The Old Men of Omi (34 page)

“Jizo is a kind spirit, a spirit of protection for the weak. It’s a shocking insult to ask his help in the killing of innocent people.”

“Well, not quite innocent in several cases, but you’re right.” Akitada sighed. “We’d better report to the governor.”

Kosehira heard their account silently. In the end, he only said, “Well, he’ll be condemned to exile again and sent back. For all we know, he’ll step right back into his position as trusty and live out his life with his family. We have a very inadequate system of justice.”

Akitada felt compelled to protest. “Hatta had very great provocation. It should have been Sukenori who was sent to work in the mines.”

Kosehira thought this funny. “Such a thing would never happen, Akitada. Send a Taira nobleman to the mines? The notion is mad.”

Akitada snapped, “Yes, and that is what causes men like Sukenori to behave the way they do: they know they can’t be touched. The only thing Sukenori feared was the loss of a lucrative position he craved.”

Kosehira gave him a sharp glance, perhaps to warn him that Takechi was with them. Akitada looked at Takechi who looked back. At that moment Akitada felt a greater bond with Takechi than with Kosehira, even though he was his best friend and father-in-law.

As if he had read his thoughts, Kosehira said, “
You
are one of the good people, Akitada, and you’ll soon surpass men like Sukenori. Consider this a good fortune for those without power.”

In spite of all the happy preparations around him, Akitada could not shake his depression or the nagging thought that he, too, might succumb to the poisonous lure of power some day. Then a small consolation arrived in the form of a message from Warden Masaie. Young Masaie had married the maid Mineko. This news went a long way toward lifting Akitada’s spirits as he prepared to bring Yukiko home to a house that had been too long without joy or hope for the future.

The city of Otsu was an important port and business center during the Heian period. Having briefly served as capital once, it never lost its importance because of its location at the southern tip of Lake Biwa near the place where the Seta River emerged from the lake and flowed southward to become the great Yodo River, thus linking shipping from the lake to the Inland Sea. In addition, two important highways connecting the capital to the provinces passed through Otsu; here the Tokaido, the great eastern highway, and the Tosando, the great northern highway, met to continue to the capital and thence to the western provinces. The city thus became a center of travel and commerce.

In addition, Otsu was home to two powerful Buddhist temples, Enryaku-ji on Mount Hiei, and Onjo-ji, in the city. Saicho, the founder of Enryaku-ji, was born in Otsu. By the eleventh century, Enryaku-ji is said to have owned sixteen valleys, three major temple sites, and three-thousand buildings housing priests.

During the tenth century, quarrels between major Buddhist institutions resulted in the militarizing of the great religious institutions. These hired mercenaries or trained young monks in the military arts in order to defend their properties, as well as to attack opposing temples. These warrior monks or Buddhist mercenaries were the
sohei.
For their historical significance, see
The Teeth and Claws of the Buddha
by Mikael S. Adolphson.

The issue of religion in the eleventh century requires a brief explanation. There were two faiths: Shinto and Buddhism. Shinto is the native religion that worships
kami
, gods that are manifestations of the world around us. Buddhism, on the other hand, is an import of the Indian religion which came to Japan via China and Korea. Shinto is of the greatest significance in Japan, because the emperors are descended from the gods and represent them during ceremonies involving the rice culture. The rice culture, however, meant life or death to the Japanese people of the time. For this reason, Buddhism never attempted to oppose Shinto. Rather, it adapted to it, making the native gods Buddhist avatars. This explains why Enryaku-ji is involved in the many spring-rice-planting celebrations by the Shinto shrines. The
Sanno-Sai Matsuri
in the novel is still celebrated by both Shinto and Buddhist priests.

Religious observations and rituals attracted fairs that catered to crowds by selling religious objects, amulets, memorabilia, etc, and by entertaining people with acrobats, dancers, musicians, storytellers, and various other performers, such as puppeteers. These fair performers were members of the
hinin
-class, the so-called non-persons of society. They traveled the highways of the land and had no homes. The
kugutsu-mawashi
were traveling puppet operators who performed at fairs or by special invitation at country estates. Like other itinerant people, these strolling players of Japan subsisted on what people were willing to pay. Like others, such as the
asobi
, women who danced and sang and sold their bodies, they were considered undesirables by the authorities. Travelling puppeteers usually carried their puppets in a box that would become the stage on which the puppeteer let the dolls perform. They were the forerunners of
Bunraku,
the Japanese puppet theater
.

The continuing prevalence of hunting as a sport is another example of old customs surviving in spite of Buddhist teachings against the taking of life or the eating of animals. Hunting with bow and arrow and with falcons was well known in Japan before the advent of Buddhism and was practiced by emperors and the nobility. An imperial reserve, where pheasants were protected and harvested for the imperial table and special court observances existed at the time of this novel in Omi province and had a Taira administrator. Falcons were trained and treasured throughout Japan’s history. There are many screens from later centuries that depict collections of falcons displayed in the manner described in this novel.

Last but not least, something must be said about wedding and marriage customs in the Heian period. Most marriages were arranged between families, and husbands lived with their brides in the wife’s parents’ home. This, no doubt, assured the young woman’s safety and comfort but may also have allowed her father to influence politics by controlling her husband. Something of the sort is described in Lady Murasaki’s
Genji
, where Genji, an imperial prince, moves into his father-in-law’s house after marriage. The matter of the consummation of a marriage not being binding unless performed on three consecutive nights assured the bride and her family that the suitor was committed to the match. He could, of course, walk away before the third night. He could also divorce his wife by merely telling her so. In general, sexual relations tended to be casual and no special importance was attached to virginity or to the husband’s faithfulness. Noblemen traditionally had more than one wife and also kept mistresses. A noblewoman’s security lay in her producing sons, in her family’s protection, and in owning her own property. And finally, to clear up a misconception: the Japanese did indeed kiss. It appears that a Western misconception, possibly caused by Lafcadio Hearn’s assertion that Japanese lovers never kissed, has been accepted as historical fact. Thus, I offer the evidence of the
Ishimpo,
an ancient medical text used in Heian Japan, which describes kissing as part of its instructions for love-making. The custom of kissing certainly did not die out either, for later examples may be found in the
shunga
, those graphic woodblock depictions of lovers.

I. J. Parker was born and educated in Europe and turned to mystery writing after an academic career in the U.S. She has published her Akitada stories in
Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine,
winning the Shamus award in 2000. Several stories have also appeared in collections, such as
Fifty Years of Crime and Suspense
and
Shaken.
The award-winning “Akitada’s First Case” is available as a podcast. Many of the stories have been collected in
Akitada and the Way of Justice.

The Akitada series of crime novels features the same protagonist, an eleventh century Japanese nobleman/detective.
The Old Men of Omi
is number thirteen. The books are available on Kindle, in print and in audio format, and have been translated into twelve languages.

Please visit I.J.Parker’s web site
here.

You may contact her via e-mail at
[email protected]
. (This way you will be contacted when new books come out.)

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