CHAPTER VIII

AN ECCENTRIC FELLOW

WHEN all the wholesale dealers in oranges in the vast city of Yedo heard that an orange-ship had at last arrived from Kishu, they vied with one another in coming to Bunkichi’s ship and buying up his oranges. The inevitable result of the rise in the price of oranges was to make him a gainer of more than fifty thousand _rio_.

Bunkichi, after this, carefully reasoned out that on account of the recent continuance of the west wind no ship could possibly have sailed from Yedo to Osaka, so that there must be a scarcity of salted salmon in that city, while there was now an abundant and specially cheap supply of them in Yedo. So he thought he would take a supply over to Osaka and make another great profit.

When he spoke of this plan to his men they were ready to go, for his sake. Thereupon Bunkichi bought up a cargo of salted salmon, and, putting it on board, waited for the return of better weather. Nor had he long to wait. As a reaction, as it were, to the stormy westerly wind, in a few days an east wind began to blow, and, availing himself of the first opportunity, he hoisted sail. He soon entered the harbor of Osaka, and there he again made a profit of tens of thousands of _rio_.

Every speculation he had planned was crowned with success, and in little more than a month he had amassed the enormous sum of near upon a hundred thousand _rio_. He was aided in this success largely by the exertions of Kichidayu, and gave him one thousand _rio_ out of the profit, while he handsomely rewarded every one of the crew, who were all greatly delighted at their good fortune.

Captain Kichidayu, taking his money with him as a present to his family, returned to Sakai, his native town, where he met again his dear wife and children after his long absence, and then went back to Osaka. Thence he accompanied Bunkichi to Kumano-Ura.

At Kumano the news of his safe arrival at Yedo had been received at the Daikokuya and by the townspeople with the liveliest satisfaction. They had been waiting eagerly for his return. Sure enough, Bunkichi had come back on board that very _Iurei-maru_, and the people, whether they were personally known to him or not, flocked round him with their congratulations.

From that day the master of the Daikokuya treated him as his guest, while the people of the town respected him as a gentleman, and no one called him the Wanizame-Kozo any more.

On his arrival home Bunkichi recounted all his transactions to the master of the Daikokuya, and then went at once to the merchants from whom he had bought the fruit that he sold in Yedo. “I thank you for the cargo of oranges you sold me some time ago at such a cheap price,” said he. “I made a great profit by that cargo, but I don’t like to be only a gainer myself while you all are losing your money, so I’ll give you double what I then paid you for the oranges.”

On account of this unexpected liberality they were very grateful to him, and his fame went abroad all over the province of Kii, and everybody began to know him, and whenever he wanted to invest in any goods, he had no difficulty in getting all he wished.

The day came at last when Bunkichi determined to go up to the great city of Yedo to make his name famous in the whole of Japan by trading on a large scale. With this resolve, he negotiated with some of the big merchants of Kumano as to whether they would make a contract with him to send up all their oranges and timber to his shop as their only agency in Yedo. As they were already under a debt of obligation to him, every one of them agreed to do his best to keep Bunkichi’s store in Yedo well supplied. Bunkichi was greatly rejoiced, and, on this occasion traveling overland, he arrived at Yedo in due time and established himself in the Hatcho-bori district, under the name of Kinokuniya.[28] This happened in the second year of the Sho-o era (1653 A.D.), when he was nineteen years of age. Then he changed his name Bunkichi into Bunzayemon (his father’s name), and began to trade on a large scale in timber and oranges from Kishu, selling them to the whole city of Yedo. Thus his prosperity increased.

Footnote 28:

House of the Kino Kuni (country of Kii).

One day a master carpenter, who had the entrée to the house, came to see Bunzayemon, saying: “I have come to consult with you on a rather strange matter. How would you like to engage a man for your business?”

“Well, it all depends on what kind of a man he is,” was the reply.

