Kaname-ishi (Keystone), Vol. 1, Chapter 8: The Repair of Yasaka Pagoda and the People Who Climbed to the Top of the Pagoda
This is a record of the "Kanbun Omi-Wakasa Earthquake" that occurred in the northern Kinki region on May 1, 1662 (June 16, 1662). The author is Ryoi Asai, a writer of kana-zoshi (tales in kana). It provides a detailed account of the people in Kyoto, from the moments immediately following the earthquake to the aftershocks and their experiences in evacuation sites. The magazine is here → [ Kannan Mokui-shi (Kaname-ishi)]
Chapter 8 conveys the situation at the Yasaka Pagoda while it was under repair.
8. The Repair of Yasaka Pagoda and the People Who Climbed to the Top of the Pagoda
The Yasaka Pagoda, in the days when the Retired Emperor Gotoba was still very young, was said to have been the subject of a casual remark: when comparing the pagoda of To-ji Temple and the Yasaka Pagoda, the Yasaka Pagoda was still... (the text is unclear here), as recorded in the diary of the Lady-in-Waiting Uemon. At one time, a holy man named Jojo Kiso prayed to fix the tilt of this pagoda. Since then, as Jojo Kiso has not appeared in the world again, even when the pagoda tilted, there was no one to fix it through prayer. However, someone came up with a good idea: by digging a pond on the side behind the tilt, the tilt naturally corrected itself, and then the pond was filled in. Now, at this time, the top of the Yasaka Pagoda was damaged and leaking rain, so repairs were undertaken. Without asking for even a single sheet of paper or half a coin, they sought the goodwill of donors from all directions. Young people in the world joined in the contributions and climbed to the top of the pagoda to form a karmic connection.
* "Yasaka Pagoda" is the five-story pagoda of Hokan-ji Temple.
* "Kuchisusabi" means a casual remark.
* "Imada ukui-ukui" appears to be written this way, but the meaning cannot be read, so I am not confident.
* "Jojo Kiso" was a Tendai monk in the mid-Heian period. It is said that when the Yasaka Pagoda tilted to the west in the second year of Tenryaku (948), Jojo performed incantations and prayers to return it to its original state.
* "Inorinaosarekery" means it was corrected through prayer.
* "Uzumu" means to bury.
* "Uhesokonete" means the top was damaged.
* "Amamori" means a roof leak.
* "Isshi hansen" means a very small amount. It seems to be used specifically in Buddhist circles to refer to a small donation amount.
* "Jippo danna" refers to parishioners from all directions.
* "Hoga" means donating money or goods to the gods and Buddhas.
* "Kechien" is a Buddhist term. It refers to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas reaching out to save people in the world and forming a bond with them.
On the first day of the fifth month, just today, many people were climbing this pagoda, looking out at the scenery in all directions, and were completely at ease when suddenly a great earthquake broke out. The shaking of the pagoda was beyond description; the roban (square plate) was rattling, and the hochu (large bells) were ringing with a clanging sound. The young people who were down below, thinking that the people above were shaking the pagoda to scare them, shouted in unison, "Why are you doing such a bad thing? It feels dangerous enough as it is, what is this? Just stop it!"
* "Kefushimo" means today of all days.
* "Amata" means many.
* "Nanigokoro" means what kind of thoughts.
* "Oonai" means a great earthquake.
* "Roban" is the square plate at the very bottom of the pagoda's spire.
* "Heki-heki" might be "beki-beki," describing clouds or dust covering everything.
* "Hochu" are the large bells hanging from the four corners of the eaves of temple halls and pagodas.
* "Rin-rin" is the sound of ringing.
* "Wakaki mono domo shita ni arite" means the young people were down below.
* "Uhenaru mono o obiyakasantote" means to threaten those above.
* "Sanakidani" means even if it were not so.
* "Ayauku" means dangerously.
* "Ikanaru koto zo" means what kind of thing is this.
* "Tada okeya-okeya" appears to be written this way, but the meaning cannot be read, so I am not confident.
When looking down from the bottom of the pagoda, even women, men, and children were panicking, running out of their houses, and saying, "This pagoda is about to fall to the ground right now!" When I heard their voices faintly, I realized it was an earthquake. As I tried to climb down, my hands were shaking, my legs were weak, and the pagoda was tilting and groaning with a creaking sound.
The sky in all directions looked like black smoke, but after some time, the shaking finally stopped. I scrambled down, and in just a moment, I reached the bottom of the pagoda, but I lost my senses, my eyes were spinning, and I felt like I was not myself. I rode in a palanquin, leaned on a cane, and even after returning home, some people are still feeling ill and struggling to get up and lie down.
* "Hitogokochi" means the feeling of being alive.
* "Okifushi" means getting up and lying down.
A person who was climbing the pagoda to form a karmic connection, fingering their prayer beads, was shaken and climbed down, saying this: The oak and brushwood have withered away, Pretending to be pious, Now there is no more virtue in the Yasaka Pagoda.
* "Juzu tsumagurite" means manipulating prayer beads with fingertips.
* "Shii-shiba" here is thought to refer to mourning clothes.
* "Korihate ni kery" might mean to be completely discouraged.
* "Gosho-date" means pretending to be a pious believer.
Author's note: ● indicates characters that could not be deciphered.
I will update this as appropriate when I notice newly deciphered characters or typos/misreadings. For details, please read "Self-Introduction/Disclaimer." 📖