Teito Monogatari:
The Tale of the Imperial Capital
Part 1: Great Spirit of Tokyo
Author: Hiroshi Aramata
Part 3: The Enchanted Maiden
Chapter 13: Eighty Divine Words
Twilight shrouded the grounds of Yushima Tenjin Shrine. People lingered around the shrine, the details of their faces lost to the gloom. It was a warm evening; several groups lingered near the shrine long after the sun had set. There was a lively atmosphere here even though it was late evening.
Yoichiro followed after his sister and Lieutenant Katō, a silent shadow. He was exhausted from following them all day and making observations about what they were doing. He sat down near a shrine gate, breathing heavily and sweating from every pore. He wiped his forehead and then glanced up at the stone staircase where his sister and Lieutenant Katō stood. They were hard to make out among the gray shapes of other visitors.
I'll just wait here for them to come back, Yoichiro thought.
When Second Lieutenant Katō had invited him to see a kabuki play ten days ago, he had truly been taken aback. What had surprised him most was that Katō had also invited his sister Yukari, whom he had never met before.
The invitation really wasn't too strange, now that he thought about it. He'd mentioned his sister on various occasions. Lieutenant Katō had taken an interest in her strong-willed nature. Yoichiro had never dreamed that Katō would approach his sister directly.
He invited me out, but he really wanted to talk to my sister. Yoichiro muttered complaints under his breath. What does he want with her? Yukari was innocent for her age. She was eighteen, but she wasn't promiscuous by any standard. He doubted that Katō saw her as an object of desire. He'd never met her in person until today.
Yoichiro sat and pondered why Katō wanted to speak to his sister. He remembered the vision she'd seen when they were at Mitarashi Pond. Was that it? He recalled his own dreadful experience, which was unpleasant even to remember. A shiver went down his spine.
The day had been an usual one. Yoichiro couldn't shake a vague sense of unease. He'd listened to every word Lieutenant Katō had spoken to his sister all day and he never let them out of his sight. He hoped to uncover the real reason why Lieutenant Katō was here. He hoped the Lieutenant didn't have any hidden intentions toward his sister--that would be very awkward.
The kabuki performance that Lieutenant Katō had invited them to was peculiar. The play was titled Azuma no Hana Sōma no Dairi, and from what Yoichiro had heard, it was a rarely performed work from the Edo period.1
Yoichiro had dozed off partway through the play. He hadn't understood the plot at all. A character named Princess Omokage, the daughter of Taira no Masakado, appeared in the story. She gathered monsters and spirits within a palace on Mt. Sōma to avenge her father’s death. One part that caught his interest was that Princess Omokage fell in love with Abe no Seimei, the renowned master of exorcism and court astronomer. The story was about a romantic entanglement between a woman with supernatural powers and a divine sorcerer.
There was something else—a strange coincidence—that Yoichiro noticed. The actor who played Abe no Seimei wore a costume with a white pentagram emblazoned on the chest. That pentagram had been depicted along with a lattice pattern like a net. Yoichiro saw it and thought immediately of the Doman Seiman talisman that the Lieutenant carried.
The protective charm used by Second Lieutenant Katō might not necessarily have Western origins, as he'd supposed. It seemed to be connected to an ancient Japanese magical tradition.
Yukari and Lieutenant Katō stayed by the shrine for a long time, talking. Yoichiro wondered if he should get up and join them. He waited a few more minutes and then stood up.
As he approached his sister and Lieutenant Katō, Yoichiro heard the lieutenant call out to her.
“Are you tired, Miss Yukari?”
Tatsumiya Yukari was an energetic girl with a robust constitution. She wasn't frail and delicate like so many young women of good families were. She walked around the shrine with more vim and vigor than the lieutenant beside her.
“No, I’m not tired at all,” she replied cheerfully. "Would you like some water, sir?"
