AS WARRIORS KILLED and were killed, revenge often became an important part of a warrior’s life, and so an important subject to contemplate as well. The following episode from Konjaku Monogatari Shu (vol. 25, sec. 4), one of the earliest detailed accounts of a vendetta to avenge one’s father, is remarkable for the complex reasoning it gives to the appropriate circumstances for punishing the avenger. It may be noted that the idea of avenging one’s father as a moral imperative, which originated in China, may not have been prevalent in the period described. General Yogo or Taira no Koremochi has appeared in the story immediately preceding this.
Once the Governor of Kazusa was a man by the name of Taira no Kanetada. He was a son of Shigemochi, the younger brother of the warrior Taira no Tadamori. While Kanetada was stationed in Kazusa Province as governor, General Yogo, or Koremochi, who was his son and was in Mutsu Province, sent him word: “Sir, I haven’t seen you for quite a while. Now that you have come down here as Governor of Kazusa, may I come to see you to offer my congratulations?” Kanetada was pleased to hear this. He had preparations made to welcome him and waited. In due time Koremochi’s arrival was announced and the people of Kanetada’s mansion went about in excitement.
It happens that at the time Kanetada had a cold and, instead of going out to greet Koremochi, was lying inside the outer blind, having a smallish samurai he especially favored massage his hips. While the two of them were on the front verandah, gossiping about various things that had happened during the past years, several of Koremochi’s principal soldiers were lined up in the garden in front, all armed with bow and arrow.
The first among them was a man whose common name was Tar
nosuke. About fifty years of age, he was large and plump, with a
long beard and a fearsome glower. Apparently he looked like a good soldier. When Kanetada noticed him, he asked the man who
was massaging his hips if he recognized him. The man said no, he didn’t. Kanetada said, “Well, he is the fellow who killed
your father some years ago. You were still an infant at the time. It’s quite natural that you don’t recognize him.”
“People had told me, ‘Someone killed your father,’ but I didn’t know who it was,” the man said. “And now I see his face just like this.” With this, he rose to his feet and left, tears in his eyes.
By the time Koremochi finished his supper, the sun had set, so he went to separate quarters to rest. After accompanying his
master to his place, Tarnosuke went to his own lodging quarters. There, too, some people were entertaining guests on their
own, and they made quite a bit of noise as they carried in a variety of food, fruit, wine, fodder, and hay. It was the end
of the ninth month, and torches were erected in some spots on the ground in the dark garden.
After he finished eating a good share of the food, Tarnosuke lay down to sleep in peace and comfort. He had his brand-new
sword near his pillow and laid out next to him were arrows, a quiver, armor, and a helmet. Out in the garden were some of
his men, armed with bow and arrow, walking around on watch to protect him. The quarters where he slept were surrounded by
two layers of giant cloth curtains, which no arrow could have shot through. The torches erected in the garden made the place
as bright as day, and because his men vigilantly walked about there was absolutely nothing to fear. Tired from a long trip
and having drunk a good deal of sake, Tarnosuke was quite relaxed as he slept.
Meanwhile, as for the man who’d heard the governor say, “That man killed your father,” then risen to his feet, and left with
tears in his eyes, the governor didn’t think much about him, assuming that he had just gone away. Afterward, though, the man
had gone to the kitchen and repeatedly honed the tip of his dagger. With the dagger in the chest of his jacket, he went to
Tarnosuke’s quarters as darkness fell, and boldly watched out for his chance. Then, in the confusion of people bringing in food and things, he nonchalantly mixed in and, pretending to be bringing in a square tray, slipped into
the space between the two curtains.
Avenging one’s father is something Heaven’s Way permits us, he thought to himself. He then prayed, “May Heaven let me carry out without any unexpected mishap what I plan to do as my filial duty tonight.”
He remained crouched without anyone noticing him. At last, when the night became deep and he was sure that Tarnosuke was
fast asleep, he suddenly went up to him, slit his throat, and danced out. No one noticed him.
