Turtles

Ren Hirayama

Professor, School of International Liberal Studies, Waseda University; 1979 Economics

It has been nearly half a century since I began researching turtle fossils in graduate school. At the time, I never imagined I would continue this research for so long. A major reason for its continuation is that an unexpectedly large number of turtle fossils have been found in Japan, and almost all of them have been new species.

The first relatives of turtles appeared about 230 million years ago, the same era as the earliest dinosaurs. In recent years, dinosaur fossils have been discovered one after another in Japan, and almost without fail, many turtle fossils are found alongside them. I visit these sites to identify the types and ecology of the turtles found. By doing so, the environment in which the dinosaurs lived becomes visible. Eventually (about 66 million years ago), the dinosaurs went extinct, but many turtles survived as if nothing had happened and continue to exist today. While the ecology and causes of dinosaur extinction remain full of mysteries, clues can be found from the turtles that lived with them. I hope that humanity does not follow the same fate as the dinosaurs.

Hiroo Sakurai

Vice-President, Minato City Mita-kai; 1991 Law

Are you familiar with Kamezuka Inari Shrine, located halfway up Hijirizaka, south of the Mita Campus? It is said to have been established when Ota Dokan built a watchtower on the site. Originally, it was located on top of Kameyama in the nearby Kamezuka Park, so the view in all four directions must have been excellent. The Jomon shell mounds in the park remind us that Edo Bay was once close at hand, providing a bounty of seafood. According to the Tokyo Shrine Directory, "Long ago, a turtle that appeared at Tsuki-no-Misaki (Mita Daimachi) turned to stone during a storm one night. The villagers enshrined the spirit of this turtle and built a small shrine." The sacred object is a stone in the shape of a turtle. I wonder if Yukichi Fukuzawa would have picked it up to examine it. I do not have that courage.

Nihonenoki-dori, the ridge road continuing past Hijirizaka, is lined with the Takanawa Imperial Residence, shrines, temples, churches, and modern architectural heritage. If you get tired of walking and feel hungry, you can munch on a bean daifuku or a baguette on a shaded bench. Unlike the end of the Edo period, it should be safe even for inbound tourists.

While gazing at the peaceful scenery, I continue to walk today. Like a turtle.

Ayako Kamisato

Director, Department of Medical Law and Bioethics, National Center for Child Health and Development Research Centers and Institutes; 1996 Environmental Information

There are two turtles in my house. Both are common musk turtles, but their personalities are quite different, which is interesting. They are 12 and 8 years old. As of the end of 2024, the oldest living turtle is 192 years old (on the British territory of Saint Helena), so my life with these two will likely continue for a long time. Even so, why do turtles live so long? In 2022, a team from Denmark reported that for turtles kept in stable environments with consistent food and temperature, "aging" has almost no effect on "death" (Science 376). The average life expectancy of Japanese people has increased by 15 to 20 years over the past 60 years, but this is due to improvements in the living environment and medical systems; senescence due to "aging" has not been avoided. Research on turtles may provide hints for controlling human aging. However, if a "perpetual youth and longevity society" were realized, what would it be like? According to the World Happiness Report, Japan's happiness ranking was 55th (2024 results). I sincerely hope for a society where people can live long and "happily."

Akihiro Machida

(Professor, Faculty of Foreign Languages, Kanda University of International Studies; 2002 Letters (Correspondence))

The person everyone imagines as a hero of the Meiji Restoration is likely Ryoma Sakamoto. The Satcho Alliance is cited as Ryoma's greatest achievement. The starting point of the Satsuma-Choshu reconciliation is said to have been the purchase of military supplies by the Choshu Domain using the name of the Satsuma Domain, and the achievements of Kameyama Shachu have been highlighted. However, the story that Ryoma came up with the idea and, with the consent of Takamori Saigo, it was the Kameyama Shachu he established in Nagasaki that actually moved on it, is a later creation.

The reality of Kameyama Shachu refers to a group of masterless samurai from Tosa, other than Ryoma, who were under the command of Tatewaki Komatsu, a senior official of the Satsuma Domain. They also operated warships purchased under the Satsuma Domain's name, grouped themselves against the Choshu Domain samurai, and merely called themselves "Keio Gijuku Shachu" as a group of Satsuma Domain samurai. Furthermore, the name "Kameyama" was added during the Showa era. Also, Saigo did not have the authority to grant such permission at that time.

It is difficult to say that the Kameyama Shachu, as it has been told as historical fact, actually existed, and Ryoma was not in Nagasaki during this period. "Kameyama Shachu" is one of the Ryoma legends.