My name is Taka. Like most other Japanese women in this village, I have been waiting for my husband. Before the dawn, we have already waited on the top of the mountain. From here, we could clearly saw the entrance of the village afar off. All of our male warriors went to against the invasion of the government forces last night. I heard that some women were praying for their husbands or sons. We hoped that they would all return to our village safely. Actually I have definitely sensed that government forces must attacked us after Katsumoto led his troops destroyed the railroad.
Katsumoto is my elder brother. He is viewed as a hero by Japanese people. Everybody knew that my brother led four thousand brave Samurais successfully beat the twenty thousand sohogunate troops. Eventually fifteen- years -old Meiji emperor gained the throne in Kyoto. However, a big argument occurred between the emperor and my brother. The Meiji Emperor and his council continued to adopt the western ways for the survival of Japan: they invited many western experts from different nations to assist them to govern the country, but my brother strongly against this decision. After that, my brother was extremely angry with the emperor, so he retreated to the village as an opposition to Emperor’s decision. Now he is a leader of this village. Both his followers and other Samurais live in this village.
In the last year, Japanese government issued a new law. People were forbidden to carry their swords with them. Also, Japanese males were not allowed to keep their long hair. It led to the levels of anger and frustration was rising in the village. We all against Emperor’s radical policies of wholesale Westernization, but we couldn’t change this situation in Japan. However, in our village, we kept living with the Japanese traditional lifestyles. Nobody was willing to follow the new law of the government. We all hate the western things.
“But, were they able to prevent the attack of the government forces? Would they all come back safely to us?” I have been uneasy from last night till now.
“Look! They are coming. I see them” A little girl whooped.
She suddenly interrupted my thought. Yes, indeed. They came back. I saw them afar off. They came back, because they were our brave Samurais.
When Katsumoto and his warriors arrived in our village, villagers all bowed to our warriors. We wanted to show our respects to them. However, some of the warriors have been hurt in the battle. Obvious not all of them came back. However, they brought two captives back to our village. So there’s no doubt that they have won. One of these two captives was a Japanese guy, named Hasegawa. I knew him very well. He’s a general in the government force. In the past, he ever fought against the shogunate troops with Katsumoto before. But he’s a captive now. We saw that General Hasegawa kneed on the ground and pulled out a short sword. He calmly opened his uniform, closing his eyes, and then quickly plunged that short sword into his stomach. Meanwhile, Katsumoto used his sword to cut his head off. It’s seppuku. A defeated Samurai must do this, because he wants to meet with death with dishonor. It’s the way of a Samurai. Everybody kept silence and watched it very carefully. Actually I was not in the mood for watching the seppuku. I was looking for my husband in the crowd but I couldn’t see him. However, I see another captive who’s lying on the ground. He is a foreigner who seemed to receive a serious wound on his shoulder.
“Where’s my husband?” I murmur. I suddenly have a foreboding.
My foreboding comes true. My husband lost his life in the battlefield. Certainly sacrifice was inevitable. Moreover, it is a great honor for Japanese Samurais to sacrifice themselves in the battlefield. I understand this. However, I lost him forever and my two children lost their father. My brother, Katsumoto and his fellow warriors have won successfully in this battle, because they didn’t fear of death at all. That’s why they could defeat the government forces without using firearms. About this foreigner, he killed my husband. However, I have to look after him under my brother’s order.
Now this foreigner is lying down on the floor in a room of my house. He seems to hurt himself very badly. His body is shaking. I believe that he must feels intensive painful on his shoulders. After I finish leaning his wounds, I passed him a bottle of wine to him even though the hatred still remained in my chest. Soon he lost his awareness. In the mid-night, I heard that he shouted “Sake” in Japanese. I wouldn’t give him anymore wine to drink, because it’s bad for recovering his wounds. A man shouldn’t use the wine to reduce his ache. I’m guessing that he might be dreaming something terrible. But I would keep ignoring him.
My children have fallen asleep. The silence was wrapping the whole village into the darkness, I stood at the window, and I felt that I was the only person who’s alive in this world. My husband is a Samurai. He was died in the battlefield that’s his great honor. As a Samurai’s wife, I could understand deeply about this, but hardly accept it. My two sons are sleeping soundly. They know nothing about Samurai, but they have lost their father. Their father was killed by the man who is sleeping in the neighour room. I heard of something about this man from my brother. This guy’s name is unknown, but he comes from America. I also heard that this guy refused to tell his name to my brother. Even the cruelest Samurai in our village, Ujio used his sword to put the cutting edge into contact with his cheek. Blood run out from his neck. This American guy still refused to answer anything. The God joking me at the moment. The guy whom I’m taking care is my enemy. He killed my husband, but I have to look after him. Even I don’t really know why I have to do this. Do I have option? I suppose not. Anyway I will obey my brother’s order. People in the village may all have fallen into asleep, but exclude me.
