Fish of the Seto Inland Sea

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PART ONE (#ulink_87e51820-fc8a-5e8e-b3fe-8034b0b96616)

1 (#ulink_aed69109-b344-50a2-bd12-55fb584d27e3)

The Landowner’s Family (#ulink_aed69109-b344-50a2-bd12-55fb584d27e3)

Shobei Miwa was a rich landowner. His land spread far beyond the village of Takao. He could walk from his house for about forty minutes to the nearest railway station without stepping on anyone else’s land. In fact, it was Shobei who had sold the land for the railway and station to the government.

Shobei Miwa had two sons, Shintaro and Rinji. His elder son, Shintaro, was sent to Tokyo at the age of fourteen before the railway had been built. He was accompanied by a servant and walked on the trunk road to Tokyo, taking nearly a month. The servant carried his money, including his school fees, in a bundle firmly tied around his waist which he did not take off even when he slept at night. The rooms of the inns had sliding doors and no locks. There were many thieves. The young master and his servant kept to themselves but at the same time had to take care not to look too cautious and attract attention.

When they reached the Oigawa river, the servant would not trust the boatmen and he crossed the river carrying Shintaro on his shoulders. In the middle of the river, the water came up to his chest. Every year, until the railway was built, he made the same trip to Tokyo bringing Shintaro’s expenses.

Shobei was not much worried about how Shintaro lived as a student. When a rumour reached him that Shintaro was drinking heavily, Shobei laughed and said, ‘A man who cannot drink cannot succeed in life.’

He was generous about his son’s expenses as well. ‘Let him have a good time. One can never be young again.’ He was concerned only about one thing. This was that Shintaro should come home without getting seriously involved with a woman. Shobei was anxious that his son should marry a girl from a good family known to everybody around them.

‘Occasional relaxation from hard work is necessary, but you must remember to honour your obligation to your family,’ Shobei wrote to Shintaro in every letter. Shobei’s letters were written with brush and ink and were difficult to decipher but Shintaro knew the last few sentences without reading them.

Imperial University students were considered to have good prospects and were targeted by ambitious mothers with unmarried daughters, but Shintaro returned to his father’s village, Takao, without mishap. With Shobei’s influence, Shintaro’s future was promising. It was as the director of a new hospital, the largest in the area, that he began his professional life. He was considered the most eligible bachelor for several counties.

Who would be the lucky girl? People speculated. There were many young ladies of suitable families. Relatives and friends were busy sounding out the possibility of a match with girls they knew or had heard about. Parents who had daughters of the right age called on people who knew the Miwas to impress their names on them. The hospital was visited by more young girls, taken by their mothers or maids with minor complaints.

Shobei rejected these proposals one after another without even telling Shintaro.

‘Thank you for your concern, but he has been away so long and has just started his career. It is important for him to concentrate on his work at the moment,’ was his stock reply to every one, although Shobei knew that they were well aware it was not true.

‘What is he scheming for his son’s marriage? Is he thinking of marrying Dr Shintaro to a nobleman’s daughter?’ People talked. It was generally believed that the real reason was that the girls’ families were not considered good enough.

When Shobei refused a proposal from the Abes, a family richer and older than the Miwas, Shobei’s wife confronted him for the first time.

‘Excuse me, but Shintaro san is over thirty now. I would like to ask you what is in your mind. Shintaro san will end up as a bachelor because you are ...’ She wanted to say ‘fastidious’ but said, ‘Well, because you are too careful.’

‘We cannot have Abe’s daughter.’ Shobei’s answer was categorical.

His wife persisted. ‘But may I ask why? They say she is pretty and we have heard nothing against her. The family, of course, is beyond criticism.’

‘She might be acceptable, but she has two brothers.’

‘But it’s good that she has brothers. What is wrong with that?’

His wife was mystified. If the family did not have sons, the girl had to stay at home and take a husband into her family to carry on the family name. She could not marry out. That was how the family line was kept. The system was called yohshi, adoption.

‘Abe’s sons are lazy and stupid. The younger one is mean as well.’

‘I am sorry, but please explain what you mean. If you worry about everybody in the family, you will always find someone who is not perfect. Shintaro san is not marrying her brothers.’

‘Her brothers may be no problem while the father is alive. But wait till the sons have a chance to control the family affairs. At first they will sell a bit of land away from home to pay off their gambling and womanising debts. Gradually they will get deeper and deeper into debt. The brothers will quarrel. After ten years, there will be nothing left. They will come to Shintaro to borrow and so on. Shintaro will have to be involved. Not only is he a kind fellow but he cannot stand by while his in-laws ruin themselves. The bad name of his wife’s family would spoil the name of the Miwas.’

‘I see. Well, I hope Shintaro san will be able to marry one day.’

‘Of course he will marry.’

‘But ...’

‘I have already decided on his wife.’

‘You have?’

‘Yes, I have. The daughter of the Shirais in the next village.’

His wife was nonplussed.

‘You mean Dr Shirai’s daughter?’

‘Yes, Dr Shirai of Kitani village.’ His tone told her that his mind was made up and that his decision was final.

‘They have four sons.’ She looked him straight in the eyes, which she normally did not dare to do. She was not satisfied with her husband’s decision, because the Shirais were the poorest among all the candidates so far.

‘And all intelligent,’ Shobei replied. ‘The father is a fine fellow and still young. The whole family will be a great support for Shintaro and for his future son.’

‘But the girl is very young. One of the sons is still a baby.’

‘I know. That is why I had to wait. She has a very good reputation. Besides, she should know how a doctor’s household should be run, although Shintaro’s life is a bit different from her father’s.’ Shobei sounded smug. He had already found out a lot about Dr Shirai’s daughter, Ayako.

‘If you say so,’ his wife conceded.

‘Of course!’

When people heard that the daughter of the Shirais was chosen as Shintaro’s bride, they could not understand why. The Shirais had been doctors in traditional medicine for many generations. They had been the retained doctors of feudal lords until the system was abolished towards the end of the 1880s. Since then, the present head of the family, Tei-ichi, continued to look after people in the area with his hereditary knowledge and experience. He was endowed with a progressive spirit and had already contacted Shintaro to seek advice on some of his patients. Tei-ichi was respected and popular, but the family was not well-off.

Tei-ichi’s house was always full of poor patients. With backs and knees bent from hard lives, peasants brought their children who were exhausted from suffering.

Dr Tei-ichi Shirai would shout angrily, ‘Why did you leave the sick child so long without bringing her to me?’

‘I am very sorry ... We have not paid you the last fees and ...’

‘Who is talking about fees? Don’t you see this child is ill because of your neglect?’

They loved to be scolded by Dr Tei-ichi.

As many of his patients were poor, his fees were often not paid or were paid with small amounts of fish, fruit and vegetables. On the other hand, the merchants who dealt with the doctor’s family sent their accounts twice a year, but were not too harsh in demanding payment. Shobei knew it all.

The Shirais lived in an old house surrounded by a moat and high stone walls. A wooden bridge led to a large gate and straight ahead was an open main entrance. The gate was usually closed and people used a small side door to get into the front courtyard. From the courtyard they walked round the back of the house to go in through the family entrance or the kitchen.

Tei-ichi’s wife Kei was open-hearted and cheerful.