Chapter 143 - Name and Reality 66 {94 Solo} (224-226 Hearing from Abbot Mizuno. And Meeting Kuboyama)
"You've come a long way from Hokkaido! It must have been tough, wasn't it?"
An elderly man with a shaven head but a gentle expression, looking every bit a monk, appeared before Takeshita and spoke to him.
"Not really. I came by plane. Anyway, I believe you've been contacted by Nishida of the Hokkaido Police, but my name is Takeshita, a journalist for the Hokkaido Shinpo. I look forward to speaking with you today."
He introduced himself as a greeting, took off his shoes, and entered the room.
Abbot Mizuno seemed to have already changed into a gray sweatshirt set, and in terms of appearance, he didn't give the impression of a monk except for his head and expression, but in his calm demeanor, the atmosphere of a veteran monk could be felt.
He was guided to the living room, and after presenting his business card and introducing himself again, while sitting on a cushion,
"My wife is out, so I'm sorry I can't properly look after you," he said, while matcha in an elegant bowl and tea sweets were prepared, as is typical for a temple, and Takeshita's "interrogation" immediately began.
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"I believe you are already aware of my business, but I would like to hear about Motohashi, who was executed five years ago in October '97... exactly five years ago now, so I look forward to your cooperation."
"Yes, yes. I have heard clearly. Even so, I was a bit surprised to be requested by the Hokkaido police to hear that story now. Furthermore, I was even more surprised when they said the person coming to hear the details wasn't a detective or a police officer, but a newspaper journalist."
Mizuno said this jokingly, but there must have been some bewilderment.
"First, could you tell me your impression of Motohashi at the time?"
To be honest, he didn't know if this question was essential for this "investigation," but asking common things was a normal way to start a conversation for both detectives and newspaper journalists if they had time.
"Recently, perhaps due to my age, I've started to get a bit senile. My memory is a bit vague in some places, so please forgive me for that..."
After that preface,
"I think the first time I met him was in the early summer six years ago. Suddenly, I received word from the detention house that 'Death row inmate Motohashi wishes to meet with a Buddhist Prison Chaplain,' and I met him there. Well, as for the incident, I knew various things about it myself, so it might make me a failure as a religious person, but I can't say for sure that I didn't have any preconceived notions at all. In that respect, my training as a monk was insufficient."
He continued. Furthermore, the abbot put his hand to his shaven head,
"On top of that, when I actually met him, he suddenly asked things like 'How old is the Abbot? Is your health good?' so to be honest, my first impression was, pardon the language, 'what a strange fellow.' ...However, even discounting the fact that he was a yakuza, it's also a fact that he didn't look at all like a person who had committed such a grand crime to me. And through our long association, above all, I received the impression that his mind worked very fast. If he hadn't taken the wrong path, he might have achieved great success in his own way."
This statement matched parts of the story from Section Chief Yoshise, who was in charge of organized crime, whom he had heard from at the Osaka Prefectural Police seven years ago. Of course, it also coincided with Takeshita and Nishida's impressions, so it could be said to be something everyone recognized.
And what was important was that he had been confirming the abbot's age and health. If it were a young monk, it would be one thing, but if he were middle-aged or older, he needed him to be alive and healthy at least until before the end of 2002, when Takeshita and the others would likely decipher the code and come to Osaka for an inquiry, so it was undoubtedly a major checkpoint for Motohashi.
"It was written in Motohashi's letter that he devoted himself to his studies until the day of his execution at your recommendation, Abbot. Is this true?"
Takeshita presented the letter faxed from Nishida, let him read it lightly, and then asked for an explanation.
"It seems that Kuboyama-san, whom I handed the letter to at Motohashi's request, has sent it to you now. I didn't know why it was at this time, whether he had forgotten it, but looking at this, it seems some kind of delivery period was specified... I thought it better not to look at the contents... That aside, Motohashi certainly studied hard. However, he seemed to have a fair amount of academic ability to begin with, so he didn't need to do the basic level, and I remember giving him quite high-level reference books and such."
From this statement, it was confirmed that Abbot Mizuno had been asked to hand the letter to Kuboyama, but had not confirmed the contents of the letter addressed to Takeshita and the others even back in '97. And as expected, Motohashi must have already acquired a certain level of academic ability in his youth. Even in the aforementioned story from Yoshise, it was mentioned that even without studying properly, he had entered a better-than-average public high school.
