"Daily Word" Echoes
P.O Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463 Tel. (052)794-6422
March 31, 1996 Number 52 Y200
(Essays submitted by listeners/readers on themes of "Daily Word" messages between
January 16 and February 20, 1996. Corrected and edited by Clark Offner.)
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January 16 Message (Subject #296)
The theme for our meeting is:
"Plans
, Hopes and Fears for 1996".
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My greatest plan for this year is to
go to the United States of America. Last
year, I traveled there for the first time
in my life. I went to a small city in Michigan
named Saginaw. That city has a Japanese
Culture Center along with a Japanese
tea house and a Japanese garden.
The director of that center is a Japanese
woman who loves that dainty house and
fascinating garden and is devoted to activities
related to them. The budgeted
amount she receives from the city to
manage those valuable assets is very
limited so she has been holding events
every year to raise funds for the maintenance
of those facilities ever since she
became the director.
Last year, she planned some stage
performances of traditional Japanese art
and music. On her request, about ten
women from Handa and nearby cities and
towns went to America for that purpose.
They were instructors and teachers of
traditional Japanese art and music, such
as tea ceremony, flower arrangement, koto
music, Japanese dance and kimono
dressing. I accompanied them. We paid
for the flight by ourselves. In return,
there was no charge for our accomodations.
We stayed with American families.
The family I stayed with was a retired
couple; the husband was American
and his wife was Japanese.
She was one of the so-called sense)
haba-yorne, war brides, young Japanese
women married to American soldiers after
the war. Coincidentally, she came
from the same town in Osaka where I am
from. She was happy to talk to me in her
native language, in the dialect of Osaka
in particular. We spoke in Osaka-ben all
the time while we were together. I had
never spoken so much in Osaka-ben since
I left my hometown. I spent about ten
days in America, but I scarcely spoke English.
I was always with some Japanese.
I realized it was not helpful to me to use
only my mother tongue where people
spoke English, the language I had studied
for so many years. Next time, I should
.put myself in a situation where I hear
only English and have to speak English.
The leader of this artists group
was a Japanese woman professor of English.
She suggested that I attend summer
sessions of the Intercultural Communication
Institute in Portland and advised me
to write to that institute and request a
pamphlet about the "summer institute for
international cultural communication". I
immediately did so two weeks ago. I have
been waiting for their reply and look forward
to attending the summer sessions.
1 have two problems. Firstly, I am
an extraordinarily strict vegetarian. I
cannot eat out. I have to find a dormitory
2 APRIL 30, 1995
or an apartment house where I will be allowed
to cook for myself. Secondly, I am
very traditional in terms of clothing. I
usually wear kimonos, but kimonos are
not appropriate garments in this case. I
have to make some other clothes to wear
there for it is my principle to make almost
all the clothes I wear by myself.
Right now, I am busy unsewing some old
kimonos to remake them into more modernized
apparel that would make my trip
and stay more convenient and comfortable.
(NAOMI KONDO, Handa)
In Japanese, we say lchinen no kei
wa gantan ni ari. It means "New Year's
Day is the day for planning" or "Decisions
made on New Year's Day are the key to a
successful year". My hope is to make
progress toward my deep longing and this
is most difficult for me because my deep
longing for 1996 includes plans, hopes
and fears, all three.
I long to have a tender heart, not
only for human beings but for all things.
If I can become more tenderhearted, I
will speak about my thoughts to others
and, if anyone approves of my longing, the
world will become a little happier than
before. I, myself, am the only problem?
whether or not I will put forth the effort
to accomplish my aim. I am concerned
about the destruction of nature, bullying
in schools, child suicides, cruelty toward
old people or animals, international relations.
Having even a little sympathy will
help to solve many problems.
I pray to God at the beginning of the
New Year that I will not spend days idly
through the year and will talk to others
about the love of God.
(MICHIKO SANO, Minami, Nagoya)
As for my personal plans for 1996,
first of all I would like to study the "Daily
Word" messages more carefully and digest
them better so that I can make further
progress, both intellectually and
spiritually. These days, I feel urged to do
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
so, though I have been a_very lazy student
for a long time. I have been a student of
Dr. Offner's since 1988 when I noticed an
article about the "Daily Word" messages
in the Asahi Shinbun and requested copies
to be mailed. I regret very much that I
have not been able to make much use of
the precious gifts profusely given by Dr.
Offner through the messages. How I miss
those 8 years which have flown by like an
arrow while I have grown older and my
memory is worsening year after year.
It is said that 1995 was a horrible
year for us Japanese and so it was for my
family also. Last May, I lost my mother
and then my husband became sick. How
depressed was and without vigor those
days! When I was very gloomy, I received
the good news that Dr. and Mrs. Offner
would provide us listeners in the Tokyo
area an opportunity to see them near Tokyo
Station on August 24, 1995 on their
way to their homeland. Ms. Shizuko Muto
and I were able to go there. How happy
we were to see our loving teacher and his
wife face to face and to enjoy talking
with them for a while! Talking with him,
I felt as if I were urged to be a more
faithful student. Since then, I have been
much encouraged and recovered my vigor.
I am so grateful for their kindness and
thoughtfulness to share their precious
time with us when they were very busy.
I am an old woman whose studying
ability is very poor. Devising a system
for effective studying was necessary. I t
is said that an effective way for us foreign
students to study English is to memorize
English sentences as much as possible.
I would like to memorize passages
which seem to me significant or impressive
as much as possible. Then I would
like to follow the way Mr. Tomoyasu Kimura
mentioned in the 15th anniversary
issue of "Daily Word" Echoes. He wrote
that after listening to the messages a
number of times, he tried to write down
all the sentences in each message. That
seems too difficult for me, but I plan to
MARCH 31, 1996
try to do so as much as possible. The messages,
which are the result of Dr. Offner's
marvelous talent and precious effort,
should not be wasted. They are always
very interesting and beneficial. I would
like to broaden my knowledge and deepen
my thinking through studying them so
that I may grow healthier even in trials.
1 would like to contribute essays
to "Daily Word" Echoes as often as possible,
though I am poor in writing. Once I
contributed for a while, but soon gave up,
thinking it was too difficult for me to
continue. After a long break, I tried again
and found that my ability had remarkably
declined. I would like to try again as
much as possible, so that I may stay
young. Now I imagine my deceased mother
watching over me with a smile. "You
do not need to take care of me anymore.
So spend your time studying the messages
and do not give up."
(MICHIKO KAWAMURA, Meguro, Tokyo)
I will write about my two main
hopes for this year. First, my hobby is
painting and our painters group usually
takes a sketch tour abroad once every
two years. This year, we are planning to
go to Spain in June. As I have never been
there, I am looking forward to going. But
atthis time, I cannot decide whether to go
or not. The problem is the condition of
my health. Since the end of last year,
have not been so well, but if I regain good
health, I will join the tour. I hope to
make as many sketches as I can and bring
them back with me.
My second hope is related to the
problem of our two grandchildren. They
are now 5th and 7th graders and victims
of school bullying, as I wrote in a previous
issue of the Echoes. The principals,
homeroom teachers and child psychiatrists
did their best but failed to persuade
them to go back to school. From
last autumn, they have not attended
school, staying home everyday. My daughter
looked for a special class for absen-
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 3
tees in and around the city but failed--to
find one. Now she is planning to send the
elder child to the international school in
Toyota and has already contacted the
Summerhill School in England for the
younger one. We sincerely hope that this
year will be a better year for them.
(TSUYOSHI HAMADA, Minami, Nagoya)
I have two hopes and one plan for
this year.
My first hope is to gain the 2nd
rank of the Taikyokuken for which I have
been training for two years. There are
five ranks: beginner, middle, advanced,
sub-teacher and teacher. I am still far
away from teacher, which may require
five more years of training, but I'm
thinking that doesn't matter if only I
keep healthy.
My second hope is to be a translator
of "English Literature for Children", but
it is very difficult to pass the license
examination for 2nd grade and then 1st
grade. .A person with a 2nd grade ranking
can take part in a translator group and
can brush up on his or her technical ability,
but it's very difficult for me. By the
way, I now have a 3rd grade ranking.
Regarding my plan, I have been
studying sign language on NHK television
for one year now. I have become able to
understand and to speak with my hands
and also to finger letters but Only for
simple conversation. So, I'm planning to
join a volunteer group and would like to
help deaf and dumb persons even a little.
(MIEKO OKUMURA, Mizuho, Nagoya)
To tell the truth, I am three score
and eleven years old as of this January.
It stands to reason that I have come to
think of the time when the curtain will
fall on my life. I know that no one can
escape one's destiny. Sooner or later the
inevitable will come to pass. So I ponder
this matter long and deeply before reaching
the conclusion that I had better be
prepared for my demise.
4 APRIL 30, 1995
What I hope and pray__is that I will
keep so well as to need little help from
others to lead a normal life until the very
time that a sudden natural death robs me
of life. Thus my plans should be focused
on how to keep well as long as I am alive.
One of the prerequisites for keeping well
is to keep regular hours. This is my top
priority in order to keep well.
Beyond the personal level, I think I
should have something to say about various
matters present-day society faces.
In order to do so, I should keep abreast of
the times, seeing the world in a different
light. Some people say they see no bright
prospects for the future. There may be a
possibility that their pessimistic view i s
correct. But I am in no mood to agree
with their gloomy outlook. Then, what
can I do about it? This is the question I
face in the year 1996.
(SHOJI SUGIMOTO, Suginami, Tokyo)
This year will mark a new start for
my husband and me because he is going to
retire from his job at the end of March. I
don't know what he will do after that. He
will probably stay at home all day long.
Although I will have to do more household
chores than before, I'd like to express
my sincere thanks to him for his
working hard for more than 35 years.
I'm afraid, however, that the sudden
change in his lifestyle may adversely affect
his mental or physical health. I really
hope he will find something to do soon,
which will help him maintain his health.
I have already told him that his retirement
is also my retirement. At that time,
he was astonished at my words, but now
it seems to me that he is trying to understand
them. I wonder if my lifestyle will
change due to his retirement. These are
my hopes and fears.
(MICHIKO NIWA, ShOwa, Nagoya)
When I attended the "Daily Word"
meeting on the 21st of January, I felt
confident about my health, but from the
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
end of January, I noticed that I had some
stomach trouble and called a doctor for
the first time in many years. This made
me realize I have to take better care of
myself as I get older. As a result, I had
to take medicine with me on my trips.
Some trips were included in my hopes and
plans for 1996 and I have taken two trips
as of this time.
I visited Okinawa and Palawan Island
in the Philippines in February. The
trip to Palawan Island was one of the
most enjoyable and memorable trips I
have ever taken. The island is completely
isolated from 20th century civilization,
if I may be permitted a slight exaggeration.
