Weekly Report/ Personality: Outsider who won acceptance

Asahi Shimbun reporter Atsushi Yamada interviewed Jeffrey Irish in Japanese at his home in Kyushu. Excerpts follow:

* * *

Yamada: How did you become interested in Japan?

Irish: I saw Akira Kurosawa's "Kagemusha" (The Shadow Warrior) when I was a sophomore in college. I saw this three-hour movie twice in a row and returned to the theater the next day. The cinematography was beautiful. I soon started reading Japanese literature. The characters in Natsume Soseki's "Kokoro" were sensitive in a way that was new to me. I read (Shimazaki) Toson, Tanizaki (Junichiro) and (Yukio) Mishima in translation. I felt I was witnessing a world I had never encountered before. That was a time of many discoveries and surprises.

Question: Your dissertation was on Fusae Ichikawa, one of the leaders in the women's rights movement in Japan.

Answer: (Like Ichikawa) my mother was active in various citizens' movements, too. I was curious to know what kind of person Ichikawa was who advocated women's rights and suffrage as early as the 1920s. Ichikawa came from a rural area. The women here in Tsuchikure may not be trying to change society, but they have a solid foundation and a strong sense of identity. Women are at the core of community and family--that is true everywhere in the world.

Q: After graduating from university, you were hired by a Japanese company.

A: Yes, I was. I was interested in living in Japan. I worked for Shimizu Corp., a construction company in Japan, for two years before I was transferred to New York. With two Japanese employees, I opened the company's New York office. In five years, the number of employees grew to 160 and I was promoted to vice president in charge of personnel and legal affairs. But I quit before I was promoted further, thinking that was not the goal I was aiming for.

Q: Then, you became a fisherman?

A: At a friend's wedding, I met the bride's father. He was the mayor of Shimo-Koshikijima island in Kagoshima Prefecture and we got along so well that he invited me to come and live on the island. I accepted the offer since I had long wanted to live in rural Japan. When I arrived on the island, the only jobs available were in construction and fishing. I had worked in construction so I decided to work on a fishing boat. My job was to help pull up the nets. Fellow fishermen said they used to sing before the boats had winches and their songs taught me a lot about the lives of the fishermen. Living on the island, I became interested in anthropology.

Q: So you studied at Harvard University and Kyoto University graduate schools?

A: The more I learned about Japan, the deeper I fell in love with Japan. I thought I would write about the unknown Japan. Japanese intellectuals are little known overseas. (The late literary critic and thinker) Shuichi Kato and (the ethnologist) Tadao Umesao are two examples of people who deserve more recognition. I thought it would be another task of mine to introduce Japanese intellectuals and fellow Tsuchikure villagers (to the world) through interviews and essays. I thought of this as one of my missions. Q: Why did you come to live in Tsuchikure?

A: I was interested in farming villages. I had lived on an island and worked as a fisherman. I thought I would be living in a mountain village next. I was riding around on a scooter, looking for a place to live when I saw a small hut at the top of a hill. I fell in love with the place, which commanded a splendid view of Mount Kaimondake.

Q: The inhabitants of Tsuchikure must have been surprised.

A: They were curious about me in the beginning, but I gradually began to fit in. I remember climbing down into the water tank when we were cleaning the local water supply system. Such community work provided an opportunity to become friends with the local people. The older people aren't interested in a person's appearance or nationality. They value compassion as humans. They eliminate the unnecessary and select the important things. In a traditional community, people know each other well and have the heart to play a part--a yui (community) spirit. What's important is to maintain a positive atmosphere in the village--and take care of one another. Many of the older people do this naturally; they are like ancient trees.

Q: You said you have time on your hands, but not much money.

A: I don't take being alive for granted. My younger brother died at 5. My elder brother who was one year older than I died suddenly during a trip. He was in junior high school. The time we are given is precious. I had more money when I was an executive at a company, but now I can use my time as I choose.

I, too, had an encounter with death at 40 when I was diagnosed with cancer. When I was in the hospital for surgery, one after another people from Tsuchikure came to see me--26 of the 28 villagers.The remaining two were hospitalized elsewhere. I felt good to realize that people loved me so much.

Q: It is said that Tsuchikure, and other villages like it, are no longer able to function.

A: No, that is not true. Everyone supports the community and so it functions quite well. It is true that the average age of the residents is over 80, but everybody continues to work. Some farm even with physical disabilities. They still grow flowers, clean the family graves, chat and laugh even if they are unable to work in the fields.

Life is slow but busy too, and people live fulfilling lives. I think there is a lot we can learn from this community.(IHT/Asahi: July 4,2009)