INABA ITTETSU
稲葉一鉄
Inaba Iyo-n- kami Michihiro was known as Ittetsu after he retired. He was one of the three great men of the province of Mino .
稲葉伊予守道広は隠棲名は一鉄と言います。
He was originally a retainer of Saito Tatsuoki and afterwards joined Nobunaga.
元々は斉藤竜興に仕えていましたが、信長と同盟しました。
But Nobunaga was of a very suspicious disposition, and he could not feel certain that Ittestu was entirely faithful, so he invited him to a Cha-no-yu to have him assassinated.
しかし、信長は彼を信用しておらず信頼出来ないと思っていました。ついに、彼を茶の湯へ招待して暗殺する決断を下しました。
Ittetsu duly presented himself, and the three other guests entered and greeted him.
招待に一鉄は快諾し、そこへ行き他の三人の客人と挨拶を交わしました。
He then sat down before the Tokonoma, in which was a Kakemono of Chinese verse, and softly murmured the words that were written:
彼は床の間の前に座り、そこにある漢詩をささやくように読みました。
The clouds lie thick across the peaks of Ts'in,
My house, where can it be?
The snow piles high on the pass of Lan,
My horse will go no farther.
山頂に薄雲が掛かり
我が家はあるだろうか
峠には雪が覆っている
我が馬は迷いその先が判らない
* From a poem of Han Yu of T'ang, the greatest man of letters of his age and one of the most prominent in all Chinese literature. Also known as Han Wen Kung, Han the Prince of Literature, and usually in Japan as Kantaishi. This composition was written on his into exile in Kwantung .
* Han Yu of T'ang のこの詩は、彼の代表作の一つで中国文学の中でももっとも素晴らしい作品の一つです。彼はまたＨａｎ Ｗｅｎ Ｋｕｎｇと言う名で知られ文学のプリンス、日本ではＫａｎｔａｉｓｈｉとして知られています。この詩はＫｗａｎｔｕｎｇを放浪したときに創られました。
The other guests asked the meaning of it, whereupon Ittetsu gave them a short sketch of the circumstances of the composition, quoting freely from the context.
他の客達は掛け軸の意味を尋ね、一鉄はその物語や背景を文脈を引用しながら自由に読み説明しました。
Nobunaga, who was listening on the other side of the wall, was struck with admiration, and suddenly bursting in exclaimed, “What's this Iyo? I knew you were a first rate warrior, but I thought that was all. I am amazed to find you are a scholar too. Why should I hide it any longer? This reception was not intended as an ordinary Cha-no-yu but for your assassination. These three guests have each a dirk in his bosom. But now I bear you no more ill-will, so do you remain faithful in future and make good use of your shrewdness.”
信長は壁の向こうでその話を聞いていました。そして感銘を受け、叫びながら言いました。「伊予とはなんぞや！そちは武士の塊だと思っておったが学者でもあるのか。なぜそれを長年に渡り隠しておたのか？この茶の湯はそちを亡き者にする計画であるぞ、他の客のもすべて承知じゃ。しかし止めじゃ、忠誠を誓え、そしてその見識を磨いてくれ。」
Ittetsu bowed low in his place and replied, “I am most grateful to you for sparing my life, and henceforth I will give you no cause for complaint. I guessed your intention to-day and determined to account for at least one man. So, as you see, I too came prepared.” And he also produced a dirk from his clothes.
一鉄は礼をして返答しました。「私の命を貴方ににお預けしましょう。これからは苦言などは言いますまい、貴殿の今日のお言葉に感謝し僕となることを決心します。見て下さい、私も用意してきました。」彼はそう言うと着物の下の死装束を見せました。