3-5

by 太宰治

Compared to the strange and incomprehensible letter from Tsukushi, this letter was certainly more coherent. However, as I read on, I couldn't help but laugh. The English text clearly showed how much Mr. Katapan feared being dragged in as an interpreter, and how, out of his vanity, he was struggling to somehow avoid embarrassment and not disappoint his assistants, even if he were to be dragged in.

"It's like an important diplomatic document, isn't it? Very grand," I said, suppressing my laughter.

"Don't tease me," Katapan said with a wry smile, snatching the letter paper. "Was there anything wrong with it?"

"No, it's a very clear piece of writing. I'd say it's a masterpiece."

"A masterpiece that makes you wonder, perhaps?" he joked, but he didn't seem to mind the praise, and a slightly proud look appeared on his face. "Interpreting carries a heavy responsibility, so I'm trying to avoid it and use written communication instead. I've shown off my English knowledge too much, so I might be dragged in as an interpreter. Now it's too late to hide, and it's become quite troublesome," he said in a somewhat serious tone, letting out a deliberately small sigh.

I was impressed by how people had such diverse worries.

Perhaps due to the storm, or perhaps due to the dim light, that night, the four roommates gathered around the candlelight of Echigo Jishi and had a frank conversation for the first time in a long while.

"What exactly is a liberal?" Kappore asked in a hushed voice, for some reason.

"In France," Katapan said, perhaps still smarting from his English blunder, now showing off his knowledge of France, "there were the libertines, who celebrated free thought and caused quite a stir. This was in the 17th century, about three hundred years ago." He frowned as he spoke. "They mainly clamored for religious freedom, it seems."

"What, ruffians?" Kappore said with a surprised look.

"Yes, something like that. They mostly lived like scoundrels. Cyrano, famous in plays for his big nose, could also be considered one of the libertines of that time. They defied the powers that be and helped the weak. French poets were probably much the same. It seems there was some resemblance to the 'otokodate' of Japan's Edo period."

"What are you saying?" Kappore burst out laughing. "So, even Banzuiin Chobei was a liberal, then?"

However, Katapan didn't crack a smile.

"I think it's fair to say that. Although, today's liberals seem to be a bit different, the 17th-century French libertines were generally like that. Hanakawado no Sukeroku and Nezumi Kozo Jirokichi might have been like that too."

"Oh, is that how it is?" Kappore was delighted.

Echigojishi also grinned, mending a tear in his slipper.

"What exactly is this free thought," said Hardtack, becoming increasingly serious, "Its true nature is a spirit of rebellion. You could even call it destructive thought. It is not a thought that first sprouts when oppression and bondage are removed; rather, it is a thought that arises simultaneously as a reaction to oppression and bondage, and it is a thought whose nature is to struggle. It's a commonly cited example, but one day, a dove asked God, 'When I fly, the air gets in the way and prevents me from moving forward quickly. Please remove the air.' God granted that wish. However, the dove could not take flight no matter how much it flapped its wings. In other words, this dove is free thought. It is only with air resistance that a dove can take flight. Free thought without an object of struggle is like a dove flapping its wings in a vacuum tube; it cannot fly at all."

"Isn't there a man with a similar name?" Echigo-jishi said, pausing from sewing slippers.

"Ah," Hardtack scratched the back of his head, "I didn't mean it in that sense. This is Kant's illustration. I don't know anything about modern Japanese politics."

"However, we must know at least a little. I hear that young people will be given the right to vote and to be elected from now on," Echigo said in a calm manner, like the elder of the troupe. "The content of liberal thought can be said to be completely different from time to time. Geniuses who pursued truth and fought can all be called liberal thinkers. I, for one, even believe that Christ is the true originator of liberal thought. 'Do not worry, look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns'—isn't that wonderful liberal thought? I believe that all Western thought is based on the spirit of Christ, or elaborates on it, or trivializes it, or questions it, and no matter how many different theories there are, they ultimately connect back to the one volume of the Bible. Even science is not unrelated to it. The foundation of science, in both the physical and chemical realms, is all hypothesis. It starts from hypotheses invisible to the naked eye. From believing in these hypotheses, all science is born. Japanese people should have studied the one volume of the Bible first, before researching Western philosophy and science. I am not a Christian, but I believe that Japan's superficial learning of Western civilization without studying the Bible is the true cause of Japan's great defeat. Without knowing the spirit of Christ, you cannot understand even half of liberal thought or anything else."

After that, everyone was silent for a while. Kappore also looked thoughtful, shaking his head silently, appearing to be contemplating something.

"Now, there is an example that the content of liberal thought changes with time," Echigo-jishi was very eloquent that night. He exuded a certain sublimity, even an air of a hermit. Indeed, he might be a considerable person. I secretly thought that if he had been physically strong, he might have been doing important work for the nation by now.

"Once upon a time, in China, there was a free thinker who, angered by the government of his time, hid deep in the mountains. He believed that the times were not favorable to him. And he didn't realize that this was his own defeat. He had a famous sword, and he hid in the mountains, confident that when the time came, he would strike down his political enemies with this sword. However, ten years passed, and the world changed. He descended from the mountains, believing the time had come, and preached his free thought to the people, but it was nothing more than a stale, opportunistic idea. Finally, he tried to draw his famous sword to show his spirit to the people, but sadly, the sword had already rusted. This story illustrates that an unchanging political ideology, like ten years passing in a single day, is nothing but a delusion. Japan's free thought since the Meiji era also initially rebelled against the shogunate, then denounced the domain cliques, and then attacked the bureaucrats. I believe this is what Confucius meant when he said that a gentleman changes like a leopard. In China, a gentleman, unlike the rigid, teetotaling, non-smoking type in Japan, seems to refer to a genius skilled in the six arts. One could also say a person with brilliant abilities. This also changes like a leopard. It shows beautiful change. It is not an ugly betrayal. Christ also said, 'Make no vows at all.' He also said, 'Do not worry about tomorrow.' Indeed, isn't he a great predecessor of free thinkers? 'Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head' could be said to be the lament of a free thinker. Not allowed to rest for a single day. Their assertions must be new every day. Attacking yesterday's militarist bureaucrats now is no longer free thought, but opportunistic thought. A true free thinker must have something to shout about right now, above all else."

"Wh-what is it? What should I shout?" Kappore asked in a hurry.

"You understand, don't you?" Echigo-jishi said, sitting properly in seiza. "Long live His Majesty the Emperor! That is the cry. Until yesterday, it was old. But today, it is the newest free thought. The content of freedom ten years ago is different from the freedom of today. It is no longer mysticism. It is the inherent love of humanity. Today's true free thinkers should die under this cry. I hear America is a land of freedom. Surely, they will recognize this cry for freedom in Japan. If I were not sick now, I would stand before Nijubashi and shout, 'Long live His Majesty the Emperor!'"

Katapan took off his glasses. He was crying. I had grown to completely like Katapan during this stormy night. I felt that men were truly good. Ma-bo and Take-san were completely out of the question. This concludes the dojo news titled "Light in the Storm." Excuse me.

October 14th