“Psiguru kaji nu fukiba” [When the Wind Blows Cold]
JAPANESE TEXT:
Sakiyama, Tami. “Psiguru kaji nu fukiba” [When the Wind Blows Cold]. Subaru. May. 2007: 140-51.
Sakiyama, Tami. Kuja genshikō. Fukuoka: Hanashoin Press, 2017. 77-123.
1. Introduction
“Psiguru kaji nu fukiba” is one of seven short stories appearing in Kuja genshikō. The other stories are “Kotō yume duchuimuni,” “Mienai machi kara shonkanē ga,” “Akōkurō genshikō,” “Pingirazaka yakō,” “Mapirōma ni tatsu kage wa,” and “Kuja kisō hensō.” According to Onaga Shioko, a professor of the University of the Ryukyus, these stores share the common themes of shima (islands) or machi (town), darkness, and language. In the Kuja stories, “Kuja,” “shima,” or “machi” clearly refers to Koza (current day Okinawa City); however, readers should notice that Sakiyama’s fictional version is not a perfect representation of the city. In the Kuja stories, Kuja is a mysterious place that is a deep abyss where people who have lost their way gather by accident. Widows, ghosts, and hallucinations serve to create a dark atmosphere. In addition, the languages used in the Kuja stories help to create a mysterious world because they are the compilation of the many types of languages in Okinawa.
“Psiguru kaji nu fukiba” is the fifth story in Kuja genshikō. It is one of the most unique stories in the series because of its extensive use of Miyako language, one of the Ryukyuan languages. For example, the first word of the title, “Psiguru,” is unique because the sound “psi” (which Sakiyama represents using a triangle in place of the usual circle) does not exist in standard Japanese. According to Yonaha Yunusu, the Miyako language has some unique pronunciations that cannot be clearly represented with Japanese letters. For instance, the [psi] sound, which sounds something like a machine failing to engage, is somewhere between the hi and pi sounds in Japanese. In order to express the sound, people sometimes use a triangle instead of a circle as the dakuten (voicing mark) over the hi kana in the Japanase syllabary. This unusual triangle mark is used in the title.
2. Character List
Watashi 私 I ( Japanese first pronoun, most commonly used by women )
A single Okinawan woman, who is around 45 years old, is the narrator and protagonist. Watashi speaks Japanese and Okinawan language, and lives in “machi” (town), which clearly refers to the Koza section of Okinawa City. She has lived alone in the same apartment for twenty-five years. During that time, she has had thirteen different kinds of jobs, the longest one being seven years. However, she was laid off by the company for which she worked for seven years. Since then, she has spent her time lying around the house, browsing books, and watching TV. Moreover, she always feels depressed by the gloomy and confining atmosphere of her room, and the strange sounds from the north. She is quite isolated from other people.
Hiroshi ヒロシ ( Hide’s grandson )
A black man, who is from the “machi.” He is about twenty-five year old and speaks Japanese and Okinawan language. Wearing a white shirt and warm-colored tie, he looks like an international office worker. He has slightly dark brown skin and well-formed features. In addition, he has a clear voice, which creates an echo effect. Hiroshi is the grandson of Hide Uechi and and a black American. However, Hiroshi was raised by Hide and does not know his father. When he was sixteen years old, he left the town. In returns to the town in response to telepathic messages he receives from Hide. At the end of the story, readers discover that Hiroshi is only part of Watashi’s imagination.
Hide Uechi 上地 ヒデ ( Hiroshi’s grandmother)
Hiroshi’s grandmother, who is ninety years old and from the “machi.” She has Okinawan features, a round face, liver spots, and brown colored skin. She is chubby and wears a warm-colored dress. Because of her age, she uses a cane. She uses Okinawan language; however, she has been silent for over thirty years. Moreover, she is illiterate. As a result, she has difficulty communicating, even though she strongly desires to convey her message. At the end of the story, readers discover that she is only part of Watashi’s imagination.
