Closest Friends 腹心の友

Lately, I’ve been watching a Japanese drama series called Hanako and Anne. It is a tale about the life of Hanako Muraoka (1893-1968), a Japanese translator and writer.

Born Hana Ando, she wanted to be called “Hanako” because Hana is too average a name. As a child, Hana argued that people’s names carry meanings. To her, having others call her “Hanako” makes her feel like she is important. (And of course, as an English major, this argument is naturally of great interest to me.)

After marriage, her name was officially changed to Hanako.

Through works of translation, Hanako introduced many pieces of foreign children’s literature to Japanese children, such as The Christmas Carol, Anne of Green Gables, and A Dog of Flanders. A Canadian missionary handed Hanako a copy of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables right before World War Two broke out. She translated the piece in secret through the ravages of the war, and it has been one of the most popular young adult novels in Japan.

Yuriko Yoshitaka (right) as Hana Ando, later Hanako Muraoka, and Yukie Nakama (left) as Renko Hayama, Hanako’s best friend

Renko and Hana were from completely different backgrounds, and their encounter created something in their lives that they could not find anywhere else. They became best friends. They were the definition of soul mates.

ねぇ、蓮子さん、私の腹心の友になってくれて？

Hey, Renko-san, would you be my closest friend?

I wonder how anyone can translate “腹心の友” from Japanese to English. The closest I could come up with is “closest friend”, but it means much more. The literature translation is something close to “a friend of the pit of one’s heart”, and it means more than just a close bond, but also trust and care and understanding.

I just think this is beautiful.