Bheela’s Blog -091
13 August 2022
Episode 90 Recap
Oshin turns 22 with the start of the New Year in 1922! She decides to work at Ms. Taka’s salon and do Western-style hair. Ms. Taka allows her to do!
Ryuzo is upset and worried about the lack of sale of the piled-up stock. Genzi suggests that they should return to Saga. Ryuzo still believes that Oshin should not work to get paid, but Oshin makes him understand. Oshin is scared to go to Saga.
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Episode 91
FLASHBACK CONTINUES
After about four years post World War I, there were widespread economic difficulties in January of 1922. Tanokura company is having a hard time surviving. Ryuzo loses his biggest clients, and others are returning fabrics due to a drop in orders for new suits. Tanokura company has an excess of stock on hand; they cannot collect as much as expected from the merchandise they have sold.
Ryuzo is desperate. Oshin decides to work at Ms. Taka’s salon to help make ends meet. She wakes up early and prepares breakfast and lunch for both men. Genzi, too gets ups and enters the kitchen.
‘Good morning! Is he up yet?’ Oshin welcomes Genzi and enquires about Ryuzo.
‘No, he is still in bed.’ Says Genzi looking at Oshin. She keeps the meals neatly in a basket.
‘I have to go to work from today, so please give him breakfast. I will prepare it for you, and there is fish in miso for lunch. I will bring dinner home, but if I can’t.’ Oshin babbles out all the instructions to Genzi.
Genzi tries to interrupt her, but Oshin continues, ‘I asked Ms. Taka to let me work at the Hasegawa Salon.’
‘You don’t have to do that,’ Genzi protests.
‘I have to help out my husband! Who cares if a woman earns all the money!’ Oshin jokes and smiles to make things light.
‘But,’ Genzi is upset; it is against his principles that his Master’s wife will go out to fend for the household money.
‘Besides, it is not like I am doing something new. I was planning to make a career of doing hair anyway!’ as Oshin tries to explain, Ryuzo enters the dining area. He sits in front of the furnace to warm his hands. Oshin continues, wiping her hands, ‘I have to be going now! Genzi, please be sure to eat with my husband. He will be lonely eating alone.’
Oshin comes outs and sees Ryuzo.
‘You are up! I am sorry, but I have to leave now. Genzi will take care of you while I am gone,’ says Oshin. She will soon be a modern working woman, trying to balance her profession and home!
‘Keep warm, or you will catch a cold,’ says Ryuzo lovingly; January cold in Japan is the severest.
‘Yes,’ says Oshin; she picks her tools and tells Genzi, ‘I am leaving the rest to you.’ Oshin goes out of the main door, and Genzi follows her. She waves at Genzi and tells him, ‘Take care of my husband. I boiled the water for him to wash up.’
Genzi returns, close the door, and sits next to Ryuzo.
‘You are allowing her to work full time?’ Genzi is upset, and he expresses that to Ryuzo. Genzi says, ‘I am against it! If we can’t make ends meet, it is best if we all go back to Saga!’ he starts to convince Ryuzo again with his plan to return to Saga.
‘I am not going to Saga; you go home if you want,’ Ryuzo replies curtly; he is sometimes rude to Genzi.
‘Oh, come on!’ says Genzi.
‘Staying on will cause you more hardship.’
‘I worry about you both!’
‘Genzi, I left home once, taking my share of the family fortune, so I can’t go home now! Even if I should starve, I will never return to my family in Saga. I will just hang on! That is why Oshin is working so hard. But I don’t want to have to rely on her earnings. It is good for her to be working outside. That is why I am letting her do it,’ Ryuzo explains to Genzi, but he almost talks to himself. He tries to persuade himself to change the value system he held all along regarding a woman’s place in society.
‘Don’t worry about it,’ Ryuzo consoles Genzi, who, as usual, starts sobbing.
‘I am totally useless. I wish I could go out to work instead of your wife,’ says Genzi, wiping his tears.
