The Demon in the Teahouse #4

Summary:

After Umae opens her presents, she announces that Nui is her new and official sister. While Umae as entertaining her guests, Seikei aids an older daimyo, Lord Iwakuri. Just before Lord Iwakuri leaves, Umae gave a gift to Nui. The present was a beautiful tea bowl, but Seikei thought that the bowl was haunted. He thought this because anyone who possesed something of Umae, or someone who was close to Umae, was in frat danger. Seikei figured this out because the geisha that was drowned was wearing Umae's kimono. Later, Lord Iwakuri warned Seikei that a brother of one of the samurai, Jugoro and Genda, killed himself out of passion for Umae. The next day Kiru appears in the teahouse and reveals to Seikei that it was him that stole Seikei's clothes and lit the fire in the teahouse several days ago. Then Seikei and Hiru traveled to Judge Ooka in Yoshiwara because Seikei thought that Kiru had a lot to explain and tell Judge Ooka. Judge Ooka orders Seikei to look after Nui. and that Kiru will stay at his residence until they discover the mystery. Then Kiru would have his job as a teahouse attendant again. After Seikei came back and went to bed he noticed that Nui and Umae went to Yoshiwara to the Temple of Kannon. Since he was supposed to take care of her he raced down just to discover that Nui had disappeared. He talks to Umae a while and notices that she is actually a heartless, calculating woman who is very smart and knows more than what he expected her to know.

Iva

Investigator:

http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/ANCJAPAN/CONST.HTM

Above you can find a link to a website about the ancient Japanese Constitution. The website gives a few laws found in the ancient constitution, and a few important laws that are not part of the constitution but were very well respected and were considered a great sin to break. Many of the laws have to do with being a good person, harmony, praise, respect and loyalty. I hope you like this website!

Fabi

Director Q/R:

1. Is it good that Nui is Umae's sister?
2. Why do you think that Seikei has to look after Nui?
3. Does Kiru want his old job back?

Viktor

Connector to history:

Jitte-The jutte or jitte, literally meaning "ten-hand" (i.e., the weapon with the power of ten hands), is a specialized weapon which was used by low-rank law enforcement officers (called okappiki or doshin) during Edo period in the history of Japan. Nowadays, the jutte is the subject of the Japanese martial art ofjuttejutsu.

Samisen-The shamisen or samisen (Japanese:, literally "three flavor strings"), also called sangen (literally "three strings") is a three-stringed musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi. The pronunciation in Japanese is usually "shamisen" (in western Japan, and often in Edo-period sources "samisen") but sometimes "jamisen" when used as a suffix (e.g., Tsugaru-jamisen).

Sake-This beverage is called sake in English, but in Japanese, sake (酒) or o-sake (お酒) refers to alcoholic drinks in general. The Japanese term for this specific beverage is Nihonshu (日本酒), meaning "Japanese sake".

Sake is also referred to in English as rice wine. However, unlike true wine, in which alcohol is produced by fermenting the sugar naturally present in fruit, sake is made through a brewing process more like that of beer. To make beer or sake, the sugar needed to produce alcohol must first be converted from starch. But the brewing process for sake differs from beer brewing as well, notably in that for beer, the conversion of starch to sugar and sugar to alcohol occurs in two discrete steps, but with sake they occur simultaneously. Additionally, alcohol content also differs between sake, wine, and beer. Wine generally contains 9–16% alcohol and most beer is 3–8%, whereas undiluted sake is 18–20% alcohol, although this is often lowered to around 15% by diluting the sake with water prior to bottling.

Tabi-Tabi are traditional Japanese socks. Ankle high and with a separation between the big toe and other toes, they are worn by both men and women with zori, geta, and other traditional thonged footwear. Tabi are also essential with traditional clothing—kimono and other wafuku. The most common colour is white, and white tabi are worn in formal situations such as at tea ceremonies. Men sometimes wear blue or black tabi for travelling. Patterned and coloured tabi are also available and are worn most often by women, though they are gaining popularity among men as well.In contrast to socks that, when pulled on, fit the foot snugly because of their elastic weave, tabi are sewn from cloth cut to form. They are open at the back so they can be slipped on and have a row of fasteners along the opening so they can be closed.

Vocanulary finder:

Doshin- Doshins were a low-ranking guard of the capitol of Japan (Edo) and other cities.

Lamp-lighter-A lamplighter, historically, was an employee of a town who lit street lights, generally by means of a wick on a long pole. At dawn, they would return and turn them off using a small hook on the same pole. Early street lights were generally candles, oil, and similar consumable liquid or solid lighting sources with wicks. Another lamplighter duty was to carry a ladder and renew the candles, oil, or gas mantles. In some communities, lamplighters served in a role akin to a townwatchman; in others, it may have been seen as little more than a sinecure. In the 19th century, gas lights became the dominant form of street lighting. Early gaslights required lamplighters, but eventually systems were developed which allowed the lights to operate automatically.

Alluring- to attract or be attracting.

Vance