Hanabishi Fusai no Taima-chou

Just as Yoshimi remembered, the article appeared in the morning paper of the eleventh. The article reported that Koman, a geisha in Akasaka, had her throat slit with a sharp object in her home and breathed her last while covered in blood. The article suggested that it was a robbery, since there was no murder weapon and the room appeared to have been ransacked.

“This isn’t an article you should read,” Yoshitada knitted his brows and picked up the newspaper. With a murder case like this, articles were written in a sensational manner, bloodier and more exaggerated to attract the reader’s attention. This article had a large headline with the words “Sea of blood.”

“I wonder if the culprit hadn’t been caught. Because I’m sure Yoshimi-oniisama would have remembered it.”

With such a shocking article, it would have been treated as a big deal if the culprit had been caught. Yoshitada sighed.

“It’s none of your business whether or not they’re caught. Forget about it.”

Suzuko looked up at his face.

“Oniisama, do you not care if someone from a lower class is cruelly slaughtered?”

“I-I didn’t say that.”

“You said it’s none of my business. You don’t care whether one or two geishas are killed or whether or not their killer is caught, do you.”

“That’s not—”

“Don’t you feel sorry for the deceased geisha? What a tragedy that she’s killed in such a horrible manner.”

“Well, of course I feel sorry for her. It is a tragedy.”

“Then aren’t you at least concerned about whether or not the culprit was caught? That’s what empathy is all about.”

“Mm, yes, you’re right.”

“Oniisama, you know someone in the police, right? Why don’t you ask them?”

“Huh? Me?”

After staring at her brother’s face, Suzuko lowered her eyes. Sadly.

“Okay. A schoolmate of mine from university works at the police department, so I’ll ask him.”

Yoshitada left to make the call.

I really am worried that my older brother will get easily tricked by a bad woman.

The culprit wasn’t caught.

The incident took place at a small geisha parlor in Tameike-cho, Akasaka Ward, where four geisha and the proprietress lived. One night, one of the geisha, a twenty-year-old named Koman, real name Yamai Kane, was found dead with blood flowing from her throat when the proprietress and the others returned home. The group had planned to go see the cherry blossoms that day, but Kane said she didn’t feel well, so the others left her behind at home.

“Kane was a very pitiful girl. She was from a village in the mountains of Aizu, but everyone in the village died from the flu from before. The whole village was wiped out. Naturally, so did her family. Mountain villages are isolated places, so things like this happen.”

Yoshitada spoke in a tone of genuine sympathy.

“Since then, the others tried to take Kane out to see the cherry blossoms, partly to raise her spirits. Apparently, the proprietress was terribly sorry that she had left Kane all alone.”

“The newspaper said it might have been a robbery…but is that true?”

“I don’t know. But I don’t think they would tell us about something that’s currently being investigated, even if we’re friends.”

Suzuko nodded. Then, that person must be an acquaintance or close friends or something of the sort.

“I hope the culprit is caught soon. It would be unbearable if that didn’t at least happen. Kane’s soul will never rest.”

Yoshitada sighed deeply. He didn’t like talking about such things.

A geisha with her throat slashed…

The ghost of the woman with the bleeding throat she saw at the Murotsuji residence appeared in Suzuko’s mind. The viscountess had said that she began to hear the sound of a shamisen about half a month ago. The incident also occurred about half a month ago. Was Kane that ghost?

Suzuko thanked Yoshitada and retired to her room. After pondering for a while, she stood up with her lace gloves and parasol. “Please get Taka for me,” she told a maid.

“Where are you planning to go?” Taka asked suspiciously after she arrived.

“I just want to take a walk.”

“You just want to take a walk?”

“I want to buy some sweets on the way, so I will ask Tsurumi-san for some money.”

Tsurumi was the steward of the Takigawa family. He was now over sixty years old, but he was a capable steward who had been in charge of the “front” since the time of the previous marquis. Whenever she wanted buy something, she would tell him what she was going to buy and receive a small amount of money.

“If you want sweets, then just order from your usual confectionery shop.”

“I want to buy something on my walk. That’s what I’m in the mood for.”

“Hanajirushi-sama.”

