Seeing them enter, the young man immediately came forward to greet them.
"Tsushima-san, welcome, welcome."
He looked to be in his early thirties, his hair combed without a single strand out of place, an impeccably measured smile on his face.
"I'm Kinoshita Seiichi—I called you yesterday."
Tsushima Kagami nodded.
"Hello, Kinoshita-san."
Secretary Kinoshita also nodded in greeting to Professor Kosaka and Kobayashi Tomoaki.
Then he turned to one side and made a gesture of "please, this way."
"The Governor is already waiting in his office. Please follow me."
The group passed through the lobby and climbed a staircase laid with red carpet.
The stair railing was of exquisite cast-iron filigree, and the edge of every step had been worn somewhat round, bearing the traces of passing years.
Every few steps along the wall hung an old photograph of Kyoto—the Kamogawa River of the Meiji era, Gion in the Taishō years, Kiyomizu-dera in the early Shōwa period.
The people in the photographs wore kimono or Western dress, standing before buildings that still stood today, their smiles frozen in time.
Tsushima Kagami looked at the photographs as he walked.
"Tsushima-san?"
Secretary Kinoshita's voice pulled him back to reality.
Tsushima Kagami came to his senses and found that he was already standing before a door.
Secretary Kinoshita knocked lightly on the door.
"Come in."
A steady male voice came from within.
Secretary Kinoshita pushed open the door and stepped aside.
"Tsushima-san, please."
The room was far larger than he had imagined.
He couldn't tell whether it was used specifically for receiving guests or was simply the Governor's office to begin with.
It was at least a hundred square meters, floored with dark brown solid wood.
Directly opposite the door was an entire wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, beyond which lay the green treetops of the Kyoto Imperial Palace.
The afternoon sunlight spilled in through the windows, casting long shadows of light across the floor.
By the window sat an enormous desk, on which were documents, a telephone, a computer, and an exquisite bronze model of Kyoto Tower.
Behind the desk was an entire wall of bookshelves, densely packed with books—legal classics, historical works, and some thread-bound volumes that looked like part of a private collection.
In front of the bookshelves stood a man in a dark gray suit, a book in his hand.
Seeing Tsushima Kagami enter, he set down the book and came forward with a smile.
"Tsushima-kun, welcome, welcome."
He did not address Tsushima Kagami as Tsushima-sensei, but called him "Tsushima-kun," the way an elder greets a junior.
It gave the impression that he had truly just called Tsushima Kagami over for afternoon tea and idle chatter.
Having said that, he again looked with a smile toward Kobayashi Tomoaki and Professor Kosaka and said:
"Professor Kosaka, it's been a long while—as distinguished as ever, I see."
Professor Kosaka likewise exchanged a few pleasantries with this Governor of Kyoto Prefecture, smiling.
At this point, His Excellency the Governor turned to look at Kobayashi Tomoaki at his side.
"And this would be Editor-in-Chief Kobayashi of Tokyo's Shinchōsha. I've long admired you—I'm a devoted reader of Shinchōsha myself."
Kobayashi Tomoaki hurriedly responded with pleasantries of his own.
Tsushima Kagami, Kobayashi Tomoaki, and Professor Kosaka—all three of them—carefully sized up this Governor of Kyoto Prefecture as well.
It was the first time Tsushima Kagami and Kobayashi Tomoaki had met him, while Professor Kosaka had glimpsed him from afar a few times at large academic exchange conferences with Kyoto University.
He looked to be in his fifties; though in the prime of life, his hair had gone entirely gray and white, yet he remained hale and vigorous.
There were not many wrinkles on his face, his eyes were bright, and when he smiled several deep crow's feet appeared at their corners.
He looked to take great care of his health.
This was the Governor of Kyoto Prefecture—Yamada Masakazu.
Tsushima Kagami bowed slightly.
"Governor Yamada, sorry to intrude."
Governor Yamada waved his hand.
"What's this about intruding—I'm the one who presumptuously invited you all here."
"Please, do sit."
He gestured to the sofa area beside them.
It was a sofa area arranged around a low table—dark brown genuine leather sofas that looked to be of some age, but well maintained.
