Umukaji tu chiriti
Medoruma Shun’s “Umukaji to uchiriti” [Carried off with the Shadows]
Japanese Text:
Medoruma, Shun. “Umukaji tu chiriti” [Carried off with the Shadows]. Mabuigumi [Soul-Stuffing]. Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1999. 151-85.
Vocabulary list:
http://quizlet.com/77703437/okinawa-literature-flash-cards/
1. Introduction
First published in the 1999 spring edition of Shōsetsu Torippā, “Umukaji tu chiriti” tells the story of a young woman caught up in the events surrounding the attack on the Crown Prince during ceremonies at the Himeyuri Memorial. The story was republished in Mabuigumi in 1999, and again in the third volume of Medoruma’s collected works in 2013. The story is a unique for being narrated by a ghost.
2. Character List
Uchi (“I”) うち
The protagonist and narrator. In a conversational monologue, Uchi tells her life story to an unnamed young girl sitting under a banyan tree. Uchi was born in Naha about ten years after the end of the World War II. When she was about four years old, her parents sent her to live with her grandmother, who lives in the northern part of the Okinawan mainland. Uchi leads a painful and tragic life, but she develops a close relationship with her grandmother, a priestess. Schooled by her grandmother, Uchi develops the ability to communicate with mabui (spirits), who tell her about their tragedies. After her grandmother dies, Uchi struggles to survive on her own, but her life changes when she meets a man who can see spirits, too.
Anta (“You”) あんた
The young girl who passively listens to Uchi’s story. Anta never speaks, but presumably, she has the ability to communicate with mabui, just as Uchi does.
Grandmother おばあ
Uchi’s grandmother, the highest ranked kaminchu priestess in her village, raises Uchi and teaches her everything she knows. She dies when Uchi is eighteen years old.
Mama-san and hostesses ママさん、姉さんたち
The Mama-san and three hostesses work at a pub with Uchi. Mama-san is strict but also kind and friendly. After the Expo, the bar falls on hard times and the other hostesses gradually quit, until Uchi is alone with Mama-san.
That Guy あの人
A laborer who comes to Okinawa for the construction of the Okinawa International Ocean Exposition. He meets Uchi at her pub and becomes friends with her after asking whom she was talking to under the banyan tree. He is reserved and has a severe expression but intently listens to Uchi’s stories about the spirits with whom she has spoken. Apparently, he was involved in the attack on the Crown Prince.
Policeman / Detectives 警察さん、刑事さん
After the attack on the Crown Prince, the local policeman and two detectives from Naha interrogate Uchi about the man she befriended.
Unnamed Men 男たち
Some unknown men appear at the end of the story. Although the plot suggests that they are in some way connected to the Himeyuri Memorial Incident, there’s no evidence for this assumption.
3. Plot
Section 1 (151-3)
When I was young like you, I also liked to sit under the gajimaru tree and watch the river. I was born ten years after the end of the war. Maybe you didn’t know there was a war here, and that many people died. Actually, my grandfather also died in the war. Anyway, I was born in Naha, but when I was about four years old, my parents left me with my grandmother, a kaminchu priestess who lived near an utaki holy site in the northern part of Okinawa. Though rejected by my parents, I was happy living with my grandmother and never wanted to go back to Naha.
Section 2 (153-63)
My time in kindergarten went smoothly because the playground was near the uganju holy place, where I could see my grandmother. When I entered elementary school, however, I started to get bullied by schoolmates from other neighborhoods. They would lock me in the bathroom, so I couldn’t relieve myself during the day. As I result, I wet myself during class. After that, the bullying escalated until it was too painful to go to school. I told my grandmother that I didn’t want to go, and she let me stay home. From that time, I accompanied my grandmother everywhere. I helped her with the farm work during the day and listened to her stories before I went to bed. She taught me everything that I needed to know.
When I was about ten, I started delivering newspapers. Gradually, I felt more comfortable being alone, and often went to the utaki or this gajimaru tree, where I pondered various things. One day, a beautiful woman appeared and told me a sad story about how during the war she’d worked at an inn and couldn’t be with the boy she loved. When I told my grandmother about the incident, she explained that I had the ability to see spirits but to keep my ability secret. After that, various spirits would appear at the tree and tell me their sad stories.
When I was eighteen, my grandmother suddenly died. My parents encouraged me to return with them to Naha, but I knew I’d be viewed as a nuisance, so I decided to live in my grandmother’s house. Shortly after her death, I started working at a snack bar in the evenings, after tending the fields during the day. The bar did well, largely because laborers had arrived for the construction of the new Okinawa International Ocean Exposition.
