Reading Okinawa

JAPANESE TEXT:

Matayoshi, Eiki. Ryōshi to Utahime [The Fisherman and the Songstress]. Tokyo: Ushioshuppansha, 2009.


1. Introduction

Eikichi Matayoshi’s Ryōshi to utahime [A Fisherman and A Songstress] was published in 2009. The novel is set in a village called Moromi, a mountain village located in the northernmost part of Okinawa Island. The book is a love story about a young fisherman and a songstress. The time is 1961, when people in Moromi did not have television. Masao, the main character, is a twenty-year-old fisherman with a stocky body. Masao thinks about his noble blood, which is different from ordinary Moromi people.

The book deals with the role called sewayaku, an important leadership role that only women can do. The sewayaku cannot marry or have children. She must do the job to the best of her ability, plan Moromi’s cultural events, and advise people on various issues. In the novel, a beautiful young woman named Kazuko takes up the sewayaku post.

Masao really loves Kazuko, but after she become sewayaku, she cannot get married. However, Masao decides to tell Kazuko that he loves her. She does not answer clearly and decides to leave the village after retiring from her position. Influenced by her, Masao decides to leave the village and go on a journey in search of himself.


2. Character List

Masao 正雄

He is a fisherman and twenty years old. He is taller than other youth, and his muscles are well developed. He believes he has noble blood and is proud of being a fisherman. He inherits his fishing boat from his father. He can catch a shark with his bare hands. He loves Kazuko and tries to approach to her, but she breaks his heart. On the other hand, Misae loves him and tries to approach to him, but he breaks her heart.

Gorō 五郎

He is a sixteen-years-old boy who likes wrestling. He wrestles playfully with a sea turtle. He looks up to Masao and has a big mouth. He has bronzed skin and naturally curly hair. His hair is red and sunburned. He is short and slim. Gorō takes risks so he can brag about his heroic antics. He thinks being able to catch a shark with ones bare hands is proof of true manliness. Gorō likes Noriko and tell her that he loves her. However, she rejects him in front of a crowd of people.

Kazuko 和子

She is the most of beautiful woman in Moromi and is eighteen years old. She always reads her poems and works at a small store. She just graduated from high school. She wears dark blue clothes and ties up her hair. She really likes boar meat. She takes up the post of sewayaku. At the end of the novel, she leaves her hometown and tries to publish a book of her poems.

Noriko 則子

She is a high school student and looks up to Kazuko. After Kazuko becomes sewayaku, she works at the shop for Kazuko. Gorō expresses his love to Noriko; however, she refuses him.

Misae 美佐枝

She is thirty years old and is the peddler woman’s daughter. She is tall and seems strong. She lives in Yonashiro. She really loves Masao, and goes crazy when he rejects her. She dies shortly after falling off a cliff while riding a horse.

Peddler Woman 行商の女

She goes from place to place selling fish. Her husband is a fisherman, and she saves money by selling fish wisely. She remembers everything about fish and her sales without taking notes. Her husband gets bitten by a shark.

Sewayaku Obasan 世話役おばさん

She is a short, old woman with silver hair. She is in charge of village events and works hard. However, she went senile a year ago and retired. She gets the village women and Chōrō to make Kazuko the next sewayau. Chōrō, who is the same age, loved her when they were young.

The Elder (Chōrō) 長老

The elder is very old. He has the only television in the village because they are too expensive for the other villagers. He has the power to make decisions and knows everything that happens in the village. Everyone looks up to him. His house is on the top of a hill. He is nice to the sewayaku obasan and likes Masao and Gōrō. He forgives the Old Boar Man’s son, who steals medicinal plants in the mountains.

The Old Boar Man 猪老人

He is seventy-seven-years old and is friendly with the peddler woman. He lives in Mineo village with his wife in a hut located deep in the mountains. He likes shark meat and barters with Moromi villagers for boar meat.

The Old Boar Man’s only son 猪老人の一人息子

The Boar Man’s only son wears a straw hat and has a towel around his neck. He is a middle-aged man. He lives in the city and does not like the countryside. He wants to start a business by selling alcohol made from the medicinal plant, so he tries to steal them from Moromi. However, he gets caught by Masao, Gōrō and Hidemaru.

