The Story of Ohana, the Bandit's Wife - 悠久城風の間　blog語り部のささやき

In those days when I first met that man, he looked at me with clear eyes. I’m sure I remember times like that. When did he stop looking at me?

One day, when I looked into his eyes, I found that they were somehow muddy and cloudy. I wish I could replace his eyes with those from 10 years ago.

The people who read “The Bandit’s Younger Brother” from Niigata’s Folk Tales Vol. 2 shared their comments.

One of them stated, “The older brother and the younger brother are quite different. The older brother was wild and became a bandit. The younger brother was a kindhearted hard worker. No matter how poor or how difficult it was to get enough food, the older brother shouldn’t have become a bandit.”

Another commented, “The older brother, who was a bandit, would pull Ohana’s hair and drag her around the house whenever there was something he didn’t like. That’s domestic violence! I was surprised that she had become the wife of such a man. Wouldn’t it have been better for her to run away from the bandit sooner, rather than staying with him for so long?”

Then, I interviewed Ohana, who had become the wife of the bandit.

I am Ohana, the bandit’s wife. I was born deep in the mountains of Echigo. When I turned 15 or 16, Chozaburo, my childhood friend said, “I want to go out to the town to work because I’ll starve if I continue to stay in this village. Why don’t you come with me?”

So, I went to town with him. I worked at a sundries store. Chozaburo worked for a rice wholesaler. He said that he was going to become a samurai, so he trained regularly at a kendo training hall.

At the rice wholesaler’s, Chozaburo worked very hard. However, he complained about the mean head clerk who made only Chozaburo do all the hard work such as fetching water, splitting firewood, or husking and polishing rice.

On New Year’s Eve of his third year, he was sent to a remote place to collect payments for rice. On that night with heavy snow, he finally returned after struggling through the snow.

There, he found the head clerk and his staff enjoying the New Year’s Eve feast and mochi, pounded rice cakes. Chozaburo was exhausted and hungry. Even though he thought that he would be able to join the feast, the head clerk ordered him, “Go fetch water before joining the feast,” all the while chewing on mochi, pounded rice cake.

Chozaburo couldn’t take it any longer and before he knew it, he had raised his hand against his boss. The head clerk, who was gorging himself on mochi, choked to death right after Chozaburo struck him. Amid the turmoil, Chozaburo ran away with the money he had just collected. He no longer felt like working hard.

Taking note of Chozaburo’s strength, a bandit boss invited Chozaburo to join his gang. As a bandit, Chozaburo stood out and rapidly rose through the ranks. Before long, he had become the bandit boss.

Even though I had become Chozaburo’s wife, he was becoming more and more violent. If he didn’t like something, he immediately shouted, “I’m gonna slay you with my sword!”

He became so cruel that all his minions left him. I was the only one who still stayed with him. I was living with him in a hideout in the mountains.

One day, someone came knocking at the door.

“It can’t be Chozaburo. Who could it be?”

I cautiously opened the door.

“I’m a traveler. I got lost. A samurai warrior, whom I met at the forked road down there, directed me this way. That’s why I’m here. I seem to be getting deeper and deeper into the mountains. Would you please let me stay here tonight?”

I thought my husband must have tricked this traveler, just as he had tricked others before. This traveler was a young man.

“Where did you come from?” I asked.

He gazed at me silently for a moment and then all of a sudden cried, “Aren’t you Ohana?”

I looked back at the man carefully. “Oh, is that you, Kame? Kame?”

“Yeah, I’m Kame, Kame! Ohana, it’s been such a long time!”

I saw Kame, who had grown up, for the first time in ten years. That little crybaby had grown into such a fine young man. We reunited and had so much to talk about. He was an apprentice under a lumber wholesaler in town. He said that the owner of the wholesaler relied on him and asked him if he would be interested in becoming the wholesaler’s heir. He told me that he decided to go home first and discuss it with his parents before making his final decision.

He asked me, “Is the shaggy samurai who showed me the way at the forked road Chozaburo, my brother?”

I replied, “Yes, that’s right. He is your brother, even though you could not recognize the face of that hairy man.”

