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ARTICLES ON HOUSES

Jūkyo kaoku kokoroe no koto

POINTS TO KEEP IN MIND ABOUT YOUR HOLDINGS AND HOMESTEAD

Although, houses, ground plans, reception halls⁵¹ and entrances⁵² can all be constructed according to individual preference, samurai do not need to build splendid residences. This is because they may die for loyalty at any moment. It is wrong-minded to spend a lot of gold and silver on your homestead with the intent of securing a future of a hundred years. However, if you have an enemy or someone who has targeted you for vengeance and wishes to murder you, then if your lord has ordered that you should survive and you must cherish your life, a carefully constructed house may be required. Used as a strategy to kill your enemies, constructing an elaborate house will cause them to underestimate you. Apart from cases where a use of tactics is required, most normal samurai⁵³ do not have elaborate houses. That being said, having a well-designed appearance is desirable. Know that merchants and farmers tend to have luxurious houses for the need of family business.

Mon genkan bannin kokoroe no koto

POINTS TO KEEP IN MIND ABOUT GATEKEEPERS AND ENTRANCE GUARDS

Inform gatekeepers and entrance guards that they should keep watch without being negligent at any time, as they are the first to deal with sanctuary seekers⁵⁴ and messengers. If they are dull-witted, their deeds and speech may bring failure and dishonour upon the master. Be aware of this.

Onajiku yabun kokoroe no koto

POINTS THAT GATEKEEPERS AND ENTRANCE GUARDS SHOULD KEEP IN MIND AT NIGHT

Even if someone comes with an urgent message at night, gatekeepers and entrance guards should not open the gate or the door without careful consideration. Tell them to listen to the visitors and study them carefully; making sure to observe what the person’s appearance is like in the light. Also, instruct them not to reveal to the visitor without due care and consideration whether you are absent from the premises. During the daytime, it is essential for the entrance guard to observe a messenger’s speech, their servants and their facial expressions. However, the process is different if they come from a family that you know very well. Make sure that the entrance guard is aware that someone with an unfamiliar family name is not to be admitted without full attention being given to the situation. Guards should have the same judgement as their master.

Monko hirakiyō no koto

HOW TO OPEN A GATE OR DOOR

In the case of a low-ranking samurai who does not have an entrance keeper or when at a villa⁵⁵ and so on and there is no one to serve you, you may have to open a sliding door or even a paper sliding door yourself. Always open the door with the left hand, then withdraw behind the door and observe the situation. Generally, you do not have enough mobility when opening a sliding door or paper sliding door to the right. When sliding doors are left open, avoid positioning two doors together. This is called nijūdate – doubledoor closing.

Shinobi-guchi narai no koto

TEACHINGS CONCERNING SECRET ENTRANCES

One or two secret entrances should be incorporated somewhere within the construction or within an outer wall. They should be kept unknown even to servants and other people. Construct them so that they are difficult for others to discover but so that they are easy for you to open. These are called shinobiguchi – hidden exits.

Ima no edōgu okiyō no koto

KEEPING PRIMARY WEAPONS IN THE LIVING ROOM⁵⁶

In your main room of use, when positioning your katana, wakizashi, spear, halberd or any other weapon you excel in, long weapons should be placed to the rear and on your right, while your katana, wakizashi and other things should be placed on the left. Also, position spears and halberds at the main entrance of the living room with the tips of the blades towards the opening. Long weapons and projectiles kept in the main room can be positioned depending on the circumstances of the room itself.

Monko kōkyō no koto

WIDE AND NARROW GATES AND DOORS

When staying in a house, be it your own or someone else’s, for a period of time, make preparations for any sudden incident by investigating the location of doors and the number of tatami mats in each of the rooms.⁵⁷ Do this so that you are prepared for when you need to move in haste or when you need go in or out of a room. This is also so that you do not hit your body or strike even the tip of your scabbard against anything. If you have not prepared in this way, you may bang your head, foot or tip of your scabbard when you are in a narrow place. Apart from when all is well and depending on the situation, you should consider the layout and size of the rooms. If you have to interact with someone who has come in stealth,⁵⁸ do not give out instructions by using names.⁵⁹ Things to consider are: marks,⁶⁰ prior arrangements, information on gates and doors and the size of rooms. Further details are given in the writing Shinobi no Maki.

