Yatagarasu Series
Volume 1:
Ravens Shouldn't
Wear Kimono
Author: Chisato Abe
Part 2: Summer
Section 1
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Hamayū awoke to the sound of rustling silk. She kept her eyes closed and pretended to still be asleep as she listened closer. The sound ceased, and she felt a sudden weight resting on the edge of her bed.
None of Hamayū’s ladies-in-waiting or maids would tread so softly around her while she slept. Hamayū must have a guest.
Masuho no Susuki and Shiratama would never deign to visit her here, and when she’d last seen Asebi, the girl had been apologetic and as white as a sheet. By process of elimination, Hamayū figured out who her visitor must be. She opened one eye and asked, “Asebi. What do you want with me at this hour?”
Asebi inhaled sharply.
Hamayū opened both eyes and sat up. Asebi was sitting at the edge of her bed on the wooden floor, blinking in surprise. She wasn’t even sitting on a cushion.1
Asebi leaned against the futon mattress while she lowered herself to the floor in an effort to make less noise.
“If you sit there like that, you’ll be eaten by a frog,” Hamayū said sternly. Asebi was ignorant of so many things.
Asebi gave Hamayū a troubled smile. “I could say the same to you, Duchess Hamayū. What would you do if you fell into the water?” she asked, gesturing toward one wall. “How can you sleep in a place like this?” Her tone was light and curious; there was no malice in her questions.
Hamayū shrugged, thinking how ill-suited this duchess was for the sport of verbal sparring.
“The Summer Hall only shows its true worth in this season. I take full advantage of it as its mistress. And why shouldn’t I?”
The wall that Asebi had gestured to before was a trickling indoor waterfall feature that fed a pure mountain spring contained by a low stone retaining wall. It was summer now, and getting hot outside. All the duchesses had already sent for a new set of clothes to mark the season change.
As the temperature gradually rose, the Summer Hall would become the most comfortable place in the whole palace. The spring kept the air cool naturally. The Summer Hall was designed and laid out similarly to the others aside from this one single room, which was built at the very end of a long stone hallway cut into the heart of the mountain. Beyond the hallway was a large hollow. The room with the spring was inside this hollow, constructed on a special pavilion that was held up by pillars from below. This pavilion was like the overhanging construction that Asebi had seen on her carriage ride, only it was entirely enclosed by the mountain.
Although the pavilion was an interior room in the Summer Hall, it had the feel of a peaceful mountain forest. White water lilies bloomed on the surface of the spring, and the air was crisp and clean.
As Hamayū sat up in bed, she let one end of her loosely untied sash dip into the spring and watched it float on the surface of the water. “The Spring Hall has its cherry blossoms,” Hamayū said, “and the Summer Hall has its water lilies.” She smiled and placed her hand underwater, thoroughly enjoying the spring.
“This water flows from the same source as the waterfall used for purification rituals. It is always clear and clean. There aren’t many flowers yet, but soon they’ll be blooming everywhere. In midsummer, the largest blossoms open. I can’t say I like everything about the Summer Hall, but this place is a marvel.”
Asebi grinned wryly. It was typical of Hamayū to dismiss the rich furnishings and opulent comforts that existed elsewhere in the Summer Hall. She seemed very comfortable in this room.
“It’s so beautiful here. I wonder why it isn’t more widely known?” Asebi asked.
“Duchesses from the other halls rarely come here,” Hamayū said. “My family treasures secrets. We like keeping things to ourselves. I think you’re the first duchess from another family to ever come here.”
Until now, all Asebi had seen was the main reception room of the Summer Hall, which was elevated on stilts. Today, Hamayū’s attendants had guided her here, since Hamayū had still been sleeping.
Asebi considered her response and settled on an ambiguous smile.
Hamayū feigned utter disinterest in Asebi’s reaction to being here. “Why are you here, anyway?” she asked. “Shouldn’t you be at the feast?”
Asebi sat up straighter and squared her shoulders as if she were gathering courage. “Yes, well,” she said. “About that… wouldn’t you like to come to the feast, too?”
“I refuse to go,” Hamayū said with forthright resolve.
Asebi hung her head in disappointment.
Hamayū stared at her visitor out of slightly narrowed eyes. “Did Masuho no Susuki send you?” she asked. “I suppose it might look bad if no one invited me, but it would hurt her pride if I refused her directly. She made you be the messenger, didn’t she?” She shook her head in mock-pity and was careful to keep her tone light. She wasn’t angry with Asebi. There wouldn’t be much point in that.
“That’s not what happened,” Asebi said, stammering a little on the first word. Hamayū was mostly right, but Asebi didn’t tell her that. It seemed like Hamayū could always see right through her.
