THE YAE MUGURA KAKEMONO CHANGES HANDS.
八重葎掛け物の手を変える
Matsunaga Hisahide obtained the famous ‘Yae Mugura' kakemono and treasured it very much, giving it the name of Shigeru no yado, the words of the second line.
松永久秀は有名な掛け物である「八重葎（やえむぐら）」を手に入れ、とても大事にしていました。そして、その軸に茂るの宿（しげるのやど）と別名をつけていました。
Everyone who saw it envied him intensely, and though he was often asked for it he could not bear to part with it.
それを聞いた人たちは彼に嫉妬し、しばしは、見せてくれるように懇願していました。
Eventually, however, he was moved by Rikyu's admiration and presented it to him.
ついにと言うかしょうがなくと言うか、彼は利休の賞賛に動かされつつ彼のもとへもって行きました。
Rikyu was beside himself with joy, and regarded it as his most precious possession.
利休は傍らに置き、最も高価な価値が有ると言いました。
Now Tsuda Sokyu, the father of Kogetsu Osho of the Daitokuji, was with Imai Sokyu and Rikyu regard as forming the usual Three Great Experts of the day, and he too greatly hankered after this writing.
津田宗及、大徳寺 Kogets 和尚が父、は、今井宗久、利休と並んで天下三宗匠、羨望の人です。
Rikyu was apparently not aware of this and one day invited him a Cha-no-yu and hung it in the Tokonoma.
利休はその事は気にもしないらしく、ある日、彼を茶の湯に招待して、床の間にその掛軸を飾りました。
Sokyu went to inspect the Tokonoma, but scarcely had he glanced at it when with a loud exclamation he fell back as though in a swoon, and unable to remain any longer hurried off home and went to bed and stayed there.
宗及は床の間を拝見するなり卒倒するほどの声を上げ、突然部屋を後ににして、家へ帰って寝込んでしまいました。
When Rikyu heard of this he left so sorry for him that he went the very next day and presented him with the writing.
利休がそれを聞いて恐縮至極、しばらくして彼の家へ行ってお詫びの手紙を渡したのです。
Kamibayashi Chikuan of Uji once gave a Tea Ceremony in the evining and invited Rikyu, who came attended by all the nobles who were his pupils.
宇治の上林竹庵と言う人が、利休をはじめ何人かの数寄者を招待して茶会を催しました。彼らは皆利休の弟子達です。
Chikuwan was naturally delighted beyond words and himself made the tea and served it.
竹庵は自然に古典に則り茶をたて皆に振舞いました。
But his hand trembled and the tea spoon fell from the caddy, and without stopping to put straight the tea-whisk which rolled on the mats by his side, kneeling as he was, he presented the bowl to Rikyu.
しかし、手が震えてしまいナツメから茶杓を落とし、焦って持った羽ホウキを畳に転がし、膝をついたまま利休に茶碗を渡す始末です。
The others looked at each other and were just on the point of breaking into smiles when Rikyu exclaimed : "Splendid! No one in the Empire could do it better!"
他の人たちはお互いを見やり笑っていました。その時、利休は「素晴らしい！この国の支配者でもこんなうまくは出来ない。」
Greatly surprised, as soon as the meeting was over they asked him the reason for this high praise.
皆愕然として、彼らは利休に理由を尋ねました。
“Since he invited you all to come this long way just to take one cup of tea,” explained the Master, “his whole mind was concentrated on giving it to you before the water got cool.
「亭主は我々に一服の茶を振舞うために長い時間を掛けました」、その数寄者は説明します、「彼の心は冷えた水を用意した時から、私たちの為にこの一碗に集中したのです」。
So he took no notice of those slips or accident but went straight on and finished serving it.”
「だから彼は間違いや失敗を気にはしなかった、直接渡し終えた事に尽きるのです」。
There is, as the proverb says, a distance of three thousand ri between those who know and those who don't.
知っている事や知らない事を含め、３００の理論、箴言が有ります。
The others might laugh at a flaw in the ceremony, but Rikyu's deeper insight perceived how praiseworthy was the cause of it.
部外者はその所作を見て笑うかも知れません、しかし、利休の深い内面がとても価値があると知る事が出来るのは、まさしくここに理由があるのです。
When Rikyu was quite young he made for Kitamuki Dochin, and wished to know what the Master really thought of his performance, so he asked a certain doctor who was a friend of his and who also knew Dochin well to make the enquiries it was not quite the thing to make himself.
利休が若い時、北向道陳という人に 茶を馳走しました。利休は感想を聞きたくて、共通の知人の医者にその事を頼みました。しかし、意図は正確には伝わって者はいません。
So the doctor took the first opportunity and put the question to Dochin.
