CHICHI WEB

The monthly “Chichi” is available only in Japanese.For further details regarding the contents of the magazine, please refer to Chichi WEB (Japanese version).

Recent news from Cambodia reported that a girl, who had gone missing at the age of 9 while taking care of buffalos, was discovered and rescued after 18 years. According to the news report, she had become 27 years old, and seems to have lived in a jungle. Therefore she doesn’t understand any language, tears off her clothes, walks on all fours, and has completely become wild.

　This incident reminds us of the fact that human beings are not born as human beings, but become human beings. If this is the case, then what makes human beings, human beings?

　Mr. Mitsukuni Tokugawa, the lord of the Mito domain known as an enlightened lord, was the second son of Yorifusa, the 11^th son of Ieyasu^*1. Although Mitsukuni was brilliant, he was also eccentric and impudent when he was young, a bad boy to the extent that his close aid described him as having bad morals. However, Yorifusa was determined that Mitsukuni would be his successor, seeing his potential. Having said so, Yorishige, Yorifusa’s first son, was mild and had better reputations from those around them. Compared to that, Mitsukuni was thought of as being an outrageous eccentric and that his future most likely would not amount to much. Mitsukuni, who was regarded as such, completely transformed his way of living, by reading “Hakui-den” , or “The Story of Hakui” in “Shi Chi”^*2 at the age of 18.

^*1Ieyasu Tokugawa was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603-1868) of Japan.

^*2 “Shi Chi” is a series of Chinese classics completed around the 1st century B.C., depicting Chinese history.

Here is the story of “Hakui-den”. Hakui and Shukusei were the children of a lord of a small country. The lord designated the youngest brother, Shukusei, as his successor and passed away. However, Shukusei tried to concede the position to his elder brother, Hakui. Hakui didn’t accept that, saying, “It is against our father’s will”, and left the country. Shukusei also followed him. Hakui and Shukusei tried to look for King Wen of the country named Zhou^*3 for support. However, King Wen had already passed away, and his son, King Wu succeeded him, and was trying to topple the supreme ruler, Yin^*4. Hakui and Shukusei expostulated King Wu, saying, “It is against filial piety to topple Yin when you have not even finished your father’s funeral. Yin is the lord of Zhou, and therefore it is against benevolence for the vassal to topple the lord.” The guards tried to kill them, but they were saved by the general serving King Wu, saying, “These two are the sons of righteousness.”

　Soon after that, Zhou toppled Yin and came to rule over the whole land. Although everyone else was going to Zhou, Hakui and Shukusei denied getting a salary from Zhou because the country was against righteousness. They hid themselves in a mountain, and died from hunger. They consistently adhered to their faith.

^*3 Zhou is an ancient Chinese dynasty.

^*4 Yin is the oldest Chinese dynasty whose existence was confirmed archeologically.

　──Mitsukuni was tremendously overwhelmed after reading this story at the age of 18. “I have taken it for granted to become the successor as I am of better caliber than my brother, Yorishige. Have I ever considered his feelings even a moment…?  Do I have even a little bit of the admirable attitude of Hakui and Shukusei to adhere to righteousness…?”

　From that point, Mitsukuni has transformed. He named his study room as “Jisshinsai” and devoted himself into reading classics. Through the experience, he strongly felt that history books were required to know the trails of the ancients. This feeling triggered the idea of editing “Dainihonshi”, or “The History of Great Japan.”

　Mitsukuni was determined to do one more thing, which was to adopt Tsunaeda, his brother Yorishige’s son, and make him as the successor without bearing a child of his own. Mitsukuni notified his brother of this determination at the age of 36, upon their father’s death, and executed it at the age of 63.

　Mitsukuni had become a human being from the teachings of “Hakui-den” and realized his motto in life: “Human beings become human beings by having classics in their minds. Learning becomes learning by living a life with morality.” 

　The Chinese character to describe “teaching” consists of two parts. One of them indicates “filial piety”. Mr. Masahiro Yasuoka^*5 said that this “filial piety” is not limited to among parents and children. Rather, it indicates succession and unification of old and young, and new and old. He preached that both individuals and peoples would advance and prosper where there was no disconnection. The other part of the character indicates pointing to something with a whip. The character exactly embodies what teachings are all about.

Human beings need to learn from teachings, and pass on the teachings.　

^*5 Mr. Masahiro Yasuoka was a famous scholar of Oriental philosophy. He was a spiritual advisor to many high-ranking members of Japan's political and business elite, including a number of postwar prime ministers.

【Conversation】

Learn Life Lessons from “The Analects of Confucius” - Explore the Way Human Beings Should Live and the Way Leaders Should Be in the Universal Document 

Yoshiyuki Kasai (Chairman of Central Japan Railway Company) & Hei Seki (Critic)

Mr. Yoshiyuki Kasai was one of the key players of the privatization and separation of the Japanese National Railways, and he is also one of the leaders in the Japanese business world. He has achieved large-scale reforms in businesses, and underlying that force was the words from “The Analects of Confucius”, of which he was taught by his father, who was a Japanese teacher, when he was in elementary school. On the other hand, Mr. Seki also learned about “The Analects of Confucius” from his grandfather during his boyhood, at the peak of the Cultural Revolution in China, and the teachings have become his body and soul. Although the two were born in different nations and at different periods in time, they exchange their views here on human studies through “The Analects of Confucius.”

