最近、ズビン・メータ氏の自叙伝（http://d.hatena.ne.jp/itunalily/20130417）を寝る前に読んでいるが、好きなクラシック音楽の話は非常におもしろい。ボンベイ（ムンバイ）出身の裕福なゾロアスター教徒のご家系だそうで、ユダヤ教への影響の記述など、本当に視野が広がるように思う。このように、専門はピカピカに磨かなければならないものの、裾野を広げるというのか、趣味が他にもあるというのは、自分の助けになり、支えにもなる。
日本が良くも悪くもいいように利用される政治の話は、ちょっと御免被りたい、というよりも、私の力では到底対応できない（http://d.hatena.ne.jp/itunalily/20131213）。
例えば、アメリカのあるシンクタンクの会合が12月7日という真珠湾攻撃の日に開かれたと（実は「12月8日」なのだが、開催日程は12月6日から8日まで）、また一部で非難が出ている。いつでも何か日本などに関して不満があると、何でも真珠湾攻撃が持ち出される。実はその会合は現在の中東問題が議論されたのであって、日本などは全く関係がない。しかも、不思議なことに、当時は生まれていなかったであろう人達が、合い言葉のように「真珠湾攻撃」と使うのだ。あたかも、広島と長崎と沖縄の無辜の犠牲者を引き合いに、アメリカを黙らせようとするテクニックと同じようにも聞こえる。ただし、東京裁判の解釈なども（http://pub.ne.jp/itunalily/?entry_id=5143004）、数十年も経つと、その間の民族性や国の立ち居振る舞いが証拠あるいは雄弁な立証となり、新たな資料公開もなされるために、慎重にならなければと感じている。そもそも歴史学の出身ではないので、一般国民として注視したいところだ。
というわけで、本当に久しぶりにドイツ語で、日本文化の真髄について復習を。
Einfachheit
Unter Einfachheit verstehe ich nicht Abwesenheit einer Vielzahl von Faktoren. Wenige Japaner sind aus einem Guß und von archaischer Einfalt, ausgenommen die Bewohner abgelegener Gegenden. Sprache und Literatur, die Kronzeugen nationaler Wesensart, sind außergewöhnlich reich an Nuancen und feindifferenzierten Synonymen. Die religiösen Vorstellungen und Praktiken auch des Durchschnittsjapaners sind äußerst komplex. Er bringt es mühelos fertig, Shintoist als Angehöriger seiner Nation zu sein, Buddhist als Grübler und Leidender, Konfuzianer als Gebildeter, persönlich oft Christ und als Naturwissenschaftler eine Art von Materialist nach berühmten weslichen Vorbildern. Hinter der ruhigen Fassade korrekten Verhaltens verbirgt sich ein höchst unsicheres Gleichgewicht von Unvereinbarkeiten, Zweifeln, plötzlichen Impulsen und bunten Einfällen.［…］
Es ist indes charakteristisch, daß für den Japaner kein Konflikt zu bestehen scheint, wo der Europäer durch das Nebeneinander antagonistischer Elemente höchst beunruhigt wäre. ［…］Der Mensch des Westens empfindet sich als Schnittpunkt, wenn nicht als Opfer widerstreitender Pflichten, Ideen, kosmischer Kräfte. Er versucht ihre Ansprüche zu versöhnen oder endet im Eingeständnis tragischer Niederlage. Nicht so der Japaner. Für ihn sind solche Situationen weder ein Anlaß zu Kampf noch zu Verzweiflung. Widerstreitende Kräfte werden hier zu zeremoniellen Formen, die verschiedenen Orten, Zeiten und Gelegenheiten zugeordnet sind.
(Aus: Kurt Singer, Spiegel, Schwert und Edelstein: Strukturen des kapanischen Lebens, herausgegeben, aus dem Englischen übersetzt und mit einer Einführung versehen von Wolfgang Wilhelm (edition suhrkamp), 1991, S. 125f.)
要点は、「古代的単純さ」を持った日本人について、「さまざまなニュアンスにあふれ、また微細な差異を表現する同義語にあふれ」ていると観察。「ごく平均的な日本人でさえ、その宗教的なイメージや行動はきわめて複雑」であること。しかし、ヨーロッパ人ならば落ち着いていられないのに、「日本人にとってはそれが何の問題にもならない」らしいこと。「互いに対立し合う諸力も、日本人においては、さまざまな場所や時間や機会に割り振られた儀礼の形へと変貌をとげる」という。
以下私見。これを表層的にとらえるならば、「だから日本人はいい加減で理解能力に欠けている」と結論しがちだが、逆に利点でもあり、そのために小回りがきくとも言える。その特徴を国内外で発揮できる点が日本の生き延びる道であって（http://d.hatena.ne.jp/itunalily/20131103）、分からない人には馬鹿にさせておけばいい、というのが私の考え。しかし、それを国際的に広められては危険なので、このように、日本人であっても諸外国の日本理解の文献をさまざまな外国語で読み、知っておく必要があるのだ。
このクルト・ズィンガーの『三種の神器』は、実は1950年代頃にドイツ語原稿でできあがっていたそうだが、不遇な巡り合わせだったようだ。どんな方なのかは、以下の英語サイトに。
（http://www.interesting-books-selector.com/?m=select&id=1873410697）
“Mirror, Sword and Jewel : A Study of Japanese Characteristics”by Kurt Singer, Richard Storry (Editor)
Biography of Kurt Singer
© (2004) by interesting-books-selector.com
This is a summarizing translation of the comprehensive biography in German found at http://www.jdg-sendai.jp/Teil/Teil3_Germany.pdf
Kurt Singer was born 08-May-1886 in Magdeburg. From 1904 to 1910 he studied at the Universities of Geneva, Freiburg, Berlin, and Strassburg philosophy, national economy, soziology, literature, and history of art. His main teachers were the philosopher Georg Simmel ( 1858-1918 ) and art historian Heinrich Wölfflin ( 1864-1945 ). in 1910, PhD. in Strassburg under Georg Friedrich Knapp ( 1842-1926 ), about the indian monetary reform. He personally meets the poet Stefan George ( 1868-1933 ). In 1920, professorship at Universität of Hamburg with his book "Das Geld als Zeichen (Money as a mark)" In 1927 he published his book "Platon der Gründer (Planton the founder). New interpretation of Platon according to Stefan George's spirit.
