24-5 Sakuragaoka-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0031
Tel: 03-5456-8082 Fax: 03-5456-8388
Mail: info@japancivilization.org
http://www.japancivilization.org/

Newsletter Vol. 11 Spring 2018

The 11th Symposium of the Japanese Civilization Institute took
place on February 6th, right before the Pyongyang Olympics
on the theme of “Japanese People and Sports.” The panelists
were Dai Tamesue—bronze medalist of the World Championships for 400 Men’s meter Hurdle, Miyako Tanaka-Oulevey—
Seoul Olympic bronze medalist in Synchronized Swimming
Duet, sports journalist Seijun Ninomiya and author and director of the Japanese Civilization Institute Naoki Inose who moderated the panel. The discussion revolved around interesting
themes including the sumo wrestling world which has long
been center of attention due to its scandal, the latest scientificresearch on sports, the mental capabilities of athletes, Pyongyang Olympics and its results and the things we need to think
about towards the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. The following
is an extract of the lively discussion that took place.
(Reprinted from “Shukan Dokushojin,” 20th April 2018, No.
3236 & Web Doukushojin).

Greetings

Asuka Tsuzuki Counselor and Director of Japan Economic University

The Japanese Civilization Institute has established 2 years ago with the aim to transmit Japanese culture and civilization not only
to Japan but also to the rest of the world and has continued its activities ever since. Today, we have Mr. Dai Tamesue and Ms.
Miyako Tanaka-Oulevey both of whom are world famous athletes, together with distinguished sports journalist Seijun Ninomiya
attending the event, to talk about sports and its relationship to the nation and the Japanese people, which are crucial themes ofboth Pyongyang Olympics and the upcoming Tokyo Olympics of 2020.
I’m sure a heated discussion—which a lot of people are showing interest in—will take place between the three panelists not tomention Mr. Inose Naoki, who will modulate the panel. Though it is a short period, I hope you enjoy today’s board to the very
end.

Japanese athletes and the spirit of fair play

Toshio Goto President of Japanese Civilization Institute

When we think about the Olympics, sports and the Japanese people, what comes to our mind I think is the spirit of fair play. I
would like to go back in time and talk about Japanese athletes who played outstandingly well before WWII.
First and foremost, there is the tennis player Zenzo Shimizu. Today we think of Kei Nishikori when it comes to tennis, but did
you know that Shimizu was the first Japanese tennis player to reach the top four? He is also famous for the episode of his “softstrokes.” When his opponent crumbled and fell, he could have easily defeated him if he had hit hard strokes, but instead, he hit
soft strokes and waited for his opponent to rise again. Rather than crushing him down to the ground, he gave him some time sothat they could play even. This fair play spirit touched the heart of the Western people, and Shimizu was highly praised at thetime.
Another episode revolves around the Pole Vault competition at the 11th Berlin Olympics in 1936. Two Japanese competitors were
to compete for a second and third place, but since a lot of time was needed to prepare for Pole Vault competitions at the time, thetwo decided to avoid competing for each other and instead settled for the same rank. The two received a medal that stuck bothsilver and bronze together, which is still preserved in Japan. When we look back in history, we are able to discover many excellent
Japanese athletes such as these. The spirit of fair play is essential in sports. Japanese football players are known throughout theworld as players with very few fouls. Like these examples, I think many Japanese athletes possess fair play spirits inside themselves,
which might very well have to do with Japanese people’s faithful and hardworking mind.

About the groupJapanese Civilization InstituteEstablished in August 2015

Address: 24-5 Sakuragaoka-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0031
Tel :03-5456-8082 Fax:03-5456-8388
Website: http://www.japancivilization.org/

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A Report on Our 11th Symposium

Japanese People
and Sports
Dai
Miyako TanakaSeijun
vs.
vs.
Tamesue
Oulevey
Ninomiya
Modulator

Naoki Inose
Shinto ritual, sports,
and business—the current situationof the sumo
wrestling world
Inose: The sumo industry has beencausing a big uproar since late lastyear, centering around Takanohana.
Even though yokozuna (sumo’s highest rank) Harumafuji retired and anelection for director candidates took
place after the scandal of the ‘violent
assault’ by Harumafuji, it seems
nothing has changed.
In Takanohana oyakata’s (coach of
sumo stables) blog of 1st February,
he writes, “The number of sumo
wrestlers is declining compared tothe days when I was wrestling. Sumo
may still exist in the future, but thesame cannot be said for the Japan
Sumo Association. I strongly feel asense of crisis.”enon (popularity of sumo brothers
Wakahanada and Takahanada), there
were many years when there wereover 200 new sumo wrestlers a year.
But now, that number has declined
to roughly 70 a year.
There was something that Takanohana pointed out when he ran for Japan Sumo Association’s election in2010. In 2008, judo, kendo andsumo became compulsory subjects
when curriculum guidelines for junior high schools were revised. However, compared to judo and kendo,
he said there were very few instructors who could teach sumo. Moreover, there were very few sumo rings.
When I was a child, there were several sumo rings at schools and inside
grounds of shrines. Whereas today,
there are very few places where you
can do sumo. Takanohana realized
this and felt crisis, which is why hesuggested that the Japan Sumo Association give more support to spreadsumo.

