SHIBATA ZESHIN
柴田是真
Shibata Zeshin one of the greatest artists of modern times, was a native on Edo and lived on the Ishigari embankment in Shimo Heiemon Cho in Asakusa.
柴田是真は時代を行く偉大な芸術家で、江戸っ子で浅草、大川土手下平衛門町に住んでいました。
Since he lived opposite to Yanagihara, he took the name of Tairyukyo which had just that meaning.
後に向かいの柳原に居を移し、まさに「対柳居」と名乗りました。
He studied Cha-no-yu under Yoshida So-I, and made a large collection of fine utensils.
茶の湯を吉田宗意に習い、茶道具収集に勤しむ事になります。
When he was twenty-five years old, he went to the temple of Tofukuji near Kyoto and saw the treasures of one of its halls called Sanshoji.
彼が二十五歳の時遊学の為京都へ赴き、東福寺を訪れ、さんしょう寺にある宝物達に出会いました。
Among these was a picture of the sixteen Rakan by Li lung Mien, and before this Zeshin became a fixture, gazeing abstractedly at it like one in a trance .
中には“ Li lung Mien ”の“十六羅漢像”があり、是真は心奪われ金縛り恍惚、像を見つめ別の世界へ行ってしまいました。
When the priest at last interrupted him, he exclaimed “This is one of the world's masterpieces!
寺の僧侶がやってくると、「何と言う、この世の傑作なんでしょう！」っと叫びました。
What amazing talent these Chinese have!
「驚くべき清国の魅力的な人たちです！」
Words fail one before such work.”
「この作品の前には言葉も出ない。」
Seeing that he had such a genuine admiration for it, the priest allowed him to copy it and Zeshin gladly took the opportunity.
是真の心からの感嘆を見た僧侶は写すことを了承し、彼は貴重な機会を得たのでした。
Twenty-five years after this, a certain Hashimoto Sojun came as a visiting priest to the temple of Kaizenji in Asakusa, and meeting Zeshin happened to remark that the treasures of the Sanshoji were to be sold.
あれから二十五年の歳月が経ち、橋本宗純と言う人物が浅草かいぜん寺を訪れた折に是真と会って、京都のさんしょう寺の宝物が売りに出されたと話しました。
Zeshin immediately asked if the picture by Li Lung Mien was for sale too, and the other replied that it was and that it was regarded as the most valuable of all.
是真はすぐ Li Lung Mien の作品も売りに出されたのかと尋ね、兎に角、最も価値があると思っていた宝物の有無を何度も確かめました。
As soon as Zeshin heard this, he immediately sold all cherished Tea-utensils, and as he considered that not enough he put his wife's clothes in pawn and borrowed from the moneylenders till he had got together two hundreds and fifty pieced of gold.
確認をした是真は直ちに手元にある大切にしていた茶道具を全部売り、それだけでは足りないと思い妻の着物等も質入れして、合わせて二百五十両ほどに換金しました。
Then he hurried off to Kyoto and managed to secure the Sixteen Rakan he admired so much, as well as another of Shaka Muni supported by the eighteen Heavenly Kings.
その足で京都へ走り、あの十六羅漢と、釈迦牟尼と十八使徒の宝物を確保しました。
Then he gave himself up to self-forgetful meditation on these inspired paintings entirely oblivious of everything, though his family had hardly anything to eat and the duns were continually at his door, and when one of his household remarked what a pity it was to have parted with some of his fine Tea-utensils, he only remarked: “Well, that's my Teaism.
すべてを省みず我を忘れ瞑想に耽り突っ走った結果、彼の家族はお腹がすき、借金取りが毎日の様に押しかけて来ました。奉公人の一人が高価な茶道具まで手放し本当にもったいないと小言を言うと彼は一言「これが私の茶の湯道だよ。」
What is there to regret?”
「これが後悔だと思うかい？」
Zeshin's favourite saying was this: “Neglect your work and it will deteriorate and become a business, and then if you don't avoid commonplace patrons you will become commonplace yourself.”
是真の一番好きな言葉、「自分の仕事を放棄したら、その時作品は商売になり創り出す物は劣悪になる。“まんねり”を許さなければは、それは自分を幸福なところに導く。」