Chapter 366 Ogata, Respected by Many Shogunate Officials【5400Words】
It can be said that Ogata is very familiar with the portrait Gua Sheng posted on the wall.
It's the portrait on the wanted poster.
Ogata has always had a lot of resentment towards the portrait on his wanted poster.
He always thought that the officials painted him ugly, and that he himself was much more handsome than the portrait painted on this wanted poster.
But people around him, including Atachi, felt that the portrait on the wanted poster was quite similar, and some of the features on the facial features were well outlined.
Since leaving the Hirose Domain, those bounty hunters who are interested in Ogata's head have always recognized Ogata as the fugitive "Executioner Ittosai".
Even the bounty hunters can recognize Ogata through his wanted poster, which also shows that the portrait painted on the wanted poster is very complete...
The wanted posters of this era were all drawn by hand. Since the wanted posters were hand-drawn, the portraits painted on each wanted poster were also carefully different.
Ogata thought some of the paintings on the wanted poster were okay and acceptable.
Ogata really couldn't accept some of the paintings on the wanted posters, thinking they were vilifying him.
However, whether it is a painting that Ogata thinks is good or a painting that Ogata thinks is not good, people around him think that the painting is quite realistic...
Ogata sometimes laments helplessly - this is probably the same as taking pictures of the modern earth.
Many people always feel that the camera makes them look ugly.
But the people around you think that you are not ugly, you are just like that.
Ogata believes that the reason why "he thinks that the portrait on the wanted poster makes him look ugly, but others don't think so" is probably related to the "photographic psychology" of modern earth...
…
The portrait that Guasheng posted on the wall should have been cut from a wanted poster. After all, apart from the wanted poster, there is no other place where there is a portrait of Ogata Yoshie.
The paper is a little yellowed, probably because it has been on the wall for a while.
After retracting his gaze from looking at the portrait on the wall, Ogata pointed at the portrait on the wall and asked Gua Sheng:
"Miss Guashou, why do you put up a portrait of Ogata Ittousai in your home?"
"Because he is a person I respect very much." When he said this, Guasheng looked solemn, as if he was saying something very great.
As for Ogata - after hearing Gua Sheng's words, he raised his eyebrows:
"Respect?"
"Mashima-kun, I remember you said that you were born in Izumo, right? Then you and Ogata Ittousai are fellow villagers. Ogata Ittousai was also born in Izumo. You should know the deeds of Ogata Ittousai.
?"
"Izumo is quite big. Although Ogata Ittousai and I are both from Izumo, I have only heard a little about Ogata Ittousai's deeds." Ogata said casually.
"Then let me briefly tell you about the feats Ogata Ittousai has done!"
After clearing his throat, Gua Sheng spoke loudly.
"Ogata Ittosai was born in the Hirose Domain of Izumo."
"The former lord of Hirose Domain... I think his name was Matsudaira Gennai. He was a beast who tortured the people and did all kinds of evil."
"His notoriety spread even as far as Edo."
"About a year ago, that beast Matsudaira Gennai massacred the sword hall where Ogata Ittousai practiced swordsmanship. As a result, all the masters and brothers of Ogata Ittousai died."
"Ogata Ittousai, who happened to be absent at the time, escaped the massacre of Gennai Matsudaira."
Regarding Ogata's past deeds, the beaming Gua Sheng looked like he knew all about them.
"About a month after his master and brothers were killed, Ogata Ittosai single-handedly began his revenge!"
"He took advantage of the situation when Gennai Matsudaira was out hunting, and single-handedly attacked Gennai Matsudaira, who was guarded by hundreds of samurai at that time!"
"With his extraordinary swordsmanship, he successfully beheaded Matsudaira Gennai! He avenged himself and those who were brutally poisoned by Matsudaira Gennai!"
After quietly listening to Gua Sheng's story about his past deeds, a strange smile with a hint of helplessness emerged uncontrollably at the corner of Ogata's mouth.
After successfully assassinating Gennai Matsudaira and becoming a ronin who broke away from the feudal domain, Ogata has heard countless versions of "The Revenge of Ogata Ittousai".
On the modern earth, even with the Internet, a magic tool that can quickly obtain information, it is extremely easy to hear false news.
Even the modern earth is like this, let alone the ancient times when information flow was slow.
Because the circulation of information is slow, it is extremely easy for all kinds of news to go astray when people spread it from word to mouth.
From the time he left Hirose Domain to the present, the versions of "Ogata Ittosai's Revenge" that Ogata has heard include the following:
Ogata Issei killed his beloved woman with a sword because the woman he loved was killed by Gennai Matsudaira...
