Welcome to the very first instalment of the Nikkei National
Museum and Cultural Centre's Nikkei book club! We'll be reading and discussing Mothertalk: Life Stories of Mary Kiyoshi
Kiyooka, by Roy Kiyooka in February and March. You can join the
conversation by commenting on these blog posts, and also on Facebook and
Twitter, where I'll be posting condensed discussion topics. We'll also be
hosting an in-person discussion on April 2 at 2pm. Mothertalk is
available in the museum shop, or find it online or at your favourite bookstore.
This first section of the book contains Mary's memories of
Japan, where she grew up in the remote Kochi prefecture in the Meiji era, a
daughter of the samurai class. Although her father was a well-respected Iai
master, under the new system of government in Japan he was no longer employed,
and so the family was poor.
On Facebook and Twitter, I asked what people thought about
how Mary's samurai family background affected her relationship to Japan and
Japanese culture. Since Mary's brother wasn't very strong, her father in many
ways raised and educated her as a son, training her in the bushido code of
values. But Mary went on to live a very different life, emigrating with her
non-samurai husband to Canada, where the class system was very different. Mary
also talks about the connections she has maintained to Japan throughout her
life in Canada, including stories from her many trips back to visit. She says
that she, like many issei (immigrant generation), would like to return to Japan,
and that her home will always be Tosa. Is this surprising to you, given that
she has lived almost her entire adult life in Canada, or not? Why? Do you think
she would feel the same way if her childhood or her family's position had been
different in some ways?
A couple other things I am thinking about:
Mary says she is not too sure how class works in Canada,
where the distinctions are not as rigidly defined as in Japan. What would you
tell her?
What do you think of the story of the one-eyed woman who
became a Christian? How does it shape your understanding of Mary's life and
values?
What other parts of this section did you find interesting
and why?
Please respond in the comments below! Next week, I will
summarize our discussion, and post some questions for part 2. Stay tuned!
-Carolyn
I am glad you are doing this in parts. I still have to get the book...
ReplyDeleteCome visit the museum shop! The extra copies we ordered arrived last week :)
DeleteI thought it was interesting that her father did train her in bushido. I recently saw some old pictures online of females in samurai gear. I wonder how common it was.
ReplyDeleteNowadays, the gap between the rich and poor seems greater in Canada than in Japan. I suppose her day, it was more of a functional difference in class and not necessarily about money.
ReplyDeleteYes, definitely...even though Mary's family were poor, they were considered of a high class. I'm not sure if such a distinction would be possible in Canada. Do you think Mary's nostalgia for Japan is particular to her experiencing how Japan was for families of the samurai class? Or would she have had just as much in common with fishermen and farmer issei through their common Japaneseness?
Delete