第２回上野眞資記念インド事業「日本を知ろう」入選者＜研究報告原文＞
１．Simi

Asher シミ アッシャ
九州大学工学部機械航空工学科

１年生＜研究報告タイトル＞『日本の自然保護と地域コミュニティの役割－九州の４つの国立公園を取材して－』Ⅱ．Banerjee

Maumita バナジー モウミタ
早稲田大学政治学部大学院政治学研究科＜研究報告タイトル＞『ビジュアル文化を通じて近代日本人を知る』Ⅲ．

Ⅲ．Ujjwala

Mehul Thakar ウジュワラ
東京大学理科二類 ２年生

メフル

タカール

＜研究報告タイトル＞『どうしてチェスは日本では人気がありませんか？』以上（なお、上記の３編の日本語の要約は 2018 年 11 月に刊行します当財団「2018 年報」に掲載します。）

Simi Asher

シミ アッシャ『日本の自然保護と地域コミュニティの役割－九州の４つの国立公園を取材して－』

研究内容の要旨
この報告書は、日本とインドの国立公園を比較し、地域の人々の環境保全への貢献を調査するものである。両国の国立公園にはその目的において違いがある。インドでは、国立公園は主に野生動物保護区域を意味する。インドでは、希少な野生動物を保護することを中心に、国立公園が選定される。一方、日本では、景観のよい地域を保全するために政府が多額の資金を使い、地元住民が保全活動に深く関わっている。
本調査では、九州の高千穂と 4 つの国立公園（西海、雲仙天草、阿蘇くじゅう、霧島）を訪問し、日本の国立公園がどのように保全されているかを、フィールドワークを通して観察し、それぞれの特徴を分析した。今回の調査を通して、日本における国立公園
は、天然記念物を単体で保護するのではなく、それを含めた景観や自然の美しさ、歴史、文化などを体験する機会も観光客に与える場所であることがわかった。観光客は絶景を楽しむことに加え、その時に感じた感動や様々な体験を通して学んだことを、一生の思い出として持ち帰ることができる。九州の国立公園へのフィールドワークにより、この保全へのアプローチが、インドも含めて、世界の自然遺産や自然公園を保全するのにとても有効であると良く理解できた。
また、今回の訪問では、地域の人々と交流して、伝統的な文化を学び、視野を広げることができた。この経験を通して、地元の人々が継続的に地域経済へ貢献していることを理解した。各地の経済を維持することにより、間接的に自然保全を促進している。九州の国立公園の地域経済は、観光客をもてなすレストラン、ホテル、温泉、バス、観光案内所などによって支えられている。このようなインフラの存在がなければ、観光客が自然文化などに興味があっても、各地域への訪問を楽しむことができないだろう。それ故に、国立公園内や周辺の地域にいる地元の人々の貢献も、自然保護のために重要だと思う。

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日本の自然保護と地域コミュニティーの役割ー
九州の 4 つの国立公園を取材してNature conservation in Japan in the 4 National
Parks of Kyushu and the role of the local
community

Introduction
A National Park is a park designated as such by the national Government for the purpose ofconservation. The aim of my research topic was: to visit Takachiho and 4 National Parks of
Kyushu, to see places of scenic beauty and cultural importance, to understand how they werebeing conserved, and to recognize how the local community was involved in conservation efforts.
Additionally, I wanted to highlight the differences between National Parks in India and Japan andshowcase the beauty of Japanese National Parks to Indians through my blog posts. I utilized the
grant money to travel to places of interest and surveyed places of natural beauty in Takachiho
and four National Parks of Kyushu: Kirishima National Park, Aso Kuju National Park, Saikai
National Park and Unzen Amakusa National Park.

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Map. 1. Locations Visited

The reasons for choosing this topic were manifold. Having lived next to a National Park in
India for more than half of my life, I have always been interested in nature and its conservation.
The primary purpose of Indian National Parks is to conserve wildlife. On the other hand, theJapanese Government designates National Parks as places of conservation of wildlife and of
scenic beauty. The focus on beauty was of particular interest to me which is why I chose to visit
these National Parks and find out why scenic beauty was of national importance and deemedcomparable to the conservation of flora and fauna. Each of the places I visited presented different
views. Moreover, being in Kyushu, travelling was convenient and not as expensive as it would
have been otherwise.
Due to unforeseen circumstances such as time limitations, I was unable to visit all the places I
had outlined in the proposal. However, I was able to see some new spots around the National
Parks that I had not intended to visit initially. This report will consist of sections for all the 5places I visited with subdivisions for the places of interest and an analysis of the trip withreference to my objectives.

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Takachiho
高千穂Firstly, I would like to clarify that Takachiho does not fall under the area of National Parks(国立公園); instead, it is protected by the Prefectural Government. However, I chose this placebecause I believed it was just as important. Takachiho has places of supreme beauty withthousands of years of history and mythology surrounding it. Thus, it led to me to decide that any
survey of natural beauty of Kyushu would be incomplete without Takachiho. After visiting
Takachiho, this choice was certainly justified and the places I visited did not disappoint.

Takachiho Gorge
高千穂峡Img. 1-2. Takachiho Gorge

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A narrow gorge carved by the Gokase River, this place is renowned as one of the mostbeautiful spots in Japan. It is designated as one of the 天然記念物 of Japan. I rented a boat here
to explore the gorge and the waterfall (真名井の滝). Thereafter, I enjoyed the view of the gorge,waterfall and bridges from the path above. On following the path through various bridges and acedar forest, I landed at the Takachiho Shrine (高千穂神社).

Img. 3-4. Natural beauty of the regionAsher|5

Takachiho Shrine
高千穂神社

Img. 5. Takachiho Shrine

This place is the representative shrine of Takachiho area where a special Yokagura dance isperformed every night. This dance was performed by actors wearing masks and wigs, with drums
and flutes being played to give the dancers a rhythm. These dances are meant to tell a story. The
most popular story that is performed here, that I got to witness, was the myth of Amaterasu-- thesun goddess-- going into hiding.

Img. 6-7. Performance of Yokagura DanceAsher|6

The kagura (神楽) showed that when Amaterasu went into the cave, the whole world was
deprived of light. Many Gods attempted to lure her out and it wasn’t until Tajikarao, the deity of
power, removed the stone blocking the cave’s mouth that Amaterasu was drawn out. The
musicians’ and the actors’ fervour for the dance performance was evident and I was impressed by
the stamina and skill that was required to perform and carry forward the four-thousand-year-old
tradition of Yokagura in Takachiho.

Amanoiwato Shrine and Amanoyasukawara
天岩戸神社と天安河原
Amanoyasukawara was supposedly the site of the legend of Amaterasu and Amanoiwato
Shrine was constructed in its honour. I believe that Amanoyasukawara was the true gem of
Takachiho. It is a small cave on the banks of the Amato River with a Torii and a shrine enshrined
in it where devotees arrange rocks in towers as offerings. Being surrounded by nothing but the
towers and the loud gushing of the river gives this place a mystical feeling.

Img. 8-9. Amanoiwato Shrine with towers of rock as offeringsAsher|7

Kuju
くじゅう
I visited the Kuju part of the Aso-Kuju National Park because I wanted to see how the lessfamous part of the National Park is conserved.

