True to Magistrate Taira’s word, it was only a short ride before we came in sight of the yozakura festival. Just like the governor’s painting, a single large sakura tree stood alone on a rocky hilltop. The hill was surrounded by well-maintained rice paddies with trim peasant houses scattered among the fields. The contrast between the ruined land on the shouen I had just visited and these carefully tended fields was stark. I asked Magistrate Taira, “Who is the caretaker for this estate? They’ve done an excellent job.”

“This estate is owned by the Tendai monastery. The Buddhist monks are conscientious stewards of their property.”

The sakura tree had been festooned with dozens of paper lamps. These would be lit as soon as the sun went down. Set apart from the refreshments was a pavilion positioned to give a clear view of the sakura tree and a lovely vista of the ocean. Curtains of light fabric hung across the front of the pavilion, allowing those inside to see out, but veiling the interior. Magistrate Taira and I stepped through the curtains and joined his other guests.

The interior of the pavilion was divided into two sections. The front was a single large space with seats and cushions arranged for the guests’ comfort. A cloth partition with a slit doorway in it separated it from the rear. Behind the partition, the pavilion was divided into a number of small spaces, each of which had a sleeping pad and some sleeping robes. I was curious as to the purpose of this arrangement but didn’t ask because I didn’t want to appear ignorant.

Magistrate Taira turned to me and said, “We are all equals here, my esteemed friend. Take off your coat and relax! This is a place where you can be yourself without fear of ridicule or censure.” All the other men were lounging around in nothing more than casual under-robes. It was a strange sensation, seeing all these people sitting around only half-dressed, ignoring protocol and social class.

Cautiously, I took off my outer robes. I asked, “Magistrate Taira, where shall I put these?”

“Call me Ryojun. Do you mind if I call you Yoshi? Good. Anyway, Yoshi, put your clothes back there.” He pointed to a row of small chests against one wall of the pavilion. Many of the chests already had clothing in them. I chose an empty chest near the end and put my weapons and outer robes inside. As soon as I finished, Magistrate Taira motioned me over to a cushion near where he reclined on the ground. It was just dusk.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, serving girls in brightly colored robes lit lanterns on the tree. Soon, the hilltop was suffused with a golden glow.

Once the lamps were lit, the girls served the guests saké and food. Magistrate Taira stood up. “Friends and neighbors,” and he nodded in my direction, “we are very fortunate tonight to have with us someone who is visiting our humble province from the capital. Yoshi is not only a man of taste and breeding, he is also a warrior of great renown, who single-handedly saved the high priestess from almost certain death. We are glad he has agreed to attend our poor celebration. Tonight, we are gathered to view the sakura in the beautiful moonlight. Enjoy the blossoms, the food, the drink, and the entertainment.” He smiled at the young women serving the guests.

The full moon rose across the water, and the silvery lunar light brought everything into a sharper focus. Of course, that might have just been the saké.

At first, it seemed there were many more serving girls than were needed. However, shortly after the saké service began, guests began grabbing their servers and pulling them down onto their laps. Other girls continued serving the guests saké, but they started drinking themselves, often with much giggling and blushing.

Before long, the purpose of the rooms in the back of the pavilion became apparent. Some of the girls were quite friendly with their chosen patrons. Before long, pairs of revelers were standing up and passing back into the rear portion of the pavilion. They did not reemerge for some time, often with their clothing badly askew.

I noticed a group of four young women discreetly looking at me. One of the group was given a gentle nudge in my direction, and she walked up to me, carrying a jug of saké. With a shy smile, she asked me, “Would you like something to drink, sir? Your bowl seems to be empty.”

Amused by her actions, I told her, “Why yes, thank you very much.” She surprised me by plopping herself down in my lap and filling my bowl. I smiled at her and drank. Boldly staring at me, she took an unused bowl, poured herself some saké, and downed it in one long swallow. When she finished, she gave me a broad smile. She refilled both our bowls, then laid her head against my chest and made herself more comfortable, snuggling her bottom deeper into my lap.

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I have to admit she had a very shapely bottom, and it was no chore at all to have her sitting there. I asked her, “What’s your name, my dear?”

Still leaning her head against me, she answered, “Inuki.” She looked up at me. “Is it true you saved the high priestess?” I nodded. “Tell me all about it!”

