Ruri Pilgrim - Fish of the Seto Inland Sea

‘Tagawa-ya san is saying that their son is coming home from Tokyo next month, and then we will know when to get together,’ was the message.

‘We’d better visit Mrs Kawamatsu with some presents,’ Ayako said to Kei, referring to the go-between friend. ‘She has been coming and going between our houses for some time.’

‘When all is formalised, we will give her proper presents. For the moment, you will go to her taking perhaps a bottle of saké and a box of cake,’ Kei suggested.

Another month had passed without further news. One day, Mrs Kawamatsu finally returned but when they saw her, they knew the news was not good before anything was said.

After an exchange of seasonal greetings, the visitor said, ‘I will not beat about the bush. I will be straightforward and say I come to apologise today. Tagawa-ya san is so embarrassed and angry as well.’

Tagawa-ya’s son had already met someone whom he intended to marry, but knowing how his family would react, he had been waiting for a good opportunity to tell them. The young lady was the daughter of his landlady.

‘After all, he is a well brought up young man and does not know what people are really like. That crafty landlady must have tricked him. The whole Tagawa family is upset. Tagawa-ya san is very angry and he is saying he will disinherit the son. Certainly Tagawa-ya san will not give him permission to marry this young lady in Tokyo. They don’t know anything about her family, of course. Tokyo women are so dangerous.’

She leant forward and lowered her voice. ‘Apparently women dance with men. Would you believe such disgraceful behaviour? Of course, for a young man from the countryside, there must be so much temptation.’

After the friend left with lots of apologies and stories of orgies going on in the capital, Kei and Ayako each let out a deep sigh. The rumour had already spread that Dr Shirai’s granddaughter was marrying Tagawa-ya’s son, and they had not bothered to deny it.

Once Tei-ichi had become enthusiastic, the whole family began to believe that it was a most desirable marriage.

‘Never mind. There will be better proposals. We might be thankful in the end.’ Kei tried but could not help feeling humiliated. ‘It’s Tagawa-ya’s fault,’ she said. While there was a prospect of the Tagawa family becoming her relations, she called them Tagawa san or Tagawa-ya san when referring to the shop, but now she put them down as Tagawa-ya. ‘They should control their son. Yasuharu san would never be trapped by women in Tokyo. Look at Shintaro san, too.’ Then she declared with dignity, ‘We are glad that we do not have to marry our Takeko to such a feeble-minded merchant’s family.’

In November another proposal came. It was from a rich landowner’s family in Kyushu, and Tei-ichi said, ‘This is a proposal from far away.’

There had been a lull since Tagawa-ya, and both Kei and Ayako were on the point of giving up the idea of getting the marriage settled within a year.

‘In this day and age, when people are going abroad, Kyushu is just next door,’ Kei said, and Ayako came round to agreeing, though she still regretted the abortive liaison with Tagawa-ya.

‘The father of the bridegroom-to-be died several years ago, and the young man is the head of the family now,’ they were told. ‘That is why he has remained a bachelor until the age of thirty. He is a hard-working man and liked by everybody in the area. He is introducing improved rice varieties and organising a cooperative.’

‘I think he is an ideal man.’ Tei-ichi was pleased but Kei insisted that they find out more about the family.

The mutual acquaintance came back and said, ‘The bridegroom’s side wants everything settled as soon as possible. There could be an unexpected hindrance if the negotiations are prolonged. Why don’t you say yes first and then sort things out. The bridegroom-to-be is saying that any time you are ready, he will come and meet your family. He is very enthusiastic.’

‘We can’t say yes without knowing whether this man has brothers and sisters, or other details about him,’ Kei said, and Tei-ichi sent someone to find out about him. As it was already the beginning of December, the settlement would be in the new year, no matter how much they hurried.

‘Do you think she’ll marry this time?’ Sachiko asked Haruko. They had not been told about the negotiations with Tagawa-ya’s son but knew everything that was going on.

‘Why does he want to get a wife from so far away, that’s what I’d like to know,’ Haruko said precociously, and added, imitating Kei’s tone, ‘Aren’t there any women in Kyushu?’

‘Oh, Haruko nesan,’ Sachiko giggled. ‘But it’s funny that they want to hurry so much, don’t you think? He has waited for so long to get married.’

Early in the new year, Tei-ichi received a letter from a friend in Kyushu, whom he had asked to find out about the family of the bridegroom-to-be.

Dear Dr Shirai,

New Year’s greetings to you. May I use this opportunity to wish you and your family a very happy and prosperous year. It has been a long time since I last saw you and it has always been in my mind that I must write and thank you for all the advice and help you have given me. Thanks to you, we have been able to expand our pharmaceutical business and we are doing very well. I would like to visit you soon and tell you all about it.

As for what you asked me to find out, the family is certainly well off and respected and there is nothing negative to report about the person himself. But I regret to say that he has a sister who is confined to the house and nobody has seen her for a long time. According to the tradesmen and servants, she was born deformed and seems to have the intelligence of a three-year-old. There is another similar case in one of his aunts, I was told.

The young man himself is very popular and I do not want to destroy his chances of happiness but on the other hand I have to inform you of the facts.

If there is anything further that you want me to do, please do not hesitate to ask me. I hope to see you soon, but meanwhile I wish your granddaughter the happiness she deserves.

‘I wonder if there is something wrong with us,’ Ayako asked. ‘Why do all the proposals turn out to be inappropriate?’

‘It is quite usual for marriages to come up against a lot of problems. Most old families have a skeleton or two in the cupboard,’ Kei said. In fact, both of them were in a way relieved that Takeko did not have to live far away.

After this the marriage proposals came to a standstill and several months passed. Takeko was eighteen. Both Kei and Ayako were worried and there were new reasons for wanting to hurry Takeko’s marriage.

Haruko came home one day and asked if she could take the entrance examination for the Women’s Medical College in Tokyo. She had found out about fees in detail.

‘Please, if I could use the money that you reserved for my marriage, I would go and live with Yasu ojisama. Then it will not cost much. I will be able to work as their maid.’

‘Where did you get such an idea? Of course not! A woman doctor? It’s so indecent.’

‘Okahsan, it is more indecent to go and ask a man doctor to look at you.’

‘Haruko san, I don’t want to hear you say such a thing.’

After a few days Haruko came home from school and said that if she was not allowed to go to the Women’s Medical College, she would like to go to the Women’s Teaching College for Higher Education in Nara.