Bheela’s Blog -127
16 July 2023
Episode 126 Recap
Ryuzo’s brother Kamejiro arrives to attend the festival. He is impressed by Oshin’s manners.
In the middle of the festivity, Oshin manages to slip out of the house and decides to catch a train to Tokyo with her son Yu. But her friend Sawa informs Ryuzo about Oshin’s plan. Ryuzo runs to stop Oshin . They have an argument. Ryuzo asks Oshin to leave without Yu. In the scuffle, Oshin falls, hits a stone and starts bleeding.
Please click the link below to read the full episode:
Episode 127
BACK IN THE PRESENT TIME
Kei and Oshin are now at Saga. They are watching the reclaimed land from a hilltop. Vast cultivated land is seen.
‘All those fields are planted on reclaimed land?’ Kei asks Oshin looking around. The taxi they hired to see the place is waiting at the roadside up the hills.
‘Lands reclaimed from the Ariake Sea go back to the Kamakura period. I don’t know when those in that area were done,’ replies Oshin, still thinking of her past at Saga.
(Kamakura period is known for the emergence of the Samurai, the warrior caste. See the link for more on this period in Japanese history https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamakura_period)
‘I learned at school that the tidal levels of the Ariake Sea, at six meters, were the biggest in Japan. People made use of that fact to reclaim land,’ says Kei.
‘I have never seen it all from up high like this. We had no time for things like that back then. All we ever did was work all day, every day,’ Oshin says, her eyes looking at a distance.
‘Where is the Tanokura house? Is it still standing? I wonder if anybody still remembers you’ Kei gets curious.
‘I don’t know. I haven’t had any dealings with them for years. I thought I might be able to spot it from up here. But the village has changed so much, so I have no idea. Even the woods where I got hurt is not seen anymore.’ says Oshin.
After a pause, Oshin feels regretful and starts speaking of her past again, ‘If only that hadn’t happened, I might have had a different life. If only I hadn’t gotten hurt.’
FLASHBACK RETURN
It happened while Oshin was trying to return to Tokyo to work for Taka’s hairdressing salon again after the earthquake. Ryuzo didn’t want her to leave Saga. Oshin fell and hit her head.
As Ryuzo places Yu on the ground and looks at Oshin’s bleeding head, Yu, who can now walk, starts crying loudly. Ryuzo gets some water from the nearby stream wetting a cloth and squeezes the water into Oshin’s mouth. He pats Oshin’s cheek. Oshin opens her eyes.
‘Oshin, are you awake? Can you hear me?’ says Ryuzo with panic in his voice.
‘Yu! Yu!’ Oshin opens her eyes and looks for her son.
‘Yu is all right, don’t worry,’ says Ryuzo, lifting Oshin into his arms, ‘can you get up?’
‘My train, I will miss my train,’ says Oshin as she tries to get up and says, ‘I am going back to Tokyo! Let me go!’ she calls out again, ‘Yu!’.
‘We will have to take care of your injury; you are bleeding!’ says Ryuzo.
‘Don’t touch me,’ Oshin struggles to escape Ryuzo, but she is too weak.
‘You are hurt!’ says Ryuzo.
‘I am all right; I must get to the train!’
‘You can’t go like this,’ insists Ryuzo, ‘We will go home and treat the injury.’
‘I have no home! I left the Tanokuras,’ Oshin pulls all her strength to reply to Ryuzo.
‘Oshin! Just come home, please come home!’ Ryuzo pleads.
‘I would rather just be left here!’ says Oshin, trying again to free herself from Ryuzo.
‘Don’t be foolish! Nobody knows you left home secretly. We will just say you slipped and fell. Just come home; we won’t tell anyone!’ says Ryuzo softly.
Oshin starts crying, partly out of pain and mostly out of frustration at a failed attempt. She doesn’t give up; she still tries to free herself.
‘You can’t go to Tokyo like this. Don’t ever tell anyone that you tried to leave. It will make it hard for all of us!’ says Ryuzo.
