The Old Men of Omi

Chapter Four

Akitada woke with a heavy head and a sour taste in his mouth. The pain in his head came a moment later. He grimaced. Sitting up late with Kosehira and drinking too many cups of his good wine had been a mistake.

Well, the wine anyway.

Kosehira had been a pleasure as always. No one else had his cheerful disposition and kindness. No wonder his family was such a happy one. The next thought, however, was an unfortunate comparison. Perhaps his own family life had once been as happy, or at least harmonious, but it was so no longer. Tamako was gone, and the children could not fill that void. Akitada was deeply lonely, perhaps more acutely lonely than he had been after her death, when grief had blotted out all other emotions. He found himself wishing for such a family as Kosehira’s. He too wanted laughter and the cheerful noise of women and children around him.

He sat up and held his aching head. Well, it was not to be, and he might as well enjoy such pleasures vicariously while spending time with Kosehira and his brood.

But unlike the day before, Kosehira was all business this morning. A servant had brought Akitada his bowl of rice gruel and some fruit juice, announcing that his Excellency would be leaving for the tribunal as soon as Akitada was ready.

A governor of Kosehira’s stature traveled with a large retinue between his home and the tribunal. Akitada compared this to his recent post in Chikuzen province in Kyushu where they had found an empty tribunal with neither staff nor horses. Of course, Kosehira was a very wealthy man and closely related to the ruling Fujiwaras. It made it all the more surprising and endearing that he was a man without the slightest touch of arrogance, a simple, cheerful, friendly soul, and a very loyal friend.

The Omi provincial headquarters, unlike those in Chikuzen, once again impressed by their size and the large number of soldiers , officials, and clerks who occupied them. Greeted by salutes and fine displays of cavalry and infantry, they rode to the main hall and dismounted.

To Akitada’s surprise, Tora was already there and waiting for him.

“Did you see the guard, sir?” he asked Akitada, after having saluted Kosehira in the military fashion his new rank inspired. “That’s what I call a guard. It made me wish we’d had more time in Chikuzen. I could have whipped that ragtaggle bunch of peasants into great shape.”

Akitada said drily, “If you may recall, we barely made it out alive. I doubt if they would have taken kindly to your methods.”

Tora grinned. “Only a matter of time and the right methods. I’d like to look around here, if you don’t need me.”

Akitada glanced at Kosehira. “What are the plans?”

“I’m told Enryaku-ji is sending a delegation to bid you welcome. Meanwhile you may want to see if your people have everything they need. Let me know if I can send you some of my staff.”

Akitada controlled his irritation with Enryaku-ji. “Thank you, brother. Tora, you may look around, as you call it.”

He found that Kunyoshi, for all his advanced age and poor memory had a talent for organization. When he was shown to the large hall that contained the tribunal archives and now also Akitada’s staff and documents brought to Otsu from the imperial archives, he saw that desks had been set up for all the clerks and that each had a particular task. The senior officials in charge of the separate aspects of the case were gathered on the dais, where they would put their heads together to discuss the various problems. These gentlemen were Kono from the Bureau of Buddhism, Aikawa from the Bureau of Taxation, Kanazawa from the Censors Office, and Shiyoda, a recorder for the Council of State. Shiyoda outranked the others, but even he was one step below Akitada in rank. Akitada was to supervise all of these men, and his clerk from the Ministry of Justice was to supervise all of the other clerks. It was a good arrangement, provided all of these people got along and none showed undue favoritism toward either temple. Akitada could have wished none showed any favoritism toward the Buddhist faith and instead put their minds to preserving public lands that would pay taxes. Anything owned by a temple was tax exempt, and therein lay a problem.

He gathered the papers pertaining to the claims made by Enryaku-ji and carried them to an empty desk. There he rubbed some ink and then began to read, making notes in his tidy script. There was no need for him to do this. His clerk could as easily have done it, but Akitada wanted at least a working knowledge of what the situation was. Having finished with the documents, he returned them to his clerk and collected documentation pertaining to the disputed properties from the local files. The more he studied these papers, the more he became convinced that both temples had rashly and illegally appropriated land belonging to tax-paying individuals. How they had got away with it was not clear. He decided to ask Kosehira when a servant arrived to tell him that a deputation from Enryaku-ji awaited him in the reception hall.

Akitada sighed and made his way there.

Three monks awaited him. All seemed to belong to the upper ranks of the order and wore black robes and silk stoles made of colorful patches. They had sandals on their feet and their heads were shaven. Two appeared to be middle-aged and one elderly.

