Morikami Sukeji, who traveled to America as a member of the Yamato Colony in South Florida and remained there alone until the end of his life after the colony was disbanded, continues to write letters to his sister-in-law and her family, who lost her husband (Sukeji's younger brother) after the war. As they come to feel as if they were real family, one day they learn that their nephew is ill. They encourage and comfort their nephew and his sister-in-law, who are far away in Japan, but...
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February 1953
Dear Mi-san, I have been in the hospital since the day after your last letter because I caught the flu that is sweeping through the southern part of the country. The doctor says it will take another 4-5 weeks for me to fully recover. At one point my fever rose to 102 degrees (about 39 degrees Celsius). I have had no appetite and have been surviving on injections and water. I have had many serious illnesses, but I have never suffered as much as I have now.
That's it for today. Sunday Morning
March 21, 1953
Dear Mi-san, today is another Sunday. This week feels like a dream. I've been busy working... but I can't help but feel like I've committed some big sin, day in and day out. Sometimes when I'm in a good mood, I go out to the garden to tend to the flowers, but I get tired right away and can't do much.
I'm exhausted because I have a stomach ulcer, which I have had for a long time, and I'm currently resting on the farm. I can't bear the fact that it costs at least $25 a day to stay in the hospital.
The crops are sick, so I left them to the care of my employees, and when I got home, I found that they hadn't been weeded or hadn't been treated for pests or diseases, and there was nothing I could do. It's scary how things are going in the opposite direction one after another like this. I've given up on everything and am resting now. I've decided to wait for the land to sell.
Last week, I received a long letter from Masahira (note: younger brother) that I didn't expect. He said that the business is going well as you said, and that all three sons have graduated from school and are working. He said that if I, his older brother, am unable to return to Japan due to my unfortunate circumstances, there is nothing to worry about and that he will take care of me in my old age, so I should come back. He also said that the house in Takiuma where Fudeko (note: younger sister) and her family currently live has not been sold and is still as it was. I was completely surprised.
I think it's starting to feel like spring in Kyoto now. 48 years ago, I was in Kyoto for a few days to relax and enjoy the sights. I was 19 years old.
"Nothing I miss more than home"
April 1, 1953
Dear Mi-san, I've been away for a long time. I'm sorry. The scars of my failure are bigger than I expected, and if things get worse, I'll be back to square one. My cough has finally stopped. I'm going to take it easy this summer. It's not too hot or too cold in Florida. It's annoying to see people fishing and playing golf without any worries.
At that time, I wanted to return to Japan and visit the graves of my parents and Yoneji at all costs. Looking down on the harbor from the mountain fields next to the school, I indulged in daydreams, but now it has become a dream of more than 40 years. Takiuma (Miyazu City, Suketsugu's hometown) must have changed a lot.
There is nothing that people in foreign countries miss more than their hometowns. This is especially true for the elderly. I will not be able to return home for a while, but please do not give up and wait for me.
June 1, 1953
Dear Mi-san, has anything changed since then? I don't want you to worry, so I decided to write you a boring letter as usual. I am as strong as ever and am working happily in the fields every day. Until last week, there had been no rain for a long time, so it was quite hot, rising to nearly 100 degrees (about 38 degrees Celsius), but after two or three days of rain every day, it has cooled down quite a bit.
Since we Japanese were granted the right to naturalize, many people have been naturalized here and there. Should I return to my home country, stay here permanently, or should I stay here?
An old black woman who had worked for us for a long time passed away yesterday. She had been suffering from high blood pressure for almost a year, but it suddenly got worse and she passed away.
June 1st evening
<Is this retribution for being unfilial?>
June 1953
Mi-san, if you haven't found the book on raising quails and frogs that I asked you to send to me, you don't have to. I've learned everything I need to know, but I've decided to hold off on it for now because it would cost a huge amount of money to actually do it.
After some research, I found out that the climate is different and it is impossible to grow in Florida. I'm sorry for causing you and Takii-san trouble. I apologize for my carelessness and sudden impulse.
Mi-san, I'm taking a rest again. I felt better for a while, so I couldn't just play around and worked as a tractor driver. But about a week ago, my legs started swelling like I had beriberi, and I was in pain from my right armpit to my lower abdomen, and I couldn't walk even when I got up. On top of that, one of my remaining teeth is hurting from a cavity, and now I can't even eat my favorite pickles.
I've been tormented by one disease after another, and no matter how hard I try, I can't overcome the illness. It's so frustrating. This is what Buddhism calls Inga-Oho (karma). I must have done something really bad in my previous life. Yoneji (my late brother) said it was retribution for being unfilial.
My doctor has forbidden me from working, so I've decided to take a rest. I once gave up on returning home, and even though I resolved never to think about it again, before I knew it, my thoughts were running back to my hometown. This is human nature, I guess. It's especially true for those who are lonely.
You may think I'm whining again, but I envy young people who are still full of energy. You're still young, so don't worry too much and do your best.
It's been raining a lot for about three weeks. The lowlands with poor drainage are covered in water. Today, it's been a while since there was any rain, so it felt cold. I think it's gotten quite warm in Japan too.
June 7th, sleepless night
America is the land of gold
June 1953
Mi-san, the land could not be sold, and she has no income, only a small income from her vegetable patch. After suffering from debt for many years, she is determined not to get into debt again, no matter how hard it gets.
Due to my recent serious illness, I still have unpaid hospital bills, so I have decided to work in the hospital's vegetable patch to help pay them off. I understand your plight, but there is nothing I can do right now.
As a quick measure, we have decided to sell off our unused farm tools, and once they are sold, we will be able to send the money. I think it will take quite some time. Prices in America are gradually declining, but the winds of recession have started to blow, so everyone is being cautious and wary of wasteful spending. For example, the only theater in our city has closed this summer. This is the first time this has happened since 1924.
