In a few days, my book, "Bitter Sea, Pure Land, and Japan: Michiko Ishimure's The Spirit of God Modae" will be published by Shueisha. Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity of this publication to introduce a book by Dr. Katsumi Masuda, who was a professor in the Faculty of Letters at Hosei University. The reason for this is that I was so struck by the literature of Michiko Ishimure that I have not been able to forget it ever since, and I have read it from time to time and discussed it in my literature classes. I wrote about it in my book about Hosei University, "The Plaza of Freedom," as follows
The lecture that shocked me was the class given by Katsumi Masuda. I had known this eminent teacher as a scholar of ancient literature since I was a high school student, but the important theme he passed on to me while I was still in school was not about ancient literature, but about Minamata. I learned of Ishimure Michiko's "Kikkai Jodo" through the shock of the words that came out of his mouth when he recited "Kikkai Jodo" in the Kumamoto (Minamata) dialect.
I also wrote about it at the beginning of "Bitter Sea, Pure Land, and Japan--Ishimure Michiko: The Spirit of God Modae" as follows.
I have met Michiko Ishimure many times. One-sidedly, of course. The first time was in 1970, when I was a freshman in college, in a class in the Department of Japanese Literature in the Faculty of Letters at Hosei University. I began to read aloud a passage from "Kikkai Jodo - Waga Minamata Disease" (Kodansha), which had just been published the year before by Katsumi Masuda (1923-2020), a scholar of ancient literature and folklorist. As I followed the words I heard, I thought to myself, "Is this literature, too? I was surprised that such literature existed in this world. (omission) The dialect-based words echoing in my ears were overwhelming. What in the world could have shaken me when I was only 18 years old? That is what has always haunted me.
At Hosei University, I met many people, including teachers. Encounters with people were also encounters with books. Friends taught me books I had never read before, and professors opened up a world I had never imagined through their own books and classes. This later led me to specialize in Edo literature, which in turn led to opportunities to write books outside of Edo literature. The future significance of what you are encountering today is completely unforeseeable. It may be buried, or it may be decisive. There is no need for foresight. However, if something attracts you, it has meaning for you. So I urge you to approach it seriously and carefully. The books you read at your age, even if you don't understand them, will remain vividly in the depths of your memory if you concentrate on trying to "get it" somehow. In order to preserve it, I recommend that you make a notebook instead of reading it in a rambling manner. Just quote it and write down what you think and feel about it, and it will become a part of you.
Dr. Katsumi Masuda is a researcher who studied the Tale of Genji, the Kojiki, and the Chronicles of the Chronicles, as well as a range of medieval narratives and sagas. He has also written extensively on folklore, Japanese language and classical teaching methods. I first read about Yamatotakeru in a high school textbook on modern Japanese. It left a deep impression on me. This is in "Kings and Children" in "The Idea of the Volcanic Archipelago" (Kodansha). Dr. Katsumi Masuda's writings are currently collected in the five-volume Chikuma Gakugei Bunko "The Work of Katsumi Masuda. This collection won the Mainichi Publication Culture Award in 2006. It was edited by Kiyoko Amano, a professor in the Department of Japanese Literature at Chikuma Gakugei Bunko, and Hideo Suzuki, a professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo, who also taught at the graduate school of Chikuma Gakugei Bunko. This is an excellent collection. It is available in paperback, so please pick up a copy.
His masterpiece is "The Idea of the Volcanic Archipelago. It is in the second volume of "The Work of Katsumi Masuda. This book contains many amazing things. For example, "To think of the Japanese gods, we must also think of their owners. （In writing this passage, Katsumi Masuda begins with his own experience. For a long time, he wondered about the final stage of the Izumo's transfer of the nation. One day, "I was making my way up the west ridge of Mount Tsukiyomi, weaving through the deep thatch on my shoulders, panting under the weight of the burden on my back. And I kept thinking about the gods Tsukiyomi and Hijiri. Suddenly, <Oh, Kotoshiro of Izumo, too, ...>, he had an epiphany. The "How to Think about the Japanese Gods" passage comes right after that. What is being described by the terms "private form of kami" and "sacred family" refers to the relationship between "kami" and "kami no shiro."
