment of all. What we find in this story are very Buddhist concepts that are merely articulated through the use of literary embellishment. Misfortune can bring misery, however allowing a misfortune to become the focal point of one's life can often bring more misery and one can never fully appreciate the fruits and beauty life has to offer outside of this misery. Moreover, the message of this story indicates that at times, an initial terrible incident may appear devastating at first, however without such incident, future paths would not have opened. This could extend from relationships ending only to find someone else later in life. It could mean losing a job only to find a new field or career elsewhere that is even more rewarding previously. Even on a larger scale, misfortune as devastating as they may be with some worst than others, if our reaction involves self reflection that leads to self-improvement to better not only ourselves, but others, then that can perhaps become the most rewarding experience of all.

REFERENCES:

1) Basho, Matsuo. “Matsuo Basho's Narrow Road to the Deep North.” Translated by Nobuyuki Yuasa, Terebess Asia Online (TAO), Terebess Publishing, terebess.hu/english/haiku/basho2.html.

2) Sansom, George (1958). A History of Japan to 1334. Stanford University Press. p.138, 221. ISBN 0804705232.

3) Shively, Donald H.; McCullough, William H. (1999). Cambridge History of Japan vol. II (p.31f.). Cambridge University Press.

4) “Ennin.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 20 Feb. 2021, www.britannica.com/biography/Ennin.

5) Heine, Steve and ‎Wright, Dale S.. Zen Classics: Formative Texts in the History of Zen Buddhism. 2005.

6) Baroni, Helen J.. Obaku Zen: The Emergence of the Third Sect of Zen in Tokugawa, Japan. 2000.

7) Nakata, Hidetoshi. “Zuiganji Temple: Family Temple of Masamune Date in Matsushima.” Nihonmono, nihonmono.jp/en/area/12229/.

*Uraniwa, Photo of Statue of Ennin, April 2, 2018.

The 3rd installment of Justin Hagen's Jitsuroku series, here begins the first tale in a Pulp Fiction style revenge saga. The story of Gompachi and Komurasaki shows just to what lengths one may go to for love, even if that means going on a dark murderous path.

This work is a republishing of a segment from A.B. Mitford's Tales of Old Japan which is now out of print and in the public domain.

You can read the article provided as a lecture in this section, or pick up an updated E-Book version of the single tale on Amazon with updated commentary from our instructor Justin Hagen under the resource section. Alternatively, you may also Download the original work by A.B. Mitford also available in the resource section.

This tale is also available within the full print anthology of all these tales available on Amazon via the resource section.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT: The Loves of Gompachi and Komurasaki

Gompachi and Chobei*

The story of Gompachi and Komurasaki is one of violent tragedy based on true events that occurred between Shirai Gompachi and Miura-ya Komurasaki. Their love story was one that sparked great interest in the general public in Feudal Japan and their story became the subject of a series of kabuki plays during the 18th century as was characteristic of great tales of tragedy and revenge in Feudal Japan. As with much of the Jitsuroku tales of the time, these stories have often been embellished for thematic purposes with the inclusion of fight scenes and added drama and this rendition by A.B. Mitford is no different. None the less, the tale of Gompachi and Komurasaki was indeed rooted in love story from the 17th century that was further immortalized in art such as in one piece cataloged by The Metropolitan Museum of Art titled “The Lovers Miura-ya Komurasaki and Shirai Gompachi” by the 18th century famous Ukiyo-E artist Kitagawa Utamaro.1

Despite the fantastic story of their tragic lives and untimely ends, the true story is a bit more skewed. Records indicate that Gompachi had been a warrior from the Tottori prefecture, however was forced to flee to Edo after committing murder. This alters the timeline as presented in our story, which had placed Gompachi's murders occurring in Edo, attempting to justify his murderous deeds for love. None the less, history indicated that while in Edo, Gompachi did seem to meet and see often the courtesan Komurasaki. After Gompachi was apprehended and executed for murder by the authorities in 1679, Komurasaki committed suicide at his grave.2

Their grave is still visited and preserved today at the Ryusenji Temple, which is a Tendai Buddhist sect temple dedicated to the deity Fudo Myoo located in Meguro, Japan.3

REFERENCES:

1 “The Lovers Miura-Ya Komurasaki and Shirai Gonpachi.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/36632.

