Abacus and Sword (Bushi no kakeibo ) (武士の家計簿)

This story is that of a family reconstructed from the household account books, letters, and the diary left by Inoyama Naoyuki who was employed in Kaga Han as an accountant

Meiji 10th year

Meiji 10th year Navy Bureau Accounting Office Tokyo

Shoulder... arms! Meiji 10th year Navy Bureau Accounting Of lice Tokyo

The Tokugawa Era, which continued for nearly 260 years ended

and the Meiji Era began

Kaga Han where my father and I worked is no more...

The world of the samurai has ended

Enter

I will enter

Is this strange?

Ah... it is not strange

As Chief Navy Accountant, I myself use the soroban

it's my duty

Yes, duty

There are corrections in three places

We are pressed by the arrangements for the battleship;

I understand

there possibly may be snow even in Kyushu

If the battle's prolonged, there won't be enough combat boots

“The new world's changing dizzingly"

“In the eyes of an old man like me”

“there are only surprises..."

"Now, the last month's account of the Inoyama our household in Kanazawa... ”

“is according to the enclosed paper"

“I would like you to go over... ”

There is no need for this

In an account ledger my father kept, there'll be no expectation of mistakes

My father, Inoyama Naoyuki, is the top accountant in Kaga

No, as far as I'm concerned

he's the top soroban-samurai in Japan

Father-in-law... Mother-in-law...

I've finished the preparations for supper

Dear

Um

Bushi no Kakeibo A Samurai's Household Account Book

Tenpo Era Kanazawa

Kanazawa Castle Accounting Of lice

Good morning

Good morning

'morning

Good morning

Good morning

The accountants

who run the Kaga Han financial accounting are government officials with sorobans

In the workplace called the “San-Yo-Jo"

Day after day they struggled with the account books

With one million koku

usually as many as 150 accountants were employed, but

many were Han-salaried, low-ranked samurai

The Inoyama family was employed as accountants in Kaga Han for generations

My grandfather Nobuyuki was the 7th generation

On the occasion of an Edo appointment

he was promoted as an accountant to take an unprecedented 70 koku

Bamboo shoots - the first of the season

Umm

They were delivered from Takenaka's village

O-Haru is already Takenaka's bride

Speaking of bamboo shoots

isn't it the Edo princesses' favorite

on the occasion of their marriage

To do the reception

construction of a gate has been scheduled...

It's kind of early - the wedding's next month...

I hope the weather's clear

At any rate, the Edo Mansion's funding is short of money

The gate is supposed to be painted red, but

there's not the money to paint all of it

So then I thought up a bit of wisdom

The bamboo shoots are piled up

There are 13 pieces In the lowest level, 12 pieces in the second

and gradually decreasing so there's one piece in the highest

In all how many pieces?

It's cedar-bale counting - It's extremely simple

it's cedar-bale counting - It's extremely simple

If! 91

A great calculation

The princess's wedding procession

The princess's wedding procession

will pass straight through the gate

It's a bad omen to look back on the bride's chamber

So then it was decided

to paint only the front of the gate red

Kaga Han Lord's Edo mansion main gate,

also called the “Red Gate”, was built through my grandfather's efforts

Be off and have a good day

An apprentice accountant Is employed unsalaried for three years

eventually to become employed

From the time of his apprenticeship, my father Naoyuki

displayed work to a degree that everyone around was amazed

The nickname “soroban-bake" stuck

Goda-sama

Oh... what?

This is finished, but

there are mistakes... here and here

like this...

Is that so... good work...

Well indeed...

That is to say this mistake

Isn't It necessary to confirm the ledger of the annual taxes

Understood

Left's do it after lunch...

Like a soroban-baka beyond anything I heard

Well, it's amusing

He doesn't take after me or my wife

How can that be... it's getting late...

I have received my salary, please make the payments

Good work

Well, Naoyuki is thoroughly a full-fledged accountant

Since the Inoyama family has two income earners

we have security...

Huh?

Well, I'll be going back and forth between Edo and Kanazawa

Due to this promotion, one way or another there will be expenses

Don't worry, strive diligently

Yes... I'll follow your example

Moderation is good, you know

Well then, good night

ls that 0-Baba-sama's blood?

It is not your lineage

I don't think you're inheritor of the Inoyama line

Would you rather

let him handle the Inoyama family account ledger?

If you do that, the current...

Well, I won't

Imagine him using the soroban just like that

I'll choke

If so...

Shall we settle down?

Shall I show it to 0-Baba-sama also?

Ah... I remember

There's a marriage proposal from Aoyama-dono again

For whom this time?

It's the Nishinaga family

You know him... a martinet... Yosanpachi

A martinet?

It's his daughter 0-Koma? She's rumored to be beautiful

If I'm right, Nishinaga-sama's wife...

passed away several years ago

Originally she was the daughter of a Yuzen-dyeing merchant

Yosanpachi-dono fell in love with her at first sight, and made her his wife

A town magistrate and her mother from a merchant family...

Well, maybe we better decline...

Nishinaga-sama

is assistant instructor at the Mabuchi Dojo

Does Naoyuki still go there?

Despite the fact that he's utterly hopeless at swordsmanship, he doesn't seem to dislike it

At both the soroban and swordsmanship, he works his fingers to the bone

Well at this point he better not take a chance

0-Koma!

0-Koma!

Y-e-s

it's Aoyama-dono

Aoyama-sama...

It's a marriage proposal

Ah... again is it?

I thought I should refuse, but it may be interesting

Is this person good at swordsmanship?

No... that guy...

His swordsmanship is utterly hopeless...

This utterly hopeless one's for me?

He's an accountant

An accountant utterly hopeless at swordsmanship

it's the Inoyama family

They're accountants for generations

Well... a family of solely soroban lineage

Inoyama-sama...

Inoyama Naoyuki

Seems to be a soroban-baka

Inoyama Naoyuki...

He's a soroban-baka?

How's that?

You may say “How's that?"...

Huh?

Since the Tenpo Era, famine extended throughout all of Japan

In Kaga Han also, terrible spectacles were presented again and again

After father became accounting official for the rice storehouse

He became drawn into an unexpected uproar

No rice... no rice is in here

Peculiar isn't it

Smart ass... Don't say groundless things!

It's the lord's... the lord's mercy

I say what the trickery's been done!

This is to stop... stop it!

Yoshichi

This is to stop

Stop

Headsman

We're grateful for reserved rice

Again and again we've pleaded, and

we've finely had it released from the castle

I hear we were given 200 bales

But... this... look at this

I checked it

I checked it... look at this!

I checked it

Where and how much has been distributed?...

How much has been distributed?

But hey,

I say how does it look