Today was the Boys’ Festival. The Crown Prince would arrive at Sakura Palace in the afternoon. Before then, there was a grand celebration being held in Wisteria Hall. Shiratama, Masuho no Susuki and their attendants were all present at the celebration. Hamayū knew about the celebration and the feast that went along with it, but she’d decided to skip it.2
“Are you sure you want to ignore the celebration?” Asebi asked in an undertone.
Now Hamayū had to make an uncomfortable choice. She didn’t want to go anywhere, and so she wouldn’t, but her deliberate absence would be noticed and punished in some way. She snorted a laugh, and then shrugged.
“I’m very sure of what I want,” Hamayū said. “Deliver a message to Masuho no Susuki from me.”
“What’s the message?”
“Tell her that I shall put her and all her arrogant ilk in their place for abusing your goodwill in such fashion.”
Asebi gave Hamayū a blank look of confusion.
Hamayū raised an eyebrow. “The saying goes, ‘merchants in the south, artisans in the west, warriors in the north, and musicians in the east.’ Your nagon music rides the wind and reaches all the way here, at times. Those who look down on you, believing you to be naïve about the world, will be forced to reconsider their own positions.”
“No,” Asebi exclaimed, startled. “That would never happen.”
Hamayū suppressed a laugh behind her hand. “Now, off you go! That is my message. Masuho no Susuki should be informed that I am not as free as she is.” She waved her hand dismissively, and then sprawled out comfortably on her bed.
Asebi bit her lip. She was dissatisfied with how this discussion had gone, but it was impossible to change Hamayū’s mind. She excused herself, and then left the Summer Hall.
***
Asebi returned to Masuho no Susuki with Hamayū’s message. “Um, she told me that she has other matters to attend to, so unfortunately, she cannot participate in the celebration.” She didn’t dare repeat exactly what Hamayū had said, since that would be unforgivably rude. She felt that she’d conveyed the gist of Hamayū’s message, at least, even if she’d completely missed the spirit of it.
Masuho no Susuki clicked her tongue in annoyance. “Really? What did she say? ‘If I had that much free time, I’d rather spend it playing with frogs?’ I should have expected as much.”
Asebi thought Masuho no Susuki’s guess was pretty close and gave her a round of mental applause.
“Honestly, it makes you doubt whether she is really a noble lady, doesn’t it? I wonder if she refused to come to the tea party so that she wouldn’t reveal her lack of proper manners,” Masuho no Susuki said.
“That’s entirely possible,” murmured Masuho no Susuki’s ladies-in-waiting, their voices buzzing with gossip.
“Did you hear the way she speaks? She doesn’t sound like a young lady from a noble family at all.”
“Just the other day, she was walking through the halls in nothing but a single-layer kimono.”
“How improper!”
“And she goes down to the gardens like that without a care. It is embarrassing just to watch her.”
“I wonder what kind of education the Nanke family is providing for her.”
“She’s no different from a commoner!”
The ladies-in-waiting kept berating Hamayū, unaware that they were making Asebi uncomfortable.
“Perhaps she is a commoner. Have you ever considered that?”
“What? Is that even possible?”
“It’s happened in the past. When my grandmother served here, she heard plenty of rumors. If an unattractive daughter was born, the family would secretly buy an infant from the pleasure houses and raise her as their own daughter.”
“But then the family’s bloodline wouldn’t continue! It would be worse than a scandal!”
“They would have the real daughter go to court as a maid alongside the adopted one. If a prince favored the adopted daughter, then the matter could be handled quietly, behind the scenes.”
“No way!”
“I don’t believe it!”
“But it’s true. The Nanke family is not famous for beauty. It would not be surprising for them to try to borrow beauty from elsewhere. Duchess Hamayū is quite beautiful, isn’t she? At least on the outside.”
“Isn’t that her general reputation? As the current duchess of the Summer Hall, she’s somewhat better-looking than average, don’t you think? At least, if we’re only talking about her face.”
“So is she really a commoner?”
“It’s possible.”
The ladies-in-waiting all nodded in agreement.
Shiratama’s elderly attendant coughed loudly and deliberately. All eyes shifted to her. She gazed impassively at the other ladies-in-waiting.
“Oh my, what is it, Chanohana?” asked Kikuno. She hadn’t participated in the conversation about Hamayū, but she had listened in and appeared to be a bit pale and nervous.
Chanohana gave Kikuno a polite, superficial smile. When she spoke, her tone was firm. “You all seem unaware of current court practice,” she said. “It is true that there were adoptions in the past, but it is now forbidden for the noble families of Yamauchi to adopt commoners.”
