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A STORY OF OKI ISLANDS THE
Oki Islands, some forty-five miles from the mainland of Hoki Province,
were for
centuries the scene of strife, of sorrow, and of banishment; but to-day
they
are fairly prosperous and highly peaceful. Fish, octopus, and
cuttlefish form
the main exports. They are a weird, wild, and rocky group, difficult of
access,
and few indeed are the Europeans who have visited them. I know of only
two — the
late Lafcadio Hearn and Mr. Anderson (who was there to collect animals
for the
Duke of Bedford). I myself sent Oto, my Japanese hunter, who was glad
to
return. In
the Middle Ages — that is, from about the year 1000 A.D. — there was
much
fighting over the islands by various chieftains, and many persons were
sent
thither in banishment. In
the year 1239 Hojo Yoshitoshi defeated the Emperor Go Toba and banished
him to
Dogen Island. Another
Hojo chieftain banished another Emperor, Go Daigo, to Nishi-no-shima.
Oribe
Shima, the hero of our story, was probably banished by this same Hojo
chieftain, whose name is given to me as Takatoki (Hojo), and the date
of the
story must be about 1320 A.D. At
the time when Hojo Takatoki reigned over the country with absolute
power, there
was a samurai whose name was Oribe Shima. By some misfortune Oribe (as
we shall
call him) had offended Hojo Takatoki, and had consequently found
himself
banished to one of the islands of the Oki group which was then known as
Kamishima (Holy Island). So the relater of the story tells me; but I
doubt his
geographical statement, and think the island must have been
Nishi-no-shima
(Island of the West, or West Island1). Oribe
had a beautiful daughter, aged eighteen, of whom he was as fond as she
was of
him, and consequently the banishment and separation rendered both of
them
doubly miserable. Her name was Tokoyo, O Tokoyo San. Tokoyo,
left at her old home in Shima Province, Ise, wept from morn till eve,
and
sometimes from eve till morn. At last, unable to stand the separation
any
longer, she resolved to risk all and try to reach her father or die in
the
attempt; for she was brave, as are most girls of Shima Province, where
the
women have much to do with the sea. As a child she had loved to dive
with the
women whose daily duty is to collect awabi and pearl-oyster shells,
running
with them the risk of life in spite of her higher birth and frailer
body. She knew
no fear. Having
decided to join her father, O Tokoyo sold what property she could
dispose of,
and set out on her long journey to the far-off province of Hoki, which,
after
many weeks she reached, striking the sea at a place called Akasaki,
whence on
clear days the Islands of Oki can be dimly seen. Immediately she set to
and
tried to persuade the fishermen to take her to the Islands; but nearly
all her
money had gone, and, moreover, no one was allowed to land at the Oki
Islands in
those days — much less to visit those who had been banished thence. The
fishermen laughed at Tokoyo, and told her that she had better go home.
The
brave girl was not to be put off. She bought what stock of provisions
she could
afford, at night went down to the beach, and, selecting the lightest
boat she
could find, pushed it with difficulty into the water, and sculled as
hard as
her tiny arms would allow her. Fortune sent a strong breeze, and the
current
also was in her favour. Next evening, more dead than alive, she found
her efforts
crowned with success. Her boat touched the shore of a rocky bay. O
Tokoyo sought a sheltered spot, and lay down to sleep for the night. In
the
morning she awoke much refreshed, ate the remainder of her provisions,
and
started to make inquiries as to her father's whereabouts. The first
person she
met was a fisherman. 'No,' he said: 'I have never heard of your father,
and if
you take my advice you will not ask for him if he has been banished,
for it may
lead you to trouble and him to death!' Poor
O Tokoyo wandered from one place to another, subsisting on charity, but
never
hearing a word of her father. One
evening she came to a little cape of rocks, whereon stood a shrine.
