「ジョージが射殺した猪」
“Jōji ga shasatsu shita inoshishi”
[The Wild Boar that George Gunned Down]
JAPANESE TEXT:
Matayoshi, Eiki. “Jōji ga shasatsu shita inoshishi” [The Wild Boar that George Gunned Down]. Ginnemu yashiki. Tokyo: Shūheisha, 1981. 8-42.
ENGLISH TEXT:
Matayoshi, Eiki. “The Wild Boar that George Gunned Down.” Trans. David Fahy. Living Spirit. Ed. Frank Stewart, Katsunori Yamazato. Manoa: University of Hawai’i Press, 2011. 188-211.
1. Introduction
Matayoshi Eiki’s “Jōji ga shasatsu shita inoshishi” [The Wild Boar that George Gunned Down] won the 8th Kyushu Festival of Arts Literature Prize in 1978, and became famous for being written from the point of view of a US soldier and for being inspired by a true, controversial story. George, a US soldier training in Okinawa for the Vietnam war, goes to a bar with his fellow soldiers. As one of them rapes an Okinawan woman, George thinks he must do something, but fails to act. Later, he shoots an Okinawan old man. He assumes that he can later say that he mistook the man for a wild boar to get off for his crime. An English translation of this story was published in The Living Spirit in 2011.
2. Character List
George ジョージ
George is the protagonist of the story. He is twenty-one years old and recently joined the U.S. army. He is training in Okinawa to fight in the Vietnam War. However, he doesn’t know when he will have to go. Not knowing is painful for him. He sends a letter to his girlfriend Emily in the States many times, but she hasn’t answered. He has a strong mind, strange thinking, and seems afraid of his friends. He becomes violent as a result of the war and his environment.
John, Wild, Washington ジョン、ワイルド、ワシントン
They are George’s fellow soldiers. They are still stationed in Okinawa, having just arrived from the States. They are rude, uncouth, and violent. They behave badly when then get drunk, so they often make a fuss at the clubs. They are proud of having raped women. In addition, one of the women whom John raped has a child. John and the others often borrow money from George, but they never pay him back.
Hostesses ホステス達
The hostesses are cocktail waitresses who sit with customers and serve them alcohol. Most of the hostesses are Okinawan women who entertain U.S. military men every night. Some earn extra money by selling their bodies. Even when they are treated badly, they act fine the next day.
Three Caucasians (Mountain Men) 三人の白人（山男）
These soldiers are back from Vietnam on leave. Military on leave are very free with their money. The hostesses in the clubs called them ‘‘yama-otoko’’ (mountain men) and go out of their way to offer them every service because Caucasians are the best source of money for them.
Bar Owner マスター
The bar owner is a middle-aged man. He is short, and his face is oily and round. His English is quite good, but his voice is quiet. He is afraid that his A-sign license will be revoked because of the U.S. soldiers. He smiles in front of the U.S. soldiers, but after they leave, he curses them using Okinawan dialect.
Emily エミリー
Emily is about 18-21 years old and lives in the United States. George likes her, but it is unclear whether she likes him. Because she doesn’t return a letter to George, it is suggested that she wants to break up.
Woman 女
She is a middle-aged prostitute who is poker-faced and fluent in English. She seduces George in the bar and cheats him at the hotel. She says that her sister and other women of her village were cheated by US soldiers. She also says that US soldiers treat Okinawan woman poorly. She knows the horrors of war by seeing the soldiers who have returned from Vietnam.
Lt. James ジェームズ上官
Lt. James is the officer in charge of George’s unit. He has an American wife who looks like Emily. George thinks Lt. James hates him.
Black people 黒人たち
The black people are described from George’s racist perspective as having black faces, thick lips, and big white teeth. They hit and abuse George when he wanders into their section of town. George clearly has racist views of them, but they are clearly abusive in how they treat George.
Old man 老人
An old Okinawan man gathers scrap metal every night to make a living. George imagines that the man is always staring at him. George also imagines that the man’s eyes are like the eyes of an enemy. One day, George targets and kills the man.
3. Historical Background
Actual Incidents
Okinawa was occupied by the United States for 27 years, from 1945 to 1972. During that time, there were incidents in which Okinawans were killed by US soldiers. For example, the Asahi Shimbun reported on an incident in which an American hunter shot an old man by mistake in Sanwa Village on December 9, 1960. On that day, the hunter was hunting for a bird, but when he fired, an old man fell from the bushes. The American tried to help the old man, but without success. The old man was a resident of the village and was picking adan roots. According to Okamoto Keitoku, Matayoshi Eiki used this incident as a hint for his story.