2 “The Lovers Miura-Ya Komurasaki and Shirai Gonpachi.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/36632.

3 “Ryusenji.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Nov. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ry %C5%ABsenji.

*Kunisada, Utagawa, Actors Ichikawa Ebizo V as Banzui Chobei and Kawarazaki Gonjuro I as Shirai Gonpachi, 1856.

The 4th installment of our Jitsuroku series, here continues the Pulp Fiction style revenge saga started with The Loves of Gompachi and Komurasaki. The story of Kazuma's Revenge unravels plots of rebellion against the Shogun that leads to epic showdowns full of treacherous and deceitful characters. An amalgamation of the Shimabara and Keian Rebellions intertwined with the life story of Araki Matayemon (founder of the martial art Yagyu Shingen Ryu), this dramatized epic is a tale you don't want to miss!

This work is a republishing of a segment from A.B. Mitford's Tales of Old Japan which is now out of print and in the public domain.

You can read the article provided as a lecture in this section, or pick up an updated E-Book version of the single tale on Amazon with updated commentary from our instructor Justin Hagen under the resource section. Alternatively, you may also Download the original work by A.B. Mitford also available in the resource section.

This tale is also available within the full print anthology of all these tales available on Amazon via the resource section.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT: Kazuma's Revenge

Marubashi Chuya*

This tale of revenge seems to be a dramatized version of an amalgamation of both the Shimabara Uprising that occurred between 1637-1638, Keian Jiken Incident of 1651 and Joo Jiken Incident of 1652 in Feudal Japan intertwined with another story of revenge involving Araki Mataemon (Matayemon) and Kawai Matagoro. These revolts have been dramatized in kabuki plays throughout Japan's history, the most famous of which is the dramatized version of the Keian Revolt titled Keian Taiheki . A key figure from both the plays as well as a significant personage in history is Matsudaira Nobutsuna, also known as Izu no Kami, the main suppressor of the Shimabara Uprising.

It appears that the revenge aspect of this story is a bit out of context with the root being based on the story of Araki Matayemon (1598/99-1638), the founder of the martial art Yagyu Shingen Ryu. An account of Araki Matayemon's life indicates that Kawai Matagoro had killed his brother in-law's younger brother Gendayu, with Matayemon's brother in-law being Watanabe Kazuma. As a result Mataemon and Kazuma teamed up and ultimately were able to hunt down and kill Matagoro at the town of Ueno near Iga pass in 1634. Later in life, it appears Mataemon was poisoned to death in 1638, which seems to echo the death of Lord Kunaishoyu in our story who was poisoned.1 It appears that therefore our story of Kazuma's revenge has elements of the life story of Araki Mataemon, which began to be dramatized in kabuki plays in the 18th century and the incident became known as the Vengeance at Iga Pass.2 It would appear that this story of revenge has been intertwined with historical revolts that occurred between 1637-1652 to be adapted for Kabuki plays.

In history, Matsudaira Nobutsuna was a Hatamoto himself, who ultimately rose in statues to become the daimyo of the Oshi domain in 1633 as well as became the senior councilor to the Tokugawa Iemitsu and his successor Tokugawa Ietsuna. It was during his time as a daimyo that the Shimabara Uprising occurred when a group of primarily Catholic peasants led by Amakusa Shiro and supported by Dutch merchants revolted against the Tokugawa government in 1637. It is very likely the first patron who offered protection to Matagoro in this story, Abe Shirogoro, is based on Amakusa Shiro as both in history and in our story, Matsudaira Nobutsuna was put in charge of the forces to suppress the rebellion.3

According to history, Matsudaira successfully led a force of 125,000 soldiers to lay siege to the rebels stronghold at Hara Castle. In the aftermath, 37,000 supporters of the rebellion were executed and the Dutch traders were expelled from Japan. As a result of Dutch involvement against the Tokugawa, this caused widespread mistrust of foreigners in Japan and led to Matsudaira helping the Tokugawa Shogunate create their national seclusion policy to isolate itself from the outside world. This policy stayed in effect for 214 years, ending only upon Commodore Perry's expedition to Japan in the Meiji Era when a trade agreement was signed in 1854.4