Section 3 (163-6)
That guy was a laborer for the Expo, too. One night, he came in with several of his coworkers. Unlike the others, he was extremely quiet, so I was at a loss. But one day, as I was sitting under this gajimaru, I saw him looking at me from his room, which was a prefab hut on the roof of the shop across the street. The next day, he came to my bar with his coworkers and asked if the girl sitting on the branch was my sister. I was shocked: apparently, he could see spirits, too! For the first time in my life, I could talk with someone other than my grandmother about the spirits and their stories. He listened seriously, which made me happy. After he left, the other hostesses told me that I shouldn’t just talk. Secretly, that made me happy.
Section 4 (166-73)
After that, he started visiting my snack bar every weekend. We would sit together at the counter, and I would tell him stories I heard from my grandmother: about the woman who when she rubbed her hands together, you would see fireflies; about the old man with coral growing out of his forehead; about the Okinawan man who after being killed by a Japanese soldier would run through the town without a head; and other strange stories. One Sunday afternoon, I was sitting under this banyan tree, when I saw him looking at me from his room. I went to his room, and we started talking. He said he was from Yaeyama and had worked various jobs before coming to do construction work for the Expo. After that meeting, I started visiting him every Sunday afternoon. We enjoyed our time together, though he never even held my hand. One day, he took me for a drive to Motobu, where he took pictures of me in various locations. I ended up only seeing him for three months.
Section 5 (173-6)
One night, he suddenly appeared at my house and said goodbye. He asked me not to say anything if anyone asked about him, and I promised to remain silent. About a week later, a local police officer and two detectives from Naha came to my house and questioned me about him. I refused to talk, but they were persistent and even brought me to the police station. They showed me various photos, including one of a man wearing a helmet and throwing a Molotov cocktail. They also pulled out pictures of me in Motobu and said the pictures were used to prepare for the attack on the Crown Prince’s car. Finally, they called in my parents, who accused me of causing trouble for the family, but I didn’t care. I refused to talk and just prayed for the man’s safety.
Section 6 (176-9)
A spent some time shut up in my house, but after a while, Mama-san from the snack bar visited me and encouraged me to come back to work, so I returned the next day. Some customers were mean, but the Mama-san and the hostesses protected me. When the Ocean Expo started, the construction workers returned to their original homes, and the bar fell on hard times. Gradually, the other hostesses quit, until only Mama-san and I were left. Secretly, I believed that the man would visit me again, but he never did. After three years, I kept waiting, even though there were other men who were interested in me. I was only twenty-three, so Mama-san was worried about my living alone.
Section 7 (179-84)
It happened on a hot day. Mama-san dropped me off at home after work late at about 2 a.m. I noticed that the door was ajar, but when I heard that guy call my name, I entered. “Is that you?” I called. Suddenly, someone grabbed my hair, pulled me into the room, punched me in the face, and knocked my to the ground. Then three men violently raped me, one after another. I didn’t move for quite some time after they left.
I left the house and went to the forest. Near the small hut, where the priestesses used to confine themselves, I had a vision of tropical fish, birds, and butterflies. I also saw that guy hanging from a gajimaru tree, with a rope digging into his neck. When I chased off the birds and fish nibbling at his body, he disappeared. My grandmother appeared, and told me that it wasn’t too late. I headed back home and found my own body lying on the floor. I considered returning to my body but decided that I had suffered enough. After watching myself die, I suddenly felt cold. As it grew dark, I recalled my grandmother’s words, “I’m so lonely.” That’s right, grandma, I thought, I’m so lonely.
Section 8 (184-5)
Since my death, I’ve always been in a cold, dark, and silent place. I don’t know where I am, and I’ve never met anyone. I often return to this gajimaru tree because this is where I feel most at peace. I’m hoping that I’ll see that guy again. I’m sorry for telling you such a story, but I don’t want you to end up like me. Oh, look! The fish are swimming up the river, and the light is glittering on the water. I wonder if that guy is looking at this light, too.
4. Historical and Cultural Background
Expo ’75
Expo ’75 (or the Okinawa International Ocean Exhibition) was a World’s fair held in Motobu City, Kunigami County, Okinawa from July 20, 1975 to January 18, 1976, partly to commemorate Okinawa’s 1972 reversion to Japan, and partly as a way for the government to contribute to Okinawa’s economic development. The Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium was later constructed on the site.
Himeyuri Memorial Incident ひめゆりの塔事件
The Himeyuri Memorial Incident was an attack on the Crown Prince of Japan that took place on July 17, 1975. In Sensō o shinai kuni [The Country that Won’t Go to War], Kōji Yabe discusses the Himeyuri Memorial Incident as follows:
The year after Japan’s defeat, Emperor Showa visited all parts of Japan in order to lead the efforts of rebuilding the country. However, there was one place he couldn’t visit—Okinawa. This was because in Okinawa, where a violent ground battle took place, there was intense bitterness towards the Emperor.In his place, Prince Akihito, who was 41 years old, visited Okinawa for the first time with Princess Michiko to attend the opening ceremony of the Okinawa International Ocean Exposition on July 17, 1975. That was when the Himeyuri Memorial Incident occurred.Clearly, Prince Akihito was prepared for such an unexpected occurrence. Before his visit, he was quoted as saying, “Even if stones are thrown at me, I want to be unafraid and go out amongst the Okinawan people.” Rather than stones, however, it was a Molotov cocktail that was thrown at him. After the bomb hit the fence several meters in front of the stand for offering flowers, and the flames spread right in front of Prince Akihito and Princess Michiko, the scene turned into chaos.