On the low table a tea set had already been laid out—an exquisite Kyō-yaki teapot, several small teacups, and a dish of confections that looked like wagashi.
The group settled onto the sofas.
Secretary Kinoshita came over and, with practiced movements, began to brew the tea.
Hot water poured into the teapot, steam curling up, carrying a faint aroma of matcha.
Governor Yamada looked at Tsushima Kagami, his gaze carrying a touch of curiosity and a touch of appreciation.
"Tsushima-kun, I heard about what happened at the calligraphy exhibition yesterday."
He paused.
"Among today's young people, few are even interested in waka, let alone composing their own—and a waka written in Man'yōgana, which even scholars rarely master, at that."
Tsushima Kagami shook his head with a smile.
"It was merely a coincidence. I happened to hear the thunder just then, and those lines simply welled up in my mind."
Governor Yamada laughed.
"A coincidence? Well, that's an awfully fine coincidence you came by."
He took the tea Secretary Kinoshita handed him and took a light sip.
"That piece, the 'Thunder God Tanka'—I had someone take a few photographs and send them over."
"After looking at it, I had but one thought."
He set down his teacup and looked at Tsushima Kagami.
"This calligraphy, this waka—it ought to remain in Kyoto."
The office went quiet for a few seconds.
Kobayashi Tomoaki's eyebrows twitched slightly.
Professor Kosaka's hand, holding his teacup, paused in midair.
Tsushima Kagami looked at Governor Yamada and said nothing.
Governor Yamada went on, his tone mild.
"Kyoto has been a city of literati since ancient times."
"Ki no Tsurayuki compiled the Kokin Wakashū."
"Murasaki Shikibu wrote The Tale of Genji here."
"Sei Shōnagon completed The Pillow Book here."
"For a thousand years, the scent of ink has always drifted through the air of this city."
He looked at Tsushima Kagami.
"The waka you wrote at the calligraphy exhibition that day."
"It was like an echo spanning a thousand years."
His gaze drifted toward the window.
"If this calligraphy remains in Kyoto, it will let more people in days to come come to know—"
"that in the Heisei era, there was also a young man who, here in Kyoto, could write a classical waka such as this."
It was plain to see that this Governor of Kyoto Prefecture cared deeply about the cultural development of Kyoto Prefecture.
Tsushima Kagami fell silent for a few seconds.
Then he spoke.
"Thank you for your kind praise, Governor Yamada, but..."
He paused, then continued.
"If keeping it in Kyoto would let more people see this waka, I'd be very glad of it."
"But that piece was written for the Yomiuri Calligraphy Exhibition in the first place."
"And I have no intention of taking it back."
"By rights, you ought to approach the Yomiuri Calligraphy Exhibition directly."
"That piece should still be over at the Yomiuri Calligraphy Exhibition, shouldn't it?"
Governor Yamada nodded.
"Yes. Once the exhibition ends, it will all be handled together."
"So..."
Tsushima Kagami weighed his words.
"The ownership of this piece shouldn't really rest in my hands, should it?"
The moment Tsushima Kagami heard the Governor speak this way, he knew that in all likelihood the Yomiuri Calligraphy Exhibition was unwilling to hand it over to Kyoto Prefecture either.
And he himself had no wish to be caught in such a thankless, no-win predicament.
So he might as well hold firm to the claim that it counted as a work written for the Yomiuri Calligraphy Exhibition, and that the rights of ownership already belonged to them.
The rest of you can squabble over it among yourselves.
Hearing Tsushima Kagami say this, Governor Yamada gave a smile, as if he had expected as much.
"Tsushima-kun, rest assured."
"As for the Yomiuri Calligraphy Exhibition, I've already sent someone to invite them."
"Their people should be arriving any moment now."
No sooner had his words fallen than a knock came from outside the door.
Secretary Kinoshita went over to open it.
Outside stood a man in his fifties, wearing a dark blue suit, his appearance well-groomed, his face carrying a touch of apology and a touch of helplessness.
Behind him followed a young woman who looked like a secretary.
"Chairman Taniguchi, please come in."
Secretary Kinoshita stepped aside.
The newcomer was none other than the chairman of the Yomiuri Calligraphy Exhibition—Taniguchi Masato.
____
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