Preserving a Form
KARASAWA Kaori (Associate Professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, Oriental History,Social Psychology)

For some reason, my mother did not likethe idea of being interred in a grave. My last willis to not have my bones put in a grave, but to havemy ashes scattered instead. This was a wish thatmy mother had always expressed to me. She also
said quite outrageous things such as if it's ahassle, just scatter my ashes somewhere in themountains. After my mother passed, I naturally
could not bring myself to scatter her ashes in themountains, but neither could I ignore her last wish.
I therefore searched on the internet for an agency
to do it for me. However, while looking for such a
service, I could not but feel doubts. This was an
expression of my sense of resistance against
having my mother's form disappear completely. If
one understands the act of scattering ashes as
returning to the sea or the ground, then one could
say that the cremated remains do not reallydisappear, because they still exist on this earth.
However, when the remains are turned into a finedust and scattered, they in effect disappear as avisible entity. This is what bothered me. So, after
researching various methods, I settled on having
the cremains mixed with ceramics and molded intoa plate.
Why did I want to preserve a form?
Death is frightening. No matter how you
look at it, one ceases to exist. My body, thought
and emotions｜at this very moment I am moving
my fingers across the keyboard while thinking｜will completely vanish. Of course, one candefiantly say that since fear of death also
disappears with the arrival of death, it does notmake sense to think about one's fear of death
before death actually occurs. If everything ends
with death, what is there to fear? However, while
one can entertain these thoughts, when one isconfronted for some reason with death, it conjures
a sense of fear. It might be that this fear arises
naturally in the minds of human beings, who havebeen designed to strive for survival. I think it
would be treason against the genes who won out
in the fight for survival throughout the history of
evolution to take on an attitude of saying, I don'tcare, because if you die it all ends anyway.
On the other hand, while fear of deathmight be unavoidable, there are coping
mechanisms built into society and culture, whichhave been created as the result of our minds andthe labor of our minds. One of these mechanisms is
to believe in stories telling us that it is possible toremain in the world through relationships to others
even after death. For example, by being kept alivein the minds of others, or through becoming abuddha and remaining in the world to watch over2

others. I think the coping mechanism that is basedon this kind of thinking is the privilege of our
species, which lives in relationships with others. It
is nothing new to claim that the existence of otherpeople is absolutely crucial in life, but this holds
true even after death.
Stories like this are even more important
exactly because those of us who have been left
behind have to pass the time until our own deaths.
Through the death of someone close, therelationship mediated through the physical body tothat person is cut. However, by believing that therelationship continues by way of one's mind andrealizing this continuation of the relationship as a
subjective experience, one is not only able to copewith one's grief over the death of a loved one, but
the story that something remains even after death
also gains a sense of reality.
That said, we live by reacting to entities
that have concrete form and exist before our eyes,
and it is difficult to keep something alive in our
minds which is lacking this actual form. Humanminds are good at forgetting. I have realized only
too well with the accumulation of life experiences
the cruelty of fading memories with the passing oftime and I believe that it is extremely uncertain
whether one can truly remain in the minds ofothers. That is why one takes objects withconcrete form, such as keepsakes, photos,
mortuary tablets and graves, and places them in
one's life as cues that keep alive the memories in
one's mind. Among these objects might be items
that ought to be discussed from the perspective of
their religious meaning, but in regard to theirfunction for the mind, they are important cues thatbring to life the dead in one's memories and are
media through which the dead live on in one's
mind.
This, then, is the answer to the question I
posed in the beginning. The reason why I wanted
to preserve a form was probably in order toachieve for myself resistance to oblivion and tokeep the memories alive in my mind. Sincecremated remains originate in the physical body ofthe deceased, they seem to me particularly
effective in this regard. Most people would answer
that one did something like I did out of affection
for one's mother. However, to say that one did it inorder to believe in the story that one remains in
the minds of others might be a little too academic.
Still, I believe that my mother, who was acceptingof such a daughter like me, would have simply
laughed and said that's alright.

The Relationship of Death and Life:
Between Ethnography and Personal Experience
HONDA Hiroshi (Associate Professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, Social
Anthropology/Korean Studies)

The question as to how the death of anindividual influences family, friends, andcommunity｜and the question as to how thisuncommon event is resolved｜is an important
issue for anthropology.
It has been some 20 years since I began
doing fieldwork in provincial Korean society. In
this time, I have witnessed the death of many of
those whom I did my fieldwork with and on; I
have also faced the death of many of those close tome. I myself have experienced that not only those
who have passed, but also those, in both direct andindirect relation, have been profoundly affected bythese deaths.
Personally, the most I was affected bydeath was when my father passed away 10 years
prior. When I try to speak of that time some deep
feeling comes from within me and I can't put
things into words very well. But, here, I will try
writing about the time leading up to my father's
death in as an objective sense as I can. On his way
home my father suddenly was struck withrespiratory difficulties. This was the beginning.
The ambulance was quickly called and he wastaken to the hospital. His breathing difficulties had
led to the cessation of his heart and lungs foralmost 30 minutes. By the time his heart had
began functioning again over half of his brain had
been irreversibly lost. According to the doctor in
charge, there was no chance of him regaining
consciousness.
Despite this, he was given the most
passive form of life support possible: a respirator
and nutrients. For one year or so｜despite his lackof consciousness｜he continued to live. My
father was a medical researcher and, despite being
prone to illness in his later years, often saw
patients part-time up until he passed into
unconsciousness. Considering that he often spoke
negatively of life support, I feel he must have been
disappointed as what happened was against his
will.
Although I wrote that he continued tolive, I often wonder if one can call that life.
Whenever I recall this I always think deeply about
this question. For the doctor, my father was still aliving patient. Further, as long as my father [whenhis brain was still functioning] and my family
never clearly expressed that we did not want him
on life support, the doctor could not take him off
the respirator and cease feeding him. At the sametime｜despite my family being told that he would
never regain consciousness｜the emergency
medical treatment he received had indeed restarted
his heart. Despite being told that turning off theswitch would lead quickly to his death and thatkeeping him on life support was never going tolead to his recovery (when we looked at him

everything except for his brain still functioned) it
was not easy to end prolonging his life.
At some point I thought it was time tostop with the life support: it wasn't going to bringhim back. Pointless treatment was just that. The
other members of my family｜especially mym o t h e r｜ felt o p p o s e d to t h i s in both apsychological and moral sense. We were neverable to come to a consensus. To compound
matters, I was doing research abroad at the time.
Although I briefly returned to Japan after he firstentered the hospital, the only thing I could do wasspend my time abroad with the intention of
returning when he finally passed away. My
objections to his treatment could not be directly
conveyed as I was so far away. Regardless, I still
have difficulty judging whose view was correct. I
also feel that my entire family had many doubts
and conflicting feelings. And yet, without a chance
to deal with these feelings or reflect, he passed
away.
This might be a special case, but when I
try to understand death｜as a researcher in
ethnography and also based on my personal
experience｜I wonder by what criteria we use toconclude that a life has ended and just exactly
what death is. I also wonder how this ambivalentsituation arises｜not just with individuals but also
within society itself and within individual families.
And more importantly is the fact that when wedeal with the death of someone close we often
have to face this ambivalence without coming toproper terms. In the case of death, the relationshipthat individuals and family members have with thedeceased comes into sharp relief. How one faces
and deals with death cannot simply be explained
through recourse to talking about custom or
tradition. It is often an individual matter.