Utaki, Yuta, Kamigyōji, and Kaminchu
Uchi has the ability to communicate with the dead, an ability often attributed to priestesses in Okinawa. Uchi herself, however, cannot become a priestess because the traditional rites and ceremonies have been abandoned, but as a child, she learned about those traditions from Uchi’s grandmother, who is a kaminchu (or priestess). Accompanying her grandmother, Uchi attends kamigyōji, religious events in which people invoke and worship the gods at utaki, holy sites where the gods visit. In Okinawa, many of these ceremonies started from the end of the fifteenth century to the beginning of sixteenth.
5. Setting
Most of the story takes place in the northern part of Okinawa. Uchi says that she was born ten years after the end of the war, so that would have been in 1955. Uchi’s grandmother died when Uchi was 18 years old, which would have been in 1973. The Okinawa International Ocean Exhibition was held from July 1975 through early 1976, and the attack on Crown Prince Akihito took place on July 17, 1975. Uchi is twenty-three years old when she dies, so readers can assume that the story continues until 1978 or so. Uchi relates her story many years later, presumably in the present.
6. Point Of View
The entire story is narrated in first person by a woman talking to a little girl, who is sitting under a gajimaru tree (“banyan tree” in English). The narrator refers to herself as “Uchi” (a first person pronoun commonly used by young women), and addresses herself to the girl, whom she calls “Anta” (a pronoun for “you”). The young girl, however, never speaks, so the entire story is a monologue, placing readers in the position of listeners.
Although the final scene is violent and shocking, Uchi narrates her life story in a casual and conversational tone. Significantly, her monologue is generously sprinkled with words of Okinawan language, including the following: chimuya (pain), kumaguma (in detail), utaki (a holy spot), nīgamiyā (home of the eldest priestess), kaminchu (priestess), maiūyā (tag along), uganju (holy place for rituals), ibi (holy spot), shiwa (anxiety), haruwagi (farmwork), yuntaku (chatting), ganmari (mischief), jinsanmin (counting money), ukōro (incense), yamato (Japan) sā (supernatural power), mabui (spirit), yachi (jealousy), iyā (you), inagu (girl), kusari ikiga (damn men), chimu (heart), chimu shikarasanu (lonely), inaguwarabi (little girl), and others. The meaning of these Okinawan words is provided by the kanji in the main text, with the Okinawan word provided as a gloss alongside.
The limited point of view—and Uchi’s naiveté—allows for various interpretations, most especially of the “that guy” character. On the one hand, Uchi views the man positively and never doubts his loyalty. In addition, she honors her promise to remain silent about him, even after being interrogated by the police. On the other hand, there is evidence to suggest that the man used Uchi as a pawn in planning the attack on the Crown Prince. According to the police, the pictures of Uchi were used in preparing for the attack, and Uchi’s refusal to talk about him makes her an accomplice. Consequently, Uchi’s being bullied and raped seems to stem from her involvement with the man. The man himself, however, might have been sincere in his feelings towards Uchi. One can imagine that a man so strongly opposed to the Emperor system would view Uchi, a strong woman with the ability to communicate with mabui spirits, as being representative of traditional Okinawan values. The irony, of course, is that his act of protest in the name of those values ends up destroying her.
7. Themes
Victimization of the Weak
By allowing a young, naïve victim of violence to speak in her own voice, Medoruma’s story illustrates how weaker members of society sometimes get caught up in larger events or become scapegoats for public acts of protests, in this case the Himeyuri Memorial attack on Crown Prince Akihito. Although Uchi does not appear to have a real life counterpart, one can assume that relatives, friends, and acquaintances of the perpetrators of the attack were negatively impacted. Similarly, women, the elderly, and children have often been victimized through Okinawa’s history.
In “Umakaji to uchiriti,” Uchi is victimized throughout her life: she is abandoned by her parents, bullied at school, interrogated by the police, harassed by neighbors, and in the end, violently raped and killed. In all of these cases, her victimization stems from the political situation and Uchi’s low status in society: Her parents abandon her partly because they are struggling to survive after the war, and partly because Uchi is the only girl amongst five children. She is bullied at school because she is poor, parentless, and shy. And she is harassed by neighbors and later raped because of she is a poor, single woman living alone, and because of her connection to the attack on the Crown Prince.
