"Daily Word" Echoes
P.0.BOX 30, MORIYAMA POST OFFICE, NAGOYA 463 Tel. (052)794-6422
July 31,1994 Number 46 \200
(Essays submitted by listeners on themes of "Daily Word" telephone messages
between May 29 and June 28, 1994 and other "echoes" of this telephone service.
Corrected and edited by Clark Offner.)
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May 29 Meeting (Subject #260)
Memories of Elementary School Days:
Happy, sad, ordinary, extraordinary
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It was the beginning of April 1934
when I entered KamisugiyamadOri Elementary
School in Sendai. The school, which
encompassed a playground was made of
wood, Cherry blossoms were in full blossom.
Our school mark was in the shape of
a cherry blos.som with the Chinese character
ue/kamiin the center. We newcomers
were divided into six classes: White, Red,
Yellow, Green, Purple and Blue. I was enrolled
in the Yellow Class. Our teacher was
a young and beautiful lady. What do you
think her name was? It was 7\-TO -I-3- in
Chinese characters, which looked like an
address. We called her Hatch8rne Sensei.
Her given name was Isoko. Incidentally,
she got married and became Mrs. lsoko Matsukawa.
I confess that I was a careless
girl. Every morning my mother had to tell
me not to forget anything necessary for
school life, such as a handkerchief or
school implements.
One day when I was probably in the
third grade, she noticed that I had left my
compasses at home and , entering the class
room, said to me, "Here are your bunmawa-
517/", the old Japanese word nor a pair of
compasses, which along with tatemakiri,
for a knife,were used in the Meiji era when
she herself was an elementary school gill
at the end of the 19th century. The pupils
in the Showa era called these things kernpesuand
neitu, as we do now. Some of my
classmates chuckled at her words. Sugawara
Sense' did not and told me to say
"Thank you" to my mother . No other mother
came to class so often as mine. After
that I became a little more careful to prepare
things to take to school on the previous
day.
I was so good at Japanese reading and
composition that my teacher read what I
had written loudly before the class. I was
also good at .arithmetic, natural science,
history and singing However, I was poor
at drawing, calligraphy and, especially,
gymnastics. When I began to learn calligraphy
in first grade, I used to get Chinese
ink on my hands and clothes and sometimes
on my face. So mother made me a smock
for my calligraphy class. At that time, my
teacher was very upset because I refused
to participate in the radio gymnastic exercises
before studying. Hearing this unpleasant
news,, father gave me special
training in' these exercises before supper
that evening. My Mother and second eldest
sister joined in. They were more strict
than.Hatchome Sensei. I was forced to follow
their instructions. Gradually, my physical
coordination improved. But I could
not climb up to the top of the wall bars
throughout my elementary school days.
When we advanced to fifth grade, we
2 JULY 31, 1994
were divided into three classes for boys
and three others for girls. In our new
class, there were about forty girls. Our
teacher, Mr. Omine, asked each one of us,
"What religion does your family profess?"
Most of my classmates answered, "Buddhism",
but three, including me, answered,
"Christianity" . He said, "You are fortunate
if you believe in the existence of one who
is above human beings and depend on him."
That was the only comment about religion
that I heard from a teacher in my elementary
school.
Although I did not learn English in elementary
school, I did know some English
words. When I was in third or fourth
grade, we learned the song, I/slily/aka /776rU,
Kyl.fnio Cojcin o h ash/ no co,
Doi no otoko no b'enke/ wa
Nags/ nag/ Rata furlogete
Ushiweka megokete kfrlkokaru.
1/517/wakemaru wo tobtholte
Motto Ogi wo nagesutete
Kai, ko/, koi to,
Rankon no cc a/ agatte,
Te wo tateku.
I sang that song with some English
words instead of Japanese.
Capital 6o/ono bridge no ue
Big giantBenke/ go
Long sword fur/vote
megakete cut sure.
?
US11/Wak6778107/8/j u mp shire
Motto f an wo nagesutete
Come, come, come to
Handrai I no cc ne egatte
Hand tot4,z3i, Pachi, Paclil (action)
Everyone io the class was amaed, but
foreigners (;-:.,loot understand the meaning.
I enjoyed these kinds of games.
UCH I, Fu',:u3 im a)
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
I was born and grew up in a city. I had,
however, the experience of living in the
country for two years during my elementary
school days. I was puzzled about the
various customs there. I knew nothing
about them when I arrived, but I soon got
accustomed to them. At the time, I did not
like to live there, but now I think that it
was a very important and valuable experience
and I have vivid memories of it.
For instance, I transplanted rice,
washed a carpet in a stream, drank emacho
on April 8th, the birthday of the Buddha
and gathered locusts from the heads of
rice plants for the farmers as a part of
school activities. I can never have such
experiences again. How many new customs
I learned and how many new experiences I
had there! I am very grateful for them.
This theme has stimulated memories of my
elementary school days.
(IAI C H I KO SANO, Minami, Nagoya)
It was in 1939, two years after the
outbreak of the China Incident, that I entered
an elementary school in Tokyo. I remember
I was impressed by the beautiful
sight of cherry blossoms near the gate of
the school. Several days after school began,
I was designated kyOcho by our class
teacher and I enjoyed giving commands in
the classroom. ?
When I was a third grader, the Pacific
War began. Some people around me shouted,
"At last it's begun!" but I was too young to
easily understand the situation at that
time. Changes that occurred in society
compelled us to realize that we were in a
national emergency. Many of my memories
of my elementary school days are deeply
connected with the war as a matter of
fact. We repeal ally, as a daily experience,
sent off soldiers going to the front. Mere
child as I was, I wondered whether a green
grocer in the neighborhood could really go
JULY 31, 1994
into a battle against the enemy. Motion
pictures in theaters were all militaristic
ones, aimed at inspiring people (especially
youth) with patriotism. Our school teacher
took us to the theaters to see these films.
I still believe that this kind of militaristic
education influenced me to take an examination
for a yonen-g8kg a military
preparatory school, some years later. (By
the way, a couple of months after passing
the examination, the war came to an end.)
Our teacher ordered us to learn by heart
"The Imperial Rescript for Youth"
, which
we recited even though we could not understand
its exact meaning. in those days,
we were convinced that Roosevelt, Churchill
and Chiang Kai Shek were all wicked
men disturbing world peace.
As time went on,the tide of war turned
against us. Many soldiers at the front died,
but never surrendered because they had
been taught: "A man of honor would rather
die with his name unstained than survive
with disgrace." The remains of soldiers
were sent back in rapid succession to the
bereaved families. We called it 177t/g01n7o
geisen, or silent return. Around 1943, air
raids by American carrier-based planes
went into action. The government had
given instruction beforehand on f ire fighting
using water barrels and buckets. But
people soon realized how useless such
training was when confronted with actual
fighting beyond imagination. The government
determined to remove pupils from big
cities such as Tokyo and Osaka to rural
dictricts in order to preserve its war potential
in the future. Pupils had to choose
one of two ways of evacuation: evacuation
in a group or evacuation to the home of a
relative. I chose the latter and when I was
a fifth grader, I changed to a school in Hiroshima,
my mother's native place. About.
one year afterward, I entered a middle
school in that city and soon experienced
"DAILYW ORDE" CHOES 3
the great catastrophe of the atomic bomb
in August of the same year.
(MIKI H IKO Y OSHI M OTO,G ifu)
In those days, my family lived in Yoshlike,
Kariya-shi and, like everyone else,
we were not experiencing a comfortable ?
life, but that doesn't mean that life was
not enjoyable. In fact, those years may be
considered one of the most enjoyable periods
in my life and one particular event
stands out as "unusual".
I often played with Takayasu Nomura, a
son of Dr. Nomura, one of the best-known
physicians in my neighborhood. One Sunday
morning, Takayasu came to my house and invited
me to go with him to a nearby Christian
Church. He and his family seemed to
attend church, but I had never been to
church, for my family's religion was Ado
Shinsh0. That was my very first visit to a
building of a Western religion.
Takayasu and I went into the church
and, to me, it was a very fantastic world,
totally different from what I had ever experienced.
I still remember joining the
congregation in singing hymns and putting
a V5 coin in the offering. That was a
pleasant experience, but I never went to
church again for a long time after that. ?
?
Many years later, however, when I became
a high school student, I found out
that that was the church where Rev. Offner
was the pastor and, still years later, I was
very happy to become one of the most enthusiastic
fans of the "Daily Word" telephone
service provided by the same minister.
(TOMOYASU KIMURA, Nishi, Nagoya)
Speaking of memories of my elementary
school days, l think of my mother who
was very strict about manners and studying.
In particular, she did not permit me to
refuse to eat foods I disliked. There are
two things I have never forgotten. One of
.4 JULY 31 , 1994
them is about foods.