Taka slowly called Suzuko, as though punctuating with a single word. “Hanajirushi” (flower seal) referred to Suzuko. The seals used by the nobility used words like “pine” (matsu) or “plum” (ume) because they hesitated to call or write their names directly. Suzuko’s belongings were marked with “flower seal” or “flower.” Yukiko was plum, Asako was peach, Yoshitada was pine, and Yoshimi was bamboo.

Whenever Taka called her by this name, it was to say, “You should be aware that you are a daughter of a noble family.”

“I understand what you want to say. I’ll be okay.”

Suzuko said, but Taka looked suspicious.

Tameike-cho in Akasaka was so named because there was once a reservoir in the area. It was a name with no ingenuity, but it served to preserve the memory of the past.

The pond was built in the early Edo period and was said to have been long, large, and narrow. It was part of the outer moat for Edo Castle and used for drinking water. The water quality must have been good enough for people to drink it. Koi carp and crucian carp from Lake Biwa and the Yodo River swam there, lotus flowers bloomed, and fireflies flitted about. The area became one of the most popular tourist spots, and naturally, tea houses were built around the area to cater to the tourists. The red-light district of Akasaka-Tamachi was formed along the pond.

In the Meiji era, the reservoir was filled up and turned into a street where streetcars ran, and then a town. Tameike-cho was the name of the town. The Takigawa residence, located in Akasaka Ward, was relatively close by. The military facilities occupied a large area in Akasaka, and the Takigawa residence stood among other residences of the nobility and built during that time.

Accompanied by Taka, Suzuko bought kneaded yokan1 at the confectionery shop that purveyed to the Takigawa family and then walked to Tameike-cho. The area from Tamachi to there was lined with restaurants and tea houses. Because of its proximity to government offices, Akasaka’s red-light district served many high officials and military personnel. They gathered as guests at night. In the middle of the day, there were seedling peddlers and millet bonsai vendors2 who called in peculiar melodies while walking around, scrap collectors carrying long baskets on their backs, restaurant shop-boys running with wooden boxes, sleepy-looking geisha on their way to shamisen practice, and other such people came and went on the street. A streetcar flew along the rail, and a car crossed behind it. The sounds of children playing in tatami tenement houses vigorously overlapped the various sounds of the town.

Even though May had only just begun, it was so hot today that even with a parasol, she could still feel the strong sunlight. Sweat beaded on her neck. The ground was sprinkled with water by the waterers in order to prevent dust, and a heat haze shimmered. There was the smell of fresh greenery.

Since this was a walk, Suzuko wore her meisen silk everyday clothes instead of her best clothes. The sunlight slid over the smooth meisen fabric. The pale blue fabric with a large white arrow feather pattern was cool to the eye. In the morning, she chose this kimono because she expected that it would be hot today, and she was proven right.

A car coming from behind suddenly slowed down and approached Suzuko. The number of automobiles had increased due to the economic boom due to the war, but this had also led to an increase in the number of automobile accidents. Suzuko moved to the side of the road since she found it frightening when a car passed near her. She also did that now, but was startled when the car came closer to her. It stopped near her. From the open window in the back seat, a voice called out, “Suzuko-san!”

It was Takafuyu. “Did I startle you? My apologies. I saw you from behind, so I couldn’t help but call out to you.”

Suzuko took a step away from the car.

“Do you have need of me?”

“No, since this is the first time we’ve seen each other in a while.”

While putting on a fedora, Takafuyu got out of the car. “Go back to the mansion,” he told the driver. He was wearing a sober silver-grey suit, but perhaps because it was hot, he had taken off his jacket and was carrying it under his arm. Black onyx cufflinks adorned the cuffs of his white shirt, a pearl pin adorned his navy tie, and a gold chain from his pocket watch ran from the buttonhole of his vest to his pocket. All of these items were understated but tasteful and suited him well.

“It’s very hot today. Where are you going?”

“I’m taking a walk.”

“Then, I shall accompany you.”

“Is there something you want to talk to me about?”

“There is, but we can talk about it next time. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future, after all.”

“…” Suzuko fell silent and walked ahead.

“Do you often take walks? They are good for your health, aren’t they? You can also get a good idea of what the neighborhood is like. I grew up in Yokohama, so it’s fun and unusual to go anywhere in Tokyo.”

