FURUTA SHIGENARI ON THE BATTLE-FIELD
戦場の古田重然
Furuta Oribe-no-Sho Shigenari was in the field in the winter campaign of 1615 at Osaka , and when the battle began at Imafuku on the eastern side of the castle on the twenty-sixth of November he went to visit Satake Ukyo-no-taiyu at his headquarters there.
古田織部正重然は西暦１６１５年の大阪冬の陣に参加、十一月二十六日大阪城の東今福において戦いが始まり、彼は佐竹義宣（さたけよしのぶ）の本陣にいました。
Happening to notice a barricade made of bamboos, his curiosity was immediately aroused, and muttering to himself, “H'm, I wonder if any of those bamboos would make a good tea-spoon,” he poked his head out to took round, when a chance bullet happened to hit it.
彼は竹の防御矢来に気づき興味心はすぐ反応、「ふむ〜」っとぶつぶつ、「この竹は良い茶杓になる」っと独り言、頭を突っ込んで吟味し始めると銃弾が彼に命中しました。
Shigenari sprang back in astonishment and taking out a purple tea-napkin from his bosom wiped away the blood.
重然はびっくりして後ろへひっくり返って、胸元から紫の懐紙を取り出し血を拭き取りました。
“Just what you might expect from a Tea-master,” was the comment of the spectators.
それを見ていた者達は、「茶人にちがいないなぁ〜」っと言いました。
The next day he went and saw Ieyasu at his camp at Chausuyama, “I got this wound at the front, you see, with Satake's army,” he observed, pluming himself on his exploit.
But Ieyasu, who had already heard all about it, took on notice and spoke of other matters.
翌日、彼は茶臼山の家康の陣に接見に訪れました。「佐竹軍と共に戦い敵陣にやられた傷でござります」っと家康に報告し果敢な自分を売り込みました。
しかし、家康は事の次第をすでに聞いており黙っておりました。
When he took his departure rather ill at ease, Ieyasu, looking after him, observed dryly, “That Oribe is the sort of fellow who will die from a fish-bone stuck in his throat.”
家康が見舞を陳べ重然が退室する後姿を見ながら冷たく一言、「織部の負傷は、魚の骨が喉に引っかかって死ぬようなどうしようもないものだ、、。」
When someone was kind enough to repeat this to Shigenari he was very angry.
後に誰かが重然にその事を報告すると、彼は激怒します。
“What does he mean by holding me up to ridicule before everybody?” he exclaimed.
「大勢の前で恥をかかせるとはいったいどう言う了見だ！」と叫びました。
“That's a thing I won't forget either in this world or the next.”
「この恥損はけして忘れまいぞ！」
And the next year when the summer campaign against the city was beginning he made secret overtures to the enemy with his pupil Kimura Sokei and others to set fire to the Capital and abduct the reason of the Emperor.
翌年の大阪夏の陣の折、木村宗善率いる軍によって都に火を放つ計画が進行、これは織部が首謀し皇帝を誘拐しようとしたのです。
But the affair was discovered and he and his son were ordered to put an end to themselves, while Sokei and twenty-four accomplices suffered the same penalty.
しかしこの計画が発覚、織部と息子をはじめ宗善と共謀者全員切腹となりました。
Though a sage in Tea he was no soldier and lacking in humanity.
茶の賢人でしたが、彼は武人ではなく人間性も欠如していたのかもしれません。
It was one of Oribe's habits to cut up valuable antiques and patch a piece of one on to a piece of another and so use them.
これは織部の性格を推し量る貴重な出来事であり、それぞれの断片を接ぎあて想像できるのです。
And people thought this was tasteful and some imitated.
そして、人はとても人間味がある彼に対し心に留めました。
One day Okawachi Kimbei Mototsuna, who was the father of that Matsudaira Idzu-no-kami commonly known as ‘Wise Idzu,' remarked to some one, “Misfortune will befall Oribe some day : death, I expect.”
父である大河内久綱の子、知恵伊豆として知られている松平信綱のは「織部は不運に見舞われ死んだと思う」っと述べています。
And when his plot was found out and his son were condemned, people were very surprised and asked Mototsuma how he knew that Oribe would be so unfortunate.
彼の陰謀が発覚し彼の息子もとがめられた。人は大変驚いて信綱にたいし織部がどうしてそんな不運に見舞われたと思うかを尋ねました。
“For this reason,” answered Mototsuma, “ancient and valuable treasures are things that have had to pass through many vicissitudes and consequently many have been destroyed, and those that have survived have only done so through the protection of the Gods and Buddhas.
「理由はこうじゃ」っと信綱は言い、「昔からの箴言として、多くの繁栄は時が経ち必然として没落する、生き残るには神仏の教えを守る事だよ」
How then can a person who cuts and mutilates them merely for his own amusement escape the anger of these Deities?
「どのようにして人は強欲を絶ち、神様の怒りから逃れられると思うかい？」
It is natural to suppose that he would not pass through life unscathed.”
「それは自然に身を置き、無傷でいようとはけして思わない事です。」