Pathway to Japanese Literature

On the outskirts of a desolate mountain village, near the bus stop.
To the upper side stood a waiting shed; to the lower side spanned a bridge.
The rear was a cliff; the blue sky stretched endlessly; mountain ranges lay visible in the distance.

The sun at summer's end, already nearing evening, shone too brightly.
Kasatarō—an old farmer dressed in his best clothes—stood before the waiting shed clutching what appeared to be a letter in his right hand, his exhausted eyes like sunken gold pots fixed downward as he strained forward repeatedly to peer across the bridge.
On the wooden bench of the waiting shed sat Kumi after removing her geta and stepping up.
Though her formal attire was proper and her butterfly-tied hair neatly done—the style appearing slightly abrupt at first glance—her dazed expression with mouth slightly agape betrayed utter exhaustion.
Using Kumi's lap as a pillow slept ten-year-old Rokurō—the youngest son of District Chief Rokuheita who would appear later—snoring softly through small sleeping breaths.
In his right hand remained clutched a small paper regimental flag.
Silence.

Kasatarō: “That can’t be how it is!”
“He should’ve come by now!”
“He should’ve…” (He anxiously craned his neck to look. Silence.)
(The distant sound of a car horn) “Hey—that’s it!”
“That’s it!”
(As he said this, he started running toward the bridge.)
(The horn’s echo grew distant and faded.) “Damn it all—it’s the Takai-bound one!”
(He returned.
(Exhausted, he stumbled on a stone and teetered on the verge of collapse before barely regaining his footing) “Damn it!”

“Let’s just go home already, Father!”

“Jinji’s been tight-lipped since his snot-nosed days. Wait—he should’ve come by now!”

“But we waited since mornin’ yesterday too, and he still didn’t show. Even the Virginity Association and Youth Group came all that way to welcome him proper-like, and then he goes and doesn’t come. My face near burned off from the shame.”

“Those bastards only came greasin’ up to him hopin’ for donations once Jinji arrives. It’s greed drippin’ off their showy airs—can’t drop your guard around ’em. Jinji not comin’ yesterday actually worked out better for us.”

Kumi: "Even you, Father—it's greed."

Kasatarō: "The hell you say?! Me goin' out to welcome some bastard tryin' to become your husband—you call that greed?! You should be grateful for a parent's mercy."

Kumi ...... (yawned) Hmph.
“If they call me ‘Mr. Jinji’s bride,’ ‘Mr. Jinji’s bride,’ the Virginity Association people tease me about it.”
“I feel so embarrassed.”

Kasatarō: “The hell?!”
“So you’re turnin’ against Jinji now?”

Kumi: "Whether I hate 'im or love 'im—I don't even 'member his face."

Kasatarō: "Just you wait. Just you wait."
"That there's a man polished up proper in Tokyo for years—your eyes what seen nothin' but these mountain apes' mugs'll near flip clean 'round."
"Made damn sure he ain't gonna pop up unexpected-like!"
"Ha-ha-ha-ha!"
"Ha-ha-ha-ha!"
(Laughing alone with forced merriment) "Ha-ha-ha!"
"This here's 'bout Benmi Kasatarō's own dignity!"
"Don't you go turnin' lovesick like some slack-jawed fool!"
"Ha ha ha!"

“Even so, if he don’t come, there ain’t nothin’ we can do,” Kumi said. “Today again—haah—the sun’s already sunk to the crotch of the lone pine. The day ain’t gettin’ any brighter.”
(Kasatarō abruptly stopped laughing.)

“Read it,” Kasatarō ordered. “Read this, I tell ya!”

“No matter how many times I read it, it’s the same,” Kumi replied. “‘I humbly wish to consult my dear uncle regarding a matter of lifelong importance.’” She recited mechanically, “‘I shall arrive in Shinomachi on the 28th of next month to pay my respects... You’ve made me read this so many times I’ve got it memorized by now.’” Her voice sharpened. “The 28th of September was yesterday, though.”

Kasatarō: “That’s precisely what a twenty-four- or twenty-five-year-old girl wouldn’t grasp.”
“Just wait and see! He’s at Anta Bank—even so, he’s working at one of Tokyo’s top institutions. There’s bound to be a one-day delay due to circumstances.”
“Yeah.”

Kumi: That’s what was written in the letter that came two years ago, wasn’t it?
“……Ahhh.”
“I’m going home now, so give me the bus fare.”

Kasatarō: If you wanna go home, then go!
“Ain’t got no money.”
“You’ve got legs, ass.”
“Thirty sen?! I ain’t payin’ that!”

Kumi: “Since yesterday, I’ve gone back and forth three times—four ri each way makes twelve ri total. My thighs’re crampin’ up.”
“There’s a bus right here and we ain’t even ridin’ it!”
“If the bus is passin’ through, we could’ve just told the village.”

Kasatarō: “You harlot!”
“You good-for-nothin’! Even now you’re pinchin’ pennies—you’re the spittin’ image of that old man Rokuheita!”
“Go home, damn it!”

“So now I’m your spitting image?”
(While saying this, Tsumagoi Rokuheita himself appeared from the right with a drunken expression.)
He wore a bowler hat and hakama trousers, but for some reason had hiked up both thigh sections of his hakama.
(Having grown tired of waiting, he seemed to have gone to a nearby tea shop for a quick drink) “ ‘Go home,’ you say?!”

Kasatarō: “Hah? …You too—go on home already.”

Rokuheita: “You’re tellin’ me to go home?”

Kasatarō: “Yeah, yeah. Since he ain’t shown after all this waitin’, somethin’ must’ve come up.”

Rokuheita: “You thinkin’ of headin’ back too?”

Kasatarō: “Since I’m here anyway, I’ll wait a spell longer. Why don’t you go on ahead? Shame you went wastin’ your coin like that.”

Rokuheita: “If you’re waitin’, then I’m waitin’ too. Couple drinks at Ōtaya’s won’t break me. C’mon now—damn Rokurō, pushin’ your luck like this. Ahh, I’m soused.”
(Kasatarō glared daggers at Rokuheita, face twitching with loathing.) “Hmph.”
“Ah, autumn’s come ‘round again.”
“Hey Rokurō—scoot over some.”
“Well now, Mr. Jinji sure makes folks sweat.”
“Wish he’d hurry back already.”
“Not even two full days, but this guy owes me two days’ wages at least.”
“Hahaha.”