There were no telephones, fax machines,
radios or television sets. There
was only an unpolluted ocean and a hospitable
staff at the hotel. Having no specific
program or schedule, we could do
whatever we wanted to do. Some of the
group enjoyed snorkeling, scuba diving
and canoeing.
A number of small fish came near
me while I was enjoying swimming. In
Canada last September at Bow River, I
could not catch a single fish in half a
day, but here I caught several big fish in
a short time. On a boat, we ate them as
sashimi. At night, we could see the
Southern Cross, the Big Dipper and the
Milky Way high up in the sky. The sound
of the waves provided a pleasant accompaniment
while we were dining. How I
wish I could have stayed longer!
(MIDORI KODAMA, Midori, Nagoya)
January 23
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Message (Subiect #297)
In Japan, writing may be considered
an art as well as a means of communication,
but the art form known as
shock) does not enhance legibility. ShodO,
or calligraphy, is the suggested theme for
MARCH 31, 1996
an essay this week. What do you think of
this style of writing? Have you taken
classes in calligraphy? Do you appreciate
this form of art? What are the benefits of
learning to write in this manner? What
do you think about the future of shodo?
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My hometown of Kasugai is called a
city of calligraphy. This is because DafCi
Ono was born here in 894. He is one of
the three great Japanese calligraphers,
known as sanseki. He is a descendant of
Imoko Ono, a famous Japanese envoy to
the Sui Dynasty in China. He somewhat
changed the Chinese style calligraphy to
a Japanese style. The D'OfC1M emorial Hall
is located near the JR Kachikawa Station.
There is a saying that "calligraphy
reveals one's character". It might be true.
Beautiful calligraphy, as a work of art, is
very impressive. It is delicate, gentle and
powerful.
When I write poor letters with a
brush, they reveal my state of mind reflexively.
Often they show instability.
Peace, stability, affection, carefulness
and power are important. All kinds of superior
mental qualities are required.
(TOSHIYUKI KOTERAZAWA, Kasugai)
As I may have written previously,
calligraphy, shodo or kakikata was one
of the required subjects in elementary
and junior high schools in Japan. In our
school days, pupils carried inkstones (suzuri),
and ink sticks (sumi) to school for
their two calligraphy lessons a week. We
also took writing brushes (fude), calligraphy
papers and textbooks (tehon) with
us. Our teacher used to make the rounds
of the class, standing behind each pupil
and instructing how to write correctly. I
was not good at calligraphy. I sometimes
carelessly dripped ink on the white paper
when I was going to start writing. It was
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 5
because nay writing brush had too much
ink on it.
Although the semi-cursive writing
style (gyOsho) of Chinese characters and
Japanese hiragana is not so difficult to
read, the cursive writing style (sosho) i s
sometimes quite illegible. The printed
style of writing is good for official documents,
such as one's personal history.
Being illegible, both cursive styles are
good for advanced classes in calligraphy.
It is said that the printed style is as
easy as just standing, the semi-cursive
style is a little more advanced, like walk
ing, and the cursive style is as difficult
as running. Japanese or Chinese sentences
written with a writing brush in semicursive
or cursive styles are really a
work of art to display on a wall. or in an
alcove. They are difficult to read, so we
often wonder what they mean. It is good
for us to learn and to appreciate them as
we think about the meaning.
People in the old days used to write
in these styles with a writing brush on
rolled letter paper. Our mother used to
receive letters written in cursive style
on rolled paper from her sister. Mother
said, "Sister Ritsu has tappitsu (good
handwriting)." As I was a child, I could
not understand nor could I read them. I
thought that tappitsu meant to dash off
letters hurriedly. Later, I understood
that tappitsu meant to write very skillfully
and I thought much better of my
Aunt Ritsu. I wish I could write large
Chinese characters with a bamboo broom
on a mat-sized paper. But first of all, I
must learn how to write skillfully in a
printed style with this pen in my daily
life. (KAZUO TAGUCHI, Fukushima)
Shodo is the art of drawing characters
with a brush and India ink to express
spiritual depth and beauty. Shock) originally
came from China, but in Japan, Chinese
characters (kanji) were combined
with the Japanese syllabary (kana).
6 APRIL 30, 1995
At first, we should begin with the
square style (kaisho), progress to the
semi-cursive style (gy)sho) and then
move on to the more advanced cursive
style (s)sho). That is the system devised
in Japan to produce this character art.
With a brush soaked in India ink, one can
freely control the thickness and the tone
of the characters, unlike using a pen.
I used to exhibit my calligraphy at
exhibitions and received a number of
prizes during my school days. I like the
atmosphere in which my attention is
calmly concentrated. That is how calligraphers
are able to express their spirit
and ideas.
Beyond the standard square style of
writing (kaisho), writing styles can be
divided into the somewhat simplified
semi-cursive style (gyOsho) and the still
more simplified cursive style (sasho).
Except for New Year's cards and the like,
a brush is ordinarily not used for writing,
but shock) is included in the elementary
school curriculum.
Haiku, which are poems in 17 syllables,
or Tanka, which are poems in 31
syllables, are very beautiful when written
in semi-cursive style. They remind
me of the beautiful elegance of a Japanese
woman dressed in a kimono.
(MIEKO OKUMURA, Mizuho, Nagoya)
I do not like this style of Japanese
writing and I have never taken classes in
calligraphy. I do not appreciate this form
of art very much because some famous
artists are proud of their writing style
which we cannot figure out. I think they
are not considerate of persons who cannot
read such writings. If they were to
write in a readable style, it would make
a better impression on the readers. 1 do
not think that shod() will become more
popular in the future.
(TAMAKO MORIMOTO, Tsuyama)
Shod' (calligraphy) is the art of
fine and elegant writing. This visual art
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
is characteristic of countries where people
use Chinese characters which can be
objects of aesthetic delights. While similar
to the decorative calligraphy of the
West, it is more deeply rooted as a fine
art form, in part because every character
has meaning of itself and because of the
great diversity of character shapes. As
early as the 9th century, when Japanese
nobles had great esteem for the culture
of the Tang Dynasty, they regarded shod)
as an important part of their education.
The invention of kana (Japanese characters)
in the 9th century encouraged the
development and popularization of shock).
Shock) is considered to be a way of
cultivating the mind as well as promoting
skillful penmanship. It is judged not
only by its surface beauty but also by the
calligrapher's character. When we were
children, shock' (which was often called
kakikata) was one of the few subjects
taught at private schools together with
soroban. (In this case, shod' is a style of
writing using a brush.) These two skills
were essential requirements for people
living at that time.
Fine writing is an indication of the
education of the calligrapher, or at least
it has been so. I am not so good at writing,
especially when using a brush and
sumi. I hesitate to sign my name when
requested, for example, at a wedding dinner
or at the entrance of an art exhibition,
especially when the signature i s
written with a brush. My wife is rather
good, or at least, better than 1, at writing
because she was taught it quite thorough
ly when she was a child. I often ask her
to write a letter for me in certain cases
when there is no one observing.
Persons with poor handwriting are
now greatly benefited by the appearance
of word processors. I myself am one of
them. These days, I write letters or other
documents With a word processor and
what I must write by hand is only my signature
at the end. But, at the same time,
this tendency to use word processors pre
MARCH3 1, 1996
vents people from writing beautiful letters
by hand. My son usually writes many
theses or articles in his work and sometimes
I have a chance to look at his manuscripts.
1 am shocked at his bad writing
(resembling that of a schoolboy) and tell
him he is fortunate to be living in this
machine-oriented society. if he had to
expose his own handwriting directly to
people's eyes, he would be regarded as an
uncultured person simply by his poor penmanship.
(MIKIHIKO YOSHIMOTO, Gifu)
I do not truly appreciate calligraphy
because 1 cannot write characters in
a beautiful style. When I was young, my
father advised me to practice shod& but I
did not like it. I said at that time that I
would be careful not to use mistaken
characters and words instead of practicing
writing. If I use the wrong characters,
I am truly foolish--not only unskillful
but ignorant. I intend to keep the word
I said to my father.
A word processor helps me very
much. It must be used with great care,
however, for it will choose a mistaken
word if I am not careful. Typed words
are easier to read than skillfully written
ones. By the way, my husband's brotherin-
law is learning to read ancient manuscripts,
called komonjo in Japanese. I can
read only three or four words on a line.
In conclusion, I feel strongly that I
was truly foolish because I did not follow
my father's advice.
(MICHIKO SANG, Minami, Nagoya)
Among my school friends in the
northern part of Kyoto Prefecture, there
was an apprentice monk named TOgen,
who had a slim body and was well-mannered.
He always had his head cleanly
shaved. A friend told me that his calligraphy
work brought in money.
After we graduated from school,
some thirty years passed. I was working
in this city. One day in a street car, by
chance 1 noticed a monk in a black robe.
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 7
To my surprise,it was Mr. Togen. We were
surprised and enjoyed seeing each other.
He told me he was teaching English at a
university and had temples in Nagoya,
Kanazawa and Higashiura. Several years
later, he was assigned to be the chief
leader of a propagation campaign in the
United States. At the send-off party, he
was attired in beautiful, colorful robes.
The mayor said in his congratulatory
speech, "I came here imagining to see a
stout, strong Zen monk, but how tender
and soft you are!"
Then, about two decades ago, our
South Library E. S. S. members made a
one-day excursion to the countryside. On
the way back to the city, we dropped in .a
famous Buddhist temple in Higashiura..
When I went through the temple gate,. 1
read the name of the temple, Ken-kon-in.
1 was indeed impressed with the calligraphy--
beautiful, strong and streamlined
letters. When I read the signature,
I was quite surprised. It read "TOgen". I
realized this was my friend's temple and
my friend had written this.
Later, he became the second highest
monk of SOjiji Temple in Kamakura and
the highest monk in Sojiji, Noto Peninsula.
A few years ago, he passed away.
should have asked him for some of his
calligraphy! What a pity!
(TSUYOSHI HAMADA, Minami, Nagoya)
I think that shod6 is an art. I attended
calligraphy classes for about seven
years when I was child. My parents
think that a smart person is a good calligrapher
so my brother and I studied it. He
was in kindergarten and I went to class
with him and my friends every week on
Saturday afternoon. It was very enjoyable
We were fond of mischief. We
painted with ink (sump on our hands,
legs, clothes and faces. We had to prepare
twenty sheets of paper, but I often
failed to write and always turned in
about ten or fifteen sheets. But the
teacher was generous and kind. The hard8
APRIL 30, 1995
est work was seiza. My--legs became
numb. I learned shodo and sada' for a long
time even though I disliked seiza. This
experience taught me that I can overcome
any difficulty, but I don't like it. Maybe
I'm not a good calligrapher.
