Character Relationship Map: The Broken Commandment

Characters

• Ushimatsu Segawa (played by Raizō Ichikawa) — protagonist

  Ushimatsu is a schoolteacher who learns that his family belongs to the burakumin, a group subjected to discrimination. Torn between his father's demand for secrecy and his wish to live freely, he even...

• Rentaro Inoko (played by Rentaro Mikuni) — supporting

  Rentaro is a freethinking writer whom Ushimatsu comes to know near Lotus Temple. His ideas and social position make him a target of suspicion and gossip. Ushimatsu later believes he betrayed Rentaro b...

• Oshiho (played by Shiho Fujimura) — supporting

  Oshiho is connected to Lotus Temple and has a troubled past that complicates her feelings for Ushimatsu. After he disappears, she joins the search and finds him weakened. She tells him that he did not...

• Ushimatsu's father (played by Jun Hamamura) — supporting

  Ushimatsu's father belonged to a family subjected to discrimination because they were burakumin. Before his death, he urged Ushimatsu to keep their family background secret. He dies after being gored...

• Ushimatsu's uncle (played by Yoshi Katō) — supporting

  Ushimatsu's uncle tells him that his father has died after being gored by a bull. This news brings Ushimatsu back to the memory of his last meeting with his father and the secret his father had urged...

• School master (played by Seiji Miyaguchi) — supporting
• Inoko's wife (played by Kyôko Kishida) — supporting
• School master's wife (played by Haruko Sugimura) — supporting

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• School master's wife → School master (wife)
• Inoko's wife → Rentaro Inoko (wife)
• Ushimatsu's father → Ushimatsu Segawa (father)
• Ushimatsu Segawa → Oshiho (Romantic Partner) — Their complicated closeness becomes a source of companionship when Oshiho finds Ushimatsu weakened and insists on staying beside him.

  Ushimatsu grows close to Oshiho, and she tells him that she has decided to be with him for the rest of her life. He accepts her care.

• Ushimatsu's uncle → Ushimatsu Segawa (Family Uncle) — His uncle delivers the news of his father's death, prompting Ushimatsu to confront memories of their last meeting.

  Ushimatsu learns from his uncle that his father died after being gored by a bull.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Ushimatsu Segawa → Rentaro Inoko (Social Friend) — Their connection matters deeply to Ushimatsu, who carries guilt over having abandoned Rentaro.

  Ushimatsu becomes acquainted with Rentaro Inoko, a writer, and later believes that he betrayed him by abandoning him before Rentaro's death.

Story Analysis

Ushimatsu confronts inherited secrecy and discrimination, then faces guilt and the possibility of companionship after revealing his identity.

Plot Progression

1. The Inherited Secret — Ushimatsu returns to his father's mountain home and learns of his father's death. Memories of his father's demand for secrecy bring the family's burakumin identity back into focus.
2. A New Life Near the Temple — Ushimatsu leaves the mountain and settles near Lotus Temple, where he teaches. He meets Rentaro Inoko and grows close to Oshiho, while both connections carry social complications.
3. Rumors and Inner Conflict — Rumors about Ushimatsu's origins spread among the teachers, who press him to explain his behavior. He wrestles with his father's demand for silence and his own desire to live freely.
4. The Public Confession — Ushimatsu tells his fourth-grade students that he is burakumin and urges them not to discriminate based on lineage. The confession shocks the community, and he submits his resignation.
5. Guilt and Companionship — Ushimatsu feels guilty about abandoning Rentaro and leaves to wander in contrition. Oshiho searches for him, finds him weakened, and offers lasting companionship, which he accepts.