🧚 Names of Incense Used., part 4

Shinzaburō answered:—1

“Most assuredly I would—nay, I should be glad of the chance.2 But there is no reason to fear that you will ever be disowned by your father; for you are his only daughter, and he loves you very much.3 What I do fear is that some day we shall be cruelly separated.”4

She responded softly:—5

“Never, never could I even think of accepting any other man for my husband.6 Even if our secret were to become known, and my father were to kill me for what I have done, still—after death itself—I could never cease to think of you.7 And I am now quite sure that you yourself would not be able to live very long without me.”…8 Then clinging closely to him, with her lips at his neck, she caressed him; and he returned her caresses.9

Tomozō wondered as he listened,—because the language of the woman was not the language of a common woman, but the language of a lady of rank.10 [9] Then he determined at all hazards to get one glimpse of her face; and he crept round the house, backwards and forwards, peering through every crack and chink.11 And at last he was able to see;—but therewith an icy trembling seized him; and the hair of his head stood up.12

[9] The forms of speech used by the samurai, and other superior classes, differed considerably from those of the popular idiom; but these differences could not be effectively rendered into English.13

For the face was the face of a woman long dead,—and the fingers caressing were fingers of naked bone,—and of the body below the waist there was not anything: it melted off into thinnest trailing shadow.14 Where the eyes of the lover deluded saw youth and grace and beauty, there appeared to the eyes of the watcher horror only, and the emptiness of death.15 Simultaneously another woman’s figure, and a weirder, rose up from within the chamber, and swiftly made toward the watcher, as if discerning his presence.16 Then, in uttermost terror, he fled to the dwelling of Hakuōdō Yusai, and, knocking frantically at the doors, succeeded in arousing him.17

V18

Hakuōdō Yusai, the _ninsomi_, was a very old man; but in his time he had travelled much, and he had heard and seen so many things that he could not be easily surprised.19 Yet the story of the terrified Tomozō both alarmed and amazed him.20 He had read in ancient Chinese books of love between the living and the dead; but he had never believed it possible.21 Now, however, he felt convinced that the statement of Tomozō was not a falsehood, and that something very strange was really going on in the house of Hagiwara.22 Should the truth prove to be what Tomozō imagined, then the young samurai was a doomed man.23

“If the woman be a ghost,”—said Yusai to the frightened servant, “—if the woman be a ghost, your master must die very soon,—unless something extraordinary can be done to save him.24 And if the woman be a ghost, the signs of death will appear upon his face.25 For the spirit of the living is _yōki_, and pure;—the spirit of the dead is _inki_, and unclean: the one is Positive, the other Negative.26 He whose bride is a ghost cannot live.27 Even though in his blood there existed the force of a life of one hundred years, that force must quickly perish….28 Still, I shall do all that I can to save Hagiwara Sama.29 And in the meantime, Tomozō, say nothing to any other person,—not even to your wife,—about this matter.30 At sunrise I shall call upon your master.”31

VI32

When questioned next morning by Yusai, Shinzaburō at first attempted to deny that any women had been visiting the house; but finding this artless policy of no avail, and perceiving that the old man’s purpose was altogether unselfish, he was finally persuaded to acknowledge what had really occurred, and to give his reasons for wishing to keep the matter a secret.33 As for the lady Iijima, he intended, he said, to make her his wife as soon as possible.34

“Oh, madness!” cried Yusai,—losing all patience in the intensity of his alarm.35 “Know, sir, that the people who have been coming here, night after night, are dead!36 Some frightful delusion is upon you!…37 Why, the simple fact that you long supposed O-Tsuyu to be dead, and repeated the _Nembutsu_ for her, and made offerings before her tablet, is itself the proof!…38 The lips of the dead have touched you!—the hands of the dead have caressed you!…39 Even at this moment I see in your face the signs of death—and you will not believe!…40 Listen to me now, sir,—I beg of you,—if you wish to save yourself: otherwise you have less than twenty days to live.41 They told you—those people—that they were residing in the district of Shitaya, in Yanaka-no-Sasaki.42 Did you ever visit them at that place?43 No!—of course you did not!44 Then go to-day,—as soon as you can,—to Yanaka-no-Sasaki, and try to find their home!…”45

And having uttered this counsel with the most vehement earnestness, Hakuōdō Yusai abruptly took his departure.46

Shinzaburō, startled though not convinced, resolved after a moment’s reflection to follow the advice of the _ninsomi_, and to go to Shitaya.47 It was yet early in the morning when he reached the quarter of Yanaka-no-Sasaki, and began his search for the dwelling of O-Tsuyu.48 He went through every street and side-street, read all the names inscribed at the various entrances, and made inquiries whenever an opportunity presented itself.49 But he could not find anything resembling the little house mentioned by O-Yoné; and none of the people whom he questioned knew of any house in the quarter inhabited by two single women.50 Feeling at last certain that further research would be useless, he turned homeward by the shortest way, which happened to lead through the grounds of the temple Shin-Banzui-In.51

Suddenly his attention was attracted by two new tombs, placed side by side, at the rear of the temple.52 One was a common tomb, such as might have been erected for a person of humble rank: the other was a large and handsome monument; and hanging before it was a beautiful peony-lantern, which had probably been left there at the time of the Festival of the Dead.53 Shinzaburō remembered that the peony-lantern carried by O-Yoné was exactly similar; and the coincidence impressed him as strange.54 He looked again at the tombs; but the tombs explained nothing.55 Neither bore any personal name,—only the Buddhist _kaimyō_, or posthumous appellation.56 Then he determined to seek information at the temple.57 An acolyte stated, in reply to his questions, that the large tomb had been recently erected for the daughter of Iijima Heizayémon, the _hatamoto_ of Ushigomé; and that the small tomb next to it was that of her servant O-Yoné, who had died of grief soon after the young lady’s funeral.58

Immediately to Shinzaburö’s memory there recurred, with another and sinister meaning, the words of O-Yoné:—“_We went away, and found a very small house in Yanaka-no-Sasaki.59 There we are now just barely able to live—by doing a little private work_….”60 Here was indeed the very small house,—and in Yanaka-no-Sasaki.61 But the little _private work…?62

Terror-stricken, the samurai hastened with all speed to the house of Yusai, and begged for his counsel and assistance.63 But Yusai declared himself unable to be of any aid in such a case.64 All that he could do was to send Shinzaburō to the high-priest Ryōseki, of Shin-Banzui-In, with a letter praying for immediate religious help.65

VII66

The high-priest Ryōseki was a learned and a holy man.67 By spiritual vision he was able to know the secret of any sorrow, and the nature of the karma that had caused it.68 He heard unmoved the story of Shinzaburō, and said to him:—69