Ogami Ittō speaking to his son Daigorō, preparing him for his father’s eventual departure to the afterlife, in the manga Lone Wolf and Cub.
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Lone Wolf and Cub was a popular Japanese manga originally published during the 1970s. Written by Kazuo Koike and illustrated by Goseki Kojima, it tells the story of a shogun executioner (Ittō) who was “disgraced by false accusations from the Yagyū clan, he is forced to take the path of the assassin.” The epic journey expanded 6 years and is 28 volumes long. I recently read the entire thing and along the way a developed a deep appreciation for the story, it’s approach and the vision the creators achieved. More important, I saw the medium push the envelope way ahead of itself, something that I am sure during the 70s must of felt very fresh and radical.
This quote came at a juncture of the story when Ittō and Daigorō shared an intimate, father to son moment. As it is typical of Japanese trends, the father figure is made to be strong, smart, effective and dare I say God like. Ittō could make the mince meat out of anyone who stood his way. He represented the ideal and stern personality, the guy who would defend and present honor no matter what. Even if it meant engendering his very own and only son in the process (which he did many at times). The stoic bad@$$. And one who had no time to show emotion, of course.
Enter Daigorō. A child of innocence, energy and curiosity. He is part of the journey, part of the story, and throughout the bloody battles and dangerous times, he shows his love and loyalty to his father. The kid slowly begins to mimic the pride that is to be the shogun executioner’s son. He is slowly becoming a samurai in the making.
What made this quote unique was the connection he made with his son. Without giving too much away, father and child both find themselves in a grim situation, one that would lead to the climax of the entire story. It is then that Ittō provides the following quote to his son, overlooking flowing water. The symbology and meaning of the message encapsulate the long journey and the eventual coming end. And it is now where the father feels he must teach his son that the world can be cruel, but life must go on. And it is a simple touching set of panels that do the job of taking the user from all the vigilance they have seen to this moment where the two key characters embrace each other, accepting their feeling and eventual next steps.
The quote moved me a bit more I suppose because I have two lovely little boys which I adore and are an extension of my being. When I saw on many stories where Daigorō felt so much pain and heartache, these story lines tugged my heart a bit. For one thing, I pictured my little ones in such situations and on the other, I would never allow such things to happen to them. But this quote and its resulting outcome really go me as one day, I too will need to prepare them for when my waves of life recede back into that ocean. And like Ittō did, I plan to hold my kids until the very end.
The full quote:
The river flows into the ocean, and turns to waves. Waves surging and receding, without end. Our lives are like the waves. We live, we die, we are reborn. Soon your father’s body will be a silent corpse. But like the waves, my life will not end. Like the waves your father will travel to the shore of the next life. His body may die. But his life is eternal. Yours, too, Daigoro. Our lives are indestructible. Immortal. Though waves break and blood flies, never shrink.Though my body falls, never quail. Though my eyes shut, my lips close… do not fear. In that world of rebirth, I’m still your father. In that world and all worlds, you are my son. We are father and child! Forever!
