FARM LIFE AND FAMILY

With the death of his father, Bunji became the head of the household. His mother, concerned about the future of the family and Bunji, encouraged him to take a bride. As was the customary practice of this time, Bunji's marriage was arranged for him, and at the age of twenty-three, Bunji married Tose, the eldest daughter of the Furukawa family. With Tose's assistance, Bunji was able to farm and also devote some of his time to public construction within the village. Although he had contributed much to the village, these contributions did not compare with those of the older established families. Whenever they gathered together, he always behaved modestly toward them.

Bunji was willing to serve the village in almost any capacity. As he gradually won the acceptance and respect of the other villagers, Bunji acquired more land and built new additions to his house, and later he was able to construct a new house. This was a considerable achievement, ranking him in the top ten landholders in a village of 130 households. However, as humble and sincere as Bunji was, he did not escape sufferings. The celebration and joy of the birth of Bunji and Tose's first son, Kametaro, was short lived, for Kametaro died of an illness three years later. In addition, Bunji and Tose treasured their first daughter, Chise, only to lose her a year later, despite medical attention and prayers. Bunji and Tose were overwhelmed by their loss of Chise. They had so little time with her and were reminded of the loss of their first son, seemingly only a short while ago.

Then, Makiemon, Bunji's second son, died at the age of seven, presumably in the early stages of smallpox, and many years later, one last child died right after birth. In total, Bunji and Tose had nine children of whom five survived to live a full life. Although such a high infant mortality rate was not uncommon in Japan during this period, it pained Bunji to lose his precious children. Unfortunately, his misfortunes did not stop there. Bunji mourned for his younger brother who was mistreated by his in-laws and passed away after much suffering. He also bore the loss of his two oxen, which were considered by farmers to be almost equal in value to family members.

During Bunji's time, folkloric superstitions, divinations, and folk religions ran rampant among the masses. Most of these beliefs came to Japan from China between the seventh and eleventh centuries, and they eventually became common beliefs. An ominous deity called "Konjin" was part of this folklore. Konjin was thought to be the most powerful deity, and thus became the most feared deity. People believed Konjin resided in various directional locations (determined astrologically). These directions were to be avoided by all who wished to avert Konjin's wrath. Should someone violate the direction in which Konjin happened to be residing at a particular time, he would incur the wrath named the "Seven Killings of Konjin." The seven deaths were often those of family members or oxen. As an ardent follower of these folk beliefs, each time Bunji constructed a new building, such as a bathroom or storehouse, he would have the "Days and Directions" checked to select an auspicious day and direction.

However, as Bunji made additions to his house, he encountered the succession of deaths in his family. By the year Bunji completed and moved into his newly constructed house, he had experienced seven deaths since his marriage: his younger brother Tsurutaro, his adopted father Kawate Kumejiro, three children, and two oxen (both of which died on the exact same date, one year apart). Bunji's misfortunes seemed to be proportional to the increase in his property.

Bunji's fellow villagers took notice of these misfortunes and suspected that Bunji violated construction taboos and consequently incurred the wrath of Konjin. Although he had followed the Days and Directions precisely, Bunji began to believe that he must have done something to offend Konjin in the process of his construction. He agonized over what he should do to appease Konjin and became determined to follow the Days and Directions and other taboos ever more strictly.

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