The Takeichi Friendship

Follows the brief but significant friendship with Takeichi, the only person who saw through Yozo's clowning and gave him two prophecies.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Unmasking

The Stab in the Back The Deliberate Fall Yozo pretended to miss the horizontal bar, landing on his back. The class laughed. But Takeichi, the puniest boy, whispered, "You did it on purpose." The Terror Yozo trembled. He felt as if the world had burst into flames. His clowning had been exposed by the least likely person. The Immediate Response Yozo began to befriend Takeichi, desperate to prevent him from revealing the secret.

The Ear Cleaning

The Hypocritical Kindness The Rainy Day Yozo shared his umbrella with Takeichi and brought him to his room. He cleaned the pus from Takeichi's ears with exaggerated concern. The Prophecy Takeichi, comforted, said, "111 bet lots of women will fall for you." This was the first prophecy, a demoniacal one. The Bond of Deceit Yozo felt a strange relief. He had succeeded in fooling Takeichi, but the prophecy would haunt him.

The Ghost Pictures

The Second Prophecy The van Gogh Revelation Takeichi showed Yozo a picture of van Gogh's self-portrait, calling it a ghost. Yozo was thrilled and showed him Modigliani's nudes. The Decision to Paint Yozo decided to paint pictures of ghosts and devils. He began to create self-portraits in the ghost style. The Second Prophecy Takeichi said, "You'll be a great painter some day." Yozo felt a surge of hope, but this prophecy also would be betrayed.

The End of the Friendship

The Parting The Last Meeting Yozo went to Tokyo to attend college. He and Takeichi parted ways. Takeichi's prophecies were imprinted on Yozo's forehead. The Fulfillment and Failure One prophecy came true (women falling for him), the other failed (becoming a great painter). Takeichi's words were a curse and a burden. The Memory Yozo never saw Takeichi again. But he often thought of him, especially when he painted or when women were drawn to him.

high school, during a gym class

summer of high school

high school, later

when Yozo left for Tokyo