| 1. Illness of his Niece
Two years after coming back from the mine, Kyozo once surprised people
in the midsummer of Showa 23 (1948).
The couple of Takezo Wozumi, Kyozo's 3rd younger brother, were worried
about the serious disease of their only daughter Hiroko.
The daughter, 6th grade of elementary school, caught measles in the rainy
season. Though got rid of measles, she developed complications. The old
doctor prescribed some medicine for her as pneumonia, but far from recovering
she became terribly weak with vomiting and runs. She was mostly in a threat
of life.
Besides the doctor realized she was not suffering from mere pneumonia in
connection with Shingu Hospital, the hospital itself did not seem to have
proper advice for a suitable treatment. It was a fact that the doctor dispensed
medicine to the best of his knowledge and saw her condition while giving
naurishment by an intravenous drip.
When Kyozo, Takezo's elder brother, was visiting his niece, the doctor
murmured to himself what did not match him.
"I remember a Chinese old story that an eye-lifeblood of a big carp
saved a person with this kind of disease, ..."
He might have given a glimpse of his true thought that there was nothing
he could do about it.
Aside from it, Mifune Festival of Kumano-Hayatama Grand Shrine was held
in Shingu City in autumn every year, where such a plausible rumor was being
whispered around this area that upstream Mifune Island floating in Kumano
River, the main stage of the festival, a head of big carp might live down
on the riverbed. This rumor appears in a local folk tale, too.
Several carp over 1 meter long live on the riverbed with their children
and babies and they are swiming in line with a head as the front.
In order to examine the fact, some people sometimes on a boat dropped an
anchor and dropped a line, or dove. But no one had seen such a big carp
yet. It might be because it was not a suitable place or they could not
have dived down so deep out of breath.
Aside from whether the old doctor had such a delusion in mind or not, Takezo,
father of Hiroko, paid no attention to the doctor's whisper just nodding.
Though he also used to work in Arafura Sea, his idea might not have reached
the idea because he was not good at diving.
Elder brother Kyozo was a little different. He believes that an eye-lifeblood
of a big carp the doctor talked about in a low voice should save Hiroko's
life.
But the essential matter is if such a big carp really lives near Mifune
Island in Kumano River. Even only half believing it, he would not like
to settle this what-they-call rumor or folk tale as totally a fairy tale
now.
Saying, "I see" in a hoarse voice, he looked like deciding something.
- - - - -
After dropping in at home for his underwater gun, uncle Kyozo rode a bus
to Shingu and visited the city office.
"I have something to ask about a carp in Kumano River. ..."
A staff looked bewildered at first, then, coming to himself, succeeded
it to Mr. Miura, assistant manager of Resorce and Environment Department.
The assistant manager, in 30s, seemingly likes an odd story. He looks polite
with thin hair unlikely for his age.
Leading Kyozo friendly to the reception room, he surrounds the table with
his two staffs. They firstly pay attention to his underwater gun put against
the wall. The gun probably is the first look to them.
With no care, Kyozo starts his talk slowly. The outline is as follows.
My niece is on the verge of death with a serious disease. Her doctor, seemingly
out of opinions, talked about a big carp in a Chinese folk tale. The eye-lifeblood
of such a big carp could save my niece's life.
Besides, I hear a story that some such big carp may live upperstream from
Mifune Island in Kumano River. I don't like to kill anything needlessly,
but if I might find any big carp, say more than 1 meter long, I would like
you to accept to kill just one.
Since I have no time to lose, I have visited you here in a hurry in an
attempt to get the city's acceptance from you.
After listening to the talk in a hoarse voice, cutting in sometimes, Mr.
Miura nodded smilingly, and did not keep Kyozo too long. He also seemed
to flash some other idea into his mind. He says.
"No selfish behavior to trouble the city should be accepted like environmental
distruction or indiscriminate hunting, etc., but what you are going to
do is no problem from my understanding. I will take any responsibility."
He continues.
"I say, if ..., if you find any carp more than 1 meter long, I will
accept you to kill only one. Its blood and meat can be used as you like.
But could you give its skelton to the city as faithfully as it is, because
we would like to keep it in some way. If you accept my request, we will
lend you a small boat. I hope it will be a precious happening to the city,
too."
