Beloved Handwritten Manuscript

"Brand new first graders!" This is a line from a popular TV commercial a long time ago. Whenever I see kids with brand new school bags in April, I always find myself humming this song.

Recently, many students carry backpacks. In their bags, they should have new textbooks, notebooks, and pencil cases. Japanese, math, ethics, and music. An unknown world awaits first graders.

It's only after they become elementary school students that they start writing compositions. In the past, there were all kinds of assignments. Summer vacation book reports for homework, memories of field trips, dreams for the future. I wonder if kids these days are still writing with pencils in hand.

I wasn't always fond of writing compositions, but I enjoyed filling in the manuscript paper. I felt a sense of accomplishment when I finished writing one page, filling in each square, changing paragraphs.

I have a special attachment to handwritten manuscript paper. 35 years ago, I wrote my first published book, "Riding the Muddy Current - Amazon, the Great River of Desire", on manuscript paper. It's a book that summarises my trip to the Amazon for a TV travelogue.

For me, it's more like writing an essay than writing a book. I struggled with writing on Kokuyo 400-character manuscript paper with a pencil and erasing with an eraser. When the pencil lead ran low, I sharpened it with the hand-cranked pencil sharpener I've been using since elementary school.

It was 350 sheets of manuscript paper. When I finished, it was a thick stack. Even that wasn't enough to write about a month and a half of traveling. I went up the 6,300 km long Amazon River by boat, slept in the jungle, and spent my days with the local people.

After the book was published, the editor gave me a wonderful present. He bound my manuscript into a book. I embraced the only big book in the world.

A bound manuscript paper and an old pencil sharpener

Nowadays, I write my manuscripts by typing on a computer. However, when I start writing, I use a pencil. I write down on paper what comes to mind. I write and use an eraser to touch up erase, and the pencil sharpener on my desk is still active. The basics haven't changed.

I'm attached to all the books I've written, but only the first one remains handwritten. It's my treasure.

I have a thick book containing handwritten manuscripts by modern writers. Among the 50 authors, several have ties to Kamakura.

Natsume Soseki's famous manuscript paper has a modern design with the seal calligraphy "Soseki Sanbo'' sandwiched between a dragon's face. Soseki's letters are slanted upwards to the right. He was said to have been short-tempered and nervous, and I wonder if that's reflected in his writing.

Osaragi Jiro's manuscript is 400 characters long with the inscription "Osaragi" printed on it. Looking at the manuscripts in large, spacious characters makes me feel cheerful.

Akutagawa Ryunosuke and Kume Masao used manuscript paper made by Matsuya, a long-established company. Akutagawa's is 200 characters long, and Kume's is 400 characters long. Akutagawa's characters are small and round. In particular, the hiragana characters "ru" and "to" are only one-tenth the size of a square, making them very cute.

Every manuscript has been crossed out or rewritten many times. You can get a glimpse of the difficult journey it takes to become a book. There is a human touch that you can't feel when it's printed in print.

Shibusawa Tatsuhiko, who passed away in 1987, also lived in Kamakura.

I was happy when I was invited to Shibusawa's old house, which stands on a hill. My husband, a writer, has been a fan of Shibusawa since he read "Takaoka Shinno Koukaiki" when he was young. Since moving to Kamakura, he has been visiting his grave. I was shocked when I saw the photos in the Shueisha Shinsho Visual Edition "Shibusawa Tatsuhiko - Draconia World" published 15 years ago. The house is full of fascinating and mysterious things collected by Shibusawa Tatsuhiko. We climbed the slope to the Shibusawa house, which we had long admired, with excitement.

Shibusawa's wife, Ryuko, greeted us with a smile. The living room and study were just as they had been in the photos I had seen. The skull in the cabinet, the girl doll by Yotsuya Simon, and Kaneko Kuniyoshi's oil painting "Eroticism". The books that didn't fit on the bookshelf were piled up on the floor.

His favorite items, such as pens and glasses, were still on the large desk where he had been writing. There was also manuscript paper on it. 400 characters in gray, no ruby borders. It was signed by Shibusawa himself, and the "Hiko" was uniquely shaped like a seahorse.

My husband looked at the manuscript paper with emotion, saying, "So this is where he wrote", and leaned forward, saying, "Oh, there are traces of writing still remaining". The paper was indented by the pressure of the pen. Wow, it's amazing. These are traces of Shibusawa Tatsuhiko's creation. We were excited.

Then, Mrs. Ryuko said,

"Oh, that's probably me..."

She laughed apologetically. She said she works on this desk. Well, there's no way that Shibusawa Tatsuhiko's pen marks could remain there, but the house is so much like it was when he was alive that she jumped to conclusions.

From the study window, the mountains of Kamakura could be seen. You can see the temple where Shibusawa's grave is located from here, Ryuko said, pointing to a distant mountain. The cherry blossoms will soon bloom on the dense mountain, and she will be able to view them from her house. In the spring, the mountains of Kamakura turn a gentle pink color that warms your heart.

Every year, Shibusawa Tatsuhiko admired the peony cherry tree in his garden. Now, he is sleeping in the bosom of a mountain where the cherry blossoms bloom.

Now, while I enjoy reading handwritten manuscripts by writers, it's also interesting to read essays written by ordinary high school students.

I have been the head judge of the JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) High School Student Essay Contest for 17 years. I am always inspired by the writings of young people who seriously face the world's environment and poverty issues.

More than 10 years ago, most of the works were handwritten on manuscript paper. Every year, more and more A4 paper is typed into a computer, and last time, out of the 20 works in the final round, only five were handwritten. This must be the trend of the times.

The judging is strict, with criteria such as "ability to act", "ability to understand", and "ability to organize". However, when reading a handwritten manuscript, it is impossible to eliminate something that can be sensed from the handwriting and momentum. The rhythm of handwriting is one of the attractions and shows humanity. I find myself adding points to handwritten manuscripts.

I think I like the relationship between handwritten manuscript and people.