Hidemaru 秀丸

He is eleven years old and has a clean-shaved head. He is slightly plump and considers himself Gōrō’s henchman. He discovers someone trying to steal the medicinal plants and tells Gōrō about it. Later, he goes with them to catch the thief.

Masao’s father 正雄の父

Masao’s father is a fisherman and gives his boat to Masao. He is a kind person; however, hs is a sick and does not eat much. He dies and is laid to rest in the cemetery located on White Island.

Moromi’s Youths 諸見の青年たち

The youths are ordered by Kazuko to climb a steep cliff. Their names are Yohio, Toyokazu, Kyōsuke, Yasutarō, Seisuke, and Isamu. They are all teenage fishermen who live in Moromi.


3. Plot Summary

Chapter 1 (3-24)

One day, Masao comes back from fishing. Gorō, his friend, is wrestling with a sea turtle. Although Kunsei Obasan wants it, but Gorō returned the turtle to the sea. Masao caught a shark with his bare hands when he went fishing. They bring the shark to an old man’s house. The old man is called the Old Boar Man because he is an expert at hunting wild boar. They trade the shark meat for boar meat to give to Kazuko, the most beautiful woman in the village who works at the shop. When they go to the Old Boar Man’s house, he is relaxing at home with a middle-aged woman. The woman likes Masao and wants to him to marry her thirty-nine-year-old daughter.

Chapter 2 (25-47)

Gorō is fighting with two women in front of the shop. Amid the furor, Kazuko tells Masao that she wants to go to Meoto rock, a rock off the coast. Masao holds the hope that she will approach him, but he thinks she is not ready to get married because she is too young. When they arrive at the rock, they eat a rice ball made by her. After that, she starts reading a the poem. After reading the poem, they enjoy fishing and catch a lot of small fish. Kazuko is excited about fishing. When they return to Moromi, a peddler woman, with a daughter named Misae, is waiting for Masao on the beach. She tells Masao about Misae, but he gets bashful and makes the peddler woman and Misae go back to Yonashiro, where they live.

Chapter 3 (48-70)

After fishing, Kazuko says, “Butchery is not good, so we should not fish so much.” Masao cannot understand her opinion. Moromi’s people sell their fish at the port village of Yonashiro, so they depend on fishing to make a living. When Masao goes to the fishing port in Yonashiro with Gōrō, they met the peddler woman again. She says, “Misako is falling in love with Masao,” and invites him to her house. However, they do not go. Masao says he really likes Kazuko. However, she has become a candidate for the new sewayaku, who will replace the current, elderly sewayaku. If Kazuko becomes a sewayaku, she will not be able to get married or have children. That night, Masao’s father says, “Let’s go fishing.” While they are sea, Masao’s father talks about the old days, and then says, “I want you to get married while I’m still alive.” Masao thinks of Kazuko.

Chapter 4 (71-94)

Gorō and Masao hear some bad news from Hidemaru: He saw someone stealing a medical plant, which only the sewayaku is allowed to use, in the mountains. To catch the thief, Masao, Gorō, and Hidemaru hurry to the mountains. They catch the thief and take him to Chōrō’s house. Chōrō asks the man why he was stealing the plant, and he answers, “I want to be stronger and smarter, so I can get revenge against those that made a fool of me.” Chōrō notices that the thief is the Old Boar Man’s only son, so Chōrō forgives him.

Chapter 5 (95-116)

One night, Masao has a dream about Kazuko and cannot sleep. He thinks about his work and gets upset by Kazuko’s comment that she dislikes the butchery. He knows that they might not ever become husband and wife. He recalls that his father said, “I lived in this tiny village for fifty years,” and gets the feeling that his father might be urging him to do something else with his life.

One day, a large eel strays into the different area of the river. Some youths try to catch it, but an old woman comes and tells them, “The eel wants to say something important.” She brings the sewayaku, and the old woman says, “That eel is telling us to change our sewayaku.” After that, the female villagers have a meeting to discuss who should be the new sewayaku. Apart from Chōrō, the male villagers are not allowed to attend the meeting. Masao and Gorō look in through the window. There are three candidates, and Kazuko is one of them. Finally, the old sewayaku decides that Kazuko will be the new sewayaku.

