el.the miko-第67部分

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ng　to　her？
　The　more　she　stared　into　that　face　she　had　e　to　know　so　well；　to　hate　with　an　almost　inhuman　passion；　the　greater　her　sense　of　helplessness　became。　She　was　spinning　out　of　control。　Why？　What　was　he　doing　to　her？
　Dizzily　she　downed　the　hot　sake　Sato　had　brought　her；　heard　herself　ask　for　another　in　a　thin；　strangled　voice　she　could　barely　recognize。　This　too　she　tumbled　down　her　throat；　almost　choking　on　it。
　Yet　she　went　on　watching　him；　tracing　each　contour　of　his　head　and　face　as　if　she　were　touching　him　physically。　She　felt　as　if　she　were　being　embraced　and　she　felt　her　thighs　tremble；　her　throat　constrict。　She　felt　a　tingling　at　the　back　of　her　neck　as　if　she　were　being　caressed　there　and　the　fine　hairs　were　raised　like　the　whiskers　of　an　animal。
　She　closed　her　eyes　in　an　effort　to　steady　herself；　but　found；　instead；　that　she　was　pelled　to　see　him　again。　Her　eyes　snapped　open。　He　was　still　there。　Sato　was　still　prattling　on　about　Buddha　only　knew　what。
　Years　raced　before　her　opened　eyes　like　veils　parting　before　a　freshening　wind。　Years　of　laborious　training；　obsessive　dedication。　A　heart　filled　with　burned　love　and　from　those　bitter　ashes　a　thirst　for　revenge　that　smoldered　and；　fanned　by　hate；　had　burst　into　full　flame。　Vengeance　will　be　mine。　How　often　during　the　painful　years　of　growing　up　had　that　one　phrase　given　her　the　courage　to　close　her　eyes　and　sleep　so　that　she　could　live　another　day。　Without　that　phrase　to　hold　to　her　like　a　blanket　on　a　frosty　night；　she　might　never　have　survived　unto　this　day。
　To　bee　aware　of　this　moment；　an　arrow　piercing　her　heart。　Dear　Amida！　she　cried　silently。　Now　she　began　to　tremble　in　earnest　with　the　knowledge　of　what　Nicholas　Linnear　was　engendering　in　her。　Wildly　her　mind　sought　this　avenue　and　that　in　order　to　avoid　what　she　already　suspected　was　an　inescapable　truth。
　Oh；　Buddha；　she　thought；　I　want　him。　I　want　him　so　much　I　can't　see　straight。
　
　TOKYO　AUTUMN　194？…AUTUMN　1963
　Ikan　lived　within　the　pale　green　and　caramel　walls　of　Fuyajo。　The　Castle　That　Knows　No　Night　had　been　her　home　ever　since　she　was　eight　years　old。
　That　year；　so　long　ago　now；　had　been　a　time　of　ill　omens　and　poor　crops　throughout　the　countryside。　Bow…backed　farmers　had　no　money　and　little　hope　of　making　it　through　to　the　end　of　the　year。
　It　is　said　in　Japan　that　hard　times　are　the　best　friend　of　tradition　for　it　is　during　these　periods　that　the　people　fall　back　most　heavily　on　the　ways　of　their　ancestors。
　And　so　it　was　with　Ikan's　family　that　year。　Her　father's　crops　were　no　better　than　those　of　his　neighbors；　which　was　to　say　no　good　at　all。　It　was　as　if　the　earth　refused　to　release　its　nutriments　that　year。
　The　first　Ikan　suspected　something　serious　was　amiss　was　when　she　returned　from　the　fields　with　a　handful　of　reeds　and　saw　her　mother　weeping。
　The　next　morning　Ikan　was　driven　from　the　farm　in　a　dusty；　backfiring　truck　that　smelled　of　cabbage　and　tomatoes；　a　small　bag　filled　with　the　pitifully　tiny　pile　of　her　possessions；　the　savior　of　her　family　destined　for　the　precincts　of　the　Yoshiwara。
　Like　many　young　girls　throughout　the　ages　before　her；　Ikan　was　to　be　sold　into　prostitution　by　her　family　in　order　to　retrieve　them　from　the　indignity　of　bankruptcy。
