Translator: Flowingcloud Editor: Arocks141
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TERMS/THINGS TO NOTE:
Cursive Script – A calligraphy style.
Lots of measurement units used this chapter:
Cho, Kan, Koku, Shaku, Sho, and Tan
Senbakoki – Ancient Japanese threshing tool
Father’s and Old Man Tako’s Conversation
September, 23rd year of the Tembun era (1554), Gassantoda Castle, Izumo; Amago Haruhisa
If you are reading from a pirate or aggregator site, please read from the translator’s site: yado-inn (dot) com I have to put the link like this or else the bots will remove it, sorry 🙁
“‘A person will not move unless you show them, tell them, have them do it, and then praise them.’……”
It was as if it was a song. However, I have never heard this phrase.
However, these words were a wise saying for people who stood at the top. Is this how it feels like to be enlightened from ignorance?
“As you say.”
“Are these words from a great man from a foreign country?”
“No, not according to my limited information. I heard princess speak those words at that time as if she was firing off her own words.”
“Excuse me, Tokitaka. Although she is my daughter, I do not think those are the words that a seven-year-old girl would express, but it must be true if you say so.”
To think that at this age I would be given guidance to the truth by my daughter—who is just merely seven……
It’s too early for me to be senile though. No, there is no relationship to whether you’re young or old to speak wise words.
What’s left is how to incorporate these words into my blood and flesh. That is what’s crucial.
“Ha.”
“Phew, I thought she was a strange girl from when she was very young, but good grief, Momo gave birth to an amazing daughter.”
Thanks to what Tama has told us, I’ve heard that in the fields that employed the new seedling planting method, the ear of rice ripened was close to double of other fields.
It’s unavoidable to repeatedly regret that she only tested out a mere 5-cho of land.
However, I cannot say that my entire territory will, but a majority of the rice fields will be employing this new method. Rumors spread quickly, a good and bad thing.
The amount of rice harvested will increase, so the farmers will all imitate Tama’s method probably.
Also, a tool used for threshing called a ‘senbakoki’? If they use this, it’s said that they could finish threshing in less than one-fifth of the time of the traditional method. Good gracious, Tama has made a terrific tool.
Whether it is a lie or truth, I hear that if you trace back the genealogy of the bunch of regional administrators, you’ll arrive at the gods of the grand shrine. Tama being a prodigy; if this our ancestor’s reply, could this mean that this is approval…… 1
“Lord, Princess Tama is still a little child.”
“You’re right. After listening to your report and seeing Tama’s note, I forgot about Tama’s age.”
“That is the same for me. Also, according to the letter from my granddaughter Haru, it seems like Princess Tama can already read Chinese classical literature to some extent.” 2
Those fellas from the grand shrine already told me. I hear it each time they come, that she’s been reading the Chinese classics that I don’t understand the meaning of, so the bunch of regional administrators were happy to see Tama’s revision of them. 3
However, Sun Tzu, Wuzi, the Six Secret Teachings… those are books a child would not read…
“That is probably so. The penmanship in this letter is already not that of a lass. Even the court nobles and scholars in the capital, it is rare for there to be a figure who could write so meticulously, moreover easy to read like this.”
“That is so. I was surprised when I saw Princess write those worm-like characters in one stroke, but now that I think about it, Princess once taught me that each person has their own particular quirk, her’s just happens to be cursive script.” 4
If that’s the case, I thought the problem was that there were too many characters, which looked like a child’s graffiti, but I was surprised when no one tried to correct them and the letter that Tama sent was easier to read than anyone else’s.
Additionally, I thought that it was dull plain penmanship without any color of its own, but if you think about it, the dullness gets the main point easily across, and the contents can be easily read and easily enters your mind. Indeed, good penmanship.
This is a matter that is necessary to be spread to my retainers. I have to practice and become a role model for my vassals.
I will show them, tell my retainers about it, have them do it, then praise them, or else no matter how much time passes, their characters will crawl like an earthworm.
I see, Tama’s wise words were referring to a situation like this!
This is……
“How regrettable, if Tama was a male, she would have more than enough capability to become a military commander a cut above the rest.”
“My lord’s words are surely correct. Nevertheless, there are cases like Tomoe Gozen, Tsuruhime of Setouchi, so although few, it is not like there are no female military commanders.” 5
“That’s also the case…… Hmm, this might be the perfect opportunity.”
The Same Time and Day, Kitsuki-no-Oyashiro
“Achoo!”
“Princess, do you have a cold?”
“Nah, just a bit of the chills.”
“That is no good! You must head to bed and get some rest!”
“Sure, I’ll go do that.”
Rather, is this the only appearance I make this time?
- Flowingcloud: This is pretty confusing overall if you don’t understand the culture behind this. Basically, Tama ‘being a prodigy’ is not because she’s born smart, but a gift from their ancestors. The regional administrators, including the Amago themselves, all can trace back to the gods of the Izumo Grand Shrine (called Kitsuki-no-Oyashiro in the novel). Giving Tama this gift means that the gods of the grand shrine approve of him (and the Amago) ruling over Izumi.
- Flowingcloud: Women at the time were only expected to learn hiragana and katakana as those were the ‘female writing systems’, so learning kanji (Chinese characters) was impressive (but also somewhat looked down upon in some cases, as it was overstretching the boundaries of what a woman could do).
- Flowingcloud: Yes, when you read/study Chinese classics, you are “revising” them. Not everyone’s understanding of the classics are exactly the same, thus your understanding would be the xxx’s revision of the classic. Tama’s dad, Haruhisa, mentions that he does not understand the classics, and that is normal since people who studied the classics were usually scholars. Samurai do have some literacy, but they would not invest their time usually to read the classics, although there are exceptions.
- This is not a calligraphy style that females would learn at that time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cursive_script_(East_Asia)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomoe_Gozen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsuruhime
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seto_Inland_Sea
I still can’t make heads or tails of the cursive writings… It’s like another language altogether… 🙁