After
bowing before Buddha and imploring his help to find her dear father, O
Tokoyo
lay down, intending to pass the night there, for it was a peaceful and
holy
spot, well sheltered from the winds, which, even in summer, as it was
now (the
13th of June), blow with some violence all around the Oki Islands. Tokoyo
had slept about an hour when she heard, in spite of the dashing of
waves
against the rocks, a curious sound, the clapping of hands and the
bitter
sobbing of a girl. As she looked up in the bright moonlight she saw a
beautiful
person of fifteen years, sobbing bitterly. Beside her stood a man who
seemed to
be the shrine-keeper or priest. He was clapping his hands and mumbling
'Namu
Amida Butsu's.' Both were dressed in white. When the prayer was over,
the
priest led the girl to the edge of the rocks, and was about to push her
over
into the sea, when O Tokoyo came to the rescue, rushing at and seizing
the
girl's arm just in time to save her. The old priest looked surprised at
the
intervention, but was in no way angered or put about, and explained as
follows:
— 'It appears from your intervention that you are a stranger to this small island. Otherwise you would know that the unpleasant business upon which you find me is not at all to my liking or to the liking of any of us. Unfortunately, we are cursed with an evil god in this island, whom we call Yofuné-Nushi. He lives at the bottom of the sea, and demands, once a year, a girl just under fifteen years of age. This sacrificial offering has to be made on June 13, Day of the Dog, between eight and nine o'clock in the evening. If our villagers neglect this, Yofuné-Nushi becomes angered, and causes great storms, which drown many of our fishermen. By sacrificing one young girl annually much is saved. For the last seven years it has been my sad duty to superintend the ceremony, and it is that which you have now interrupted.' 0 Tokoyo sees the girl about to be thrown over cliff O
Tokoyo listened to the end of the priest's explanation, and then said: 'Holy
monk, if these things be as you say, it seems that there is sorrow
everywhere.
Let this young girl go, and say that she may stop her weeping, for I am
more
sorrowful than she, and will willingly take her place and offer myself
to
Yofuné-Nushi. I am the sorrowing daughter of Oribe Shima, a samurai of
high
rank, who has been exiled to this island. It is in search of my dear
father
that I have come here; but he is so closely guarded that I cannot get
to him,
or even find out exactly where he has been hidden. My heart is broken,
and I
have nothing more for which to wish to live, and am therefore glad to
save this
girl. Please take this letter, which is addressed to my father. That
you should
try and deliver it to him is all I ask.' Saying
which, Tokoyo took the white robe off the younger girl and put it on
herself.
She then knelt before the figure of Buddha, and prayed for strength and
courage
to slay the evil god, Yofuné-Nushi. Then she drew a small and beautiful
dagger,
which had belonged to one of her ancestors, and, placing it between her
pearly
teeth, she dived into the roaring sea and disappeared, the priest and
the other
girl looking after her with wonder and admiration, and the girl with
thankfulness. As we
said at the beginning of the story, Tokoyo had been brought up much
among the
divers of her own country in Shima; she was a perfect swimmer, and
knew,
moreover, something of fencing and jujitsu, as did many girls of her
position
in those days. Tokoyo
swam downwards through the clear water, which was illuminated by bright
moonlight. Down, down she swam, passing silvery fish, until she reached
the
bottom, and there she found herself opposite a submarine cave
resplendent with
the phosphorescent lights issuing from awabi shells and the pearls that
glittered through their openings. As Tokoyo looked she seemed to . see
a man
seated in the cave. Fearing nothing, willing to fight and die, she
approached,
holding her dagger ready to strike. Tokoyo took him for Yofuné-Nushi,
the evil
god of whom the priest had spoken. The god made no sign of life,
however, and
Tokoyo saw that it was no god, but only a wooden statue of Hojo
Takatoki, the
man who had exiled her father. At first she was angry and inclined to
wreak her
vengeance on the statue; but, after all, what would be the use of that?
