Tamako Shima

* Anime
* Manga

**Tamako Shima** (志磨 珠子, *Shima Tamako*) is one of the supporting characters of *Taisho Otome Fairy Tale* series. She is the second daughter of the Shima family and one of Tamahiko Shima's younger sisters.

## Appearance

Tamako is a rather tall and slender woman with long, dark, blue hair which reaches up to her hips and is accompanied with a light blue ribbon which complements her hair colour. She also possesses almost grey eyes.

She dons a dark blue kimono overlapped by mostly red and yellow flowers, tied neatly with a dark blue obi sash which has a small black bow on it. She also wears a pair of geta with socks.

## Personality

Having been raised in luxury, Tamako was bratty and domineering as a child. She had no qualms about making snide remarks about others and treating lower class people as servants, and even using money as a means to have others obey any command of hers.

Like all Shima children, she was raised to believe that attachments were like unnecessary shackles, and if someone becomes a burden, just cut that person off and move on. She also initially lacked understanding of finding joy in certain things, like sweets.

Underneath, she is actually sensitive and lonely. Due to her being ignored by her parents and terrorized by her older sister, Tamayo, Tamako had trouble relying on others and showing empathy as a weakness. Once she stays at her brother's villa, she is able to properly get to know him and truly bond with him. She starts to become more caring and supportive of Tamahiko, having treated him with contempt beforehand. She also develops a strong friendship with Yuzuki, whom she used to mock for her childlike appearance and upbeat personality. This newfound change makes her develop a need to help others, thus encouraging her dream to be a doctor.

## Background

Tamako is the daughter of Tamayoshi Shima and Touko Shima, and is the youngest of the five Shima children. She was born two years after Tamao Shima.

As a child, she was ignored by her parents and subjected to Tamayo's abuse, which included Tamayo killing insects in front of Tamako and attempting to harm her during piano lessons, which made Tamako terrified of her older sister. Whenever she went to her father for help, he brushed her off, further causing her to keep people at a distance and develop a cynical attitude towards her siblings.

## Plot

### *Taisho Otome Fairy Tale*

Following Tamahiko’s accident exhile due to his disability, Tamako was indifferent and said she didn’t care about her good for nothing brother. Like her older siblings, she feigned grief when their father decided to have Tamahiko declared dead.

After receiving a marriage prospect from her father, 12-year-old Tamako leaves her all girls school after growing annoyed with the other girls who slandered her. After her father criticized her for wanting to quit school, she makes an impromptu visit to Tamahiko's villa for a vacation and earns the contempt of the villagers after she treats them as servants by making them carry her belongings. Upon arriving at the villa, she assures her brother that she won't be a problem because she knows he hates her. She sees Yuzuki and assumes she is an elementary age girl but is shocked to learn she is actually 14, and makes fun of Yuzuki for looking so childlike. Although she prefers eating alone, she quickly becomes fond of Yuzuki's cooking and knack at making sweets but finds herself jealous as she sees how easily Yuzuki and Tamahiko converse with each other. After dinner and going to bed, a thunderstorm scares Tamako and she goes to Yuzuki to ask where the restroom is. On the way there, a thunderclap causes her to soil herself. Without hesitation, Yuzuki helps her clean up and shares room with her, where they start to bond. From then on, Tamako begins calling Yuzuki 'onee-chan' (sister).

Due to Yuzuki overworking herself, she falls ill with a fever. Tamako and Tamahiko take care of her, but Tamako is forced to fetch a doctor from the village. The doctor criticizes Tamahiko for taking Yuzuki for granted, but Tamako defends her brother. Once Yuzuki recovers, Tamako realizes her desire to help others and announces to Yuzuki and Tamahiko that she is going to become a doctor. She reveals she had called her uncle to tell him and he offered her a volunteer position at his hospital. She also says her father allowed this, as he said it can be beneficial to future marriage prospects for her (though she hints that she is not interested in her potential suitor). During a talk with Tamahiko, Tamako refuses to explain her sudden interest in medicine but she finally reveals that she doesn't want to be like her father, and that her body moved on its own when she wanted to help Yuzuki. The two siblings begin to truly bond, especially when Tamahiko corrects her about her perspective that he hates her - he actually loves her more than his other siblings. The next day, the two bid farewell as she leaves for Kobe to stay with their uncle. While staying with her uncle, she continued going to school and observed her uncle working as a doctor to learn from him.

