はじめのひとこと
1871年にロンドンで出た、『Tales of Old Japan』という英語の本があります。
扉には、著者ミットフォードが、日本にいる英国公使館の二等書記官だと刷られています。
その本の付録に、切腹についての一章があり、見出しに「珍しい日本の写本から」と添えられています。
There is an English book called Tales of Old Japan, published in London in 1871.
Its title page names the author, Mitford, as Second Secretary to the British Legation in Japan.
In the appendix of the book is a chapter on hara-kiri, with the note "From a rare Japanese MS."
その章は、こう書き出しています。
切腹は、死ぬほかに道の無いときに、侍がとる自害のかたちだ。
自分の意思でする者もいれば、罪を犯して、上の者から命じられる者もいる、と。
続けて、切腹をする当人も、立会人も、介錯を務める人も、守るべき作法をすべて知っていなければならない、と書いています。
ところが近ごろは、作法を知らないのがはやりだ、とも書いています。
まれに、罪人が大名に預けられて切腹することがある。
そのとき、大名の家来に介錯を務められる人がいないことが多く、よそから急いで人を雇う。
その人は、その日だけ名を変えて、その大名の家来ということにして務め、それは恥とはされない、と。
この章の一部は、本より先に、Cornhill Magazine という雑誌に載った、と本の序文は書いています。
The chapter begins like this.
Seppuku, or hara-kiri, is the way samurai take their own lives when they have no alternative but to die.
Some do it of their own free will; others, having committed a crime, are ordered to do so by their superiors.
It goes on to say that the person himself, the witnesses, and the seconds who take part must all know every ceremony to be observed.
But nowadays, the chapter says, the fashion is to be ignorant of such ceremonies.
On rare occasions, a criminal is handed over to a Daimyo's charge to perform hara-kiri.
Then it often happens that no one among the Daimyo's retainers is able to act as second, and a man has to be hired in a hurry from somewhere else.
For that day only, he changes his name and becomes the Daimyo's retainer, and this is not counted a disgrace.
The preface of the book says that part of this chapter had first appeared in the Cornhill Magazine.
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. I（London: Macmillan, 1871）一次史料
two of the Sermons, with a portion of the Appendix on the subject of the Hara-Kiri, in the pages of the Cornhill Magazine.／London, January 7, 1871.
A. B. Mitford『Tales of Old Japan』Vol. II（London: Macmillan, 1871）一次史料
APPENDIX A. AN ACCOUNT OF THE HARA-KIRI. (From a rare Japanese MS.)
Seppuku (hara-kiri) is the mode of suicide adopted amongst Samurai when they have no alternative but to die. Some there are who thus commit suicide of their own free will ; others there are who, having committed some crime which does not put them outside the pale of the privileges of the Samurai class, are ordered by their superiors to put an end to their own lives.
It is needless to say that it is absolutely necessary that the principal, the witnesses, and the seconds who take part in the affair should be acquainted with all the ceremonies to be observed.
but nowadays the fashion is to be ignorant of such ceremonies, and if upon rare occasions a criminal is handed over to a Daimio’s charge, that he may perform hara-kiri, it often happens, at the time of execution, that there is no one among all the prince’s retainers who is competent to act as second, in which case a man has to be engaged in a hurry from some other quarter to cut off the head of the criminal, and for that day he changes his name and becomes a retainer of the prince, either of the middle or lowest class, and the affair is entrusted to him, and so the difficulty is got over ; nor is this considered to be a disgrace.
A. B. MITFORD, SECOND SECRETARY TO THE BRITISH LEGATION IN JAPAN.／VOL. II.／London: MACMILLAN AND CO. 1871.