The second part of our story seems to be in reference to the Keian Jiken Incident. This revolt was initiated by a group of disgruntled Ronin led by Yui Shosetsu and Marubashi Chuya who had plotted to blow up Edo Castle with gunpowder. Their plot was discovered however before it could be carried out when Marubashi Chuya fell ill and in a delirium state revealed the details of the plot resulting in himself and the other conspirators to be caught and executed under the direction of Matsudaira. This feverish and ailing state of Marubashi seems to resemble when we learn the Matagoro allies with Sakurai Jiuzayemon and his band of Ronin and plot to attack Osaka. In our story, the idea that the plot was found out through the feverish revealing of secrets is alluded to when a servant of Sakurai Jiuzayemon revealed when ordering a large amount of food for the Ronin that his master had been sick. Kazuma's new ally, Matayemon, overheard this and and reported the information about Sakurai getting ready to attack to Kazuma. This resulted in appealing to Izu no Kami for support who gave Kazuma a force to suppress the Ronin and the Ronin were successfully killed.5

The Joo Jiken was another separate revolt following the Keian Jiken Incident where more Ronin who were dissatisfied with the Tokugawa Shogunate revolted in Sado. This revolt however was also suppressed by Matsudaira and the showdown in the tea house could resemble both the Keian and Joo Incidents based on the disgruntled nature of the Ronin plotting against the Shogun.

REFERENCES:

1 Skoss, Diane (Editor). 1997. Koryu Bujutsu.Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan, volume 1. New Jersey, Koryu Books. ISBN1-890536-04-0

2 Jones, Stanleigh H. “Vengeance at Iga Pass.” De Gruyter, University of Hawaii Press, 31 Dec. 2012, www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9780824837259-005/html.

3 Hickman, Kennedy. “Learn About the Tokugawa Shogunate: the Shimabara Rebellion.” ThoughtCo, 17 Mar. 2017, www.thoughtco.com/tokugawa-shogunate-shimabara- rebellion-2360804.

4 Hickman, Kennedy. “Learn About the Tokugawa Shogunate: the Shimabara Rebellion.” ThoughtCo, 17 Mar. 2017, www.thoughtco.com/tokugawa-shogunate-shimabara- rebellion-2360804.

5 Sansom, George (1963). A History of Japan: 1615–1867. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.

*Kunichika, Toyohara, Marubashi Chūya Ichikawa Sadanji, 1883-1886.

The 5th installment of our Jitsuroku series, The Loyalty of a Samurai Boy is a supplemental tale to Kazuma's Revenge. A back story of Izu no Kami (Matsudaira Nobutsuna) is given to build him up as a character of iron resolve in the face of persecution. While the veracity of this particular tale may be questionable, the fame of Izu no Kami as a loyal retainer of Tokugawa Iemitsu and Tokugawa Ietsuna became the subject of legend in the realm of Feudal Japan and sparked widespread tales of his character like this one featured here.

This work is a republishing of a segment from Tales of the Samurai and Lady Hosokawa by Asatori Miyamori and Kido Okamoto which is now out of print and in the public domain.

You can read the article provided as a lecture in this section, or pick up an updated E-Book version of the single tale on Amazon with updated commentary from our instructor Justin Hagen under the resource section. Alternatively, you may also Download the original work by A.B. Mitford also available in the resource section.

This tale is also available within the full print anthology of all these tales available on Amazon via the resource section.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT: The Loyalty of a Boy Samurai

Tokugawa Iemitsu with his councilors*

The main character of Choshiro in this tale is no other than Matsudaira Nobutsuna (Izu no Kami) from our previous Jitsuroku story of Kazuma's Revenge. As already discussed, Matsudaira Nobutsuna was a personage of quite renowned fame in Feudal Japan, having been the key figure in suppressing the Shimabara (1637-1638), Keian (1651) and Joo (1652) uprisings as well as served as the senior councilor to Tokugawa Iemitsu and his successor Tokugawa Ietsuna. It is perhaps his dedicated loyalty to the Shogun in real life that resulted in this dramatization being created regarding his childhood.

