Kaname-ishi (The Keystone), Vol. 2, Chapter 3: A Couple Quarrels and Loses Their Way
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. The first volume describes in detail the state of the people in Kyoto, from the moment the earthquake occurred to the aftershocks and their experiences at evacuation sites. The magazine is here → [ Kannin Meishi (Kaname-ishi)]
Chapter 3 of the second volume tells the story of a man who married into his wife's family and was divorced by her because he accidentally grabbed another woman's hand and fled with her, mistaking her for his wife. It is a truly pitiful story.
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3. A Couple Quarrels and Loses Their Way
Around that time, there was a fool in the capital who started a new religious movement and wandered around the floating world. He called himself "Atarashibo" (New Monk) and was a capricious clown.
* "Dojin" refers to a person practicing the Buddhist path.
* "Shiremono" means a foolish person or an idiot.
* "Doukemono" is thought to mean a clown or jester.
May 4th was a critical day, and people were spreading rumors that the earth would shake and split into a sea of mud, or that a rain of fire would fall and burn everything to the ground, saying that it was truly the end of the world. People of all ranks in Kyoto heard these rumors, and some shed tears of blood in fear and sorrow. Others said that such things would never happen.
* "Nawi" refers to an earthquake.
* "Iihayarakasu" means to spread a rumor or make something popular.
A certain merchant, who was not poor and lived comfortably, heard this rumor and was terrified beyond measure. His hands shook, his feet trembled, his eyes blurred, and his heart pounded, leaving him in a daze. However, thinking it would be shameful for a man to show his fear and be laughed at by others, he lay down as if nothing were wrong.
* "Tomokau mo" means "anyway" or "in any case".
* "Sata" here refers to a rumor.
* "Utsutsu-gokoro" refers to a dreamlike or vacant state of mind.
* "Iro" here refers to facial expression or demeanor.
* "Warawaren" means "to be laughed at".
Just as he was thinking, "Will it shake now and turn into a sea of mud, or will a rain of fire fall?" a rumbling sound came from the north around the hour of the sheep (1:00-3:00 PM), and a great earthquake struck. He thought, "This is it! Now all plants, the land, people, birds, and beasts will all attain Buddhahood together. Perhaps there is a way to escape. Let's run wherever our feet take us!" He grabbed his wife's hand and ran toward the south, reaching the Shijo riverbed. When the shaking stopped, he calmed his heart for a moment and looked closely, only to realize that the person he had been holding by the hand and running with was not his wife, but a lowly Kumano bikuni (nun) who had been terrified by the earthquake and had run into him. He had grabbed her hand and fled all the way to the Shijo riverbed.
* "An no gotoku" means "as expected".
* "Hitsuji no koku" refers to the hour of the sheep, around 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM.
* "Suhaya" is an exclamation of surprise at a sudden event.
* "Jobutsu" means attaining Buddhahood, or dying.
* "Te o hitsutate" means to grab someone's hand and drag them along.
* "Sashimonaki" means "insignificant" or "nothing special".
* "Kumano bikuni" were nuns who traveled around the country to solicit donations for the Kumano Sanjo Gongen while explaining pictures of hell and paradise. Reference: "Kokushi Daijiten (Utanikuni)" and "Bukkyo Jiten (Utanikuni)" (National Diet Library Digital Collection).
What a shameful thing. He kept thinking about how he would become a laughingstock, and even he found it funny. When he returned home at dusk, his wife was furious. "After all the time you've spent thinking of me, you abandoned me and ran off holding the hand of a beggar nun! If you're so angry, go and stay with that burnt nun for the rest of your life! I'm divorcing you, and since you're a man who married into this family, get out!" she said, fuming with jealousy. The man replied, "Is it not common to mistake one person for another? I mistook her for you. It is jealousy to be so angry about that. Let me recite a poem for you." He then recited: "More than the earthquake, the pain of being rejected by my wife; saying 'cheer up' is like trying to fix the world." When he said this,
* "Okashiku" means "funny" or "ridiculous".
* "Higure-kata" means dusk.
* "Katsutai-ama" is thought to be a corruption of "katai" (beggar). Here it means a beggar or mendicant.
* "Soi-tamae" means "to be with" or "to stay with".
* "Furikusubekereba" means to be jealous or to fume with jealousy.
* "Hito-tagae" means mistaking one person for another.
* "Wagoze" is a term of endearment for a woman.
* "Rinki" means jealousy.
* "Ka" means a poem.
* "Nayu" refers to an earthquake.
* "Yo naoshi" is a pun on the spell "yo nashi oshi-oshi" used to ward off earthquakes, and "kigen naoshi" (cheering up).
(A couple quarrels and separates)
The wife became even angrier. "What kind of poem is that? I don't want to hear it. This is the end. Go to that nun's place!" she said, pushing him out. There was no one to intervene in the commotion caused by the terrible earthquake. The man, having no choice, left and wrote on the gatepost: "If I leave, you might say my heart is fickle; for people do not know of this quarrel."
* "Keshikaru" means "terrible" or "outrageous".
* "Omeki" means to shout or scream.
* "Torisafuru" means to mediate or intervene.
* "Inaba" means "if I leave" or "if I return".
Driven out with tears, I now have no reason to live in this world. Suddenly, I shaved my head and let go of my worldly attachments. I developed a "green" (immature) religious resolve, and as I stopped by the homes of people I knew, spending my days, the months of June and July passed, but the lingering effects of the earthquake had not yet subsided.
* "Green religious resolve" refers to faith adopted without much thought, a shallow religious resolve.
* "Yesterday and today" refers to the recent past.
During that time, I traveled through various provinces and regions, and it is certain that I heard and spoke in detail about the state of the destruction caused by this earthquake.
* "Kuzure-sonzeshi" means collapsed and damaged.
Author's Note: ● represents characters that could not be deciphered. I will update this as I decipher new characters or notice typos and misreadings. For details, please read the "
Self-Introduction/Disclaimer" section. 📖