Img. 10-11. Natural beauty of the region

Chojabaru Visitor Centre
長者原ビジターセンター
This visitor centre is situated right next to Tadewara Wetlands (タデ原湿原) and serves as
an informative resource to learn about the marshlands and the Kuju mountain range. It has
interesting multilingual exhibits about the flora and fauna, such as an exhibit that allowed
viewing preserved insects under a microscope. They screened movies about the same and had aselection of informative magazines and pamphlets for interested tourists. I saw a short movie
about the change in seasons in the Kuju mountain range and how it affected the scenery as wellas wildlife. They also conducted workshops and guided tours of the adjoining Tadewara
Wetlands regularly. At the time of my visit, there was another exhibit about a day in the life ofactive park rangers in Kyushu’s National Parks. This was particularly helpful to my research. A
day in their life consisted of activities ranging from lecturing in a school to making new signs forremote areas of the park. The staff at the Visitor Centre was helpful and enthusiastic aboutsharing the joy of nature with tourists.

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Tadewara Wetlands
タデ原湿原
At a height of over 1000m, this is one of Japan’s largest wetlands and is registered in the
Ramsar Convention, an international treaty for wetlands’ sustainable usage. It has different typesof Japanese pampas grass (ススキ) and certain rare plants like Geranium soboliferum var.
kiusianum (ツクシフウロ) that are only found in these wetlands. Moreover, there are elevatedwalkways around the wetlands making it accessible to wheelchair bound people as well.

Img. 12. Tadewara Wetlands

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Kuju Mountain Range
くじゅう連山This range consists of several
peaks like Kujusan (久住山),
Nakadake (中岳), Mt.Taisen (大船山),
Mt. Hoshisho (星生山), etc.

This mountain range is famous for
its autumn colours and luckily, I went at
the right time to see the koyo (紅葉) at
peak season. Shelter huts are also madefor mountaineers that provide protection
from harsh weather.

Img. 13-14. Views from the hike through Kuju Mountain RangeAsher|10

Unzen
雲仙
Unzen was the first place to be designated as a National Park in Japan. Historically, it has
been a hot spring/onsen (温泉) town famous for autumn colours so the Government made it a
National Park to attract more foreign visitors.

Unzen Town
雲仙町
The most visible attraction in Unzen town is Unzen Hell (雲仙地獄) because one can see
the white fumes emanating from it anywhere. Unzen Hell is so called because fumarolic activity
and sulphuric gas has rendered the area lifeless, making it seem hellish. This Hell is nevertheless,wheelchair accessible and well-marked with bilingual educational signs. Unzen town is famous
for its eggs boiled in the heat of Unzen Hell, ‘senpei’ (せんぺい) and its old onsen bathhouses.
Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) has also created a Visitor Center here to informtourists about the unique geology of Unzen. They provide extra amenities like a free foot onsen.

Img. 15-18. Glimpses of Unzen HellAsher|11

Nita Pass Ropeway
仁田峠ロープウェイ
Nita Pass Ropeway or Unzen Ropeway is one of Japan’s oldest ropeways. It wasestablished in 1957 and connects Nita Pass to Mt. Myokendake. It is still manually operated by adriver and provides one of the best autumn foliage views in Japan. Although I went post peakseason, there was a two hour wait to get to the parking lot, a testament to the popularity of koyo
amongst Japanese people. The view from the carriage makes it feel like there is a red carpet of
autumn leaves beneath. Unzen Ropeway is a wonderful facility that makes the mountains
accessible to everyone regardless of their health and mobility and moreover, provides the bestview of the mountains.

Img. 19. Way to Nita Pass Ropeway.

Img. 20. Nita Pass RopewayAsher|12

Mt. Myokendake
妙見岳
The ropeway leads to Mt.
Myokendake which presents great
views of the nearby mountains, Mt.
Kunimi (国見山), Mt. Fugendake (普賢岳) and Heiseishinzan (平成新山).
Each of these mountains has
distinctive features. Mt. Fugendake isthe most famous for its fall colours
and is the highest climbable mountainout of them all. Heiseishinzan is so
named because it was formed in the
Heisei era, as in the last 30 years. It
has become the highest mountain in
the Myokendake range and is still
considered active hence entry is
prohibited. Mt. Kunimi presents asteep climb that requires hikers to use
the chains bolted to the almost verticalmountain face for assistance.
Summiting any of these mountains
will present you a panoramic view ofUnzen town, a large part of Shimabara
peninsula and also other neighbouring
prefectures. The trails are well marked
and chains and ropes are present insteep areas.
Img. 21-23.

View from Mt. MyokendakeAsher|13

Kirishima
霧島
Kirishima is one Japan's oldest mountain ranges and it continues to be an active volcanic
region to this day. Due to frequent eruptions since 2011 all trails leading to Mt. Shinmoedake (新燃岳) have been closed. Nevertheless, the trails leading to Mt. Karakunidake (韓国岳) andOnami-Ike and other mountains were open except for Iozan.

Img. 24. View of Mt. Shinmoedake from Onami-Ike trail

Maruo Onsen
丸尾温泉
This was a small town at the base of the Kirishima mountains that was built because of theabundant natural hot springs. The town consists of a bus stop, a few restaurants, a tourist
guidance office and a few hotels. The surrounding area also consists of small attractions likeMaruo Falls (丸尾滝) and natural hot springs (霧島温泉最古の岩風呂) that are connected byforested trails.

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Img. 25. Maruo Falls

Img. 26. Natural hot springs

Onami-ike
大浪池
It is the highest crate lake in Japan, located in the southeast of Mt. Karakunidake. This lake
is a vivid blue colour throughout the year and there is a forested route along the edge of thecrater. Even in mid-November, snow could be seen on the nearby Mt. Karakunidake andabundant frost was present on the forest trail.

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Img. 27. Mt. Karakunidake and Onami-Ike

Img. 28. Frost observed on the Onami-Ike trail

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Ebino Eco Museum
えびのエコミュージアム
There was also an excellent facility at Ebino-kogen (えびの高原), near the Karakunidake
trailhead called the Ebino Eco Museum that housed many audio-visual interactive exhibits andprovided useful as well as educational information about volcanic activity in the region anddisaster prevention. I learned a lot about the Shinmoedake eruption that caused great hardship tothe local people due to evacuation and complete disruption of their lives. I also learned about theunique ecology of Kirishima mountains and about the few species of butterflies and insects thatwere native only to this place. I think this was the most aesthetically pleasing and moving
museum I visited in this excursion.

Img. 29. Audio-visual exhibit about plant species distribution in the areaAsher|17

Goto
五島
A large part of Goto islands is included in Saikai National Park, the only ocean archipelago
based National Park in Kyushu. I visited Fukue island, the biggest of the Goto islands. This trip
was special because I was accompanied by Tamura sensei, who is my course coordinator, andSeino sensei, who specializes in Environmental Engineering at Kyushu University and is
involved in conservation of the marine environment of Goto. Seino sensei introduced us to
Nagaya san, the CEO of a non-profit organization involved in Goto's nature conservation, andother likeminded people who worked for the same cause. Seino sensei also facilitated myinteraction with an elderly resident who showed me around her neighbourhood.

Img. 30. Tamura sensei and Nagaya sanAsher|18

Fukue Island
福江島

I visited famous placesof natural beauty on Fukue
island such as Onidake,
Abunse lava coast,
Takahama Beach andOsezaki cliff. I also visited anearby island called
Saganoshima, and saw anatural formation called
Senjojiki (千畳敷). The
name Senjojiki means‘one thousand tatami mats’
because it looks like several
thousand tatami mats joined
together. It is a natural
marvel created by thesolidification of lava andconstant erosion by thestrong waves of the Pacific
Ocean.