Kikuno frowned at Chanohana’s knowing tone. She got the sense that Chanohana was talking down to her and the other ladies-in-waiting. Some of the other attendants were having similar reactions, judging from their expressions.
Chanohana pretended not to notice the growing consternation around her and said, “The younger brother of the late Emperor’s predecessor could not take human form because his mother was a commoner. Such things can happen when the bloodline is impure.”
Since then, Chanohana explained matter-of-factly, it had become customary for a physiognomist to confirm the background of any noble lady entering the palace.
“Even without a physiognomist, those of us who have lived in the Imperial Palace for a long time can generally tell the purity of someone’s blood from their bone structure and appearance. The Duchess of Nanke is certainly the daughter of both her parents.”3
It was clear that Chanohana enjoyed sharing her own wealth of experience. She took great pride in her knowledge. Kikuno was still young for a lady-in-waiting, and she frowned at Chanohana’s haughty display of superiority. There was a tense atmosphere in the room.
Shiratama called out softly to Chanohana.
“What is it, duchess?” Chanohana asked solicitously. She blushed a little, flustered because Shiratama had interrupted her.
“I would like some hot water, please.”
“I’ll bring it right away,” Chanohana said, rising to her feet. She glanced briefly at Kikuno, and then she left.
After Chanohana was gone, Shiratama sighed and gave Kikuno a polite nod.
“My attendant was rude. Please forgive her.”
“Duchess Shiratama, there is nothing you need to apologize for,” Kikuno replied, shaking her head.
An awkward silence followed. Kikuno broke it, hoping to reduce the tension in the room. “If Duchess Hamayū is truly from the Nanke family, then her behavior is more surprising still.”
Masuho no Susuki’s ladies-in-waiting nodded. “It really is,” one woman said.
“I wonder what the cause of it is?” another asked.
The ladies-in-waiting all took turns criticizing Hamayū, as before.
One of the ladies-in-waiting sighed heavily. “Must she hurt everyone’s chances? With Duchess Hamayū casting her shadow over the palace, it’s no wonder that the Crown Prince rarely comes to visit.”
Shiratama stiffened, and Masuho no Susuki’s eyebrows shot up.
The Crown Prince had come to Sakura Palace exactly once since the duchess’ arrival. He had gone to the cherry blossom viewing stage briefly, and then he’d left without visiting any of the duchesses. Normally, whenever the Crown Prince visited, he would meet all the duchesses in turn, but that hadn’t happened. It was traditional for the Crown Prince to only visit Sakura Palace during the five annual festival days celebrated at court, but no other Crown Prince had so slavishly followed tradition until now.
It was admirable, in some ways, that the Crown Prince valued tradition. But it was also maddening. Every duchess who had been sent to Sakura Palace in the past had been graced with at least one personal visit from the Crown Prince by the summer season, aside from the four currently in residence. Masuho no Susuki’s ladies-in-waiting interpreted the Crown Prince’s continued absence as deliberate neglect.
Masuho no Susuki forced a smile. “Well, we must consider the Crown Prince’s schedule. I am sure that he is very busy. I’ve heard that he’s been doing quite a bit of traveling in recent years.”
The Tengu were trade partners of the Nanke family. They were not residents of Yamauchi; they lived beyond the mountains. Only the Nanke family interacted with the Tengu on a regular basis, but the Crown Prince was also a designated trade representative. The Crown Prince had traveled to Tengu territory several times during the past few years.
Masuho no Susuki rested her cheek on the palm of her hand with a dreamy expression. “From what I understand of these matters, the Crown Prince wishes to broaden his horizons. Doesn’t that sound very open-minded and adventurous?” she asked. “He’s been like that since he was a child.”
Asebi’s heart skipped a beat. “Have you ever met the Crown Prince?” she asked. She remembered her own childhood. She’d spent most of her life hiding her face from men, including her own brothers when they visited her. If the Nishiie family was equally strict, then it was possible that Masuho no Susuki had never met the Crown Prince face-to-face.
“I have met him, but only when we were children,” Masuho no Susuki said. “We’re cousins, you see. When we were little, we often played together.”
“What is he like?” Asebi asked. She’d never heard anything about the Crown Prince when she’d been a child, not even rumors. She found herself wanting to know more about him.
Masuho no Susuki looked around the room for a moment as if she were searching for the right words. She smiled proudly, and then said, “The Crown Prince is a wonderful person.”
“In what way?” Asebi asked.
“In all ways.”
“Huh?”