The Mainichi Shimbun also reported on an incident in which a US soldier mistook a woman for a wild boar and shot her. She was in an off-limits area at Camp Hansen in Kin Village on December 26, 1959. There was no training that day, but the soldier was hunting with his friends. The article was reported in more detail in the Okinawa Times.
In an article in the Asahi Shimbun, the victim’s grandson, who found the corpse of his grandfather, says, “Would you mistake a bird in this place?” But the US military claimed the soldier was only negligent. However, the victim’s body had nearly 100 shotgun marks. The Mainichi Shimbun repeats that many local residents wondered if the killing was intentional. In the end, there was neither an investigation nor a trial on the Ryukyuan side, and the innocence of the soldier was confirmed in a military trial on the US side. The US military only paid $2,700 compensation to the family. This incident happened in a residential area.
US Military Bases in Okinawa
Over 70% of all US military based in Japan are located in Okinawa. The reason was that Okinawa was under American rule, and the U.S.-Japan security treaty, which was ratified in 1952, meant that many of the mainland US military bases moved to Okinawa. US servicemen have caused Okinawans a lot of anxiety. On the other hand, the salaries of Japanese working on the bases are an important source of income for the prefecture.
A-Sign Bars
Under the A-sign system, shops and other establishments that passed sanitary and architectural standards were allowed to display an A-sign. US servicemen were banned from entering stores without an A-sign, so having an A-sign was essential for running a successful business in Koza. In Matayoshi’s story, John threatens to get the A-sign license revoked, so the owner becomes worried. A number of local establishments that had lost favor with the American authorities had their A-sign licenses revoked, and their business suffered bitterly as a result. George knows how intimidating this threat is (191).
4. Plot Summary
Section 1 (7-8)
George and his friends are drinking in a club. They have run out of money, and George had no more to lend them. The hostesses at the bar no longer sit with them as they usually do. Hostesses don’t give alcohol to customers without money, and they don’t let the men touch them. John, Wilde and Washington are getting more and more frustrated. George, however, remains calm and in control of himself.
Section 2 (8-12)
Three other Caucasians enter the bar. The hostesses go to them because they have money. John gets angry and forces one of the hostesses to sit on his lap. Wilde and Washington hold her down. The woman struggles to free herself, but the men ignore her screams. When she tries to run away, Washington catches her and rapes her in the bathroom. George doesn’t do anything and feels like a weakling.
Section 3 (12-14)
The bar owner rushes in. He already knows the circumstances and tries to settle the matter with money. But John threatens to get his A-sign license revoked, so the owner backs down.
Section 4 (14-16)
John and the other men want money to go to another bar, so George and Washington return to George’s room to get some money. George keeps thinking he wants to stay in his room and write a letter to Emily. However, he agrees to accompany the other men.
Section 5 (16-17)
George and his friends go to a bar called Mississippi. A pornographic movie of a young Caucasian women is shown, and George sees a woman who looks like Emily, which confuses him.
Section 6 (17-19)
George decides to get drunk to forget about Emily. He orders a beer and a woman immediately brings him one and sits next to him. She pours more beer when he drinks it and whispers in his ear, “Let’s go sleep together. Ten dollars, all night.” He agrees thinking he’ll feel better about Okinawan people if he sleeps with her. Also, he worried that John will make fun of him if he refuses the woman’s invitation.
Section 7 (20-22)
George and the woman head to a hotel, furnished in an American style. She is used to sex, and her nude body is that of a middle-aged woman. After sex, George feels regret and blames Lt. James for everything. He thinks Lt. James hates him for being short and skinny.
Lt. James frequently says that soldiers should be big and strong.
Section 8 (22-25)
After having sex, the woman says, “One more? Only ten dollars.” George is suspicious of her because their agreement was different. They quarrel, and in the end, she overcharges him. She also demands a tip for the hotel. Reluctantly, he gives her money and asks her to return, but she doesn’t come back.
Section 9 (26-27)
George leaves the hotel, but he doesn’t know the streets, so he wants to pick up a taxi. He thinks of Lt. James’s wife, who looks like Emily while he is walking. He’s interested in her. When he walks in an alley, a plump Okinawan suggests buying a white prostitute for him. But George rushes away while shouting that an American woman wouldn’t sell herself.
