Chapter 34: Japanese monks are truly a talented bunch!
Yuan Ye hadn’t expected Old Monk Haixin wasn’t looking for him to treat an illness, but rather seemed to be eyeing his medicine and wanting to do business.
This was a bit unexpected, but he glanced at Chijō, who was sitting quietly to the side, and thought that if the young monk could already say “Namo Amitabha, mushrooms are delicious,” then it wasn’t strange for the old monk to have this demeanor. He had thought they were enlightened masters when he heard the word “Zen” before coming, but it turned out he was completely mistaken.
The Dharma must have been transmitted from China to Japan, and Japan’s feng shui is bad, causing Zen to grow crooked.
He recalled that all the koans and Buddhist verses he had encountered along the way were useless, but that didn’t matter; if it was about business, then let’s talk business.
He immediately followed the old monk’s lead and said, “Master, what you say is very true. Benefiting all sentient beings is indeed good, but I am willing but unable to sell the medicine far and wide.”
Old Monk Haixin immediately clasped his hands together and bowed his head, saying, “Namo Amitabha, our temple can act as a distributor.”
“Distributor?” Yuan Ye was stunned, his expression slightly contorted. He really couldn’t understand how the phrase “Namo Amitabha” could be linked to “distributor.”
“Our sect has temples in all eight counties of Owari, and many merchants in the towns and cities also obtain permits from our sect.” Old Monk Haixin’s compassionate and merciful expression was almost gone, his eyes flashing with golden light. “Our sect also has some industries in Sakai and Kyoto, which can be distributed everywhere without issue.”
Yuan Ye didn’t quite understand. He should have dragged A Man here. His knowledge of this era was still severely lacking, but he could vaguely grasp the general idea through guesswork. It seemed Kannon Temple was like a chain enterprise, setting up branches everywhere to gather devotees, and they could conveniently sell medicine there. Moreover, they could sell through local merchants, and the merchants couldn’t refuse, as if the monks issued the merchants’ “business licenses,” and they had to obey!
But how could monks issue “business licenses”? That didn’t seem right.
Yuan Ye decided to ask someone about it later. He temporarily set aside his doubts and focused on the present. After a moment of thought, he shook his head, “If it’s to be distributed like that, I can’t produce that much medicine… Master, are you referring to the deworming pills?”
He truly hadn’t expected that such a small deworming pill would be so highly valued. It seemed that parasitic infections were quite serious in Japan during the Medieval Period.
However, this wasn’t surprising. Modern Japan is a major area for parasitic diseases; it’s inherently quite unsanitary.
“It’s the deworming pills!” Old Monk Haixin said, and surprisingly, he pulled out a few pills from his sleeve. They were precisely the Umeboshi Pills and Cortex Phellodendri Pills that Yuan Ye had made himself. It seemed there were also devotees of Kannon Temple in Hibitsu Village, and their information network was no less sensitive than that of Aragiko Castle.
“I can’t make that many,” Yuan Ye repeated. He wasn’t keen on switching professions to become a pharmacist, spending his days rolling pills at home. Moreover, he had already priced this medicine, and it wasn’t very profitable. He didn’t want to put in that much effort.
“Is that so…” Old Monk Haixin seemed a bit disappointed but was very persistent and hadn’t given up. “Then, if Donor Yuan Ye has time, could you perhaps make some medicine for our temple?”
“Small quantities?”
“Small quantities are fine too!”
“Then, no problem.” Yuan Ye agreed. Ordinary medicine, no matter who it’s sold to, is still medicine. If he had free time, making some medicine for the monks wouldn’t be an issue, as long as it didn’t take up too much of his time.
“Then thank you very much, Donor Yuan Ye,” Old Monk Haixin said, clasping his hands in gratitude. He had achieved a small part of his goal and was very pleased.
He truly admired this medicine. Two small pills taken together could expel parasites at a very low cost, which was far more effective than a monk from the Ritsu School brewing a large bag of herbal medicine in a big pot with uncertain results.
The only pity was the small quantity. But even if the quantity was scarce, it didn’t matter. He could purchase it, process it further, roll it in honey, and then send it far away to be sold as a precious medicine at a high price to wealthy merchants and local lords everywhere; it would still be very profitable.
