These eight compelling stories offer valuable insights into Japanese culture. Recounted by a distinguished scholar, they feature scenes from samurai life that embody the concept of Bushido, the "way of the warrior." Their portrayals of loyalty, romance, passion, and heroism offer a true reflection of the values of the Japanese knighthood. Largely fact-based, these fables originated among the traditional storytellers of Japan and were later adapted into romances and historical dramas. Asataro Miyamori, a professor of English at the Oriental University in Tokyo, drew upon authentic sources in compiling this volume, which first appeared in 1920. In the preface, Miyamori observed, "It is true the samurai class has gone forever along with feudalism; but fortunately or unfortunately the Japanese at large are samurai in a sense.... European civilization has revolutionized Japanese society, both for better and for worse.... yet it may safely be said that the sentiments, motives and moral principles of the samurai in some measure remain in the bedrock of their character, in their subconsciousness, so to speak. The Japanese of today are intellectually cosmopolitan, but emotionally they are still samurai to no small degree."
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GONZAEMON, the head-man of the village of Tamamura in the province of K
dzuké, whose family had from generation to generation enjoyed a large fortune, employed a number of servants. Among them was one named Ky
suké who had been added to the household on the recommendation of a peasant of the same village as being exceedingly honest. Though he was very young, unlike other servants, he worked very hard and performed all his duties as well when no one observed him as under the eye of his master. Gonzaemon, therefore, began to look upon him as a great acquisition and took a keen interest in him.
One day he summoned Ky
suké to his room and said:—
“Ky
suké, I am pleased to see that you always work faithfully, but I think I should be more pleased if you would leave off working at an earlier hour in the evening and go to bed at the same time as your fellow-servants. If you continue to be so much more industrious than they there will be complaints among them.”
“My good master,” answered the young man, “though I do not like to disobey you, I regret to say that I can never get to sleep before nine o’clock at night.”
“You surprise me,” said Gonzaemon, “but at least you can oblige me by remaining in bed until the usual hour for getting up in the morning.”
“My good master,” replied Ky
suké again, “I am very sorry to displease you so often, but mine is a hopeless case, for to be frank with you I cannot for the life of me stay abed after seven in the morning.”
Now, you must know, that according to our old way of counting time, nine at night was midnight, and seven in the morning answered to 4 o’clock. Ky
suké, therefore, never slept more than four hours every night, and his master on learning this was surprised beyond measure.
“What a wonder you are!” he explained. “It is seldom one finds gentlemen in service such passionate lovers of work! How gratified I am to find such a notable exception in you. I trust you will not take my suggestion amiss; it was necessary in order that your fellow-servants should not suffer in consequence of your zeal for work.”
“I humbly beg your forgiveness for venturing to disobey your kind orders,” said the young man respectfully.
“Don’t beg my forgiveness,” said his master, “for by so doing you put me in an awkward position.”
After considering for a few moments while the servant waited silently for further orders, Gonzaemon resumed:—
“Well, Ky
suké, I have another suggestion to offer you. You know that you are your own master while your fellow-servants are asleep. I do not wish you to work for me in those hours, so if you do not wish to rest, employ that time in making sandals for your own profit. I will see that you are provided with plenty of straw.”
“My good master, you are very kind, but I fear it is not right that a servant should use any of his time in work for his own profit.”
Thus Ky
suké once more baffled the kind intentions of his master. Gonzaemon was struck with his faithfulness.
“If you persist in refusing all my proposals I shall be at a loss what to do with you,” he said. “So be pleased to do as I request you only this once.”
Ky
suké could not refuse his master’s kindness so delicately offered, and he consented to use his spare time for his own profit. Henceforth the early morning and late evening hours were devoted to the task of making waraji or straw sandals, which he sold to a kitchen-ware dealer in the village, thereby making a small but regular income, every sen of which he intrusted to his kind master for safe keeping. Soon the young servant’s diligence became known, and the country people encouraged his industry by always asking for the “Ky
suké waraji” in preference to any other. This naturally pleased the dealer who continually pressed Ky
suké for further supplies. Gonzaemon, likewise pleased at the success of his plan, determined to lend out the money in his charge so as to increase the amount by good interest. In this he found no difficulty for people had the idea that some luck attached itself to anything connected with the honest servant, and were only too glad to be accommodated with loans out of his savings.
Thus eight years passed away and Ky
suké was still a servant in the household of Gonzaemon. One day the latter called the young man into his apartment and addressed him as follows:—
“My dear Ky
suké, time indeed flies like an arrow, as the proverb says. Eight years have elapsed since I was so fortunate as to take you into my service. You have never squandered your wages as other servants do; setting apart a certain amount for small personal expenses you have regularly committed to my care all that you earned. I should certainly have proved but a poor banker, had I not sought some profitable investment for your deposits. All these years I have been lending out your money at a modera...