I hated carrots, but there were some
cooked carrots on the table every meal
time. I always gave some of them to my
younger brother without mother's knowledge,
but one day she caught sight of me
doing that and forced me to eat all of
them. Unwillingly, 1 ate them after holding
my nose and closing my eyes. Sometimes,
she served boiled vegetables mixed
with rice and included some sliced carrots.
It tasted good and now I like a vegetable
salad with carrots in it.
The other thing was related to homework.
in those days, there were no private
tutoring services and we had to study by
ourselves. So the lesson we learned in
school on a certain day had to be remembered
and homework related to it had to be
done that same day. My mother used to help
me with my lessons every day after supper,
but sometimes I couldn't understand
or solve a problem even though she taught
me eagerly. One snowy winter night, she
suddenly got angry and put me outdoors
without shoes. I cried for a while In the
snow, but soon an old lady who lived next
door came oat and persuaded me to ask my
mother to pardon me. Still, I couldn't
sleep all niot because my feet and body
were as cold as stone. After that, I studied
hard, greduated from high school and
normal collete and became a teacher as I
had hoped.
I owe to my mother what I am. I felt
bitter against my mother at i'last, but now
I feel thanklul to her from the bottom of
my heart.
Miruho, Nagoya)
I was born just after the Pacific War
at the tip of .'ne Chita Peninsula. Due to
shortages of ;.),..)d other commodities,
,.)ur daily life wee very hard. \ hc] to do
many chores to help our parents. Almost
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
every morning, I rode my bicycle to an
agent to deliver the two dozen wool gloves
on which my mother had worked until late
at night sewing on animal decorations .
Those gloves must have been exported :to
the U. S. for American boys and girls .
As we had no waterworks in my town,
I had to carry many buckets of water from
a well to my house. In the evening; I carried
water for bathing and burned firewood
which was gathered from the fields around
our farm. in summer, the well often dried
up. In that case, I carried water from the
well below a hill to our home.
On Sundays, our family went to the
small farm we rented from a relative. In
spring, I dug up the ground with a hoe to
plant sweet potatoes. in autumn, we dug
up a number of sweet potatoes and sowed
seeds of wheat. These foods were important
for our family. Even now, I remember
the scent of my mother pulling a cart from
the farm to our home in heavy rain. During
the summer vacation, I got up at 5 a.m. and
hurried to a fish shop. The sea was yet
clean and there were many fish at that
time. I used to buy 15 small horse mackerels
for 30 yen.
Despite the many chores, we had many
ways to amuse ourselves after school. One
way was to play dontne. Boys were divided
into two groups. The boys in one group became
"horses"--each boy bending at the
waist and putting his head between the
legs of the boy in front of him. Boys in the
other group jumped on these "horses" and
tried to crush them.
During the past forty years, the situation
has changed dramatically. Though
many people come to the southern part of
the Chita Peninsula to eat fresh fish, I
hear that many fish served to the guests
are imported or br.)ught from other prefecaeres.
The sea had become contaminated
and fish are becoming extinct. Children
JULY 31, 1994
suppose that their only job is learning at
school or cram school and are not expected
to do any chores. We rarely see children
shopping at fish shops or vegetable stores.
(YOSHIHISA KAWAHARA, Mihama, Aichi)
When i think back on my elementary
school days, I always recall the village of
Miyoshi in Tochigi Prefecture, where my
father was born and raised. My family
lived there during World War II and for
three years afterward. Fortunately this
village never suffered an air raid. I entered
the local elementary school the year
the war ended and studied there for three
years until I became a fourth grader. So
memories of the first half of my elementary
school days are closely connected
with rural life in an idyllic setting.
My father's home was located near the
school. I often went to the school yard
with neighborhood friends after school.
The school compound was surounded by
many big cherry trees. In April when the
cherry blossoms were in full bloom, we
chased after the falling petals under the
trees, collecting them in our outspread
skirts. The girl who accumulated the
most petals won. I was slow and always
gathered the fewest petals. However, that
was my favorite game at that time.
Most of the villagers were farmers.
There was no school during the busiest
farming seasons. When rice was planted in
May and harvested in October, the farmers
were extremely busy and needed even the
childrens' hands. Elder children worked
hard with their parents in the field, but we
younger children had not so many things to
do. I loved these periods of no school. The
weather was perfect to play outdoors.
The life of the village was rustic.
There was electricity but no gas, and electricity
was used only for lighting. The villagers
needed firewood for cooking and
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
5
heating water for baths. Children were
sent to the forest in the hills to gather
dead twigs and leaves for fuel. The forest
was a wonderful place for them to explore.
When they got there, the first thing they
did was to .search for berries to eat. Boys
climbed trees and swung down on a liana
like Tarzan did in the movies. Girls picked
flowers and made a bouquet or a crown and
looked for edible mushrooms or wild vegetables.
There was a small pond in the forest.
The water was frozen in the winter time.
We enjoyed skating there, not on skates,
but on our ragged shoes. One day a boy put
on the "geta-skates" his father had made
and slid on the ice. How envious of him we
were! He let us put on his "geta-skates",
but we fell down on our bottoms as soon as
we stood up.
In the summer, we went to the river to
go swimming. The water was very clean,
transparent and cold. Athough we were
strictly told not to swim too long, we
stayed in the water for such a long time
that when we returned our faces had no
color. We put a warm stone on our lips to
recover our complexion. I was clumsy and
could not swim. My big brother and his
friends caught some minnows, called nzed8k8
in Japanese, and forced me to swallow
them. They believed medakahad magical
power to help those children who could
not swim. I did as I was told. However, I
still remained like a stone in the water.
We invented various kinds of games
appropriate for each season and enjoyed
playing them in natural surroundings. More
fortunately, we had no cram schools and no
entrance exams. Generally speaking, children
some forty years ago were happier
than those today. However, those children
who lived in rural regions, evacuated from
the cities and separated from their families
during the war have sad memories. If I
6 JULY3 1, 1994
hadIDben a little older and lived in an unknown
village without the protection of
my parents and good relatives , I would
have been hungry, badly treated and discriminated
against like they were. I feel
sorry for them and feel somewhat guilty of
not sharing those sad experiences with
them. (NAOMI KONDO, Handa)
When I was four years old, our family
moved to a small town on the Chita Peninsula
to escape from the disastrous bombing
of Nagoya. The year the war ended, I
entered elementary school. There were
many pupils who had been evacuated from
cities like our family. So one year later ,
about one-third of the classmates had gone
back to their home cities.' Two of my best
friends in the neighborhood who walked to
school and p;ayed together with me moved
to someplace, I don't know where. But our
family couldn't go back to our home city of
Nagoya because our house was destroyed
and my father didn't come back from the
battlefield. Our homeroom teachers were
changed two or three times a year. And our
whole family seemed to be always reminIscing
about our home city and the life
there. Although that might not be the only
reason, I was a rather quiet and passive
girl in school.
do have one pleasant memory, however.
In the fourth grade, our music teacher
used to l et us make songs, including
both words and music. One of my songs
was chosen for rendition at a school assembly.
I was very shy and not a very good
singer, but with the help of two of my
friends, I managed to sing it on the stage
in front of a i;.irge audience. Even now, I
can sing It d 1 also, can remember the
dress I wore at the meeting which my
mother made for me out of her own Idmono.
Several years ago, when I told thin story
to my friend who had become a music
"DAILYW ORD"E CHOES
teacher, she was very surprised that there
was such a great music teacher who educated
us in such a modern way in such an
old and confusing time. Without realizing
it, I might have been surrounded with many
more nice things in my elementary school
days. (YOSHIKO TOYOTA, Kanie, Ai ch i)
I would like to mention three kinds of
memor ies.
1) Earthquake. It was the day of the
opening ceremony of the second term,
September the first. I was in the first
grade in school and six years old. I had
come back home from school and was playing
with my eldest brother. Suddenly, we
felt the shock of a great earthquake just
two minutes before noon. All eight members
of our family gathered in our .garden.
It was the great earthquake of 1923 (Kentd
061517117S5in1 ;J apanese). Fortunately our
house was not destroyed, but as it was
dangerous to stay in the house, we hung
two or three mosquito nets between trees.
A few days later, we could live in our
house as usual. Earthquakes are one of the
most dreadful of natural disasters.
2) Drama. One of the school events at
that time was a st8kuciellcat: Parents and
neighbors were invited to a presentation
of plays, choruses, concerts and dramas.
