from yesterday\'s Nikkei

ハイブリッド車一斉拡充　トヨタ、４車種追加　主力「フィット」ベース　ホンダ、来秋に

The competion among Japanese auto makers on the hybrid car likely will be fierce in 2010.Specifically, Honda Motor Company,Limited will put on sale in autumn next year,which is one and a half years ahead of its original schedule, the hybrid-typed cars of FIT.Toyota Motor Corporation will launch out four models into the market.

from today's Nikkei

非正規労働の安全網拡充　安心実現会議報告書原案　雇用保険加入を緩和　負担軽減へ法人税下げ

The draft of the report which is scheduled to be compiled one of these days by the state-sponsored conference named "The Conference for Realizing the Secured Society" was made public on Wednesday. The conference was chaired by Yutaka narita,the supreme advisor to Dentsu Inc., and was established for discussing the long- and-mid term strategies centering on the issue of the social security.Among the ideas discussed there is how to extend the security network for the so-called non-regular workers. Specificcaly,the easing of the requirements for the employment insurance enrollment is to be proposed. along with it,reduction of the corporate tax also is to be proposed.

Masaoka Shiki's words

And it is followed by:

― Since I came down with illness to this extent, I don’t have any hope for the future. People often talk of pessimism. But it is a matter of things in the time when they are able to move their arms and hands freely. When they are forced to be unable to use their bodies freely, there would be no difference between pessimism and optimism.
But although I have been troubled with many things every day, I still feel happy while alive. That startles myself.―

―I have come to have difficulty even in urinating two or three times a day.Then I think I should get not long before into coffin.―

Nevertheless, I don’t feel a kind of confusion of breathing in the words of these letters. Rather even in such severe conditions, in the letter of August 8, sent to Ishii Yuji, he informed him of the following information: “A friend of Hyootei’s with a doctor degree of agriculture, whom I also know, was transferred to the office in Akita Prefecture. And he wrote that he would like to make friends with the person who was engaged in the haiku…..Then I conveyed your name to him. And he have informed me through Hyootei that he wanted to know your address. So, if you have time, please visit him.”As shown here, he took care of others politely.

Although the illness progressed, the mind and spirit of Shiki was very stout. In December of the previous year,1985, at a teahouse in Dookan-yama, he was shocked with Kyoshi’s refusal to proceed to the path of succeeding his literary works.

― Until now also I have made efforts desperately. Now I am isolated alone. But at the same time the spirit of standing upon my own legs has been getting stronger and stronger. The time of my death will come sooner than before. My literature has come to near the climax. I now want to write something. But the paper has run out.
It’s run out! ―

This is the words of Shiki’s which is written in the end of the above-mentioned letter sent to Ioki Ryohzo(Hyootei) in December,1895. This is very impressive to me.

His struggle against illness lasted in the Kami-negishi,Tokyo house from then on. The day when Shiki ended his life was September 19,1902 (the 35th year of Meiji ). It is after about six and a half years since the end of 1895 (the 28th year of Meiji), when he became difficult in walking. He had already finished almost all the works in the area of haiku reform by 1895. Over the next six and a half years, a very short time, struggling against illness, he initiated various kinds of activities,such as proposing reform of tanka, advocating “Shasei-bun” (the sentence based on the concept of Shasei),and actually writing “Shasei-bun” articles himself and serializing “Bokujyuu-itteki” (a drop of the Indian ink) and others in Newspaper Nihon.
When I think of Shiki afresh now, the autumn in 1895, when Shiki rambled through the places in Matsuyama, was just the last days when, despite his delicate health condition, he was able to walk in the fields and mountains freely. The words he issued around that time sound good in my mind now.

