Life exists not in an inevitable order but in a contingency. As far as a language is a metaphor, we never grasp a truth; therefore, we have to redescribe our lives continually to keep ourselves alive. Daisuke Namba (18991924) is known as the criminal who, during The Toranomon Incident of 27 December 1923, was an assassination attempt on Prince Regent Hirohito. He carried out his acts alone, without the support of any organization or comrades. Although there have been many assassination plots in modern Japanese history, this incident differed from other cases. Namba willingly chose a life that would lead to his untimely death. He lived during a time of transition, from the middle of the Meiji period almost to the end of the Taisho period. He was raised in Yamaguchi Prefecture, which produced many of the talents who went on to government during the Meiji Restoration. His grandfather was a loyalist Samurai, and Namba inherited the Samurai mentality. However, during his youth, new foreign ideas were spreading into Japan. Contemporaneously, the revolution taking place in Russia was influencing intellectuals in Japan. At that time, many young men were flocking into the chaos of the imperial capital in search of new lives. Meanwhile, Namba spent time observing and interacting with various people who were socially alienated. During the Taisho period, people praised human respect but gravitated, as if by centripetal force, toward catastrophe. In his last words to his father, Namba insisted that people should live not for their ancestors but for their offspring. In this paper, I attempt to redescribe rather than describe these events, which are a part of history, but remain controversial and relevant today.
동국대학교 일본학연구소 [The Institute for Japanese Studies Dongguk University]
설립연도
1979
분야
인문학>일본어와문학
소개
동국대학교 부설 일본학연구소는 일본의 역사, 문화, 사회를 연구하여 한일간의 상호이해증진과 문화교류에 이바지하고자 다음과 같은 사업을 실시한다. 첫째, 한일관계의 연구발표 및 강연회를 개최한다. 둘째, 정기 간행물과 연구도서 발간 및 자료를 수집한다. 셋째, 한일관련 연구비를 보조한다. 넷째, 내외 저명인사의 초빙과 임직원의 해외파견을 실시한다. 다섯째, 부속도서실을 운영한다. 여섯째, 기타 목적달성에 필요한 사업을 실시한다. 이상과 같은 사업을 통하여 한일관계의 이해의 폭을 넓힘으로써 지금까지 가깝고도 먼 양국관계에서 가까운 양국관계를 구축해 가는데 일조하고자 한다.