The Samurai's Garden

Stephen and his father visit the beach together. Stephen swims and learns that his father is a non-swimmer. In this relaxed atmosphere, Stephen thinks of his father in a new way – almost as an acquaintance – and feels loneliness hovering when he remembers that soon he will return to his business in Kobe.

When Stephen asks about the situation in Shanghai, his father fills him in on the destruction moving south – bombing and fires – and speculates that the Japanese may reach Hong Kong.

Stephen then inquires about Matsu as a younger person; Ba-Ba tells him about how their childhoods intersected in Tarumi when he would visit as a boy. Tomoko, one of Matsu’s sisters, was very pretty and caught his eye, but shyness, along with “class and custom” (210), prevented him from pursuing her. Matsu was an energetic young man. He was rumored to be in love with a girl in town who married or moved away. He seemed destined to break away from the village, but when Tomoko died in an accident, Matsu seemed to lose momentum. Stephen imagines that Matsu has a story that remains untold.

After saying goodbye to his father at the station, Stephen feels an emptiness. When he returns to the house, Matsu asks him if he’d like to accompany him to see a friend in the nearby mountain village of Yamaguchi, also called the Village of Lepers, due to its history of the diseased traveling there to live in peace. Stephen is surprised at the invitation and quickly agrees. As the two walk uphill to the village, Matsu tells Stephen he used to visit a friend there as a young man and was unafraid of catching leprosy, which a doctor told him could not be contracted by contact.

When they arrive at Yamaguchi, Stephen sees that the houses are made of pieced-together scraps of wood and that the people are mangled by the disease. He recalls the historical Chinese fear of lepers but does not feel fear himself. They arrive at a small, sturdier house; Matsu’s step lightens as he approaches and knocks at the door. Matsu’s friend Sachi, a woman wearing a black veil to cover the ulcers on the left side of her face, serves them tea. Stephen can see that she was once extraordinarily beautiful and, as they visit, understands that he and Sachi share the experience of solitude.

On the way home, Matsu tells Stephen about leprosy coming to Tarumi forty years ago. It spread quickly, infecting Tarumi’s people indiscriminately. They were afraid to let others know of the outbreak since Tarumi was a holiday destination. Matsu shares that leprosy is what killed his sister, Tomoko. Stephen asks, “Why did you take me with you to Yamaguchi?” Matsu answers, “So you would know that you’re not alone” (30). 

Stephen and Matsu’s friendship develops. While Matsu remains short on conversation, his demeanor toward Stephen has relaxed, and when Stephen asks when they will visit Yamaguchi and Sachi again, Matsu teases him about his curiosity. Stephen is fascinated by Sachi’s mystery and wonders if Matsu and Sachi were or are in love.

Stephen decides to paint the garden view from his grandfather’s study. The garden has begun to fascinate him: “Matsu’s garden whispers at you, never shouts; it leads you down a path hoping for more, as if everything is seen, yet hidden” (31). He opens the shoji screens and feels happiness and health he hasn’t felt in a long time. At first, Matsu seems to object to Stephen’s opening up the room, but later, as Stephen paints, Matsu brings him a lunch tray. Next to a bowl of udon is a surprising gift: a lacquer box of sable paintbrushes which belonged to Stephen’s grandfather.

Absorbed in his painting for several days, Stephen is almost finished with it. He decides to go for a swim while relishing the last touches he will make to the piece. He arrives at the empty beach and removes his shirt; just then, he hears the two girls from before in the distance, then sees them laughing and walking toward him. Partially hidden from their view behind beach grass, Stephen remembers, as the girls come closer, that King told Stephen he intimidated girls at school with his good looks. He stays still so that he won’t scare them away and will be able to speak with them.

The younger and shorter of the two girls (a little older than Pie) spots him first, and the older, taller girl with waist-length hair leads the way to greet him. Both girls are a bit shy, but the elder is more confident. Stephen puts his shirt back on and bows hello to them. They giggle and bow back. He introduces himself. Keiko, the older girl, introduces herself and her sister, Mika. After a brief conversation, the girls run back the way they came. Stephen dashes to the water to swim, forgetting to remove his clothes.

Stephen returns to the house and recalls the harmless, childlike spirits he hallucinated at the height of his illness in Hong Kong, and their contrast with the real girls he’s just met. He tells Matsu about his beach encounter, and Matsu encourages him by telling him that their resistance is “part of the game” (37). Matsu then gives Stephen the good news that Sachi has invited them to visit the next day.