Memories of Two People (1965): Mr. Torajiro Okada (1872-1920) and Mr. Joseph Warren T. Mason (1879-1941) by Imaoka Shin’ichirō (1881-1988)

Left: Torajiro Okada (1872-1920) Right: Joseph Warren T. Mason (1879-1941) in Tokyo with his wife

Memories of Two People: Mr. Torajiro Okada (1872-1920) and Mr. Joseph Warren T. Mason (1879-1941) by Imaoka Shin’ichirō (1881-1988) 

July, Shōwa 40 [1965] in “Creation” [創造]

Recently, I have been thinking about two people whom I remember. I believe that most of you are probably not familiar with them.

One is Okada Torajirō [岡田虎二郎], who taught the Okada-style Seiza Method [of quiet sitting meditation] [岡田式静座法] from the end of the Meiji era into the beginning of the Taisho era. Today, the 93rd anniversary of his birth will be celebrated at Hongyo-ji Temple [本行寺] in Nippori [日暮里]. The other is an American named Joseph Warren T. Mason. The name Mason is well known in Japan as a correspondent for the United Press (UP) and other news agencies in the USA and was quite famous. From around Shōwa 7 (1932), he frequently visited Japan. However, this year marks the 25th anniversary of his death. Among those who knew Mason were Takada Motosaburō-shi [高田元三郎氏], Senior Advisor [最高顧問] of the newspaper, Mainichi Shimbun [毎日新聞], Araki Sadao-shi [荒木貞夫氏], former Minister of the Army [元の陸軍大臣] and Senke Takakazu-shi [千家尊宣氏], Director [理事] of Kokugakuin University [国学院大学].

Meeting Okada-sensei

I first met Okada-sensei [岡田先生] when I returned to Tōkyō in Meiji 43 (1910). I had graduated from university in Meiji 39 (1906) and then served as a pastor in Kōbe for three years, from the following year until Meiji 42 (1909). However, I reached a dead end in my pastoral work, resigned, and returned to Tokyo, where I worked as an assistant [副手] in the Religious Studies Department [宗教学研究室] at Tokyo Imperial University [東大] while continuing my studies.

At that time, there were various reasons why I had become unable to continue as a pastor in Kōbe. However, when I resolved to start anew in Tokyo, thinking that I must study further, Nishida Tenkō-san [西田天香さん], who is still alive at over ninety years of age, recommended to me that “it would be good for you to learn Okada-style Seiza [岡田式静座].”

Seiza Gatherings

When we talk about Seiza [静座], it is not like the lotus position [結跏趺座] in Zen [禅], but it simply involves sitting properly on tatami [畳] mats in the Japanese style, quietly exhaling while being instructed to concentrate the energy in the tanden [丹田 i.e. the lower abdomen]. At first, instruction was given at Sensei’s home near Ueno Park [上野公園], but as the number of pupils [門弟] gradually increased, the practice was moved to the living quarters of temple priests [庫裡] of Hongyō-ji [本行寺], a Nichiren Buddhist temple [日蓮宗] in Nippori [日暮里]. There, over a hundred people received instruction every morning. The sessions were held from 6 am for one hour, continuing all year-round without interruption. I believe they lasted for five or six years, until Sensei’s death. At that time, I lived in Oiwake-chō [追分町] in Hongō, so instead of taking the tram as people do now, I would walk the roughly thirty-minute distance every morning. All that was done was to sit in Seiza [静座] for one hour from 6:00 a.m. in front of Okada-sensei [岡田先生], who sat like the Great Buddha [大仏]. Sensei neither preached [説教] nor gave lectures [講話]. He simply provided guidance to those who came forward before him for correction of their posture. That was all. And yet, there were those whose physical illnesses were cured, and others who gained new spiritual vitality. This led to significant acclaim, leading to the publication of various writings on the subject.

People I met at the Seiza Gatherings

However, Okada-sensei never wrote anything himself. Among those who gathered at the sessions, there were people from various backgrounds—some whom I first met at these gatherings, and others whom I had known before but with whom I became close thanks to this gathering. Among them was Tanaka Shōzō-ō [田中正造翁], who had directly petitioned the government regarding the Ashio Mine Pollution Incident [鉱毒事件] in Tochigi Prefecture [栃木県], which was one of the most significant social issues of that time. Kinoshita Naoe-shi [木下尚江氏] was among those who attended the Seiza gatherings at Hongyōji [本行寺] with great devotion.

I believe Kinoshita-shi was the one most profoundly influenced by Seiza. He had been active as a socialist [社会主義者], working at the Mainichi Shimbun [毎日新聞] [newspaper], but after beginning Seiza (or perhaps even before that, as he may have already been undergoing an inner transformation), he came to feel that all his efforts had been superficial [上すべり]. He realised that, no matter how much he did, his approach would never yield true results. Consequently, he withdrew entirely from social activism [社会運動]. It is possible that he would have arrived at this decision even without practicing Seiza, but it is undeniable that his engagement in Seiza further accelerated the process.