Generally, the gokugelkai was held in the
fall, once a year. When I was seven years
old, in second grade, wearing a yellow
dress, l danced a kewpie doll on the stage
accompanied by a piano and sang with a
classmate of mine: 10/0,0/ 5 817,i t ytIpt sari,
cio.6/71t5e0 /717,1/O7/k in8 o merne a 17711p7a6t t c,
filraite tatteruno tatteruno ("Why are you
standing in the nude as you are, with your
big eyes open so wide?") We were so happy
that many clapped for us} It was my f lest
and last experience of appearing on a stage
3) Airship. A very large, silver-grey
airship was quietly Hoating high above our
JULY3 1, 1994
garden in Tokyo on a hot summer day. We
enjoyed looking up and waving our hands.
In a little while, it moved slowly to the
west, without noise. It was a zeppelin
airship that called on Tokyo on its way
around the world from Germany. Finally,
not long afterward, the zeppelin airship
ended in failure.
(TAMAKOM ORIMOTOT, suyama)
I have vivid recollections of two
events. The one was an euphoric moment
when I was a first grader; the other took
place when I was in sixth grade. One day I
was taught how to write the kana letter
"O" and then was instructed to practice
writing the same letters in my notebook. I
was very obedient and patiently endured
the drudgery of repeatedly writing the
same letters in my notebook. My work was
marked with a fivefold circle to show that
it was excellent. The big circle which I
got for the first time made me feel as if I
were walking on air. Upon returning home,
lost no time in telling my mother what I
got in class. Mother shared the euphoria
with me and I do not remember her with a
happier look than I saw at that time.
The above story shows that encouragement
of students is vital in education in
that it induces pupils to make a greater
effort to 'improve themselves.
The second incident took place while I
was involved In cramming bits of information
for the entrance examination of a middle
school. I joined some of my friends
who were at the top of my class to cram
Japanese history for the entrance exam.
When we got tired, we would have a break,
listening to records of popular songs and
singing to ourselves snatches of some of
them. Small wonder that even now I can
sing some of the popular songs I was absorbed
in listening to and singing at those
breaks, while all of what I learned by rote
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 7
then on Japanese history has completely
slipped out of my memory.
This story epitomizes the uselessness
of cramming bits of information.
I would like to add another story. It is
a sad one. I still remember what happened
to my house while Typhoon Muroto, one of
the fiercest storms that ever invaded the
mainland of Japan in the first half of this
century, swept across western Japan. In
September 1934, I was a fourth grader. In
spite of the strong gusts of wind accompanied
by heavy rain we had had since early
morning, 1 ventured to school, just a few
blocks away from my home. On reaching
the classroom, the storm suddenly got
even stronger. The extraordinary rattling
of the classroom windowpanes fl.ghtened
me very much. I was simply trembling,
shoulder to shoulder, with some friends
when we heard the deafening noise of the
science laboratory's windows breaking.
Toward noon, however, the storm began
to subside. I was on my way home from
school when I was astounded to find that
the wall, three meters high and some dozen
meters long, which had stood In front of
my house was no longer there. From the
street, I could see directly into the very
interior of my home. What a surprise! The
storm was so violent that it blew down
'that solidly built high wail. I do not know
how much the damage cost my father, but
it was not until many days had passed that
the wall was reconstructed as before. Afterward,
It was reported that the terrible
typhoon had claimed the lives of dozens of
young students plus some of their teachers
in the Osaka City area alone.
In retrospect, little progress has been
made in terms of preventive measures
against possible natural disasters being
taken by society. I am sorry to point this
out after so many years.
(SHOJI SUGIMOTO, Suginami, Tokyo)
8 JULY 31, 1994
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May 31 Messacle (Sub iect #261)
The seccnd theme for the 46th issue of
the Echoes islcoban, or Japanese local police
boxes, Mese 177/17/5tdtth175f, ound in
many residential or business communities ,
have served an important function in maintaining
peac-J and order in Japanese society
In recent months, police officers from
the Vatted States and five Centre/ American
countries have come to Japan to study
koban./ would be interested in reading your
thoughts or o.periences related to koban.
Have y ou h. <<o' ccasion to fri6?it them? if
why and wiLvi? What do yoY think are theyr
strong points end why do you think foreicin
policemen cline to study Mem?
I have ti.e.ee memories of visiting a kdban.
The ficet experience was when I was
a child. My 'elend had picked up a small
coin on the read, so we went together to
report it toale police. The policeman wes
very kind an.; said, "You are good girls." I
hoped to find another coin and take it to
the police bo> myself, but I have not done
so until now.
The nee e experience about fori.y
years ago. i '..,as looking for the house of
one of my 14h school teachers. A policeman
kindly [Old me where iL was. It was
very near my house, but I did not know it
for two years. I thought thekdbbwwas very
convenient et:.prat time.
The third Hie was five years ago. A
man was in.front of my house. My
husband .was e'i.sente I could not talk to a
drunken man uneasy abeut his
health becat.r. the '.,,eather wee cold at
niQht, I telephonece the kdban and a police-
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
man-carne and took him away.
I do not know why foreign policemen
visit Japanese icelbeiz but as for me, 1 am
very thankful for them.
(MICHIKO SAN��, Minaml, Nagoya)
The wordftc5b8nis an abbreviation of kciban-
she). Originally, kdbanwas an abstract
noun which meant "being on duty by turns"
and, therefore, a kdban-sho was a place
where public officials did their duties on
rotation. At the beginning of the Meiji era,
when a modern police system was inaugurated,
the government established many
koben-s/o throughout the country to maintain
public peace and order. A-obanwere located
mainly in urban districts, while in
rural di s chozaf-.51.owere estab l i shed
where a policeman resided (when he was a
married man, with his family) and performed
his duties. The power of the police
in prewar days was very strong and the authority
or each iedbreralso was influential
in the community, deriving its power from
the government. People feared policemen
but, at the same time, they relied on them.
In prewar days, the policemen's call,
"oi: kora"
, was notorious because people
(especially in Tokyo) felt intimidated by
it. But that was quite a misconception.
The expression, which comes from the dialect
of Kef:ioshima Prefecture and originally
meant mos/71-mosin or 'hello", was. ra Cher
a polite expression. In the Meiji era,
many policemen in Tokyo coming from Kagoshima
used this expression, which soon
became commonly used as a kind of salutation.
The police system was much democratized
after the war and the expression
1104k ora "ceased to be used
, but the authority
of the kdZien has been maintained.
Many foreigner's say Japan is one of the
sefeet countries the world. Young girls
cam return home sefely witho.1'. male escorts
at midnight. Before th ,:ver, people
JULY3 1, 1994
did not even bother to lock their doors at
night. Such a favorable condition of public
peace and order owes very much to our police
system, especially to the existence of
kribda. We can always feel at ease when
we remember we have koban In our neighborhood.
Aliben is a symbol of public peace
In the region. It was an exceptional accident
that some particular kdbenwere attacked
and destroyed by mobs of rioters in
Tokyo (Sanye) and Osaka (Kamagasaki) in
the days of disorder after the war. I am
not sure whether the kdboti (police box)
system is peculiar to our country, but it
must not be common throughout the world
judging from the fact that many foreign
police off icers, including Americans, come
to Japan to study that system. I hear that
in some Southeast Asian countries the
system has been already adopted and has a
good reputation. The Japanese word kdban
itself is widely used there instead of "police
box" or other words of the actual places,
maybe because the word is simple and
easy to pronounce.
I have no special experience of uti lizingkriban
except for asking directions. My
house has never been robbed and I have not
been endangered by others In spite of the
fact that I have lived here for more than
60 years. I realize Japan is a very safe
country. (MIK 11-11KY0 O SHIMOTOG, ifu)
I have been helped three times by koban
policemen. The first event happened 35
years ago when our eldest daughter was
three years old. Sometimes she used to
come to meet me with my husband when It
was time for me to return home. But one
day, she went. out by herself without my
husband knowing it and got lost by making
a wrong turn along the street. When I arrived
at home, she was not in the house
and my husband also was surprised to
know it. Soon we were looking for her
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 9
here and there. We also telephoned a few
police boxes in that area. At last, we
found her at one of them. The policemen
were very troubled because she couldn't
speak enough but only knew that her father
was an oil painter.
The second time was related to car
trouble when my second eldest daughter
was driving. We stopped at a traffic light
but the car would not start because something
was wrong with the engine. We became
confused about what to do. Fortunately
there was a public telephone box
and a police box near that intersection. My
daughter telephoned the Japan Automobile
Federation (JAF) and 1 went to the police
box to ask help in moving the car to the
side of the road. We waited a long time
until the JAF car arrived after 6:00 o'clock
in the evening and we couldn't leave there
until 6:30. We were very thankful that no
accident occurred and that there was both
a public to I ephone and a police box nearby.
The last experience was when I asked
directions after becoming lost on the way
to my friend's house where I had never
gone before. She had given me directions
on the phone, but I couldn't find her house.
With the help of the police, at last I found
it easily.
For me, the existence of the police box
is like a divine presence.
