藤沢周平『静かな木』と『早春』　ダイジェスト（英語対訳）４　　　　　　Fujisawa Shuhei's "The Quiet Tree" and "Early Spring" A Digest (Japanese-English Translation)　４

４　『偉丈夫』(いじょうふ）

　「海坂藩」初代藩主政慶は二男の仲次郎光成を愛し、死没する際、藩から一万石を削って仲次郎に与え、幕府の許しを得て支藩とした。政慶公が死没してから７０年程経って、漆の木をめぐり本藩と支藩の境界争いが生じたが、支藩「海上藩」に属していた片桐権兵衛は本藩との掛け合い役に抜擢された。権兵衛は六尺近い巨体の持ち主だが蚤の心臓で無口、本藩の掛け合い役加治右馬之助は熟練、能弁。一方的に打ち負かされ、漆の山は二分に線引きすることを承知させられそうになったが、それまで黙っていた権兵衛が最後に突然びっくりするような大声を発し、「それは出来申さん」、「初代藩主の遺志を曲げるとなれば弓矢をとって一戦も辞さぬ覚悟・・・」、一転　立場が逆転、線引き問題は無かったことになる。ユーモラスな結末だが　現代社会においても　似たような話が有るような気がする。

Fujisawa Shuhei 's "The Quiet Tree" and "Early Spring" A Digest (Japanese-English Translation)

4. "A Great Man"

　　　Masayoshi, the first lord of the "Unasaka Domain", loved his second son, Nakajiro Mitsunari, and when he died, he gave 10,000 kokus of land from the domain to Nakajiro, and with the permission of the shogunate, made it a branch domain. About 70 years after Masayoshi's death, a border dispute arose between the main domain and the branch domain over lacquer trees, and Katagiri Gonbei, who belonged to the branch domain "Unakami Domain", was selected to act as a negotiator with the main domain. Gonbei was a giant of nearly six feet but had a flea's heart and was silent, while Kajiemonosuke, the negotiator for the main domain, was skilled and eloquent. He was defeated one-sidedly and was about to be forced to agree to draw a line in half over the Urushi mountain, but Gonbei, who had been silent until then, suddenly uttered a surprised loud voice at the end, saying, "I can't do that," and "If it goes against the will of the first lord, I'll take up my bow and arrow and prepare to fight...", and the situation was reversed, and the issue of drawing the line was no longer an issue. It's a humorous ending, but I feel like there are similar stories in modern society too.　（To be continued）