第 一 章 · TOBACCO AND THE DEVIL

. TOBACCO AND THE DEVIL

TOBACCO did not grow in Japan in the beginning. And the records do not

agree as to when it was introduced. Some put it in the Keichō Period

(1596-1615) and some in the Tembun Period (1532-55). But the plant

seems to have been already widely under cultivation by about the tenth

year of Keichō. And in the Bunroku Period (1592-96), smoking was so

widespread as to give rise to the pasquinade,

Things without effect

On men are the smoking law,

The counterfeit law,

The imperial voice secluded

And Gentaku the physician.

To the question, “By whom was tobacco introduced?” any historian would

answer that it was by the Portuguese or the Spaniards. But these are

not necessarily the only answers. There is, besides, one more in the

form of a tradition. According to it, tobacco was brought here from

somewhere by the Devil. And the Devil was brought all the way over to

Japan by a Catholic Padre, perhaps St. Francis.

When I say this, Catholic believers may find fault with me for

slandering their Padres. But for myself, I cannot but believe it

probable. For it is most natural that when the god of the “Southern

barbarians” came to us from across the sea, their devil should come

with him,--that is, when the good of the West was brought in, the evil

should be brought in too.

But I cannot say positively whether the Devil truly brought tobacco to

this land or not. Of course, according to a book by Anatole France, the

Devil once tried to tempt a certain priest with mignonette. Then surely

we cannot simply say that the story that he brought tobacco into Japan

is a mere lie. Even if it is a lie, it may be, in a certain sense,

surprisingly near the truth. With this thought, I have decided to try

writing here this tradition concerning the introduction of tobacco.

* * * * *

In the eighteenth year of Tembun, the Devil, assuming the form of a

Brother in St. Francis Xavier’s company, came safely across the wide

seas to Japan. He was able to change himself into this Brother because,

while the genuine Brother was ashore at Amakawa or somewhere, the

“black ship” which carried the party sailed away and left him behind

without knowing it. Then the Devil, who had up to this time been

hanging head down with his tail wrapped round a spar secretly watching

what was going on in the ship, instantly took on the appearance of this

man and began to wait on St. Francis constantly. Of course such a trick

was nothing for him, since he was the expert who, when he called on Dr.

Faust, could assume the shape of a splendid red-cloaked knight.

But when he reached Japan, he found things quite different from what

he had read of them in Marco Polo’s Travels while still in the West.

In the first place, in the Travels, the whole country seemed to be

overflowing with gold, but look where he might, there was nothing of

the kind to be seen. Then he might be able to tempt people a good deal

by scratching crosses with his nail and turning them into gold. And it

was said that the Japanese knew a way of raising the dead by the power

of pearls or something, but this also seemed to be one of Marco Polo’s

lies. If it was a lie and he should spit into all their wells and

spread a plague among them, practically all men would forget the coming

Paradise in their agony. Laudably following St. Francis about here and

there sight-seeing, the Devil secretly thought such thoughts and smiled

to himself with satisfaction.

But there was one thing that troubled him. Even he did not know what to

do about that one thing. Francis Xavier having just reached Japan and

it being necessary for him to preach widely before he could make any

converts to Christianity, there was not a single all-important believer

for him to tempt. With all his being the Devil, this perplexed him not

a little. In the first place, for the time being, he did not know how

to while away his tedious leisure hours.

So after considering many things, he thought he would kill some time

gardening anyway, for he had been carrying various kinds of seeds in

the hollow of his ear ever since his departure from the West. As for

land, if he borrowed a neighboring field, he would have no trouble

about that. Moreover, even St. Francis gave his hearty approval. Of

course he supposed that one of the Brothers in his company was going

to introduce western medicinal herbs or some such plants into Japan.

The Devil immediately borrowed a spade and a hoe and began

energetically to till a roadside field.

It was just at the vapor-laden beginning of spring, and the bell of

a far-off temple sent its sleepy boom through the floating mist. The

sound was ever so tranquil and did not strike him on the crown of the

head with the disagreeable sharp clang of the church bells of the West

to which he was accustomed. But if you suppose that the Devil felt calm

in these peaceful surroundings, you are quite wrong.

