The "Italian" the Professor Loves

Did you intend to pursue the path of Italian from the time you entered Keio as a student?

I wasn't thinking about it at all. At first, I was studying German, and since I liked Russian literature, I was doing Russian too, but that was within the scope of a hobby; I never thought I would become a professor.

I see. What was the catalyst for your encounter with Italian from there?

The catalyst was that I had to repeat a year. (Laughs)

Embarrassingly, I forgot to apply for the compulsory subjects required to move up a grade. Because I repeated a year, I was able to take languages again, and I thought I might as well do a different language, which became the beginning of everything. I changed from the German I was taking to French, and studied Russian and Greek. After going to the Mita Campus, I also studied Latin. However, at that time, there were no Italian classes in the Faculty of Letters at Keio, so I hadn't encountered Italian yet.

So you experienced various languages before encountering Italian.

Fortunately, I had plenty of time just to do languages. While exploring languages, I encountered the French poet Nerval, and wanting to research him, I went into the French Literature major. However, when I was a junior, while my classmates were busy with job hunting, I still had time, so I started a reading group with seniors from the French Literature department. At the time, reading groups where friends would read works in turn were popular, and we decided to read Dante's "Divine Comedy." I started with a light heart, thinking I could read it if I used a dictionary, but I couldn't read it at all. The reason is that the "Divine Comedy" is written in medieval Italian—essentially old text—so you can't read it even if you look in a modern dictionary. Then, by chance, I was able to meet my mentor, Professor Atsuko Suga, and she began teaching me Italian.

From there, you have been pursuing Italian literature until now.

That's right, I felt that I could make it with Italian. Actually, my pronunciation wasn't going well in English, German, or French, and something didn't feel quite right within me. But Italian was different. It entered my body smoothly, and I felt like I had finally encountered my own language.

本当に偶然が重なって僕をイタリア語に出会わせてくれた。もし留年していなかったら『神曲』を読もうなんて考える余裕はなかったので、恩師の須賀敦子先生にも出会うこともなかったのかもしれない。だから、失敗しても先はあるってみんなにも思って欲しいです。僕は失敗しようと思って失敗したわけじゃないけれど、あの留年がなかったら今の僕はいません。

I would like to ask about a book of Italian that is important to you.

It is a commentary on the "Divine Comedy" published in Venice in 1550. I studied with this at Professor Suga's place for five years. I was shocked that there was a whole page of commentary for just a single line of the opening phrase of the Divine Comedy. This was the first time I encountered such literature, and the way of thinking was completely different from the literature I had read until then. At that moment, I felt firsthand that I liked this kind of literature. Another book is an early printed edition of the "Divine Comedy" I bought in Italy. It was published in Venice in 1550 and is also listed in the "Enciclopedia Dantesca."

From there, you studied abroad in Italy during your graduate school days and met Alda-sensei, right?

I met Alda at a language school, and we came back to Japan together. My wife's specialty was Indo-European languages and Latin linguistics. In Japan, there are few teachers who can teach Italian as an expert in linguistics related to the Italian language, making her a precious presence.

And I heard that after returning to Japan, the two of you created an Italian textbook together.

At the time, there were no textbooks for Italian beginners in Japan. Since I had a hard time mastering Italian, I wanted to make sure that people learning Italian from then on wouldn't have trouble, so I created "The Very First Steps in Italian" (Sanshusha) with Alda. Since she is a linguistics expert, she could properly oversee the grammatical backing. I know where Japanese people stumble when learning it as a second foreign language. In that way, we brought our respective strengths together and built it up.

Did your attitude of staying close to students studying Italian also connect to how you normally interact with students?

I value listening carefully to what students have to say. Among students who find it difficult to keep up with classes, some are ill or have various other circumstances. You don't know those things unless you talk to them.

もう一つ、普通、人は過去や現在から人を判断するけど、僕は学生を未来から判断するようにしています。今できるかどうかだけで全部を決めつけない。今は難しいかもしれないけど、あとから変わることだってある。将来立派になるだろうと思って学生と接しています。

I heard that cooking is one of your hobbies.

It was a big deal that I learned cooking from a professional Japanese chef while I was studying in Italy. I often went to his house and he taught me while I helped him cook. I still make Vongole using the method I was taught in Italy back then.

Are there any Italian restaurants you recommend in Japan?

For pizza, Pizzeria Dino in Chitose-Karasuyama is delicious. It's made by authentic Neapolitan artisans, so even Italians approve of the taste. I think it's important to know the authentic taste, so I sometimes take students and graduates there.

他には、西永福のガッティ（Gatti）もおすすめです。料理はもちろん美味しいのですが、ワインがすごい。2000本あるワインをオーナーが全部熟知しています。料理に合ったワインを選んで提供してくれるから、誰でも楽しめると思いますね。

In Italy, the cuisine has such regional characteristics that you can't just call it "Italian" in one word, right?

Speaking of pizza, for example, in Rome the dough is thin, but in Naples it is thick. If I had to say, I prefer Neapolitan pizza in winter. In winter, the thick dough keeps the pizza from getting cold and stays chewy. However, Roman pizza in summer is also exceptional. Of course, both thin and thick are delicious.

もう一つ思い出話をすると、フィレンツェのガルガ（Garga）っていうレストランの皇帝風スパゲッティ（spaghetti all’imperatore）を食べたことがあります。ボンゴレソースなんだけど、エビとイカが入っててオレンジソースもかかってる。あれは僕が生涯で一番美味しかったスパゲッティです。みんなにも本場の味を楽しんでほしいからぜひ食べてみてほしい一品です。ただし、このスパゲッティは、シェフが引退して、もう食べられなくなりました。料理も一代限りなんだね。その点は学問と似ているかな。

What is the one thing you most want to convey to students?

I want them to actually go and see Italy. I think there are things you won't understand unless you go to Italy and see them with your own eyes. For example, in Japan, paintings are something in textbooks, somewhat separated from daily life. But when you go to Italy, many paintings exist naturally inside churches and all over the city. I think you'll first be shocked by that when you go to Italy. Next, you'll realize that it's difficult to understand what is depicted in those paintings unless you know Christianity or Greek mythology. Only by actually seeing it on the spot and being shocked can you experience the connection between culture, history, religion, and daily life firsthand. The reason I recommend language training in Italy to students is that I want them to experience that shock. That becomes a catalyst for them to want to learn on their own, so it serves as good motivation.

What part of the Italian people were you attracted to?

Their humanity. When I was in Florence, I went to the National Library every day, and one day it suddenly started pouring rain. I didn't have an umbrella and was walking while soaking wet, when a stranger suddenly let me into their umbrella and walked me to the library. Italy is overflowing with that kind of natural kindness.

Are there any realizations you gained from going to Italy?

When you go there, you are asked a lot about Japan. I was once suddenly asked by a guy at the deli counter in a supermarket, "Che cos’è Bushido? (What is Bushido?)" At that moment, I realized I knew nothing about Japan, and after coming back, I started studying Japan properly.

Finally, is there anything you want to convey to the readers?

If you don't use Italian continuously, you will forget it. But even if you forget the Italian language, the fact that you learned Italian culture, the way of thinking, and the humanity will remain in your memory forever. I would be happy if students could receive even a little bit of that.

I want students to live according to the voice of their own hearts, not the voice of the world. As the proverb "The soul of a three-year-old until a hundred" suggests, I believe everyone has fundamental sensibilities they are born with. I want them to cherish those. Since I was a child, I have disliked people who act superior simply because they are older. That hasn't changed. I don't think I'm great just because I'm a teacher or an elderly person. I want everyone to spend their time while cherishing their own sensibilities.