(KEIKO UKAI, Minami, Nagoya)
It was when I became a second
grader that I began taking calligraphy
lessons near the elementary school I
went to. According to my mother, it took
a long time for me to be "allowed" to take
lessons there. The calligraphy master
was such a strict teacher that he did not
want a talkative, active boy like me to
disturb the other pupils, so I was sumryjaLy-
ilrejected at first. Since she knew
that I needed disciplined training, however,
mother knocked on the door of the
calligraphy master again and again until
he gave me permission to attend on one
condition. Unless I was able to sit still
and devote myself to practicing calligraphy,
I would be expelled. To his surprise,
I did devote myself and even got the first
prize in a shodo contest. Through this
experience, I became confident and came
to believe in my ability.
Now, I do not practice shodo nor can
I write Japanese characters using semi
ink as well as I used to, but the fact remains
that I did a good job in calligraphy
during a certain period in my early years.
This is all I can say about my: personal
experience with calligraphy, but there
are some other things I think of.
For one thing, shock practice seems
to be representative of one aspect of our
culture: to copy the prototype of something.
In a calligraphy lesson, we are expected
to look at the model, called tehon,
as carefully as possible, then write our
own character which should be an imitation
of the tehon. However hard we may
try, of course, we cannot produce an exact
copy, but we are praised for producing
an approximation. We never think of
writing in a different manner.
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
During lessons, we are not allowed
to talk. All we can do is to ask for some
detailed instruction when we cannot understand
the master. As I wrote earlier,
I am talkative by nature, so I found it
extremely difficult to keep silent. As
you may know, a large number of Japanese,
especially when they are children,
take shock) lessons during which they are
allowed to talk very little. This aspect
of the shock) lessons may have made many
Japanese poor at speaking.
Last of all, about my dream. When I
become old and retire from the job of
teaching, I would like to take shock) lessons,
but I wish to produce my own calligraphy.
Of course, I should again learn
the basics of calligraphy, but once I've
learned them, I hope to produce my own
creative works of calligraphy.
(TOMOYASU KIMURA, Nishi, Nagoya)
Calligraphy is called shodo in Japanese.
This term has dO at the end of it,
like sack) (tea ceremony), kad6 (flower
arrangement), judo (Japanese wrestling),
kyOcki (Japanese archery) and so on. DO
literally means a way or road. In this
case, I think, it indicates the right way,
the proper method, principle or art.
Calligraphy was one of the most
important subjects at school. My late
father went to school for only eight
years,' but his handwriting was far better
than mine even though I went to ? school
for twice as long. The handwriting of my
mother was equal to his although her
school education was seven years longer
than his. Calligraphy was practiced very
intensively at primary school.
For a calligraphy lesson, children
have to bring everything they need for the
class, including an ink stick, an ink
stone, writing brushes and a paperweight.
When I was in the fifth grade of primary
school, one of my . classmates brought a
small bottle containing liquid ink. She
was reprimanded by the teacher for not
bringing her ink stone and ink stick. The
MARCH3 1, 1996
teacher told us-that calligraphy did not
mean only writing but included all the
preparations for it. It began with rubbing
the ink stick on the ink stone. We had to
sit up straight while doing this and could
not speak but concentrated on moving our
hand. smoothly so that the end of the
stick touched the surface of the stone
evenly. Doing this, we became calm and
then focussed our attention on the point
of the brush and on writing.
A calligraphy lesson is a sort of
mental training. It takes much time and
patience, like other lessons of Japanese
traditional arts. It takes many years for
a learner to master the fundamental
rules and skills. Once acquired, these
skills enable. one to write Japanese and
Chinese letters in the correct order and
to change them into the running style
properly. One can even read letters written
many years ago in a simplified form.
Calligraphy was an essential part of our
culture and its mastery was mandatory
for those who wanted to be educated.
These days, though, there is rarely
an opportunity to read old documents and
those who can read them or who can
write very well with a brush are not so
highly respected. Calligraphy lessons are
less and less demanded by people who use
word-processors or computers. I am
afraid that, someday, calligraphy will no
longer be taught at school.
(NAOMI KONDO, Handa)
I was one among a number of classmates
who were above average in shock).
It was the practice in our classroom then
to display some well-written works on
the wall and mine was almost always
among them. By way or reference, the
shodO we practiced then was the square
style, the most basic form of Chinese
characters. Other styles such as the
semi-cursive and cursive were taught in
more advanced levels.
As graduation from middle school
was drawing near, I heard from a friend
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 9
that mastering the cursive as well as the
semi-cursive styles was a necessity to
becoming an adult. As I was longing to
become an adult, I was very eager to
master both styles. Keeping a copybook
of "A Thousand Chinese Letters" at my
side, I spared no effort to learn to read
and write basic letters in semi-cursive
and cursive styles. Some letters in the
cursive style were so difficult to learn
that I had to be content with only reading
them and to give up trying to write them.
But after some time of endeavor, I felt
content with the result, finding myself
able to read and write a few hundred Chinese
characters. In fact, I even fancied
myself to. be a respectable adult already.
After leaving school, opportunities
for taking up my writing brush became
fewer. Caught up in a great maelstrom of
denying traditional things as evil that
was caused by the defeat of Japan (or,
more correctly, Japanese militarism)
after the end of World War II,shodo was
one of the victims neglected by the general
public. With the restoration of a
peaceful society, however, some of the
good traditional things have returned and
shodei is among them.
I would like to mention about recent
tendencies among some people who
love shock), They try to seek sophistication
in their works so much that they are
prone to forget the very basics of shade).
Some who call themselves avant-garde
artists tend to give priority to aesthetics
at the cost of legibility. Without legibility,
shade) makes no sense. It is an undeniable
fact that some ancient shocto
works have lost their legibility for ordinary
people, but that is an inevitable result
of the flow of time.
(SHOJI SUGIMOTO, Suginami, Tokyo)'
I have some acquaintances who are
very good at calligraphy. All of them have
practiced it for many years and exhibit
their works a few times a year. Though I
don't know exactly, it seems to me that
10 APRIL 30, 1995
works of calligraphy exhibited can be
classified into two groups. One is imitative,
closely copying another calligrapher's
work. (Almost all beginners belong
to this group.) The other is creative, developing
her or his own unique style.
Several years ago, 1 was shocked to
view my friend's work at a calligraphy
exhibition. There was only one big letter
written on the paper, 120 cm. wide and
60 cm. long, which I managed to read. I
thought it was a kind of picture with
white and black, expressing her heart.
Her calligraphy experience totals more
than 45 years. Needless to say, her common
handwriting is very beautiful and
whenever I receive a letter from her I
envy her good handwriting.
It is natural that good writing is
better than poor writing. Albeit, when we
had to decide whether or not to let our
children attend shodO-juku, a private
school for calligraphy, their father said
that what is most important is the content
of their writing or thinking, not
their beautiful penmanship; now they
need to play outside. I agreed with his
opinion. As a result, partly inheriting
poor penmanship from their parents, our
daughters and son also have poor penmanship.
(YOSHIKO TOYOTA, Kanie, Aichi)
Writing is an important means of
communication. The Japanese writing
system changed after the war. When I
went to school before the war, we had to
learn far more characters in more complicated
forms than now. We were taught
to write inflections of verbs quite grammatically.
After the war, the Japanese
government recognized the need to simplify
the form of writing so that students
might learn more easily. They made
a list of a limited number of characters
approved for general use. Characters
themselves were simplified, though their
original meaning and flavor were lost.
Now, the inflections of verbs are no longer
grammatical, but simply dependent on
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
phonetics. The revision may have?been
successful in promoting a more practical
use of written Japanese, but we cannot
deny that Japanese characters have lost
their original style and attractiveness.
Maybe the younger generation cannot read
the old type of written Japanese very
well and we older ones cannot get used to
the new style.
Now, we live in a global age. To
maintain good relationships, communication
is essential. For effective communication,
legibility is also required. Today,
word processors are quite common and
we have few chances to write letters
with a brush and ink. I suppose Japanese
long ago were far better calligraphers
than we. We must be quite pessimistic
about the future of calligraphy for, as Dr.
Offner stated, calligraphy does not enhance
legibility.
I am ashamed that, though I am old,
have never taken classes in calligraphy
and am quite ignorant of it. Though I
know my artistic appreciation is quite
limited, I do recognize its positive value
as an excellent art form and as one of the
precious assets of Japanese art. Certainly,
calligraphy is a creative art form in
which one attempts to express spiritual
depth and beauty by means of kanji and
kana characters written with a brush and
ink on Japanese paper. The Chinese characters
were introduced to this country
from China in about the fifth century A.D.
Then, we invented two phonetic syllabaries
to express Japanese more correctly.
One of these syllabaries is katakana and
the other is hiragana. Each of these symbols
represents a single sound. Over the
years, the forms of those symbols have
changed and, without studying them, we
cannot read them now.
Calligraphy has a long history and a
precious heritage, which stimulates our
interest in deepening our understanding
and appreciation. Calligraphy is not easy
to learn. One must practice repeatedly,
following the rules faithfully. It is said
MARCH3 1, 1996
the beauty of expression (brush strokes,
structure, color of sum!, arrangement,
etc.) all make the work worthy of appreciation.
Isn't it wonderful that just one
stroke of a brush can cause the work to
move our hearts? Though our life style
has been ? modernized, we still like to
hang a work of calligraphy by an expert
or a celebrity in the alcove of our rooms.
At old people's clubs, calligraphy is
the most popular subject to learn and
many elderly people enjoy studying it. On
the day of the First Writing of the New
Year, many elementary and junior high
school students enjoy writing auspicious
words with a brush and ink. As an art
form, calligraphy will survive and l? really
hope it does.
(MICHIKO KAWAMURA, Meguro, Tokyo)
I will write a little about kana calligraphy
in which I am involved. As you
know, kana are the original monosyllabic
Japanese characters which were fashioned
from simplified Chinese ideographs
(kanji). Their origin can be traced to the
10th century. Continuing through the 11th
century, this distinctive, artistic syllabary
became established in the 12th century.
Their aesthetic beauty has played an
important role in the history of Japanese
calligraphy. The so-called onna-de (feminine
script) calligraphers have. developed
an expressive world of refined calligraph
is beauty, adopting a continuous writing
technique known as renrnen-tai that produced
beautiful flowing scripts.
Today, those who study kana calligraphy
use classic textbooks that contain
masterpieces of the great calligraphers
of the Heian Period and practice renmentai(
a continuous writing of kana characters)
at the. beginning. When you view
kana works on display, you may find this
form of continuous writing difficult to
read, but I think that matters little if
you sense some feminine or poetic beauty,
a kind of picturesque aroma, exuding
from them.
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 11
In recent years, _ kana calligraphy
has been exhibited abroad also, in America
and France, for example, and a tendency
to enhance legibility is emerging
among calligraphers. Needless to say, it
is essential that everyone can read. I
hope that legible kana art will be more
enjoyed by many people who also appreciate
its own traditional beauty.