(vIlEICO 01-WMURA, Mizuho, Nagoya)
When I was an elementary school pupil,
we used to say, "A policeman is coming" if
our playmates did something mischievous.
Yes, a police officer was considered a
frightful person. As an actual occurrence,
we saw a policeman striking a poor kneeling
man with a saber in the police box,
which was near the Katsuyama Park where
we used to play. The poor man must have
been forced to confess something. in those
days, such a scene could be seen publicly.
10 JULY 31, 1994
When I was in Sendai, my sphere of
activity was limited. I don't know how
many police boxes there were in Sendai.
Once I was lost on my way home and was
taken to the K8en police box when I
was eight years old. I was given protection
there. Wien I was in high school, I
took a purse which I had found on the
street to the Higashi Sanbancho police box.
Soon after that, the purse which contained
V3, a considerable sum of money at that
time, was given to me as the owner did not
appear. And when I was working for Dr.
Hansen, i visited the police box In Minamimachi
to ask the way to the home of the
famous poet, Bansui Tsuchii (not Bansui
Doi), in order to deliver a present to him
from Dr. Hansen. It was very fortunate for
the to have b..-come acquainted with policemen
when! crew older.
. Now I am pondering wily the JapanesJ
koban systHn is considered worthy o;
study by fee,!ign policemen. Fukushime .
where I live now, has a population of 283,
498. The police station is in the center
of the city; there are nine koban, loci
police boxes:, in the old and seven police
sub-stations in the new town, which
includes farms. Each of the policemen in
these brancl-..s is in charge of his distric
and makes his rounds freqUently. If he
comes acrcee somebody who looks dubious,
he wili question the person and if the
person runs ev-eey, the policeman will give
a description to the policemen in the nearest
two or three police boxes in the direction
the suspect is running. They will then
rush out of i:heir police boxes with their
truncheons 100.'-jng for the .suspect. In Fukushima,
it is st)eut four blocks between
one police bo;!.e 7ld t he next, and the policeman
in charge i each house and checks
;Ftilepersonal r,:eeord each ^ernLer of a
i.oeueehold in in e ee.ee, Policemen can help
people who canne',._i t ip a house or of I < C as
"DAILYW ORDE" C HOES
they have maps which show every structure
on the streets and avenues in Fukushima.
During his patrol, a policeman sometimes
finds cars parked illegally. Women
suspects are body checked by female police
officers.? ?
There are many admirable aspects evident
in the police boxes of this city. Children
these days like to visit a kdben, bringing
flowers to decorate the places that are
considered to be lacking in taste. Don't you
think that one of the most positive factors
of Japanese kobanis that they can be relied
upon by the good citizens, especially the
children, in the area?
(;:ZUKO TACUCHI , Fukushi m a)
/(db,57.c4a lled police box in English, include
the //ashutsu-/o of urban areas and
the choz,e,i-slio in the countryside. Kdben
were established early in the Meiji era in
1881 and on Aprill98...: !here were about
15,000 J'eo./eanthroughol.:Jta pan. Duties of
koben policemen include standing guard,
keeping visiting i'rom door to door
and patrolling their assigned districts.
They also collect information regarding
the residents of their area.
If the finder of money reports it to a
koinya and if the person who lost it does
not appear for half a year, the total
amount is eiven to the finder. If the loser
appears half a year, the finder is
given ten percent. I have neither been a
finder nor a loser of money. An omaweri-
Sagwill lend money to a person who lies
lost it. I have not had any occasion to visit
a kdbea Its strong points are that the
0117814/811-5a6r1e 1 well-kno,.p.m to the residents
and are aketays on the citizen's side.
The reason why foreign policemen come to
study them is because thekciAnesystem is
unici:n: and charmin;;;.
Tsuyama)
JULY 31, 1994
When I must visit a place in a town
where I am a perfect stranger, I make it a
rule to look for a koban near the railway
station and to ask a policeman on duty
there to tell me the way to my destination.
? 1 had vaguely taken it for granted that
,
not only was there a local police box everywhere
in this country, but that every
civilized nation had such a police system.
But this is not true. The kOheasystern is
uniquely Japanese. After I consulted an encyclopedia,
I learned that there are about
15,000 koben (as of 1984) throughout the
country. The leobein system covers every
nook. and corner of the whole nation. Where
does the system come from?
The encyclopedia I consulted did not
provide the answer to that question, but I
suspect that experiences during the Edo
era, which lasted nearly 300 years, had
something to do with the matter. While
reading E. 0. Reischauerts book, Japan Past
and Present, I happened to come across
these lines: "The Edo government has the
dubious distinction of being one of the
first governments in the world to develop
an extensive and efficient secret police
system and to make of it an important organ
of state." In my view, the Meiji government
remodeled that old system of the
Edo Bakufu into a modern version, named
koban The system has served as an important
organ of state to maintain social order
and security. According to news reports
on July 1st?eibanbecomes the legitimate
name, replacing the older names of
hashutsujo in a town or chOraisho in a village.
(SHOJI SUGIMOTO,S uginarni, Tokyo)
"The Lord keeps close watch ewer the
whole =rid, to glue strength 110 those
whose hearts are lopi to him."
Chruniclos 16:9)
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 11
*************************
June 7 Messaae Sub lect #261)
//7 classical Western literature, gbekespeere's
di-dine-7S1 1 0/Ciafn esteemed place
8/7d, along with the Bible, are often quoted
in /earned lectures and pi/Minos, A number
of dramatic forms have appeared in the
course of Japanese history, Including no,
kyOgen and kabuki. Nowadays, there are
more modern toes of dramas, including
those seen on television, The Bible contains
many dramatic stories and the entire
hook of do4 -in the Old Testement,:is en
dent drama, For those who wish. to write
an essay SU7g651`tha the theme of;
Drama You may icyrite your opinions of
Western dramas or of the various kinds of
Japanese CC'et178, Hove you read any of
Shakespeare's dramas? Could you understand
them? Have you read the book of
Job? If you have, whet was your impression?
Do you ever go to see Kabuki Or r18
drimies? Have . ,VOGpaIr ticipated in dramatic
productions yourself? How do you compare
or contrast Japanese drama with that
of the West?
According to an English dictionary, a
"drama" is a play which is to be performed
by actors on the stage, or the art of writing
and producing plays. In Vliestern literature,
dramas by Shakespeare are most famous
as Dr. Of fner mentioned. Some of the
literary works that come to mind upon
hearing his name are: Hamiet, Othello, King
Lear, Alacheth? Romeo 81K/dui/et, etc. Most
of us know these works in Japanese versions
or as English readings summarized
for the use of middle and high school students,
because the original works are too
12 JULY3 1, 1994
difficult for ordinary people to understand.
(By the way, my wife majored in English
literature in university and wrote on his
works for her graduation thesis so I can
find related books on our bookshelves.)
Many boys and girls know the plots of
these dramas and the famous sayings in
them, such as, 'To be, or not to be, that is
the question," in figiniet.
Japanese traditional types of dramas
or plays are kabuki and noh. a-yr:igen Is another
genre, but it has usually been considered
an accompaniment of noh.) Kabuki's
roots go back to an Izumo Shrine maiden
named Okuni who performed kabuki dances
in Kyoto during the early Edo era. ("Kabuki"
means to c in an unusual manner.) Kabuki
is an ac or's theater eeld the actor's
skill is all. One of its characteristics is
that all the roles are pla',/ecl by male actors.
Arnonj the best-kno,..vn kabuki playwrights
Chi kamatsu ?lonzaemon a!-,d
Chi ken is particularly
fame,,;s, often being compared
Shakespeac...
Noh he a longer history than kabuki.
It originat 5 in dramatic performances
religious f-etivals In the middle of the
14th century and it was ci,weloped in the
Murornachi by Kan-ami and his son, Zeami,
who distinguished themselves in
the art of i .?! as Chikamatsu did in kabuki.
Noh contin ! to flourish in the Edo era
under the p,:Lronage of the daiinyo and became
a favored entertainment of the samurai
class.
Although :.abuki and noh are considered
together as [ypical, traditional entertainment,
there # a little differnce between
them.actors' facial .makeup is
unique, as in the uftlyo-e paintings,
and their p;5t.tire','s? are sornevvil:,it exaggerated,
Not; -3:..:=_Qorsn, the ozir.:r hand,
wear unique: costurs and
masks, caM6 iiob-iilen, and their move-
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
rents are rather slow. Of course, the mask
itself does not show any expression of joy,
anger, affection or pleasure. When a man
is said to have a "noh-men-like face", it
means that he shows no emotion. As the
action in noh is generally slow-moving, it
is often boring. When a famous French
Minister of Cultural Aff irs once saw a noh
play, he said: "I was bored to death. Seeing
a noh play is a kind of punishment."
