Minosuke
It was about fifty years ago, right around the time of the Japanese-Russo War.
In the village of Yanabeshinden, there was a thirteen-year-old boy named Minosuke.
He had no parents, no siblings, no relatives, and was an orphan.
He lived by running errands for other people's houses, babysitting, pounding rice, and doing whatever else a boy can do.
But to tell the truth, Minosuke did not want to live under the care of the villagers.
He had always thought that if he were to spend his life babysitting and pounding rice, it would not be an interesting life.
I have to get myself together, but how should I do that?
Minosuke could barely afford to eat every day.
He didn't have enough money to buy a single book, and even if he did, he didn't have time to read it.
Minosuke waited in secret for a good opportunity to start his own business.
Then, one summer day in the late afternoon, Minosuke was asked to take the lead in a rickshaw.
At that time, there were always two or three rickshaw pullers in Yanabeshinden.
Most of the visitors from Nagoya who came to take a bath in the sea came to Handa by train, and from Handa they took a rickshaw to Ono or Shinmaiko on the west coast of Chita Peninsula.
Yanabeshinden was right on that route.
Rickshaws are pulled by people, so they don't run very fast.
Besides, there is one mountain pass between Yanabeshinden and Ono, so it takes even longer.
In addition, the wheels of the rickshaws in those days were heavy iron wheels that rattled.
Therefore, customers in a hurry would pay double the amount of money to have two pullers.
It was a summer visitor in a hurry who asked Minosuke to pull.
Minosuke pulled the rope connected to the rickshaw on his shoulders as he drove down the road in the summer sun.
It was very painful because he was not used to it. But Minosuke didn't care about the pain. He was full of curiosity.
He hadn't left the village since he was a child, and he had no idea what kind of towns and people lived over the mountain pass.
The rickshaw pulled into the town of Ono as the sun was setting and people were going from place to place in the blue darkness.
Minosuke saw many things for the first time in the town. First of all, the large stores that lined the street were very unusual to Minosuke.
In Minosuke's village, there was only one store. It sold candy, sandals, spinning tools, ointment, and eye drops in shells.
It was only one small store that sold most of the things used in the village.
However, what surprised Minosuke the most was that each of the large stores had a glass lamp that was as bright as a flower.
Many of the houses in Minosuke's village were unlit at night. People groped blindly for water jars, millstones, and central pillar in the dark houses.
In the more luxurious houses, people used the andon that the wife brought when she got married.
The andon was made of paper stretched on all sides, with a plate filled with oil, and a wick at the edge of the plate.
When a small light, about the size of a cherry blossom, was lit, a warm orange-colored light shone on the surrounding paper and the area became a little brighter.
However, no matter what kind of andon it was, it was not as bright as the lamps Minosuke saw in Ono.
Besides, the lamps were made of glass, which was still rare in those days.
Minosuke thought it was superior to the paper lanterns, which were made of sooty and easily torn paper.
This lamp made the whole town of Ono seem brighter, as if it were Ryugu Castle.
Minosuke didn't even want to go back to his own village anymore.
No human being likes to go from a bright place to a dark place.
Minosuke left the rickshaw after receiving his fare.
As if intoxicated by alcohol, he walked around the seaside town with the constant sound of the waves and looked at the unusual stores.
He wandered around, admiring the beautifully lit lamps.
At a kimono shop, the head of the shop was showing customer a kimono with a large camellia flower dyed on it, spread out under the lamp light.
At the grain store, a little boy was picking out bad red beans one by one under the lamp.
In another house, a girl was playing tiddlywinks with shells that glittered white under the light of the lamp.
In a store, a girl was making beads by threading fine beads.
Under the bright light of the lamp, the lives of these people seemed as beautiful and nostalgic as if they were in a story or an illusion.
Minosuke had heard many times before that the world had been opened up by the civilization and enlightenment.
But now, for the first time, he felt as if he understood the meaning of the civilization and enlightenment.
As he walked along, Minosuke came to a store that had many different types of lamps hanging.
This must be a store that sold lamps.
Minosuke hesitated for a while, clutching his coins, but finally made up his mind and walked in.
"I want you to sell me something like that."