“When he went off to Tokyo, they say he worked his way through night business school,”
“Then at that bank—started as a peon of course, but climbed step by step up the ladder.”
“Hah.”
“To begin with, this Mr. Jinji had always been different from other youngsters.”
“As his uncle, from those very days—”

Kasatarō: [Cutting in] “Beggin’ your pardon, Mr. District Chief—you claimin’ to be Jinji’s uncle now?”

“Well, I suppose you could say I’m something of an uncle.”
“Precisely. The aunt of his deceased mother was a cousin to my great-aunt.”
“As his uncle from way back, I’ve always thought this could turn into something with the right handling—”
“Pardon my interruption, but if you’re his uncle, then what does that make me?”

Rokuheita: "Huh?" (Having his story interrupted, he suddenly clammed up, looking the other man up and down as he glared.) "Hmm..."
(The two men glared at each other with venomous intensity. All the while, Rokurō remained fast asleep, and Kumi—having evidently grown bored of hearing her father and Rokuheita’s endless squabbles—had been nodding off since earlier.) (A brief pause.)

Rokuheita: "If I were the uncle, would you find that terribly inconvenient?"

Kasatarō: "...If I were the uncle, would there be some aspect of that arrangement that displeases you?"
(The very fact that their speech had grown more polite served as proof their emotions had soured to hostility—pause)

Rokuheita: ……Hah.
“Since I’m the District Chief here, when someone successful emerges from our district, it’s an honor—so welcoming them properly is only natural.”

Kasatarō: How utterly proper.
(Nearly spitting out the words like a curse) I may not share his blood, but I am his uncle—I am his uncle, and as his uncle, I must do right by him.
“As his uncle—”
(The two fell completely silent.)
The eyes that had been glaring at each other until now were averted by both, turned to look elsewhere—(pause)

Rokuheita: ...(cleared his throat, adopting a completely different tone) That two-tiered rice field beneath Takayama's woods being Tsumagoi's finest—every soul here knows that.
(abruptly changed tack) But three hundred ryō for registration fees—no wonder Mr. Shimeya of Takai’s dragging his feet.
"Hah."

Kasatarō: (veered off-topic himself) All this Shimeya talk—his whole estate’s mortgaged to the Agricultural-Industrial Bank, double-pledged to Tsukita’s grain dealer in Shinomachi too.
"Look within our circle—we’re all cut from the same cloth."
"Best keep your nose out of others’ affairs."
"Eh?"
"Hahaha."

Rokuheita (sharply turning to face him): “You dare mock me?!”
“That I’ve borrowed from Shimeya ain’t no lie!”
“But Shimeya’s lot tryin’ to drag this to court—when I’ve let three months’ fertilizer payments pile up and still owe fees from the land consolidation—that’s ’cause there’s greedy devils like Takayama and your sort, snappin’ at any decent field you smell!”

Kasatarō: What’re you callin’ hungry devils?! Hungry devils?!
“Well now, well now—the ones who owe you are honest folk.”
“Well now—if they pay up, that’d settle things, wouldn’t it?”
“Hmph, I’ll pay you back—but that’s a separate matter.”
"To begin with, we went without proper food to strike a deal with Takayama over the two-tiered rice field—a bloody—" (Before he can finish, Rokuheita suddenly stands up.)
Just then, a car horn blared from the distance, drawing closer.)

Rokuheita: “That blood—(looking toward the sound) Oh, it’s here!”
“This one’s coming from Shinomachi!”
(He abruptly cut off their quarrel just as it had begun and dashed off to the left.)
Kasatarō likewise ran after him and disappeared.
(The horn blared.) (Behind them, Kumi kept rowing the boat while Rokurō slept.) (Toyo emerged from the right holding a bundle.)
She strode briskly to the bridge leaning leftward, stopped, and stared intently at the mountain path she had taken.
With a sudden turn, she noticed the waiting shed, seemed abruptly overcome with fatigue, decided to rest there, and began trudging back toward it.

Toyo: “Oh, Kumi?”
“It’s Rokurō.”
She started to call out but reconsidered, remaining silent as she took the seat where Rokuheita had been sitting earlier.
Her face was beautiful but haggard from recent childbirth. (Pause)

Kumi let out a weary sigh.
Another drawn-out sigh escaped her lips as she yawned.
She stretched her right arm, scratched her elbow vigorously, and blinked awake. “Still not back, Father?”
“Huh?!”
“Oh... Toyo.”
“What’s wrong?”
“When did you get here?”

Toyo: “Just now.”
“My body’s not back to normal yet... though I’m not tired.”

“Did you walk?”

“Yeah. If I bought two Kondenmeruku, there’d be nothing left for the bus fare.”

“Did you leave the baby behind?”

“I left [the baby] with Granny from the Niike house... Mr. Jinji still hasn’t arrived?”

“So, so... You came out to welcome him too? None of your damn business.”

“No. I’m going somewhere far away.”

“Then how’d you know Mr. Jinji’s coming back?”

Toyo: “Even so, it’s become quite the talk of the village. Even if you stay silent, it reaches your ears.”
“And they say he’s made something of himself—returned a wealthy man in grand style, haven’t you heard?”
“…Mr. Jinji used to treat me kindly.”
“When we were small—he had no parents either, and I only had my mother.”

Kumi: “Hmm…” (suddenly smirking viciously) “Toyo—who’s the father of that baby you pushed out?”

Toyo… (Without answering, she stares hard at Kumi’s face before lowering her eyes.)

“Who is it? I said, who is it?”
“They say it’s the second young master of the Shimeya family in Takai Village.”
“There’s also a rumor it’s some Korean lumberyard idiot.”
“Why can’t you say?”
“Hmm, why can’t you say, Toyo?”
“Why huh?”

Toyo... raised her face and stared at Kumi. Her lip-bitten face looked ready to cry. But her voice came flat: "...Can't say."

