翻刻
難有工商家業営罷在候得共何分新町之儀ニ付
稼方手順薄く日々ニ衰微致し候折柄剰
近頃違作引続連々米価諸品共格外高直ニ
相成普請造作行届兼一同及流弊家別
其家ニ住居も不仕追々年経候ニ随ひ風破
雨漏いたし候而茂其繕致候もの無御座稼之
手段何様骨折候而も今日之賄方相当不仕
必至と難渋仕終に者前書蒙
御仁恵夫々拝借金仕候金子 御上納延引ニ
相成素々之
御恩沢忘却仕候心得者毛頭無御座候得共
只今之姿ニ而者居町宗門ニ而住宅致候もの而已
罷在其余之分者日ニ増元町元村へ引込追々
人数減少仕是等甚以歎敷儀と奉存候間
何卒格別之以 御憐愍両町一ト度繁栄
之ため乍恐 御運上 御上納可仕候間旅
籠屋渡世仕候もの何軒と相定杓【ママ】女壱軒ニ付
三人宛 御赦免被成下置候様只管奉願上候
現代語訳
ありがたく工商の家業を営んでおりますが、何分新しい町のことですので、稼ぎ方の手順が薄く、日々衰微いたしております折から、さらに近頃の凶作が引き続き、連年米価や諸品がすべて格外の高値となり、普請造作も行き届かず、一同流弊に及び、家ごとにその家に住居もせず、追々年を経るに随い風で破れ雨漏りいたしましても、その修繕をする者もおらず、稼ぎの手段をいかに骨折りましても、今日の賄い方が相当いたさず、必至と難渋いたし、ついには前書きの御仁恵を蒙り、それぞれ拝借金いたしました金子の御上納が延引となってしまいました。
もとよりの御恩沢を忘却いたす心得は毛頭ございませんが、只今の姿では、居町の宗門で住宅いたす者ばかりが残っており、その余の分は日に増して元町元村へ引き込み、追々人数減少いたし、これらは甚だ以て嘆かわしい儀と存じます間、何卒格別の御憐愍を以て両町一度繁栄のため、恐れながら御運上御上納仕る候間、旅籠屋渡世いたす者を何軒と相定め、酌女一軒につき三人宛御赦免成し下し置かれ候様、ひたすら願い上げ奉ります。
英語訳
We are gratefully conducting our artisan and merchant businesses, but since this is a new town, our means of earning are limited and we are declining day by day. Moreover, due to recent successive crop failures, rice prices and all commodity prices have become extraordinarily high. Construction and repairs cannot be properly maintained, and all of us are falling into decline. Each household no longer resides in their own homes, and as years pass, even when houses are damaged by wind or suffer from rain leaks, there is no one to repair them. No matter how hard we work at our means of earning, it is insufficient for today's livelihood expenses. We are in inevitable hardship, and finally, having received the benevolent favor mentioned above and borrowed money respectively, we have fallen behind in repaying the loans to the government.
We have absolutely no intention of forgetting the original beneficence, but in our current state, only those who maintain residences as members of the town's religious community remain, while the rest are increasingly moving back to their original towns and villages, and the population is gradually decreasing. We consider this an extremely lamentable situation. Therefore, we humbly request that with special compassion, for the prosperity of both towns, we be allowed to pay transportation taxes to the government, and that a certain number of inn operators be designated, with three serving women per establishment being pardoned, which we earnestly petition for.