Section 10 (28-30)
George notices that there are a lot of blacks around him. The black people provoke him, but he thinks they have enormous strength, so he offers no resistance. A group of black men take him to a bar called Niagara.
Section 11 (30-33)
George is forced to drink beer and beaten by a group of black men at a bar. He pretends to have lost his mind, but the blacks don’t stop kicking his waist and stomach. Three black women are called over, and they rub George with their shoes and pour beer over his groin. Finally, they take his money and urinate in his face.
Section 12 (34-35)
George thinks about the various men who have raped Okinawan women. He asks himself why he can’t do anything. During a sleepless nights, a target begins to take shape in George’s mind: an old Okinawan man who is gathering scrap metal in the no-trespass zone. George decides to kill the old man because he wants everyone to admire him for being a man of action.
Section 13 (35-38)
On the day of execution, the old man is there. He must be aware of George’s footsteps, but he doesn’t move, and he keeps a vigilant eye on George. In his mind, George tells the old man to run away. George thinks that he will return in a little while, and if the old man hasn’t run away by then, George will gun him down. George understands that such a case must be tragic for the man, but he thinks this is fate. The Vietnam War is the same, too. Even if George resists, he must go to war.
Section 14 (38-42)
George thinks the man was bad not to run away. And he tells himself that it was actually a wild boar. Finally, he shoots the “wild boar.” He wants to show Lt. James’s wife the body. He also thinks that Lt. James will probably change his opinion of George.
5. Setting
The story takes place during the Vietnam War, which was at its peak during the late 1960s. We know this because George clearly mentions that he wants to fight in the Vietnam War (22). Moreover, Okinawa was occupied by the United States from 1945 to 1972. In addition, the U.S. draft was implemented in 1967 and conscription was abolished in 1973. From all this, we know the story takes place between the late 1960s and 1971.
Although not clearly stated, the story probably takes place in Koza City, in the central part of the Okinawan mainland. There were many A-sign bars for US soldiers in the Koza area, and Koza was known as a base town. Also, Koza had three sections: “a white town” for whites, “a black town” for blacks, and “a social city” for local Okinawan people. In the black town area, the main street is Silver Heaven Street in Teruya, Okinawa City. During the postwar period, there were many shops for black people, but now they are just ordinary houses. White Town, on the other hand, covers the area from the Goya crossroads to Kadena base. Unlike Black Town, which is completely gone, it is still a busy street of Koza. There are many shops with signs in English, and the large number of American people is also conspicuous. According to Katsuta Naoshi, at the time, if whites went to black town or blacks went to white town, they would be attacked. In the story, when George wanders into the black town, he is attacked by blacks.
The setting plays a significant role in this story. According to an article in the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, the Kadena base became the sortie base of the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 70s, and many young American soldiers took their leave in Koza, which became a resting place before returning to the battlefield. The American soldiers who were in Vietnam drowned their troubles in alcohol and women. In addition, at that time, there were several incidents in which US soldiers shot Okinawan people by mistake. In most cases, they weren’t found guilty.
6. Point of View
The story is narrated in third person from George’s point of view. In the story, the narrator describes what George is thinking and experiencing, and follows him through his day. However, George’s perspective is distorted, so readers need to be careful not to accept his views. For example, George views blacks and Okinawans negatively, so his depiction of them is somewhat racist. On the other hand, George views Caucasian women positively. When he watches a pornographic movie of them, he ridiculously thinks it’s a lie and that the women aren’t really Caucasian (17). George also thinks Caucasian women would never sell their bodies to survive (17). In this way, George always protects and defends whites even though he unfairly criticizes blacks and Okinawans.
When reading the story for the first time, readers will perhaps assume that George doesn’t use violence because he is shy. For example, when George’s peers were clamoring at the bar, he only watched and did not participate. Gradually, however, readers will realize that George becomes more violent by copying his peers and supervisors. For example, George shoots a man just to prove that he isn’t powerless. After committing this horrible crime, George isn’t afraid of having killed the man. On the contrary, he just wants to tell his peers and supervisor.
7. Symbolism and Imagery
Comparisons to animals
In the story, people are often compared to animals. For example, George thinks that the group of blacks stare at him with the eyes of beasts. He also thinks that the three black women are like antelope and have no personalities. Most significantly, he tells himself that the old man is a wild boar (39). He also mentions that the old man’s face and eyes are like those of a monkey (36). From these comparisons, readers can see that George doesn’t see blacks and Okinawans as people. By comparing people to animals, George is able to dehumanize them and look down on them.