Ogata Issei was not actually from the Hirose Domain. He was actually a wandering ronin. After wandering to the Hirose Domain, he was hired by Hirose Domain's clan leader Kuranagi to assassinate Matsudaira Gennai with his sword...
Ogata Issei's role in this assassination of Matsudaira Gennai was actually that of "commander". He did not draw his sword personally and went into battle, but commanded skilled people behind the scenes to assassinate Matsudaira Gennai...
There are many, many messy versions similar to this...
Therefore, the version just spoken by Gua Sheng can be regarded as a version that barely agrees with the facts.
But there are still some mistakes and omissions - Ogata did not go alone to assassinate Matsudaira Gennai.
And he did not behead Matsudaira Gennai, but just let Matsudaira Gennai experience a "ten thousand swords piercing the heart".
Ogata has not forgotten his current identity in front of Gua Sheng - an ordinary ronin named Majima Goro from Izumo.
So after Gua Sheng finished speaking, Xu Fang quickly pretended to be like, "Ah, I understand, this is an eye-opener for me."
"It seems that, Miss Guasheng, you are really familiar with Ogata Ittousai's deeds..."
Ogata said softly.
"I've also heard something about Ogata Ittousai."
"But what I heard about Ogata Ittousai is a little different from what you just said, Miss Guashou."
"The version I heard, Ogata Ittosai didn't assassinate Matsudaira Gennai single-handedly."
"He has six other like-minded companions who are determined to kill Matsudaira Gennai with his sword."
"It's just that all six of his companions died while assassinating Matsudaira Gennai."
"Before I left Izumo, my companion who was a minor official in Izumo also told me that the government also believed that Ogata Ittosai had a companion when he assassinated Gennai Matsudaira."
At that time, Ogata was not the only one who decided to give up everything and risk his life to assassinate Matsudaira Gennai.
Ogata didn't want to take all the credit, so he helped Gua Sheng complete the story she just told about him.
"Is that so..." After muttering, Gua Sheng waved his hand, "Forget it, no matter what - Ogata Ittosai must have participated in the assassination of Matsudaira Gennai."
"At the same time, it must have been Ogata Ittosai who killed Matsudaira Gennai with his own sword."
Having said this, Gua Sheng raised his head slightly and looked at the ceiling above his head, a look of deep longing appeared on his face, and stars seemed to be flashing in the depths of his eyes.
"Every time I tell the story of Ogata Ittosai, I feel excited! The blood in my body seems to be on fire!"
"Miss Guashou... It seems that you really respect Ogata Ittousai..."
"Yeah! Very respectful!"
"For the belief in revenge, even if the opponent is surrounded by hundreds of guards, he will not move forward... I admire this aspect of Ogata Ittousai very much!"
Having said this, Gua Sheng turned his attention to the portrait of Ogata posted on the wall.
"To motivate myself, I cut out Ogata Ittousai's portrait from his wanted poster and posted it on the wall."
"Whenever I get tired from sword practice, I look at Ogata Ittousai's portrait."
"Every time I see Ogata Ittosai's face, I feel the strength coming out of my body again!"
"By the way - I also have portraits of Ogata Ittosai on the four walls of my room!"
"Huh? Majima-kun, what's wrong with you? Why do you look so weird?"
"No...it's nothing...I'm just shocked at the level of respect you have for Ogata Ittousai, Miss Guashou..."
After saying that, Ogata raised his hand and rubbed his face vigorously twice, forcing his face with a strange expression to return to normal.
This is the first time Ogata has been so close to his ardent fans, and he shows a weird expression uncontrollably...
After letting his face return to normal, Ogata asked Gua Sheng:
"I actually respect Ogata Ittousai who holds the Right Sword high."
"But... Miss Guashou, is it really okay for you to directly paste Ogata Ittousai's portrait on the wall?"
"Ogata Ittosai is also a wanted criminal wanted by the shogunate."
"If you just put his portrait on the wall, you might get into some trouble."
"Such a trivial matter is nothing." Gua Sheng said, "I just put Ogata Ittousai's portrait on the wall. The shogunate will not trouble me because of such a trivial matter."
"What's more, in fact, many officials of the shogunate also have high praise for Ogata Ittosai."
"Oh?" Ogata's face flashed with curiosity.
Many officials in the shogunate also spoke highly of him as a lord-killer - this was the first time Ogata had heard of it.
The only official of the shogunate that Ogata had come into contact with before was the commander of the Huofu Thief Kai: Hasegawa Heizo.
