Warm Family Memories

Enlightenment

Epilogue

Hideko-chan,

Since you are reading this letter, I must be in the Pure Land, passed into Nirvana. Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Remember and you will not grieve. I no longer desire; I feel no pain, no sorrow.

I ask little of you, except to observe Obon. Remember me during that time. Take your children to my gravesite and wash my headstone, light incense, and say gasshou. Listen to the priest and heed his words.

The Bon Odori was among the happiest times for me. All the colourful dancers circling the yagura tower. The music was loud and festive. It was all so wonderful. My sister and I danced to our hearts’ content, and we enjoyed the savoury food: teriyaki chicken, shrimp, and beef; the scented rice; the noodles. Seeing all the friends was such a joy. It is my wish that my grandchildren have the same experience.

I have left you three things. The first is the Hiroshima Bomb Money. Do not throw this away. Read Ito-san’s explanatory letter. Tell your children the story, impress upon them the importance of the artifact. Tell them what they did to us. I hope the Bomb Money passes from generation to generation.

The second is my money. I expressed my gratitude to the NAJC everyday for the redress. I know you have inherited it anyway, but it is for a specific purpose. Use it to take the family to Hiroshima. Let them see the Akamatsu Compound and meet the relatives, the cousins especially and Ito-san, their uncle. Also take half my ashes and place them in the family plot. I want to be reunited with my sister, your Aunt Chiemi, Hideki, your uncle, and your grandparents. Then I’ll be happy.

To close, I leave you the final poem your grandfather composed. It is for the family. Cherish the memories as much as I cherished you.

Death has no meaning for me,

But when I give thought to the

Moment of death,

I grow sad at the loss of

Warm family memories.

Do not grieve for me. I survived and raised a family, and I am at peace with my duty done.

Okaachan