(SADAE HASHIMOTO, Minami, Nagoya)
In olden times, it is said, yomi, kaki,
soroban, or reading, writing and calculation
were the basic studies and their
importance was emphasized, but nowadays,
these functions have been taken
over, more or less, by machines, such as
word processors and calculators, which
are almost necessities for a business.
They have advantages. Letters are
clear and calculators work rapidly, but I
still prefer handwriting, especially when
it comes to personal matters. Whenever I
receive a letter written beautifully, I
feel happy. Even if the writing is not so
good, I still feel the warmth and personality
of the writer.
1 took calligraphy lessons in my
youth and continued for several years. I
mostly took lessons in kana and rinsho.
It was very complicated and time-consuming
work for this rapid modern age.
(MIDORI KODAMA, Midori, Nagoya)
In Japanese calligraphy, or shod&
Chinese characters, or kanji, Japanese
syllabaries, or kana, including both katakana
and hiragana, are all written, either
alone or in various combinations to suit
the requirements of our native language.
When we write Japanese vertically,.
we begin at the top of the right side of
the page and go down. Each new line follows
to the left. In some cases, we write
horizontally, starting at the top lefthand
side of the page and go from left to
right as in English.
Not only is the vertical style easy
to write, it is also considered the natural
12 APRIL 30, 1995
way. The characters flow into one another,
forming the basis of the art form related
to Japanese calligraphy, or shock),
so-called shaji.
By virtue of the many opportunities
had to :take' shOji ?lessons during my
school days, my cacography improved and
was changed into calligraphy. Nowadays,
most Japanese write letters or cards on
their wa-puro (word processor) or on a
pasu-kon (personal computer) instead of
using a fude, or Chinese brush, and sumi,
or Chinese ink, resulting in a deterioration
of their penmanship. I am one of
those who are trying to write letters and
cards using the original shock) method in
order to promote Japanese tradition.
Whenever I receive greeting cards and/or
letters which were typed on a wa-puro or
a pasu-kon I do not receive any friendly
vibes from them. I think,. however, that
official letters should be typewritten
which makes them easy to read.
Only recently, I had an opportunity
to submit my personal history in shodO
style when applying for a new job (after
already reaching retirement age) which
seemed to have made an impression on
the director of the company. Now it is
very rare for those who write their personal
history to use the shodo style. I
have determined not to permit this traditional:
Japanese.:.art to perish as long as
I live. (JAIME IWAI, Owariasahi)
*************************
January 30 Message (Subject #298)
For the third theme [for the next
issue of the "Echoes"] I am suggesting the
names of three historic men whose lives
are related to this 30th day of Januaty.
You may choose one or more of them to
write an essay about. They are: Franklin
Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United
States, who was born on this day in
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
1882; Adolf Hider, who was appointed
German Chancellor on this day in 1933;
Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian political and
religious leader, who was assassinated on
this day in 1948. Each of these men affected
the course of world histhry. What
are your thoughts or memories regarding
one or more of them?
*************************
The United States insisted that Japan
withdraw from China and from its alliance
with its Axis partners, but Japan
refused to do either and negotiations
failed. On December 8,1941, Japan attacked
Pearl Harbor. Hearing the news,
was frightened, fearful of the threatening,
dark future. What a foolish mistake
Japan had made! We should remember
that Japan had owed much to the United
States, which was far stronger than we.
During the war, we were manipulated to
feel hostility toward them and their president,
Franklin Roosevelt. Later, I came
to .know about him and appreciate him as
a great president with a compassionate
heart and strong leadership ability.
He was born into a well-to-do fa mily
and received a good education. At his
school, Christian duty and responsibility
to the less fortunate 'was emphasized and
he was exhorted to enter public service.
Unfortunately, ,at the age of 39, he was
stricken with poliomyelitis. He was able
to regain partial use of his paralyzed
legs, slowly and painfully, over the next
few years. During his illness, he developed
patience and self-control and broadened
his understanding of social problems.
In 1929, he was elected governor
of New York state. In those days, the
world economy was very bad and the Wall
Street crash occurred that year. When
the economic depression deepened, he
was willing to experiment and revealed
his capability. As governor, he enacted
many New Deal policies.
MARCH 31, 1996
Then, he was nominated for the
presidency and elected in 1932. When he
took office, the streets were full of the
unemployed and the banking system was
collapsing. He firmly believed that government
had a positive responsibility for
the general welfare, not as a matter of
charity, but as a matter of social duty.
With his strong leadership, much of the
basic legislation of the New Deal was
enacted by Congress. Many major laws
and new government agencies were approved.
Among them, the TVA (Tennessee
Valley Authority) which was formed to
build dams, produce power, work on flood
control and to promote industrial growth
in that area is very famous. It is said
that the early stage of the New Deal was
quite successful.
He realized the importance of to
to the general public in a friendly
way so that it might understand his principles
and share his opinions. I still remember
his famous "fireside chats". He
was a warm, friendly president and a
strong leader. During the Second World
War, he tried to aid the Allies against the
Axis to protect democracy and planned to
make a world organization to stabilize
the postwar world. He was reelected in
1944, the only president ever elected to
four terms. He passed away in 1945. He
was certainly a great president.
Now, Japan is facing a crucial situation,
both domestically and internationally.
In order to overcome the difficulties
and to ensure a better future, we need
good leaders, equal to the task and trustworthy.
In order to get good leaders, we
should be more concerned with politics
and try to raise our standards, morally
and intellectually. We should remember
it was common Americans that elected
Franklin. Roosevelt to be their president.
(MICHIKO KAWAMURA, Meguro, Tokyo)
In January, I had a chance to travel
abroad to India and was deeply impressed
by their society. Here, I will comment on
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 13
that society which is full of inconsistencies
and on Mahatma Gandhi who devoted
his life to improve that society. Gandhi's
tomb in Delhi was covered with many
flowers and a great number of pious people
were offering prayers in front of it.
India has been controlled continuously
by other nations throughout her
long history. Most notable was her subjection
to the Mughal Empire. I had been
expecting to find footprints of the Buddha
because India was his native country,
but almost all the historic sites I visited
were remains of Islam and the Mughal
Emperors. (At many spots sacred to Buddhism,
there is no trace of historic ruins.)
Following the ? conquest by Islam,
British domination was remarkable in her
history and many traces of it are evident
today. Many old hotels are English-styled
and the elevators inside them are called
"Lifts" . "English meal" is equivalent to
"Western meal" . It was convenient that
English was spoken in public places, such
as hotels, airports and stores, but the
mass of people seemed quite indifferent
in regard to English. I took pains to understand
their peculiar, provincial accents,
though I gradually grew familiar
with their English. The British way of
domination was very clever. . They even
adopted a policy to cause the two religions,
Hinduism and Islam, to be antagonistic
to each other in order to prevent
unity of the whole nation.
Mohandas K. Gandhi was persistently
confronted with such British policies.
He developed a nationwide movement for
independence from Great Britain, emphasizing
nonviolence, passive resistance,
non-cooperation and insubordination. He
was given the honorific title of "Mahatma"
(Saint) and was called "Father of I ndia".
After India's independence in 1947,
he exerted himself for reconciliation between
Hindus and Muslims but was assassinated
by a fanatic Hindu.
Traveling in India, I could not help
noticing that people are generally poor,
14 APRIL 30, 1995
that the country is still slowly developing
and that what obstructs its growth is
the religion of Hinduism and the caste
system. (This system itself is derived
from the religion.) I felt that people
should free themselves from the bondage
of that religion for their modernization.
Many farsighted leaders have aimed at
abolishing the caste system from of old
(Buddha himself was one of them) and
have failed. Gandhi was pained by the
miserable living conditions of the people
belonging to the lowest class and endeavored
to improve their conditions but
died before he could realize his aspiration.
Indian society is too huge to be
moved by a single great man no matter
how influential he may be.
(MIKIHIKO YOSHIMOTO, Gifu)
I have never met nor talked with
Franklin Roosevelt or Adolf Hitler but I
have seen their pictures on television.
At first, I must say that my brother and I
like America so we are always in agreement
in regard to it, but I am sorry to say
that I do not have a good feeling about
Franklin Roosevelt. The reason is that I
saw his picture in a newspaper during the
Second World War. The caption said that
his pipe was made from the bone of a
Japanese killed in the war. It took my
breath away at the time. I thought that
the news must be mistaken, but I. was
greatly shocked nevertheless. Thinking
about it now more calmly, I presume that
it was the bone of an animal and that the
Japanese newspaper's report was the result
of militaristic misinformation., but
I cannot forget my shock at that time. I
say again, I am sorry that I received this
bad impression of President Roosevelt
instead of that of a man with a good
heart who did not want war. I believe
that America and Americans are honestly
trying to do God's will.
In regard to Adolf Hitler, I hesitate
to say it but we must not avoid considering
a part of our history. It is easy to
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
criticize after?the event, but very difficult
to make decisions at the time. I myself
am not confident in his respect. Even
if we condemn Hitler, it is fruitless. I
also presume it is God's will. I must walk
the way which God directs even though it
is most difficult for me.
(MICHIKO SANO, Minami, Nagoya)
Mohandas Gandhi was born in 1869
as the youngest son of the premier of a
regional monarchy in India. When he was
eighteen years old, he went to England
and afterward was admitted to the bar.
Then we went to South Africa when he
was 23 years old and experienced how his
fellow countrymen were harshly - discriminated
against there. He returned to his
motherland and began an independence
movement based on the principle of nonviolence
and nonresistance. He went everywhere
with a simple white cloth
around his waist, wearing sandals. He
taught the people on their own level and
worked together with them. He treated
even the untouchables as sons of god. He
won the independence without weapons
but finally he was assassinated in 1948,
when he was 78 years old. The poet, Tagore,
conferred on him the title Mahatma.
His disciple, Jawaharlal Nehru's
daughter, Indira Gandhi, and her son,
Rajiv, were also assassinated. What a
tragedy! They were willing to sacrifice
their lives to save their countrymen. After
the war, at the Tokyo Military Tribunal,
only the Indian judge found Japan not
guilty. I think it might be due to the influence
of Mahatma Gandhi. Anyway, he
was the greatest leader and savior of his
people. I respect him!
(TSUYOSHI HAMADA, Minami, Nagoya)
Franklin Roosevelt was born in1882
and became a politician in the United
States. To my surprise, I heard that he
was elected president four times. He put
forth an effort to restore the economy
after the Depression, put New Deal pollMARCH
31, 1996
cies into practice, recognized Soviet political
power, helped various countries in
Europe and saved them from totalitarianism
in those days. (YASUKO IZUMI, Seto)
? As a person related to the 30th of
January, I choose Franklin Roosevelt who
was born on that day 114 years ago. Even
in the years of the Pacific War, we knew
about President Roosevelt in America and
Prime Minister Churchill in England. More
than 50 years have passed since the end
of that war. Following the end of the war,
the U. S. A. and Japan have been very
friendly nations much longer than when
they were opposed to each other. According
to the U. S. News and World Report of
1982 (100 years after the birth of Franklin
Roosevelt), he is the third most popular
of all American presidents. We heard
of Franklin Roosevelt's death from illness
in the spring of 1945. Even at that
time, I felt sorry that a great man had
been lost. After a few months, the war
was over and we learned, about America
by and by, little by little.
