The Scent of Sake (45 page)

“They’re still not back, O-Natsu. I don’t feel hungry.”

O-Natsu set bowls of steaming miso soup and rice in front of Rie. “But you must eat something. They’re sure to return soon.”

Rie picked up the soup bowl and sipped, then plucked out some tofu with her chopsticks.

She paused. Yes, there was the sound of the outer shoji being opened, the stamping of geta-clad feet on the earthen floor of the entryway, and voices—Yoshitaro’s, Kinnosuke’s, and Eitaro’s too. Rie rose quickly and hurried to the entrance. “Welcome home!

Come and tell me what happened. You must be hungry.”

The men gathered around the dinner table and, hoisting up their kimonos to sit cross-legged, cleared their throats.

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“I’m glad you’ve come too, Eitaro,” Rie said.

O-Yuki brought in more rice and miso, with small dishes of mountain vegetables, mackerel, pickles, green tea, and sake.

Rie looked at each man then turned to Yoshitaro. “Tell me!” she said.

“Mother, there’s a lot to tell and there’s nothing to tell. It’s really too soon to say what’s going to happen in Edo. Until we know the situation there we won’t know how it will affect us. All we know for certain is that everything is changing in Edo and elsewhere.”

“It took so long just to learn that?” Rie asked sharply.

Kinnosuke blinked several times, his thin face twitching. “What we do know for certain, Oku-san, is that we will continue brewing for the rest of the season, just as if nothing had happened. Of course something has happened, but as Yoshi said, we don’t yet know what the effects will be.”

“What took so long today, Mother,” Eitaro explained, “is that people were discussing various possible outcomes in Edo. But without real knowledge of what’s happening it was only specula-tion. I spoke with Sei and he thinks we should go to Edo, now, at least one of us, to see what we can learn. We need to talk to Yoshioka and the man you sent there, Suganuma. I think that’s the best we can do for now.” Eitaro turned to the dishes in front of him.

Yoshitaro put down his chopsticks. “What seems certain is that Satsuma and Choshu are in control there now, supporting the emperor. And they’ve got some samurai from Hizen and Tosa with them. The shogun has retired, without a major battle, just some skirmishes in Aizu and the south. Those samurai were mostly bluster and swagger anyway, attacking unarmed individuals,” he added, looking down.

“Yes, Yoshi,” Rie said. She reached over and put a hand on his arm. “Well, they haven’t stopped you, have they?” She picked up a teapot and poured for him.

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*

Several weeks later Rie stepped into the corridor and caught sight

of Yoshitaro hopping rapidly toward the office. She marveled at how adept he had become at getting around on crutches. She was on the verge of complimenting him when she stopped herself. Better not to call attention to his disability, since he himself seemed to be accepting it. At least he no longer complained, and he had stepped back into his role as house head. She followed him into the office, where several clerks were talking excitedly.

“Oku-san, and Master,” Kinnosuke spoke up. “It seems there’s been a public proclamation by the new government. It’s posted outside the old Bakufu commissioners’ office. We need to know what it says. I think I’d better go.” He blinked several times.

“Yoshi and I will accompany you, Kinno-san. I’m anxious to know too. Send for a ricksha.”

Spring had come and gone and with it the kurabito who returned to their farms in Tamba. The end of season celebration had been held, and the kura buildings were quiet. Sales had been brisk following the hanging of the leaf ball at the front entrance. It was the time of year when only the office clerks remained busy.

As the ricksha drew up to the entrance a second ricksha arrived with Eitaro seated in it.

“I see you had the same idea, Mother,” he said. “Come, ride with me.” He reached a hand out to help Rie up.

“Good. Yoshi will ride with Kinno.”

The streets exploded with life, ricksha and carts clogging the narrow lanes, all headed in the same direction. Excitement was in the air as ricksha runners raced for position in the line of traffic. Rie sat back, her arm resting on the side, enjoying the crowds and the sea breeze against her face. She was pleased that her enjoy-ment had not diminished with age.

The monsoon rains had not begun, and she was grateful for the light wind from across the harbor. She always paused to look

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at the cask ships anchored there, some on dry dock having their sails or hulls repaired.

As the rickshas neared the main intersection, they jammed every possible space, making it impossible to move.

“We’ll walk from here,” Eitaro said. He helped Rie down, made sure that Kinnosuke and Yoshitaro were behind them, and signaled the rickshas to wait.

“Can you make it, Mother?” Yoshitaro asked.

“Yes, Yoshi. How about you? Do you want to wait in the ricksha? There’s such a crowd.”

“Maybe you’d better wait here, Master,” Kinnosuke said. “No, I want to see the proclamation,” Yoshitaro insisted.

As Rie and Eitaro elbowed their way toward the front, Rie could hear men shouting as they read. Yes, they were nearly all men, most of them merchants and townsmen, by their clothing. No samurai were in evidence. Then over at the edge of the crowd Rie spotted a samurai still wearing his swords, his face and head covered by a huge straw hat to avoid recognition.

“He must be embarrassed to appear in this crowd,” Eitaro said.