Minosuke pointed to a lamp and said. He had never heard of the word "lamp" yet.
The shopkeeper took off the large hanging lamp Minosuke had pointed to, but he couldn't buy it for his coins.
"Give me a discount." Minosuke said.
"I can't discount it easily." The shopkeeper replied.
"Sell it to me at the wholesale price."
Since Minosuke often went to the village store to sell the sandals he had made, he knew that there were two kinds of prices for goods.
Wholesale and retail, and wholesale prices were cheaper.
For example, the store in the village bought gourd-shaped sandals made by Minosuke at the wholesale price and sold them to rickshaw pullers at the retail price.
The owner of the lamp shop stared at Minosuke in astonishment as the stranger said such a thing. Then he said.
"At a wholesale price? If you're a lamp seller, I'll sell it at the wholesale price.
But I can't sell it to every single customer at a wholesale price."
"A lamp seller can buy it at the wholesale price?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I'm a lamp seller. Please sell it at the wholesale price."
The shopkeeper held the lamp and started laughing.
"You're a lamp seller? Ha-ha-ha-ha."
"I'm serious. I'm really going to become a lamp seller now.
So I'm begging you, sell me one lamp today at the wholesale price.
Next time I come back, I'll buy many of them at once."
The shopkeeper laughed at first, but then, moved by Minosuke's seriousness, he asked about Minosuke's situation and said.
"All right, then, I'll sell this at the wholesale price.
I really can't sell this lamp for coins you have even at the wholesale price, but I'm impressed by your enthusiasm.
I discount it. In return, you should do your business well. Take our lamps and sell them more and more."
He handed the lamp to Minosuke.
Minosuke was taught how to use the lamp, and he lit it as a lantern as he headed for the village.
Minosuke was no longer afraid of the dark mountain path through the bushes and pine trees.
The lamp was as bright as a flower.
There was another lamp burning in Minosuke's heart.
A lamp of hope that he could sell this wonderful device to his gloomy village, which had lagged behind in the civilization and enlightenment, and brighten the lives of the villagers.――
- To return to table of contents of Grandfather's Lamp
In the village of Yanabeshinden, there was a thirteen-year-old boy named Minosuke.
He had no parents, no siblings, no relatives, and was an orphan.
He lived by running errands for other people's houses, babysitting, pounding rice, and doing whatever else a boy can do.
But to tell the truth, Minosuke did not want to live under the care of the villagers.
He had always thought that if he were to spend his life babysitting and pounding rice, it would not be an interesting life.
I have to get myself together, but how should I do that?
Minosuke could barely afford to eat every day.
He didn't have enough money to buy a single book, and even if he did, he didn't have time to read it.
Minosuke waited in secret for a good opportunity to start his own business.
Then, one summer day in the late afternoon, Minosuke was asked to take the lead in a rickshaw.
At that time, there were always two or three rickshaw pullers in Yanabeshinden.
Most of the visitors from Nagoya who came to take a bath in the sea came to Handa by train, and from Handa they took a rickshaw to Ono or Shinmaiko on the west coast of Chita Peninsula.
Yanabeshinden was right on that route.
Rickshaws are pulled by people, so they don't run very fast.
Besides, there is one mountain pass between Yanabeshinden and Ono, so it takes even longer.
In addition, the wheels of the rickshaws in those days were heavy iron wheels that rattled.
Therefore, customers in a hurry would pay double the amount of money to have two pullers.
It was a summer visitor in a hurry who asked Minosuke to pull.
Minosuke pulled the rope connected to the rickshaw on his shoulders as he drove down the road in the summer sun.
It was very painful because he was not used to it. But Minosuke didn't care about the pain. He was full of curiosity.
He hadn't left the village since he was a child, and he had no idea what kind of towns and people lived over the mountain pass.
The rickshaw pulled into the town of Ono as the sun was setting and people were going from place to place in the blue darkness.
Minosuke saw many things for the first time in the town. First of all, the large stores that lined the street were very unusual to Minosuke.
In Minosuke's village, there was only one store. It sold candy, sandals, spinning tools, ointment, and eye drops in shells.
