翻刻
郷中ゟ御赦免御願奉申上候間他村江右日限之間水分ケ遣シ申候事難相成候故
御断申上候以上 小山郷
宝暦五年亥五月廿一日 庄屋
年寄中
庄屋 清兵衛代
御一社 利八 判
御役人中様 久左衛門判
一右之通小山郷承知不仕候へハ女房御奉書之古例を以伝奏ゟ表向ニ而拝領被仰付候事
小山郷中右之通ニ而ハ御上之御命も難相立社格も立不申候故此段伝奏へ御窺
可然候夫共小山郷も拝領之義有論成事ニ候ハヽケ様之口上書も指出申間敷候間
先御取次中迄内々被得御意斯々之仕合ニ御座候若又小山百姓共存違ニも無之哉
被尋候而取次中此義ハ百姓共存違ニても可有之候一通り吟味可申付候間伝奏へ
御窺之義先御扣可成抔と被申候ハヽ夫を塩ニ御帰り可被成候若又取次中返答余り
不宜候ハヽ左様之義ニ候ハヽ御命も難相立候故不得止事伝奏へ御窺可申と被申入
直ニ伝奏へ御伺可然候此評議品々ニ而先伝奏へ御伺ハ被宜ましく候取次中へ計
御尋被成候□埒之明タ様子候ハヽ追而伝奏へ御伺可然候又ハ取次中へ被仰入候ても畢竟
取次御花壇奉行ひとつにて小山郷御引懸之事ニ候へハ無詮事ニ候間何□伝奏より
被仰出候御命難立候故此所を御伺可然抔と評決無之ニ付宮内保韶歯痛ニ而
不参故事重キ事故思召をも御尋御覧可然と保土申出し則保土保韶亭へ
参候而保韶へ右之趣致相談候処保韶存念も最初之評議之通御伝奏へ之
窺書其外享保十二年五月小山郷ゟ一社へ相願一社ゟ万里小路弁殿へ御願□
社記之抜書其外取次中ゟ一社中へ之下地状等被認候而取次中へ先被得御意候而
被聞届伝奏へ窺之義暫可扣抔と有之候ハヽ其分ニいたし可被帰候若又
埒のあかぬ様子ニ候ハヽ直ニ伝奏へ御窺被成可然之旨此趣罷帰一座へ申入候処何も
其通可然之旨ニ決依之寄会中惣代出頭業久保土也外ニ御一人御兼頼ニ而
邦氏都合三人出頭也先御所武家玄関へ参案内乞候処御使番右近言俊
被出候付手札を出し御取次中へ得御意度旨申入処通達有之追付取次之
当番小佐次三河守被出候ニ付保土申入ハ御用多中早速御逢被下忝存候得
御意候義別義ニ而無之候当時渇水ニ付此間御池之御用水拝領仕候之処
神領之百姓共へ致分配植付候様ニと申渡候然ル所小山郷百姓申候ハ御用水
之義ハ去ル十八日ゟ廿五日迄彼等拝領仕候故難得其意之旨申候弥左様之
義ニ御座候哉卑賎之ものゝ義ニ候へハ若又御常水之少々減し分を御免も被
遊候義を御用水拝領なとゝ心得違候事も可有之哉御内々御尋申上候
若又左様之筋ニ御座候へハ伝奏ゟ拝領之義被仰出候へは御上之御命も
難相立御座候故不得止事伝奏へ御窺も可申上候御上之御命之不相立義を
其分ニいたし置候而却而御咎メを可蒙も難計旁迷惑仕候何分百姓共之心得
現代語訳
郷中から御赦免願いを申し上げておりますので、他村へ右の日限の間、水を分けて遣わし申すことは難しく相成りません故、お断り申し上げます。以上 小山郷
宝暦五年亥五月二十一日 庄屋
年寄中
庄屋 清兵衛代
一社 利八 印
御役人中様 久左衛門 印
右の通り小山郷が承知いたしませんので、女房御奉書の古例をもって伝奏から表向きに拝領を仰せ付けられる事。小山郷中右の通りでは御上の御命も立ち難く、社格も立ちません故、この段伝奏へお窺いになるのが宜しいでしょう。それとも小山郷も拝領の義に異論がある事でしたら、このような口上書も差し出すまい間、まず御取次中まで内々に御意を得られ、かくかくの仕合いに御座候。もしまた小山百姓共の心得違いでもないか、お尋ねになって取次中、この義は百姓共の心得違いでもありましょう、一通り吟味を申し付けます間、伝奏へのお窺いの義はまずお控えになるのが良いなどと申されましたら、それを塩にしてお帰りになるべきです。もしまた取次中の返答があまり宜しくなければ、左様の義でしたら御命も立ち難く候故、やむを得ぬ事、伝奏へお窺い申すと申し入れ、直に伝奏へお伺いになるのが宜しいでしょう。この評議は品々にて、まず伝奏へのお伺いが宜しいようです。取次中へだけお尋ねになっても埒の明かない様子でしたら、追って伝奏へお伺いになるのが宜しいでしょう。または取次中へ仰せ入れになっても、畢竟取次御花壇奉行一つにて小山郷御引掛かりの事に候えば、詮無い事に候間、何れ伝奏より仰せ出され候御命立ち難く候故、この所をお伺いになるのが宜しいなど評決がありませんので、宮内保韶が歯痛にて参りません故、事重き事故、思召しをもお尋ねご覧になるのが宜しいと保土が申し出で、則ち保土が保韶亭へ
参って保韶へ右の趣を相談いたしました所、保韶の存念も最初の評議の通り、御伝奏への窺書その外享保十二年五月小山郷から一社へ相願い、一社から万里小路弁殿への御願いや社記の抜書その外取次中から一社中への下地状等を認めて、取次中へまず御意を得られて、聞き届けられ伝奏への窺いの義しばらく控えるなどとありましたら、その分にいたしてお帰りになるべきです。もしまた埒の明かない様子でしたら、直に伝奏へお窺いになるのが宜しい旨。この趣を帰って一座へ申し入れました所、皆その通りが宜しい旨に決まりました。これにより寄会中総代出頭は久保土也、外に御一人御兼頼にて邦氏、都合三人出頭也。まず御所武家玄関へ参り案内を乞いました所、御使番右近言俊が出られました付き手札を出し、御取次中へ御意を得たい旨申し入れた所通達があり、追って取次の当番小佐次三河守が出られましたので、保土が申し入れるには、御用多中早速お逢い下され忝く存じ候得、御意候義は別義にてございません。当時渇水につきこの間御池の御用水拝領仕りました所、神領の百姓共へ分配して植え付け候様にと申し渡し候。然る所小山郷百姓が申しますには、御用水の義は去る十八日から二十五日まで彼等が拝領仕り候故、その意を得難い旨申し候。いよいよ左様の義にございますでしょうか。卑賎の者の義に候えば、もしまた御常水の少々減らし分を御免も遊ばされる義を御用水拝領などと心得違い候事もありましょうか。御内々お尋ね申し上げ候。もしまた左様の筋にございましたら、伝奏から拝領の義仰せ出され候えば御上の御命も立ち難く御座候故、やむを得ぬ事伝奏へお窺いも申し上げましょう。御上の御命の立たない義をその分にいたし置いて、却って御咎めを蒙るも計り難く、かたがた迷惑仕り候。何分百姓共の心得
英語訳
Since we have submitted a petition for exemption from our village, we cannot distribute water to other villages during the specified period, so we must decline. The above Koyama Village
Hōreki 5, Year of the Boar, 5th month, 21st day Village Headman
Village Elders
Village Headman Seibei's Representative
To the Shrine Rihatchi [seal]
Officials Kyūzaemon [seal]
Since Koyama Village does not agree as stated above, based on the ancient precedent of the nyōbō gobunshō (court ladies' documents), it should be granted through official channels from the densō (imperial messenger). With Koyama Village's current stance, it will be difficult to uphold the superior's command and maintain the shrine's dignity, so it would be appropriate to consult the densō about this matter. However, if Koyama Village has legitimate objections to the water allocation, they would not have submitted such a written statement. First, we should privately seek the opinion of the intermediary officials