INABA MASANORI
稲葉正則
Inaba Mino-no-kami Masanori lord of Odawara was the son of Tnago-no-kami Masakatsu and the grandson of the celebrated Kasuga-no-Tsubone, foster mother of the Shogun Iemitsu, and in the days of Ietsuna he was second only in influence to the ‘Gaba Shogun' Sasaki Uta-no-kami Tadakiyo.
稲葉美濃守正則は小田原藩主で丹後守正勝の次男、有名な将軍家光の養育母である春日局は祖母です。
加えて、次の四代将軍である家綱時代の影の権力者である酒井河内守忠清に次ぐ地位でした。
• Gaba Shogun or Extramural Shogun.
下馬将軍または城壁外の将軍
Tadakiyo was so nicknamed because of his great influence in affaires and because his mansion was just outside the castle gate by the side of the notice bidding all dismount before entering (Gaba).
忠清は彼の仕事上の権勢と、住まいの屋敷位置が登城する人たちが下馬しなければばらない門の横にあった為「下馬将軍」と呼ばれました。
In his domains in the lake Ashinoko at Hakone there was a lot of sunken wood that had been there for centuries, and so far none of the masters of that part of the country had cared to get it out because of the expense.
彼の居住地である箱根の芦ノ湖には何世紀もの間に蓄積した多くの湖中材木が在り、それがほしい国中の数寄者たちがいて高価な物になっていました。
But with the aid of that skilled engineer and contractor Kawamura Zuiken, Masanori obtained a great number of fine trunks and transported them to Edo .
そして、彼は河村瑞賢と言う土木工事の専門家と組み、その貴重な幹を江戸に運ぶ事業をしました。
And the wood was of a very fine grain and beautiful, so Masanori had a tea-room made of it and entertained all the elegants of the capital there and they were very full of its praise.
その材木とても良い木目を持ち素晴らしく、正則はそれで茶室を作り多くの大名達をもてなしその価値を上げるる事に成功しました。
And Masanori had a son-in-low Hotta Bitchu-no-kami Masatoshi, son of Kaga-no-kami Masamori and adopted son of Kasuga-no-Tsubone, who on the twenty second day of the second month of the tenth year of Kwanbun(1671) was elevated to be one of the Waka-doshiyori.
そして、正則は堀田加賀守正盛の三男、堀田備中守正俊を春日野局と養子縁組させ寛文十年１６７１年に若年寄に昇格させます（正室は正則の娘）。
And in his honor Masanori gave a Tea-ceremony, his son Tango-no-kami Masayuki acting as host.
その祝いとして正則は茶の湯を催し息子である丹後守正往が席主をつとめました。
And in the tea-room was a picture of an ascending and a descending dragon by one of the great Kano Masters, and it was painted with such vigor and life that seemed to writhe and roar as one looked.
茶室には狩野派画家筆の昇り龍降り龍の絵が掛けてあり、体をくねらせ吠え生命の躍動するものでした。
And all the guests were loud in their praises of it, and one of them, the Ometsuke Ooka Sada-no-kami Tadakatsu, exclaimed; “Even among the great Kano Masters I doubt whether there are many things as fine. They look just like living dragons.”
客人達は歓喜の声を上げ褒め称え、その中の一人大目付大岡佐渡守忠種が叫びました、「狩野派の絵師達の絵は皆素晴しいに間違いはない、龍が生きてそこに居るようですな〜。」
When the tea was over and they adjourned to the reception room and began to chat, Masatoshi remarked quietly to Tadakatsu,; “When you looked at that kakemono just now you said they looked like real dragons; have you ever seen a real dragon?”
茶の湯が終わると一同応接間へ移動してお喋りを始めました。正俊が忠種へ「貴殿が先ほどの絵を見た時、生きた龍のごとしとおっしゃいましたが本物の龍をご覧になった事がお有りですか？」
“Why, no,” said Tadakatsu, rather taken back, “I can't say I have. What I meant was that I suppose they would look like that?”
「なぜ？」と忠種、そして返す様に「私は見たとは言っておりませぬ、あれは活きているようだど申し上げたと思いますが？」
“Ah, I see,” replied Masatoshi, “well, I have seen a real living dragon.”
「解り申した」と正俊は返し「実は、私は本物の龍を見ました。」
“How interesting,” said the other guests, “and where was that?”