Alternatively, it could simply be given as a valuable gift for social occasions, saving money and being quite presentable.
Yuan Ye could also guess what Old Monk Haixin was planning to do. If selling at a low price wasn’t feasible, he would likely aim for high-priced retail sales. But Yuan Ye didn’t pay it much mind. In modern society, it’s often the case that manufacturers don’t earn as much as retailers.
Besides, since he chose to be a doctor, ensuring his personal safety and receiving various privileges, there were bound to be trade-offs. Such matters were inevitable.
If you are useless to others and bring them no benefit, why should they respect you? Why should they treat you politely?
Unless you possess immense power and can force others to kowtow. But he had only been here for a little over a month and was still in a difficult situation, unable to become powerful.
Therefore, let others earn the money they are meant to earn!
As for monopolizing the profits, that would have to wait for later!
When it came to business, the monks were far more dedicated than the local lords and samurai. After Yuan Ye agreed, Old Monk Haixin even inquired about his medical skills and suggested he develop some new patent medicines, such as aphrodisiacs, which would surely sell well. The demand in Sakai and Kyoto was very high; he was full of business acumen.
After chatting for a while, Yuan Ye figured there was nothing else, and he didn’t want to continue drinking tea, admiring plum blossoms, and discussing business with this greedy old monk. But since he had come all this way, he was reluctant to leave just like that, so he proposed to look around the temple and visit.
Old Monk Haixin didn’t mind. His status in Owari Province was actually quite high, even higher than Maeda Toshiharu. He had specifically invited Yuan Ye this time because he wanted to build a good relationship. Otherwise, with his status, he wouldn’t have needed to personally meet a wandering samurai from another region.
He immediately instructed his young disciple, “Chijō, accompany Donor Yuan Ye on a tour of the temple. Entertain him well and do not neglect him!”
He was practicing seated meditation and couldn’t move from his spot, so he could only send his young disciple to accompany Yuan Ye, which was a sign of importance, just like sending his young disciple to invite him earlier. Ordinary devotees didn’t receive such treatment. Although Chijō was young, his seniority was high, making him a respectable figure at Aragiko Kannon Temple.
Yuan Ye politely thanked him a couple of times and then took his leave.
As he left the meditation room, he looked back and saw Old Monk Haixin had already resumed his meditation with his eyes closed. With white eyebrows and a white beard, the golden light was gone, and he once again appeared dignified and solemn.
Yuan Ye was somewhat impressed by the Japanese monks. To be able to meditate while thinking about business and even finalize a deal and order a batch of goods was something he couldn’t help but admire. He just didn’t know what kind of Zen that old monk was practicing!
This ability to multitask was too impressive; he felt he should practice it too when he returned.
“Where would Donor wish to visit first?” Young Monk Chijō was too young to notice Yuan Ye mentally complaining about his master, and he diligently asked where he wanted to go.
Yuan Ye snapped back to attention and asked, “What do you think, Junior Uncle-Master Chijō?”
“The Multi-Treasure Pagoda, of course!”
“Then let’s go see the Multi-Treasure Pagoda first!” Yuan Ye had no objections. He had originally intended to sightsee anyway and had no pressing matters.
“Then let’s go!” Chijō immediately led the way towards the west side of the temple, where the Multi-Treasure Pagoda was located.
There were more ordinary monks here. Yuan Ye encountered several groups. Chijō’s status was indeed high; even adult monks addressed him as “Junior Uncle-Master.” It was then that Yuan Ye realized Aragiko Kannon Temple was vast, seemingly larger than Aragiko Castle.
He casually strolled through, passing by the main hall without kneeling or offering incense, only looking from afar. This kind of person didn’t believe in gods or Buddhas and had little interest in such things. However, the Multi-Treasure Pagoda was indeed well-built, with a strong Tang Dynasty style and was very imposing.
The Multi-Treasure Pagoda was divided into three stories, or rather, two.
The first level was a base with a balustrade, with steps leading to the second level. The second level had the entrance, allowing visitors to enter the pagoda. It was surrounded by a bracketed corridor and had many straight-pane windows, which were very exquisite. The third level was a circular corridor with a terrace for viewing the scenery and looking into the distance.
