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| Part 3: Anniversary General Meeting and ... |
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On Wednesday, December 12, 2001, the 60th Anniversary General Meeting of
the Josuikai December Club was held at Josui Kaikan in Takebashi, Chiyoda-ku,
Tokyo. The 3rd floor Star Hall was crowded with members, their families
and guests ...... around 150 people attended.
The highlight of the event was the unveiling of the December Club homepage,
where Senior Y introduced me and explained how the homepage had come this
far.
I faced my laptop computer, projected the top page on the screen, and began
to explain each square.
The "What is the December Club?" written by the club secretary,
Mr. N., is a long article that describes everything about the club. He
could have led all the visitors into the world of the 60th anniversary
of the graduation just by giving the main points of the club.
The next sections were “Albums and Anthologies,” “Retrospects and Recent
Affairs,” “Social Gatherings and Club Meetings,” and “.............” Meanwhile,
the MIDI music of “School Song and Dormitory Song” on the vibraphone was
played by the peformance of my friend Mr. KY.
In the commemorative essays, “Waves” and “Waves 2,” I featured the writings
of several of the members who attended the meeting. In between, I offered
my joint work with Senior Y, the efforts of the club's executives, and
the support of Ms. W.
The original authors of each of the collections, which form the core of
the website, are present here. The screen was filled with nostalgia, and
there was a stirring of voices here and there, as well as a few cries of
lamentation.
The audience applauded when I said, "Now that we are making the book
available on the Internet, all of you can enjoy it on your home PCs in
the same way.
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Mr. KY is at the guest of honor table, who added color to the homepage
with his MIDI music. Next to him is Ms. W, whose eyes are moist. She has
been a partner since the early fall and has spared no effort to assist
the company.
Director T and several other executives of Josuikai also came to the party.
The seniors forgot about their old age and were excited with the face of youth, shaking hands with me.
The CDs prepared for them as gifts were received with a big smile of gratitude.
 The December Club gave me a wonderful opportunity that I would never have
had in my life.
The solar-powered watch I received as a commemorative gift is still ticking
away on my desk 10 years later.
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| Other photos |
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…………
It was not a 42.195 km marathon, but I was exerting myself to complete
the long distance of 200 days. Along the way, at the neurology department
of Juntendo Urayasu Hospital, Dr. TS, my doctor in charge, pointed out
my extreme fatigue and threatened me with a straight face about recurrent
brain infarction. At the ophthalmologist's office, the doctor prescribed
eye drops for fatigue, and told me the same warning as at the neurologist's
office.
My wife was understandably concerned, saying repeatedly, " If you get sick, you'll ruin all the goodwill you've done for them." Eventually, she helped me in her own way. She began to encourage me with her concern, saying, "Just a little more patience."
I wanted to go on a trip. I wanted to complete the project by the time
of the Annual Meeting, and if possible, I wanted to reach the goal as soon
as possible. When the unveiling is over, we both will immediately set out
on our journey. |
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Even though the day is over, I cannot sleep soundly. I often wake up in
the middle of the night. My mind is still working, to change this part,
to add this part to ......, and the work left to be done follows me everywhere.
It's already done, I remind myself each time.
Two weeks after the meeting, I made a four-day trip to Shikoku with my wife. A few days later, we went on a five-day trip to Okinawa.
In early March, we went to China for six days and five nights. Shanghai,
Suzhou, Xi'an, and Beijing. It was our first trip abroad as a couple, apart
from our stay in the U.S.
It seems that Mr. Y and the other executives of the December Club have
been working to further improve the website. They are thinking of adding
articles on a regular basis, with emphasis on recent developments.
Immediately after the commemorative meeting, Senior Y contacted me and
asked for further cooperation. I was shocked to learn that he was planning
to add more articles to the collection on a regular basis.
Even without mywife's opposition, I myself am desperate to escape from
this work that I have poured my heart and soul into. No matter how hard
I try to escape, it keeps coming after me. I am at a stalemate. I stubbornly
persisted in volunteering, and that is the only thing that leaves a proud
aftertaste in my heart.
…………………………
A good-natured, easy-going man, and an optimistic dreamer.
I have given up on this character trait, and it seems to have been true in this case.
I just kept pushing myself toward my goal and ran out of steam. The December
Club wanted to take my joy to the next stage. Naturally, they thought they
would have my help with gratitude.
I tried to reconcile my sleepless dreams with the convenient argument that "I am a volunteer." I wondered if someone else could help me with the “recent situation” and beyond. Such a difference of feelings may have made both of us feel bad.
