A Study of Natsume Soseki's 'The Wayfarer' (36): 'The Female Kagekiyo' is an Embellishment by Nagano's Father
In the middle of Natsume Soseki's 'The Wayfarer,' Nagano's father begins to tell the story of 'The Female Kagekiyo'.
In addition to what I mentioned last time, there are other unnatural points, so I would like to consider them.
1. The woman's dialogue is in the style of a kōdan storyteller.
1 (1) Dialogue
Originally, this episode begins with a member of the House of Peers and an auditor from a certain company visiting Nagano's house for 'utai'.
'Utai' seems to mean performing only the vocal parts of Noh, without dancing, drums, or flutes.
And the blind woman's dialogue is just like a Noh script; the words are theatrical, and the rhythm is strangely structured.
'I am a widow now, but until recently I had a respectable husband. My child is still healthy even now. No matter what kind of relationship there was, I cannot face my husband's memorial tablet, who left me money from others so that I could live comfortably today, so I will return it,' she said decisively andshed tears.
- 'I will not visit. Even if you ask me to come, I must decline. However, there is one thing I would like to ask of you for the rest of my life. I think this is likely the last chance I will have to see you, so I would like to hear that much and then part with you with a clear heart,' she said. (Omitted) 'As you can see, since I began to suffer from my eyes, I cannot see colors at all. I can no longer even worship the sun, the brightest thing in the world. Even to go out for a moment, I cannot manage without the help of my daughter. When I think about how many people there are who can walk freely alone no matter how old they get, I feel deeply bitter about what karma caused me to suffer from such a disease. However, even if these eyes are destroyed, I do not find it that painful. It is just that it is most painful that, although both eyes are open satisfactorily, I do not understand the way others think.'
(※ Since the copyright has expired, quoting is free.)
What do you think? When I try to read it aloud, it feels strangely theatrical, or rather, I feel like it might be written with such dialogue and rhythm as some kind of sarcasm or irony.
I have only read the beginning of Koda Rohan's 'The Five-Storied Pagoda,' which was written in the literary style, but it reminded me of that.
Facing a long brazier made of rock-tatami, using red oak on the edges on purpose, with a beautiful zelkova trunk, a woman around thirty sits alone, looking a bit lonely, with no one to talk to. Her eyebrows, as magnificent as a man's, were shaved, and the blue traces of where they were shaved remained, retaining the color of the mountains after the rain, which is enough to wake the eyes, and the scent of greenery was fragrant, -
1 (2) The woman's upbringing
As quoted, the woman uses overly theatrical phrasing and tone, but she does not seem to be particularly well-educated in that field.
According to Nagano's father, she is a 'poor servant who lives by working as a maid' ('After Returning' 14).
Therefore, it is doubtful whether this woman's way of speaking is exactly as Nagano's father heard it.
Speaking of maids in 'The Wayfarer,' there is O-Sada, but I cannot imagine O-Sada saying, 'It is just that it is most painful that, although both eyes are open satisfactorily, I do not understand the way others think.'
2. Why did he ask Nagano's father to run the errand?
Another point that seems unnatural, assuming Nagano's father's story is true, is why the junior man went out of his way to ask Nagano's father to contact the woman.
In the story, it is explained as follows.
He asked me to visit the place where that blind woman is. I don't know what his main intention was, but in short, it's like a visit to inquire after her well-being. If you let him tell it, he uses his education to line up all sorts of stiff-sounding logic. But in short, he wants to connect the past and the present to find peace of mind. Besides, it seems that how she became blind was weighing heavily on his mind. That said, he has no intention of starting a new relationship with her now, and he also has to consider his wife, so he doesn't want to go out there himself. Furthermore, he said some unnecessary things when he broke up with her in the past. He said he intended to study a bit, so he wouldn't marry until he was thirty-five or thirty-six. So, he had no choice but to cancel their previous promise. However, he got married as soon as he left school, so from the perspective of his conscience, it probably doesn't feel very good. That's why I ended up going.
“Well, that’s ridiculous,” my sister-in-law said.
What do you think? Can we honestly accept this?
Of course, I understand why he would be curious about how she is doing now or why she became blind. But is there any point in having an acquaintance go all the way to her home, reveal that he is the man who had a relationship with her and dumped her unilaterally, and have a direct conversation?
If the woman's family found out about such contact, it could lead to trouble. As it turned out, this woman was a widow, but if she had a husband, the risk of trouble would be even higher.
And if trouble did arise, between the side that was a 'servant' and the side that was a 'real young master' (13)—who also has a wife and children—and the man who dumped the woman right after having a relationship with her, it seems the one with more status and money would be at a disadvantage.
That man, according to Nagano's father, went to 'a great deal of trouble' to track down the woman's whereabouts (15). If he was able to confirm that much on his own, wouldn't he be able to figure out her current situation, her past trip to Tokyo, and the reason she became blind sooner or later if he investigated?
3. Was the woman satisfied with that?
3 (1) No concrete explanation in the answer
The most concerning part of this episode is presented in Ichiro's words.
“Was the woman satisfied with that?” my brother asked.
This is what the woman wanted to hear.
Whether XX, while promising marriage, decided to cancel it within a week because he was 'pressured by surrounding circumstances' and had no choice but to refuse, or whether he 'found something he didn't like' and refused because he suddenly found that thing he didn't like after promising marriage—the truth of that matter was what the woman wanted to know more than anything else.
