Electricity
Minosuke was now a manly adult. He had two children at home.
"I'm on my own now, though I haven't yet succeeded in life."
Sometimes he thought about it, and each time he felt satisfied.
One day, when Minosuke came to Ono to buy lamp wicks, he saw five or six men digging a hole in the ground beside the road and erecting a long, thick pillar.
At the top of the pillar, there were two wooden arms, and on the arms, there were some white crockery things like a daruma doll.
As he walked a little further, wondering what the purpose of such a strange object was, he saw a similar tall pillar on the side of the road.
There was a sparrow perched on the arm, singing.
This strange tall pillars stood on the side of the road, each pillar was about fifty meters apart.
Finally, Minosuke asked the person drying udon noodles in the sun.
The udon shopkeeper replied, "The electricity will be turned on soon. So we won't need lamps anymore."
Minosuke couldn't understand what he meant. Minosuke didn't know anything about electricity.
It was said to be a replacement for lamps, so electricity must be light.
If it was a lamp, it was enough to have a light inside the house.
He wondered why they would put up so many of those huge pillars on the side of the road.
About a month later, when Minosuke went back to Ono, he found several black ropes attached to the thick pillars on the side of the road.
The black rope went around the head of daruma doll, which was on the arm of the pillar, and then to the next pillar, where it went around the head of daruma doll again and then to the next pillar.
In this way, it went on forever.
When he looked carefully, he could see that two black ropes were tied to the eaves of the house, separated from the pillars by the head of the daruma doll.
"Hmm, I thought electricity was supposed to light things up, but this is just like a rope.
It's a good resting place for sparrows and swallows."
As Minosuke walked into amazake shop of a friend, he saw that the large lamp that had always hung above the rice table in the middle of the earthen floor had been removed.
It was placed around the side wall.
Then there was a strange-looking lamp that looked like a much smaller version of the lamp, but without the oil container, hanging from the ceiling on a sturdy rope.
"What the heck, you hung something strange. Did something go wrong with that lamp?"
Minosuke asked. Then the amazake shopkeeper replied.
"That's the electricity that was turned on recently. You don't have to worry about fire, it's bright, you don't need matches, and it's quite convenient."
"Hmm, you've hung a strange one. This makes the amazake shop look kind of dull. There will be fewer customers."
The amazake shopkeeper realized that Minosuke was a lamp seller, so he didn't mention the convenience of electric lights anymore.
"Hey, amazake shop owner. Look at that ceiling. The soot from the lamp over the years has turned that area black.
The lamp has already been there for a long time. It would be a pity for the lamp to be taken off and hung on the corner of the wall like that.
Just because you now have the convenience of electricity."
In this way, Minosuke favored lamps and did not recognize the advantages of electric lights.
By the way, when night fell and no one had even a match, Minosuke was surprised to see that the amazake shop was suddenly as bright as midday.
The light was so bright that Minosuke couldn't help but turn his head to look behind him.
"This is electricity, Mino-san."
Minosuke clenched his teeth and stared at the light for a long time.
He looked as if he were staring at an enemy.
He stared at it so much that his eyeballs started to hurt.
"Mino-san, I don't mean to be rude, but you can't fight a lamp.
Why don't you stick your neck out and look at the street?"
Minosuke silently opened the sliding door of the entrance and gazed the street.
Every house and store had the same bright lights as the amazake shop.
The light filled the houses and spilled out onto the street.
The light was too bright for Minosuke, who was used to seeing lamps.
Minosuke stared at it for a long time, breathing heavily in frustration.
He thought he found a formidable opponent for the lamp.
In the past, Minosuke had often talked about the civilization and enlightenment.
But he never understood that electric lights were a much more advanced tool for civilization than lamps.
Even intelligent people sometimes lose the ability to judge things correctly when they are on the verge of losing their business.
From that day on, Minosuke secretly feared that electric lights would be installed in his village as well.
When the electric lights came on, the villagers would probably hang their lamps in the corner of the wall or store them in the second floor of their storehouses.
Just like the amazake shopkeeper had done.
There would be no need for the lamp shop.
On the one hand, Minosuke was relieved, thinking like this.
Even the lamps were quite a hassle to get into the village.
The villagers would be scared of electric lights, and would be very reluctant to let them in.
However, he heard the rumor that the villagers would decide whether or not to install electric lights in the village at the next village assembly.
Minosuke felt as if he had been hit with a blow to the head.
He knew a powerful enemy had finally arrived.
Minosuke could not remain silent. He spoke out against the electric light among the villagers.
"Electricity comes from the deep mountains on a long line.
I'm sure foxes and raccoons will follow that line in the middle of the night and destroy the fields around here."
Minosuke said these ridiculous things in order to protect his familiar business.
Though he felt a kind of guilt when he said them.
After the village assembly, he was told that the village had finally decided to install electric lights in the village of Yanabeshinden.
Minosuke felt as if he had been hit with a blow to the brain.
He thought he would lose his mind if he was hit by a blow again and again.
It was right. He was out of his mind.
For three days after the village assembly, Minosuke slept in his futon during the day.
In the meantime, his head was out of sync.
Minosuke couldn't wait to hold a grudge against someone.
So he decided to hold a grudge against the mayor, who acted as chairman of the village assembly.
He thought of many reasons why he should hold a grudge against the mayor.
Normally, even the smartest people lose their judgment when they are on the verge of losing their business.
They would end up harboring a terrible grudge.