3

Seeking a Lifespan of One-Hundred Years
EINOO Shingo (Professor, the Institute of Oriental Culture, Indian Philosophy and Buddhist Studies)

Being appointed as researcher collaborator
with the COE Death and Life studies project hasgiven me a new perspective on my research.
Hence, when I now read classical Indian liturgicaltexts (my specialty), I have begun to actively
collect information concerning the connection
between ritual and death and life. In this essay, I
would like to give a brief analysis of one aspect
found in these materials.
Immortality is the longest kind of life.
[In this literature], it is held that the Heavens are aplace of immortal life and that by going there one
receives such (JB 1.332 [138,30-32]). Thus
immortality can only be gained by going to theother world (SB 10.2.6.17, AA 2.6 [123,14-124,2]);or, one can say, only through giving up the bodycan one attain such immortality (SB 10.4.3.9).
Further, the performing of a number of Vedic
rituals｜for example, the agnicayana (SB 10.5.1.5),
agnihotra (JB 1.2 [3,32-4,1]), and the gavamayana(JB 2.427-428 [345, 7-14; 17-18])｜were thought toensure such immortality.
In Vedic rituals, though, a separate notionof immortality (i.e., different from the idea of goingto the Heavens) can be seen. The constant birth ofprogeny and grandchildren, for example, wasthought to be a kind of immortality for humanbeings (TB 1.5.5.6, TA 1.30.1). Likewise, completingthe three stages of life was also held to be aform of immortality (SB 12.9.1.8). This is simply
expressed in the phrase [one's] life [ ayus ] isimmortal. (MS 2.2.2 [16,11; 13]). Specifically, thesetexts hold that a 100-year (SB 10.1.5.4) or longer
life (SB 10.2.6.8) is equivalent with being immortal.
The desire to live a hundred years was often
expressed beginning with the oldest Indian texts
such as the Rig Veda and the Atharva Veda (RV
2.27.10, AV 2.13.3). Further, ritual implorations indomestic rites of passage that one's progeny
would live for a hundred years are occasionallyexpressed in the form of mantra. The ritual ofpraying for the birth of a male child; ritual at thetime of childbirth; prayer for the good fortunes of
their children when a father returns from a long
journey; and, finally, prayers for when one begins
to study the Vedas are all examples. The abovecited mantra from AV 2.13.3 was recited when
students received new clothing. You have put on
this garment for your health and you have become
protector of the people from the spells. May youlive a hundred autumns and may you obtain theprosperity of riches.
In this same ceremony, a mantra in praiseof the sun recited by students (found in the ManGS
1.22.11) is also of great interest.
Through hundred autumns may we seethat bright eye, god-appointed, rise. A hundred

4

autumns may we live. Through hundred autumns
may we hear; through hundred autumns clearly
speak: through hundred autumns live; a hundred
autumns, yes, beyond a hundred autumns may wesee.
(Translation: The Texts of the White
Yajurveda, tr. Ralph T.H. Griffith, [1899]; slightly
modified by translator).
The part from the beginning up to
through hundred autumns live in this mantra is
the same as that found in RV 7.66.16. However, afurther imploration has been added. More than 20
years prior, in a village in the north of India's Bihar
state, I had the opportunity to watch the morning
rituals of elderly Brahmans. This was a prayer inpraise of the sun, and was the same mantra as
found in ManGS 1.22.11 (On this, see Einoo 1989:
pp. 397-398). This same mantra is already found in
the White Yajur Veda (VS 36.24), and has most
likely been transmitted for some 3000 years inNorthern India where the tradition of the White
Yajur Veda has long preserved.
In the case of the term hundred years,
words denoting the year are rare and instead what
is most prevalent is the use of the word sarad(autumn)｜occasionally the winter or monsoon
season is also mentioned. In Buddhist liturgicaltexts, life ritual descriptions imploring a lifespan ofseveral hundred years, several thousand years,
and myriad kalpa are also common. The
Mahamayuri vidyarajni ( Peacock Sutra ), a
comparatively early Buddhist liturgical text, like in
Brahmanism, hands down repeatedly ritual
formulas ending with the phrase: This great kingof the Peacock mantra, as spoken by thetathagata ...may he (or they) live a hundred
autumns, and may they see a hundred autumns.
As we may conclude from the above, the desire tolive a hundred years seems to have been aprevalent tradition throughout Southern Asia.
Abbreviations: AA Aitareya Aranyaka,
AV Atharva Veda, JB Jaiminiya Brahmana, ManGS
Manava Grhya Sutra, MS Maitrayani Samhita, RV
Rig Veda, SB Satapatha Brahmana, TA Taittiriya
Aranyaka, TB Taittiriya Brahmana,VS Vajasaneyi
Samhita.
Reference: Einoo, Shingo (1989),
Mahadevapuja: A Report on Case Studies from
Mithila Bulletin of the National Museum of
Ethnology 14.2, pp. 379-451.

Death and Life Studies and East Asia
TSUCHIYA Taisuke (Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science)

When I was studying in China but had
temporarily returned to Japan, one of the things
that struck me as odd were the Japanese period
dramas on television. I think it was in particular ascene in which Oda Nobunaga held council withhis retainers that triggered this feeling. Watching
the slightly dark screen, I experienced a strong
sense of a lack of civility.
Back then, I was studying in the doctoral
program of a Chinese university and was watching
television all the time on the pretext of studying
Chinese. This is probably not something to brag
about, but I must have acquired a Chinese
sensibility in this way, which led me to discern in
the Japanese period dramas something that differedfrom their Chinese counterparts. At the time, I did
not understand why I felt this way myself, but
after a while I identified the cause of my feelings of
discomfort. In Japanese period dramas, there are no
intellectuals. If the program I had seen were a
Chinese period drama there would invariably havebeen a Confucian by the side of the ruler
constantly going on about the Way of Heavenor the suffering of the people.
These figures
dedicate themselves to learning and the pursuit of
the Way (dao), and based on this concept, theykeep a close eye on imperial authority. This hasturned into a political mechanism in China that is
hard to ignore. However, Oda had no such person
in his entourage. His retainers were all military
men who would only discuss strategy and politicalschemes. This is extremely rational, but the factthat there was no Confucian who would observe
whether the policies of Oda were in accordancewith ethics and morality made me feel very
uncomfortable. The reason why I experienced thissense of civility can be traced back to this kind of
Chinese (Confucian) sensibility.
The G-COE program Development andSystematization of Death and Life Studies has
declared East Asia a regional focus. Academic
exchange with China has thus increased, and I
have been able to participate in a number of theseexchange activities. I found all of these activities
fascinating, but among the Japanese participants
there were also some who expressed their surpriseat the difficulties inherent in exchange with
Chinese scholars. The problem consciousness ofboth sides differed and the questions and answers
that were brought up in the course of discussions
did not really seem to mesh. What is it, then, that is
so different? What struck me was the contrast thatwhile the Chinese scholars wanted to discuss
abstract matters, such as the question of good andevil or morality, the Japanese side emphasized theindeterminate nature of good and evil and put moreemphasis on the concrete realities of life. While theChinese scholars constantly employed terms suchas Heaven (tian) or fate (ming), the Japanesescholars incessantly questioned to what extent
these concepts have a real presence in theeveryday lives of Chinese people. I remember
several exchanges like this.
I do not believe that this kind of
miscommunication was a random occurrence only
limited to this one occasion. The background ofthese cases of miscommunication is in fact formedby the cultural differences between the twocountries that have emerged over a long time. In
more concrete terms, I believe that there is adifference in the role intellectuals play in the twosocieties. This is a difference similar to thatbetween the Confucian and the military man I
mentioned in the beginning. A certain scholar hasargued that in China, the political function of theidea of the Way is not a thing of the past. Evenfor contemporary Chinese scholars, to represent the
Way and participate in politics is a habit they are
not able to shake off. For them, discussing Heavenand fate is perhaps a kind of calling. On theother hand, Japanese do not sense reality in thisway of thinking. For them, such considerations
only sound like superficial political discourse.
To Japanese, comparisons between China
and Japan are very thought-provoking. The twocountries share the same cultural foundations,which have given shape to today's differences
through diverging historical developments. In thisregard, there exists a basis for comparison that
does not exist with any other country, and throughcomparison with China we are able to look back at
the formative process of Japanese culture.
However, in post-war Japan, Chinese Studies has
been limited to a small group of experts. Actually, I
have the secret hope that Death and Life Studies
will change this situation. To raise questions
concerning life and death is to question thefoundations of the humanities. Such fundamental
questions turn into an opportunity for thinking
about the differences between China and Japan as
an immediate issue. The miscommunications I
mentioned above represent one instance of thesedifferences. However, miscommunication issimultaneously also a real encounter. In fact, mostof the participants in the exchange activities
regarded these cases of
miscommunication also as again. I sincerely wish thatthrough the new venture thatis Death and Life Studies,
Asian culture will enter oursight in a new form.

