Other books translated by Geoffrey Ivar
The Hole and Other Stories, by Ikujirou Ran
The Secret of the Fish and Other Stories, by Kotarou Tanaka
Traveling Alone and Other Stories, by Toriko Wakasugi
Rebellion
Tsuseko Yada
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2011 by Geoffrey Ivar
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cover art by Natalie Parisi
“Rebellion” first appeared in Japan Proletarian Collection #23: The Third Collection of Female Writers, November, 1987.
Special thanks to Aozora Bunko.
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Tsuseko Yada
(1907 – 1944)
Tsuseko Yada was born in the Akita prefecture of Japan. She began her career as a modern writer, but then shifted her style towards more classical, fine literature. She was a famous woman writer — known for being an exceptional writer as well as an exceptional beauty.
Geoffrey Ivar
Geoffrey Ivar studied Japanese and English Literature at the University of Virginia. He moved to Japan on the JET Programme to teach English, improve his Japanese, and gain a greater appreciation for Japanese literature. Although he has returned to live in America, he still travels frequently between Japan and the U.S.
Rebellion
“Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil… Amen.” The morning prayer flowed through the church with austerity and dignity.
The sinful lambs, kneeling and supporting their bowed heads with their hands, repeated the name of the Heavenly Father until they were weary.
“Hymn Number 24!” the deacon ordered the flock solemnly.
The congregation flipped through pages frantically. In deep, fine voices they started singing together, but in scattered bursts. The singing was thick and off-key, and it was always on the brink of either falling behind time or speeding up. After the mismatched chorus ended, a very peculiar man from the congregation stood up and approached the altar. He stood next to the deacon and opened the huge book of scriptures to Genesis and started reading aloud.
“…And he said… And he said…”
The man stuttered and repeated “and he said” over and over. He blushed as his stuttering got worse.
The chorus began once again. When they were done, the priest, who had already cleared and readied his throat, slowly rose and ascended the altar. He was clad in white garb which subtly contrasted with the black curtains. The white color that reached all the way to his chin and the customary shoes that wrapped his feet up to his toes made him seem all the more dignified and closer to God.
“New Testament, the first book of John, chapter 3 verse 21. ‘My loved ones, if our hearts do not say that we have done wrong, we have nothing to fear before God…’ I believe that if we can savor these words then they can teach us a great deal. Christians nowadays are too downtrodden. If you carry no guilt in your heart then you can always live a happy and cheerful life. If you have no fear, then you should be able to act freely. The Old Testament speaks of this. David, the great king of Israel, danced before the Ark of the Covenant. He danced freely and without a care. There is no doubt that David forgot himself and danced with reckless abandon. His wife Michal saw this; she thought it wrong for the king, of all people, to dance, and so she berated him. David didn’t mind her, however, and continued. I think that how David acted, fearlessly, as a child close to God, was respectable. It’s because he went before God without a guilty conscious that he could dance…”
The priest reached into his loose clothing and produced a handkerchief. He wrapped it around his fingertip and deftly wiped the sweat from his nose. The strong smell of heliotropes spread throughout the church.
“According to a follower, there’s a student here who has been influenced by wicked thoughts lately. The student used to talk and laugh with me joyfully, but he no longer comes to see me now that these thoughts have taken hold. He has been consumed by dark ideas. He can no longer dance freely like David. It’s proof that he is gripped by a fear of God.”
“Also, I notice that there has been an increase lately in the amount of people who can’t see God in their lives. The youths have not been able to escape these evil thoughts. Everyone, evil spirits are at work. It may be Satan himself. Fellow Christians, in the name of God, we must fight Satan until the end! We must chase him from our society! We must be faithful to the word of God until we are no more! We must endeavor to live a free…”
“Goddammit! Where should I go drink? I finally got some money. Man, I wanna get shitfaced before I head home…”
“You’re goddamned right, I can. I can do whatever the hell I want with the money I make. I can’t deal with you annoying bastards night and day. Heh, I gotta get drunk. I can’t stand living in this world…”
“…well come over here and say that again, you bastard!”
Bang! Thud! Crack, crack, crack!
A fight had started outside the church.