- To return to table of contents of Grandfather's Lamp
"I'm on my own now, though I haven't yet succeeded in life."
Sometimes he thought about it, and each time he felt satisfied.
One day, when Minosuke came to Ono to buy lamp wicks, he saw five or six men digging a hole in the ground beside the road and erecting a long, thick pillar.
At the top of the pillar, there were two wooden arms, and on the arms, there were some white crockery things like a daruma doll.
As he walked a little further, wondering what the purpose of such a strange object was, he saw a similar tall pillar on the side of the road.
There was a sparrow perched on the arm, singing.
This strange tall pillars stood on the side of the road, each pillar was about fifty meters apart.
Finally, Minosuke asked the person drying udon noodles in the sun.
The udon shopkeeper replied, "The electricity will be turned on soon. So we won't need lamps anymore."
Minosuke couldn't understand what he meant. Minosuke didn't know anything about electricity.
It was said to be a replacement for lamps, so electricity must be light.
If it was a lamp, it was enough to have a light inside the house.
He wondered why they would put up so many of those huge pillars on the side of the road.
About a month later, when Minosuke went back to Ono, he found several black ropes attached to the thick pillars on the side of the road.
The black rope went around the head of daruma doll, which was on the arm of the pillar, and then to the next pillar, where it went around the head of daruma doll again and then to the next pillar.
In this way, it went on forever.
When he looked carefully, he could see that two black ropes were tied to the eaves of the house, separated from the pillars by the head of the daruma doll.
"Hmm, I thought electricity was supposed to light things up, but this is just like a rope.
It's a good resting place for sparrows and swallows."
As Minosuke walked into amazake shop of a friend, he saw that the large lamp that had always hung above the rice table in the middle of the earthen floor had been removed.
It was placed around the side wall.
Then there was a strange-looking lamp that looked like a much smaller version of the lamp, but without the oil container, hanging from the ceiling on a sturdy rope.
"What the heck, you hung something strange. Did something go wrong with that lamp?"
Minosuke asked. Then the amazake shopkeeper replied.
"That's the electricity that was turned on recently. You don't have to worry about fire, it's bright, you don't need matches, and it's quite convenient."
"Hmm, you've hung a strange one. This makes the amazake shop look kind of dull. There will be fewer customers."
The amazake shopkeeper realized that Minosuke was a lamp seller, so he didn't mention the convenience of electric lights anymore.
"Hey, amazake shop owner. Look at that ceiling. The soot from the lamp over the years has turned that area black.
The lamp has already been there for a long time. It would be a pity for the lamp to be taken off and hung on the corner of the wall like that.
Just because you now have the convenience of electricity."
In this way, Minosuke favored lamps and did not recognize the advantages of electric lights.
By the way, when night fell and no one had even a match, Minosuke was surprised to see that the amazake shop was suddenly as bright as midday.
The light was so bright that Minosuke couldn't help but turn his head to look behind him.
"This is electricity, Mino-san."
Minosuke clenched his teeth and stared at the light for a long time.
He looked as if he were staring at an enemy.
He stared at it so much that his eyeballs started to hurt.
"Mino-san, I don't mean to be rude, but you can't fight a lamp.
Why don't you stick your neck out and look at the street?"
Minosuke silently opened the sliding door of the entrance and gazed the street.
Every house and store had the same bright lights as the amazake shop.
The light filled the houses and spilled out onto the street.
The light was too bright for Minosuke, who was used to seeing lamps.
Minosuke stared at it for a long time, breathing heavily in frustration.
He thought he found a formidable opponent for the lamp.
In the past, Minosuke had often talked about the civilization and enlightenment.
But he never understood that electric lights were a much more advanced tool for civilization than lamps.
Even intelligent people sometimes lose the ability to judge things correctly when they are on the verge of losing their business.
From that day on, Minosuke secretly feared that electric lights would be installed in his village as well.
When the electric lights came on, the villagers would probably hang their lamps in the corner of the wall or store them in the second floor of their storehouses.
Just like the amazake shopkeeper had done.
There would be no need for the lamp shop.
On the one hand, Minosuke was relieved, thinking like this.
Even the lamps were quite a hassle to get into the village.
The villagers would be scared of electric lights, and would be very reluctant to let them in.
However, he heard the rumor that the villagers would decide whether or not to install electric lights in the village at the next village assembly.
Minosuke felt as if he had been hit with a blow to the head.
He knew a powerful enemy had finally arrived.
Minosuke could not remain silent. He spoke out against the electric light among the villagers.
"Electricity comes from the deep mountains on a long line.
I'm sure foxes and raccoons will follow that line in the middle of the night and destroy the fields around here."
Minosuke said these ridiculous things in order to protect his familiar business.
Though he felt a kind of guilt when he said them.
After the village assembly, he was told that the village had finally decided to install electric lights in the village of Yanabeshinden.
Minosuke felt as if he had been hit with a blow to the brain.
He thought he would lose his mind if he was hit by a blow again and again.
It was right. He was out of his mind.
For three days after the village assembly, Minosuke slept in his futon during the day.
In the meantime, his head was out of sync.
Minosuke couldn't wait to hold a grudge against someone.
So he decided to hold a grudge against the mayor, who acted as chairman of the village assembly.
He thought of many reasons why he should hold a grudge against the mayor.
Normally, even the smartest people lose their judgment when they are on the verge of losing their business.
They would end up harboring a terrible grudge.
- To return to table of contents of Grandfather's Lamp