5International Workshop on Medical Ethics
for Young Scholars (Oxford)
SHIMAZONO Susumu (DALS Leader, Professor, Religious Studies)

An international workshop on medical
ethics for young scholars was held on December
10th, 2008, at St. Cross College, Oxford University.
This workshop was a collaborative effort between
the Global COE Death and Life Studies Programand Oxford University. Additional support was
kindly provided by the Uehiro Foundation on
Ethics and Education. This workshop, designed foryoung scholars, was held in conjunction with aresearch meeting of British, Japanese, and North
American scholars. From the Japanese side,
Susumu Shimazono, Tetsuro Shimizu, Masaki
Ichinose, Hiroshi Yamazaki (all Univ. of Tokyo
Professors), Kaoruko Aita, Seiichi Takeuchi,
Atsushi Tsuchiya (COE Specially Appointed
Researchers), Toshihiko Dozono (Associate
Professor, Shizuoka University), and Misao Fujita(University of Tokyo, Specially Appointed
Associate Professor) participated in this workshop.
From Oxford, Professors Tony Hope, Roger Crisp,
Julian Savulescu, Janet Radcliffe Richards, andNick Bostrom participated. From the United States,
Professors Daniel Brock (Harvard) and Alan
Buchanan (Duke) took part along with a young
researcher from Case Western.
Following a brief outline of theworkshop's purpose by Professor Savulescu andan introduction to the Death and Life Studies
program by Professor Shimazono, eight young
scholars presented papers and took part in a group

discussion (three students from Todai; four from
Oxford; and one from Case Western). Topics
broached from the non-Japanese side included
Freezing Eggs for Lifestyle Reasons (Imogen
Goold); Two Objections to Synthetic Biology(Thomas Douglas); Defining Human Life:
Applications from Bedside to Bench (Patricia
Scripko); What is in the Best Interests of theChild? Asking the Question and Begging theQuestion (Dominic Wilkerson); and The Scourge:
Moral Implications of Natural Embryo Loss (Toby
Ord). From the Japanese side, presentations
included Models of Donors' Decision Making in
Living Donor Liver Transplantation in Japan(Misao Fujita); The Meaning and Significance of
the Double Standard of Brain Death in Japan(Kaoruko Aita); Medical Staff Should be Informed

Presenting at Oxford
TSUCHIYA Atsushi(Research Fellow of G-COE Death and Life Studies)
Considering that this workshop lasted
for three days, consisted of some 23 papers(nine by young scholars and fourteen by moresenior scholars), was on a tight schedule, andthat there were more than 40 attendees, it wasan honor to spend such valuable time in such athrilling and marvelous environment. As Oxford
ﾕs Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics is one of
the main global centers for humanenhancement research I was rather nervous topresent (part of my paper was on humanenhancement). Along with all who attended, I
would like to give my special thanks toProfessor Shimazono for inviting me and to ourhost, Professor Savulescu. Further, my timespent with the many young scholars at Oxford
offered me a great deal. I am sure that there will
be chances in the future for some kind ofcollaborative research. Finally, I was also givena great deal of confidence by the presentations
from younger and senior scholars from the6

University of Tokyo: considering that thescholars from Oxford (and elsewhere) gave theirpresentations in English, I feel that the Japaneseside fulfilled expectations as well.

from Patients: Toward an Ideal Informed Consent(Seiichi Takeuchi); and Factors Determining
Public Interest in Human Enhancement (Atsushi
Tsuchiya).
As a general tendency, Western scholars
tended to discuss the logic and theory behindvarious kinds of ethical validity. The Japanese side,
however, tended to focus on more concrete casestudies. Regardless, the overall level of the papers
from both sides was high and provided for athorough debate. Further, many of thepresentations were highly advanced yet presented
in a clearly understandable manner.
Overall, differences in approach by theJapanese and non-Japanese were seen, however.
Perhaps one reason for this difference is that
Western scholars tended to be working from thepremises of individualism and utilitarianism, andattempted to allow for a greater acceptance of the
pursuit of personal benefits and desires. Opposedto this, Japanese scholars tended to focus oninterpersonal relationships and showed a concern
for controlling such values as the acceptance ofthe pursuit of personal benefits and desires. In
Western debates on medical ethics opportunities to
examine such cultural differences are perhaps notabundant. In this sense, this workshop provided
the chance to become more aware of the need tofocus on differences in cultural values andconceptions of death and life.

Experiencing the Difference in the Perception Lens
of Brain Death between Japan and the WestAITA Kaoruko(Research fellow of G-COE Death and Life Studies)
The international workshop on medical
ethics provided me a rare and valuable
opportunity to realize the difference in theperception lens between Japanese and AngloAmericans. I made a presentation on my recent
research on how Japanese clinicians deal withbrain dead patients, and failed to obtainunderstanding from my British and American
participants.
It is common for clinicians in Japan tocontinue providing treatment for brain deadpatients so that their hearts can continue
beating for some more time. Japanesephysicians consider that somatic maintenance isimportant to give the patients' families sometime until cardiac arrest｜when they can better
accept that the patients are dying.
However,theAnglo-American
participants did not understand the meaning of
this practice in Japan, but indirectly expressed it
is absurd because brain death is death.

Finally, it is often the case that younger
Japanese scholars have difficulties whenpresenting and debating in English with scholars
who have English as their mother tongue.
However, I think that the ability of these younger
Japanese scholars to present in English is growing,
and that this workshop was an example of how
we are moving beyond these previous limitations.
To close, I would again like to reiterate the further
need for developing our abilities to present inEnglish and, beyond questions of language
barriers, to further deepen the quality of ourpresentations.

What is the definition of death? What
and who decides it? It is usually considered thatdeath is determined strictly physiologically. To
be precise, however, there is some time span
until cardiac arrest that can be manipulated byphysicians. Japanese physicians often decide to
make the time span shorter or longer byobserving the reaction of the patient's family
because they know that the dying person andthe family share the dying process and thedeath itself. It is a felt reality for Japanese that adying patient is not a lone quality separate fromsocial relationships.
Brain death is the condition of total
brain failure. Some people believe it isequivalent to death, but others do not. Somecountries in the West have a statute that states
brain death is death, but brain death is notconsidered to be a legal death in Japan. Culturalcontext plays an important role in determining
what brain death means.
It is usually a tall order for many
Japanese, including myself, to make our values
and views of death and life understood in
English. But I will not give up, and try again.