Img. 31. Senjojiki at Saganoshima||

Img. 32. Takahama BeachAsher|19

Mizunoura Coast
水ノ浦海岸
Nagaya san and his colleagues took us around the Mizunoura coast of Goto in a small boat.
We were able to see the cliffs in the area from an unusual vantage point from the sea. The pointof this excursion was for all of us to see the fault lines, that were clearly visible, in the rockformations that formed these cliffs. Nagaya san, Seino sensei, and associated Fukue
administrative people are hoping to make this area a Geopark where they can give tours withguides that can explain the history, geology, and unique environment of the place. They also hopethat this will improve tourism and improve the local economy.

Img. 33-34. Boat ride to view rock formations in the cliff

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Interaction with local resident
地域の人と交流
Seino sensei introduced me to a local resident, Oomachi san, who invited me to her housefor lunch. We spoke about the local community and their multi-religious culture. We were given
a tour of a Shinto shrine (神社), achurch and a Buddhist temple(お寺) in their neighbourhood. She
showed us her family's fields where
they grew rice and vegetables. The
neighbours exchanged half of theirfarm produce with each other.
Additionally, she was able to collectsea urchins with her special license,
issued to long term residents for sustenance. She said that she could survive a month without
going to any supermarket because of sustenance farming, sustenance fishing and neighbourhood
exchanging. It was interesting to hear about her experience because I did not know such
communities still existed and functioned so efficiently. Unfortunately, Japanese village
communities are undergoing
restructuring because of people
moving to cities to pursue better
opportunities. Oomachi san also
seemed worried about how many
houses in the community were
becoming empty because people,
especially younger people, weremoving away.

Img. 35-36. Interaction with Oomachi SanAsher|21

Discussion
This section contains a brief analysis of my experience and observations in every trip, withreferences to my objectives. At the end, there is a discussion of the things I learnt from the entire
experience.

Takachiho Analysis
In the Takachiho trip I observed how the residents kept these places open and wellfunctioning, even in a typhoon-prone weather. Additionally, the small forest paths between
shrines and other places of interest were well maintained. There are some useful facilities I foundin Takachiho that are not available in Indian National Parks and Protected Parks:• Special walking courses to highlight historical places or places associated withlegends are created and these are very helpful for tourists who visit with a specificintention in mind.
• Special Kaiso (回送) bus is available and the public transport system, while
inconvenient compared to having your own car, provides fairly good access to all placesof interest and provide announcements in English, Chinese and Korean as well.

Kuju Analysis
Visitor Centres in Indian National Park do exist but are not as functional or informative as theone in Japanese National Parks. I was impressed by the utility the Chojabaru Visitor Centre
provided to tourists. Detailed bus schedules, maps and pamphlets were available that provided
more information than what was available on the Internet.

Unzen Analysis
Transport wise, I found Unzen to be similar to Indian National Parks since public transport
within the local area was irregular and infrequent, and required most tourists to use their own
vehicles. Historically, Unzen has been more renowned for its onsen than its natural beauty andthis fact is still visible in Unzen town today. Nevertheless, the National Park attracts a large
number of visitors, not just serious hikers. I believe it is a good thing to make natural beauty
accessible to everyone.

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Kirishima Analysis
The Ebinokogen base camp area housed a lot of shops and restaurant and was more lively
than other trail entrances (登山口) in the Kuju range. As before, public transport is limited,
however, a well-developed road transport system connects tens of places of interest in the
Kirishima area. Compared to Indian National Parks, the Kirishima National Park was welldeveloped and more commercialized, especially considering its large size. Another wonderfulidea I saw was that there are also many easy hiking trails in the Kirishima National Park, aroundthe Maruo Onsen area, like the "Forest Therapy Course" which lets elderly people enjoy nature.

Goto Analysis
Because of its location, the Goto islands part of the Saikai National Park is arguably themost inaccessible of Kyushu’s National Parks. This trip was most interaction based compared tothe other trips that were more observation based. Because of this opportunity, I learnt that
Oomachi san and her friends are also directly involved in the conserving the National Park. They
plant flowers and shrubs on the Gyogasaki coast that act as wind-breakers as well as enhance thescenery. Her and Nagaya san’s passion for conservation made me realize that Japan has a lot of
active elderly people who take efforts to protect their natural habitats which is reallycommendable.

Discussion
The observations I made in these trips challenged my preconceived notions about the way
in which locals are involved in the conservation of natural and cultural heritage. Despite theirpersonal predicaments, each person from a local restaurant owner to a trained Yokagura dance
performer, contributed their share by simply showing up and doing their job. Many others like
Nagaya san and Oomachi san, engage in volunteering activities to protect nature and make theircommunity better. Most of the people I interacted with during my trip said that they were born
there and they continued to stay there so that they could help visitors in their own way. I realized
that, shops, hotels, hot springs and community bus service run by residents, makes National Parks
accessible and enjoyable to everyone, regardless of disability, and thus forms the support system
required for the smooth functioning of National Parks.

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Conclusion
I realized that conservation is not just about the protection of static monuments.
Conservation is equally about the thoughts and feelings people have when they experiencenatural beauty, history and culture embedded in places. For this reason, National Parks must not
only protect but also facilitate the sharing of these ideas with visitors because that is the ideal way
to conserve places of national heritage. Receiving the grant money enabled me to travel,
understand and applaud the comprehensive approach to conservation of Kyushu’s National Parks.
Moreover, I saw a recurring pattern of involvement from the local residents. Out of all thepeople I interacted with during my journey, a large number of people were involved indirectly inconservation by sustaining the local economy. This economy is sustained by restaurants, hotels,
onsens, buses, tourist guidance offices, etc. which support tourists who visit National Parks. No
matter the tourists’ interest in nature or culture, most of them would not visit without thesufficient human infrastructure and services provided through the efforts of locals. In this way,
the residents of the areas inside and surrounding National Parks, are vital to the conservation
effort.
It was a fascinating experience to become aware of the specific differences between Indianand Japanese National Parks with reference to transportation facilities, tourist guidance
availability, accessibility and the visibility of ecological information. The key point was tounderstand these differences in the context of the purpose of the National Parks. Indian National
Parks provide safaris and other interactive wildlife experiences because of the emphasis on
wildlife conservation. Hence, many of the services of Japanese National Parks cannot be
implemented directly in India. However, interactive and informative visitor centres are aninteresting idea that can enrich the National Park experience in India as well. I believe that thereis tremendous scope for an in-depth research in this domain so as to further conservation efforts
with the help of locals and to ensure that future generations have the opportunity to experience
the beauty of these reserves.

