The Ghost In The Tokaido Inn

In the tunnel, Seikei is terrified. He forces himself to move forward and “not give in to fear” (49). When Seikei reaches the end, he climbs up into the light, finding Ooka waiting for him inside the temple grounds, where a troupe of actors slept the night before. When Seikei points out that the tunnel could not have been dug in one night, Ooka is impressed by his observation. Ooka says the theft could not have been as simple as it seems.

Hakuseki is certain the jewel found in Michiko’s room is his own, but Ooka smashes it, revealing it to be glass. Ooka concludes that the thief took the jewel and hid the imitation, knowing that it would be discovered and assumed real, so no one would think to pursue the real thief. When the innkeeper claims to know nothing of the tunnel, Ooka orders his men to take him away and “use methods” to persuade him to talk.

Ooka sends Hakuseki and Seikei’s father on their way to Edo, saying he needs Seikei’s help and will return him to his father in a few days. He commends Seikei for being “bright” and “brave,” and Michiko thanks him for risking his safety to save her. Seikei demurs, as an honorable person tells the truth without considering the consequences.

Ooka, his men, and Seikei ride to the judge’s house, just outside of town. Ooka orders one samurai, Bunzo, to teach Seikei to ride a horse. Bunzo, like many others, dislikes merchants and finds them to be dishonest. Bunzo believes that, despite Ooka’s wisdom and ability to see things others don’t, he makes a mistake by taking Seikei under his wing.

After his lesson, Ooka and Seikei bathe. Ooka tells Seikei that, when left alone with a sword, the innkeeper committed death by seppuku, a ritual form of death by suicide. Seikei suggests that the innkeeper died by seppuku rather than confessing, because he is protecting someone, that a samurai would choose death rather than betray a friend.

Ooka takes Seikei to his beautiful garden to present the boy with a wooden sword, and he summons the spirits of nature, or kami, to bless their journey.

Ooka and Seikei return to the courtyard. Ooka explains that they will pursue the thief alone because an old man and young boy raise little suspicion. On the road, Seikei sees a man with a basket on his head, and Ooka tells him the man is a komuso, or wandering holy man; Seikei remarks that this would be a good disguise for a thief. When they stop for lunch, Ooka asks a server if she has seen anything odd that day. She reports that a group of actors passed through, and one man paid for his meal by doing tricks, including backflips. Seikei asks if the man was short, with a scar down his right cheek, and the woman confirms this. Seikei tells Ooka about the beggar who flipped away from Hakuseki’s horse and had such a scar.

Ooka notes the way a solitary tree catches Seikei’s attention, and he remarks on the way everyone notices it because it is different. He says, “Fate has put it where it cannot grow straight and tall. It reminds us of something that we fear,” asking Seikei if he’s “ever felt that [he is] in the wrong place? [Or if] fate had made [him] different?” (69). Seikei admits he has often felt this way, and the judge says that some people who feel like this become criminals.

Ooka points out the travelers going to Ise, the holiest place in Japan. He suggests they stop there. Seikei is surprised by how “rowdy” the town is. Ooka spots the komuso they saw earlier. When Ooka and Seikei reach their teahouse lodgings, Ooka tells Seikei to rest because they will go to a kabuki play that night. Though samurai are forbidden to attend kabuki, Ooka does so out of duty to the shogun.

That night, Ooka and Seikei go to a play called The Forty-Seven Ronin because Ooka suspects the thief likes the story. He tells Seikei to pay attention to the plot to understand the thief’s character, and why he grew into a bent tree instead of a tall and straight one.

In the play, a daimyo is dishonorably slain by another lord, and his men become ronin—masterless samurai—determined to avenge their lord. For a year, the 47 ronin act disgracefully so that no one suspects their plan. Eventually, they confront the daimyo who killed their lord, decapitating him. The ronin carry the man’s head to the shogun and explain how he disgraced their daimyo and, by extension, them, knowing the shogun must put them to death for killing the lord. To retain their newly restored honor, each of the 47 ronin commits death by seppuku. Seikei wonders if one of the actors might be the man with the scar, and he wants to follow them to see them without makeup. Ooka is tired, so he tells Seikei to go and report back to him.

Seikei goes backstage. He meets a boy named Kazuo, who works for the troupe. Seikei asks about a particular actor, and Kazuo tells him the man is called Tomomi, though he doesn’t think that’s his real name. Kazuo says that Tomomi is likely in the “floating world,” the pleasure quarters where geishas live.

When Kazuo and Seikei find Tomomi there, the actor asks about Seikei’s wooden sword. When Tomomi insults Judge Ooka, Seikei reflexively touches the sword, and Tomomi challenges him to a fight. Seikei accepts the challenge in a very dignified way, prompting a similar response from Tomomi, who calls himself “Genji, the son of the daimyo Takezaki Kita” (93). He admits that this is his true origin, and smears his make-up to reveal his scar. Tomomi says that he has been disgraced but vows to restore his honor.

During their duel, Seikei sees that Tomomi wears a cross and realizes Tomomi is a “Kirishitan.” Tomomi wins Seikei’s sword from him, and Tomomi reminds him that a disgraced samurai must “kill himself in the ceremony known as seppuku” (95). Seikei does not complain or protest that he is not really a samurai, surprising Tomomi. Tomomi vows to return Seikei’s sword if Seikei does something for him. Seikei hears the komuso’s flute from far away.

Seikei awakens in the common hall, where pilgrims sleep. He remembers that Tomomi has his sword, and Seikei feels he cannot return to Judge Ooka without it.

Kazuo brings him some food and says that Tomomi has gone to the shrine of Amaterasu. Seikei and Kazuo go to the shrine. Seikei prays that Amaterasu will help him to recover his sword and, thus, retain his honor. They find Tomomi, and Seikei watches Tomomi drop a red jewel into an offering bowl set out for Amaterasu. Tomomi asks Seikei to tell Ooka what he saw and returns Seikei’s sword.