From the second morning, I started to look after this American guy. I had to get up very early in the morning, cooked for him, and changed his wound dressing every night before he went to bed. This guy was gentle although he looked like dirty. He usually would like to say something to me after I finish changing his wound dressing. I couldn’t understand what he was saying. I ignored him, because I disliked his politeness. As it is, I really hate him. Moreover, my brother arranged a guard to protect him. This guard is the oldest Samurai in our village. He always keeps silence. Even nobody cares what his name is. Under my brother’s order, he was only allowed to stand outside of my house.
Winter is coming soon. The weather is getting cooler. In a morning, this guy finally could take a walk outside. But he walked quite slowly. His guard followed him at a distance. Actually this American guy was lying on his bed nearly one month. I believed that this was the first time he really saw our village completely. When this American was walking through the village slowly, everybody watched him with curious. Children stop playing their games, Blacksmiths took off his glasses and hang up, and all of the villagers were watching this foreigner. I guessed that he was viewed as a monkey. We seldom saw a foreigner appeared in our village. There is only a group of Samurais were concentrating on their sword training. I thought that everything is new to him. For the past many years, we kept living on a traditional lifestyle. However, the Meiji Emperor and his council are mad for absorbing everything western. In the city, some Japanese people are wearing western suits but some of them are still wearing traditional clothes. I don’t know how this American feels about our village. However, western things are still strange to us. We feel hardly to accept it.
At night, my brother and his son, named Nobubata, came to my house to have dinner together, certainly included that American guy. Everybody seemed quite happy. Nobody mentioned my husband. My two sons were chatting with Nobubata happily. Also, my brother was talking with this American guy in English while they were eating. They have already known each other, because they met twice in my brother’s house. I couldn’t understand what they are saying. But these family conversations reminded me strongly about my husband. I couldn’t endure it anymore. So I put my bowl on the dining table quietly, and then went to the kitchen. I started to do the dish-washing. My brother came in, and talked to me:
“You can’t understand why I still keep him alive, and let you to look after him every day, right?” My brother asked.
“Yes! I can’t abide that man either.” I answered.
“I keep him alive, because I want to keep everybody alive in our village. He is the only man who can teach us know about our enemy.” My brother said.
I replied nothing to him.
“Can you understand how come your husband dead in the battle? If you can, you would understand why I demand you to look after him.” My brother said, and then left.
For my husband, it’s glorious to sacrifice himself in the battlefield. As a Japanese, I could understand this. But, I’m also a woman. Who will care about my situation? Do I have another option? I suppose not!” I can’t help and think aloud.
I continued to look after him after my brother talked to me last time. Another month passed, this American guy made a remarkable recovery. He was able to sit with us beside the table to have dinner. But nobody would like to communicate with him, because we all couldn’t speak his language at all. Sometimes my younger son makes mops and mows to him while we are having a meal. Until now, we still don’t know what his name is. Especially I felt that he smelt like a dirty pig, very stink. That’s because he hasn’t had a bath until today. I really hate him, but I am very polite to him. He’s very polite to us, too. I don’t want my children to talk with him. However, I sensed that he didn’t at ease either. I really hoped that he could get out of my house as soon as possible.
This American guy was getting more and more familiar with our village. He seemed to enjoy learning the Japanese sword every day. I seldom heard that he shouted to himself at the night. Especially he was getting along well with Higen. Sometimes I see that they are sitting together, even they hardly communicate with each other. Nobutada usually has a meal in my house. He could use his poor English to communicate with him. Also, this guy could speak a little bit Japanese with us. My children experienced so surprise with this. They would like to teach him some simple words when we are having a meal. I really felt uneasy about this. I didn’t want my children to talk with him too much. However, I know his name now. It is Algen.
Autumn ended and winter came. It’s snowing heavy. Our whole village was filled up with snow. We usually fire the coal to keep our house warm. Actually it’s hard for me to carry the whole basket of coals from the outside to my house. My husband never helps me with the housework before. Japanese women have to do all of the housework. We have no democracy, no right. However, I felt surprise that Algren would like to help me with this. I appreciated his help, but I believed that westerner is still strange. Nobutada told me that he was getting better with practicing his Japanese language and sword with people in our village. Sometime I see that he is concentrating on writing something in his notebook. But I don’t know what he is writing for. My brother usually asks me something about him. Obviously he was very concern about Algren. Algren would like to learn how to speak Japanese with my two sons. I felt that I hated him less than before.
