言葉は命を救う WORDS SAVE LIFE

言葉は命を救う

　ＮＨＫテレビ番組「ファミリーヒストリー」を見た。今回は「花火」で芥川賞をとった又吉直樹のファミリーであった。
　直樹の祖父、宝善は１６歳の時ハワイに渡り、さとうきびプランテーションで１７年間働いた。１９４１年真珠湾攻撃の半年前、３３歳の宝善は沖縄に帰った。２年後結婚したが、１９４５年３月に召集され、沖縄の伊江島の防衛隊に配置された。
　アメリカ兵が沖縄に上陸したとき、宝善は仲間１５人と地下壕に潜んでいた。投降するか自決するかの瀬戸際の時、米兵が地下壕の前で話しているのが聞こえた。宝善は米兵が「投降せよ」と英語で言っているのが分かった。宝善は投降勧告を受け入れて自決せずに済んだ。
　英語が分からなければ仲間と自決していたかもしれない。言葉が命を救ったのだ。

　WORDS SAVE LIVES

　I watched a TV program “Family History,” which featured the family history of Naoki Matakichi, an Akutagawa Award winner for his Hanabi (Fireworks).
　　His grandfather named Hozen went over to Hawaii at the age of 16 and worked at a sugar cane plantation for 17 years. He returned to Japan at the age of 33, half a year before Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. He married twice. He was drafted in March, 1945 and was deployed in Iejima, Okinawa.
　　When the US soldiers landed on the island, he was hiding in a dugout with his 15 comrades. When the soldiers approached the dugout, they argued seriously whether they should surrender or commit suicide. At the last moment, Hozen heard a soldier saying, “If you wave the white flag, we won’t kill you.” He understood his English. He and his comrades turned themselves in and thus they survived.
　　They may have committed suicide if he had not understood English. Words saved their lives.


 

新御園座 NEW MISONOZA THEATER

新御園座　

　今、名古屋で歌舞伎をみるなら御園座ではなく、愛知芸術劇場か日本特殊陶業市民会館に行かなければならない。御園座が２０１３年３月に壊されて、新御園座を建てているからだ。先日、市民会館で「河内山）」「藤娘」「芝翫奴」を見て来たが、全然歌舞伎の雰囲気がなかった。

まず、花道がいただけない。花道は座席を３列ぐらい取り外して作ってあった。まあ、臨時にしてはよくできた花道であったが、間に合わせは間に合わせでしかない（「すっぽん」はどうするんだろう）。
次に、回り舞台がない。例えば「河内山」。第２幕（屋敷の中）が終わって第３幕（玄関先）に変わるとき、御園座では第２幕の場面がそのまま舞台で回転して舞台の裏に隠れていくと、第３幕の場面が裏から表に回転してきて正面に出てくる。観客が見ている目の前で舞台が変わるのだ。しかし、市民会館はそうはいかない。第２幕が終わると、いったん緞帳が下りる。観客席は薄明かりがつき、緞帳の奥でカンカンカンと大道具を設置している金槌の音や大道具係の話し声が聞こえる。待つこと５分ぐらい。やっと、三味線や拍子木が鳴って緞帳があがる。回り舞台の醍醐味が味わえないのは残念なことだ（「どんでんがえし」はどうするのだろう）。
さらに、緞帳がいけない。市民会館の緞帳は大きな鶴をあしらった明るいデザインだが、何ともいただけない。やはり。歌舞伎特有の茶、緑、黒の縦縞模様の幕でないと歌舞伎を見ている気にならない。
早く御園座ができて、本格的な歌舞伎を名古屋でも見たいものだ。新御園座が完成するのは２０１８年春という。建築に５年もかかる。あの新歌舞伎座が４年で（２０１０年４月～２０１３年３月）できたというのに御園座は歌舞伎座より一年も長く時間がかかる。時間がかかりすぎではないか。　

NEW MISONOZA THEATER

 