Ninomiya: It’s true that the numberof sumo wrestlers is declining. From1989 to 1999, there were about 130
to 140 new sumo wrestlers a year.
Boosted by the Waka-taka phenom-

Inose: That’s true. When I was aboy, boys used to do sumo wrestling
just for fun. Kids nowadays who
have never wrestled in their lives,probably won’t be able to under-

stand the moves of sumo wrestlers
when they see it on television.
Ninomiya: He said, firstly there is
the need for spreading sumo, thencomes the need for raising andstrengthening sumo wrestlers. If
sumo is not popularized, strong
sumo wrestlers won’t emerge. I think
Taknohana oyakata’s proposal isright.
Inose: The way they ran that Japan
Sumo Association’s election for director candidates the other day is entirely different from that compared
to when Takanohana ran in 2010. In
2010, they used codes, but today
they write the names, so you know

Dai Tamesue

2

Miyako Tanaka-Oulevey

who voted for whom when you see
the handwriting.
Ninomiya: Elections before 2010
were just a formality. The splitting of
votes inside the family was done inadvance. At the time, a rapid reformof the sumo organization was vital, forthere was the scandal of Asashoryu,
not to mention the incident of Tokitaizan—a junior wrestler who diedafter being beaten and abused. Therefore, the vice-minister of the Ministryof Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology at the time,
said that the elections shouldn’t be aplace to prove one’s loyalty to thefamily. Reform was done following
this, but I’m afraid after a while itwent back to what it used to be. But
I guess Takanohana oyakata would
have lost in the elections despite
these circumstances.
Inose: There’s also the issue of yaocho(fixed matches). After all, sumo isbusiness too, so I’m sure it’s hard to
make everything clean.
Ninomiya: In 2014, the Japan
Sumo Association became a Public
Interest Incorporated Foundation. It
is an association that receives favorable treatment that is exempted froma significant amount of corporation
tax—as in a regular company. Since
it is a Public Interest Incorporated
Foundation, it receives strict orders
from the Cabinet Office to guarantee values for public interest purpos-

es. Therefore, it has responsibilities
of raising that consciousness.
Since sumo is traditional culture,
I think it needs to separate whatshould be maintained and whatshould be changed. This overlaps alittle bit to what Takanohana oyakata
was saying, but I think what’s mostimportant is written in the Third
Act—“Goal”— of the Association
Article.
According to that Act, it says,“The aim of this association lies inmaintaining, passing down and developing the tradition and order ofsumo—our country’s representative
national sports that has its root in religious rituals, which were occurredfrom ancient times to pray for a richharvest. It will hold regular sumo
tournaments as well as provincial
tours, raise people qualified to holdthese events and instruct and spreadsumo accordingly. Also, it will preserve and utilize sumo records, promote international goodwill, andmaintain and supervise the facilities
required for these purposes. By doingso, it aims to promote sumo culture
further and contribute to the mental
and physical health of the people.” I
think Takanohana oyakata is trying
to point out that we need to raise
this kind of awareness.
Inose: Now that the Japan Sumo Association’s election for director candidates is over and they’re startingwith a new system, they need to clarify what they are going to change.
The reason why sumo is so complicated is that it is a traditional Shinto
ritual, as it is sports and also a business. Also, there is the real question
for sumo wrestlers who have to fighteach other at full for 90 days a year.
They won’t last if they have to fightso much.
Ninomiya: They wrestle six tournaments a year. 15 days per match whichmakes 90 days a year. Wakanohana
and Konishiki insisted that the number of tournaments should be re-duced to 5 tournaments a year. Others say they should cut down on
provincial tours, but since these
tours are aimed at spreading sumo toa broader audience, that’s a little difficult. Concerning this, I think wealso need to rethink the system for
exempting players injured in official
matches.
Inose: Previously, there was an official injury exemption system that
protected sumo wrestlers who injured during tournaments and wereabsent from the matches. Theirranks remained the same when they
returned, right?
Ninomiya: But when Kitanoumi was
director of the Association, he abolished the official injury exemption
system. The reason is understandable.
There were quite a few sumo wrestlers who injured continuously andasked for absence from the tournaments with doubtful medical certifications in their hands. On the otherside, if there are no systems for official injury exemption, wrestlers who
unavoidably hurt themselves end up
dropping their ranks immensely.
Inose: Toshinoshin injured his ligaments and dropped from the rank ofsekitori (senior-grade) to makushita(junior-grade).
Ninomiya: The official injury exemption system is a guarantee system. Takanoiwa, the wrestler who
was beaten and assaulted on this occasion, was absent from the tournaments and dropped from maegashira(senior-grade) to juryo (lower-grade).
He was involved in an assault that
resulted in his injury so that they
could have shown sympathy for extenuating circumstances.
Inose: There were four tournamentsa year when I was a child. I think it
became 6 when Tochinishiki and
Wakanohana (dominant 1950s
yokozuna) were at the top. I thought3

look into sumo’s darker side, I think
we need to look at the toshiyori-meiseki(sumo stable-master name system) issue.
Inose: Yes, the toshiyori-kabu (sumomanagement stock) system.