「それは興味深い」と全員が答え「すると何処で？」
“My late father,” went on Masatoshi with a smile, “owing to the great regard with which his Highness honored him, rose from very small beginnings to exceedingly high rank and emolument.
「近頃の私の父上で」正俊は微笑み、「大いなる尊敬のもと将軍より名誉を頂戴し、仕える身としての最上のお役目を頂戴しました。」
He was a real ascending dragon.
「まさしく昇り龍でござる。」
On the other hand my elder brother Kozuke-no-suke, for a single indiscretion, had his revenues confiscated and his family ended.
「他方、兄である堀田上野介正信殿は軽率な行動によりお家没収され家は絶え申した。」
He was the descending dragon.”
「彼は降り龍でござる。」
Whereat the others all applauded his witty remark.
その場で、彼のしゃれた答えに皆拍手を送りました。
Meanwhile Masanori and Masayuki had come in from the tea-room, and Tadakatsu repeated this clever smile of Masatoshi to them, when the latter went on; “Yes, and when one comes to think of it Masamori is another case of an ascending dragon, though perhaps it is rather rude of me to say so, and he should be careful accordingly.”
そうしている内に正則と正住が茶室より退席してくると、忠勝は彼らと正俊への笑顔を受けて「そう、正則殿はまた昇り龍でござる。私の粗雑な話よりも素晴しかった。」
The other guests all looked rather aghast at this, for it is quite against the custom of Cha-no-yu to allow any harsh or discordant speech.
他の客人たちはびっくり仰天しました、それは、茶の湯ではこの様な調和のない際どい話はしない事になっているからです。
But in this case it was for the good of Masanori and it may be that he owed to this timely counsel the preservation his name and fortune by pleading old age and retiring later on.
しかし、正則の人柄、保守的な立場、その場においての雰囲気、自分の年齢とその後の処遇について話したのです。
It is curious to note that Masatoshi himself was an example of a dragon that not only ascended but come down again.
話した堀田正俊自身の気持ちは、龍は昇るだけでなく気をしき締めなければ降ると言う事もある事を自戒として話したのだと思います。
For he was appointed Tairo by the Shogun Tsunayoshi and was in high favor with him, so that no one in the Empire could gainsay him, but as the result of his policy of economy he made enemies among the ladies of the Inner Palace and eventually the Shogun also turned against him, so that on the fifteenth day of the eight month of the first year of Teikyo(1684) he received a present of an incense-burner called ‘White Jade Cascade' and some rare incense of aloes, it being the custom of the Bakufu to suggest retirement by the present of Tea-utensils.
そして彼は、五代将軍綱吉候によって大老となり忠勤を尽くしました。その後幕府で異を唱える者は無く、財政を意のままにし大奥の軍を作ったりして最終的には将軍も彼の言う事を聞くようになります。西暦１６８４年貞享元年八月十二日、彼は「白翡翠の滝」と呼ばれる茶道具である香炉を幕府伝統に則り退任の記念として幕府より拝領しました。
But he considered his responsibility to be too great and would not take the hint and on the twenty-eight day he was assassinated in the Castle by his relative Inada Iwami-no-kami Masayasu.
しかし彼は退任の褒章に困惑し、辞めるのを拒否していました。そして二十八日ほどが経ち、親類である稲葉石見守正休によって城内にて暗殺されました。
His son Shimosa-no-kami Masanaka was much disliked by the Shogun, eventually he died in poverty and obscurity.
跡継ぎの彼の息子である堀田下総守正仲は将軍に疎まれて、悪地に移封され没しました。
This is one explanation of many of Masatoshi's mysterious assassinations.
これは正俊暗殺の謎の一つです。
Certainly after the death of his austere minister Tsunayoshi was able to indulge his literary and artistic hobbies without restraint, but Masayasu may have had personal reasons for the action.
実際に将軍綱吉の彼が死んだ後の冷たさは自制の無い文学や道楽から見てとれました。他方、稲葉正休の暗殺行動が個人的動機であったかに見えますが。
It was this house of Inaba that in 1919 sold many of its treasures by auction and among them was a tea bowl that brought \16.700, a Shonzui utensil that brought \358, and green and gold napkin that sold for \700, while the Sakai Bunrin tea caddy went for \311.
1919 年に稲葉家が家宝茶道具をオークション出品した記録かあり、茶碗１６０００円、中国染付磁器３５８円、堺分琳茶入３１１円、緑金襴仕服７００円。