 

　　If you want to see kabuki in Nagoya, you have to go to Aichi Art Theater or Nihon Tokushutogyo Civic Hall, because Misonoza, a theater for kabuki performance, closed in March, 2013 and the new Mizonoza is now under construction.
　　I went to the civic hall to see kabuki plays on July 24. They were Kochiyama, Fujimusume, and Shikan-yakko. To my regret, I did not enjoy them fully because the civic hall stage was not meant for performing kabuki.
　　First, hanamichi (a raised passage through the audience to the stage) was a makeshift. Usually an ordinary theater like the civic hall does not have hanamichi. So, they made a temporary hanamichi in order to show kabuki. They removed three rows of seats and replaced them with hanamichi. It was well made, but a fake is a fake. (There was no suppon or square hole in the fake hanamichi.)
　　Next, there was no mawari-butai (a revolving stage). Take Kochiyama for example. When the second act that takes place in a guest room ends, the turntable stage turns clockwise, disappearing to the back. Then, the third act stage, which is the front gate scene, appears from behind as the turntable stage revolves. Mawari-butai enables quick change of scenes.
　　However, since the civic hall did not have mawari-butai, the curtain dropped when the first act ended. Then, the audience seats became bright, and I heard the noise of hammers and talking of the stage carpenters from behind the curtain. They were working hard to change the stage scenes as soon as possble. After about a five-minute waiting, I heard the sound of the shamisen string and the striking of clappers, the signal sound of the opening of the next act. Then, the curtain was raised revealing the new scene. Waiting for the new scene for five minutes ruins the flow of the kabuki drama. (How do they perform dondengaeshi or changing stage scenes by turning them over backward to introduce another?)
Thirdly, the design of the curtain was not suitable for kabuki plays. The curtain had a design of a large silver-colored crane against light blue. It was beautiful, but it did not use the typical kabuki curtain design, which consists of vertical-striped colors of brown, green, and black. This three-colored curtain is the symbol of kabuki. You can’t do without it.
　　I am looking forward to the completion of the new Misonoza-theater. The construction finishes in the spring of 2018. It takes five long years. It took four years to build the new Kabuki-za theater (April, 2014 to March, 2013). The new Mizonoza will take one more year than the new Kabuki-za. It takes too long a time.


 

乗っ取り HIJACK

　　乗っ取り
 

　東京に女房と一泊旅行に行って来た。（一日目、柴又と浅草とスカイツリー、二日目、歌舞伎鑑賞）
歌舞伎やスカイツリーは期待通り良かったが、驚いたのは浅草である。何だ、あの混みようは。気違い沙汰だ。芋を洗うようとはこのことだ。ちょうどホウズキ市をやっていて、滅茶苦茶人が多い。本堂には人が満ち溢れ、群がり、とても近づけない。１０年か２０年前に一度来たことがあったが、こんなに混んでいなくて、ゆっくり参拝できたのに。
　ホウズキ売りの人に聞くと、最近は中国人がいっぱい来ているという。そういえば、２０人ぐらいの中国人の団体が、幾組も旗を持ったガイドに連れられ、境内に怒涛のごとく押し寄せ、我が物顔で闊歩し、中国語を飛び交わす。「日本人、そこのけ、そこのけシナ人通る」　なぜ浅草があんなに中国人に人気があるのか理解できない。ネットで情報を手に入れたのだろうか。ネット恐るべし。
　それにしても、あちこちで中国人をよく見かける。羽田空港だったか、瀑買いをした中国人が、手荷物を５つも６つも機内に持ち込もうとして、係員に注意され、荷物預かりに回すための手続きが煩雑になり、予定通り飛行機が離陸できない、とテレビで報道していた。 聞くところによると、京都も、高山も中国人であふれているそうだ。
　そのうちに、日本の観光地は、いや日本の国土そのものが中国人に乗っ取られかねない。