Two days later, Kyozo started to examine the underwater place of his expectation
using a small boat prepared by the city. He did the same thing the next
day, and dropped in at the city office saying, "I will carry it out
tomorrow."
It was the forth day since he had visited his niece Hiroko.
3. A Big Carp in Kumano River
As soon as he got up, Kyozo closely checked his underwater gun. Three small
extra spears, what he calls 'chokkiri", were prepared just in case.
This time he was with a net bag instead of a fishing "bottsuri"
basket.
He let his wife Kumano go to Takezo's house to tell them eye-lifeblood
of a big carp would be delivered in the evening.
When he arrived at the city office before noon, Mr. Miura, assistant manager,
was waiting for him wearing an open-necked shirt, and encouraged him.
Mr. Miura made sure to accompany a boatman with Kyozo just for today, and
it was a boon to him.
Early in the lukewarm afternoon with thunderheads in the sky, an expert
boatman started to row a small boat from the riverbed and went up to the
area 100 meters upstream Mifune Island. There under Kyozo's direction the
boatman proceeded the boat quietly with the bow horizontal and dropped
anchor at the area considerably away from the guessed spot on the side
of Shingu. It was because he did not want to let the carp head and its
family be on guard excessively.
Kyozo to dive without oxygen tanks wore fundoshi with a diving mask on
his face. He left the boat with no sound on the water holding the underwater
gun in his right hand. The boatman whispers "Take care". The
boat is swaying a little following the stream.
Kyozo can dive for 5 minutes at least, which is the gift from Arafura Sea.
He makes sure twice of the area far below from the water surface.
Yes, here they are! Several of them! Just the same with yesterday!
He goes up to the water putting the situation firmly into his head, and
amply regained his breath.
Then drawing the underwater gun to the full, he dives deep down to the
bottom.
The big carp he has been aiming at is swiming past the expected place carmly.
After making thorough preparations, the thin-bamboo underwater gun with
a spear at the end rushes out of his right hand. It sticks into the carp's
gills deeply true to its aim.
The big carp shook the tail fin twice and breathed its last. The sniper,
trained in the sea, pulled the head of the water bottom and held it in
his arms, and quickly came up to the surface.
When the small boat got to the riverbed, Mr. Miura, assistant manager,
was waiting with a dozen staffs.
He was the first to come closer to the boat and stood petrified staring
in wonder at the unexpected size of the big carp.
"Thanks a lot for your hard work! "
This cry is all he can do. Forgetting smile, he is still staring at the
lying big carp with a tense look in his face.
A man, seemingly a dish craftsman, runs up to the carp with a staff rapidly
not to lose a second. He pushes a kitchen knife like a scalpel into its
eye speedily and pours its lifeblood into a bottle.
Then two tall men carry the carp on a pole with its tail fin tied by a
rope. The carp is straight upside down.
A camera man takes its pictures again and again with two boys on the both
sides.
"The length is 158 centimeters."
A measurement man cries in a loud voice.
"158 centimeters, right?!"
Mr. Miura repeats in a loud voice, too.
It was quite natural that the carp was much taller than the boys.
Every newspaper the next morning reported this happening. They referred
to Kyozo's private reason just a little. Their main point was that there
were considerable numbers of huge carp around the bottom of the river,
and the underwater gun caught one of them was the invention of Mr. Kyozo
Wozumi aged 48.
At Takezo Wozumi's house, in the presence of the old doctor, girl Hiroko
was forced to drink up the lifeblood of the big carp, sobbing and closing
her eyes.
She recovered her health very quickly from the next day, which was the
proof of the Chinese folk tale.
The skelton as it was of the big carp was carried to Shingu Senior High
School for keeping it in its biology room. Mr. Miura explained the detail
to the principal in a pretentious way.
In a well-known restaurant several gourmets waited for the carp meat in
order to enjoy it as slices of half boiled carp rinsed in cold water. But
their great expectation was betrayed. The too much falty meat was unsuitable
for food far from enjoyment. They had to give up.
Kyozo and Kuma burnt incense sticks at a Buddhist and held a religious
service for the big carp thanking to it.
Already known about it enough by talks in town, Kyozo's children nagged
him for more information, but their father would not have talked about
it, saying, "Let's pray with me for Hiroko to be saved and blessed
by that big carp."
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