45 pages • 1-hour read
Sweet Bean Paste
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Character Analysis
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of illness, death, ableism, and suicidal ideation.
Sentaro Tsujii
Sentaro is the protagonist of the novel. He is a dynamic and round character whose journey from cynical resignation to purposeful engagement forms the central narrative arc. Initially, Sentaro is a man imprisoned by his past and his present circumstances. He works at the Doraharu shop not out of passion but as a means to pay off a debt, a form of penance for a past crime that led to his incarceration. His disconnection from his work is symbolized by his use of mass-produced sweet bean paste; it is a mechanical, soulless process that mirrors his own emotional state. He dislikes sweets and rarely eats his own dorayaki, an irony that underscores his alienation. He is simply passing time, waiting for his release: As he confesses to Tokue, “I’m just a waster” (57). His existence is stagnant, marked only by the annual blooming of the cherry tree outside the shop, a natural cycle of renewal that he observes with weary detachment rather than hope.
Sentaro’s transformation begins with the arrival of Tokue Yoshii. His initial motivation for hiring her is pragmatic: He recognizes the superior quality of her bean paste and sees an opportunity to improve sales and hasten his freedom by employing her for a pittance. However, as Sentaro becomes an apprentice to her reverent cooking process, he undergoes a profound internal shift. He moves from being a disengaged laborer to a dedicated artisan who finds meaning in his work, Finding Dignity and Connection Through Craftsmanship. He learns to emulate Tokue’s practice of “Listening” to the adzuki beans, a metaphor for developing an empathetic and mindful approach to labor. This change is cemented when the shop owner proposes converting Doraharu into a more profitable okonomiyaki restaurant. The old Sentaro would have seized the opportunity to escape, but the transformed Sentaro refuses, declaring his desire to “keep the shop going [and] [d]o it [his] way” (152). This decision signifies his full embrace of his new identity and purpose.
This external transformation is rooted in psychological healing. Sentaro is haunted by guilt over his past, particularly his failure to connect with his mother before her death. His work at Doraharu becomes an unconscious way to address this unresolved grief, especially given his mother’s love for sweets. The act of creating something that brings joy to others allows him to slowly redeem his sense of self-worth. His ability to finally eat and enjoy a whole dorayaki made with Tokue’s artisanal paste is a quiet but powerful symbol of his growing self-acceptance. His relationships are equally crucial to his development. The bond that he forms with Tokue evolves into a surrogate mother-son dynamic, filling a profound emotional void. With the young student Wakana, he grows from being self-absorbed to adopting a protective, older-brother role. Together, they form a supportive found family that provides Sentaro with the connection he needs to finally move forward.
Tokue Yoshii
Tokue serves as the novel’s primary catalyst and mentor. She is a round character with a complex history who inspires profound change in those around her. Her arrival at Doraharu, prompted by a “Help Wanted” sign, sets the novel’s emotional and philosophical narrative in motion. She is the embodiment of resilience, having endured a lifetime of prejudice without succumbing to bitterness. Her determination to work and connect with the world, despite the obstacles, is the driving force of the plot.
Tokue is also the vessel for the novel’s central themes. Her meticulous process of making sweet bean paste is presented as a spiritual practice. She treats the adzuki beans with reverence, insisting on “Listening” to their stories of the sun and rain that they have witnessed. This practice of imaginative empathy illustrates the theme of Finding Dignity and Connection Through Craftsmanship, elevating a simple confection into a work of art imbued with soul.
Tokue’s lasting markers of leprosy—curled-in fingers and facial paralysis—ask the reader to juxtapose a person’s inner worth with the social stigma projected onto their external appearance. Her hands both led to her ostracization and are also the instruments of her incredible skill and kindness. Tokue’s belief in The Inherent Value of Bearing Witness is most clearly articulated in her final, unfinished letter, where she argues that the purpose of existence is not to be useful but simply to be present: “[W]e were born in order to see and listen to the world” (199). This is a counter-narrative in a society that often measures a person’s value by their productivity or conformity.