“…”

“I remember my foster parents took me to the Asakusa Juunikai3 building. It will be the best time to see the wisteria at Hyoutan Pond soon. Shall we go see them? How about it?”

“…”

“Suzuko-san?”

“You said that we will talk next time, sir.”

She said cuttingly, but Takafuyu smiled pleasantly. Suzuko, feeling like he knew what her answer would be and was speaking to her on purpose, felt sickened.

What an unpleasant person.

Without a doubt, he seemed to have a twisted personality. He was nothing like Yoshitada, and he was different from Yoshimi. When she was working as a clairvoyant, she saw many adults, but none of them were like him.

“I am not going to Asakusa,” Suzuko said firmly. Ever since the Takigawa family took her in, she had never set foot in Asakusa. Even when she tried to go there, her legs trembled and she just couldn’t go.

Takafuyu nodded lightly, still smiling.

“Then, let us drop the wisteria and go see the peonies in Azabu’s Shouka Garden instead. Or would you prefer roses? For roses, it would be Choushun Garden in Mukojima.”

Suzuko walked, completely ignoring Takafuyu. She turned off the street into a side street. There was a row of dumpling shops and restaurants with short curtains hanging from the eaves, and across the street were the row houses where servants from nearby mansions lived. The fragrant smell of cooked dumplings filled the air, and peddlers and rickshaw drivers were sitting on benches at the front of the shops, eating dumplings and relaxing.

Takafuyu pointed forward from behind.

“The geisha parlor you are heading for is in the alley around the corner there.”

Suzuko sighed and looked up at Takafuyu. “You know everything, don’t you?”

“I guess things right often.”

“You could be a good fortune teller.”

Takafuyu smiled in amusement. “With your endorsement, I’m sure it’s true.”

“Ojou-sama,” Taka called out to Suzuko from behind in a stifled voice. “What is the meaning of this?”

“There is something I want to ask.”

“At a geisha parlor? That’s absolutely preposterous. We’re going home.”

“Baron Hanabishi is here too, so it should be fine.”

“It isn’t.”

Despite the back-and-forth argument, Suzuko didn’t stop walking. As they rounded the corner, Takafuyu spoke up.

“Oh, look, someone’s coming out.”

The alley was lined with compact single houses. There seemed to be a mix of stores and houses that didn’t do any business, and signs were up for a pawn shop and a blacksmith. The alley was deserted, and only the clanging of metal could be heard from the blacksmith’s shop, but Takafuyu was right: a girl of about seventeen or eighteen was coming out of one of the houses before them. Pots of morning glories, probably purchased from a morning glory seedling peddler, were placed under the eaves by the front door, adding a touch of elegance to the place. Suzuko wondered if this girl was a geisha. Her hair was tied up in the Tsubushi Shimada style and she looked neat and pretty, but there was a somewhat unrefined air about her.

The girl was walking towards them, carrying something in a wrapping cloth as if she was going out for an errand. Suzuko stopped her.

“Pardon me, but are you from—Koman-san’s house?”

The girl shrugged her shoulders as if frightened and looked at Suzuko. “Who are you?”

“I’m sorry for startling you. My name is Takigawa Suzuko. I’m a daughter of the Takigawa family in Akasaka.”

When she introduced herself, the girl’s eyes widened.

“Takigawa-san of Akasaka? Do you mean the marquis…? From that big mansion?”

“The marquis is my father. He continues to be deeply grateful to everyone here.”

The girl laughed a little at Suzuko’s words. It was a cute, amiable smile.

“I have never been invited to the marquis’s mansion. But, I have heard rumors.”

This seemed to relax the girl, and she introduced herself as Kotatsu and that she was one of the geishas who lived in the geisha parlor. For the first time in her life, Suzuko felt that her father had been helpful.

“But why is the daughter of the marquis here?”

“Please feel free to call me Suzuko. I was acquainted with Koman-san for a little while. I only recently found out that she has passed away, and though it is late, I thought I would at least offer some incense to her…could you please offer this to the spirit of the deceased?”

Suzuko turned to Taka and signalled her with her eyes. Taka was carrying the yokan she had bought on the way here. Taka gave her a reproachful look, but handed the package of yokan to her. Suzuko would be given a stern lecture when she returned home.

