Jalsha's Secant

In Kochi the Japanese Society of Adlerian Psychology had an Annual Congress. There came 120 people from literally all over Japan; north from Hokkaido and south from Okinawa. The Society has almost one thousand members. There are many schoolteachers, medical doctors and nurses, but psychologists are not so many. A Journal named "The Adlerian" is published three times a year.

Some of my students gave lectures. Their main topic was narrative-based analysis of psychotherapy. We have already written some papers on the narrative structure of group counseling. Last year, one of us presented a part of the results at the International Congress of Individual Psychology in Lithuania.

This year, a researcher talked about the structure of individual psychotherapy. More than twenty cases of psychotherapy were recorded and analyzed word by word. From a client's message where he/she had an insight, therapist's messages wereresearched in retrograde order, and the first message where the therapist began the operation for giving insight to client was detected. Then therapist's word modification in the process of therapy was formulated. We are going to present this study in the next International Congress in 2011.

Another researcher presented a new method for Life-Style analysis in group situation. This is indeed a revolutionary idea. From an early memory of a client, private logic is extracted using sheets of papers. I cannot describe the method in detail, because an official report is not written yet. This study also will be presented in the next International Congress.

Jolanta gave an excellent lecture on encouragement. After her lecture, she and some members had a symposium in English. Someday I will write something about the lecture and the symposium.

In these several years, the Congress succeeded to acquire academic quality. Once, so-called "experience-based reports" occupied a larger part of presentations. In those days, on one hand it was necessary to prove usefulness of Individual Psychology in various situations, and on the other hand it was impossible to fill all the presentations with academic reports. I am very glad that we can have a high standard scientific research about Individual Psychology in Japan.

Kôyasan is a name of a mountain and, at the same time, a name of a temple. On the top of the mountain there is a big temple named Kongô-bu-ji, 'Diamond Peak Temple'. Kûkai, or often called Kôbô-daishi, founded the temple in 819, C.E. He went to China to learn Buddhism, and introduced Vajra-yâna, or Tantric Buddhism, which was a new way of thought at that time. After coming back, he worked energetically to propagate what he had learned. All the Buddhists were deeply influenced by him, and Vajra-yâna became a standard of Japanese Buddhism until Kamakura era, when some masters, for example, Hônen, Dôgen, or Nichiren, advocated new trends of Buddhism that was assimilated to the Japanese way of thinking. Still, Kôyasan remained as a center of Buddhism, and, even today, it is regarded as one of the most sacred places in Japan.

From Ôsaka to Kôyasan it takes one and half hours by train. Seven pilgrims, including Jolanta and Nara, wearing white coats with the name of Kôbô-daishi on the back, arrived at the mountain in the late morning. First we visited Kongô-bu-ji, which was famous for its gorgeous architecture and beautiful gardens. We see many pictures on sliding paper doors. We see gardens with white sand and black stones. We see gorgeous living rooms and a big kitchen. Everything was amazing. Next we went Oku-no-in, 'inner temple', where Kôbô-daishi was worshipped. There are many tombs on the both side of the way. Some of them are very old, built in Kamakura era or Muromachi era, and many of them are of Edo era. Mysterious atmosphere was drifting among big trees. At Oku-no-in, we chanted Buddhist sutras. It was indeed a deep spiritual moment.

We stayed at a shukubo, 'pilgrim's lodging'. Dinner there was vegetarian, but so splendid. This was the first 100% Japanese dishes for Jolanta and Nara. They seemed to like them. Next morning, from six o'clock, there was a morning ceremony. Three monks prayed and chanted ancient holy songs. Beautiful dawn was coming while we were drunk with silence.

After taking breakfast, we went down the mountain a little bit, and returned through Chô-ishi-michi, 'mile stone road'. There are big stone posts every 100 meters. The first post is by Jison-in temple in the foot of the mountain. From there to Dai-mon, 'Great Gate', of Kongô-bu-ji, there are 180 posts. On each post the number is carved in descending order from 180 to 1. We walked from the 39th post to the 7th. It is very encouraging that the number is decreasing.