“He is rather an eccentric sort of fellow. If I tell you plainly about him there will be little chance of your employing him; but the strange thing is that he wishes me to do so. ‘If Bunzayemon will employ me, good; if he will not employ me, he is a fool, and I don’t want to be employed.’ Those were the very words he said to me, and added, to my surprise: ‘As for you, if he hasn’t the sense to engage me, you needn’t regret losing such a customer as he is.’”

“I don’t wonder you were surprised,” replied Bunzayemon; “but what has he been hitherto?”

To this question the carpenter replied: “He is the second son in a warrior family; but as far as I can see he is an idle, lazy man. There are many of his kind in the world, as you know; but he is rather an extreme type of the class. He doesn’t like to get up early nor to move about at any time. In spite of his being dependent on me for his support, he doesn’t hesitate to demand to live in luxury. And then he has the impudence to request me to recommend him to you.”

Bunzayemon meditated awhile and then said: “It’s rather interesting, what you tell me. At all events, bring him here.”

“Do you really mean to engage him? You had better give him up.”

To which the merchant replied: “When I see him I shall decide whether I shall engage him or not. Bring him here first!”

Then Seihachi, the carpenter, went home, fearing inwardly lest he should lose his customer by bringing this man to Bunzayemon’s notice, though he could not help acceding to the man’s request.

After a time Bunzayemon heard high words in the front of the shop. One of the voices he recognized as that of Seihachi, who was exclaiming: “Chobei San, you ought not to go in by the front door; manners should compel you to go to the back door. And don’t give yourself airs here; if you do I shall be disgraced.”

To this the other replied: “What are you talking about? We are not dogs; why should we go round to the kitchen?” And so saying, the young man stalked up to the shop called Kinokuniya, in spite of Seihachi’s remonstrance, and asked somewhat loudly: “Is the master at home?”

Hearing him, Bunzayemon entered the shop from the inner room.

No sooner did Seihachi see him than he began to apologize: “Master, I am more sorry than I can tell you, and I beg your pardon for this fellow’s rudeness.” As he spoke he was holding Chobei by the sleeve.

Bunzayemon, without heeding the apology, civilly welcomed the strange guest, saying: “Come in, sir.”

The young man stalked into the inner room, while Seihachi, feeling like a fish out of water, followed him. Bunzayemon ushered the guests into one of the finest rooms in his house. Seihachi was troubled at heart, for the man’s clothes were muddy, and said: “Sir, I fear we shall soil your floor.”

Without even listening to Seihachi’s words, or showing that he had heard them, the host courteously said: “I am Bunzayemon of the Kinokuniya; and what is your name?”

“My name is Chobei,” answered the youth somewhat haughtily.

“I’m glad to make your acquaintance.”

Seihachi kept making signs to Chobei as to his behavior, but the latter did not take the least notice.

Seihachi in his distress said to Bunzayemon: “Please, sir, I beg your pardon for his unmannerly behavior. I think he must be a little out of his mind. I’m sorry to have brought such a fellow.”

Meanwhile Bunzayemon and Chobei sat with the _tabakobon_[29] between them and looked into each other’s face. For a while neither of them spoke, while Seihachi, whose trouble of mind was increased by this state of affairs, tried to extricate himself from this uncomfortable position and said:

Footnote 29:

A tobacco-tray.

“Chobei San, we had better take our leave now.” Then, turning to the host, “Sir, you won’t engage him after all, will you, sir?”

At this Bunzayemon, speaking somewhat loudly, said: “Oh, yes, I’ll engage you, Chobei San, and take you on as one of my men, if that is your wish.”

“Then do you really engage me?” And as he spoke Chobei quickly moved backward a little and bowed to the floor, in the act of showing respect and thanks to his superior.

Bunzayemon then put on a lordly air and asked him: “Chobei, are you skilled in working the abacus?”[30]

Footnote 30:

The Chinese reckoning-board, consisting of beads or balls strung on wires or rods set in a frame.

“I don’t know much about it,” he replied, as he placed both his hands on the matting in the attitude of respect, “because I was bred in a warrior family.”