Banerjee Maumita

バナジー モウミタ『ビジュアル文化を通じて近代日本人を知る』

この研究の目的は「ビジュアル」の点で日本人を知ること。「ビジュアル」な視点からの研究は、その変化が単に表面的ではなく、その期間中の人々の日常生活に深く結びついていることを示す。ビジュアルな資料を活用することで、政治的主観や言語の知識などがないためアクセスが困難になる政治的または社会的空間にも浸透することができる。
このエッセイは、主に、「ビジュアル」を通した時代の歴史を研究する 2 つの情報源に焦点を活用する。堀切コレクションの布類と資生堂の広告とポスター。
これら二つの情報源を使った理由は（１） 明治、大正などにおける壮大な物語の中で日本人の日常生活がどのように変化したかを理解する。
（２） この 2 つの情報源の多様性は、異なる社会階層の人々の生活の違いを理解することを可能にする。
である。
堀切辰一がおよそ５０年に渡って集めた日常生活の「布類」が堀切コレクショ
ンになっている。堀切辰一が収集した布類の内、博物館に約 3,500 を寄贈した。
服文化は、支配的な国家史における「無声」の大衆に「可視性」を与える強力な技術である。布の背後にある歴史を描写しながら、堀切辰一は頻繁にココロという言葉を使用する。 彼のコレクションは、当時の日本の貧困、戦争と反発力を象徴している。
資生堂資料館には、創業から今日までの古い書類、ポスター、広告などが置かれており、ブランドの成功事例を示す。資料館のパンフレットによれば、ブランドの目的の 1 つは「美しい生活文化を創造する」ことや「美をプロヂュース
する」ことである。資生堂は明治時代から日本の消費者だけでなく海外市場にも日本の美学と美を再定義することができたと言えるだろう。資生堂のようなポピュラーな化粧品ブランドを通して、当時の日本の消費主義、美学、近代化、闘争性がどう交じり合ったか、そのプロセスを理解することができる。
結論
過去からのビジュアルは、私たちをその時代へ連れて行く。そのものの触感、香り、形、色などが私たちの目の前にその時代の歴史を演出する。歴史からの「もの」は、人々の生活の変化を説明する。エリートでも、政治的に疎外された人でも、毎日のドレスが人の個人的な経験を強調する。また、資生堂のようなハイエンドブランドの成長と人気は、日本の消費主義と近代性の特徴を示めす。

Maumita Banerjee
Waseda University
Learning about modern Japan through Visual culture
Introduction
Japan, post restoration in 1868 went through a series of transformation to improve its
political status vis-à-vis the Western powers and negotiate the unequal treaties. Many
scholars, Japanese as well as foreign, have researched extensively about the period tounderstand the depth of these transformations. A study through the lens of ‘visual’shows that the change were not just superficial but was deeply tied to the everyday livesof the people during the period. The period of late nineteenth and early twentiethcentury is particularly interesting because due to the effect of imperialism and industrial
society, there was an emergence of heightened nationalism everywhere. The parallels or
differences between the responses of different regions are illuminating. Also, using
visual materials to some extent, helps us to penetrate certain political or social spaces
which otherwise can become very difficult to access due to lack of political subjectivity,
knowledge of language etc.
The essay particularly focuses on two sources to study the history of the period through‘visual’. First are the dresses from Horikiri collection and second are the old Shiseido
advertisements and posters. The reason for choosing these two modes of enquiry is,
firstly, to understand the varied changes in everyday lives of Japanese people within thedevelopments of the grand narratives. Secondly, the diversity of the two sources allows
us to understand the differences in the lives of people who were placed differently in thesocialhierarchy.
Whereas the dress collection of Horiki Tatsuichi focuses on rural Japan, Shiseido as abrand since its conception targets the opulent Japanese class. Simultaneous study ofboth cases is useful to understand, how the site of ‘visual’ can become critical in
decoding the various axis of nationalism, capitalism and everyday life.
Seeing people’s history through Horikiri collection
The collection is located at the Kitakyushu Museum of Natural History1. The collection
is named after the person himself, Tatsuichi Horikiri, who over a long period of close toalmost fifty years has collected clothing items. He has donated approximately 3,500
clothing items to the museum with detailed description pertaining to each collected
item. According to the English preface of his work (Horikiri 2016:xvi), he is not a
trained historian but his work is well recognized in the field of Japanese history. The
method of knowing the past through oral history, if done cautiously, is a powerful
technique to give certain ‘visibility’to the ‘voiceless’in the dominant national history.
It is interesting to note that Tomoko Yamazaki, a very well established and well-known
historian who wrote pioneering work on Karayuki san (overseas prostitutes), who
belonged to rural Japan, used a similar methodology (Yamazaki 1999:43). For his
research, Horikiri adopted the methodology of personally collecting clothes of rural
Unfortunately, at the time of my visit the Horikiri collection was not on display. For the
purpose of the study I therefore referred to the three volumes available at the Museum
store.
1

Japanese people. He did not use any tape-recorder but based on his field notes herecorded the stories associated with each collected item. Today Horikiri’s work isimportant enough to be a part of Japanese school textbooks.
While there are many scholarships that explore the changes in elite Meiji government
dress style and its several disposition in forming the imagery of the modern Japan, there
is relatively less work done on the changes in rural Japan. Whereas such works very
successfully demonstrate how under the Western gaze the elites started engaging with
their sartorial choices to change the imagery of the nation, it failed to capture theexperience of rural Japan, who consisted of majority of the Japanese population.
Therefore, lacking a balance picture of the period. During the period the Meiji
government concerned with the image of Japan to the western eyes issued stateordinance such as regarding length of hair for men and women, prohibiting nakedness
in public, deciding the style of military uniform. Whereas the change in elite dress
culture show how the Meiji state was engaging with the Western gaze, the audience inthis case was the West, the rural dress culture of period on the other hand reflects adifferent picture.

Fig.1 Photograph from 1867 is reflective of the changes in the appearances through style anddress. Source: Ozawa (2010); A painting dating back to 1861 of a man using camera. The
painting is reflective of the novelty attached to camera during the period. Source: Ozawa (2010)

Fig.2 Street photographs from northern Japan captures an image of changing Japan througharchitecture, commercial establishments and dresses. Source: Satō (2014)

Dresses collected by Horikiri are not limited to any particular gender or age. It isinteresting to note that he has named his collection ranru (ragged cloth/ clothes). He
writes that through the rags dating back to Meiji and early Showa period he wants tounderstand the common Japanese people (2014 vol.1: 3). He thinks that old clothes arecapable of explaining the sentiments of that difficult period and believes that if thevisitors visiting the museum ask these dress about Japan’s past they are most likely to
get their answers (ibid: 5). While describing the history behind the dresses he often uses
the term kokoro (can be translated as emotion sometimes but can also mean mind, spiritetc.). In certain ways his approach is similar to the French historians like RobertDarnton who engage with history of mentalities (mentalités) to understand how people
were experience life during the period.
Displaying power, for example through certain hairstyle or swords, was seen in premodern Japan too but in modern times the military uniform was symbolic of power andauthority. However, there are other interpretations too, which shows while the uniform
was an agent of power, it concurrently was susceptible to the same power. Horikiri(2016) in an anecdote from childhood noted that during second Sino-Japanese war
father of his friend received a government order to join the military. Since he was firstfrom the village the whole village celebrated except his friend’s family who were rather
distressed. To point towards a sharp melancholy hidden in the military dress, that often
gets lost in the exuberance of nation building, he wrote,…over the course of many many years, almost all the clothing items I have collected—nomatter how small or threadbare they might be—have presented me with some stories.
Military uniforms were the one exception. Because both the men wearing them and thewomen seeing them off were required never to express their emotions, military uniforms
in effect erased the wearer’s personal identity and experiences. They simply appear silent
to me. Or perhaps it was this imposed silence itself that was the message they werecommunicating (Horikiri 2016:97, emphasis added).

He further noted, that since Meiji period, it was not proper for the wives of soldier toshed tears. The episode ended with the man getting killed in the war, the whole villagecelebrating the hero’s death and eventually the young wife, in lack of any financial
support, moving out of the village with her five children to her mother’s house (Ibid:
98-100). The tragic story brings out the deep contradictions within this narrative of man
making and nationalism embedded in the military dress of a soldier. In one case themilitary uniform is symbolic of power and pride and in another case, the sight of it
becomes the reason of perennial grief for the family of the soldier. This is an example ofoverlapping of victimhood in the narrative of nation building and man making.