I didn’t want to put myself forward, but I could hardly refuse the girl her request. So, between cups of saké, I briefly told her about the attack.

She was suitably impressed. “You must be very brave.” She relaxed back against my chest. I put my arm around her waist and sat back to enjoy the party.

Before long, it was completely dark. A troupe of dancers and musicians set up underneath the tree. The musicians started playing, and the dancers began their repertoire of traditional court dances. Inuki and I drank saké together and the evening passed very companionably.

Well past midnight, Inuki leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Why don’t we go into the back for a while.” She took my hand and tried to pull me upright. Much as I wanted to cooperate, getting up had gotten much harder than it had been earlier. Just as I staggered to my feet, the dancers started a new piece. Inuki pulled me back down, saying, “Oooh, I love this one.” The mood of the music and the spirit of the dance conveyed melancholy, sorrow, and loss. It was unlike anything I had seen in the capital.

“What is this dance?” I asked. “I’ve never seen it before.”

Tears glistened in Inuki’s eyes as she answered me. “It is the story of two young people. He is a poor fisherman’s son, and she is the beautiful daughter of the mayor of the town. Although they love each other, her father is determined she will marry a wealthy older man. The young fisherman goes out in a storm to catch a rare fish he can sell for enough money to allow them to marry. The girl flees her father’s house to avoid the arranged marriage, and she comes to this hill. She stands in the moonlight, waiting for a glimpse of his sails, but he never returns. Because of the strength of her love, she vows to wait here for him. The gods, touched by the depth of her devotion, changed her to a sakura tree so she could keep her promise. This very tree is her.” She sighed and leaned back against me. “It’s so romantic.”

Magistrate Taira, overhearing our conversation, leaned over and added, “It’s a famous local legend. The dance was written to celebrate the story, and it is performed every year here at the end of the flower viewing.”

Something niggled at the back of my brain. It seemed like I’d heard the story previously. I struggled to get my mind working through the saké-induced fog. “That’s strange,” I mused out loud. “The widow of Fujiwara Minbukyou told me how she and her husband visited a hill with a sakura tree on it. It had almost the exact same legend. The hill was in the middle of her estate, though.” I gave a short laugh. “I guess all these local legends sound the same, don’t they?”

Magistrate Taira had been in the process of standing up when I spoke. He froze, motionless for a couple of moments after I finished talking, then he slowly finished straightening up.

Smoothly, he turned to me and said, “My dear Inspector, give me a moment to see to a couple of things. I’ll be right back.”

It struck me as odd he used my title after making such a big deal about informality earlier, but trying to puzzle it out was just too complicated in my inebriated state.

Inuki settled back in my lap and District Magistrate Taira was forgotten. He disappeared in the direction of the sakura.

We sat and watched the dance together, Inuki and I. She held my hand and cried as the dancers told the story of the young woman and her doomed lover. Her face was covered in tears by the time the performance ended.

I stood up and took her hand. “Come on, let’s go in the back.”

Magistrate Taira stepped up. He gave me a sickly grin, “I apologize, it appears I have made a terrible mistake. We’ve run out of sleeping rooms. I regret that you’re going to have to finish the night somewhere else.” He coughed, his embarrassment plain. “Just down the road is an inn that I own a half-interest in. If you don’t mind, you can go there and tell the innkeeper I sent you. He’ll put you up at no charge. I’m terribly ashamed this happened. I can’t imagine what went wrong. I’ll come by tomorrow morning and pick you up from the inn so we can finish your inspection of the estate property.”

Inuki was bitterly disappointed when she heard I was leaving. She wanted to go with me to the inn and spend the night. Magistrate Taira explained there wasn’t room on the horse for two of us, and I needed to get some sleep. She pouted and flounced out of the tent.

It took me some time to gather up my belongings and get properly clothed again. It didn’t help that Inuki had poured so much drink down me. I was barely able to stand. While I was getting dressed, I wondered if I had done something to insult the district magistrate. I was too drunk to really think clearly, so once I managed to make myself halfway presentable, I went outside the pavilion to get my horse.

Magistrate Taira was waiting with the animal’s reins in hand. He helped me into my saddle, then said, “Turn right at the bottom of the hill and follow the road. You should come across the inn in a short time. It will be well lit. You can’t miss it.”

With that, he waved farewell and went back inside the pavilion.