頼まれた医者は道陳宅を訪れて彼に質問しました。
“Indeed, he did very well, very well indeed,” was the reply, “I thought it a very fine performance.”
「とにかく、彼は素晴らしい！」彼は繰り返し、「素晴らしいお手前でだと私は思いました。」
"Yes," said the doctor, "but was there no fault in it at all?"
「本当に」っと自分うなずき、「とにかくミスは無かったですね？」
Dochin hesiated and after some pressing relied, "Well, I don't call it exactly a fault, but there may have been something that might have been better, for he is still quite young."
道陳は困惑しながら聞いていてついに一言、「たしかに間違いは無かったが、もう一歩かな彼はまだ若い」っと言いました。
"Ah," replaied the other, "and what was that?" "Well, you see," explained Dochin, "he put a lot of Tea into a big Bulge-bottom Chinese Caddy, and when he made it he put large spoonfuls into the Tea-bowl, and that does not look very well."
医者は「はあ？」と声を上げ「それは何ですか？」っと聞きました。道陳は「君は見ただろう」、「利休は下ぶくれの茶入から茶杓で沢山の茶をすくい茶碗に入れた、あれはよろしくないな」。
“Oh, was that it,” said the doctor, “and what ought one to do in the case?” “Well,” replied Dochin, “it would have looked much nicer to put a small amount of tea into a large Tea-caddy, and coax it out gently in small quantities.
「お」と医者が言い「ではあの場合どうすればよろしかったでしょうか？」っと尋ねました。道陳は答え「あの場合、大きな茶入からは少なく茶をすくい、少量を上品にすくい出すようにしなければなりません」。
But of course an inexperienced person would hardly think of that.
しかしもちろん経験のない人はそこまで感じない。
He will make a fine Chajin when he gets a little older.”
もう少し経験をつむと彼は素晴らしい茶人になるでしょう。」
When the doctor reported this to Rikyu he exclaimed, “Ah, that's interesting. No, I should never have thought of that.”
その話を聞いた利休は叫び、「あ！それはとても興味深い、私はそこまで考えが及ばなかった。」
And from that time he began to improve very much.
それ以来、彼は研鑽を重ねて生きます。
Of this story the editor observes that many people would think it rather pointless, and by that very fact show themselves deficient in the more delicate Tea taste.
この出来事を記録に残した著者は、多くの人たちが無意味だと思い、そして、より優雅な茶の風味が損なわれている現実を戒めているものです。
Seto Kamon Masatada of Omi was first a retainer of the house of Hojo and afterwards served Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
近江の瀬田掃部正忠は始め北条氏の家来でしたが、後、豊臣秀吉に仕えました。
He was Rikyu's pupil in Tea and became so expert that he was numbered among the Seven Masters of the day.
利休の弟子で七哲の一人に上げられています。
He was once invited to Rikyu's house and after the tea was over he happened to notice a dipper that lay on the shelf and was much taken with its shape, praising it exceedingly.
ある日、利休宅での茶会に招かれ、棚に飾られた一本の使い古した茶杓に目を奪われました。そして、賞賛しました。
Rikyu asked what he saw in it, and he replied that it looked better shape than those commonly used.
利休はもっと良く拝見するように促し、いつも使う物よりも素晴らしいと言います。
"Indeed," said Rikyu, "and why?" "It seems to be a bit shoter than usual, and that gives it a very interesting appearance,"
「とにかく」利休は言います。「いつもより少し短いが、その形がとても素晴らしい」。
replied Masatada. "I should like to have one like it."
正忠が「私もこの様な物が欲しいですね。」
Some time after this Masatada invited Rikyu to his house, and when the tea was over and the utensils were being put away,
しばらくして正忠が利休を茶会に招待しました。そして、茶事が終わり道具が片付けられたころ。
Rikyu remarked "The dipper you used to-day seems a bit too short."
利休が指摘します、「今日の茶杓は短かすぎますね。」
"Ah, but I liked the look of the one I saw at your house so well that I made my own short to match it," replied Masatada.
「そうですか、、でも私は先だって先生のところで拝見した茶杓がとても良くって、それで、同じように短く作ったのです。」
"Ah,"said Rikyu with a sigh, "I am afraid you don't yet understand the real spirit of tea, though I thought you did. I am a little man, as you see, and so I have a small dipper to suit my size. But you, on the other hand, are a big fellow, so it is natural for you to use a larger one. What do you want with a small one?"
