In December 1489 AD, after three years of longevity, I went to Katsuyamakan in the southern Ezo land.
There is still no sign of freezing in the Tsugaru Strait in December. Large tracts of birch forests are spread across the mountains on the north shore of the strait, and a light white snow covers the mountain forests. In the valley between the mountains, a long river flows quietly westward and merges into the vast sea.
The valleys between the mountains are long and flat, and the continuous mountain forests are all gone when they reach this point. On the thin snow, there is a Japanese-style village and two Japanese-style castles in the mountains, usually called "castles". Of course, in this barren and cold Ezo land, both small towns have no castles and are very low in shape, so they can also be called "pavilions".
The north wind blows microwaves, and the offshore water is clear. Two deep-draft ships slowly docked at the port on the shore. The port is very small, a natural fishing port, guarded by only four samurai. Their main job is not to guard the port, but to collect fish as tribute from small fishing boats that go out to sea.
The four samurai were surprised to see the two Kanfune ships arriving. They recognized the small flag on the ship in Shimonoseki and relaxed a little when they saw the familiar leader on the bow.
"Eh? Leader Kono, how come Yoneya's ships arrived so early this year? And there are still two ships?"
"I don't know. Sukezaburo, get on your horse and go to the reporting center quickly. Someone is coming from Yonewu. Judging from the situation, I'm afraid there is something important."
"Hi!"
The four people said a few words, and one of them immediately mounted the only pony and reported to Shengshan Hall several miles away. The remaining three people carried sabers and came to the port to instruct the boatmen to assist in mooring.
Soon, two ships came to the shore, and two people, an old man and a young man, stepped out of the ship. Both of them were wearing thick kapok clothes and ear-covering cotton hats. They didn't have swords, so they were obviously businessmen.
Team leader Kono Kenichi squinted his eyes and took a closer look. The older businessman is about forty or fifty years old. He has a vicissitudes of life and gentle eyes. He does not look like a businessman, but looks like a monk. He didn't recognize the person's origin, but when he saw the silk sleeves exposed in the other person's dark blue cotton clothes, he bowed slightly.
As for the young businessman, everyone recognized him. He was called Shojiro Matsushita. He was the man who came to Miwu every year to trade with the house. He could also be called the shopkeeper.
After the ship docked, the boatmen were busy and the rice bags on the ship began to be unloaded. Shojiro Matsushita stepped forward, took out a small paper bag with a smile, and stuffed it into the hand of the team leader Kenichi Kono.
"Head of the Kono Group, you've got a job!"
The leader of the team, Kenichi Kono, was orderly and directed the boatmen to move. He took the paper bag, weighed it for a moment, and a smile appeared on his face.
"Ha! That's right. With these two shipments of food, the museum will be a lot richer this New Year."
Afterwards, the team leader Kenichi Kono waited and looked at the elderly businessman next to him, but saw that Matsushita Shojiro had no intention of introducing him. He bowed a little more and asked with a smile.
"Why did the grain ship arrive so early this year? Is there something important?"
Hearing this, Matsushita Shojiro bowed and smiled politely, but still did not answer. When team leader Ken Kono saw this, he understood. He asked no more questions, but stepped aside and shared the money with the warriors.
"Snow fields, forests, and mountains. And a long river comes from it, reflecting the scenery clearly."
Soon, the surroundings became quiet. The elderly businessman looked at the clear river and merged into the light blue sea with a leisurely expression, and admired softly.
"Calm water can reflect the sky and the earth, and a calm mind can communicate with ghosts and gods. The scenery beside the Amano River is indeed the same as it is reassuring to see again after more than ten years!"
Hearing this, Matsushita Shojiro bowed his waist and responded with a smile.
"Indeed! There are so many rivers in the world named after Tianye, but only this one is the real 'Northern Wilderness'."
The elderly businessman nodded, and his eyes followed the Amano River to the east. On both sides of the river, dots of gray and yellow were exposed under the thin white snow, which were the rice stubble left after the rice harvest. Dots of rice stubble stretch all the way to the depths of the valley, and around the rice fields are the huts of Kazuto farmers.
Next to him, Shojiro Matsushita paid attention to the other person's eyes and said with a smile at the right time.
"Housekeeper, the rice from Ezo has a different quiet taste compared to Kyoto, but it is unforgettable!"
"Yeah, rice from Ezochi."
The elderly businessman recalled it for a while, with a smile on his face and responded lightly.
"Wherever there are rice fields, there is Kazuto land. Unfortunately, in this vast Ezo land, the only area where rice can be grown is in this area of the South Island."
The two chatted for a while, and then saw two horses running towards the mountain "pavilion" in the distance. The elderly businessman looked at the mountain pavilion and said with a smile.
“I haven’t seen it in so many years, but the scale of the National Museum is getting bigger and bigger!”
Hearing this, Matsushita Shojiro lowered his head and warned carefully.
"That's right! Head of the house, the Kamikoku Pavilion has been constantly being built, and it is now the largest of the twelve pavilions. And it also has a new name, called Shengshan Pavilion."
"Huh? Katsuyamakan?"
"Yes! This was more than ten years ago. The guardians of the Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland specially chose this name in order to commemorate the victory in the Battle of Hushemayin."
"oh!"
The old businessman understood. He smiled again, glanced at Xiang Erlang next to him, and nodded.
Soon, two riders from Shengshan Pavilion rushed forward. The leading middle-aged samurai wore a black feather-woven jacket with a warm leather lining inside. He wore long dark hakama on his legs, and a samurai sword stuck at his waist.
If you look carefully at the front of his long hakama, there are five neat folds, which represent the moral code of the samurai, the five moral principles and the five constants, that is, king and minister, father and son, husband and wife, brothers, friends, as well as benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trust. . On the back of the long hakama, there are also two folds, but they are heaven and earth, yin and yang, loyalty and filial piety.
The older businessman saw the other person's face at first glance, and then looked at the other person's clothes at the second glance. Seeing the neat and distinct creases, a smile appeared on his face. The middle-aged samurai reined in his horse a dozen steps away, dismounted and came on foot. When he saw the older businessman, he was surprised at first, and then his face lit up with joy.
"Master Morino Kiyo, why are you here in person?!"
"Ha! Guangguang, I haven't seen you for more than ten years. You are already as calm as a mountain and a warrior as strong as a ghost!"
"Ha ha!"
Hearing this, the middle-aged warrior laughed loudly and was quite happy. Well, in the Kazuto tradition, "Oni Samurai" is undoubtedly a complimentary compliment.
The elderly businessman Morino Qing stepped forward with a smile and chatted passionately with the middle-aged samurai Mitsuhiro Oyizaki for a while.
The two have been acquaintances for more than 20 years. When Mitsuhiro Uizaki was a child, he had met his father, who was from the west bank of Lake Biwa. And in the boring Ezo land, it is also an extremely rare pleasure to meet a person from Kyoto and talk about the scenery of the Kinki region.
After chatting for a while, Mitsuhiro Uizaki looked at Morino Kiyoshi and asked the same question.
"Master Morino Kiyoshi, are you here in person? Do you have anything important to do?"
"It's important."
Morino Kiyoshi nodded, looked around, and Mitsuhiro Oyezaki asked several samurai to disperse. Then, Morino Kiyoshi looked serious and whispered, and Mitsuhiro Uizaki's expression changed drastically!
"It's a major event in Kyoto, so that's how it goes."
(End of chapter)
