Fish of the Seto Inland Sea

Towards the end of the year, Shobei called on Tei-ichi.

‘I came to apologise to both of you,’ Shobei began to say to Tei-ichi. Kei appeared with cups of tea, bowed, and started to leave the room. Shobei stopped her.

‘I asked you to give us your daughter and promised that we would make her happy. Now, I have made her a young widow.’

‘Don’t be absurd!’ Tei-ichi was genuinely moved. ‘Even if it was not long enough, Ayako had a lovely life with your family and now has wonderful children. She does not regret, neither do we.’

‘Thank you.’

After a pause, Shobei said, ‘I came to ask you a favour. I have been thinking about Ayako and the children a lot recently. Since Shintaro died, her days are very lonely. The children, too, need a more lively atmosphere. I wonder if you would agree to have Ayako and the children come to live with you. It is not that I am giving them back to you. If you accept, I would like to provide for them.’

Soon after that, Ayako and the four children went back to live in the Shirais’ house in Kitani village. Ayako insisted on leaving most of her belongings at the Miwas until later. The children were told that they would be staying at their Shirai grandparents for a holiday. They wrapped some of their clothes in small bundles, each using a furoshiki, a square cloth.

‘What about our school things?’ Haruko asked.

‘You take them with you. We will be there for a while as Yasu ojisama is coming home from Tokyo.’

‘We can play with Hiden sama!’ They were delighted. Hideto was the youngest of Kei’s sons and only two years older than Takeko. They called him Hide niisama, older brother, instead of ojisama, uncle, but the pronunciation had degenerated to Hiden sama. He was an excellent swimmer, gymnast and runner. He was a hero among the children.

Ayako insisted on walking. She wanted to make the leaving as casual as possible. A servant carried Shuichi’s furoshiki and the children ran and chatted.

‘A nice day. Where are you going, Shu dansama as well?’ Villagers stopped and asked.

‘We are visiting the Shirais. My brother is coming home from Tokyo,’ Ayako replied politely.

When Ayako had come to Shobei’s study to say goodbye, both of them made light of the leave-taking.

‘Give Shirai oji-isama and obahsama my regards, and all of you, be good. I will come and see you soon,’ Shobei said to the four children.

Although his study was built away from the main house and he had seldom heard the children before, the quietness was oppressive.

‘What I have done is best for Ayako and the children.’ He rested his chin in the cup of his hands and looked at the garden. ‘The Shirais’ sons are wonderful company for Shuichi. He needs boys around him. And Ayako ... I could not bear watching a beautiful young woman living day after day, lonely and quiet, just waiting for her children to grow up. I don’t think she would want to re-marry even if she was advised to take another husband. She is thinking of Shintaro all the time. Every corner of this house reminds her of the days she has been happy with him.’

‘Yes, I have done the right thing. The Shirais are a lively family, Kei san will not let Ayako dwell on memories. Ayako will eventually regain her cheerful self that Shintaro loved so much. We all did ...’

Shobei stayed in his study all day.

5 (#ulink_6555c89b-aadb-5b7d-a2e7-787caf4a285a)

Spring (#ulink_6555c89b-aadb-5b7d-a2e7-787caf4a285a)

In the spring, lots of snakes came out from between the stones of the walls surrounding the Shirais’ house. Haruko and Sachiko were collecting cast-off snake skins which were like lace. It was six months since they had returned to their grandparents’ house with their mother.

‘Good afternoon, girls,’ a tall black figure said. The two girls looked at each other and ran away from him to the back of the house.

‘Where is Hiden sama?’

Shige’s husband stopped cutting wood and, resting his hands on the handle of the axe, told them, ‘He was with Shu dansama in the garden.’ The two boys were target shooting with handmade bows and arrows. The girls ran to them.

‘Hiden sama, Shu-chan.’

Hideto ignored them. Shuichi copied everything that Hideto did.

‘Listen,’ Haruko said, panting, and Sachiko giggled. ‘The crow has come.’

‘Oh, no.’ Hideto stopped shooting and looked at the girls.

‘I have an idea,’ Haruko said. ‘Let’s all run away to the woods and hide. Are you coming, Hiden sama?’

If they were going to the woods, they needed Hideto to protect them from snakes, village boys and all sorts of dangers.

The crow was a nickname the children had given to Rev. Kondo because of his long black robe. He came every Wednesday afternoon from a nearby town to perform Christian services at the Shirais’. Everybody at home including the servants was expected to attend. Shobei had ordered an organ for Ayako from Tokyo and a former schoolmistress, came and played it.

Not only was the service boring for the children, but Rev. Kondo had an unnaturally long face. When his jaw was pulled down to sing a hymn, the girls and young maids in the back row had to endure excruciating hardship not to burst out laughing. On one occasion, one of the maids who sat right behind Haruko suddenly slapped her on the back and said, ‘Oh, no, Haruko ojosama,’ and went into fits of hysterical laughter. Everybody turned around and stared at Haruko. Altogether, the service was something they did not look forward to.

Later, the children were called by Tei-ichi.

‘Hideto.’ Tei-ichi addressed Hideto in a severe voice. ‘It was very rude of you to run away from the service when Rev. Kondo came all the way from the town to teach us lessons.’

‘Yes, otohsan.’

‘You should be old enough to know that. It was particularly naughty of you to have told the younger ones to run away with you.’

‘I am sorry.’

Haruko’s heart was beating fast, but Hideto did not make any excuses.

‘Go to the storehouse.’

The storehouse was at the end of the corridor and was built to withstand fire. It had mud walls which were one metre thick and no window. Two thick oak doors separated it from the main house. At the outbreak of fire, the doors would be sealed with mud. It was dark and cold inside.

To be locked up in the storehouse was the worst punishment.

Towards night, clanging a bunch of large keys, Kei came in, a lamp in hand.

‘Hideto?’ She held up the lamp and called, peering inside. ‘Come with me and we will apologise to otohsan.’

Kei and her son bowed to Tei-ichi. Kei said, ‘Now he knows he has done wrong. He says that he will not do it again. Please forgive him.’ She turned to Hideto. ‘Apologise to otohsan.’

After that Kei sat Hideto down and gave him his evening meal which she had kept for him.

In the summer, Haruko, Sachiko and Shuichi followed Hideto around. When he appeared, village bullies left them alone. In order to establish this position, Hideto had been involved in a few serious fights and had again been locked up in the storehouse by Tei-ichi.

Unlike the Miwas, the Shirais had evening meals together. Now that the older boys were away at university and school, Tei-ichi, Hideto and Shuichi sat at the top of the table. One evening, Tei-ichi looked down towards the end of the table and said, ‘I saw monkeys today up in a tree in the village.’

‘Monkeys?’ Kei asked. ‘I have never seen them so far away from the mountains.’

‘These monkeys I saw today were strange monkeys. They were wearing kimonos.’