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33 - Story of Japan by Robert van Bergen · Story of Japan

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  Speaker 1: Section thirty three of the Story of Japan. This is
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  Speaker 1: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
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  Speaker 1: Recording by Larry Wilson. The Story of Japan by Robert
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  Speaker 1: van Bergen How a Samurai committed harakiri on the fourth
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  Speaker 1: of February eighteen sixty eight. The newly open port of Hiogo,
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  Speaker 1: where the foreign settlement of Kobey is located, presented in
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  Speaker 1: animated appearance. For the first settlers were unloading their goods,
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  Speaker 1: houses were in the course of erection, Coolies were shouting,
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  Speaker 1: strangers were crowding the streets, and the foreign ministers with
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  Speaker 1: their staffs were actively engaged in giving directions or chatting
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  Speaker 1: with the less busy members of the young community. The harbor, too,
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  Speaker 1: presented a gay appearance, with the many war vessels flying
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  Speaker 1: their national flags and boats passing to and fro. A
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  Speaker 1: bright sun showed the glorious blue sky, and there was
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  Speaker 1: a general feeling of security owing to the presence of
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  Speaker 1: the fleet and the number of well armed sailors and marines.
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  Speaker 1: Had these been absent, the foreigners would have been very
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  Speaker 1: much alarmed, for civil war was raging. Troops of arms
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  Speaker 1: samurai were constantly moving upon Kyoto. The regent had fled,
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  Speaker 1: and no one knew what the morrow might bring forth.
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  Speaker 1: A band of samurai belonging to the Hezen clan were
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  Speaker 1: on the march to Kyoto. When they had arrived within
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  Speaker 1: the foreign settlement, they were seen to halt. A word
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  Speaker 1: of command was given, and then came a whizzing of bullets,
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  Speaker 1: fired as fast as repeating rifles could send them forth. Haply,
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  Speaker 1: these Hezen samurai had not had time to practice sharp shooting,
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  Speaker 1: for most of the bullets went wide in than mark.
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  Speaker 1: But had they been good shots, few of the foreigners
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  Speaker 1: ashore would have lived to tell the story. The officers
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  Speaker 1: of the men of war in port heard the firing
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  Speaker 1: and suspected the cause. A few orders rang out, boats
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  Speaker 1: were manned, and before the Hezen men were quite out
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  Speaker 1: of the place. The guards of the different legations and
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  Speaker 1: the soldiers and marines of the war vessels were after them.
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  Speaker 1: But the Heizen samurai, having heard of Shimonoseki and Kagoshima,
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  Speaker 1: did not wait for them. So the foreign troops had
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  Speaker 1: their trouble for nothing. The whole affair seemed a farce.
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  Speaker 1: Two or three men in the foreign settlement had been
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  Speaker 1: slightly wounded, and one old woman was shot in the leg.
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  Speaker 1: She belonged to the lowest caste of the Japanese, and
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  Speaker 1: by the natives was looked upon with contempt. But the
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  Speaker 1: foreign doctor examined her and had her taken in and
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  Speaker 1: made comfortable, notwithstanding the protests of the native's servants. Although
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  Speaker 1: the consequences had been slight, the foreign ministers resolved to
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  Speaker 1: make an example of the case and insist upon the
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  Speaker 1: punishment of the offending officer, and that thinnose government recognized
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  Speaker 1: the justice of the demand. There was no difficulty now
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  Speaker 1: about discovering the culprit. Upon receiving the assurance that he
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  Speaker 1: would be permitted to commit harakiri, the klan delivered him
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  Speaker 1: up without raising the slightest disturbance, and the order came
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  Speaker 1: under the Tenno seal that delegates from the foreign legations
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  Speaker 1: should be allowed to be present to be convinced that
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  Speaker 1: the real culprit was brought to justice. The Shunskei now
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  Speaker 1: marquis Ito hiro Bumi, ex Prime Minister of State. The
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  Speaker 1: same Choshiu Man who had been a house servant in
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  Speaker 1: England was Governor of Iogo. He and another officer were
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  Speaker 1: to represent the tenhout at the execution, which was to
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  Speaker 1: take place in a temple the headquarters of the Satsuma Men.
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  Speaker 1: At half past ten at night, officers of Tatsuma and
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  Speaker 1: Choshiu conducted the foreign delegates to the temple, where, after
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  Speaker 1: passing through crowds of soldiers standing around camp fires in
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  Speaker 1: the temple grounds, they were shown into an inner room.
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  Speaker 1: After they had waited some time, Governor Ito came in,
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  Speaker 1: wrote down the names of the foreigners and told them
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  Speaker 1: that seven Japanese officers would witness the execution on behalf
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  Speaker 1: of the government. After a short time, the foreigners were
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  Speaker 1: invited to enter the hall prepared for the execution. They
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  Speaker 1: followed the Japanese witnesses into the main hall, which was
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  Speaker 1: slighted by a number of lamps peculiar to Buddhist temples.