Yukari led the way to the water basin, dipped a bamboo ladle into the water and brought it to her lips. Second Lieutenant Katō caught up with her and picked up the bamboo ladle as well. However, instead of using it to scoop up water, he swirled the ladle around in the basin. At just the right moment, let go of the handle. The bamboo ladle slowly spun along with the current. Yukari looked at Katō in wonder.
“Miss Yukari, would you like to play a game?” Lieutenant Katō whispered.
“What kind of game?” she asked.
“Do you have a hand mirror with you, Miss Yukari?”
“Yes, I have a small one,” she replied.
“That’s perfect. There's an old fortune-telling method called the Listening Mirror,” he said.
“The Listening Mirror?” Yukari repeated, her eyes wide with curiosity.
A few more shrine visitors overheard their conversation and stopped to watch them. A hush fell over the area.
Lieutenant Katō nodded. "This method originates from China. I think it's quite interesting. Normally, it is performed on New Year’s Eve, but since today is just for fun, it should be fine. As I just demonstrated, you stir the water with this bamboo ladle, spin it around several times, and then let go. All right? You should try it."
Yukari followed his instructions, but she couldn't figure out the right time to let go of the ladle. She released it awkwardly, and the ladle only spun slowly two or three times in the water before stopping.
“Is this all right, Mr. Katō?”
“That’s fine. Now, Miss Yukari, hold your hand mirror and walk in the direction the ladle is pointing. Then listen in on the conversations of others. The very first words you hear will reveal your fortune—good or bad.”
Second Lieutenant Katō explained this pleasantly enough, but his gaze was sharp and cold. His mouth twisted into an eerie smile. His thin lips had turned a purplish color.
Yukari gasped. “This is an unusual method of fortune-telling, isn’t it? Listening to people’s conversations to tell your fortune…”
“No, it’s not so unusual. There is a famous saying: ‘Heaven does not speak, but lets people speak for it.’ The immortals do not speak themselves, but descend to places where many people gather and reveal their prophecies while standing in the middle of a crowd. In China, there's an old wives' tale that when something extraordinary is about to happen, an ominous star will descend at a street corner, transform into a child, and sing children’s songs. That’s why in China and here in Japan, the Emperor will sometimes go out into the city to listen to children’s songs and rumors. Some of these can be omens about the future."
“Is that really true? Children’s songs can be prophecies?”
“Of course. As proof, Miss Yukari, let me tell you the words of this old children's song:
Speak to me in the eighty words of divination,
I ask for a prediction of the evening.
Will she meet me or pass me by?
"This poem means that, at dusk at the crossroads where many people gather—just like at this shrine—various spirits are moving. The power of words exerts its influence in such places. Also, people possessed by the gods appear and speak their divine will. In the past, people performed their fortune-telling in the evening for just this reason. Even the Emperor himself would perform such divination. He stood before a bridge at dusk and received words from the first person who crossed. It was believed that spirits lived in bridges and that divine will could be conveyed through people’s words.”
“What an interesting story,” Yukari replied, her eyes shining.
“The prophecies in children’s songs are often quite accurate. Even you, Miss Yukari, have probably heard children’s songs whose meanings you don’t really understand, right? Perhaps you’ve sung them yourself without realizing it.”
“What kind children’s songs are you talking about?”
Second Lieutenant Katō smiled again. There was great meaning and purpose in that smile, but Yukari didn't know how to interpret it. For a brief moment, she felt as uneasy as her brother had felt all day.
“An example, hm? Well, when Dong Zhuo threatened the Han dynasty, this song became popular:
Eight thousand li of grass,2
how lush and green;
You will not survive
Herding cattle there
for ten days.
Those are the words.”3
“What does that mean?”
“Well,” he said, “as I mentioned earlier, popular children’s songs are a kind of divine message. Their meaning is not something easily understood. On the surface, it can be read as: 'The grass stretches for thousands of li. If cut down in ten days, death will be the result.' It seems to mean that even the vast, lush plains of grass will eventually perish. This children’s song foretold the fate of Dong Zhuo. If you combine the three characters for thousand, li, and grass, you get the character for Dong, and if you combine the characters for ten, days, and divination, you get Zhuo. Dong Zhuo once held great power, but he soon perished, just as the children’s song predicted.”
