Teito Monogatari:
The Tale of the Imperial Capital
Part 2: Supernatural Babylon
Author: Hiroshi Aramata
Part 5: Destruction in the Year of the Boar
Chapter 23: Winter Comes
December 9, 1916 (Taishō 5). It was cold and faintly desolate in the evening twilight.
Terada Torahiko felt a stabbing pain around his stomach and went to bed early. He had never been so exhausted. A languid anxiety wrapped itself around him. If he fell asleep like this, would he never wake? Leaden fatigue weighed heavily on both eyelids. He had forced his ailing body to go out to Professor Natsume Sōseki’s residence in Waseda that day. Perhaps that had been a mistake.
From the room beyond came the sound of a baby crying. Yukiko, his third daughter, had been born last year. She called for her mother, but Hiroko was not there. She had gone to visit the residence of his benefactor and teacher, Natsume Sōseki, with him. When his poor health had forced him home early, she had remained there in Torahiko’s place. Professor Natsume was in critical condition and not expected to live very long.
“Depending on his condition, she may not be able to come home tonight…” Torahiko murmured. He rose weakly to his feet, went into the next room, and lifted the fretful Yukiko into his arms. “There, there. Mother might not be coming home tonight, but I’m here.”
Yukiko’s body felt strangely heavy. She’s growing, he thought. But he was also becoming weaker by the day, and he knew it.
A sharp pain shot through him. His eldest son, Tōichi, peered anxiously into his father’s face.
“Tōichi? Take good care of your younger brothers and sisters. Father is going to take Yukiko to bed. Mother may not be coming home tonight.”
Tōichi bit his lip. Seeing the brave effort of his eldest son not to cry, Terada felt his chest tighten. He tucked Yukiko inside the haori draped over his shoulders. He was about to return to his room when he heard knocking at the front door.
“Professor Terada, Professor Terada!”
Glass rattled. He heard harsh breathing. Still holding Yukiko, Torahiko Terada went to the front door and opened it.
“Who is it?”
“A shop boy from Iwanami Shōten. At 6:40 this evening, Professor Natsume Sōseki passed away. My master told me to inform Professor Terada at once.”
“I see.”
That was all Torahiko Terada said. He sank down onto the step of the entryway. Burying his face in Yukiko’s cheek, he wiped away tears. Yukiko was very quiet as he did this. The child’s soft skin absorbed his tears.
“Please tell your master that Mr. Terada is presently bedridden with a stomach ulcer. He cannot come to the funeral, so please ask Hiroko to make the arrangements. Please tell Mrs. Natsume not to lose heart.”
The boy bowed once, quietly closed the front door, and departed. It was already nightfall.
The news of Natsume Sōseki’s death felt strangely distant, almost like a lie. When he had visited his teacher this afternoon, Torahiko had already prepared himself for the fact that his passing was only a matter of time. It was rather like the resigned state of mind one might have when facing one’s own death.
Holding his small child in his arms, Torahiko gazed silently at the front door for a very long time.
He had met Professor Natsume in middle school in Kumamoto. Torahiko had always regarded his teacher as a supreme being. Professor Natsume had guided him onto the path of science despite his dislike of mathematics. He had truly been a wonderful teacher. Torahiko had always sought to feel as Natsume felt, to think as Natsume thought, and to express himself as Natsume expressed himself.
Now, Natsume Sōseki was lost to him forever.
That night, Torahiko Terada continued sleeping, but this sleep wasn’t restful. He’d recently been recommended to become a member of the Earthquake Investigation Committee. He was also a professor at the Imperial University and a judge for the Maritime and Fisheries Exposition. Torahiko had accomplished a great deal this year. He should be celebrating, not grieving.
However, his chronic stomach ulcer had worsened. On December 2 he began passing black stools. After being examined by Dr. Amako, he was ordered to remain on bed rest. As of December 5, he spent all his time at home to recuperate.
Natsume Sōseki’s death in 1916 (Taishō 5) dyed the year the same color as loss. Natsume Sōseki had fallen ill on December 2. He’d rallied a few times, but never for very long.
Later that night, a reporter from the Asahi Shimbun came seeking an interview about Natsume Sōseki’s death, but Torahiko didn’t answer the door. He cradled Yukiko in his arms and wept.
Torahiko wasn’t able to attend the funeral on December 12 at Aoyama Funeral Hall. Hiroko went in his place. Torahiko wandered through his house like a sleepwalker, uncomfortable and restless. He made notes and read over Natsume Sōseki’s autopsy in discontented silence.
Autopsy findings on the remains of Professor Natsume Sōseki
Brain weight: 1,425 grams—heavier than that of an ordinary person. The folds of the left frontal region are exceedingly fine; this is said to be a characteristic of a gifted person.
The following year, he lost his wife Hiroko to illness, and two years later, in 1919 (Taishō 8), he coughed up blood and was finally forced to take a leave of absence.
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