平和通りと名付けられた街を歩いて
“Heiwa dōri to nazukerareta machi o aruite”
[Walking through the town called Heiwa Street]
JAPANESE TEXT:
Medoruma, Shun. “Heiwa dōri to nazukerareta machi o aruite” [Walking Through the Town Called Heiwa Street]. Heiwa dōri to nazukerareta machi o aruite. Tokyo: Kageshobō, 2003. 89-161.
1. Main Characters
Kazuyoshi (nickname: Kaju) 一義
One of the main characters of the story, Kaju is in the fourth grade of elementary school. He loves his grandmother and tries to protect her.
The Man (police officer) あの男
At first, only referred to as “that man,” the police officer harasses Kazuyoshi and his family, and demands that they keep Uta locked up on the day of the royal visit. Machiko, Kaju’s teacher, thinks he is a dubious character.
Sachiko (Nickname: Sachi) サチコ
Kaju’s sister, Sachiko is an innocent child attending elementary school.
Hatsu ハツ
Hatsu is Kaju’s mother. She loves her children and works at a supermarket.
Fumi フミ
Although she is about thirty-six years younger than Uta, Fumi is Uta’s loyal friend, who sells fish on Heiwa Street. She is a strong woman, who resists the police’s attempts to shut down the market on the day of the royal visit. Fumi is grateful to Uta for protecting her from gangsters many years ago.
Uta ウタ
Kaju’s grandmother, Uta is seventy-six years old and has senile dementia. During the war, she lost her child and her husband. Although she used to be a strong woman and a respected leader, she now wanders around the market and inadvertently inconveniences the shopkeepers.
Masayasu 正安
Masayasu is Kazuyoshi’s father and Uta’s son. A heavy drinker, he seems to be a poor father and husband. The construction company he used to work for went bankrupt, so he now works as a day laborer at the port.
Yoshiaki 義明
Uta’s oldest son, Yoshiaki had a weak constitution and died of an illness during the war.
Machiko マチコ
Kazuyoshi’s teacher, Machiko is very kind and loves her students. She tries to protect Kaju and his friends from the mysterious man (the police officer) who enters the school grounds.
2. Plot
Kaju enters the alley to his house when a strange man accosts him and asks questions about the family. Scared, Kaju runs home and enters his room. His sister Sachiko tells their mother, Hatsu, that Kaju is crying. Hatsu consoles Kaju, and then they talk about the man. Kaju expresses the fear that his grandmother might be taken away (89-92).
Kaju goes to find Uta. He goes to Yogi Park and pinches Sachi’s arm because she told their mother that Kaju was crying. Sachi runs away, and Kaju heads toward the park gate. The boy’s baseball team is training. Kaju wanted to join the baseball team, but the baseball team’s coach declined Kaju’s offer because Kaju was weak. Kaju was so disappointed that he walked with his head down. Kaju leaves the park, and goes to the market. Fumi beckons to him while he is waiting at a traffic light. Kaju talks to Fumi, but she looks annoyed when she says she is looking for Uta (92-5).
Kaju walks along Heiwa Street and asks women about Uta. When he finally finds her, he calls out to her, and she is surprised. She seems to think that a soldier has come to get them. Kaju takes Uta home (93-8).
Masayasu and Hatsu talk about Uta. Masayasu is drinking awamori and feels angry because his feeling disconsolate (98-101).
Uta’s strange behavior has caused trouble for the people around her, but Fumi gets along very well with her. Uta has senile dementia. She occasionally remembers the war and her son Yoshiaki, a weak boy who died during the war. Fumi worries about Uta, and often gives fish to Kazuyoshi. She is a strong woman and resists the police officer who orders her not to sell fish. She admires Uta for helping the women fight against a gangster who tried to extort money from them (106-14).
The shopkeepers are terribly distressed by Uta’s action (114-21).
The police officer comes to the Kazuyoshi’s school. Kazuyoshi’s friends ask Machiko for help when they see the police. Machine protects Kazuyoshi from the police officer and sees him home. She talks to Sachiko and Hatsu about the police officer and the happenings of the day. Hatsu makes a face as she listens, which confuses Machiko. She is worried about Uta (121-29).
Fumi grows impatient because she is caught again and again in a traffic check. The police officers check the car because The Crown Prince and Princess are coming to Okinawa. The Okinawa people extend a welcome to them, but Fumi is angry because of all the restrictions place on them before the visit. A woman is angry at Uta because she touched the stall’s fruit with her dirty hands. Fumi argues with the woman about Uta’s action, and the woman calm down and apologizes. Then, Fumi and Uta go home (130-35).
The Crown Prince and Princess come to Okinawa for a blood donation drive to commemorate the anniversary of the end of war. The Okinawa people and the streets are under close guard by many police officers. The police officer tell Hatsu and Masayasu to keep Uta home because she touches many things with her dirty hands. Hatsu and Masayasu feel insulted by the demand, so they do not lock Uta up in her room (137-40).