We spent a peaceful time together several months. Algren seems to quite like our village life. In the day time, he kept practicing the Japanese sword with Uijo, but he never wins. Sometimes he plays the game with Higen and other children together. He seemed to become a member in this village, not a captive. It’s a little funny, wasn’t it?
However, happy days always do not last long. It was inconceivable that a thing made me had a new impression on this American guy. The entire village gathered together to celebrate the spring planting. A group of assassins attacked us in this celebration in our village. They all masked their face and wore black clothes. They didn’t harm to any other villager, because Katsumoto was an obvious target for those assassins attacked. Although Uijo and other Samurais tried their best to protect Katsumoto, he has still wounded on his face. I really appreciate Algren, because he saved my two sons and me when two assassins were trying to kill us. All of assassins were killed off at the end. But I realized that Katsumoto showed a great anxiety on his facial expression. He spoke nothing to us, and then went back home.
We all back home with a great deal of uneasiness. I talked to Algren while I was taping up his hands. He suffered injuries to his arms and hands.
“Thanks for saving my children.” I said.
“It’s my pleasure!” He replied in Japanese language.
“Do you know who sent these assassins to attack us? Was the Emperor?” I asked.
“I think so.” He replied.
“Will they come again?” I asked him with anxious emotion.
“Yes! I believed that everybody in this village’s going to face to the guns, cannons, all of western weapons. They’re ready to attack us, because they have already trained their military army nearly one year.”
I replied nothing to him.
“Taka, I will leave tomorrow. Thanks a lot for looking after me in these months. You have been very kind of me.” He bowed to me.
I replied nothing and bowed to him, too.
He also bowed to me, and then back to his room.
In the second morning, Algren left our village. He would go to Tokyo with Katsumoto and his troops. I thought that he would return to his home country. But I don’t why I was reluctant to part with him. My brother would meet the Emperor and his council to negotiate about the position of Samurai. Will the emperor agree to retain the right of Samurai? I suppose not! After the emperor eventually returned to his throne, he invited many western experts in different fields. In Tokyo, and any other city in Japan, everything changed. Food changed. Clothes changed. Transport changed. Japanese etiquette changed. It’s really hard for us to give the traditional custom up in our village. My brother and other Samurais felt extremely angry about these western things. They all hoped that Japanese government would return to the traditional values. However, was it possible? I had no idea about this, because I’m only a woman. No democracy, no status.
Now I could understood why he kept Algren alive in our village. The reason was that he desired to know more about western world in order to judge if it was appropriate for Japan to adopt, or not? He believed that this was a way of Samurai to be loyal and patriotic to the emperor. Even the emperor wanted to kill him for sure. I was really hoping that he would come back safely to us.
Three days after. Katsumoto and his troops returned to our village. Except those brave warriors, another people also came back. He is Algren. This may be unexpected; nevertheless, it was true. He still lives with us. He told me what was happen to my brother in Tokyo. My brother refused to join the counsel by accepting the western rules. Especially he strongly against the emperor signed a treaty with American government, because he believed it would made American government got the one-side economical benefit. So he was held by the Emperor in the prison. Algren saved him under the Ujio and other Samurai’s help.
But, now, we all believe that the Emperor would send his imperial army to crush our Samurais in the village. This would be a great calamity to our village.
In the next following days, Algren and Katsumoto’s warriors were busy with preparing for the battle. Algren trained those warriors how to deal with the western weapons. Everybody knew that it’s impossible to win the imperial army this time. However, they are our brave Samurais. It’s glorious for Samurais to meet death in the battlefield. They would face all the dangerous and difficulties with courage in the battle.
About one week after, the Emperor’s imperial army approached to our village. Algren and Katsumoto led our warriors went to defeat their invasion. We would wait for them to come back in our village.
However, they didn’t come back. They would never come back. All of them sacrificed their lives in the battle field. Swords and arrows certainly could not withstand the fierceness of attack of cannons and guns, but they all met their death with honor. My brother, Katsumoto plunged his short sword into his stomach at the last minute. Algren suffered severe injuries in the battle. He went back to his home country after he made a recoverable. Nobody saw him after that.
Samurai class disappeared, but the spirit of Samurai would be impressed on our memory from everlasting to everlasting.
Glossary:
Shogunate: In Japanese language, shogun means “general”. It’s a military rank and historical title in Japan. A shogun's office or administration is known in English as a "shogunate”. Japan was controlled by Shogun before Meiji emperor gained the throne (Wikipedia, 2008).
Seppuku: It’s a key part of bushido. It’s the code of the samurai warriors. It was used by Samurais to avoid falling into enemy hands, and to attenuate shame. Samurais plunged the sword into their abdomens, because they believe that their soul is dwelled in this part of body. The act of Seppuku was seen by Japanese as setting the soul free (Wikipedia, 2008).
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