In the morning Tarnosuke didn’t come out for so long that one of his men went in to tell him it was time to eat some porridge
and found him lying dead, splattered with blood. He cried out, “Look at this!” In no time the other men were dashing about,
some with arrows ready to shoot, others with swords drawn. But it was all useless. First, of course, it was necessary to find
out who killed Tarnosuke. Because he had no close associates other than his men, they were mutually suspicious that there
had to be someone among them who knew, but talk in that direction wasn’t of much use, either.
“He surely died in a weird sort of way,” they said to one another loudly in their flattened voices, excited as popping peas.
“Why didn’t he make some noise? We didn’t expect him to die so miserably while we served him, trotting ahead of him, running after him, all these years. He may have run out of luck, but this was a terrible way to die.”
When he heard the news, Koremochi became very upset.
“This is an embarrassment to me,” he said. “Anyone who had any fear of me couldn’t have killed one of my men the way he did. The killer did it because he doesn’t have an iota of fear of me.
“The timing and the place are particularly inconvenient. It would have been tough enough in my own place, but to have one of my own killed while visiting an unfamiliar place is terribly galling.
“Come to think of it, though,” he continued, “Tarnosuke killed someone years ago. Lord Governor had a smallish samurai who
was the son of the one who was killed. That fellow must have done the killing.”
With these thoughts, Koremochi went to the governor’s mansion.
“Sir,” he began when he sat in front of the governor. “Last night someone killed one of the men who accompanied me here. To have one of my own killed like this while traveling is a great embarrassment to me.
“This isn’t just anyone’s doing. Years ago we had a fellow shot to death who rudely tried to pass before us on horseback. You, sir, have that fellow’s son serving you. I am quite certain that it’s his doing. I think I’d like to summon and question him, sir.”
“Without a doubt this must have been that man’s doing,” the governor said. “Yesterday I saw the man in question in the garden among the men who came here accompanying you. At the time I had some pain in my hips so I was having him massage them. I asked him if he knew the man. He said he didn’t. So I said to him, ‘Your father was killed by that man. It’s a good thing to recognize a man like that by his face. He probably doesn’t think anything of you, and that’s too bad.’ He lowered his eyes, suddenly stood up, and left.
“I haven’t seen him since. He’s a fellow who never leaves me, waiting on me day and night. So the fact that he hasn’t shown up since last evening is strange indeed. Also, here’s something that makes me suspicious of him: He was busy honing his sword in the kitchen last night. This I heard while my men were voicing their suspicions this morning.
“Now, you say, ‘I’d like to summon and question him.’ Do you mean by this that if it was indeed his doing you intend to kill him? I will summon him only after I’ve heard what your intentions are.
“I, Kanetada, am an unworthy man, and you’re a clever one. Still, I’m your father. Suppose someone killed me and one of your men killed him. Suppose then people were critical and nasty about him. Would you think that’s good? Isn’t avenging one’s father something Heaven’s Way permits? You are such an outstanding warrior that someone who killed me would never be able to rest.
“However, you propose to take to task a man who’s just avenged his father, even though he’s someone who works for me. That shows you wouldn’t even go into mourning for me.”
Kanetada said this in a loud voice as he rose to his feet. Koremochi realized he had said something wrong. He, too, rose to
his feet, showing as much respect as he could. He then decided there was nothing he could do about it and went back to his
province of Mutsu. His men took care of Tarnosuke’s body.
About three days later, the man who had killed Tarnosuke showed up in black. He came forward before the governor in such
dejection, in such obvious trepidation, that both the governor and those in the same room were moved to tears. Afterward people held him in respect and fear. But in no time he fell ill and
died. The governor pitied him for that.
Avenging one’s father is something rarely done even among outstanding warriors. But this man did it all on his own, boldly, killing the man he wanted to, even though the man was closely guarded by armed men. This showed it was indeed something Heaven’s Way permitted, and people praised him for his act.