Morikami Sukeji, who traveled to the United States as a member of the Yamato Colony in South Florida and stayed there alone until the end of his life after the colony was disbanded, continued to write letters to his sister-in-law and her family, who had lost her husband (Sukeji's younger brother) after the war. He was satisfied that various birds were gathering in the forest he owned. He was enthusiastic about planting trees in America, and planted 5,000 cypress seedlings, and pineapple seedlings by crawling alone across a large piece of land. He donated the land to his local county, reporting that it would be turned into a park. He was angry that he had made a similar offer to his hometown in Japan, but received no response.
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<5,000 cypress trees were planted last year>
March 1, 1972
Thank you for your letter, Rei-san (niece). I was worried because I hadn't heard from you. I wanted to know if I said anything to offend you.
Please send me a sample copy of the magazine Garden Life, Live and Garden, Nature and... The pine seeds that I worried about have started to sprout. When they are all ready, there will be several thousand of them, and in a few years they will become fine bonsai. Japanese gardening, bonsai, and flower arranging are all the rage.
Reforesting cedar trees in my homeland has become a dream. I can't see a step ahead. Looking at a map, there are only mountains, the human population is increasing, and food is decreasing. I have no choice but to plant in the mountainous areas, which are like barren land. I have given up on my homeland, but I have not lost hope. I have decided to make it happen in this country. First of all, I planted 5,000 cypress seedlings last year.
I had planned to plant them again this year, but due to a lack of seedlings I was unable to plant a single one. I had no choice but to make the seedlings myself, so I ordered seeds. You may not be interested in this, but I have no education in diplomacy, politics, education, art, religion, etc., so I have no say.
In the end, I can't talk about anything other than eggplants and pumpkins. Today is March 1st, and the peaches are in full bloom, no less beautiful than the cherry blossoms. They've already borne fruit and are the size of a thumb. They'll be ready to eat in early April. The whole area is a farm and flower garden, and hunting is prohibited. My land is the only forest, so all kinds of birds gather there. I don't grow any grains, so they're not harmful. They just occasionally peck at the precious fruit.
I live a carefree life in these natural boundaries. I don't mind loneliness. I don't use anyone for housework. I'm sure I'm mistaken about the black woman thing. Today, for the first time in a while, I went shopping at the store. Food prices are still rising. I was especially surprised by the high prices of vegetables.
This is a produce-producing region. Top-quality tomatoes are 45 to 50 cents a loaf, eggplants the size of a fist are 30 cents each, and cucumbers the size of about 15 cents. That's how it goes. I don't buy them, regardless of the price. I get a lot from my neighbors. A neighbor is closer than a distant relative.
<Planting pineapple seedlings by hand>
March 26, 1973
Thank you for your letter and newspaper clipping, Rei-san. Everyone says they like flowers, but few people truly love them. Even if they receive beautiful potted plants for Christmas, they die within a week or ten days. Wild flowers bloom around here all year round.
People who like flowers plant them in empty cans or buckets with no bottoms and enjoy them in their gardens or on their porches. People who like flowers are usually kind people. In recent years, Japanese fresh flowers have become very popular in this country, and Japanese-born women with some knowledge are becoming teachers and making good money. In prewar Japan, daughters of good families learned how to arrange flowers in preparation for marriage.
Mihama-san and Higuchi-san have good education and housing, and the church headquarters pays for their expenses. Mom doesn't have this. She lives in a tenement house, where the believers come to pray, listen to sermons, sing and dance.
The mother insists that she is the head of the church, but the facts do not prove it. Read the book and you will understand. I can send you the book, but if I do, you will have to buy it again. A good, inexpensive way is to buy a copy yourself. If it is not in the store, I think it may be in the library at the church headquarters. The book is called "New Religions in Japan." The author is Takagi Hiroo. It is published by Iwanami Shoten, 2-3 Kanda Hitotsubashi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. It costs 100 yen.
I've been forcing myself to plant pineapple seedlings for the past three days. My legs are no good, but I've been walking around on the ground in two pairs of old pants. I'm tired, and it rained this morning for the first time in a while, so I decided to take a break from work and write this letter.
According to the magazine "Yoki", Japan seems to have changed a lot. The decadence of the people's mind is greater than in this country. Japan seems to have been too happy. This is bad, and a backlash will surely come. We must not let our guard down.
I'll order the next book.
"The Hateful Japan-US Relations" (by Yoshitami Arai, Taisei Publishing)
"The Beating of Japan" (by Haruo Takeyama)
"US Department of Commerce Japan Inc."
"The Wounds of Japan and the US" (Asahi Shimbun)
"The Secret of Natural Food" (by Takekazu Kuriyama)
"The assets are being considered for the public good."
March 1973
Rei-san, I received "Shinshu" and "Yoki" (both magazines). Thank you. I'll read them again when I have time. If I read them three times, I'll understand them. I was in Kyoto at this time, just before I left for the US. The cherry blossoms in Arashiyama had already fallen and the leaves were green. Pretty girls were washing vegetables by the Kamo River.
In those days, rubber boots were not available, so people wore small, deep washbasins. The rice in Kyoto was delicious. The waiter was surprised by the plum rice bowl, which was made with Goshu rice. Kyoto was a lonely place at that time. How is it now, when the population has tripled?
