Naoko Saito, a director of the Shikian conservation society
We talked with Naoko Saito, a director of the Shikian conservation society. Taken on June 16, 2017
Q: 2017 is the 150th anniversary of Shiki's birth. Could you talk about a variety of things related to Shiki?
Saito: I am Saito, and in charge of public relations for the Shikian conservation society.
The past and the present of Shikian
Q: Is Shikian located in the same place in which Shiki lived?
It has been located in the same place, but the grounds at that time were about half the size of the present ones. It was called "Negishian" when Shiki was alive because it is located in Negishi. Although the present address is 2-chome, Negishi, Taito City, it was Kaminegishi-cho, Shitaya-ku at that time.
Q: How has Shikian been maintained/preserved after Shiki's death? Could you also talk about the history of the Shikian conservation society?
"Kyuyukai," or gathering of old friends, (9 members, including Kyoshi, Hekigoto, Sachio, Fusetsu and Sokotsu) decided to make a conservation society to protect Shiki's surviving family and Shikian, and collected donations in 1911 after Shiki died. It was the beginning of the conservation society. Since Shiki was a newspaper reporter, he did not have assets. The Maeda family, a landlord, decided to sell all of the land and buildings of their secondary dwelling in 1925 after the Great Kanto Earthquake. The family wanted the conservation society to buy a neighboring house that was under the same roof, so the conservation society published a complete collection of Shiki, and sold Shiki's autographs to raise funds. Then, the conservation society used that funds to buy the present-day Shikian's land and house and preserve them. In 1928, Sokotsu Samukawa moved in the land, and built an office for protecting Shikian and Ritsu. The establishment of the Shikian conservation society foundation was approved in the same year, and Ritsu became the first chairperson of the foundation. Although Shikian was totally destroyed by an air raid in April 1945 after Ritsu's death, it was reconstructed and brought back to its almost original state by Sokotsu. Since a warehouse that was built in 1927 remained unburnt, Shiki's belongings stored in it were intact. Shikian was officially designated as a historical site in Tokyo in 1952, and has existed until now.
2018 will mark the 90th anniversary of the foundation of the Shikian conservation society foundation. Now, the society is a small organization that consists of volunteers who are not related to the Masaoka family and Shiki's pupils, but we will strive to maintain and preserve Shikian by gaining cooperation from people who visit Shikian.
"The intended meaning of preserving Shikian," which seems to be drafted by Sokotsu Samukawa, is put on the wall of Shikian.
Q: How is Shikian maintained/preserved now?
Since Shikian is designated as a historical site in Tokyo, it is granted 200-plus thousand yen subsidy per year as an honorarium for opening to the public by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, but besides that, basically, we only receive an admission fee of 500 yen per visitor. So we become unable to maintain Shikian if many people do not visit it. Now, it is a general incorporated foundation, so we only receive private donations. We aim to accept 15,000 visitors per year, but we are operating as a volunteer group, so it is very hard. We hope to achieve the goal this year.
Although there is "Shikian Tomonokai," an organization that supports the Shikian conservation society, and we receive 3,000 yen per year from each member of the organization, which is used as a fund for maintaining Shikian and giving a free pass and "Shikian Shunju" to visitors, the number of members is still small. Also, we develop and sell original goods. We feel that it is not possible to maintain and preserve "Shikian" in the future if there are not visitors' eagerness and our volunteers' tenacity.
Q: When was this area overcrowded with buildings like it is today?
Although I am not knowledgeable about Negishi, Fumihiko Otsuki, a famous linguist of Japanese who lived in Negishi (an editor of "Genkai"), made "Tokyo Shitaya Negishi oyobi Kinbono-zu," a map of Shitaya, Negishi and their nearby areas, in 1901. He said that although this area had lost its charm because a railway was constructed, meandering narrow lanes were left as they were. There are still temples, bathhouses, barbershops, soba restaurants, fish shops, and paddy fields in the map. I was pleased to find Motomishima Shrine, Negishi Elementary School, and Sasa no Yuki in the map. It is said that there were houses and second-houses of writers and artists in the areas. Ritsu said, "The grounds of the Kaga family became a subdivision land, and handsome houses were built around here" when asked by Hekigoto in 1933. I have a mind to hear how Negishi has been transformed after an air raid in 1945 from people who know that, and record it in a document.
Shiki's belongings have appeared on a cover of each issue of "Shikian Shunju" published by the Shikian conservation society.
Q: Do Japanese people mainly visit Shikian? Do visitors from abroad also come to Shikian?
People from Hokkaido to Okinawa visit Shikian, but there are still not so many people from abroad. Foreigners who are interested in Japanese literature sporadically visit Shikian. We made an English-language edition of a pamphlet about two years ago. Since the Olympic Games will be held in 2020 in Tokyo, we expect the number of visitors to increase in the future. Aside from literature, we would appreciate it if people just come to see the old conventional Japanese-style house.
About Shiki's friendship with Fusetsu Nakamura
Q: There is Calligraphy Museum across the street, which is a former residence of Fusetsu Nakamura, a Western-style painter, and displays a collection of calligraphy. Could you tell me about the relationship between Shiki and Fusetsu?
