“Although you were but a peasant on this estate, you conceived a noble plan to succour the other farmers in their distress.  You bruised your bones, and crushed your heart, for their sakes.  Still, in that you appealed to the Shogun in person, you committed a grievous crime, and made light of your superiors; and for this it was impossible not to punish you.  Still we admit that to include your wife and children in your crime, and kill them before your eyes, was a cruel deed.  What is done, is done, and regret is of no avail.  However, honours shall be paid to your spirit:  you shall be canonized as the Saint Daimiyo, and you shall be placed among the tutelar deities of my lord’s family.”

With these words the two councillors made repeated reverences before the corpse; and in this they showed their faithfulness to their lord.  But he, when the matter was reported to him, only laughed scornfully at the idea that the hatred of a peasant could affect his feudal lord; and said that a vassal who had dared to hatch a plot which, had it not been for his high office, would have been sufficient to ruin him, had only met with his deserts.  As for causing him to be canonized, let him be as he was.  Seeing their lord’s anger, his councillors could only obey.  But it was not long before he had cause to know that, though Sogoro was dead, his vengeance was yet alive.

The relations of Sogoro and the elders of the villages having been summoned to the Court-house, the following document was issued:—­

“Although the property of Sogoro, the elder of the village of Iwahashi, is confiscated, his household furniture shall be made over to his two married daughters; and the village officials will look to it that these few poor things be not stolen by lawless and unprincipled men.

“His rice-fields and corn-fields, his mountain land and forest land, will be sold by auction.  His house and grounds will be given over to the elder of the village.  The price fetched by his property will be paid over to the lord of the estate.

“The above decree will be published, in full, to the peasants of the village; and it is strictly forbidden to find fault with this decision.

“The 12th day of the 2d month, of the 2d year of the period Shoho.”

The peasants, having heard this degree with all humility, left the Court-house.  Then the following punishments were awarded to the officers of the castle, who, by rejecting the petition of the peasants in the first instance, had brought trouble upon their lord:—­

“Dismissed from their office, the resident councillors at Yedo and at the castle-town.

“Banished from the province, four district governors, and three bailiffs, and nineteen petty officers.

“Dismissed from office, three metsukes, or censors, and seven magistrates.

“Condemned to hara-kiri, one district governor and one Yedo bailiff.