Oshin is too weak to fight. Ryuzo lifts her in his arms and starts walking toward home. He ties Yu at his back and pulls along somehow. After a while, he sees Sawa coming to them.
‘I was worried,’ says Sawa, and then seeing Oshin’s bleeding head, she cries out, ‘Madam Oshin! What happened to her?’
‘I need to get a cart; please watch her for me,’ Ryuzo asks Sawa. He places Oshin on the ground gently and walks off.
‘You are still bleeding,’ comments Sawa. She tabs a cloth to stop the blood.
‘I would rather die! If I can’t return to Tokyo, I would rather die!’ declares Oshin. Gathering some of her strength, Oshin tells Sawa, ‘I never thought you would betray me.’
‘I am sorry!’ says Sawa as she bends down and continues, ‘I did a lot of thinking and wanted to leave this village hut, too. I even packed my things. But I didn’t dare to do it.’
‘Maybe that is fine for you. But, why get me involved in it, too?’ says Oshin, and she screams with pain.
‘I gave it up for your sake. I knew you were pregnant again. I could tell. You would never make it in Tokyo on your own. You might not be able to work after the baby comes. What will you do with two children to care for?’ Sawa remains calm, and she explains her actions.
‘I had a place to go in Tokyo,’ replies Oshin. She winces with pain as she speaks, ‘I don’t need you worrying about me.’
‘Ma’am, No matter how close you are to your friends, they are not your family. It is best to stay with your husband at a time like this. It is best to stay here just in case anything happens. You can leave Tonokura house anytime. Have your baby and then think about leaving. Wait until you are strong again.’ Sawa takes a deep sigh as she patiently explains to Oshin. Oshin gets tired, too, with excessive pain.
Sawa continues, ‘After telling your husband, I was so worried, I went to the station. As I was returning, I saw you bleeding. What happened?’
Oshin knows it is useless to blame Sawa. It was too late. Sawa has sacrificed her chance to leave for Oshin’s sake. Sawa, too, will have to suffer. Oshin feels sorry for Sawa.
Ryuzo returns with a cart. He carefully lifts Oshin with Sawa’s help and places her on the flat surface. With Yu tied to his back, he pulls fast to return home. Sawa looks on.
***
Oshin returns to the Tanokura house. Yu starts yelling as Ryuzo opens the door. It is hard for Oshin to be brought back like this.
The family members are still drinking sake and enjoying celebrating the festival.
‘Call a doctor; Oshin is hurt!’ shouts Ryuzo as he carries Oshin in his arms.
‘What happened?’ Daigoro jumps to his feet and rushes to the main door.
‘I think she needs to see a doctor. I brought her back home here first,’ says Ryuzo.
‘Is this serious?’ Daigoro examins Oshin.
‘She needs a doctor!’ Ryuzo pleads.
‘Are you alright? Asks Daigoro looking at Oshin.
‘She can’t even stand up,’ says Ryuzo.
‘Take her inside,’ Daigoro panics. He says, ‘Carefully, are you okay?’ he asks Oshin again.
As Ryuzo carries Oshin and passes the living room, Ms. Kiyo, Fakataro, Kamejiro, and Atsuko turn to look.
‘Get the local doctor,’ says Daigoro to his eldest son.
‘She needs to go to town to see a surgeon,’ comments the son without moving from his place.
‘Any doctor will do now,’ shouts Daigoro as he rushes behind Ryuzo to the inner room.
‘Don’t make such a fuss,’ as usual, Kiyo is displeased with Daigoro’s attention to Oshin’s injury. She says, ‘No doctor will come on a holiday, but maybe the temple priest will come.’ Atsuko giggles at the comment from her mother. Kiyo asks Tsuneko, ‘Take some ointment to her.’
Tsuneko rushes inside, keeping the tray she was carrying on the floor.
‘We can’t just leave her like that!’ Ryuzo comes to the living room and pleads to everyone.