Several inches taller than Rie, Eitaro was able to read the proclamation. He held Rie’s elbow as he read. “It proclaims ‘the Restoration of the Emperor,’ and the emperor and the new era are both named ‘Meiji.’ Just a minute. There’s also a Charter Oath, it says. Let me see if I can read it.” He edged closer, Rie clinging behind him. She looked around, trying to catch sight of Kinnosuke and Yoshitaro.

“I don’t see them anywhere,” she said, frowning.

“There are five articles in the Oath, Eitaro read: ‘(1) Deliberative assemblies shall be widely established and all state affairs decided by public discussion. (2) All classes, high and low, shall unite in actively carrying out the administration of affairs of state.

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1. The common people, no less than the civil and military officials, shall be allowed to pursue whatever calling they choose.
   

2. Evil customs of the past shall be abandoned and everything shall be based on the just laws of Heaven and Earth. (5) Knowledge shall be sought throughout the world so as to invigorate the foundations of imperial rule.’ That’s the end. Well, we still have to know what it all means, don’t we?” he said.
   

“Try to remember those five points, Eitaro. We’ll need to talk them over and try to understand what they mean. We need to find Yoshi and Kinno now.” She turned.

They squeezed back against the encroaching mob. Rie stumbled, shoved by an insistent plebeian. Eitaro caught her as she was about to fall.

“Oh, there’s Yoshi.” Just as she spoke an enormous figure looming ahead pushed against Yoshitaro, causing him to fall to the ground.

“What do you think you’re doing here, with your one leg?” roared the man.

“It’s Yamaguchi,” Rie said. She looked at him as he swaggered away. “Bully!” she shouted. “We’ll get him for this,” she mumbled. “Yoshi, are you hurt?” she asked, taking his arm. Kinnosuke had already helped him up.

“Well, I nearly fell too, Yoshi,” Rie said. Yoshitaro shook himself. “I’m all right.”

“It was hard for anyone to stand,” Rie said. “Come, let’s go home.”

“Edo is no longer Edo, Mother. It’s now called Tokyo,” Tama said one morning at breakfast.

“Ah, Eastern Capital,” Rie said.

“So many things happening there,” Yoshitaro said. “All these new notions from America and Europe: banks, railroads, con—

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stitutions, political parties, a parliament, a new army and navy, a new solar calendar. It’s amazing! One thing I heard Kinno talk about might be useful to us.”

“What’s that, Yoshi?” Rie asked.

“He said it’s a new form of economic organization the government is supporting. It’s called a joint stock company.”

“What is that exactly, Yoshi?” Rie asked.

“He said it’s a way of spreading the risk among a group of investors,” Yoshitaro said.

“We need to learn more about it, then, don’t we?” Rie asked. Later, in the office, Kinnosuke spoke with Rie. “One thing is certain, there are no more kabu shares,” he said. “We can produce as much sake as we want with what rice we can procure. No more government controls. The new government has its hands full doing other things.” He blinked rapidly and sucked in his

breath.

“But doesn’t this mean that everyone else can also brew as much as they want, including anyone who has never brewed before?” Yoshitaro asked.

“True,” Kinnosuke agreed, “but we have an advantage. We’re number three. New brewers just starting out won’t be able to compete.”

“It seems one key to competing now is to buy as much rice as we can,” Rie said, tapping her fan on the table. “So, Kinno-san and Yoshi, shouldn’t we send to our suppliers immediately? Offer a slightly higher price, just over the going price, to ensure the largest supply.” Rie looked at Eitaro, who had entered the office.

“I think you’re right, Mother,” he said. “I’m going to move in that direction too.”

Eitaro always seemed to grasp the importance of timing faster than Yoshitaro.

Rie broached with Kinnosuke and Yoshitaro the idea of pur—

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chasing ships, the suggestion she had already discussed with Eitaro and Seisaburo.

“Since Yamaguchi has taken over most of our shipping contracts we need to buy ships, as soon as possible.”

“We don’t have a choice, do we?” Kinnosuke said. “It will take negotiation. No brewer has done it, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done.” He blinked.

“You know the shippers, don’t you, Kinno-san?” Rie asked. “Several.” Kinnosuke nodded. “There’s a medium-sized shipper in port who’s in difficulty, I hear. The head of the house died last month and the succession is in dispute. They may be willing to put one or two ships up for sale.”

“Then this is the time to approach them, isn’t it?” Rie said. “It looks as if we should move now,” Yoshitaro agreed.

“And there’s another possibility,” Rie began and took out her fan. “It would mean competition, but I was wondering if we might do some rice wholesaling, as Sei suggested? We have excellent sources now, really more than we need, even with our new kura. It would give us more influence over the price of rice and enable us to expand future production. What do you think, Kinno-san?” “As you say, there’s a lot of competition with the already established routes.”

“We could make gradual inquiries. I know it would take some time. I don’t expect we could do it all this year, but what about for next year’s harvest?”

“We can try, yes,” Kinnosuke nodded and blinked.

Rie smiled and poured tea for the two men. Yamaguchi had made it easy to obtain their agreement on buying cask ships. Rie hoped to catch Yamaguchi off guard.