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The Shishin conference of the seven samurais is still on the way on the
2nd floor of Towada, a soba restaurant, in Asakusa.
It started at 15:00 and now is over 30 minutes from the expected ending
time at 18:00.
"Why don't we stop it now and start the evening party?"
Organizer Mutsumi Iwaida declares.
"Quite right. The serious talk is over for now. Let's make the table
clean."
The well-known hostess tells the staffs quickly. The conference was immediately
changed to a banquet. Now the intermission for a while.
Ryohei Tsubune stands up and looks down the Sushi-ya Street through the
window. Street lamps are shining brilliantly and the street is bright.
There are considerable people walking with umbrellas unnecessay now.
Mari Nomizo has just got back from downstairs for a change and is talking
to her aunt Eriko.
"We are here in the Asakusa night. Seems cold but looks busy outside
along the street. The restaurant downstairs is full."
"Soba-miso" of Towada's pride on a large clam shell are put on
the table in front of each person, and dishes are carried one after another.
The party is enlivened and all of them begin to eat, tilting a glass in
their own way. The ladies are absorbed in their latest news.
The elderly Suga asks the staff.
"Why is masu-zake (sake in a square wooden cup) not here still now?"
There is nothing more than masu-zake with soba-miso, for the elderly senior.
Most of the dishes disappeared to their stomachs. Pleasant chats are at
the highest with alcohol in a relaxed atmosphere.
While chatting at ease, Kawaji sits up straight seeming to make up his
mind. Gulping down a glass of beer and looking up the ceiling, he begins
to talk to Suga in a low baritone voice. His appearance looks like a young
senior in a vulgar way slightly drunk.
"Getting back to the original topic, what do you think about the president
Sano, sir? It is a famous story for him to have lost his position by the
Hakuhyo (Blank-Ballot) Incident, ..., but he was surely the great person
credited with the campus move and the realization of the college town,
wasn't he?"
Asked suddenly, Suga is still tasting masu-zake slowly.
The elderly begins to talk in a slow pace, looking around the attendants
listening attentively.
"This incident is the Achilles' heel of our school, ..."
He has probably thought to have to talk about it.
"Apart from Rojo Incident, this case is truly sequel to our main theme,
eight years after the completion of the auditorium."
Despite the talk this way, Suga seems to have made up his mind, looking
at young Mari in her eyes, which say "Don't be so self-important."
Suga begins to talk.
Hakuhyo (Blank-Ballot) Incident happened in Showa 10 (1935), even four
years after Rojo Incident. The inter-factional stripes of the professors
must have developed into this case.
After president Sano took the blame to resign, Shinshichi Miura, former
professor, was called back in a hurry as a successor from Yamagata, Northern
Japan, and searched for an early solution. |
"Since I entered the college in Showa 11 (1936), I felt a lingering
sound of the previous-year case. Besides, it was the year of the 2.26 (February
26) Incident, so it was hasty all over Japan."
His talk is still slow.
The 2.26 Incident was the attempted case of the military coup caused by
about 1,500 of young army officers with the goal of purging the government
and military leadership of their factional rivals and ideological opponents.
The important Government people including Minoru Saito, Interior Minister,
Korekiyo Takahashi, Finance Minister, were killed.
Keisuke Okada, Prime Minister, hid in the closet during fighting against
them and barely escaped the danger, due to the rebel officers' misunderstanding
that they killed one of the secretaries as the Prime Minister. After that
Okada was rescued from the Prime Minister's office, disguising himself
as a person paying their condolences. |
"I hear it was snowing heavily in Tokyo then. Was it that year for
you to enter the college ...?!"
Must have remembered the picture of the scene, Kawaji talks to Suga with
a sigh watching him earnestly. The elderly also seems missing that day
in a moment.
"Back to the Hakuhyo Incident the previous year,..."
The senior Suga talks to the transoms above the sliding door putting one
hand on the table.
"Mr. Sano was a man who had to pay for his long domination. I didn't
feel any atmosphere to defend him at all then. His reputation in the college
was the worst."
- - - - -
Suga: "We admired the most Mr. Miura and Mr. Teijiro Ueda, both the
latter presidents, so we lashed out at Mr. Sano all the more, repeating
the opinions of the seniors. Therefore when I worked for the edition of
the hundred-year history of our school about thirty years ago, we editors
did not specially recognize Mr. Sano as a person of merit."
"Sir, isn't Hakuhyo Incident ready yet?"
Mari seems irritated. She has no sense of his emotion.
Eriko urges him gently.
"Why don't you go ahead to it now?"
"Got it."
Seemingly waking up from his long past, Suga opens the chronological table
of his own and traces the parts on and after the completion of Kanematsu
Auditorium.
Showa 2
(1927) |
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November, Kanematsu Auditorium completed. |
Showa 5
(1930) |
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Tokuzo Fukuda dies
The library and the main building completed. |
Showa 6
(1931) |
|
May, the ceremony moving to Kunitachi held.
May-June, the disturbance of president Sano's resigning.
October, Rojo Incident
November, Eiichi Shibusawa died. |
Showa 10
(1935) |
|
July, Blank-Ballot Incident
October, President Sano resigned voluntarily. |
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Concerning the another resignation disturbance of president Sano four years before the Hakuhyo Incident, Suga had talked about it to Tsubune and Eriko on the way back from Shibusawa Museum.
"That case was because of his son's tilting to the left, wasn't it?"
Eriko comments and Suga refers to it a little.
"It happened just after the moving ceremony of the Kanda campus to
Kunitachi. Because of such a special time, the college wholly tried to
persuade him to stay on and in the result he is said to have changed his
decision mainly by Old Shibusawa's effort."
In spite of Mari's look to urge him to go to the main subject, he continues
detouring.
"Prof. Fukuda died suddenly at the age of 57. He was really a brave
opinion leader, so he would have been able to be Sano's successor though
his offensive opponent."
Now Suga nods mildly noticing Mari's impatient look.
"The Rojo Incident occurred in October. Just after it was settled,
Old Shibusawa died at the age of 91. The death of both of them in succession
was the omen of a tragedy to Mr. Sano. He lost the important senior and
his outspoken opponent in an argument at the same time. Hakuhyo Incident
took place as might, so to speak, have been expected."
"Yes, at last."
Mari brightens her eyes.
Kawaji volunteers to substitute for the senior, probably concerned about
his fatigue, saying "I am ready if you please, sir. I am going to
explain it under this document of my own. So, please add further comment."
"Thanks. I owe you."
The elderly looks happy.
Kawaji sits up straight again and begins by his peculiar manner of talking.
He is calm this time.
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