Fig.3 A Sen-nin-bari: A waistband with thousand stiches stitched by women for men going tobattlefields. It was believed that if women while stitching it pray earnestly then the man going to
war would return safely. Source: Horikiri (2016)

Fig.4 A naga juban kimono underwear showing cherry blossom, chrysanthemum and threekinds of navy flags. Presence of these pattern on the dress of a woman is reflective of new
militant aesthetics of the times. Source: Horikiri (2016) ; A piece of dress called Koshimaki. The
cloth has eighty two stiches on it to make it wearable. An example of extreme poverty in rural
Japan at the time of war. Source : Horikiri (2014, vol 2)

Fig.5 An innovative mode of communication: First is a photographs that is sent by an illiterate
karayuki san (overseas prostitutes) to her family back home. Since they could not write, thephotograph would communicate that she is fine. Source: Yamazaki (1999); Gandhi changed toloincloth in his later life to identify himself with the poor through ‘dress’. Through this act hewanted to include people from all class so that the Indian national movement can become amass movement. He also wanted to encourage Indian textile through this.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi

As mentioned in the introduction we can learn about the past much more if we
juxtapose different stories from a period. In this case it may be interesting to think about
the case of colonial India with Japan. During the period India was a British colony,
unlike Japan, but we find strange parallels in the dress discourse of both the countries.

As the Meiji intelligentsia was dressing up for the western eyes, we find similar
examples in case of India too. Also, the debate regarding national dress was central to
Indian national movement. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is one such national leader
who could successfully engage with dress to make powerful political statement.
Shiseido cosmetics brand
Shiseido was first established in the year 1872 at Ginza as a Western style pharmacy.
The founder was a young twenty three year old man named Arinobu Fukuhara. Shiseido
was responsible for introducing Japan’s first toothpaste, soda water and ice cream. It
entered the cosmetics business in 1897, through the sales of ‘Eudermine’, a skin careproduct. The old documents, posters and advertisements held in the Shiseido corporate
museum from its inception to today tells the success story of the brand, while the stylish
museum building corresponding to the image of the brand. According to the museum
pamphlet, one objective of the brand was to ‘create beautiful life style’ (美しい生活文化を創造する) or to ‘produce beauty’ (美をプロヂュースする). Perhaps it will be notincorrect to say that Shiseido as a brand could successfully redefine Japanese aesthetics
and beauty since Meiji period, not only to the Japanese consumers but also to theforeign market.
At this point, it would be interesting to juxtapose the idea of Shiseido’s ‘beauty’ withthe philosophy of ‘beauty’ that Horikiri sees in ranru 襤褸 (scrap clothes). Horikiri
wrote, “It is said that everyday materials consists of ‘beauty and purpose’ but for akimono beauty is likely to be more important” (2014 vol. 1, 5). He reasons it is so
because beauty in kimono itself is the purpose that gets people’s appreciation andincrease social status (ibid 5). Both are examples of presence of aesthetics amongpeople of different class but how through different different mediums they were
pursuing it.
Shiseido products from the early period were expensive and catered to a certain sectionof the society only. This is one similarity between Horikiri collection and
Shiseido—both targeted a specific class. The study of visual archive of a popular
cosmetic brand like Shiseido can successfully illustrate the process of amalgamation ofJapanese consumerism, aesthetics, modernity and militancy during the period. Below
are some example of Shiseido posters collected from the museum.
Contemporary post cards of old Shiseido posters and advertisements

Fig.6 Posters dating 1925 and 1932

Fig. 7 An advertisement of a new haircut (1924) and cosmetics (1926)

Fig. 8 Poster for cosmetics, 1926-1928 and 1918
Conclusion
Visuals from past helps to transport us to the period easily, as if the touch, feel,fragrance, shape and color of objects from the past, all enacts scene from history in frontof our eyes. According to a recent newspaper article in Asahi Shimbun (2018, January30), young primary school children could be encouraged to know about society throughnewspaper photographs. The article made the argument that since photos can more
actively hold the interest of children, it should be used to widen their knowledge. The
argument is certainly not limited to children but to adults too. The Japanese proverb,
such as “百聞は一つ見にしかず” strengthens the argument. Another advantage ofusing visual materials, as seen in this essay, is that it helps to transgress boundaries ofclass, region, language etc. and show how the everyday lives of the people werechanging. In our case, it allowed an opportunity to study the diversity of the change
among the Japanese people in Meiji and Taisho period. The material objects from
history explained the changes in people’s lives in the period of high nationalism andwar. Everyday dresses whether of elite or of politically marginalized Japanese people
highlights the individual experiences of the period. On the other hand, posters andadvertisement of high-end brand like Shiseido tells the story of its growth and presentscharacteristics of Japanese consumerism and modernity in the same period.
References
1. Ichikawa, Yoshika. 2016. Shiseido Monogatari, Shiseido Shiryoukan
2. Horikiri, Tatsuichi. 2016. The Stories Clothes Tell: Voices of Working-Class Japan,trans. Rieko Wagoner. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.
3. —2014. Horikiri Collection Jidai Nuno Mokuroku (Ranru), Vol. 1,
Kitakyushushishizenshi Rekishi Hakubutsukan.
4. —2014. Horikiri Collection Jidai Nuno Mokuroku (Ranru), Vol. 2,
Kitakyushushishizenshi Rekishi Hakubutsukan.
5. Ozawa, Takeshi. 2010. Bakumatsu Shashin no Jidai. 2nd edition. Tokyo:
Chikumashobō.
6. Satō. 2014. Shashin de Tadoru Otaru: Meiji, Taisho Showa. Hokkaido Shinbunsha.
7. Yamazaki, Tomoko. 1999. Sandakan Brothel No.8: An Episode In The History Of
Lower-Class Japanese Women. Trans. Karen Colligan-Taylor. Armonk, New York:
M.E. Sharpe
8. Asahi Shinbun, Osheru chikara wo Takameru Manabikata, (2018, January 30)

Ujjwala Mehul Thakar

ウジュワ メフル タカール

『どうしてチェスは日本では人気がありませんか？』ABSTRACT
世界中で⼈気があるチェスというスポーツは 6 世紀頃にインドで端を発しました。それか
ら少しずつルールが変わっていき、知恵や忍耐の必要な今のルールへと変化していきました。
チェスは様々な⼈々をゲームの検討や議論で結びつけます。このゲームの頂点に⽴つ選⼿はFIDE（あるいは、ワールドチェスフェデレーション）から称号を受け取ります。その⼈達はチャンピオンと呼ばれ尊敬されたりします。世界の⼈々にチェスの代表として⾒られて、⼈々を奮い⽴たせます。しかし、こんなに⼈気があってもチェスは⽇本で⾜がかりをまだ得られていません。しかも、チェスの最⾼の称号はグランドマスターですが、⽇本の最⾼の選⼿はインターナショナルマスターです。 どうして今まで⽇本からグランドマスターが出ていないのでしょう？ それが私の主な疑問となりますが、ほかにも疑問があります。私はチェスがとても好きですが、まだ初⼼者レベルですから⾃分で答えを考えようと思ったら間違いなく傲慢です。それに、私は⽇本⽂化を少ししかしらないので、⽇本⼈の⾒⽅もわかりません。⽇本の強い選⼿をインタビューして、いくつかの答えを得たいです。私は選⼿の⽣活を理解できるようになりたいです。また、私の出⾝のグジャラート州では、ニュースやイン
ターネットで情報を集めてチェスに興味を持ちます。⽇本ではどうだろうかと思っていました。その後、私は⽇本でチェスの役割について話して選⼿の意⾒をもらって、どうしてチェスは⽇本で流⾏していないのか、将棋とチェスの違いや、何か⽂化的な理由があるかどうか
知りたいです。 私は皆にチェスへの興味を持ってもらいたいです。⽇本ではどのようにして皆にチェスへの興味を持ってもらうのでしょうか。これらの質問（の答え）で、私は選⼿⽅のチェスについての考えを理解したいです。しかも、⽇本⼈の⾒⽅もわかる契機です。
時間があれば、もっと深く話し合いたいです。もらった答えで⾃分の結論を下すつもりです。