Seijun Ninomiya

it was terrific that they fought six
tournaments a year. But when you
look at old video footage of sumo,
you realize that wrestlers like Taiho
and Kashiwado are not placing theirhands on the ground. Other words,
they are not charging from theirheads. But then, they soon started
tackling with their heads. No wonder there are so many injuries.
Ninomiya: Also the average weightof makuuchi wrestlers are on therise, so the risk of injury is rising
too.
Sumo is a Shinto ritual, a sport,
and a business. I think sumo is something that is surviving with a delicate
balance of these 3 structures.
Inose: When viewed from a management point of view, I think somebody from the outside needs to step
into the organization to place order.
There are limits to what governanceinside the Sumo Association can do.
Ninomiya: That’s why in the end,
people from the Board of Trustees
are responsible for the Japan Sumo
Association’s election for director
candidates. The Board of Trustees iscomprised of 4 people from the outside and 3 from the inside. The
Board of Trustees should never become a rubber stamp for the Boardof Directors. However, I think thisissue was seen here and there on thisoccasion.
Moreover, if we were to honestly

4

Ninomiya: In the Article, it is statedthat you shouldn’t sell and buy toshiyorimeiseki. But there was a time when it
was sold and bought at roughly 3
hundred million yen. It’s not somuch now, but it’s publicizing vested
rights. If we were to touch on thisissue, it’s going to be extremely hard.
Inose: Are there any discussions of
expanding the horizons of the sumo
world?
Ninomiya: At the moment, I don’t
think so.
With very few children today anda range of sports to choose from, it’sa question that parents will send
their children to a world in whichpeople are beaten up.

100 meters—9.98
seconds
The current
situation of trackand field
Inose: Mr. Tamesue, the track andfield sports seems to be expanding its
field. What are the current situationsof raising athletes?
Tamesue: Strong athletes for the
short distance sprint are emerging. I
think it’s doing quite well.
Inose: Yoshihide Kiryu marked 9.98
seconds in the 100 meters.
Tamesue: Yes. Foreign athletes often
say that although the level of Japanese
athletes and coaches are high, it falls
behind when it comes to building
overall strategies. Inevitably, Japan’s

track and field is built on somethingclose to membership. Athletes neverleave once they enter track and fieldand people are rarely replaced. The
advantage of this would be that people are able to unite easily. However,the disadvantage—which is similar
to the fault of the sumo world—isthat there is no flexibility in improving the organization. Nevertheless,the level of each athlete and coachworking in the field are extremely
high. Their way of fighting is close
to craftsmanship with an emphasison accuracy and precision.
Inose: They say that the non-commissioned officer is remarkable in
the Japanese army, the commissioned officer in the American military and the General in the British
army. I guess the same can be said
for track and field.
By the way, Mr. Tamesue, you’realso known as a “running philosopher.” What are you working onright now?
Tamesue: I’m finding interest in
combining sports and technology. I
founded a company called Deportareand I’m involved in various projects.
One of them is to support a company
called Xiborg that develops artificial
legs toward the Tokyo Paralympics.
Recently, Nike released new running shoes for a marathon, whichuses carbon cut in a shape of a wave
and is stuck to the bottom of theshoe, which heightens energy to push
the leg forward like a spring. If you
make something very similar to thisand bring the carbon right up to theknee, you have an artificial leg. As acompany, I’m supporting projects
such as these that bring out humanperformances or quickens improvement by the use of technology andequipment.
Inose: Some say that 100 meters
sprinters of the Paralympics mightsomeday overcome the record of
Olympic sprinters. Do you thinkthat’s possible?
Tamesue: Yes, it might be possible
in the future, although it might takesome time for 100 meters. But for
example, German long jumper
Markus Rehm jumped 8.40 meterswith his artificial leg at the IPC Athletics World Championships in2015. This record surpasses the record of gold medalists of 2012 London and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. By 2020, there are possibilities
that long jumpers of the Paralympic
might be jumping further than long
jumpers of the 2020 Olympics.
Long ago, when I was a still a highschool student, pole vaulter Sergey
Bubka came to Japan, and I secretly
borrowed his pole (laugh). Of course,
I returned it afterwards. I had a Japanese champion of that time try andjump with the pole, but it turned outthat the pole was too stiff and hecouldn’t bend it. I think the same canbe said with artificial legs. It’s notabout raising the performance of athletes with the efficiency of the equipment, but rather coming up with agreat artificial leg that only one or
two people in the world with outstanding physics can use. I think justthese people are able to reach an entirely new world.
Inose: So, you’re saying it’s notabout technology in general but that
there is a new realm that combines
personal performance and technology development?
Tamesue: The interesting thing isthat people who specialize in attaching artificial legs to the human bodyare known as prosthetist and orthotist, but Japanese people in this field
are highly acclaimed. They excel in
the ability to look at the performance of each individual and makesmall adjustments that cannot be estimated by just looking at the numbers. Japanese trainers who support
players inside the Major League areon the increase, but in the near fu-

ture, people who support athleteswith their artificial legs might become all Japanese.

