Calligraphy "Muga Tapishi" Gifted to Naganuma Villagers

2022/10/11

In Chiba Prefecture, there was once a marsh called Naganuma, measuring about 3 square kilometers. Conflicts arose between Naganuma Village, which was surrounded on three sides and dependent on the marsh for its livelihood, and other villages on the marsh's edge over its use. Yukichi Fukuzawa's efforts to resolve this are known as the "Naganuma Incident." This calligraphy by Fukuzawa is believed to have been owned by Gennosuke Oki, an influential figure in Naganuma Village. It appeared on the antique market in 2015 and was donated to celebrate the opening of Keio Yokohama Elementary School.

The characters are read as "Gatapishi nashi." This refers to the word "gatapishi" used when a door or window fits poorly and rattles. Derived from Buddhist terminology, it is a work that expresses a wish for harmony—capturing the truth that things are originally one, rather than viewing them in opposition such as self and other, or that and this. I imagine that the slightly exaggerated brush strokes were influenced by Nichiren's "Hige Daimoku" (though another work titled "Isson Anzen Muga Tapishi" once existed in Naganuma, its current location is unknown).

This "Muga Tapishi" will be displayed at the Keio History Museum's special exhibition "Yukichi Fukuzawa and 'Non-Violence': 150 Years of Gakumon no susume (An Encouragement of Learning)" (Exhibition period: October 17 – December 17). Why the Naganuma Incident in relation to Gakumon no susume? Because it was the book that provided a turning point for this incident.

During the Edo period, frequent disputes occurred between Naganuma Village and other villages over the marsh, but in 1793, a Shogunate ruling confirmed Naganuma as the property of Naganuma Village. However, during the land policy changes following the Meiji Restoration, 15 neighboring villages lobbied the government to use the marsh. The villagers, who relied on fishing and seaweed harvesting in Naganuma for their livelihood, resisted as they would lose their means of living. This led to arrests and the forced submission of written pledges, and Naganuma was nationalized. Buhei Ogawa, a leader of Naganuma Village who went to the prefectural office in distress to petition, happened to pick up Gakumon no susume at a night stall. It stated that if one has a grievance against the state, one should not "secretly resent those above" or resort to "violence," but should "quietly" and "without hesitation argue" the case, and if it aligns with "heavenly principles and humanity," one should fight even at the cost of "sacrificing one's life." Encouraged, Ogawa met with Fukuzawa and gained his support for the appeal. Fukuzawa often took up the brush himself to write the petitions, and they persevered with the appeals.

Gakumon no susume, which preaches that the "duty of the people" is not to wait for orders but to express their will, lodge objections without hesitation, and build their own country, pushed the backs of the stalled villagers and eventually led to the fulfillment of a 28-year-long movement to restore their rights.

(Takeyuki Tokura, Associate Professor, Keio University Fukuzawa Memorial Center for Modern Japanese Studies)