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Lafcadio Hearn - Kokoro
Hitachi, a servant of Yorodzuya Chobei of the town of Obaka in the province of Mino.
"For it will give me much joy to see the person for whose sake I obtained with difficulty five days'
freedom, three of which I gave to drawing your cart as far as this place."
Then she bade the gaki-ami farewell, and turned back upon her homeward way, although she
found it very difficult thus to leave the cart alone.
X. THE REVIVAL
At last the gaki-ami was brought to the hot springs of the famed temple of Kumano Gongen, and,
by the aid of those compassionate persons who pitied its state, was daily enabled to experience the
healing effects of the bath.
After a single week the effects of the bath caused the eyes, nose, ears, and mouth to reappear; after
fourteen days all the limbs had been fully re-formed;
And after one-and-twenty days the nameless shape was completely transformed into the real
Oguri-Hangwan Kane-uji, perfect and handsome as he had been in other years.
When this marvelous change had been effected, Kane-uji looked all about him, and wondered much
when and how he had been brought to that strange place.
But through the august influence of the god of Kumano things were so ordained that the revived prince
could return safely to his home at Nijo in Kyoto, where his parents, the lord Kane-ie and his spouse,
welcomed him with great joy.
Then the august Emperor, hearing all that had happened, thought it a wonderful thing that an of his
subjects, after having been dead three years, should have thus revived.
And not only did he gladly pardon the fault for which the Hangwan had been banished, but further
appointed him to be lord ruler of the three provinces, Hitachi, Sagami, and Mino.
XI. THE INTERVIEW
One day Oguri-Hangwan left his residence to make a journey of inspection through the provinces of
which he had been appointed ruler. And reaching Mino, he resolved to visit Kohagi of Hitachi, and to
utter his thanks to her for her exceeding goodness.
Therefore he lodged at the house of Yorodzuya, where he was conducted to the finest of all the
guest-chambers, which was made beautiful with screens of gold, with Chinese carpets, with Indian
hangings, and with other precious things of great cost.
When the lord ordered Kohagi of Hitachi to be summoned to his presence, he was answered that she was
only one of the lowest menials, and too dirty to appear before him. But he paid no heed to these words,
only commanding that she should come at once, no matter how dirty she might be.
Therefore, much against her will, Kohagi was obliged to appear before the lord, whom she at first beheld
through a screen, and saw that he so much like the Hangwan that she was greatly startled.
Oguri then asked her to tell him her real name; but Kohagi refused, saying: "If I may not serve my lord
with wine, except on condition of telling my real name, then I can only leave the presence of my lord."
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