Tiger

Naoki Okamura

Travel Writer, 1971 Faculty of Law

Calling myself a "river traveler," I have journeyed to every corner of the country. The "culprit" who drove me into a trade where one cannot expect an average income is Torajiro Kuruma, the protagonist of the movie series "It's Tough Being a Man" (Otoko wa Tsurai yo). Tora-san, played by Kiyoshi Atsumi, rarely visits his hometown of Shibamata in Katsushika; he is a lowly itinerant peddler moving from one journey to the next.

In the 42nd film, "Tora-san, My Uncle," he delivers a once-in-a-lifetime line during a conversation with a housewife from an old family in Saga Prefecture (played by Fumi Dan). "Tora-san, where are you headed now?" "Well, let's see... the wind is blowing from east to west, so I think I'll head west." "Wow, I wish I could go on a trip like that too."

Is there really a style of travel in this world that is as free as the wind, bound by nothing? How could I stay comfortably at home? I threw myself into a world almost identical to Tora-san's profession. Since then, I have continued my travels while staring at the stains crawling across the ceilings of cheap inns.

Taking advantage of the Year of the Tiger, I will publish "Walking Tora-san's 'Japan' 3" in March. I would be honored if you would take it along as a travel companion.

Kazuhiro Marushima

Associate Professor, Faculty of Common Education, Tokyo City University; 2000 Faculty of Letters, 2005 PhD in Letters

In 1541, Takeda Nobutora, the Sengoku daimyo of Kai Province, was exiled from Kai by his eldest son, Shingen. Records from the time describe how the people of Kai rejoiced at the exile.

While Nobutora is called a tyrant, the various legends of his atrocities are creations from the Edo period onwards. In order to justify Shingen's exile of his biological father, Nobutora had to be a villain.

In reality, Nobutora succeeded to the family headship at the age of only 10, and the following year he destroyed his uncle to put an end to the internal strife within the Takeda clan. Nobutora's military power was supported by the direct ashigaru (foot soldier) units he established. He was not solely focused on military force; he also utilized economic blockades. It was Nobutora, who achieved the unification of Kai in 1522, who truly built the Takeda clan as a Sengoku daimyo.

His greatest achievement was likely the establishment of a new base in Kofu in 1519. His ambition is evident in the naming of Kofu, which stands for the Fuchu (provincial capital) of Kai Province.

While his overseas military expeditions were going well, Nobutora underestimated the fact that two consecutive years of crop failure due to natural disasters had resulted in a massive number of deaths from starvation. It was the people of Kai, who sought to break the status quo through a change of government, who ultimately pulled the rug out from under Nobutora.

Shinnosuke Ryu

Chairman, Medical Corporation RMDCC; Director, Toranomon Hills Dental, Medical, and Ryu Clinic; 2007 PhD in Medicine

Due to a Type 2 Urban Redevelopment Project, I happened to open my practice in Toranomon. Mori Building, which assumed management of Toranomon Hills, has many real estate developments that contribute to urban planning.

As a result of developing narrow plots of land vertically, such redevelopment projects lead to a population increase in a short period. Securing a medical service area is the greatest merit of large-scale redevelopment.

In opening a practice in this area, my goal was to "lower the hurdles of the hospital." I aim for a clinic where people can feel free to consult and visit with ease. From June, we began offering medical services in addition to dentistry.

In 2023, the Keio University Hospital Center for Preventive Medicine will expand and relocate to the Toranomon-Azabudai redevelopment area.

The tag-team of Keio and Mori Building's brand power will make access easier for pre-symptomatic patients, creating benefits such as early detection and early treatment of diseases.

If a medical network with related facilities can be established, it is expected that referrals to primary care physicians will be possible, which is crucial in today's difficult clinic management.

I have high expectations for Keio University Hospital as it takes on this new venture.

Sosuke Yoshinaga

Associate Professor, Faculty of Letters, Keio University

In the world of Chinese classics, tigers roam freely with only a thin barrier separating them from human society. Wu Song made a name for himself by slaying a tiger in the mountains (Water Margin), and the five loyal and fierce generals, including Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, were revered as the "Five Tiger Generals" (Romance of the Three Kingdoms). Xu Chu was called "Tiger Fool" (Cochi) because, despite boasting tiger-like physical strength, he was somewhat absent-minded (Records of the Three Kingdoms). While tigers are ferocious and cannot be let down, they also have an image of being thoughtless and dim-witted, which is likely why the episode of the fox borrowing the tiger's authority (Strategies of the Warring States) came to be.

There is an idiom that says "three people make a tiger in the city" (Han Feizi, Strategies of the Warring States). There shouldn't be a tiger in a city market, but if three people one after another shout, "There's a tiger in the market!" one might unintentionally believe it. It refers to how people come to believe even the most impossible things if many people say them. It is not bad to watch for an opportunity for fame with a "tiger-like glare" (I Ching) and the spirit of "nothing ventured, nothing gained" (literally: if you do not enter the tiger's den, you will not catch the tiger's cub; Book of the Later Han). However, one must be careful not to be swept away by the fake news of "three people making a tiger" in their excess of enthusiasm; caution is needed regarding the tigers that prowl in modern society as well.