Until 1996, leprosy patients in Japan were forcibly isolated in sanatoriums, despite growing awareness that the disease was treatable and not very contagious: the disfigurement the disease could cause contributed to the prolonged policy of quarantine, even for the cured. In an endnote, Sukegawa writes that he wanted to explore what “life is all about”. A common answer to this, in Japan, is that one must be “a useful member of society”. But what purpose is to be found for those individuals, such as leprosy-sufferer Tokue, who are deprived of an opportunity to contribute to society by being shut away in prison-like hospitals most of their lives? Leaning heavily on a sentimental philosophy of cosmic interconnectedness, Sukegawa makes Tokue his mouthpiece to promote a belief that humans exist to verify the existence of the universe. Tokue braves widespread prejudice to leave her community and teach struggling dorayaki pancake-maker Sentaro how to cook sweet bean paste. He, in turn, faces his demons and embraces a very Japanese doctrine of restorative hard work. Depending on your inclinations, you may find this simply delicious or cloyingly sweet – like Tokue’s bean paste.
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