Yoshino’s daily life 29 (Jan. to Mar. in 1854、嘉永7年1～3月）

 

 On the 16^th of January, U.S. fleet led by Perry came to Japan again. There were nine warships which were enough force strength to attack Edo (old name of Tokyo). The shogunate abandoned the national isolation policy and concluded a treaty which promised to supply fuel and food to U.S. ships. Two ports (Shimoda and Hakodate) became the bases and U.S. consul's stations. Perry finished his mission very fruitfully and left Japan on the 1^st of June.

 Yoshino resided near Mito highway which was one of the five great highways back then. The traffic of people (mainly samurai officers) became busy to deal with the U.S. fleet. Until the Edoperiod (～1868), shukuba (post town) assumed transportation; workers and horses in a post town brought passengers and luggage to the next post town. Mr. Yoshino was told to supply workers and horses to Kogane post town. It was a paid job but an unprofitable one.

 Meanwhile, a huge earthquake (Ansei Toukai earthquake) hit eastern Japan including Edo which killed thousands of people. Fortunately, Yoshinos were not damaged, but various affairs occurred in his family this year.

U.S. Fleet in 1853 at Uraga、ペリー浦賀来航図･部分（嘉永6年です）＠National Museum of Japanese History、国立歴史民俗博物館

Mito highway and Kogane post town、水戸街道と小金宿、Matsudo Museum 松戸市立博物館

 1月16日にペリー艦隊が東京湾に来ます。昨年の倍の9隻の艦隊で一戦を交えかねない勢いで、6月1日まで駐留します。幕府は、3月3日に日米和親条約を結び、約200年続いた鎖国を止め、下田と函館を開港し、米国船舶に燃料や食糧を供給し始めます。

 水戸の江戸の間にある吉野家の地域では、武士を中心に往来も増えます。江戸時代は、宿場が交通の拠点で、人馬を出して次の宿場まで人や物を運びます。吉野家にも小金宿から人馬の提供が求められました。いわゆる助郷で割が悪い仕事でした。

 11月には、安政東海大地震が発生しましたが、吉野家は大きな影響を受けなかったようです。でも、この年は、家族にいろいろな事が起こりました。

 

January、1月

 The New Year’s Day started with greeting among villagers.

 元旦は、村中の年始挨拶で始まります。

 

 On the 16^th, U.S. fleet appeared in Tokyo Bay. It was so attractive; many people went there to see huge warships. The master went to Edo on the 21^st, so he knew it.

 On the 26^th, he got a letter from the local government which mentioned “Due to foreign ships, many samurais go through Kogane post town. You have to dispatch workers and horses immediately to support the traffic.” The master dispatched two horses to the post town.

Old inn of the Kogane post town “Tamaya”

小金宿の旅籠だった玉屋

 16日、ペリー艦隊が東京湾に現れました。巨大な蒸気船を見に見物人がでる騒ぎでした。主人は、21日に出府していますから、本件を知ったはずです。

 26日、「異国船の儀につき、小金町、諸家中、多通行。助人馬、遅滞なく差し出す旨、御役所から御触れ」があり、翌27日、小金宿に馬二匹を差し出します。

 

 On the other hand, they kept everyday lives.

 On the 16^th, his relative “Shibaya” asked the master to give his grandchild calligraphy lessons. The master was good at writing. On the 1^st of next month, K. Shibazaki also asked him to give lessons to Gonjirou. Children learned writing not only from the private school “Terakoya” but also from the neighbors (private lesson), therefor the literacy rate of Japanese was high even in the 19^th century.

Textbooks in the end of the Edo period、江戸時代の教科書 ＠Kameyama City Historical Museum 亀山市歴史博物館

 そんな中ですが、日々の暮らしが続いています。

 16日、芝弥さんが来て、「孫手習遣度」ということで、習字の教授の依頼でしょう。主は書道の腕も認められていました。2月1日には、芝崎久次郎さんが来て、権次郎君への習字の手習いを依頼しています。日本人の識字率は高かったと言いますが、寺子屋だけでなくプライベート･レッスンも盛んだったのですね。

 

 On the 21^st, Kanzaemon went somewhere as a guard for prisoners. Thereafter the master was asked to dispatch additional men, and he sent Jisaburou and Shigesaburou. The shogunate didn’t hire many samurais, but they assembled people temporarily. Talking about Edo city which population was one million at that time, less than four hundred samurais governed it. It was a really small government.

 21日、囚人番人の人足として、勘左衛門さんが行きましたが、追加の要求があり次三郎さんと重三郎さんを出します。役人を抱えるのではなく、適宜、村人を招集していたのですね。人口百万の江戸の町でも、四百人弱の役人を二組（北町と南町）に分けて、月番で行政を取り仕切っていたというのですから、実に小さな政府です。

 

February、2月

 The master continued to supply workers and horses. On the 4^th, he sent a worker and four horses to Kogane post town. He had a plenty of horses, I think. Shigesaburou also went to Kogane with his horse.

