Tai-an

Tai-an is the most auspicious day in the six-day Buddhist week. Sayuri finds it marked in her almanac while trying to anticipate Mameha’s undisclosed plans, making the day one of several possible signs she weighs against the uncertainty of waiting.

Meaning in the Almanac

After returning to the okiya, Sayuri studies her almanac for clues about when Mameha might take her somewhere. The coming Wednesday is favorable for traveling westward, while the following Monday is Tai-an. A Sunday after that carries the reading, “A balance of good and bad can open the door to destiny.” Each entry offers a different possible interpretation, but none tells Sayuri what Mameha intends.

Expectation and Delay

The almanac’s auspicious date does not correspond to the meeting Sayuri expects. Mameha does not contact her on Wednesday; a few afternoons later, she summons Sayuri only to discuss a change in her tea ceremony class. Another week passes without word. When Mameha eventually sends a note on Sunday, it arrives through a druggist’s delivery of Chinese herbs for Auntie’s arthritis, not on the Monday marked Tai-an. The discrepancy makes the almanac an instrument of anticipation rather than a reliable timetable: favorable signs give Sayuri possibilities to consider, while Mameha keeps the timing and purpose of her plans to herself.

Narrative Function

Tai-an’s significance lies in this contrast between auspiciousness and uncertainty. Sayuri consults the calendar because she hopes its signs will make Mameha’s intentions legible, but the sequence frustrates any simple equation between a lucky date and an event. The day belongs to the practical and private world of the almanac, yet it also sharpens the suspense surrounding a plan whose details Mameha refuses to reveal in advance.