Kumi snorted. "Hmm... Hmm. Right, right—don't talk to me anymore, Toyo." She smirked. "If the Virginity Association sees me chatting with you, they'll kick me out."

Toyo kept staring straight ahead as tears streamed down both eyes. "...You needn't worry about me speaking to you again."

(Pause)

(Rokuheita and Kasatarō returned dejectedly and without a word.)
(It was immediately apparent that the person they had been waiting for hadn’t arrived.)

Kasata... (stumbled on a rock, muttering under his breath)... “Damn it!”

Rokuheita: …(Unconsciously walked toward the waiting area and tried to sit in his former seat, then startled upon recognizing Toyo there) “Oh! It’s Saitō Toyo!”
(Toyo didn’t respond.) “…Toyo, why did you come here?”
(Even when addressed, Toyo remained silent, forgetting to reply as she stared fixedly at her interlocutor.)

“Huh? Toyo?!”
“Well, well—look who it is. Toyo.”
“No way! No way, I tell ya! Hey, Toyo!”
“You think a troublemaking girl like you has any right to say you’re here to welcome Jinji?!”
“Get out.”
“Yeah, get lost!”
“Even if it’s true you were childhood sweethearts or got engaged—that only counted back when you were still respectable!”
“You went and popped out some brat from who-knows-where—and now you’re waiting for Jinji, thinking you can spin some tale—”

Toyo: “Uncle Kasatarō... I didn’t come here to welcome him.”
“I’ll go to Shinomachi, board the train, and head toward Kubota Town.”
“I’m just resting because I’m worn out.”
With this, Kasatarō was silenced and fell as still as stone.

Rokuheita: “Hmm. So you’ve managed to arrange things with Kubota’s three trades—is that true?”
Toyo: “…Yeah.”

Rokuheita: “Did you leave the child at the branch house?”
“But you—can’t even pluck a shamisen. Call it licensed quarters work all you like—your prospects remain meager.”
“How pitiful.”

Toyo: “…Yeah… Doesn’t matter who did it—I’m selling myself.”

Rokuheita: “You’d fare better naming the baby’s father.”

Toyo: …Even with just the old woman and me hauling grass or raising silkworms, we couldn’t get by.
“And then…”
(A brief pause.)

Rokuheita: The whole thing probably doesn’t mean any harm—and as for that man himself, he likely didn’t have ill will either.
“You ought to discuss it with those involved.”
“Right then. Anyway, it’s hard on you after childbirth—ride the bus as far as Shino.”
“Here, I’ll pay your fare.”
“No need for formalities—take it.”

Toyo: “…Yeah.”
“I don’t need it.”

Kumi: “If you’d just taken it, that’d be one thing—after someone went to the trouble—”

Toyo: “I don’t need it.”

Kasatarō: “…Enough with your stubbornness—”

(Pause)

Kumi: “Ugh, it’s practically dark already.”

Kasatarō (abruptly turning to Rokuheita again): “District Chief, you should go on home now, y’hear?”

Rokuheita (flaring up again): “Now then—Takayama’s two-tiered rice field yields what we call three koku minus a bit here in our village, making it the most productive paddy around. If you think you’re the only one scheming for it, you’re sorely mistaken! One daughter with eight suitors—wait, was it seven?…” (Kumi giggled.)
(Rokuheita, having lost the thread of his own argument, bellowed with even greater force) “That’s what I said! I don’t know how much you’ve borrowed against Takayama, but I’m the one who’s lent you that much! Given that I myself can’t pay Somaya no matter what I do, and Somaya’s on the verge of dispersing—what kind of logic does that make?! Huh? Now then—the matter of where that two-tiered rice field’ll end up—”

Kasata: “You’re in the middle of speaking—you’re in the middle of speaking—”
(At that moment, an old man still in his work clothes emerged from the right side in an agitated half-run—drunk, his face as red as a boiled octopus with a hand towel tied around his head like a hood, gripping a large gleaming sickle in his right hand.)

“I ain’t lettin’ ya escape!”
“Damn you!”
“Just you wait!”
(While shouting this, he charged into the waiting area.)
Kumi (shouting): “Hey! Hey!”
(Thrusting his face into theirs, he peered at each of the five faces in turn.)
Finally peering at Rokurō’s sleeping face but finding no match: “Damn it! Where’d they go?!”
“Come out! Get out here!”
(Rushing outside) “This ain’t liquor made with koji stolen from others!”
“Mind yer own damn business!”
“Report us? What a joke!”
“Hmph! The bigwigs meddle, callin’ our one pleasure ‘illegal’?!”
“If I find ya, I’ll slit yer throat an’ watch ya bleed out!”
“You think there ain’t no grudges?!”
(After glancing shiftily left and right, he mimicked wild slashing with his sickle before darting off right.)

“Ain’t that… that person?!”

“He’s going on about liquor reports—don’t tell me the tax inspector’s actually come?” Rokuheita said.

“Hey! Tax inspector?” Kasatarō shouted.
Then—(his eyes blazing)

“That was definitely the tenant farmer from Nawate district of Takai Village.”
“But surely not—”

Kasata: Chiyotsukura! I came to ask—
(Begins heading to the right.
Just then, from the left came the sound of a car arriving and its horn.
Upon hearing this, Rokuheita starts heading in that direction.
Kasatarō, uncertain which way to go, paced four or five steps to the right, then three or four to the left in wavering indecision before finally breaking into a run after Rokuheita.

Abruptly from the corrugated iron came Kyūroku’s booming song.
Rokuheita and Kasatarō startled and stopped in their tracks.)

(Drunk and singing while dancing, Kyūroku emerged from the left.)
Since he carried a shoulder pole on his left shoulder with empty cocoon sacks tied to it, even when he danced, he merely raised his right hand and swayed his hips unsteadily.