The December Club homepage is still maintained and updated by Y Senior,
who is now over 90 years old.
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When I returned from the trip to China, a message from Mr. N, the current
secretary-general, was on my answering machine. He is a leading figure
who wrote "What is the December Club?" He is also the first secretary
general of the December Club. He served as the executive director of Josuikai
for two terms.
When I called him back, he asked me, "Are you feeling a little less
tired?", and invited me to dinner. We decided to meet in the lounge
on the 14th floor of Josui Kaikan.
I have already written about his small stature and hunchback. He has a
smooth head and wears hats that suit him according to the season. He seems
to have a limp and does not give up his cane. When I entered the lounge
10 minutes before the appointed time, he beckoned me to the sofa seat.
No one else was present. It seemed that I had been only one to be invited.
It was the first time for the two of us to meet. He was enjoying Super
Nikka on the rocks with a three-cheese plate. I decided to accompany him
with a beer.
People one by one kept approaching and greeting him. The manager, Mrs.
H, came over and said to him, "It looks like you have an important
meeting today. Please make yourself at home."
I could sense the presence of my senior Mr. N, even if I didn't know it.
He looked relaxed with a casual smile on his face.
After expressing his gratitude, he then talked about his time at Tokyo University of Commerce and until the end of the war, including his experiences of almost dying in the war in the south, the imminent danger, the mingled joys and sorrows with his comrades, ...... he chatted various matters as small talks inviting my laughter.
"I'm going to ask you out often," he told me when we parted.
…………
This is how my relationship with N-senpai began.
I guess he fully understood my unique personality and felt a certain sympathy for me, so I was able to enjoy his friendship for several years, until he passed away just after his 88th birthday. This is the reason why my homepage "Viva, Seniors!" has various articles about his friendship with me from time to time in the past.
I especially recall the days when I felt a strong connection with my senior
Mr. N and followed his persistent actions. It was the pursuit of the formation
of Kanematsu Auditorium on Hitotsubashi University's Kunitachi Campus.
 One day in July 2004, we met in the lounge on the 14th floor of Josui Kaikan
as usual. Sipping his favorite Super Nikka on-the-rocks and pulling out
the first issue of our alma mater's PR magazine HQ, he said, “I think you
read it too.”
"I received it, but it's still at ......," I answered ambiguously.
After taking another sip of his on-the-rocks, he opens a page of “The Monster's Lecture Hall” and begins to talk. It is an abstract of a lecture by Terunobu Fujimori, a professor at the University of Tokyo.
"The Kanematsu Auditorium is striking even from the outside, but especially
inside, from the basement to the second floor, it is full of monsters,
or rather monstrosities. Not to mention the walls, chandeliers, figurines,
and even the staircase railing ......."
In his mind, it seems that the monsters are being fed one by one. He continues,
"The architectural style is also old-style Romanesque, not Gothic,
common at the time for such buildings as the University of Tokyo's Yasuda
Auditorium and Waseda's Okuma Auditorium. The architect and designer was
Dr. Chuta Ito, a professor at the Tokyo Imperial University, who was regarded
as a giant of architecture at the time. "
I still can't follow Mr. Fujimori. Knowing or not that I am not interested
in his talk, he says something about the architect.
"Dr. Ito was the first person to be awarded the Order of Cultural
Merit in the Architectural Institute of Japan, and he commuted two hours
each way to the Musashino Plains for a year, not only on holidays, but
whenever he had time, and commanded actively at the spot."
He seemed to be getting to the heart of the matter, and his face became
more serious than ever.
"I have had the feeling for some time that Dr. Ito had put some thought
into the construction of this auditorium."
Mr. Fujimori said ‘Dr. Ito must have decided to do a monster here,’ or 'he would have made it Romanesque to attach a monster to it.'
In short, Professor Fujimori's theory seemed to be in direct conflict with
my senior's idea. After explaining the abstract of his lecture, which was
filled with red lines and notes, Mr. N looked at me in the eye and asked,
"What do you think?" He seemed to be unable to hide his discomfort
and disappointment toward even the relevant people in the HQ magazine's
comment, "(Through Mr. Fujimori's lecture) we came to know the historical
value and the cultural value as the architecture of Kanematsu Auditorium,
which even Hitotsubashi University people did not know. ....... Having
no awareness of the issue, I can only reply, "I see. ......"