3. Plot Summary
Section 1 (103-5)
The narrator, who refers to herself only as watashi (I), is lying in bed listening to the wind blow outside. Suddenly, she senses someone staring through the window and then hears a voice scolding her in shima kotoba (island language): “Wake up! It’s already light out, you know! What are you doing lying around in bed at this hour! This is practically criminal behavior!” She starts to wake up, but does not get up. The voice scolds her two more times, saying that her laziness could earn her three years in jail. Startled by the sentence-ending, emphatic word saiga, she finally rolls out of bed. But since she lives on the third floor, she believes she must have seen a “phantom” and heard a “dream voice.”
Section 2 (105-7)
She drags herself outside but feels like a rusty machine. The intersection is quiet. Though she has been living alone in the town for about twenty-five years, the place feels unknown. She has had thirteen jobs; the longest one, for seven years. Now she is unemployed, having recently being laid off during her company’s restructuring. For the past four months, she hasn’t been doing anything, no longer even meeting the few friends she had from her previous job. Outside, there are no cars or people, so something strange seems to be happening. A part of town that used to have bars and restaurants has turned into a vacant lot. She spots a church in a forest in the distance. This strikes her as being odd, since the forest was the location of the uganju (holy place) for worshipping the uyafuji (ancestors). Intrigued, she starts walking toward the church.
A church in Okinawa City
Section 3 (107-12)
Following the road toward the forest, she comes to a park with an observation tower. Entering the park, she notices a black man in the tower. He smiles at her and then calls out, “Good afternoon!” in excellent Japanese. When she finds herself unable to reply, he calls out again in shima kotoba: “Gusūyō!” This time, she is able to respond, answering in shima kotoba, a language she never speaks. Feeling drawn by a powerful force, she dashes up the steps of the tower. The man, who seems to be in his mid-twenties, is sitting on a bench holding a pamphlet with a blue cover. After an awkward silence, he asks her if she is heading to the church. She asks him when the church was built since it wasn’t there before. He answers that’s it been there for over sixty years but that it’s been renovated many times. She is surprised at his fluent Japanese and wonders about his nationality. She asks if he lives at the church, and he explains that he does but that he only returned half a year ago. He then invites her to go to the church with him. After some prompting, she agrees.
A park in Okinawa City
Section 4a (112-7)
The inside of the church looks like an ordinary house. The narrator sits waiting on the sofa as the man goes off to get drinks. A slightly plump elderly woman returns, and the narrator feels uncomfortable. The elderly woman looks like an islander, but she doesn’t speak. The man returns and says to the elderly woman, “Obā, this person will listen to what you want to say. Isn’t that great?” The narrator is surprised but feels compelled to acquiesce. The man explains that he is the old woman’s grandson, that his name is Hiroshi, and that her name is Uechi Hide. He is one-fourth black because his grandmother’s lover was black, but he is not American. He left the town when he was sixteen but returned sixth months ago.
Section 4b (115-51) NOTE: There is break here in the original Subaru version, but not in the book version.
Hiroshi explains that his grandmother hasn’t been able to speak for thirty years but that she now strongly desires to communicate something. He says that he returned to town because he sensed his grandmother’s desire and that he believes his grandmother will start talking again if there is someone to listen. He adds that he can hear her, even though she does not have a voice. Watashi cannot believe all this and tells Hiroshi that he should listen to her instead. He replies that since he becomes her voice, he cannot be the one to listen to her. Watashi wonders why she, a single woman in her mid-forties without any special talents, would be chosen. Suddenly, the grandmother starts communicating with Hiroshi through unusual gestures and movements. Then he leads them outside, and they sit under two gajumaru (banyan) trees. Hiroshi explains that he can’t hear his grandmother yet, but that she always gets this way when she’s excited. Then he grabs Watashi by the arm and starts talking for his grandmother. Watashi recognizes the language as being the voice from her dream. She then says, in shima kotoba, “He’s going to break my arm!” Hiroshi says he is no longer needed and goes inside the house. Watashi then speaks with Hiroshi’s grandmother in the dream language.