Shinobi⁶¹ iru kokoroe no koto

POINTS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN SNEAK-THIEVES INFILTRATE⁶²

If thieves and the like have pierced through into the storehouse or the walls, do not challenge them from inside the house without thinking; instead move to the front area of the house and have someone else call to them from the inside. They will come to the entrance without fail.⁶³ It is preferable to capture or kill⁶⁴ them at this point. If you panic and call out to them from the inside then you may fail to seize them. While the best course of action will vary according to the situation, it is a principle not to force them into a fluster, which is what will happen if you call out to them without preparation.

Hei wo kosu mono aru toki no koto

POINTS FOR WHEN SOMEONE HAS CROSSED THE OUTER WALL

If someone has crossed over the gate or wall, be it day or night, do not attempt to stab or hook them with a spear or halberd while they are up high; instead, if they are crossing over, wait until they are on the inside and have just landed, then strike them. If they are in the process of leaving by climbing over the wall, then, again, attack them when they land. If they are in a higher position, they may take advantage and grab the handle of your spear and fight back. Generally, it is best to attack an enemy when he feels at ease, after he has either entered or departed.

Shōmon deiri kokoroe no koto

POINTS TO BE AWARE OF WHEN MOVING IN OR OUT THROUGH A SMALL GATEWAY

When someone is coming through a small gateway with a door or narrow place, wait until they have exited and then strike them. If you strike them at the wrong moment, they may withdraw. If you yourself move in or out through such a place, put your leg out first and do not lead with your head, this is because if you are injured upon the head, with even a slight injury, blood will fill your eyes and mouth and it will prevent you from fighting.

Yōjinbei tokuyō no koto

THE BENEFIT OF WELL-GUARDED OUTER WALLS

These outer walls are usually seven shaku high and they are called yōjinbei; these are the first line of defence. They need not always be seven shaku high but should be made so that people cannot jump and grasp the lip; this is why they are called yōjinbei – walls of precaution. Walls or thorny shrubs serve as a form of defence even if it is only a minor one. A proverb says, ‘Stretching a rope may work as a defence.’ The same principle applies here.⁶⁵

Heiura fusegiyō kokoroe no koto

THINGS TO BE AWARE OF CONCERNING DEFENDING THE INNER SIDE OF AN OUTER WALL

Inform those who are on guard or who are on night-watch duty to patrol the inside of the complex. This is done to prevent the men, including servants, from becoming negligent about internal defence as well as external security. Also, it is a primary security measure to erect defensive spikes⁶⁶ on the top of the wall and to scatter caltrops at its base. Know that caltrops are not a measure to be used at normal times but are for when defending places that are deemed unsafe. Details on this are mentioned in the scrolls Heieki Yōhō and Suisen Yōhō.

Shinobi-gaeshi kokoroe no koto

THINGS TO BE AWARE OF CONCERNING DEFENSIVE SPIKES

Infiltrators climbing over walls that have defensive spikes upon them may break the spikes off with a nail remover or, alternatively, place bamboo cylinders over the spikes. Furthermore, there is a tradition called nunoshiki – spreading cloth. Further details are in our writing Shinobi no Maki. Therefore, it is not safe to rely exclusively on defensive spikes.

Yashikichi narai no koto

TEACHINGS ON GROUND PLANS

If your house is large, give it a layout similar to that of a castle; details are not to be mentioned here. In designing the layout, use the principle of chigiri no kane,⁶⁷ which will avoid any of the rooms being dark. You should give primary consideration to the well, the toilet and the drainage. To protect against emergencies such as a fire use an underground storehouse. There are other points to consider regarding layout design and the master of a house should be aware of all these things.

Tsukiyama yarimizu no koto

BUILDING ARTIFICIAL HILLS AND CONSTRUCTING THE FLOW OF STREAMS IN YOUR GARDEN

There are a few things to be aware of when constructing a garden. Do not worry too much about tasteful design or creating handsome views. A master should make sure that the greenery⁶⁸ and landscaping have benefits within their layout [in terms of defence]. It is often the case that gardens are unsafe if they have been designed with too much emphasis on creating beautiful views. Furthermore, there are a lot of things to be aware of concerning both the doors and the paper sliding doors of bedrooms, among other things.

