【JP/EN】阿部一族 The Abe Clan(8/8) Japanese/English Weekly Bilingual Version by Nikhil /Tomoko (English Version below)初めに日本語版、スクロールダウンして英語版が続きます。Mataitokos' blog (Cousins' Blog) is published every Sunday. Cousins' Blog またいとこのブログ (日曜発信）  第 1 章 2020 疫病の年 12月の放談  Chapter 1: 2020 Year of  the Epidemy / December  Talk 

阿部一族 The Abe Clan   (8/8) 

 by 森鴎外 Ogai MORI (1862－1922)

 二キル・ライ/ ブヴィエ・友子による日英抄訳  English excerpted translation by Nikhil Ray/Tomoko 

 　 

2020.12.27  解説（２）byTomoko

日英バイリンガル版『阿部一族』は、今回が最終回となる。この悲劇の全体のストーリーは、以下のとおりである。

肥後(今の熊本）の領主細川忠利の家臣であった弥一右衛門は、封建時代にありながら自我が強く殿様に嫌われたため、殉死を許されず生き延びていた。自分の頭で考える近代人であった弥一右衛門であるが、死ぬことを恐れてぬくぬくと生きているという周囲の蔑みは耐え難いがたいもので、武士としての面目を重んじたところは、彼は封建時代の人間であった。

弥一衛門の自害を初めとして、阿部一族は息子5人たちも次々と無駄な死に追いやられていく。嫡子の権兵衛は、殿様の前で髷を切り取り、侍の身分を捨てる表明をするが、この行為は殿様に対する侮辱行為である。権兵衛は縛り首にされ、この見せしめにより、残る家族も辱められた。阿部の屋敷には討手が送られ、残る4人兄弟の二男の弥五兵衛は、父弥一衛門の親友又七郎に槍で胸を突き抜かれ、また、市太夫、五太夫、七ノ丞もろとも、討ち死にし、阿部一族は全滅する。

阿部一族には、封建時代の権力者と部下との関係と、それにまつわる殉死という古い慣習に翻弄される人々の様子が描かれている。ところが、時代が変わった今なお、日本の縦社会の構造は変わらず、現代人も同じように不自由に苦しんでいるように思われる。名誉のために死ぬのを恐れない体質は日本独特なものであるが、それは強いられた無駄な死に過ぎない。自発的な人間にとっては、日本という国は相変わらず住みづらい国である。(Tomoko)

森鴎外　Ogai MORI

市太夫、五太夫は全身に創を受けながらも屈せずに、槍を棄てて刀を抜いて切り廻っている。七之丞はいつのまにか倒れている。

台所に伏していた又七郎は、家来に助けられて苦々しげに退いた。そのとき、柄本家の家来の一人が、又七郎を守って討死した。

竹内数馬の側では、まず島徳右衛門が、次いで小頭が死んだ。高見権右衛門を守った小姓は鉄砲の弾を替わりに受けて即死した。

阿部一族は最初に弥五兵衛が切腹して、市太夫、五太夫、七之丞はとうとう皆深手に息が切れた。家来も多くは討死した。

高見権右衛門は裏表の者を集めて、阿部の屋敷の物置を崩して、それに火をつけた。風のない日の薄曇の空に、煙が真っ直ぐに昇って、遠方から見えた。それから火を踏み消して、跡を水でしめして引き揚げた。時刻は丁度未の刻であった。

阿部一族を討ちに遣った二十一日の日には、光尚は家臣松野左京の屋敷へ明け方から出かけた。山崎はすぐ向こうなので、光尚が館を出るとき、阿部の屋敷で討ち入りが始まるのが聞こえた。数馬の討死が、駕篭に乗った光尚に知らされた。

高見権右衛門は、討手の総勢を率いて、光尚のいる松野の屋敷の前まで引き上げて、阿部の一族を残らず討ち取ったことを奏上してもらった。

光尚が権右衛門に会ったのは、書院の庭にてである。芝生の上に伏した権右衛門の黒羽二重は血みどろで、炭や灰にまみれている。「ご苦労だったな」と声をかけた光尚に、権右衛門は「いえ、かずり傷でござります」と答えた。実際、権右衛門は鳩尾をしたたか衝かれたが、懐中の鏡にあたり、穂先がそれて助かった。

権右衛門は、討ち入りの時の銘銘の働きを詳しく言上した。第一の功を単身で弥五兵衛に深手を負わせた隣家の柄本又七郎に譲った。

竹内数馬の幼い娘には養子をさせて家督相続を許されたが、この家は後に絶えた。高見権右衛門をはじめとして、加増を受けた者もある。柄本又七郎には褒め言葉があった。二年たって、正保元年の夏、又七郎は傷が癒えて光尚に拝謁した。又七郎には、鉄砲十挺、益城小池村に、別荘地として屋敷地が、また背後の籔山も遣わされた。

臆病な者は追放させられたり、閉門を仰せ付けられた。

阿部一族の死骸は井出の口に引き出され、吟味させられた。白川で一人一人の傷を洗って見た時、柄本又七郎の槍に胸板を衝き抜かれた弥五兵衛の傷は、誰の受けた傷よりも立派であったので、又七郎はいよいよ面目を高めた。

（完）

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The Abe Clan (Abe Ichizoku)

 by Ogai MORI

 English excerpted translation by Nikhil Ray and Tomoko  

(8/8)

27.12.2020 Commentary (2) by Tomoko

This is the last bilingual edition of "The Abe Clan" in Japanese and English. The overall story of this tragedy is as follows.