“I didn’t know that. I never imagined that children’s songs contained such prophecies. And to think that even the Emperor comes to listen to these prophecies at street corners in disguise!”
“That’s right. At dusk, the gods come to crossroads where many people meet. Perhaps the world of the gods is full of bustling crowds. Many bodies of those who died on the road are buried at crossroads, so there is often great spiritual energy gathered there as well.”
“Oh, my! How frightening.”
“There’s another story about a children’s song prophecy coming true. It appears in Records of Miraculous Events in Japan. During the reign of Emperor Shōmu, this mysterious children’s song became popular:
Who wishes you for a bride?
Who knows, among the myriad children of this land.
The immortal brings rice wine and gems,
carrying and sipping. The holy one speaks
until you pass under the mountain, left over and over.
"This, too, is incomprehensible. However, at that time, in Chisato Village, Toichi District, Yamato Province, there was a woman named Manko who was renowned for her beauty. Many sought her hand in marriage. I imagine that she was much like you, Miss Yukari."
“Oh, how flattering,” the girl said. She gave him an innocent smile.
"One day, a man came to Manko, bringing her a mountain of treasures. The woman was dazzled by the sight and, swayed by the man's persuasion, ended up inviting him to her bedroom. While her parents anxiously waited next door, they heard their daughter's voice from the bedroom crying, "It hurts, it hurts." The parents assumed that their daughter was simply experiencing pain from her first night. However, the next morning, they discovered that Manko had been devoured by a demon.
"The man who brought her treasures was, in fact, a mountain sage, or perhaps a demon in disguise. The strange children's song foretold Manko's fate. To summarize the meaning of the song: everyone said they wanted to marry Manko, but in the end, she was taken as a bride by a demon."
Yukari blushed as she listened to this bizarre story. "That's completely terrifying! I wonder what my fate will be. Please tell me, Mr. Katō! I've always been interested in fortune-telling."
"You're a brave young lady," Lieutenant Katō said. He chuckled. "Very well. Hold the hand mirror tightly in one hand and walk in the direction the ladle points. Let us see what voices you will hear."
The girl clutched the hand mirror to her chest and walked in the direction indicated by the ladle. The moved away from the stone pavement of the shrine grounds toward a grove of trees where the darkness was a bit deeper. Yukari held her breath and stepped forward cautiously.
Soon, she passed by a pair of silent men and women. She continued toward the grove without looking back. Near the trees, she saw several small figures. They looked like children holding hands in a circle, spinning around.
They seemed to be playing some kind of game. Yukari approached the circle of children, listened closely, and then smiled to ease her tension. Lieutenant Katō looked closely at her face, but remained silent.
The children's voices became clear. It was no wonder Yukari was smiling--they were singing a familiar song that every child in Tokyo knew:
The cage, the cage
The bird in the cage
When, oh when will it come out?
The crane and the turtle
slipped away from the guard at dawn.
Who is behind you now?
Yukari looked up at Lieutenant Katō, smiling with relief. "Is this song about my future?"
Katō’s expression remained serious. Had he interpreted the girl’s fortune?
"This is your fate. Without a doubt," he said earnestly.
"What does it mean? You are so knowledgeable about fortune-telling, Mr. Katō. Can you read the prophecy in this children's song? Will I, like Manko, be eaten by a demon?"
"Perhaps," he said.
"Huh?"
Katō shook his head. "You will understand the meaning of the song someday. You may need a protective charm."
"That's a good idea," Yukari said. "My brother told me that you're quite knowledgeable about charms and talismans. He showed me the glove he received from you.”
“It seems you know quite a lot, yourself. That makes things easier to explain. I will give you a protective charm—here it is.”