This may be a very strange way to welcome foreign friends. Nowadays, only a few Japanese wear white coats to visit Kôyasan, and fewer walk along Chô-ishi-michi. I, however, wanted Jolanta and Nara to experience 'deep' Japan. Even sightseeing bus tourists can experience superficial things like gorgeous pictures of Kongô-bu-ji, but only a chosen few can walk in the beautiful forest of Chô-ishi-michi. Actually, this is one of the most blessed spaces in Japan.

At Dai-mon we took the last souvenir picture and returned back to Osaka with profound satisfaction.

Confucius said: "Is it not delightful to have friends coming from distant quarters?" Jolanta and Nara came from Latvia. Two friends and I went to the Osaka Kansai International Airport to accept them. Jolanta is a female psychologist and Nara is her daughter. I invited them in the last year when we met at ICASSI in Györ, Hungary.

I hope she will have many chats with Japanese Adlerians in English. The Japanese learn English for many years at school, but they cannot speak it. The biggest reason is they have no opportunity to use it. If they are motivated to speak, I am sure that they remember what they learned at school. Jolanta has many merits. She speaks English fluently though she is not a native speaker. Her pronunciation is easy to hear for the Japanese, perhaps because of vowels. She is rather a small lady and is not so aggressive as West Europeans. And, first of all, she is very encouraging in her personality.

We met at the gate, hugged each other, and took a bus to the city center. She was surprised at many things by many strange reasons. The color of the sea, white and square buildings, colorful advertisements, mountains, etc. Everything is different from a northern Baltic country. There, buildings are black, windows are round, the highest mountain is 300 meters high...

We prepared a furnished apartment in near my home. When she arrived there, she asked me where she got a converter for an electric plug. They wanted to use their computer, but the plug was different from Japanese. We went to Namba, a busy shopping area, where was a big electric shop. It had to be so an exciting experience for them, as Namba is one of the busiest towns in Japan. Anyway, their two months in our country began. Is it not delightful?

Ise is a small town, but a very important place for the Japanese nation and the Japanese state. There is Ise Grand Shrine, which is the most sacred place in Japan. The Divines worshipped are Ama-terasu (the Queen of the Sun) and Toyo-uke (the Mistress of Foods). Ama-terasu, literally 'Shining one in the sky', is the ancestor of the Imperial Family. She lives in Takama-ga-hara, 'The field in the high sky', and her grandson, Ninigi, came down to the earth. His grandson, Iware-hiko, was the first Emperor of Japan. Toyo-uke, is the chef de cuisine of Ama-terasu. She is a guardian deity of all the farmers of Japan.

I held a four-day workshop of meditation there form September 19 to 22. Before the workshop, I went to Gekû, the Shrine of Toyo-uke, and after the workshop, to Naikû, the Shrine of Ama-terasu. Those buildings are rebuilt every twenty years. According to an ancient chronicle, the first rebuilding was performed in 690 C.E., the era of Emperor Jitô. I am very glad to know that the Japanese was continuing to reconstruct those buildings for more than 1,300 years, even in years of wars or in year of famines. They made them in totally the same shape to the ancient original; they use no nails, just putting logs together.

Eternity is not something unchanged here in Japan. As rice grows from seeds to grasses and reproduces new seeds, everything here is in eternal resurrection. Ise Grand Shrine is a symbol of this ever-changing eternity of agriculturalists.

When I went to Naikû after the workshop, I found ancient dances were performed. They are called gagaku, literally 'the graceful dance'. They are imported from the continent more than a thousand years ago. Some were from China, others were from other countries in Asia. Japanese preserved them without any change for incredible long times as a refrigerator. Of course they are transferred from teachers to students. This is also a Japanese image of eternity.

I wrote a paper titled "Social Interest and 'As-If'".

In the 16th and the 17th century, there were religious wars in Europe. It was battles between different justices. Totally intolerant without any compromise they fought with each other. Many people were killed but there was no hope of peace.

