The change in subject was a clear signal that Kaze had veered onto a topic the woman was unwilling to expand on. Acting as if he didn’t notice this signal, Kaze simply said, “Of course. A bath would be most welcome.”
The samurai guards were left in a room near the entryway while Kaze was taken into the cool darkness of the house. The paper walls filtered the light, producing serenity and a feeling of coolness even when the weather was hot.
As Kaze penetrated the depths of the house, additional layers of paper filtering made the light darker and darker. Almost all large Japanese houses shared this characteristic. For that reason, decorative objects, such as the designs on the tops of boxes, were often done in mother-of-pearl, silver, and gold. Sometimes these materials formed a design that looked garish in the sunlight, but it was absolutely perfect in the twilight that pervaded the depths of a Japanese home.
To air out the house and provide light, large panels or removable screens simply slid apart, eliminating the barriers between the inside and the outside. Each room in the house was made to a multiple of a standard-size rectangular tatami mat, the size of the rooms being expressed in terms of the number of tatami mats it would take to cover the floor.
Kaze was led to the back of the house, to the bathhouse, where a large wooden ofuro tub was. As he walked to the bathhouse, he noticed two plastered structures in the back of the house. These were the treasure-houses, where things of value were kept safely away from the threat of fire that hung over every Japanese wood and paper house. This was something expected, especially for the house of a merchant, but he also saw something that surprised him.
The back of the estate was much more sizable than he would have thought. He was learning that Hishigawa’s ability to buy material goods was probably on a par with a minor lord rather than a merchant. In this backyard was a small lake and in the center of the lake was an island. On the island was a sizable palace with a green tile roof. The palace was so large that a midlevel samurai would have been happy to have it as his residence. A Chinese-style arched drum bridge connected the island to the rest of the estate. The bridge was in the shape of a perfect half circle, with stairs going up the steep sides of the bridge and an arched wooden causeway spanning the water. A railing lacquered red in the Chinese style added color to the bridge. A guard was standing on the island side.
“What is that?” Kaze asked Ando.
“That’s the Jade Palace,” Ando said, “the home of my master’s wife.”
It was not uncommon for husbands and wives to have separate quarters in the main house. It was less common for a wife to have her own palace to live in.
Kaze said nothing but noted that in some ways Hishigawa’s wife seemed to have a status unlike any wife that Kaze had yet met. She was treated more like the Empress, who had her own wing in the Imperial Palace in Kyoto.
At the bath Kaze relaxed in the steaming hot water. Before he had entered, a pretty, young serving girl scrubbed the dirt off him. Kaze noted that almost all of the female servants he had seen in the house, except Ando, were young and pretty. This was another unusual aspect of Hishigawa’s most unusual household. In most households, there was a mixture of servants, with a range of ages and appearances.
“Have you been in Hishigawa’s household long?” Kaze asked the girl tending the fire that heated the bathwater.
“No, Samurai-san.”
“How did you come to be in service at Hishigawa-san’s house?”
There was a pause. “My parents sold me into the service of this family,” the girl finally said.
This statement seemed to cause the girl so much pain that Kaze didn’t pursue it. Instead he submerged himself in the hot water, letting the tiredness of the journey seep into the surrounding heat. When Kaze had refreshed himself and put on a clean kimono lent to him by Ando, he was called in to meet with Hishigawa.
Kaze walked into the reception room of Hishigawa’s house. It was a large room measuring eighteen mats, similar to the kind of reception room found in the palaces and manors of nobles.
Hishigawa sat at the back of the room on a raised dais. Behind him was a large screen painted on four panels. The picture was of herons stepping their way into an iris pond, all on a gilt background. It was obviously expensive, but Kaze judged it vulgar. It was the kind of art done for newly rich merchants who had not yet developed an eye for the use of color and the mastery of the brush that marked a true artist.
Flanking Hishigawa were two rows of retainers, facing inward, six in each row. Eleven of these retainers were men; Kaze was surprised to note that Ando was the twelfth. Sitting between the rows were the samurai hired at the barrier. The arrangement was impressive and confirmed Hishigawa’s true wealth.
Hishigawa was dressed in a brown kimono with a white bamboo pattern. He sat easily, a man comfortable and assured in familiar surroundings. His elbow rested on a lacquered armrest that sat on the floor like a small piece of furniture. With a practiced eye, Kaze quickly looked over the men in the room. Most were of no consequence, but his eyes lingered on one man.
He was tall and thin, with the shaved pate of a samurai. He sat comfortably, with his hands on his knees. His two swords were impeccably placed, and he was looking back at Kaze with the same studied gaze that Kaze was using on him. Just as two creatures of the same species will always recognize each other, these two men knew from one another’s bearing, sharp eye, and stance that each was a master swordsman.
Kaze approached Hishigawa and sat down by the barrier samurai, giving Hishigawa a shallow bow. A small cloud passed over Hishigawa’s face. It was obvious that he was not satisfied with the depth of the bow. In the comfort of his own house, he was transformed from the pleading merchant Kaze had found on the Tokaido Road to an undeclared noble holding court. Kaze found it interesting that a merchant should be taking on airs simply because he was wealthy.
“This is the samurai I told you about,” Hishigawa said to the assembled group of retainers. He pointed with his chin at Kaze. “This man was not only able to save my life, he was also able to bring me and the gold safely to Kamakura. No thanks to the men assigned to me as bodyguards by my head of guards.”
At this Hishigawa glared at the swordsman who had caught Kaze’s eye. The swordsman looked back at Hishigawa coolly, meeting his glare with a measured stare that was hard and full of power. The two men looked at each other for several seconds, until finally Hishigawa broke away. Glancing downward, he said, “Well, it’s no matter. I’m here. In fact, Matsuyama-san, I would like to introduce you to my head of guards. This is Enomoto-san.” Hishigawa again pointed with his chin, this time to the swordsman.
Kaze looked at Enomoto, pivoting slightly.
“Enomoto Katataka,” the swordsman said.
“Matsuyama Kaze.”
Kaze put his hands on the mat and gave a polite bow. Enomoto returned the bow in exactly the same manner and at exactly the same depth. To the other men in the room it was a formal polite greeting, but to the two men involved it seemed like the punctuation to something else. They had already greeted each other when both took measure as Kaze walked into the room.
“You have already met Ando-san, the head of my household. The rest of these men are my retainers. They work for Enomoto-san or Ando-san.”
Kaze gave a polite bow to all in the room.
“First, there is the payment for the good samurai who escorted me from the barrier.” Hishigawa gave a nod and a man slid forward and placed a paper-wrapped stack of coins before the samurai. Much to Kaze’s disgust, the head of the group scooped up the money as any merchant would and put it in his sleeve. He gave a deep, formal bow of thanks.