Yonamine and Bushi Q & A
Q.1. Read the story and write about the following in short.
(a) Yonamine Chiru of Okinawa
Ans. Yonamine Chiru was the most admired girl in Okinawa.She was intelligent,tall,strong,big and beautiful; and most important of all,she was so well trained in karate that no one could beat her and she had put a condition that she will only marry a man who can beat her in a fair fight.
(b) Kojo
Ans. Kojo was one of the first men to ask for Yonamine Chiru’s hand.Who was actually bigger and stronger than yonamine.He was so tall and well-built that his hands were like shovels, and his legs resembled tree trunks. But he played foul and broke the rules of the game and thus lost his chance to marry Yonamine Chiru.
(c) Bushi Kiyo
Ans. Bushi Kiyo had decided to marry a girl who enjoyed wrestling. He was trained under the Karate master Sakugawa. He was such an expert that he was recruited by Shoko, the king of Okinawa, to be his personal guard. He did not want to marry a delicate, fragile girl, but someone who was big and strong. He defeated Yonamine Chiru in a wrestling match and won her hand in marriage.
Q.2. Discuss and write 1 – 2 lines about the following.
(a) Yonamine’s idea about marriage.
Ans:Yonamine had her own ideas about marriage. She declared firmly that she will only marry a man who can beat her in a fair fight.
(b) How Bushi defeated Yonamine in the wrestling match?
Ans:The wrestling match began with Yonamine and Bushi bowing to each other and then began the attack each other.Both used their best techniques and it looked as if the match was going to be a tie. But, at a crucial moment in the fight, Yonamine paused very briefly. Bushi took advantage of this and brought her down with a swift punch.
(c) Why Bushi told Yonamine not to travel at night?
Ans:Bushi told Yonamine not to travel at night because bushi thought that it is not safe for a woman to go out alone when it is dark.
(d) Yonamine’s fight with Bushi (disguised as a bandit).
Ans:Bushi’s wife decided to go to visit her parents in evening. Bushi warned her not to go out alone at night because it would be dangerous as there were bandits around. Yonamine, his wife told him not to worry as she could take care of herself. To teach her a lesson, because he thought she was overconfident, he disguised as a bandit. He ran ahead of her and hid behind a tree. He confronted her as a bandit would. Yonamine with her swift, sharp attacks made the attacker unconscious. Yonamine then dragged the attacker and tied him to a tree and then set off to her parents’ home, as if nothing had happened.
(e)The lesson that Bushi learnt.
Ans: Bushi learnt not to underestimate anybody, especially women.
Q.3. Divide the story into different sections to show the different events and time periods in it. Give a suitable title to each section.
Q.4. Write a short monologue using one of the following ideas. Write down the monologue and present it in the class.
(a) Yonamine’s father worrying about getting her married.
Ans:I am Yonamine Chiru’s father. My daughter is intelligent, strong,tall, beautiful and well trained in Karate that no one can beat her. This is where the problem lies. She has become of a marriageable age and I would love to see her married. After all she is my only child and I want her to be happy. She is the heir to all my fortunes and I want to see her married off happily when I am alive.I know that there are men who wants to marry her but my daughter had put a condition that she would only marry a man who would defeat her in a fair fight. She is so well trained in Karate that i barely see anyone defeating her. I am really worried for my daughter and I hope she will find her match.
(b) Bushi disguised as a bandit
Ans: I am Bushi Kiyo, husband of Yonamine. My wife is overconfident and thinks herself to be strong and an expert in Karate. I warned her to travel at night but she refused to listen. I thought that she must be taught a lesson for her own good. So as Yonamine left for her father’s house,I disguised myself as bandit wearing shabby clothes, smearing dark colour over my hands.I covered my face with a scarf and hid behind a clump of trees. When I saw Yonamine passing by, I jumped from behind the trees and tried to attack her. But Yonamine was too swift and sharp and attacked me instead. Besides she also tied me up to a tree and left for her father’s house.
Q.5. Form groups and hold debates on the following topics. Make bulleted lists of points in favour of the topic (pros) and those against it (cons). (3 – 6 points each)
(a) Boys cannot cook or do any housework.
(b) Girls cannot do everything that boys do.
(c) You should never lose a match.
(d) You should admit your mistakes.
Q.6. Visit a library: Read more stories from Japan, China and Korea.