Bheela’s Blog -021
10 April 2021
Special Note:
With deep regret, I would like to inform our readers that the famous Japanese scriptwriter, Ms. Sugako Hashida passed away on April 4, 2021. She died of acute lymphoma at the age of 95. She was an excellent scriptwriter, and she wrote many drama scripts so far. Among them, “Oshin” is the best novel known almost all over the world. Hashida received the Japan Order of Culture last year.
Rest in peace, the scriptwriter of Oshin. Let’s pray for her soul.
I received the above information from my guide Mr. Shigeki Furubayashi. The news has also been published in various newspapers. My reader friend Sharad Gaidhane shared this link: https://japantoday.com/category/entertainment/hashida-who-wrote-%27oshin-%27-many-other-hit-dramas-dies-at-95.
Other newspapers also published this news: https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/art-culture/japanese-scriptwriter-sugako-hashida-famous-for-hit-drama-oshin-dies-at-95-101617682560615.html
More about her in Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugako_Hashida
Episode 20 Recap
Despite her husband’s objections, Oshin’s Mom decides to let Oshin stay in the house next to herself. Villagers talk about Oshin being with a deserter. Matsuji meets with Oshin and shares the entire background of Shunsaku’s life.
Here is a link to the Episode 20:
https://bheela-wadehra.medium.com/bheelas-blog-020-8bd54833a457
Episode 21
The weather has improved a lot. The earlier snow-covered landscape is replaced with green patches all around. Oshin and grandma are sowing some seeds in the small vacant area in front of their hut. Suddenly we see a young girl walking in. She looks much similar to Oshin. Both Oshin and grandma are pleasantly surprised to see her. She is Haru, Oshin’s elder sister.
Grandma is happy to see her. Haru informs them that her term to work as household help is over; hence, she has returned home. Grandma complains that Haru’s parents never told her that she is expected to be back. Oshin is excited, and she asks her sister if she can stay with them and won’t have to go back. Haru replies that she will soon be working in a textile factory. Their Dad has arranged through some agent to work at the factory because they pay more. Grandma gets worried; she has heard that working conditions are not good at the textile factories. Haru tries to calm her down by saying that she will be paid regular wages and come home wearing lovely silk garments!
Grandma asks Haru to come inside and take a rest as she must have been tired.
Grandma goes inside the house. Haru then talks to Oshin and tells her that she heard about her since rumors spread everywhere. Haru feels for Oshin that the child had to endure a lot.
Later, Oshin’s parents return home from their day job at the field. The family sits around the furnace for dinner. Sakuzo, Oshin’s Dad, tells Haru that he appreciates all the help she gave to the family by working hard. Haru tells them that she heard that it is better at the factory than working as a live-in maid. She says that one has to work from dawn to dusk as a live-in maid without any break. At the factory, the employees get to rest in a dormitory when the shift gets over. It appears that the factory owners let the female employee take training to become a good bride. Grandma is not convinced. She says that so many girls come home sick from the factories. Haru is quite determined to work in the factory. She assures grandma that she had never been ill, even for a day in her entire life, even after working for three years as a live-in maid. She recommends that fathers should allow the other sister Mitsu to work at the factory too. According to her, working as a live-in maid isn’t worth so much hardship.
Grandma is wise; she says that she is sure that the agents only tell them about the good things. In reality, it must be very tough. Father is not happy with grandma, and he asks her not to say bad things about the factory work. Grandma ignores him and tells Haru that she should just return home if she has it too rough. Mom Fuji, who was listening to this conversation, finally speaks up and tells Haru not to worry about the family members. In a stern voice, Father says that they are running out of rice to eat already. They will have to borrow rice from the landlord again. They have too many mouths to feed and loans to repay. If they had another bad harvest, it would simply be a disaster. Fuji says in a weak voice that she didn’t want Haru to work at the textile factory.
(In the early 1900's, the industrial revolution was on its way before the first world war. The silk textile mills were booming in Japan. They hired women workers, mostly from rural Japan, in large numbers. However, the working conditions were always suspect. A report by Janet Hunter published in ‘History Today’ in 1993 provides a lot of information based on her research. This report is available in the link: http://www.mrbuddhistory.com/uploads/1/4/9/6/14967012/japanese_women_at_work.pdf )
Haru tries to cheer up everyone; she says that she is too eager to go. Father is upset again with Oshin and blames her, saying that if only Oshin hadn’t run away from her job, they would have had the sack of rice for the rest of the year. Also, due to Oshin staying with the deserter, nobody is willing to help them. Father looks at Oshin with contempt and says that she just loafs around here in the house.
