翻刻
何連とも一言を発する事なし御無用と云へハ
立去りぬ右宗旨立方之安心ハ未不知身の
廻り装束ハ無地之着物ニ大き成丸くけの手巾（シユキン）
を〆黒繻子ニて象牙の掛絡（クハラ）結ひし五條
袈裟をかけ黒天鵞縅の袋入尺八を帯釼
の如く指。藺の深き天蓋を冠り他国遊歴
旅行之ものハ白木綿之手覆股引脚半ニ
同大風呂敷ニ骨柳を包ミて背負へり
是を虚無僧とも薦僧とも云い武士之隠家
とも云へり然るに御一新之頃御趣意ニて
右普化宗之徒ハ廃せられにき
右ニ付一話あり当藩釼術之師範家横山
十郎兵衛と云人ハ世代之内ニても家業勝れて
名誉の聞へ有しが又尺八を好ミて其道に
上達し近国の修行者も聞伝へて数多来
れる由右吹方ニよりてハ遠隔之問答も付出
に出来る由ニて此横山の邸ハ元天草町
地蔵町口御門続外曲輪土居を後口にせし
所成しが裏手堀之内元作事組屋敷之辺
吹巡る修行者上手と聞付しハ直様裏手土居へ
現代語訳
何れとも一言も発することなく、「御無用」と言えば立ち去った。右の宗旨の立て方の安心法は未だ知らないが、身の回りの装束は無地の着物に大きな丸頭巾の手拭いを締め、黒繻子で象牙の掛絡を結んだ五条袈裟をかけ、黒天鵞絨の袋入り尺八を帯刀のように差し、藺の深い天蓋を被り、他国遊歴旅行の者は白木綿の手甲、股引、脚絆に同じく大風呂敷に骨柳を包んで背負っていた。
これを虚無僧とも薦僧とも言い、武士の隠れ家とも言った。しかるに御一新の頃、御趣意によって
右の普化宗の徒は廃せられた。
右について一話がある。当藩剣術の師範家横山十郎兵衛という人は、世代の内でも家業に優れて名誉の聞こえがあったが、また尺八を好んでその道に上達し、近国の修行者も聞き伝えて数多く来たという。右の吹き方によっては遠隔の問答も即座にできるということで、この横山の邸は元天草町地蔵町口御門続きの外曲輪土居を後口にした所であったが、裏手の堀の内、元作事組屋敷の辺りを吹き巡る修行者が上手と聞きつけると、直様裏手の土居へ
英語訳
They would not utter a single word to anyone, and when told "not needed," they would simply depart. I do not yet know the spiritual principles behind this sect's practices, but their attire consisted of plain kimono with large round head coverings (hand towels) tied around their heads, five-stripe kesa (Buddhist stoles) with ivory hanging cords made of black satin, shakuhachi flutes in black velvet bags worn like swords at their sides, and deep sedge hats on their heads. Those traveling to other provinces wore white cotton hand guards, hakama trousers, and leggings, carrying bone willow wrapped in large furoshiki cloth bundles on their backs.
These were called komusō (emptiness monks) or also komusō (straw mat monks), and were said to be hideaways for samurai. However, around the time of the Meiji Restoration, by imperial decree,
these followers of the Fuke sect were abolished.
Regarding this, there is one story. In our domain, there was a sword instructor named Yokoyama Jūrōbei, who among his generation was exceptionally skilled in his profession and had an honorable reputation, but who also favored the shakuhachi and became accomplished in that way. Many practitioners from neighboring provinces heard of him and came in great numbers. It was said that through his playing style, he could even conduct distant musical dialogues immediately. This Yokoyama's residence was located in the former Amakusa-chō, at a place that had the outer moat's earthworks as its back entrance, continuing from the Jizō-chō gate. When practitioners wandering around the area of the inner moat, near the former construction group residences, heard that he was skilled, they would immediately go to the rear earthworks.