Therefore, Ogata did not know much about the various secrets of the shogunate.
"I actually heard this from Lord Shirobei." Gua Sheng said slowly, "It is said that many officials in the shogunate spoke highly of Ogata Ittousai's swordsmanship and bravery."
"However, after Ogata Ittosai captured Nijo Castle in Kyoto a few months ago, his reputation with the shogunate seemed to have deteriorated a lot."
"Some officials who had previously admired Ogata Ittousai thought that Ogata Ittousai was a mentally ill person."
After hearing Guasheng's words, Ogata couldn't help but smile.
"How can Ogata Ittousai be praised by many officials in the shogunate... But it's no wonder, the 'Ako Forty-seven Martyrs' can be praised highly by the shogunate, and that is Ogata who also wields the sword for revenge.
There is no reason why Ittousai should not be praised by the shogunate officials..."
Some officials in the shogunate still admired him for committing the crime of patricide - something that actually didn't surprise Ogata.
Japan has always had this... strange culture.
I still admire some people who have done unspeakable things.
The most typical example is the "Ako Yishi Incident" almost 90 years ago.
To put it simply, this incident 90 years ago was that on a certain day, the emperor sent two imperial envoys and envoys to Edo. In order to entertain these people, the shogun at the time sent the lord of the Ako Domain.
Asano serves as receptionist.
At the same time, an old man named Kira Yoshio was sent to assist Asano.
However, Kira, who never looked down on Asano, not only failed to help Asano, but also made Asano look embarrassed in public.
Asano, filled with grief and anger, hacked Kira in public, but did not kill him. Instead, he alerted the shogunate.
The shogun felt that Asano was audacious and unforgivable, so he ordered Asano to commit seppuku and at the same time withdrew Asano's Ako domain.
The master was forced to commit suicide, and Asano's retainers put the blame on Kira's head.
In order to take revenge, the boss of the Ishiuchi family secretly summoned a group of people to go to Edo to chop Kira into meat paste, and then surrendered to the shogunate. Only one person survived in the end, and the rest committed seppuku and committed suicide under the order of the shogunate.
Because a total of 47 people participated in the assassination, this incident was also called the "Ako Forty-Seven Martyrs Incident."
Under the government's judgment, Asano was a sinner and Kira was an innocent person. These 47 people brutally killed Kira, an innocent old man. From the government's point of view, these 47 people should be as unforgivable as Ogata.
Only those who deserve to be severely criticized are right.
But since the "Ako incident" occurred, both the government and the people have praised these 47 heroes.
Those kabuki playwrights also created the immortal masterpiece-"Tadaomizo" based on this incident.
However, the kabuki choreographed based on the "Ako Incident" was still performed openly all over the country, and the shogunate did not impose much control on it.
"Tadaomizo" has been rehearsed over and over again by kabuki actors in modern Japan.
Because Japan has such a unique culture, Ogata was not surprised that a thief like himself was praised by many officials of the shogunate.
Maybe Ogata will be like the Forty-seven Ako Martyrs in the future, whose deeds were adapted into Kabuki plays by Kabuki playwrights and then performed all over the country. Some high-ranking officials of the shogunate happily brought their whole family with them.
Go watch.
When he thought of this, Ogata felt a chill spread throughout his body.
He didn't mind if his deeds were adapted into Kabuki plays.
He is only afraid that his deeds will be changed by the devil...
Just when Ogata was silently imagining whether his deeds would be changed to the point where he, the real owner, would not even be recognized, Gua Sheng said in her usual cheerful voice:
"Although the officials in the shogunate lowered their opinion of Ogata Ittousai after Ogata Ittousai conquered Nijo Castle, my respect for Ogata Ittousai, who dared to even break into Nijo Castle, has deepened!"
"It's a pity that I wasn't able to see the majestic figure of Ogata Ittousai who single-handedly captured Nijo Castle in Kyoto!"
After that, Gua Sheng drank the glass of water placed on the table in one gulp.
"Unconsciously, it seems that we have been chatting for too long. It's time to take you to get familiar with Yoshiwara."
"You sit here for a while while I go change clothes. There is water here. If you feel thirsty, just drink it!"
After saying that, Guasheng sprang out of the hall like a fluttering butterfly.
Then he came back not long after.
Gua Sheng said he was changing clothes, but in fact he just put on a light blue hakama, a pair of black cloth socks, and a wooden sword that was slightly shorter than an ordinary sword on his left waist.
