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| 角田修 |
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私は角田柳作の兄角田保太郎の家系に生まれ、角田柳作に関心を持ってその軌跡を追いかけ始めてから10年足らずですが、その人生を垣間見てきた感想をお話します。
角田柳作の人生はまさに「旅」そのものでした。現在の群馬県赤城町に生まれ、進学のため富岡、前橋、東京へと移り、卒業後は東京にあり、教員として京都、福島、仙台、ハワイのホノルルへと居を移します。その後、アメリカ本土へと渡り一時期、コロラド州デンバーに、そしてニューヨークを安住の地としますが、日米文化学会設立前後には日本とアメリカとを往復する日々を過ごし、戦後も同様に往復を続け、日本への帰国途中にハワイのホノルルにて逝去しました。
角田柳作をしてその「旅」に誘ったものは柳作自身、自らが培っていた「英語」であると私は思っています。語学、特に「英語」に堪能であったことがその人生を決めたと言っても過言ではありません。「英語」に興味を持ち、シェイクスピアの原書を読破した学生時代、教員時代は常に「英語」を担当し、福島中学校での柳作の「英語」の授業を大正天皇がその皇太子時代に御覧になっています。ハワイ中学校長への招聘も、さらに日米文化学会の設立を担うことを要請され、それに携わることが出来たのも「英語」に堪能であったことによると思います。コロンビア大学において、日本の文化、歴史を「英語」で学生たちに語り、「角田さん、あなたは詩人ですか」と裁判官が真面目に尋ねたことはこのことを示す最も重要なエピソードです。
柳作の「旅」も数多くの人たちによって支えられていました。その中心に「家族」、2男3女を成人させたやす夫人や故郷には兄保太郎と母ぎん、特に兄の想いがその後の柳作の人生を決定付けました。
柳作の縁につながる者は、私を含め今も日米両国に数多く在住しております。この文章も本来ならば、柳作に最も近い四女の星野冨士子さんにお書きいただくべきところでしたが、星野さんは私に代わって書くようにとのお話があり、思うところをまとめた次第です。私はこの「角田柳作展」が開催されることがうれしくてなりません。内海孝先生、早稲田大学図書館の皆様、同大学関係者の皆様、甲斐美和様をはじめとするコロンビア大学の関係者の皆様など関係各位に対し、あらためて御礼申し上げます。 |
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| Tsunoda Osamu |
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I was born into the family of Tsunoda Yasutarō, older brother of Tsunoda Ryūsaku, and I have been greatly interested in Tsunoda Ryūsaku's life. Over the past ten years I have been tracing its trajectory, and the following are my impressions of that life.
The life of Tsunoda Ryūsaku was itself a "journey." He was born in current Akagi-machi, Gunma Prefecture, and moved to Tomioka, Maebashi, and Tokyo for his education. He stayed in Tokyo after his college graduation, and then moved to Kyoto, Fukushima, Sendai, and Honolulu in Hawaii as a teacher. Later, he moved to the US mainland. After a short stay in Denver, Colorado, he moved to New York, which came to be his permanent home. However, he spent a great many days traveling back and forth between Japan and the United States during the period surrounding the establishment of the Japanese Culture Center, and continued making similar round trips between the two counties after World War II; he died in Honolulu, Hawaii en route to Japan.
I believe the English ability that he himself had cultivated was what persuaded Tsunoda Ryūsaku to take his "journey." It can safely be said that his language ability, in particular his fluency in the English language, determined the course of his life. He was always interested in English: when he was a student, he read through the original texts of Shakespeare; when he was a teacher, he was always in charge of teaching English. Even the Taishō Emperor, then the Crown Prince, watched Ryūsaku teaching an English class at Fukushima Junior High School. He was able to accept the offer of the position of principal of the Hawaii Middle School, and also he was able to establish the Japanese Culture Center when requested, because he was proficient in English. Later, the most prominent episodes that demonstrate his excellent ability in English were that he taught Japanese culture, history, and Japanese in English to students at Columbia University, and that the judge [at his trial in 1941 on charges of spying] seriously asked Ryūsaku, "Mr. Tsunoda, are you a poet?"
Ryūsaku's journey was also supported by many people. At the core of the support was his family: his wife Yasu, who raised two sons and three daughters, in his hometown his mother Gin, and especially his older brother Yasutarō, whose thinking influenced the later life of Ryūsaku.
I am profoundly grateful that this Tsunoda Ryūsaku Exhibition is taking place. On behalf of the Tsunoda family, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to each of you who made this exhibition possible: Professor Utsumi Takashi, the staff of the Waseda University Library, Waseda University, and those of Columbia University, beginning with Ms. Kai Miwa, who have been engaged in creating this event. |
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