7.(4-5) Embassy Party and End Slim Novel 7

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4. The Embassy Party

Olga asks Kimi “You play 3-string lute don't you? My embassy's commemorating the October Revolution with an entertainment I'm producing.  How would you like to provide some culture?”

   Curious about the Rooskies, Kimi grabs the chance to see them close up. She is rusty on shamisen (the Japanese lute) but with one month to brush up she guesses Russians won’t know her difference.

   On day of party, after practicing the repertoire, she spends hour from 3 to 4 dolling up in a rented geisha outfit. Mirror on wall shows a Kimi not seen since training days: Glistening, piled high, black hair; white powdered facial skin; lips exquisitely red painted in thin lip pout; body curves hidden under multi-layer kimono of white cross-line pattern on purple background and colorfully designed obi belt; and feet sleeved in 2-toe white socks and elevated on high glossy black sandals held in place by thongs that fit between 1^st and 2^nd toes. 


Wrapped up in her image she misses Olga standing behind observing.
   “My aren't we beautiful!" Olga says. Then with hard edge: "Come on, move ass, darling! Embassy limo waits!”

Going out Kimi sees dark blue limousine used for weddings, coronations and funerals. A heavy-built Russian in black suit sits staring ahead impassively. As the girls approach he springs out and pulls open rear door with a slight bow.ir8

   “Thank you, Vladimir” says Olga getting in next to Kimi and taking out a long French filter-tip cigarette. Vladimir stoops down beside open window, sparks lighter, and places flame perfectly at the cigarette tip in one smooth motion. Olga sucks at the fire, inhales, settles back contented, and blows a jet of blue-white  perfect smoke straight up. Vladimir meanwhile has returned to driver-seat and almost at once the limousine smoothly whizzes off.

“Is this luxury or is this luxury, darling? By the way, Vlad understands Japanese and likes to listen in the intercom so you can say whatever you wish.” This last accompanied by an arch glance not lost on Kimi.


Olga fills the time describing the present peculiar position of Soviet Russia.  Despite fighting on the side of the enemies of Japan and despite the Japanese government's anti-communism, the the Russian connection is receiving a warming glow from Imperial Japan. The at least surface friendship is due to the 1939 Soviet-Japanese Non-aggression Pact signed in Moscow by Foreign Minister Matsuoka, with the Emperor's blessing overruling the Militarists’disapproval. 
   Now in 1943, with the Imperial Army's resources stretched to breaking point by a losing war, the Militarists dare not disavow the pact. And with the distinct shift in the war's fortunes the pact begins to look better and better from Tokyo's standpoint. The Emperor in particular sees advantages in a friendly Russia when his day of reckoning will come with a victorious west. He gambled on a short war that would end with Allied acceptance of Japan's sphere of influence but by now with the gamble clearly lost he wants out of a situation that worsens with each passing day, and one hope on an otherwise bleak horizon is friendship with Russia and use of its good offices in a negotiated surrender in which the Emperor system and Himself survive.

The limousine stops before the massive silver-painted Embassy gate and Vlad is out holding open the rear door and ushering the 2 gal pals onto a street cordoned by police. After checking documents they are allowed in a small door in the gate. 
   For Kimi it is entry into brave new world. Outside is bleak and bare with military uniforms everywhere and want and hunger and war; inside is green and peace. Just within the gate a plump blonde woman in overalls cuts fat oranges from a tree while, along path to Embassy, two men tend pink rhododendrons and red roses. Walking behind the silent Vlad and the effusive Olga, the kimonoed Kimi excites curiosity. The woman stares from the ladder; the men stop work and gape.

   Olga whispers, “Silent staring is Russian for admiration.”

   The door to the Ambassador's residence opens and Kimi faces an elegant looking old man with pointed white beard, pince-nez glasses on bridge of nose and wearing double tailed black suit.

   “Don't bow, darling: it's the butler, Igor.”

   Igor leads them into a drawing room where the party is already on. From four walls, pictures of Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Stalin gaze down on the assemblage. 
   And what an assemblage!

