Masuji Ono, and “An Artist of the Floating World”

Gentle, moping around, retired, maybe you know someone with some or all of these traits.  In the story “An Artist of the Floating World,” by Kazuo Ishiguro, the author’s main character Masuji Ono is a retired man in Japan recovering from the damage he received from World War II.

Before World War II Masuji Ono was a well-known and respected artist with many students under him.  Ono also has a wife, a son named Kenji, and two daughters named Setsuko, and Noriko. He was able to obtain a large house which he couldn’t afford by be seen as the most worthy in “an auction of prestige” (Ishiguro, pg.9).

            Now after the war Ono has only his two daughters.  Setsuko is married and has a grandson named Ichiro, while Noriko’s marriage arrangements fell through but she has another potential husband.  Ono’s son Kenji died in the war during a futile attack in Manchuria.  Noriko says that because Ono is retired now, “you’ve got to keep him occupied or he starts to mope” (Ishiguro, pg.13).  Masuji Ono is also described as being much more gentle and not as demanding.

After the end of World War II Ono’s house received significant damaged from the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan.  For Ono the war has been over for three years yet he hasn’t finished repairing his beautiful house.  I feel that his large, partially repaired, house resembles the mood of Masuji Ono.  Just like his house hasn’t been completely repaired from the war, Ono himself hasn’t completely healed from the psychological damage he received during the war.  His house just like himself will not be complete until the lingering questions and issues from his past have been answered.

Kazuo Ishiguro’s character Masuji Ono, in some ways, reminds me of my grandfather.  They are both retired, and from stories I have heard from my father, my grandfather also seems to be much more gentle these days.  I have thought that perhaps this is a quality that shows with old age or more likely a characteristic that shows when someone’s life becomes simpler or less stressful.  However my grandfather didn’t go through the same kind of pain Ono went through, Ono still reminds me of my grandfather because of Ono’s interest in teaching his grandson his profession.  My grandfather has always been eager to show me some of the work he did in the past, and help me with any questions I have about electrical engineering.  However one difference is that I am much more interested in my grandfathers career, while Ichiro, Ono’s grandson, is more interested in being a cowboy.