Kyūroku: "Haaah—Dancin' fools! Non-dancin' fools! If we're all fools anyway, not dancin's how you lose out!"
"Hey, ho! Heave, ho!"
"Not dancin's how you lose out!"
"Hey, ho! Heave, ho!"
"Hey you! C'mon, play it! Play the harmonica already! Hey you! Paper-Screen Man!"
(He turned around and shouted.)
Looking, they saw a shabby kimono-clad man around thirty years old, carrying an infant on his back, emerging behind Kyūroku.
(Having been told by Kyūroku, "Hey you! Play it already!", he forced an awkward smile.) "Play it, you bastard!"
"Quit stallin' and play!"
(The man reluctantly blew two or three notes on the harmonica he held.)
(Kyūroku danced) "Ha! Heave-ho, heave-ho, heave-ho! The song leader child fell off the bridge—even while swept away, still leads the song! Ha! Heave-ho..."
"Hey! Why'd you stop playin'?"

Kamishibaiya (wearily): "This child will wake up and cry."

Kyūroku: “Never mind that! Never mind!”
“Ha! Heave-ho….”

Rokuheita: “Kyūroku, are you heading back now?”
“What grand prosperity!”

“Oh, District Chief, is it?”
“Prosperity? Now that’s prosperity! A grand boom!”
“The whole family worked day and night all summer without sleep on these silkworms—how much d’you think they’re worth?”
“Hmph! How much d’you think that is?”
“Hmph! A hefty sum of 14 ryō and 2 bu, I tell ya!”
“At the wholesalers’, the price was about to crash to one yen seventy sen—that’s why!”
“A hefty sum of 14 ryō and 2 bu!”
“How about that! I’m a big shot now, I tell ya!”

“Hah! So that’s how it’s come to this, huh?!”

“My mulberry fields alone cost me 10 ryō!”
“Hmph! Felt like cryin’, so I downed some doburoku instead!”
“What’s so bad about prosperity bein’ good?!”
“I’m a 14-ryō big shot now!”

Kasata: At my place too, I need to start dealing with the autumn silkworms quick.

Kyūroku: Hah! Ain't you old man Kasatarō?!
"Well? Has that rich Mr. Jinji come back yet?"
“If he comes back, you’re plannin’ to trap him good and squeeze out money for debts and that two-tiered field and whatnot—ain’t that your grand scheme? But you really think that’ll work out?”
“How ’bout it?”
"If your scheme works out, set up a bank. Huh!"
"And have 'em lend money freely without collateral."
“Do me this favor.”
“Tsumagoi Agricultural and Industrial Bank—that’s what they call it, got it?!”
“Long live the Tsumagoi Agricultural and Industrial Bank!”
“Long live!”
(Meanwhile, the kamishibai performer—who had initially been startled, then stood hesitantly surveying everyone—begins heading toward the waiting area to rest.)

“Kyūroku, did you come by bus from Shinomachi?”

“Who’d do that?! Even if you haggled till you’re blue beggin’ for half fare, they wouldn’t budge. I walked here, I tell ya! With this fella here, huh?” (searching for the man with his eyes, then grabbing the shoulder of the man who started walking) “Play it already, you!”

“I’m worn out.”

Kasata: "See any young fella lookin' like Jinji round Shinomachi?"

Kyūroku: "Dunno."
"The hell'd I know?"
"Hmph! Kasata - quit stretchin' that greed-skin o'yours so damn tight."
"What you're itch'n fer ain't Jinji - it's Jinji's coin-purse, ain't it?"

Kasata: "Damn fool!"

Kyūroku: “Hmph.”
“If that ain’t the case—even if it’s Jinji—no, even if it’s this guy here—the reason don’t matter a damn!”
“Hey you! Even if you’re just some kamishibai performer—you’re Jinji, ain’t ya? Ahahaha! Don’t matter a damn! C’mon, play that harmonica!”
“Play it already!”
(The man who’d been ordered [to play] had already slumped down heavily onto the embankment outside, since the waiting area was full.)
(Muttering “This is trouble…” under his breath, he reluctantly blew two or three notes on the harmonica) “Ah! Hey now! When silkworm prices drop, farmers’ eyes bulge out!” (Singing nonsense while pulling a battered silkworm bag over his head, he began dancing) “You ever seen such a dance before?!”
“Fools who sell silkworms, fools who don’t—if they’re both fools, better drink or you’ll lose out!”
“Hup! Heave-ho! Heave-ho, I say!”

“Oh my! Ahahahaha!”
“Hahaha!”

Female Conductor: “The Tsumagoi-bound bus is departin’ now!” (calling out while emerging from the left.)

(Coming onto the bridge) “Any passengers for the Tsumagoi-bound bus? Anyone?”
“Any passengers for the Tsumagoi-bound bus? Anyone?”
“Well, I never!”
(Noticing the figure dancing with a bag over his head, she waddled closer to look) “Well I never! It’s that old man from Shinomachi! The one who clung to our bus all the way here demanding half fare but wouldn’t ride in the end!”

Kyūroku: “The hell you say!”
(Poking his head out of the bag) “Hey, Miss Fancy Pants!”
“The nerve of you talkin’ spiteful like that!”
“It’s you, ain’t it?! The conductor who went all prim to Shinomachi with a red charm dangling under that damn sack-like uniform!”

“I hate this!”
“You idiot!”

“All aboard! The Tsumagoi-bound bus is departing—any passengers?”

“Father, let’s take the bus back.”

“What nonsense!” Kasata barked. “Conductor! There ain’t a soul ridin’!”
“Ain’t no way! Ain’t no way!”
“When we gotta go back, we’ll walk!”

The conductor clicked her tongue. “Buses run regular schedules for folks to ride, y’know.”
“Four runs since yesterday—not one passenger! Appallin’, I tell ya.”
“Keep this up, I’ll scrap the whole route!”
“Stingy bastard!”

Rokuheita cleared his throat. “Might I inquire—yesterday or today, any Western-suited passengers come from Shinomachi or Takai way?”

“Huh? Western clothes?”
“But he’s still a young man, right?”
“There was one today, just a short while back.”
“Wh-wh-what? There was one? From Shinomachi?”
“No, from Takai I tell ya—a thirty-four or five-year-old man wearin’ glasses with leather gaiters wrapped round his legs, wasn’t he?”
“Wh-wh-where’d that man get off?”
“Well, he got off at that pine tree inn over there. Asked where’s good to eat, so I told him Matsushimaya. He’s likely eatin’ there now.”