   On a raised dais, a classical string quartet plays a selection from baroque music by Vivaldi while guests move in line around a central table with caviar, ham, sturgeon, fresh-fruits and vegetables. On a nearby table other guests are picking up pie, cakes, jello and halvah. Also assorted cheeses and stacks of Russian black, German rye and challah breads; and from a brazier they are serving flaming shashlik also known as Turkish shish kebab – it is skewered lamb with beef and pieces of onion, tomato and peppers. The guests, in particular the Japanese, are busy gorging on foods that even Tokyo black market has not seen, while Russian hosts stand by smiling.

   A handsome middle-aged man in diplomat suit approaches. “Ambassador Troyanovsky,” Olga whispers. “Get ready to vamp.”

   The ambassador bows as she introduces him. He kisses Kimi's hand and smilingly says “My dear Olga, why have you not told me before of your beauteous friend? We Russians may look fierce but when it comes to such a lovely lady we are pet bears.”

   "I'm so sorry, Ambassador, but Miss Kimi is presently a patriotic working girl assembling Kate fighters at factory. She normally does not have the time for parties but as a favor to me she consented to today.”
   The ambassador signals a waitress who arrives with vodka cocktails in long-stem glasses. “By the by, mademoiselle, let us not stand on ceremony. My name is Oleg.”

   “And I am called Katyusha,” returns Kimi with smile.”

   “But how, Katyusha?” asks the ambassador delightedly.

   Olga and the ambassador had downed their cocktails and Olga signals for more, handing one to the ambassador and intervening in the conversation diplomatically. “Miss Kimi will answer in a little while.”

   “Oh, I say,” the Ambassador adds, “have you heard of Jingoromon?”
   Kimi gasps inwardly. Jingoromon had written the book on shamisen and given performances for the Emperor. She had been practicing his arrangements for the recital. He would be sure to recognize her amateur effort.

   The guests noting the arrival of the interestingly arrayed artiste form a line to be introduced. First is Major Kato, General Tojo's aide. Kato in gray-green medaled Imperial Army dress uniform, sheathed samurai sword at side, clean-shaven glistening scalp, Chaplin mustache and steel-rim thick lens eyeglasses appears a model of the modern Major of the Imperial Army. He bows and smiles revealing gold uppers. “Miss Kimi. The Prime Minister will be happy for you to continue to represent Japanese young womanhood at its best. Forsaking your art for the war effort, how grand!” He turns to Troyanovsky. “Your Excellence, Mr. Ambassador, I must ask your lady secretary here to stop using the Yankee Monkee slang for our Imperial Army aircraft. The airplanes you referred to – so called Kates – are properly ‘Nakajima B5N torpedo bombers’.”

   “So sorry, old boy.” Troyanovsky claps Kato, who is already the worse from his 4 martinis, familiarly on the shoulder. “The only reason we call them Kates is you chaps not revealing their make and model. Now we know, you will not hear ‘Kate’ again.”

   Kato frowns at his lapse in security but is saved from further embarrassment by Olga pressing another martini on him and getting him into conversation on American jazz of which he is aficionado. Other introductions follow. The Tokyo diplomatic corps is on hand plus newsmen and even a representative of the Imperial Household.

 The bowing and hand kissing end; Kimi is alone with Olga in a side room. “I know what you're going to say darling but just give your personal best and don’t worry about Jingoro whatsisname. He hasn't arrived yet; perhaps he won’t. Besides – you look so great, the audience won't care how or what you play or sing. I'll go out first and warm them up.”

5. Embassy Party Continues

Kimi sits beside the Ambassador as Olga steps on a stage with only a piano. She has transformed herself into sultry siren like P

Hollywood’s 1943 Veronica Lake. A black off-shoulder sheer silk gown with red straps completes her outfit. She sits at piano, turns head right facing the audience and says “First, ladies and gentlemen I should like to sing two songs.” She goes into the wartime Lilli Marlene / Marlene Dietrich - YouTube
popular with German soldiers, then sings La Paloma (NANA MOUSKOURI - LA PALOMA - YouTube) in lilting Spanish and as she finishes the Ambassador’s secretary runs up and places bouquet of white roses on edge of stage.