「これ迄にやられてはもう望みも糞(くそ)もなくなり申し候(そうろう)　厭世(えんせい)などと申すは手足が利(き)く内の事にて手足が利かずなりては厭世も楽生も之(これ)なく候(そうろう)　只毎日うんうんいつてそれでもやつぱり生きてゐるのは嬉しかつたりする人間だから我ながらあきれ申し候(そうろう)」
「毎日二三度の小便が苦になるやうになっては入棺(にゅうかん)も遠からずとぞんじ居(お)り候(そうろう)」
等と書いていて、子規は病に苦しむ自分の心の裡を素直に吐き出している。
しかしそれでも、書かれた手紙の言葉の中に呼吸の乱れのようなものは、決して、感じられない。むしろこんな中にあっても、飄亭の友人で自分も知っている某農学博士が林務官となり秋田へ転勤した、俳句をする人と友達になりたいと言って来たのであなたことを言ったところ、是非所を教えてもらいたいと飄亭経由で言ってこられたので、あなたも時間があれば相手方へ出かけてみてはどうか、というような趣旨のことを書いており、丁寧に人の世話をやいている。

身体の病は進行しても、子規の精神は強靭だった。前年１２月道灌山の茶店で虚子から後継者継承の拒絶にあい、激しく心を動揺させた子規だった。
「今迄も必死なりされど小生は孤立すると同時にいよいよ自立の心つよくなれり　死はますます近きぬ　文学はやうやう佳境(かきょう)に入(い)りぬ　書かんと欲すれば紙尽(つ)く　渇ツ」
これは、前述の五百木良三（飄亭）に宛てた明治２８年１２月（１０日頃）に出された手紙の最後に記された子規の言葉である。まさに鬼気迫るものがある。
　子規の闘病は、このあとも上根岸の宅で続く。子規がその生涯を閉じたのは、明治３５年９月１９日であった。歩行困難となった明治２８年の暮れからおよそ６年半の後である。明治２８年の時点で、俳句の革新についてはすでに子規の中では完成をみていたが、それに続いて、その後の６年有余、病と闘いながらの短い期間の中で、子規は短歌の革新を提唱し、又写生文を提唱して、自らも「墨汁一(ぼくじゅういっ)滴(てき)」等を新聞紙上に連載するなどの実践を試みている。
今改めて考えてみると、子規が松山市内を散策吟行した明治２８年の秋は、病を抱えていたとは言え、子規がまだ自由に野山を歩けた最後の頃だった。その頃に残した子規の言葉が、今私の中で懐かしく響く。



（注）　今回一部書き直を行い、引用文等へ振り仮名を付した。
初出：「原点」98号（平成21年4月発行）。

Masaoka Shiki's words

The tone of the writing in this letter is unusually intense with Shiki’s emotion directly shown, which is rarely seen in his letters. Concerning this Dookan-yama affair, a response letter soon came to Shiki from Ioki Ryohzo (Hyootei), which said that he would talk with Kyoshi on the issue later. And also a letter from Kyoshi came, which said he could not make a complaint even if he was abandoned because of the affair this time, but he would like to be in close association with Shiki and get instructions from him in everything in the same way as the past. Actually, Kyoshi continued visiting the Shiki’s house from then on too.
Then, Shiki must have inwardly continued thinking that there was no one who could succeed him without Kyoshi from then on too.


In these circumstances, Shiki must have had a very hard time on March 17,1896, when he seemed to be notified of a serious development of illness by a doctor. According to the complete works of Masaoka Shiki published by Kodansha Company, there were four letters sent by him after that day during the month. All of them were written politely. Among them is a letter dated on March 30, sent to Mori Tsugitaro (Engetsu) in Yohgo-mura,Iyo-gun,Iyo-koku (at present,Yohgo-cho,Matsuyama). To his junior living in his hometown Shiki gave a polite and carful instruction in haiku by sending a letter. The instruction was about the choice of words in composing haiku. To the haiku of “Daibutsu mo nemutasoonaru hinaga kana(大仏も眠たそうなる日永哉),” which had been composed by Engetsu and enclosed in his letter sent to Shiki, the following instruction was given by Shiki.

―You should, of course, revise the word of mo in the “Daibutsu mo nemutasoonaru.” If you use the word of mo, the haiku will become theory. If you use the word of no, the haiku will become a landscape. Theory is not literature. As to your haiku of “Kasumi kara nagarete detari haru no kawa(霞から流れて出たり春の川),” the word of haru is not necessary. Only if you use the words of “Kasumi kara nagaredeta kawa(the river flowing from the mist)”, it is clear that you are referring to the river in spring. Then, in such a case, you should use the words like the Ishite River,the Ooi River,or the Katsura-gawa instead of adopting “haru-no-kawa (spring river).”―

This short letter makes me understand that he had a keen insight as a man of letters and had a kind concern for others despite the fact that he was ill in his body.
There is another example showing his character and spirit. There lived a man named Ishii Yuuji (Rogetsu) in Akita Prefecture. Shiki had become acquainted with him in Newspaper Nihon. He practiced the medicine in Akita Prefecture after passing the examination for the medical service. To him Shiki sent a letter, dated on August 8, 1896 (the 29th year of Meiji). In the letter Shiki says:
“I have come to be unable to go out due to the illness.”

