A Ghost Story from Otosan Uchi
by Kakita Kaori
Set following the Fall of the Imperial Court
My Lord Kuwanan-sama,
My the light of Ameterasu always shine upon you and may the divine wisdom of the Lady Doji grace all your actions. May your name be praised in glory for all future generations. A hundred apologies for disturbing you with this humble letter. My name is Doji Tenkai, and I serve as the second undersecretary of the Ministry of Calligraphy and Seals, the humblest of courtiers in the Imperial Court and servant of the Emperor, may his leadership last a thousand years. It is with grief in my heart that I write to request that you recall me from this position of humble service, and back to my beloved homeland on the Doji plains. I feel that, considering the circumstances occurring in the Imperial Court, I can no longer adequately perform my duties to the Crane Clan or the service of the Empire. Please allow me to explain my situation.
I am sure that you have been informed, but the Imperial Court has been slain under order of His Divine Highness, Toturi the First. I would never dream of questioning this order, but it was a day of some terror for me. I was bent low over a table, working at copying the famous play "Divine Vengeance" in the copyroom when Toshiken entered. His face was twisted, with anger or grief I could not tell. Please forgive me, for I did not look for long. Blood dripped from his katana, which was drawn, and spilled in droplets across the white marble of the floors. I did not know what to do. So I kept still, continuing to copy the manuscript. He strode up to me, and struck the table before me. I was quite distressed to see drops of blood marking the paper I was working on.
"Who are you?!" he demanded. I did not look up. I was too afraid. Again he asked me, "Who are you? Are you of the court?" I was too frightened to respond, and kept my eyes affixed on my document. He took my chin in his hand and turned my face up to face him. "What? Can you not speak?" he asked me, and still I could not bring myself to respond, so filled with fear was I. I am a simple calligrapher, not a warrior, after all. The Emerald Champion let me go. "You must be a deaf-mute. If you are mute, you cannot whisper. Hopefully, it will be enough." There seemed to be. . . pity. . .in his voice. He left me there. I heard more screams and cries coming from the palace, men and women both. I kept writing, my Lord. It was all I could do.
That was not the end of it. After that, the palace was empty. Blood still clung to the floors, and none came to clean it. I did not know what to do, my Lord. So I did my duty. Each day, I crept from my humble chamber to the copy room, and quietly copied the texts that remained there. Each day, I returned to my room to eat what I could take from the kitchens. No one came to that part of the palace any more. It was as silent as death.
So it continued for many days. I do not know what was happening in the outside world. But then, one day, as I was copying, I heard a footstep behind me, and felt a chill gust of air. I turned. There, I could see nothing, but lying on the empty writing desk behind me I saw a parchment. On it was written a list of grain shipments. A single elegant line of kanji on it read 'Copy and deliver to Storage Warehouse One. K.Y.' It also had a date. . .the date of the slaughter.
Lacking anything else to do in service to the Empire, I copied the shipments, and, quietly, slipped out to deliver them to the storage house. I knew Yoshi-sama was dead, of course, but if I could fulfill his last command, I would do it. The guards at the warehouse accepted the request, and told me that the shipments would be sent out immediately. I bowed and left, wondering why I had not seen the request earlier.
I returned to my copy room and my simple lifestyle. However, the day after, another similar message, sent to a different party, appeared. It too was dated the day of the slaughter. I copied it also, and delivered it. The next day, there was another message, then another. Some were marked 'KY', but some bore other marks and chops. I copied each one, crept out to deliver it, and hurridly returned. This continued for about two weeks. Then the messages stopped for a time, and I went back to my previous habits.
About a week after the messages stopped, I was sitting again in the copy room, when I again heard the footsteps behind me. I turned, frightened of being caught. Instead, I saw a pale, transparent form, the form of Lord Yoshi. He glowed slightly in the dimly lit room, and was dressed in his courtly kimono. His hair stirred as if from an unfelt breeze. I felt cold. He turned and looked at me and smiled, holding his finger up to his lips. If he had not done that, I think I may have screamed. He then turned and slipped down the passageway, passing through the wall at the end of the corridor.
I naturally was terrified, and returned to my room immediately, staying in the darkness for many hours, but unable to sleep. I was too frightened to come out the next day either, or the next, and lived off of rice crackers and rainwater for two days. Throughout even the palace during this time, I could hear the sounds of fighting from all sides. There was a darkness throughout the palace that had grown horrifying, and I could hear shouts and unearthly screams. I hid in my room and prayed the lotus sutra.
Eventually, the sounds of fighting stopped, and hunger drove me from my room to seek out the kitchens once more. There, I met a servant girl, who told me the Unicorn now held the Imperial Palace. I was unsure what to do under Unicorn control, but decided that they would likely not worry about a single copyist, and so I mustered my courage and returned to the copy room. It was empty, as before.
