The Naigu’s disgust with his nose arose from two sources: firstly, from a practical point of view it was exceedingly inconvenient to have such a long nose. At mealtimes he was unable to take his food by himself, for if he had attempted to do so, his nose would have touched the rice in his bowl. He therefore had to have the assistance of a disciple, who always sat at the opposite side of the small ‘zen’ table at which he ate, and all the while he was taking his food, the latter, with the assistance of a board, one inch wide and twenty-four inches long, would lift the Naigu’s nose carefully, so that it did not fall into his food. To take meals in such a way was no easy task for the disciple, who had to keep continually raising his board; nor was it less unpleasant for the Naigu, whose nose had to be continually raised.
It is said that once a “chudoji” (a priest’s page)—who had taken the place of this disciple during his absence—had to give way to a rather acute sneeze, and in doing so, his hands shook so violently that he allowed the Naigu’s nose to drop into a bowl of porridge. This little incident was noised abroad at the time, and was even discussed in such a distant place as Kyoto.
But these things were not the chief cause of the worry he experienced over his nose. To speak truthfully, his nose was rather an insult to his personal pride.
The townsfolk of Ikeno-o often remarked that it was indeed fortunate that the Naigu had not been