　Yet　unlike　the　Western　view；　the　Japanese　view　of　prostitution　was　filled　with　nobility　mixed　with　an　odd　poignancy。　As　he　did　with　many　other　institutions；　the　Shogun　Ieyasu　Tokugawa　created　the　legitimate　need　for　baishun；　the　selling　of；　as　it　is　known　in　Japan；　spring。
　Because　he　was　obsessed　with　his　own　power…the　only　force　able　to　tame　the　multiple　feuds　of　the　regional　daimyo　that　had　kept　feudal　Japan　in　a　constant　state　of　civil　war　for　years　before　his　ascendancy…he　required　that　each　daimyo　make　a　pilgrimage　to　Edo；　now　Tokyo；　every　other　year；　along　with　his　samurai；　where　they　would　stay　for　a　year。　This　sankinkotaiseido　served　two　purposes。　First；　it　cut　into　the　daimyo's　solidification　of　his　own　power　in　his　native　ryochi　and　second；　the　long；　often　arduous　trip　helped　deplete　his　coffers　of　accumulated　wealth。
　The　daimyo　and　the　wealthier　samurai　were　able　to　avail　themselves　of　the　services　of　their　mistresses。　But　the　poorer　samurai　were　forced　to　turn　to　prostitutes　for；　as　leyasu　himself　said；　prostitution　was　needed　in　order　to　negate　the　possibility　of　adultery。
　In　1617；　a　year　after　the　Shogun's　death；　a　feudal　lord　in　Edo　petitioned　the　Tokugawa　government　to　allow　him　to　create　a　sanctioned　area　within　the　city　for　baishun。　He　found　a　desolate　field　filled　with　reeds；　hence　the　name　Yoshiwara。　In　the　succeeding　years；　a　different　character　was　substituted　for　〃reedy；〃　and　the　Yoshiwara　became　known　as　the　happy　field。
　The　original　red…light　sector　was　destroyed　in　a　fire　and　in　1656　was　rebuilt　in　the　Asakusa　district　of　Edo；　where　it　remained　until　April　of　1958。
　In　1649；　Ikan　subsequently　was　taught　by　her　sensei；　the　government　declared　that　all　rice　grown　was　subject　to　confiscation　by　the　Imperial　samurai。　In　its　place　farmers　were　told　they　had　to　subsist　on　millet。
　Stricken；　farmers　were　forced　to　put　their　wives　to　work　sewing　or　weaving　and　to　send　their　young　children　to　toil　in　the　city。　Yet　even　this　was　not　enough；　and　so　often　one　female　child　was　selected　to　be　sold　to　the　brothels　in　order　for　her　family　to　survive。
　There　was　no　loss　of　face　in　this。　On　the　contrary；　these　young　girls　were　looked　upon　with　a　mixture　of　great　respect…for　submitting　to　their　gin　of　filial　piety…and　pity；　for　it　was　generally　known　that　while　a　prostitute　might　on　a　very　rare　occasion　bee　the　mistress　of　a　wealthy　samurai；　once　she　crossed　the　moat　that　surrounded　the　Yoshiwara　she　surrendered　all　hope　of　being　a　wife　and　creating　her　own　home。　So　there　was　always　an　air　of　mystery　tinged　by　the　purity　of　sadness　that　drew　men　into　the　arms　of　geisha　in　the　same　way　it　drew　them　to　Ueno　each　spring　to　view　the　cherry　blossoms。
　Dean　began　life　at　Fuyajo；　the　most　ancient　of　such　establishments　in　the　Yoshiwara；　as　a　kamuro；　a　kind　of　apprentice　who　fetched　for　the　oiran；　the　higher…level　prostitutes；　when　she　was　not　busy　cleaning　and　polishing。
　In　this　capacity　she　was　constantly　busy　yet　she　always　found　time　to　observe　and　to　learn　from　her　observations；　often　imitating　the　motions　and　delicate　swirls　of　the　oiran　early　in　the　mornings　before；　exhausted；　she　fell　on　her　futon。
　When　she　was　twelve；　Ikan　took　a　strenuous　examination　and　passed　on　to　the　level　of　shinzo；　where　she　began　her　courses　in　the　study　of　baishun。　These　included　singing；　the　difficult　art　of　haiku；　ikebana；　chano…yu；　dancing；　a　study　of　literature；　and；　of　course；　lovemaking。