Chapter 6 (117-138)

Even though Kazuko was shy before, she becomes an out-going sewayaku. She immediately suggests having a marine athletic festival and a tug-of-war. She wants Moromi’s people to learn about the importance of nature. The tug-of-war event was held before the war, but it has not been held recently. Kazuko’s athletic festival is a big success. Everyone enjoys the event and appreciates her efforts. The tug-of-war takes place that night, too. The villagers are divided into two teams, “Iri” and “Agari,” which means “west” and “east,” respectively. When Kazuko and Noriko arrive at the beach, they read poems. The tug-of-war is held, and the east team wins.

Chapter 7 (139-160)

Moromi’s people expect good things from Kazuko. However, she has strong views about butchery and bans some of their practices. Masao and Gōrō hear a woman screaming, so they hurry to the shop and find Kazuko, Misae, and Noriko standing out front. Misae challenges Kazuko to a duel.

One day, Masao’s father drinks medical plant’s alcohol, which Kazuko brings. He opens his eyes and says, “My life was fun”—and then dies. After the funeral, Masao and Gōrō bring the remains the island of graves, which is four kilometers from the northernmost part of the mainland. The island has no rocks or trees, and has a white sandy beach. Suddenly, Kazuko reads her poem to Masao’s father. Masao feels happy, but the old people are concerned about Kazuko’s poem because it sounds as if Kazuko is happy about Masao’s father’s death.

Seven days after Masao’s father’s death, Misae appears in Moromi riding a horse and knocks into Kazuko’s house. Kazuko and Noriko try to catch her, but she runs away. Masao and Gōrō go to the mountain to look for Misae and the horse, but they cannot find them. The next day, Gorō hears that Misae and the horse fell off a cliff, and the horse died. However, Misae has survived.

Chapter 8 (161-183)

Masao, Gorō, and Noriko talk about filing a claim to the police. Akira comes and tells them that Misae’s father was bitten by a shark. When Masao hears that, he thinks Misae’s father will die. Kazuko ask Masao and Gōrō to bring a sympathy gift to the hospital for Misae. They go to the hospital in Yonashiro and meet the peddler woman. She says Kazuko should take responsibility for Misae’s accident. The horse owner is demanding compensation for the dead horse. Later, rumors spread through the village that Misae has died.

Chapter 9 (184-205)

One day, the horse owner says Kazuko should pay for the horse. That afternoon, Kazuko and Noriko go to the sea snake’s cave (a cave with a lot of sea snakes) to read their poetry. When Kazuko is reading her poem, four men from Yonashiro kidnap her. They plan to bury Kazuko in the sand. Masao notices that Kazuko is not in the village and looks for her in Moromi. Masao and Gorō hear that Kazuko has been taken to the island of graves, so they go to rescue her. When they arrive there, they find that Kazuko is still alive. However, the men dig a big hole. When Masao sees that, he gets and tells the men to fill up the hole, but they refuse. Masao gets angry and fights with the men. The four men from Yonashiro run away from the island. After that, Kazuko kneels before Masao’s father’s grave and prays.

Chapter 10 (206-227)

Masao begins to think that Misae has died because of him. Why did she fall in love with me? he thinks. Moreover, he thinks about his noble blood and wonders if there are some good things that he has not noticed. Gōrō tells Masao to stop worrying about Misae and suggests showing Kazuko how to hunt for sharks. They bring Kazuko with them, and after she reads her poem, they go hunting for shark. Suddenly, a dugong appears, and they try to catch it. However, Gōrō is pulled into the sea and hits his head on a rock. Kazuko gets angry that they tried to catch a dugong.

Chapter 11 (228-248)

Noriko brings a message from Kazuko the youth, who are drinking alcohol on the beach. She orders them to climb the steep vertical cliff as part of a cliff-climbing competition. At first, the men refuse to climb the cliff, but later they accept the challenge. Gōrō asks Noriko why they have to climb the cliff, and her answer seems to be complete hogwash. Kazuko just wants to learn about the human spirit. They cannot understand Kazuko’s thinking. Climb the cliff is extremely dangerous. However, Kazuko tells Masao that he does not have to join the competition because of his father’s death. Luckily, the young men are able to climb the cliff without falling.