When he came into the room, they rose to their feet but did not bow. Instead they placed their hands together and inclined their heads slightly.

One of the middle-aged monks took a step forward. “I think you are Lord Sugawara?”

Akitada nodded.

“My name is Kanshin. I’m the prior of Enryaku-ji. With me are Josho, our Venerable Teacher, and Seisan, Master of the Law. We have come on behalf of our superior, Abbot Gyomei, to bid you welcome. It is our hope that you will visit Enryaku-ji as our guest.”

Akitada smiled. “That is very good of you and Reverence Gyomei. I shall give myself the pleasure at my earliest convenience.”

It was a very short speech, given an invitation by so illustrious a figure of the faith as the head of Enryaku-ji, and he could see that they were displeased.

“May we trouble you for a small amount of your time?” Kanshin asked. “We have come a long way.”

Not so very long, since Enryaku-ji hovered on the mountainside above Otsu, but given the terrain and their elevated status, perhaps it must have seemed so. In any case, Akitada gestured to the dais, where a few cushions awaited important visitors.

They settled themselves, the oldest with several small groans. Akitada asked, “May I send for refreshments?”

“Very kind,” nodded Kanshin. “The way was hard and we’re no longer young.”

Akitada rose again, went to a door and clapped his hands. A servant appeared with commendable speed and was sent for fruit juice and snacks.

Akitada returned to his place and looked expectant.

But Kanshin waited also.

The servant returned with juice and trays of nuts, rice crackers, and dried fruit. The monks sipped sparingly and ignored the food.

When Akitada had said nothing for a longish spell, Kanshin sighed. “We have been told that His Majesty has sent you and various experts to look into the outrageous claims made by Onjo-ji monks. It is our hope that the strongest steps will be taken against them. They have threatened our people, and in several instances they have driven them off our land and put their own peasants in their place.”

Akitada smiled. “I’m aware of certain claims by both temples against each other. Rest assured that we will use due diligence in clearing up contested land claims.”

Silence fell again as they looked at each other. Their faces became more glum. Kanshin said, “There can be no doubt for whose side the decision will fall. We have uncontestable documentation. Our rights have been confirmed by several emperors.”

“No doubt,” said Akitada, still smiling. “But you see, Onjo-ji seems to be equally well prepared to argue their case. I’m very much afraid you’ll have to be patient while we weigh the various claims. It shouldn’t take too long. And then perhaps I can give myself the pleasure to visit your magnificent temple.” He emptied his cup of juice and waited.

They bit their lips, or glared, or muttered, but one by one they got up, folded their hands and inclined their heads, then stepped down from the dais and walked out in single file.

Akitada heaved a sigh of relief, and left also, turning toward the back of the compound. Here he wandered about a while, peering into several small courtyards. Most were empty of vegetation but in one he saw a large earthenware container with a small wisteria tree. The wisteria had buds already. It was a white one, but even so it reminded him of Tamako’s purple wisteria, dead now and a symbol of his greater loss. He went over and bent to the drooping panicles which gave off a hint of the delicious scent. It seemed spicier than that of their purple vine. This plant was still young, or else had been pruned severely to make it fit into a planter, but in the back of his memory rose another image of a lush white wisteria in a walled garden, a plant and a scent that had come to represent another loss.

Once, only once, he had fallen in love with a woman who was not his wife, and parting from her had been the most painfully wrenching experience. She was Hiroko, Lady Yasugi, a married woman who had come into his life at a time when Tamako had turned against him. In the end, his love had come to nothing though he had offered her marriage. He wondered what had become of Hiroko and her children. It was more than ten years now. Would she be very changed?

Idle thoughts, born from loneliness. For some reason, this journey was stirring up many painful memories. He shook off his gloom and decided to get his horse and visit the town. Perhaps Chief Takechi would be in and they could renew their acquaintance while he probed for information about the two warring temples.

?

Otsu had changed. It was a bustling town of substantial buildings, filled with inhabitants who had become wealthy from doing business at the juncture of two major national highways and in the proximity of two great temples. There was also a busy harbor where goods from the northern provinces arrived by boat and either continued via the Seta and Yodo Rivers south or unloaded for the overland journey to the capital. Such business and wealth attracted all sorts of people. Pilgrims arrived daily, itinerant entertainers plied their trade at markets and fairs, prostitution prospered, day laborers abounded, and many members of the great families chose to retire here, either because they had shrewdly invested in Otsu’s businesses or because they wished to end their lives close to the great temples but somewhat removed from court business.