What is mental
training?
Inose: Going back to sumo, Kisenosato
is now absent for five tournaments in arow (*it was announced in March that
he would be absent for six tournaments in a row). Yokozuna do notdrop their ranks, but there are worries that he will end his sumo career
altogether.
After Takanosato oyakata (stable
master) who leads the stable in which
Kisenosato belongs died, former
sekiwake (sumo wrestler of the third
highest rank) Wakanosato led thestable under the name Nishiiwa
oyakata. But for various reasons,
Nishiiwa oyakata left Tagonoura stable to create his own firm, so former
maegashira (lowest of 5 ranks in the
top makuuchi division) Takanotsuru
is now leading the stable. Other
words, Kisenosato is close to having
no oyakata to lead him. Perhaps there
are no people around the desperate
yokozuna, who can provide him withappropriate guidance.
Ninomiya: Same can be said with
Hakuho. In the sumo world, anoyakata and his disciple are like father and son and the disciple has tofollow everything the oyakata says.
Having said that, it’s hard for an
oyakata of hiramaku (lowest of 5ranks in the top makuuchi division)class to be helpful toward a yokozuna.
Inose: In which case, outstanding
talent is wasted.
It was 30 years ago, but Ms. Miyako
Tanaka-Oulevey you received a bronze
medal for Synchronized Swimming
Duet with Ms. Mikako Kotani at theSeoul Olympic. You’re a pioneer in the
Synchronized Swimming world. Presently you’re an advanced consultant inmental training, but do you have any

Naoki Inose

advice for Kisenosato?
Tanaka: I’ve been taking approaches
to sumo from a mental training perspective for a long time now. Sumo
wrestlers like Ounomatsu oyakata(former sekiwake <third highest
rank> Masurao) has shown interestin obtaining information based on
scientific reasons to value “mental”
amongst shin-gi-tai (mental, technique and physique).
Inose: Ounosho is a sumo wrestler
who belongs to the Ounomatsu stable. He’s about 20, and I think he’s
doing very well.
Ms. Tanaka, is it possible for you to
put mental training to practice anddemonstrate it to us here?
Tanaka: To begin with, on the contrary, I’d like to ask you what mental
is to you? How would you answer
this question Mr. Inose?
Inose: Controlling your feelings
consciously?
Tanaka: Essentially, mental is merely
an adjective that means, “belonging
to the soul.” One more question.
Mr. Inose, where do you think themental is?
Inose: The head or the heart.
Tanaka: You mentioned both. That’s
precisely correct. The brain (head)
governs emotions and thoughts,

5which influence is received by theheart as a reaction. The basics ofmental training are to realize thoughts
and emotions and arranging it. Mr.
Inose, do you have moments when
you are impatient?
Inose: I become irritated when I’mstuck in a traffic jam and am close tobeing late, although I left home ontime.
Tanaka: When you’re in that kind of
situation, I recommend that you put
the case into words like this, “Right
now I am stuck in a traffic jam, andI am irritated.” When you do this, aconstructive thought is built in theprefrontal cortex triggering you totake a useful behavior. At the sametime, if you take a deep breath, takein air from your nose and exhale along thin breathing through yourmouth, your parasympathetic nervous system predominates, and yourbody loosens up.
Inose: So, you’re saying we should

6exhale a deep breath to wake ourparasympathetic nerve system because our sympathetic nervous system is intensified?
Tanaka: Yes. But you can only takeaction if you admit that you are irritated.
Now I ask all of you audience aquestion. You are trying to buy a riceball in a convenience store. You’re ina hurry but the row isn’t single, andeveryone is lining up in long queues
before each cash register. For a split
second, you wonder which row you
should line up in, but you choose theleft line. But as soon as you line up,
the right row moves fast.
Inose: A situation we often comeacross.
Tanaka: When this happens, do you1) become irritated, or 2) become
depressed? Let me explain. People
who choose 1) are people who think“Why isn’t this row a single line?”“Why is there a trainee in the cash

register at such a crowded hour oftime?” Meanwhile, people whochoose 2) are people who think “It’s
my unlucky day. I should have chosen the right register. I’ll probably dobadly in the meeting today too,” despite it being a small row in front ofa cash register. So, please choose
amongst the two.
Right. Now you have visualized
your emotions. When something likethis happens again, look around you.
Other words, it’s not the situationthat irritates us or depresses us. It all
depends on how you accept theevent. You’re the one that’s deciding
to be angry or sad. So, here you are.
This is an example of introductorymental training.
Inose: So, you’re saying it is no goodor bad in a situation but that it’s yourrecognition that’s making it good orbad, right? Also, I guess you have tobe aware of your habits. You’re saying
athletes should know how to breakaway from a situation when they
have missed in a match.

Tanaka: Exactly. For example, one
reason that people become irritatedwhen they line up in front of a fullregister is that they have “fixedthoughts” such as, “everyone shouldline up in a single line.” Similarly,
one reason that people get depressedis that they have this “at any rate”
way of thinking.
Inose: So, it’s a matter of athletes being aware of these “fixed thoughts”
and “at any rate” way of thinking?
Tanaka: You have to practice being
aware of it and then showing it inyour emotions. Better put, it’s about
learning to accept the texture of yourfeelings. You truly need to feel that
irritation, that impatience, and that
depression. You need to build onthese behaviors you have selected.
Inose: For example, can people with“fixed thoughts” become angry andgo as far as to leave and go home?
Tanaka: Going home is an acting-out behavior. If it’s a convenience store that’s okay, but if you
are misjudged in a match, and you
become angry and leave, you lose.
Therefore, you need exercises tolearn that acting-out behavior andyour emotions are not the same. So,
you don’t go just because you’re angry. You can be angry but you canalso change your behavior, there’s adifference there.
Inose: I see. You have to be conscious of what’s between emotions
and behaviors.

