北海道函館市

万平塚

　石川啄木の歌に、「むやむやと　口の中にてたふとげの事を咳く乞食もありき」というのがあるが、この乞食こそ明治から大正にかけての函館の名物男で名を万平といった。
　ユーモアがあり、人から恵んでもらわない気骨のある乞食で、毎朝ゴミ箱を探し歩き、その家の人物評を日記風に書き残した。
　一例を上げると「11月1日(明治39年)今朝好天気なれば先以て山田邦彦君（函館区長）の茶箱を探しにゆく。
　流石に山田君の夫人は、文明の空気を吸われつつあり、豚の脂身一塊、大根の皮と共に捨てられたるは、西洋料理の稽古最中と覚ゆ・・・」などとある。
　この塚は、大阪から所用で来た鉄工場主「藤岡惣兵衛」が、万兵にタバコの火を借りようとした際「帽子も取らずに」となじられたが、その人柄に感じ入り、大正4年(1915年)万平の死後、供養塔として函館の知人の協力を得て建てたものである。

MANPEI'S GRAVE

　Ishikawa Takuboku、 a famous poet、 once wrote a poem about a beggar walking around、 muttering something precious and virtuous to himself. The beggar named Manpei was a popular figure who lived in Hakodate during the Meiji and early Taisho years. He was a man of great spirit、 and a good sense of humor、 and he was never known to ask others for alms. Every morning he searched through garbage cans for food and wrote a simple description of each household he visited like a diary. For instance、 November 1、 1906. Fine. First I went to rummage through the garbage can of Yamada Kunihiko (Mayor of Hakodate). Mr. Yamada's wife、 living a most civilized life、 is as can be expected. Finding a piece of pork fat with some raddish peelings in the garbage、 I suppose she is now learning Western cooking... When Fuiioka Sobei、 who was an ironmaster in Osaka、 came to Hakodate on business、 he asked Manpel to light his cigarette. He was rebuked for his impoliteness to have asked Without taking off his hat by Manpei. Fujioka was so deeply impressed by Manpei 's character that after Manpei died in 1915 Fujioka built a grave stone for the repose of Manpei's soul with the help of his friends in Hakodate.