16. “Six Shall Move In and Serve”

When the Iburis were in the process of moving into the Residence, Oyasama said,

“You may think your family consists of five people, but six shall move in and serve.”

At first it was a mystery to Izo and Sato what Oyasama’s words meant. They were only a family of five. Who could this sixth person be that Oyasama was referring to?

Yet just as Oyasama said, another person joined the Iburis when they moved into the Residence. Although Izo prepared beforehand to quit his carpentry work and had his apprentices move out one after another, circumstances led him to take care of an apprentice named Otomatsu for a while longer.

The meaning behind Oyasama’s words became clear as they found themselves bringing Otomatsu with them when they moved into the Residence.

(From Shinpan Izo Iburi den p. 72)

• Next installment in this series: 17. Out Through the Back Door

*Note: This post has been revised since its original publication.