Kasata: “Hey! This won’t do!”
“C’mon! C’mon!” He began dashing out, then remembered Kumi and ran back to grab her hand and pull her along. “Come!”
“Come!”

Rokuheita dragged up Rokurō, who’d been similarly passed out: “Hey now, Roku!”
“Snap to it!”
He took the hand and started running.
By then Kasatarō already pulled Kumi’s hand and was about to cross the bridge on the left.

Female Conductor: “If you’re heading to Matsushimaya, turning left right there at the millet field’s quicker than takin’ the main road.”

Rokuheita: "Hey, move it!"
(He tried to run competitively, but Rokurō's sleep-addled body tangled their legs, sending them crashing down with a thud.)
Meanwhile, Rokurō waved his little flag frantically and charged toward the left shouting, "Banzai! Banzai!"
(Chasing after and seizing his arm to yank him back) "You bastard! Wrong damn way!"
(hauling Rokurō behind him as he crossed the bridge to the left and fled)

“Well I never! There they go!”
“Ain’t nothin’ like pigs’ stubby tails—they’ve gone and lit a fire under their stubs!”

Kyūroku: "Pigs or horses—who gives a shit—but their stumpy tails catchin' fire? That's the goddamn truth of it."
"Ahahaha!"
"Well then, best be headin' back."
"Heave-fuckin'-ho!"

“Not ridin’, you?”
(To the man)

“Not ridin’.”
“I’ll be here—”

Kyūroku: “You gonna give me a ride? For real, bitch?”

Female Conductor: “Well now—ain’t you the kamishibai man from Yunbe Shino’s festival?”

Kamishibaiya: “…You saw that?”
“Ah… ’s kinda embarrassin’.”

Female Conductor: “Was real good—I watched till the end and everythin’.”
“That Kutsukake Tokijirou bit—proper nice work.”
(In kamishibai voice) “Tarokichi! Damn right—I wanna meet ’im too… Have a word… That part there—real nice touch.”

“Thank you kindly,” said the kamishibai performer. “Still not much good at it, I’m afraid.”
“Off to perform again?” asked the conductor.
“Well… suppose so,” he replied.

Kyūroku: “Hey, you gonna let me on? For real, bitch? You gonna let me on?”

Female Conductor: “You... Disgusting! You damn pervert!”
(She slapped Kyūroku across the cheek once with her open hand, then stomped off to the left.)

Kyūroku: “Tatsu! Ahahaha!”
_Waaah! Waaah! Waaah!_
(Pretending to cry. However, tears were flowing) _Waaah!_
“Wait, you whore! I’m comin’ back, so wait!”
_Waaah!_ (Waving his hands wildly, he stagger-trotted leftward with dance-like gestures while singing and exiting) “Fools who sell their cocoons! Fools who don’t! If we’re all fools anyway, not drinkin’s what you’ll rue!...”

(Kamishibai to Toyo, left behind.)
For a while, both remained utterly still, not moving a muscle. ……Eventually, the kamishibaiya slowly stood up, glanced back, and entered the waiting room.

Kamishibaiya: "Oh, pardon me."
"Please let me rest."

Toyo: "Ah, please..."

(He sets up the kamishibai.

The kamishibaiya stared vacantly into space as if contemplating something deeply. A pause ensued.

“You oughta take that baby off your back,” Toyo said.
“...Must be uncomfortable like that.”

“Hmm... Well then,” he replied.
(He untied his sash and lowered the child from his back.
Toyo silently assisted him.)

“How many months is he?”
“About four months?”

“Hmm, he’ll be five months.”

(Placing the child on his lap, he sat down again.)
(Toyo also sat down in the previous spot.)

Toyo: My, he's sleeping soundly.
"...What's wrong with the child?"
(As if talking to herself)

Kamishibaiya: "...(still facing forward) My wife died on me."

Toyo: "Must be hard."

Kamishibaiya (as if forcibly damming the natural flow of his emotions): "...Hahaha. It's something, isn't it—when you go around seeing places like this, even in rural villages these days, life doesn't seem easy at all. I’d heard about it but never imagined it’d be this harsh."

Toyo: "Are you having trouble with breast milk?"

Kamishibaiya: "Rice crops are failing all over. Though even if they grew well, once prices drop, it all comes to nothing."

“How are you managing the breast milk?”

Kamishibaiya: "Huh?"
"Yes, I dissolve rice gruel and boil it."
"It's just... such a hassle every time."

Toyo: "What about sugar?"

Kamishibaiya: "Hmm, I add a little in."
"Well, seems it can't compare to breast milk after all - even at five months, he's still this tiny."
"Hah, being born has its pros and cons..." (Toyo suddenly stifles sobs and begins crying.)
She must have remembered the child she left behind.
(Startled, the kamishibaiya finally looks directly at Toyo) "What's wrong?"
"...What's happened...?"

(Pause... Toyo cries.)
(Finally stopping her tears, she lifts her face.)

“Forgive me.”
“It’s just... (smiles and looks up)”

Kamishibaiya: "...(standing) You...—?"

Toyo (wiping tears): "I'm not from Tsumagoi. Just going somewhere far from here... ended up remembering all sorts of things."
"...(uncomfortable under his earnest gaze) Truth be told, I... I also have a newborn baby..."

Kamishibaiya: "...That?"

Toyo: "I have no choice but to leave it behind.
"...There were times I thought about strangling the baby and dying myself.
"A child born into misfortune, but somehow still so dear.
"I've gone four, five days without sleep thinking it over.
"I keep telling myself—Toyo, will you kill the baby and die yourself, or become a prostitute in Kubota Town and raise the child…"

Kamishibaiya: ...Hmm.

Toyo: "They say being a prostitute's harder than dying. You fall sick quick."
(Her speech gradually turning into a soliloquy) If two can't live together, one's gotta die.
Wasn't like I wanted this child... But once born, so precious—even if I died, I'd want their limbs to grow strong.
What sense does that make?
Is God punishing us folks?
Is He laying down wrath?
Even sitting here... my breasts ache... we suffer.
That we love our children—maybe that's why punishment comes.