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  Speaker 1: Before the high altar, a cloth of scarlet wool was
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  Speaker 1: placed over the mats covering the floor. The Japanese witnesses
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  Speaker 1: took their places on the left, the foreigners on the right.
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  Speaker 1: A few minutes passed and a fine looking, strongly built
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  Speaker 1: man about thirty two years old, dressed in the state
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  Speaker 1: dress of a samurai, walked in quietly, evincing not a
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  Speaker 1: sign of emotion. With him came his second, a friend,
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  Speaker 1: who had undertaken the last service for the condemned man,
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  Speaker 1: that of cutting off the head. After the deadly incision
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  Speaker 1: was made, three officers wearing the war dress followed. The
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  Speaker 1: condemned man. First approached the Japanese witnesses, whom he saluted
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  Speaker 1: with a stately bow, showing no servility. A salute returned
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  Speaker 1: in the same dignified manner. Then, turning to the foreigners,
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  Speaker 1: he repeated the salutation. Every one of these foreigners was
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  Speaker 1: forced to admire the high bred demeanor and dotless courage
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  Speaker 1: of this samurai, and all would have been glad to
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  Speaker 1: see him pardoned. There was no sign of emotion on
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  Speaker 1: the impenetrable countenances of the Japanese spectators. The man approached
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  Speaker 1: the high altar and twice prostrated himself before it turning round.
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  Speaker 1: He sat down on the scarlet rug, with his second
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  Speaker 1: close beside him. One of the three attendants then came
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  Speaker 1: forward and brought upon a tray the dagger, nine and
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  Speaker 1: a half inches long, pointed and sharp as a razor.
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  Speaker 1: Kneeling respectfully before the condemned samurai, the intendant handed him
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  Speaker 1: the dagger, and he received it as the Japanese due
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  Speaker 1: a valued gift, by raising it to his forehead with
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  Speaker 1: both hands, and then he placed it in front of himself,
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  Speaker 1: again bowing deeply. He prepared to speak. It was expected
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  Speaker 1: that he would boast of his deed, for the Japanese
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  Speaker 1: samurai about to die by his own hand, had the
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  Speaker 1: right to address the witnesses, and it was customary for
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  Speaker 1: him to defend the act that cost him his life
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  Speaker 1: by placing it in the best light. But it was
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  Speaker 1: evident that this man understood that the unprovoked attack instigated
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  Speaker 1: by him might have cost his country dear. It was
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  Speaker 1: said afterwards that before going to his death, he had
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  Speaker 1: called his fellow cladsmen and assured them that the judgment
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  Speaker 1: was just, and that no ill will must be shown
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  Speaker 1: to those who had brought it upon him. So little
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  Speaker 1: does a samurai consider his own welfare when the good
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  Speaker 1: of his country is at stake. On this occasion, in
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  Speaker 1: a calm and dignified manner, he said, with as much
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  Speaker 1: hesitation as would be natural in a man making a
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  Speaker 1: humiliating confession. Ay, and I alone, without cause, gave the
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  Speaker 1: order to fire on the foreners at Kobay and again
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  Speaker 1: as they tried to escape. For this crime, I commit harakiri,
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  Speaker 1: and I beg you, who are present, to do me
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  Speaker 1: the honor of witnessing the act. After bowing once more,
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  Speaker 1: he let his clothes drop to his belt and took
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  Speaker 1: care to tuck the ends of his long sleeves under
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  Speaker 1: his knees so that he should fall forward. Then he
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  Speaker 1: took up the dagger, looked at it for a moment,
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  Speaker 1: almost with affection, and slowly but deeply cut himself. His
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  Speaker 1: second jumped in. There was a flash, and the head
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  Speaker 1: rolled upon the floor. The two witnesses for the tendo
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  Speaker 1: now crossed over to the foregners and called them to
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  Speaker 1: witness that justice had been done. They made a suitable
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  Speaker 1: answer and departed, deeply moved by the speck. But an
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  Speaker 1: example was necessary. The roving samurai had made altogether too
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  Speaker 1: free with their swords, and promising lives had been cut
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  Speaker 1: short without any provocation, and even this example was not sufficient.
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  Speaker 1: It was only when the foreign ministers insisted that all
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  Speaker 1: samurai who made unprovoked attack upon foreigners should be handed
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  Speaker 1: over to the executioner and die the death of a
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  Speaker 1: common felon that the attacks ceased. It was the assault
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  Speaker 1: on the British minister at Quioto that led to the
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  Speaker 1: enactment of this law end Section thirty three.