Franklin Roosevelt was a promoter
of liberalism. He made America a firstclass
power. He also proved himself very
capable, showing his presidential ability
not only in foreign affairs but also in domestic
legislation. He put forth a great
effort for economic reconstruction after
the great panic in America in 1929. During
his time as president, from 1933 to
1945, he was elected four times. I admire
him for meeting with journalists as
often as 998 times during those twelve
years, whom he treated kindly. He also
chose a group of university professors to
be his counselors. He served his country
very well and brought about industrial
reconstruction. I am sure he prayed to
God asking him what to do before making
decisions to do those wonderful things.
It is too bad that he became sick in h is
later years.
Although Franklin Roosevelt, as a
leader of the United States, died before
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 15
the end of the war and was not able to
see the good relations between America
and Japan, he may be happy to know that I
like my American teachers and friends
who are in heaven, in America and in Japan.
I hope there will never be a war between
these nations whatever happens on
earth. Jesus binds together the people
who believe in him.
(KAZUKO TAGUCHI, Fukushima)
Once I heard an unforgettable episode
about Mahatma Gandhi which became
a picture clearly printed in my memory.
He was sitting on the ground, spinning
cotton. To promote the cotton industry,
he had prompted people to grow
cotton and spin it. He himself often spun
cotton. He used white cloths to cover the
lower part of his body and his upper body
was exposed.
Prior to his meeting with the English
prime minister, he was asked by a
high-ranking English official if h e was
not ashamed of wearing such rustic
clothes. He answered, "No". On the contrary,
he was proud of wearing them because
they were the traditional Indian
costume and he regarded them as the
most appropriate garb for a formal occasion.
(NAOMI KONDO, Handa)
Basho, the greatest Japanese poet,
in one of his writings, quoted these wise
words of Kukai, the ancient Buddhist
priest: "You should not be content with
following in the footsteps of your predecessors,
but try to seek out what they
sought." These very significant words
have stayed in my mind since I first came
across them dozens of years ago. Now I
would like to apply them in relation to
the great man I am going to write about.
In reading an article in the Encyclopaedia
Britannica (1966),I found that two
main ideas prevailed in his activities
throughout his life. "The only virtue I
claim," he said, "is truth and non-violence."
The article also included another
16 APRIL 30, 1995
quotation: "My life is an indivisible whole
and all my activities run into one another;
they all have their rise in my insatiable
love of mankind." Here lies the condensed
essence of the thought of this
great soul, in my view.
We should seek out what the great
Gandhi sought throughout his whole life.
He was all heart. He distinguished himself
by getting to the heart of the problems
he faced. He was very tenacious in
seeking to attain his purpose. His great
personality made everyone attracted to
him. He was a genius. He has every reason
to be venerated after his death.
Now I can safely say that the spirit
of non-violence has taken shape in Article
9 of the Japanese Constitution that
stipulates the renunciation of war, for
war is nothing but violence at its worst.
Thus, renouncing war means non-violence.
To realize what Article 9 states must
mean sharing the spiritual legacy of nonviolence
this great soul devoted himself
to. It follows as a corollary that we
should spare no effort to eliminate nuclear
weapons from the whole world.
This end goes well together with the
creed of non-violence the Mahatma constantly
advocated throughout his life.
(SHOJI SUGIMOTO, Suginami, Tokyo)
**************************
Februarv _G Message (Subiect #299)
Last Saturday was the "season-divider"
day, called setsubun,in Japan. The
following day was risshun, literally
meaning "start of spring". Actually, there
are four "season-divider" days each year,
but the term setsubun is now used only
for the one at the beginning of spring
which is also associated, traditionally,
with the beginning of a new year. In the
agricultural alinanac, there are 24 seasons
of about 15 days each, which are re-
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
lated to the relative position of the sunand
the earth. Some of them are well
known by the general public, but others
are often overlooked.. Do you know, for
example, what season follows risshunand
on what day it begins? What do you think
of these 24 seasonal divisions? In your
daily life, do you ever think about them?
If so, in what way or for what reason do
they come to mind? I would be interested
to read your comments about these 24
seasons and their place in Japanese
thought in the past and present and what
you think about their future.
*************************
The twenty-four seasons in the
Japanese and Chinese calendars are rooted
in the lunar calendar and related to
the relative positions of the sun and the
earth. Consequently, the dates of these
seasons are slightly different each year.
Nowadays, a great majority of people are
indifferent to them. I also am not interested
in them in my daily life, but I do
think about them when I write cards expressing
my best wishes to friends and
relatives living far away during the hot
or cold seasons and also inquire about
their health.
These greetings should be written
during a certain period. Summer greetings
are called shochei-mimai when written
before rissha, meaning "start of fall",
and zansho-mimai after rissh0. Shocha
means the hot season and zansho the remainder
of the summer heat.Mimai means
in inquiry about another's health. The
summer heat does not stop at risshO, falling
on or about August 6th. It remains until
the end of August or the beginning of
September. One is not supposed to write
summer greetings after shosho, meaning
"end of summer heat"
, about August 23rd.
I often forget to write summer greetings
before rissha, so I usually write them after
that. It is still hot even after "start
of fall" and I am lazy and slow in writing
MARCH 31, 1996
them. To remind myself of the deadline, I
circle the "end of summer heat" day on
my calendar.
Winter greetings sre supposed to be
written around daikan, meaning "great
cold", about January 20th. I hardly, ever
write a card or letter during this season
because I write New Year's greetings. I
only write to those who are in mourning
and to whom I could not send a New
Year's card.
I regard the writing of season's
greetings as a thoughtful Japanese custom.
It enables me to keep up a good
relationship with old friends and relatives
I rarely see. Thinking about the
twenty-four seasons reminds- me that
formerly almost all Japanese were farmers,
keenly sensitive to the changes of
nature, who made their farming plans
precisely based on the agricultural almanac
which is closely related to the
twenty-four seasons.
(NAOMI KONDO, Handa)
As a composer of haiku, I know the
seasonal words related to the seasons of
risshun, keichitsu, shunbun, rikka, geshi,
shOsho, taisho, risshu, shabun, ritto, Cop,
shokan and taikan, but I didn't know the
season that follows risshun. According
to my lunar calendar, usui, rain water,
comes after risshun and begins.on February
19th or 20th. The name implies that
icy water, warmed by warm air, vaporizes,
ascends to the sky, turns to rain water
and falls back again onto the earth.
In this season, the buds of trees sprout
and new leaves of grasses grow. I learned
the word "rain water" for the first time.
What a shame!
(TSUYOSHI HAMADA, Minami, Nagoya)
We Japanese are very sensitive to
seasonal changes. One reason for this is
that we have four distinct seasons. (In
India, which I visited recently, for example,
there are only two seasons: the rainy
season and the dry season.) Another rea-
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 17
son is that we were originally an agricultural
people whose work was related to
seasonal changes. Appreciation of seasonal
changes is vividly expressed in the
famous haiku, "Me-ni-wa aoba, yama hototogisu,
hatsu-gatsuo" (Fresh greenery
for the eye, a cuckoo's song for the ear,
and the first bonitos for the mouth). In
Japan, the visual effect of serving food
is important and dishware for it has to
be carefully chosen--glass or bamboomade
dishes for summer and thick earthenware
for winter.
In former days, we used the lunar
calendar, which was inconvenient in various
ways for agriculture. The system of
24 seasonal divisions was adopted to
make up for the deficiency. A one-year
period, from the time the sun reached the
spring equinox point until the next time
it reached that point (called celestial
longitude), was divided into 24 parts and
the 24 sekki were the names given those
seasonal divisions. People could know
the climatic changes in a year by these
divisions.
As the year is divided into 24 periods,
each division has about 15 days.
Among these 24 sekki, risshun, rikka,
risshu and ritto are the most widely recognized;
everyone knows them. For example,
we become very happy to hear the
word risshun, feeling that spring is near
at hand though the weather is still cold.
The four next most widely recognized
sekki are: shunbun, geshi, shObun and teiji,
which are all in the middle of the four
major seasons. Other examples of sekki
in spring are usui and keichitsu. The
former is around February 19th when ice
and snow begin to thaw and rainwater
gets warm. The latter is around March
6th, when insects and worms which have
been hibernating, begin to move. In addition
to these 24 sekki, we have zassetsu,
or other kinds of sekki, such as setsubun
or hachi-ya, which are also very familiar
to us. These various kinds of sekki, or
seasonal divisions, have had special
18 APRIL 30, 1995
meaning and sentiment _for us. Hearing
the names of these sekki, we people belonging
to the older generation, are filled
with deep emotion, but young people today
seem to have no special sentiment
for them.
In regard to the Japanese sensitivity
to seasons, much greater attention
should be paid to saijiki. This is a beautiful
illustrated glossary of words with
seasonal connotations regarding Japan's
traditional, annual events, animals, natural
phenomena and so on. All the words
and phrases are exemplified by simple
haiku poems and arranged according to
the well-defined four seasons. The names
of the 24 sekki are of course, the most
important element of saijiki due to the
circumstances mentioned above.
(MIKIHIKO YOSHIMOTO, Gifu)
I will write about the names of the
24 seasons and their meanings.
January: 1) shOkan= little cold; 2)
daikan= very cold. February: 3) risshun.
beginning of spring; 4)usui= rain water.
March: 5) keichitsu= insects/worms ending
their hibernation; 6)shunbun= vernal
equinox. April: 7) seimei= purity; 8)kokuu=
grain rain. May: 9) rikka= beginning of
summer; 10) shOman= little filling. June:
11) bO-shu= plant having an ear; 12) geshi
summer solstice. July: 13) shOsho= little
hot; 14) taisho= very hot... August: 15) r issh6=
beginning of autumn; 16) shosho=
hot place. September: 17) hakuro= white
dew; 18) shCibun= autumnal equinox. October:
19) kanro= cold dew; 20) soko=
frost descent. November: 21) ritto= beginning
of winter; 22) shO-setsu= little
snow. December: 23) tai-setsu= much
snow; 24) toji= winter solstice.