IS IT CHECKMATE FOR CHESS IN
JAPAN?
AN ANALYSIS OF THE POSITION OF THE BOARD GAME IN
JAPANESE SOCIETYUJJWALA THAKARACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I had the most wonderful time conducting my research and writing the report. I
owe it all to the following people whose generosity and kindness knew no bounds
when it came to helping me manoeuvre the ins and outs of such an intricate
journey:
The Shimonaka Memorial Foundation for giving me the opportunity to carry out
this research in the first place. I am extremely grateful, and their magnanimity
enabled me to learn a great deal more about Japan and Japanese people andculture than I had ever hoped to learn.
Kevin Izquierdo, Tatsumi Yoko of the Tokyo Bilingual Chess Club, and themembers of the Tokyo University Chess Circle (especially Kyo-san and Gotoh-san)for welcoming me and ensuring my project would be a success.
Sophia University Chess Circle, Tsukuba University Chess Circle, and Hongo Chess
Club for kindly sharing their ideas, opinions, and experience with me.
Kojima Shinya, Kojima Natsumi, and Alexander Averbukh for their invaluable
input.
Last, but not least, I would like to thank Bipasha Kaur Chatterjee and my family
for their support.

A CONCISE OVERVIEW OF CHESS
Chess is a two-player strategy game that originated in India in the 6th century. Originallycalled “chaturanga,” it underwent changes in its rules over time to give rise to theversion that is currently played worldwide. As a unique strategy game, it has been
proven to improve not only critical thinking skills and academic performance, but also
the all-round development of children and adults alike (Chess in the Schools, n.d.):• 92% of teachers reported that learning chess improved students’ analytic andlogical reasoning skills.
• 91% of teachers reported that practicing chess enhanced students’ cooperation
skills.
Chess is played with a chequered board and two sets of special chess pieces,called white and black (though the black pieces may not necessarily be black). The two
sets consist of a king, a queen; two bishops, knights, and rooks; and eight pawns, allwith their own special rules for movement across the board. The objective is to“checkmate” the opponent’s king, and it is this purpose and the various inventive
strategies to achieve that purpose that lend chess a certain addictive charm.
While onlookers may dismiss chess as yet another board game to pass the time,it has featured in moments of great political importance, such as the Match of theCentury, which was a historic game between Bobby Fischer of the USA and Boris
Spassky of the Soviet Union during the 1972 World Chess Championships, with a former
World Champion and chess expert commenting (Kasparov, 2016):
I think the reason you look at these matches probably was not so much the chessfactor but to the political element, which was inevitable because in the Soviet
Union, chess was treated by the Soviet authorities as a very important and useful
ideological tool to demonstrate the intellectual superiority of the Soviet
communist regime over the decadent West. That’s why the Spassky defeat [...]
was treated by people on both sides of the Atlantic as a crushing moment in the
midst of the Cold War.
Chess has a strong presence in many countries around the world, especially inEuropean countries and the United States, and more recently Asian countries like India.
The highest title that can be accorded to a chess player is that of “Grandmaster”, andwe see that around the world there have arisen hundreds of “GMs”. However, Japanhas yet to be one of the countries captivated by chess’s immense global popularity—as

of February 13, 2018, Japan ranks 95 on the “Country rank by average rating of top 10
players” (FIDE, n.d.), and there is yet to emerge a Grandmaster from Japan. This reportattempts to elucidate the present situation of the game in Japan, reasons for its current
standing in Japanese society, as well as its future potential. This has been attempted via
the interviewing and surveys of various chess players in Japan, ranging from hobbyists
to professional players.

CHESS IN JAPANJapanese society, self-sufficient and fiercely proud of its people and culture, has only
recently begun to welcome outside influences to its everyday life. Amongst the list ofsports played at any level in Japan, one may notice a sizeable number of sports thatoriginated outside Japan – basketball, tennis, figure-skating, baseball, golf. Already inschools and colleges, we see after-school clubs and circles dedicated to the practiceand pursuit of such international sports. Chess is one such “imported” game, more amental exercise than a physical one, that is inchmeal gaining acceptance in Japan.
However, people are not yet ready to fully embrace it and all the promise that is
associated with it, unlike the open integration of the more physical sports listed above.
What is preventing chess from obtaining a stronger foothold? What is the reason thatchess is still unpopular compared to other “imported” games?

THE CULTURAL IDENTITY
Shogi, as people may already know, is a Japanese variation on its ancient predecessor,
the game of chaturanga. It bears remarkable similarities to chess vis-à-vis the board
layout, the piece movement, and the overall objective (checkmating the opponent’sking). However, there are similarly remarkable differences, in that the board size mayvary from 7x7 to 25x25 (whereas chess is 8x8), and that once an opponent’s piece has
been captured, it may be re-entered into play.
This game is a cultural landmark for Japan, something that is ingrained in thenational identity. Shogi tournaments are regularly sponsored by bigwig corporations
and shogi awards and titles associate with them a great amount of prestige. Everything
about the game, from its equipment to its traditions, screams “Japan” at the spectator;
it is unsurprising, then, that Japanese people take an inordinate amount of pride in thisgame that more or less represents Japan as a whole.
Chess, on the other hand, comes in as a foreign competitor with comparatively“inferior” rules (which is to say, the number of possible moves at every step for chessis less than that for shogi, and people, mistakenly or otherwise, tend to consider that areflection of the game’s complexity) and no real importance to Japanese society as awhole. It is viewed as a mere hobby, and a career in chess is a near-laughable potential
option for those who aren’t already established professionals in Japan. This hinders theformation of a chess community—one that nurtures chess players from the time ofchildhood to the time when they begin to compete professionally on the world level.
One may also observe that a game’s prevalence in popular storytelling media
platforms (manga, anime, drama, movies, etc.) has a direct influence on the number ofpeople that take up the game. Ignoring the plethora of manga available for Western
physical sports, a cursory rummaging on the Internet for board game manga publishedin Japan yields a variety of lists of manga for shogi, go, and even mah-jong (Hikaru no
Go, Sangatsu no Lion, Shion no Ou, Ten: Tenhōdōri No Kaidanji, Akagi), but even the
deepest internet search yields no result for a chess-centric manga except one: Chrono
Monochrome.
There does exist a chess association in Japan that has a hand in organising two
FIDE-recognised tournaments annually, but it is woefully inadequate as far as spreading
chess to the populace is concerned; while there is undoubtedly the problem of a severe
shortage of funds for the proliferation of chess, more than one of the interviewees forthis report have expressed disappointment with the association, its inner workings, andthe elitism and infighting that it is apparently mired in; seemingly unconcerned withensuring chess gets the same shot at the limelight that other Western sports have.
There is a Brooklyn, New York-based organisation, called “Chess in the Schools”,
that ropes in schools at which to teach children chess free of cost. One of theinterviewees for this report quite literally called it a lifesaver, saying “chess has taken
us out of the streets”. This organisation’s mission statement includes the following
sentences (Chess in the Schools, n.d.):
At Chess in the Schools, we believe in the power of chess as a tool tochange lives. To date, we have taught more than 500,000 of New York
City’s most underserved children, inspiring them to greater achievement.
Brutally honest as it may be, it is difficult to conceive of something similar taking
place in Japan, given that there is already another far more popular game making therounds, and that there has never been such a need for chess in Japan. Chess does notsave lives here, it merely passes the time.