The last time Akitada had visited, it had been the week of the O-bon festival and some days beyond. The crowds thronging the streets and watching performers had been large and boisterous, but even today there was an atmosphere of celebration. At a shrine he passed, a small fair had attracted families with their children, and it was market day.

He remembered the way to the warden’s office, but when he reached it, he found it was now an official post station. Leaning down from his horse, he asked one of the men loitering at the gate what had happened to it. The youth pointed down the street to a large roofed gatehouse.

Takechi had moved up in the world. His office was now in a substantial hall inside a compound which also held stables and a proper jail.

Akitada dismounted, turning his horse over to a red-coated constable and asked if Takechi was in.

He was, and Akitada soon walked into his office, a large room similar to the one occupied by Superintendent Kobe in the capital. Here, as there, the office holder had a large desk for himself and a secondary desk for a scribe, and here, as there, several constables awaited orders.

Takechi had aged and changed in other ways. Akitada almost did not recognize him. His hair was quite gray by now, and his face more deeply lined. He had trimmed his large mustache into a more fashionable style and wore the uniform of a police officer and the traditional black cap. But when he looked up, frowning and then staring for a moment, his face relaxed into a wide smile of pure pleasure. He rose quickly and came toward Akitada with outstretched hands.

“My Lord! What a surprise and pleasure!” At the last moment, he dropped his hands and, blushing a little, made Akitada a bow.

“Thank you, Chief. The pleasure is equally mine. It’s very good to see you again.”

“Yes, sir. But is something wrong? What brings you?”

Akitada chuckled. “Nothing at all except a desire to see you again. This is just a friendly visit.”

Takechi relaxed. “Wonderful!” He turned to the constables and the scribe, saying, “Get started on your assignments right away. We’ll discuss the details later.” They left the room, closing the door behind them.

“Please don’t let me interrupt your work,” Akitada said, looking after them. “You have risen in the world and must be very busy these days. I’ll be in Otsu for a week or so. We can easily find another time to chat.”

But Takechi shook his head. “No, no. I have some time. But that doesn’t mean we cannot share a meal another day. I’d like you to be my guest. We have a very good restaurant down at the lake shore. Their noodle soup and seafood dishes are praised throughout the land.”

“Thank you. I’ll look forward to it. How have you been?”

Takechi placed a cushion for Akitada and poured them some wine. “I’m very well, as you can see. Just getting on in years. My body expands and my agility lessens. But there are compensations. Both the governor and the local people have honored me with their trust. I enjoy a good income and, as you see, my office is quite resplendent.” He chuckled, then added, “Otherwise I’m afraid I’m just the same old peasant’s son trying to keep his wits together while putting the bad fellows behind bars.”

“I’m happy to see your success. As I told the governor a little while ago, you have earned that respect. I remember how you stood by me and that poor child when I was universally distrusted and maligned and he would have died at the hands of those monsters.”

Takechi grinned. “Ah, you should see him now, the young Lord Masuda! It would please you greatly. He’s grown into a fine youngster.”

“Good! I take it his grandfather is no longer alive?”

“No. He died a few months later, but he died happy.”

“And the ladies?”

“Quite well, both of them. Lady Masuda resides in the mansion, and the younger lady has remarried.”

Akitada nodded. It was what he would have expected of both. “But I’m keeping you from your work,” he said, emptying his cup. We’ll talk some more when you’re free. I’m staying with the governor and will spend some time at provincial headquarters, looking into legal squabbles between the temples here.”

Takechi nodded. “Onjo-ji and Enryaku-ji. Yes, a pity that. The local people take sides and we have much trouble keeping them from getting into fights. The monks are stirring it up. But it’s not too bad. Otherwise, things are fairly quiet, except for one death that puzzles me. Come to think of it, you may know the dead man. His name is Nakano. He was a judge when you were here.”

“Nakano? Dear me, yes. The man confiscated all the gold I had brought with me to buy out that child. He would have sentenced me to hard labor if he hadn’t learned who I was. And he returned my gold very grudgingly.”

Takechi nodded. “Yes, that’s pretty well in character. In any case, it may be a natural death-he was an old man- but I don’t quite like the look of things. Would you be at all interested in joining me when I have a look at the body?”

Akitada raised his hands. “Judge Nakano is in very good hands. I’m here to deal with the temple case and have a brief vacation. I’m looking forward to some hunting or fishing.”

Takechi nodded. “Yes, of course. Forgive me, sir. I had no right. Especially when I’d heard about your lady’s death. Please accept my condolences.”

Akitada thanked him and fled. He knew he was fleeing from his grief and his memories and was ashamed, for Takechi was a good man, and at one time he would have enjoyed working with him.