Japanese Culture Transcends Japanese Borders
CHINO Keiko / Journalist
December 25, 2018
Honsenji is a temple in Shinagawa, Tokyo, which belongs to the Daigo sect of the Shingon school of Buddhism. Over the years, the temple’s Great Bonsho – Buddhist bell – has come to be known as a “most extraordinary bell.”
Presented to the temple as an offering by faithful followers, the Bell was cast in 1657 with six bodhisattva Kannon figures carved in relief on its surface and the text from one of the scrolls of the Kannon sutra. Since then, the Bell has followed an interesting history.
As was the fate of numerous traditional craft and art work during Japan’s tumultuous period of transition from Edo to Meiji, the Bell was taken outside the country and its whereabouts became unknown. However, it was later discovered in the Musée Ariana in Geneva, Switzerland, and was publicly returned to Japan in April 1930.
It must have been quite a sensation at the time. A ceremony marking the homecoming of the Great Bell was held at the Hibiya Outdoor Theater in Tokyo, reportedly attended by a packed audience of five thousand citizens.
As for myself, what was “most extraordinary” was meeting Mr. Philippe Neeser, who first told me about the Great Bell of Honsenji.
I was in Geneva this past July to retrace the footsteps of the Iwakura Mission in Switzerland. When we met, Mr. Neeser appeared with a copy of “A True Account of the Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary's Journey of Observation Through the United States of America and Europe.” I was enthralled by his account, not only of the delegation, but of the entire history of exchange between Japan and Switzerland since the Tokugawa period, presented in impeccable Japanese and colored by an exquisitely rich vocabulary. The story of the Great Bell had been one of the episodes he recounted.
If there ever was a “most extraordinary Japan expert” it would be Mr. Neeser, whose brief resume is enough to convince you.
“Served as Deputy Commissioner-General of the Swiss Pavilion during the Aichi Expo, and had the honor of providing a guided tour for the Emperor and Empress upon their visit on July 11, 2005.”
“Upon request from the Daigoji Head Temple of the Shingon Buddhist Sect, and granted use of the tea name “Sôsui” from the Urasenke Headmaster, performed a tea offering during the memorial service marking 1,250 years since the completion of the giant statue of Buddha at Todaiji Temple in Nara on October 16, 2002.”
Mr. Neeser’s relationship with Japan goes back many years. At the age of fourteen, he was fascinated by the sense of transience that permeates Japanese culture, and began reading translations of classical Japanese literature in English and French. Convinced that they would be even more wonderful when read in the original language, he started learning Japanese and came to Japan on a scholarship from the Ministry of Education in 1973.
He studied international public law at the Osaka University of Foreign Studies and Kyoto University, and upon graduation in 1975 joined a well-known Swiss pharmaceuticals company and set up the legal affairs department at its Japanese subsidiary. He lived in Japan for more than three decades, during which time he served as the Chairman of the Swiss Chamber of Commerce in Japan and was decorated with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, in 2008.
He was a businessman and a tea master. Even a well-versed Japanese would find it difficult to match Mr. Neeser’s extensive knowledge of classical literature, performing arts, fine art, craftwork and Japanese culture. He was driven by fascination, but one can only imagine the many hours of hard work that went into his studies. That night, I thought to myself about how Japanese culture does not belong only to the Japanese. After all, the return of the Great Bell itself would not have been possible without the understanding and cooperation of the Swiss.
Having ended his days as a businessman, Mr. Neeser returned to his home country, where he has continued to study Japanese culture and history, while engaging in related social and cultural activities. He is currently compiling a catalog of his collection of tea ceremony utensils, which he had donated to a foundation in Geneva. In October this year, he gave a lecture on Japan at a museum in Paris.
As a Japanese, I found parts of the lecture text somewhat difficult to understand, perhaps because it was intended for a French audience. Nevertheless, I could not but admire the broad range of topics – both old and new – that he covered in his lecture, from his first encounter with Japan to the tea ceremony, noh and even “Gakumon no Susume (An Encouragement of Learning), written by the educator Fukuzawa Yukichi in the 1870s.