Experiences of Seiza

At the Seiza [静座] gathering hall in Nippori [日暮里], various types of people came to practice from 6:00 a.m. for one hour each morning. When engaging in Seiza, many people would begin moving while still seated. Their hands, in particular, would move up and down or side to side. In Zazen [座禅], movement does not occur, but that is because movement is strictly prohibited. However, Okada-sensei permitted movement, saying, “If they move, let them move.” Among the ordinary participants [参会者], when their hands began moving or trembling, they felt that something was taking effect [効き目] and rejoiced. In my case, even after a year, even after two years, nothing moved at all, and I became somewhat discouraged. However, around my third year, I suddenly began moving. I still remember how, on that day, I was so overjoyed and elated that I was unable to do any work for half the day.

Kinoshita Naoe-shi was one of the most active movers. Even when sitting in one corner of the hall, he would often begin moving and gradually make his way to the opposite corner. Among the participants, there were also those who, while practicing Seiza, would emit strange cries [奇声], or produce sounds resembling a steam whistle [汽笛]. After about an hour, Okada-sensei, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, would address the entire gathering, saying: “Slowly open your eyes” [そろそろ眼をあけなさい]. Then, in silence, everyone would leave.

Okada-sensei instructed Seiza gatherings almost every day, throughout the entire day, both within the city and in rural areas [地方]. After the Seiza session in Nippori concluded, he would come once a week to the Seiza gathering at my home as well. The thirty-minute walk together from Nippori to my home was the only opportunity to hear about the state of Sensei’s heart/mind [心境] and his thoughts [所僧], making it an extremely valuable time. Sensei frequently said, almost as a habitual phrase: “Seiza is exactly the same as the Zazen [座禅] that Dōgen [道元] expounded in the Fukan Zazengi [普勧座禅儀].” He also remarked: “In Christianity, Seiza is something like the Quakers.” It’s also worth noting that Sensei had a keen interest in biology [生物学] and entomology [昆虫学].

On the effects of Seiza

At the time, the Okada-style Seiza Method [岡田式静座法] was highly renowned. There were cases where young people who had no sense of smell suddenly regained their ability to perceive scents. For example, someone who had never before noticed the smell of a toilet suddenly found it unpleasant. It is certain that when one sits with correct posture [姿勢を正している], blood circulation [血液の循環] improves. With improved circulation and regulated breathing [呼吸が整う], it is only natural that one’s physical condition [体の具合] would actually improve. Additionally, when maintaining proper posture [姿勢を正しくする], hands that were previously cold would become warm. Even on cold winter mornings, as one sat, one’s cold hands would gradually warm up. After Seiza ended, we would shake hands [握手] with one another to compare whether our hands were warm or cold.

This brings to mind Sōma Kokkō-joshi [相馬黒光女史],^[15] the wife of the owner of Nakamuraya [ a famous bakery] (中村屋) in Shinjuku. She was troubled by illness and, at a time when she was unable to sit properly, heard about Okada-sensei and became a devoted follower of his teachings. She joined the Seiza gatherings and also attended the meetings held at my home. Since she was a person of such direct and candid nature [率直な人], after Seiza ended, she would often extend her hand and ask, “Well, how is it?” seeking a handshake [握手を求める]. Sometimes, my hands weren’t as warm as hers, which left me feeling a bit embarrassed.

Okada-sensei’s legacy

Thanks to having studied under Okada-sensei for a total of eight years, Seiza has become a habit for me. If I visit someone and am made to wait for thirty minutes, I simply practise Seiza during that time. Being made to wait no longer feels like a burden, and I no longer fixate on things. It feels as though my approach to life has taken on a certain pattern [タイプ]. Nowadays, I do not necessarily follow the exact method or set time for sitting that Okada-sensei prescribed. However, whenever I think of it, I make sure to practice Seiza for at least five or ten minutes. When I catch a cold and feel that I may develop a fever, I do take medicine, but if I sit properly for about an hour, my cold hands become warm, and for minor ailments like a common cold, I believe seiza may be the most effective remedy.

About Mr Mason

Mason first became a newspaper reporter around Meiji 37–38 (1904–1905), at the time of the Russo-Japanese War [日露戦争]. He went to London and wrote news reports about the war, which initially connected him to Japan. It seems that the fact that a small nation like Japan was engaged in war with a great power like Russia deeply impressed the young reporter.

