Morikami Sukeji came 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. After the war, he continued to write letters to his sister-in-law and her family, who had lost her husband (Sukeji's younger brother). When an article about his land donation appeared in the newspaper, he received nearly a hundred letters from not only America but also Japan, but he was shocked to find that most of them were just asking for money. Although he said he could not move his body freely, he sometimes rode a tractor, but one time he got stuck in a ditch and fell over, and was thrown out. He said he was "escaped just before the gates of hell."
* * * * *
Don't send me any more books.
January 1975
Thank you so much for your letters and books, Rei-san (niece). This book must be new, there is no sign of it being read. Most of it is self-criticism. I have no interest in it. Reading is my only comfort. Please don't send me anything other than what I ordered, because of the cost.
Please suspend the publication of "Yang", "Human Medicine" and "Agriculture and Gardening". Almost every issue has the same articles. I think it's the same in Japan, but the recession here is gradually getting worse. Inflation is increasing expenses and decreasing income.
My mood hasn't changed. I'm repeating the same thing over and over. Today I can't stand on my feet. The next day I can't move my hands. There's nothing I can do. I have no choice but to suffer. I've been battling this illness for five years now. I guess this is fate. Akiko (my niece) has given birth to a baby boy. And best of all, Zenichi has been injured. I hurt my leg too and it hurts when I run. But I'm not close to dying yet.
Apparently the seeds I ordered have already been shipped. I want to sow them somehow. It's been cold lately, which is something I can't tolerate at all. The temperature in Tokyo yesterday was 41 degrees (℃) at 9pm. It was 70 degrees (about 21℃) here.
"I was advised to move to Arizona."
February 5, 1975
Dear Mi-san (sister-in-law) and Reiko-san, It's been a while.
There's nothing else to write about. We're tired of complaining. There's nothing to write about unless we're talking bad about people. We're in a recession and workers are suffering greatly. It's God's punishment to be so excited about the economic boom that we don't have money to last us through the night.
I may have mentioned this in my last post, but recently, Lao Issei passed away. He was a year younger than me, single and very wealthy, self-centered and without any friends, and no one knew about his death for a few days. He had a pale face, was thin and appeared to be malnourished. He was stingy and didn't own a car, driving an old rickety pickup.
He didn't give his huge wealth to anyone, and he couldn't take it to heaven when he died, so he died without writing a will, and he was troubled by this. We didn't get along well, and we lived nearby, so we didn't see each other for almost ten years. Good evening tonight.
February 5th, after 12 o'clock in the afternoon, I was not feeling well. I didn't feel like doing anything, so I rested. I received a lot of books. I ordered "A Tale of Ainu Life", "Plum Blossoms", "Light of the First Day of Spring", and "Young Bamboos in the Field" a long time ago, but they haven't arrived yet.
A Japanese woman married to an American living in Phoenix, Arizona, asked me to come to Arizona. She said that if I move, my illness would surely improve. It is a dry area with no rain all year round, and it is quite cold in the mornings and evenings in winter, but it is hot in summer, with temperatures reaching over 100 degrees. It is a famous area for grapes and cantaloupes, and there are many successful Japanese people. I am old and at a loss as to what to do.
There's nothing else to write. We're both having a hard time with inflation and the recession. The mangoes are now the size of a thumb. The pineapples are in full bloom now. They'll be ready to eat in the near future.
<Land donation article generates nearly 100 letters>
March 18, 1975
Thank you for your letter, Rei-san. The books arrived the other day. I can enjoy them for a while. Life is always about giving and receiving, and kindness that expects something in return is not true kindness. In this self-centered world, it's hard to accept the kindness of others. It's a problem when you can't repay something.
After the article about the land donation appeared in the newspaper, I received nearly a hundred letters from all over Japan. Fewer than ten were truly happy. Most of them were just asking for money. I was shocked. I have asked the newspaper not to write about it without my permission in the future.
People like you who live by true faith are different, but there are many who make a living by using God as a scapegoat. I felt this strongly when I read articles in "Yoki" and other magazines.
It's already summer here. It's pretty hot during the day when there's no wind, but it's quite cool at night. Sometimes I need a blanket.
My appetite hasn't changed, but I've stopped eating brown rice. There's no point in living if I have to sacrifice everything for my health. I don't like smoking, and I don't drink alcohol (I like it, but I've stopped). The only thing I enjoy is reading. I like traveling, but I can't walk, so I can't do anything. At this rate, climbing Mt. Fuji and crossing South America will remain just a dream.