It is said that the Japanese do not attach themselves to things as much as Westerners, and Mr. Neeser offers a fresh perspective on this point: “With respect to a treasured item, the Japanese view themselves not as much as its owner, but as a keeper entrusted with handing it down to the next generation. Herein lies the source of their generosity.”
His other views are also worth listening to. “I have been involved with Japanese culture for more than half a century,” he says. “Over the years I have either read or heard about how the Japanese are perceived as a people, such as: the Japanese are different; they have no individuality; they don’t express their opinions and feelings, and so forth. Most of these observations are hasty judgments and are superficial in nature. I am convinced that once you overcome the language barrier, you will find that the Japanese share the same humanity as Europeans.”
He concludes his talk with much esprit: “As Zeno of Elea from ancient Greece said, I am well aware that ‘God gave men two ears and one mouth.’ However, I am a chatterbox, and find it rather difficult to confine my talk titled ‘A Sense of Japanese Culture’ to a mere thirty minutes.”
In my opinion, a man like Mr. Neeser should be appointed “Evangelist and Ambassador of Japanese Culture,” and given the unlimited right to talk to his heart’s content.
Keiko Chino is a freelance journalist and Guest Columnist of the Sankei Shimbun.
Presented to the temple as an offering by faithful followers, the Bell was cast in 1657 with six bodhisattva Kannon figures carved in relief on its surface and the text from one of the scrolls of the Kannon sutra. Since then, the Bell has followed an interesting history.
As was the fate of numerous traditional craft and art work during Japan’s tumultuous period of transition from Edo to Meiji, the Bell was taken outside the country and its whereabouts became unknown. However, it was later discovered in the Musée Ariana in Geneva, Switzerland, and was publicly returned to Japan in April 1930.
It must have been quite a sensation at the time. A ceremony marking the homecoming of the Great Bell was held at the Hibiya Outdoor Theater in Tokyo, reportedly attended by a packed audience of five thousand citizens.
As for myself, what was “most extraordinary” was meeting Mr. Philippe Neeser, who first told me about the Great Bell of Honsenji.
I was in Geneva this past July to retrace the footsteps of the Iwakura Mission in Switzerland. When we met, Mr. Neeser appeared with a copy of “A True Account of the Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary's Journey of Observation Through the United States of America and Europe.” I was enthralled by his account, not only of the delegation, but of the entire history of exchange between Japan and Switzerland since the Tokugawa period, presented in impeccable Japanese and colored by an exquisitely rich vocabulary. The story of the Great Bell had been one of the episodes he recounted.
If there ever was a “most extraordinary Japan expert” it would be Mr. Neeser, whose brief resume is enough to convince you.
“Served as Deputy Commissioner-General of the Swiss Pavilion during the Aichi Expo, and had the honor of providing a guided tour for the Emperor and Empress upon their visit on July 11, 2005.”
“Upon request from the Daigoji Head Temple of the Shingon Buddhist Sect, and granted use of the tea name “Sôsui” from the Urasenke Headmaster, performed a tea offering during the memorial service marking 1,250 years since the completion of the giant statue of Buddha at Todaiji Temple in Nara on October 16, 2002.”
Mr. Neeser’s relationship with Japan goes back many years. At the age of fourteen, he was fascinated by the sense of transience that permeates Japanese culture, and began reading translations of classical Japanese literature in English and French. Convinced that they would be even more wonderful when read in the original language, he started learning Japanese and came to Japan on a scholarship from the Ministry of Education in 1973.
He studied international public law at the Osaka University of Foreign Studies and Kyoto University, and upon graduation in 1975 joined a well-known Swiss pharmaceuticals company and set up the legal affairs department at its Japanese subsidiary. He lived in Japan for more than three decades, during which time he served as the Chairman of the Swiss Chamber of Commerce in Japan and was decorated with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, in 2008.