Better
do good than evil. She would rescue the thing. Perhaps it had been made
by some
person who, like her father, had suffered at the hands of Hojo
Takatoki. Was
rescue possible? Indeed it was more: it was probable. So perceiving,
Tokoyo
undid one of her girdles and wound it about the statue, which she took
out of
the cave. True, it was waterlogged and heavy; but things are lighter in
the
water than they are out, and Tokoyo feared no trouble in bringing it to
the
surface — she was about to tie it on her back. However, the unexpected
happened. O Tokoyo sees Yofuné-Nushi Coming Towards Her She
beheld, coming slowly out of the depths of the cavern, a horrible
thing, a
luminous phosphorescent creature of the shape of a snake, but with legs
and
small scales on its back and sides. The thing was twenty-seven or eight
shaku
(about twenty-six feet) in length. The eyes were fiery. Tokoyo
gripped her dagger with renewed determination, feeling sure that this
was the
evil god, the Yofuné-Nushi that required annually a girl to be cast to
him. No
doubt the Yofuné-Nushi took her for the girl that was his due. Well,
she would
show him who she was, and kill him if she could, and so save the
necessity of
further annual contributions of a virgin from this poor island's few. Slowly
the monster came on, and Tokoyo braced herself for the combat. When the
creature was within six feet of her, she moved sideways and struck out
his
right eye. This so disconcerted the evil god that he turned and tried
to
re-enter the cavern; but Tokoyo was too clever for him. Blinded by the
loss of
his right eye, as also by the blood which flooded into his left, the
monster
was slow in his movements, and thus the brave and agile Tokoyo was able
to do
with him much as she liked. She got to the left side of him, where she
was able
to stab him in the heart, and, knowing that he could not long survive
the blow,
she headed him off so as to prevent his gaining too far an entrance
into the
cave, where in the darkness she might find herself at a disadvantage.
Yofuné-Nushi, however, was unable to see his way back to the depths of
his
cavern, and after two or three heavy gasps died, not far from the
entrance. Tokoyo
was pleased at her success. She felt that she had slain the god that
cost the
life of a girl a-year to the people of the island to which she had come
in
search of her father. She perceived that she must take it and the
wooden statue
to the surface, which, after several attempts, she managed to do, —
having been
in the sea for nearly half-an-hour. In
the meantime the priest and the little girl had continued to gaze into
the
water where Tokoyo had disappeared, marvelling at her bravery, the
priest
praying for her soul, and the girl thanking the gods. Imagine their
surprise
when suddenly they noticed a struggling body rise to the surface in a
somewhat
awkward manner! They could not make it out at all, until at last the
little
girl cried, 'Why, holy father, it is the girl who took my place and
dived into
the sea! I recognise my white clothes. But she seems to have a man and
a huge
fish with her.' The
priest had by this time realised that it was Tokoyo who had come to the
surface, and he rendered all the help he could. He dashed down the
rocks, and
pulled her half-insensible form ashore. He cast his girdle round the
monster,
and put the carved image of Hojo Takatoki on a rock beyond reach of the
waves. Soon
assistance came, and all were carefully removed to a safe place in the
village.
Tokoyo was the heroine of the hour. The priest reported the whole thing
to
Tameyoshi, the lord who ruled the island at the time, and he in his
turn
reported the matter to the Lord Hojo Takatoki, who ruled the whole
Province of
Hoki, which included the Islands of Oki. Takatoki
was suffering from some peculiar disease quite unknown to the medical
experts
of the day. The recovery of the wooden statue representing himself made
it
clear that he was labouring under the curse of some one to whom he had
behaved
unjustly — some one who had carved his figure, cursed it, and sunk it
in the
sea. Now that it had been brought to the surface, he felt that the
curse was
over, that he would get better; and he did. On hearing that the heroine
of the
story was the 'daughter of his old enemy Oribe Shima, who was confined
in
prison, he ordered his immediate release, and great were the rejoicings
thereat. The
curse on the image of Hojo Takatoki had brought with it the evil god,
Yofuné-Nushi, who demanded a virgin a-year as contribution.
Yofuné-Nushi had
now been slain, and the islanders feared no further trouble from
storms. Oribe
Shima and his brave daughter O Tokoyo returned to their own country in
Shima
Province, where the people hailed them with delight; and their
popularity soon
re-established their impoverished estates, on which men were willing to
work
for nothing. In
the island of Kamijima (Holy Island) in the Oki Archipelago peace
reigned. No
more virgins were offered on June 13 to the evil god, Yofuné-Nushi,
whose body
was buried on the Cape at the shrine where our story begins. Another
small
shrine was built to commemorate the event. It was called the Tomb of
the Sea
Serpent. The
wooden statue of Hojo Takatoki, after much travelling, found a
resting-place at
Honsoji, in Kamakura. __________________________________
1 Since writing this, I have found that there is a very small island, called Kamishima, between the two main islands of the Oki Archipelago, south-west of the eastern island. |