about this situation. If they say that this might be a misunderstanding by the farmers and that they will conduct a proper investigation, so we should postpone consulting the densō, then we should accept that and return. But if the intermediary's response is unsatisfactory, we should tell them that if this is the case, it will be difficult to uphold the superior's command, so we have no choice but to consult the densō, and then proceed directly to consult the densō. After various deliberations, it seems best to first consult the densō. If consulting only with the intermediaries yields no resolution, we should subsequently consult the densō. Or even if we appeal to the intermediaries, since ultimately the intermediary and the imperial garden administrator are one and the same, and this concerns Koyama Village's jurisdiction, it would be futile. In any case, since commands issued by the densō cannot be easily dismissed, it would be appropriate to consult about this matter. Since no decision was reached and Miyauchi Yasutoshi was absent due to a toothache, and since this is a serious matter, Yasudo suggested that we should seek His thoughts and opinions. Yasudo then went to Yasutoshi's residence.
When Yasudo visited and consulted with Yasutoshi about the above matter, Yasutoshi's opinion also aligned with the initial deliberation: they should prepare a petition to the imperial messenger, along with documents from Kyōhō 12, 5th month when Koyama Village petitioned the shrine, the shrine's petition to Lord Manrikōji Ben, extracts from shrine records, and letters of authorization from the intermediaries to the shrine officials. They should first seek the opinion of the intermediaries, and if they agree to postpone consulting the densō for now, they should accept that and return. But if no resolution is reached, they should proceed directly to consult the densō. When this was reported back to the assembly, everyone agreed this was the proper course. Accordingly, the representatives from the council meeting - Kubo Yasudo as chief delegate, plus one other person appointed as liaison, Kunishi - a total of three people would go. First, they went to the samurai entrance of the imperial palace and requested an audience. The messenger on duty, Ukon Nobutoshi, came out, so they presented their credentials and requested to speak with the intermediary officials. Word was sent, and soon the intermediary on duty, Kosaji Mikawa-no-kami, appeared. Yasudo addressed him: "We are grateful that you have graciously met with us despite your busy schedule. The matter we wish to discuss is not extraordinary. Due to the current drought, we recently received a grant of water from the imperial pond, which we were told to distribute to the farmers in the shrine territory for planting. However, the farmers of Koyama Village say that they have already received the water allocation from the 18th to the 25th of last month, so they cannot comply. Is this indeed the case? Since these are people of humble status, it's possible they have misunderstood some minor reduction in the regular water supply as a special water grant. We inquire about this privately. If this is indeed the case, then since the densō has ordered the water allocation, it would be difficult to uphold the superior's command, so we may have no choice but to consult the densō. If we leave a situation where the superior's command cannot be upheld as it is, we might face criticism later, which troubles us greatly. In any case, regarding the farmers' understanding..."