“...No punishment... What about the child’s father?”

Toyo... (stood abruptly and stared at him.)
Resentment that suddenly welled up at the mention of "father" was evident on her face.
(She had been staring intently at him, but upon seeing no trace of sarcasm in his demeanor, snapped back to herself and laughed.) "...Hahaha—you aren't from the village, are you?"
"If you were from the village, you wouldn't seriously ask me such things."
"Hah."
"...Kept sweet-talking me—saying he'd send money for my keep and make me his wife someday..."
"And... and... I..."

Kamishibai...?

Toyo (in a strained voice): “It didn’t matter what—I just wanted someone who’d care for me.”
“I was lonely.”
“Then when someone spoke kindly to me, I got swept up in it.”
“Since I was little, I’d never been shown love.”
“I was lonely.”
“Ah...”
“...There was just one person long ago who cared for me.”
“On his way home from school, he’d pick akebi berries and put them in my mouth.”
“I don’t know how he felt—I meant to become his bride.”
“They say he’s made something of himself in Tokyo... Even if he hadn’t, with things as they are now... It’s hopeless.”
“Hopeless.”
“Ah... hopeless.”
(She abruptly falls silent.)
(The kamishibaiya tries to speak but can’t, remaining silent too.)

(From not too far away at Ōtaya, the voice of Takai Village's drunken old man could be heard, shouting and singing after drinking sake.)

Toyo... (coming back to her senses, suddenly shifts her demeanor.
(feeling somewhat awkward) “Ah, did I blabber on like that?”
“Hahaha, here I am cornering you like this when we’ve only just met, sir.”
“Hah.”
“But since it’s you, sir, you listened.”
“None of the village people will even speak to me, you see.”
“That guy... Talking about that guy and everything weighing on my chest has somehow refreshed me—I feel like I’ve got my energy back.”
“Since today’s the day I’m leaving the village, please bear with me, will you?”

“Oh, there’s no such thing…”
“Though I may be overstepping—if you were to tell the villagers about that man who’s the father, confront him directly too, and have them let you build a proper life here in the village—”

“The other party’s the son of a wealthy family. He’s got no intention of making me his bride anyway.”
“They’re already arranging his marriage elsewhere.”
“‘If things stay like this, my family’s estate’ll get divided up anyway—so even though I hate doing it, I’ve got to marry Shino’s grain merchant’s daughter for her dowry money. If your situation gets exposed, everything’ll be ruined—please help me by not telling anyone about us…’ That’s what he said while bowing and crying to me.”
“...Even if he bows to me, my body won’t return to how it was.”
“...But even if I were to expose this to the world and put that man in a bind, my body still wouldn’t return to how it was—it’s all the same anyway.”
“Hahaha, it makes no difference to me.”
“I ended up sayin’ yes to ’em.”
“Hah.”
“I’ve had this stubborn streak since I was little—better to be torn apart than live easy clinging to others’ pity.”
“I’m goin’ to Kubota with that resolve too.”
“Ha ha ha.”

“...Torn apart... you mean?”
“That’s... something else.”
“If I wanna go there myself...”

“I was just talking about myself, but you, sir, with your kamishibai or whatever it is—”

“Ha ha, oh, it’s nothing really.”
“I can’t even understand my own feelings.”
“It’s not a real business.”
“I started doing it because wandering around suited me.”
“I don’t know what to do.”
“Until half a year ago, I had proper work and steady income.”
“There was this slip-up—see, I lent ten yen to a man I knew.”
“He was an office worker at a munitions factory, but they say he was a Red.”
“Well, the police let me go right away, but at the company there was no arguing—they fired me, my wife got sick, she had this child, then died soon after.”
“I ended up spacing out, you see.”
“It’s not that I’m sad—maybe not torn eight ways, but split four at least. My backbone’s gone soft.”
“I was never a man with much spine to begin with.”
“So I got yanked hard once, and well... here I am like this.”
“Ha ha ha! Even if you work yourself raw, nothing’ll come of it anyway—I mean, ha ha ha!”
“Of course, whether I want work here or not—in this unemployment hellscape, being a single father with Red suspicions hanging over me—nobody’ll hire me anywhere.”
“Ha ha! So here I am with no travel money either, not even caring about myself, just like this—” (He notices the harmonica he’d been holding and starts playing it.)

Toyo: “Oh!”
“Hah.”

(In character voice) “In my hometown of Kutsuwake-juku, gazing upon autumn fields stretching far and wide—‘Don’t cry, don’t cry, Tarokichi!’—while Tokijirou hurries onward without pause, and so it goes.”
“Hahahaha, hahahaha!”

“Hahaha, hah! Aren’t you just so carefree!”

“Carefree! Hahahaha, carefree! Hahahaha!”
(He burst into roaring laughter, but his face looked on the verge of tears.)

(From the left, a man in Western clothes and gaiters stomped out, picking at his teeth with a toothpick.)
He stopped once on the bridge, took out his pocket watch to check it, then looked at the sun, muttered something under his breath, and headed toward the waiting area.
(Staring at the two inside)

Man in Western Clothes: “…You all heading to Tsumagoi too?”

Kamishibaiya: (Wiping tears with his finger) “Huh?”
“No.”

Man in Western Clothes: “The Tsumagoi-bound bus should depart once more, correct?”

Kamishibaiya: “Well…”
(To Toyo) “Are you leaving?”

Toyo: “Hmm, the five o’clock one departs.”
(To Kamishibaiya) “Where’re you headed?”

Kamishibaiya: “Hmm, well… Tsumagoi—they say there’s a festival in Takai village.”
“Yes, I’ll go to Takai.”

Toyo: “If it’s festival time, then tonight’s the eve celebration at Tsumagoi’s Yakushi Shrine, you know.”

“No—I’m going to Takai.”

“It’s already half past five.”
“This unreliable timing won’t do.”
“Is waiting here acceptable?”

“The five o’clock Tsumagoi-bound bus—if there’s not a single passenger, they sometimes cancel it. So if you mean to go, you must notify the lower garage first—otherwise it won’t depart.”

