Chapter 2.7 – Yonamine and Bushi
POINTERS
1. Read the story and write about the following in short.
(a) Yonamine Chiru of Okinawa
Ans: Yonamine Chiru was the most admired girl in Okinawa. She was intelligent, tall, strong, beautiful, and so well trained in karate that no one could beat her. She had put a condition on it that she would marry the man who would defeat her in a fair fight.
(b) Kojo
Ans: Kojo was one of the first men to ask for Yonamine Chiru’s hand. He was so tall and well-built that his hands were like shovels and his legs resembled tree trunks. He played foul and broke the rules of the game, thus losing his chance to marry Yonamine Chiru.
(c) Bushi Kiyo
Ans: Bushi Kiyo had decided to marry a girl who enjoyed wrestling. He was trained under the karate master Sakugawa. He was such an expert that he was recruited by Shoko, the king of Okinawa, to be his personal guard. He did not want to marry a delicate, fragile girl, but someone who was big and strong. He defeated Yonamine Chiru in a wrestling match and thus won her hand in marriage.
2. Discuss and write 1-2 lines about the following,
(a) Yonamine’s ideas about marriage.
Ans: Yonamine had her own ideas about marriage. She had declared firmly that she would only marry a man who could beat her in a fair fight.
(b) How Bushi defeated Yonamine in the wrestling match.
Ans: At a crucial moment in the wrestling fight, Yonamine paused very briefly. Bushi took advantage of this and brought her down with a swift punch.
(c) Why Bushi told Yonamine not to travel at night.
Ans: Bushi told her not to travel during the night because there were bandits roaming about and it was not safe for a woman to go out alone after dark.
(d) Yonamine’s fight with Bushi (disguised as a bandit).
Ans: To teach his wife a lesson, because Bushi thought she was overconfident, he disguised as a bandit. He ran ahead of her and hid behind a tree. He confronted her as a bandit would. Yonamine with her swift, sharp attacks made the attacker unconscious. Yonamine then dragged the attacker and tied him to a tree and then set off to her parents’ home, as if nothing had happened.
(e) The lesson that Bushi learnt.
Ans: After Bushi tried to teach his wife, Yonamine, a lesson for her own good by pretending to be a bandit, but he was defeated by Yonamine. He learned his lesson that he should never underestimate anybody, not even a woman.
3. Divide the story into different sections to show the different events and time periods in it.
Give a suitable title to each section. Examples :
Finding a suitable man for Yonamine Kojo comes forward and is defeated.
Ans:
Bushi Kiyo accepts the challenge.
Bushi Kiyo wins Yonamine Chiru’s hand
Bushi Kiyo and Yonamine happily married.
Bushi Kiyo decides to teach his wife a lesson.
Bushi Kiyo learns a lesson himself.
4. Write a short monologue using one of the following ideas. Write down the monologue and present it in the class.
(a) Yonamine’s father worrying about getting her married.
Ans: I am Yonamine Chiru’s father. My daughter is intelligent, strong, beautiful, and so well trained in karate that no one can beat her. This is where the problem lies. She has reached a marriageable age, and I would love to see her married. After all, she is my only child, and I want her to be happy. She is the heir to all my fortunes, and I want to see her married off happily when I am alive. I know that there are men who want to marry her, but I am unsure if they want my daughter or her fortune. To add to this misery, my daughter has put a condition on her marriage that she would marry only that man who would defeat her in a fair fight. She is so well trained in karate that I barely see anyone defeating her. I am really worried for my daughter, and I hope she finds her match.
(b) Bushi disguised as a bandit.
Ans: I am Bushi Kiyo, the husband of Yonamine. My wife is overconfident and thinks she is strong and an expert in karate. I forbade her to travel at night, but she refused to listen. I felt that she must be taught a lesson for her own good. So as Yonamine left for her father’s place, I disguised myself as a bandit wearing shabby clothes, smearing dark colour over my hands. I covered my face with a scarf and hid behind a clump of trees. When I saw Yonamine passing by, I jumped from behind the trees and tried to attack her. But Yonamine was too swift and sharp and attacked me instead. Besides, she also tied me up to a tree and left for her father’s house.
5. Form groups and hold debates on the following topics. Make bulleted lists of points in favour of the topic (pros) and those against it (cons). (3-6 points each)
(a) Boys cannot cook or do any housework.
Ans:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
(1) Today, boys can cook and do household chores. A vivid example is the programme ‘Master Chef’ in which we see more boys than girls participating and normally the boys end up winning the finals. | (1) That is outside the house. In the house they expect everything to be done either by their mothers or sisters. |
(2) After the 1960’s men/boys do more work than they used to. | (2) Even today boys feel that cooking and household chores are women’s work. |
(3) There is less housework to do because of machines that makes work easy and so is quickly done by the ladies in the house. | (3) Boys should remember that it is their house too and should get started and help in the chores and lighten the work. |
(b) Girls cannot do everything that boys do.
Ans:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
(1) Indian society still thrives on male ego wherein girls are secondary and are not allowed to do what they wants. | (1) Today time has changed. Girls can do whatever they sets their heart to. |
(2) There is no taboo for boys. Indian society feels that boys are better than girls in every respect. | (2) Today a lot of changes in the laws have given girls the confidence to stand equal to their male counterpart. |
(3) Girls are not allowed to take part in many games as well as jobs terming them as ‘boy’s games’ or ‘boy’s jobs’. | (3) Today society has become more open to the idea that girls too are capable of playing any game or doing any task. |
(c) You should never lose a match.
Ans:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
(1) Whenever we play, we should play to win. | (1) Winning and losing are two sides of the same coin. |
(2) Participate only if you know for sure that you will win or don’t participate at all. | (2) One cannot predict the result of the game. You cannot tell how the ball will turn. You can be a hero or a zero. You cannot always win. |
(3) Winning is a great feeling. You feel you have conquered the world. | (3) This feeling is only for some time. Losing is also a part of the game. We learn from our mistakes and can always do better. |
(d) You should admit your mistakes.
Ans:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
(1) It is always right and a good habit to admit your mistakes You feel good. | (1) Many a times when mistakes are admitted it fires back. You are always blamed. |
(2) Admitting a mistake makes you understand that you have done something wrong and you should not repeat the same. | (2) Admitting a mistake, many-a-times is not that taken positively. You are taunted about it every time. |
(3) Admitting your mistake keeps your conscience clear. | (3) Though one should admit one’s mistake, one does not admit because of the attitude of the people around him. |
6. Visit a library : Read more stories from Japan, China and Korea.
Ans: Students must do this on their own.