Tamako and her uncle go to Tokyo to treat survivors of the Great Kanto Earthquake. She is surprised to find Tamahiko looking for Yuzuki, who she had no idea was in Tokyo. Tamako gets irritated at Ryo for clinging to Tamahiko, causing the two girls to quarrel. As they start searching for Yuzuki, Tamako sees Tamahiko losing hope that she is alive and says he will die if she is dead. She assures him there is no way she is dead. They later find Midori, who takes them to Yuzuki, who is unconscious from a head injury. They rush her to the hospital and get her treated, but as Yuzuki recovers, Tamayoshi and Tamayo unexpectedly show up at the hospital to have Tamasuke treat Tamaki, who was injured in the earthquake. Tamako shakes in fear at the sight of Tamayo, who sinisterly greets her siblings. Tamako is further angered when Tamayo comments how Tamaki should just die and makes snide remarks about the earthquake survivors.

Five days after the disaster, Tamako stays with Tamahiko and helps Yuzuki and Ryo with cleaning the house. They all later go to the hot spring and she is present for her brother's 19th birthday party. Tamako and Yuzuki listen to Kotori's music as Yuzuki styles her hair and dresses her up in a kimono. Tamahiko shows the girls a newspaper that says Kotori will be performing at the Chiba Station, which excites them and they decide to go see her. They invite Tamahiko; he initially declines due to him having to study for his upcoming entrance exam but changes his mind.

Tamako had planned to stay at the villa until Tamahiko got his exam results but she feels she has overstayed. She accidentally burns her right hand while cooking with Yuzuki and Ryo, who criticizes her carelessness. The two notice Tamako hasn't been in high spirits recently and do all they can to cheer her up. While the girls are bathing, Tamako admits she is still not used to relying on others. She recounts the terror she experienced from Tamayo, and Yuzuki comforts her. Later that night, Tamako sleeps in Tamahiko's room. She tries apologizing for being mean to him and leaving him alone but he asks that she come back during the winter break and celebrate Yuzuki's 16th birthday with him. As he assures her that his home is hers too, she is deeply touched. The next day, as Tamako is about to leave for Kobe on the train, Tamahiko shouts out to her that he passed his exam and she congratulates him.

Tamako attends Tamaki's funeral with her father and siblings. She doesn't return to the villa for winter break, due to her uncle and aunt coming down with a cold and she has to take care of them. On New Years, Tamako decides to go visit Tamahiko but learns from Ryo that Yuzuki was forcibly taken to the Shima mansion by Tamayo at her father's order in order to force Tamahiko to return to the family and be the new family successor. She, Ryo, Kotori, and Hakaru rush to the mansion out of concern for Yuzuki and are relieved to see her with Tamahiko. Due to Tamahiko having chosen to severe ties to the family in order to marry Yuzuki, Tamako tells him their uncle is inviting him to live with him once Tamahiko settles matters with Yuzuki's family.

Tamako is eventually adopted by her aunt and uncle, and is now known as Tamako Manabe. She and Hakaru quarrel over who is most entitled to become a doctor after he starts volunteering at the hospital and her uncle makes a comment that he will be a great doctor.

A year later, everyone gathers to celebrate Tamako's 15th birthday. Her uncle says she is old enough to get married but she believes no man will wants a woman who is an aspiring doctor as a wife. Hakaru drunkenly suggests she marry him, which embarrasses her. Tamako asks Tamahiko when will he and Yuzuki have their wedding ceremony but both say they can't afford it due to the ¥10,000 debt they owe Tamayoshi. Two months later, everyone pitches in to hold a wedding ceremony for the couple.

