granduncle.
As one of the family, Ieyasu's loyalty to the Shogunate was beyond
question but he was, above all, an influence-pedlar who knew every step
of the way along the corridors of power; a man who could dispense
sought-after privileges and preferments - and was not averse to
enriching himself in the process. In so doing, the Chamberlain
embraced an earthier tradition which pre-dated the rise of the samurai
ethic by many thousands of years and which, given time, Ieyasu felt
that Yoritomo would come to recognise as the only one worth preserving:
the exercise and maintenance of power in a world of increasing
complexity.
A problem that was as old as Time itself.
It was laudable of the young man to seek a return to the purer forms of
conduct as prescribed by bushido: it was right that he should place new
emphasis on its central tenet, girl - the sense of duty and
obligation.
Without it there would be anarchy! But the drive to impose a stricter
morality was counterproductive.
Human beings were flawed creatures that could never attain the
perfection of the higher kami. Their inherent venality always surfaced
sooner or later and, deplorable though it might be, it was through
their weaknesses that they could be more effectively controlled.
Sinners were easier to do business with. And also much better
company.
Despite his advanced years, Ieyasu had not forgotten how to enjoy
himself. And in his case, it was not only the spirit that was
willing.
The pebble garden was made up of a subtle arrangement of rocks set amid
an undulating sea of fine gravel which had been raked into a seamless
pattern of lines and whorls. Each morning at first light, and at
various times throughout the day, leaves, twigs and all other
extraneous matter were assiduously removed by a team of light-footed
gardeners who raked the gravel back into place as they made their
exit.
When the Shogun came, the garden was always magically restored to
pristine condition. It was a landscape frozen in time, an exquisitely
harmonious arrangement of line and tone, texture and mass which, like
all great masterworks, constantly revealed new depths to the eye of the
beholder. It induced serenity and invited profound contemplation,
rewarding and restoring those whose minds were able to achieve the
necessary degree of stillness.