He was a businessman and a tea master. Even a well-versed Japanese would find it difficult to match Mr. Neeser’s extensive knowledge of classical literature, performing arts, fine art, craftwork and Japanese culture. He was driven by fascination, but one can only imagine the many hours of hard work that went into his studies. That night, I thought to myself about how Japanese culture does not belong only to the Japanese. After all, the return of the Great Bell itself would not have been possible without the understanding and cooperation of the Swiss.
Having ended his days as a businessman, Mr. Neeser returned to his home country, where he has continued to study Japanese culture and history, while engaging in related social and cultural activities. He is currently compiling a catalog of his collection of tea ceremony utensils, which he had donated to a foundation in Geneva. In October this year, he gave a lecture on Japan at a museum in Paris.
As a Japanese, I found parts of the lecture text somewhat difficult to understand, perhaps because it was intended for a French audience. Nevertheless, I could not but admire the broad range of topics – both old and new – that he covered in his lecture, from his first encounter with Japan to the tea ceremony, noh and even “Gakumon no Susume (An Encouragement of Learning), written by the educator Fukuzawa Yukichi in the 1870s.
It is said that the Japanese do not attach themselves to things as much as Westerners, and Mr. Neeser offers a fresh perspective on this point: “With respect to a treasured item, the Japanese view themselves not as much as its owner, but as a keeper entrusted with handing it down to the next generation. Herein lies the source of their generosity.”
His other views are also worth listening to. “I have been involved with Japanese culture for more than half a century,” he says. “Over the years I have either read or heard about how the Japanese are perceived as a people, such as: the Japanese are different; they have no individuality; they don’t express their opinions and feelings, and so forth. Most of these observations are hasty judgments and are superficial in nature. I am convinced that once you overcome the language barrier, you will find that the Japanese share the same humanity as Europeans.”