### *Shōwa Otome Otogi Banashi*

Tamako saves a young girl, Tokoyo Kurosaki from drowning and helps take her back to the apartment Tokoyo shares with a teenage boy. Jintaro recognizes Tamako and jokingly suggests she marry him before she criticizes him for this joke. When he becomes ill with a fever, Tokoyo asks Tamako, who is a doctor, to tend to him. Jintaro calls her by her true name 'Tamako Shima' and Tamako admits to Tokoyo that her current surname is actually the one she took one when her uncle adopted her. She and Jintaro meet with her ailing grandmother for a checkup but a storm causes them to seek shelter in a shrine, where he comforts her when the thunder scares her.

Shortly after, Tamako gets a pedicure for a meeting, presumably with Hakaru Shiratori. While awaiting her meeting, Tokoyo surprises her with her new haircut. The two have a chat about Jintaro and Tokoyo reveals that his adoptive mother is Tamayo, making Tamako realize that Jintaro knew who she was all along. Tamako decides to take Tokoyo with her to visit Yuzuki and Tsukihiko, whom Tamako dotes on.

Tamako is reading a letter from Hakaru when Jintaro bursts in her apartment, revealing Tamayo's plan to have Tamako marry Jintaro and of her plan to kill Tokoyo. He asks for help in helping him and Tokoyo escape and turn Tamayo over to the police, which she agrees. He gives her his camera, which contains evidence of Tamayo's crimes, and his passbook and asks her to wait for further instructions. Tamako and her brothers help Jintaro stage his and Tokoyo's suicide, allowing the pair to escape without Tamayo knowing they are in fact alive. When Tamayo is questioned about her son's 'suicide', Tamako enters the interrogation room with two detectives who show Tamayo Jintaro's camera. When Tamayo shows no sadness for Jintaro's 'death', Tamako lashes out at her sister and even slaps her for pushing him into a corner. She tries to convince her sister to change, but Tamayo callously replies she will stay a Rakshasa before being arrested for her crimes. Tamako then talks with Tamahiko, who was there to support her. As they leave, she reveals how afraid she was to face Tamayo.

When Tokoyo is diagnosed with tuberculosis, Tamako, alongside Hakaru, immediately steps in to help take care of her. Jintaro and Tokoyo are surprised to see the two together and Hakaru tries to reveal they are lovers but Tamako stops him. Jintaro and Tokoyo deduce it anyway because Tamako is wearing new earrings. She gives Jintaro various disinfectant chemicals, including mercuric chloride, which warns him is fatal is one drinks it. A year later, when Hakaru goes overseas to pursue his career as a doctor, Tamako goes with him. Before he is drafted into the Second Sino-Japanese War, he asks Tamako once again to care for Tokoyo while he is away and she agrees. She is present for the pair's wedding ceremony.

Five years later, she is married to Hakaru, though she still finds it embarrassing to admit she is married, and they open their own clinic. She learns Jintaro has been presumably killed in combat and Tamako is grief stricken. Five more years pass when the Pacific War ends. Tamako gets a phone call from Tamahiko who says he, Yuzuki and their children are safe, which relieves her. Shortly after Jintaro is revealed to be alive and returns home, Tamako and Hakaru visit the parlor and guest house Jintaro and Tokoyo operate. When Tokoyo learns she is pregnant, Tamako is delighted that Jintaro will be a father.

## Relationships

### Tamahiko Shima

Tamako used to despise Tamahiko and, after his accident, she said she couldn't careless and called him a good for nothing. She used to believe he hated her after how mean she was to him. However, it's during her stay at his villa that she realizes that not only did he not hate her but he care for her more than his other siblings. During her stay, the two begin to properly spend time together and truly bond, and realize that they can understand the other due to what they endured within their family. From then on, Tamako grows closer to her brother and is protective of him.