“Wow! Yokan from Konno!” Neri yokan was a high-class delicacy. Kotatsu’s eyes were shining. “Thank you very much. Please, come in.”

Kotatsu was about to turn back to the house when her eyes landed on Takafuyu, who was a short distance away from Suzuko. “This is Baron Hanabishi,” Suzuko introduced him briefly.

“I know him. I have met the baron several times.”

“Oh?” Suzuko looked up at Takafuyu’s face as he approached. “So you often come to Akasaka at night, I see.”

“I come here for dinners with business partners and entertaining government officials. It’s all for work,” Takafuyu smiled awkwardly.

“Hanabishi-san is very popular with the geisha,” Kotatsu said. Suzuko didn’t know if she was being courteous or if she was telling the truth. “Because he’s so handsome and kind.”

“Oh, ‘kind’ means I spend a lot of money, yes?” Takafuyu laughed.

“The marquis is also very popular,” Kotatsu said to Suzuko like she was trying to be considerate. It was unnecessary consideration.

“You’re running errands, right? Is it okay if we come in?” Suzuko said as she looked at the bundle Kotatsu was holding.

“It’s fine. I can do it later,” Kotatsu said as she turned to the door. I’m just taking the ladies’ kimono to the shikkaiya.”4

“Speaking of kimono, Koman-san had a dark purple kimono, if I remember correctly? It had a willow pattern.”

Kotatsu stopped and looked back at Suzuko. Her face was stiff.

“Yes, it was Koman-chan’s favorite. She was wearing it when she died.”

“Oh, I see.”

So that ghost truly was Koman.

“Her kimono was covered in blood…it was awful,” Kotatsu hung her head. “If I hadn’t went out to see the cherry blossoms that day, at least I would have stayed behind as well.”

Murmuring that, she opened the door and invited Suzuko and the others in.

“I’m afraid I can’t entertain you properly. My sisters are at practice with the nagauta master, and the proprietress is looking for a new house to rent. We used to have a part-time maid, but she quit.”

The house was quiet and still. The sound of children playing could be in the distance.

“Are you moving house?”

“No one is willing to continue living here. My sisters said they would go to another geisha parlor if we didn’t move. New girls won’t come either. I remember it all too well. There was so much blood. I can still smell it. We changed the tatami mats, but for some reason, it made it worse, you know? Something like that…”

Kotatsu pointed to the tatami room at the back. Two tatami mats had been replaced with brand new ones. The other tatami mats were yellowed and worn out, so the new ones stood out considerably. They smelled like new tatami mats, but that scent was all the stranger in an old house.

Suzuko clasped her hands together in front of the chuindan altar set up in the altar room. The image of Koman covered in blood reappeared behind her eyelids.

Why did you appear in Viscount Murotsuji’s residence?

What did she want to bring to attention there? Suzuko had kept thinking about that. It would be good if she could ask the ghost, but she was eaten by the jourou. She couldn’t ask her anymore.

As far as she knew, the ghost of Koman was no more, but that didn’t mean she could forget her.

“For a short while, there were a lot of reporters and onlookers coming here to ask about Koman-chan, which caused us a lot of trouble. At first, since she was a geisha, it was said that it has to do with jealousy in a love affair, and then it was reported that it seemed to be a robbery and what happened to her hometown was in an article—did you know that the flu wiped out her entire village?—and there was large outpouring of sympathy for her. There were people who donated money through the newspaper company as a prayer for her soul’s repose.”

Kotatsu murmured sadly.

“Koman-chan came to Tokyo to be a geisha in order to support her family back home. She said she couldn’t make any money if she stayed in the village. I understand, because I’m in the same situation. Of course there were hard times, but I could endure them if I remind myself that this is all for the sake of supporting my family. But, for Koman-chan, it wasn’t just her family, it was her entire village. She seemed to fall into a terrible depression when she received the telegram. She couldn’t even go to ozashikis5 after that. She became half sick and so weak that we thought she had the flu. From the end of last year until January, people were in no state to invite geisha to entertain them. We also had a lot of free time, but from the beginning of spring, the ozashikis gradually increased, but Koman-chan just couldn’t do them. She was saying things like, ‘There’s nothing worth living for anymore’——”

Kotatsu suddenly stopped speaking and looked down, embarrassed. “I’m sorry you have to hear such an awful story.”

