Silk Rhode Award Winner - 2021

The amusing tale of the boy-master, “Botchan”, was written by Soseki Natsume all the way back in 1908. Written as a first-person account, Botchan (we never learn his real name) is not shy when it comes to his lack of experience and tact. He is, however, quite certain about his morals and principles, calling people to task, and doing the right thing under the watch of heaven.

The Silk Rhode Award is given to a novel that delivers a local culture to the rest of the world so easily with relatable characters and themes. Winner of the first annual Silkie*, Botchan felt like such an inspired and obvious choice. In many ways, the titular protagonist lives his truth and calls out “phonies” just like a certain beloved character from American literature, yet Botchan predates Holden Caulfield by forty years!

Can a reader in 2021 relate to a fresh-faced boy who finds himself orphaned as a young teenager with little prospects other than to finish school and move far away at the offer of honest work? Yes, I think so. Botchan has no guidance, other than the kind blessings of his former nanny, Kiyo, who can’t care for him any longer and can’t go with him. He doesn’t know where to turn, and school’s done. Society says he’s an adult now. One of the teachers mentions a vague teaching job far away from Tokyo, located on the island of Shikoku. He knows he’s at least qualified to teach, and he dislikes indecision, so logically he sees nothing standing in his way.

I relate to Botchan. In fact, I was Botchan more than once in my own life. High school’s over; now what? Oh, this one acquaintance I know mentioned he enjoyed going to college for business back in the day. Well, that one vague anecdote was good enough for me! Years later, after getting the bachelor’s degree and muddling through my first career for a few years, what do I do now? I make a few decisions that feel logical, and life carries me along as I slowly work towards situations that seem to fit better for me. It’s a nice enough ride, and I’m happy to do it.

Botchan complains at first – these somewhat foreign people look and act so strangely, their motivations seem off, and these students have so much to learn. His new surroundings are nothing like home back in cosmopolitan Tokyo. And Botchan offers some of the finest snark, staying in “a town so small as the forehead of a cat.”

Soon, the complaints internalize and grow deeper as Botchan struggles with everyone’s pretenses and value systems. He knows he is barely an adult and can certainly communicate with his students, but he despises the falseness in front of their rambunctious spirits:

“Even I, while in middle school, did play a few tricks. But when asked who had done the tricks, I was never so base and mean as to shrink back from the responsibility. What’s done is done. What’s not done is not done… I would never play a trick if I were to escape punishment by telling a lie.”

Botchan knows how to pull pranks, how to fight, and how to keep a sharp tongue in an argument. He also knows that these behaviors are troubling, but one will survive them and be all the richer in experience. So when he, the teacher, sees that his school administration intends to find even the most egregious bad actions to be of no fault of the students, Botchan throws a fit while fellow faculty try to convince him of their reasons.

“I was firmly convinced… till now that the principle of simple honesty would hold good for all time. The majority of people seem to encourage each other to grow bad. They seem to believe that success in the world will only come to those who are bad, or have become bad.”

There are several interesting nods to gender roles and male femininity throughout the book. I wouldn’t go so far as to say the protagonist reviles or denigrates the effeminate people in his life, rather he questions their motivations. I think, given the sample set of effeminate men Botchan meets in his life, he might have reason to do so. He never got along with his older brother, who, after the death of their parents, dumped Botchan off at a boarding house with a bit of money and indicated his aid was complete. Also, the would-be villain of this story, and the villain’s toadie, were both described in detail about their effeminate ways. I think this is to say that Botchan grew to associate these mannerisms with duplicitousness or otherwise selfish intentions. It’s misguided for him to generalize like that, but he’s admittedly very green in the vast world of adult living.

Botchan’s story is not expressly a happy ending, but it is fine and it is resolved. He remained humble and rough around the edges, but always respectful when the respect was mutual. When one finds themself in a foreign place mixed with decent, compassionate people and also scoundrels, I would imagine this behavior is a fine way to get by.

The author, Soseki Natsume was also a stranger in a strange land, having moved from Japan to England for many years. He must have remained a darling in Japan, as his likeness was printed on money for a couple decades! Botchan was written in Japanese, but was translated into English not by Soseki, but by a devoted student named Umeji Sasaki. The themes and situations of the book he translated some twenty years later still resonated with him, as they still do now over a hundred years later. I re-read Botchan this week just to write this essay, and can confirm its charming and amusing content.

*A Silkie is the familiar name for the Silk Rhode award, but it is also a fluffy and adorable breed of chicken from China. Just another fun nod to culture and sharing from the ancient Silk Road!