“If that is so you’ll be of no use in the shop,” said the master, scornfully. “What can you do, then?”

To which Chobei answered, “I know how to turn a lot of money, sir.”

“That’s interesting!” replied the master.

The carpenter, stricken dumb with astonishment while the negotiation was going on, said at last, when Chobei had gone, “Sir, have you really engaged him? I can’t tell you how relieved I am. I’ve been greatly troubled by the thought that I should be disgraced on account of him. Please tell me why were you so civil to him at first?”

“You don’t understand, I see,” said Bunzayemon, laughing. “Before I engaged him he was my guest, and as he belongs to the warrior class, his social rank is entitled to consideration. But when I have once engaged him, then I am his master, and he is my servant, and I must treat him accordingly.”

“I see, I see,” said the carpenter. “That is a fine way of looking at it. Well, then, suppose I go to another man’s house, I may act in a like haughty manner myself before I get engaged!”

“Certainly; but if you do, you may get disliked instead of engaged”; at which reply the carpenter was profoundly puzzled.

Early the next day the new employee begged his master to advance him some pocket money, which was promptly given him; and having got it, off he went, no one knew whither, and did not return even for the midday meal.

Then the other employees warned their master, saying: “Sir, what is the use of that sort of man? We don’t know where he has come from. It’s really unsafe to have that sort of fellow about the house, sir.”

But the master paid no heed to their warnings. “Not a bit of it! No matter where his birthplace is, so long as the man is worth having, my purpose is served. I can see he has plenty of common sense, and I’ll warrant he’ll be of good service some day. Whenever you plan on a large scale you must have good assistants: there were four kindly men under Yoshisune, the great general, and twenty-eight generals under Shingen, the great lord of the middle ages. Such men we look to for our examples. Since the days of old every distinguished man has attached to himself able supporters. Merchants should do the same, and, as certain as the day dawns, success will come to the business man who employs many good hands under him. Wait and see. Chobei will do some noteworthy things!” Thus he instructed his servants in his principles.

Toward the evening of that day Chobei came back, but with a downcast countenance. Bunzayemon did not ask where he had been, nor did Chobei volunteer any information. The next day again, and the next, he asked for more money, and went out early in the morning, coming back late at night. He continued in this way for about half a month. The others once more warned their master, but he still refused to listen to them.

One day Chobei came to his master and said: “Sir, you import a lot of timber from Kii Province and try to sell it at once among the people of this city. But Yedo is a place where fires are so frequent that, if you buy up a lot of timber at a time when the price is low and keep it, it’s certain you will make a great profit when some big fire occurs. But to find a good place for keeping timber,” he went on, “is one of the chief difficulties, because, as you are well aware, if you keep it near at hand, in the heart of the city, there’s danger of its being destroyed by fire, and if you keep it in a river or the sea, either it rots or is eaten by worms. Now, every day I have been going about looking for a good place to keep it, and at last I have found one at Kiba in Fukagawa. Keep timber in the water of that place, and, on account of the quality of the water, worms will not eat it, but the wood will become shiny and improve by keeping. Besides, no danger will come to it from fire.” And he concluded his far-sighted plan with, “For these reasons, I hope you will soon construct a reservoir for timber in that place.”

The master clapped his hands in admiration and joy, saying: “Upon my word, that’s a capital idea! I thought you must have been planning something, but I never thought you were looking out for a place to keep timber. I myself had turned the matter over in my mind some time ago, but on account of my many other duties I hadn’t the time to see to it myself, and I thank you for undertaking it for me.” And then and there he intrusted the building of the timber reservoir to Chobei.

Chobei lost no time in going to Fukagawa and buying ten thousand _tsubo_, or about forty thousand square yards, of ground near the temple of Susaki. He built a large reservoir there and removed to it all the timber imported by his master from Kii Province. Besides, Chobei got his master’s permission to send out men to the neighboring mountains to buy up timber where it could be got cheap, and having deposited it all at Fukagawa, waited contentedly for the time to sell.