Kazuyoshi escapes from the elementary school on the day that the Crown Prince and Princess arrive. Kazuyoshi is hit by someone, and he breaks a tooth. He is anxious for Uta. Suddenly, Uta presses her feces-covered hands on the window of the car that the Crown Prince and Princess are in. She is arrested by the police officer (149-54).
Kaju wakes up at 5:40 in the morning. After confirming that his parents are still asleep, he stands at Uta’s door and recalls Uta’s return home the night before. Kaju wakes Uta up, and they walk to the main bus terminal and board a bus for Yanbaru. Kaju falls asleep, and when he wakes up, he discovers that Uta’s body is cold, apparently dead (155-61).
3. Setting
Heiwa Street as it looks today
The story takes place in Naha in the area surrounding Heiwa Street, one of the main shopping districts in the city. The action occurs on the days preceding and following the historical visit of the Crown Prince Akihito and Princess Michiko on July 13, 1983. The royal couple came to Okinawa for a blood drive, and security for the visit was intense. Through flashbacks and memories, the story also recounts some incidents from the past, including the Battle of Okinawa and the Himeyuri memorial incident, the incident in which a protester threw a Molotov cocktail at the Crown Prince.
4. Point of View
Although the third-person narration jumps from character to character, the point of view is usually limited to that of one character within each section. The first two sections are narrated from Kaju’s point of view (89-101). In the next section, the narration shifts to Fumi (102-6). The next section continues with Fumi’s point of view; however, there are flashbacks as Uta talks about the war to Fumi (109-11). Then, Masayasu’s point of view describes the incident at his place of work (114-21). At the school, the events are described from the point of view of Kaju and Machiko (121-29). Fumi and Masayasu felt angry and confused because the Crown Prince came to Okinawa (129-32, 137-40). At the end of the story, the point of view switches to Kaju and Uta.
5. Themes
Okinawa’s Reaction to the Imperial Visit
This story addresses the thorny issue of Okinawa’s relationship to Japan and of Okinawan’s attitude towards the Emperor system. As a result of the war, many Okinawans felt deep resentment towards the Emperor. For example, the Crown Prince came to Okinawa for a blood drive, but there were many protests. In the story, Fumi feels angry about the visit because she feels that the Emperor caused the war. Kaju also can see that Uta changed because of the war.
War Memory
Uta suffers trauma from the war. For example, she often remembers the war and her dead son, Yoshiaki. In spite of having such powerful memories of the war, Uta has only once spoken to Fumi about those experiences.
Economic inequality
Since the war, Okinawa people have struggled financially, and this is depicted in the story. For example, Masayasu worked at a construction firm; however, the company went bankrupt and now he works as a day-laborer at the port (115). In order for the family to survive, Hatsu must also work. As a result, life is a struggle for both of them.
6. Symbolism and Imagery
Heiwa Street
Heiwa Street is a street in the city of Naha. “Heiwa” means “peace” in Japanese, and in this story, the characters frequently discuss their desire for peace and hatred for war.
Comparisons to Animals
In this story, the characters are often compared to animals. For example, Kaju is compared to an ant, a small animal, and a small fish (89). Similarly, Uta is compared to a squid, a monkey, a snail, and a frog (152). These comparison emphasize the characters’ low position in life and the indignities they must face.
7. Discussion Questions
1. What are some of the Okinawan attitudes towards the royal visit?
2. Why are the police watching Uta and her family?
3. What does Kaju think about his grandmother?
4. Why hasn’t Uta spoken about the war earlier? Why does she suddenly have such vivid memories of the war?
5. Why didn’t Medoruma write the story from a single point of view? What is the effect of having the story told from multiple points of view?
6. Why does Fumi have respect for Uta? Why don’t the other women treat Uta better?
7. What is the significance of Uta smearing feces on the Crown Prince’s car window?
8. Do you think mainland Japanese respond to this story differently, compared to Okinawans? Why? Or why not?
9. Why does Kazuyoshi go to Yanbaru at the end of the story?
10. What does the story teach us about war trauma and dementia?
8. Works Cited
Bhowmik, Davinder L. “Postreversion fiction and Medoruma Shun.” Writing Okinawa: Narrative Acts of Identity and Resistance. London: Routledge, 2008. 124-57.
Okamoto, Keitoku. “Shomin no me de toraeta tennousei” [The Emperor System as Seen by Ordinary People]. Gendai bungaku ni miru Okinawa no jigazou [Okinawa in Contemporary Novels and Drama]. Tokyo: Koubunken, 1996. 260-4.
Okamoto, Keitoku., Takahashi, Toshio. “Okinawa bungakusen nihonbungaku no ejji karano
toi [Okinawa selected, the question from edge of Japanese literature].” Kono jidai ni
kono basho de. Tokyo: Bensei shuppan.2003.380-81.
Shun, Medoruma. “Heiwa dōri to nazukerareta machi o aruite [Walking in the town called
Heiwa Street].” Heiwa dōri to nazukerareta machi o aruite. Tokyo: Kageshōbō, 2003. 89-161.
Original Report by Chinen Misuzu and Kasumi Sminkey.