The Father’s Two Worlds

The Character of Rain

This flow follows how the Narrator (God) tries to decipher Father’s work, cultural life, and moments of absence.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Job Called Consul A Job Called Consul from "The Character of Rain". A Job Called Consul An unexplained occupation The child asks Mother what Father does and receives the answer that he is a consul.

A Job Called Consul from "The Character of Rain". A Job Called Consul An unexplained occupation The child asks Mother what Father does and receives the answer that he is a consul.

A Job Called Consul An unexplained occupation The child asks Mother what Father does and receives the answer that he is a consul. The word offers no usable picture of the father’s day. A mystery retained When Father postpones explaining the job until the child is older, the Narrator (God) assumes he is hiding something unpleasant. The gap in knowledge fuels imaginative interpretation.

The Foreign Student The Foreign Student from "The Character of Rain". The Foreign Student Encounter with Noh Father arrives in Osaka as a diplomat and becomes captivated by Japan.

The Foreign Student from "The Character of Rain". The Foreign Student Encounter with Noh Father arrives in Osaka as a diplomat and becomes captivated by Japan.

The Foreign Student Encounter with Noh Father arrives in Osaka as a diplomat and becomes captivated by Japan. An interpreter introduces him to Noh, whose unfamiliar singing first unsettles him. Politeness becomes commitment After the interpreter transforms his harmless comments into an eloquent assessment, a master invites Father to train. Father’s diplomatic courtesy becomes years of demanding lessons.

The Singer with Blue Eyes The Singer with Blue Eyes from "The Character of Rain". The Singer with Blue Eyes Training in an art Father practices Noh singing at dawn and later begins dance lessons.

The Singer with Blue Eyes from "The Character of Rain". The Singer with Blue Eyes Training in an art Father practices Noh singing at dawn and later begins dance lessons.

The Singer with Blue Eyes Training in an art Father practices Noh singing at dawn and later begins dance lessons. The teacher discovers that the student cannot produce graceful movement and excuses him from dancing. A new identity Father becomes known in Japan as the Singer of Noh with Blue Eyes. The transformation shows the private devotion that the child’s simple question about his job cannot capture.

A Child in the Audience A Child in the Audience from "The Character of Rain". A Child in the Audience Pride and alarm The Narrator (God) watches Father enter in costume, then recoils at the strange singing.

A Child in the Audience from "The Character of Rain". A Child in the Audience Pride and alarm The Narrator (God) watches Father enter in costume, then recoils at the strange singing.

A Child in the Audience Pride and alarm The Narrator (God) watches Father enter in costume, then recoils at the strange singing. The performance sounds frightening rather than beautiful to a young Western listener. A misunderstood profession The child asks whether singing is what a consul does. Father’s performance makes the mystery of his work more vivid without resolving it.

The Storm Drain Incident The Storm Drain Incident from "The Character of Rain". The Storm Drain Incident Father disappears During a walk through flooded streets, Father falls into an open drain while holding the child’s hand.

The Storm Drain Incident from "The Character of Rain". The Storm Drain Incident Father disappears During a walk through flooded streets, Father falls into an open drain while holding the child’s hand.

The Storm Drain Incident Father disappears During a walk through flooded streets, Father falls into an open drain while holding the child’s hand. The Narrator (God) hears his voice but cannot initially see him. Work imagined anew The child concludes that Father spends his days in sewers and forgets to deliver the message promptly. After the rescue, that theory collapses, but the meaning of consul remains unsettled.

At age two, before the Noh performance

From 1967, recalled in adulthood

During Father's Osaka posting

June, during an outdoor performance

During Japan's rainy season