Haruki Totoyama Character Analysis in Pachinko

Haruki joins Mozasu’s class at school at age 11, and he’s ostracized because of his home life—a disabled brother and an abandoned single mother—and the inaccurate rumor that he’s a burakumin. Mozasu is drawn to his fellow outcast, and they become best friends. Haruki is romantically attracted to Mozasu and other men, but he never reveals this, though his wife, Ayame, once sees him having sex with another man in a park. Haruki and Ayame take in Haruki’s brother, Daisuke, after his mother’s death. Haruki studies at the police academy and becomes a highly ranked detective in Yokohama. He has a lifelong bond with Mozasu’s son, Solomon.

Haruki Totoyama Character Timeline in Pachinko

The timeline below shows where the character Haruki Totoyama appears in Pachinko. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

One day a poor Japanese boy named Haruki joins Mozasu’s class. He’s rumored to be a burakumin, but he isn’t. He has a... (full context)

...that Mozasu needs nicer clothes, so he takes him to the small shop run by Haruki’s mother, Totoyama. To Mozasu’s amazement, Goro tells Totoyama that Mozasu is going to be his... (full context)

Love, Motherhood, and Women’s Choices Theme Icon

...three nights a week. One day Mozasu is waiting outside Totoyama’s shop for Yumi when Haruki shows up. He’s been studying at the police academy, and the two haven’t seen each... (full context)

Haruki has come for a weekend visit, and over dinner, Hansu offers Haruki his business card... (full context)

It’s 1974 in Yokohama, and Haruki is now married to Ayame, the foreman of his mother’s uniform shop, because it’s what... (full context)

...returns to the park and walks among the many couples having sex there, thinking about Haruki. Suddenly, to her shock, she notices that Haruki is there, having sex with a younger... (full context)

A couple of years later, Haruki has to deal with the case of a 12-year-old Korean boy who committed suicide. The... (full context)

Haruki goes to Mozasu’s pachinko parlor. He doesn’t gamble recklessly, but he has an ample inheritance... (full context)

Mozasu shows up, and when Haruki tells him about the boy, Haruki starts to cry. Mozasu tells him that he got... (full context)

...who doesn’t want to sell her property. Mozasu says he can easily call Goro or Haruki to find out about her. Solomon notices that his father doesn’t seem embarrassed about his... (full context)

Solomon goes to the curry restaurant where Mozasu, Goro, and Haruki habitually eat on Wednesdays. He’s visibly upset. Goro says he went to the old woman’s... (full context)

...evils. Many of the most significant people in Solomon’s life have been Japanese—Etsuko, Hana, and Haruki. In a way, he feels Japanese himself; there’s “more to being something than just blood.”... (full context)