HIJACKHIJACK

　　I went on an overnight trip to Tokyo with my wife. We visited Shibamata, Asakusa, and the Tokyo Skytree on the first day, and saw Kabuki on the second.
　　Both the Skytree and Kabuki were amazing as I had expected, but what surprised and at the same time disappointed me was Sensoji Temple in Asakusa. Since that day fell on the hozuki plant market day, the temple was extraordinarily crowded. The visitors were jam-packed like sardines. I couldn’t walk smoothly. It was impossible to climb the stone steps that lead to the offering box in front of the main temple, because the steps were full of people. I had visited the temple some dozen years ago, but it was not so crowded. I took my time praying without being pushed from behind my back.
　　According to a man selling hozuki plants, the number of Chinese tourists has  recently increased tremendously. I saw several groups of Chinese walking in the temple grounds. Each group consisting of about 20 to 30 people was led by a tourist guide who held a blue flag in her hand. They seemed to be walking as if the grounds were their properties. They were speaking Chinese in a high-pitched voice, that sounded like “Hey, Japanese / Clear the way / For us Chinese.” I don’t know why Sensoji Temple is so popular among Chinese. They must have got the information about it on the Internet. A horrible net!
　　These days I see a lot of Chinese people in cities and tourist spots. The other day I watched a TV program, which dealt with a bunch of troublesome Chinese tourists in the Handeda Airport. They had bought a lot of Japanese goods and intended to carry them onto the airplane, which was against the rule. Because of the cumbersome procedure to get all their parcels onto the place, the departure had to be delayed.
　　One of my acquaintances told me that Kyoto and even Takayama were full of Chinese people. I am afraid that sooner or later Japanese sightseeing areas or the whole Japanese archipelagos will be occupied by Chinese.

お頭つき刺身 SASHIMI WITH THE HEAD

お頭つき刺身

 

先日、次男の家族（嫁と孫二人）と星崎にある「ざうお」という魚料理屋に行きました。大きな建物の中に二艘の木造船(長さ20メートル、幅８メートルほど)が作られており、その船と船の間に幅3メートルぐらいの水流が流れており、水流には沢山の鯉や鰤が泳いでいました。お客は船から水流に向かって釣り竿にエサ（小エビ）をつけて投げ込むと、鯉がぱくつき、すぐ鯉が釣れます。釣り上げると空中で飛び跳ね、釣針から落ちて水流に戻ってしまいます。そうならないように、釣ったらすぐ、備付けのタモですくうのです。釣った鯉は店の人がすぐ刺身にしてテーブルに持ってきます。
私は大きな皿にお頭付きで出てきた刺身を見て残酷に思いました。胴体の部分は全部刺身になっているのですが、お頭から尾ひれまでの骨全体がぴくぴく動いているのです。魚は何にも言わないけれど、何という残酷なことをするのだと思いました。日本ではお頭つきの魚料理は高級料理なのですが、これはいただけません。お頭や尾ひれをテーブルに持ってこないで、刺身だけを持ってきてほしいものです。女房はうまいうまいと言って食べていましたが、私はそうでもありませんでした。大体が、私は岐阜県の出身で、子供のころから刺身など食べたことがありません。ところが女房は三重県出身で、子供のころから新鮮な刺身を食べていました。
アメリカ映画を見ると、豚の丸焼きなどがテーブルにでーんと出ている風景がありますが、アメリカ人は豚の頭が目の前にあるのに、何とも思わないで、肉を大きな包丁で切って、うまいうまいと言って食べるのです。これも残酷ではありませんか。せめて、スーパーで売っているような、豚や牛の原形をとどめていない形（パックとか）で出してほしいものです。
鯉の刺身を食べてから、しばらくは刺身を食べるのは御免こうむりたいと思います。

SASHIMI WITH THE HEAD

 