"In the text, it's written as if he were studying mainly Japanese, but was he also studying waka, or rather tanka, and Classical Chinese?"
Takeshita asked a question that hit the core.
"Certainly, he himself seemed to have particular confidence in language-related subjects like Japanese and English, but unlike what's in this letter, I remember him also being normally interested in and doing math and science subjects to some extent. Regarding Japanese, he certainly put effort into Classical Japanese and Classical Chinese."
If this testimony from Mizuno was true, it meant that Motohashi had described himself as if math and such were completely incomprehensible specifically to emphasize the "Japanese" subject. This too must have been strongly intended as a "hint" for Takeshita and the others.
And the "sixth grade of elementary school" mentioned in the text in connection with math could be inferred as a desperate measure to set the stage for "Rokkou." It could be said that he lied on this point, but the purpose was to make the code easier to understand, and it was thought there was no intent to deceive. Furthermore,
"Come to think of it, even though his death penalty was decided and he had even confessed, he requested that I bring him specialized books on criminal law and the code of criminal procedure. When I asked if there was any meaning to it, he said, 'Life is study until death.' ...Well, I still don't really know what his purpose was."
The abbot added. From this statement, he could be certain that the part about the statute of limitations shifting was the result of solid study. On top of that, Takeshita asked further.
"Before he was executed, in addition to his final will just before the end, Motohashi seems to have prepared a letter. Had you heard anything about that from Motohashi beforehand, Abbot?"
"I hadn't heard much about that. On the day of execution, in addition to the two wills he had written, he entrusted me with several envelopes, and that's when I first noticed it. Well, since he said he was cut off from his family and so on, I think the people he could write to were limited. The two wills from that day were each put in separate envelopes, and he asked me, 'Please hand these over to Kuboyama along with the other envelopes I wrote beforehand.' In one of the envelopes written beforehand, Kuboyama-san's name and the company name and address where he worked were written. On the envelope for the one written on the day, there was no address, just Kuboyama-san's name. As for the recipient and such of the other will, I'm sorry, but I don't remember. However, I don't think it was Kuboyama-san's name, at least."
"I see. And you yourself delivered it to Kuboyama-san's workplace, which was written on the envelope prepared beforehand."
"Yes, that's right. I believe I delivered it within a week of the execution."
Inferring from the abbot's story as it was, in addition to the will to Nishida and Takeshita written on the day of execution, there was likely a portion for Kuboyama as another will written that day. In that case, specific instructions to Kuboyama would have been in either the letter written before then or the one written on the day, or perhaps both. This is because if the abbot had directly instructed Kuboyama, the statement "I don't know why it arrived at this time" would likely not have come out.
"I see, I understand that point. By the way, Abbot, you were asked to give this letter to Kuboyama and actually did so, but at that time, did you instruct that Kuboyama to send the letters entrusted with it to someone?"
When Takeshita confirmed just in case,
"I honestly don't really understand the meaning of what you're saying, Takeshita-san, but I was just told to give all those envelopes to Kuboyama-san, and I just gave them to him," he answered as expected.
"No, it's enough that you could remember that much. Now, about this person called Kuboyama. You said his whereabouts, or rather his workplace, was written on the letter addressed to Kuboyama, but specifically where was it?"
"It's Minami in Osaka. Ah, even if I say Minami, people from Hokkaido might not know? We call the entertainment districts like (Do)tonbori, Sennichimae, and Namba collectively Minami, and that Minami was specifically Shinsaibashi-suji in Namba, and the company was 'Senda Finance' located there, I believe. From a monk's perspective, Minami is a place with no connection."
Abbot Mizuno said that and grinned at Takeshita. Then, he continued his explanation.
"I don't remember the exact address, but I remember it was a fairly large company building called 'Senda Building,' so if you check with a phone book or the internet that's popular lately, you'll probably find out immediately, won't you? I remember I must have checked the phone book beforehand before heading out."
Takeshita felt the "times" in being told by a veteran abbot to look up the address on the internet, but the company name "Senda Finance" in Osaka Minami also bothered him, as if he had heard it somewhere before. Well, it just bothered him, and he probably hadn't heard it... Also, the rumor that he was involved in the finance business, which was in the Prefectural Police's information, was confirmed to be undoubtedly true at least as of '97.
"Is that so. I believe you met Kuboyama there, but do you remember what kind of person he was?"