It was not empty for long. Only a few days after, Yoshi-sama came to me again. He came closer, this time. I clung to the edge of the copy desk, but since he had not harmed me before, I did not run. Again, he smiled at me. But this time he spoke. "Tenkai...Konbanwa." That was all he said, but I was not as cold, and did not feel as afraid as I did before. I bowed low to return his greeting, but when I looked up, he was gone. Lying on the desk in front of me was my copying paper. On it was inscribed a perfect haiku.
Silver-dusted trees
Fill these woods; I smile to know
You walk in summer
I have copied Yoshi-sama's masterpieces enough to recognize his perfect works, though this piece was unknown to me.
The next day, Yoshi came again. This time, he stayed longer. "Write to the head of the fifth district," he said. "Tell him he must move all his people from the water's edge into the fourth district. Then take it to him." I did not understand, but I copied the message as I was instructed, and carried it to the fifth district. I heard that the next day, flooding swept away the docks in the fifth district, and many people would have died, but for my message.
So it continued. At first, only Yoshi-sama would come to me, asking me to copy for him. But soon, more spirits would come. They began to use my copying skills to even send messages to each other. I could sometimes see long columns of them pass down a long corridor, transparent as the fog, and walk through the wall on the other end, all talking and debating as if the court had never fallen. They would all come to me, twenty or thirty times a day, and I worked late into the night to deliver all the messages I had been given. Messages of advice, of warning, of the proper handling of taxes, of hiding the treasures of Otosan Uchi, of hiding people in safety below the city, I copied them all, and delivered them. If it is not wrong of me to admit it, I believe that I ran the whole empire through the messages I copied.
I eventually lost my fear of them, deciding that, if they passed through walls easily, they were not solid, and so, as mere apparitions, I was only reverencing the spirits and they would not harm me. But today, something happened that I can no longer explain away, and I feel that I can no longer serve in this capacity any longer.
Today, when I was copying, I heard footsteps. Again, I thought they were ghost feet, and I braced myself and turned. There, coming to meet me, was Kakita Yoshi. But this time, he was not transparent. Around him shone a halo of golden light, but other than that he was as real, and solid-looking as you or I, my Lord. He laid his hand on my shoulder, and his hand was real and warm. He smiled and said, "Thank you."
I think I fainted then, my Lord. He walks now in the palace always, as if nothing had ever happened. As if he had never died. I cannot understand this, and think, now, it is affecting my work. My hand shakes when I try to write. My penmanship has declined. I ask leave to go home, and meditate once more upon the meaning of these things. I will gladly resume my post when these spirits have left Otosan Uchi. Until then, I do not think I will be able to work there any more.
Thank you very much for allowing my return.
Your servant,
Doji Tenkai
The Second Undersecretary of the Ministry of Calligraphy and Seals
Set following the Fall of the Imperial Court
My Lord Kuwanan-sama,
My the light of Ameterasu always shine upon you and may the divine wisdom of the Lady Doji grace all your actions. May your name be praised in glory for all future generations. A hundred apologies for disturbing you with this humble letter. My name is Doji Tenkai, and I serve as the second undersecretary of the Ministry of Calligraphy and Seals, the humblest of courtiers in the Imperial Court and servant of the Emperor, may his leadership last a thousand years. It is with grief in my heart that I write to request that you recall me from this position of humble service, and back to my beloved homeland on the Doji plains. I feel that, considering the circumstances occurring in the Imperial Court, I can no longer adequately perform my duties to the Crane Clan or the service of the Empire. Please allow me to explain my situation.
I am sure that you have been informed, but the Imperial Court has been slain under order of His Divine Highness, Toturi the First. I would never dream of questioning this order, but it was a day of some terror for me. I was bent low over a table, working at copying the famous play "Divine Vengeance" in the copyroom when Toshiken entered. His face was twisted, with anger or grief I could not tell. Please forgive me, for I did not look for long. Blood dripped from his katana, which was drawn, and spilled in droplets across the white marble of the floors. I did not know what to do. So I kept still, continuing to copy the manuscript. He strode up to me, and struck the table before me. I was quite distressed to see drops of blood marking the paper I was working on.
"Who are you?!" he demanded. I did not look up. I was too afraid. Again he asked me, "Who are you? Are you of the court?" I was too frightened to respond, and kept my eyes affixed on my document. He took my chin in his hand and turned my face up to face him. "What? Can you not speak?" he asked me, and still I could not bring myself to respond, so filled with fear was I. I am a simple calligrapher, not a warrior, after all. The Emerald Champion let me go. "You must be a deaf-mute. If you are mute, you cannot whisper. Hopefully, it will be enough." There seemed to be. . . pity. . .in his voice. He left me there. I heard more screams and cries coming from the palace, men and women both. I kept writing, my Lord. It was all I could do.
That was not the end of it. After that, the palace was empty. Blood still clung to the floors, and none came to clean it. I did not know what to do, my Lord. So I did my duty. Each day, I crept from my humble chamber to the copy room, and quietly copied the texts that remained there. Each day, I returned to my room to eat what I could take from the kitchens. No one came to that part of the palace any more. It was as silent as death.