I went to a fish restaurant, Zauo in Hoshizaki, Minami Ward with my son’s family (his wife and two sons). The building was as large as an aircraft hangar in which two wooden boats were built side by side. Each boat was about 20 meters long and 8 meters wide. Between the two boats there was an artificial water stream about three meters wide. There was a lot of fish (mostly red sea bream and yellow tail) in the water.
　　My grandson dropped a fishing line with shrimp on the hook. Soon a sea bream swallowed the bait and the next moment he raised the line, but it jumped up and down in the air and dropped in the water. The next time he tried, his father used a landing net and they successfully caught a sea bream.
　　The fish was immediately made into sashimi. It was served on a large dish together with its head, bone, and tail. They were still twitching. The fish did not say anything but its glittering eyes were looking at me. I felt sick. In Japan, a fish dish with the head is considered to be a high-class dish, but I don’t feel like tasting it. It is too cruel. My wife ate the raw fish saying, “Delicious!” She is from Mie Prefecture, which borders the sea. On the other hand, I was born in Gifu Prefecture, which is an inland prefecture. I rarely had a chance to eat raw fish in my childhood.
　　When I see Western movies, I sometimes see a giant roast pig served on a table at parties. The people dressed elegantly slice the pig body and eat it in front of the its head. Don’t they feel sick eating the pig, being looked at by the weeping pig eyes? How cruel this is again! I prefer raw fish and pig/cow meat packed in a plate like they are sold in a supermarket. They do not at least remind me of the figures of fish/pigs/cows.
　　After I ate the sea bream, I don’t feel like eating raw fish again within a week or two.




 

今を楽しまなきゃ ENJOY WHILE YOU CAN

 

楽しめるうちに楽しまなきゃ

先日私の友人が人生最大の苦難に見舞われていることを知った。二人目のお孫さんが１６時間に及ぶ手術をしたのだ。お孫さんは生まれてから４か月間ずっと入院しており、何度も危篤状態になった。幸い最近退院できたが、近いうちにまた手術をしなければならないそうだ。
私は友人に同情する。彼女は病気のお孫さんと嫁の世話をしている他に、一番目のお孫さんの世話もしなければならないのだ。
考えてみれば、私の五人の孫は全員健康で私はラッキーだ。でも、私もつらい目にはあっている。２０年ほど前、私は父と義理の母と妹の三人の見舞いを同時にしなければならなかった。三人とも入院していたからだ。それも名古屋でなくて大垣で。おかげで円形脱毛症になってしまった。
「人生何が起こるかわかりませんね」と友人が言った。その通り。一寸先も予測できないから恐ろしい。
楽しめるうちに楽しまなきゃと思う。

ENJOY WHILE YOU CAN

 

　　The other day I learned that a friend of mine was going through one of the most difficult times in her life. Her second grandchild has recently undergone a 16-hour cardiac surgery. She has been in the hospital for four months since she was born, and has fallen critically ill several times. Luckily, she has recently left the hospital, but has to undergo another surgery sometime in the near future.

　　I sympathize with my friend. Besides taking care of her grandchild and daughter-in-law, she has to look after her first grandchild.

　　Given her situation, I think I am lucky, because my five grandchildren are all healthy. Actually speaking, I also had hard time about 20 years ago when I had to look after my father, sister, and mother-in-law, simultaneously, because they were all hospitalized, not in Nagoya but in Ogaki, Gifu Prefecture. Because of the stress, I suffered from alopecia areata.

“You can’t tell what will happen in your life,” my friend said. True, life is full of risks; I can’t predict anything at all, even an incident that will take place only a minute later.

　　I should enjoy my life while I can.