### Yuzuki Tachibana

Tamako was initially mean to Yuzuki, mocking her childlike looks and the fact she was sold for money. However, as the two spend time together, they become close friends and Tamako comes to consider as an older sister. Tamako enjoys Yuzuki's cooking and is impressed with her household skills.

### Tamayoshi Shima

Tamako has a strained relationship with her father, who ignored her and paid his subordinates to take care of her. She doesn't want to be anything like him, which is one of the factors in her decision to become a doctor and leave the family.

### Tamaki Shima

Tamako rarely interacted with her eldest brother Tamaki. However, she was saddened when he passed away and attended his funeral.

### Tamayo Shima

Out of all her siblings, Tamako despises and fears her older sister Tamayo the most. Tamayo terrorized Tamako during their childhood and because no one protected her, Tamako chose to never rely on others. Tamako grew up with a crippling fear for Tamayo, but she gradually builds the courage to confront Tamayo for her increasingly violent and demented actions to the point of actually slapping her.

### Tamao Shima

Tamako and Tamao are not particularly close but they are civil with each other enough that he attends her birthday party. The two siblings later become doctors and work side by side.

### Kotori Shiratori

Tamako is a huge fan of Kotori and enjoys her music. She is also thrilled when Kotori becomes a close friend.

### Hakaru Shiratori

Tamako and Hakaru tend to quarrel once he joins as an apprentice at her uncle's hospital. He decides he indeed wants to be a doctor, which angers her because that's her dream. Although he may have been joking, he suggested they get married but this deeply embarrassed her. Years later, they become more open about their relationship, although Tamako is still reluctant to admit her feelings for him. They eventually get married (which now makes her **Tamako Shiratori**) and operate their own clinic.

### Tamasuke Manabe

Tamako is close with her uncle and he doesn't hesitate to let her live with him when she begins volunteering at his hospital. After he officially adopts her as his daughter, Tamako feels just as loved and appreciated than she did when she was still living with her father.

### Mrs. Manabe

Tamako is close with her aunt. After her aunt and uncle adopt her and throw her a 15th birthday party, her aunt makes a dress for her for the occasion.

### Jintaro Shima

Tamako worried about her adoptive nephew, Jintaro when she learned he had been adopted by Tamayo. After he ran away, she met him but he feigned not knowing her. She helps him and Tokoyo fake their deaths in order to help them escape from Tamayo. She helps him settle in Arima and visits him and Tokoyo often. She also agrees to his request to take care of Tokoyo who is ill while he is drafted to war. She was devastated when he was presumed dead, showing that although he is adopted, she considers him as family.

### Tokoyo Kurosaki

When Tamako met Tokoyo, she quickly grew to like the girl. This grew strong enough to where Tamako helped Jintaro and Tokoyo fake their deaths to protect them from Tamayo. She becomes Tokoyo's primary caregiver when Tokoyo is diagnosed with tuberculosis, and takes care of her for years when Jintaro is absent.

## Etymology

* The name **Tamako** means "bead, pearl, gem, jewel" (珠) (**tama**) and "child" (子) (**ko**).
* Tamako's married name **Shiratori** means "swan" (白鳥).
	+ It can also mean "white" (白) (**shira**) and "bird, poultry, fowl" (鳥) (**tori**) separately.

## Trivia

* Tamako is terrified of ghost stories, to the point she faints.
* Tamako is skilled in music, dancing, kendo, ikebana and etiquette.
* Like Yuzuki Tachibana, Tamako is knowledgeable in the language of flowers.
* Tamako gradually becomes skilled in cooking and cleaning due to learning these from Yuzuki.

## References

1. ↑ Chapter 38
2. ↑ Shouwa Otome Otogibanashi chapter 2
3. ↑ Anime Official Website