It was only one small store that sold most of the things used in the village.
However, what surprised Minosuke the most was that each of the large stores had a glass lamp that was as bright as a flower.
Many of the houses in Minosuke's village were unlit at night. People groped blindly for water jars, millstones, and central pillar in the dark houses.
In the more luxurious houses, people used the andon that the wife brought when she got married.
The andon was made of paper stretched on all sides, with a plate filled with oil, and a wick at the edge of the plate.
When a small light, about the size of a cherry blossom, was lit, a warm orange-colored light shone on the surrounding paper and the area became a little brighter.
However, no matter what kind of andon it was, it was not as bright as the lamps Minosuke saw in Ono.
Besides, the lamps were made of glass, which was still rare in those days.
Minosuke thought it was superior to the paper lanterns, which were made of sooty and easily torn paper.
This lamp made the whole town of Ono seem brighter, as if it were Ryugu Castle.
Minosuke didn't even want to go back to his own village anymore.
No human being likes to go from a bright place to a dark place.
Minosuke left the rickshaw after receiving his fare.
As if intoxicated by alcohol, he walked around the seaside town with the constant sound of the waves and looked at the unusual stores.
He wandered around, admiring the beautifully lit lamps.
At a kimono shop, the head of the shop was showing customer a kimono with a large camellia flower dyed on it, spread out under the lamp light.
At the grain store, a little boy was picking out bad red beans one by one under the lamp.
In another house, a girl was playing tiddlywinks with shells that glittered white under the light of the lamp.
In a store, a girl was making beads by threading fine beads.
Under the bright light of the lamp, the lives of these people seemed as beautiful and nostalgic as if they were in a story or an illusion.
Minosuke had heard many times before that the world had been opened up by the civilization and enlightenment.
But now, for the first time, he felt as if he understood the meaning of the civilization and enlightenment.
As he walked along, Minosuke came to a store that had many different types of lamps hanging.
This must be a store that sold lamps.
Minosuke hesitated for a while, clutching his coins, but finally made up his mind and walked in.
"I want you to sell me something like that."
Minosuke pointed to a lamp and said. He had never heard of the word "lamp" yet.
The shopkeeper took off the large hanging lamp Minosuke had pointed to, but he couldn't buy it for his coins.
"Give me a discount." Minosuke said.
"I can't discount it easily." The shopkeeper replied.
"Sell it to me at the wholesale price."
Since Minosuke often went to the village store to sell the sandals he had made, he knew that there were two kinds of prices for goods.
Wholesale and retail, and wholesale prices were cheaper.
For example, the store in the village bought gourd-shaped sandals made by Minosuke at the wholesale price and sold them to rickshaw pullers at the retail price.
The owner of the lamp shop stared at Minosuke in astonishment as the stranger said such a thing. Then he said.
"At a wholesale price? If you're a lamp seller, I'll sell it at the wholesale price.
But I can't sell it to every single customer at a wholesale price."
"A lamp seller can buy it at the wholesale price?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I'm a lamp seller. Please sell it at the wholesale price."
The shopkeeper held the lamp and started laughing.
"You're a lamp seller? Ha-ha-ha-ha."
"I'm serious. I'm really going to become a lamp seller now.
So I'm begging you, sell me one lamp today at the wholesale price.
Next time I come back, I'll buy many of them at once."
The shopkeeper laughed at first, but then, moved by Minosuke's seriousness, he asked about Minosuke's situation and said.
"All right, then, I'll sell this at the wholesale price.
I really can't sell this lamp for coins you have even at the wholesale price, but I'm impressed by your enthusiasm.
I discount it. In return, you should do your business well. Take our lamps and sell them more and more."
He handed the lamp to Minosuke.
Minosuke was taught how to use the lamp, and he lit it as a lantern as he headed for the village.
Minosuke was no longer afraid of the dark mountain path through the bushes and pine trees.
The lamp was as bright as a flower.
There was another lamp burning in Minosuke's heart.
A lamp of hope that he could sell this wonderful device to his gloomy village, which had lagged behind in the civilization and enlightenment, and brighten the lives of the villagers.――
- To return to table of contents of Grandfather's Lamp