As an expert for finance and monetary politics he got an invitation by the Imperial University of Tokyo to teach economy, because the Japanese government liked his expertice in deflations- and reflation politics. The Japanese ambassadeur told him before his leave to Japan: "In Japan, you'll meet unity in chaos. For a long time, you'll not find anything interesting, until suddenly you detect the rare and precious." This oracle came to happen for Kurt Singer.
He arrived in Japan in April 1931. In 1932, the Japanese finance minister Takahashi Korekiyo, whose admiration Singer attained, was murdered by ultra nationalists. Political parties lost confidence in Japan. Singer felt that the traditional, spritual, moral and religious substance was lost in Japan.
While he studied japanese culture and history he thought back to the fundamentals of the European spiritual culture. He lived in a strange, cursed quietness like a Buddhist eremit, contemplating, talking with spirits - only instead of the Sutras, he meditated the Platonic dialogues. Some publications about Platon in the leading, philosophic journal Shiso. 1935 japanese translation of a Platon monographie.
In the preface he wrote "With the penetration in Platon starts in a strict sense a new turn for every individual and thus also for every nation, which is capable of hearing his voice. Will the orient, will, what is equivalent: the leading class of oriental men be willing, tu submitt themselves to this foreign world, assume their laws and to throw the own, old and venerable heritance of tradition and sagesse in the melding pot of this unprotected, tension loaded, dangerous being, ...".
After travelling three months in China, he got became a teacher of German language at the Dai Ni Kôtôgakkô in Sendai, where he learned about the campagne of Japan and found quietness for contemplation with the classical writings "Tsurezure gusa (Hours of leisure)" of the the eremit, monk Kenkô Hôshi (also known under the name Yoshida Kenkô) who lived in the 14th century.
1939 he published an anthology "The Life of Ancient Japan" at the renowned publisher Iwanami.
In 1938, with the German-Japanese culture agreement, the minister of education adopted a antisemitism of Germans national socialism. In consequence, in 1939, Singer was fired. He could not return to Germany. He saw no other possibility than emigration to Australia to find a job. Arriving a couple of weeks before the war began, he was imprisoned for two years with the only accusation of being a member of a enemy nation. In 1949, publication of his book "The Idea of Conflict" in Melbourne. Being one of the most important and mature work of Singer, a revision was published in Germany in 1973. In this work, he shows that antagonism and conflict are not only the result of conditions of the society and economy, but are caused by the fundamental facts of the nature and the beginning of human beings.
His "summum opus" work which he also wrote during the end of the 2nd world war is "Mirror, Sword and Jewel", a -how Singler claims himself- "comprehensive work about the Japanische peculiarity, from a psychological, sociological, and art-historical view." He wrote in English.
With his book, he tried to influence the after-war developments into more peaceful political and spiritual new order between the nations, but publishers in England refused to publish it claiming paper shortness. Publishers in the USA refused saying that it were too late for a quiet and timeless academic treatment of the topic Japan. But Singer felt, that "they wanted to push off this topic as fast as possible to the unconscious". German publishers were also not interested, because the low interest in culture and life of this far east kingdom.
He held a professorship at the University of New South Wales until his 70th birthday, but the faculty oriented university life never pleased him.
In 1957, after 26 years of leave, he went back to Germany. After short stays in Switzerland and Rome, he settled in Greece, the land of his longing.
In Greece he travelled and did archaeological, mathematical, and economical studies. He died in 10-Feb-1962 in Athens as an unknown and forgotten man.
Finally, after his dead, in 1973 "Mirror, Sword and Jewel" was published in London and was highly acknowldedged under experts. During all these years, the book had not lost any lifelyness and substantiality.
Kurt Singers odyssee had an admirable inner consequence. He followed the voice of his demon. With all the inconveniences, he found inner fulfilment which not many attain; see his German lyric
Erfüllung
Öde ergrünte Flamme schlug auf.
Altar entstand am heiligen Lauf.
Stimme umklang ihn, wurde zum Chor.
Liebende Hände führten zum Tor.
Wetter umrauschten Kampf und Gericht.
Nächten enttauchte göttliche Sicht.
Stieg auf zu sternen Sank als Kristall:
Knabe du Träumer siehe dein All.
A comprehensive, authentic edition of his book was published in 1988 by Suhrkamp Verlag in Frankfurt as a retranslation into German: "Spiegel, Schwert und Edelstein - Dimensionen des Japanischen Lebens".
Richard Storry, the Oxford Japanologe and historian, who published a (unfortunately heavily shortened) version of the 1973 London Edition in 1981 in Tokyo at Kodansha International as paperback under the subtitle "The Geometry of Japanese Life" (which Singer would never have approved), aptly stated:
"Kurt Singer is an economy scientist with the soul of a poet".
(End)
クルト・ズィンガーはドイツ系ユダヤ人を父、イギリス人を母として生まれた。ギリシャや日本の文化にも強い関心を抱き、マルティン・ブーバーらユダヤ人との交流も深めた。