"I'd like to do some invetigation of my own. Could you go along with me? "
For his inquiry on the assumption of my acceptance, I had no choice but
to nod my head and say, "Yes."
After ten days in late July, when the temperature in Otemachi, Tokyo hit 40 degrees Celsius, we three people, Mr. N, Ms. O, his friend, and myself, visited the Kunitachi Campus of Hitotsubashi University.
First, we met the Director of Facilities Division at the Aministration
Center to exchange views, and then, guided by Section Chief S, we made
a thorough tour inside the auditorium until the evening. We finally went
outside, feeling the remnants of the hot summer heat
After that, Mr. N with myself visited Mitsubishi Estate, the Shibusawa
Archives noted in connection with old Mr. Eiichi Shibusawa, the Architectural
Hall with the materials of Chuta Ito stored, Tsukiji Honganji Temple built
by Dr. Ito, Okura Shukokan, Yasukuni Shrine Yushukan, Yushima Seido, Earthquake
Memorial Hall (now Tokyo Metropolitan Cenotaph), and met with the alma
mater officials. ...
With his natural tenacity and broad range of personal contacts, he was
able to proceed with his energetic investigative activities without showing
his advanced age. This included reconfirmation by telephone and several
return visits.
After more than two years of research, the materials filled the senior's
workroom. Just as he was eager to finally complete his work, he was struck
by a serious illness and had to abandon the project.
He was lying on his hospital bed with a look of disappointment on his face,
and he asked me, "Will you take over this task for me?"
My bad premonition had come true, but there was no way that I, who had
just been following along without much thought, could take over for him.
Although I had been entrusted with the task, there was no way to replace
my abilities and beliefs.
I started by going through the piles of materials that my senpai had accumulated, and gradually I came to share only my “thoughts” with him. I decided to start writing anyway.
I soon hit a wall. I was not sure how much I could express my senior's
intention in my essay.
How about by a novel? I might develop it in my own world, away from my
senior. There is much more freedom.
However, I had written a novel about a budgie named Pea-chan some time ago, but I was not satisfied with the result. First of all, I was a self-taught writer and did not even know the “rules” of novel writing. Realizing that I was not such a type, I gave up novel-writing and devoted myself to essays and travelogues.
Nontheless, this time, I had to write it by a novel style to make any headway.
When I thought so and felt so inclined, I found a place to run to.
I found out that Urayasu Central Library offers a monthly novel course
called “Sokyu,” and immediately applied and joined the course.
I continued to attend the class for three years and was benefitted from the energetic guidance of the instructor, Mr. M.
I was especially indebted to Mr. OH. He is already a published novelist,
and this lecture was like a break for him. He did not present his own works,
but gave each participant a scathing critique. There was no way I could
avoid his severeness about my present novel-like "Kanematsu Auditorium."
However, he seemed to be interested in the background of this work. He
invited me to the lounge of the O Hotel. For the whole next year, he trained
me every week.
Three years later, I was forced to withdraw from the association due to
colon cancer surgery and parted ways with everyone, but the novelistic
support for “The Origin of Kanematsu Auditorium” came from Mr. M and Mr.
OH of Sokyu.
The original title of the novel was “Romanesque and Four Divine Statues,”
as Mr. M named it.
My senior Mr. N published it in a private edition with his own essay as
a tentative “completion”, and left with it in his hand.
…………
After a while, I worked on the revision, trying to push the characters with the main character modeled after N-senpai, but was unable to do so, and the storyline remained as awkward as ever. I decided to stop writing, and the present “The Story of the Auditorium Where Monsters Live” is the result. It is now posted as "Miscellaneous Notes: Episodes 46-48.
In any case, for me, this work is a monument to N-senpai's kindness to
me.
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If you look into it, you will find other essays featuring N-senpai here
and there, to your surprise.
In the “Miscellaneous Notes” section, there are “Alma Mater” (No.32), “Shoto
Battle Report” (No.28), and “Choshi, Inubosaki 2009” (No.54, Part2).
In the collection of small stories, episodes 33, 29, 27, 18, 16, and 13
are available. |
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My first encounter with the December Club is my fondest memory of the sixties.
I left an awkward aftertaste by my own self-wrestling and caused trouble
for everyone including Mr. Y. Later, I was introduced to Mr. N, an irreplaceable
person to whom I owe my life.
Now that I have passed the ripe old age of 70, I believe that my connection
with the “December Club” has led me to this reason for joyful living. |
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| Reading (34:00) on |
| Total Reading 1:26:03 |
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