He concludes his talk with much esprit: “As Zeno of Elea from ancient Greece said, I am well aware that ‘God gave men two ears and one mouth.’ However, I am a chatterbox, and find it rather difficult to confine my talk titled ‘A Sense of Japanese Culture’ to a mere thirty minutes.”
In my opinion, a man like Mr. Neeser should be appointed “Evangelist and Ambassador of Japanese Culture,” and given the unlimited right to talk to his heart’s content.
Keiko Chino is a freelance journalist and Guest Columnist of the Sankei Shimbun.
The English-Speaking Union of Japan
日本を越える日本文化
千野 境子 / ジャーナリスト
2018年 12月 25日
東京・品川区にある真言宗醍醐派「品川寺（ほんせんじ）」の大梵鐘は「世にまれなる梵鐘」との言い伝えがある。
梵鐘は信者たちの寄進で１６５７（明暦３）年に鋳造され、鏡面に6体の観音像を浮き彫りし、観音経一巻が陰刻されているが、その後の歴史がなかなか興味深い。
江戸から明治への時代の激動期、梵鐘は少なからぬ日本の伝統工芸・美術品がそうであったように海外流出し、一旦は行方不明になりながら、その後スイス・ジュネーブ市のアリアナ美術館で発見され、１９３０（昭和5）年４月、晴れてお里帰りを果たしたからだ。
東京・日比谷音楽堂での大梵鐘歓迎会には５千人もの東京府民が詰めかけたというから、当時大ニュースだったのだろう。
もっとも私には大梵鐘のことを教えてくれたフィリップ・ニーゼル氏との出会いが、「世にまれなる」機会だった。
今年7月、岩倉遣欧使節団のスイスにおける足跡を知りたいとジュネーブを訪れた私の前に、使節団の『米欧回覧実記』を携え現れたニーゼル氏は、使節団に留まらず徳川時代から今日に至る日本とスイスの交流の歴史を、折り目正しく語彙豊かな日本語で次々と語り、私はすっかり魅了された。梵鐘もその内のエピソードの一つだったのだ。
同氏こそ「世にまれなる知日派」と呼びたくなる人物で、その一端は同氏による日本語の略歴からも十分に伝わってくる。
《愛知万博のスイス館の副館長を務め、２００５年７月１１日の御幸の折に天皇皇后両陛下の館内の御案内申し上げ、その栄光に浴す》
《２００２年１０月１６日真言宗総本山醍醐寺の依頼を受け、裏千家の家元より「宗翆」の茶名と御許しを得て、奈良東大寺大仏開眼１２５０年記念法要に合わせて奉茶を務める》
日本との関りは長い。１４歳で日本文化に漂う無常観に心を捉えられ、最初は古典文学を英仏訳で読んでいたが、「原文で読んだらもっと素晴らしいに違いない」と日本語を学習、１９７３年に文部省の奨学生として来日した。
大阪外大、京大などで国際公法を専攻、卒業後の７５年にはスイスの有名な製薬会社に就職し、日本支社で法務部を立ち上げた。日本滞在は３０年を超し、この間在日スイス商工会議所の会頭も務め、2008年には旭日中綬章を受章した。
ビジネスマンにして茶人。古典、芸能、美術、工芸、日本文化への造詣は多岐にわたり、かなりの日本人でもニーゼル氏の域に達するのは容易ではないだろう。魅せられたからとは言え、その陰にはどれほどの研鑽努力があったことか。その夜、私は「日本文化は日本人だけのものではない」ことをしみじみと思ったことだった。梵鐘の日本への贈還だってスイスの理解と協力があればこそ実現した。
ビジネスマンを終え母国に戻ったニーゼル氏はその後も、日本文化や歴史の研究、社会・文化活動を続け、現在はジュネーブの財団に寄贈した茶道具のコレクションの図録を執筆中という。今年10月にはパリの美術館で日本に関しての講演も行った。
講演録は、フランス語圏の人々が聴衆のためか日本人の私には若干難しい部分もあるものの、日本との出会いに始まり、茶の湯、能から『学問のすゝめ』に至るまで今昔多彩で敬服させられる。
