UEDA MONDO SHIGEYASU
上田主水重安
Ueda Mondo Shigeyasu was a retainer of Niwa Goroemon Nagahide, and at the age of sixteen he distinguished himself as a soldier by cutting down the famous champion Oda Nobuzumi.
上田主水重安は丹羽五郎右衛門長秀の家来、十六才の時に織田信澄と言う剣術の達人の首を上げた事で知られています。
Bing old friend Asano Yukinaga, when this captain received the fief of Wakayama in Kishu, he was persuaded to take service under him and was allotted an allowance of ten thousand koku.
古い友人の浅野幸長が紀州和歌山藩主に任ぜられた時に、重安を家臣に誘い、彼は一万石の知行で家来になりました。
He had become very well known for his knowledge of Chi-no-yu, and now proceeded to retire and take the name of Soko.
彼は茶の湯の名人としても知られ、現役引退後“宗箇”と名乗りました。
It happened that the castle of Wakayama was then being repaired and all the retainers, great and small, turned out to assist in the work.
和歌山城修復の話が持ち上がり、現役から引退者、上下の別なく全員がその仕事に参加する事になりました。
Shigeyasu was especially to the fore, as, clad in a persimmon-colored cotton haori with a huge rudder on it as a crest, and with a towel dyed with shibu round his head, he took his stand on a big stone and acted as leader in the rhythm of the chanteys which the men sang as they worked.
重安は先頭に立ち、柿色の羽織に巨大な団扇を持ち、渋色の鉢巻きをして大きな石の上に載り、働く者のかけ声音頭の指揮役となり歌いました。
When they saw this the younger samurai laughed derisively.
それを見た若侍が中傷を込めて笑いました。
“Ah,” they jeered, “our master is a great lord indeed, for he has a tea-page of ten thousand koku!”
「おうおう」と笑いながら、「我々の親方さまは殿ではなく一万石の茶坊主でござるな。」
And this jape was bandied about among them till it became the talk of the whole clan and eventually came to the ears of the daimyo himself.
この冷笑はまたたくまに一族の間に広がり、お殿様の耳にも届きました。
Yukinaga was not pleased, and took the first opportunity to present Shigeyasu with a short sword in the presence of all the retainers.
幸長は憂い、そして家臣一同の前で、重安に短剣を贈る事にしました。
“I have heard that these fellows have been repeating some witticism about you lately, but you need not worry about that,” he said ; “when next there is some real fighting to do, see what you can accomplish with this.”
「最近、そなたにまつわる戯れ言がある様だが、、」と幸長は言い「戦いの時来たらば、是非この刀にて巧妙を建てられよ。」
“I am overcome with gratitude at your condescension,” replied Shigeyasu, “and when the time comes I will require it by dipping this sword in blood in your service.”
「もったいないお言葉」と重康は返礼し、「その時が来たらば、殿のご恩に報いるべく、この剣を敵の血で染めて見せましょうぞ。」
But the young samurai still jeered and said, “Soko says he will dip his present in blood, and it may be he will, but it will be the blood of a cat or a rat.”
しかし若侍はひそひそ、「宗箇殿はどうせ猫か鼠の血で染めるだろうさ、、。」
Some time after this Yukinaga died and his younger brother Tajima-no-kami Nagaakira succeeded as head of the clan, and he too retained the services of Shigeyasu.
しばらくして幸長が身罷り、弟の但馬守長晟が跡目を継ぎ重安も再び仕える事になりました。
Then the Summer Campaign at Osaka started in the first year of Genna(1615) and Ban Danuemon, one of the leaders in that castle, led an army of twenty thousand men against Kishu.
元和元年（１６１５）の夏「大阪夏の陣」が始まり、伴団右衛門と言う豊臣方の武人が二千人の兵を率い紀州に攻め込んで来ました。
To counter this attack Nagaakira sent out a force of his own of which one Kameda Osumi and Shigeyasu led the van.
長晟は、亀田、大隅そして重安を先陣として迎え撃ちます。
On the twenty-ninth day of the fourth month the two forces met at Kashii in Izumi and there was a stiff fight, both sides sustaining about equal loss.