THE LANGUAGE BARRIER
Another reason that must be considered while mulling over the inadequate popularityof chess in Japan is that chess is a game primarily played in English (and Russian, owing
to the sheer numbers of Russian-speaking players that have helped in the developmentof the game over the decades).
English is not yet a prevalent language in Japan, though there are certainly steps
being taken in the direction of making it one of the more commonly-spoken languages
around. Regardless, people prefer to use Japanese in quotidian life for the unmitigatedconvenience, and so English has rather more value as a resume-booster than as a lingua
franca for the metropolises and otherwise of Japan.
Furthermore, Japanese people tend to downplay their English abilities anddisplay a certain lack of confidence in their knowledge of the language, unless it isdirectly correlated to their job. In the end, knowing English is merely an embellishment
on one’s personality, and utterly useless in the grand scheme of things, because aknowledge of Japanese and absolutely no other language is sufficient for one to survive
in Japan.
Obviously, this impedes the publication of suitable textbooks and guides for the
study of chess in Japan as well; because if there is no market for these books, why would
companies go to all the trouble of spending money and publishing them? In a vicious
cycle, on account of there not being a huge number of English-language chesstextbooks in bookstores, very few people would love chess passionately enough toovercome their initial intimidation at the language barrier to study chess in English, andhardly anyone would bother coming out with Japanese-language guides—leading tocompanies deciding not to bother publishing any chess textbooks; wash, rinse, repeat.
Remedial steps are being taken, for sure, what with players like International Master
Kojima Shinya regularly contributing to Japanese-language chess literature, but a lone
fan can’t dispel the fog.
Moreover, there is only so much one can glean from textbooks and online chessplay; such a language barrier would also hinder budding chess players from access tothe chess coaches best for them, creating a quality plateau which Japanese chessplayers would not be able to overcome.
It is also obvious that this hesitation would extend to overseas travel. To qualify
for a FIDE title, a person must fulfil certain norm (level of performance) requirements.
For example, to become/ attain the title of a Grandmaster, a player must satisfy a rangeof stringent rules, some of which are that they have a chess rating (which is exactly what

it seems like) of 2500 or higher and that they play a set number of games against theiropponents, one-third of whom must be GMs (FIDE, n.d.). Given that there are only two
FIDE-rated tournaments taking place in Japan every year, it would seem extremely
difficult for a Japanese player to become a Grandmaster without going abroad andparticipating (very well) in overseas tournaments. The abovementioned language
barrier plays a key role in determining the limits of how far a player is willing to go;
weeks in a foreign country, speaking a foreign language, often without a helpfulinterpreter: it seems quite an unnerving thought. However, more and more players are
braving the journey, which is quite an uplifting sign. IM (International Master) Kojima
Shinya himself believes English ought not to be an obstacle during gameplay, for the
language the two opponents speak during play is chess; the only issue lies with
communication outside of the game, e.g. with arbiters/ organisers. Only in this case isa working knowledge of English necessary.

WHAT CAN BE DONE?
From the discussions above, one may explicate that the main barriers to chess gaining
a foothold in Japan are
1. the public’s complete disinterest in the game compared to shogi (‘why should
we pay attention to chess when we have shogi?’ is one way an interviewee putit)
2. its lack of media presence, as well as minimal bolstering efforts by the
association in charge of Japanese chess players
3. no top title holders, i.e. no Japanese chess grandmasters (discounting halfJapanese half-American player Hikaru Nakamura, since he plays on behalf of andrepresents the United States of America) and thus no famous Japanese chesscelebrities (again, discounting Habu Yoshiharu as he is more known for his shogi
career than his chess)
4. lack of international chess players visiting Japan (though this is a reiteration ofpoint no. 2, in that a dearth of international chess “celebrities” visiting Japan
results in chess not getting in the news as often),
and as a result, one may turn their thoughts to contemplating just how to encourage
more people to play chess in Japan. Most of the above issues have blatant solutions,but
Many interviewees were of the opinion that chess ought to be an optional
subject in schools—it is very well known that one must begin their chess journey at avery young age if one is to achieve the top title and play at a consistently highprofessional level for the remainder of their career. There are already shogi classes
being offered in universities and some schools—it would not be controversial if chesswere also introduced as a learnable subject and taught distinctly from other board
games. There are already extracurricular clubs and circles devoted to chess: one
brilliant example is the Tokyo Bilingual Chess Club, which encourages elementary
school-level kids to gather, study, and play chess (in English!).
Furthermore, the publication of more Japanese-language textbooks and guides
would certainly help; if a “newbie” wished to learn more about chess and the only
obstacle was English, such a guide would surely help. Not only academic literature, butalso more manga/ anime/ tv shows/ movies about chess in Japan would help; the(American) movie Pawn Sacrifice increased public interest in chess around the time it
was released, and so did the game that the movie revolved around (to frenzied levels).
It is also apparent that once a Japanese chess grandmaster is crowned, it will be a pointof pride for Japanese society as a whole, and it would not be inaccurate to assume that
more people might turn to chess as their opportunity to shine in the wake of the trail
blazed by those before them.
Such lofty goals require a community effort, a collective boost; chess lovers inJapan must gather and prove to themselves and the people around them that chess is
an exceptional, exciting game in a class of its own, deserving of its place in Japanesesociety, and though Japan may not require chess, it would certainly benefit from it,
given the complex political and social history and implications of the game. Such a
struggle will indubitably be tough, face resistance, and seem insurmountable, but one
must not give up: even the vastest of oceans are formed drop by drop.

WORKS CITED
Chess in the Schools. (n.d.). Mission Statement. Retrieved from Chess in the Schools:
https://chessintheschools.org/about-us/#about
Kasparov, G. (2016, February 28). Garry Kasparov on Conversations with Bill Kristol. Conversations
with Bill Kristol. (B. Kristol, Interviewer)
FIDE. (n.d.). Country rank by average rating of top 10 players. Retrieved from World Chess Federation:
http://ratings.fide.com/topfed.phtml?tops=0&ina=2&country=
FIDE. (n.d.). Handbook > B: Permanent Commissions. Retrieved from World Chess Federation:
http://www.fide.com/component/handbook/?id=174&view=article

＜最優秀賞＞
日本の自然保護と地域コミュニティの役割の国立公園を取材して－-九州の４つシミ アッシャ(Simi Asher)
この報告書は、日本とインドの国立公園

ることができた。この経験を通して、地元を比較し、地域の人々の環境保全への貢献の人々が継続的に地域経済へ貢献しているを調査するものである。両国の国立公にはことを理解した。各地の経済を維持するこ

その目的において違いがある。インドでは、とにより、間接的に自然保全を促進してい国立公園には主に野生動物保護区域を意味る。九州の国立公園の地域経済は、観光客する。インドでは、希少な野生動物を保護をもてなすレストラン、ホテル、温泉、バすることを中心に、国立公園が選定される。

ス、観光案内所などによって支えられてい一方、日本では、景観のよい地域を保全する。このようなインフラの存在がなければ、るために政府が多額の資金を使い、地元住観光客が自然文化などに興味があっても、民が保全活動に深く関わっている。

