Business and your life
"Minosuke-san is still running the bookstore.
Although his son runs the store now that he is much older."
Touichi's grandfather concluded the story and sipped his cold tea.
Minosuke-san was Touichi's grandfather, so Touichi-kun looked at him closely.
Before he knew it, Touichi-kun had sat back down in front of him and put his hand on his grandfather's knee.
"So what did you do with the remaining forty seven lamps?"
Touichi-kun asked.
"I don't know. A traveler might have found them the next day and taken them with him."
"So there were no more lamps in the house?"
"No, not a single one. Just this table lamp."
Grandfather looked at the lamp that Touichi-kun had taken out in the daytime.
"You lost money? Someone else took the forty seven."
Touichi-kun said.
"Yes, I lost money.
When I think about it now, I don't think I should have done anything like that.
Even after the electric lights were turned on in the Yanabeshinden, the lamps seemed to be still sold about 50.
In a small village called Fukatani, south of Yanabeshinden, they still use lamps.
There were other villages that used lamps until very late.
However, I was very energetic in those days.
When I thought of something, I just did it without thinking too much."
"You did a foolish thing."
Touichi-kun said without hesitation, because Touichi-kun was his grandson.
"Yes, I did. But, Tou-bou――"
Grandfather squeezed his smoking pipe in his lap and said.
"My way of doing things was a little foolish, but I think my way of quitting business was quite clever, if I do say so myself.
What I'm trying to say is this.
When Japan progresses and your old business is no longer useful, you should completely abandon it.
I don't want you to keep clinging to your old business, saying that the old days when your business was popular were better, or bemoaning the progress of the world.
Never do anything so insipid."
Touichi-kun kept silent and gazed at his grandfather's small but determined face for a long time. After a while, he said.
"Grandfather must have been great."
He then looked nostalgically at the old lamp beside him.
- To return to table of contents of Grandfather's Lamp
Although his son runs the store now that he is much older."
Touichi's grandfather concluded the story and sipped his cold tea.
Minosuke-san was Touichi's grandfather, so Touichi-kun looked at him closely.
Before he knew it, Touichi-kun had sat back down in front of him and put his hand on his grandfather's knee.
"So what did you do with the remaining forty seven lamps?"
Touichi-kun asked.
"I don't know. A traveler might have found them the next day and taken them with him."
"So there were no more lamps in the house?"
"No, not a single one. Just this table lamp."
Grandfather looked at the lamp that Touichi-kun had taken out in the daytime.
"You lost money? Someone else took the forty seven."
Touichi-kun said.
"Yes, I lost money.
When I think about it now, I don't think I should have done anything like that.
Even after the electric lights were turned on in the Yanabeshinden, the lamps seemed to be still sold about 50.
In a small village called Fukatani, south of Yanabeshinden, they still use lamps.
There were other villages that used lamps until very late.
However, I was very energetic in those days.
When I thought of something, I just did it without thinking too much."
"You did a foolish thing."
Touichi-kun said without hesitation, because Touichi-kun was his grandson.
"Yes, I did. But, Tou-bou――"
Grandfather squeezed his smoking pipe in his lap and said.
"My way of doing things was a little foolish, but I think my way of quitting business was quite clever, if I do say so myself.
What I'm trying to say is this.
When Japan progresses and your old business is no longer useful, you should completely abandon it.
I don't want you to keep clinging to your old business, saying that the old days when your business was popular were better, or bemoaning the progress of the world.
Never do anything so insipid."
Touichi-kun kept silent and gazed at his grandfather's small but determined face for a long time. After a while, he said.
"Grandfather must have been great."
He then looked nostalgically at the old lamp beside him.
- To return to table of contents of Grandfather's Lamp