ジャヤワルデネ前大統領の演説 R. Jayawardena's Speech

ジャヤワルダナの演説

 

 　先日テレビを見ていて、戦後日本が分割されそうになっていたということを知った。分割案は①北海道と東北地方　②中部地方　③中国地方と九州　④四国で、それぞれ①ソ連、②米国、③イギリス、④中国が統治するというものであった。この案はソ連が１９５１年９月、サンフランシスコで開催された対日平和条約締結会議で提案されたものであったが、この提案に対して、セイロン（現スリランカ）政府代表団団長で初代スリランカ大統領のJ.R. ジャヤワルダナ氏は反論した。彼は日本の自由を擁護し、日本経済に打撃を与える損害賠償を求めないと演説した。
　歴史が証明しているように、ドイツ、ベトナム、韓国朝鮮のように国家を分断された国民は言うに言われぬ苦難を経験している。日本が分断されるなどということは考えるだけでもぞっとする。もしこの案が実施されていたなら、日本はどうなっていただろう。北日本の人達は南日本の人達と戦っているかもしれないのだ。ジャヤワルダナ氏に感謝しても感謝しすぎることはない。
　私は７２年間生きてきているのに、この事を知る機会がなく、不明を恥じている。おそらく同氏のことを知っている日本人はごく少数ではないのか。日本の子供たちは学校で同氏のことを習うのだろうか。もし習っていないのなら、残念なことだ。

　以下はジャヤワルダナ氏の演説の抜粋。

「幸い、我国セイロンは侵略されませんでしたが、空襲による損害、東南アジア司令部軍駐屯による損害、また我国が連合国に供出する自然ゴムの唯一の生産国であるため、我国の主要産物であるゴムの樹液が枯渇的に採取されたことによる損害を考慮すれば、我国は損害賠償を要求する充分な資格を持っています。しかし、我国はそうしようとは思いません。なぜなら我々は大師（仏陀）の言葉を信じていますから。大師は『憎悪は憎悪によって止むことはなく、慈愛によって止む』と言っています。この言葉のおかげで、数え切れないほどのアジア人は気高い生涯を送れるようになったのです。（略）この条約は敗戦敵国に寛大なものであります。我国は日本に友情と信頼の手を差し伸べます。（略）日本国民と我が国民は平和と繁栄の中で人間の尊厳を享受しつつ共に前進するものであります。」（松岡訳）

 

Jayawardena's Speech

　　The other day I learned from a television program that Japan might have been divided into four parts after WWII: Hokkaido and northern Japan, central Japan, western Japan and Kyushu, and Shikoku, each part governed by USSR, USA, Britain, and China respectively. The division plan was proposed by the Soviet Union at the conference for the conclusion and signature of the treaty of peace with Japan held in San Francisco, USA in 1951. However, J.R. Jayewardene, leader of the delegation of the government of Ceylon (Sri Lank), who later became the president of the country, opposed the plan in his speech. He spoke in defense for a free Japan and informed the conference of Ceylon’s refusal to accept the payment of reparations that would harm Japan’s economy.
　　As history proves, the misery the citizens have and had to face when their countries were divided. Germany, Vietnam, and Korea are such examples. I tremble to imagine what would have become of Japan if the plan had been carried out. The people in the northern part of Japan might be fighting with those in the southern part. Japanese people cannot thank Jayewardene enough.
　　I haven't had chance to learn about the incident in my 72 years of life. I am ashamed of my ignorance. I am afraid how many Japanese people know about him. Do Japanese children learn about him at school? If not, it’s a pity.

　　The following is the excerpts from his speech:

　　“We in Ceylon were fortunate that we were not invaded, but the damage caused by air raids, by the stationing of enormous armies under the South-East Asia Command, and by the slaughter-tapping of one of our main commodities, rubber, when we were the only producer of natural rubber for the Allies, entitles us to ask that the damage so caused should be repaired. We do not intend to do so for we believe in the words of the Great Teacher [Buddha] whose message has ennobled the lives of countless millions in Asia that ‘hatred ceases not by hatred but by love’. . . . This treaty is as magnanimous as it is just to a defeated foe. We extend to Japan the hand of friendship and trust . . . her people and ours may march together to enjoy the full dignity of human life in peace and prosperity.”
 