7

Workshop: Death and Life Studies on War and the War Dead
ICHINOSE Masaki (Professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology,
Department of Philosophy)

This past June 6, 2009, the Death and Life
Studies workshop Death and Life Studies on War
and the War Dead was held from 10:30 AM
onwards in the Lecture Hall 1 at the Faculty of
Letters, The University of Tokyo. The aim of thisworkshop, in which mainly scholars from Korea
and Japan were invited, was to approach the issuesof war and the commemoration of war dead fromthe viewpoint of Death and Life Studies. An
audience of approximately seventy people
assembled and participated vigorously in theworkshop. In light of the thematic nature of theworkshop the audience consisted mostly ofparticipants with some kind of connection to
Korea. We employed simultaneous interpreting for
Korean and Japanese on this occasion, whichallowed the participants to discuss in theirrespective mother tongues. As Korean andJapanese are similar, the simultaneousinterpretation worked extremely well and I believethat this occasion might work as a model case for
future events.
The workshop opened with an addressfrom the head of the Death and Life studies
program, Shimazono Susumu. In the first session,
Telengut Aitor, a scholar originally from Inner
Mongolia who is now teaching at Hokkai Gakuen
University, raised issues concerning the Mongolian
Memorial (Moko no hi) in Sendai. Chi Young Im, a
JSPS Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the
University of Tokyo, discussed issues surrounding
the victims of war on Jeju Island during the
Korean War. Telengut stated that Japan represents
a rare case of a tolerant country that goes so far as
to create memorials for the dead of its enemies. In
a detailed paper, Chi discussed how during the
Korean War a tragedy occurred on Jeju Island
under the banner of fighting communism and that8

the commemoration of the victims of this tragedy
is still a sensitive issue in contemporary Koreansociety. Manabe Yuko from the Institute ofOriental Culture at the University of Tokyo
commented on the two papers and, skillfully
merging the two different topics, brought up theissue of emotions caused by war.
After lunch, the second session was heldin which Kato Yoko from the Graduate School of
Humanities and Sociology at the University ofTokyo discussed the issue of the war dead andtheir surviving relatives in twentieth century
Japan. Based on ample objective sources, Kato
offered a close look at the historical situation inwhich the Japanese army and the government
were not always forthcoming towards thesurviving families with information concerning thewar dead. Park Young June from the National
Defense University in Korea commented on Kato's
paper and raised issues such as the nature of themodern state and the necessity to ideologize war
experiences. Choi Kil Sung from the University of
East Asia admirably fulfilled the role of chairperson during the first and second sessions.
During the third panel, Park Gyun Yeol
from Gyeongsang National University spoke aboutovercoming the stalled discussion concerning theJapanese-Korean War and, commenting on Japan's
previous colonial policies towards the Korean
peninsula, discussed possibilities for solving
problems such as the territorial disputesurrounding the Liancourt Rocks and the Sea ofJapan naming dispute. Rokutanda Yutaka from the
University of Tokyo's Graduate School of
Humanities and Sociology functioned ascommentator for Park's paper and raised thetheoretical and fundamental question of whether
Japan and Korea were ever actually in a state of

war. The chair person for this panel was Honda
Hiroshi from the Graduate School of Humanities
and Sociology at the University of Tokyo. He didan outstanding job at coordinating the session.
In the fourth session, Park Jung Soonfrom Yonsei University and Kobayashi Masaya
from Chiba University both discussed theAmerican philosopher Michael Walzer's just war
theory. In this theory, the idea of a just war
differentiates between just and unjust wars andtakes the ideological middle ground between
pacifism, which regards all wars as inherently evil,
and a realist approach that deems rules during war
time as unnecessary. Park criticized Walzer's
theory and took a pacifist position in his paper. On
the other hand, Kobayashi proposed an expansionof Walzer's theory based on a change ofperspective centered on the idea of a Global
communitarianism. I, myself, was the commentator
for these two papers and raised the issue of thebiologically inborn aggressive nature of humans
and questioned the analogy of national defense
and personal defense, issues that had not yet beenraised in the previous discussions. Yamaoka
Ryuichi from the Open University of Japan took
on the role of chair person, aptly summarizing thearguments and guiding the discussion.
There was lively participation in thediscussions from the audience. In this regard, theworkshop saw intense debate conducted from avariety of viewpoints and based on an East Asian
perspective represented by the Japanese, Korean
and Mongolian angles expressed in thepresentations. After the fourth session, I, as theorganizer of the event, gave a closing address. In
the address, I touched on two ways in which theworkshop had been significant. Firstly, I mentionedthat although it is easy in the case of Death andLife Studies to focus mostly on issues of medical
ethics or bio-ethics, the academic range of the

Death and Life Studies program is in fact muchbroader. War is one of the essential topics of thisfield of academic inquiry and the fact that this
topic was chosen for the workshop is significant.
Secondly, the fact that through this workshop, theDeath and Life Studies program has been able toengage in exchange with East Asia, and Korea inparticular, is also of great importance. The Deathand Life Studies program has already been
involved in exchange with Seoul National
University through the PeSeTo and BESETO
projects, but it is noteworthy that the workshop
provided opportunity for exchange with Koreanscholars outside of Seoul National University.
After the workshop, a reception was held.
Exchanges in Korean and Japanese flowed into
each other as the discussions were enthusiasticallycontinued at the reception and new academic
relationships were fostered. In closing, I would liketo express my gratitude to the Department of
Korean Studies in the Graduate School of
Humanities and Sociology and the speciallyappointed young researchers from the Death andLife Studies project, in particular Takeuchi Seiichi
and Pak Paeyong, for their efforts andcontributions in organizing this workshop.

9

Public Symposium: The Possibilities of Death and Life Studies
TAKEUCHI Seiichi (Professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology,
Department of Ethics)

On June 14 (Sun), 2009, the symposium
The Possibilities of Death and Life Studies washeld in collaboration with the Applied Ethics
Education Program in the No. 1 and No. 2 Lecture
Halls in the Faculty of Law and Letters Building 2.
Alongside functioning as an occasion forcommemorating the publication of the completed
series Death and Life Studies (Shiseigaku) in five
volumes from the University of Tokyo Press, this
symposium was planned as an opportunity toredefine the possibilities of Death and Life Studies
in front of a general audience.
The keynote report was delivered by thehead of the Death and Life Studies program,
Shimazono Susumu, and the panelists consisted of
Kanamori Osamu (intellectual history of science),
Saisho Hazuki (non-fiction writer), Takahashi
Miyako (health science), and Morioka Masahiro(bioethics). I functioned as chair person.
In the keynote report, Shimazono outlined
the efforts and the process that led to the creationof the Death and Life Studies program at the
University of Tokyo. He defined the academic
position and meaning of the new field of Deathand Life Studies by taking account of the field of