Yaichiemon, a vassal of the lord of Higo (present-day Kumamoto), Hosokawa Tadatoshi, was a a man of  strong ego and was disliked by his lord. So he was not allowed to commit junshi and continued to live. Yaichiemon was a modern man who thought for himself, but the scorn of those around him who thought he was living in comfort for fear of death was unbearable. He was a man of the feudal age when he respected the dignity of the samurai.

After Yaichiemon's suicide, the five sons of the Abe clan were forced to die in vain one after another. Gonbei, the eldest son, who  cut off his topknot in front of his lord, announcing that he would no longer be a samurai, offended the lord and  was hanged to death. The  rest of the family were humiliated also by this example. Abe's residence was attacked, and Yagobei, the second of the four remaining brothers, was speared through the chest by Matashichiro, a close friend of his father's. Ichidaifu, Gidaifu and Shichinojo were also killed, and the whole Abe clan was wiped out.

The story of the Abe clan shows the relationship between the feudal lord and his subordinates, and how people are at the mercy of the old custom of junshi. However, times have changed, the structure of Japan's vertical society remains unchanged, and modern people seem to suffer from the same inconveniences. The disposition not to be afraid to die for honour is unique to Japan, but it is only a forced and futile death. It seems that Japan is not a country that welcomes spontaneous people. (Tomoko)

Ichidaifu and Godaifu were wounded all over their bodies, but they refused to give in and continued to fight, throwing away their spears and drawing their swords. Nobody noticed that Shichinojo had fallen.

Matashichiro, who had been lying in the kitchen, was helped to his feet by his retainers and retreated with disgust. Just then, one of the retainers of the Tsukamoto family fell dead protecting Matashichiro.

On Takeuchi Kazuma's side, Shima Tokuemon was killed first, then his first follower. The page boy, defending Takami Gon'emon was killed instantly on his behalf by a bullet from a gun.

In the Abe clan, Yagohei was the first to commit seppuku, and Ichidaifu, Godaifu and Shichinojo all died of their severe wounds. Many of their retainers were also killed.

Takami Gon'emon gathered all his men and set fire to a storeroom in Abe's residence which had been broken down. The smoke rose straight up in the lightly clouded sky on a windless day, and was visible from a distance. Then he stamped out the fire, covered the remains with water and withdrew. The time was exactly two o'clock in the afternoon.

On the 21st, the day he ordered the attack on the Abe clan, Mitsuhisa went to the residence of his retainer Matsuno Sakyo at dawn. As Yamazaki was only a short distance away,  the beginning of the attack on Abe's residence could be heard when Mitsuhisa left the residence of Matsuno. The death of Kazuma was announced to Mitsuhisa in his palanquin.

Takami Gon'emon led all his men to Mitsuhisa's residence in Matsuno, and requested to report that he had captured the whole of Abe's clan.

It was in the garden of the Shoin that Mitsuhisa met Gon'emon. Gon'emon, whose black habutae was covered with blood, charcoal and ashes, lay prostrate on the grass.  "You've been through a lot," said Mitsuhisa, to which Gon'emon replied, "No, it's just a scratch. In fact, Gon'emon was severely struck in the pit of his stomach, but was saved as the tip of the spear missed the target and struck the mirror in his pocket instead.

Gon'emon went on to describe in detail each man's work during the raid. He gave the first honour to Tsukamoto Matashichiro of the neighbouring house, who had inflicted all alone a severe wound on Yagobei.

Mitsuhisa allowed the infant daughter of Takeuchi to make an adoption for inheriting the family, but the family later died out.  Others, including Takami Gon'emon, were given additional titles. Tsukamoto Matashichiro had Mitsuhisa's compliments. Two years later, in the summer of the first year of the Seiho era, Matashichiro's wounds had healed and he was granted an audience with Mitsuhisa. Matashichiro was given ten guns and a piece of land to construct a summer residence in the village of Koike in Mashiki, as well as the thicketed mountain behind it.

Those who were cowardly were expelled or ordered to be confined.

The corpses of the Abe clan were brought to the weir to be examined. When the wounds of each man were washed in the Shirakawa River, Yagohei's wound, where he had been pierced through the breastplate by Tsukamoto Matashichiro's spear, was more splendid than any other wounds the others had inflicted, Matashichiro's prestige was even more enhanced. (The end)