abilities. Mental training allows you
to predict your own emotions. Sometimes, top athletes even use their anger tocreate energy. Athletes should never besatisfied. They should never feel thatthey can win, so they practice not tofeel safe. For top athletes, anger, impatience, and tension are all valuable energy, so it’s a waste if you throw it out
unconsciously. You want to use yourminus emotions. But first, you needto go through the process of letting itout before you can use it.
Inose: When I had to bid to host the
Olympics, I had massive pressure on
my shoulders to win the following
day. I’m sure Ms. Tanaka and Tamesue have experienced immense pressure before your performances.
Tamesue: When I was a child, I used
to believe that I wouldn’t be tensewhen I grew up, but I guess I wastense until my very last match. Butthat tension became something that
I could understand. Slowly, I learned
to hold that image of myself jumping the hurdles in excellent condition. When I’m tense, I used to leave
the place I’m in and start going backto old memories, or become anxious
about the future or start worrying
about how other people saw me. Butsoon I learned to tie myself to theplace I’m in.
I’m quite fond of self-observationand creating images of emotions
which Ms. Tanaka just mentioned,
but athletes who are not good atthese kinds of things tend to repeat
the same type of mistakes.

The mental of
top athletes

Tanaka: Just because you have many
experiences it doesn’t mean you canwin. You have to face yourself. Otherwise, you end up repeating thesame things.

Inose: Does that mean you have to
see yourself objectively?

Inose: That’s exactly the case with
Kisenosato.

Tanaka: You need both self-observation abilities and self-objectification

Tanaka: Kisenosato’s mind was toostrong for a certain amount of time,

which led him to lose balance withhis body and soul. I think that’s why
he was injured. That’s how I see it.
An excellent synergistic effect is expected between the body and themind. When the cause or the passion becomes too strong, the triangle
between mental, technique and bodycollapses, and you produce toomuch power, which leads you to injure your body. If you can realize thisand reflect upon it as a good experience, you can move on. Top athletes
like Kisenosato need to adjust theirthoughts, emotions and the things
that are happening, and they’ll beable to synergize.
Inose: What about athletes who losein the Olympics, even though they’re
expected to receive a medal, andthey have the power to win if theyplay unconsciously? What is goingon in these cases?
Tanaka: The media often relate thisto the pressure of the athletes andthat the Olympics are infested withdemons, but there are no suchthings. It all depends on how you
capture your emotions. Therefore,
athletes should practice every day toimagine their worst selves.
With only a fortnight to go until
the Olympics, I used to go throughmental training every day imagining
myself losing my nose plug or swimwear, or the music stopping from the
speaker underwater or waking up on
the morning of the finals with a feverof 38°C. Top athletes can use thesekinds of negative thinking.
Ninomiya: Judo gold medalist of the
Sydney Olympic Games Kosei Inoue—who now serves as Japan’s judohead coach—asked Yasuhiro Yamashita—who was the head coach at
the time—if demons were existing in
the Olympic Games. Yamashita justreplied, “You win if you’re strong,
and you lose if you’re weak. That’s all
there is to the Olympic Games.” Inoue said he was relieved to hear this,7but these words are straightforward
to understand. Demons are something that losers mention.
I have something that I want to
ask you Mr. Tamesue. Experience canwork toward bringing out performances, but it can sometimes be aburden. For example, 14-years-old
Kyoko Iwasaki won a gold medal for
200 meters Breast Stroke at the
Olympic Games in Barcelona, but I
think she won it because she wasfearless. On the other hand, judoka
Ryoko Tani couldn’t easily win a gold
medal at the Olympic Games although she had many gold medals at
the World Championships. She wasable to receive a gold medal on her
third try. I think there are cases inwhich experience can be a plus or aminus.
Tamesue: That’s an interesting question. I received a bronze medal at theWorld Championships in Athletics.
I took part in the Olympics threetimes, but I couldn’t win a medal.
The last Olympics I performed was
the Beijing Olympics. While watching many athletes in the cafeteria, I
realized that in the end, you either
don’t know your sport or you know
your game inside out. I guess thiscan be applied to things other thanOlympic Games.
Ninomiya: The same can be said
with horseracing. You win by beginner’s luck first round, but when you
start to learn about it, you begin to
lose.
Tanaka: I think this can be applied
to boxer Daigo Higa who recently
won with a brilliant knock out. On
the contrary, there’s Ryota Murata.
For the time being, there’s no needfor mental training for Higa, butwhen he starts to know, he’ll presumably develop an ambition to understand the feeling of “mental,
technique and body” and use it to
win more. Other words, learning toface yourself.