Jean Bodin wrote a book named "Les Six Livres de la Republique" (The Six Books of the Commonwealth) in 1576. There he referred to a theory of medieval theology about two kinds of power of God; the absolute power (potentia absoluta) and the ordinate power (potentia ordinata). The absolute power is transcendental and we, human beings, cannot understand it, while the ordinate power works in the realm of the nature and we can understand it by the reason. The realm of the nature can be understood through natural theology, natural science, natural law, etc. Then he regarded religion as a private affair that relates to the absolute power, and politics as a common matter that relates to the ordinate power that can be explained and regulated by the reason. Separation of the church and the state was established.

This is so-called "Descartes' Paradigm". As a consequence, the 18th and the 19th century was an era of peace. The international law was established, and war was regarded something like a personal duel. None of the concerned nation was thought to have justice. The only problem was the method of battle. The law prescribed the method of a right fight. If one of the parties violates the law, neutral countries punish it. As a consequence, the war can be treated as a matter of civil affairs. The peace was one of merchants.

The World War I destroyed this equilibrium. Both sides violated the law, and there was no neutral country that can judge. The War, however, was an inevitable consequence of Descartes' Paradigm.

During the War, Adler got the idea of the Social Interest. It was a new idea on justice. Adler, however, proposed it according to the 'As-If' philosophy of Hans Vaichinger. Social Interest is not the absolute truth, but it is just regarded 'as if' it is the absolute one. We should not forget this relative viewpoint; otherwise we might fall again into the hell of endless battles. He was going to overcome Descartes' Paradigm using the 'as if' concept.

One of my nieces got married. She is the second daughter of my younger brother. The bridegroom is a policeman.

They had a wedding party in a hotel in Osaka. At first there was a wedding ceremony in a Christian chapel in the hotel. Recently, many couples hold a Christian wedding ceremony, even if they are not Christians. We celebrate the birth of a new child in a ceremony of the Shinto, wedding ceremony is often in a Christian style, and the funeral is usually in a style of the Buddhism. What confusion! I am not sure whether this is religious tolerance or atheistic contamination.

After the ceremony, they had a big party. Many relatives and friends of the bride and the bridegroom came. Usually the parents of the both family pay for everything. It must be enormously expensive. My brother is not so rich that he must be suffered so much. Once a wedding party was not so gorgeous. It becomes more and more showy and costs a lot. This is not a good custom, I think.

I gave a speech as a representative of relatives. Before me, a detective director, who was a bridegroom's boss, gave an extremely boring speech. I tried to entertain people, but bridegroom's friends were already drunk and did not hear me. That is okay. Anyway, nobody will remember this kind of story.

At the end of the party, the bride and her elder sister played koto, the Japanese harp. The full moon rises in the sky and the music was so beautiful. I wish the couple to be happy for life long.

We provide the "Counselor Training Course" once a year in summer. Before participate it, you must finish two kinds of "Basic Courses" of Adlerian Psychology. One is about the basic theory and the other is about the application. After that, you should practice Adlerian Psychology in your daily life at least a year. After an interview with a training analyst, you will be permitted to participate the Counselor Training Course.

This year, nine people came from all over Japan to Osaka. The first half was from Thursday, August 20 to Sunday, August 23, and the second half was from Thursday, August 27 to Sunday, August 30. Almost all the session time is used for pair training. Short counseling sessions by participants are videotaped, and training analysts give comments.

In the second week, a practical examination is performed. The participant can challenge the examination again and again if he/she fails, as far as the time permits it. Unfortunately, this year, only one person passed the examination after all. After obtaining the qualification, at least two years of clinical experiences and fifteen cases of supervision are required to take an examination for the psychotherapist. Now there are five Adlerian psychotherapists and sixty Adlerian counselors in Japan.