それを聞いた利休は「あ〜あ」っとため息をつき、「あなたはまだ茶の湯の精神を理解していませんね。私はあなたより体が小さくて袖にあわせてその寸法がある。あなたの腕は長い、これが大きな間違いですよ。長い袖ににはそれに合った寸法があって、どうして、あえて、短くするのですか？」
At this enlightment dawned suddenly on Masatada, and in future he had a large size dipper made. This is known as the Kamon style and is still in use. Everything should be in proportion.
教示を聞いた正忠はすぐ理解し、のちに大きな茶杓を作りました。この形が掃部形と呼ばれ、今でも道具の一つとして残っています。
Chinsei Hachiro Tanemoto used a long arrow and Kuro Yoshitune a weak bow. It would have been ridiculous for either to try and use the weapon of the other.
鎮西八郎為朝という人物はとても長い矢を持ち、九郎義経は張りが弱い弓を持っていました。合わせての使用には不適切で、戦にはお互いが使えないと言う事です。
Rikyu criticized a kettle made to the deign of Seta Kamon Masatada, saying that mouth was too wide. "Teaism dislikes anything that looks ample," he observed. "There should always appear to be something lacking. The mouth of this kettle has nothing lacking. Seta Kamon is a little raw yet." (Chaden-shu.)
利休は茶伝集の中で、掃部正忠がデザインした釜は口が大きすぎると批評しています。
「茶の精神はいかなる場合も満腹を嫌う、何か不完全なモノが存在しなければならず、この釜口はその姿勢が見えない。瀬田掃部殿は修行が足りない。」
There was a farmer in Rikyu's day named Doroku who was much given to simple Chi-no-yu, and he absorbed its spirit so much that he always to clean his farm implements and arrange them carefully after use.
利休と同じ時代、Ｄｏｒｏｋｕと言う人物がいました。彼は茶の湯をとても好み尊敬して、その精神にいて、農場の整やその農具類をきちんと整理整頓していました。
He had a valuable old Chinese Tea-caddy, and when he was dying he called his two sons to his beside and told them that for their simple style of Tea there was no need of such a thing while it might become a source of envy and discord between them after his death, since it had been greatly admired by Sho-o and Rikyu and would fetch a lot of money. So he broke it befor he became a guest in the White Jade Pavilion.
彼はいくつかの中国の古物茶入を持っていて、老いて死が近くなった頃、二人の子供を枕元へ呼んで云いました。茶道の簡素な生活を守り、私が死んだ後の妬みや争いが起きないようにするように二人に遺言したのです。この話は紹鴎や利休に伝わり、二人はこの古物茶入を沢山のお金で購入しました。そして、豪華な会場の客人の前でこの茶入を叩き割りました。
One day Rikyu noticed a bamboo lattice window in which new bamboos had evidently been purposely mixed with the old. "That fellow," he remarked to his son Sojun, "is trying to be esthetic. Bamboo lattices like that should either be entirely renewed or else left alone. Perhaps if you have a very special guest it is better to renew them."
ある日、利休は竹を編んだ窓を見つけました。その竹の窓は、明らかに古い竹と新しい竹を混ぜて編んで有ったのです。それを見て利休は息子のＳｏｊｕｎへ「あれは違うな」っと言いました。「美しさを求めての設えだろうが、竹格子は新しくする場合は全部新しく、古い物は外さないといけない。大切なお客を招く場合、新しい竹で向かえなければならない」っと。
On another occasin too, when he saw a fence made entirely of cedar-bark, he observed. "That's the fussy sort that will soon get tired of it and change it to bamboo and at last come back to plain plaster."
またこんな事も、彼が杉皮で作られた塀を見た時も言いました。「あれはおかしい、すぐ朽ちて結局竹に変えることになる。しっくいの方がよほど良い」。
Rikyu's wife So-on was just like him, extremely sensitive to from and the fitness of things.
利休の妻であるＳｏ−ｏｎも又彼の様であり、夫を尊敬し、感性も一所でした。
When he bought the famous Chidori incense burner from Sogi for a thousand kwan she asked him to let her look at it and set down in front of it and gazed at it for some time. At last she said, "I think the feet are a little too high. Don't you think it would look better if they were cut down a bit?" "That is exactly what I was thinking," relied Rikyu. And he sent for the lapidary and had one bu or a tenth of an inch taken off.
Ｓｏｇｉと言う人から千鳥の香炉を購入した時の事です。その額はなんと千両、彼女は夫に前に置いて見せてくれるように頼み、前においてしばらく眺め、測り、そして言いました。「一寸ほど高すぎると思う。少し切ってもらったらどうですか？」「私も同じことを考えていた」っと利休。彼は細工職人に頼み一寸ほど短くしてもらったとも事です。