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not do and planned to make a request to Choon, and if he did not assent, kill him. He went to the priest's house in Edo
and entered; the priest, thinking that he was someone on a pilgrimage, met him in a dignified manner.
Gorozaemon drew near him and said, ' 'I have some secret thing to tell you directly. Please send out your attendant
priests .
"It is said that you will soon award Tsunashige the seal because of his cleverness in Buddhism. Now as you are from
Hizen, you should know in large part the customs of the Ryuzoji and Nabeshima clans. Our country is ruled with
harmony between high and low because, unlike others, it has had continuous heirs for successive generations. There
has never been the taking of a Buddhist seal by the daimyo for ages past. If you present the seal now, Tsunashige will
probably think of himself as enlightened and regard what his retainers say as so much dirt. A great man will become
vain. Absolutely do not give this award. If you do not agree to this, I too am resolved. This he said with
determination.
The priest's color changed, but he said, "Well, well. You have trustworthy intentions, and I see that you under- stand
the affairs of your clan well. You are a loyal retainer . . . "
But Gorozaemon said, "No! I understand that ploy. I didn't come here to be praised. Without adding anything else, let
me hear clearly whether you plan to cancel the seal or not.''
Choon said, "What you say is reasonable. I will definitely not award the seal."
Gorozaemon made sure of this and returned. Tsunetomo heard this story directly from Gorozaemon.
A group of eight samurai all took the same road for some merrymaking. Two of them, Komori Eijun and Otsubo Jin'-
emon, went into a teahouse in front of the Kannon temple at Asakusa, got into an argument with the male employees
there, and were soundly beaten. This could be heard by the others, who were in an excursion boat, and Mute
Rokuemen said, "We should go back and take revenge." Yoshii Yoichiemon and Ezoe Jinbei both agreed to this.
The others, however, dissuaded them, saying, "This will cause trouble for the clan," and they all returned home.
When they arrived at the mansion, Rokuemon again said, ''We should definitely take revenge!'' but the others
disuaded him. Although they sustained heavy wounds on their arms and legs, Eijian and Jin'emon cut the teahouse
men down, and those who had returned were taken to task by the master.
In due course some thought was given to the details of this event. One person said, "By waiting to ;get the agreement
of others, a matter like taking revenge will never be brought to a conclusion. One should have the resolution to go
alone and even to be cut down. A person who speaks vehemently about taking revenge but does nothing about it is a
hypocrite. Clever people, by using their mouths alone, are taking care of their reputations for a later date. But a real
stalwart is a man who will go out secretly, saying nothing, and die. It is not necessary to achieve one's aim ; one is a
stalwart in being cut down. Such a person will most likely achieve his pur- pose.''
lchiyuken was a low class servant in the kitchen of Lord Takanobu. Because of some grudge he had over a matter of
wrestling, he cut down seven or eight men and was hence ordered to commit suicide. But when Lord Takanobu heard
of this he pardoned the man and said, "In these strife-torn times of our country, brave men are important. This man
would seem to be a man of bravery." Consequently, at the time of the action around the Uji River, Lord Takanobu
took Ichiyuken along, and the latter earned unrivaled fame, advancing deep into the lead and plundering the enemy
every time .
At the battle of Takagi, Ichiyuken went so far into the enemy lines that Lord Takanobu felt regret and called him
back. Since the vanguard had been unable to advance, only by quickly dashing out was he able to grab Ichiyuken by
the sleeve of his armor. At that time Ichiyuken's head had suffered many wounds, but he had stopped them up with
preen leaves which he bound with a thin towel.
On the first clay of the attack on Hara Caste, Tsuruta Yashichibei went as a messenger from Lord Mimasaka to Oki
Hyobu, but as he was delivering the message, he was shot through the pelvic region by a bullet fired from the castle
and instantly fell on his face. He got up again and delivered the rest of the message, was felled a second time, and
died. Yashichibei's body was carried back by Taira Chihyoei. When Chihyoei was returning to Hyobu's camp, he too
was struck by a rifle ball and died.
Dense was born in Taku , and the members of his family living at this time were his elder brother Jirbei, his younger
brother and his mother. Around the ninth month Denko's mother took Jirobei's son with her to hear a sermon. When it
was time to go home, the child, as he was putting on his straw sandals, accidentally stepped on the foot of the man
next to him. The man rebuked the child, and in the end they pot into a vehement argument and the man unsheathed
his short sword and killed him. Jirobei's mother was dumb struck. She clung to the man, and he killed her too. Having
done this, the man returned to his house.
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