自叙伝(2) Tanaka Shozo Autobiography

1877年(1)　3５歳

明治四十年、西南の乱起る。正造病にあり。区長高田某、病を訪ひ来り西南の乱の新聞紙を齎らす。

In 1877, Satsuma Rebellion　occurred.—The leader of the rebellious army was General Saigo Takamori who had played a critical role to conquer the Tokugawa regime.— Shozo was sick lying in bed.Mr.Takada,village mayor ,came  to comfort me.He brought me a newspaper which reported the Rebellion.

正造嘆声を放ち、泣涕しばらく止まず。区長これを問ふ。答えて曰く、西郷にしてこの挙あるか、これ西郷をして茲に至らしめたるものありて存す。

Shozo uttered a groan and could not stop crying with tears for some time.The mayor wondered and asked me why I was crying.I replied and said:—Saigo is a man of integrity.—There must be something extraordinary which had forced him to choose this course.

今や国家漸く治平、教育法律経済、漸く其端を開きたり。今回同胞兄弟相噛むあらば、我が文明の腰折れなり。

This is the tenth year of Mejji and we have just come out of the confusion after the fall of Tokugawa Shogunate and the country is in peace.Japan has only begun modernizing education,law and economy.If we start to fight against each other, our new civilization will surely come to a halt.

西郷の英雄をして無理無体に賊名を負はしむるの不幸は国家の不幸なり。これを泣かずして何ぞやと。

Saigo Takamori was the leader who had led the revolutionary army.When his army reached at the gate of Edo,he personally negotiated with the representative of Shogunate ,Katsu Kaishu,and succeeded to enter the capital without bloodshed.To brand hotheadedly this hero as state's enemy is misfortune of this country.This news makes me cry.I don't trust anyone who will not share my grievance.

此の言の為に、区長、夜学に妨害を与ふること甚だしく、終に教師を諭して出席せしめず、実は解散せらるるものなり。

Upon hearing these words of mine,the district mayor got angry and tired everything he could to interfere with my night school.Finally he persuaded teachers not to come to work so that I was forced to close it down. After I was released from prison in 1869,I opened a private school where about 30 students learned.

他日、区長又来る。正造又嘆じて曰く、国家一の英雄を失ふ、今又一つの英雄を失はんのみと。区長その人を問ふ。答、他にあらず、大久保利通遠からずして殺さるべしと、これ二の英雄を失はんのみと。区長その故を推問す。答えて曰く、これ数理なり、形を以て言ふべからず。区長、唯々として去る。

A few days later the mayor returned again.I expressed my grief and said now we have lost the number one national hero.We will soon lose another hero.The mayor asked who the second hero was.I replied he was no other than Okubo Toshimichi who should be killed in near future.Japan therefore will lose two heroes.The mayor then inquired why Okubo should be killed.I answered and said I could not explain the reason in a few words because it was a pure logic.The mayor went away without further protest. Okubo（1830 -1878）was the Minister of Interior and the commander of the government army which crashed Saigo's army.He was assassinated next year.

西南の戦争は九ケ月にして終局を告ぐ。紙幣増発の行あり。

Satsuma Rebellion came to an end in nine months.The government started to print more money to cover the expenses.

正造、物価の騰貴を唱へ、病中、六角拂奸に付財を失ふたる朋友に利を得させんとし、田地の買収を説諭す、朋友用ひず。注　 六角拂奸とは領主六角家の有力者の不正を追及した正造親子らの運動を指します。このため正造は投獄されました。

I foresaw the price of properties would go up.One of my friends had lost his fortune while he cooperated my campaign  to drive out the wicked officials,I urged him while I was sick in bed to buy a piece of rice paddies.He would not listen to him.

正造余儀なく独り之を決行せんとす。金を貸す人なし。夫婦の衣類を 売り、姉妹の金を借り入れ、僅かに之を買ふ。

I decided to go ahead with my plan by myself.I tried to borrow money but no-one would lend me money.I sold clothes of mine and my wife's and borrowed as much money as I could from my sisters.

地価一年にならずして二倍となり三倍となり、終に十倍になりて、立処に三千円許の利を得、此年財産は旧に復したり。

The price of land shot up less than within a year twice,thrice and even tenfold so that I easily earned ￥3,000 which made up for the loss I had suffered in the past.

ここに於いて正造、書を父に呈し、尚一回現在の財産を悉く国家の為に消費せんことを願ふ。要は、 毎年百二十円づつを消費する事 今日より利益的運動を為さざる事 養児二人は教育を授けて他に嫁する事 （百二十円は現在の２４０万円に相当）

I wrote a letter to my father and asked his permission to spend all the money I have earned for the sake of the sate.That is: To spend ￥120 every year. From now on I will not engage any activities which pursue profits. Two of my adopted children will be given proper education and find suitable future husbands. The current value of ￥120 at that time is estimated equal to ￥2,400,000.

正造は四千萬の同胞あり、二千萬は父兄にして二千萬は子弟なり。天は我家、地は我床なり云々。父悦んで之を許す。正造の悦また筆紙に尽くし難し。

I have forty million  kindred people.Twenty millions are my fathers and mothers.The rest of twenty millions are my brothers and sisters.The sky is the roof of my home and the earth is my bed and so on.My father gladly gave his blessing to my idea.My joy was beyond any words to be put on paper.

十年、区会議員の幹事となり、自治制の大意を決議し、区長の名を以て、県令鍋島某に出さしむ。

The tenth year of Meiji I was appointed one of the directors of the assembly.The assembly adopted the declaration that our village should be given autonomous authority.This declaration was sent under the name of the mayor to Governor of Tochigi Prefecture,Nabeshima.

正造病気にて進退頗る窮迫せり。此時、区会議長亀田、副議長天海二氏能く正造の業を助く。

I was extremely restricted with my movement due to my illness.During this time Mr.Kameda,assembly chairman, and Mr.Tenkai,vice chairman,helped me to further my agenda.

---

田中正造 1841年12月15日 - 1913年（大正2年）9月4日Tanaka Shozo dedicated his life for the farmers who were victimized by the pollution of Ashio Copper Mine. He is one of the pioneers of environmental movement in Japan.

ODONTA PRESS

発売中のKindle本
アメリカ大学講座古典聖書ギリシャ語入門I,II,III,IV
古典ギリシャ語最初の教本　I,II,III,IV
ドリル式マルコ伝読解　I,II,III,IV
初級脱出シリーズ　分詞
玉川直重新約聖書ギリシャ語入門解答
土岐健治新約聖書ギリシャ語初歩解答
ギリシャ語新約聖書口語訳付き
対訳洋画台本　オズの魔法使い
対訳洋画台本　カサブランカ
対訳洋画台本　知り過ぎていた男
Mail