英語訳
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And on the 22nd day, he was sent from Edo to Yoshida in what was called a shamo-kago (fighting cock palanquin) (also called ami-norimono or net palanquin, a palanquin that exposed only the face like a fighting cock) with guard officials attached. Ah, suddenly banishment, suddenly confinement, and further imprisonment far away in the domain territory, but the old man dismissed it all with a laugh and paid it no mind. However, at this time his mother in his hometown was already past seventy years old and living in their old residence, thinking of the old man with great longing—how could the old man not feel deeply moved by this one matter?
Impromptu Composition in the Palanquin (Part 2)
Submissively receiving orders, I depart the capital. Why is being escorted comparable to being a exiled minister? Unlike the days of distant travel in the past, when I would meet regularly with old friends at inns.
Though my mind is troubled, my legs are at leisure. I sleep through the sounds of bells and horses. How could I have thought that I, a man of lakes and seas who traveled boldly, would be looking at distant mountains through the barrier of captivity?
There is an anecdote regarding the old man's escort. When the old man's confinement in Yoshida was somewhat relaxed, he said he changed from Yokoyama Sen'nosuke to Ono Tōnosuke himself, having reached the milestone of fifty years of life. In reality, according to the custom of the time, a wooden placard was attached to the transport vehicle from Edo reading "Prisoner Ono Tōnosuke in custody of Matsudaira Izu-no-kami," so everyone did not understand what kind of person this was. Both the pro-imperial faction and the pro-shogunate faction overlooked him carelessly. Behind this was the careful preparation of domain lord Nobutaka and thoughtful retainers of the domain who, hoping for the old man's safe arrival in Yoshida, deliberately had him use a false name. This matter was never spoken of during the old man's lifetime. According to another theory, after the old man was sent to Yoshida, he received the punishment of "permanent confinement in the home domain" by shogunal command, but he had already been counted among those who should be beheaded in Edo. Domain lord Nobutaka devised an opportune strategy there: partly from the hope of not producing a serious criminal from his own domain, and partly considering the circumstances that they were teacher and student and that he was a worthy man as a domain Confucian, he requested to send him to the domain territory. This was essentially protection through confinement. One proof of this, as described in a later chapter (the section on moral character and virtue), is found in the old man's statement to his son Masahiro about not holding birthday celebrations: "I should have already been subjected to execution and exposure, but by good fortune I was spared from such a fate—this is what the domain lord personally told me." (See reference to the old man's name change)
Now, turning to look at the situation of the great arrests of that time, since this matter has already been recorded in many Restoration histories and is already well-known fact, there may be no need to record it in detail. However, Manabe Akikatsu, who entered Kyoto carrying the shogunate's determination, first lodged at Myōman-ji temple and did not emerge, claiming illness. Through the regent Kujō Hisatada, he sought imperial permission for establishing Tokugawa Yoshitomi (later Iemochi) as shogun, and after submitting a protest regarding the secret imperial edict for expelling foreigners that had been issued to Mito, he undertook the great arrests with lightning speed. Anyone who criticized shogunal government, plotted the restoration of imperial authority, or sided with Mito was mercilessly captured, with many dragged to Edo and subjected to cruel punishments and extreme penalties without exception, totaling indeed over one hundred and several tens of people. This was truly an event that began in the ninth month of Ansei 5 (1858), and is called the Ansei Great Purge. Recording the main parts now: Prince Shōren'in of Awadaguchi was given permanent house arrest; Right Minister Takatsukasa and his son, Konoe Tadahiro, and Sanjō Sanetomi were made to resign from office, take the tonsure, and confined; Ichijō Tadayoshi, Nijō Nariyuki, Konoe Tadafusa, and Hirohashi Mitsunari were each made to withdraw in self-restraint; Tokugawa Nariaki was given permanent house arrest; Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu and Owari Yoshikatsu were made to retire and confined; Mito Yoshiatsu was placed under restraint; Echizen Matsudaira Yoshinaga, Tosa Yamauchi Toyoshige, Uwajima Date Munenari, Senior Councilor Hotta Masayoshi, and former Senior Councilor Ōta Sukeharu were made to retire and confined. Beginning with these, in Mito domain, chief retainer Ajima Taito committed seppuku; Chinone Iyonosuke and Ukai Kichizaemon were sentenced to death; Ukai Kōkichi was subjected to crucifixion; Ayuzawa Itadayū was exiled to a remote island. Among the various imperial families and domains, Hashimoto Sanai, Rai Mikisaburō, Iizumi Kinai, and Yoshida Shōin were each sentenced to death, while others received punishments ranging from exile to remote islands, heavy banishment, medium banishment, expulsion from territories, dismissal from office, permanent confinement...
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