St. Nicholas/Volume 32/Number 1/Kibun Daizen
Chapter X.
Ambition satisfied—The Merchant Prince.
Kinokuniya Bunzayemon, who unknowingly had left such a big fire behind him and sought the mountainous districts of the neighboring provinces as his field of action, went over to Sagami Province the same day, and negotiated with the chief owners of forests there and made a contract with them, paying them guaranty money in advance. The next day he crossed over to Awa Province and visited in turn the owners of mountain forests in Kazusa, Shimo-osa, and Musashi, and struck bargains with them to buy all their salable timber. Four or five days only were occupied in these rapid negotiations, at the end of which time, as the rumor of the big fire of Yedo had got abroad to these neighboring provinces, Kibun hastened on his way back to Yedo. As he was passing amid the smoldering ruins on the way to his depot at Fukagawa, he continually heard the people talking of himself. Every time he stopped and listened. “Well, Genbei San, Kinokuniya Bunzayemon is a fine fellow, is n’t he? One would think he had foreseen the fire and prepared that enormous amount of bento beforehand; otherwise he could not possibly have given it out to the people so readily. I and others had nowhere to find food, so we supported ourselves for three days on that bento.”
“Is that so, Hachibei San? I also received it every day, For three days, wherever one went among the ruins one was met with his charity. It is said that within three days no less than two thousand koku[1] of rice were given away. Had it not been for that charity nearly the whole population of the city would have famished. Moreover, Genbei San, the charity was extended even to the mansions of many daimios, and the nobles and their families ate of his bento.”
“To be sure. Even the nobles with their heaps of gold and all their power could n’t buy a single grain in the general consternation! Really that Kibun, whoever he may be, is a sagacious fellow!” Thus talked the men who had received his alms.
While Bunzayemon, who listened to this current talk, was inwardly rejoicing that Chobei had managed his affairs so admirably, he passed two women who were talking.
“Oh, Haru San, when I lost sight of my child in the crowd,” one of them was saying, “I became almost mad in my search for her; but as I could not find her in the hurry and bustle, I gave her up for being trodden to death or else for being suffocated in the heat. In my grief I lost all care for my own life. But then I heard the people say that some thousands of strayed children had been taken to Kibun’s country place at Fukagawa. I ran there at once, and lo! I found my little girl there among the children. My joy, of course, knew no bounds, Let people say what they wish, Kibun must be a merciful man; in such a fire as this naturally there are a lot of strayed children, and therefore he sent out his men to every quarter of the city, ordering them to bring such to his house. In three days a thousand or more people were rescued, they say. Henceforth I shall always have a niche for Kibun Sama in my heart.”
“I shall, too. Your case was not so bad as mine. For my part, when I lost sight of my mother, no words could express my anxiety. If she had been in sound health, I would have felt a little easier, but she has been laid up since last winter on account of her great age. At first we thought we were safe from the conflagration, as the fire had passed by us toward Takanawa; but then by the change of wind the sparks started the fire afresh at the very next door to our own. The men belonging to the house had gone to Takanawa to help a relative of ours there, and I thought it would be a shame to me if by my
“‘I have no words in which to express my thanks to you.’”
“After two or three chos’[2] run, mother was out of breath and consequently could n’t walk a step farther. I put her on my back and ran on, but we were both soon suffocated by the smoke, and then I tumbled down. I could n’t get up for some time because other people who were running to escape from the flames trod on me.
“In another minute the sparks set fire to my dress and I was pretty badly burned. However, I took courage and got on my feet, being very anxious about my mother. I looked round, and she was not there. I knew she could n’t possibly have run away, owing to her helplessness; so I looked around me, being sure she must be either in a ditch or stupefied by the smoke. The fire, however, was too quick for me, I could n’t stay to make further search, so I ran away. I have been weeping since at the thought of mother’s death, when yesterday I heard a report that mother was safe at Fukagawa. I flew to the place and met her. When I asked how she had got there she told me that she had been rescued by the coolies of a certain Kibun, and after being brought there had received the most kind treatment. Henceforth I ’ll not sleep with my feet toward Fukagawa,”
Hearing this, Bunzayemon was even more impressed by the clever management of Chobei. On his way home through the desolation and ruin he also passed by many of the daimios’ palace-grounds, where he saw his own trademark on all the boardings put up as temporary inclosures.
As he was wondering at this new proof of Chobei’s energy and wisdom, two samurai, or retainers, came by talking.
