This ear belongs to this story's protagonist.
It has supported this man throughout his life.
Your hospital appointment is at 11.
Your appointment with Doctor Mukoda.
Huh?
YOUR EAR EXAMINATION!
I can hear you, no need to shout. Tea.
Sure.
However, as he grew older,
his hearing's gotten worse and worse.
Don't pull, don't pull. You'll make me stumble.
Oyaji no Senaka
Father's Back
N a g o r i y u k i
Koizumi Kinjiro, 70 years old.
K u r a m o t o S o
subs: maboroshinohikari
The autocratic president of Izukin, a metal processing company.
He left his hometown, in Toyama, at the age of 16,
and built up Izukin in one generation.
Today, I welcome the Minister of Economy Sakaida,
the Governor of Toyama Prefecture, the Mayor of Shinminato...
Who else...?
And all the eminent members attending this party.
It is an undeserved honor to have you here,
to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Izukin's founding,
and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Come to think of it, since I left Shinminato, my hometown...
- Good morning! - Hi.
Come to think of it... err, what was it?
Come to think of it... mm, what now...?
- Good morning. - Your voice's low!
- Good morning! - Still low!
- GOOD MORNING! - Okay.
- Dad! - Oh!
You startled me! You should knock at least.
I knocked!
It seems the Minister won't make it after all. His secretary will attend instead of him.
What's the point in meeting his secretary?
Also, our guest singer, Iruka-san, says her schedule is fairly tight.
(Iruka is a Japanese folk singer who debuted in 1970.)
- I'm trying hard to negotiate with her, but-- - Kinichi.
- Yes? - Why are you speaking so loud?
- Sorry. Iruka-san's attendance-- - I can't hear you, I can't.
- IRUKA-SAN'S ATTENDANCE-- - Don't shout!
- I am not shouting! - Good morning!
- Hey! - Yes? - Why are you all angry so early in the morning?
- We're not angry. - Well, you sound as though you were.
It's because you said you can't hear us if we speak normally.
You have an angry look. Shout with a smile.
Please check the finished medals.
Every year, during this season, Kinjiro becomes grumpy.
That's because suddenly many medals are ordered,
as Spring is the season when decorations are conferred.
I said "medals", but they are not the authentic ones.
The real medals are made by the Japan Mint.
(A governmental agency responsible for the supply of coins and medals and the analysis, testing and certification of metals.)
The orders he receives are for the memorial medals that
the award winners respectively hand out to those around them.
Every year, more than 20,000 people are awarded.
Assuming each winner wants 100 memorial medals, 2,000,000 medals are ordered altogether.
It's a huge business opportunity for a small factory.
Moreover, Izukin has gained recognition in this industry
because of the high-quality finish of these medals.
However,
Kinjiro becomes grumpy during this season
for a whole different reason.
He's been devoted to this job for many decades,
and although he's kept making medals with all his might,
the Government of Japan has never awarded him a decoration.
That's absurd.
Moreover, because of the noise pollution of this factory,
his hearing has rapidly worsened.
That's absurd.
Koizumi Kinjiro-san!
Ah?
Your brain is perfectly normal.
You can feel relieved. Ah ah! As I thought, it's just an age-related hearing loss.
So it's been 40 years since Izukin's founding? I got an invitation to your party.
These new-style hearing aids are German. They're quite impressive.
I totally recommend you buy one.
But you'll find it annoying at first 'cause it picks up a lot of sounds.
- Hey. - Mm?
Doctor.
Assistant professor Mukoda.
They say "associate professor" now.
You kept me waiting for one and a half hour just to tell me I'm growing old?
Well, hearing loss is a complex thing. If we found a tumor in your brain...
- I can tell by myself that I'm growing old. - As I said, the causes of hearing loss are--
- It's just aging in my case, right? - That's what the results of your check-up say--
I can't hear you!
Don't shout! As I said, if you wear this,
you'll be perfectly able to hear even low voices as any normal person!
Oh...
Izukin Second Factory
(Yellow Ribbon Medal. Awarded to individuals who, through their diligence and perseverance while engaging in their professional activities, became public role models.)
I modeled the shape after the Ojuhosho, but
as I chose a snow crystal pattern for the details,
I designed a whole new hexagonal shape.
Mm...
- The medal is stored in this case. - Mm...
Shimato, a retired master in Wajima,
personally finished it carefully using lacquer.
