Conduct Report on Professor Ishinaka

A respected village man whose sense of propriety anchors his social circle. He embodies pragmatic kindness and curiosity about love’s surprises, acting as a bridge between old values and changing attitudes. His interactions reveal how reputation and kinship influence decisions in a rural community.

Son of a local family who becomes entangled in the village’s romantic dramas. He navigates affection, parental expectations, and conflict with his love interest amid social scrutiny. His actions reflect the friction between youth’s desires and elder guidance.

Owner of the village bookstore and a protective father figure. He weighs tradition against the lure of modern amusements, and his disputes with peers reveal the moral fault lines of the community. His stance helps drive the plot’s discussion of propriety and freedom.

Owner of the orchard and Moyoko’s father, he seeks harmony for his family while acknowledging the village’s gossip. He embodies a practical, hopeful outlook, and his matchmaking hopes push the plot toward a wedding between his daughter and a local suitor.

A young woman from Iwaki who embodies the tension between fate and choice. Her overnight stay with Teisaku’s family and a foretold future partner shapes her expectations of love and belonging. Her decisions reflect the era’s constraints on women in rural society.

Daughter of Yamada who initially challenges parental influence but ultimately finds herself navigating loyalties to her family and her lover. Her stance illustrates the complexity of younger generation’s agency within traditional norms.

A townsman whose practical presence keeps the community anchored during the moral debates. He participates in the digging with Ishinaka and embodies the collective memory and shared values of the village.

Yoshiko’s brother-in-law who represents extended family pressures and social expectations. His presence underscores family ties and the web of obligations that shape choices in the community.

Yoshiko’s sister who witnesses the unfolding events and contributes to the moral conversations within the family. She embodies concern for propriety and care for her sister’s reputation.

Matriarchal figure who helps enforce social norms around premarital conduct. She collaborates with others to construct a narrative about sexual propriety and family honor.

Daughter of Yamazaki and a focal point of the matchmaking threads. Her presence, through a traditional folk dance, represents youth and cultural continuity amid village life.