"I looked up the company's phone number in the phone book and made an appointment to meet beforehand, but well, since he was an acquaintance of Motohashi, I wondered if he might be a person of that sort, which again might be a problem with my quality as a monk, but I was looking at him with preconceived notions. I have to reflect on this... Well, it was even more so because his way of speaking on the phone was a bit rough. And as far as actually meeting him, I didn't get the impression of him being a yakuza. However, his way of speaking was still a bit rough... He seemed to be in a managerial position at the company at the time."
Regarding this, as Motohashi had described in the letter, Kuboyama was a yakuza to the extent that he tried to be a hitman, even if he lost to his conscience in the end, so it was an impression one wouldn't be surprised to have.
"And you handed over the entrusted letters, had some conversation, and fulfilled your duty?"
"Well, we hardly had any conversation beyond what was necessary, but he did ask various things about Motohashi's end, and I remember him having a solemn look on his face upon hearing it."
"Did Kuboyama say anything about the letters he received?"
"If my memory is correct, he hadn't looked through the letters at all while I was there."
"I see... By the way, did Motohashi say anything about the name Tadano?"
Furthermore, Takeshita checked just in case if he had any information about Tadano.
"Tadano... Hmm, I don't think he said anything about such a person."
The abbot seemed to be organizing his thoughts for a few seconds to see if anything came to mind, but nothing in particular came out. Since it didn't seem like anything more would come out, he asked something he was particularly curious about, although it was unrelated to the investigation.
"Motohashi's end, from what I've heard, was... how should I put it, grand..."
When he asked on the premise of the "rumor" he had heard from Nishida,
"Exactly! In my line of work, I've unfortunately been present at executions several times... However, among them, Motohashi was the only one who departed for the other world so dignifiedly... Well, even so, as a monk, I naturally cannot agree with the death penalty. That is the greatest contradiction of being a Prison Chaplain..." he answered. Abbot Mizuno's expression, which had been gentle, tightened and he spoke a bit faster only at this time.
However, that aside, regardless of Motohashi's true feelings, at least on the surface, it meant he met an end that didn't make one feel the "disturbance of the heart" as written in his "death poem." Needless to say, the true purpose of that tanka itself was the "hint for deciphering the code" written before the execution, so it's not that strange. Based on that,
"I heard he arranged for his body to be treated as a cadaveric donation? Is this also a fact?" he confirmed.
"That is also a fact. Regarding that, I had already received it in writing before the execution. 'I don't have the right to enter a grave like ordinary people,' he said... Since it was necessary for the procedure, I also confirmed it with his family after his death, but well, as he had said, they were estranged, and they just said 'do as you like' quite bluntly. Even if it's his own fault, it's a sad thing... To forgive someone is quite a difficult thing... Even I, who have entered the Buddhist priesthood, am constantly made to think about it through my work as a Prison Chaplain. I am painfully reminded that my training is still insufficient..."
Takeshita imagined that there must be conflicts he couldn't even begin to conceive of in facing the daily life of a criminal and a religious person, which are opposite positions, and even though it was someone else's business, he sympathized with a tiny part of that difficulty.
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After that, he asked a few more questions out of curiosity, and after some light small talk, Takeshita finished the hearing for the time being and left Fukimizu-ji. Since he had come to Osaka without deciding on a place to stay, he didn't know if Kuboyama was still working at Senda Finance or not, but he searched on his mobile phone and decided to take a room at a business hotel in the Namba district of Minami called "The Emperor of Minami" and headed there by taxi.
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When Takeshita, who had taken a break at the hotel, reported to Nishida today, Nishida gave him words of appreciation and also told him that they were finally moving toward indicting Oshima Kaiji for conspiracy as a co-principal in the murder in the Kitami Kyoritsu Hospital shooting incident on the 7th (of October). Although he had considered continuing arrests and detentions for other cases, although the influence on Secretary Nakagawa was large, there were doubts about whether he could be held responsible for the dominance over the shooting of Sakamoto and Itagaki or the aiding and abetting of murder, so for the time being, it was decided to go only with the indictment for the Kyoritsu Hospital incident.
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The next day, Sunday, October 6th. The temperature in Osaka rose rapidly from the morning, and by the time he left the business hotel, it was near 25 degrees, a situation almost unthinkable in Hokkaido at this time of year. While sweating, Takeshita was heading toward Senda Finance in Shinsaibashi-suji, whose address he had looked up.