This theme suggested by Dr. Offner
was very helpful in stimulating me to add
to my knowledge. I confirmed the names
and their meanings because I did not
know some of them. I marvel that they
have come from China. I looked them up
in the Shinjigen, a Chinese-Japanese dic-
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
tionary I use in composing Chinese poems
I felt deeply that Japanese should become
more friendly and share the love of God
with the Chinese. We can view our old
history, for example, by reading the ManyOshO
which was greatly influenced by
China. (MICHIKO SANG, Minami, Nagoya)
I did not know about the 24 seasonal
divisions until I read a compendium of
seasonal words for haiku poets some thirty
years ago. I remember 1 was deeply
impressed by the wisdom of the ancestors
who devised such a clever system of
dividing the whole year. The idea of the
24 seasons comes from the agricultural
community whose schedule necessitates
correspondence with the constant change
in the climate throughout the whole year.
It is quite natural that the 24 seasons
correspond exactly to the ecliptic longitudes
showing the places of the sun on
its theoretical orbit.
The 24 seasons might have originally
reflected public feelings toward the
natural climate, but as modern civilization
and urbanization progressed, some of
the words have deviated from the original
meanings. For example, we see the
word risshun, or start of spring, on February
3rd in the midst of a usually frigid
winter, though it immediately follows
the coldest season called daikan. We,
today's urbanites, tend to forget the 24
seasons in our daily lives and with reason.
As for .me, I am no exception. It is
only when 1 try to compose a haiku poem
that I become aware of the 24 seasons.
As you know, every haiku poem in its traditional
form has to include a word related
to the 24 seasons. Then I realize that
the 24 seasons have become a precious
legend that I think will go down in the
history of Japanese culture.
(SHOJI SUGIMOTO, Suginami, Tokyo)
To tell the truth, I didn't know at
all that there were 24 seasonal divisions
of about 15 days each until Dr. Offner sugMARCH
31, 1996
gested this theme. Consulting the Kojien,
my big dictionary, I found out the 24
names of the seasons. Except for six of
them, the names are familiar to me, but I
didn't know they were names of seasons.
When I asked my husband if he knew
about them, he proudly replied that that
was a matter of common sense. Nevertheless,
he could name only eleven of them.
Among the names, there is no doubt
about which is his favorite. About March
6th, every year, looking pleased, he says,
"Today is keichitsu , (literally meaning
worms crawling up out of the earth after
a winter's sleep). What an excellent
expression we have (iiete my6 da)!! Not
only worms, but all of us feel ready to
move actively these days of the year.
Don't you?" He never misses making this
declaration because on this day we can
easily read or hear the word keichitsu in
the newspaper or on television or radio.
(YOSHIKO TOYOTA, Kanie, Aichi)
Risshun begins on February 4th or
5th every year according to the solar calendar
in Japan. This means that spring
comes at the beginning of these 24 seasonal
divisions. It is difficult for us to
remember each of the 24 seasonal names.
I think it is quite unnecessary for modern
people to remember them, apart from
specialists.' ? I have never thought about
them in my daily life. I only know about
them by means of newspapers or television
newscasts. To my regret, I have no
interest in risshun or the mame-maki
ceremony even though it is one of the
traditional ceremonies in Japan.
(TAMAKO MORIMOTO, Tsuyama)
As everyone knows, there are four
seasons in a year, but I thought that
March 1st was the beginning of spring.
At the same time, I had heard the word
risshun on February 4th, which means
"start of spring" . It was unbelievable to
me, for February is the coldest month in
the whole year. But I notice that there
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 19
are some warm days between some cold
days. "Three cold days and a few warm
days after risshun", and gradually real
spring comes. When a year is divided this
way, rikka, start of summer, falls on May
5, risshun, start of autumn, on August 7
and rittO, start of winter, on November 7,
following risshun. Such a division may
be more convenient to Japanese farmers,
but these dates are about three weeks
earlier than the four seasons of three
months each. If we divide the seasons into
24 divisions, usui comes after risshun,
I think. I am sorry, I cannot tell all the
names after that, except for keichitsu
and seimei until rikka. If I knew all the
names of the 24 seasons, I would feel the
subtle seasonal changes more.
I would rather divide one month into
two halves, about 15 days each, for I
can receive my annuity to support myself
on the 15th of the months with even numbers:
February, April, June, August, October
and December. But it is true that the
division of one year into 24 seasonal divisions
made it more convenient for Japanese
farmers to decide the dates for
sowing and reaping. It will also help us
to understand the reason for the changeable
weather and to love the nature
which God created. So these 24 seasonal
divisions. should be kept by Japanese people
as an incorporeal legaci of our ancestors
with their long experience.
1) If winter comes, spring cannot
be far behind. 2) Summer is drawing
near, green leaves are growing in the
field, on the mountain. 3) We don't know
when autumn comes, but we are surprised
at the windfall.
(KAZUKO TAGUCHI, Fukushima)
When I listened to this message, I
could not answer the first question with
the word usui, one of the seasonal divisions,
so I took the almanac from my
bookshelf and checked it out. I found that
I knew 18 names out of the 24. I learned
some of them through television and
20 APRIL 30, 1995
some of them from my parents. I think I
perceive the seasonal changes of weather,
atmosphere and temperature by those
names even if they cannot be seen or felt.
RisshO, start of autumn, top, winter solstice,
also stimulate some expectation of
a change of season. There is an old saying
that heat and cold will last until the
equinoctial week, atsusa samosa mo higan
made, in Japanese. I am now waiting
for the equinoctial week which will bring
moderate and comfortable temperatures.
(MICHIKO NIWA, Showa, Nagoya)
*************************
Februaryl 3 Message (Subject #300)
Probably the most well-known kabuki
drama which has maintained its
popularity over the years is that called
chashingura, in which 47 masterless warriors,
or rOnin, literally meaning "men on
the waves", avenge the death of their lord
by killing his adversary and taking his
head to their lord's grave to console his
soul, after which they all comn2itted suicide.
This drama exhibits many characteristic
aspects of Japanese culture and
traditional mentality?including the emphasis
on proper decorum, concern for
face and the honor of one's leader or
group, loyalty, discipline, the endorsement
of vengeance and the approval of
suicide. I would be interested in reading,
your impressions of this drama and its influence
in Japanese history. Have you
seen it performed? Do you approve of its
theme and the actions of its heroes? Does
it continue to attract and impress young
people today as it did in prewar days and
will it continue to be a popular drama in
the future?
*************************
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
Every year when December rolls
around, many television stations air the
chashingura drama, no doubt because it
draws many viewers. It is also performed
in many theaters and always attracts a
large audience.
About sixty years ago, I stayed in
Tokyo for a year. Then I thought visiting
the Sengakuji Temple was a must and one
day, I visited it. In the gloomy inner area,
there were 47 warriors' mossy graves
surrounded by big old trees. To my surprise,
much incense was being offered,
sending huge columns of smoke in the air.
Now I live in Minami-ku in Nagoya.
It is said that Japan's first movie studio
was established in our town about 70
years ago and the first movie they made
was chashingura. Near my home, there is
a public park with a small wooden bridge
which was selected for the location.
Many Japanese have a hangan-biiki
feeling that implies sympathy for the
loser, so I think this story will never
disappear from Japanese minds.
(TSUYOSHI HAMADA, Minami, Nagoya)
When I was a student, 1 went to the
Misono-za to see kabuki, which included
chashingura, because we were taught by
Dr. Fujino who received his doctorate for
his research on kabuki. For that reason,
at that time, I saw the chashingura drama
many times. I thought of it only as a
story without a deep meaning, but I enjoyed
the performances and thought the
performers played their parts well.
I presume young people will not understand
this concept of revenge and give
up their lives. I myself feel that way. I
am selfish. I may hesitate to give my internal
organs for my husband if it means
I must die. I have given notice to donate
my corneas to an eye bank and am thinking
about donating my body after I die,
but chashingura is completely different.
This drama will continue in the future,
but only as a dramatic performance
to be enjoyed and the story has become a
MARCH 31, 1996
kind of legend. Young people will not
judge that it is good or bad and not think
about following or not following its example.
It makes no difference to me if
the drama continues or fades with time.
(MICHIKO SAN��, Minami, Nagoya)
In December of last year, 1 happened
to watch most of the TV series
drama, Genroku ChOshingura, written by a
celebrated playwright, Mayama Seika. It
was a play in six acts. I saw about four
of them, including the first and last ones.
Everything went according to the script,
the outline of which is common knowledge
among us. Watching the drama led
me to reaffirm what I already knew.
However strange it may seem, I do
not think that the drama made a deep impression
on me. For one thing, I am far
from a kabuki-goer. I am, probably by
nature, unwilling to go in for kabuki
plays. In fact, I have gone to a kabuki
play only two or three times in my life. I
do not agree with the pomposity which
prevails in the traditional plays.
For another thing, I have not been
infatuated with the drama. 1 have been,
and am, rather a cool outsider. 1 learned
a lesson from what another kind of infatuation
brought about--the infatuation
which the wartime leaders of this nation
adroitly inspired in the populace in the
days before and during World War II. They
made full use of such elements as Dr.
Offner noted in his message to tout ultra-
nationalism. They connected those
elements of chOshingura with the spirit
of the then ultra-nationalism.
It is really surprising that the choshingura
drama continues to survive over
these many years, half a century after
the war, functioning as a stimulant to
attract many people and strengthening
its established reputation as a national
favorite kabuki play. It must contain
something that has taken root deeply in
the mentality of the Japanese people.
(SHOJI SUGIMOTO, Suginami, Tokyo)
"DAILYW ORD" ECHOES 21
Chashingura is a drama written in
the mid-eighteenth century, first for
ningO-jOruri (puppet theater) and then
adapted to kabuki. It has been regarded
as one of the best dramas. The main
theme is loyalty and it has been highly
approved by Japanese of all kinds from
the beginning. A great number of movies
and television dramas have been made
from this drama by many famous directors
in which numerous shining movie
stars have acted. They always attract a
large Japanese audience and bring profit
to the filming business.
This drama is based on a historical
event that happened in the samurai (warrior)
society during the feudal Edo Period.
The Japanese feudal system was like a
solid pyramid with the shOgun at the top.
Its structure was beneficial for the ruler
who dominated his people with numberless
rules and laws. In this extremely
regimented society, people were obliged
to think about duty, order, honor and discipline.
A samurai especially thought of
keeping his face and honor. The honor of
his master was his greatest concern and
loyalty was the most important virtue.
For this sake he sacrificed even his own
life and his family's lives. His attitude
was supported by all Japanese living in
this small isolated society.
The Meiji Restoration drastically
changed the political and social systems.,
but the mentality of the Japanese did not
change over night. It continued from generation
to generation. I myself understand
the sense of this tragedy. I have
sympathy with the forty-seven masterless
warriors. if I had lived in the Edo
Period, I would have respected them and
cried for them when they had fulfilled
their calculated plan.
Now I live in a democratic society
two and a half centuries after chOshingura
was written. From my present viewpoint,
this drama is nonsense. The warriors
are stupid and their deeds are ridiculous.