The inside is modeled after the medal's ribbon,
and it'll be covered by a cloth of Nishijin brocade.
(Nishijin is a district in Kyoto and, by extension, the name of the most famous brocade in Japan. Its roots go back 1,200 years , to a time when Japan?s Imperial Court employed weavers to produce high-quality, luxury fabrics for the court?s nobles.)
Ah...
You use this clasp to fasten the lid.
Did you make this yourself, Shige-san?
- Yes. - Ah, so nice.
Here
I engraved your wife's name.
K o i z u m i A k i k o
- Ah... - I am sure your wife
- will be deeply moved. - Yeah. Thank you.
As for the characters inscribed on the box,
I would like to write "White Ribbon Medal" using the Reisho-tai variant.
(Reisho-tai, or clerical script is an archaic style of Chinese calligraphy.)
White Ribbon Medal...?
Red, green, blue,
dark blue, yellow, purple.
Each of them is actually used for the ribbons of the Medals of Honor.
But white hasn't been used yet.
I see.
This is a medal for your wife's longstanding support.
I think the white ribbon would be the best choice.
Yeah... yeah...
Do you think the Government will make a complaint?
Well, I don't care. It's a joke.
If we play dumb and do it, they'll never found out about it.
Ah ah ah! Right.
- Also... - Mm?
I took the liberty of adding something you didn't request.
Huh?
You place the medal inside the box,
then you close it
and fasten it with the clasp.
- Now, please open it. - Ah...
(This melody is "Nagori-yuki", literally "Snowfall at the end of winter", and sometimes translated as "Unseasonal snow" or "Spring snow". It's a song written by Ise Shozo and his band Kaguyahime. Iruka's cover version was released in 1975 and became her hit single.)
How do you like it?
Izukin Corporation Tokyo Factory
I summarized it quickly but this is the schedule of the party.
Do you have any objection?
If you don't, allow me to move on to the matter of the involved expenses.
- First, the hotel charges-- - Hold on.
Yes?
I couldn't quite hear what you've just said.
I thought that would probably happen, so I handed these out.
Everything I have just said is written here.
- Wait wait wait! - Yes?
- I object. - Do you have an objection to something?
Not to something. To everything, all of it!
Everything. I object to it from beginning to end. I object, object, object!
Dad.
The plan I gave you the other day
has been completely and thoroughly wiped out.
We discussed that during last week's meeting,
- and you gave your consent, Dad. - I didn't give any consent!
Dad!
What happened to the kagami-wari of Toyama's high-quality sake?
(The Japanese often celebrate happy events with kagami-wari. A wooden cask filled with sake is prepared. People crack it open and then make a toast.)
What happened to the cutting show of Toyama Bay's giant squid?
Why did the performance of Shinminato's Lion Dance disappear?
There are people who will take the trouble to come from Toyama just to attend the party.
How on earth could I face them?
But our invitees are mostly from Tokyo, Dad.
I was brought up in Toyama!
I was only bullied in Tokyo.
I overcame the bullying and made it to this very day!
Please calm down.
The reason I'm holding our 40th anniversary party
is not that I want to thank Tokyo.
I want to show Toyama's people that
you can do it, even if they bully you and beat you!
That's how I made it so far!
I'm doing it because I want the countryside to have hope and...
What did you say? Did you say something?
I didn't say a word.
- Did you say something in a low voice? - Nobody said anything.
Why won't you let President Ozawa give a speech?
- Because his speeches are always long. - At Sakagami-san's wedding
he kept talking for 45 minutes and thus ruined the ceremony.
So what is this 15 minutes quartet's performance?
What is this "Pastorale" by Beethoven?
Was this Beethoven a Toyama Prefecture's native?
How is he related to Toyama?
Iruka-san singing "Nagori-yuki" was supposed to be
our party's highlight. What happened to that?
We haven't been able to arrange with Iruka-san yet...
The very reason your mother and I met
is that Iruka-san's "Nagori-yuki" was always playing in the background.
On the day we had our first date
your mother was humming that song.
And on the day I started this company,
"Nagori-yuki" was being streamed.
And on the day your mother and I
knelt down to the Credit Union's branch manager to avoid bankruptcy,
for some reason, "Nagori-yuki" was playing somewhere.
President.
If you cancel the performance, I won't hold the party.