I received a letter from an acquaintance (Syrian-American) in Brazil, South America. He said, "Why don't you come? There is no racial prejudice. Everything is relaxed and it's a very pleasant place to live." South America is my dream country, and I would like to go there at least once in my life. However, although it is easy to go there, it is difficult to return because I am a foreigner, so I am not sure if I should go.
Money, money, money. The richest country in the world, America, is not without money. Even the people of this country, who boast of their love marriages, are in fact largely dependent on money. The more I think about it, the more I feel that the world is... Thank you for your quick response.
"Sukeji corresponds with Mitsue (whom he calls Mi-san), the wife of his late youngest brother, Okamoto Yoneji, and occasionally with Mitsue's children (his nephews and nieces). As they became like family, his nephew, Osamu, sometimes called Sukeji "Dad." Osamu was worried about his health. "
June 30, 1953
Dear Mi-san, I received your letter. I was surprised at Osamu's condition. I understand your distress. I sent him a small amount, a hundred dollars, today. I understand that he will not recover, so please be patient. I will send you a magazine in a day or two. Reading material is the best comfort in a sickbed. Please do not be too pessimistic... think of those who are less fortunate, do your best, and then accept everything as fate.
Fortunately, I am strong, but no matter what I do, things never always go as I want them to. Such is the world we live in.
June 30th evening To my beloved Mi-san
July 15, 1953
(To his nephew Osamu)
Shu-san, how are you feeling? You have a long future ahead of you. Take your time and entrust everything to fate. I sent you some magazines today. There is a weight limit so I can't send a lot at once. I'll send some more soon.
One by one, the first generation of fellow travelers are returning home. As people get older, they start to miss their hometowns. I want to go back soon, too, but it's not easy. I want you to get better and help me grow flowers and vegetables. Humans are happiest when they live in nature.
Southern Florida is very cool with daily evening showers. Now, people are coming from the north to escape the summer heat. Today, I received a letter from Yamauchi-kun (a friend from the same hometown) in Miami. He said that if I had time, I should come and visit him, and that he would treat me to my favorite sushi rolled rice. Friends are a good thing to have, so I'm planning to go out sometime.
Please be sure to rest and avoid getting irritated.
July 15th Night POP
"Bring money when you return home."
July 1953
Hi Mi-san, it's been a while since I last wrote to you. I'm almost back to normal now. I've been busy every day tending to the eggplants and potatoes in the fields. The weather is neither too hot nor too cold, so it's perfect, but it hasn't rained for a long time, so it's really hard work.
I am currently living in town. About a month ago, I rented an apartment from my best friend (a florist) and for the first time since 1932, I am living a life like a real human being. All the up-to-date equipment is up to date, and I am reading this letter by electric light.
I haven't heard anything from Masahira (my younger brother). About his old friends, the cedars and cypresses he planted, the land... Even though he owns a vast amount of land, he has no money. I told him the truth. In any case, I have no intention of returning home with nothing and relying on my younger brother and sister.
When they return, they will have enough money to buy land, build a house, and support their family.
July 1953
How are Mi-san and Osamu-san? Please be careful not to discourage the sick person. If the sick person thinks that something is no good, even a treatable illness may not be cured. I have been on the verge of death and life many times due to serious illness. There is nothing more lonely than being seriously ill in a foreign land, but I have never once thought that it was no good.
As a parent, I fully understand how you feel, but please be careful not to push yourself too hard. It would be terrible if you were to get sick now.
I go to the fields every day. This summer, there are no water melons, all of which were destroyed by the recent heavy rain. The potatoes are harmless. There are also many eggplants. There are no bamboo shoots or matsutake mushrooms in Florida. I love bamboo shoot rice with mixed vegetables and matsutake mushroom soup. You can get canned Japanese cans, but they are very expensive. Please do not let the sick person feel down. Also, please be careful not to push yourself too hard.
"Are you going to quit being a farmer?"
August 18, 1953
Dear Mi-san, I received two letters that arrived while I was away. I understand how happy you are to hear that Shu-san is doing well. I hear that this disease cannot be cured immediately. I hope that you will be very careful and that it will not recur. I am in great health and have gained about 10 pounds (about 6 kg).
This trip was my first in 13 years, and it was very enjoyable. Along the way, I visited some acquaintances. A few of them have already passed away. The rains have been falling for a long time, and almost all of my crops have been destroyed. This time, I have decided to give up farming. I have not yet decided what to do next, and I cannot just sit around playing around. I have to do something.
Food prices have gone up a little in our country. If you have money, you can buy anything. Please be careful not to push sick people too hard.
September 12, 1953
Dear Mi-san, I sent you $100 the day before yesterday (10th). Please do what you can for Osamu instead of using most of the money to pay off his debts like before.
I received a letter from Yamauchi. He said he's returning to Japan and living in Miyazu. I can't go back to Japan for a while. Newspapers and magazines say Japan is booming and it's hard to believe it's a defeated country. Entertainment venues are thriving everywhere. Even in the countryside of Miyazu, there are three movie theaters. I can't imagine that.
An acquaintance of mine who had returned to the United States with the intention of spending the rest of his life in his home country returned to the United States in a panic. He said that if he went to Japan, he could not afford a small amount of money, as he would have difficulty making ends meet.
September 14, 1953
Mi-san,
I can't find any words to comfort me about Osamu's death. I cried. I never got to meet him, and I regret it. Life is so tragic. Yoneji, Osamu, all the people I love are gone... Life becomes dark.
I know how you feel. Cry, cry, cry to your heart's content.
September 14th evening
(Titles omitted)
© 2019 Ryusuke Kawai