I still have dreams. Before, there were only dead people, but now I see living people, perhaps because they ran out of people. This month 70 years ago, I was in Kyoto. I stayed there for about a month. I didn't have money, so I only passed through Kyogoku once. I still haven't forgotten the taste of roasted sweet potatoes and the joy of borrowing books.
"You can only rely on yourself"
March 26, 1975
Rei-san, I forgot to order the book in the last mailing. Please send it to me.
Earth Mother Part 1
④ The Secret of the Sacred Mountain, by Kazuaki Deguchi, Mother of the Earth, Part 2
⑤ The Sea of Fog by Kazuaki Deguchi
⑥ Voice of Thunder by Kazuaki Deguchi
7. The Battle of Fire and Water by Kazuaki Deguchi
⑧ The Raging Waves by Kazuaki Deguchi, Part 3
⑨ The Dawn of Tanba by Kazuaki Deguchi
⑩ Autumn in the Country by Kazuaki Deguchi
⑪ Wind of Shinonome by Kazuaki Deguchi
⑫ The Eternal Path by Kazuaki Deguchi
The weather has been good recently, so my hands and feet have gotten a lot better. If it continues like this, I may be fully recovered by the time the autumn rainy season comes. My appetite is great, and I will eat anything, but I refuse to eat brown rice. Pineapples, bananas, avocados, raspberries, etc. are ripe. I can get vegetables from my neighbors, and I can grow them myself.
In general, the economy is in a recession and houses and land are hardly selling, but taxes are rising and people who bought with expectations are gasping for breath. They are bankrupt. Those with a bit of intelligence had predicted it. There is nothing to be surprised about. After good comes bad. It is a stark sight for those who do not have money left over. In this self-centered world, no matter what God says, the only person you can rely on is yourself. When times are tough, you pray to God, and whether or not you receive a blessing depends on the amount of money you offer to the shrine. It is hot again today. It was a cool March in Kyoto 70 years ago.
<Crushed under a tractor in a tractor accident>
May 12, 1975
Rei was surprised when she first heard that the wife of her friend who lives nearby had cancer. Nearly a year has passed, but she has not gotten any better. She is under 50 years old, the mother of three sons and one daughter, and her husband has now quit his office job and is doing the housework. She is well-educated and has faith as a Christian. She has now accepted it as fate and is living her days cheerfully.
Two years ago, I lost one of my best friends to cancer. If the doctors give up on you, you're all lost. Yoneji (Suketsugu's younger brother) was saved by heaven and made a full recovery. I often read stories like this in books and magazines. For those who are helpless to doctors and medicine, there is no other way than to live in God. There is no other way than to rely on psychotherapy.
When I talked to my friend about Tenrikyo, he and his family were very happy. He said that if he stayed at the church in Nara for a year or two, things might get better. He asked me to inquire. I didn't have to worry about the cost of living, but I just wanted him to send me a book about Tenrikyo in English by airmail as soon as possible. Doyusha publishes the Tenrikyo scriptures and Tenrikyo manuscripts in English, as well as the Tenrikyo founder's biography.
It's midsummer here. It's scorching hot because there's no wind. Nights are much cooler. Crops are failing due to a rare drought. Even pineapples, which are tolerant of the heat and dryness, are in poor condition. Food prices have dropped a little recently. Who knows when they'll bounce back?
My niece Akiko's child is innocent and just like an angel. A few days ago, she had a tractor accident. The tractor rolled over and fell into a deep ditch. I was pinned under the tractor, but luckily the mud was deep and I was able to crawl out.
Unfortunately, there was no one in the neighborhood. I crawled to a house about half a mile away and called the town. A salvage vehicle came. However, it was a big, heavy tractor and wouldn't budge. I called another vehicle and finally salvaged it. It took nearly three hours. I was saved by the mud just before the gates of hell. It's a wonder I'm still alive. Rei, all humans are destined. Human power can't do anything.
May 28, 1975
Rei-san, is everything okay? I haven't heard from you for a long time, and I haven't received any books or magazines. I think it's probably because my advance payment ran out. Please stop sending them for now and let me know the amount that's short. I'm sorry for bothering you for so long. Thank you.
The other day, I received a long letter from Miyo-san. She said she has been paralyzed since the end of last year. Please tell her I will reply to her soon.
(Titles omitted)
Continued >>
© 2020 Ryusuke Kawai