(omitted)
“I had no choice, so I answered, 'That's fine,' I will vouch for him. 'There is not a shred of frivolity in him,'” my father told my brother, rather boastfully, about his vague answer.
Following this answer from the father, it leads to Ichiro's previous words.
Indeed, I find it very hard to believe that the woman was satisfied with this answer.
First of all, am I the only one who finds this answer of 'That's fine' and 'There is not a shred of frivolity in him' confusing?
The woman's question regarding the reason she was dumped is: (1) 'Pressure from surroundings' or (2) 'Found something he didn't like'? Which one is it?
Isn't Nagano's father's answer failing to address either of these (is he saying it's (1) and not (2)?)? Furthermore, it doesn't seem like he gave a different answer (3) either.
Also, when he says, "That will be fine", is Nagano's father saying that because he understands which of the above answers, ① or ②, the woman considers more desirable? And is that answer ①?
3 (2) Did he actually give a clear answer?
Ultimately, there is (probably) no clear reason for men's and women's likes and dislikes, or for their fluctuations. However, there are parts that can be verbalized to some extent. Of course, there are times when one hesitates to tell the person involved.
And rather, if there are circumstances that make one hesitate to tell the person involved, I am very curious about what kind of deception Nagano's father used to convince the woman at that time.
However, that is not shown concretely. It is only vaguely indicated as, "I added some polish, made up some nonsense, and finally managed to convince her". What specific words he said are not shown.
Is something hidden here?
In fact, didn't Nagano's father clearly state an answer that would convince the other party?
But it was something he could not say in front of Ichiro, or in front of Jiro or Nao.
4. My Conjecture
Below is my own arbitrary conjecture, which takes the aforementioned unnaturalness and modifies what I wrote before.
・In the story of 'Onna Kagekiyo', the master-servant relationship is reversed. And the woman of the master's house is Tsuna (Nagano's mother).
・Nagano's mother had a man she was involved with in the past. That man is Ichiro's father.
・However, for some reason, Nagano's mother dumped the man. Was the reason the difference in social status?
・While Nagano's mother was raising Ichiro by herself, Nagano's father entered the family as an adopted son-in-law. Nagano's father heard the circumstances, understood them, and raised Ichiro as his eldest son. Later, Jiro and O-Shige were born.
・After some years, or perhaps twenty years later, Nagano's mother and the man reunited at a theater or somewhere else. However, the man was blind or mentally ill. Nagano's mother is worried that the bloodline might be connected to Ichiro.
・Nagano's father, who understands the circumstances, followed Tsuna's wishes to avoid a direct reunion between the parties involved, visited the man, and reported on each other's recent situations.
・At that time, they spoke frankly about various things, so Nagano's father was able to talk about the expressions and inner thoughts of both the man and the woman in 'Onna Kagekiyo'.
・The content was adapted and created by Nagano's father, who loves Noh chanting, based on the facts. That is why the woman's lines sound like a kōdan storytelling performance. The contradictory statement that he 'saw her cry for the first time' the second time also indicates that it is a creation by Nagano's father.
・At that time, he was asked the reason why he was dumped, which the man had been worrying about for twenty years. Nagano's father honestly answered, 'the difference in status.' The man was convinced (though he may have become even more mentally ill).
・That man is actually a brother or relative of the 'mentally ill daughter' who was at the Misawa family.
The daughter's family temple is also in "Tsukiji", and the place Nagano's father went on the day Ichiro left for his trip was also "Tsukiji". Ichiro is also mentally ill because he "inherited a bad disease lineage". Therefore, Tsuna is worried about the 'bad disease lineage' of Jiro's marriage candidate ('Jinro', 27).
While Ichiro was away, Nagano's father headed to "Tsukiji" to talk to Ichiro's biological father about something.
Nagano's father is actually in a state where he "does not know when he will die" ('Jinro', 9) due to illness or something similar. Therefore, using the Noh play 'Kagekiyo', where a parent and child reunite, as a pretext, he dared to tell Ichiro about his biological father relationship, mixing truth and fiction.
－ And, in my own conjecture, Nagano Ichiro took the lives of his parents and committed a forced double suicide with O-Sada.
Ichiro may have reunited with his biological father in Tsukiji. And he may have learned that he was not Nagano's father's child, and that his biological father (or rather, his biological father too) was mentally ill.
The result of that, he says, was what invited the tragedy.
5. Postscript: The 'mentally ill young woman' cannot return to her parents' home
There is something unnatural about the parents' home of the 'mentally ill young woman'.
About five or six years ago, his father married off the daughter of an acquaintance to the house of another acquaintance. Unfortunately, due to certain lingering circumstances, the young woman ended up leaving her husband's house before a year had passed. However, there were also complex circumstances there, and it was not possible for her to be taken back to her own home immediately. Therefore, Misawa's father, out of a sense of duty as the go-between, ended up taking the young woman in for the time being. (Omitted) 'And then? What about that young woman?' 'She died. After being admitted to a hospital.'
・In the first place, why could the young woman not return to her parents' home?
・Even if we assume she could not return to her parents' home immediately, judging by the way Misawa speaks, it seems the young woman stayed at the Misawa house the entire time until she was admitted to the hospital. Why?
There must have been some significant circumstances at the young woman's parents' home.
However, nothing about that is written.
Those circumstances
・After the daughter's marriage, Ichiro's biological father was recuperating at that parents' home, and they could not possibly take in two severely ill people.
This explains it.