As Shinjō Ikuo points out, Uchi also speaks for other victims, voices that have been erased from Okinawa history. Significantly, the first spirit that speaks to Uchi is from Amami Ōshima, an island north of the Okinawan mainland with a long history of tensions with Ryūkyū. Uchi also tells “that guy” about people that died in the Battle of Okinawa and in the Satsuma Invasion. Indeed, all of the spirits who speak to Uchi are those of people who are victims of history and who have been forgotten. Medoruma’s story reminds us to listen to those forgotten voices.
Rape as a Violent Act
To be sure, Medoruma’s graphic description of the gang rape towards the end of the story is disturbing. Some readers might question his decision to depict the scene in such vivid detail. Couldn’t Medoruma have simply alluded to rape without such shocking description? Other readers might question the appropriateness of the scene in narrative terms: surely a shy, sensitive woman such as Uchi wouldn’t go into such graphic detail, especially when narrating the story to a young girl who could not possibly understand the sexual implications.
However, Medoruma’s description of the rape avoids titillating description and emphasizes the violent nature of the crime. More importantly, by having the incident narrated from the point of view of the victim, instead of from the perspective of attackers, he undoubtedly succeeds in creating a sense of revulsion in readers. Indeed, the point of the scene seems to be to make readers feel uncomfortable and to thereby share—to a small extent—Uchi’s agony. As if to emphasize the offensive nature of the act, Uchi’s spirit says that she cannot forgive the men and that she wants them to die. In other words, the story makes clear that rape is an offensive, cowardly, and violent act against a defenseless, vulnerable person.
8. Criticism
In a short review in Okinawa bungaku to iu kuwadate: kattō suru kotoba, shintai, kioku [The Undertaking of Okinawa Literature: Language, the Body, and Memory in Conflict], Shinjō Ikuo praises the story for its effective depiction of a voice from the dead, and points out that dialogue between the dead and the living is important. He points out that the story not only narrates Uchi’s own story but also the tragic stories of others who have died as a result of Okinawa’s tragic history. Shinjō argues that the story challenges readers to reply to Uchi’s harrowing story, though he admits that the story left him speechless.
9. Symbolism
The gajimaru (or banyan) tree ガジュマル
As in much of Okinawa literature, the gajimaru tree is the abode of spirits. In “Carried off with the Shadows,” Uchi tells us that she listened to the stories of other spirits when she was sitting under the banyan tree, and she narrates her own story to a girl sitting under the tree. After she dies, Uchi goes to a banyan tree in the forest. Significantly, she finds “that guy” hanging from a branch of the tree.
The river 川
The river seems to symbolize both the flow of time and a border between the living and the dead. As a girl and later as a young adult, Uchi often gazes at the river while sitting under the banyan tree and listening to spirits from the dead. When her spirit leaves her body, she sees fish swimming in the river. And at the very end of the story, Uchi looks at the river and wonders if that guy is looking at the river, too.
10. Discussion Questions
1. Describe Uchi’s childhood. Why do her parents abandon her?
2. Why was Uchi bullied as a child?
3. Discuss Uchi’s relationship with her grandmother.
4. Why doesn’t Uchi return home with her parents after her grandmother dies?
5. How does Uchi view “that guy”? Why does she trust him so completely?
6. Given that we are limited to Uchi’s point of view, how do you think “that guy” views Uchi? Does he sincerely care for her, or is merely using her?
7. Why is Uchi raped? Who are the culprits?
8. Why does Uchi tell her story to such a young girl?
9. Is Medoruma’s graphic description of the rape inappropriate? Why or why not?
10. What does the story suggest about the Himeyuri Memorial Incident, the attack on Prince Akihito?
11. Works Cited
Chinen, Isao. Himeyuri no ininbi [Himeyuri’s Fire of Enmity]. Tokyo: Inpakuto shuppankai, 1995.
Medoruma, Shun. “Umukaji tu chiriti [Carried off with the Shadows].” Mabuigumi [Soul-Stuffing]. Tokyo: Asahibunko, 2002. 149-85.
---. “Umukaji tu chiriti [Carried off with the Shadows].” Umukaji tu chiriti: Medoruma Shun tanpenshū shōsetsu senshū 3 [Carried off with the Shadows: Medoruma Shun Short Stories Anthology, Vol. 3]. Tokyo: Kageshobō, 2013. 41-75.
Shinjo, Ikuo. Okinawa bungaku to iu kuwadate: kattō suru kotoba, shintai, kioku [The Undertaking of Okinawa Literature: Language, the Body, and Memory in Conflict]. Tokyo: Inpakuto shuppankai, 2003. 208-11.
Original report by Haruka Shiroma. Edited and revised by Kasumi Sminkey.