As with many personages of fame in Feudal Japan, stories about their lives were often embellished and transformed into Kabuki plays. As we already know the events of the Shimabara, Keian and Joo uprisings had been made into plays and included Matsudaira as a character. Therefore it is very likely that this story is from one such play in order to build up Matsudaira's character as ironclad.1

While I cannot attest to the veracity of this anecdote, it is true that Matsudaira Nobutsuna did indeed begin his life on the lower end of the upper class. Matsudaira was the son of Tokugawa Ieyasu's retainer, Okochi Hisatuna, however would go on to become the heir of his uncle Matsudaira Masatuna in 1601. Upon the birth of Tokugawa Iemitsu in 1603, Matsudaira was sent off to become his attendant. Matsudaira remained a loyal retainer and close adviser to Iemitsu throughout his life and even played a major role in helping Iemitsu and his successor, Ietsuna, build their shogunate administration system. This close relationship between Matsudaira and Iemitsu and the loyalty he served him and his successor is likely to have been dramatized in our story to show just how dedicated Matsudaira was to the Shogun. Therefore, this story is most likely a hyperbole created to represent this loyalty and may or may not represent a specific occurrence rooted in truth.2

REFERENCES:

1 Hickman, Kennedy. “Learn About the Tokugawa Shogunate: the Shimabara Rebellion.” ThoughtCo, 17 Mar. 2017, www.thoughtco.com/tokugawa-shogunate-shimabara- rebellion-2360804.

2 Jref. “Matsudaira Nobutsuna.” Japan Reference, 20 Dec. 2014, jref.com/articles/matsudaira-nobutsuna.262/.

*Kunichika, Toyohara, Marubashi Chūya Ichikawa Sadanji, 1883-1886.

The 6th installment of ourJitsuroku series, Chobei of Bandzui resumes our Pulp Fiction style revenge saga left off from Kazuma's Revenge. The story of Chobei of Bandzui gives us a backstory seeded in jealousy and contempt as plots are made to bring him to ruin. A side character from The Loves of Gompachi and Komurasaki, Chobei is the star of this tale and will make yet another appearance in a future story which will be our most bloody tale yet.

This work is a republishing of a segment from A.B. Mitford's Tales of Old Japan which is now out of print and in the public domain.

You can read the article provided as a lecture in this section, or pick up an updated E-Book version of the single tale on Amazon with updated commentary from our instructor Justin Hagen under the resource section. Alternatively, you may also Download the original work by A.B. Mitford also available in the resource section.

This tale is also available within the full print anthology of all these tales available on Amazon via the resource section.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT: Chobei of Bandzui

Chobei of Bandzui*

Chobei of Bandzui in this tale is the same Chobei from our previous tale of The Loves of Gompachi and Komurasaki and the two will reunite in our next tale as well. Originally one large compilation from A.B. Mitford's Tales of Old Japan, it appears that multiple stories and kabuki plays were fragmented and intertwined into his literary work. As such, through additional commentary and the piece meal organization of the former work, much of the continuity and overlap in characters tended to be lost to readers. Therefore, by reorganizing the structure and interposing other related tales of the time, a more cohesive overall story is attempted to be given here.

This tale of Chobei was merely the first half of the original story of A Story of the Otokodate of Edo, however I have split the tale into two stories as the second half is a fantastic revenge story that can stand alone in itself and has been overlooked through time due to its integration with our story above. Upon further investigation, it would appear that our story above was from a separate play titled Kiwametsuki Bandzui Chobei centered solely around Chobei Bandzui as an antagonist to the Hatamotos. This would explain the title in our story given to Chobei as being an “Otokodate” which was actually a term used to describe a particular type of character in kabuki plays and not usually an actual title bestowed upon someone. Otokodate were characterized as lower class citizens who would stand up to oppressive samurai to help champion the people. Chobei Bandzui was the most popular character to be portrayed as an Otokodate and appeared as the central character in many kabuki plays in Feudal Japan.1

