Chapter 5, From the Inland Sea Summary

The reconstruction of Chinatown is not completed until 1902. In the same year, there are isolated farm villages in Hiroshima-ken that maintain an ancient courtship custom. The man would present himself in front of the woman a dozen times in a week without speaking. The woman would never acknowledge that she knew what he was doing. The parents would go to a matchmaker to arrange the details.

Sakagawa Kamejiro is twenty years old and decides he is in love with the girl he is courting. He is to be sent to Hawaii to work in the sugar fields as a result of a decision by his family council. He is prepared to go since his family cannot feed themselves. He realizes that he may never come back to Hiroshima-ken even though he is only supposed to...