“No, it’s fine. Viscount Murotsuji must have been worried about Koman-san, right?”

“Eh? Oh, yes—you know her very well. Viscount Murotsuji was a good-natured man, and he consoled Koman-chan a lot about the death of her family. They didn’t have that kind of relationship between a man and a woman. I could understand if that was the case. He felt sorry for her because he could see that she was clearly depressed, so he was concerned about her. Sometimes he even brought us sweets. Oh, that’s right, the ring as well.”

Kotatsu turned her gaze to the brand-new tatami mats as though remembering.

“She received that ring from Viscount Murotsuji. I don’t think it was a very expensive thing, though.”

“…That emerada ring?”

Suzuko asked. Kotatsu tilted her head a little.

“I think that was the gemstone’s name, but…I don’t know. I heard it was a synthetic gemstone.”

“A pale yellow-green gemstone?”

“Oh, yes, it was. A beautiful yellow-green color.”

“Is the ring here now?”

“No—it isn’t. It was most probably stolen by the robber, I think.”

“I see.”

Suzuko looked around the room. If the ghost of Koman had been here, she would have been able to listen to her voice.

At that time, I didn’t have the time to listen to her.

Even though she seemed to be saying something.

If only this man had come a little later…

Suzuko gave a sideways glare at Takafuyu. Knowingly or unknowingly, Takafuyu spoke to Kotatsu.

“Has anything else been stolen?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“The money in her dresser wasn’t stolen. None of my or the other girls’ belongings were taken, but…I couldn’t tell which of Koman-chan’s things were missing, except for her ring.”

“Interesting.”

Takafuyu crossed his arms and seemed to be thinking over something, but then he suddenly moved his face close to Kotatsu’s. He was looking into her eyes intently.

“W-What is it?”

Kotatsu drew back. Takafuyu looked away from her face and turned his eyes towards the back room. It was the room where Koman died. He stared at it and narrowed his eyes.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever talked about this during drinks. But, y’know, I can see ghosts.”

Kotatsu gasped and turned pale. Takafuyu’s tone wasn’t the courteous one he used with Suzuko, but familiar and relaxed. Suzuko watched him to see what he was going to say.

“I see, so her plectrum is missing.”

“Huh?” Kotatsu’s body shook with a start.

“Koman’s shamisen plectrum. That’s right.”

“Ah…”

“And you were the first to find the deceased Koman. You came back before the proprietress and the others.”

Kotatsu’s complexion had gone past blue to become chalk-white. Her body was trembling slightly.

“What did you do with the plectrum?”

Letting out a cry, Kotatsu covered her face and began to sob.

Suzuko tugged on Takafuyu’s sleeve. What is this? She asked with her eyes. Takafuyu didn’t answer and simply stared at Kotatsu’s quivering head.

“It’s okay, Kotatsu. There must have been a reason for what you did, right?”

Takafuyu put his hand on Kotatsu’s shoulder and whispered. His voice was gentle that it made Suzuko shudder. Goosebumps rose on Suzuko’s skin, but Kotatsu gave a small nod and looked up.

“Ko…Koman-chan died. She really died. I knew I shouldn’t have left her alone. I wished I had stayed with her,” Kotatsu was heaving with sobs. “I was always worried that something like that would happen. The proprietress was also worried. That was why we tried to cheer her up by inviting her out to view the flowers. But when she said she wouldn’t go, the proprietress got angry and told her to do what she wanted, and then I couldn’t tell her that I wouldn’t go either. But I was uneasy, so I came back early. And then…”

She found Koman lying there, covered in blood.

“She died wearing her favorite kimono, clutching her plectrum with both hands.”

“…Wait,” Suzuko spoke. “She committed suicide?”

Kotatsu nodded.

“She used her plectrum on her neck…”

“But the weapon was never found, and the room was ransacked.”

“I threw the plectrum into a ditch when I was on my way to the police station to inform them. I was the one who ransacked the room like a robber. ――I heard Koman-chan say it. She planned on dying.”

Kotatsu wiped her eyes with the handkerchief offered by Takafuyu and looked at the tatami room in the back.