In 1945, immediately after the War, the GHQ-SCAP gave the Japanese Government a directive titled "Regarding the abolition of government protection, support, supervision and proliferation of State Shintô or shrine Shintô", or simply called "The Shintô Directive", and ordered to stop supporting the Shintô religion. They thought that the Shintô had been used to legitimate the militaristic and ultra-nationalistic ideology of prewar Japan. They forbade the following four doctrines:

1) The doctrine that the Emperor of Japan is superior to the heads of other states because of ancestry, descent, or special origin.
2) The doctrine that the people of Japan are superior to the heads of other states because of ancestry, descent, or special origin.
3) The doctrine that the islands of Japan are superior to the heads of other states because of ancestry, descent, or special origin.
4) Any other doctrine which tends to delude the Japanese people into embarking upon wars of aggression or to glorify the use of force as an instrument for the settlement of disputes with other people.

In the article four, they made a big mistake. The war was not a result of the Shintô, or the traditionalism, but of the modernization. The Shintô gave a form for the action of the soldiers. We say "Itadakimasu!" (With gratefulness!) before we eat. This is a Shintô ritual. The soldiers cried, "Tennnô-heika banzai!" (Long live, his Majesty the Emperor!) when they charged. This is also a Shintô ritual. Even Kamikaze, the Death Commando, also was a tradition. We know many stories of the soldiers who died for the Emperor. The oldest we know is a lady, Princess Oto-tachibana who died for her husband, Prince Yamato-takeru. The story was told in Kojiki, an ancient anthology of myths published in 712, C.E.

Once it was the greatest honor to die for the Emperor, because it had the totally same meaning as to defend the Japanese state, people and culture. This idea gave a form to the battle. It was the formal cause and the final cause of the war. The material cause and efficient cause were in another place, in the Western modern culture.

The worst thing that the GHQ-SCAP did to Japan was to uproot the sense of honor from people. If we have the sense of honor based on the Shintô, we cannot be aggressive. In every martial arts in Japan, Jûdô, Karate, Aikidô and Kendô, an aggressive attack is forbidden. Those arts should be used only for defense. On the contrary, as far as we follow the Western way of living, we should be aggressive, like boxing. That is the nature of the Western modern culture. Unfortunately, we cannot discard the Western modern culture. Our possible choices are to live with or without our tradition. I firmly stand for the tradition, the Shintô.

Incidentally, I am a Buddhist. At the same time, I can live in the Shintô civilization. Buddhism relates to the personal salvation. The Shintô is an official mater. It relates to the national rituals. We say, "Itadakimasu!" before meal. To whom we are grateful? To the Emperor, whose ancestors taught our ancestors how to make rice. Still now, His Majesty the Emperor prays to Divines for a good harvest every day. The Shintô gives us a form of life. It gives us the sense of beauty.

I hate the war. I love peace. But if I battle, I must be brave and honorable as a son of Japan. This is a problem of the sense of beauty. We, Japanese, should regain our sense of beauty, I believe.

[1] Translated by the quoter, referring to a translation by B.H. Chamberlain, 1882, in http://www.sacred-texts.com/shi/kojiki.htm

Mr. Asô, the Prime Minister of Japan, did not go to Yasukuni Shrine to pray for the war dead. Today is the day that Greater East Asia War was over. August 15, 1945, the Emperor Shôwa announced a message to his subjects on the radio. After a short introduction, he explained the reason of the war:

The reason that I declared war against U.S.A. and the Great Britain was my wish to reserve existence of Japan and to secure order in East Asia, while, of course, it was not my will to invade other countries and encroach their sovereignty.

This is our justice. GHQ-SCAP insisted another justice that Japan had intended to invade China and other Asian countries to enslave them. In every war, each country concerned has its own justice. The winner is not necessarily good, while the loser is not always bad. At least, we can understand that all the Japanese, from the Emperor to common people, believed their own justice during the war. They tried to secure the subsistence of Japan and Asian countries against Western invasion, and did not intend to invade other countries.