Oshin is quietly mending a cloth using a needle with her head down. The mother speaks up that Oshin helps her a lot in the household, and she is thankful that Oshin is around. Father continues to complain and says that you cannot earn money by working at home!
After dinner, when the moon is up on a clear sky, Oshin is very sad to hear all these conversations. She goes to the shed and plays the beautiful tune on the harmonica gifted by Shunsaku. Haru enters the shed and asks her about the musical instrument. She tells Oshin that her employer’s son used to play the same. She asks Oshin where she found the harmonica since these are pretty expensive instruments.
Oshin tells her that Shunsaku gave her. Haru asks, ‘Is Shunsaku the same deserter who was shot and killed by the police?’ Haru is curious to know from Oshin about Shunsaku; she heard that Oshin lived with him in the mountains. Oshin shares with Haru that Shunsaku asked her to play when she would be sad. The tune will comfort her. Haru is pleased to hear this. She tells Oshin that it is a souvenir and she should preserve it well.
Hearing kind words from Haru, Oshin forgets her sadness and starts talking about Shunsaku. How Shunsaku has given her books and other things and taught her words also. She tells Haru that she can write many words. To prove this, Oshin shows her writing skill by using a tree stem branch and drawing the words on the slightly wet ground. She tells Haru that she can read books and knows poetry too. She stands up and recites the famous poem about a sister who does not want her brother to die in a war. She stops in between and laughs with her sister, thinking that Haru probably won’t understand the poem’s meaning.
Haru is so happy and pleasantly surprised to see all of this learning of Oshin. She is so proud of her sister. Getting encouragement from her, Oshin tells Haru that she has even learned all the numbers, addition, multiplication, and divisions. She enthusiastically starts reciting the tables of 2 and 3!!
Haru is amazed to see Oshin’s energy and talent. Oshin then asks Haru to give her arithmetic tests. Haru very happily starts asking Oshin to add 11 & 6, subtract 7 from 15. Oshin counts in her mind and tells all the correct answers. Haru is now totally floored. Oshin says that she will practice more challenging mathematical problems. She would learn to write Kanji (another form of Japanese script) Characters. She tells Haru that she owes all of these to her brother Shunsaku. Haru says that she could never go to school, so she cannot read or write Kanji too well. She continues that Oshin is exceptional and she has great intelligence. She tells Oshin that Shunsaku seems a nice man, and Oshin was lucky to have learned from him.
Haru then takes out some money from her dress pocket and gives it to Oshin. She tells Oshin that Oshin will need a slate and chalk for writing practice. Oshin is hesitant and says she can study without slate also. Shunsaku taught her to learn by scratching words on the ground or on ash.
Haru forces her to take the money. Oshin says that Haru might need that money for herself. Haru denies and tells Oshin that she wants Oshin to be able to learn well. She also warns Oshin not to tell their father since she got this change as a tip from where she worked. Haru is so proud of Oshin; she tells her that, ‘Oshin, you are not like the other kids. Take good care of yourself.’ Oshin’s eyes are filled with love and gratitude towards her sister. She forgets the harsh words of her father. Haru is not that grown-up yet; she may be 14 or 15, but she too has matured before her age. The sisters have great love and understanding among themselves; they are all bound by the extreme poverty combined with the struggle they have faced to survive.
The next day, Oshin takes the new baby tied on her back (similar to how she did to Take-bo at the lumber mill owner’s place) and walks to the village market. She has purchased a slate and chalks. Although the shop is far from her house, Oshin is happy and repeatedly looks at her new slate.
As she approaches her home, the baby is tired and starts crying. Grandma calls Oshin and asks her why she was not home for lunch. Everyone was worried. Grandma asks Oshin to change the baby’s nappies and let the baby have a feed. Oshin quickly hides the slate inside the straw pile at the shed and goes to the house.