Retiring from the front line of public
life, I have begun to learn utar; or chanting
of noh drama texts. /Ere/ is good for one's
health because it requires the utterance to
come from the bottom of one's stomach. It
is also beneficial for understanding noh
plays because, needless to say, utgiare the
narration and chorus accompanying noh
plays. (MIK !HMO YOSH MOTO, Gifu)
When I was in middle school, I saw
Shakespeare's drama, A /.1/61.5u/nrnerNi,,.-int's
Dreamy, performed by drama club mernbf:rs
at an annual school festival. As I had read
that dray-;a (through a inmslation) bef re
that, together with other dramas such as
Ehe Alere.6.,.:u7otf Venicc,., i was able to enjoy
it to a great extent. At that time, I
was again able to recognize Shakespeare's
superior ability. I had an opportunity to
read Ric/h::7-d/N in collep.
I saw 8nd and Hare/e' n
movie the,:irs. was produced ;n
the U. S. S. R. in those days and the sour, .itrack
was in Russian, so I could not understand
the dieloque at all without reading
the superimposed script. But I remember
the scene of the famous monologue spoken
by the actor, "To be or not be; that is the
question." It was very impressive.
(YA5Urt.0 1ailk-4!, Seto)
I read all :36 of Shakespeare's dramas
I was s[:udyin:! English Iiter:_iture at
Kinjo Gnkuin. On the ::Ither hand, I enjoyed
JULY3 1, 1994
going to see Japanese kabuiciorndat that
time. I enjoy seeing and hearing opera
dramas now because I am more fond of
Western music than Japanese.
- Comparatively speaking , many Japanese
dramas have a gloomy mood, which
cannot be helped. Western dramas Include
a concept of salvation, given by God, which
has a deep meaning and changes the mood
from a sorrowful one to a joyful one.
It is said that our lives are dramas.
Even seemingly trivial matters may indicate
God's will. We constantly experience
God's love, so I want to write the drama of
my life_with a thankful heart to God.
(HICHIKO SAND, M nem i, Nagoya)
In the name of common sense, if I lost
not only my possessions but also my children
wi Lhout any reason, as Job did, I
would say, "Oh, God! it's too much. It's unreasonable!"
However, Job aid, "Naked
came I out of my mother's womb and naked
shall I return thither; the Lord gave and
the Lord hath taken away; bleased be the
name of the Lord." I was impressed by his
words. After that, Job suffered from a bad
skin disease. What a hard time Job had!
Even his wife made light of him. His three
friends reproved him for imaginary sins.
No wonder he complained about his life.
How happy Job was when God answered
him in the storm. Any words from God
would be acceptable to Job. Although Job
was upright, God let him know only God is
the Almighty. It was very good of him.
The book of Esther is also a great drama.
Shakespeare, the great playwright, also
must have been influenced by the Bible.
At Miyagi Gakuin College, my alma mat
er, from 1914 to1941, Shakespeare's cornedir:
s and tragedies were performed by the
students in October every year under Miss
Lindsy's direction. I know a lady who took
the pert of Puck in A kildsultyner Maht's
"DAILYW ORDE" CHOES 13
Dream in 1928. She is now 85 years old.
Unfortunately, we graduates of March 1943
to 1948 could not give performances of
Shakespeare's dramas. We who graduated
in 1948 studied with Miss Lindsey after
she and Dr. Hansen came back again in the
autumn of the previous year. It was just
half a year and we were not proficient
enough to give a performance of a Shakespearian
play in English because it was all
she could do to correct our poor English
Aron t-onciation. The students one year behind
us performed As You Like It the following
year. They did their best for Miss
Lindsey. In 1950, the students two years
behind us performed A Midsummer Night's
Dream It was very well done by the students
of the English Department. Music
Department students played the ensemble
piano music (two pianos, four hands), A
Midsummer Nigiit's Dream by Mendeissohn.
At that time, I was the librarian in the
music library who loaned the music to Dr.
Hansen and her students. Until now, I often
hear the Wedding Herd; played from
that drama, but the scene and music from
that drama I like best is the Clown Dance,
Once I watched the television drama,
Macbeth, in which the scenery, actors and
actresses were all In Japanese style. The
prophecy of the witches and the blood that
could not be washed away made me shudder.
In this way, Western ghost dramas often
teach us the lesson never to do wrong
whether we are being watched by others or
not.
I hesitate to admit that I have never
seenkabuftiorno in a theater. And I have
not watched them attentively on television
because I did not think I could understand
the words. I'll watch and listen more carefully
next time. I do know and enjoy one
'Vogel, Tar6 Kaja, the clown who bought
an umbrella-shaped pine tree and brought
it to his master who had given him an ex14
JULY 31, 1994
planation about a fan. Taro Kaja mistook
an umbrella for a fan.
In our church, we give dramatic performances
at Christmas parties. Last
year, I played the part of an old man who
was sweeping the snow for he wasexpecting
Jesus to come to his house on that
snowy day. I am looking forward to participating
in a drama again this year.
(KAZUKO TAGUCHI, Fukushima)
There are may kinds of drama in the
various countries throughout the world.
Each of them has its own particular character.
I know a few titles of Shakespeare's
dramas but I have forgotten their contents.
For exarnple,Hetrilet, Romeo and Juliet, etc.
Perhaps I read The Merchant of Venice in a
high school textbook, but I am ashamed to
confess that I have no memory of it at all.
I sawA?abukla couple of times when
was in Tokyo. It was from "the eighteen
best plays of the Ishikawa family of kgbuki"(
ksbukijofigchiberi, in Japanese). I was
impressed that, even though all of the actors
were male, the female parts were
performed exactly like females. It is a
unique idea to have a revolving stage (mewari-
butai Lset in the center of the platform.
The "flower path" (henetniebt)which
is on the left side of the audience is a passageway
for stars to make an entrance or
exit. Kabuki is one of the traditional classical
arts in Japan. The actors speak classical
Japanese and their actions are in
slow tempo, so it is difficult for foreigners
to understand, but rental receivers are
available for visitors.
It is difficult for me to compare or
contrast Japanese drama with that of the
,ye 3t because I Seldom ,watch western
dramas on television.
MORI^OTO, Tsuyama)
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
*************************
June 14 Message (Subject #262
in 1951, I graduated from seminary
and C19/77t6o1 J apan as a /77/55/017aly; T he
subject of my graduation thesis was suggested
by August Karl Reischaue4 the
father of the former U 5 ambassador to
Japan_ its title W85: 'A comparison of 158/-
vation ' in the Amida Sects of Japanese
Buddhism and Christianity". At the end of
next week, 1 am scheduled to give a lecture
at a Buddhist university in Nagoya on the
subject of Bukky8 no Bunka to Kirisutokyo
no Bunka and I would be happy for 115-toners
to/ readers of these messages to assist me
by informing me of their impressions of
Japanese Buddhism, the theme for essays
this week, In your experience or study,
from your viewpoint, what is the function
Of Buddhism in present-day Japan.? How
has it influenced Japanese thought and life
over the years.? Bayou think Buddhism has
changed since it entered Japan? 14,77adt o
you consider 51"1/1/C8/7t about Buddhist
Culture? Elements of essays on this subject
received beforehand may be incorporated
into my lecture,
***********************
I say truly that I do not understand
Japanese Buddhism because I cannot read
the Buddhist scriptures, or sutras, nor
comprehend them. I was surprised when I
first read the Bible that I could understand
it from the beginning.
Buddhism has greatly influenced Japanese
culture until now, but its influence is
waning because it is changing, little by
little, except for its ceremonies--especially
funerals.
Although I am sorry that I cannot make
JULY 31, 1994
helpful comments about this theme, it
seems certain that many people make use
of Buddhism not as a faith but to provide a
ceremony for funerals or memorial services
at which reading and meaning have little
significance.
(MICHIKO SANG, Minami, Nagoya)
When we visit Asian countries such as
Korea, China or Thailand, we are impressed
with pious Buddhist believers praying at
temples. They often kneel, touch their
foreheads to the ground and pray earnestly.
I recall that there were such sights here
and there in our own country some decades
ago. What is the reason that Buddhism has
lost its power to attract people to the
world of faith?
In our society, the term soslnki-bukkyo,
or "funeral Buddhism", is often used. This
term implies that, at present, Buddhism no
longer has significance for the people except
for funeral rituals. I have heard that
even 'auddhist priests themselves admit
that they are called upon only for funerals
or memorial services. Today, Buddhism has
very little it on society in general
and has no appeal to young men. Young people
do not even know how to pray to Buddha.
The other day I was very surprised to
see a boy clapping his hands while praying
at a temple. Needless to say, this is the
way of praying at a shrine. At a temple,
we should pray with our hands pressed
together.
Why is this so? Buddhist priests do
not make an effort to implant their teaching
deep into the minds of young people.
