Okashira's Thanatology | Kaeko Yamashita (Dean of the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care)
2009.06.26
For me, as someone involved in nursing education, this theme is a matter of personal interest. However, I believe that the way "thanatology" is perceived strictly differs depending on one's position and circumstances. Borrowing from Dean Tokuda's "Okashira Diary" entry of June 10, 2009, the definition of "thanatology" is "the study of an individual's death and their view of life and death. Specifically, it is the study of how to live until death by confronting death as the annihilation of the self." There was once a debate on whether to translate "thanatology" as "shiseigaku" (the study of life and death) or "shigaku" (the study of death), and I believe the difference lies in the perspective from which one views "death."
The differences in perspective can be expressed as follows: there is the death faced by the person experiencing it, which is "first-person (my) death"; the death felt by those who have lost a loved one or someone close, which is "second-person (your) death"; and the death that can be viewed dispassionately from a third-party standpoint, which is "third-person (his/her, or human in general) death."
While we may experience or contemplate "second-person death" and "third-person death," I believe it is difficult to understand "first-person (my) death" in the strictest sense.
More than 40 years ago, Jun Takami, who had esophageal cancer, chronicled in numerous poems the process of facing the reality of his impending death. He was aware of the changes in his physical condition as he grew thinner each day, conscious of death, feeling resistance and fear, and suffering. This was published as the poetry collection "Shishu: Shi no Fuchi yori" (Poetry Collection: From the Abyss of Death). I believe this is a true account of "first-person (my) death."
At the time, I was a nursing student, and I was deeply shocked when I read those poems. Looking back, I feel that what I learned from these poems has become the starting point for my own thinking on "thanatology." Let me introduce some of those poems below.
Like sand scooped in my hands leaking through emaciated fingers
Time spills from me, grainy, my precious little time remaining
...................(Omitted below)...................
A journey is enjoyable because you can return
The loneliness of a journey can be enjoyed, too, because you know you will someday return home
...................(Omitted)...................
This journey is a journey back to nature
Because it is a journey with a place to return to, it must be enjoyable
Soon I can return to the earth
Should I not buy souvenirs? Grave goods like haniwa or mingqi
You must not grieve a death that is a return to the great earth
The spirit, along with the body, can return home
The spirit, which often tended toward sadness, will also sleep peacefully underground
Even if its sleep is broken at times by a cicada larva
It can be forgiven when you think of that fleeting life on earth
...................(Omitted below)...................
The twig gate, always closed whenever I looked, stands open amidst the overgrown grass
There is the smell of a corpse
...................(Omitted)...................
The young English teacher I was fond of
Cleanly erased the chalk letters with a blackboard eraser
Tucking the reader under his arm, the afternoon sun on his shoulders, left the classroom saying, "Well then, everyone"
Just like that, I too want to leave this life
Erasing everything in a flash, and saying, "Well then, everyone"
(From Jun Takami, "Shishu: Shi no Fuchi yori" [Poetry Collection: From the Abyss of Death], Kodansha, 1965)
As far as Jun Takami's poetry collection shows, a person facing their own death is not so much thinking about "how to live until death" but is rather, as stated in the lines "Cleanly erased the chalk letters with a blackboard eraser... Erasing everything in a flash, and saying, 'Well then, everyone'... Just like that, I too want to leave this life," more strongly concerned with "how to close the chapter of one's life."
In addressing this "topic," I believe it is necessary for nurses, whose mission is "care," to understand the "death experienced by the first person" who is directly facing the harsh reality, while also experiencing and taking an interest in "second-person death" and "third-person death." To do so, I have been strongly reminded of the need to perceive "thanatology" as both the study of life and death and the study of death, to listen attentively to the words of those who are facing death, and to learn from and deepen our understanding through them.
(Date of publication: 2009/06/26)