[Goldfish Edo Tales] Night 5: Black Demekin's Night Out
Welcome everyone.I, Yuugyotei Junmyoraku, will tell amusing tales of goldfish and the people of Edo.
Night 5 features the "Black Demekin"(Black Pop - eye Goldfish), proud of its body as black as flowing ink.Please enjoy the story of a man who made a huge misunderstanding while trying to admire his chic black goldfish late at night.
So then, let it begin, let it begin...
Night 5: "Black Demekin's Night Out"
Well, Edo natives love the color "black".Hiding flashy colors and focusing on the lining, or coordinating in astringent ink colors.This is called "iki"(chic), and in the goldfish world, the pitch - black Demekin is preferred by connoisseurs.
Now, there is a bachelor in a tenement house here named Matsuko.He loves starting things from the appearance, and saying "I'm going to live chicly from now on," he started keeping one pitch - black Demekin in a pottery bowl.
"Listen Deme. Your blackness is deeper than the darkness of Edo nights. This is what man's astringency is all about."
Matsuko came home to the tenement house tipsy after having a drink after work.The time was already Kokonotsu(midnight).He planned to admire his proud Black Demekin by the light of the Andon(paper lamp) and have another drink.
"Hey Deme, are you awake? Let me see your chic figure... Huh? Not here. Hey, where did you go!"
He peered into the bowl, but it was pitch black to the bottom.The pitch - black goldfish blended into the night's darkness and the bowl's shadow, and he couldn't tell where it was at all.
"Oh no! A thief! Someone stole my chic goldfish!"
Matsuko made a big fuss in the middle of the night and woke up the retired neighbor. "Goinkyo (Retired Master)! It's a thief! Only the pitch-black Demekin has disappeared without a trace."
The retired master came to Matsuko's room rubbing his sleepy eyes and gently brought the Andon close to the bowl. Then, the moment the light hit, two large eyes shone brightly at the bottom of the water.
"Matsu-san, calm down. The goldfish is right here. You were looking without a light, so it was just hidden in the shadows and couldn't be seen."
Matsuko scratched his head in embarrassment looking at that. "What, it was there... It was so black, I thought it had fled in the night (yonige)."
The retired master was amazed and said:
"What would a goldfish do fleeing in the night? You were just praising it saying 'it's a black deeper than the night's darkness'."
Matsuko said in desperation:
"Heh. Since my 'troubles (Kuro/Black)' never end, I thought it had decided to 'abandon the world (Yo/Night)'!"
[Junmyoraku's Afterword]
The charm of the Black Demekin lies in its jet blackness that seems to suck you in.A black so deep you lose sight of it depending on the light is truly the shape of Edo's "iki". Troubles (kuro) might also turn into interesting individuality with a glare depending on how you shine the light.