8

Tamesue: It’s like that fable of “Centipede’s Dilemma.” A frog sees a centipede’s clever way of walking with100 legs and praises it with thewords, “Wow! How can you walk soremarkably with so many legs?” Thecentipede replies, “Well, that’s easy!”
and tries to show the frog his splendid walk, but the moment he realizes
his legs he gets tangled up and falls(laugh). This fable demonstrates thatas soon as you start to think, youhave to know your legs inside out.
Ninomiya: This is off topic, but along time ago there was a baseballplayer of Taiyo Whales called Masaji
Hiramatsu who was a pitcher of theteam. His nickname was “Hiramatsu,
the kamisori (razor) shoot” and he
was known for striking out baseballlegend Shigeo Nagashima. However,
one day, Nagashima releases his bat,holds it near the middle and makes a
hit out of Hiramatsu’s screwball. The
fact that the cleanup hitter of Kyojin
would hold his bat short and make a
hit was a huge shock for Hiramatsu.
He mentioned this to Nagashima after the match, but Nagashima laughs
and says, “Was I the cleanup hitter
today?” The other side of concentration is missing out on certain matters, but Mr. Nagashima’s degree of
missing out is that of a genius, isn’t
it?

Choice andconcentration or
the diversity ofsports culture
Ninomiya: South Korea which hosted the 2018 Winter Olympic Games,
has won 53 medals from Saint Moritz Winter Olympic Games in 1948
to Sochi Winter Olympic Games in
2014. All of these medals are forskating—26 gold medals, 17 silver
medals, and 10 bronze medals.
Today, the Japanese sports indus-

try is trying to build a scheme revolving around choice and concentration. Some say that the way theSouth Koreans accomplished it was a
success, but I don’t necessarily thinkso.
Japan’s men figure skating won its
first medal when Daisuke Takahashi
won a bronze medal at the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010. After
that, Yuzuru Hanyu earned the firstgold medal at the Sochi WinterOlympics. 82 years have passed since
Japan sent figure skating athletes to
the Olympic Games. There were
continuous opinions to stop enforcing the men’s figure skating for they
will never earn a medal. If they hadfinished at that point, there would be
no Takahashi or Hanyu.
People also said that it was difficult for Japanese track and field athletes to earn a medal, but at the Riode Janeiro Olympics they won a
bronze medal for the men’s 4×100
meters Relay category. It might bedifficult for a Japanese to win a medal for 100 meters at the Tokyo Olympics, but there may very well be a finalist. Sports cannot be produced
like out-of-season crops with artificial heat and lighting. You can’t expect them to bloom the next day you
plant the seeds. I think from now on,
you need to look at the athletes in thelong term.
Tamesue: I think running as a finalist in the 100 meters is going to be
more difficult than winning a medal
for the hurdle category. Complex
events in track and field would be
Hurdles if it were a running category, Pole Vault, and Triple Jump if itwere a jumping category and Hammer Throw if it were a throwing category. In contrary, simple events include Shot Put, Long Jump, and 100
meters. The Japanese lack medals inthese simple categories. If we were to
take action based on choice and concentration, maybe we need to enforce the events that require complexity.

Meanwhile, like pure mathematics
in which people challenge difficult
tasks because of their purity, there isa possibility that knowledge acquired
in one sport may spread to othersports. For example, if the level ofgymnastics rises, there are possibilities that levels of different categories
that require spinning like Aerial andHigh Dive will rise too.
If you only look at the data ofeach category, by the time you know
it your grounds in which you standwill become unstable. Grasping balance is extremely difficult, but I
think that if you look at the shortterm and only go after results, you
won’t be able to research what is at
the basis of sports, which you needto trigger to heighten performances.
If you start doing that, I feel that thelevel of sports as a whole will slowly
begin declining from that moment.
Inose: The fact that a Japanese athlete was able to mark 9.98 seconds
for 100 meters is a result of countlessreasons, including dissecting pastdata and revising training methodsof coaches, not to mention ways ofmental training.
Tanaka: We need to raise 3 athletes
close to winning a gold medal in order to produce 1 gold medalist.
Moreover, those 3 athletes need 3 rivals to compete against. If we keep
calculating in that way, we need toraise over 30 excellent athletes thathave the possibility of winning agold medal in order to produce 1
gold medalist. The U.K. Olympic
Committee released this logic.
But can the country’s policy allow
such a large number of people pursue
their athlete careers to win a single
gold medal? It’s not just a matter ofconsidering the lives of medalists after they retire. It’s about seeing toathletes who can win a medal, whoweren’t able to win a medal or evenathletes who weren’t able to participate in the Olympics so that they areable to move onto their next careers
after they quit their challenge. The
key to this issue is, I think, is theirmentality. How should we make themost of these people who have mental steady enough to aim for a medal,
and lead them so that they can thrive
in a completely different career likeworking in a large corporation, forexample, after they retire? The physical and technical aspects of theseathletes cannot be utilized other thanbecoming an instructor. On the other hand, their minds are highly usefulfor communication or problem-solving. Several programs detect the potentials of these athletes, which theyearned during their hard training.
Besides, the International Olympic
Committee has started introducing
career programs for athletes. I thinkit’s also time for Tokyo—the host forthe coming Olympics—to start making these kinds of adjustments too,
fast.