We can hardly find any of their daily activities
directed toward that purpose. I often
have an opportunity to attend a memorial
service for the dead at a relative's home.
In the first place, I cannot understand the
meaning of the sutra. I have often heard
recently that a cassette tape of the sutra
"DAILYW ORD"E CHOES 15
is used at the service of a young family. I
can easily understand their feelings. Moreover,
priests' sermons at memorial services
do not impress me, though older persons
seem to be moved by them. Am I impious
or do the priests lack an inquiring
mind? The chief priest of my family temple
comes to my house once month to chant
the ritual before my family altar. But when
he is busy with some urgent business, such
as a funeral, he often asks a priest of another
temple to conic instead, without informing
us. Is it their principle of give
and take? I cannot feel grateful for a
strange priest's sutra.
The teachings of Buddha (Shakyamuni)
are themselves noble and gracious, imparting
profound knowledge. I feel sad that I
cannot regard the priests as the medium to
convey the nob!: of Buddha to us.
Today, chief priests of templesoften manage
kindergartens. Originally, this was a
part of their missionary work. But now
they have acquired a different character,
the character of a business. I cannot but
think that insufficient monetary offerings
by the supporters of the temple has compelled
them to involve themselves with
these side jobs. I am sad that Buddhism
seldom makes a deep impression on us
today. (MIK !HMO YOSHIMOTO, Gifu)
As far as I know, the function of Buddhism
in present-day Japan is to gain the
favor of and to be protected by the Buddha
while living in this world. So Buddhists
pray for the well-being of their own families,
for good health and a prosperous business
and devote themselves to their ancestors,
setting up Buddhist altars in their
homes.
Buddhism has changed since it entered
Japan about the sixth century. As Buddhists
use many Shintoist rites, Buddhist
rites have become showy. For example, on
16 JULY3 1, 1994
the hundredth day after a baby is born, the
mother takes the baby to visit a shrine
(onnya-mairi, in Japanese) or on the festal
day for children of 3, 5 and 7 years of age
(Shichi-go-sand. These are Shinto rites. I
was amazed at a couple who are Buddhist
whose wedding ceremony was held in a
church before a priest but whose funeral
service was according to Buddhist rites.
Isn't that strange? Buddhist rites are
mixed with Shintoist rites nowadays.
Much Japanese culture owes much to
Chinese Buddhism since ancient days. For
example, Buddhist medical science (acupuncture,
moxa and finger pressure treatments),
Buddhist architecture for temples,
sculptures of Buddhist images, lacquer for
food utensils or furniture, Chinaware,
brush drawings with India ink, weaving,
art, music, foiktales, literature and even
the rites. in the imperial household. China
is such a great nation that we Japanese
cannot hold up our heads before the Chinese.
(TA: AKO MORIMOTOT, s uyarna)
Strangely enough, few people in present-
day Japan know and celebrate the
birthday of the Buddha, the legendary
founder of Buddhism, while too many of
them, whether or not they are believers in
Christianity, celebrate Christmas, the
birthday of Christ. Despite this fact, Buddhist
culture permeates Japanese society.
Let me illustrate this point.
FirSt, I will mention people's view of
life. They describe other people's death as
their becoming a /Woke, or a buddha. It
seems that view definitely presupposes
the existence of another world where peopie
are supposed to go after they breathe
their last in this world. People give condolences
to the bereaved, saying that they
pray tht the deceased may live a happy
Hie in the world beyond. This very common
idea related to people's death comes
"DAILYW ORD"E CHOES
from one of the basic teachings of Buddhism.
We can see tiny shrines where Jizo-
Bosatsu are enshrined here and there in
towns as well as villages. People pray for
traffic safety in front of the Jizo shrines,
f irmly believing that the Bosatsu protects
them from such evils as traffic accidents.
When it comes to safe driving, almost every
driver has a lucky charm issued by a
Buddhist temple in his or her car.
(SHOJI SUGIMOTO, Suginami, Tokyo)
Many Buddhist sects in Japan possess
their own distinctive rites. The rites can
divided into those that religious practitioners
perform among themselves and
those conducted on behalf of the laity.
Rites conducted for the laity may be
subdivided into rites beseeching the protection
of Buddhas, bodhisattvas and heavenly
beings for the sake of national security
or the good fortune of groups or individuals
and rites for the deceased. Since the
Edo period (1600-1868), the majority of
temples in Japan have emphasized funeral
and memorial services, providing the bereaved
with a measure of comfort, which
the Shintoh religious tradition, due to its
treatment of death as defilement, did not.
Annual rites include Sliusho-g rites
carried out at the New Year, including supplications
for peace for the nation and
prosperity for the people; Nell8/7-0, rites
performed on 15 February in commemoration
of the Buddha's death and entry into
pa/In/nig/7a or complete extinction; and
Higen-e, rites conducted on the three days
before and after the spring and autumn
equinoxes. The original purpose of
was attaining the Way of the Buddha; the
iivordiiikda means the other shore or the
Pure Land, and pilgrimages and the recitation
of the nombursuvkiere major features.
Activities on /ilasatoday, however, tend to
JULY 31, 1994
center on visits to the graves of departed
family members to conduct memorial services.
Shusho-e and Hi, an-e are Buddhist
rites unique to Japan. Shako Kali-817-eo, r
Sussho-e (Buddha's birthday), Is also
known as K8nbutsu-e (rite of bathing the
Buddha) and popularly as 1/8178 1118t5Uri
(Flower Festival); the main practice of
this occasion (8 April) consists of sprinkling
a figure of the infant Biuddha with
sweet tea. During Ur bon--e (Sanskrit: 111-
18/77b81761c2o,n ducted 13-16 July (13-15
August in some localities). the souls of deceased
family members are believed to return
to the home and family members perform
rites to greet them. Jddc-e (feast
commemorating the attainment of Buddhahood)
ceremonies take place on 3 December,
the day when Saivamuni is said to
have attained perfect enlightenment.
The preceding information was quoted
from the encyclopedia,depso, pubils-hed by
Kodansha, to help those who read ihis 46th
issue of 'Daily Word",Echoes and especially
for my friends in foreign countries to understand
Buddhism. I have introduced it,
expecting that other contributors will
have written on this theme from different
standpoints, in order to give a clear picture
of the difference and similarity between
Buddhism and foreign religions. It
may be a . good chance to make a better
evaleiation than I have been able to give.
"Nothing so good but it might have been
better." (JAM E Owarlasahi)
*****-.-ki;************e****
June 2I Mes.:,-.3z. (Sub . ect 264)
In the 6-int/e d States and Europe some
/17e11en d women !year a covering for their
head There are different words ler these
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 17
hats or caps, depending on their size and
shape, Some hats have br/ms and many
caps have a VisOr, Frenchmen often wear a
beret, Turks prefer a fez and Mexicans
wear sombreros, Englishmen may wear a
bowler or a derby while many Arne/kali
men would choose a fedora, tam not acquainted
with the names of the various
kinds of bonnets or hats that ladies wear,
but in the West some old-fashioned gentlemen
and some fashionable women would
not feel comfortable goinci, out without a
hat. All Mier/Ca/7 businesswoman has written
the following advertising blurb about
hats, N het is the difference between
wear/hg clothes and wearing a costume,'
it's the .difference between being dressedend
being dressed up,? it's the difference
between looking adequate and looking your
best," What do you think about hats, .caps
or bonnets? Bo i/ou ever wear one? Have
you ever worn one? Why do we see .50 few
Japanese people wearin g hats?
*************************
Through Dr. Of fner's message concerning
hats, caps, etc., I noticed that there
are many Western words to translate our
word, bc1.51/4b esides the above-mentioned
basic words. When I learned English for
the first time in my middle-school days,
was puzzled to find out that there were
two different words, "hat" and "cap", which
corresponded to our bosh/ and wondered
why it was so. Consulting an English dictionary
this time to learn more aboutboshi;
I found a general term "headgear" which
covers every kind of bosfil Headgear with
a brim is a hat and headgear with a visor
is a cap. A beret or fedora is also a kind of
headgear. When we hear the word "sombrero",
we imagine a broad-brimmed hat used
in Spain or Mexico. (By the way, 50171.bcd
18 JULY 31, 1994
means shade in Spanish.) But I think gainhrero
is a most ordinary, not a particular,
word in these countries judging from the
fact that there are no other basic words
for "hat" in a Spanish dictionary.
Why is our Japanese language lacking
in words for headgear? My reasoning is as
follows: Originally, the Japanese, regardless
of class, did not have the custom of
wearing headgear. Samurai wore their hair
in a knot; tradesmen and farmers covered
their heads with a towel if necessary.