　Her　training　took　five　years；　at　the　end　of　which　she　was　required　to　take　another　exam。　This　was　the　crucial　one　for；　if　she　failed　to　pass　it；　she　would　return　to　the　level　of　kamuro　and　spend　the　rest　of　her　days　at　Fuyajo　doing　nothing　more　than　taking　out　the　garbage。
　She　had　no　serious　trouble　and；　at　the　age　of　seventeen；　rose　to　the　exalted　station　of　oiran。　For　four　years　she　plied　her　difficult　and　plex　trade　diligently　and　well；　her　open；　inquisitive　mind　allowing　her　to　absorb　the　best　from　the　more　experienced　women　around　her；　her　innate　sensitivity　to　creating　all　forms　of　pleasure　in　a　man；　intellectual；　esthetic；　as　well　as　physical；　creating　an　ever…expanding　world　that　she　alone　could　explore。
　And　on　the　day　of　her　birth；　twenty…one　years　after　she　was　born；　Ikan　became　tayu；　the　loftiest　of　the　three　stations　of　oiran。　Never　in　the　history　of　the　Castle　That　Knows　No　Night　had　there　been　a　tayu　of　such　tender　years；　and　a　celebration　was　thrown　in　her　honor。
　And　it　was　in　that　most　festive　of　atmospheres；　when　the　sake　was　flowing　freely　and　the　samisen　spangled　webs　of　music　in　the　steamy　air；　that　Ikan　first　encountered　Hiroshi　Shimada。
　He　was　a　man　of　quiet　intensity；　not　a　handsome　man　by　any　but　the　broadest　of　standards；　yet　possessed　of　a　strength　of　spirit　that　she　found　most　attractive。
　For　his　part；　Shimada　had　singled　her　out　almost　at　once。　His　eyes　fell　upon　her　stately　alabaster　beauty　and　his　heart　turned　to　water。　He　felt　a　great　cry　rising　up　from　within　him；　and　for　a　moment　he　had　to　put　a　hand　out　to　grasp　the　knurled　wooden　stairpost　for　support。　When　his　knees　stopped　shaking；　he　began　to　breathe　again。　His　head　felt　light；　as　if　he　had　been　drinking　sake　long　into　the　night；　there　was　an　odd　metallic　taste　in　his　mouth　as　if　he　had　bitten　down　into　a　piece　of　tinfoil。
　It　never　occurred　to　him　that　he　might　be　falling　in　love。　One　did　not　fall　in　love　with　a　geisha；　one　came　to　her　for　fort；　relaxation；　and　a　night　of　total　enjoyment。　And　yet　at　the　moment　he　first　saw　Ikan；　her　awesome　physicality　struck　from　his　consciousness　any　thought　he　might　have　held　of　any　other　woman；　his　wife　included。
　There　was　an　aura　about　Ikan　that　was　undeniable。　Even　the　other　oiran　whispered　of　it　in　clandestinely　envious　tones　among　themselves。　For　she　had　achieved　what　all　members　of　the　floating　world　aspire　to：　that　ineffable　merging　of　the　ethereal　and　the　animal　that　unfailingly　set　men　under　its　almost　magic　spell；　an　aphrodisiac　for　all　the　senses；　all　the　pleasures。　For　her　clients　loved　her　just　as　strongly　when　she　was　reading　to　them　from　Genji　Monogatari；　when　she　arranged　day　lilies　just　for　them　or　wrote　a　haiku　in　their　honor；　as　when　she　bedded　them。
　Thus　Shimada　found　himself　drawn　to　Ikan's　side；　his　gaze　lovingly　caressing　each　elegant　fold　of　her　glittering　kimono；　the　three　translucent　tortoiseshell　kanzashi　angled　through　the　gleaming　black　pile　of　her　hair；　the　kushi；　the　simple　traditional　b　of　tsuge　wood　at　the　back　of　her　head。
　And　when　he　spoke　his　first　word　to　her　through　cracked　lips；　merely　the　gesture　of　her　turning　her　head　in　his　direction　sent　flutters　of　desire　through　his　chest。
　There　was；　of　course；　no　chance　for　them　to　be　alone　at　the　party　and；　in　any　event；　a　proper　assignation　had　not　been　arranged　beforehand　as　was　the　strict　policy　at　Fuyajo。　But　the　next　week；　when　Shimada　could　take　time　out　from　his　busy　schedule；　he　returned　to　the　Yoshiwara。
　On　the　threshold　of　the　pale　green　and　caramel　structure　he