Then, we heard someone’s footsteps. I quickly told Kame, “The boss is home. Hide quickly. He usually strips travelers bare and dumps them into the valley. Even though you tell him you are his brother, there’s no telling what he might do. Now, hurry up! Hurry!”

“Someone was just here. I heard someone talking.”

“No, nobody was here.”

“No, that’s not true. I’m sure someone was here. At the crossroads at the foot of the mountain, I told a man how to get here. That guy should be here. My prey must be here. I can smell him!”

“What are you talking about? Now, sit down. How much did you earn today?”

Since he was in a bad mood, I tried to have him take a drink of sake. “Now, drink, drink. It’s best to drink on a day like this.”

Since he was a heavy drinker and he was also very tired, he immediately fell asleep, snoring loudly.

I said to Kame who was hiding in a closet, “Get out of here as soon as it starts getting bright. I know it’s old, but take this sword with you.”

I rooted through the box filled with all the junk that Chozaburo had stolen. I picked out an old sword that looked like it could still be used and handed it to Kame.

Kame gazed intently at me and said, “Ohana, you should run away with me!”

“What are you talking about? I’m the wife of Chozaburo, the bandit.”

Kame just continued to look silently at me. I closed the closet door on him.

Before the day broke, I heard the soft sound of the closet door opening. It seemed like Kame got out of the house. I was relieved.

It had been quite a while since he left, but I could only keep thinking about Kame. He had the same eyes as Chozaburo did ten years ago. When I left the village with Chozaburo, his eyes were so clear. At that time, he went to town and started working hard, but he couldn’t keep it up. He is now such a villain. I am the wife of this evil man. The smell of his evil has deeply seeped into my body, too.

All of a sudden, I wished I could go back to what I was 10 years ago. That’s when I heard a little sound.

“Ohana.”

It was Kame. He had returned!

Chozaburo appeared from the back room with a limp and shouted, “Who are you?”

“My brother, it’s me, Kame. Don’t you recognize me? It’s me, Kame, your little brother.”

“My younger brother? No, you’re the prey I marked at the road down below!”

“Look carefully! It’s me, Kame, your younger brother. I don’t have enough time to explain now. Officials are coming to arrest you! Come run away with me!”

“Officials are coming to get me?”

“I think one of your minions must have told the officials your whereabouts. A big posse of officials is coming to get you. Come on, let’s get out of here right now!”

“Did you come here to tell me that?”

“Come on, brother, the three of us should leave here as quickly as possible!”

Chozaburo looked blankly at Kame’s face. “Oh yes, that’s right. You are Kame, my younger brother.”

“Brother, I’m glad you can finally recognize me. Brother.”

“I can’t run with my injured leg.”

“Brother, what are you talking about? I’ll piggyback you.”

“Kame, I’ve done so many evil things. I’ve killed so many people. No matter how hard I try to run away, the officials will eventually catch me. Take care of Hana. Kame, take Hana with you. Carry Hana on your back and leave. Now, get moving!” His voice gradually filled with sorrow.

He forced me up on Kame’s back.

“Hurry up, Kame! Go!” Chozaburo pushed me hard as I was on Kame’s back.

“Brother!”

Kame left the hideout in the mountains, nearly stumbling and leaning forward with the effort. Kame and I made it back to our home village.

Kame exchanged the old sword I had given him for money. It was said that the sword was a famous sword made by Masamune, a prominent swordsmith. Kame expanded his rice paddies and fields with the money. I also worked hard at farming.

Whenever I looked at Kame’s eyes, I felt as if Chozaburo’s wickedness that had seeped into me was gradually fading. I returned to what I was 10 years ago. I was able to find Chozaburo in Kame’s eyes. Kame and I got married.

The End

March 2021

On a day of snow melting

Written by Yoko Tate

Translated and Recited by Masako Hayakawa

Illustrated by Makiko Lockhart

October 2023 recording

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH3fN6XMFMQ

日本語版　朗読　楯よう子

「山賊女房お花の語り」

2021年3月28日収録

https://youtu.be/bXbWD4I4WX8