Bheela’s Blog -116
12 February 2023
Episode 115 Recap
Kei cannot believe that the great earthquake which he read about in history books was witnessed by his own grandma. Oshin didn’t share with anyone as it was too painful for others to understand.
Oshin waits near her broken home as Ryuzo visits his factory. Ms. Taka shows up and informs them that the factory is completely burnt. But Ryuzo cannot believe it. Ms. Taka encourages Oshin to get her strength back.
Ken, the gangster, too, comes to help Oshin. They pray for Genzi when Ryuzo returns, shocked and dazed.
Oshin realizes that their life ahead is going to be full of difficulties.
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Episode 116
FLASHBACK CONTINUES
The new factory Ryuzo and Oshin started is gone without even making a single outfit. Ryuzo is in great shock. He sits hopelessly, his head down and his face ashen. His psychological pain is too severe.
Oshin meanwhile tries to pick up pieces. She clears some space with her hands with help from Ken. She prepares a makeshift burner using stones and wood scattered around and lights the fire. She finds a pot and starts cooking soup with boiling water.
Oshin looks at Ryuzo’s face, full of despair.
Inside the room, clearing the floor space, Oshin makes a bed for Yu. Ken talks in baby language with Yu as he attends to Yu while Oshin prepares meals.
‘You are a tough one!’ says Ken, looking at Yu and stroking his tiny fingers, ‘you are not even afraid, are you?’
Oshin enters and sits next to Ken. She admires Yu and says, ‘I will have to hang tough for my son’s sake.’
‘You have gone through a lot together!’ says Ken, bringing a faint smile to Oshin’s lips.
‘Let us go home to Saga,’ announces Ryuzo suddenly. He looks away.
Oshin and Ken come out of the room and stand close to Ryuzo.
‘Let us go to Saga; there is no other way!’ Ryuzo repeats; he has just taken a resolution. Oshin is stunned and speechless. Ryuzo continues, ‘my mother and father will look after us. It is better than starving here.’
‘Are you serious,’ Oshin protests coming forward, close to Ryuzo.
‘What is the use of staying here? Everything we ever had is gone! We will starve!’ Ryuzo urges, ‘it is not just the two of us; there is Yu!’
‘What is the use of going back to Saga? We will start over from scratch in Tokyo. I am ready to go through any hardship to do it.’ Oshin dreads the idea of returning to Saga.
‘What is there for us to do? We mortgage everything to buy that new factory. With the factory gone, we can’t repay our loans. We have lost everything!’ Ryuzo raises his voice; he is in a panic state.
Ken, standing aside and listening, moves ahead and says, ‘Don’t you still have a lease on this land? Rebuild a house here,’ Ken is hopeful.
‘With what?’ Ryuzo shouts at the top of his voice, ‘I still have loans to repay at the factory!’ his arms hang on both sides; he has given up on life in Tokyo. He concludes, ‘we have no way to repay it! The bill collectors will only hound us if we stay here.’
‘You want us to run away?’ Oshin cannot support this idea; she is always righteous.
‘What choice do we have?’ Ryuzo catches Oshin’s shoulders by his hands and shakes her to prove his point. He says, ‘There is nothing here for us! We won’t even have food to eat!’ Taking a deep breath, he plays his last card, ‘I won’t let Yu suffer like that!’
‘I will do anything; Ken can help us! And I can go back to being a hairdresser! So, let us stay here and start over.’ Oshin pleads; tears start filling her eyes.
‘And suffer? I went through so much to make things work! I can’t repay my loans, no matter how hard I try! No use dreaming about building a new factory!’ Ryuzo gets emotional and angry; he pushes Oshin aside and says, ‘I am sick of it! I am sick of Tokyo! I want to go to Saga and take it easy.’
After the outburst, Ryuzo calms down and looks far. He says, ‘Saga is such a nice place; the Ocean, the rivers, and the peaceful rice fields are all around. It is just perfect for raising Yu! What is the use of struggling here?’
Oshin becomes rigid. She dreads going to Saga for one single reason, and she takes it out, ‘I won’t go to Saga. Your mother doesn’t recognize me as your wife!’ Oshin starts sobbing.
‘My father recognizes you! And my mother will love her new grandson, and she will love you too.’ Ryuzo shakes Oshin again and says, ‘it is all up to you. That is how it is.’ Ryuzo toughens.
He slowly says his ultimate plan, ‘If you don’t come, I will take Yu.’
Ken interrupts and says, ‘You would never get through to Saga now. The Tokaido train lines are not running.’ The earthquake uprooted the train line and transmission towers, making it impossible to reach Saga by train.
‘I will find a way; there is got to be a way.’ Ryuzo hurriedly leaves the house, finding his way through the heaps of rubble.
Ken and Oshin try to stop him but without any success.
‘He will never make it if he thinks like this,’ murmurs Oshin to Ken. She is upset and shocked.
***
‘Oshin, is that you?’ a woman’s voice calls up. Oshin turns and is surprised to see Fuji standing with a helper boy. In too much grief, Oshin fails to react for a moment. Fuji comes running to Oshin and hugs her.
‘Is Yu safe?’ Fuji asks her first question, fearing a deadly answer. When Oshin nods in the affirmative, Fuji is relieved.
‘And Ryuzo? You have gone through a lot!’ Fuji starts sobbing. Oshin then comes to her senses, hugs her mother tightly, and starts crying.
‘I had almost given up on you being alive. I am so glad,’ says Fuji, still crying and holding Oshin in her arms.
‘Thanks for coming, Mother,’ says Oshin softly. She is relieved, too, to see her mother.
‘You are all safe,’ says the mother.