“When I saw Koman-chan covered in blood, I thought, ‘The proprietress will be furious.’ If a geisha committed suicide, the proprietress would lose a lot of money. We would be called a geisha parlor that dirtied the house and made a geisha commit suicide. I don’t even know if they would give her a proper funeral. Besides, the world isn’t very kind to suicides, is it? Even more if it was a geisha. I’m sure they would say terrible things about us, just for fun.”

Geishas were a symbol of beauty and splendor, much praised in newspapers and magazines, but at the same time, they were also objects of scorn as “prostitutes.” What was the logic behind these two extreme contradictions? Suzuko felt nauseous at the thought of people being called “prostitutes,” a horrible title.

“But, if people thought she was killed…if she was killed by a robber, then they would sympathize with Koman-chan.”

That was what actually happened. To the point of donating money to her in her memory.

“Koman-chan said this as she stared at her ring. ‘If I sell this, I wonder if it would be enough to pay for my cremation.’ She also said, ‘It would cause trouble for everyone, but if possible, I hope that they can send my bones back to my village.’ …She had no intention of living another day, so all she could think about was how to deal with the aftermath of her death.”

Kotatsu sniffled.

“Where is that ring now?” Takafuyu said.

“I don’t know…I didn’t hide it or throw it away. Maybe this was after she sold it…”

“Was there money that seemed like it came from that?”

“There was money in Koman-chan’s room, but I don’t know if that was the money…besides sending money back home, she never indulged herself, so she had saved up some money.”

Kotatsu’s head was hanging down as she crumpled the handkerchief.

“I have to tell the police about this, don’t I…?”

""

“Well, of course,” Takafuyu answered. “Well, even if you don’t tell them, it’ll probably be exposed anyway. Fingerprints, traces, that kind of thing. But I think it’s more of a problem when they don’t find out than when they do.”

Kotatsu tilted her head.

“If it’s a robbery, then you need a suspect, right? The police might make a mistake and drag away someone who had nothing to do with this.”

“But, they aren’t the culprit…”

“They might force them to confess and make them the culprit. In fact, such things have happened before, haven’t they? I think it was five, six years ago when the Suzugamori Oharu murder and the Yanagishima bicycle shop murders happened.[efn_not]Both are famous Taisho murder cases where the police arrested innocent people. For the Yanagishima case, the suspect was fifteen years old at the time and was only arrested five years later for killing an entire family.[/efn_note] The Osaburo incident is also famous.6 All of these cases caused quite a commotion. What if the wrong person is caught and sentenced to death?”

Takafuyu’s tone was gentle, but Kotatsu turned paler and paler.

“I…I didn’t even think about that.”

“I thought so. If that’s the case, you must tell them the truth.”

“The police would reprimand me harshly, won’t they? What will happen to me?”

“Mmm, I don’t know. It’s not up to me to decide those things.”

Kotatsu started crying again, and Takafuyu scratched his head in discomfort.

“That’s right, Marquis Takigawa probably has some acquaintances in the police force.”

Right? Takafuyu suddenly said, and Suzuko straightened up her back.

“I don’t know if my father knows anyone, but…my older brother knows someone in the police force.”

“Then, perhaps you could first tell the police this young woman’s story through your brother.”

I’d have to ask my brother about that—she thought, but seeing Kotatsu trembling with a blue face, Suzuko turned to Taka.

“Taka, take Kotatsu-san to the house. Then, explain the situation to my brother.”

“Very well,” Taka didn’t even attempt to hide her frown, but she agreed. “So what are you going to do now, Ojou-sama?”

“I have one more place to go.”

Taka sighed deeply, like she had given up.

Footnotes

Yokan is a jellied dessert made from red bean paste, agar, and sugar.Millet bonsai fields or hiemaki are little imitations of rice fields that were popular in the Taisho era. Vendors would walk around during summer to sell them since they were supposed to make you feel cool inside.The Asakusa Juunikai was a twelve-story tall building built in 1890. It was destroyed during the Great Kanto Earthquake.The shikkaiya is “a coordinator of artisans who each played a different role in the division of labour in the kimono and cloth industry”.An ozashiki is a large, traditional banquet where geishas are invited.Osaburo Noguchi was a serial murderer who was executed for the only murder he was convicted of. That murder was written about in the newspapers almost every day.