(When people set out on a journey, they
wore a sage gals, or a sedge hat, but that
was an exception.) On the other hand,
Westerners have had the custom of wear-
Ing many kinds of headgear from of old. It
is a universal truth that people have an
abundant vocabulary in areas closely connected
with their daily lives. For example,
as the Japanese are an agricultural people,
our vocabulary is very detailed in regard to
the kinds of rain or the shapes of clouds.
On the other hand, meat-eating people
classify many kinds of meat into small
groups. When we introduced the habit of
hearing headgear at the beginning of the
Meiji era, we borrowed the Chinese characterbdisfil
to identify them.
In former days (from the Meiji era to
the end of the war), people, especially
high-bred persons, often wore hats, following
the example of foreigners who had
entered our country. Probably, it was because
they thought the custom was fashionable
or dandyish. Old pictures of my
deceased father show that he wore a hat
when he was young. He also had a mustache.
Later, mother told us that the real
reason was to hide his bald head.
These days, Japanese people seldom
wear a hat or other kind of headgear. I
Lhink it is also a fashion of the times.
Passing through the aae of admiration of
the West, people seem to have begun to go
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
their own way. The reason why they could
change the custom is that, originally, they
had no custom of wearing headgear. In my
middle-school days, we were compelled to
wear a regulation cap together with a uniform.
Today, many schools do not force
students to obey such rules. We Japanese
are not naturally attached to hats or caps.
(MKIHI O YOSHIMOTO, Gifu)
I do not know much about hats, bonnets
and so on. I have worn several kinds of
them in previous years to enhance my appearance,
but I do not wear them now because
I think they are too troublesome. A
straw hat, which is called Imigiwara-baslii
in Japanese, has been used on sunny days
both in fields and along the seaside from
long ago--not for appearance sake, but out
of necessity. Peasants, fishermen and outdoor
workers wear it even now. In the old
days, we did not wear hats because the
traditional Japanese dress was kimono and
we did not wear a hat with a kimono. in
the old days, women of high classes used
katsu .97; which is a kind of veil to avoid
being seen by others.
The history of Western style dress is
brief in our country. We do not have an accurate
sense about Western styles. We are
learning now, but we have only a limited
knowledge about what is acceptable or unacceptable
regarding a few Western customs.
Japanese customs continue from our
ancestors and change little by chance. I
think that, after a thousand years, Japanese
will become more adept at dressing
up and wearing hats than they are now.
(MICHIKO SAND, Minami, Nagoya)
Thank you very much for informing us
of the kinds of hats worn by people of different
nations. When we first learned the
words "hat" and "cap", I thought that the
former had brims and the latter did not,
JULY3 1, 1994
but now I realize that caps have visors to
keep the sun out of our eyes when we exercise
outdoors. I also learned that the Turkish
fez and the French beret are kinds of
caps and the Mexican sombrero and English
derby or bowler are kinds of hats with a
high crown. A beret is usually worn by a
woman, but a male artist sometimes
wears one also. I saw the bonnets worn by
ladies and children in the American television
drama, "The Little House on the Prairie,"
They looked very nice wearing bonnets
which were tied under their chins. Since
the Meij i era, some Japanese people have
been wearing hats or caps like Americans.
When I first saw Americans keep their
hats on even when they were in a room, I
thought It was strange because we had
been taught to take off our hats when entering
a room or when meeting teachers or
others older than ourselves. Later, I came
to recognize the difference between the
customs of Japanese and Westerners.
In the winter, Dr. Kate Hansen used to
wear a cap that looked like a fez without a
tassel and Miss Lydia Lindsey used to wear
a cap that looked like a bowl. They usually
wore no caps or hats in summer, but when
they dressed up, they wore hats decorated
with ribbons and feathers. When they came
to Japan for the first time at the end of .
the Meiji era, Miyagi Jogakk8 teachers
wearing crested /mar/went to Yokohama to
receive those two American missionaries.
They were surprised to see these two ladies
in elegant dresses and gorgeous hats.
I heard that those teachers felt as If two
angels had come down to earth. Those
dresses and hats that Dr. Hansen and Miss
Lindsey wore were kept as mementoes in
Miyagi Jogakk8 (now called Miyagi Gakuin)
until the main school building was destroyed
in an air raid on Sendai in 19,45.
I like to wear hats and caps. When
am out, I wear a woolen cap In winter and
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 19
a telescopic hat in spring, summer and autumn.
However, I often leave it at church
or at my friends' homes. I would like to
have a good hat to keep on my head all the
time as Americans do. I am sure many
Japanese people leave their hats at places
they go because they take them off so frequently.
That's the reason why you see so
few Japanese people wearing hats.
(KAZUKO TAGUCHI, Fukushima)
Hats, caps or bonnets are important
articles of clothing from adults to infants.
All of them are beneficial. Hats protect
our heads from cold in the winter and from
heat, sunburn or sunstroke in the summer.
Especially, bald-headed persons had better
wear hats, caps or bonnets. I do not know
why bonnets are not seen anywhere recently.
I know only one rule of etiquette relating
to hats. It is not allowed to wear a hat
in the house, but wearing caps or bonnets
is permitted. I get upset when my hair becomes
disheveled after taking off my hat.
As hats are a part of one's dress, they
should be suited to our dress. I often wear
a black felt hat in winter or an off-white
cloth hat in summer when I go shopping
downtown or to a supermarket. I also wore
a beret when attending school 70 years-ago
In my opinion, to be brief, the history
of hats, caps or bonnets is shorter in Japan
than in Western countries. About a hundred
years ago, warriors in Japan wore a topknot
(rhon-mege) and many women had
their hair dressed in Japanese style, wearing
a kimono. After the end of the Sicond
World War, Japanese hairstyle and dress
changed to Western style but there are
still many people in Japan who do not want
to wear hats or caps. For example: Buddhist
priests 65017(70.), classical dancers
(ingikoi, traditional entertainers 6-7e1,5178).,
or teachers of tea ceremony, and so on.
(TAMAICO HORE?10TO, Tsuyama)
20 JULY 31, 1994
*************************
June 28 Message (Subiect #265
The suggested theme for an essay is
Newspapers. Do you read a newspaper every
day? Do you ever read more than one?
Do you ever change your subscription to a
different one? 11/17yo r why not? Do you
perceive a difference in the viewpoint of
different newspapers? Which peoes of the
newspaper are you especially interested
in? Are there special columns or features
that you particularly enjoy reading? Have
you ever written to or for a newspaper?
Do you have any suggestions regarding how
newspapers may be improved?
*************fit****** ***fir
I read three newspapers every day: the
Asehi, Chtinichi and Nikkei (Nihon Ketzei
Shinbun). I read the Asahi for social and
political news, the Chekichifor news about
Nagoya City or Aichi prefecture because it
reports on local matters. The Nikkei, of
course, has detailed articles related to the
economy. I do not read about the economy.
Rather, I read essays related to literature,
comments about art, etc. in my estimation,
the comments in this newspaper are on a
higher level than in others. I am deeply
impressed with the intellectual level of
its articles and consider it a top-class
newspaper.
I have occasionally sent In my ideas
which were printed in the newspaper and I
received a book coupon as a gratuity. 1 had
a chance to go through the nein/di/newspaper
plant three years ago. It had been
improved beyond my imagination.
(MCI-11K0 SAM��, Minami, Nagoya)
"DAILYW ORD"E CHOES
The typical mass media at present are
newspapers and radio and television broadcasts.
Newspapers and broadcasting have
their own respective strengths and weaknesses.
There is an old joke in this regard:
"We can wrap our lunch in a newspaper but
not in a radio." As for broadcasting, television
is much more popular than radio today.
(I listen to the radio only when 1 drive
a car.) Television transmits information
much quicker than newspapers--almost
immediately. Visual images on television
have a stronger appeal than newspaper articles,
as we experienced during the Gulf
War. Educational programs for language
study on television are much more useful
than radio programs for me. Nevertheless,
newspapers have not lost their reason for
being, owing to their various merits.
Japan's diffusion rate of newspapers
(566 pen 000 persons In 1991) is the highest
in the world, followed by the United
Kingdom, Germany and the United States in
that order. It is said that this high rate is
due mainly to the high literacy rate. (By
the way, in the field of television, the U. S.
is on top, followed by Japan, Canada and
the U. K.) The tendency to show preference
for newspapers is gradually changing nowadays.
The most important reason for this
is a steep rise in labor costs. The delivery
service of newspapers is going out of date
even in our country,where labor costs were
rather low and labor itself was considered
a virtue. The other day, 1 heard the story of
a newly-married couple who did not subscribe
to a newspaper. They watch news
on television and the husband faxes the TV
program section of a newspaper to his
wife at home as soon as he arrives at his
office. Recently, a new kind of mass media,
called "facsimile (fax) newspaper" has
appeared, It is a service business which
sends information in a particular field to
contractors by way of facsimile. The apJULY
31, 1994
pearance of special newspapers focussing
on sports and entertainment news must be
meeting the needs of the times.
