#47Samurai Devotees - Utagawa Kuniyoshi series of engravings - 7/47

Sakagaki Genzo Masakata

Sakagaki Genzo Masakata, seated with a spear in his hand on a broken pedestal.

Genzo brilliantly owned a spear, in excellence of excellence excelled others. He liked to drink, and constantly - day and night - from him was a wine spirit. To the hilt of the sword, he tied a bottle of sake with a capacity of 1 cu (Japanese measure of capacity equal to 1.3 liters) and walked with it everywhere. But, having a propensity for drinking, in eating, he maintained simplicity and was thrifty. He dressed in simple clothes, avoided luxury. He was straightforward in character. After the fall of the clan of Ako, he settled in the main residence of the hanjo (the main part of the castle, the citadel) in the quarter of Haya-chyo. Not forgetting for a moment the favors of the gentleman, every month on the day of his death, he abstained not only from food, but also from his favorite sake and, shedding tears, surrendered to sorrow. Experiencing a bitter feeling of vexation, he painfully regretted the loss of his master.

One day he was visited by Fuwa Katsuemon and said: "There is a play in the Kabuki Theater, it tells about how our master at the shogun's headquarters dealt with the bloodshed. The play has an interesting plot, it is a success, we must go and see. " Ganzo immediately joined him and they went to see a play with Takenhojo. When they saw how the story was presented, they were overwhelmed with unbearable anger, they began to vilify the director of the troupe, Hanai Sisaburo, and, after beating him, forced the play to be remade. When they reported this to Obasi, he reproached them: He who pursues a great goal must be cautious.

It all happened, in fact, not so much because with all their heart they were devoted to the memory of the master, but under the influence of wine.

Translation from Japanese: М.V. Uspenki

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#47samurai full story:
https://steemit.com/art/@mariachan/the-dilemma-47-faithful-samurai-or-what-should-they-do-775abfcf924b3