It appears Chobei Bandzui (1622-1657) was indeed an actual historical figure of note whose exploits in life sparked a series of kabuki plays taking great liberties with his actual accomplishments. Born to the name of Tsukamoto Itaro in Karatsu, Japan, Chobei would ultimately establish himself in Edo. True to the description in our tale, Chobei is said to have created an employment agency for Ronin and helped find them work through the city and neighboring areas. Chobei however was quite outspoken about the oppression of the Hatamotos of the time attempting to take control of the marketplace in Edo and openly opposed them. This resulted in a great deal of backlash from the Hatamotos and ultimately culminated in his death supposedly by the hands of Mizuno Jurozaemon (Midzuno Jiurozayemon in our tale).2

REFERENCES:

1) Martin, Katherine. “Scholten Japanese Art: Imagery of the Kabuki Theater: Natori Shunsen, Actor Nakamura Kichiemon as Suzagamori No Chobei.”, 8 June 2021, www.scholten-japanese-art.com/kabuki_show2_08.php.

2) Frédéric, Louis. "Banzuiin Chōbei." Japan Encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2002.

*Kuniyoshi, Utagawa, Banzui Chobei, 1845.

The 7th installment of Justin Hagen's Jitsuroku series, The Missing Blade concludes our Pulp Fiction style revenge saga that intertwines characters from Kazuma's Revenge, Chobei of Bandzui and The Loves of Gompachi and Komurasaki with a final showdown of bloody revenge and tragedy. When a sword owned by Honda Dainaiki is stolen, a roller coaster of violence, murder and betrayal ensues that leads to the most epic tale of revenge we have seen thus far in our series.

This work is a republishing of a segment from A.B. Mitford's Tales of Old Japan which is now out of print and in the public domain.

You can read the article provided as a lecture in this section, or pick up an updated E-Book version of the single tale on Amazon with updated commentary from our instructor Justin Hagen under the resource section. Alternatively, you may also Download the original work by A.B. Mitford also available in the resource section.

This tale is also available within the full print anthology of all these tales available on Amazon via the resource section.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT: The Missing Blade

Fuwa Banzayemon vs Nagoya Sanzaburo*

This story of revenge seems to be a variation of a classic kabuki play originally titled Fuwa, an adaptation surrounding rivalry between Nagoya Sanzaburo (Nagoya Sanza in our story) and Fuwa Banzaemon. While it is possible that the story is based on a real event, as with much of the Jitsuroku stories we have encountered, whatever element of truth may be evident has been largely embellished and the British Museum of Art has categorized the main character of Nagoya Sanza as a literary character.1 This kabuki play was adapted multiple times up even to the modern era, with various titles including: Yujoron, Daifukucho Sankai Nagoya, Ukiyozuka Hiyoku no Inazuma, Sayaate and Sankai Nagoya.2 As such, any truthful elements have been difficult to detect other than understanding that there was perhaps an issue between two samurai who had served a common Daimyo that has resulted in the story we have here.

In many cases the play was adapted to include more literary characters rather than actual historical personages such as changing out the Daimyo of Honda Dainaiki with Minister “Kokuun” which translates to “black cloud.” In contrast, Honda Dainaiki in our tale seems to be based on an actual historical figure, Honda Dainaiki Masakatsu, who had been a daimyo of the Koriyama domain supposed to be a renown swordsman believed to have been taught by Araki Mataemon (from Kazuma's Revenge).3

There are a few variations of the story, some in which Sanzaburo and Banzaemon are teamed up together to retrieve a sword stolen from their master with a rivalry brewing between them on their journey. In most versions, there is a common theme of fighting over a courtesan by the name of Katsuragi and their rivalry culminates in a duel outside of a yoshiwara courtesan hall with Sanzaburo coming out the victor. This whole plot line was left out of our tale, however the scene at the tea house where Sanza is killed seems to reflect a variation of this theme, however with Sanza losing rather than winning.4

REFERENCES:

1 “Nagoya Sanza.” Collections Online | British Museum, www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG4198.

