Kenzaburo Oe - Somersault

Ikuo bowed his large head, the shadows of the setting sun etching the tension on his darkly chiseled face. Very slowly he opened his mouth, only to say a few words. "I'm not planning anything with the Fireflies."

"We don't know what Patron's planning," Dancer shot back, "so we need to stay receptive, right?"

"That's right," Ikuo said.

"But you have found out more than anyone else about the Technicians and the Quiet Women. And you've been giving a lot of thought about how to deal with them, correct? I only hope you're not thinking of some stupid plan such as throwing your weight behind one side, or getting the two powers to compromise their positions. That's why I'm talking about your plans. I'm only going to say this once. That's where we stand."

Dancer's lips were slightly open in her flushed face. Ogi was silent, but his expression showed he agreed. Kizu was impressed by Dancer's frankness, though he detected a hole in her logic.

"I understand Dancer's intention of supporting Ikuo without taking sides with either the Technicians or the Quiet Women," Kizu said. "And I'm sure Ikuo is encouraged by this. But what would you do if, say, Patron agrees with one of these sects and throws his support behind them?"

Ikuo glared at Kizu, his eyes fairly burning. "You really think that's why he proclaimed his Church of the New Man?" Ikuo asked.

Just then Dr. Koga came in, banging the door shut behind him. While this conversation had been going on, the breeze from the lake had grown chilly, so Ogi went over to close the oblong windows. The windows weren't latched, so they each made two separate sounds as they shut, making a nice airtight seal.

In his usual youthful way Dr. Koga was wearing a T-shirt, one of the shirts Mayumi made to sell at the summer conference that had a print on it of Kizu's sketch in red and yellow of the wound in Patron's side. Dr. Koga strode right over to the painting on the wall, looked up at it, and then turned to express congratulations to the artist.

"It's amazing how well you were able to complete it, even though you're still recovering. I noticed the Technicians had a satisfied look on their faces after they helped hang it up."

"Every time they set up some new equipment somewhere-be it the Hollow or the Farm-they think they're racking up points, don't they?"

Dancer's face was still flushed, but her voice was calm. "It makes me wonder whether they think they can take charge of everything. "

"It's the democratic way, though, isn't it, for people to step to the plate and take responsibility?" Dr. Koga said, parrying her remarks. "And you have to admit it's nice they're happy about it. Professor Kizu, I'm not up on art very much, but isn't this a rather ambiguous design?"

"Before we hung it on the wall, Mrs. Shigeno and Ms. Takada came to see it," Ikuo said. "The Quiet Women seem rather cautious in giving their opinion."

"What about Patron?'

"When he went to the studio to see it before it was completed," Dancer replied, "he said that the painting is the starting point of how we're going to create the Church of the New Man."

"Before long we'll need to have you paint another triptych for this wall, Professor," Dr. Koga said. "One that looks back happily on how the Church of the New Man was built."

"You're pretty optimistic sometimes, aren't you, Doctor?" was all Kizu could say.

"I don't know, it just makes me excited seeing people get together like this and get going," Dr. Koga said. "The enthusiasm of the religious/social movement we had at the research institute is still with me, I suppose. I know this is the exact opposite, though-I guess I was brainwashed in Izu."

"What you're saying is that Guide was quite the educator," Kizu said.

"He certainly was. But don't forget Patron's role. Sometimes he looks like he's not doing anything, but don't be fooled into thinking he's passive.

Even now that's true, right, Ikuo? In your own preparations for the summer conference, and in what the Technicians and the Quiet Women are doing, you're all working together for Patron's new church, aren't you?"

"For me, too, everything depends on how Patron wants things to de- velop," Ikuo said, sounding much older than Dr. Koga.

"I'm sure Patron has an idea of how the Technicians and Quiet Women should fit in and what roles they should play, but I'll have to admit that when I compare those two sects there're some things I just don't understand,"

Dr. Koga said. "What do you think about the secrecy the Quiet Women have in regards to the Technicians? I don't want to be one-sided in my criticism here, though; the Technicians have been having their own closed meetings to decide what tack they're going to take."

"Since last week Ms. Oyama has asked me not to attend the Quiet Women's prayer meetings," Ikuo said. "Including playing the piano. I find it encouraging, though, to see how excited they are about the conference. The Quiet Women want to meet the whole lot coming from the Kansai headquar- ters only after they're good and ready. But isn't that a natural attitude to take?

The Technicians feel the same way."

"Along with your overall preparations for the conference, I imagine that you and the Fireflies are laying out some plans of your own? " Dr. Koga asked.

"Still, I'd have to say you've been dealing fairly with both the Quiet Women and the Technicians. The Technicians trust you, at least."

"The Quiet Women trust him, too-according to Ms. Tachibana,"

Dancer put in.

"That being the case, I hope you'll reveal all the information you get to us," Dr. Koga said. "How about it, Professor Kizu? Apart from any sects in the church, wouldn't you say older fellows like us are the church elders? Not that we'll be doing anything unilateral either. We'll clear everything with the office first, of course."

"That's what I'm hoping for," Kizu replied, and then asked, "I was wondering, when you're treating Patron does he talk about whether he sees the Fireflies as-to use your terminology-a third sect in the church?"

"I think the Somersault is still critical to Patron," Dr. Koga said. "On principle he's doesn't want to undo his previous apostasy by apostatizing again.

Which means his stance toward building this new church should be quite simple, shouldn't it? This new church will be a church of the Christian God- the-Father, right? With Patron insisting he's an antichrist, there's really no outward position for him in the church.

"In building up this Church of the New Man, he's resigned to the fact that he himself is an Old Man. So for him it's actually a positive sign for the church to be run by many different sects. Competition between different sects will help it develop into a multifaceted entity. He'll be watching all this from the sidelines, but not taking a leadership role.

"Getting back to your question, Patron told me that when he and Ikuo talked, Ikuo came to an understanding of Patron's position and said he'll support Patron's relativistic way of doing things while they build up the new church. Patron told me, quite happily, that Ikuo said he wants to work so Patron can be unencumbered."

"I don't remember being so high-and-mighty in the way I phrased it,"

Ikuo said, "but basically that's what I said. I've wanted to speak with Patron for a long time, so I spoke directly to him. I have no doubt whatsoever that he was in face-to-face communication with something very special-God, if you will. I only met Patron for the first time after the Somersault, but I leel more and more sure of this every time I talk with him. But he ended up making a fool of this very transcendental partner he was so deeply tied to. And now he's building a new church, without having erased the Somersault, and I find that intriguing. So people could understand where's he coming from, he gave himself the title of antichrist. It's a refreshing attitude.