This drama is a product of the rig22
APRIL 30, 1995
id society where people were forced to
live with a narrow perspective. They
hung on to the present and the past and
had no idea about the future. If they had
thought of the future of the children and
vassals of their adversary, they would
not have killed him. If the social code
had been a little looser and they had had
a little wider perspective, they would
not have needed to kill themselves.
The last war in which Japan was
defeated changed the Japanese once again
and the bursting of the economic bubble
caused them to think differently than before.
They do not care so much about loyalty.
I do not think this drama will appeal
to young people in the future as it did in
the past. (NAOMI KONDO, Handa)
ChOshingura is a very interesting
topic and it reminds me of many things.
As a child, I really loved heroic
dramas, such as Kurama Tengu and Akado
Suzunosuke, in which the hero defeated
his enemies for the sake of justice. I
came to believe that the right was always
the winner and that the right was
always distinguishable from the wrong.
In the same way, I felt happy to see the
47 rOnin of the Asano Clan kill their adversary,
Kira Kazukenosuke.
When I began to teach at Nishio
High School, however, I found some of my
students from Kira hated Chashingura for
people in their town still respected their
lord Kira, who is always treated as if he
were a most disgraceful person. One student
even said she had never seen any
drama or play of Chashingura.
It was not until this little incident
that I noticed a clear difference in estimation
of the same historical figure. It
taught me a lesson in the importance of
viewing history and historical figures
with critical eyes. It may suggest that
we have been much influenced ? by television
when it comes to our points of view.
(TOMOYASU KIMURA, Nishi, Nagoya)
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
Chashingura is the story of 47 AkOroshi
(masterless warriors of AkO) who
took Asano Takumi (their masterYs revenge
upon Kira KOzuke (who was unkind
to Asano) in the 18th century. This drama
has been repeatedly presented on the
stage ofjoruri or kabuki and has also been
recited in kOdan for a long time. Cheishingura
is very popular among Japanese and
it is often said that the performance of
this drama always makes a hit no matter
how bad times may be. Why does this
story of feudal days enjoy widespread
popularity even today?
What accounts for the popularity of
the story is the loyalty of the 47 roshi to
their lord and the tragic bravery seen in
their death. These actions of the roshi
were based on bushidei, the feudal-military
Japanese code of behavior. Formulated
in the Edo Era with come Confucian
ideas as its philosophical foundation, bushido
puts special emphasis on thebushi'
s loyalty to his lord. It maintained,
among other things, thatbushi must serve
his lord and his country at the risk of his
life. "Bushick) is a way of dying" is a famous
line from Hagakure ("In the Shadow
of Leaves"), a book on bushido written in
the middle of the Edo Era. Young people
today may say that bushicrri is a holdover
from the feudal times and nothing but an
absurd standard of conduct. But bushicro,
as behavioral ethics and as practical morality,
flourished among military men until
the end of the last war. Beyond that,
the spirit it fostered somehow survives
in the business world to the present day.
Loyalty to business organizations and the
total involvement of employees in their
work are highly esteemed.
The most impressive element in the
story of Chashingura is the rOshi' s death
after their success in revenge. They were
permitted to commit seppuku, or suicide
by self-embowlment. Suicide is regarded
as sin in the West. In Japan, however,
suicide is not always condemned but is
often looked considered an acceptable
MARCH 31, 1996
way of apologizing for one's grave error,
shouldering full responsibility or showing
one's loyalty, for example. Often
called hara-kiri in the West, seppuku was
the death penalty to which high-ranking
bushi were condemned for crimes of
great gravity. It was considered to be a
less disgraceful punishment than beheading.
At the end of the last war, several
generals committed seppuku, though they
were not ordered to do so.
The 47 rOshi` s tombs are at Sengaku-
ji in Tokyo. Many people offer flowers
and incense sticks at their tombs
everyday even now. This fact indicates
people's respect and grief for the rOshi' s
faithfulness unto death.
Kira Kazuke was a feudal lord of K ira-
cho in Aichi Prefecture. He is recognized
for his good administration in the
area even today. People of Ake-shi (the
native place of the rOshi) and Kira-chO
recently began to cultivate mutual friendship,
getting over the enmity which has
continued for 300 years between them.
The passage of time sweeps away everything.
(MIKIHIKO YOSHIMOTO, Gifu)
I saw ChOshingura performed a few
years ago when a director invited us to
see it in Himeji City in Hyago Prefecture,
which is the neighbor of Okayama Prefecture.
I do not approve of its theme or of
the actions of its heroes. There should
not be revenge among human beings. I
hope that such dramas as Chushingura are
not performed anywhere after this. Ch0-
shingura exerts a bad influence on education
and morality. It is against the will
of God as revealed in Jesus Christ.
(TAMAKO MORIMOTO, Tsuyama)
First, 1 must confess that I have
never seen the kabuki drama,Chushingura,
but I read about it in a storybook many
years ago.
The 47 Aka ranin forced themselves
into the house of their adversary named
Kira Kozukenosuke and avenged their
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 23
lord's death by killing him on December
14, 1702. It was because Kira Kazukenosuke
had offended Asano Takumi, the
ronini s lord, who immediately exploded
with anger without discerning the time
and place. This tragedy ended with the
suicide of these 47 masterless warriors.
It seems to have been considered virtuous
to have been loyal to their dead mas-.
ter at the sacrifice of their families and
their own lives to take revenge. And Asano
Takumi, their lord, seemed to be happy
In fact, before and during the war, these
men used to be praised highly without
hesitation..
However, from the Christian viewpoint,
it is not God's will to kill a man
even though he is an enemy. The Bible
tells us "Never take revenge, my friend,
but instead let God's anger do it." To commit
suicide also was wrong. Although
they were not so happy and experienced a
difficult time after the death of their
lord's enemy, they should have kept living,
This drama attracted and impressed
young people for a long time and misled
them into taking revenge or into wars between
people and nations. The drama may
be continued to be performed, but we
should not praise the 47rOnin as heroes.
We should feel sympathy for them who
were involved in their lord's misfortune.
(KAZUKO TAGUCHI, Fukushima)
**************************
February 20 Message (Subject 301),
A bank is a business establishment
for receiving, keeping or lending money.
Banks and the banking business have
been in the news recently. A Japanese
bank was ordered to close in the United
States because of its failure to abide by
the law and the so-called jilsen problem
in Japan continues to provoke controversy.
The subject I am suggesting this
24 APRIL 30, 1995 "DAILY WORD" ECHOES
week for "Daily Word" Echoes is "Banks".
You may give your opinion regarding the
jusen problem or simply tell of your experience
with banks. How often do you
go to the bank? for what purpose? Are
you happy with the service? Do you have
any suggestions for improving the service?
Do you often use the automatic tellers?
Have you ever borrowed money
from a bank? According to the American
comedian, Bob Hope, "A bank is a place
that will lend you money if you can prove
that you don't need it." And the American
poet, Robert Frost, wrote: "A bank is a
place where they lend you an umbrella in
fair weather and ask for it back again
when it begins to rain."
**************************
I go to the bank once .a month, but a
bank employee comes to our office once a
week so it is very convenient for us to
use the bank. All the members of our
family use the bank for charges of gas,
water, electricity, telephone, shopping at
department stores, taxes and so on. These
bills are paid automatically by the bank,
even if we forget about them. It saves us
much trouble. I presume that the other
party also finds it convenient to use that
same system.
I do not agree with the recent government's
position related to ? the jOsen
problem. I want our taxes to be used for
welfare. If they are, I will happily pay
more taxes. I feel that Japanese are being
reproved now. I told a friend previously
that we were haughty so I was
frightened when the economy failed.
I believe in God's love. Therefore,
we must not chase only benefit for ourselves
but pray and act on behalf of others.
Then; God will give us truly happy
lives. (MICHIKO SANO, Minami, Nagoya)
The phone was ringing. I picked up
the receiver: "Hello". Then I heard a young
man's voice: "I've lost my credit card."
"I'm sorry
, but you have the wrong number,"
I said. We sometimes receive this
kind of phone call. My husband once asked
the person who said the same thing what
number he had dialed. The number was
ours, but he found out that the person intended
to call a bank. It seems our phone
number resembles that of a bank branch.
It must be an urgent matter for a
person to tell that bank that he or she
has lost a credit card. Although I have
not had such an experience, my daughter
once lost hers. She immediately told the
bank and they swiftly took the proper
steps so that no one else could use the
card. I was relieved to know that she did
not suffer any loss at that time.
I once had an uncomfortable experience
when I used an automatic teller. I
was very surprised when I finished using
it and turned around to find a man standing
very close to me, as if he had been
watching my operation. I see some people
keep a certain distance from the person
using the machine when they are
standing in a line. I, too, do so. Wouldn't
it be nice if everyone did so?
(MACHIKO HORI, Naka, Nagoya)
I keep a little money in the bank located
near our house. The young girl who
sits at the counter is kind and well-mannered
to us customers. She kindly tells
us how to handle a small sum of money.
She handles money like a machine. When
I deposit money in the bank, she presents
me with a large paper bag which is filled
with some kinds of domestic goods. It is
unpleasant when I have been kept waiting
over twenty minutes. I have not experienced
borrowing money from a bank.
Risen is the abbreviation of jutaku
kinyCi senmon kaisha in Japanese. It is
"Housing Finance Special Corporation" in
English. Asen is the corporation that
lent money unwisely. I have little knowledge
regarding banks and jasen.
(TAMAKO MORIMOTO, Tsuyama)
MARCH 31, 1996
Housing loan banks (jCisen) became
bankrupt. Usually, each company has its
own responsibility regarding its management.
If it becomes bankrupt, it has to
take responsibility for what it has done.
According to the newspaper, however,
the government decided to collect
supplementary taxes from citizens in order
to help the housing loan companies.
Money from the taxes is going to be appropriated
for that purpose. As far as I
have learned from the newspaper, most
Japanese people are angry at that decision.
Some say that we had better give
money from taxes to the victims of the
Great Hanshin Earthquake. Others say that
we they would rather spend X10,000 for
their living expenses rather than giving
it to the housing loan banks.
From what I hear, after officials in
the Finance Ministry retire from the ministry,
they get jobs at banks through appointments
by orders from the top. Those
who get jobs at housing loan banks are
called "billionaires to the housing loan
banks". It is said at least five officials
are high taxpayers and their annual income
is over Y10,000,000.
Judging from these facts, the retired
officials at the Finance Ministry
are supported by the housing loan banks.
The government wants to help organizations
which bring advantages to the officials.
It is terrible to use taxes from the
people to help the companies in bankruptcy.
If taxes are used to help them, the
government should tell the nation how it
will distribute the money.
(HIROMI FURUTA, Kita, Nagoya)
During my short stay in Toronto, I
accompanied my friend when she went
shopping at an elegant boutique. She purchased
a fancy cape with fox fur attached
to the collar for 870 Canadian dollars
(67;900 yen). In addition, she paid two
different sales taxes of 15 percent,
bringing the total to about 1,000 Canadian
dollars (78,000 yen).