日本人の、西洋人と比べてものへの執着心の少なさについて《日本人はお持ちの宝物に対し、持ち主よりも、それらの寶を伝承すべきものの預かり主であると認識される。寛大なる心の元になると小生が思う》との指摘は新鮮だし《日本文化に関わって半世紀以上の間、日本人について色々と読んだり、聞いた話がある。曰く「日本人は違う、個人性が無い、自分の考え方、自分の気持ちを表さない、等など。」早計で、かつ表面的な発言が多い。言葉の壁さえ乗り越えれば、欧州人とは同じ人間性を共有すると確信を持っている》も傾聴に値する。
最後は《古代ギリシャのエレーのゼノン曰く「天が人間に耳二つ口一つを与えた」ことを認識しながらも、小生は大いなるおしゃべりだ。「日本文化感」と題して、ただの三十分に限って話をとどまらせるのは些か辛い》とエスプリの効いた結び。
ニーゼル氏のような外国人には、おしゃべりする権利を無限に付与する「日本文化伝道大使」を委嘱しては如何かと思う。
（筆者はフリーランスジャーナリスト、産経新聞客員論説委員）
梵鐘は信者たちの寄進で１６５７（明暦３）年に鋳造され、鏡面に6体の観音像を浮き彫りし、観音経一巻が陰刻されているが、その後の歴史がなかなか興味深い。
江戸から明治への時代の激動期、梵鐘は少なからぬ日本の伝統工芸・美術品がそうであったように海外流出し、一旦は行方不明になりながら、その後スイス・ジュネーブ市のアリアナ美術館で発見され、１９３０（昭和5）年４月、晴れてお里帰りを果たしたからだ。
東京・日比谷音楽堂での大梵鐘歓迎会には５千人もの東京府民が詰めかけたというから、当時大ニュースだったのだろう。
もっとも私には大梵鐘のことを教えてくれたフィリップ・ニーゼル氏との出会いが、「世にまれなる」機会だった。
今年7月、岩倉遣欧使節団のスイスにおける足跡を知りたいとジュネーブを訪れた私の前に、使節団の『米欧回覧実記』を携え現れたニーゼル氏は、使節団に留まらず徳川時代から今日に至る日本とスイスの交流の歴史を、折り目正しく語彙豊かな日本語で次々と語り、私はすっかり魅了された。梵鐘もその内のエピソードの一つだったのだ。
同氏こそ「世にまれなる知日派」と呼びたくなる人物で、その一端は同氏による日本語の略歴からも十分に伝わってくる。
《愛知万博のスイス館の副館長を務め、２００５年７月１１日の御幸の折に天皇皇后両陛下の館内の御案内申し上げ、その栄光に浴す》
《２００２年１０月１６日真言宗総本山醍醐寺の依頼を受け、裏千家の家元より「宗翆」の茶名と御許しを得て、奈良東大寺大仏開眼１２５０年記念法要に合わせて奉茶を務める》
日本との関りは長い。１４歳で日本文化に漂う無常観に心を捉えられ、最初は古典文学を英仏訳で読んでいたが、「原文で読んだらもっと素晴らしいに違いない」と日本語を学習、１９７３年に文部省の奨学生として来日した。
大阪外大、京大などで国際公法を専攻、卒業後の７５年にはスイスの有名な製薬会社に就職し、日本支社で法務部を立ち上げた。日本滞在は３０年を超し、この間在日スイス商工会議所の会頭も務め、2008年には旭日中綬章を受章した。
ビジネスマンにして茶人。古典、芸能、美術、工芸、日本文化への造詣は多岐にわたり、かなりの日本人でもニーゼル氏の域に達するのは容易ではないだろう。魅せられたからとは言え、その陰にはどれほどの研鑽努力があったことか。その夜、私は「日本文化は日本人だけのものではない」ことをしみじみと思ったことだった。梵鐘の日本への贈還だってスイスの理解と協力があればこそ実現した。
ビジネスマンを終え母国に戻ったニーゼル氏はその後も、日本文化や歴史の研究、社会・文化活動を続け、現在はジュネーブの財団に寄贈した茶道具のコレクションの図録を執筆中という。今年10月にはパリの美術館で日本に関しての講演も行った。
講演録は、フランス語圏の人々が聴衆のためか日本人の私には若干難しい部分もあるものの、日本との出会いに始まり、茶の湯、能から『学問のすゝめ』に至るまで今昔多彩で敬服させられる。
日本人の、西洋人と比べてものへの執着心の少なさについて《日本人はお持ちの宝物に対し、持ち主よりも、それらの寶を伝承すべきものの預かり主であると認識される。寛大なる心の元になると小生が思う》との指摘は新鮮だし《日本文化に関わって半世紀以上の間、日本人について色々と読んだり、聞いた話がある。曰く「日本人は違う、個人性が無い、自分の考え方、自分の気持ちを表さない、等など。」早計で、かつ表面的な発言が多い。言葉の壁さえ乗り越えれば、欧州人とは同じ人間性を共有すると確信を持っている》も傾聴に値する。
最後は《古代ギリシャのエレーのゼノン曰く「天が人間に耳二つ口一つを与えた」ことを認識しながらも、小生は大いなるおしゃべりだ。「日本文化感」と題して、ただの三十分に限って話をとどまらせるのは些か辛い》とエスプリの効いた結び。
ニーゼル氏のような外国人には、おしゃべりする権利を無限に付与する「日本文化伝道大使」を委嘱しては如何かと思う。
（筆者はフリーランスジャーナリスト、産経新聞客員論説委員）
一般社団法人 日本英語交流連盟