KATO KIYOMASA AND THE BROKEN TEA BOWL
加藤清正と割れた茶碗
Once when Kato Kiyomasa was going to give a party for Cha-no-yu he brought out a famous Tea-bowl and put it in the Tokonoma.
ある時、加藤清正は茶会を準備していてとても有名な茶碗を床の間へ置いておきました。
This bowl his pages took up and passed round to examine it, when one of them let it drop and broken it.
その茶碗を小姓達が手に取り皆で見聞していた時、その内の一人が誤って落とし割ってしまいます。
They were much dismayed at this accident, but as befitted the sons of distinguished warriors they bound themselves not to reveal the culprit whatever might happen.
皆狼狽えてしまいましたが、武士の子として責任を落とした一人に押しつける事はやめました。
After a while Kiyomasa came in and when he saw the broken bowl his face darkened.
しばらくして清正はやって来て、茶碗が割れているのを見ると怒りました。
“Who broke that?” he demanded, “you must know, so you had better say.”
「誰がやった？」っと怒鳴り「正直に申せ！」
But no one answered a word.
しかし皆黙ったままでした。
Kato's expression grew more fierce, “You young men are a lot of cowards.
清正ますます怒り「若造どもは腰抜けであるか！
Behavior like this is a slur on the name of your fathers, however brave they may be !”
そのような態度では、お主ら父の威厳に泥を塗ることぞ！」
Then one of the pages named Kato Heizaburo, a boy of fourteen, looking straight into the face of Kiyomasa, asked him; “And why is it that you say we are coward who bring shame on our father's name?”
小姓の一人、加藤平三郎と言う十四才の若者が清正の顔を見て、「なぜ我々が臆病で父上様の名を汚すとおおせでしょうか？」
“The reason you will not tell the name of the one who broke the tea bowl is because you are afraid he will be condemned to commit seppuku, I suppose,” retorted Kiyomasa, growing even more wroth, “and what is a coward but one who fears for his life?”
「茶碗を壊し腹を切るのが怖いのであろう」清正は益々叱責「命がそんなに惜しい臆病者であるか！」
“Among us,” replied Heizaburo calmly, “there is not one who is afraid to die.
「我々の中に」平三郎は冷静に「死を恐れる者などここに一人もおりませぬ。
But the reason why we do not wish to say who broke the Tea-bowl is because we do not think it right that one of ourselves, who certainly is some use, should suffer anything on account of a Tea-bowl however famous, which can well be done without.
ただ、茶碗を壊したからからと言って腹を切れと言うのは我々納得が参りませぬ。分からないので、貴重な茶碗とはどのような物か皆で拝見しておりました。
Please consider the matter well.
どうかお考え下さい。
In keeping the peace of the Empire of what use a tea utensil be?
我国の平和を守るのに茶道具がご入要でございましょうか？
But if an enemy should attack us now we should at once hasten to repel him and to protect our province, holding our lives of no account whatever and willingly throwing them away in defense of our lord and his domains.
もし他国の軍が我々に攻撃を仕掛けてまいりましたら、守り、戦い、我々の命は国に捧げたく願っております。
So however great a treasure a Tea-bowl may be, is it in reason to consider it worth the life of even one of us?”
しかし、どんなに貴重で宝物の茶碗だろうと、我々の命とどちらが価値があると思うかお考えいただけませんでしょうか？」
“That's true,” admitted Kiyomasa, overcome with admiration at this clear and logical defense, “you are a fine lot of young fellows.
「その通りじゃ！」清正はこの言い訳に感心し「あっぱれな若武者達である
You may become even better warriors than your fathers but you certainly will not be worse.
Yes, you are well worthy of my trust.”
父上様にも劣らぬ武士達である、失う訳にはいかぬな〜、そなた達は誠に私の宝である。」
And he said no more about the Tea-bowl or the one who had broken it.
そう言うと、彼は茶碗の件の詮索は一切口に出しませんでした。
Kato Kiyomasa was no one-sided warrior.
加藤清正は武人として、ただ者ではありませんでした。
There still exists an invitation that he sent to Hori Hidemasa asking him to come to a Cha-no-yu.
It runs as follows :
彼が堀井秀正に送った茶会の招待状が残っています。
＊ Murdoch quite overlooks this side of Kato's character, cf. his dictum, “Kato's mental horizon was strictly bounded by the claims of war, of administration, and the statecraft these involved.”
マードック氏はその論文の中で加藤清正の性格をよく分析しています。加藤清正の願望は戦争、政治で上り詰める上昇志向が強く、そして国作りも同様である。
“I am afraid you must be finding this rainy season very wearisome.
梅雨の候、さぞ不快であるとお見舞い申し上げます。
I have lately obtained from the province of Aki a very interesting landscape by Sesshu which seems to be genuine, so I am giving a Cha-no-yu party at my country house at Saga so that a few friends may see it, and I should be very pleased if you would honor me with your company.”
最近、雪舟筆の秋の画を手にいれました故、我が佐賀の国にてお披露目の茶会を催したく存知上げます。おいでいただけましたらこの上無い慶びと存じますのでよろしくお願い申し上げます。
“The moon shines bright
Yet o'er its silver mirror
A shade may pass.
月が銀色の湖面に輝き通り過ぎて行きます。
So our fair name
In this world's murky courses
May suffer autumn changes.
晴れやかな空に雲が通り過ぎ
秋の気配を感じる季節です。
“First day of the fifth month.
五月吉日
HIGO-NO-KAMI KIYOMASA.
肥後の守清正
“To Hori Kyutaro Dono. ”
堀井久太郎殿
This letter came into the possession of Count Katsu Awa, who kept it hung up in his study that he called the Kaishu Library.
この手紙は勝安房守海舟の書庫から見つかり、勉強していた事が伺えます。
He often used to say that if a warrior like Kiyomasa, born in such an age of war and confusion, could preserve a mind so detached and calm, anyone living in a time of peace and quietness such as the present ought to be ashamed of himself if he allowed his mind to be unsettled and agitated.
彼はしばしば清正について触れ、戦乱の時代に生まれ静寂とはかけ離れていれば、乱世を生き抜く事を目指し平穏な生活を願い好む事は恥だと思うようになる。
And Katsu Awa was a man of the same type as Kiyomasa.
勝安房守海舟は清正と同じタイプの人物だった。
Kato Kiyomasa once went to a Cha-no-yu given by Kanamori Sowa and praised him very highly.
加藤清正は金森宗和の茶会に招かれた事があり、そこで歓待を受けています。
He went on to explain that he had not gone as a Tea Connoisseur but to examine the alertness and deportment of the host, and he had been watching to see if he could catch him off his guard and relaxed, so that it would be possible to aim a spear at him with any chance of success, but had to confess that he found no such opportunity.
彼は茶の湯の通にはなら無いことを前置きし出席、ですが亭主の所作や振る舞いを注意深く見聞する。それは茶の湯で頻発する暗殺から身を守る事を用心し、その心配が無い事が分ると安心すると理由を述べたそうです。
Some say that he really meant to assassinate Rikyu fearing the influence the Tea Master had with Hideyoshi.
それは、秀吉の茶頭である利休の暗殺未遂事件が念頭にあったからです。
Sen Rikyu is said on one occasion to have warded off with the ladle a sword cut suddenly aimed at him while he was making tea.
千利休は茶を点てている時に、柄杓の枝をとがらせた武器で刺されそうになった事件。