10

Thanatology in the west and pointing out thatwhile we have borrowed much from that field increating Death and Life Studies, we consciously
followed a different approach. Shimazono thenidentified three fields of inquiry ｜ (1) comparative
research concerning culture and thought related toissues of death and life, (2) research on theoreticalproblems concerning ethics and medical carerelated to issues of death and life, (3) participationin areas of praxis concerning issues of death andlife ｜ and pointed out concrete issues for all ofthese areas. These issues are as follows: (1) thenecessity and possibility of this field of academic
inquiry lies in the establishment of a field that isfounded on a multiplicity of cultures andphilosophies related to the issue of death and life
and thus relevatizes the Christian and westerncultural traditions that have hitherto formed thetacit premise for Thanatology; (2) the various
theoretical problems concerning death- and liferelated ethical values, which already form part of
traditional discourse, are further gaining inimportance and complexity with the developmentof modern scientific technologies; (3) there are
growing points of contact between clinical practiceand specialist knowledge concerning views on
death and life in various fields such as medical
treatment, health care, and education, and there isa need for a type of knowledge in the Humanities
that is able to keep up with these developments.
Finally, commenting on the possibilities inherent in
the current form of Death and Life Studies,
Shimazono stated that the development of Deathand Life Studies outlined above can install a newvitality into the Humanities, which are currently inthe process of shedding their tense relationship toreal-life situations.
On the other hand, Kanamori, in his paper
The Gates of Death and Life's Exit, expressed
doubt concerning the currently popular perceptionof death and life. He argued that while there is aclear end point for our lives in the form ofnatural death, the real drama takes place in thedimension of life that is present, evoked, andamplified in death as culture. Next, Saisho, who
has written about technologies related to the birthof life such as cloning technology, embryonic stem
cells, and reproductive medicine, stated her hopes
for Death and Life Studies as an academic field ofpractical applicability, pouring its abundantinsights into a multiplicity of issues related to life.
She also hopes doing so will cause a profound andwide-ranging review of universally held values. In
relationship to this, she also touched on the roleand possibilities of journalism. Takahashi, from theFaculty of Medicine, pointed out that recently
begun research on the question of living with theawareness of the real possibility of death, as seen
in work done in regard to cancer survivors, isgaining in importance. She also expressed her
expectations for Death and Life Studies as aninterdisciplinary field spanning clinical practiceand its various supporting fields of knowledge.
Lastly, Morioka, who has been calling for a
Philosophy of Life for some time, discussed his
framework for a life philosophy based on thefundamental question of why one should live if
one has to eventually die. He outlined thedevelopment of a Life-based Humanities thatwould add approaches from disciplines in the
Humanities that deal with the issue of life andcalled for a close coalition of this field with Deathand Life Studies.
The four hours of discussions on Deathand Life Studies finally came to a close with anissue that had already been raised in the
beginning: What constitutes an academic
discipline? I believe that with this symposium, thegreat potential of Death and Life Studies as a new
discipline has again been confirmed. (Publication of
the symposium proceedings is planned for lateMarch.)

11

Two Lectures by Professor Ahmed ZayedOHTOSHI Tetsuya (Associate Professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology,
Oriental History, East Asian History and Society)

SERIKAWA Azusa (Master's Course, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology,
East Asian History and Society)
On January 25 and 28 of last year, wewelcomed Professor Ahmed Zayed (Sociology), the deanof the Faculty of Arts at Cairo University, to give two
lectures. The lectures were held in the Faculty Lounge
and the No. 1 Lecture Hall in the Faculty of Law andLetters Building 2, respectively.
Professor Zayed is a representative Egyptiansociologist and deals in his research with a wide range ofissues, such as the analysis of religious discourse inMuslim societies, the influence of globalization on Egypt,
as well as the practices and customs surrounding life anddeath, which was the topic of his two lectures. We
extended the invitation to Professor Zayed in anticipationof the Death and Life Studies conferences to be held in
Cairo and Alexandria on September 30 and October 3 thisyear. The professor was invited and the lectures held in
collaboration with the Islamic Area Studies project of the
National Institutes of the Humanities (NIHU) program.
Professor Shimazono Susumu, head of the
Global COE Program Development and Systematizationof Death and Life Studies, and Professor Katakura
Motoko, a former director of the International ResearchCenter for Japanese Studies, opened the first lecture witha welcoming address. The second lecture was opened bywelcoming words from Professor Tachibana Masao, deanof the Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology.
Professor Tachibana's address also reflected his andProfessor Zayed's roles as deans in administrating
academic cooperation between Cairo University and the
University of Tokyo.
Taking advantage of a busy schedule that took
Professor Zayed to China, he also visited Japan on his trip.
Although the financial assistance we were able to provide
fell short of that extended in China, we hope that
Professor Zayed gained a positive impression of ourpassion shown for academic exchange and academic
inquiry as well as the teamwork of our student staff. The
passages below are a report by Serikawa Azusa, a
Master's student who attended both lectures.
First Lecture: Death Rituals in Modern Egypt: Social
and Cultural Aspects
On the occasion of this lecture, Professor Zayed
spoke about the social and cultural aspects of death rituals
in modern Egypt. In Egypt, death is thought to be a fate
determined by God and it is believed that events thatdiverge from the mundane, such as certain types ofdreams, can be in fact forebodings of death.
When a person dies, her or his death will be atonce publicly announced in the streets and the mosque.
The corpse is quickly wrapped in a shroud after having
been washed for burial. It is then transported to a mosquein cases of the deceased being a Muslim, or a church inthe case of Coptic Christians. After a special prayer isperformed, the body is then brought to the burial grounds.
A funeral ceremony is held at the mosque or church on
the first three nights after burial. The number andstanding of the people attending a funeral ceremony give12

evidence of the social standing of the deceased and theinfluence of his family. Expressions of mourning aredetermined by the gender, age and social standing of thedeceased. The bereaved express their sadness by suchacts as crying, ripping their clothes apart and hitting theirfaces. They also refrain from such acts as wearing
colorful clothes, cooking, eating sweets and celebrating.
In this way, rituals surrounding death reflect thecultural background consisting of religion and tradition
and are rich in symbolism. These rituals also have thefunction of reconfirming the specific standing of thedeceased within the social group and increasing the social
coherence of the group.
Second Lecture: Integration of Life and Death inModern Times: Two Case Studies
What kind of relationship has death, which has
been a central theme throughout Egyptian history, hadwith the lives of people? Professor Zayed expounded on
this question by referring to examples drawn from two
Egyptian towns.
The first example was taken from Bahnasa cityin Upper Egypt. This city, which is known as a burial
place for Muslim martyrs dating to the age of the Arabconquests, is considered a sacred site and has become agraveyard for the surrounding area. It has also come tofunction as a public space that people from neighboringareas visit. Some people pay their respects to the martyrs
in hope of attaining a solution to their problems whileothers visit the graveyard for holidaymaking or to buy
toys or sweets for their children. On holidays or Fridays, a
festival is held around the tombs of the saints. On thisoccasion, the dead are regarded as entities that dispense
benefits and salvation to the weak.
The second example was taken from the
Qarafa district, a suburb of Cairo. This area has been used
as a graveyard for a long time. However, in contrast to
Bahnasa, it has until today remained a place of residence
for a large number of people. It is an important pilgrimage
site, which has historically been known for its religious
activities, especially the activities of Sufis, and a great
number of religious facilities were built here by thevarious dynasties. It has also functioned as an economic
and political site at which relief activities and celebrations
were performed.
A graveyard was a place at which one wasliberated from the injustices and confines of everyday life.
Death was not separated from life. Rather, people have
lived vivaciously on these graveyards, resting places ofthe dead.