8. Themes
The Violence of US Soldiers
Between 1945 and 1972, Okinawa was occupied by the United States. During that era, there were several incidents in which a US soldier shot an Okinawan person by mistake. For example, according to an article in the Okinawan Times, there was an incident in which a farmer picking up scrap at Camp Hansen in Kin Village was mistaken for a wild boar and shot dead on December 26, 1959. But most Okinawan literature is from the perspective of Okinawan people, so readers don’t learn why the US soldiers caused such violence. However, “Jōji ga shasatsu shita inoshishi” is told from the perspective of a US soldier. By doing so, Matayoshi can describe the state of mind and attitude of the US soldiers and explore the causes of that violence.
Matayoshi’s story shows that peer pressure is seen as one major cause of violence. For example, early in the story, George’s fellow soldiers were clamoring at the bar. George mentions that he felt like throwing liquor into the women’s faces or smashing glasses or bottles on the counter. He felt that if he didn’t do anything, he would be called a weakling by the other guys (11). George never raped an Okinawan woman like his peers, but he worries that everyone thinks he’s a person with no guts. But if he kills a person, he believes his supervisors and peers will respect him.
Military training is also depicted as a cause of George’s violence. George and his fellow soldiers are training to fight in the Vietnam War. They are shooting guns every day without enemies. Such training may have made them violent. Also, George and his fellow soldiers desperately want to join the war, but they don’t know when they’ll go. This is frustrating and makes them violent.
Racism is also shown to be a cause of violence. George calls blacks and Okinawans animals. For example, he compares blacks to a herd of antelope. He also compares the old man to a wild boar. Since he doesn’t regard them as human beings, he thinks he can do anything to them.
George’s insomnia is also a cause of violence. George mentions that his barracks was equipped with extra-strength sound proofing, but that creates an interminable ringing in his ears that made sleep impossible. A metallic roar of engines “maintained the same pitch, never rising, never falling and seemed to go on for all eternity” (206). It tormented him. Before George shoots the old man, he tries to ignore him, but he can’t, because he thinks the insomnia would just get worse (208). So, he shoots the man. All of these forces combine to make George act violently.
Relationships between Okinawan Women and US Soldiers
Matayoshi shows the difference in the life situations of US soldiers going to war and of Okinawan people economically struggling after the war. “Jōji ga shasatsu shita inoshishi” teaches us various things about the relationships between Okinawan women and US soldiers.
US soldiers didn’t know the economic situation of the Okinawan people, so they assumed that Okinawan women were just being cheap. They also looked down on Okinawan people and thought they could do anything. For example, a few days after George’s fellow soldiers were violent, the women poured their drinks as if nothing ever happened. George views them as being stupid and hopeless (11-12). Of course, they actually did this because they desperately needed to make money.
On the other hand, Okinawan women don’t seem care if the US soldiers save money. They desperately need to money themselves, so they just want to survive. For this reason, they ignore US soldiers without money. For example, when George and his friends don’t have money, the hostesses don’t respond as usual (7). And when the mountain men come to the bar, the hostesses provide a lot of service to them because they have a lot of money (8).
In conclusion, US soldiers use Okinawan women to enjoy the last months of their lives, and Okinawan women use US soldiers to make money to live. By reading stories from the perspectives of both US soldiers and Okinawan women, it is possible to see that they used each other.
9. Criticism
Yanai Takashi. “Matayoshi Eiki ‘Jōji ga shasatsu shita inoshishi’ ron –Senryōjikūkan no bōryoku wo meggute” [Matayoshi Eiki ‘The Wild Boar that George Gunned Down’ Theory: On the Violence of Space at the Time of Occupation]. Okinawa: Institute of Okinawan Culture, Hōsei University 31 March. 2016. PDF file.
In this paper, Yanai Takashi considers the time and place of the story. He also discusses the main character, George, his fears and identity, the progress of the Vietnam War, and the military bases in Okinawa. According to Yanai, Matayoshi is vague about the date in the story in order to suggest that such murders continue to be a problem in Okinawa.
Tanabe Ayako. “Kichi no aru machi, Koza no rekishi to hatten” [Tanabe Ayako History and development of Koza, a city with a base]. PDF file.