When he once heard the sound of this temple bell, he scowled more

unhappily than he had when he heard the bell of St. Paul’s and began

to dig furiously in the field. For when, bathed in the warm sunshine,

he heard this calm bell, his heart was strangely relaxed. He had no

more mind to work evil than to do good. At this rate, his crossing the

sea on purpose to tempt the Japanese would be all in vain. The only

reason the Devil, who hated work so much that he was once scolded by

the sister of Ivan for having no blisters on his palms, was willing to

toil away with a hoe like this was simply that he was madly determined

to drive away the moral sleepiness that threatened to overcome him.

After some days the Devil at last finished his work and sowed in

furrows the seeds he had in his ear.

* * * * *

During the following months, the seeds the Devil had sown sprouted and

grew into high plants and, at the end of the summer, broad green leaves

completely hid all the earth of the field. But there was no one who

knew the name of the plants. Even when St. Francis asked him, the Devil

only grinned and held his tongue, vouchsafing no reply.

Meanwhile the plants put out clusters of flowers on the ends of their

stems. They were funnel-shaped and light purple. The Devil seemed to

be delighted with the flowering of the plants in proportion to the

trouble he had taken with them. So every day, after the morning and

evening services, he always came out into the field and cultivated them

devotedly.

Then one day (St. Francis had gone off on a preaching tour for several

days and was absent) a cattle dealer passed by the field leading a

yellow cow. There across the fence in the field full of purple flowers

stood a southern barbarian Brother in his black priest’s robe and

broad-brimmed hat busily picking worms off the leaves. The flowers were

so curious that the cattle dealer involuntarily stopped, took off his

mushroom hat and called to the Brother politely,

“I say, holy one, what are those flowers?”

The Brother looked round. He had a flat nose and small eyes and was an

altogether good-natured looking “red-head.”

“These?”

“Yes.”

The “red-head,” leaning on the fence, shook his head. Then he said in

awkward Japanese,

“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell that one thing to anybody.”

“Oh, then did Francis Sama say that you shouldn’t tell?”

“No, not that.”

“Then won’t you just tell me once, for I’ve recently been instructed by

Francis Sama and become a believer in your religion, as you see.”

The cattle dealer pointed proudly to his breast. The Devil looked, and

sure enough, there was a little brass cross hanging from his neck and

shining in the sun. Then, perhaps dazzled by it, the Brother screwed up

his face a little and dropped his eyes to the ground, but quickly in a

more familiar tone than before and so that you could not tell whether

he was joking or not, he said,

“Still I can’t. For by the law of our country, it’s forbidden to tell.

Better still, you make a guess at it yourself. The Japanese are clever,

so you’re sure to hit it. If you do, I’ll give you all the plants in

this field.”

The cattle dealer probably thought the Brother was making fun of him.

With a smile on his sun-burnt face, he gave his head an exaggerated

tilt.

“What can it be, I wonder. To save me, I can’t guess it right off.”

“Oh, you needn’t do it to-day. Think it over for three days. I don’t

care if you consult others about it. If you guess it, I’ll give you all

these. Besides, I’ll give you some rare wine. Or shall I give you a

picture of the Heavenly Paradise.”

The cattle dealer seemed to be surprised at his earnestness.

“Then if I don’t guess it, what’ll I have to do?”

Pushing his hat back on his head, the Brother waved his hand and

laughed. He laughed in a sharp voice like a crow’s, that took the

cattle dealer a little by surprise.

“If you fail to guess it, I’ll take something of yours. It’s a gamble.

It’s a gamble whether you can guess it or not. If you guess it, I give

you all these plants.”

As he talked, the red-head’s voice again took on a friendly tone.

“All right. Then I’ll do my best, too, and give you anything you say.”

“Will you give me anything? Even that cow?”

“If she’ll do, I’ll give her to you right now.”

Smiling, the cattle dealer patted the yellow cow on the forehead. He

seemed to be taking everything the good-natured Brother said for a joke.

“And in exchange, if I win, I’ll thank you for those flowering plants.”

“Good. Good. Then it’s a real bargain, isn’t it?”

“It’s a real bargain. I swear in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

When he heard this, the Brother flashed his little eyes and snorted

twice or thrice as if with satisfaction. Then putting his left hand

on his hip and leaning a little back, he put his right hand out and

touched the purple flowers.

“Well then, if you don’t guess it--I’ll take you, body and soul.”

With this, the red-head made a large circle with his right hand and

took off his hat. There were two horns like a goat’s in his shaggy

hair. The cattle dealer, changing color, dropped his hat from his hand.

