はじめのひとこと
英国公使館の書記官ミットフォードは、ひとつの切腹に、公式に派遣されて立ち会った、と書いています。
腹を切ったのは、備前の家臣、瀧善三郎です。
ミットフォードによれば、1868年に、兵庫の外国人居留地へ発砲を命じた人でした。
Mitford, a secretary of the British Legation, wrote that he was sent officially to witness a seppuku.
The man who died was Taki Zenzaburo, an officer of the Prince of Bizen.
According to Mitford, he was the man who had given the order to fire on the foreign settlement at Hyogo in 1868.
それまで、こうした場に立ち会った外国人は誰もいなかった、とミットフォードは書いています。
儀式は天皇（原文では Mikado）の命によるもので、夜十時半、兵庫で薩摩の軍の本営だった寺で行われた、と。
外国の公使館から一人ずつ立会人が出て、外国人は七人でした。
日本の側の立会人も七人でした。
その場には、介錯を務める人もいました。
介錯は、英語の executioner、死刑の執行人とは違う、とミットフォードは書いています。
紳士の務めで、多くは親族か友人が務め、このときは瀧善三郎の弟子でした。
瀧善三郎は、立会人に向かって、こう述べた、とミットフォードは書いています。
自分一人が、みだりに神戸の外国人に発砲を命じ、逃げようとしたときにもまた命じた。
この罪のために腹を切るので、立ち会ってほしい、と。
日本側の届も、瀧善三郎が九日の晩、兵庫の永福寺で、各国の立会いを受けて割腹した、と載せています。
ミットフォードは、あとで聞いた話として、もう一つ書き添えています。
瀧善三郎は広間に入る前に自分の藩の者たちを集め、外国人への攻撃を繰り返さないよう、厳かに戒めた、と。
Up to that time, Mitford wrote, no foreigner had witnessed such an execution.
The ceremony was ordered by the Emperor (the Mikado, in his words), and took place at half past ten at night in a temple at Hyogo that served as the headquarters of the Satsuma troops.
A witness was sent from each of the foreign legations, seven foreigners in all.
There were seven witnesses on the Japanese side as well.
There was also a man who acted as kaishaku, the second.
Mitford wrote that the English word executioner is no equivalent for kaishaku.
It is the office of a gentleman, often performed by a kinsman or friend, and in this case it was a pupil of Taki Zenzaburo.
Taki Zenzaburo, Mitford wrote, spoke to the witnesses.
He alone, he said, had unwarrantably given the order to fire on the foreigners at Kobe, and again as they tried to escape.
For this crime he would cut his belly, and he asked those present to witness it.
A Japanese report also records that on the evening of the ninth, at Eifukuji temple in Hyogo, Taki Zenzaburo cut his belly before witnesses from each nation.
Mitford added one more thing, which he heard afterwards.
Before entering the hall, Taki Zenzaburo gathered the men of his own clan and solemnly warned them never to repeat attacks on foreigners.
記録の言葉
この話のもとになった記録の言葉です。ページは、その本に刷られたものです。
A. B. Mitford『Tales of Old Japan』Vol. II（London: Macmillan, 1871）一次史料
Up to that time no foreigner had witnessed such an execution, which was rather looked upon as a traveller’s fable.
The ceremony, which was ordered by the Mikado himself, took place at 10.30 at night in the temple of Seifukuji, the head-quarters of the Satsuma troops at Hiogo. A witness was sent from each of the foreign legations. We were seven foreigners in all.
The seven Japanese took their places on the left of the raised floor, the seven foreigners on the right. No other person was present.
The word kaishaku, it should be observed, is one to which our word executioner is no equivalent term. The office is that of a gentleman : in many cases it is performed by a kinsman or friend of the condemned, and the relation between them is rather that of principal and second than that of victim and executioner. In this instance the kaishaku was a pupil of Taki Zenzaburô
I, and I alone, unwarrantably gave the order to fire on the foreigners at Kôbé, and again as they tried to escape. For this crime I disembowel myself, and I beg you who are present to do me the honour of witnessing the act.
The two representatives of the Mikado then left their places, and, crossing over to where the foreign witnesses sat, called us to witness that the sentence of death upon Taki Zenzaburô had been faithfully carried out.
I may here describe an instance of such an execution which I was sent officially to witness. The condemned man was Taki Zenza-／burô, an officer of the Prince of Bizen, who gave the order to fire upon the foreign settlement at Hiogo in the month of February 1868
Itô／Shunské, the provisional Governor of Hiogo, came and took down our names, and informed us that seven kenshi, sheriffs or witnesses, would attend on the part of the Japanese. He and another officer represented the Mikado ; two captains of Satsuma’s infantry, and two of Choshiu’s, with a representative of the Prince of Bizen, the clan of the condemned man, completed the number, which was probably arranged in order to tally with that of the foreigners.
Since I wrote the above, we have heard that, before his／entry into the fatal hall, Taki Zenzaburô called round him all those of his own clan who were present, many of whom had carried out his order to fire, and, addressing them in a short speech, acknowledged the heinousness of his crime and the justice of his sentence, and warned them solemnly to avoid any repetition of attacks upon foreigners.
A. B. MITFORD, SECOND SECRETARY TO THE BRITISH LEGATION IN JAPAN.
神戸市編『神戸市史 資料三』（神戸市、大正14年）
辰二月十三日／日置帶刀馬廻リ士／瀧善三／三十二／右之者去ル七日兵庫表／同九日晩同所於永福寺各國見証ヲ受外國掛薩州長州宇和島家來等立合ノ上割腹仕候