Sections 5 and 6 (122-3)
Back inside the house again, Watashi sits with Hiroshi while the grandmother sleeps. Hiroshi picks up the notebook with a blue cover and then explains.
In the short final section, the point of view switches to Hiroshi, who addresses Watashi. He explains that the notebook contains notes written by the grandmother in her own unique script, obā moji. For this reason, the notes might be incomprehensible. He then states that he knows that Watashi has a desire to write stories and that they entered her thoughts. In other words, they are part of her. He ends by telling her that she is the only one who can decode his grandmother’s writing, and that this is the message she strongly desired to convey.
4. Point of View
In this story, the protagonist is the narrator, and most of the story is told from her point of view, except section 7, which switches to Hiroshi’s voice. Watashi seems honest and trustworthy; however, she is only half awake, so readers cannot know for sure whether her descriptions are of dream or reality. At the end of the story, readers will be surprised to learn that Hiroshi and Hide do not exist—and are only figments of Watashi’s imagination.
Sakiyama’s use of point of view relates to the theme of language. For example, in section 1, Watashi cannot respond to a voice that speaks Okinawan language. In other words, she tries to speak, but the words get caught in her throat. This suggests that she can understand the language but cannot speak it. However, in section 3, Watashi says hello to Hiroshi with an Okinawan greeting word, “Gusūyō.” This seems to be a trigger that makes it possible for her to talk with him. At the end of the story, she talks with Hide in Miyako language.
In “Shimakutuba de kachāshī [Dancing the Kachāshī with the Okinawan Language], Sakiyama mentions her confusion for using only Japanese because her native language is Okinawan language (172). Overall, Watashi seems to reflect Sakiyama’s ambiguous feelings toward language. For instance, in section 5, Watashi screams in Miyako language when Hide almost breaks Watashi’s wrist. In emergency situations, people usually speak in their native language; however, Watashi uses Miyako language—even she did not use the language before. This expresses Sakiyama’s sense that her native language is buried deep in her unconscious mind.
5. Dream Imagery
In “Psiguru kaji nu fukiba,” Sakiyama uses figurative language and vague descriptions to create a dreamlike world. For example, at the beginning of the story, she uses personification, such as “rustling sounds caress my ears,” “the wind invades the room,” and “the moist winds wrap me up.” These expressions create a dreamlike world because we do not usually think of the wind in these terms.
In addition, she uses hyperbole in order to add some spice to the dream-like descriptions. For instance, in section 1, Watashi describes her mind as being “locked up here forever,” and in section 4, when Hide gazes at her, she says that her “heart almost stopped beating.” Normally, people don’t exaggerate so much unless they are trying to get someone’s attention. One might argue, then, that Sakiyama uses hyperbole to get readers’ attention by keeping us in the dream-like world.
Vague descriptions also add to the dreamlike atmosphere. In sections 1, 2, and 3, there are vague descriptions, such as “Maybe I’m in a strange town,” and “I’m not sure how long I have walked.” Such vague descriptions make it impossible for the reader to know where the action is happening. Moreover, descriptions of Hiroshi are also confusing. In section 3, Watashi describes him in contradictory terms: “He looks young, but creates a mature atmosphere,” and, “He looks like a big guy, but actually he isn’t.” Such contradictory descriptions help to draw the reader into the dream-like atmosphere.
Sakiyama also creates unexpected situations to disorient the reader. For example, the church is located at a utaki, which is a sacred place for traditional Okinawan religion. In Okinawa, one is not likely to find a church at a utaki. In addition, the church does not have a statue of Christ, a statue of Maria, or a cross—which is also rather unlikely. As a result, readers are led to question whether this is the real world or a dream. In this way, Sakiyama uses various techniques in order to bring readers into Watashi’s dream.