The Third BESETO Conference of Philosophy(Komaba Campus, The University of Tokyo)
ICHINOSE Masaki (Professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology,
Department of Philosophy)

From January 10 to January 11, the Third
BESETO Conference of Philosophy was held at the
Komaba Campus of the University of Tokyo. It
was a resounding success. The name BESETO is
made up of the first two letters of the city names
Beijing, Seoul, and Tokyo and refers to theacademic exchange activities that take place
between Peking University, Seoul National
University, and the University of Tokyo. As thename suggests, the BESETO Conferences ofPhilosophy are composed of events of academic
exchange that draw mainly on professors andstudents of philosophy and thought at these three
universities. Since 2007, two conferences havealready been held in Seoul and Beijing. As thethird conference in this series, this conference was
jointly organized by the G-COE program at Hongoand the G-COE program at Komaba. I want toexpress my sincere gratefulness to Murata Junichifrom Komaba and Kobayashi Yasuo, head of the
Komaba G-COE program, who both organized theevent. While the event has been dubbed aphilosophy conference, the term is employed
here in a very wide sense, including research oneastern philosophy, history, literature and religion.
In this regard, its compatibility with the G-COE
Death and Life Studies Program is strong. In fact,
the subtitle of the conference was Philosophy inEast Asian Context: Knowledge, Action, Death, andLife.
The BESETO Conferences of Philosophy
employ English as the means of communicationand in regard to the progressing process ofglobalization we are looking forward to providing
a viewpoint from East Asia. Accumulating papers
and discussions in English, the significance of
these events as a shared experience for the three
universities is hard to overestimate. On thisoccasion, more than ten participants from Seoul
National University and Peking University andapproximately twenty participants from the
University of Tokyo came together. From Deathand Life Studies, Professors Shimizu Tetsuro andSuzuki Izumi gave papers and graduate students
Takemura Hatsumi, Hotta Kazuyoshi, Suzuki
Satoru, Otani Hiroshi, and Kageyama Yohei
presented as young researchers. The topics
discussed in the papers were extremely varied.
Takemura talked about Hawaiian culture, while
Hotta discussed Jainism. Suzuki Satoru discussed
decision making theory that employs preference
logic, while Otani talked about Wittgenstein's
theory that m e a n i n g is use.
Kageyama
presented on Heidegger's ontology and topology.
Suzuki developed his arguments along the vectorof non-humanist philosophy, drawing on thethought of Deleuze. His paper provoked manyquestions. Finally, based on meticulously compiled
data, Shimizu presented on the question ofsustainable public welfare based on ability and theethics of relations among multiple generations,giving evidence of the achievements of Death andLife Studies research.
Of course, all the other presentations werealso highly interesting. Frankly speaking, the levelof ability and potential of the young researchers
from Seoul National University and Peking
University made me tremble in admiration. During
the closing session, Hwang Kyung-Sig from Seoul
National University called BESETO the East
Asian Olympic Games of Philosophy, and while it
might not be quite correct, this appellation isprobably not too far from the truth. I have thestrong feeling that the friendly competition among
the three universities will lead to great
achievements. Also, Owen Flanagan from Duke
University, who was by chance visiting Seoul
National University, participated in the conference
which increased its international character greatly.
In this way, active participation in the conferencesby visiting foreign researchers and exchange
students at the three universities could increase
the variety of intellectual stimulation even further,
expand awareness of the conference itself and help
in making our findings and views disseminatedinternationally. The fourth conference will be heldon January 7-8, 2010, at Seoul National University.
I wish for the continued participation of many
researchers from the Death and Life Studies
Program.

13

Clinical Ethics Seminar
TAKEUCHI Seiichi (Specially Appointed Researcher, Philosophy)
AITA Kaoruko (Specially Appointed Researcher, Medical Ethics)

14

Clinical Ethics Seminar (Kirishima)

Clinical Ethics Seminar (Sapporo)

On February 21 st , 2009, the Clinical
Ethics Seminar was held on Kirishima in
conjunction with the Kirishima Medical Center.
This seminar has been primarily lead by
Tetsuro Shimizu of Death and Life Studies. It
was the first such seminar in Kirishima.
Approximately 60-some medical
professionals attended the seminar which washeld at Hotel Kyosera. The seminar began witha lecture by Dr. Shimizu. It was assumed that
this was the first opportunity for many of theparticipants to learn about clinical ethics and,accordingly, Shimizu gave a brief introduction
to the basics of this field and then discussed
fundamental points of concern in medical
decision-making.
Following this lecture, participants
applied Dr. Shimizu's Clinical Ethics Evaluation
Sheet to several real-life cases. One example
case was that of a 70-year-old woman who
after suffering from diabetic nephropathy andthen was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Afterhearing about her disease from her doctors, thewoman stated that her family would have alldecision-making rights in the process. A further
example is of a man in his 60s who had been
undergoing chemotherapy for colorectal cancer.
The man in question refused to believe that his
condition was worsening and, hence, made itdifficult for doctors to give further explanations
for the necessity of more chemotherapy.
Normally, these cases would be solved in small
groups. This being the first time at Kirishima,
however, a general question and answer session
was held instead. Participants had a chance todeepen their understanding of these cases.
Following this, Shimizu and Dr. Haruko
Ishigaki (Hokkaido Medical College, Prof.) gave
lectures. Prof. Ishigaki spoke about the proper
form of medical care for patients from theperspective of nurses. As her talk was based ona great deal of personal experience, it allowed achance for the participants to rethink the role ofnurses and also offered a great deal of
encouragement.

On February 28 th , 2009, the Clinical
Ethics Seminar was held in Sapporo inconjunction with the Higashi-Sapporo Hospital's
Clinical Ethics Committee. This was the second
time this seminar has been held in Hokkaido.
Approximately 50 medical professionals
attended the seminar held at the HigashiSapporo Hospital. Along with Dr. Shimizu,
Seiichi Takeuchi and Aita Kaoruko of Death andLife Studies attended. As many of theparticipants were prior attendees, Dr. Shimizu
offered a brief outline of the concept of Clinical
Ethics and introduced some of the basic
concepts involved. He also briefly discussed his
clinical ethics evaluation form. The latter half ofthe seminar was spent using this form to
examine two specific cases. Participants worked
in small groups and then an overall discussion
was held.
The first case study involved a man in
his 80s who was suffering from the inability toswallow food due to after-effects of a stroke.
This led medical professionals to conclude that
it would be wise to introduce a percutaneousendoscopic gastrostomy tube. The patient 'sfamily, however, disagreed. Accordingly, thisoffered an opportunity to understand thedifference between the medical side's opinions
and the patient side's views (i.e., the medicalside did not fully take into account the need forindividual patient care). It was further
discovered that as the patient had been labeled
as being unable to make proper medical
decisions concerning his own condition that the
medical side did not properly explain to thepatient the gastrostomy tube procedure. It waslater understood, however, that the patient wascompetent. The need for properly explaining
this procedure based on the patient's condition
was also realized.
It was noted that in such cases it isnecessary to properly explain to both patientsand their families the merits and demerits of agiven medical procedure.

Workshop: The Bioethics of Reproduction and DeathYANAGIHARA Yoshie (Specially Appointed Researcher in the G-COE
Death and Life Studies Program, Sociology/Bio-Ethics)

KOZAI Toyoko (Specially Appointed Researcher in the G-COE
Death and Life Studies Program, Sociology/History of Medicine)

Section 1 :Culture and Ethics Regarding Conception
The first part of this workshop saw
presentations by three specially appointed researchersof the G-COE Death and Life Studies program. Ishikawa
Kumiko's paper The History of the Concept of
Ketsuen (blood relations) ｜ As Seen from the
Perspective of Yanagita Kunio took account of thetransitional process as part of which during the Taisho
and early Showa periods the Japanese family unit cameto be based on the idea of consanguinity and theconcept of the household (ie) changed accordingly. She
also introduced Yanagita Kunio's critique of thistransformed family structure. Tsuchiya Atsushi's paper
The History of the Rise of the Concept of Hereditary
Disease in Perinatal Care ｜ With a Focus on JapaneseSociety during the 1960s- 70s elucidated thestructure under which life in societies with falling birthrates is understood based on the logic of inclusion andexpulsion. He did so through an analysis of the socalled movement for preventing birth of disabledchildren initiated by local governments during the time
period under consideration and drew attention to the
medicalization of the bodies of pregnant women andembryos. Yanagihara Yoshie, in her paper An
Analysis of Media Representations of Surrogate
Conception ｜ The Meaning of the Body and Heredity,
analyzed the background of the acceptance of the ideaof surrogate conception in Japanese society by looking
at representations of surrogate conception in popularmagazines. Specifically, she discussed the rhetoric
which by giving the physical experiences of women
new meanings women's bodies become commodifiableobjects. Yanagihara also analyzed the underlying
structure accompanying the spread of genetic
essentialism that has transformed the bond between
parent and child.
Akagawa Manabu from the Graduate Schoolof Humanities and Sociology gave detailed commentson these papers, questioning the presenters about howeach presentation fit into a broader discourse. Becauseof time limitations, the presenters could not respond to
all questions. However, Akagawa was able to show theshared awareness which the presenters themselves
had not vocalized by pointing out the common threadrunning throughout the different papers of the firstsection.
(YANAGIHARA)