Most of the pine seeds have sprouted. Contrary to my expectations, there were far fewer, and several hundred were uprooted by birds. They are small birds about the size of swallows called black swans, and they come in flocks. This is the first time they have destroyed a seedbed. At first I tried to scare them with a gun, but it didn't work. I had no choice but to shoot and kill about 30 of them. I also borrowed a shade net from a friend who grows flowers nearby and covered the entire seedbed.
This is a relief. But sometimes two or three birds will try to attack when they find an opportunity. I shoot them as soon as I find them. Pineapples and papayas are heavily infested with rabbits and mice. They eat up fruit that cost 50 cents or even a dollar each. I usually shoot the rabbits. There are a lot of mice, so I can't get them out by poisoning them.
It's early summer here. We spend the day naked, but at night it's much cooler and we don't need a heater. The weather is fine every day, and there isn't much wind. People from the north who came to escape the cold have started to go home. Houses are being built one after another as usual. It will continue through the summer.
Delray Beach currently has a permanent population of about 30,000, but is expected to have a population of over 100,000 in five years. The land is large, but there are no mountains or rivers. The flat land makes water supply and drainage difficult.
He said that since you are now living in a church, you have put all your own needs on the back burner. I asked him what church he meant, but he didn't answer. I also thought that you lived with your mother. According to the book, you are just a missionary. You don't have a church, and you're not the head of a church. Your only source of income is donations from the faithful. You don't get any financial support from headquarters, and you have to pay for your rent and miscellaneous expenses yourself. There is a world of difference between what you say and the truth. I don't know what's going on anymore. I have no choice but to cancel the 10,000 dollars I offered you.
I have done a lot of public and personal work, but the results have often been contrary to expectations, so I have now changed my approach. I have a fairly large fortune. When I die, I will have no use for it. I think it would be better to put aside my troublesome personal affairs and use them for the public good. I am considering it.
I have already planted five thousand cypress trees to start with. There is a shortage of seedlings, so things are not going as planned. I have made seedlings and ordered seeds. I will stop since you probably have no interest in them. My health has not changed. It has not gotten better, nor worse, and I am pulling the drum with my hands on my hips.
Why don't you go on a trip somewhere? Do you know anyone in the fishing villages along the Japan Coast, where fresh vegetables and fish are plentiful? The Seto Inland Sea and Miyazu would be good. Travel alone, while you're young. It's no use when you get old. Why don't you think about it?
Seriously injured in tractor accident
June 16, 1973
Dear Reiko, It's been a long time since I last wrote to you. I'm sorry, but I've been sick and haven't felt like writing. I was seriously injured in a tractor accident, and it's a wonder I'm still alive. My injuries still hurt, so I'm in bed and can't do anything. The days are so long. Reading is my only enjoyment. The Japanese magazines you sent me are a great help.
Please continue to send me money. I'll send you $50 by money order. The 15th of last month was my anniversary. It was the day I arrived 67 years ago. No one comes these days, so I have no one to talk to. Everyone is away on summer vacations.
Bananas, mangoes, papayas, avocados, etc. are in season now, but because of the heavy rains, many of them are rotting. Even pineapples, which are resistant to rain, do not last long. Apparently, Japan has a bumper crop of mandarins and is overcrowded. This is the world's largest producer, but that does not seem to be the case. Prices have even gone up.
This time, I have decided to donate the land in Hyakujugoeicho to the county as a park. As a token of my gratitude for all the help I have received, I have long awaited it, and it will take about three years to complete this first-class park. Its current value is about one million dollars. I made a similar offer to my hometown of Miyazu, but never heard back. Here, the authorities and the general public are overjoyed.
When they are in trouble, they bow their heads and bow three times and nine times, but when they feel a little better, they don't even scratch their nose. This is the Japanese spirit. When summer comes, I remember Manjusri . I often went fishing in the inland sea (Aso Sea), and I often caught horse mackerel, flathead, goby, octopus, etc. There was a hotel and restaurant in front of the temple.
They sold the famous Chie no Mochi (ankoro mochi) and Dengaku (konnyaku smeared with roasted miso). I liked both, so I gave them five sen. At that time, there were hardly any summer visitors, so it was lonely. There was no bridge, so we had to cross to Hashidate by boat.
I haven't spoken to anyone in Japan for a long time. I can't help being forgotten if I don't write to you. There are many books and magazines I'd like to send to you, but... they won't be of any use. I've lost a lot of weight, perhaps because I don't have much of an appetite, or perhaps because of age. My face hasn't changed much. I'm sending you a recent photo.
(Note) Monju refers to Chion-ji Temple, a famous temple of the Myoshin-ji school of the Rinzai sect of Buddhism facing Amanohashidate in Miyazu City. It is one of the three great Monjusri temples in Japan, along with Abe Monju-in Temple in Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture, and Kameoka Monju in Takabatake Town, Yamagata Prefecture.
postscript
Please send me the following books:
"Cultivation and Use of Persimmons" (published by Yokendo, in front of the main gate of the University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo)
"Monthly Human Medicine" (Kita-ku, Osaka City...)
"A Journey to Longevity Villages in Japan" (by Shoji Kondo)
"Hobby Bonsai" (Otowa, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo)
"Asahi Shimbun Sunday Edition"
Reiko
I would like a new catalog (of seeds?) by airmail for the Morikami Agricultural Experiment Station test. Please send a new catalog rather than the 1973 catalog.
Please send one bag each of tomatoes, edamame, shirouri, water melon, togarashi, melon, pumpkin, etc. (53 varieties).
(Titles omitted)
Continued >>
© 2020 Ryusuke Kawai
