Takiji Kobayashi

“ Rinkichi shook his head.
“Why isn’t it any use?” Seato started on him, as he had always done in the trade union during a hot debate.
“Now there’s no sense in that. We’re locked in. If we make a row it’ll only make things worse for us, and give them a reason to wipe us out. Our movement must develop in the streets, we must have the support of the whole working population. And actions like these, carried out by a score or so of people—are no good for anyone. ”

“ But later on when active workers from the union came and told her of the workers’ bitter lot, she sympathized with the workers’ struggle. She herself grew to hate the exploiters who were robbing the oppressed classes. She came to understand that the work of her husband and his comrades was indeed a great work. ”

“ Women in warm coats and men in thick camel-hair jackets went by. Workers and young lads with big empty bowls, children arm-in-arm, strolled past. Okee’s sorrow grew and grew. Hundreds of people were sacrificing their lives—and for what? For the workers. Was it right, was it just—that nobody thought anything about it, that people went by laughing and chattering as if nothing had happened? Okee could not understand it. Here in the street there did not seem to be any signs of trouble. Maybe the passers-by did not know anything about the arrests, and that was why they had such happy faces. ”

“ Kudo’s comrades from the union had asserted, more than once, that Oyoshi was developing class-consciousness in her children. As a matter of fact, their upbringing was not carried on along any definite principles. Life itself educated them. ”

“ Every day the newspapers came out with flaring headlines about the strike.
“Strikers bringing ruin on the whole town! Houses of rich men to be burnt to the ground!” or “Clash between strikers and police! Hundreds arrested! “Strike still hanging over the town like a curse!” Kudo and Watari had already been arrested.
Okee knew that her husband spent nearly every night at the trade union. That he was taking part in organizing the strike she also knew. ”

“ He had often noticed how fear for their families had drawn many of his comrades away the movement. He knew that this fear was an enemy of the movement. He tried to jump over it like an acrobat.
A new set of police came to relieve those on guard. One of them, Senda, went up to Rinkichi. He had known the latter for a long time, and had frequently been sent to take Rinkichi to the police headquarters.
“You know, Mr. Ogawa,” he addressed Rinkichi, “these arrests give the police a lot of trouble. We’re called out on duty even in our spare time, and no matter how tired we may be we’ve got to go. ”

“ Should we just listen to your theories?”
At that moment four policemen entered the cell. One of them, a thick-set man with a square beard, looked at them quietly for a moment and then said:
“You know, I hope, that you’re in a police cell now. What’s all this noise about?”
He started to knock the workers about. When he went for Seato, the latter jumped quickly aside and the policeman struck out too far and lost his balance. Enraged, he shouted, “Eh, you rascal!” and threw himself upon Seato. In a second Seato’s body struck the wall with a dull, heavy thud. ”

“ Look here, the law says—‘It is forbidden to enter anyone’s house without permission of the occupants, understand—against the will of those living in a house, either after or before sunrise, except in cases where the life, health or property of the population is endangered.’ This law applies to all save gambling dens and brothels. ”