In this paper, Tanabe Ayako notes that Koza’s businesses developed in Okinawa because U.S. soldiers brought in a lot of money. In the story, George and his peers are playing and drinking alcohol at Okinawan bars almost every night. Tanabe also points out that Okinawan people were always at risk due to military exercises, noise hazards, and assaults. In addition, Okinawans were discriminated against. In the story, the women are treated badly. Tanabe notes that women who lost their husbands in the Battle of Okinawa had to support their families and protect them from poverty.
10. Discussion Questions
1. Why did Matayoshi tell the story from a U.S. soldier’s point of view?
2. In what ways does the title add or distract from the story?
3. Discuss the symbolic meaning of the characters’ names.
4. Why are George and his fellow soldiers so violent? And why do they waste their money?
5. What is the difference between regular soldiers and officers in this story?
6. What kind of feeling of inferiority does George have? What is the source of those feelings?
7. Why doesn’t George rebel against his peers?
8. Why does George always defend white women?
9. Was the scene in which George is abused by blacks necessary? What does the scene add to or distract from the story?
10. How does George change in the story? And why?
11. Where in Okinawa does the story take place? Is this important?
12. Why didn’t the old man run away at the end of the story?
13. Why did George shoot the old man?
14. What is George’s frame of mind after he shoots the old man?
15. What does the story teach us about the effect of violence?
11. Works Cited
“Ayamate shasatu : Shuryōchū no beihei.” Asahi Shinbun 11 December. 1960: 11. Print.
“Kichi no machi ‘Koza’ Eiga no Hiai no Kioku Okinawahukki 40 nen.” Nihon Keizai Shimbun: 4 Apr. 2012.
Matayoshi, Eiki. “Buta no mukui” [The Pig’s Retribution]. Buta no mukui. Tokyo: Bungeishunshū, 1996. 7-120.
---. “Ginnemu yashiki” [Ginnemu Mansion]. Ginnemu yashiki. Tokyo: Shūheisha, 1981. 140-212.
---. “Jōji ga shasatsu shita inoshishi” [The Wild Boar that George Gunned Down]. Ginnemu yashiki. Tokyo: Shūheisha, 1981. 8-42.
---. “Kānibaru tōgyūtaikai” [The Carnival Bullfight]. Okinawa tanpen shōsetsushū. Naha: Ryūkyūshimpōsha, 1993. 29-46.
---. “The Wild Boar that George Gunned Down.” Trans. David Fahy. Living Spirit. Ed. Frank Stewart, Katsunori Yamazato. Manoa: University of Hawai’i Press, 2011. 188-211.
“4・28 Meiji 20 nen hondo to Okinawa(5) / 1960 nen / Keizai Seichō e kitai Takamaru / Beihei, Ryōjyū de Dansē Syasatsu / ‘Muzai’ ni Munen to Ginen.” Okinawa Times 27 April. 2013: 27. Print.
Miyatake, Michiko. “Web demo kangaeru hito / Hakujin no machi, Kokujin no machi.” Shinchōsha: 23 Jun 2017.
Okamoto, Keitoku. “Okinawa bungaku ni miru Okinawa no jigazōu” [Okinawan Self-Portraits in Okinawan Literature]. Tokyo: Koubunken Co., Ltd. 1996. 172-76.
---. “Okinawa bungaku no jōkei” [The Setting of Okinawan Literature]. Okinawa: Nirai company, 2000.
“Okinawa bēgun kichi mondai.” NAVER. 6 August 2014. Web. 27 November. 2018.
“Okinawa o kataru jidai e no dengon” Okinawa Times 29 November. 2015: 2. Print.
“Ryo no beihei ni utareru Okinawa: Yakkōu hirō no Fujin.” Mainichi Shinbun: 27 December. 1959: 3. Print.
Tanabe, Ayako. “Kichi no aru machi, Koza no rekishi to hatten” [Tanabe Ayako History and Development of Koza: A City with a Base]. PDF file.
Wikipedia contributors. “Eiki Matayoshi.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 20 Sep. 2017. Web. 20 Jun. 2018.
Yanai, Takashi. “Matayoshi Eiki ‘Jōji ga shasatsu shita inoshishi’ ron –Senryōjikūkan no bōryoku wo meggute” [Matayoshi Eiki ‘The Wild Boar that George Gunned Down’ Theory: On the Violence of Space at the Time of Occupation]. Okinawa: Institute of Okinawan Culture, Hōsei University 31 March. 2016. PDF file.
Original report by Mao Yonaha. Edited and revised by Kasumi Sminkey