I'll call off the celebration of our 40th anniversary.
Dad!
We've heard that story many times over, but Iruka-san is not free on that day.
What what what what? Your voice is low, I can't hear you.
May I interpose a remark?
In a clear voice, okay?
According to my research, Iruka-san's "Nagori-yuki"
was released in Showa 50, 1975.
You dropped out of high school and left Toyama in 1961,
when "Nagori-yuki" was yet to be written.
Since I heard you met your wife during your high school days,
when "Nagori-yuki" didn't exist yet,
I think it might be a lapse of your memory, President.
You truly did a careful investigation.
Thank you.
But hat's just what memory is!
Do you youngsters understand the meaning of memory!
Don't get clever with me as if you'd killed a giant!
The documentary film about our company's chronicle made by Minami.
The other day you guys approved it as well.
According to this schedule,
we're not going to screen it. Why?
We've left it out because it's too long.
Minakan is
my ex-classmate from Shinminato, and my best friend.
He's one of the greatest masters in the film industry.
I know.
It was I who bowed to my esteemed friend
and asked him to make the documentary.
I know.
Three years ago, he even received a Purple Ribbon Medal from the Government--
(Awarded to individuals who have contributed to academic and artistic developments, improvements and accomplishments.)
I'm well aware of that.
So you're going to reject his work, huh?
- Yes. - Sorry. - We're terribly sorry.
Who's going to tell him we decline?
Well, I think no one but you can do it, President.
I don't know why, but I perfectly heard what you just said.
You worried about something like that, Kin-chan? That's why you're looking so serious?
I don't mind at all. I myself thought it might be a bit too long.
I got used to my movies being rejected.
I'm sorry.
- How's it been lately? - What?
- Your health. - Yeah...
My prostate's been troubling me.
- You have an urge to urinate often? - I do I do.
Right after I piss I feel like pissing again.
I had that too. It's painful.
Hey, do you mind if we exchange our seats?
Ah, sure.
- My hearing in this ear's getting worse. - Oh my, you too?
- You as well? - Yeah. I went to see Mukoda today.
- I bet he kept you waiting. - He did, for a hour and a half.
He's always been inflexible after all.
It's because he's unfriendly that he'll never be more than an assistant professor.
- He made you buy a hearing aid, didn't he? - You too?
- 400,000 yen. - No, mine was 750,000 yen.
That guy can really see inside one's pocket.
- How is Aki-chan? - Ah, she's quite well.
- How about your wife? - She's full of life.
- I see. She was so cute. - Who?
Well, your Yori-chan. She was like a fairy.
Who's a fairy? She's a demon now.
I heard Sekiguchi Ichiro died.
- When? - Last year, on December 31.
He was alone in Shinminato. His son found him dead
on January 2, apparently.
Really?
I guess it was because Haru-chan passed away first.
He couldn't live longer than a year and 8 months after her death.
- Yeah. - It turned out just as I told you.
Women live 17 years on average after they become widows,
but men don't last 2 years after they lose their wives.
That night Koizumi Kinjiro didn't return home, even when morning came.
He just vanished like that.
Koizumi
Ah! Am I speaking to Otsuka-san? Um, I am Koizumi Kinjiro's wife.
Yes, yes. Um, it has been a while since I last contacted you.
Ah... well, you see...
Um... actually,
this may be a very abrupt question, but...
Has my husband told you anything lately?
Yes...
Ah, is that so. Well, you see...
Actually, my husband has gone missing.
Well, it has been four days since we last saw him.
We haven't notified the police yet. Because our 40th anniversary is just around the corner.
I think my father himself is well aware of that.
We've looked for him in every likely place.
Of course we've searched the house. From the toilet to the closets!
It seems she didn't find him anywhere when she woke up.
And it didn't look as though he had slept in his room.
Well, his Benz is here just as he left it.
He left it here and headed for his office.
Well, I can't believe it's been 4 days. At first I thought
he'd return home the following day, or the day after that.
No, he didn't leave any message behind.
Were you able to get in contact with Otsuka Unpei?
Yes, I talked with him just now. He said he would come immediately.
It can't be that he got into an accident... your tea.
Yuko!
- So Dad's vanished? - Exactly.
Didn't he go senile? Isn't he just wandering about?
Koizumi's classmate from Shinminato, now a retired detective of Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department,
Otsuka Kihei was called in secrecy and entered this house
on the 4th morning after Kinjro's disappearance.