“Well, he has such a noble face,” Masuho no Susuki said. “He’s very elegant and full of grace. And he’s so very kind…”
Masuho no Susuki’s compliments to the Crown Prince were so cloying and overly sweet that they seemed insincere. Kikuno pressed her hands to her own cheeks, concealing an expression of either admiration or exasperation.
“Perhaps it sounds silly, but I think it’s amazing that someone as incredible as the Crown Prince exists in this world,” Masuho no Susuki said. “He is, simply put, absolutely perfect.”
A gentle wave of laughter rippled through Masuho no Susuki’s ladies-in-waiting.
“Oh,” Asebi said. “Well, in that case, I can’t wait to meet him.”
“There’s no need to over-excite yourself,” Masuho no Susuki said. “We’ll all be seeing him this afternoon, whether we want to or not.”
“I am still anticipating the meeting with great eagerness,” Asebi said. “Do you speak of other young men this way, duchess?”
“Of course not,” Masuho no Susuki said, pursing her red lips in distaste. “I have never so much as considered another man to be worthy of my time. The Crown Prince is the only man I’ll ever need.”
Masuho no Susuki’s ladies-in-waiting all made enthusiastic noises of agreement.
Asebi regretted asking Masuho no Susuki about the Crown Prince. The Nishiie duchess was clearly infatuated with him. Asebi hadn’t considered her own feelings for the Crown Prince before, but listening to Masuho no Susuki wax vaguely poetic about him made her chest feel tight. Shiratama didn’t appear to be enjoying this conversation, either. Only Masuho no Susuki and her attendants were entirely at ease.
Ukogi gave her a glance that expressed mild reproach. Asebi really shouldn’t have asked Masuho no Susuki that question.
Soon after, an imperial messenger broke up the gathering, informing those present that it was time for the purification ritual before the start of the ceremony. Asebi was relieved by the messenger’s interruption.
Every year, the Boys’ Festival was held on a high platform that the Waterfall of Purification flowed past. The waterfall cooled the air, much like the enclosed pond in the Summer Hall did. The scenery surrounding the cooling platform was much different, though. There were no water lilies, but cattails grew in abundance, and blooming irises floated on the surface of the shallow stream below. The platform was lined with soft red felt mats for the comfort of those who used it.
Asebi was purified by the waterfall and then donned robes of raw silk. She walked back to the Spring Hall with Ukogi afterwards, noticing many decorative medicine balls hanging from pillars and from blinds.4 The balls smelled of iris and mugwort. Sakura Palace buzzed with activity as the festival got underway. Asebi had never seen so many people in such a joyful mood.
After arriving in the Spring Hall, Asebi had to change clothes for the upcoming ceremony. She selected a vivid red unlined under-robe with a pale green outer robe. The combination made her look as if she were clad in fresh spring leaves. The occasion didn’t warrant quite as much formality as an imperial audience, so Asebi opted to do up her hair with a soft pink peony flower in place of a jeweled crown or hairpin.
Samomo had gone to the cooling platform ahead of Asebi. By the time Asebi got there, the seating arrangements were already complete. Bamboo blinds were erected for privacy and the red felt cushions were laid out in groups. Asebi took her assigned place and waited for the other duchesses to enter.
Shiratama reached the cooling platform next. Like Asebi, she’d decided to style her hair using a flower as a focal point. She’d picked a white rhododendron for this purpose. A hair ornament with a string of pearls hanging down was attached to the flower. Her pale blue over-robe was embroidered all over with white thread. Shiratama gave off a cool and calm air as she assumed her place.
Asebi tried to catch Shiratama’s eye. She noticed that the Hokke duchess was a bit nervous. Shiratama was blushing, which was a rare enough occurrence, and her expression was somewhat stiff. Her stern gaze fixed on the Crown Prince’s seat, which was vacant.
Asebi understood exactly how Shiratama felt. Only one of the duchesses of Sakura Palace would be accepted into the Imperial Court as a bride. The three others would have to swallow their disappointment and go home. The idea of this made Asebi’s heart hurt. The pressure of this situation was clear to her now. Shiratama had felt it from the very beginning.
Masuho no Susuki and Hamayū arrived in quick succession. Masuho no Susuki wore a karaginu of white with pale yellow dyeing the edges. A waterfall and green citrus leaves were embroidered on the back and sleeves. Her full skirt matched the karaginu and was decorated with a flowing waterfall motif. Her hair was adorned with a silver hairpin that sported deutzia flowers formed of white crystal.
Hamayū’s style of dress was much bolder and simpler than Masuho no Susuki’s. Her over-robe was the color of cypress bark; she wore it over a stark white under-robe. Instead of a karaginu, she wore layers of sheer, blue-green silk on top of her over-robe, creating the impression of a cicada’s translucent wings.