   “Now, ladies and gentlemen, I dedicate this next to the brave soldiers of Japan.”   
   It is Rabaul Song. The words tell of a young soldier in the dark New Guinea jungle who hopes some day to return to parents, sister, wife. The end words wish for war’s end and are not heard on the radio, deleted by censor for being pacifist. Several Japanese take sharp hissing intakes of breath at the lyrics. When Olga finishes all look toward Major Kato and as he begins to applaud so do the others.

   “My next number needs little introduction in Japan or Russia. As child of both nations I hope the two great peoples will be brought together in friendship and understanding. Tonight, war rules the world but along our borders of Russia and Japan canons are silent, swords put away, bullets do not fly and no bombs fall. My song tells how a woman's humiliation becomes an army officer's salvation. It is from Tolstoy’s tale whose greatest cinematic rendition was made in Japan – Katyusha.”

   Olga goes into a marvelous rendering. When she comes to where “Katyusha” is repeated with emotional intensity the guests stand and sing with her. As she finishes, Major Kato, eyes moist, walks over to Ambassador Troyanovsky and gives clasp of friendship.

   Kimi herself is moved to silent tears. For once Olga has struck a correct chord, which, Kimi hopes, will not be a lost one. Her sentimental musing is ended by Olga's voice.

   “Now my song is ended and another voice begins. Here is the ancient music of our islands played by a true daughter – Miss Kimi.”

   Olga exits and two helpers push the piano aside while three others place a low table and cushions at center stage and install behind it a silkscreen panel with white cranes on gold background. All eyes turn to Kimi who steps on stage.

   An assistant carries the shamisen. It is a 300-year-old instrument obtained by Major Kato.  In front at center stage Kimi sits on shins and feet, tuning by tightening the wood keys and testing tautness by plucking and comparing vibrato notes to wind notes from a white pitch pipe she holds between lips. She notes with relief no Jingoromon. She places the instrument on her lap and holds its limb in the curve of her left forearm so she can pluck the strings with her right, hand holding a small ivory wedge. She sits on cushion in traditional pose, looking upwards and slightly to right as if singing to unseen person in air.

   First, she does Flower Helmet, a wedding song that compares a bride to a samurai warrior except in place of his helmet of steel the bride wears flowers to protect her newly got husband against evil spirits. Kimi sings through tightly controlled clenched jaws, edges of lips curved upwards and held slightly apart, with teeth barely visible. Her voice emanates from deep in throat and is low-pitched and more controlled than modern singer.
   Muroran Fisherman's Song follows. It is sounds without meaning chanted by the workers while lifting their catches from boat to dock at Muroran on North Island's southeast coast and goes ha-na-to-na-to over and over. Kimi sings it as she sang with her father unloading the crab catch. The third song is from a 1700's Noh play that tells of the LadyYang Kwei Fei, the famous concubine of a Chinese emperor whose love brought down a dynasty. Kimi does it instrumental because unsure of the lyrics. Plucking first notes she is electrified to hear a deep, powerful, hauntingly familiar voice as accompaniment – a voice she had sat listening to for hours emanating from her His Master's Voice Victrola.
   Jingoromon!  Turning her head toward the voice, she sees him, a small man in his 70's with close-cropped gray hair and wearing simple brown kimono. Having been intensely concentrated she did not notice his quiet arrival onstage to her left. They finish together, stand and bow deeply to audience which to a person is stunned silent by the superb performance.

   Kimi turns to the old man and bows then says “Oh, Master, I am honored you are with me but please forgive my slipshod performance.”

   Jingoromon bows in return. “No apologies needed, child. I never heard a more authentic Fisherman's Song. Where did you learn to sing it like that? For years I have been trying to catch that particular North Island fisher-folk voice and now you come along and here you have got it. You must record with me.”

   By now the audience crowds on stage led by Major Kato who promises the facilities of Radio Tokyo for the recording.

Later, back at Little Blue House, reclining on divan, cigarette dangling from between 2^nd and 3^rd right fingertips, Olga comments: “Darling, you wowed ‘em.”

Afterward Kimi opens a thick letter headed GUADALCANAL.

End Slim Novel 7

   Slim Novel 8 tells the Battle of Guadalcanal. To start now, click 8.(0-1) Slim Novel 8 Starts - Intro to Guadalcana