Garden of the Heart

A frontispiece featuring Yoshiko.

**Garden of the Heart** ( 心の花園 ) is the fourth full-length novel story by Fujio Akatsuka, published through Akebono on March 5, 1957.

## Overview

As Akatsuka's fourth original kashihon work, this plot provides somewhat of a divergence from the "Midori Trilogy" (Beyond the Storm, A Flash of Light on the Lake, and Storm Wharf). However, the protagonist of **Yoshiko** does bear an identical resemblance to Midori and could be interpreted as a re-use of the design in the role, as with the boy **Yukio** resembling Sato-kun from *Beyond the Storm*/Akira from *Flash of Light on the Lake/*Fujio from *Storm Wharf.*

In the plot, these two characters meet during Yukio's trip to the countryside and strike up a strong friendship, only to eventually have to go their separate ways when Yukio leaves to go back to Tokyo. The ending to the tale winds up being tragic and bittersweet, as Yukio learns in the final letter that Yoshiko has died.

In its reprint for the Fujio Akatsuka Complete Works collection, two pages were missing due to Shogakukan having acquired a damaged copy. Thus, for those wanting to read the entire original story, they must rely on finding a copy of the old tankobon in decent condition.

Various Tokiwa-so members cameo in the plot as background characters, as well as Osamu Tezuka as a friend of Yukio in the final chapter.

## Characters

### Yoshiko, "Yo-chan"

(よし子, よっちゃん)

A young woman living in the Tohoku countryside. She is well-acquainted with Yukio's relatives, particularly his aunt, and meets him one day when his aunt announces that he's arrived.

Though she and Yukio grow close, they tearfully part ways when Yukio goes back to live in Tokyo. Yoshiko expresses her plans to become a maid in Tokyo and follow her own dreams there after she graduates from school. Unfortunately, this is cut short by her death.

Her nickname is spelled in both hiragana and katakana through the plot, while her full name is initially rendered in hiragana but later spelled out in katakana.

### Yukio Yokoya

(横谷幸雄)

The young man that Yoshiko meets in Tohoku. He moved there after his mother died, as he didn't feel like living with his father in Tokyo and decided to move in with relatives. He becomes protective over Yoshiko when she falls ill there, and fights against the delinquent Hiroyasu through the story with his goodness winning out.

He eventually leaves to return to Tokyo after his father remarries and has new children, and anticipates Yoshiko following him there. In the end, he is left stunned and speechless after receiving the announcement of her death.

### Yukio's Uncle and Aunt

A middle-aged couple in the countryside. They get along well with Yoshiko, and enjoy that she and their nephew are instantly close.

During the letter correspondence, Yukio learns that Yoshiko continues to see them and has plans to meet up with him again in Tokyo.

### Hiroyasu

(ヒロヤス)

A bad sort of young man, standing out in his large straw hat. He has a crush on Yoshiko, and becomes jealous upon seeing Yukio's presence in the village. He is accompanied by two other men as his "Bad Men", and they scheme to get revenge on Yukio.

He makes a hostile presence known at the summer festival, when he throws a rock at Yukio and makes a run for it. He shows some guilt, however, when he witnesses his mother weeping and praying at their butsudan one morning. After Yoshiko falls sick from being caught in a storm out in the mountains, he and his henchmen interfere with Yukio traveling to see her, but he is scolded by a villager named Yamada-san for his cruelty.

Sometime later, he is suspected as being the one who set a mountain fire, which leads to Yukio finding him and having a talk, convincing him to give up his awful ways. His name turns out to have been cleared, however, as the actual culprits of the fire are discovered by the police. The two boys become good friends after, and form a sort of trio with Yoshiko during the remainder of Yukio's time there.

During Yukio's correspondence with Yoshiko, he learns that Hiroyasu's father has returned from detainment in Siberia, resolving any lingering grief for the young man. It is Hiroyasu who ultimately sends the final letter to Yukio, informing him of Yoshiko's demise.

### Bad Men

A tall, slim young man and a shorter, chubbier one both seen at Hiroyasu's side. They have some characteristics seen in the caricatures of Fujiko Fujio A and F (who are also used as background cameos of themselves in the story, and as the arsonists).

They are last seen continuing their association with Hiroyasu, though he is now much closer to Yoshiko and Yukio than them.

### Old Man

A trumpet-playing elderly man who walks throughout the village, playing his music. It turns out this is due to him losing his mind from the loss of his family members in the second World War, so all he can do is go about making music. However, by the end of the story, he is reunited with a son named Yoshiharu who finally made his way back to Hokkaido.

### Hiroyasu's Mother

A mother figure who wants the best for her son, and is upset at his delinquent ways. She tears up in despair at the idea that he could have been the one to set the mountain fire.

### Yoshiko's Parents

This couple briefly appear when she has fallen sick, and they attempt to take care of her illness as the storm goes on.

### Nameless Girl

An unnamed, silent young girl who notably appears throughout the story, seen watching Yukio from afar. She watches him be introduced to Yoshiko, and then spies on the two through their outing in the second chapter.

She also appears quietly watching the storm later in the plot, as well as the news of the mountain fire, and is finally depicted crying after Yukio leaves to go to Tokyo.

## Chapters

1. "**Garden of the Heart**" (心の花園)
2. "**A Gentle Friend**" (やさしき友)
3. "**Village Festival**" (村まつり)
4. "**Mother's Wish**" (母のねがい)- Two pages missing in DVD-ROM reprint, indicated with text "Missing Page".
5. "**Storm**" (あらし)
6. "**Friendship**" (友情)
7. "**Joyful Things**" (うれしいこと)
8. "**Letters from Tokyo**" (東京からの手紙)
9. "**Separation**" (わかれ)
10. "**Letter**" (手紙)