Tokue’s personal history is a testament to her quiet strength and, more broadly, a critique of societal cruelty. Forcibly institutionalized in a sanatorium as a teenager due to leprosy, she was stripped of her name, family, and freedom. She spent the majority of her life confined behind the sanatorium’s hedge, a victim of the misinformed fear stigmatizing her illness. This backstory demonstrates The Destructive Power of Social Stigma and Prejudice. Yet, despite decades of unjust suffering, she maintains a gentle and life-affirming spirit. She finds joy in the natural world, purpose in her craft, and a deep, empathetic connection to others who feel marginalized, like Sentaro and Wakana.
Wakana
Wakana is a key secondary character who functions as a narrative bridge between Sentaro and Tokue, while also representing the younger generation’s capacity for unprejudiced connection. Wakana is one of the first customers to notice and appreciate the improved quality of the dorayaki after Tokue’s arrival, signaling her perceptive nature. As a teenager navigating a difficult home life with a single mother, she is drawn to the warm, stable environment of Doraharu. The shop becomes a sanctuary for her, and she quickly forms a bond with Sentaro and Tokue, creating the novel’s found-family dynamic. Wakana’s presence provides Sentaro with a sense of purpose and responsibility, helping to draw him out of his cynical isolation, and gives Tokue a cherished connection to the youth she was denied.
Wakana’s actions are pivotal to the advancement of the plot, making her a catalyst for the story’s central conflict and its eventual resolution. Her innocent but direct question to Tokue, “[W]hat happened to your fingers?” (62), initiates the chain of events leading to the destructive rumors. This moment, born not of malice but of a genuine desire to understand, illustrates how easily social stigma can be activated and spread. However, Wakana also becomes the agent of reconciliation. After Tokue leaves, it is Wakana who brings Marvy the canary to Sentaro, creating the pretext for him to re-establish contact with his former mentor.
Miss Moriyama
Miss Moriyama is a minor character who contextualizes and gives color to Tokue’s backstory and her present-day life in the sanatorium. As an elderly woman with visible, lasting effects of leprosy on her face and body, Miss Moriyama offers Sentaro and Wakana a darker and more poignant glimpse into life under permanent forcible quarantine.
Like Tokue, Miss Moriyama was part of the sanatorium’s Confectionary Group; her skill is on display when she serves to the visitors tuile cookies—a French delicacy that shows Miss Moriyama’s breadth of culinary knowledge. However, unlike Tokue, Miss Moriyama is much more direct about the psychological impact of confinement. Opening up to Wakana and Sentaro, she describes her suicidal ideation and despair before Tokue insisted that she join the Group—an example of the restorative power of Finding Dignity and Connection Through Craftsmanship.
After Tokue’s death, Miss Moriyama is the messenger who conveys to Sentaro and Wakana the spiritual beliefs about memory and legacy held by those living in the sanatorium. She explains that each resident who dies is memorialized by a tree; Tokue’s tree is a cherry sapling that echoes her love of observing the natural world. Together with Miss Moriyama, Wakana and Sentaro embrace The Inherent Value of Bearing Witness by spending meaningful time in the grove of memorial trees and watching the rising moon.
The Owner
The owner of Doraharu functions as the novel’s primary antagonist and the embodiment of societal bias. She is a prickly individual and also a product of the widespread ignorance and fear that fuel The Destructive Power of Social Stigma and Prejudice. Her character is static and flat, defined by a cold, business-oriented pragmatism, a preoccupation with cleanliness, and a willingness to manipulate Sentaro by playing on his guilt over his debts. Her motivation is primarily the protection of her financial investment and social standing.
The owner’s reaction to Tokue comes from a deep-seated terror rooted in the historical stigma surrounding leprosy. The moment she hears rumors about Tokue, her fear becomes palpable. She views Tokue not as a person but as a contamination risk, demanding that Sentaro disinfect a cup that Tokue has used and referring to the sanatorium residents as “lepers” (69). By forcing Sentaro to fire Tokue, the owner precipitates the novel’s central moral crisis, forcing him to confront the conflict between his conscience and his obligations. The owner’s final decision to convert Doraharu into an okonomiyaki shop reinforces her characterization. It is a purely commercial choice that dismisses the craft that Sentaro has learned to value, highlighting the fundamental difference between her materialistic worldview and the more meaningful connection to work and life that Sentaro has discovered through Tokue.
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