迷失在古老的日本武士小鎮

It was early morning in Kanazawa’shistorical Higashi Chaya district, a row of old latticed teahouses in a townthat’s convoluted in both its layout and history. Steam wafted up from thestone road. A geisha scurried across the empty street like an alley cat, onlythe clicking of her wooden geta sandals giving her away. Yet I didn’t come herelooking for geisha. I wanted to learn about the world of another Japanese icon:the samurai.

那是一個清晨，我來到金澤的東茶屋歷史街區，一排古老的網格狀茶館彰顯出它獨特的佈局和悠久的歷史。蒸汽從石板路上冒起，一名歌妓像野貓一樣飛速從我面前穿過，只聽到日式木屐的噠噠聲迴盪在空曠的街道上。但我不是來這裏尋找木屐的，我想了解日本的另外一個文化象徵：武士。

Located between the Sea of Japan and theJapanese Alps in western Japan, Kanazawa is considered one of the country’sbest places to learn about samurai history. The town was spared fromdestruction during World War II and remains one of the best-preserved castletowns of the Edo Period. It’s one of the only cities in Japan to still have a samurai course, samurai were abolished in the late-19th Century as Japan modernised,so you can’t find samurai here today. But much of their world remains.

金澤位於日本西部，地處日本海與日本阿爾卑斯之間，是瞭解日本武士歷史發展最好的樣本城市之一。這座小鎮在二戰期間免於戰火破壞，至今仍是江戶時代保存最完整的城郡，同時也是日本爲數不多的幾個仍然擁有武士區的城市之一。當然，隨着日本在19世紀末實現了現代化，武士制度也隨之廢除，所以在這裏同樣找不到真正的武士。不過，武士們當初的生活環境仍然有很多得以保留下來。

Making the 473km trip from Tokyo toKanazawa used to take five hours and require changing trains. But the trip justgot much easier. Starting March 14, 2015, the new, direct Hokuriku Shinkansen(bullet train) run by West Japan Railway Company cut the travel time in like the slower trains, it arrives at Kanazawa Station, often listed as oneof the world’s most beautiful.

從東京到金澤的距離約爲473公里，以往乘坐火車大約需要5小時，中途還要換車。但現在便利了許多。從2015年3月14日開始，西日本鐵路公司運營的北陸新幹線將時間縮短了一半。與之前的慢車一樣，新幹線同樣會在金澤站停靠，那裏被譽爲全世界最美麗的火車站之一。

I’d always been fascinated by samurai,those warriors who were almost inhumanly stoic and ever willing to fall ontheir sword for their masters or slay anyone showing disrespect. At least, thatwas how I’d imagined samurai to be, thanks to films like The Last Samurai and13 Assassins. I was about to learn there was more to their story.

我一直都對日本武士非常着迷，這些劍客就像一羣毫無人情味的冷血殺手，他們甘願爲了主人結束自己的生命，或者殺死任何心懷不敬的人。至少，這是在觀看了《最後的武士》和《十三刺客》等影片後，日本武士給我留下的印象。我即將對他們背後的故事展開更加深入的探索。

On my first morning in Kanazawa, I made abeeline for the neighbourhood of Higashi Chaya and met Kiyoe Nagashima, a6th-generation resident and Kanazawa Excursions guide. The pounding of a taikodrum in a nearby temple filled the air, summoning the feeling I often have whenin a foreign place: of following the city’s beating pulse.

來到金澤的第一個早晨，我徑直前往東茶屋街，見到了Kiyoe Nagashima，她是這裏的第6代居民，也是金澤遠足組織(Kanazawa Excursions)的一名導遊。附近寺廟裏日本太鼓的敲擊聲迴盪在四周，喚起了我在異國他鄉常有的那種感受：與城市的脈搏一同跳動。

“Kanazawa is not a place for theme parks, but a place for living,”she said, her face beaming with pride. In fact, for the most part, the city isa modern metropolis dotted with luxury shops such as Louis Vuitton. HigashiChaya, however, is anything but modern.

“金澤不適合建主題公園，但卻是個非常宜居的地方。”她說這話時臉上洋溢着自豪。事實上，從很多方面來看，這都是一座現代化的城市，經常可以看到路易·威登等奢侈品的專賣店。但東茶屋街卻絲毫沒有現代化的影子。

Following Nagashima into the labyrinth ofteahouses, temples and restored samurai houses, I felt like Alice slipping intothe rabbit hole. We walked along the row of beautiful latticed buildings andturned down a narrow street lined with yellowing gingko trees. Then we careenedup a steep path that was so slender and discreet, I thought we were trespassingin a private driveway. When we arrived at the top, however, the path branchedout into more narrow, winding roads. Kanazawa’s streets were partly designed tomislead and disorient outsiders, and I was learning firsthand, they do soeffectively.