So it continued for many days. I do not know what was happening in the outside world. But then, one day, as I was copying, I heard a footstep behind me, and felt a chill gust of air. I turned. There, I could see nothing, but lying on the empty writing desk behind me I saw a parchment. On it was written a list of grain shipments. A single elegant line of kanji on it read 'Copy and deliver to Storage Warehouse One. K.Y.' It also had a date. . .the date of the slaughter.
Lacking anything else to do in service to the Empire, I copied the shipments, and, quietly, slipped out to deliver them to the storage house. I knew Yoshi-sama was dead, of course, but if I could fulfill his last command, I would do it. The guards at the warehouse accepted the request, and told me that the shipments would be sent out immediately. I bowed and left, wondering why I had not seen the request earlier.
I returned to my copy room and my simple lifestyle. However, the day after, another similar message, sent to a different party, appeared. It too was dated the day of the slaughter. I copied it also, and delivered it. The next day, there was another message, then another. Some were marked 'KY', but some bore other marks and chops. I copied each one, crept out to deliver it, and hurridly returned. This continued for about two weeks. Then the messages stopped for a time, and I went back to my previous habits.
About a week after the messages stopped, I was sitting again in the copy room, when I again heard the footsteps behind me. I turned, frightened of being caught. Instead, I saw a pale, transparent form, the form of Lord Yoshi. He glowed slightly in the dimly lit room, and was dressed in his courtly kimono. His hair stirred as if from an unfelt breeze. I felt cold. He turned and looked at me and smiled, holding his finger up to his lips. If he had not done that, I think I may have screamed. He then turned and slipped down the passageway, passing through the wall at the end of the corridor.
I naturally was terrified, and returned to my room immediately, staying in the darkness for many hours, but unable to sleep. I was too frightened to come out the next day either, or the next, and lived off of rice crackers and rainwater for two days. Throughout even the palace during this time, I could hear the sounds of fighting from all sides. There was a darkness throughout the palace that had grown horrifying, and I could hear shouts and unearthly screams. I hid in my room and prayed the lotus sutra.
Eventually, the sounds of fighting stopped, and hunger drove me from my room to seek out the kitchens once more. There, I met a servant girl, who told me the Unicorn now held the Imperial Palace. I was unsure what to do under Unicorn control, but decided that they would likely not worry about a single copyist, and so I mustered my courage and returned to the copy room. It was empty, as before.
It was not empty for long. Only a few days after, Yoshi-sama came to me again. He came closer, this time. I clung to the edge of the copy desk, but since he had not harmed me before, I did not run. Again, he smiled at me. But this time he spoke. "Tenkai...Konbanwa." That was all he said, but I was not as cold, and did not feel as afraid as I did before. I bowed low to return his greeting, but when I looked up, he was gone. Lying on the desk in front of me was my copying paper. On it was inscribed a perfect haiku.
Silver-dusted trees
Fill these woods; I smile to know
You walk in summer
I have copied Yoshi-sama's masterpieces enough to recognize his perfect works, though this piece was unknown to me.
The next day, Yoshi came again. This time, he stayed longer. "Write to the head of the fifth district," he said. "Tell him he must move all his people from the water's edge into the fourth district. Then take it to him." I did not understand, but I copied the message as I was instructed, and carried it to the fifth district. I heard that the next day, flooding swept away the docks in the fifth district, and many people would have died, but for my message.
So it continued. At first, only Yoshi-sama would come to me, asking me to copy for him. But soon, more spirits would come. They began to use my copying skills to even send messages to each other. I could sometimes see long columns of them pass down a long corridor, transparent as the fog, and walk through the wall on the other end, all talking and debating as if the court had never fallen. They would all come to me, twenty or thirty times a day, and I worked late into the night to deliver all the messages I had been given. Messages of advice, of warning, of the proper handling of taxes, of hiding the treasures of Otosan Uchi, of hiding people in safety below the city, I copied them all, and delivered them. If it is not wrong of me to admit it, I believe that I ran the whole empire through the messages I copied.
I eventually lost my fear of them, deciding that, if they passed through walls easily, they were not solid, and so, as mere apparitions, I was only reverencing the spirits and they would not harm me. But today, something happened that I can no longer explain away, and I feel that I can no longer serve in this capacity any longer.
Today, when I was copying, I heard footsteps. Again, I thought they were ghost feet, and I braced myself and turned. There, coming to meet me, was Kakita Yoshi. But this time, he was not transparent. Around him shone a halo of golden light, but other than that he was as real, and solid-looking as you or I, my Lord. He laid his hand on my shoulder, and his hand was real and warm. He smiled and said, "Thank you."
I think I fainted then, my Lord. He walks now in the palace always, as if nothing had ever happened. As if he had never died. I cannot understand this, and think, now, it is affecting my work. My hand shakes when I try to write. My penmanship has declined. I ask leave to go home, and meditate once more upon the meaning of these things. I will gladly resume my post when these spirits have left Otosan Uchi. Until then, I do not think I will be able to work there any more.
Thank you very much for allowing my return.
Your servant,
Doji Tenkai
The Second Undersecretary of the Ministry of Calligraphy and Seals
