When I was in Fifth Grade and we finished our work early, we could look at various books or work on projects in the classroom by ourselves. I like to look at The Best of Life, the old Life Magazine photo compilation. There were a lot of photos I looked at many times, but one that always drew me in and captured my attention was of a Japanese mother and her daughter. They were in a traditional Japanese bath together. The daughter was very affected by an illness that distorted her limbs and the mother was holding her very tenderly and bathing her.
I asked my teacher what was wrong with the girl and I think — I don’t quite remember, but I think – she told me the girl had cerebral palsy. I know now as a grown-up that’s not true. The girl, Tomoko, had a form of mercury poisoning called Minimata Disease and the photo, Tomoko and Mother in the Bath, was published and became famous in part to bring more attention to this illness, which it did. Tomoko died at age 21.
I was so struck by this photo as a fifth grader, not only because of Tomoko’s illness, but because of the love her mother so clearly had for her. She looked so tender. I feel that now too. The pleasure of holding your child’s body. The soft skin. The warmth of the water.
I don’t think I’ll put the photo with the post because apparently Tomoko’s father wanted it withdrawn from publication. He said he felt it had been too much circulated and exploited and Tomoko deserved to rest in peace. I can understand his feeling that way.
Did I have a presentiment about my future, there in my Fifth Grade classroom? Is that why I liked to look at this photo? Or did I just like the intense maternal love expressed in it? Maybe I just liked looking at “deformed” people? Who knows.
The First Year Without Sarah 