As Mr. Asô is a leader of a conservative party, he must firmly stand for the Japanese justice. His grandfather, Mr. Shigeru Yoshida, also was a Prime Minister when Japan was occupied. He accepted the justice of GHQ-SCAP. He must be forgiven, because he had to save life of the Japanese people who were in starvation. An ancient Chinese proverb; "Meat and cloth make the man who knows the courtesy." Actually, without food, justice can not be a topic. The occupation was over long ago, and we have a lot of food now. We should remember our justice.

The message of the Emperor continues:

The fight lasted four years, but, although my military officers and soldiers fought with great courage, my cabinet ministers and executive officers worked with deep sincerity, and my subjects contributed with total devotion, nevertheless, the situations were not improved, and the world opinion did not support us. Furthermore, the enemy killed and wounded innocent citizens with the cruel new bombs, and the damage was incredibly terrible.

If I demand to continue the war any more, I shall not only bring the extinction of our race, but also destroy all the human civilization. In such situations, how can I guarantee the life of our descendants, and how can I continue praying with gratitude to our ancestors? This is the reason that I demanded my government to accept the Potsdam Declaration.

At Yasukuni Shrine, 2,466,532 souls of dead soldiers were worshipped. Once GHQ-SCAP hated it, and now Chinese Communist Party does. The reason why Mr. Asô, and some other ex-Prime Ministers, did not go to the shrine was "consideration" to China. Consideration to others is a Japanese morals, but not Chinese. Mr. Asô, they cannot understand your consideration. They only understand that Japan is now a slave country of China. Actually, they demand enormous amount of money for "apology" of the war. They just want to rape us. Mr. Asô, you should stop reading Manga, and should begin reading the message of the Emperor.

In the whole country and in every family to our descendants, believe the immortality of our land of gods, remember that the way is long and the duty is heavy, use all the power to the construction for the future, keep moral, justice, good will and virtue, appraise the true value of our nation, and make a resolution not to be late from the development of the world.

GHQ-SCAP gave us American democracy in exchange for our traditional "moral, justice, good will and virtue". Japan was strong not because of Zero fighter or Battleship Yamato, but because of the people with the Japanese Spirit. They wanted to remove our Spirit.

Here is a song that is not sung any more. This is a song for the funeral service of dead soldiers in the battle. The recent Japanese are so coward that they cannot sing for the honorable dead.

The text is adopted form Manyôshû.

I went to Ônuma Quasi-National Park near Hakodate. There is a beautiful lake. Many foreign tourists visit the park. Most of them are from Asian countries like China, Taiwan and Korea. Economic development of those countries enable people to go abroad, and sightseeing spots in Japan are full of those Asian travelers.

We welcome those travelers, but we cannot forgive them to invade our country. I give you an example. Many Korean travelers visit Tsushima Island, which is near from Korea. Some of them bought real estate in the island. Some members of the Diet asked the opinion of the government. Mr. Asô, the prime minister, answered, "As we, Japanese, may buy land in foreign countries, we cannot forbid Koreans to buy land of Japan." This is the reason why he is not supported not only by reformists but also by conservatives. After all, Koreans bought big amount of real estate in Tsushima, and began to insist that Tsushima was a territory of Korea from the past. They are always good at a history forgery.

In the volume 15 of Manyôshu, which was published in 783, C.E., there are fifteen songs sung in Tsushima. Thirteen of them were made by Japanese diplomatic delegation toward Silla, a country in Korean penisula, and two of them were sung by a girl called Tamatsuki who was a native of Tsushima:

This is the evidence that people of Tsushima were Japanese form the ancient times.

Another evidence. In 1274, C.E., Mongolia tried to invade Japan. Tsushima was the first place attacked by them. 900 battle ships with 28,000 soldiers came. Sukekuni of Sô Family, the Duke of Tsushima, defended with only 80 warriors. All of them died in the battle. Hearing the report of their honorable death, Lord Tokimune of Hôjô Family, military ruler of Japan, decided to battle with Mongolia, even if he had a rare winning chance. After difficult battles, Japan won the war. Tsushima is, therefore, not only a territory of Japan from the ancient times, but a monument of Japanese honor.