Asebi remembered seeing all of these duchesses for the first time in Wisteria Hall. They were as lovely as ever, and she sighed in admiration. Hamayū had attempted to encourage Asebi regarding her own appearance, but Asebi didn’t think there was any real comparison between her and the other duchesses. She had no chance whatsoever of being chosen by the Crown Prince as a bride.
Even though her chances of being chosen as a bride were unlikely, Asebi was still happy to be here, included in the ranks of these breathtakingly beautiful duchesses. She had grown up in isolation, knowing little of the outside world. This was an incredible opportunity for Asebi to learn and grow. She was grateful, even if some part of her longed for more.
Yes, her being chosen wasn’t likely… but it wasn’t impossible. She felt a strange longing for this slim possibility of future happiness. Her mind drifted to the smile that the Crown Prince had given her when he’d seen her at the cherry blossom viewing stage. It really was a wonderful smile.
“Duchess, Princess Fujinami has arrived,” Ukogi said softly to Asebi.
Princess Fujinami entered and then took her seat in a place of honor. She wore deep purple formal robes with matching accessories for her hair. She looked around the room, and then smiled. “There is still a little time before my elder brother arrives,” she said. “In the meantime, I would request that Duchess Asebi of Azumaya entertain us for a short while.”
Princess Fujinami’s ladies-in-waiting started whispering to one another. The other duchesses appeared surprised. Asebi was surprised herself.
Fujinami’s smile grew wider. “Duchess Asebi, will you play the koto for us?” she asked.
“What?” several exclamations of surprise echoed in the space.
“Didn’t you mean to ask the Nishiie duchess, Princess Fujinami?” an attendant asked.
“Princess Fujinami,” Asebi cried out in distress. Her voice was drowned out by many others. “Please, can you…”
No one was listening to Asebi. Fujinami herself ignored any protest or desire for clarification that Asebi might have made.
“I have made no mistake,” Princess Fujinami said. “I asked for Duchess Asebi to perform for us, and that is what will happen.”
“I have the instrument prepared, Princess Fujinami,” Ukogi called out in a loud voice. She carried Ukigumo in a special case.
Ukogi guided Asebi over to the nagon and gestured for her to sit down.
Masuho no Susuki seemed surprised to see the nagon. She could play the koto well, but had never been taught to play a nagon.
“I have never seen such an instrument before,” Masuho no Susuki said. “That is not a true koto. What is it?”
“This is a nagon,” Ukogi said. “The word means ‘large koto.’ The instrument is primarily played by members of the Azumaya family.”
Asebi finished tuning the instrument, feeling a little nervous.
“The nagon uses koto bridges, but the pitch is determined by where you press on the strings, so the construction is complex and playing it is difficult. Even within the Azumaya family, there are not many who can play it well.”5
Asebi tested the tuning and the tension of the strings. She’d never found playing the nagon to be particularly difficult. She appreciated that Ukogi was trying to praise her, but she worried that her skill was being exaggerated. She shook herself out of her darkening thoughts and faced her beloved instrument with firm resolve. If she was going to play, she had to be ready. It wouldn’t do for the music to wander as her heart and mind did.
Masuho no Susuki’s ladies-in-waiting watched Asebi with critical eyes. A hush fell over the cooling platform. Asebi had an attentive audience.
Translator's Notes
1 Beds seem to be traditional Japanese in style here, so Hamayū’s bed would be a futon on the floor that could be folded or rolled up during the day. ↩
2 Boys’ Day (端午の節句) was one of the five annual ceremonies held at the imperial court in Japan in the past. It was celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month (May 5). During the Edo period (1603–1867), Boys’ Day celebrations became extravagant, and samurai households began to display samurai dolls in addition to real armor, helmets, and swords. Boys’ Day in modern-day Japan is celebrated as the more inclusive Children’s Day. ↩
3 A physiognomist is a person that judges character and traits from facial characteristics. In the modern day, this is considered a pseudoscience, though it was used often in the past to discriminate against groups of people with certain unfavorable physical characteristics, like large noses or warts. ↩
4 クス玉: Medicine balls, or kusudama, are ornamental ball-shaped scent bags full of herbs. The word also describes more basic decorative paper balls that are used for festive occasions. Since there is a purification ceremony involved with the Boys’ Day festival, I have chosen to translate kusudama as “medicine balls.” ↩
5筝柱: A koto bridge, also known as koto-ji or simply ji, is a small, movable bridge used on a Japanese koto to support and tune the strings. The koto has a bridge for each string, allowing the player to adjust the pitch by moving the bridges. Modern koto bridges are typically made of plastic, but they can also be made of ivory or wood. ↩
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