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 25
I heard there that_the Canadian
government paid a tax refund to any tourist
who claimed it. On behalf of my
friend, I got a pamphlet, filled out an application
form and mailed it to the Canadian
Revenue Bureau. She received a
cheque from Canada six weeks later indicating
that her tax rebate was 61 Canadian
dollars (4,760 yen). She was happy
about it.
I went to her bank with her and
asked a teller to pay her the money. He
said that she had to pay X2,040 to her
Japanese bank and $30.55 (Canadian) to
the Canadian bank as commission fees, so
the remainder would be about Y300. My
friend was upset to hear that and became
more angry at the sullen face of the teller
and his blunt way of speaking.
Another friend who paid $2,300
(Canadian) (Y179,400) for the goods she.
purchased was supposed to get back
about Y7,500 as her tax refund, but she
got only about Y3,000 after the commission
fees were taken for both banks. I f
both of my friends had applied for it together
as one person, they could have
saved the commission fees and have
received about Y4,500 more.
1 think that the bank is a place that
takes rake-offs from its customers.
(NAOMI KONDO, Handa)
I have been engaged in business for
about five decades and have learned many
things. My fundamental rule is not to
easily believe good news. I have seen
many customers who went bankrupt because
they dreamed of good news.
During the "bubble age", my eldest
son strongly recommended moving to a
new, larger office in a better part of the
city, but I refused.
Last year, my daughter planned to
build a new house on my land and wanted
to borrow some money from the housing
loan corporation. Afterward, we learned
that the agent bank arrogantly demanded
the new house and land as securities. The
26 APRIL 30, 1995
land is not my daughter's. The value of
the new house and the land would be almost
three times that of the loan. The
catch-phrase of the corporation was
"pleasant housing plan"
, but these things
made me quite unpleasant, so I persuaded
my daughter to retract her application
to the corporation. .
Recently, the housing loan problem
has become the subject of much controversy.
The government, the bankers and
the borrowers all had big dreams of pie
in the sky. Those who should shoulder
the responsibility are the government,
banks and borrowers concerned.
(TSUYOSHI HAMADA, Minami, Nagoya)
I always try to view the NHK commentary
on the latest issues of the day
which begins at 10:30. Fortunately, I
heard the observations of two famous
people: Katsuto Uchibashi, a critic, and
Noriko Konno, of the research center of a
securities firm. While listening to Mr.
Uchibashi, I realized the discrepancy i n
the government's attitude in regard to
two major problems: relief measures for
the victims of the Great Hanshin Earthquake
and ways to solve the so-called
jOsen problem. Mr. Uchibashi pointed out
that the Murayama government decided
not to use any government funds to save
individual households from a miserable
situation while the same government decided
to use part of the increased taxes
to help the failed housing loan corporations.
Aren't those companies involved in
the jOsen problem in the private sector?
The government seems to have given special
consideration to the jOsen, but that
special consideration has not been clarified
sufficiently to convince the general
public.
Last night, another commentary
was given by a quiet but very persuasive
woman. She explained how the whole nation
should support the government's plan
by agreeing to the increased taxes. She
said it is hard to object to the proposi-
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
tion that the jOsen problem be seen from
the viewpoint of those who have to pay
taxes as well as from those who must
make decisions about the best use of government
funds, but she went on to say
that the paying of increased taxes would
be beneficial to the whole nation in the
long run. Ms. Konno, however, hastened to
add that we must not forget the necessity
of reviewing what we have taken for
granted: land is the safest insurance
against failure to pay back loans. We have
found it easy to borrow money using land
as a security, but what if a young businessman
who wants to start a new business
has no land? In the sluggish economy
of present-day Japan, other things
should be used as security.
There were several things I couldn't
understand clearly, but I was under the
impression that both people encouraged
us, the general public, to give serious
thought to this biggest issue of the day.
Now I am expected to express my
own opinion on the issue. Having seen
how our government has dealt with problems
such as the Hanshin Earthquake, the
Aum ShinrikyO subway sarin case and the
jOsen, I have learned that it takes an
enormous amount of time to come to a
conclusion, so we shouldn't depend too
much on the results of the debates in the
Diet. We should see what we ourselves
can do as citizens of this nation. Secondly,
we tend to think such big issues are
out of our control and that we cannot do
anything substantial. The problem. itself
may be too much, but we should think
seriously about it as our own problem. It
is now pointed out that a big earthquake
had been predicted in the Kobe area but
nothing was done about it just because
they had never had any big earthquake.
The Aum Shinriky6 had already been notorious
for its strange rituals, but almost
nothing was done to question the
credibility of their "faith" because few
people had been involved in such a scrutiny.
And many people must have noticed
MARCH 31, 1996
a great drop in the price of land after the
collapse of the "bubble economy" but land
continued to be used as security just because
it had been considered as the safest
insurance for a long time.
These days, I sometimes ask my
students why they study English. Many
students may answer, "English may be
useful in the future", but I am very doubtful
about their belief. Do they really
think so? I am afraid they have said so
just because their parents or teachers
have told them so. If they were able to
think of it on there own, they would surely
study English much harder.
(TOMOYASU KIMURA, Nishi, Nagoya)
There has been no such time as today
when banking concerns aroused such
public controversy. Now even the cabinet
itself is in danger of falling, being subject
to the influence of the so-called
jusen problem. JCIsen is an abbreviation
of banking concerns specializing in providing
financing for housing. The banking
concerns borrowed much money from bigger
banks (called botai-kei) and lent it to
companies (debtors) which required it for
housing. In conjunction with the bursting
of the so-called "bubble", land prices began
to fall and jasen became incapable of
collecting loans from the debtors. It i s
said that some debtors are something
like yakuza and have no intention of paying
back the money even though they have
the ,means. If we leave the matter as it
is, it is said, most of the jasen will be
brought to ruin.
At this point, public opinion is divided
. One opinion is that we should relieve
the jOsen using public funds (which,
of course, come from our taxes) because
their bankruptcy will cause a sense of
unease in the financial world and the
prestige of Japan will suffer severely as
a result. The government took this position
and prepared a budget in line with it.
The other opinion is that we need not relieve
them and should leave the matter in
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 27
their own hands because there are no depositors
at all as is the case with regular
banks.
Regarding this problem, we are inevitably
led to consider where the responsibility
lies for the present situation.
Needless to say, the responsibility lies
with the debtors and jasen in the first
place. But now, the attack is mainly directed
against the botai-ko (banks) which
lent the money to jOsen without a due
sense of responsibility and to the Finance
Ministry which neglected their duties to
take the lead and then to let the matter
alone. People are leveling caustic criticism
at the policy of botai-kO (banks) in
particular. It is well known that bank
clerks are highly paid . (It is said that
their salaries are one and a half times
that of other company employees.) Today,
interest on a deposit is extremely low
and banks are making much money from
their business. Therefore, people insist
that the banks should give up their profits
for jOsen in order to lighten the tax
burden.
Another related party responsible
for the serious state of affairs is the Finance
Ministry. As a retired public employee,
I fully recognize the limits of
leadership by government offices, but the
lack of policies of the Finance Ministry
at this time cannot be justified. If the
Ministry had given more appropriate guidance
to the banking concerns at the proper
time, we could have avoided the present
difficulty. The government is planning
to ram the bill through the Diet.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Kajiyama said:
"People's discontent is preferable to uneasy
finance." I urge the government to
reconsider this kind of thinking. Otherwise,
they will soon lose the broad support
of the people.
(MIKIHIKO YOSHIMOTO, Gifu)
By definition, a bank is a business
establishment for receiving, keeping or
lending money. However, as a matter of
28 APRIL 30, 1995
fact, it borrows money from savers in
general or the Bank of Japan at rates of
about 0.5 percent and lends money to the
borrowers at rates of more than 3 percent.
According to a postcard from CARD
Co., Ltd., an affiliate of a bank, it lends,
surprisingly enough, at the rate of 27.8
percent.
On the other hand, many aged people
who have retired from their company and
are living on a pension and interest from
their savings, are suffering from the low
interest rates. Speaking of the banks,
they failed to collect debts which were
lent to reckless borrowers due to their
own mismanagement. Subsequently, the
banks are trying to shift their reponsibility
of uncollectable debts to the weak
people suffering from the low interest
rates under the name of a monetary panic.
Come to think of it, we cannot help
thinking that a bank is a business establishment
that "sides with the strong and
crushes the weak", that "encourages the
evil and punishes the good."
(HARUJI FUKUMI, Minami, Nagoya)
The jersen problem has been much
discussed in the newspapers and on TV
lately. Risen, housing loan companies,
made bad loans. That was the beginning
of this trouble. I also don't understand
why taxpayers in Japan must shoulder as
much as 685 billion yen to aid the jasen,
which were mismanaged. I think it was
due to the changeable business conditions,
but aiding thejOsen is different
from helping hungry people.
I began depositing money in the
KagyO Gink6 two years after I began
teaching school in Fukushima Prefecture
in 1964. 1 continued to save and deposit
money, little by little along with interest,
in the same bank for about 18 years,
until I moved to where I am living now.
During those years, this bank served me
with boxes of tissue, towels and cupid
dolls sometimes. When I bought this two
room dining-kitchen-bathroom apartment
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
19 years ago, I didn't have enough money
in the bank to pay for it. My aunt had left
us some money and this legacy plus my
own money enabled me to buy ft. Fortunately,
I have never borrowed money from
the bank.
. Once on a payday just before my
resignation, a clerk from . the Fukushima
Bank came to our school and advised me
to open an account in his bank. Since that
time, my annuities are paid into that
bank every other month. I can withdraw
money with a little interest when I need
it for my daily life. My gas, electricity,
telephone and NHK bills are all paid
through the bank. It is a great help that I
don't have to go from place to place to
pay them.
I think that what Robert Frost said
is very true: "A bank is a place where
they lend you an umbrella in fair weather
and ask for it back again when it begins
to rain." Money is important. If I have
money to spare, I would deposit it in the
bank and not bury it in the ground [as the
foolish servant did in Jesus' parable in
Matthew 25].
(KAZUKO TAGUCHI, Fukushima)
I seldom go to a bank. Instead,
twice a week a bank worker regularly
comes to our place. At that time, both
business and private financial transactions
are handled. They usually bring
small tokens of appreciation such as a
box of tissue paper, a roll of saran wrap,
cosmetic cotton and the like. We spend a
short time over a cup of tea. The only
drawback is that just when we become
familiar with the worker, he will be
transferred to another branch or section.
It seems the workers remain in the same
area for two or three years at the longest.
(MIDORI KODAMA, Midori, Nagoya)
Among the 21 writers of the 60 essays
in this issue are three first-timers.
We welcome them and hope they and the
"old -timers" will continue to write . (C. 0.)