2 Hudson, Marion. FUWA, Kabuki21, www.kabuki21.com/fuwa.php#exp1.

3 Jones, Stanleigh H. “3. Vengeance at Iga Pass.” De Gruyter, University of Hawaii Press, 31 Dec. 2012, www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9780824837259- 005/html.

4 Hudson, Marion. FUWA, Kabuki21, www.kabuki21.com/fuwa.php#exp1.

*Kunisada, Utagawa II, Actors Ichimura Kakitsu IV as Fuwa Bansaku (R) and Sawamura Tosshô II as Nagoya Kosanza ( L), 1865

The 8th installment of Justin Hagen's Jitsuroku series, A Deep Laid Plot introduces us to Ooka Tadasuke, a famous court magistrate of Edo who attempts to unravel a treacherous plot to deceive Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune. Loosely based on a true story, a murderous villain attempts to pose as the Shogun's son and only Ooka Tadasuke can stop him, but can he uncover his true identity before it is too late?

This work is a republishing of a segment from Walter Dening's Japan in Days of Yore, which is now out of print and in the public domain.

You can read the article provided as a lecture in this section, or pick up an updated E-Book version of the single tale on Amazon with updated commentary from our instructor Justin Hagen under the resource section. Alternatively, you may also Download the original work by A.B. Mitford also available in the resource section.

This tale is also available within the full print anthology of all these tales available on Amazon via the resource section.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT: A Deep Laid Plot

Scene from the movie Shinban Ooka Seidan by Buntaro Futagawa*

As we know, Matsudaira Nobutsuna Izu-no-Kami was indeed a very prominent figure in feudal Japan and made an appearance in this story and played major roles in our previous Jitsuroku tales. The main magistrate in this tale however, Ooka Tadasuke, was also a prominent magistrate in Edo, taking up his post in 1717. As magistrate, Tadasuke was very efficient in conducting his business and helped implement Tokugawa economic and cultural polices in Edo known as the Kyoho Reforms. His fame grew as magistrate and he became characterized as a wise magistrate who oversaw countless court cases. These cases became entwined with legend and a series of tales developed surrounding his exploits arose titled the Ooka Seiden. These tales were however quite embellished and often ignored all historical basis.1

None the less, this particular tale of ours is indeed loosely based on a historical event that occurred in 1729 and was adapted and embellished over time for kabuki plays. The story is based on the historical account of a priest-swordsman by the name of Kaigyo from Kii who left for Edo with his mother under the name Genji Botenichi (Ten-ichibo) and made bold claims of being the illegitimate son of Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune. This was done in order to try to cheat money out of local Ronin to pay homage to him as seen in our story when Hotaku asked for the locals to give him money promising to give them a return of 100 koku for every 100 ryo received.

Like Hotaku, the real Kaigyo's underhanded dealings were exposed and he was tried and executed for his crime of impersonating the Shogun's son. Kaigyo however was tried by a different magistrate of the time, not Ooka Tadasuke, and it appears that Tadasuke, Izu-no-Kami as well as many other aspects of the story were added for embellishment purposes and the story was recreated countless times through Kabuki plays and even in the modern era in popular Japanese TV series and movies.2

REFERENCES:

1 Shiro, Hamao, and Jeffrey Angles. “The Execution of Ten'ichibo.” Critical Asian Studies, 2005, pp. 305–321., doi:10.1080/14672710500106424.

2 Shiro, Hamao, and Jeffrey Angles. “The Execution of Ten'ichibo.” Critical Asian Studies, 2005, pp. 305–321., doi:10.1080/14672710500106424.

*Futagawa, Buntaro, Reisaburō Yamamoto and Kanjūrō Arashi in Shinban Ōoka seidan, 1928.

The 9th installment of our Jitsuroku series, Ooka Seidan gives us some more insight into the court cases of Ooka Tadasuke from our last tale of A Deep Laid Plot. While not full-fledged revenge stories, 3 stories have been included in this Jitsuroku in order to give the reader further insight into tales surrounding this popular character in Japanese literature. Many of these stories have become legendary and continue to be popularized in Japanese culture with Ooka Tadasuke appearing as a character in Japanese television shows and movies even today in the 21st century with Ooka being portrayed almost as a cross between Sherlock Holmes and Columbo.