It is evening time; the birds are returning to their nests. Oshin is back to the shed. The new baby is asleep in a basket. Oshin takes out her slate and starts writing a letter to her dead brother Shunsaku. She writes, ‘Brother Shunsaku, you are probably happily living in heaven. Today, I went and bought a slate and a piece of chalk. My feet got sore from walking so much. But I am happy, and I owe it all to sister Haru. I’ll write to you every day from now on.’
As she writes, her grandma calls her; she is looking for Oshin. Oshin suddenly realizes that she was so engrossed in writing the letter that she forgot to make dinner. She hides her slate again, inserting it into the straw pile, picks the baby, and runs towards the house. As she enters, grandma asks her if she was in the shed. Father is upset that Oshin hasn’t even made dinner for them. Brother Shouji comments that she must be sleeping. Mom asks not to blame Oshin. Oshin helps her doing household chores all day. Mom picks the baby and says that she was in pain all day, and Oshin took care of the baby.
Brother Shouji says that we have two sisters at home who are freeloaders, whereas he has to work in the fields. He comments that he can’t take it.
Mom asks Shouji to watch what he says. Oshin continues her dinner preparation without saying a word in reply to the criticism towards her. She has her slate and chalk, and that was all she needed. Once the dinner is prepared, she is back to the shed with the sleeping baby. She continues her writing on the slate using the chalk piece.
The family is having dinner. Grandma asks her son Sakuzo if they will have a good crop this time. Sakuzo is upset because this year, the winter was too long. There were rains too. Sunny days came too late. He fears that this summer’s crop will again be insufficient. Fuji says that farmers are totally dependent upon the sun. Crops simply cannot grow when there is so much snow around.
Fuji realizes that Oshin did not join them for dinner; she tells grandma that it is the baby’s feeding time. Grandma says that Oshin and the baby might be in the shed. Father gets angry again; he grumbles that all of us are working hard, whereas Oshin is loafing around. He gets up and goes out towards the shed. Mom, anticipating more anger from Dad, runs behind him.
Father slides the shed door open with a noise. As he finds Oshin sitting with the slate, he shouts at Oshin, calling her freeloader. The father says that the rest of the family is slaving away, working hard, and Oshin simply is sitting. He then notices the slate on which Oshin is writing. He demands to know who gave money to Oshin to buy the slate. He is so upset that the family doesn’t have rice to eat, and how come Oshin is spending on useless items like slate. He picks up Oshin and throws the slate asking again from where she got the money. Mom comes and asks the father to forgive Oshin as she does all the household chores and looks after the new baby; she needs some time to rest. She asks Oshin to apologize to her father. Oshin follows quietly; she bows down in front of her Dad. Dad leaves the shed in anger.
Mom picks up the slate and tries to join the wooden frame as it broke when Dad threw it. She tells Oshin that her father is very irritable because the rice crop is failing this summer. Mom fixes the slate’s broken frame; her eyes catch the words written by Oshin on the slate. She is illiterate, but she always wanted her children to go to school and learn. She is impressed by Oshin’s learning. Oshin then confesses to her mother that sister Haru gave her 30 cents to buy that slate and chalk.
She also requests her mom not to tell Dad.
Fuji is sad; she knows that Oshin so wanted to go to school. She tells regretfully to Oshin that it is their fault as parents not to have sent the kids to school. Oshin consoles her mom, saying that she can learn on her own. Fuji wishes that she let Oshin study more formally, but she knows her limitations and starts to cry. Oshin asks her mother if it is true that they won’t have any rice crop this year. Mom quickly composes herself and replies that Oshin need not worry about it. She says everything will be okay optimistically. She then goes back to the hut.
Oshin knew that to have the rice crop fail would be fatal to the family. They would all starve. So, she takes the baby to the forest nearby. She places the baby on a rug on a flat surface on the ground and starts planting some vegetables. In between, she watches the baby too. She thinks that once the vegetables grow, they can fill the hunger in the absence of rice. She does not have any time left for her studies. But she is always full of hope.
Something else comes up suddenly. Fuji comes to the forest running. She picks the baby and asks Oshin to rush back home. Her father needs to talk to her. Saying this, the mom goes home, taking the baby with her. Oshin looks on.
Why does father want to talk to her? Is her life going to change again?
Episode 22 is coming soon with the answers.