Perhaps because the sun was obscured, the brightness of the flowers and

leaves in the field all at once vanished. Even the cow, as if in fear

of something, lowered her horns and gave a bellow like the rumbling of

the earth.

“Even a promise made to me is a promise. You’ve sworn in the name of

one to me unmentionable. Don’t forget. You have three days. Good-bye.”

Speaking thus in the courteous tone of one who has made a fool of

somebody, the Devil deliberately made the cattle dealer a very polite

bow.

* * * * *

The cattle dealer regretted that he had fallen into the Devil’s trap so

carelessly. If he left things as they were, he would finally be seized

by that “shag-pate” and have to burn body and soul in the everlasting

fires of hell. Then his having forsaken his former religion and having

been baptized would be of no avail.

Since, however, he had sworn in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, he

could not break the promise he had made. Of course if St. Francis had

only been there, something might have been done yet, but unfortunately

he was away. Then for three days, during which he could not sleep a

wink, he tried to think how to outwit the Devil. To do so, there was

absolutely no way but to learn the name of the plant. But where could

there be anybody who knew a name unknown even to St. Francis?

Finally, on the last night, the cattle dealer, again leading his yellow

cow, stole up to the house in which the Brother lived. It stood beside

the field facing the road. When he got there, it seemed that the

Brother had already gone to bed, and no light shone from the windows.

There was a moon, but it was a hazy night, and here and there in the

lonely field the purple flowers showed faintly and lonesomely in the

gloom. Of course the cattle dealer had finally crept up here because

he had thought of a sort of doubtful plan, but as soon as he saw this

quiet scene, he was somehow afraid and felt that it might be best to go

back home as he was. Especially when he thought of that demon in the

house with horns like a goat’s, perhaps dreaming of the Inferno, all

the courage he had worked up melted weakly away. But when he thought of

handing himself over, body and soul, to that shag-pate, of course it

was no time to squeal and give up.

So the cattle dealer, beseeching the help of the Virgin Mary, boldly

carried out the plan he had formed. It was no very great plan. It was

only to take off the halter of the yellow cow he was leading and,

beating her roundly behind, drive her madly into the field.

The cow, jumping with the pain, broke down the fence and trampled the

field. She ran against the weather-boarding of the house with her horns

many times. And the noise of her hoofs and her bellowing, stirred the

light mist of the night and echoed fearfully through the neighborhood.

Then somebody opened a window shutter and stuck out his head. Because

of the darkness the face was not recognizable, but it was surely that

of the Devil in the form of the Brother. It may have been nerves, but

the horns on his head were distinctly visible even in the night.

“You dirty cur, you, what do you mean by tearing up my tobacco field?”

yelled the Devil in a sleepy voice, shaking his fist. He seemed

extremely angry at being disturbed just after falling asleep.

But to the cattle dealer, who was hiding and watching on the other side

of the field, these words of the Devil sounded like the voice of his

God.

“You dirty cur, you, what do you mean by tearing up my tobacco field?”

* * * * *

After that everything ended most harmoniously, as always in stories of

this kind. The cattle dealer guessed the name “tobacco” successfully

and got the best of the Devil. And he took all the tobacco growing in

the field. Thus ends the story.

But I have always wondered whether this tradition may not have in it a

deeper meaning. For though the Devil was not able to make the cattle

dealer’s body and soul his own, he managed instead to disseminate

tobacco throughout all Japan. Wherefore, as the escape of the cattle

dealer was coupled with his fall, was not the failure of the Devil

accompanied by success? Though the Devil falls, he does not simply rise

again. May it not be true that when a man thinks he has won out against

temptation he finds to his surprise that he has met defeat?

And here let me add a brief account of what became of the Devil after

that. When St. Francis came back, he was finally driven off of the land

by the virtue of the holy pentagram. But he seems to have wandered

about here and there after that still disguised as a Brother. In a

certain record, he is said to have appeared occasionally in Kyōto

at about the time of the erection of the temple Nambanji. There is

also a theory that Kashin Koji, the notorious fellow who made sport

of Matsunaga Danjo, was the Devil, but since this has already been

written about by Lafcadio Hearn, I shall not repeat it here. And then

when the foreign religion was prohibited by Toyotomi and Tokugawa, he

still showed himself at first, but finally in the end he left Japan

altogether. The records give practically no further information on the

Devil. Only it is exceedingly regrettable that we are unable to learn

of his movements since he came back to Japan a second time after the

Restoration of Meiji.