跟着Nagashima來到由茶館、寺廟和重建的武士府邸組成的迷宮後，我感覺自己像是掉進了兔子洞的愛麗絲。我們沿着一排美麗的網格狀建築前行，拐進了一條狹窄的街道，兩旁種滿了金黃色的銀杏樹。之後，我們又來到一條細長的而陡峭的小路，我感覺這應該是闖入了一條私家小道。但當我們走到盡頭後，卻發現這條路又分出了更多蜿蜒狹窄的支路。金澤的街道之所以採用這種設計，部分原因就是爲了誤導外來者，使之迷失方向。親身體會之後，我發現這種設計的確很有效。

From the top of the hill, we walked intothe adjacent neighborhood of Utatsuyama. Samurai once lived in Buddhist templeshere, Nagashima explained, working as security guards called boukan. The roofsof the stately wood buildings with detailed carvings sprouted from clusters ofgingko and maple trees.

來到山頂後，我們進入了卯辰山附近的一片街區。Nagashima解釋道，日本武士曾經在這裏的寺廟居住，擔任一種名爲boukan的護衛。這些莊嚴的建築由木頭製成，房頂有許多銀杏木或楓木製作的精美雕刻。

Nagashima made it clear that the samuraiwho flourished in this city during the Edo Period (1603-1868) were almostnothing like the ferocious warriors I’d imagined them to be. During thispeaceful golden age, the feudal military class focused most of its energy onscholarly pursuits and craftsmanship. As the highest social caste during thistime, the samurai built extravagant residences and opulent gardens behindthick, earthen walls; you can still see evidence of the walls today. Of course,most samurai in Japan never lived this luxurious, peaceful lifestyle. Therefined samurai of Kanazawa were an anomaly, made possible by their ruler’sdisinterest in violence and affection for the arts.

但Nagashima明確表示，江戶時代(1603-1868)在這座城市興旺一時的武士根本就不像我們想象得那麼殘忍。在那個和平的黃金年代，封建軍人階級把多數精力都用來追求學術和學習技能。作爲那時等級最高的社會階層，武士在厚厚的土牆後建起了奢華的府邸和富饒的花園。你至今仍然能看到土牆的遺蹟。當然，多數日本武士從來沒有享受過如此奢侈、和平的生活。文雅的金澤武士屬於異類，這是因爲他們的統治者不喜歡暴力，反而對藝術情有獨鍾。

Kanazawa’s largest architectural relic ofthe samurai age is the stunning white Kanazawa Castle, resting on a hill thatoffers 360-degree views of the city. The castle was built in the 16th Centuryby the Maeda family, the beloved rulers of Kanazawa until 1868. During theMaeda’s rule, the castle was their fortress, surrounded by a moat and stonewall that still stands today. The castle's striking white tile roof is made ofweathered lead. Adjoining the castle, the Kenroku-en garden is home to plum,cherry, and Japanese maple trees and is considered one of Japan’s finestgardens.

宏偉的金澤城堡是當地規模最大的武士時代建築遺蹟。這座白色建築坐落在山頂，可以360度鳥瞰整座城市。金澤城堡始建於16世紀，它的建造者備受當地人推崇，其統治一直持續到1868年。在前田家族統治時期，這座城堡是他們的要塞，四周的護城河和石牆保留至今。白瓦勝雪的屋頂由風化的鉛製成。緊鄰城堡的兼六園是日本三大名園之首，裏面種有梅樹、櫻樹和日本楓樹。

We continued on to the Nagamachineighborhood, which was once home to upper- and middle-class samurai. Many ofthe original houses were torn down during Japan’s industrial revolution. Still,the district’s cobblestone streets, towering mud walls and peaceful canalremain, and a couple of restored samurai houses are open to the public,including the Nomura House, which contains artifacts from its namesake family.

我們接着來到了長町，中上層武士曾經居住於此。很多傳統住宅在日本工業革命期間被拆毀。不過，這一地區的鵝卵石街道、高聳的泥牆和平靜的運河仍然保留下來，還有一些經過修復的武士府邸也對公衆開放，包括野村府邸，裏面陳列着野村家族遺留下來的一些器物。

I returned to the Nomura House thefollowing day and strolled inside, expecting to find swords, armor and perhapssome paintings immortalising moments of triumphant battles. Instead, I wasgreeted by a koi pond and zen fusuma – or painted rice paper panels –created bythe Maeda family’s personal artist.

我第二天又返回了野村府邸，認真參觀了內部的陳設，希望找到寶劍、盔甲或者一些記錄戰鬥勝利的繪畫。但迎接我的卻是一個錦鯉池塘和前田家族的私人畫師繪製的禪宗韻味的拉闔門。

Then I recalled something Nagashima hadsaid on the tour: “To defend Kanazawa, the Maeda clan encouraged the samuraisto focus on arts and craftsmanship instead of fighting. That way they did notpose a threat to the clan with the highest power, and so were not invaded. As aresult, there was actually almost no fighting in Kanazawa for 400 years.”

之後，我回想起來Nagashima對我說過的一番話：“爲了防守金澤，前田家族鼓勵武士集中精力鑽研藝術、學習技能，而不是好勇鬥狠。通過這種方式，他們就不會對擁有最高權力的家族構成威脅，也就不會遭到入侵。因此，金澤大約有400年幾乎沒有爆發過任何戰鬥。”

Maybe that was the real lesson of Kanazawa’s r greatest weapon was not the sword but their focus on the arts –a slydefense tactic in disguise.

或許這纔是金澤武士留給後人的真正財富：他們最強大的武器不是利劍，而是對藝術的專注——這是一種經過精心僞裝的防禦技巧。