In A Grove - Translation Notes

Translation Notes

Contrary to what some foreign-language versions of the story may imply, Masago does not confess to the police. This is clear in the Japanese version of the text. The title of this section is:「清水寺に来れる女の懺悔」(kiyomizu-dera ni kitareru onna no zange, translated in Giles as "The Confession of the Woman Visitor to Kiyomizudera Temple") The word 懺悔 (zange) is often translated as "confession", but the word also has heavy religious connotations, similar to "repentance" or "penitence". Although it can mean "to confess to other people", it almost always means "to confess to Buddha/God". Contrast this with Tajōmaru's confession to the police, referred to as 白状 (hakujō) in the text. This raises the question: The woman's story seems highly unlikely, but why would she lie to Buddha and ask him to forgive her for a crime that she didn't commit? Without this important detail, we could be led to believe that Masago was lying to the police in an effort to save face.

Jay Rubin translated the title to "Penitent Confession of a Woman in the Kiyomizu Temple".

Another minor translation mistake in the Giles version of the text is the use of the word "sorrel" to refer to the woman's horse. The Japanese word in question is 月毛 (tsukige, lit. "moon hair"). This word is better translated as "palomino".

Often omitted from translations is the proper translation of the word 征矢 (soya). Often translated merely as "arrow", the word actually has a slightly different denotation. "Soya" were extremely sharp arrows used for penetrating armor. Thus, as the samurai is carrying "soya", we are to assume that he is not only an experienced swordsman, but also an experienced archer. Without knowing this, we might be led to assume that the arrows were used for hunting, which was clearly not the author's intention.

Jay Rubin translated the title as In a Bamboo Grove.