9

Tokyo Olympics 2020
—Ways to make useof the experience in
cultureInose: When the Olympics firststarted in Greece, it wasn’t just about
sports. It was instead a religious
event that also included literature
and art. Olympics existed as a place
for returning our diverse knowledge
and wisdom to civilization and use it
for evolving it.
Tamesue: The word “sports” derives
from the Latin word “deportare”
which is what I named my company.
They say citing poems and singing
songs was also included in “deportare.” There are many interpretationsof this, but I like to think that it
meant to fully express yourselves inyour original way.
Today, people are shifting fromentertainment enjoyed by observing
people’s performances—like watching people run in stadiums or watching people act in films—to expressing themselves—like running or
photographing themselves and posting it on Instagram. I think the 2020
Tokyo Olympics will become interesting if everyone moved towards expressing themselves at full like this.
Ninomiya: The IOC Charter statesthat the Olympic Games are competitions between athletes in individual
or team events and not between
countries. However, newspapers of
every nation—not just Japan—lists
the top countries that have won themost medals. The strange thing isthat the country with the most gold
medals is thought of as being higher
in rank. For example, a country with
3 gold medals, 1 silver medal and 1
bronze medal, is ranked higher thana country with 2 gold medals, 10 silver medals, and 10 bronze medals.
Here we have the gold standard system (laugh). However, I think it’s

10

important that we not only look at
the number of medals but also see
how many sports categories thecountry succeeded in producing results, to measure the depth of thatcountry’s sports culture.
Also, we need to look at theParalympics. Don’t forget that Japanis facing an aging society. Environmental improvements for the elderly
comes hand in hand with the growthof sports environment for the disabled.
In this sense, I think the Paralympics
is going to become more importantfrom now on. One of the values ofsports is its ability to raise people’s
spirits. But you cannot convert that
into numbers. Maybe we need tothink realistically as to how we canraise this tacit knowledge—that sports
raises people’s spirits—to explicit
knowledge.
Tamesue: Philosopher and doctor
Baien Miura said something like
this; “Don’t be surprised by a flower
that blooms in a withered tree. Instead, be surprised by a flower thatblooms in a living tree.” Of course,
it’s fascinating that an athlete runs
1/100 seconds faster than before,
but what about the abilities of human beings who know straightaway
how to hold a cup without breaking
it, even while they talk? You know,
they’re finding it extremely difficult
to make robots hold a cup. Since I
retired, I have come to realize the fascinating capabilities of what the human body can do, which I thinkcomes before the amazing abilities ofathletes. It would be interesting if
sports could become a trigger for
people to think about these kinds ofthings that are taken for granted.
Tanaka: I have been doing synchronized swimming with one in a million, synchronized swimmer Mikako
Koyani, ever since I was 10. She and
I are the same age, you see. Once, I
beat her in the solo category at the
All-Japan Tournament, but the newspapers the following day read, “Ko-tani Loses” and not “Tanaka Wins.”
I wanted to perform solo at theSeoul Olympics too, but I lost, andso I performed the duet category andwon a bronze medal. To be honest, I
have thought what synchronizedswimming means to me. Thanks tothis, I started studying psychology.
Through sports, you get to feel frustrated upon losing or get carriedaway upon winning or you get toquestion the meaning of your existence. Sports is something in which
you can experience heavy emotions
and thoughts like these. Whatever
experience you go through, it’s likely
to be an opportunity to face yourself.
That’s the message I wish to passdown.
Inose: You dig in deep when you get
involved in sports because you place
yourself in a completely different
world separated from your daily life
or your business routine. Though, I
guess we’re not just talking about
sports here. I think we should try
and return what we gain from sports
with every respect to the players. To
do that, we need financial assistance,
support from the crowd and volunteer staff to help enliven the Tokyo
Olympics. Most of all, starting with
the Tokyo Olympics, I hope every
one of you enjoys sports and maintain your health through it.
(Reprinted from “Shukan Dokushojin,”
20th April 2018 Issue, No. 3236 &WEB Dokushojin)

The panelists
Dai Tamesue
Bronze medalist for 400 meters Hurdles at the Men’s World Championships in Athletics, reporter, president of Deportare Partners and director of Shin-Toyosu Brillia Running Stadium.
Born in Hiroshima prefecture in 1978. Tamesue is Japan’s first medalist in the sprint events to win inInternational competitions. He participated in three Olympics—Sydney, Athens and Beijing and he is arecord holder in Japan for Men’s 400 meters Hurdles. Currently, Tamesue serves as president of Deportare Partners, a company that pursues projects related to sports and technology. Known widely as a“Running Philosopher,” his unique style of dedicating himself to sports and his method of self-examining
is highly acclaimed. His books include, “Hashiru Tetsugakusha” (Running Philosopher), “Akirameru Chikara” (Power to Give Up) and “Hashirinagara Kangaeru” (Think While You Run).