One day, three assemblymen from Yonashiro come to talk to Kazuko. They want to bury Misae’s remains on the island of graves or have Kazuko retire from being for sewayaku. Masao says, “We cannot do either,” and they say in a threatening tone of voice, “If you do not make a choice, Moromi’s people will not be able to bring their fish to Yonashiro’s fishing port any more.” Masao and the other men return to their village to consider how to respond.

Chapter 12 (249-270)

The ban on bringing fish to Yonashiro’s fishing port makes Moromi’s people angry. The villagers start getting ready to fight against Yonashiro. However, Chōrō comes and says, “We need to negotiate first.” Masao thinks Chōrō’s plan is a bad idea; however, Gorō, Kazuko, and he decide to go to Yonashiro. When they arrive at the fishing port, they met the village leader and the horse owner’s wife. They change their mind about whether they should pay for the dead horse.

Chapter 13 (271-292)

Masao thinks he cannot tell Kazuko that he loves her because she hates butchery and sometimes reads weird poems. He has a dream about Misae in which she carries a baby. In the end, Masao decides to tell Kazuko that his loves her. He goes to her house to give her a love letter, but she is not home. Her mother says that she disappeared that morning. Gōrō and Noriko notice that Masao’s boat is missing. They go to sea to search for Kazuko and find her near the island of graves. They ask her why she left without saying anything, and she answers that she just wanted to drift along. After that, Masao gives her the love letter. Kazuko does not open it at that time. She decides to leave the village and retire from being sewayaku.

Chapter 14 (293-313)

Kazuko submits a letter to Chōrō resigning from being sewayaku, and the news spreads to Yonashiro. As a result, the Moromi villagers can start bringing fish to Yonashiro’s fishing port again. Kazuko writes to Masao and tells him that she want to publish a book of her poems. One day, Gōrō comes to Masao’s house and confesses his love for Noriko. Masao thinks that Gōrō has grown up. For himself, Masao thinks he should stop being a fisherman and find another job.

Chapter 15 (314-333)

Noriko rejects Gorō in front of a group of villagers. After that, Gorō is shocked and starts spending his time drinking alcohol. Masao considers sending another love letter to Kazuko. While he is thinking about what to write, he realizes he needs to know the truth about himself and decides to leave the village. Masao plans to leave Moromi without telling anyone, but as he is getting ready to leave, he suddenly meets Gōrō, who already understands Masao’s thinking. Together, they go to Yonashiro.


4. Point of View

The story is narrated in third-person and follows Masao. His thoughts and feeling are given, but the narration is clear and objective. The point of view remains consistent for the entire story, so readers are likely to empathize with Masao and feel somewhat distant from the other characters, including Kazuko.


5. Symbolism and Imagery

Fish 魚

The fish become a symbol of freedom. Moromi is a fishing village, so most of the villagers make their living from fishery. However, some of the characters decide to give up their lives in the village in order to pursue lives of greater freedom—like fish swimming in the wild sea. At the end of the novel, Masao makes up his mind to quit fishing and leave his hometown.

Shark　鮫

The shark becomes a symbol of the power of nature and manliness. Masao is extremely proud of being able to catch a ferocious shark with his bare hands. He thinks, “There’s nothing barbaric about catching a shark with one’s bare hands. If you can do it, it means you’re one man among millions” (51). Moromi’s people eat and barter shark meat. The peddler woman’s husband is bitten by a shark and losing his foot. Moromi’s people fear and respect sharks.

Kazuko’s Poetry 詩

Kazuko’s poems describe Okinawa’s beautiful nature—and become a symbol of understanding that nature. Kazuko always reads poems about nature’s spirit and energy. In addition, she gets the inspiration for her poems from nature. Significantly, Kazuko’s poems are incomprehensible to others. Only Masao and Noriko even try to understand them. She reads in a beautiful voice. One day, she reads a poem when burying Masao’s father. The elderly feel uncomfortable about that, but Masao does not mind. The fact that many of the villagers cannot understand Kazuko’s poems suggests that they are also out of touch with nature.