‘You are needed here. Oshin feels safe knowing that you are here. I am a man; I won’t be satisfied having my wife support me! I have to find my own way!’ Ryuzo resolves.
***
Oshin reaches the salon early that day, and she prepares an advertisement on a white sheet using the paintbrush. She quickly makes several posters.
‘You sure write well!’ remarks Ms. Taka looking at the posters.
‘It makes our signs look good!’ Oritsu chirps with excitement.
‘Unlike traditional hair, you need the vision to do Western hair. Oshin is gifted!’ says Ms. Taka; it took her some time to agree to the Western style. She had been doing traditional hairdos and used to consider adapting Western style would decrease her values. (With time, people change, and so does society!)
‘Traditional style requires perfections, but with the Western style, almost anyone can do it,’ says Oshin; she remains humble.
Her posters are ready, and she says, ‘Let us just post these on telephone poles, and it should help.’
‘She knows about business, too!’ Ms. Taka laughs and praises Oshin’s business acumen, saying, ‘you are perfect as a merchant’s wife.’
‘Not at all,’ Oshin laughs and feels embarrassed. She says, ‘there is not that much a woman can do. I can’t understand how Tanokura company works.’
‘That is because they haven’t taught you! I will bet you would be better than him in his business if you were to be taught,’ pat comes the reply from Ms. Taka. She is a visionary and has seen potential in Oshin’s attitude and business sense.
‘I don’t like that; I like doing hair! I feel so sorry for my husband. I don’t need big profits. I just want enough for us to eat regularly,’ says Oshin.
***
Oshin visits the café to do the hairstyling of the girls. They are getting ready for the evening shift.
‘Why are you working full-time now?’ asks Oshigeko.
‘My teacher wanted me to help her out,’ replies Oshin.
‘But you are the wife of a big businessman!’ Oshigeko is curious. It is against the convention that the wife of an affluent person may opt for a career or a profession.
‘I don’t have anything to do if I stay home.’ Oshin says and removes the apron from Someko’s shoulders as she completes the job.
‘Mr. Tanokura must be understanding. Most men in his position wouldn’t let their wives go to work. They don’t want to lose face,’ says Oshigeko.
‘A man like that has self-confidence. That is why he is not afraid of what people might say. He has a big heart!’ young Oyae pitches in her pearls of wisdom, as usual, and the girls laugh out.
‘You will keep coming to do our hair?’ asks Oshigeko.
‘You have all supported me for a long time. I will come as often as I can. But sometimes I might be too busy. I am working for my teacher after all,’ says Oshin; she remains grateful to the café girls.
‘Maybe we should be coming to you. But I bet your teacher’s salon is expensive!’ says Someko.
‘I will talk to her; you are my special clients, so you can pay what you have been paying,’ Oshin says.
We appreciate it, but you have been charging us too little!’ says Someko and laughs; the girls join her. Oshin feels good in the company of the café girls.
‘You are good enough to work anywhere,’ Oyae praises Oshin.
‘I doubt that,’ says Oshin as she folds the aprons and tidies up the place.
‘Have some tea,’ Oyae offers Oshin a cup.
‘Thank you, you all helped me out when I needed help. I owe you all a lot; I won’t ever forget that. But please ask your friends to come to our salon,’ says Oshin. Her natural business instinct allows her to use the goodwill she has created.
‘We can help with promoting your salon. But why do you have to work so hard?’ Oshigeko probes Oshin.
‘You have so much money!’ says Oyae.
‘Don’t neglect your husband!’ advises Someko with her wisdom.
‘If he leaves you, I will take him,’ says the other friend.
‘Me too!’ Oyae comments quickly.
‘Cut it out, you two!’ Someko scolds them lovingly, and turning to Oshin, she warns, ‘You better be careful, Oshin!’
‘She should be careful with you!’ comments Oshigeko, and the girls burst out laughing.
Oshin isn’t telling people how terrible Ryuzo’s business was doing. She is willing to work harder so that Ryuzo can feel some comfort. She comes out of the café and keeps the girls’ slippers neatly as she walks off, thinking about Ryuzo.