 On the 20^th, he received a circular which asked him to apply for the rate of a worker and a horse. It was a price revision but I’m not sure it was a price pressure or not.

 On the 21^st, delegates from villages gathered and talked about how to deal with the request from Souka post town to support them. The master went to Edo on the 24^th; he probably asked to stop the offer from Souka. The U.S. fleet increased the levy of ordinary people.

Traveling by horse, Narita Tourist Pavilion 成田観光館

 通行用の人馬を提供します。4日、馬四匹、人足一人を小金町へ。重三郎さんも馬を連れて同行します。馬四匹とは、たくさん持っているものです。

 20日に廻文が来ます。異国船の件で、人馬雇い賃、明日、小金町へ持参候様。値段の改定ですね。値下げでしょうか。

 21日には、各村から集まり、草加宿からの助郷依頼への対応を相談しています。24日に主は出府し、御屋敷との相談しているようなので、助郷は何とか回避したい負担になったのでしょう。開国は、庶民にはこんな形で影響するのですね。

 

 On the 23^rd, they started fertilizing; the farming work started.

 On the 25^th, Gisuke who was a helper of Yoshino family went somewhere and returned in the next evening. After this incident, he sometimes went out to somewhere suddenly to enjoy. Moreover, he hit the master’s son in May. The master scolded and finally pronounced him firing in September. However, Gisuke’s father begged the master to hire him more. He bothered the master.

 23日、下肥(しもごえ)揚げ。施肥が始まり、農作業が本格スタートです。

 25日、使用人の義助さんが、行方をくらまし、明日の夕に帰ります。その後も、短期の失踪し遊びに行くことが続き、主の息子の愛輔君に手を上げたりします。主は「甚だ不埒」と何度か叱責しますが、戸張の実家に頼み込まれ、吉野家で雇います。

 

March (Fire occurred)、3月（火事発生）

 On the 7^th, the lot finally came on him. He joined a lottery party often especially in the agricultural off-season. How much did he get?

 On the 11^th, a shed of Denuemon’s house in Nonoshita burned at around 2 PM. He went there immediately (maybe with villagers), and he let someone bring fried rice and pickled vegetables to Denuemon in the evening. Next day, Denuemon dispatched someone with three bottles of high-class sake (alcohol) to show their appreciation and gratitude. Nonoshita was a neighboring village, a mutual aid among the area worked well. On the 15^th, villagers drank the sake.

 On the 15^th, they got burned timbers from Denuemon and made a bridge in their field. They recycled! It was Mottainai spirit which initiated in Japan. (Reference: http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/what-we-do/advocacy/mottainai-campaign)

Farmer’s house near a forest、森が近い台の住まい ＠Matsudo Museum 松戸市立博物館

 7日、「中村勘右衛門無尽、予当り籤」とあり、無尽にはよく出かけますが、ついに当りました。いくらぐらい貰ったのだろう。

 11日、火事発生です。野々下の傳右衛門さん方で、午後二時頃に小屋が燃えました。すぐに駆けつけ、夕方には焼飯と香の物を持たせて見舞に行かせます。12日、傳右衛門さんが、「昨日は御大儀の由」と村中への上酒三舛を人に持たせて使わします。野々下は隣村です。芝崎の人達は消火活動をしたのでしょう。互助が効いていると思います。いただいたお酒は、15日に村中で呑んでいます。

 同じく15日に「焼材木、貰い受け、耕地橋の普請」と記載があり、焼け跡の木材もリサイクルしています。モッタイナイ精神というか、日本の伝統ですね。

 

 On the 21^st, he sent confectionary to his neighbor, because the child had the smallpox which was the fatal contagious disease back then.

 On the 25^th, his mother and his children were invited to the event wherein they shower the patient with warm water. The child probably recovered, because the day was a half-day holiday (celebration day). I reckon people could acquire immunity against the smallpox by intaking weaken virus a bit at this event. It would be same as vaccination. This event was held at the end of the disease duration.

 21日、「隣家へ疱瘡見舞、菓子やる」とあり、致死率が高い伝染病･疱瘡の発生です。でも、25日、「隣家へ、疱瘡湯掛け、母子供呼ばれ行く」とあります。患者（子供）は無事だったのでしょう。疱瘡湯掛けは、弱毒化したウイルスをもらう免疫作りかもしれません。疱瘡湯掛けに付き、昼より休日ですから、嬉しい行事でした。

 

 

Previous post: Yoshino’s daily life 28 (1853、嘉永6年）

Next post: Yoshino’s daily life 30 (Apr. to Jul. in 1854、嘉永7年）

 

 

Yoshino’s daily life 01, About Yoshino and background 吉野家とその頃

Yoshino’s daily life 02, Life and fun of Yoshino family 吉野家の暮らしと楽しみ

The details of their live which includes farming and visiting neighbors are written in No.13 - No.25 (1851)、農事や近所付き合いを含む日々の詳細は1851年の日記の記事（No.13～25）に記載しています。

Yoshino’s daily life 13, The first half of January in 1851（嘉永4年1月前半）