Katō reached into his breast pocket, took out a small paper packet, and handed it to her.
“Open it, Miss Yukari.”
“What is it?”
Yukari tilted her head slightly and opened the paper packet. Inside was something that looked like a small pill.
“Swallow it in one gulp. There’s no harm in it, so you don’t need to worry. You won’t suffer the same misfortune as Manko if you eat it.”
“I understand.”
She picked up the pill and swallowed it with a gulp. It caught a little in her throat, but it settled quickly in her stomach. The taste was extremely bitter. Yukari covered her mouth with one hand.
“Are you alright, Miss Yukari?”
Lieutenant Katō began to rub her back.
“Yes, but it’s very bitter. I feel sick…”
“My apologies. That protective charm is made from very bitter medicinal herbs. It’s not poisonous, I swear.”
Just then, her brother approached. Katō quickly took his hand off Yukari's back and faced Yoichiro with no expression on his face.
“What’s wrong, Yukari? You're so pale!"
“I’m fine. I’m just a little tired, that’s all.”
Yoichiro glared sharply at Katō. "Second Lieutenant Katō, don’t tell me you did something to my sister!"
"Calm down, Yoichiro. Let’s not jump to vulgar conclusions. We played a fortune-telling game, nothing more."
"Fortune-telling? But my sister looks terribly pale. What did you do, Yukari?"
"It was an old Chinese divination game called the Listening Mirror. Please trust me. I gave Miss Yukari a protective charm out of goodwill."
"A protective charm! Second Lieutenant Katō, just what kind of person are you? Are you a soldier or some kind of sorcerer?"
"Heh. I'm a soldier. But you might also want to consider why I was chosen as the military representative for the Imperial Capital Renovation Plan." He paused. "I enjoyed myself today. I am grateful to both you and Miss Yukari for accepting my invitation. It’s been years since I’ve had such a pleasant time. It was a great honor to meet you, Miss Yukari." He looked around. "It's already so late... my apologies for not escorting you home, but I must go. I have somewhere I must be at eight o’clock tonight.
"Miss Yukari." Katō turned toward the girl, whose shoulders were shaking. "The protective charm I made you is called the Worm Within."
"The Worm Within?"
"That’s right. In time, you’ll see how effective it is. I must be going now. Please excuse me.”
Lieutenant Katō left the brother and sister behind at Yushima Tenjin Shrine. He quickly disappeared into the darkness.
The children kept singing, "A cage, a cage" until their voices faded away.
On that May night, Yoichiro held his younger sister close, gazing at Lieutenant Katō's back until it was out of sight.
“Brother…”
Yoichiro raised his hand to silence Yukari.
It's my own fault, he thought. He'd let his guard down, and he deeply regretted it. Lieutenant Katō had wanted to spend time alone with Yukari for reasons that he didn't understand. Yoichiro was frustrated with himself. He'd failed to thwart the Lieutenant's plan.
Translator's Notes
1 吾妻花相馬内裡: Azuma no Hana Sōma no Dairi's title may as well be
nonsense. It does not show up in lists of kabuki plays online, so it is
likely a very obscure work. ↩
2 里: The li is a Japanese and Chinese unit of
measurement equivalent to approximately 4 kilometers or 2.44 miles. ↩
3 董卓: Dong Zhuo (c. 140s – 22 May 192) was a Chinese
military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han
dynasty. At the end of the reign of the Eastern Han, Dong Zhuo was a general
and powerful minister of the imperial government. Dong Zhuo seized control
of the imperial capital Luoyang in 189 when it entered a state of turmoil
following the death of Emperor Ling of Han and a massacre of the eunuch
faction by the court officials. Dong Zhuo subsequently deposed Liu Bian
(Emperor Shao) and replaced him with his half-brother, the puppet Emperor
Xian. The Eastern Han dynasty regime survived in name only. Dong Zhuo's rule
was brief and characterized by cruelty and tyranny. ↩
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