Recent news from Cambodia reported that a girl, who had gone missing at the age of 9 while taking care of buffalos, was discovered and rescued after 18 years. According to the news report, she had become 27 years old, and seems to have lived in a jungle. Therefore she doesn’t understand any language, tears off her clothes, walks on all fours, and has completely become wild.
This incident reminds us of the fact that human beings are not born as human beings, but become human beings. If this is the case, then what makes human beings, human beings?
Mr. Mitsukuni Tokugawa, the lord of the Mito domain known as an enlightened lord, was the second son of Yorifusa, the 11th son of Ieyasu*1. Although Mitsukuni was brilliant, he was also eccentric and impudent when he was young, a bad boy to the extent that his close aid described him as having bad morals. However, Yorifusa was determined that Mitsukuni would be his successor, seeing his potential. Having said so, Yorishige, Yorifusa’s first son, was mild and had better reputations from those around them. Compared to that, Mitsukuni was thought of as being an outrageous eccentric and that his future most likely would not amount to much. Mitsukuni, who was regarded as such, completely transformed his way of living, by reading “Hakui-den” , or “The Story of Hakui” in “Shi Chi”*2 at the age of 18.
*1Ieyasu Tokugawa was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603-1868) of Japan.
*2 “Shi Chi” is a series of Chinese classics completed around the 1st century B.C., depicting Chinese history.
Here is the story of “Hakui-den”. Hakui and Shukusei were the children of a lord of a small country. The lord designated the youngest brother, Shukusei, as his successor and passed away. However, Shukusei tried to concede the position to his elder brother, Hakui. Hakui didn’t accept that, saying, “It is against our father’s will”, and left the country. Shukusei also followed him. Hakui and Shukusei tried to look for King Wen of the country named Zhou*3 for support. However, King Wen had already passed away, and his son, King Wu succeeded him, and was trying to topple the supreme ruler, Yin*4. Hakui and Shukusei expostulated King Wu, saying, “It is against filial piety to topple Yin when you have not even finished your father’s funeral. Yin is the lord of Zhou, and therefore it is against benevolence for the vassal to topple the lord.” The guards tried to kill them, but they were saved by the general serving King Wu, saying, “These two are the sons of righteousness.”
Soon after that, Zhou toppled Yin and came to rule over the whole land. Although everyone else was going to Zhou, Hakui and Shukusei denied getting a salary from Zhou because the country was against righteousness. They hid themselves in a mountain, and died from hunger. They consistently adhered to their faith.
*3 Zhou is an ancient Chinese dynasty.
*4 Yin is the oldest Chinese dynasty whose existence was confirmed archeologically. ──Mitsukuni was tremendously overwhelmed after reading this story at the age of 18. “I have taken it for granted to become the successor as I am of better caliber than my brother, Yorishige. Have I ever considered his feelings even a moment…? Do I have even a little bit of the admirable attitude of Hakui and Shukusei to adhere to righteousness…?”
From that point, Mitsukuni has transformed. He named his study room as “Jisshinsai” and devoted himself into reading classics. Through the experience, he strongly felt that history books were required to know the trails of the ancients. This feeling triggered the idea of editing “Dainihonshi”, or “The History of Great Japan.”
Mitsukuni was determined to do one more thing, which was to adopt Tsunaeda, his brother Yorishige’s son, and make him as the successor without bearing a child of his own. Mitsukuni notified his brother of this determination at the age of 36, upon their father’s death, and executed it at the age of 63.
Mitsukuni had become a human being from the teachings of “Hakui-den” and realized his motto in life: “Human beings become human beings by having classics in their minds. Learning becomes learning by living a life with morality.”
The Chinese character to describe “teaching” consists of two parts. One of them indicates “filial piety”. Mr. Masahiro Yasuoka*5 said that this “filial piety” is not limited to among parents and children. Rather, it indicates succession and unification of old and young, and new and old. He preached that both individuals and peoples would advance and prosper where there was no disconnection. The other part of the character indicates pointing to something with a whip. The character exactly embodies what teachings are all about.
Human beings need to learn from teachings, and pass on the teachings.
*5 Mr. Masahiro Yasuoka was a famous scholar of Oriental philosophy. He was a spiritual advisor to many high-ranking members of Japan's political and business elite, including a number of postwar prime ministers.
⇒ Chichi WEB (Japanese version)
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