翻刻
土蔵をひらき白米四五駄取出し大釜
二口三口にて俄に食を炊出シぜんわん四
五百人前取出てたき出の用意をなし
村迯れまで出向ひ出｜慇懃（インギン）に饗応て
我々兄弟は手作りの籾麦粟稗等
架（かこひ）詁置申せ共これは所の者の難義を
救ひ可申と一粒も払不申貯置候也
全く商ひには不仕直又外より米壱表
たりとも買候事無之候申せばそばとて其
まゝにて立出て外穀商人代次郎米四五
拾表買置候とてこれを打潰し内山さし
ていぼ水や志賀を出しは夜半の頃五更ノ
鐘か扨はまた宝珠山下の明のかね諸方無道
と鳴響くほの〳〵見ゆる白壁はあれそ
竹善次郎右衛門と村の者共呼出し案内
せよと梵天を相渡すこれゟぼんでんかつぎ
現代語訳
土蔵を開き白米四、五駄を取り出し、大釜二口三口で急に食事を炊き出し、膳椀四、五百人前を取り出して炊き出しの用意をなし、村を逃れる者たちまで出向いて丁寧にもてなした。
「我々兄弟は手作りの籾、麦、粟、稗等を囲い置き申したが、これは所の者の難義を救うためと、一粒も売らずに貯え置いております。全く商いはいたしておりませぬ。」
また他より米一俵たりとも買ったことはございませんと申したところ、そのまま立ち去った。
その後、他の穀物商人代次郎が米四、五十俵を買い置きしていたとして、これを打ち潰した。内山を差して志賀を出発したのは夜半の頃、五更の鐘が鳴るか、それとも宝珠山下の明けの鐘か、諸方無道と鳴り響く中、ほのかに見える白壁は、あれこそ竹善次郎右衛門の屋敷である。
村の者共を呼び出し「案内せよ」と梵天を手渡す。これより梵天を担いで
英語訳
They opened the storehouse and brought out four or five horse-loads of white rice, quickly prepared meals using two or three large pots, brought out four to five hundred sets of bowls and chopsticks to prepare for the food distribution, and even went out to greet those fleeing the village, entertaining them courteously.
"We brothers have stored away rice, wheat, millet, barnyard grass and other grains that we grew ourselves, but these are meant to help the local people in their time of need, and we have not sold a single grain. We do not engage in commerce at all."
When they further stated that they had never bought even a single bale of rice from elsewhere, the crowd left them alone.
However, they then attacked another grain merchant named Daijiro, who had purchased and stored forty to fifty bales of rice. Setting out from Shiga toward Uchiyama around midnight, when the bell of the fifth watch rang out—or perhaps it was the dawn bell from below Hojuzan mountain—ringing out "lawlessness everywhere," they could faintly see white walls in the distance.
"That must be the residence of Take Zenjiro Uemon." They called out the villagers, saying "Guide us," and handed over the bonten banner. From this point, carrying the bonten banner...