【Conversation】

 Live the Present, Led by the Teachings of Old Sages

Aoji Tanasawa (President of ELEGANCE Co., Ltd.) & Ryuichiro Misaki (Writer)

Ms. Aoji Tanasawa suddenly developed myasthenia, which is an intractable disease with unknown cause, in her twenties. On the other hand, Mr. Ryuichiro Misaki developed cancer in his forties, when he was a busy corporate director. Both of them had a brush with death, encountered teachings of old sages, became conscious of their missions, and have lived their new lives. The two people, who are walking their own ways respectively to do their best to radiate their saved lives, talk about the impressive teachings of old sages.

【Conversation】

Advance, while Learning and Being Taught

Jiro Ushio (Chairman of USHIO INC.) ＆ Danjuro Ichikawa XII (Kabuki Actor）

This March, Kabuki, the traditional performing art that Japan can be proud of, has opened a new page. A Kabuki performance was performed for the first time in history at the Paris Opera House with a proud history and tradition. Danjuro Ichikawa XII made a strong impression on the world, by setting the audience alight with his heroic Roppo* and the statements in French. While basking in the afterglow of the historic stage, he talks about the path to reach there, and conditions of first class people etc., together with Mr. Jiro Ushio, who has been continuously supporting his activities. *Roppo is a unique way of walking to express the character, and is mainly used upon getting out off the stage. In this case, Danjuro got out of the stage by using his heroic Roppo of energetically stamping the stage.

Be Considerate of Others

Hidesaburo Kagiyama, Advisor of YellowHat

■People with No Sparkle in Their Eyes

“Although there are many people who are alive but live like zombies, you are still alive even after you have passed away.”　

　These are the words of Ms. Michiko Sato, a poet who lives in Osaka, presented to the deceased boy, Migaku Okui.

　The boy Okui was considered a genius, but sadly, he was suddenly killed in a traffic accident. The paintings he left were put together and published as a book entitled “Shouts of a 19-year-old,” which is fabulous.

　Currently in Japan, I have seen an increase in the number of people with no sparkle in their eyes, nor light or power in their words. Recently, I have seen the unlively faces, figures, attitudes, and behaviors of people I happen to come across with on public transit or to pass by on the street, and they have made me think there are many people who personify Ms. Sato’s expression: “There are many people who are alive but live like zombies.”

　Some of them may have become exhausted by being cracked by the irrationalities of society, or have been suffering every day from excessive expectations by their companies. Also, some of them are responsible for their own demise, as they made wrong decisions in life. The “ki” or vital energy from them has a common negative, passive, and dark image.

■Live a Way of Life with Consideration and Class

On the other hand, in Japan now, if you ask if all the people taking actions based on having a positive and active way of thinking are all “lively and living humanly,” the answer is not necessarily “yes”.  People who disregard others to satisfy their own desires, showing egoism, though living life with enthusiasm. People who ignore others for their own benefit. People who do not try to understand other’s efforts, burdens, sincerity and continue to gain from them endlessly, also fit the definition of the “living dead”.

　The cause of this is that they live without a humane heart. The selfishness is active, rather than passive, and therefore, has become a negative legacy in society, by producing people, who are suffering and exhausted, one after another.

　“The Black Gold”, a British independent film depicting the reality of the coffee industry, which continues to prosper, tells you the predicament of the commercial farms producing coffee. (The film is not screened in Japan.) The commercial farms can get only 1/1000 of the price of coffee, whose taste and flavor we fully enjoy.（Morning edition of the Tokyo Shimbun on February 21.）

　We would like to take thought for the fact that our activities to enjoy the pleasure alone and to show our egoism, are forcing tough labor on others, and agonizing many people including those who live immensely apart from us. It is important to notice that our desire “to purchase even 1 yen cheaper only for myself” is the cause of producing worn-out people.

　One of the proverbs of Mr. Kanjiro Kawai* says, “Going to purchase a product, going to purchase myself.” I believe that it is a graceful way of living to take into account other people’s feelings, which can not be seen with eyes, and be considerate of others, rather than gorgeously decorating your outlook.

*Mr. Kanjiro Kawai (1890~1966) was a Japanese potter, who was also active in writing.

　The only distinction among people is “whether they have class or not.” There is no one in between, so those who are without class are all vulgar. This is what I have learned from Mr. Tanaka, who lives in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture. Currently in Japan, there has been more and more number of people, who are without class.

　In order to realize a “Beautiful Country, Japan”, which Prime Minister Abe is aiming for, it makes more sense for Japanese people to become people whose way of living is with consideration and class. Such a way of living is exactly the way of living that of having “life even after passing away,” according to the words of Ms. Sato.