Re:THE POSTHUMOUS WRITINGS OF MY FATHER-IN-LAW---recollection from the end of World War II to 1953

<Part 10>

After a short while, correspondences between China and Japan became possible. For the people whose families had gone home ahead of them, it was a great relief to finally hear some news about them. But, at the same time, it was a new concern.

I learned through my wifes letters that my family was facing financial difficulties. They had expected to live on the property I owned in my hometown, but the landlord-tenant system had been changed after the war, and made it impossible for them to live off my property. They were having a tough time. My wife told me in a letter that she could send our children to their school picnic with only some Onigiri, traditional Japanese rice-balls, and in another that sometime she could not even buy rice. One time, she earned money by selling daily goods in a rural area. I was unable to sleep that night because of the tears in my eyes.

Later, through the help of my friend who worked as a principal at an elementary school, my wife got a job as an elementary school teacher. I was a little relieved to hear that. The days during my detention in China were not all filled with such depression. Occasionally, I had some enjoyable experiences.

At times, Mr. O. took me to a lake in a suburb of Tetunishi. We caught fish with a net, and enjoyed the fried fish at home. Other times, we set some fishhooks on a bank of the lake at night, and the next day found big Sougyo caught on the hooks. The Sashimi, raw fish meat, was very good. I had not known that there were such big fish living in the lake, or how to catch them.

We had no genuine Japanese Sake at that time, so we developed some recipes for various kind of liquor ourselves. We put some sugar and seasonal fruits in Paichu, Chinese liquor, and after three days, could enjoy the aroma of good brandy. Though I was not so fond of drinking, it was a pleasure to have a glass of one of the various types of homemade brandys, each of which was made of different fruits and had its own color. Among of them, the one I liked best was made of pears called , Nankan-nashi, which were picked at the beginning of the summer.

During the special period of Bon, a Buddhist festival, we danced Bon-Odori in the yard of our dormitory, with the Japanese children joining in. I happened to know how to dance Kiso-Odori, a dance from my hometown, and taught it to the participants. They came to dance quite well, and some Chinese people came to watch it.

We had an athletic meet in the fall. We also enjoyed Yohkyoku- singing stories, chorus concerts, dances, and mahjong gatherings.

Speaking of mahjong, I have an interesting story.

Mahjong had been prohibited after the Chinese Communists took power. All the mahjong-tiles had been collected, and burned in a stove. But the Japanese were allowed to keep them because they didnt use them to gamble.

On the day of Chinese New Year, a Chinese police officer visited us to borrow a set of mahjong-tiles. They wanted to play, but they didnt have any. We knew that the government had given us a special permission, but we lent him some sets anyway. He was very glad, and in the evening, came to return them.

by Anmitsuhime

To be continued to Part 11