その調子は、感情の高ぶりがそのまま出ていて、極めて激しいものである。子規の手紙の中では珍しい。この道灌山の件では、五百木良三（飄亭）からただちに、自分が虚子とも話しするからととりなしの手紙が届き、また虚子もすぐ、今回の件で見捨てられても仕方ないが今後とも交際、教訓は今までどおり願いたいとの趣旨の手紙子規に届いている。そして実際虚子はその後も子規の宅を訪ねている。
だから、やはり子規は一人心の中で自分の文学の継承者は虚子しかいないと、思っていたのだろう。

こうした状況下にあって、深刻な病の進行を医者から告げられたと思われる明治２９年３月１７日は、子規にとって実に辛い日だったはずである。しかし、そのあと３月中に出された子規の手紙は、講談社発行の「子規全集」によれば、４通あるが、すべて端然としたものである。その中に、３月３０日付けで伊予国伊予郡余戸村（現在の松山市余戸町）の森次太郎（円月）に宛てて出した手紙がある。そこで子規は郷土の後進に対し懇切丁寧な指導を行っている。それは作句における言葉の選択に関することであった。円月が子規への手紙に同封した「大仏も眠たそうなる日永哉」という句に対して、次の通りアドバイスをおくっている。
「大仏も眠たそうなる」とある「も」の字ハ改むるべきこと勿論(もちろん)也　もといへば理屈になり「の」といへば景色ニなる　理屈になれバ文学に非ず　「霞から流れて出たり春の川」といふ御句にては「春」といふ字不用也(ふようなり)　只「霞から流れ出た川」と許(ばか)りにては其の川ハ春の川なること勿論(もちろん)知れるなり　故に個様(このよう)な場合ニハ「春の川」といはずして「石手川」「大井川」「桂川」など等の語を用うべし
体は病んでいても、子規の確固たる文学者としての見識と丁寧で優しい心使いが、短い文面ながら、伝わってくる。
日本新聞社で知りあいだった石井祐治(ゆうじ)（露(ろ)月(げつ)）が医術開業試験に合格し秋田で開業していた。その同人に宛てて子規が手紙を出している。明治２９年８月８日付けのその手紙の中で、
「小生常病人外出の出来ぬ身の上と相成(あいな)り申し候(そうろう)」
と言い、

Masaoka Shiki's words

―The talks stopped. The evening sun had already gone down behind
woods and it had been getting dark. There was no one around with only crows flying back to the woods in Ueno in tandem with a flight of wild geese. Without a word, I began walking for my home. Kyoshi also left the streets. Even in usual time I am slow in walking, and now slower I became. When I came to Uguisu-yoko-cho with my arms put in the clothes, tears appeared on my eyes. From now on I have nothing to do with Kyoshi no matter whether he may prosper or decline. Nevertheless, why does this tear appear and what does this tear lament for? Ah…. you, honest,…tears!―

「咄(はなし)談話(だんわ)は途絶(とだえ)えたり　夕陽うしろの木の間に落ちて遠村模(えんそんも)湖(こ)の裡(うち)に没し去り、只晩(ばん)鴉(あ)の雁群(がんぐん)と前後して上野に帰るあるのみ　一語なくして家に帰る　虚子路より去る　さらでも遅き歩(あゆみ)は更に遅くなりぬ　懐手(ふところで)のままぶらぶらと鶯横町に来る時小生が眼中には一点の涙を浮かべぬ　今後虚子は栄ゆるとも衰ふるとも我とは何等(なんら)の関係もあらず　去れども涙は何を悲しんでか浮かびでたる。嗚呼(ああ)正直なる者は涙也」