‘I will take a look; I have seen army doctors at work on injured soldiers,’ says Kamejiro, and he gets up to see Oshin.
As Yu is crying, Kiyo looks at Ryuzo with disgust and says, ‘Look at you, a man carrying a baby on his back and walking through the village like that? How shameful!’ Kiyo unties Yu from Ryuzo’s back. She pats Yu and says, ‘He needs his diaper changed. What is wrong with Oshin anyway?’
‘Get some Shochu liquor and some cotton swabs,’ Daigoro comes out of the room where Kamejiro is treating Oshin and shouts to the maid.
(Shochu is an alcoholic drink, slightly stronger than Sake. Click on the Wikipedia link to learn about Shochu: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%8Dch%C5%AB)
‘Hurry up!’ says Daigoro, and he goes inside again.
‘What is the commotion?’ Atsuko comes to her mother and asks.
‘Oshin was working in the fields. I am sure it cannot be a serious injury. She didn’t change the boy’s diaper either.’ Kiyo rocks Yu, but he doesn’t stop crying.
‘I will take him,’ Tsuneko comes forward and carries Yu.
The maid carries the liquor and goes to the inner room. Kiyo instantly comments, ‘Liquor costs money, too.’
‘This is bad; it is a wonder she held on!’ says Kamejiro as he applies the liquor to the injury. She must have been out for some time.’ He covers Oshin with a blanket.
‘He cleaned your wound out nicely,’ says Ryuzo, coming close to Oshin’s face, lovingly touching her forehead.
‘I am sorry for all the trouble,’ Oshin utters feebly.
‘Keep it clean and wrapped tightly. The wound will close; that is what we soldiers do,’ says Kamejiro as he wipes his hands with a dry cloth.
‘I am so glad you were here,’ says Ryuzo with genuine gratitude.
‘Did she fall in the woods? Why is she hurt so badly?’ says Kamejiro; he fills his cup with the liquor and starts drinking. He asks Oshin, ‘Did you climb a tree and fall off?’ he laughs heartily.
Kamejiro looks at Ryuzo and tells him, ‘She might suffer a fever. It is best to have a doctor look at it also. Her ankle is sprained, too.’
‘Will I not be able to work for a while?’ asks a worried Oshin.
‘Of course not! The wound needs to close first. This is a good chance for you to rest!’ Kamejiro laughs at his own joke.
***
‘This is nonsense! How did she get hurt like that?’ comments Ms. Kiyo as the family sits around the table in the dining area. Ms. Kiyo looks at Ryuzo and charges him, ‘You know, don’t you? You were there when she got hurt!’
‘Talking about it won’t get her well,’ says Daigoro.
‘This is important,’ Ms. Kiyo interrupts her husband and says, ‘I had assigned her to work in the fields. She skipped work and went into the woods. Then she goes and gets hurt! What is that woman thinking?’ Ms. Kayo taunts as usual, and then she looks at Ryuzo and accuses him again, saying, ‘You know something, don’t you?’
‘I know nothing,’ says Ryuzo; his eyes to the ground, he holds himself from saying anything.
‘Then how did you know she was hurt?’ says Ms. Kiyo.
‘Someone told me,’ Ryuzo looks away as he answers.
Ms. Kiyo understands that Ryuzo is lying. She says, ‘I will ask Oshin about it later. I want to know why she abandoned her work and was in the woods!’
‘Poor Oshin, she gets hurt and then has to be questioned about it by Mother!’ Kamejiro comments, and he smiles.
Ms. Kiyo doesn’t appreciate the humor. She continues, ‘I want to get this straight. I want to know what she was up to!’
Ryuzo continues to stare at the floor without commenting.
Oshin, in her weak state, can imagine what Ms. Kiyo is saying about her injury. She also knows she will be inactive for a while and cause people great trouble. At this moment, Oshin hates herself and her fate.
Will Oshin get another chance to escape? Or fate has something else for her.
We will know more in the coming episode, number 128, soon.