***
‘Welcome home!’ Genzi is delighted to see Oshin back home.
‘Is he still out?’ Oshin enquires about Ryuzo.
‘Yes,’ replies Genzi.
‘Good! I wanted to make dinner for him.’
‘He said he would be out late.’
‘He sure works hard. Any new orders today?’ asks Oshin with hope but realizes she made a mistake! The fiber is stacked all around the office without any movement.
‘Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked,’ Oshin makes amend with Genzi, and then both of them laugh.
‘Things are bad,’ Genzi looks at the empty page on the account ledger and tells Oshin with a sad face, ‘people know we had to lay our workers off, so they have lost faith in us.’
‘People can be so cold! It is not Ryuzo’s fault. Why aren’t they helping us out?’
‘Everybody is having a hard time.’
‘I guess it can’t be helped. We have to pull together as a family in times like this.’
Genzi nods in affirmation. Oshin puts a shawl around herself as it is pretty cold. She shivers and goes to the kitchen to get some heat and start the dinner preparation.
***
Ryuzo is back home and sits with Genzi in the dining area. Oshin serves a bottle of sake drink to both of them to cheer them up.
‘I have had enough,’ says Genzi.
‘Go on, we can at least afford your evening drink,’ Oshin chirps and fills Genzi’s cup. She then turns to Ryuzo and fills his cup, saying, ‘You shouldn’t be out so late without eating. You could get sick!’ Oshin shares her day with Ryuzo, ‘We had no clients at Ms. Taka’s salon today. But we put out advertising flyers.’
‘You were out posting flyers?’ Ryuzo is alarmed.
‘Oritsu and I were together!’ says Oshin.
‘That is no way for my wife to be!’ Ryuzo gets upset. He considers such advertisements an act performed by people of a lower level than his social status.
‘What is so wrong with that? I will do anything to get more customers. You do the same in trying to get new clients, too!’ Oshin is enthusiastic about her efforts to bring some change in the way business is done conventionally. She says, ‘we can’t afford to talk about being embarrassed!’
‘You and I are different. A man’s work is his life! There is no need for you to be like that! Just leave things to me!’ Ryuzo raises his voice as he gets upset.
‘Okay, but I just don’t want you to overdo it,’ Oshin understands and softens up a bit.
***
After a few days, the posters started bringing new customers to Ms. Taka’s salon. Oshin is so happy that the number of clients is increasing slowly and steadily. Ms. Taka manages old clients getting the Japanese style, whereas Oshin begins with the western style hairdo.
‘You heard about me from someone who came here?’ Oshin starts talking with a client as she starts working on her hair.
‘She really liked your work. My friend told me to come and see you,’ says the customer.
‘What style would you like?’ asks Oshin.
‘My friend told me to just leave it to you,’ says the woman.
‘Then you will let me decide for you?’
‘I am just tired of my old style!’
‘I don’t know if you will like it, but please let me try something new. Ah, you have nice hair!’ Oshin compliments the client as she starts combing her hair. Oshin continues, ‘It is the best type for Western-style hair.’
‘Is it? My hair wasn’t good for the old Japanese style!’ the client gets excited.
‘It is so soft and shiny!’ Oshin continues making the client happy. Ms. Taka and Oritsu come forward to see how Oshin engages the client with her polite and kind talks.
‘Really!’ the client is happy to see the end result!
***
Oshin returns home happy! She tucks a flower into her hair and looks at her image on the glass pane of the front door before she enters home.
‘I am home!’ Oshin announces happily.
Both Genzi and Ryuzo are startled to see her.
‘I had eight customers today! They came asking for me! I might get even more customers! I am so happy!’ she is excited and wants to share all about her day with Ryuzo and Genzi.
Oshin is indeed off to a good start. But she fails to see how unhappy Ryuzo seems.
Will Oshin’s success bring discord to their marriage? How will Ryuzo react?
We will know more in the coming episode, number 92, soon!