Math Lesson
Okay, this is unabashedly off topic, but so cool I couldn't resist sharing it with you.
Math Lesson: A new way to multiply
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Monument and Small Shrine Dedicated To Tsukuba Residents Who Fell in the Russo-Japanese War of 1905
By Avi Landau
Stone monuments glorifying post-Meiji Restoration (1868) Japan’s war dead were a central feature of Japanese living spaces, having been prominently displayed for maximum exposure, whether in the Capital or in the smallest hamlets. This was a part of the government’s desire to instill in the People a sense of religious reverence for those who died fighting for the emperor.
After WWII, however, the Occupation Authorities, in an effort to swing Japan into a new non-militaristic direction (except of course, if it meant fighting communists!), had these monuments destroyed or moved out of plain sight (for the less provocative memorial slabs).
While exploring the backroads of Tsukuba, you will find that each BURAKU or traditional village has its own cenotaphs, large stone slabs with the names of local war dead engraved on them, hidden away in the shadows. Sometimes they are out in the open, but then, they are usually well off the beaten track.
I have recently written about General Maresuke Nogi, who led the Japanese army to victory in the Russo-Japanese War of 1905. This great triumph came at a heavy price: up to 80,000 Japanese dead (not to mention tens of thousands of Russian casualties). The General, who lost his only 2 sons in the war, was ordered not to kill himself in repentance, as he wanted to, since he had been carrying out the will of the emperor.
One way that Nogi tried to atone for the immense loss of life he had helped bring about was the erecting of monuments across the country (and abroad as well) at which the spirits of those fallen could be consoled.
Near the Sakura City Office, in Higashi-Oka, is a shrine-like structure which is a Fudo Worship Hall. About 20 meters south of this building, hidden from view by the shadows cast by surrounding trees, there is another, much smaller, shrine-like structure, which is usually locked. I had often tried to peek through the cracks, but it was always too dark to make out what was being sheltered inside.
One day, as I walked past, I saw the door to the structure open. An elderly woman was sweeping nearby. It turned out that she was the mother-in-law of my acquaintance Mrs Okamino (who was in charge of the Fudo-Ko Ceremony I have written about).
I finally found out what was inside. A small shrine housing the spirit of Lt. Colonel Okamino, the old woman’s grandfather! He was among the dead of 1905. She then pointed out, further into the shadows, a large stone monument to the local men who fell in the Russo-Japanese War.
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Religious Symbols Used To Discourage Littering (and Urinating in Public)-again
By Avi Landau
When I spotted the small vermillion torii (gate) up ahead by the side of the mountain road, I tried to catch a glimpse of the shrine or sacred stone behind it as the car I was in rolled by. Curiously, there seemed to be nothing. I was more surprised when we soon drove by another little torii which seemed to lead to nowhere as well. We then passed another.
Toriis are the symbol of Japan’s native religion, now referred to as Shinto. They are the easily recognizable entranceways to shrines, gates which are always open, leading into or demarcating the presence of sacred space. Sometimes small torii are placed in front of objects considered sacred: an ancient tree, a mysterious mountain, an unusual stone.
What were these toriis doing by the roadside if they did not indicate the presence of a shrine or sacred object? This question led us to stopping the car and getting out for a closer look. Writing on the back of the unusually thin gate told us that what we had found were GOMI YOKE TORII, or garbage preventing torii, set up by the owner of the roadside forest to discourage littering! These most familiar signs of the sacred, along with Jizo statues(popular Buddhist images), are becoming more and more frequently used to discourage littering and public urination.
Though most Japanese you talk to will probably deny that they are religious, in actuallity most seem to still have respect for (or more likely fear of !) the Gods and Buddhas. When rolling down the car window to chuck out an empy can or wrapper , the sight of a torii or jizo would almost surely make the typical Japanese hold on to their trash. Few would want to risk the wrath of retribution (in Japanese, BACHI GA ATARU) and for most Japanese it is just plain common sense not to pollute a shrine or a temple. On the internet I have found several discussions of why toriis and Jizo are used (effectively) in this way. The usual responses are: “Are you a Japanese? If you are Japanese you surely understand why people wouldn’t litter around a torii!”
It is also possible to buy stencil sheets for painting small torii gates on walls or the sides of buildings. These are usually effective in keeping these structures urine free.
Check out this ad for GOMI YOKE TORII.
I have made lots of calls to determine who exactly pays for and sets up these litter-stoppers. I have found out that it is case by case. Private landowners, local and prefectural governments and NPOs are all ordering them. In Tsukuba, The Gomi No Kai (garbage society) pays for and sets up Jizos with the aim of preventing littering (if you check, the sponsor’s name is usually indicated on the back). At one location where the Gomi No Kai had set up a jizo I found that though the area near the Jizo was certainly clean, the situation was very different JUST ACROSS THE STREET. It seems that we need a few MORE toriis and Jizos!
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Use the Radioactive Ooze
A guy named Alastair Humphreys travelled around the world by bike a couple of years ago. I found out about him and his adventures when he was in China and he was looking for places to visit in Japan. I invited him to come to Tsukuba, but he ended up taking a route that didn't pass by our fair town, so I never got to meet him. It seems that he has written a book about his journey, though, so I'm thinking about getting it. He wrote regular emails to a mailing list during his travels and they were always interesting and well written, so I'm sure the book would be a good read.
Anyway, the idea of writing about Alastair today came from a post that I saw on his blog that had me laughing out loud.
I hope you will forgive this off-topic post (well, it is at least tangentially related to Tsukuba...), but I couldn't stop giggling, so I thought it would be a nice treat for our readers on a Sunday afternoon.
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Who Came Up With This Name?
Would it have killed them to ask one single English speaker about this before launching the magazine?
What could this possibly mean?
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