As of last night, the phone at Senda Finance was already on an answering machine, so he couldn't make an appointment, but he had confirmed that they were open on Sundays and called first thing in the morning. According to the female staff who answered the phone, Kuboyama was not only still there but seemed to have been promoted to Managing Director (also serving as the manager of the Senda Finance main store). The abbot's story about him being in a managerial position was true.
And Motohashi must have been certain that Kuboyama would still be working there five years after his execution. Perhaps Motohashi had introduced Kuboyama to this Senda Finance for his employment after his release. If it were a recommendation from his older brother figure, a man described as loyal like Kuboyama wouldn't have quit so easily. Of course, that was only a conjecture at this point...
Since he wasn't at the office at the time of the call, he said he wanted to make an appointment, but he was refused by a middle-aged female clerk named Uwanuma, saying "I don't know when he'll come." Having no choice, he decided to wait at Senda Finance from the morning and was currently on his way.
It was a help that it wasn't that far from the hotel, but as the abbot said, the name of the six-story building was Senda Building, so it must be Senda Finance's own building. However, the fact that the police didn't have a good grasp of Kuboyama's current situation meant that Senda Finance, where Kuboyama was currently working, was at least not a loan shark (machikin) as a direct source of income for the yakuza.
On the other hand, if Takeshita's reasoning that Motohashi had arranged the job for Kuboyama was correct, it was also a fact that he had at least an acquaintance-level relationship with the yakuza in the past. Regardless of the scale, it is rare for a loan shark-type business to be such a clean corporate organization from its inception. Entering the building, he confirmed that the office and shop of Senda Finance itself were on the 4th floor, and after taking the elevator to the 4th floor and passing through the automatic door of the shop, a rather neat office for a loan shark caught his eye.
Immediately, a neat young woman called out, "Welcome."
"No, I'm not a customer, I came because I wanted to meet a Mr. Kuboyama here."
Before he could finish saying that, from another place,
"Hey, you!"
A voice similar to the one on the phone reached Takeshita. Turning toward the voice, a plump middle-aged woman came running over.
"Managing Director Kuboyama doesn't meet with anyone other than acquaintances! I believe I refused the appointment earlier?"
Takeshita was slightly intimidated by being shouted at by an Osaka auntie with such vigor, but he countered.
"Are you, from your voice, perhaps Uwanuma-san from the phone? No, I really must meet him. I think if you tell him the name Takeshita, he might meet with me."
If Kuboyama had sent the letter, it's only natural that names like "Nishida" or "Takeshita" would ring a bell.
"No, anyway, it's a problem!"
Although she didn't affirm Takeshita's question, Uwanuma, who had definitely spoken on the phone, seemed to have no intention of listening to Takeshita's request. Since she was refusing this much, Takeshita began to think it was probably some kind of instruction from Kuboyama, but he couldn't just back down easily, and while they were arguing for a while, an inner door opened and a tall, thin middle-aged man, probably around 180cm, came out with a displeased face.
"It's noisy since the morning! Did something happen?"
He didn't seem to have any intention of hiding his bad mood.
"Managing Director Kuboyama, I'm sorry! He's been persistent about wanting to meet the Managing Director since a while ago..."
Uwanuma apologized hurriedly to the person who approached the two who were arguing.
"I'm sorry, but you seem to be someone I've never met before?"
He asked in a strangely polite way while putting a bit of weight into his voice, but Takeshita remained calm,
"Nice to meet you. My name is Takeshita," he said as he introduced himself and took out his business card to hand it over. Kuboyama took it and stared at it for a while,
"Hokkaido Shinpo? A newspaper journalist?" he said, and seemed to stand still and think for a while.
"I've come to bother you today regarding the matter of Mr. Motohashi's letter," Takeshita added further.
"Hmm? ...Oh, oh! So you really are that Takeshita-han! I thought for sure it would be a detective (deka) from Hokkaido, so I'd only told the reception for a while now to 'connect them if the Hokkaido police come.' I'm very sorry for being so rude. I usually make it a point not to meet people I don't know."
He made an excuse and bowed exaggeratedly. Then, after instructing Uwanuma to step back,
"Then, I'll let we talk in this room. Don't be shy, come this way," he said, guiding Takeshita toward the room he had come out of.