Section 2:
The State of the Debate Concerning the End of Life
｜ Issues of Brain Death and Organ Transplants as
Seen from the Perspective of Donors
In the second section, Aita Kaoruko andKozai Toyoko, specially appointed researchers, andKodama Yasushi, a lawyer and guest professor in
the Department of Patient Safety & Risk
Management at the University of Tokyo, gave
papers.
Firstly, Aita gave a paper entitled On the
Double Standard Regarding Brain Death in Clinical
Practice, in which she discussed the significance ofthe double standard regarding brain death inclinical practice, a defining feature of the JapaneseBrain Death and Organ Transplant Bill, based on
findings gained from her interviews with doctors
working in emergency and critical care centers. The
double standard mentioned here means that brain
dead patients who are potential donors of organtransplantation are legally regarded as being dead;while non-donor brain dead patients as being alive.
There has been a prevailing criticism of applying
this double standard to each clinical case, at home aswell as abroad, saying that it is not logical. However,it has an effect of leaving room for flexibility in endof-life care in clinical practice and is actually usefulwhen seen from this perspective.
In the second paper, entitled The Historical
Background of Organ Donation, Kozai traced theway in which the donation of whole bodies andparts thereof has been discussed in Japan,
elucidating the historical background of the debates
surrounding brain death and organ transplants. In
Japan, a current requirement for harvesting bodyparts for transplantation from brain dead patients isthat the donors have expressed their will to donate
previously. However, it was since the 1970s thatsuch requirement has become the object of debate
and this therefore means that the will of donors
may have been constructed as the form of social
agreement subsequently in debating on the rational
and legal conditions for donation.
The third presenter, Kodama, gave a paperwith the title The Domain of Family, Medical
Specialist and Nation. He first gave an overview ofthe various problems occurring in medical care, notlimited to the issues of brain death and organtransplants, and then discussed in what way
families, specialists and the nation engage with theseissues.
Lastly, Shimizu Tetsuro commented on theindividual papers and also on the session as a whole.
He reaffirmed the importance of reconsidering brain
death and organ transplantations from theperspective of donor candidates and their families.
(KOZAI)

15

Clinical Death and Life Studies/Clinical Ethics Research Group 2008 Report
YAMAZAKI Hiroshi (Lecturer, Uehiro Chair for Death and Life Studies)

The Clinical Death and Life Studies/Clinical
Ethics Research Group has primarily focused on
addressing the question of death and life from thestandpoint of everyday praxis. This forum provides a
voluntary space for participants to present anddiscuss their issues and findings. The following
outlines presentations by the 11 researchers fromboth inside and outside of the University of Tokyo
who presented in 2008.
●First Meeting: May 8 th , 2008
How is Life and Death Discussed in High School? Basedon Interviews with High School Teachers
YAMAMOTO Kayoko (Kyoto University, Graduate
School of Human and Environmental Studies)
It is often said that death education is not
sufficiently carried out in Japanese high schools. In
contrast, Yamamoto showed-based on her interviews
with some 22 high school teachers from the Kanto
region-that they actually employ a variety of means
to teach students about life and death within regularcurriculum, and are not interested in independently
formalizing death education. Yamamoto argues thatthese teachers are more interested in letting students
speak and offer their own opinions regarding life anddeath than teaching one-sidedly about how one
should prepare for their own deaths.
●Second Meeting: May 29 th , 2008
The End of Life for Elderly with Cognitive Impairments:
On the Decision to Undergo Percutaneous Endoscopic
Jejunostomy (A Plan for Moving from Forced Attribution
Analysis to Alternative Forms of Treatments)
AITA Kaoruko (Specially Appointed Researcher,
Death and Life Studies)
What is the process by which a doctor
decides to attach a percutaneous endoscopic
jejunostomy tube to, say, an elderly person sufferingfrom a cognitive impairment and also suffering fromthe inability to directly consume sufficient quantities
of food? Further, what are the ethical implications ofsuch a procedure for someone who is at the end of
their life and suffering from cognitive impairment?
Aita clearly argued that, based on her use of bothquantitative and qualitative methods, many doctors
find it difficult to explain to families that there is theoption of not choosing to use artificial nourishment
through PEJ. At the same time, a small number ofdoctors have been able to explain this option tofamilies and instead are employing peripheral IVs. At
the same time, the point was made that it can also beargued that the latter procedure although thought tobe most realistic at the current time may not be thebest treatment for the patient and, hence, presents theneed for the further consideration of the ethicalvalidity of such practices.

16●Third Meeting: June 12 th , 2008
The Sadness of Bereavement and the Other SideITO Miyuki (Kyoto University, Graduate School of
Human and Environmental Studies)
What kind of state does the sadness of
bereavement put one into? How do those who facesuch a state (or know someone who is) deal with this?
Ito offered profound and concrete observations on
case studies of Japanese families in such situations
and how this relates to grief work and bereavement
care in contemporary Japan. Ito noted that althoughtraditionally it was possible for such social support tobe obtained in local and familiar groups, the prolificbreakdown of such support in modern Japanesesociety has lead to a growing interest in self-helpgroups and grief work on the part of the bereaved
today.
●Fourth Meeting: June 26 th , 2008
The Surrogate Conception Problem: What Happens
when the Somaticity of Experience is Forgotten
YANAGIHARA Yoshie (Specially Appointed
Researcher, Death and Life Studies)
Medicine, economic discrepancies, the family,
gender, etc., are all issues that relate to the modern
phenomenon of conception. After presenting adetailed outline of the current state of surrogate
conception, Yanagihara offered convincing proof as towhy she ultimately disagrees with surrogate
conception. At the basis of her argument, she stated,
there is the fear that surrogacy may lead to anincreased forgetting of the physicality of the female
body. During the course of discussion, it was asked
why those who seek motherhood throughsurrogate conception are so adamant about carrying
on their and their husband's DNA (or, perhaps, why
are they made to want to do so?)●Fifth Meeting: July 17 th , 2008
Palliative Sedation: A Last-Term Resort in Medical Practice
TAKENOUCHI Hirobumi (Shizuoka University,
Department of Agriculture)
Takenouchi problematized the question as towhat is necessary in deciding when to use palliative
sedation in end-of-life medical care. Behind such aproblematic is the fear that palliative sedation will be
used carelessly; Takenouchi further offered logicalmeditations on the ethical nature of the notion of pain.
As a result, one problem that arises is that medical
practice often deals with this existential pain byarguing that the loss of the person (the existential
element) allows for the use of palliative sedation. Evenif a patient's remaining lifespan is thought be short, itis necessary to readdress the question of, when at theactual site of practice were palliative treatment occurs
and proper communication between patient andpractitioner is not taken, palliative sedation.