Overall, the two eaves of the entire Multi-Treasure Pagoda flared outwards, with a high spire formed by a bowl-like structure, topped with a Buddhist bead, possessing considerable aesthetic value.
A Qing had also not visited temples much before. Looking at this exquisite building, she was a bit dazed. Yuan Ye, after walking around the pagoda, recalled some TV programs he had watched before. His engineering mindset kicked in, and seeing that she didn’t understand, he pointed and explained, “This pagoda is designed quite ingeniously. Look! That’s the moon beam, which supports the double eaves and flying eaves; those are the four heavenly pillars, used for auxiliary support, with reasonable load-bearing; that’s the dougong bracket, which is more decorative but also has some clever uses; that’s the tail beam…”
He chattered incessantly, analyzing a long string of load-bearing structures. A Qing couldn’t understand at all. She tilted her head and gave him a cool glance, then looked back at the Multi-Treasure Pagoda. Yuan Ye was clueless about common knowledge but could talk eloquently about strange things. As A Man had said, he was indeed a strange person.
Chijō, on the other hand, could understand half of it. His cultural level was much higher than A Qing’s, and he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Donor Yuan Ye is truly a confidant of Donor Okabe! He said this was his masterpiece and that he put a lot of effort into it. He would be very happy to hear that Donor Yuan Ye likes it so much!”
Yuan Ye turned his head upon hearing this and asked with great interest, “Okabe? Is he the designer of this Multi-Treasure Pagoda?”
“Yes! Donor Okabe Yūemon Igen, he led the construction of this Multi-Treasure Pagoda. He built many buildings; the Hakkensha Shrine at Atsuta Shrine was also built by him.”
A master architect. The one who would later build Azuchi Castle, his name was Okabe Igen? This person is worth paying attention to. In the future, if I need to build a house, I can find him to help look at the blueprints, to avoid it collapsing halfway through construction.
Yuan Ye became even more interested and asked Chijō, “Do you know where he is now?”
Chijō was still young and hadn’t paid much attention to such matters. He scratched his little bald head and hesitated, saying, “He seems to be working for Oda Danjō no Chū now, and he is the master craftsman of the Oda Danjō no Chū family.”
“Hmm, he’s a samurai of the Oda family!” Yuan Ye pondered for a moment and thought it wouldn’t be hard to find him.
“He doesn’t seem to be a samurai of the Oda family,” Chijō scratched his little bald head again. “He seems to just work for the Oda Danjō no Chū family, and he is a subordinate official of Danjō no Chū, meaning someone employed to work, not necessarily loyal, unlike a vassal.”
But to Yuan Ye, a subordinate official and a vassal were the same!
He planned to talk to Maeda Toshiie about this person when he saw him next. Maeda Toshiie should know him. Just as he was thinking, he suddenly heard a dull thud, as if something had been struck forcefully, followed by the faint sound of splashing water.
He followed the sound and asked curiously, “What happened? What was that noise?”
Chijō was not surprised at all. Without even looking, he said, “It’s probably the dye workshop changing water, right?”
“Dye workshop?”
“It’s where they dye cloth.”
“Where they dye cloth?” Yuan Ye was even more surprised. “You dye cloth yourselves?”
Chijō seemed a bit surprised by his astonishment and scratched his little bald head in confusion. “Yes, the temple has always been dyeing cloth! Not only do we dye cloth, but we also weave cloth, make paper, print books, brew wine, make bean paste… there are many tasks to do.”
Yuan Ye was even more surprised and couldn’t help but ask, “Can I go take a look?”
“Of course!” This wasn’t anything shameful. All temples in the world did this, just on different scales. Chijō didn’t hesitate at all and led them to the back mountain, even taking them to a higher vantage point for him to observe.
Standing on the hillside, Yuan Ye was stunned after just one glance at the people, speechless for a moment.
The Japanese monks had opened a factory in the temple, no, several factories. There were crowds of people below, and countless waterwheels, ponds, and large wooden buckets could be seen. It looked like an assembly line operation, with intense mass production!
The Japanese monks are truly a talented bunch!