Keidai taoremono kokoroe no koto

THINGS TO BE AWARE OF CONCERNING SOMEONE WHO IS LYING INJURED IN YOUR RESIDENCE

If someone is lying injured in your house, cut and weakened from bloodshed, immediately give notice to the authorities by sending someone out. However, if the injured person is one of your own retainers,⁶⁹ all will depend on the situation. If it is one of your retainers, you will know how it should be dealt with by the way they usually serve. Overall, it is not desirable to be in haste. Concerning fighting and combat, details will be mentioned later.

Monko tojiyō no koto

LOCKING GATES AND DOORS

If you detect something suspicious or unsafe, keep the gates and doors open and have lights set up. This is in keeping with the traditional teaching, ‘Shinobi will not infiltrate where lights are lit inside of paper sliding doors.’

Δ Tradition says:

The following seven points are traditions about the above seventeen points. Keep them in mind and understand them as they are said. They are called hiden – secret traditions – and are the secret traditions for the above points concerning houses.

Sayomakura

THE NIGHT PILLOW

Place a pillow on the doorsill and then place a folding fan on top of that when you go to sleep. This is done so that when the door moves the fan will fall and wake you up. This is also useful when you have to take a nap.

Monko tojiyō

LOCKING GATES AND DOORS

Put holes or nails into the crosspieces of the doors and then pass thin rope through or around them and secure the doors so that they cannot be opened. Know that padlocks and latches are not sufficient.

Horikawa mon

THE GATE OF THE IMPERIAL RESIDENCE

In ancient times Minamoto no Yoshitsune opened this gate in anticipation of a night attack.

Tsukebi tōzoku kanete fusegu

DEFENDING AGAINST ARSON AND THIEVERY

Build with defence and protection in mind so that it stands as a warning to others. There are ways to do this.

Keigan nemurazu

TO BE WITHOUT SLEEp AND TO OPEN YOUR EYES LIKE A BIRD

This means staying up without sleep. On a night when something is critical, there is a teaching which says you should not sleep. This should be done with the feeling of birds, because they wake up immediately alert.

Shitomi kazashi

SECURING FROM WITHIN AND WITHOUT

This means securing a house from the inside and from the outside. Securing the outside is called kazashi, while securing the inside is called shitomi. Many people consider only the outside and care little for protecting the inside. Alternatively, some care only about the inside and neglect the outside. The above is true in most cases.

Sōshin no kokoro

THE ATTITUDE OF RISING AT DAWN

It is a duty for humans to rise early in the morning. Therefore, rise early and search the homestead. An old saying states, ‘Make plans for your day when the cockerel crows.’ However, if it is a short night it may be difficult to wake at dawn. In such a case wake someone up and inform them of the time that you wish to rise and that they should come to you at this time; this is so that you will not oversleep. This is called sōshin.

The above twenty-four points are hints on houses, ground plans and construction. From this point onwards there shall be hints for a master who has guests and for casual conversations. At the top the ideogram for miscellaneous has been written. There will follow twenty-seven points, with a further nine points on the traditions of this subject. Combined, this comes to thirty-six points in total.

51 zashiki – the main room for receiving guests.

52 genkan – an entrance for the taking off of shoes.

53 heishi – ‘normal samurai’, the bulk of a lord’s force.

54 hashirikomi – those who run to find sanctuary after committing an act of vengeance.

55 shimoyashiki – a second house or villa. This is advice for samurai who are maintaining a lord’s villa while they are away.

56 ima – the room most frequented by the master of the house.

57i.e. to identify the size of each room.

58 shinobi-kuru mono – a person who is infiltrating under stealth.

59Names are to be avoided because infiltrators may use the names of household members to their advantage.

60 mejirushi – a mental note or mark to prompt memory.

61Possibly read as nintō.

62The ideograms are used which imply ‘creeping thieves’.

63The second half of this sentence is only found in the Koga transcription.

64 utsu – this term has predominantly been translated as ‘strike’. However, here the meaning is most likely ‘kill’.

65i.e. do not overlook any opportunity to create a defence, no matter how simple the idea or construction.

66 shinobi-gaeshi – spiked fence-like defences set on the top of walls to prevent wouldbe intruders from climbing over.

67An unknown principle related to light.

68Any trees and shrubs.

69The text does not specify if this is a servant or a low-level samurai.