●Sixth Meeting: October 2 nd, 2008
Considering Prenatal Diagnosis: Finding a Solution to
Disagreements Between the Japanese Feminist Movement
and Movements in Support of the Physically Challenged
HAYASHI Chiaki (Josai International University,
Graduate School of Humanities)
Hayashi discussed how both the JapaneseFeminist Movement and Movements in support of the
Physically Challenged have, through the course of
their history and relationships, both stood against
prenatal diagnosis and argue that all people have theright to be born as they will be. Further, she notedthat such (imperfect) technologies as in vitro
fertilization (IVF) violate this right and can lead,rather than to liberation, to suffering and confusion.
Finally, she argued that the question of prenatal
diagnosis cannot simply be solved in a legal sense, butmust be understood through the patient-practitioner
relationship.
●Seventh Meeting: November 6 th , 2008
Genetic Exceptionalism: Genetic Medicine amid a Shifting
Paradigm (Results of a Survey on Clinical Genetic Specialists)
TSUCHIYA Atsushi (Specially Appointed Researcher,
Death and Life Studies)
As the decoding of the human genome
progresses, how should we view genetic information?
Tsuchiya argued that the subject of his talk, Genetic
Exceptionalism, is in fact exceptional as genetic
information includes the possibility of diagnosing
future illnesses; contains genetic information offamilies; has been historically subject to abusej andalso harbors socio-psychological dangers.
●Eight Meeting: November 20 th , 2008
On the Current State of Removing Artificial Respirators
KAWAGUCHI Yumiko (Ritsumeikan University,
Graduate School of Core Ethics and Frontier Sciences)
In North America and Europe, many patientswith amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have prestipulated medical certificates stating that they wish tohave all artificial breathing apparatuses removed at
the moment of ocular failure and/or if the detection ofbrain activity becomes difficult. In Japan, however, therate of employing artificial breathing devices is high.
How should we think of this difference? And how
should patients, family members, and medical
practitioners deal with this issue? Kawaguchi spoke
not only of ethical issues but also problems
concerning medical care for ALS patients in Japan.
While there are devices in Japan that allow forpatients to communicate through their brain waves,
Kawaguchi closed with the poignant point that inorder for these devices to be used properly, it isnecessary to recognize each individual life and also todevelop abilities in non-linguistic communication.
Further deep observational powers based on a senseof humanity are also invaluable.

●Ninth Meeting: December 18 th , 2008
Researchers Bringing Together the Clinical Space andTheory: Considering the Role of Researchers
ARITA Megumi (Kokoro Research Center, Kyoto
University)
Arita asked how researchers can contributefrom the standpoint of clinical death and life studies tothose people who are facing death. Instead of seeing
these patients as mere objects of research, researchers
must value the subjectivity and individuality of eachpatient's feelings and words. Hence, a personallyinvolved approach is necessary. She concluded bystating｜and through concrete examples｜that what
researchers can do for those patients passing their
final moments is to show that they are there forthem.
●Tenth Meeting: January 15 th , 2009
I . The Sickness and Death of a Newspaper Reporter:
Sakai Toshihiko's time at the Yorozuchoho Newspaperand his Friends
II . Japanese Views of Death and Life and Desirable
Death
I. SHIMIZU Tetsuro (Professor, Uehiro Chair for Deathand Life Studies)
II. NAKAGAWA Kei'ichi (University of Tokyo
Hospital)
In the first part of this presentation, Shimizu
talked about when Sakai Toshihiko (founder of theJapanese Socialist Party) was a reporter for the
Yorozuchoho Newspaper and how his correspondenceswith friends provide vivid life histories forunderstanding how people in the mid-Meiji period
lived and also how they mourned. In the second part,
Nakagawa reported on a survey conducted at the
University of Tokyo Hospital (doctors, nurses, andcancer patients were surveyed) and how it reveals
current Japanese conceptions of life and death andalso as to how a desirable death is viewed incontemporary Japan. Nakagawa noted that there aredifferences in how cancer patients and medical
providers view these two issues. He further noted that
there is a need to address this divergence of opinion.

17

Publications

Bulletin of Death and Life Studies Vol.5

The Interrelationship of Relics and Images in Christian andBuddhist Culture
Death and Life and Visual Culture
PrefaceAkira AKIYAMA/Kana TOMIZAWA(KITAZAWA)Interrelationship of Relics and Images in Christian and Buddhist Culture
Akira AKIYAMA, University of Tokyo
Section １
The Cult of Sarira and Sovereignty
Romi HIDA, Waseda University
From Holy Fragment to Material Artifact and Back:On Relic and Image in Early Medieval Visual Culture
Erik THUNO, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Golden Flesh, Radiant Bones:
The Unity of Relic and Reliquary in Medieval Perception
Scott B. MONTGOMERY, University of DenverPortrait Sculpture and Relic Veneration in Japan
Kensuke NEDACHI, Kyoto University
Section ２
Discussion
Speaker: Romi HIDA, Erik THUNO, Scott B. MONTGOMERY, Kensuke NEDACHI
Moderator: Akira AKIYAMA18

DALS TEACHING STAFF

PROGRAM LEADERSHIMAZONO Susumu

Religious Studies

REPRESENTATIVESAKIYAMA Akira
ANDO Hiroshi
IKEZAWA Masaru
ICHINOSE Masaki
OTOSHI Tetsuya
KUMANO Sumihiko
SATO Kenji
SHIMIZU Tetsuro

Art History
Japanese Literature
Religious Studies
Philosophy
West Asian History
EthicsSociology
Philosophy/
Clinical Ethics

SHIMODA Masahiro Indian Philosophy
SUZUKI Izumi

Philosophy

KAMIBEPPU Kiyoko Family Nursing
TAKEUCHI Seiichi

EthicsNAKAGAWA Keiichi Palliative Medicine
YAMAZAKI Hiroshi

Medical Sociology/
Qualitative Research

AFFILIATED PROFESSORS(WITHIN THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIOLOGY)AKAGAWA Manabu Sociology
ICHIKAWA Hiroshi
Religious Studies
ONUKI Shizuo
Archaeology
OSANO Shigetoshi Art History
KARASAWA KaoriSocial Psychology
KINOSHITA Naoyuki Cultural Resources Studies
KOJIMA Tsuyoshi
Chinese Philosophy
SAKAKIBARA Tetsuya Philosophy
SHIBATA Motoyuki Contemporary Literary Studies/
English and American Literature
TSUKAMOTO Masanori French Literature

TSUKIMOTO Masayuki
NOJIMA Yoko
HAYASHI Toru
FUKASAWA Katsumi
FUJII Shozo
HONDA Hiroshi

Japanese Philology
Japanese History
Linguistics
Occidental History
Chinese Literature
Korean Studies/
Social Anthropology
YANAGIHASHI Hiroyuki Islamic Studies
YOKOZAWA Kazuhiko Psychology
WATANABE Hiroshi Aesthetics

AFFILIATED PROFESSORS(FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS)
AKABAYASHI Akira Biomedical Ethics(Graduate School of Medical Science)
ISHIURA Shoichi
Molecular Cognitive Sciences(Graduate School of Arts and Sciences)
OUCHI Yasuyoshi
Reproductive, Developmental
and Aging Science(Graduate School of Medical Science)
KAI Ichiro
Social Gerontology(Graduate School of Medical Science)
KANAMORI Osamu Ethics of Science(Graduate School of Education)
KAWAMOTO Takashi Ethics/
Social Philosophy(Graduate School of Education)

KITO Shuichi
Environmental Ethics(Graduate School of Frontier Sciences)
EINOO Shingo
South Asian Studies(The Institute of Oriental Culture)
NISHIGAKI Toru
Fundamental Informatics(The Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies/
Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies)
HIGUCHI Norio
Anglo-American Law(Graduate School for Law and Politics)
MIYASHITA Mitsunori Palliative Care Nursing(Graduate School of Medical Science)
MUTO Kaori
Sociology/
Medical Welfare Studies(The Institute of Medical Science)19