My Father's Favorite Drama is Mito Komon
To think that the topic of a pinwheel would remind me of Yashichi the Pinwheel.
If I had been a more charming woman,
I might have shared warm stories about a pinwheel I got at a festival,
or talked about how the windmills towering on the ground generate wind power,
blending intelligence with a sense of comfort.
Yashichi the Pinwheel is a ninja who appears in the drama 'Mito Komon',
serving the role of supporting the Komon party from the shadows,
risking his own body to protect them from the henchmen of corrupt officials.
In his later years, my father loved the reruns of
Mito Komon that aired at 4:00 PM every evening.
Whenever the signature inro case appeared,
he would let out a happy 'Ooh!'
When he was healthy, he never paid any attention to 'Mito Komon',
living for his hobbies like making fishing rigs in the living room
or reading books; it was as if he only needed his hobbies and my mother.
Having watched this for 18 years,
I was surprised by the change in my father when I returned to my parents' home.
Because of a cerebral infarction, he was paralyzed on one side and couldn't fish or paint.
Even so, I was bewildered by how he would express his utter disappointment with his whole body
if 'Mito Komon' wasn't on during the weekends.
Come to think of it, I don't remember the stories of 'Mito Komon',
only vaguely that it's about good triumphing over evil.
When my father's posture would collapse while sitting in his wheelchair or floor chair,
I would straighten him up,
and when he drooled, I would wipe it with a towel.
Even though I can easily picture his distorted profile.
When my father gave the pre-arranged hand signal that he needed to use the bathroom,
the portable toilet with wheels was heavy,
so I would place the portable toilet next to his wheelchair
and move him from the wheelchair to the toilet.
A 178-centimeter-tall man would put his weight on me,
his eyes never leaving 'Mito Komon'.
While my shoulder got wet with my father's drool,
I would pull down his pants and diaper to seat him on the toilet.
'I wish you would just do it in your diaper.'
The evil deeds of the corrupt official and Echigoya (hypothetically) are brought to light.
Suke-san and Kaku-san storm the mansion with the retired lord.
Somehow, those voices come from the TV.
My father raises his voice in excitement.
'Father, let's focus on the toilet.'
My father wouldn't even look at me.
Caregiving, and family, are like Yashichi the Pinwheel.
And it doesn't feel as clean-cut as good triumphing over evil.
Supporting from the shadows, the shadows, the shadows,
clutching my head at unreasonable demands,
being in a position to reach out before a crisis happens,
while living days where I'm so numb I don't even know what fatigue is.
How did this experience affect me?
Just that 'I lost my father early'.
My mother, my younger brother, and I live in windless days.
It has become natural for there to be neither waves nor wind.
Is 'Mito Komon' still being broadcast today?
Which actor
is playing Yashichi the Pinwheel?
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