The Tiny Magic of the Chick's Bag

Episode 5: The Blue Sky of Amagi, the Warmth of Life Spun Toward the Golden Age

On the morning of September 27, 1958. What expanded across the sky after the departing storm was the incredibly high, crystal-clear blue sky of Amagi, beautiful enough to steal one's breath away.

Yet, the spectacle that lay upon the ground was utterly cruel. The mountains of Amagi were torn apart, and the terraced tatamiishi-style wasabida—wasabi fields—that the family had built with the sweat of their brows, were completely buried under hundreds of tons of brown mud and giant boulders. The mikan—mandarin orange—orchards on the slopes, along with the golden fruits that had been ripening so proudly, were ruthlessly uprooted and swept away.