I'm terribly sorry to bother you!
Actually, I thought it would be best to consult with you first, Unpei-san, so I haven't notified the police yet.
- Yeah. - Hey.
Mm.
I saw Unpei-san. He's already in the house.
He usually wakes up at 4:30,
but there was no sign of him whatsoever.
Mm.
When I picked into his room, I noticed he hadn't used the bed.
Mm.
At any rate, I have no idea why he vanished!
Yeah.
The night before he'd disappear we parted in Shinbashi a little past 10 pm.
- Mm... - We talked about Izukin's 40th anniversary.
You received an invitation too, right?
Mm?
- Yeah. - He said he had a little dispute
with his sons, about the schedule of the party.
His feelings got pretty hurt.
His hearing's gotten quite bad lately.
It's a fact that he's become irritable, though.
Mm.
I think he might have become senile.
Mm.
Maybe he was wandering about and then forgot the place where he belongs?
- A grudge? - Yeah.
A grudge...
Well, Dad is assertive, so
there might have been someone who held a grudge against him, although we never thought so.
Mm.
Just think about the guys he's dismissed lately. Nakamura, Sugita, Yamada, Asano...
Umeda, Tominaga, Ota, Yokoyama...
Mm.
Hayashi, Nakagome, Sawabe, Iizuka...
Dad, Mom, Uncle, Aunt.
- Huh? - Mm.
- Don't talk nonsense! - What the heck are you talking about?
I told you to stop it that night, yet you bad-mouthed Granpa mercilessly.
- We didn't! - You did! You all laughed saying his ideas are too old-fashioned--
- Shinobu! - Mm.
You made fun of Grandpa's celebration plan saying it was anachronistic!
Ah ah ah! Of course you hurt his feelings!
But we didn't say that when he was around, after all!
- But he might have heard you. - Mm.
He's hard of hearing, there's no way he heard us.
Nee-san, the other day you said it clearly in front of Dad.
"Dad, aren't you actually pretending to be deaf, just as Samuragochi?"
(Samuragochi Mamoru is a Japanese self-styled composer who falsely claimed throughout his career to be deaf, which led to foreign media dubbing him a "digital-age Beethoven".)
Yuko!
- Mm. - And then you told Granma
- "Mom, I can't believe you've served such a man for 40 years". - Right, I heard her too.
You said it clearly, Aunt Eri!
I wrote it in my diary since it hurt my feelings.
Mm.
Unpei Oji-san.
At any rate, please tell us your opinion first.
Do you think it was an incident? Or an accident?
Or a kidnapping? Or maybe...
Do you think he might have committed suicide?
Mm.
I want some time to think.
- Um... - Yes?
Could I have a cup of coffee?
Ah, I'm sorry, I was inconsiderate.
Okay...
AH? !
Sorry.
Hey, Unpei!
Um, this is simply what I think.
These sort of cases,
where the elderly disappear, are pretty frequent.
The elderly... ah ah ah! I'm one of them too...
In part, they disappear because something's wrong with their health.
For instance, they become awfully forgetful, or
they lose their sight or hearing.
Or they can no longer put on their socks while standing.
So they suddenly lose self-confidence.
Also, there's what they call the generational change.
Has that happened at Izukin lately?
Ah, well, um...
This is something nobody knows yet,
but after he holds the party for the 40th anniversary, my husband
is going to appoint Kinichi as Izukin's president.
- This is the first time I've heard that. - Is that true?
Yeah. He told me he wants to retire from his position.
So basically he's going to run the company from behind the scenes, right?
Mm. Well, anyway, there were those environment changes around him.
Also, earlier...
I'm Shinobu.
Just as Shinobu-chan said, you laughed at your father's old-fashioned ideas,
and denied them saying they're anachronistic. There was that sort of atmosphere--
- No, please hold on a second! - We didn't do that--
It's okay, it's okay, that doesn't matter. In fact,
that's a side of his character.
Is he the sort of man who'd get depressed and commit suicide?
Well?
Mm...
How was he at the company?
On the day before his disappearance, we had a dispute about the party but that was all.
Mm...
Then we can also consider the case of a crime committed for fun.
A crime committed for fun?
In other words, he might have pretended to disappear to trouble you all
and observe how you behave. You could call it a sham disappearance,
or rather, a sort of prank.
