2005 The Chirin-Chirin Rebellion

Total strangers living together, creating a society as a family.
When you think about it, it takes a tremendous amount of energy, and it wouldn't be strange for there to be one or two major disputes over the position of tribal chief in that history.


Even Masayoshi Yamazaki says things like, 'I'm not good with summer' or 'I like celery'.
Since they are strangers, there are things you can't deny.
In our house, there were no objections to summer or celery, but there was an incident where the 'chirin-chirin' (bicycle bell) could not be denied.

When we first got married.
My husband aspired to be a chauvinistic husband.
First of all, my husband's father was exactly that, and at my husband's age, I feel it's an age where it's inevitable to dream of such things.

Here is a rough description of my husband from the time he aspired to be a chauvinistic husband until now.
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This is a record of the battle in which I transitioned our household from a chauvinistic husband style to a wife-dominated one.

When we got married, we were at the same company and worked almost the same amount of overtime.
Most of the time we got home between 10:00 PM and 11:00 PM, and since we understood each other's level of fatigue, we spent our time reasonably happily, buying side dishes, eating out, or quickly making meals together.

However, anticipating a transfer in the near future, I quit my job first.

I was satisfied with quitting, and I didn't find it painful to cook proper meals at home.
My husband was high-spirited about supporting his wife, and I hadn't lost the newlywed feeling either. Above all, having time creates peace of mind.

I would see him off to the entrance saying, 'Have a good day,' and go to the entrance to welcome him back saying, 'Welcome home.'
Even though we lived in an apartment where the closet was only five steps away, I would carry my husband's bag those five steps.
I would reheat my husband's meal, assuming he was tired, and since freshly grilled, stir-fried, or deep-fried food is delicious, I would turn on the stove only after he got home.
From his perspective, I was a well-behaved new wife.

One morning, my husband said, 'I have a company drinking party, so you can go to sleep first.'
Since he told me to, I went to sleep quickly.

It was past 1:00 AM.

Ding-dong! My drunken husband rang the entrance doorbell repeatedly.
What kind of person does that in the middle of the night? I thought, 'I'm definitely not going to go out to meet him,' so I ignored it.

Then, my angry husband started ringing the bell of the bicycle parked outside the entrance, 'chirin-chirin,' along with shouting, 'Hey! Open up!'

What a nuisance to the neighbors!!

Furious, I opened the door and let him into the house with a voice that was a model of a whispered scream, saying, 'What are you thinking! Get in here quickly,' and he said:

'What do you mean by not opening the door when your master has returned!'

…Huh?

I realized.
Even though he was drunk, if I lost here, there would be no laughter in our future life.
And I am also responsible for letting him say such things.
A battle I absolutely could not lose had just begun.

I said calmly, 'No matter the reason, I don't think it's right to ring the chirin-chirin in the middle of the night.'

Then, my husband flew into a rage.
'Shut up!! What's wrong with ringing the bell!? If you're going to lecture me over a little bell ringing, then it's divorce, divorce!!'
And with that, he threw his wedding ring.

At this point, I was certain of my victory.
After all, I wasn't even one millimeter in the wrong.
He was digging his own grave deep and preparing to fall into it. What a fool.
Ignoring my excited husband, I went to sleep early while thinking about what I would say tomorrow.
My husband was shouting something noisily for a while, but he seemed to fall asleep while saying, 'Oh, that's disgusting!'

The next morning.
Seeing himself lying on the floor in his suit, and with the vague memories he had, he started making excuses with a half-smile, saying, 'Sorry about yesterday, I don't really remember it well, though.'

However, my face was like a Noh mask.
The opposite of love is not hate. It is indifference.
Not anger, not sadness, just emotionless.

Then I opened my mouth coldly.

Hey, Chirin-Chirin. Go get the divorce papers from the city office today.
Explain to everyone at your company yourself why we are getting divorced so soon.
You can just report, 'I rang the Chirin-Chirin in the middle of the night and got divorced; I have a terrible wife.'
Also, about the wedding ring. I think it's dropped somewhere in this house, but I won't look for it, and I'm going to vacuum before I leave. Whether it gets sucked up or not is none of my business.
That's all I have to say. For now, please go to work.

He turned pale.
"I am truly sorry for ringing the Chirin-Chirin!!"

"No, it's not about ringing the Chirin-Chirin."

"But the Chirin-Chirin was going too far!"

"No, don't misunderstand. This feeling of disgust isn't about the Chirin-Chirin, but about your attitude toward me. Not only did you wake your wife up in the middle of the night just because you, the great master, came home, but you also caused a nuisance to the neighborhood, so the Chirin-Chirin is just an extra. Besides, since you declared a divorce, you must be prepared for it, right?"

How much are this couple going to say 'Chirin-Chirin'?

My husband went to work pale, and came home on time still pale.
He bought a huge, huge whole cake.
What is this, a wedding cake?

"I am truly sorry. Please eat this cake with all your friends while bad-mouthing me. I will never say divorce again, and I won't get drunk. I am reflecting on the Chirin-Chirin."

He also included a letter like that.

Honestly, I knew I had won completely, and I thought he was definitely doing the 'Chirin-Chirin' thing on purpose, so I wanted to burst out laughing immediately, but I kept my composure.
After all, this was a battle that would decide the fate of the world.

"I think you want a wife who will welcome you kindly no matter when or in what situation, but I am not that person. From now on, I will still go to sleep first, I will get angry if I'm woken up, and I will never forgive unreasonable verbal abuse. I'm not the kind of wife who would cry and beg if told to divorce, but even so, do you have the intention to continue this married life?"

It took quite a lot of muscle power to say that with a Noh mask face.

He declared loudly with a solemn face, 'I do!!', and then laughed weakly, saying, 'A divorce over a Chirin-Chirin is not funny,' so I finally released my facial muscles and laughed out loud, saying, 'A Chirin-Chirin divorce!'

I found the wedding ring while cleaning, so I returned it, saying, 'Next time, I'll definitely suck it up with the vacuum cleaner.'

For a while, he was teased by both me and my friends about the 'Chirin-Chirin,' and he was talked about as a man who failed to declare himself the master of the house.

Even since then, he has failed with alcohol a few times, but he is genuinely terrified of his wife's Noh mask style the next morning.
I think that face is scary even to me.

Now, my Noh mask skill has improved more and more, and I have grown (?) to the point where I can do it instantly without needing to control my muscles.

It's not that I intend to keep him under my thumb, but since then, I have inevitably been the stronger one.
My daughter has recently been stronger toward her father than me.
Oh my, is this what they mean by 'children grow up watching their parents' backs'? Education is scary.

Dad! This is bad for your health if you eat too much! You know you'll want to eat it if you buy it, so you shouldn't be bringing it home!

My husband now has two strong women in his life.

Ever since the decisive Chirin-Chirin Rebellion, it seems certain that there is peace.

Well, I might be the only one who thinks so, though.