Cross-cultural communication （146）　

146) Shizuka Ijuin, this and that
Shizuka Ijuin, well known novelist in Japan passed away in November 2023. Until recently, I had hardly read any of his works. However, after two of his works were serialized in the Nikkei Shimbun newspaper, which I have been reading every morning for the past 30 years, I suddenly became a fan of Mr. Ijuin. The first was “Kohaku no Yume, Amber Dream,” which depicted the life of Suntory founder Shinjiro Torii in 2017. The second was “Michikusa Sensei,” which focused on the youth of Natsume Soseki in 2020?2021. In particular, “Michikusa-sensei” left a strong impression on me because Ij?in -san suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage during the serialization and resumed the series after a year-long battle with illness. The series primarily used existing letters as source material to depict Soseki's youth, including his friendships (particularly with Masaoka Shiki) and married life. For someone like me who is familiar with Soseki's novels, the mornings spent reading the serialized chapters were a time of pure joy. The fact that he was able to overcome subarachnoid hemorrhage and resume his serialized novel, which is a story that is stranger than fiction, made me feel the depth of his passion for writing.

This was during the serialization of “Kohaku no Yume” in 2017. I was asked by a medical publishing company to attend a roundtable discussion on general medicine. The discussion was scheduled for a weekend afternoon in Tokyo, where the publisher was located, and I was advised to stay overnight. Several hotels were suggested, one of which was the Yamano-ue Hotel, Hilltop Hotel in Ochanomizu. Upon researching, I discovered it was Ij?in's regular stay during his writing period, so I decided on the “Yamano-ue Hotel” without hesitation. The reserved room had tatami mats, a bed, and a writing desk, exuding a quintessential Showa-era atmosphere. Though I couldn't confirm if Ij?in had written there, I spent a pleasant night in the room.

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