“Look, my friend! The inclosure of this, mansian, too, seems to have been put up by Kibun’s people. The man is wonderfully ready for everything! And no doubt the fact that he has put up the temporary inclosure means that the rebuilding will be put into his hands, and no better man could probably be found.”
“You are right. If we employ him he ’s certain to lose no time about it.”
Bunzayemon, who overheard this conversation, clapped his hands in admiration, and, turning to his attendants, said: “How now, my fellows! You did n’t think much of Chobei at first, did you? Well, what do you think of him now?”
The attendants looked at one another and said: “Really, he is very clever—even more clever than you, sir! Yes, unless a man employs some men-cleverer than himself he can never become great!”
With unbounded joy Bunzayemon soon arrived at his depot at Fukagawa. No sooner did he catch sight of Chobei than he held out his hand to him, saying: “Ah! I have no words in which to express my thanks to you. I have been hearing, from the chance talk of the people on my way home, of all you have been doing in my absence, and have been much struck by your sagacity. Indeed, I have never felt so much joy as I experience to-day!”
Bunzayemon, who was not accustomed to show joy or sorrow in his face, could not suppress his emotion on that day.
Almost all the houses in the city of Yedo were destroyed by the fire. Warriors and merchants had to build their abodes afresh, and because all the timber in the city was reduced to ashes, the price at once went up tenfold. Now Kibun alone, at this juncture, had already a great stock of timber on hand at his depot at Fukagawa, and he had fresh supplies constantly being sent in from the mountains in the near-by country, being the timber he had lately bought. ‘Lhe profit which he gained by selling all this material was something enormous—indeed, a huge fortune in itself.
Moreover, on account of his alms and the inclosures he had put up for various great feudal lords, they too became his customers and asked him to rebuild their mansions. By these orders he again made a great profit. He ascribed this good fortune entirely to Chobei, to whom he gave a great sum of money as a token of appreciation of his services, Besides, he handsomely rewarded the other men and boys in his employ.
He also sent for that chief carpenter, Seihachi.
“Well, Seihachi, this is the prize which I give you.”
‘Thus saying, he put a box which contained one thousand rio in front of him.
The other was frightened out of his wits.
“Ohl! do you say there ’s a gift of a thousand rio for me in this packet? Is n't it empty?”
“No, it's not empty. Lift it and see.”
Whereupon Scihachi tried to lift it and said: “Truly, it’s too heavy; I can’t lift it! Is n’t this a dream?” And he pinched his knee.
Bunzayemon laughed. “It is not a dream. It’s a reward to you, sure and certain, and you had better take it home with you.”
“Really, I thank you, sir. In the time of the fire I carried charity bento only three times, for I was working at other things; therefore I ’m not worthy of so great a reward!”
“It is n’t a reward for that.”
“Then for the inclosure which I did for Sendai Sama, the daimio; for that work my assistants came late, so I could n’t finish it till late in the evening. The work ought to have been finished much earlier.”
“It is n’t for that.”
“Not for that, either? For what is it, then, sir?”
Bunzayemon pointed to Chobei, who was then in the shop, and said: “You brought me that excellent article, there. It ’s for that.”
The carpenter misunderstood him and said: “Is that so? I see, for that article. That ’s an article rarely found, and I thought it would be a great loss if it was burned, so before other things |I sent it down on a raft from Hachobori to Fukagawa. Then on the way it collided with a ship and the raft was nearly broken to pieces.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You mean that hinoki plank, do you not, of eight inches both in breadth and thickness?”
“No; you don't understand me, yet. It is your prize for bringing Chobei to me.”
“You mean Chobei San. Ah, I see, I see! I did not understand you. I wondered why you gave me such a handsome reward. But Chobei San has certainly proved to be an excellent man. I thought he was a hopeless fellow. Shall I bring you another Chobei San? I have a lot more.”
“What sort of Chobei is he?”
“The next idle fellow who depends on me for support.”
Bunzayemon laughed, saying, “No, thank you; I don’t want another Chobei of that kind.”
In this wise, Bunzayemon undertook many important schemes and grew very rich, Thus in time his fame sounded through the whole of Japan, and he built a big establishment at Honhachobori,—a street in Tokio, near the heart of the city,—which covered one big square. Always strenuously pushing forward his business, he at last, as had been his ambition, became the leading merchant in the whole of Japan. As the old verse says:
From strenuous will spring deeds of weighty worth.
The End.