ISHIDA KAZUSHIGE
石田三成
When Toyotomi Hideyoshi was Lord of the Castle of Nagahama he went out hunting in the neighborhood, and after a whole day spend on horseback he became exceedingly thirsty.
豊臣秀吉が長浜城主になり、ある時、近所に鷹狩りに出かけ終日狩りをして馬上帰城途中喉が渇きました。
Coming to a little temple in the hills called Kwannonji, he sat down on the verandah of the guest room and called out loudly to attract attention.
観音寺と言う場所を通った時、その丘に小さな寺を見つけます。彼は寺の縁側に腰掛け中に声を掛けました。
The priest soon appeared, and seeing it was the Feudal Lord bowed low before him.
すると坊主が出てきて、お殿様が頭を下げているではありませんか。
“Well, your reverence,” said Hideyoshi, “I want a cup of tea.”
「和尚、茶を所望できぬか」と秀吉は言いました。
The priest replied that it should be brought immediately and summoned an acolyte to make it.
坊主は即座に奥の小僧へ、茶を出すように命じました。
The acolyte, who was an extremely comely youth, filled a large tea-bowl with rather tepid tea, placed it on a stand, put the napkin by it and offered it to Hideyoshi.
出てきた小僧は幼い美少年で、大きな茶碗にぬるい茶とお手ふきを盆に載せて秀吉の前に置きました。
Draining it at one draught, he exclaimed: “Ah! that's good. Another, please.”
彼はそれを一気に飲み干して、「うまいの〜！もう一杯いただきたい」と大きな声で言いました。
This time the acolyte served a cup containing not half as much as the first, but the tea was much hotter.
Hideyoshi appreciate his intelligence and asked for another to see what he would do.
小僧は次にもって来たのは半分ほどの量で暖かい茶でした。秀吉は彼の機転に感服して、次も所望してみることにしたのです。
Sure enough he was presented with a very small deep cup but containing a little very hot tea, and he was so pleased at this insight that he called the youth to him and asked his name.
案の定、小僧は小さな深めの碗に今度は熱い茶を入れて来て、秀吉は大いに気に入って美少年に名前を尋ねました。
“My name is Sakichi,” was the reply, “and I am the second son of Sagoemon, a farmer of the village of Ishida in the province of Goshu .”
「私の名前は左吉と申します、豪州石田村の農民、左後衛門の次男でございます。」と答えました。
Much taken with his prompt and clear answer as well as with his looks and intelligence, Hideyoshi persuaded the priest to let him go with him to Nagahama and become one of his pages.
機敏と聡明、容姿と洞察力、秀吉は和尚にこの子を長浜城へ上げて小姓として使いたいと強く申し入れました。
He was then thirteen years old.
そして彼は十三才で秀吉の家来となりました。
This youth was latter on to become Ishida Jibushoyu Kazushige, Chief of the Five Bugyo.
後に彼は秀吉側近五奉行の頭、石田治部省三成となったのです。
To such a high position may one rise by care in serving a cup of tea.
一杯の茶の気使いが彼の出世のきっかけとなった事は間違いありません。
Ishida Kazushige was well known for the simplicity of his life.
石田三成は簡素な生活をしていた人として知られています。
For when he was Chief of the Five Bugyo and by far the greatest Lord in the Empire, his residence at the Castle of Sawayama was entirely plain and unadorned.
五奉行の頭にも関わらず城から最も遠方に住み、彼の沢山城は質素そのもの。
The walls were of rough plaster left in an unfinished state, and boarded inside.
板に漆喰を塗っただけの壁が回りを囲んでいて。
The shoji and fusuma were covered with plain white paper, the garden was planted with the most ordinary trees, and the stone water-basin had nothing remarkable about it.
襖や障子は無地の和紙、庭はごく普通の木々が植えられ、水盤石は注意して見ないとそれと分からないほど簡素でした。
This simple house, austere as a tea-room, and very different from those of most of the Feudal Lords, in itself suggested that its owner was no ordinary man.
草庵茶室のような彼の家は封建制度の大名達とはまったく真逆の生活で、彼が異彩をはなっていた事はたしかです。