Miyako Tanaka-Oulevey
A mental training consultant in sports, a member of the IOC marketing commission, 1988 Seoul Olympic
bronze medalist in Synchronized Swimming Duet, and an advanced mental training consultant in sportcertified by the Japanese Psychological Association.
Born in Tokyo in 1967. Tanaka won a bronze medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics in Synchronized Swimming Duet. She served as head coach of the Japanese national team from 1989 to 99, as well as headcoach assistance at the Atlanta Olympics and a guest coach for the French national team. In 1991, Tanaka traveled to the U.S. and after finishing her MA at the graduate school of St. Mary’s College, she studied
cognitive-behavioral therapy at the graduate school of Argosy University and others. She established her
own company in 2001 and has since been instructing mental training both to professional sports athletes and the general public, giving lectures and speaking at corporate training sessions.
Tanaka also provides mental training as a mental coach for the Men’s Wheelchair Basketball, a mental
coach for the “Nadeshiko” Women’s Soccer national team. She is also a TV commentator for news programs. She has a French husband with whom she has two children. Her books include, “99% no Hito ga
Shiteinai Tatta 1% no Mentaru no Kotsu” (Mental tactics for just 1%, which 99% of People Don’t Do),
“Ichinichi 30 Byo de Dekiru Atarashii Jibun no Tsukurikata” (Making a New Self with Just 30 Seconds aDay), “Jinsei Saigo no Jibun ni Deaeru Kanjo Noto” (An Emotional Notebook where You can Meet Yourself
Encountering your Last Self) and “Koko Ichiban ni Tsuyokunaru Jibun Kontororu no Hosoku” (Rules toControl Yourself in order to be Strong in a Critical Moment).

Seijun Ninomiya
Sports journalist and director of Sports Communications Ltd. Ninomiya was born in Ehime prefecture in
1960. After having worked as a journalist for sports around the world, interviewing World Soccer Championships, Major League Baseball and Boxing World Championship fight, Ninomiya comes to realize thatsports are not rooted in the Japanese culture. Hoping that more people enjoy sports— a fine culture developed by humans—Ninomiya established the internet magazine “Sports Communications.” He also
serves as a member of the Japan Soccer Museum Advisory Board. His books include, “Supotsu Meishobu Monogatari” (Famous Sports Matches), “Shosha no Shiko ho” (Winners way of Thinking) and “Kawarenai Soshiki wa Horobiru” (Organization that refuses to change will fall.” Recently, he co-wrote the book“Showa Puroyakyu no Uragawa” (Behind-the-scenes Stories of Professional Baseball of the Showa Era).

Naoki Inose
Author. Born in 1946. In 1986, he received the Souichi Ooya Nonfiction Award for his book “Mikado
no Shozo” (Portrait of the Emperor).” In 1996, he received the Bungeishunju Readers’ Award for his book
“Nipponkoku no Kenkyu” (A Report on Japan).” In June 2002, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi appointed
him to the Promotion Committee for the Privatization of the Four Highway-Related Public Corporations.
He served as Tokyo Governor from December 2012 to December 2013. In December 2015, he became
Special Advisor to Osaka City. His books include “Show 16-nen no Haisen” (The Defeat in Showa 16), “Persona—Mishima Yukio Den” (Persona: The Story of Mishima Yukio) and “Picaresque—Dazai Osamu Den.”(Picaresque: The Story of Dazai Osamu). Upcoming books include “Kyushutsu” (Rescue), “Senso, Tenno,
Kokka” (War, Emperor, State), “Seigi ni tsuite Kangaeyo” (Let’s Think about Justice), “Minkei” (Posse Man),“Tokyo no Teki” (Tokyo’s Enemy) and in collaboration with Lully Miura, “Kokumin Kokka no Riarizumu”(Realism and the Nation-state).

Translation: Ayako Karino
11

Japanese Civilization Institute 2018 12th Symposium
Google and Facebook are competing ruthlessly in developing AI. With the evolution of deep learning, computers that can think
like humans are likely to emerge in the future. As a result, our lives will change drastically in various areas, including politics,
economics, education, the medical world and employment.
When AI surpasses human intelligence, what kind of future are we looking at?!
Where is Japan positioned in the world’s research standard of AI? Can the Japanese industry survive?
We will have Mr. Yutaka Matsuo, Japan’s leading AI researcher who serves as associate professor at the University of Tokyo, talkthoroughly on the topic.

▶ Panel discussion:

Will Artificial Intelligence (AI)surpass human intelligence?!
Yutaka Matsuo

Naoki Inose

Associate professor at the University of Tokyo, Department of Technology
Management for Innovation, Graduate School of Engineering

Author, director of the Japanese
Civilization InstituteDate: 2 3th May (Wed), 2018, 7 p.m.-9 p.m. (doors scheduled
to open at 6:30 p.m.)
Venue: J apan University of Economics, Tokyo Shibuya
Campus Hall (the hall seats approximately 100 people)
Address: 25-17, Sakuragaoka-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 151-0031

Traditional Crafts
Online Site

Admission: 2
 ,000 yen (please pay at the door on the day)How to attend: a pply through the site below:
http://www.japancivilization.org/
Contact: J apanese Civilization Institute03-5456-8082

Worldwide：https://shops.japancivilization.org
Japanese：http://japancivil.shop9.makeshop.jp

Messages from Director
Japanese Civilization Institute has been introducing and selling traditional crafts of Japan.
Although it is said that there is approximately 1,200 types of traditional crafts in Japan, its
production is declining. As part of our activities, we hope to discover valuable traditional crafts
spread across the nation, enjoy Japanese craftsmanship and its beauty inherited over the
centuries, and develop it with you.

Tsumami Kanzashi(Crepe)Folding Screen(half size)

Folding Screen(full size)

KYO-YAKI
Earthenware

Japanese Bamboo
Basket Tokyotrad

Odoshi Samurai Armor

Contact：Japanese Civilization Institute 24-5 Sakuragaoka-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0031 Phone : 03-5456-8082 Mail : info@japancivilization.org