四月十九日に泉樫井で対峙し、壮絶な戦いが始まりました。
Shigeyasu who was then sixty-seven years old, was wielding his spear with all the vigor of a young man when he was opposed by one Yamagata Saburoemon, a fighter of some renown, who aimed a powerful thrust at him.
重安は齢六十五歳になりますが槍を持ち若者の様に元気百倍で参戦、山県三郎左右衛門と言う敵で名高い武将と組合い攻撃を受けました。
Shigeyasu deflected the spear so that it only pierced the air, while with a great shout he drove his own weapon straight through the helmet of his adversary.
重安敵の槍をかわし空を切る、つかさず自分の槍で反撃し敵の兜を突き刺し斃しました。
Then another of enemy force, a stout soldier named Sakata Shosaburo, calling out his titles, rushed at him to avenge his fellow clansman.
次に現れたのは坂田庄三郎と言うこれまた巨漢の戦士で、敵討ちだと叫びながら襲って来ました。
Shigeyasu avoided his thrust and again put in his own point, but unfortunately for him the spear broke off short at the head.
重安彼の攻撃を避けましたが又も衝かれ防御、不覚にも槍先が折れてしまいました。
Flinging away the shaft he at once grappled with Sakata, but the latter was a man of great weight and strength and bore him down and would perhaps have had no difficultly in repelling the attack, and when tow of the Kishu men came up and pulled him off, whereupon Shigeyasu, immediately drawing the short sword he was wearing, struck it into his adversary's body and then, springing up with a shout, with a near sweep took off his head.
槍を投げ捨て坂田と組み合い勝負、しかし敵は重く強力です。組み伏せて攻撃を防いでいるところに仲間二人が加勢に到着、二人を引き離すと同時に重安は携帯の短剣を突き刺し首を上げました。
And this was the short sword that Yukinaga had given him.
それは幸長から拝領の短剣でした。
After this they had not difficultly in repelling the attack, and when this was done Shigeyasu returned to their headquarters and received the congratulations of his lord.
その後は攻撃を防ぎ勝利し、重安は本陣に戻り総大将より感謝の意を受けたのです。
Standing up before the whole assembled clan, Shigeyasu exclaimed, “How now you fellows? You derided me as a tea-page of ten thousand koku and declared that my sword would only be wet with the blood of a cat or a mouse, and how has it turned out? You, who have never known anything about Tea, but have devoted yourselves to the martial art alone, are not only less distinguished than a Tea Master like myself, but have done practically nothing at all!”
一族を前にして彼は宣言します、「同士諸君一万石の茶坊主の働きを見たか！この短剣を猫や鼠の血で染めただろうか？諸君！茶の湯の本質は道具を並べる事に心血を注ぐのではなく、茶を嗜む武人を見習うと言う事なのだ！」
After the fall of Osaka castle Osumi and Shigeyasu with their lord Nagaakira were presented to the Shogun Ieyasu, who congratulated them on their exploits and their lord on having such worthy retainers.
大阪城が落ち、城主長晟は大隅と重安を伴い将軍家康に謁見し三人を賞賛慰労されました。
Afterwards they were entertained to tea by Hidetada and presented with valuable swords.
それから秀忠に茶の湯に招かれ有名な刀剣を贈られました。
Once when Ueda Shigeyasu was riding along under a hot fire of arrows and bullets, he noticed a particularly beautiful bamboo in a thicket beside the road.
ある時上田重安戦火の中馬上にて、道ばたの茂みに生える竹を見つけました。
Calmly he dismounted and cut it, and as he took it the enemy charged down on him, whereupon he nimbly sprang upon his horse again and rode on without the least agitation.
素早く馬を降りその竹を切り一瞬微笑み、何事も無かった様に馬に跨り戦場に向かったそうです。
Instead of striking a wooden board or bell, Ueda Mondo once fired a blank charge from a small culverin to inform his guests that he was ready for them, while Taga Sakon finding himself without flowers, once put a helmet in the Tokonoma instead. Once in a way such a thing may be permissible.
上田主水は、席入りの相図に鐘や木板を鳴らす代わりに露地の溝にて紙を燃やしました。又、床の間に花の代わりに兜を飾ったりしました。いずれも彼らしい演出です。
Shibu=persimmon juice.
柿汁
I.e. of Tokugawa Ieyasu against Hideyoshi, son and successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
徳川家康と豊臣秀吉一族の争い。