“Oh no! This won’t do.”
“This won’t do at all!”
(He hurriedly started heading toward the left)

(At that moment, Rokuheita, Kasatarō, Kumi, and Rokurō came scrambling out from the left in a panic.
They collided head-on with the Man in Western Clothes.)

Rokuheita: (Gasping for breath while scrutinizing the man) Hah... So this means... Hah... It's him! It's him!
"We took a shortcut and almost missed you!"

Kasatarō: Th-This...!
"Look how distinguished you've become, Jinji!"
"Even face-to-face like this, I'd never recognize you as Jinji!"
"Ho!"
"So distinguished! So distinguished!"
"Jinji!"

Rokuheita: (defiantly) Hah, how splendid!
“You’ve made it big, haven’t you!”
“Jinji-kun! I’m your uncle Rokuheita!”
“See here! You’re Mr. Henmi Jinji!”
“Banzai! Banzai!”

Rokurō: Banzai!
Rokurō: “Banzai!”

Kasata: Jinji! Quit dawdling around!
“I’m your uncle Kasatarō!”
“Thank goodness, thank goodness! I—I can’t even say how happy I am!”
“Hey, Kumi! Get over here!”
“Quit acting shy around him!”
“There! This here’s Jinji himself!”
“Ha ha ha ha! Jinji! This here’s Kumi.”
“Take a look at her!”
“Ha ha ha.”

Rokuheita: “Why, when it comes to Tsumagoi’s honor—”

Kasatarō: “For the Henmi family to rise this high—”

Man in Western Clothes: (shaking off clinging hands, stepping back, surveying the scene in bewilderment) “...What’s all this commotion?”
“Such a racket—”

Kasatarō: “Haah! I’m so happy—so happy—been standin’ here since yesterday waitin’ to welcome you!”
“Ha ha ha! Well ain’t this grand!”

Rokuheita: “What a magnificent success!”
“I been plannin’ since yesterday to give you a proper welcome too, ha ha!”

“Welcome me—?”

(From behind the corrugated iron on the right came the old man from Takai they’d seen earlier—clearly having drunk more liquor, now dead drunk—swinging a sickle wildly as he staggered forward)

Old Man: (bellowing) “Tax inspector’s here! What’s this?!”
“Damn you!”
“You think folks got any reason to hate me? They don’t!”
“I’ll rip you to shreds! Get out here!”
“Show yourself!”
“Where’d you slink off to?!”
“What’s wrong with brewin’ unrefined sake with my own hands and my own damn rice?!”
(Suddenly grabbed Kumi’s shoulder)

**Kumi:** “Aah!”

“Aah! It’s you!”
“Bring ’em out! You bastard—bring out the tax inspector! I’ll kill ya!”

“Oh—you’re Matsukawa from earlier, aren’t you?”
“Kill me, you say?”

“Oh, I’ll kill you for sure…” (He brought his drunken eyes close to examine the man) “Huh?! It’s you!”
“Huh?!”

(All his earlier vigor gone, he collapsed shakily to the ground.)

“What is it?”
“What remarkable vigor!”

“W-w-well... N-no, no... I-I just thought to ask a favor ’n came chasin’ after you, sir.”
“It’s my fault, all my fault—so please, don’t go reportin’ me this time. Forgive me, I beg ya!”
“Just like I said, just like I said!”

(clasps his hands together in supplication)

Man in Western Clothes: (laughing) Killing people won't do.
"The one who did wrong is you."
“Ha ha.”
“Just this once, just this once—and wouldn’t this make it your third time already?”
“If you tell me you can’t even pay the fine, I do sympathize with your circumstances—but now that I’m aware of it, there’s nothing to be done.”

“That part there—it’s just like this!”
“It’s just like this!”
Rokuheita and Kasatarō—now realizing this wasn’t the Jinji they’d waited for—deflated all at once like spinach doused in salt.
Kumi and Rokurō gaped in astonishment at the old man sitting on the ground bowing fervently.
Toyo at the waiting area and the kamishibai performer peered in too.

“I can’t stay like this.”
“I must hurry.”

(He quickly crossed the bridge and disappeared to the left.)

Old Man: “It’s just like this!”
(Chasing after him) “If I have to pay this fine, I’ll even have to sell the cow.”
“I can’t make ends meet.”
“Even without that, there’s no money to buy rice—that’s why I’m in such a bind.”
“Please. I beg you.”
“Please—” (exits to the left)

(Pause)

(Four people stood dazed, without even the energy to speak.)
Rokuheita staggered toward the waiting area to rest.)

“Haah... Agh!”
“...Still here... Toyo?”

Toyo: "Yes, I'll be leavin' right away."
(Kumi burst into quiet sobs.)
(Sound of a car from the left.)

Kasatarō: (Having lost even the will to scold them, he stared blankly downward—then flinched at the horn's blast) "...Hah... Where could the tax inspector be goin', District Chief?"

Rokuheita: "How should I know?...Jinji ain't comin'."

Toyo: "The man from earlier said he was goin' to Tsumagoi and boarded the bus."

Kasatarō: "Brother!! Tsumagoi?!"

Rokuheita: "Got it!"
"Hey! That won't do!"
(They exchange looks) "Hey! If we don't hurry, we're done for!"
(The two men suddenly break into a run.)

Kasatarō: “Come on, Kumi!”

Kumi: (between sobs) “If it’s not by bus, I won’t go.”

Kasatarō: “Gotta get there before that big shot does.”
Kasatarō: “You think we can sit around waitin’ for the damn bus?!”
Kasatarō: “We’re runnin’!”
(grabbed Kumi’s hand and started running)

Kumi: “What?!”
“And what about Mr. Jinji?!”

Kasatarō: “Jinji’s tomorrow again! Come on!”
(Just then, Rokuheita—who had been silently pulling Rokurō along as he ran—collided with them.) Thud!
(In confusion) “District Chief, you—go on home first! It’s pitiful!”

