Character Relationship Map: Temptation

Characters

• Shôkichi Sugimoto (played by Koreya Senda) — protagonist

  A widowed father and the central figure in his daughter Hideko’s concerns. He worries that his age and health could make life insurance expensive, while Hideko hopes a policy will reassure her. He wor...

• Hideko Sugimoto / Yûko Sugimoto (played by Sachiko Hidari) — supporting

  Shôkichi Sugimoto’s daughter, who urges her widowed father to take out life insurance and is unsettled by the possibility that he may marry again. She becomes involved in a modern ikebana circle and t...

• Shôko Matsuyama / Eiko Mitani (played by Izumi Ashikawa) — supporting

  Sôhei Tadokoro’s sister. Hideko meets her when she goes to see four of Tadokoro’s older works after the exhibition. Shôkichi introduces Shôko alongside Junko, connecting her to the group of people con...

• Kotoko Sonoya (played by Yukiko Todoroki) — supporting

  A life insurance salesperson who meets Hideko and asks about her father, including his age and business. Hideko initially assumes Kotoko is seeking a marriage match for Shôkichi, but learns that Kotok...

• Sôhei Tadokoro (played by Shōji Yasui) — supporting

  An artist whose work is featured in the ikebana group’s exhibition and receives particular public attention and praise. Shôkichi is asked whether he would consider buying Tadokoro’s pieces, but Tadoko...

• Junko Takeyama (played by Misako Watanabe) — supporting

  A woman who works with Shôkichi Sugimoto. People around Hideko speculate about Junko’s relationship with her father, and the possibility that he might marry again unsettles Hideko. Shôkichi later intr...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Sôhei Tadokoro → Shôko Matsuyama / Eiko Mitani (Family Brother And Sister) — Shôko is identified as Tadokoro's sister when Hideko encounters her while going to see four of his older works.

  Shôkichi introduces Shôko to Hideko as Tadokoro's sister.

• Shôkichi Sugimoto → Junko Takeyama (Professional Coworkers) — Their working relationship becomes a subject of speculation among people around Hideko, who wonders whether her father might marry again.

  The plot says Junko works with Shôkichi.

• Kotoko Sonoya → Shôkichi Sugimoto (Professional Insurance Agent And Prospective Client) — Kotoko's professional interest in meeting Shôkichi is connected to Hideko's hope that her father will insure himself.

  Kotoko tells Hideko that she sells life insurance and wants to meet Shôkichi.

• Shôkichi Sugimoto → Hideko Sugimoto / Yûko Sugimoto (Family Widowed Father And Daughter) — Hideko urges her widowed father to take out life insurance, reassures him about the idea, and becomes unsettled by the possibility that he may marry again.

  The plot identifies Hideko as Shôkichi's daughter and says he is widowed.

Story Analysis

Family concerns, an exhibition's internal disputes, and an artist's disappearance leave personal and artistic questions unresolved.

Plot Progression

1. A Father's Insurance — Hideko asks her widowed father to take out life insurance, while Shôkichi worries about the cost. Kotoko's questions reveal her professional interest in meeting him.
2. The Exhibition Disputes — Hideko joins a modern ikebana circle preparing an exhibition. Disagreements over art, commerce, and invitation costs leave others resentful of her decisions.
3. Recognition and Disappearance — The exhibition opens and visitors praise Tadokoro's work. His disappearance during this moment of recognition raises questions about his whereabouts.
4. Works and Unresolved Ties — Shôkichi and Hideko locate four older works by Tadokoro, and Hideko meets his sister Shôko. The story ends without revealing where Tadokoro has gone or resolving the personal and artistic relationship...