I subscribe to the 6-Which/ Shinbun at
home and read other daily newspapers at
the office. I read the political and financial
columns and news of international affairs
most carefully. I am not so interested
in news reports of traffic accidents or
murders and my wife often points out my
indifference toward such things. Sports
news does not arouse my interest very
much. I have always felt that it is wasteful
to use so much space to report the results
of professional baseball games of
the previous day. The recent soccer boom
has accelerated this tendency. The one
exception in my indifference to sports is
sumo. Therefore, using much space for
sumo does not cause a problem for me,
though I know well that it is selfish of me
to say such a thing. Once, for a while, I
subscribed to an English newspaper, but I
did not continue for long because it took a
week to read a portion for one day. Today,
I sometimes buy a copy at a station, etc.
as occasion demands at a time, for example
when I wish to know a technical term
necessary to compose an essay for this
periodical. (MK IHIKO YOSHIMOTO, Gifu)
Now my family takes three newspapers:
the Asabi, The Asa1/2/ Evenin gNewsand
the AseNfor Elementary School Children.
The last paper, as its name suggests , is
for our children, especially for Megurni.
There seems to be little she usually reads ,
however, except for the comic strips. I
hope she will learn to read some articles
or columns on a regular basis , but she does
not seem to have found one yet that interests
her.
The /152/i/ i s my fami !y's main newspa
per. My wife and i rely on it for accurate
Information as well as for enjoyment. We
"DAILYW ORDE" CHOES 21
read the editorials every day to know what
the Asahieditorial staff thinks about certain
issues. So far, we have been quite
happy with them. I especially read the
serial editorials on the United States and
Japan fifty years after the last war. Stimulated
by some of these editorials, I referred
to other reference books.
As for enjoyment, I like "Women", or
Onn8, by End6 Shasaku and "Cleopatra", by
Miyao Tomiko. They are not only enjoyable
but informative as well. As I was reading
about Oda Nobunaga in lama, 1 listened to
the "Daily Word" message on Nobunaga with
great interest. ?
Last of all, let me mention The Asehi
Evening News., one of the English newspapers
published in Japan. I read this newspaper
for information and some articles
are very useful for "Foreign Affairs", one
of the peculiar subjects of the International
Division at Chigusa High School. In
this class, both my students and I are expected
to deepen our understanding of various
topics in English as well as in Japanese.
Therefore, I usually try to collect as
much information as possible and The Asolli
EVelithgN eW5i5 one of the most important
resources.
I used to think the newspaper was free
of prejudice, but these days I have found it
important to consider it but one of many
sources of information and to realize it
cannot be completely free of the biases of
its writers. Look at the foreign news, for
example. The news does not cover all countries
of the world. The few countries dealt
with are not always in accord with the interest
of the readers. Those countries are
chosen on the basis of the interest of the
reporters. It is true that many of the articles
I read in the Ass/.j/and The Asehi Evening
Netvg8re interesting enough, but now
1 think it is very important for the readers
of these newspapers to recognize that they
22 JULY 31, 1994
simply represent some opinions and do not
necessarily present the "best" opinion.
These comments on newspapers may be
strange to those who do not know what the
Japanese system of education is like, but
to. many Japanese who have been told to
copy what is written in a textbook or what
their teachers say, it must be very familiar.
We tend to think of what we read in
the newspaper as absolute truth, but this
is not the case, as I have pointed out above
In my "Foreign Affairs" class, therefore, I
hope to encourage my students to read
newspaper articles critically and to make
use of them to form their own opinions.
(TOMOYASUK IMURA,N ishi, Nagoya)
Usually I read a newspaper every day,
but I often fail to read one when I am too
busy doing h6usework. The principal newspapers
where we live do not have both
morning and evening papers but only morning
editions. A local evening paper which
is a smaller size and only four pages is delivered
daily except Sunday.
I am especially interested in the Vox
Popu^, "Voice" and Kate-ekubo ("A Dimple
on One Cheek", a short comment or joke
about current society) columns. They give
me some food for thought regarding recent
social conditions in Japan and in the world.
I have never written to a newspaper,
but I enjoy reading various kinds of news,
except for sports and stock market reports.
I suggest that many kinds of advertisements
take up too much space and
that the Asehinewspaper is gradually losing
its dignity.
(TANAKO NORD/10TO, Tsuyama)
?
In my childhood hoMe, my father subscribed
to two newspapers: one was the
leading national paper; the other ,,,Ajasa local
paper. When I started my new home,
follw.ved my father's example because I
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
thought it was advisable to subscribe to
two kinds of newspapers. Later, however,
I added another, English-language paper, to
these two. Sometimes, when going out, I
get other newspapers from a newsstand at
railway stations.
I usually read papers after breakfast
and supper. I am especially interested in
the readers' forum of each paper. 1 try to
choose which opinion is the most appealing
to me in terms of what the writer means
or in its cogency. This process helps me
read more deeply than ever. When I do so,
find satisfaction in reading newspapers.
My secondary interest is in a column
written by a special writer of each paper.
The column deals with a variety of problems,
from the current political scene to a
compassionate story about some obscure
people. More often than not it offers valuable
food for thought.
Finally, I had better offer my opinion
about what newspapers should be like from
now on. They should offer common people
more space to actively discuss issues of
importance from opposite points of view.
Now newspapers are facing keen competition
among themselves, mainly to increase
their circulation. Instead, I keenly hope
that they will compete in terms of quality.
Active discussions among the readers,
analyses in perspective and clarifying
one's standpoint without fear or favor.
These are three key concepts related to
quality.
(SHOJI SUGIMOTO, Suginami, Tokyo)
"Hearing good news from a distant land
is like a drink of cold water when you
are dry and thirsty." (Proverbs 25:25)
"The news about Jesus spread all the
more widelu, and crowds of people
b hear him and be healed from
theirdiseases."(Luke 5:15)
JULY 31, 1994
---
*************************
"Echoes" of Other Messages
July 1 Messaae Excerpt:
Japan's konnyaku industry is developinsy
new products from this calorie-free
starchy food for export. Konnyaku has been
produced in Japan for a long time, but how
does one exclein what konnyaku is to a fore/
Pler? One Japanese-English dictionary
sim,oly gives a transliteration which is not
particularly helpful. A bigger dictionary
gives a more complete translation; a paste
made from the starch of devil's tonguein
an unabridged dictionary "devil's tongue"
Was defined as "a foul-smelling somewhat
fleshy tropical bulbous herb . ? that is
sometimes grown in the greenhouse for its
large leaves and showy dark red spathe
SUITOW7C/a1 1 170s1 7gS p ac/Ltll Since / do not
know whet a spathe or a spadix is; it required
still further research to understand
the meaning. Although / have enjoyed eating
/ would rather not have to
explain what it /5
***************t********
Konnyaku is a bulbous perennial plant
which originally came from India. It has
been cultivated In Japan since ancient
times. Konnyaku bulbs sprout up from
under the ground about the time when all
rice planting has been completed or when
chestnut blossoms begin to open. Bulbs
which are over three years old are good for
making konnyaku, The bulb is dug up,
washed, sliced and mixed with water in
which a little caustic soda has been dissolved
and molded Into blocks. After being
boiled for about 15 minutes , it is done.
Before being eaten , however, It is better
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 23
to boil it again.
There are a number of reasons why kilnnyeku
is beneficial for one's health. For
example, it is good for intestinal disorders
and as a preventative against cancer of the
colon. As it is 80 percent water, it has
low nutritional value and thus is good for
those on a diet. In recipes, it may be used
as a starch. I do not know whether or not
it has fiber or is difficult to digest.
Konnyaku bulbs which are sliced,
ground into powder and dried may be kept
for a long time. I was surprised and disappointed
to find that konnyaku powder
(Seiko, in Japanese) is imported from other
countries (whose names I do not know) because
I had believed that konnyeku was a
special Japanese food. I tried to make
konnyaku quite long ago in Tsuyama. Ironnyaku
plants are now growing in our garden,
but they will killed by the frost in
November. The bulbs will remain underground
till next spring.
(TAMAKO MOR !MOTO, Tsuyama)
For this 46th issue of "Bally Ward"
Echoes, twelve individuals contributed
36 essays. Ten of the essays were on
the first theme suggested--which was
the theme of our meeting on ,e lag 29th.
It requires time, effort and thought to
compose an essay in English, but those
who have the ability, take the time and
put forth the effort gain some satisfaction
and benefit from reading the corrected
version in this periodical. I hope
theg also are stimulated to submit essags
in the future also. I also look forward
to receiving essays from new contributors
and from "old timers"whu
have been slacking off. "Daily mound"
EC13DIPS prouide-s benefit to the writer,
-the reader and the editor alike . (C.D.)