Rokuheita: “How dare you mention the Two-tiered field...!” (nearly bared his teeth to attack but abruptly stopped) “I ain’t goin’ home yet, damn you!”
“You damn fool!”
“Come on, Rokurō!”
(He grabbed Rokurō’s arm and ran off to the left.)
Likewise, Kasatarō dashed away, pulling along Kumi, who had finally burst into loud sobs.

Kamishibaiya: ...(He had come outside the waiting area in surprise but watched the four depart in dismay)... “Ha ha ha ha ha ha!”
“Ha ha!”

Toyo: “Ha!”
“Hah.”

When the two naturally stopped laughing, the surroundings suddenly became quiet. The silence felt all the more desolate after their laughter had faded, and the kamishibai performer, still holding the child, began to reenter the waiting area.

(Pause)

Toyo: “...Oh... You still ain’t leavin’?”

“And you?”
“I suppose I should get going.”

“You said Kubota, right?”

“At Kubota’s three licensed trades—the tea house Aoyagi, they call it. Officially, they say it’s go-between work.”
“My name’s Toyo.”
“If you’re ever passing through, drop in.”

“...Aoyagi.”
“...So then... how much in total?”

“The advance is 200 yen... My take-home’s 110.”
“But if I put that toward the debt from Shin’ya’s rented house, there wouldn’t be a single sen left—it still wouldn’t be enough.”
“I have to earn the baby’s support money over there and send it back.”
“But even if they thought I was dead like that... it ain’t so.”
“I’ll do it.”

Kamishibaiya: “When you die, hold onto that hair and die.”
“Wife—” (his eyes fixed straight ahead)

Toyo: “Huh? Is that...?”

Kamishibaiya: “No—this is a line from the play.”

(The infant, who had been squirming restlessly in the man’s arms for some time now, burst into tears.)

Toyo: “Ah, he’s started crying.”

Kamishibaiya: “There, there. Hungry?”
“There, there.”

Toyo: “I’ll nurse him. They’ve been swollen since earlier.”
“Here.” (She took the infant into her arms.)

Kamishibaiya: “I’m sorry about this.”

Toyo (exposing her round breast without hesitation to let the infant suckle): “Oh my—clinging on so fiercely.”
(The kamishibaiya trudged outside and stood facing the cliff absentmindedly.) "...Ah... Back in Tsumagoi, my baby must be crying too."

(Pause) — (Atop the cliff, the streetlamp’s bare bulb snapped on.)
(As was common in mountain regions, evening darkness suddenly descended.)

Toyo: "...Oh... The light’s come on."

(Pause) — (The kamishibai performer peered through the glass at Toyo nursing.)
(His face turned pale and his entire body began trembling violently.) (In the distance, a drowsy automobile horn sounded.)

Toyo: "Huh... Is it done already?"
"Oh, once he finishes drinkin', he's fast asleep right away."
"This should do."
"Well now, you there—what's wrong with you?"

Kamishibaiya (with trembling palms frantically rubbing his face): "It is Atsushi."
"I am Tokujirou the Traveler of Shinshu."
"I did step out once, but that child's cryin' kept clingin' to my ears... Ha ha ha... Well, that's how it goes."
"Ha ha ha—" (laughing as he entered) "Thank you for this."
(Took the infant)

“You cold or somethin’? Tremblin’ so bad.”

“No, it’s nothing.”
“But you’re trembling something fierce.”
“Nothing.” He attempted a laugh—but his clenched teeth wouldn’t allow it— “Ughm.”
“Right... It must be the cold, though.”
“This area turns bitter cold once the sun drops.”

“N-no, it’s nothing!”
(Teeth chattering)

“You mustn’t overdo it.”
“If you were to get sick, the poor baby would suffer.”

“...Thankful... so thankful...” ...“Let suffering remain suffering”—he began muttering something incomprehensible but abruptly snapped back—“...You—wouldn’t nightfall trouble you?”

“Oh, it’s all downhill from here.”

(From the left came the female conductor’s voice)

Voice: “Ayyy! Shino-bound! Any passengers for Shino—?”
“Last Shino-bound bus ’ere!”
“Shino-bound! Any takers?!” (A car horn blared)

Kamishibaiya: “Ah—you should ride that one.”
“Go on now.”

Toyo: “I’ll walk.”
“Ain’t got the fare.”

Kamishibaiya: “I do.”
“Thirty sen.”
“Here.”

Toyo: ...(She silently studied him before meeting his gaze directly)... “I’ll take it.”
“Thank ya kindly.”
“What ’bout you?”

Kamishibaiya: I'm Takai.
“From there, I’ll work steadily and earn enough, then try going back to Tokyo once.”
"...Aoyagi from Kubota-cho, wasn't it?"

“Oh, please take care of yourself,” said Toyo.
(Tearing up, she reached out her hand.)

Kamishibaiya avoided her touch and stepped back two paces. “Hurry now or you’ll miss it.”

(Toyo resolutely exited the waiting room and headed left, walking briskly.)
(She stopped once on the bridge, stood there in her tracks lost in thought, then abruptly turned back—but finding nothing left to say, walked briskly leftward again and disappeared)

(The kamishibaiya silently watched her leave.)

Kamishibaiya: "...Toyo...?"
Hmph... (pause)... Two hundred yen, huh... (With his left hand, he mimicked the car’s rumble and horn.)
The kamishibai performer wrapped the sleeping child around his back and bound them tightly with his obi.
With a clang, the harmonica fell.
(Picking it up) Ha... ha... ha...!
"Fine then!"
"Ah!"
"Is it nightfall?"
"It feels like morning… but…."

(In performative voice) “Come on, boy, let’s go!” (exits outside) “Boy, our familiar haunt’s right over there!”
(Standing at the cliff’s edge, staring intently at the mountains where dusk falls) The inn of deep familiarity... (He tries playing the harmonica.
He plays for a while, then abruptly stops mid-note. His eyes fixate blankly before crunching the harmonica between his teeth.
(His gums split and bleed slightly) Damn it! Idiot!
(With that declaration, he hurls the harmonica at the waiting room with full force.
The harmonica strikes the window glass—clang-clang-clang!—shattering it completely.) ...Hahaha! Perfect!
“Farewell then!”
(Leaves the cliff’s edge and strides briskly toward the right)