6. Writing Style
In “Psiguru kaji nu fukiba,” Sakiyama uses long and complex sentences, figurative language, and Okinawan language in order to draw readers into Watashi’s dream world. For example, at the beginning of the story, she delays describing the characters and instead describes a bizarre situation to create a dreamlike world.
Sakiyama’s use of Miyako language in the story is also quite interesting. For instance, in section 1 and 5, Sakiyama uses strong accent prefixes and suffixes such as haat, iii, and saiga for the voices of various characters. These sounds are conspicuous because they are rarely used in Japanese. In “Shimakutuba de kachāshī” [Dancing the Kachāshī with Okinawan Language], Sakiyama mentions her ambitious goal to create a strange world by combining heterogeneous languages (169).
7. Sakiyama’s Declaration Concerning Okinawan Language
In “Shimakutuba de kachāshī,” Sakiyama Tami declares her ambition to writes stories in Okinawan languages while mixing in some Japanese. In order to explain the reasons, she discusses how the Okinawan languages are different from other dialects in Japan, her background, and different ways that authors have used Okinawan languages in their works.
Sakiyama emphasizes that the Okinawan languages are not Japanese dialects, and that they cannot be easily understood by Japanese speakers. If you know Japanese, you can probably understand dialects such as Kansai-ben, Kōchi-ben, and Akita-ben because they just change the suffixes and accents. However, conversations in Okinawan languages are extremely difficult to understand because of major differences in vocabulary and pronunciation. Sakiyama points out that this makes it extremely difficult to write novels in Okinawan languages.
Sakiyama then discusses her own linguistic background. She explains that she has never lived outside of Okinawa, and that she received a Japanese education. When she was young (seven years to fifteen years), her family moved to remote islands that have their own unique languages. As a result, Sakiyama became familiar with various kinds of Okinawan languages from a young age. In school, however, she was expected to use Japanese. This complex situation made her less comfortable with using Japanese. At the same time, Sakiyama has yearned to write her stories in Okinawan languages, though she has struggled to find an effective way for doing so.
Sakiyama then discusses her thoughts on how various authors have used Okinawan language in their works. In particular, she discusses novels written by Yamashiro Seichū, Ōshiro Tatsuhiro, and Higashi Mineo . First, she introduces “Kunenbo” [The Kunenbo Orange Trees] which was written by Yamashiro in 1911. In this short story, Yamashiro occasionally adds Okinawan languages suffixes to words, but the story is basically written in Japanese. Sakiyama objects that he limits his use of Okinawan language in order to avoid confusing readers who only know Japanese. She emphasizes that he limits his use of Okinawan language because of the expectation to write in Japanese. Although Sakiyama sees Yamashiro as breaking new ground, she does not see him as an author to emulate.
Next, Sakiyama discusses “Kamekōbaka” [Turtleback Tombs] written by Ōshiro Tatsuhiro in 1966. In this short story, Ōshiro uses much more Okinawan languages, even though he is writing in Japanese. Sakiyama is impressed that Ōshiro effectively conveys some of the nuances of the Okinawan language. However, she feels that he often limits his use of the Okinawan language to suffixes and sentence endings. In other words, she feels that his writing is still controlled by Japanese. She thinks that he treats Okinawan language as another dialect—not as a unique language.
Finally, Sakiyama explains how Higashi Mineo’s 1971 Akutagawa Prize winning Okinawa no Shōnen inspired her to see new possibilities for using Okinawan language in Japanese fiction. Sakiyama explains that Higashi writes Okinawan language with kanji and that he suceeds in capturing the spoken language style. Sakiyama recalls that she was deeply impressed when she first read Higashi’s novella as a junior high school student. She writes that that was the first time she ever read a work written in her native language. She explains that Higashi’s work is what inspired her to become a novelist who writes in the Okinawan language.
8. Criticism
Matsushita, Yūichi. “Okinawa bungaku no shakaigaku: Ōshiro Tatsuhiro to Sakiyama Tami no bungakuteki kuwadate o chūshin ni” [The Sociology of Okinawan Literature: Focusing on the Literary Strategies of Ōshiro Tatsuhiro and Sakiyama Tami].
