[Goldfish Edo Tales] Night 11: The Tosakin's Backward Arch

Welcome everyone.I, Yuugyotei Junmyoraku, tell the "Goldfish Edo Tales".Tonight is the 11th night.

The partner is the peerless beauty from the southern land of Tosa, the "Tosakin".That mysterious tail fin that curls forward in a "Maegakari"(forward curl).Please enjoy this story where the folks of Edo were captivated by its sensual charm.

So then, let it begin, let it begin...

Night 11: "The Tosakin's Backward Arch"

Well, Edo people have a weakness not only for "new things" but also for "distant things".There is a goldfish called "Tosakin" that has been carefully protected in the far southern land of Tosa.This one has a unique shape.The tips of its tail fin, surprisingly, curl forward sharply.Viewed from above, it looks exactly like a large lotus flower blooming in a pond, truly magnificent.

Now, here is a playboy from the row house, Shinjiro.Saying things like "Edo women are fine, but sometimes I want to admire the sensual charm of the southern lands," he managed to scrape together money to buy a single Tosakin.

"Listen, Tosakin. That tail fin of yours, isn't it a sexy 'arch' just like when geishas in the parlor kick up the hem of their kimono during a dance? Edo women can't produce this kind of languid sensuality."

Shinjiro put this goldfish in a round bowl and gazed at it enraptured while drinking sake.Then, the heckler Hachigoro came along, peeked into the bowl, and was surprised.

"Hey, Shin-san! Isn't this goldfish sick? Its tail fin is flipped over, and it looks like it's struggling to swim. Can't you make it swim more crisply like an Edo Wakin?"

Shinjiro laughed scornfully and retorted. "This is why boorish people are trouble. Look at this 'arch' that pushes forward once before flowing back. It's the very image of a geisha looking back regretfully as she leaves the parlor. It is precisely because it cannot swim straight that it dances before me forever."

However, because Shinjiro kept flattering it excessively saying "Sexy, sexy," the Tosakin perhaps got carried away, flipped its tail even wider, and splashed water vigorously.

"Ouch! Hey, instead of a backward glance, I got a full-on slap. Shin-san, you got too heated up and now even the goldfish hates you."

As Hachigoro laughed loudly, Shinjiro wiped his soaked face and said,

"It's fine! Since it's from 'Tosa', it just wanted to take a shot at an Edo man amidst the 'toss-up' (dosa-kusa)!"