「「MAT 短編集１」 MAT SHORT STORIES 1

「MAT 短編集１」出版

　アマゾン・キンドル電子ブック出版からこのたび「MAT短編集１」を出版しました。日本語版と英語版の両方です。短編が３編入っています。タイトルは「経文禍」「人面おでき」「シャッターは６時に閉まる」です。内容の紹介文を書きましたので、よろしかったら読んでください。「MAT短編集１」をグーグルで検索するか、以下のサイトにアクセスしてください。

http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B00XAFJBGG?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

「経文禍」

　７７９年、留学僧道勤は遣唐使として唐に渡り、玄奘が天竺から持ち帰った密教経典を、不空和尚の指導の下、読経しながら木簡約五千本に書き写し、奥義を修得しようとした。三年後、遣唐使船にて博多に向かうのだが、嵐のため日本海を北へ北へと流され、出雲の国に漂着する。出雲の高円寺に暫く逗留して身体が回復すると、出雲街道を歩き姫路を目指した。ところが山道で猛吹雪に見舞われ身体が氷のように冷たくなった。

「人面おでき」

　伸太が夜中に目を覚ますと腕に大きなおできができていた。よく見ると、目や鼻のような窪みがあり、人間の顔をしている。その晩、ビールを飲んでいると、おできが「俺にも飲ませろ」と口をきいた。伸太はびっくり仰天。人面おできはビールをたらふく飲んで寝てしまった。
翌朝、皮膚科で診てもらったが、医者は「こんなおできは初めてで治せません」と言った。

「シャッターは六時に閉まる」

　フランク・ハワードは国際貨物航空会社、ユナイテッド・パーセル・サービスのトラック運転手である。その日の積荷は百二十箱の抗マラリア薬品であった。ローリー・ダーラム国際空港の貨物搬入口のシャッターは午後六時きっかりに閉まるから、間に合うように運搬しなくてはならない。
途中、大雨になり、フランクの前を走っていたバンがスリップして、堤防をずるずると滑り落ち、川に突っ込んで、沈みそうになった。

　MAT SHORT STORIES 1

　　I have published an e-book (both in Japanese and in English), MAT Short Stories 1 through Kindle Direct Publishing. The book contains three short stories: Shackled Sutras, The Shutter Closes at Six, and A Human-faced Boil Will Grow on You. Here are the introductory passages for them. If you are interested in reading them, please google “MAT Short Stories 1” or go to:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X2IFLGA?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

 

Shackled by Sutras

　　In 779, a Japanese priest, Dogon went over to Changan, the capital of the Tang dynasty in China to study Buddhism. Dogon worked hard to attain the esoteric points by reciting the sutras repeatedly and copying them on wood strips character by character. The number of the strips amounted to more than 5,000. Three years later, after finishing the study, he got on board the ship to Japan. However, it was caught in a storm and drifted down to Izumo, a northen part of Japan. Luckily fishermen found him lying on the shore and brought him to a temple. About ten days later, he recovered and started to walk to Kyoto, the capital of Japan, but on his way he was again caught in a snowstorm and was almost frozen to death.

The Shutter Closes at Six
 

Frank Howard is a truck driver for the United Parcel Service. That day he was driving a truck loaded with 120 boxes of antimalarial drugs to the Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Because the shutter of the cargo building of the airport closes at six, he had to be in time. While he was driving, it rained hard. A van ahead of him suddenly slipped from the highway into a river and began to sink.

A Human-faced Boil Will Grow on You　

　　When Nobita, a young Japanese man, woke in the morning, he discovered a boil as large as a golf ball on his arm. It looked like a human face. That night when he was drinking, it spoke. It said, “Nobita, let me drink sake, too.” The next morning, he went to the dermatologist to get rid of the boil, but the doctor said, “I am sorry I don’t know how to treat it.”