I think it was three years ago. An old woman disappeared,
and that caused such an uproar that we even opened a criminal investigation.
But in the end she was hiding in the attic.
peeking at her alarmed family in secret.
I can understand her.
Then he...?
Under the floor?
He's under the floor?
In all likelihood.
Why?!
A while ago I was with your dog and noticed that
it furtively went in and out of there very often.
Wait!
If you find him and reproach him now,
he's going to disappear for sure this time.
Then what should we do?
Mm.
Ah? This is a really important moment.
Any man has a sense of honor.
In his case, that's particularly strong.
- And? - I'm sure he'll feel
like coming out soon. But since he heard you being alarmed for 4 days,
as a father, he can't just come out nonchalantly.
- I can understand him. - And here's a serious problem now.
What should we do so that he can show up
without offending his dignity?
We have to think of a way to do that.
It's gotten so quiet all of a sudden.
I wonder what happened to those guys upstairs.
Stay with me for forever, even if we were to be reborn.
Anyway, no matter how you look at it, it was Kinichi and you guys' fault.
- Exactly! - Well, I guess
you must have a lot of things going on, but you should revise the party's plan.
- I apologize. - We'll do so.
Please, Dad, live? !
Overacting
Well, rather than the celebration of Izukin's 40th anniversary,
this will actually be a thank-you party for your parents' hard work so far.
- Exactly. - That's true.
Besides, I think that
since Granpa's hearing's gotten worse in one ear,
it must be so hard for him that he gets irritated.
Maybe Samuragochi-san too
started to pretend to be deaf because of that painfulness.
You all pretend to feel for Granpa's hearing loss,
but you actually don't sympathize with him at all. You all pretend and laugh behind his back.
I think I did that as well.
Let's apologize to Grandpa! Let's gather here and apologize in a loud voice.
Hold on...
Overacting
What the heck are you saying...
Oh, you are leaving?
I have to get up early tomorrow. I'll come again.
We've already contacted the police station. You should get some rest tonight.
He's right. If you don't sleep you'll collapse.
Ah, thank you.
Goodbye.
Are you okay, Mom?
Overacting
This is real!
She really staggered!
?? Now spring has come and
?? you have become beautiful.
?? You are much more beautiful
?? than you were last year.
Kin-chan.
Kin-chan!
Ah...
Did you get to sleep?
Mm.
Do you remember how many days you've been lying down?
- Four days. - Mm.
Ah? it's all right. You haven't gone senile yet.
Mm.
But pretend you have this time.
- What? - Become senile.
Maybe it was a sudden cerebral infarct, okay?
So you don't remember anything about the last four days.
- Yup. - Okay.
And your recent hearing loss was also a sign of the cerebral infarct.
I see.
Yeah.
Mm, somehow
the smell of this place brings back memories.
Yeah.
Do you remember? During our first year in high school
I begged you to come with me,
and we hid under Sayoppe's house.
Ah, the one which was on Shinminato's canal.
Mosquitoes swarmed around us and I instinctively hit you.
Because of that noise Sayoppe woke up and screamed,
so we frantically ran away from that place.
- You hit me. - Ah ah...
Ah?
Is Sayoppe doing fine?
Well, her dementia's worsened lately,
so in the end I've entrusted her with a nursing care center.
Really?
Yeah.
Time marches on so cruelly.
So it's been 40 years since you founded Izukin?
Yeah.
I didn't get the invitation, you know.
Kinichi said there were too many invitees so he just reduced them of his own accord.
What a cruel son.
I'm truly sorry.
Times change, huh...
Yeah.
Times change.
I left my Mercedes Benz at the company.
I'll drive you there.
But come to my place before we go.
Brush away the dirt and take a shower at least.
Ouch...
- See you, Kin-chan. - Thanks.
Welcome back.
I'm back.
I don't remember anything about the last four days.
I had a sudden cerebral infarct,
and lost my senses.
I wonder where I was
and what I did.
Oh, right. Come with me.
I'll show you something nice.
You must not tell anyone.
You see, I'm going to give this
to Grandma at our forthcoming party.
It's a medal, as a token of my gratitude for the last 40 years.
It's a special hand-made one.
Grandpa,
you're sweet.
In order to create this
you've hidden for four days.
Huh? What did you say?
I couldn't hear that. Sorry.
Say it again.
Oh!