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Ojosan (Shizu)
Okusan, which means “lady” in Japanese, is the widow of a high-ranking Japanese military officer, and the mother of Ojosan. A practical, perceptive woman, she quickly recognizes Sensei’s romantic interest in her daughter. Though her subtle shows of support initially set off alarm bells for Sensei, her kindness, warmth, and honesty soon reassure him of her noble intentions. When Sensei asks permission for K to live with them, she again proves perceptive, cautioning against it. Her intuition proves correct, however. Both K and Sensei fall for Ojosan, resulting in a love triangle that ultimately leads to K’s choice to die by suicide. In the aftermath, she displays her characteristic strength and practicality, calling the proper authorities to deal with the body and helping set up the funeral. When Sensei and Ojosan move to a new home, she follows them, living with them until her death.
Okusan Quotes in Kokoro
The Kokoro quotes below are all either spoken by Okusan or refer to Okusan . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Part 3: Sensei and his Testament Quotes
Okusan’s manner towards me gradually changed my own state of mind. I became less shifty and began to feel more relaxed. I suppose the fact that Okusan and the rest of the household took no notice of my suspicious and withdrawn manner gave me great comfort. Since there was nothing in my surroundings that seemed to justify watchfulness, I began to calm down.
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But this did not prevent me from becoming more and more suspicious as time went by. Some small incident—I forget what—put the idea into my head that Okusan was forcing her daughter onto me from the same motives as those which prompted my uncle when he wished me to marry his daughter. Okusan, whom I had taken for a kindly person, quickly became a cunning schemer in my eyes. I was filled with disgust.
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Okusan Character Timeline in Kokoro
The timeline below shows where the character Okusan appears in Kokoro. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 3: Sensei and his Testament
With his new money, Sensei decides to rent a house and learns of a widow and daughter of a deceased military officer looking for a boarder. He visits, and the...
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...shuts himself off, saying little and analyzing the world around him closely. Despite this, the widow, Okusan, views Sensei favorably, complimenting his “generous heart.” Though he attributes this to naivete, her...
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Sensei describes his confusion, and eventual resentment, over Okusan’s treatment of him and her daughter. While she seems to encourage their relationship, she also...
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Upon reflection, Sensei realizes that Okusan places great trust in him and wonders at the feminine ability to place trust so...
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Okusan recommends Sensei buy new clothes. He feels this is unnecessary, but she insists, taking him...
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Okusan pointedly asks Sensei for his opinion, and Sensei advises Ojosan to postpone marriage for a...
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Sensei, pretending to embrace K’s lifestyle, persuades K to move in with him. Okusan is unhappy about this, but he coerces her to go along with it, explaining his...
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...however, Sensei returns home late to find Ojosan and K chatting in K’s room, with Okusan absent. Having never been left alone with Ojosan, Sensei asks if they were dealing with...
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Sensei goes for a walk with K, trying to gauge his feelings for Okusan and Ojosan. K seems more interested in his studies than women. Sensei and K pass...
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...with K instead of arguing. They return to Tokyo, and Sensei notices subtle signs of Okusan’s favoritism of him over K. He is pleased. Several weeks later, however, he finds K...
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Sensei debates confessing his love to Okusan, but he hesitates, worrying Ojosan prefers K. Though he isn’t afraid of rejection, he dreads...
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...decides to learn more about K. He also recognizes K has become his rival. When Okusan and Ojosan return, Sensei notices no change in their behavior, concluding K has not told...
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...can to win over Ojosan. To beat him to it, Sensei feigns sickness to ask Okusan for Ojosan’s hand in marriage. She accepts, and Sensei is immensely relieved, though nervous for...
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...Several days pass, and Sensei still does not tell K. He begins to contemplate asking Okusan to do it to save face but is wary of revealing his scheming to her...
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...Sensei returns to his room and waits for morning. Forgetting it’s Sunday, he runs into Okusan in the hallway and tells her what has happened. He apologizes, but she does not...
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The wife of a soldier, Okusan takes charge, ordering Sensei to fetch the doctor and police. Sensei learns K cut a...
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Sensei, Ojosan and Okusan move to a new house after the funeral. Two months later, Sensei graduates from university,...
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Okusan falls ill and Sensei devotes all his energy to caring for her. For the first...
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