In this paper, Yuichi Matsuyama points out that the Kuja rensaku stories often focus on the relationships between listeners and speakers, and also the effects of voice and sounds. He adds that the main characters, such as “Ore,” “Watashi,” and “Anta,” are often isolated women. In each story of the Kuja rensaku series, Sakiyama explores the relationship between listeners and isolated speakers. At the same time, she uses sound to create a sense of sacred places. For example, in “Psiguru kaji nu fukiba,” Watashi goes to a utaki (a traditional sacred place in Okinawa) after she hears strange voices and meets Hide. In addition, she hears voices at the utaki after she arrives there. As this example shows, listeners are led by women’s voices to spiritual or sacred places. A similar pattern can be found in each of the Kuja rensaku stories.
However, even though the listeners are drawn or inspired by voices, they often cannot fully understand the message they receive. For example, at the end of “Psiguru kaji nu fukiba,” Watashi cannot understand Hide’s message. Making matters worse, Hiroshi tells Watashi that he and Hide are inside Watashi, and the disappears, leaving Watashi alone again.
In conclusion, Matsuyama argues that in the Kuja rensaku stories characters are often led to sacred places in response to an inspiring woman’s voice, but that ultimately those characters remain confused, unsatisfied, and alone.
9. Themes
Endangered Languages
According to a report by the University of the Ryukyus, the Okinawan languages have been identified as endangered languages by UNESCO since 2009. Through her stories, Sakiyama raises questions about this problem. For example, the characters in “Psiguru kaji nu fukiba” seem to represent the different generational attitudes toward the Okinawan language. Hiroshi, a young man in his twenties, seems typical of young Okinawans, who primarily speak Japanese, with just a sprinkling of Okinawan. In the story, he primarily talks to Watashi in Japanese when he finds her at the park. Even after she responds to his Okinawan greeting of “Gusūyō,” he keeps talking to her in Japanese. Similarly, when he talks to Hide, who is almost ninety years old, he speaks Japanese with Okinawan language suffixes, such as saii. In other words, Hiroshi—like the younger generation—can speak only Japanese and a few Okinawan words with Okinawan intonation.
Hide, on the other hand, seems to represent the older generation. She speaks only Miyako language and cannot understand Japanese very well. For instance, when Hiroshi talks to her in Japanese, she never responds to him. However, when Watashi talks to her in Miyako language, she starts talking again. Unable to find others who can speak her language, Hide struggles to find those who can communicate. Finally, Watashi seems to represent a generation caught between the younger and the older one. She has an intuitive understanding of the local language but is lacking confidence and experience.
Middle-Aged Okinawan Identity
Sakiyama’s story raises questions about identity, especially for Okinawans who can understand but cannot speak the local language. For example, at the beginning of the story, Watashi hears sounds and voices that are spoken in Japanese with some Okinawan intonations. However, at the end of the story, she notices that the voices are speaking Miyako language. When she notices that she is talking to Hide in Miyako language, she becomes more active in speaker.
On the other hand, when she speaks in Japanese she becomes passive. For example, when Hiroshi says hello to her in Japanese, she cannot respond. Similarly, when Hiroshi introduces her to Hide in Japanese and says that he is her interpreter, she cannot argue against him even though she feels that he is being unreasonable. At the very end of the story, Hiroshi tells her that he and Hide do not exist and are inside Watashi. This suggests that Watashi desires to speak in Miyako language but is forced to speak in Japanese, partly because she has forgotten her native language.
This parallels the struggle that many middle aged Okinawans face in dealing with local languages and Japanese. As Sakiyama mentions in her “Shimakutuba de kachāshī” essay, she grew up with their local languages, but was forced to use Japanese in school. Okinawa’s complex language environment has caused many Okinawans to struggle not only with their sense of language but also with their identities. Through her Kuja stories, Sakiyama urges Okinawans to use Okinawan languages not only merely to save them from extinction but also because they are the most natural way to express Okinawan identity.