6. Setting

The novel takes place in 1961 in a northern Okinawan village called Moromi. Part of the story takes place in Yonashiro, which has a fishing port. In reality, however, Moromi and Yonashiro are not located in the northern part of Okinawa. Moromi is located in Okinawa City, and another one is located in Yaese City. Moromi has a fishing industry, and many of their fishermen sell the fish at the nearby fishing port.


7. Criticism

Egami Gō claims that Ryōshi to utahime pushes for higher standards of masculinity. Recently, it is said that the number of sōshokukei danshi (men who are gentle and passive, especially in romance) in Japan is increasing. In Matayoshi’s novel, Masao is presented as a example of positive masculinity. He is strong, courageous, and self-confident. He even catches a ferocious shark with his bare hands. On the other hand, Masao is unsophisticated and immature. He is committed to the countryside and hangs on to the old ways of thinking. When Kazuko leaves the village, Masao does not think he has the potential to do the same. Gradually, however, Masao changes his way of thinking. Influenced by Kazuko, who is a determined and courageous person, Masao tries to be more decisive. He also begins to think about the value of life and reconsiders whether it is okay to kill fish for food. Although he is a fisherman, he begins to develop a greater respect for nature and all animals. Masao becomes an example of a spiritually advanced Okinawan. Since the reader follows Masao through the novel, they are also challenged to reconsider their thinking.

In his review of the novel, Hamagawa Tomokuni points out that the novel uses strange words. Characters use polite language, and there are some strange appellatives, such as sewayaku and chōrō. This is a contemporary novel, but it uses old words which seem anachronistic. Hamagawa points out that when Masao’s father dies, Masao does not express any sorrow. Other characters also seem to suppress their emotions. Hamagawa writes that the novel argues for stoicism.


8. Themes

Hidden Potential

One of the most important themes of the novel is the idea of hidden potential. The novel describes the process of youth solving various problems and growing up. For example, Masao learns from Kazuko. He is not decisive at first, but he learns to be more resolute and active. He is happy with his current life but does not reflect deeply. As a result of Kazuko’s influence, he starts to ask questions about his current life. Readers can learn from Masao as he changes his mind. By reading the novel, readers are able to see their own lives in a new light and consider their connection to nature. At the end of the novel, Masao heads off on a trip in search of his identity.

Animal Rights

The novel shows the importance of respecting animal life. Matayoshi argues that modern people have forgotten how much the environment and various animals suffer as a result of human behavior. Kazuko composes poems about Okinawa’s nature and creatures, and she spends a lot of time criticizing Masao and the villagers for “butchery.” Needless to say, Moromi’s people have a difficult time understanding this criticism because they make their livings primarily through fishing. Apparently, she is warning them not to catch too much fish. She wants them to have greater respect for the nature that sustains their lives.


9. Discussion Questions

1. Should the novel be read as an allegory? If so, what does the story represent?

2. Why does Matayoshi change the location of the villages in his story, instead of using the actual locations?

3. What is the role of the sewayaku? Why can’t she get married or have children?

4. What is Kazuko’s attitude toward the village’s traditions?

5. Why does Kazuko make the youths climb the cliff—even though it’s extremely dangerous?

6. Describe Masao and Kazuko’s relationship. How do they help each other?

7. How does Masao change his thinking as a result of his relationship with Kazuko?

8. What is the significance of the scene with Misae and the horse?

9. Why does Kazuko decide to leave the village? What will become of her?

10. Why does Masao decide to give up fishing? What kind of work will he do in the future?


10. Works Cited

Egami, Gō. “Mattari kokochiyoi dōzokuteki na shinwa.” BOOKashi.com. 10 March 2009.

Hamagawa, Tomokuni. “Book Review: Eiki Matayoshi, Fisherman and Songstress.” Regional Studies (7). Okinawa Repository Integrated Open-Access Network, 31 May 2010. .

Matayoshi, Eiki. Ryōshi to Utahime [The Fisherman and the Songstress]. Tokyo: Ushioshuppansha, 2009.

Ōshiro, Tatsuhiro. “Ryōshi to Utahime.” Ryukyushinpō. 12 April 2009.

Original Report by Airi Miyahira. Edited by Kasumi Sminkey.