Piles

2023/09/08

Jinbei Yagura

Forestry Manager, Wakayama Mita-kai Member, 1967 Faculty of Commerce

This year marks the 1,250th anniversary of the birth of Kobo Daishi Kukai. On June 15th, his birthday, a grand memorial service was held at the sacred site of Mount Koya in Wakayama Prefecture to celebrate his birth. Following this, various events related to his birth will continue to be held.

There are said to be over 5,000 legends regarding Kukai throughout Japan, excluding Hokkaido. One such legend exists in Kushimoto Town at the tip of the Kii Peninsula, where the Hashigui-iwa Rocks—designated as a national scenic spot and natural monument—are said to have been built by Kukai. According to the legend, while Kukai and an Amanojaku (a mischievous spirit) were traveling, the Amanojaku suggested to Kukai that since they couldn't cross to Oshima Island opposite Kushimoto during a storm, they should build a bridge in a single night. Kukai agreed, saying "That's a good idea!" and began placing tens of thousands of massive rocks from nearby into the sea as bridge piles one after another. Realizing that they would actually reach Oshima and he would lose the bet, the Amanojaku mimicked the crowing of a rooster, "Cock-a-doodle-doo," to make Kukai think it was morning. Kukai stopped his work, and what remains today are the Hashigui-iwa (Bridge Pile Rocks).

Over 40 rocks of various sizes stand tall for a length of 850 meters from Kushimoto toward Oshima. In reality, the Hashigui-iwa were formed 14 million years ago by a massive caldera eruption.

Masayuki Fujimoto

President of Saiyo Co., Ltd., Historian, 1972 Faculty of Letters

Rangui (irregular piles) refers to piles driven into a riverbank for shore protection. Because these types of piles are driven in a disorganized manner, the term "rangui-ba" (crowded teeth) for poorly aligned teeth comes from this. I became familiar with the word "rangui," which is almost a dead word today, because I encountered it in military epics like "The Tale of the Heike" and "Taiheiki," which I studied at the Juku's Faculty of Letters.

For example, when Minamoto no Yoritomo's army fought Kiso Yoshinaka's army across the Uji River, "The Tale of the Heike" notes that the Kiso army "drove irregular piles into the water and stretched large ropes across." These were obstacles similar to modern barbed wire. During this battle, two brave warriors under Yoritomo, Sasaki Takatsuna and Kajiwara Kagesue, competed to be the first to charge while riding horses they had been gifted. Sasaki called out to the leading Kajiwara, "The girth (harubi) that stabilizes the saddle on your horse's back is loose!" As Kajiwara stopped to retighten the girth, Sasaki overtook him. In "The Tale of the Heike," it is written that "Sasaki drew his sword and swiftly cut the ropes caught on his horse's legs to cross to the other side." It was a tactical victory for Sasaki.

Takuro Shibayama

Chairman of Medical Corporation Faith-kai, Dentist, 2008 Keio Business School Executive Program

Crowded teeth (rangui-ba) refers to a state where the alignment of teeth is uneven. It is not a precise definition and includes things like protruding canines (yaeba). This condition occurs when the total size of the teeth is large compared to the size of the jawbone. However, crowded teeth are not an unhealthy state. There is no data suggesting that having crowded teeth leads to cavities or periodontal disease; the primary benefit of treatment is improving the aesthetic alignment of the teeth. Since it is difficult to change the size of the jawbone, we change the size of the teeth. If the crowding is minor, we shave the teeth to make them smaller; if it is significant, we extract teeth.

When performing orthodontic treatment, we use appliances and wires on the teeth. The appliances are placed on either the front or the back of the teeth. Since orthodontic treatment emphasizes the alignment as seen from the front, having the appliances on the front has the advantage of making the treatment easier to control. On the other hand, while the back side has the disadvantage of being harder to control, it has the advantage of being less visible to others.

Issei Fujishiro

Professor, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, Special Keio University alumni

"Hangzhou" was the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty. It is one of the eight ancient capitals of China and is designated as a National Historical and Cultural City. Originating from a JST bilateral exchange project, I have served as a Guest Professor at the School of Computer Science and Technology at Hangzhou Dianzi University, a key university in Zhejiang Province. I have also accompanied the current president and his delegation on a courtesy visit to the Mita Campus. Located in the western suburbs of the city, West Lake is a world cultural heritage site famous for its scenic beauty. On its oldest artificial island—Huxinting (Penglai)—a stone monument inscribed by the Qianlong Emperor, the sixth emperor of the Qing Dynasty, still remains. The mysterious red characters for "insect" (chong) and "two" (er) surprise all who visit. They are interpreted to mean that by removing the "borders" from the characters for "wind" and "moon," a pleasant and beautiful view expands infinitely. I have often thought of that place from afar. Into what characters should the essence of the Keio Gijuku be crystallized? "Kei" (celebration) conveys a heart of celebration, and "O" (response) shows a heart that responds. How about taking the heart radicals from both characters to make "Xin Xin" (Heart-Heart)? I believe this best represents the philosophy of Keio Gijuku Shachu cooperation.