Photo/Illutration Pete Hamill responds during an interview at the Skylight Diner in New York on June 5, 2007. (AP file photo)

Pete Hamill, a New York-based writer of columns and novels who died Aug. 5, is known in Japan as the author of the original story for “Shiawase no Kiiroi Hankachi” (The yellow handkerchief of happiness), an acclaimed 1977 movie.

“Going Home,” as the story is titled, begins with a scene wherein a group of young people encounter a man of few words during a ride on a long-distance bus.

The man says he is going home after having served four years in jail. He says he has sent a letter to his wife, saying that she is free to forget about him, but if she is ready to take him back, she should let him know by putting a yellow handkerchief on an oak tree outside the town.

"No handkerchief, and I’ll pass through," the man quotes himself as saying in the letter.

Actress Chieko Baisho, who starred in the movie, said in a book that she had been moved by an American song she heard that was based on the story. She then told Yoji Yamada about it, who went on to direct the film.

Yamada reset the story in the coal mining area of Yubari, Hokkaido, and replaced the oak tree with the pole of a carp streamer. The moment made for a happy encounter between an American story and Japanese cinema.

Hamill, who began his career by writing for a tabloid newspaper, continued to portray snippets of nameless people’s lives. In speaking for how New Yorkers felt in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, he once said to the effect: "The situation is terrible, but this is where I live, so I have to do something about it."

Given that, he was critical of the Iraq War, which he said was waged by capitalizing on the attacks.

“The Invisible City: A New York Sketchbook,” a collection of Hamill’s columns, contains numerous scenes of encounters between people. A chance reunion with an old love. A young person gets to know a strange oldster.

The human relationships he portrayed may be somewhat dry, but they still offer their own moments of warmth.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 7

* * *

Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

Related News