A day in the life of a teenage samurai

少年武士生活中的一天

来源视频

It’s just after sunrise, and 16-year-old Mori Banshirô

is already hard at work  practicing drills with his long sword.

Banshirô is an ambitious samurai  in training,

and today he must impress  his teachers more than ever.

Today he’ll make his request  to travel to the capital city of Edo

for a year of martial  and scholarly studies,

and he needs their support,  along with his father’s.

太阳才刚升起，16 岁的森伴四郎（Mori Banshirô）

就已经在用武士刀 刻苦地练习招式了。

伴四郎是一名雄心勃勃的见习武士，

今天他必须给老师们 留下前所未有的出色印象。

因为今天他将会请求前往首府江户，

进行为期一年的武术和文化修行，

而他需要老师们以及父亲的支持。

The year is 1800 in the castle town  of Kôchi,

capital of the Tosa domain in Japan.

The daimyo rules the domain, and about  1,500 samurai retainers serve him.

For 200 years,  Japan has been at peace,

and the samurai, once primarily warriors,  now play a much wider range of roles—

they are also government officials,

scholars,

teachers,

and even masters  of the tea ceremony

or artists.

这一年是 1800 年， 地点是高知城，

日本土佐藩的藩厅（首府）。

藩地由大名（诸侯）管辖， 其手下有约 1500 名武士家臣效力。

日本已维持了 200 年的和平，

曾经以征战沙场为生的武士， 如今则扮演了更加广泛的角色——

他们也担任幕府官员、

学者、

教师，

甚至是茶道大师

或是艺术家。

To prepare for these  diverse responsibilities,

young samurai like Banshirô  study the “twin paths”

of literary learning and the martial arts.

At 15, he went through the rites  of adulthood and received the daishô—

a pair of swords.

The long sword is for training  and combat,

while the short sword  has a sole, solemn purpose—

to commit ritual suicide, or seppuku,

if he dishonors himself, his family,  or the daimyo.

为了履行这些不同的职责，

像伴四郎这样的年轻武士 会进行 “文武两道” 的修行，

不仅要修炼武学，也要研习文艺。

在 15 岁时，他行过元服之礼， 获赠了被称作 “大小” 的——

一对佩刀。

长刀用于训练与战斗，

短刀则有着唯一的庄严目的——

如果他使自己、家人或大名蒙羞的话，

就要用短刀切腹自尽。

Banshirô idolizes the legendary samurai  Miyamoto Musashi,

a renowned swordsman  who lived 150 years earlier.

But Banshirô doesn’t admire  his swordsmanship alone.

Miyamoto Musashi was also  a master calligrapher and painter.

That’s the real reason  Banshirô wants to go to Edo—

he secretly wants to be a painter, too.

After finishing his practice at home,  he bids his father goodbye

and walks to school.

伴四郎十分崇拜 活跃于 150 年前的著名剑术家，

传奇武士宫本武藏 （Miyamoto Musashi）。

令伴四郎钦佩的不止是他的剑法。

宫本武藏同时也是 一名书法和绘画大师。

这也是伴四郎 想前往江户的真正原因——

他暗中也想成为一名画家。

在结束了家中的锻炼后， 他向父亲道别，

走去了学校。

His father is preparing to accompany  the daimyo to the capital.

The Tokugawa shogun, head of the Japanese  military government,

requires all the regional rulers  to alternate years

between their castle town  in the home domain and the capital city.

The costly treks back and forth  keep the daimyo subordinate

and prevent them from building up  their own military forces

to challenge the shogunate.

The daimyo’s wife and children  live in the capital full time,

where they serve as hostages  to ensure his loyalty.

他的父亲正在为陪同大名 前往首府做准备。

日本武家政府的 最高领导者徳川将军

要求所有地区的领主 轮流往返领地与首府执行政务，

进行 “参勤交代”。

成本高昂的来回跋涉 能使大名保持服从，

并阻止他们累积军事力量

对幕府进行谋反。

大名的妻子和孩子 会在江户长期居住，

作为幕府的人质， 确保大名的忠诚。

But the practice  doesn’t just affect the daimyo—

it determines much of the rhythm  of life in Japan.

Samurai must accompany the daimyo to Edo.

This year it’s Banshirô’s father’s  turn to go,

and Banshirô is desperate to go with him;

but given that he’s still in training,  he’ll need permission

from both his father and the domain.

但是这样的制度 不仅会影响到大名——

也决定了日本多数人的生活节奏。

武士必须跟随大名前往江户。

这一年轮到伴四郎的父亲陪同参勤，

伴四郎渴望与他同行；

但是鉴于他仍在见习，

他需要得到父亲和领地双方的许可。

At school, Banshirô’s first lesson  is in swordfighting.

Under his teacher’s stern eye,  he pairs up with his classmates

and goes through the routines  he’s been practicing.

At the end of the lesson, he reminds the  instructor of his request to go to Edo.

The instructor cracks  his first smile of the day,

and Banshirô feels confident  he will gain his support.

在学校，伴四郎的第一堂课是剑术。

在老师严厉的目光下， 他与同学们结对

演练他一直在练习的整套招式。

课程结束时，他再次向导师 提起了前往江户的请求。

导师当天首次展颜微笑，

伴四郎相信自己将得到他的支持。

Next, Banshirô practices archery,  horsemanship, and swimming

before his academic courses  in the afternoon.

Courses cover Confucian philosophy,  morality, and history.

When the instructor calls on him, he has  the response on the tip of his tongue,

ensuring another supporter  for his campaign.

By the end of the day, Banshirô  feels confident that his formal request

will be approved, but the greatest  challenge is still ahead of him:

convincing his father.

接下来，在他下午的学术课程之前，

伴四郎还练习了 射箭、骑马以及游泳。

下午的学术课程包括 儒家哲学、伦理和历史。

当导师点到他时， 他早已酝酿好了答案，

这为他的旅程赢得了另一位支持者。

一日将尽，伴四郎很自信 自己的正式申请会得到批准，

但最大的挑战仍在前方：

说服他的父亲。

His father believes the martial arts  are more important than the literary arts,

so Banshirô doesn’t mention  his artistic ambitions.

Instead, he talks about renowned  sword instructors he can train with,

and teaching certifications he can earn  to improve his professional prospects

back in Kôchi.

Then, he makes his final,  strongest argument:

if he goes this time and succeeds,  his father can retire and send him instead

in the future.

他父亲认为武道比文道更加重要，

因此伴四郎没有提及他的艺术追求，

而是谈到了自己 能有机会师从知名的剑术家，

还可以考取教学资格证书， 让他返回高知时有更好的

职业前景。

然后，他提出了 最后也是最有力的论点：

如果他这次同去且万事顺利， 父亲就可以退休，

未来能派遣他跟随大名参勤。

It’s this last point  that finally sells him—

Banshirô’s father agrees  to take him on his tour of duty.

In the bustle of the capital city,  Banshirô will finally have the opportunity

to pursue his secret ambition  to become a painter.

正是最后这一点说服了他父亲。

伴四郎的父亲同意 在勤务之旅中带上伴四郎。

在首府的喧嚣中， 伴四郎终于能有机会

去追求他心底想成为画家的理想。