I didn’t expect to be here so quickly but it can’t be helped. Hide wants to go to Aizu and I -do- want her to make it right with Ueda-sama even if we’re no longer.
“Good to see you today Fujita-san.”
The registrar who’s been handling my case greets me. It’s been a long slog to get things in order.
“Did you come for the matter that you consulted me with about the divorce from your wife?”
“That and the other.”
“Ah you mean the child born out of wedlock?”
I nod.
“You’ve not come in a few months that I thought you’ve decided against both courses.”
“No it’s not that… I…” I end up lighting a cigarette and I give the Registrar one. “My estranged wife has continuously refused my request.”
He nods, “Well as I told you before, we’re still based on Chinese law largely on the amended Shinritsukoryo and the Kaitei Retsurei although right now the laws are changing but until they do and the Japan’s civil code is formalized – this is probably to your advantage.”
I knew that. I just wanted it to be mutual and not done forcibly. I wasn’t doing it for Tokio’s sake but for the sake of -peace- for our entire family. But now that things are almost done, there’s very little reason to do this the right way.
“I sure hope so.” The words just came out as I look at the tip of my cigarette.
“There’ll be no need for a judicial proceeding if you decide to do it the old fashioned way by letter but the “ie” needs to be updated.” He stands up, going to the back and not much later brings forth what I know to be the Fujita family register.
“Can you review this for accuracy? Then we can work on the letter you’re to deliver to your wife in Aizu.”
I nod and lay out the paper on his desk. It’s an odd thing this family register, it’s similar to the Shogunate’s Ie Seido. But the purpose of the Meiji government even in the first census where the Fujita house’s first record comes from was to ensure everyone was accounted for based on address in the time. It was a way to know and control any impending revolts.
Looking at the ie where my name still shows the head of the house and right below it the two wives I declared. One is Tokio and below her our two children, Tsutomu who is registered as my first natural born son, and Tsuyoshi registered as my second natural born son but also registered is his exit from the house. And finally Eiji designated as Tokio’s son, adopted into the Fujita house. Funny thing how that’s emphasized mostly for the benefit of Tsutomu who is the rightful heir but I see no problem with it.
My eyes go to one other name to the side, Yaso’s whose merely a name and shows her exit from the house in 1876 where Kurosawa adopted her into his house. And I’m told shortly after that she died. Died huh? How simple it was to gain access to Kurosawa’s records after I was assigned under the Investigations unit of the police.
“Toma-san. There are a couple of changes that needs to be reflected here. My two daughters.” I look at him. He knows of one that I’ve been working on.
He sighs a little, but I don’t think this older man is frustrated at the work involved specifically. “So you had another one?”
“Fairly recently.” I smile slightly at him, “A girl.”
“With the same woman?”
It’s my turn to be uncomfortable, after all we’re over. “Yes.”
“And this one is registered?”
“Likely here in Tokyo, under the mother’s name. Yagi Hide.”
“Well hospitals are required to report the birth to us and we create the record which eventually will be sent to the house to update.” He sighs -again-, “This woman’s record is the Yagi house in Kyoto so the child will be registered there.”
“Has it been sent?” I ask. “I’d like to put Ai-chan in my house.”
He suddenly glances back at me and fixes his glasses.
“What?”
“Nothing Fujita-san, I merely thought that was a nice name.”
I blink. It was a name I wanted for our daughter but wrestled with it for such a long time. “Can she be added to the Fujita house unlike her sister?”
“The sister is Makoto correct?” He paces around, “Makoto’s is only difficult because of logistics. The mother probably doesn’t know already that her daughter is in the Yagi house as a “private birth”. “
“Wouldn’t the head of the Yagi house be informed of this?”
“Not really, it’s done automatically in the registrar’s office so if they’ve not had to visit lately they probably do not know and of course there’s always the issue of errors. If i recall correctly you said Makoto, an illegitimate child was registered in Shizuoka? It would take a while to reflect in the regional Kyoto office records.”
“And Ai?”
“Well if Ai is not yet registered, perhaps I can intercept it from the Kyoto regional authority to here.”
I smile a bit, “That’s good.”
“But Fujita-san, Ai may be included but she wouldn’t be considered a legitimate heir as she is still a private birth, a shiseishi.”
“When did Japan’s family system get so complicated? Even concubines can have children that are legitimate soshi.”
“And you still can provided you register the woman as your concubine.”
“She’s not my concubine. Concubines are merely servants for pleasure and for siring a male child… and Hide is…”
“And she is as you’ve said before, is a love match.” He tries to finish for me. I shrug. There’s no need to tell this man that we’re ending it.
“I imagine your current wife does not look favorably at your illegitimate daughters. And I’d hate for them to be taken away from their real mother so may I suggest Fujita-san that you leave these children as is? Leave them at the mother’s house under the Yagi’s? I assume the head is related to her and would not wish them harm.”
I frown at this. That is true. How many stories have I heard of children being forcibly taken into the house only to end up as servants or for labor? And as for Hide, she spoke of this back then as if it was a choice she can make when in fact the government itself has already added her daughters to the Yagi house as privately born. “The head is her brother but it can’t be left like that can it?”
“For their safety, unless your primary concern is inheritance.” He looks at me and I look away. Inheritance? No such thing. Hide is probably more endowed financially than oI have been. The point of all this was only pride and acknowledgement.
“No. Not inheritance. Just acknowledgment of my daughters.”
“In that case, leave these children to the birth mother as private births and…” He takes the ie from me, “We can add an acknowledgment footnote, that you’ve acknowledged the two daughters. If one day these daughters demand inclusion into the house. That of course will require another letter.”
I nod. I thought I came here to demand my daughters be included but he’s right. Until I’m cleanly rid of my current wife and the head of the house will ensure my daughter’s well being they’re better off with their mother. Besides, would my children ever demand to be in any house of their father?
Looking at the watch I see it’s almost mid-day. There’s lots of paper work to do. I didn’t seek the advise of a lawyer but only this man who knows his way in the Home Ministry and knows the gray areas. After all we’re in transition and nothing the lawyers would insist is in fact the law yet.
“Time to get to writing Fujita-san.” He smiles and gives me some paper and ink.
“Please ensure that aside from choosing a generic reason for your divorce that you add details of her your wife’s disobedient behavior that has -forced- you into this position.” He grins at me, “And while you’re doing that, I’ll get the template for the acknowledgment of your daughters.”
He leaves and I’m here trying to figure out how much to say. Say too much and I might as well burn the Fujita house myself and hurt our sons. Say too little and the years spent together would be trite and no one would understand. Funny on the latter, isn’t that what Hide and I ended up being? But I’m no longer doing this for that reason. Just, to put things in the rightful place.
(OOC: To be continued later)