No.7 What I learned from Shuntaro Tanikawa

(Inagi City's Education "Yell" December 15th, Issue 3)

　"While the young men of Kamchatka are dreaming of giraffes, the young girls of Mexico are waiting for the bus in the morning mist" is the opening line of the poem "Morning Relay" by Shuntaro Tanikawa. One of my fond memories is teaching this poem during my time as a teacher. The rhythmic sound of "Kamchatka" and the feeling of being transported to a foreign city... From this opening line, the reader opens the door to an unknown world. We all read the poem aloud with excitement, taking in the overview of the Earth from the outside and imagining what is on the other side of the Earth at this very moment. Furthermore, from the phrases "We are a morning relay" and "From longitude to longitude, we take turns, so to speak, protecting the Earth," I shared with the junior high school students the vision of protecting the beauty and peace of the Earth together with friends from a world yet to be seen.
"Kappa kapparatta, kappa rappa kapparatta" (from the poem "Kappa" in "Word Play Songs" (Fukuinkan Shoten)) -- Everyone in the classroom enjoyed playing with words out loud, experiencing the charm and mystery of the Japanese language.
The poem "Living" begins with "To be alive, to be alive now". In this work, Tanigawa writes about various phenomena and sensations that we encounter in our daily lives as "being thirsty", "the dazzling sunlight filtering through the trees", "suddenly remembering a certain melody", and so on, and goes on to sing of the important things that we need to value in living as human beings, such as "holding hands with you", "carefully avoiding hidden evil", and "being able to love".
Many people throughout Japan, and indeed the world, have been drawn to and become familiar with the poetry and words of Shuntaro Tanikawa. I am one of those people, and as a teacher, I have been fascinated by the world of Tanikawa's work.
Several of Tanigawa's poems have been set to melodies and are widely enjoyed as choral pieces.
"What is this feeling? An invisible flow of energy running from the earth through the soles of my feet..." (from the poem "In Spring") -- In the season of "spring," young people standing on the earth are constantly struggling with a variety of emotions such as "joy," "irritation," "longing," and "frustration." Along with the uncertainty and uncertainty that everyone feels during this season, this song sings of the feeling of believing in possibilities, and sings of the harshness and joy of living.
The poem "Believe" has also become a standard number for choral songs. At Inagi Fourth Junior High School, where I was appointed as the principal about 10 years ago, "Believe" was sung as the "set song" for the third grade in the school event "Choir Competition". "I can't lie to myself, I believe in myself, I don't need a reason to believe," "On a morning when the dew on the tip of the leaves sparkles, what is the fawn's eyes gazing at? I believe in such a world, where everything is new every day" - this is a work filled with warm and powerful encouragement for young people to first believe in themselves, who have an honest attitude as a human being who cares about small things, looks directly at the reality of the world, and is moved by beautiful things. The students shared Mr. Tanigawa's message, firmly grasped the spirit of the poem, and worked hard to sing it in order to convey that feeling to the listeners. And then, during the performance, bathed in dazzling hot lights all over their bodies, facing the dark audience, they sang "Believe" beautifully, believing in their own strength, encouraging themselves, and relying on the emotional bonds with their peers. I, too, was deeply touched by the significance of "believing in yourself" as I watched the students.
Tanigawa's works, which use simple and familiar words to awaken our awareness of the depths of humanity and the state of the world, and make us think about the attitude we should take in life, surely bring back many memories for many people. As a former educator, I have also had the good fortune of coming into contact with Tanigawa's works and sharing their emotions with junior high school students. Tanigawa's works have given me a real sense of the fundamental significance of learning together, where each person is free to imagine scenes and emotions through words, and then share their reflections with their peers.
Even now, the textbooks used in the city's elementary and junior high schools include "Living" (elementary school, 6th grade, Japanese language), "In Spring" (junior high school, 3rd grade, Japanese language), and (junior high school, music), and the children of the city are learning from Tanigawa's works. People all over Japan come into contact with Tanigawa's works every day, and his works have inspired them, and in the same way, they have provided valuable learning opportunities for the children and students of Inagi City, and for everyone who has studied and grown up in Inagi.
Recently, in November 2023, Iwanami Shoten published a book in the form of a correspondence between Tanigawa and Ms. Brady, entitled "That World and This World." In my opening remarks at the regular principals' meeting in January 2024, I introduced my impressions of the book and the series of exchanges that focused on the continuity of life and death. I also presented a passage in the book where Brady mentions that "humans will update their brains and live as data," and that "there is discussion among the younger generation in the UK about 'transhumanity,'" and expressed my idea that "I want to place value on humans interacting with each other directly and confronting each other." Furthermore, at the end of the book, Tanigawa states, "Humans, who are originally gregarious animals, have at some point awakened as individuals in the group, that is, as individuals, and have finally begun to evolve into AI? This fact gives us a vague sense of unease while also giving us a glimpse into the future."
Shuntaro Tanikawa passed away on November 13, 2024, at the age of 92.
His remaining works will no doubt continue to challenge our views of humanity and the world for a long time to come. As I look towards a world that continues to evolve and become more civilized, I too will need to return to Tanigawa's message from time to time in pursuit of the strength we need as human beings and the ideal we should be, while still enjoying and making use of this development.
　
Makiko Sugimoto, Superintendent of the Inagi City Board of Education
　
[Quotes and References]
Shuntaro Tanikawa "Morning Relay," "Kappa," "Living," "In Spring," "Believing"
Shuntaro Tanikawa and Mikako Brady, "That World and This World" (Iwanami Shoten)