"Let's go, Majima-kun." Gua Sheng put his hands on his hips, "Let's try to finish a tour of Yoshiwara before lunch!"
…
…
Majima maintained a distance of half a body behind Guasheng, and while following closely behind Guasheng, he turned his head and looked around.
The two of them are currently walking through the residential area of Yoshiwara.
"It turns out that there are such a large residential area in Yoshiwara..." Ogata murmured, "I always thought that there were only Yumeya houses in Yoshihara..."
Guasheng, who was walking in front, said:
"The people who live in Yoshiwara are mainly those who work at the Shirobei Club - such as me, and those who work as handymen in various Yoshihara houses."
"Of course, there are also some people who don't work in Yoshiwara at all. They leave Yoshiwara to work outside during the day, and then return to Yoshiwara's home to rest at night."
"It's just that there are relatively few such people."
"Ordinary teahouses, vegetable markets, and confectionery shops...these buildings that exist outside are all found in Yoshiwara."
"So you can think of Yoshihara as a small city wall."
"Mashima-kun, did you see that thing?"
Guasheng suddenly paused and pointed to a large black bucket on the side of the street not far away, with two large Chinese characters written on it: water.
Ogata is quite familiar with this bucket.
After entering Yoshiwara, Ogata discovered that there were large black buckets placed in many places.
"This is called a 'bucket'." Gua Sheng introduced Ogata, "It is specially used to prevent fires."
"One of our usual tasks is to make sure that these buckets are intact and the water inside is full."
"This job is very important, so when you see a bucket that is broken or there is no water in it, remember to report it in time."
"The tragedy of the Furisode Fire Incident more than a hundred years ago cannot be repeated no matter what. With these buckets filled with water, when the fire comes, we may be able to save many people's lives."
"Yes." Ogata nodded seriously, "I will."
For people of this era, the word fire has always been a negligent term.
Buildings in ancient Japan were made of wood and paper. Once a fire broke out, the destructive power was often quite staggering.
Ogata had previously learned from a chat with Makimura and others that there had been a major fire in Edo that was as powerful as the "Tenmei Fire" in Kyoto.
Although this big fire happened more than a hundred years ago.
This big fire was the "Fuxiode Fire Incident" that Guasheng just mentioned.
In the third year of Meiji (1657 AD), Edo Honmyoji Temple was performing a ritual for a young girl who died of a serious illness. After the ritual was over, when the body was being cremated, a strong wind blew, and the wind blew away a burning sleeve on the body.
walked away and started a building fire.
Then the fire got out of control, and the fire swept directly across the entire Edo.
Two-thirds of the buildings in Edo were consumed by the fire.
Because the fire started with a sleeve, the fire is also known as the "furisode fire incident" or the "long-sleeved kimono disaster."
The fire also burned Yoshiwara at that time, and Yoshihara was directly burned completely by the fire. After the flames finally subsided, under the order of the shogun, Yoshihara was rebuilt on the Nippon Embankment and became the current Yoshihara.
Because there was only one entrance and exit in Yoshiwara, and the clothes worn by the wandering girls were not conducive to their escape, countless wandering girls were burned alive or choked to death by the smoke because they had no time to escape.
Ogata also knows how terrible a disaster fire is in this era, so when he nodded to indicate that he would pay attention to the bucket, he was not doing it perfunctory, but with a very serious attitude.
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This is what the “buckets” placed in various places in Yoshiwara →→
I briefly introduced the fire protection system of the Edo period in the "Writer's Note" in this chapter, and I post a few pictures here to facilitate your understanding.
This is the flag of the fire brigade in the Edo period. It comes from the Japanese drama "Jinyi" Season 1 Episode 9. It looks a bit like a white mop. People can use this flag to judge the current wind direction and then act accordingly.
Determine which direction the building should be demolished→→
At that time, the only way to control the fire was to "demolition", demolishing the areas that were not burned by the fire to prevent the fire from spreading. This is the case in the Japanese drama "Jinyi" Season 1, Episode 9, when the town fire fighter was burned by the fire in order to save the protagonist's treatment.
Picture of the clinic for injured patients, all the houses around the clinic were demolished→→
[By the way - readers on QQ Reading cannot see the pictures I posted, because QQ Reading's paragraph comments do not support posting pictures. If you want to see pictures, you can only go to the starting point]
Finally, I highly recommend the Japanese drama "Jinyi". This is a Japanese drama that is very good at both civil and medical service. It is also a Japanese drama that has set many records. It is about a modern Japanese doctor who traveled to the Bakumatsu era.