This work is a republishing of segments from the out of print and public domain works of:

-Monogatari Tales from Old & New Japan By Don C. Seit

-The Irish Law Times and Solicitors' Journal By John H. Wigmore

-The Green Bag By Arthur Weightman Spencer

-Legend in Japanese Art By Henri L. Joly

You can read the article provided as a lecture in this section, or pick up an updated E-Book version of the single tale on Amazon with updated commentary from our instructor Justin Hagen under the resource section. Alternatively, you may also Download the original work by A.B. Mitford also available in the resource section.

This tale is also available within the full print anthology of all these tales available on Amazon via the resource section.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT: Ooka Seidan

Ooka Tadasuke i

While not full-fledged revenge stories, I felt the necessity to include these short stories in order to illustrate an example of the Ooka Seidan tales surrounding magistrate Ooka Tadasuke. As discussed after our story of A Deep Laid Plot, Ooka Tadasuke (1677-1752) was a prominent magistrate in Edo. He won a reputation for being known as a wise magistrate through overseeing countless court cases, which gave rise to these cases becoming entwined with legend.  A series of tales like the ones discussed here developed surrounding his exploits titled the Ooka Seidan.1 As seen in the excerpt from The Solomon of Japan and Legends in Japanese Art, many of the stories associated with him are allegorical in relation to King Solomon from the Bible and hence has often yielded him the title of the “Solomon of Japan.” Further illustrating the tone of these stories is the tale of A Braggart’s Narrow Escape echoes Aesop's Fables stories of morality.

The particular tale of Ooka the Matchmaker seems quite illogical especially for Jinshiro's wife to have been unable to handle his business for the length of his business trip and so a great deal of other circumstances surrounding this case must have either been present, or the entire case was fabricated altogether. None the less, Ooka Tadasuke had a reputation for making unorthodox legal decisions and as such stories such as this one of his matchmaking suggestion arose as a resolution to this story. Many stories arose like this one here and Ooka's unorthodox legal methods became a trademark of stories told about him as he morphed into a legendary literary figure for Japanese rakugo stories. This was further seen in Ooka's elaborate trap laid in A Deep Laid Plot to trap Ten-ichibo in his lie through strewing articles of clothing Ten-ichibo had used to fake his death in order to throw off his resolve.2

Many other stories exist surrounding the bizarre court cases of Ooka Tadasuke. Another one of note involved one in which he heard an inn keeper accuse a student of stealing the flavor of his food through smelling it. Tadasuke thereby heard the case and told the student to put money from one hand to another stating that the price for smelling food was the sound of money, indicating that the shopkeeper was being greedy trying to get money out of the student and it was no crime to smell food. In another case, Tadasuke heard a case involving a carload of stolen cloth and ordered a Jizo statue to be clothed in cloth and brought to court. When the spectators laughed, he ordered that as a fine for their disrespect they pay a token fine of donating a piece of cloth, and then the shopkeeper identified which piece of cloth had been stolen to find the culprit.3

Whether there is veracity to some of these more popular stories is harder to determine, however such tales have become legend and popularized in Japanese culture with Ooka Tadasuke appearing as a character in Japanese television shows and movies even today in the 21st century. Overall, Ooka can almost be seen as a Sherlock Holmes type character who also envelops many traits from Peter Falk's detective character in the 1960's-1970's American crime drama series Columbo.

REFERENCES:

1 Shiro, Hamao, and Jeffrey Angles. “The Execution of Ten'ichibo.” Critical Asian Studies, 2005, pp. 305–321., doi:10.1080/14672710500106424.

2 Murdoch, James. A History of Japan. Japan, Routledge, 1996. p. 334

3 “Ōoka Tadasuke.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 June 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%8Coka_Tadasuke.

i Unknown Author, Ooka Tadasuke, National Diet Library, Unknown Year.