by Kafū Nagai
"Danna, if Komayo-san could hear you say that, you can't imagine how happy it would make her."
At this moment the telephone rang. Osada, going to answer it, closed the sliding door behind her.
Now that the days were at their shortest, the six-mat room was already growing dark, even though Gozan had only finished his midday meal a short time ago. Quite suddenly, it seemed, the light of the candle burning on the little Buddhist altar was glittering upon the gilded characters of the new mortuary tablet. Rubbing his hips, Gozan rose to switch on the electric light and to rekindle the incense on the altar. Then, once again, he set about looking through the contents of the drawers. Among the papers, he came across Komayo's bond and, attached to it, an official copy of her birth registration. It was all carefully noted down—her original name, Masaki Koma, and the date she was born, along with the notation: father deceased, mother deceased. Reading through it, Gozan spoke to himself: "Then her parents are both dead."
Komayo had lost her mother just at the time she began to go to school. There had been a stepmother who treated her harshly, and because of this, Komayo had been taken in by her maternal grandmother. Her father, who had worked as a plasterer, died while she was still growing up. Then, during her married days in Akita, she had lost her grandmother, so that now she had no relatives at all. She was completely alone in the world.
Up to now Gozan had left all the business of the geisha house to Jukichi. Although he had been consulted about things from time to time, he had maintained that it was senseless for a man to meddle in women's business. It was better, he said, for women to settle their affairs among themselves. And since he had never interfered in such matters, this was actually the first time he had ever picked up an indentured geisha's bond and studied it. So it was that today, for the first time, he realized the loneliness of Komayo's life.
When it had appeared to Gozan that his wife Jukichi was now beyond all help, he had thought of Takijiro, the son he had turned out of his house. While there was still breath in his mother's body, he wanted her to have one more look at the boy, even though she could no longer speak to him. With this thought in mind, swallowing his shame, Gozan had told the whole story to a man from the office of the geisha guild and, through him, inquired once again concerning Takijiro's whereabouts. What he learned was that, since last spring, the police had been taking stronger measures against the prostitutes in the six districts surrounding Asakusa Park and that, as a result, Takijiro's business had fallen off. Because of this, he had left for Kobe, and since then there had been no trace of him.
At this news, even the stout-hearted old Gozan, who had always been obstinacy itself, felt that everything had gone against him, and he realized in the same moment both the emptiness of old age and the dreariness of the world. Now, when by chance he had discovered what Komayo's life had been and that she too had nobody left in the world, not even a relative, he was spontaneously overcome by a deep pity for her.
The day was drawing to a close. Outside, the electric wires sang in the cold blasts of wind, and the sound of the bells on speeding jinrikisha rang on the ear with a sharpness that clearly marked the month as December. The girls from upstairs had already left for their engagements. Only Komayo, who had said something about not feeling well, had stayed behind. Gozan, taking advantage of this opportunity, quietly called for her to come down to the six-mat room where he was.
"What's wrong? Have you caught a cold?"
"It's really nothing, but the inside of my nose is sore." Komayo's voice had a nasal sound, and her color was not good. She sat there dejectedly with downcast eyes. Gozan noticed how the silhouette of her disarranged tsubushi-shimada coiffure fell upon the sliding doors below the little altar. Even the stray locks were clearly outlined. There was something indescribably sad about it.
"They say illness is only in the mind, anyway, so you must pull yourself together.... By the way, I don't have anything besides this to bring up, but is it true that you've been talking abut going off to the country? I don't particularly want to give you advice, but it would be better for you not to make any reckless decisions. To be frank with you, I know the whole situation. I know all about master-actor Hamamuraya too. I also know very well that you're thinking of going away to work somewhere else because you can't face the world now that your fiance has been stolen from you. Now let's come to an understanding about this. If you could just find a way to save face, naturally you'd rather stay here than bury yourself in the country, I'm sure."
Still looking down, Komayo merely nodded her head to show that she agreed. Unconsciously, Gozan had adopted the sort of tone that he had used in his storytelling days to relate tales with a human touch.
"In fact, I've just now looked at your bond for the first time. You're all alone in the world, aren't you? No parents, no brothers or sisters or any other relatives. If you go off to the country where you don't know a single person in the world, you'll only end up feeling lonely and helpless. I doubt that any good would come of it at all. Instead of doing that, wouldn't it be better to stay here and put up with the bitterness for a little while? No doubt you already know how things stand here at the Obanaya. With Jukichi gone, this business is something that a man just can't carry on by himself. And even if I knew where my son is, he's still a man, and that wouldn't be any help. That's why I've decided that if I can find the right person, I want to turn over the stock in the house completely. Naturally I don't need much money for the time being. I can always go somewhere and earn a living with my tongue. So how about it? How would you like to have a try at it and take over as the neisan of the Obanaya? Wouldn't you like to show the people of this district what you can do? What do you think?"
Komayo was so overcome with surprise at these words from Gozan that she found it impossible to answer one way or the other. Gozan, displaying the impatience of an old man and seeing that she seemed to have no particular objections, had already decided everything on his own.
"It's disgusting for an old man to live in a geisha house. It spoils the scenery. That's why I'm going to move somewhere else in the neighborhood. But you understand, Komayo, that this is not a rented house, even if the land is rented. I rebuilt it myself ten years ago. There are about 360 square feet of land, and the ground rent is only five yen a month. All I'll take from you is whatever you can afford to pay me for the house rent and the use of the name. Now, after I've had a talk with Hanasuke and the other geisha and the hakoya, if by some chance they don't like the idea, it's all right for them to move somewhere else. In that case you can start all over again with some new girls and run the business as you please. I can't tell you how much it will relieve me if we can work things out this way. In the meantime, if you work hard at che business and make a profit, then you can pay me the purchase price of the Obanaya name or whatever else you think is right. Well, Komayo, shall we agree on that for the time being?"
"Danna, it's just too kind of you, to say the least. I don't know what to say. I just can't give you an answer all by myself."
"That's why I'm going to take care of all the arrangements for you. Anyway, once everything is decided, it will be a load off my shoulders.... Excuse me, Komayo, but would you mind telephoning the masseur in a little while? I'm going out to the bath now." Without another look at Komayo's astonished face, Gozan left abruptly for the bath, an old towel dangling from his hand.
After she had made the phone call, Komayo went back to the master's room. Intending to put some fresh charcoal into the brazier, she knelt down quietly in front of the little altar. Then, quite suddenly—was it from happiness or was it from grief?—her heart overflowed, and for a little while she hid her face in the sleeves of her kimono.
Table of Contents
Cover
Copyright
INTRODUCTION
BETTWEEN THE ACTS
AN EXQUISITE THING
THE FIREFLY FLOWER
WELCOME FIRE
A DAYTING DREAM
ENCHANTMENT
EVENING GLOW
GUILD
GRAND PERFORMANCE
BOX SET
KIKUOBANA
RAIN ON AN AUTUMN NIGHT
THE WAY HOME
ASAKUSA
AT THE GISHUN
OPENING DAY (I)
OPENING DAY (II)
YESTERDAY AND TODAY
YASUNA
MORNING BATH
CONFUSION
THIS AND THAT
Back Cover
