This article was written in the November 26, 1989 issue of The Daily Bunbunmaru newspaper in Kozankyo.
Marriage influences future generations. Just like what the Kozanese Royal Family does after marriage, many couples who found organizations always expect an heir to take the organization with them should they decide to make succession hereditary. In Kozan, the king or queen reigns until they either die or abdicate the throne. Unlike the prime minister’s position and any republic in the world, succession is not passed hereditary but leaders are rather elected. The same thing goes for major companies and businesses.
I visited the couple of Hideo Ochiai and Kisumi Torisawa in their home just south of Downtown Kozankyo, where they are expecting their first child by the end of next month. However, they’re pretty young, being 24 and 23 respectively. Ochiai works in the local Kozankyo IT department, while his wife Torisawa is a journalist at the local Kozankyo news station, currently on paid leave because of her pregnancy, which began back in March. The couple married back in August of last year and are expecting their first child by the end of this year.
Ochiai’s family descended from the daimyo, or feudal lords of Japan. Hideo is the youngest of three sons to Shigeru Ochiai and Asuka Oguchi. His older brothers Hotaru and Masaru, who are also married to their own wives, have two sons each, but much to Hideo’s dismay, he was surprised to hear their incoming child is female. His father, Shigeru Ochiai, runs a daimyo clan and only males can be his successors, although there have been some exceptions to the Japanese throne, and only eight of its rulers were female.
Torisawa, who is a journalist, is also a fashion merchandiser, despite having a criminal justice major from Kozankyo University. She’s hoping their daughter can follow in her footsteps. Torisawa has posed in other photos while dressed in Victorian gowns; one for Kozankyo University’s annual Victorian Ball held every March. Torisawa has created one fashion trend by debuting her own line of blouses and gowns to help support pregnant women, but it is generally difficult for one to wear a crinoline while dressed like that, so Torisawa worked out a solution.
Torisawa also told us about her experience of attempting to marry Ochiai. In order to, she had to have the usual calf-length hair to do so, and many women in Kozan see it in culture to be a respectable housewife. However, this poses many problems for women with hair that length. When Torisawa reached that length, she tied her hair in a long bun around halfway down to ensure her hair doesn’t get in the way. Just like the rest of Asia, she was born with black hair but dyed it purple on accident when she intended to dye it brown for one of Kozankyo University’s Victorian balls.
Ochiai and Torisawa have also decided on a name for their incoming daughter. Ochiai decided “Kagami” would be perfect for her, as it was the name of Ochiai’s first girlfriend, which he broke up with in high school after she flunked out. The couple met during their sophomore year in high school, and Torisawa had dream of marrying Ochiai after she took him to a ball one time. Torisawa kept her maiden name after getting married, being one of the few wives to do so, unlike in Japan where it’s mandatory by law.
According to Torisawa, their daughter could either grow up to become a doctor or lawyer, or maybe be a child actress in the next big blockbuster movie or whatever entertainment product hits her. If she becomes a singer, she would probably go to bed with tens of thousands of ingots in her sheets. They won’t know what path she’ll take. But it can only be determined once she comes into the world.
Drillimation Systems 