かあちゃん / Kaachan: A Mother’s Compassion

A moving Edo-period story by Shugoro Yamamoto about poverty, compassion, family, and the possibility of beginning life again.

Okatsu, a widowed mother, lives with her five children in a poor tenement near the Tatekawa River. The entire family works tirelessly and saves every possible coin. Their neighbors condemn them as misers, unaware of the purpose behind their severe frugality.

One night, a starving young man breaks into their home in search of money. Instead of raising an alarm, Okatsu gives him a bowl of warm udon and tells him why her family has been saving for nearly three years. The money is intended to help Gen, a young craftsman soon to be released from prison, establish a small food stall and rebuild his life.

Confronted not with punishment but with trust and compassion, the intruder begins to change. Okatsu welcomes him into her crowded home, and a new bond slowly forms among people who are not related by blood.

"Kaachan" is a powerful human drama about quiet sacrifice, second chances, and a woman whose fierce maternal love reaches beyond the boundaries of her own family.

Written by Shugoro Yamamoto.

Japanese-language audiobook.

Narrated by Shichimi Shungorō.

Produced and published by Marutake Shobo.

山本周五郎が描く、貧しさと人情、家族、そして人生の再出発をめぐる物語。

竪川近くの貧しい長屋で、五人の子供と暮らす未亡人のお勝。親子六人は、食べる物も着る物も切り詰め、わずかな金まで惜しむように働き続けていた。

近所の人々は、そんな一家を「けちんぼ」と噂する。しかし、彼らが三年近くも金を貯めているのには、誰にも明かしていない理由があった。

ある夜、飢えた若者が金を奪うため、お勝の家へ忍び込む。お勝は騒ぎ立てることも、息子たちを呼び起こすこともせず、若者に温かいうどんを食べさせる。そして、牢から戻ってくる一人の職人・源さんのために、家族全員で商売の元手を貯めてきたことを語る。

罰ではなく、信頼と情けを向けられた若者は、やがて心を変えてゆく。お勝は彼を家族として迎え入れ、血のつながりを超えた新しい縁が結ばれていく。

『かあちゃん』は、名もなき庶民の慎ましい暮らしを通して、善意が人を救い、家族を生み、人生をもう一度立ち上がらせる瞬間を描いた、山本周五郎の珠玉の人情小説です。

著者：山本周五郎

朗読：七味春五郎

制作・発行：丸竹書房

日本語オーディオブック