各地域への訪問を楽しむことができないだ

本調査では、九州の高千穂と４つの国立ろう。それ故に、国立公園内や周辺の地域

公園（西海、雲仙天草、阿蘇くじゅう、霧にいる地元の人々の貢献も、自然保護のた島）を訪問し、日本の国立公園がどのようめに重要だと思う。

に保全されているかを、フィールドワーク
を通して観察し、それぞれの特徴を分析した。今回の調査を通して、日本における国立公園は、天然記念物を単体で保護するのではなく、それを含めた景観や自然の美しさ、歴史、文化などを体験する機会も、観光客に与える場所であることがわかった。
観光客は絶景を楽しむことに加え、その時に感じた感動や様々な体験を通して学んだ
ことを、一生の思い出として持ち帰ることができる。九州の国立公園へのフィールド
ワークにより、この保全へのアプローチが、インドも含めて、世界の自然遺産や自然公園を保全するのにとても有効であると良く理解できた。
また、今回の訪問では、地域の人々と交流して、伝統的な文化を学び、視野を広げ- 82 -

シミ

アッシャさん

＜略歴＞
1998年３月

ムンバイ生まれ

2004年-2005年

Thakur Public School,
Mumbai2005年-2008年

Indian International School
in Japan,Tokyo

2008年-2014年

Thakur Public School,
Mumbai2014年-2016年

R.N.Podar School,Mumbai

2016年-現在

九州大学工学機械工学コー
ス部＜専門科目＞
制御工学・熱力学・力学・流体力学・機械製作法・材料力学- 83 -

＜優秀賞＞
ビジュアル文化を通じて近代日本人を知るバナジー モウミタ(Banerjee Maumita)
この研究の目的は「ビジュアル」の点で

資生堂資料館には、創業から今日までの日本人を知ること。「ビジュアル」な視点か

古い書類、ポスター、広告などが置かれてらの研究は、その変化が単に表面的ではなおり、ブランドの成功事例を示す。資料館

く、その時代の人々の日常生活に深く結びのパンフレットによれば、ブランドの目的ついていることを示す。ビジュアルな資料の１つは「美しい生活文化を創造する」こを活用することで、政治的主観や言語の知とや、「美をプロデュースする」ことである。

識などがないためアクセスが困難になる政

資生堂は明治時代から日本の消費者だけで治的または社会的空間にも浸透することがなく、海外市場にも日本の美学と美を再定できる。

義することができたといえるだろう。資生

このエッセイは、主に、「ビジュアル」を堂のようなポピュラーな化粧品ブランドを通した時代の歴史を研究する２つの情報源、通して、当時の日本の消費主義、美学近代

堀切コレクションの布類と資生堂の広告と化、闘争性がどう交じり合ったか、そのプポスターに焦点を当て、活用する。これら

ロセスを理解することができる。

の２つの情報源を使った理由は、（1) 明治、大正などにおける壮大な物語の結論中で日本人の日常生活がどのように変化したかを理解する。

過去からのビジュアルは、私たちをその時代へ連れて行く。そのものの触感、香り、（2）この２つの情報源の多様性は、異なる形、色などが私たちの目の前にその時代の社会階層の人々の生活の違いを理解す

歴史を演出する。歴史からの「もの」は、ることを可能にする。

人々の生活の変化を説明する。エリートでである。

も、政治的に疎外された人でも、毎日のドレスが人の個人的な経験を強調する。また、

堀切辰一がおよそ50年に渡って集めた日

資生堂のようなハイエンドブランドの成長

常生活の「布類」が堀切コレクションになと人気は、日本の消費主義と近代性の特徴っている。堀切辰一が収集した布類の内、を示す。

博物館に約3,500点を寄贈した。
服文化は、支配的な国家史における「無声」の大衆に「可視性」を与える強力な技術である。布の背後にある歴史を描写しながら、堀切辰一は頻繁にココロという言葉を使用する。彼のコレクションは、当時の日本の貧困、戦争と反発力を象徴している。
- 84 -

バナジー

モウミタさん

＜略歴＞
1984年６月

ニューデリー生まれ

2002年３月

ミラモデル高校卒業

2005年３月

デリー大学卒業（商業学士号）

2011年３月

デリー大学修士課程（日本語）修了

2013年12月

デリー大学

Ｍ.Ｐhi（ 日本学）

卒業
2013年９月～現在
早稲田大学政治学部博士課程後期（専門分野：政治学・近代歴史）＜受賞歴＞
2003年11月

立命館アジア太平洋大学主催「第３回立命館懸賞論文大賞」
入賞

2011年６月

JENESYS 財 政的支援で山口
県を10日間訪問

2018年７月

ハーバード大学エンチンプロ
グラム‘New approaches in
Asia － Pacific Historical andContemporary Studies’に採択＜主な所属学会＞
・AAS（Association of Asian Studient）
・日本南アジア学会- 85 -

<優秀賞>
どうしてチェスは日本では人気がありませんか？
ウジュワラ メフル タカール
(Ujjwala Mehul Thakar)
世界中で人気があるチェスというスポー本でチェスの役割について話して選手の意

ツは６世紀頃にインドで端を発しました。

見をもらって、どうしてチェスは日本で流それから少しずつルールが変わっていき、

行していないのか、将棋とチェスの違いや、知恵や忍耐の必要な今のルールへと変化し

何か文化的な理由があるかどうか知りたいていきました。

です。

チェスは様々な人々をゲームの検討や議

私は皆にチェスへの興味を持ってもらい論で結びつけます。このゲームの頂点に立たいです。日本ではどのようにして皆にチ

つ選手は FIDE（あるいは、ワールドチェ

ェスへの興味を持ってもらうのでしょうか。

スフェデレーション）から称号を受け取りこれらの質問とその答えで、私は選手方のます。その人達はチャンピオンと呼ばれ、チェスについての考えを理解したいです。

尊敬されたりします。世界の人々にチェス

しかも、日本人の見方もわかる契機にもなの代表として見られて、人々を奮い立たせります。時間があれば、もっと深く話し合ます。しかし、こんなに人気があってもチいたいです。もらった答えで自分の結論を

ェスは日本で足がかりをまだ得られていま下すつもりです。

せん。しかも、チェスの最高の称号はグランドマスターですが、日本の最高の選手はインターナショナルマスターです。
どうして今まで日本からグランドマスターが出ていないのでしょう？それが私の主な疑問となりますが、ほかにも疑問があります。私はチェスがとても好きですが、まだ初心者レベルですから自分で答えを考えようと思ったら、間違いなく傲慢です。それに、私は日本文化を少ししか知らないので、日本人の見方もわかりません。日本の強い選手をインタビューして、いくつかの答えを得たいです。私は選手の生活を理解できるようになりたいです。
また、私の出身のグジャラート州では、ニュースやインターネットで情報を集めてチェスに興味を持ちます。日本ではどうだ
ろうかと思っていました。その後、私は日- 86 -

機会を得られたことに大変感謝しております。

ウジュワラ メフル タカールさん＜略歴＞
1996年12月

生まれ

東京大学 PEAK（Programs in English at
Komaba）環境科学専攻

４年生

私は子供の頃から英語と日本語に興味を持っていました。また、いつか日本で学びたいと思っていましたが、３年前に実現しました。
私は科学が好きなので、高校時代には物理・化学・数学・生物学を学びました。私は、また、語学の勉強、チェス、物語を書くこと、小説を読むことが大好きです。国際スペリング大会競技のチャンピオンでもあります。将来は化学の研究者か作家になりたいと考えています。
「日本を知ろう」プログラムに参加する- 87 -