I do not intend to discuss ancient Japanese cultural theory here. What I wanted you to notice is that Katsumi Masuda frequently writes with the subject "I". In the academic world, this is one of the taboos. However, I was never forbidden to do so, even by my teacher Tamotsu HIROSUE (preservation of broadleaf) while I was in graduate school. At that time, in the Department of Japanese Literature at Hosei University, even classical literature scholars were allowed to express their "I" as a subject who was surprised, thrilled, explored, and thought about various phenomena in literature, folklore, and history. Katsumi Masuda never took his predecessors' advice about mythology and classical literature for granted, but always wondered, continued to think about it every day, and continued to solve the mysteries.
In another place he writes, "I have bumped into the Prince and Child only once before. In the "Heart's North," he tries to solve the "mystery" that the 39th child of Emperor Daigo was described as a "child" and yet described as having "white hair. As a result, we come across two old princes who have been refusing to be married for a long time. It is like Oskar, the protagonist of Nobel Prize-winning author Günter Grass' "The Tin Drum" (published by Shueisha). In the age of Nazism, Oskar stopped growing up himself at the age of three.
The chapter "False Evil Traditions" begins with this. If I had even a particle of common cause with them in my heart, I would not fear them so much. I am only a hypocrite. (Omitted) But they were not so. (Omitted) But they were not so. And not only did they succeed in deceiving the world, but they also succeeded in deceiving themselves. （Mysterious people in mysterious times! --Why do people become researchers? Reading Katsumi Masuda's writings, we can see that. The world is full of mysteries, very thrilling, and if you want to understand even a little, you cannot stop yourself. Researchers are such people. They place value on literature and use scientific and objective methods as tools. This is a natural part of learning and research. But why do "I" do research? Without that question, research cannot continue.
The "mystery" is also directed at society. Katsumi Masuda's discussion of "The Tale of Genji" speaks of the society and class in which the writer lives, and the place of women within that society. He says, "There has never been a moment in history when women could truly be individuals. Among these women, Sei Shonagon lived in the world of courtesans, while Murasaki Shikibu was the daughter of a middle-class official, a ryokunin. Murasaki Shikibu, on the other hand, was the daughter of a middle-class government official, the Receiver, and she was the first to recognize the world of the women of the Receiver's household as the true mother of the spirit of Edo-period women's literature. In other words, it was in the world of the daughters of the recipient families that the imagination for a court and upper class aristocracy that was completely different from their own existed. Here, too, we can see Murasaki Shikibu's idea of trying to decipher the "I" point of view. It is not that the story would be the same no matter who wrote it, but that there are stories that can only be written in the dreams of the women of the recipient family. Literature cannot exist without the "I" perspective. This conviction pervades every part of my work, and its power has continued to have a profound impact on my students and readers.
Let me return to my book "Bitter Sea, Pure Land, and Japan," which I mentioned at the beginning of this essay. I now believe that Dr. Katsumi Masuda must have discovered an ancient storyteller in this person, Michiko Ishimure. A person who listens to the voices of people's sufferings, accompanies them, and speaks for them. Such a person was called a "modamae kami. God and God's representatives are the agents and spokespersons of the great nature that lies behind them. Michiko Ishimure, whom I met at Hosei University. The book, "Bitter Sea, Pure Land, and Japan," was written by five alumni of Hosei University, including myself. Mr. Naoki Ito of Shueisha asked me to compile a book on Michiko Ishimure. Ms. Chiwako Miyauchi, a freelance writer, who helped me by summarizing parts of our discussions when I was unable to concentrate on writing due to the President's schedule. They are alumni of Hosei University. And that's not all. Hosei University alumnus Watanabe Kyoji, whose book was introduced in the 10th edition of "To All of You from the President," and with whom I had a conversation on Hosei Online, was the editor who brought Michiko Ishimure to the world, supported her writing throughout her life, and remained devoted to her work until the end of her life. Professor KOBAYASHI Naoki, also a TUAT alumnus and a professor in the Faculty of Social Sciences, led me to Minamata and helped me with my research. Thus, this book was made possible together with many alumni. You never know what kind of creation your current connections with alumni and senior/junior colleagues will lead to in the future. Please talk to each other with sincerity and become good friends.
In this issue, I introduced Dr. Katsumi Masuda's book and wrote about the thrilling job of being a researcher. I hope you will also remember my book, which was guided by it.
October 19, 2020
TANAKA Yuko, President, Hosei University