‘Who are you?’ asks Ken to the helper boy as he finds him suspiciously carrying a large cloth bag on his shoulder.
Fuji turns to Ken and tells him, ‘He is one of Kaga-Ya’s men. I heard the news about the earthquake. Then Ms. Kayo sent me money to come out to Tokyo. She said she was sending someone out here to help.’
‘Ms. Kayo?’ Oshin is surprised.
‘She told me I should come to look for you,’ says Fuji as she cleans Oshin’s forehead with a damp cloth, caressing her.
‘And these are supplies for you from Kaga-ya,’ says the helper, showing the cloth sack and unloading it from his shoulder. Oshin bows to him in gratitude.
‘We didn’t know if we could find you, but they sent a sack full of essentials for you. Ms. Kayo promised to send you everything you need. And she wanted me to give this to you if I found you,’ says Fuji, and she takes out an envelope from her kimono pocket. Fuji says, ‘She wanted to come out herself, but her family said it was too dangerous.’
As Fuji speaks, Oshin tears the envelope and looks at the currency notes Kayo sent her. Oshin is speechless.
‘She will be so happy to learn that you are safe. I am so glad that I found you,’ repeats Fuji; her happiness sees no bounds. She continues, ‘I am thankful to Kaga-ya again.’
Oshin holds the money close to her heart, clutching it in both hands. Fuji looks around and is scared to see the situation.
‘What will you do here now?’ asks Fuji but Oshin cannot reply as she is overwhelmed with emotion.
‘You sleep out here among the rubbles?’ Fuji gets worried and starts crying again as she looks at the condition of the Tanokura house. ‘Poor thing,’ says Fuji as she holds Oshin again and wipes her tears with a cloth.
Ken comes forward and says, ‘Oshin, you have a guest now; let me take you all somewhere more comfortable and safer. I know a place.’
***
Oshin moves to a house with Ryuzo, Yu, and her mother, Fuji. It looks neat and clean, with ample sunlight and air. Fuji and Oshin play with Yu. Yu lies on a rug spread on the floor, merrily kicking his feet in the air.
Ken enters from the front door and informs, ‘The owner says you can stay here for now.’
Oshin bows to Ken and says, ‘Thank you for everything.’
‘I will see you tomorrow,’ says Ken; he bows and walks off. Oshin looks on.
“He has been so good to us,’ Oshin tells her mother about Ken, ‘he even found a jar for us to place Genzi’s ashes,’ Oshin points to a jar covered with a white cloth.
‘I wanted to bury him in Saga. I am sure he wanted to go home to Saga,’ says Ryuzo; he sits in front of the Jar containing Genzi’s ashes. Ryuzo starts sobbing at the mention of Genzi.
‘If only it hadn’t been for the earthquake!’ says Fuji.
‘It is fate,’ says Ryuzo with sadness.
‘Some houses like this one didn’t even burn down,’ observes Fuji.
‘I have given up!’ Ryuzo wipes his tears with his sleeve and sits in front of Fuji. He tells Fuji, ‘I am going home to Saga. I am sorry for all the trouble.’
‘There are trains to Yamagata, but the Tokaido train lines are useless,’ says Fuji.
‘There is a ship that can take us,’ Ryuzo has found alternative ways to reach Saga, ‘The Navy is taking people out on its ships. I plan to leave for Saga tomorrow,’ Ryuzo has a smile and is calm now that he has taken this decision.
Oshin, on the other hand, is agitated. She is not able to figure out how to handle this situation. She takes a deep sigh.
‘I must go to pay my respects to people. The sooner you do it, the better, Oshin.’ Ryuzo gets up and leaves the house, closing the door behind him.
‘Ryuzo is serious about going home to Saga,’ observes Fuji.
‘He can go by himself; I refuse to go!’ Oshin takes a tough stand.
‘You want Yu to grow up without a father?’ Fuji tries to reason with Oshin.
‘It will be for a little while. Ryuzo will come back once things get better here,’ says Oshin.
‘How long do you think it will take for Tokyo to get back to normal? Do you think you can make it alone with the baby? I won’t allow it!’ Fuji tries her best to convince Oshin to go to Saga with Ryuzo. She thinks that it is the best way forward in the situation.
‘I will look after myself. I don’t expect any help from anyone! Not even from you,’ Oshin remains rigid.
Fuji slaps Oshin as she doesn’t expect Oshin to close her mind. But after hitting, Fuji feels sad. She closes her fist and pants.
‘Oshin, if it were you and Ryuzo, I wouldn’t say anything, but you have Yu to think of. You can’t split up now! You mustn’t! Go with Ryuzo!’ Fuji insists.
Oshin gets up as Yu starts crying. She lifts Yu onto her lap and holds him tight.
Fuji continues, ‘It is your duty as a mother. Ryuzo is tired, and I understand why he wants to return to Saga. He will settle down in Saga and catch his breath. Then he will be ready to be back in Tokyo again. Give him a chance to rest. Go with him, just for a while!’ Fuji is practical, and years of life experience has made her understand others’ point of view.
Oshin holds Yu tight in her arms. She lowers her head and tries to grasp what her mother just said.
Fuji continues, ‘I thought of taking all of you to Yamagata. But we are still poor. We couldn’t do much for you. And there is Shoji and his wife to deal with. You are bound to suffer no matter where you go. In that case, you should go with Ryuzo to Saga. Bear with it, for Yu’s sake,’ says Fuji and starts to sob. She knows that Oshin wouldn’t be welcome by her mother-in-law, and she will be mistreated. Still, she suggests this solution considering all options.
Oshin is pained, and her face shows it. She holds Yu close to her to ease some of the pain.
What will happen now? Will Oshin go to Saga? We will know more in the next episode, number 117, soon.