10. Discussion Questions
1. Why does Sakiyama use a lot of figurative language and hyperbole at the beginning of the story?
2. Does Watashi change throughout the story? If so, in what ways?
3. In section 2, Watashi describes how the town changed from before. Why didn’t she notice the changes earlier?
4. What is the significance of having a church appear in this story? How does this relate to the current situation in Okinawa?
5. What is the significance of describing Hiroshi as a quarter black American? How does this relate to race relations in current day Okinawa?
6. In section 3, Watashi freezes when Hiroshi says hello in Japanese, but she answers smoothly when he says hello in Okinawan language. What does this suggest about middle-aged Okinawans’ attitude toward language?
7. What is the significance of the title? What references to the title appear in this story?
8. Why didn’t Hide speak for over thirty years?
9. What is the significance of sympathetic communication between Hiroshi and Hide?
10. Why is Watashi able to speak in the same language as Hide?
11. What is written in Obā moji (grandmother writing)? What does this suggest about the relationship between spoken and written Okinawan?
12. How do you interpret the ending of the story?
13. How would the story change if told from Hiroshi’s or Hide’s point of view?
14. What does Sakiyama teach us about endangered languages in Okinawa?
11. Works Cited
Hirayama, Teruo. Ryūkyū Miyakoshotō hōgen kisogoi no sōgouteki kenkyu [Resarch for Fundamental Dialects of the Ryukyu Miyako Archipelago]. Ōfusha. May 1983. Print.
Ishihara, Shoei. “Bunkachō itakujigyō hōkokusho” [Report for a Committee Project from the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan]. Kikiteki na jyōkyō ni aru gengo/hōgen no jittai ni kansuru chōsa kenkyū [Research for Endangered Languages/Dialects]. International Institute for Okinawan Studies, University of the Ryukyus. Jan 2014.
Kina, Ikue. “‘Furusato’ no Topology” [Topology of “Hometown”]. Suiseisha. July 2011.
Matsushita, Yūichi. “Okinawa bungaku no shakaigaku: Ōshiro Tatsuhiro to Sakiyama Tami no bungakuteki kuwadate o chūshin ni” [The Sociology of Okinawan Literature: Focusing on the Literary Strategies of Ōshiro Tatsuhiro and Sakiyama Tami]. Keio Associated Repository Academic Resources. Jun, 2015.
Onaga, Shioko. Sakiyama Tami “Kotōmu duchuimuni” ron: ryōkaifukanō na “tasha” to “henyō sareru karada” [Research on Sakiyama Tami’s “Kotōmu duchuimuni”: Incomprehensible “Others” and “Transformed Bodies”]. Studies of the Society and Culture in Ryukyu and Asia. Nov. 2014.
Sakiyama, Tami. “Akōkurō genshikō.” Subaru. Sept. 2006: 240-52.
---. “Figuru kaji nu fuki ba.” Subaru. May. 2007: 140-51.
---. “Kotōmu duchuimuni.” Subaru. Jan. 2006: 84-96.
---. “Kuja kisō hensō.” Subaru. Mar. 2008: 168-89.
—. Kuja genshikō. Fukuoka: Hanashoin Press, 2017.
---. “Mapirōma ni tatsu kage wa.” Subaru. Nov. 2007: 197-212.
---. “Mienai machi kara Shonkanē ga.” Subaru. May. 2006: 130-44.
---. “Pingirazaka yakō.” Subaru. Jan. 2007: 65-79.
---. “Shimakutuba de kachāshī” [Dancing Kachāshī with Okinawan Language]. Shueisha. May 2007: 140-151.
Yonaha, Yunusu. Miyako sumafutsu jiten [Miyako Language Dictionary]. Okinawa koronī insatsu. Dec 2003. Print.
Original report by Hiroya Shimosato. Edited by Kasumi Sminkey.