Shiki moved in this house in 1894, and became an executive editor of the newspaper "Sho Nippon." Shiki was introduced to Fusetsu, who was one year older than Shiki, by Chu Asai in March in the same year, and soon hit it off with each other. (continued in the right column)
Shiki became an embedded journalist, and Fusetsu an embedded painter during the Sino-Japanese War. When they went to the front, the was over, so they often strolled outside Jinzhou Castle. Shiki entered a hospital at Kobe because his tuberculosis got worse after coming back to Japan, and took a rest for his health at Suma. Then, Fusetsu visited him, went to Nara on his way home, and wrote Shiki a letter, saying that Nara was wonderful. Hatsuko Nakamura, a grandchild of Shiki, told me that Shiki also went to Nara after reading the letter from Fusetsu, and composed a poem "Kaki Kueba..." As is explained in detail in the 11th and 14th issues of "Shikian Shunju," Fusetsu built a house with a studio at Nakanegishi, in the vicinity of Motomishima Shrine, in 1898, and frequently visited Shikian. Fusetsu moved to a house across the street from Shikian in 1915. I think they had a strong bond.
Fusetsu moved to the house at 125 Kaminegishi (It is now Taito City Calligraphy Museum at 2-10-4 Negishi, Taito City), which is located across the street from Shikian, in his third move within Shitaya. (from "Shikian Shunju," the 14th issue, 2014)
Present-day Negishi area
Compared to a map in 1901, the area is now overcrowded with buildings. It is noticeable that the grounds of the Maeda family were very large at that time in 1901.
Friendship with Soseki Natsume
Q: Shiki had friendly relation with Soseki Natsume. Did Soseki often come to Shikian?
According to the chronological record, Soseki visited Shikian eight times. Kyoko, Soseki's wife, also came to see Shiki when Soseki studied abroad. Soseki, together with Torahiko Terada, visited Shiki on August 26, 1900. It was the last time they met. Soseki was the same age as Shiki, and a classmate and friend of him at the Preparatory School of the University of Tokyo (First Higher School). Shiki began a friendship with Soseki because both of them liked to see vaudeville performances. Soseki said that Shiki first spoke to Soseki in 1889 when they were 22 years old. I think both of them had a sense of humor that underlies their literature. Although Soseki's "Wagahai wa Nekodearu," or I am a CAT, was written after Shiki died, Shiki advised Soseki to write the novel, and it was first read aloud in an eight-tatami-mat room in Shikian. So Novelist "Soseki Natsume" might be produced by Shiki. Soseki wrote that he dedicated this book to Shiki, his deceased friend.
Q: Could you talk about other people who had relations with Shiki?
Speaking of people who often visited Shikian, Kyoshi Takahama, Hekigoto Kawahigashi and Meisetsu Naito in a haiku community can be mentioned. Hotsuma Katori, Sachio Ito and Takashi Nagatsuka in a tanka community were also among those who visited Shikian. Majority of people who visited Shikian belonged to haiku and tanka communities. One of the important figures was Katsunan Kuga, the owner of Nippon for which Shiki worked. Since Kuga lived in Negishi, Shiki moved in here. Chu Asai, a painter, also lived in Kaminegishi. Shiki called him a teacher, and respected him. Also, Koroku Sato who lived with Kuga as a houseboy, Ogai Mori, Tekkan Yosano, Toson Shimazaki, Yaichi Aizu and Torahiko Terada visited Shikian. There are too many people to mention.
Q: How did Shiki make his living at that time?
His occupation was a reporter for "Nippon," a newspaper, throughout his life. He started to work for Nippon, located at Kanda Kiji-co, on December 1, 1892. His first monthly salary was 15 yen, and was mainly in charge of a literary section. Later, his salary was gradually raised to reach 40 yen, and he received 40 yen from "Hototogisu" that he presided over, getting an income of 50 yen per month. However, his family of three lived frugally, and they had hard lives because his drug bills and food expenses (he needed to obtain nutrition due to tuberculosis) were expensive. He frequently borrowed money from his relatives and pupils, including Kyoshi. The famous essays, "Bokujyu Itteki" and "Byosho Rokushaku," were also published in the newspaper. Although he is now called a great writer, he was also a salaried employee.
Anecdotes related to baseball
Q: When was Shiki enthusiastic about baseball? Where did he mainly play baseball? Did he write something about baseball?
Shiki left Matsuyama Junior High School, went to Tokyo, and entered the Preparatory School of the University of Tokyo. He became enthusiastic about baseball at that time. He got interested in baseball around 1886, and taken up with it, so that he wrote, "In this year, I was only absorbed in baseball. I regard a bat and a baseball as my life." He also used a literary pseudonym, "Noboru," or baseball, explained baseball in detail in his essays, "Fudemakase" and "Shora Gyokueki," and described it in haiku and tanka poems. It is said that when he played baseball in Ueno Park, many spectators saw it. I think he practiced baseball at open spaces around his boarding house in Hongo. Although Knoe Chuma translated baseball into Japanese as "Yakyu," Shiki also translated a batter, a runner, a fly and a pitch that hits the batter as "Dasha," "Sosha," "Hikyu" and "Shikyu," respectively. Shiki was a catcher (and also a pitcher) and a left-handed batter. He entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002 for his contribution to the spread of baseball.
A stone monument of Sokotsu Samukawa in the garden of Shikian
Three-tier cloud, Moving north and south, This autumn morning
(Haachitsu means 80 years old)
Naoko Saito, a director of the Shikian conservation society