Showa, Men Had It Tough Too 23 Mothers Are Not Just Kind...④

(Continuing directly from “Mothers are not just kind...”③)
①, ②, ③, as shown, Tsugio (my father) was inseparable from his mother, Haru (my grandmother), when he was a young boy. His mother was not only kind but also literate, making her an object of respect. As mentioned in "

11 Family (Mother)," Haru dropped out of elementary school. Of course, in the mid-Meiji period, there were many children who did not enroll even when they reached school age, let alone those who dropped out. This was, naturally, for economic reasons. However, what was amazing about Haru was that she never forgot what she had learned. She certainly could not afford expensive items like notebooks. While a few children practiced writing on slate boards with chalk, even if you used a large stone you found nearby as a slate, you still had to buy the chalk. Haru would recite what she learned at school, or if it was a song, she would hum it repeatedly to "make it her own." She had a good memory and had naturally acquired a "learning method" that suited her.

That ability was fully demonstrated later when she went to Tokyo for domestic service. She immediately remembered what she was taught by the lady of the house. For things she couldn't fully memorize, she would repeat them aloud, try them out herself, or write them with a twig in the ashes of the hearth to learn them. Seeing how eager Haru was, the lady would sometimes give her used paper. Since there were no pencils, she wrote with charred wood.

She also mastered simple arithmetic (to use a modern term). When she was sent on errands by the lady of the house or paid for deliveries, she risked having mistakes deducted from her wages if she miscalculated. To avoid that, Haru calculated carefully and practiced mental arithmetic whenever she had free time.

The lady of the house was not strict; in fact, she was fond of the bright Haru and taught her everything, letting her do various tasks. Although Haru had learned the basics of needlework as a child, she learned from the lady how to sew unlined kimonos as well.

Such "advanced" experience and abilities of Haru were demonstrated after her remarriage to Kitaro through vegetable gardening, miso and soy sauce making, and peddling those goods as a "side business." Especially when it came to handling money while peddling. Not selling inferior goods, giving a little "discount" to regular customers or those who bought in bulk, and above all, earning trust...

Tsugio, who followed her on her peddling rounds—or more accurately, was carried in a basket hanging from a carrying pole—sincerely respected Haru as she instantly calculated the total price for different types of vegetables based on the quantity the customer needed. Of course, he didn't know the word "respect."

"Okkan wa, wassee ka. Naiden dekiyatt."
(Mom is amazing. She can do anything!)
he would say, his eyes wide with wonder.