The following is a translation of Part 43 of the series “Senjin no sokuseki” (Footsteps of Our Predecessors) from the July 2006 (No. 451) issue of Taimo, pp. 34–35. This translation is a provisional one at the moment and may require further revision.
Part 43: The Joy of Having Nothing
After World War II, large numbers of Japanese abandoned Korea for Japan. Among them were Tenrikyo ministers and followers who left behind the churches they helped build with many years of dedication. Among them were those who dragged enough luggage that it towered to their eyeballs. Unable to arrange their belongings as they rode the steam train taking them away, they brought their luggage into the passenger train, laid them on the floor, and sat on them.