In Shōwa 7 (1932), he came to Japan for the first time and that same year, he retired from active work. From around the age of 55 until the end of his life, he devoted himself entirely to the study of Japan. For thirty years of his life as a newspaper reporter, he never neglected his research on Japan. However, it had always been something he pursued only in his spare time.  After retiring, he came to Japan to settle down and fully dedicate himself to Japanese studies, having made various preparations during his active years. Until that time, I had not known him at all.

During his years in New York, Mason often assisted the special correspondents [特派員] of Japan’s major newspapers. Therefore, when Mason came to Japan, the Japanese journalists who had received his support warmly welcomed him. The Asahi Shimbun [朝日] and the Mainichi Shimbun [毎日] [newspapers] in particular took care of him, introducing him to various people in different fields.

Shintō studies and the connection with me

Mason believed that the true spirit of Japan [日本の本当の精神] undoubtedly lay in Shintō [神道]. While working as a newspaper reporter, he continued to research what exactly Shintō was. Over the course of thirty years, he read a considerable number of Shintō-related texts in English translation. He read the Kojiki [古事記] and Nihon Shoki [日本書紀], of course, but also nearly all the English-language works on the subject. With that preparation, he came to Japan. Since he wished to meet Shintō priests [神道人] as well as people from other religious denominations [一般宗数人], Shimomura Juichi-shi [下村寿一氏], who was serving as the Director of Religious Affairs [宗教同長] at the Ministry of Home Affairs [女記省], introduced him to me and suggested that I look after him as much as possible. As I myself had an interest in the study of matters related to Shintō shrines, I gladly took on the role. And so, whenever Mason gave a lecture, it almost always fell to me to serve as his interpreter.

Through an introduction from the Ministry of Education [文部省], we embarked on a month-long journey together through the Tōkaidō [東海道], Kinki [近畿], Chūgoku [中国], and Kyushu [九州] regions, combining shrine visits and lectures. As I myself had little knowledge of Japanese shrines, this journey was also extremely beneficial for me personally.

Mason revered Emperor Sujin [崇神天皇] and insisted that a shrine dedicated to him must be built. This view had a significant influence on people involved with shrines. Although I did not necessarily completely agree with Mason’s ideas, he declared himself a believer in Shintō [神道の信者] and took great interest in shrine ceremonies [神社の儀式]. When we visited Izumo Taisha [出雲大社], for example, he delighted in dressing in the attire of a Shintō priest [神主] and having his photograph taken.

At that time, leftist ideas [左翼思想] were beginning to gain momentum, and because Mason praised Shrine Shintō [神社神道], made anti-communist remarks [反共的なこと], and insisted that Bergsonian philosophy [ベルグソン哲学] and Shintō were essentially the same, he was warmly received by top figures in the educational world [教育界] and political [政界] and financial circles [財界].

For this reason, prominent figures such as Minagawa Haruhiro-shi [皆川治広氏], who was then Deputy Minister of Justice [司法次官], Araki Sadao-taishō [荒木貞夫大将], the Minister of the Army [陸軍大臣], and Hiranuma Kiichirō-shi [平沼騏一郎氏], the President of the Privy Council [枢密院議長], enthusiastically supported Mason.

My friendship with Mason and its influence

Up until then, I had had some interactions with foreigners [外国人], but most of them had been Christian missionaries [キリスト教の宣教師] or university professors [学の先生], and my acquaintanceship with foreigners was limited to a very small circle. However, through Mason, I came to know an entirely different type of foreigner. Since he was a newspaperman [新聞人] rather than a missionary [宣教師] or a scholar [学者], he possessed extensive knowledge of worldly affairs [世間的なこと] and had a wide range of acquaintances. He was, of course, an American and had been raised as a Christian, being an ordinary church member of the Methodist Church.

He stayed at the Imperial Hotel, but almost every day, a group of people would gather around Mason in one corner of the hotel. Through this, I had the opportunity to come into contact with aspects of Western people [西洋人] that I had never known before. Mason, for his part, needed an assistant [補助者] like me for his research [研究]. During his stay in Japan, he published two books in English, and since he wanted them to be published in Japanese translation at the same time, I translated both books. Through this connection, we became even closer—almost as if we were of one heart/mind and body [一心同体].

It has now been twenty-five years since his death, but even today, religious scholars such as Toda Yoshio-shi [戸田義雄氏], who is currently a professor at Kokugakuin University [国学院大学教授], say that there is still much to learn from Mason’s perspective on Shintō. Regarding questions such as whether Japanese shrine Shintō [神社神道] will endure as a national religion [民族的な宗教], or whether it can develop internationally and possess contemporary relevance [現代性], I believe Mason’s contributions were significant.

Mason himself came to love Japan deeply, and when he died, he left instructions in his will that his remains were to be buried in Japan. This was on May 13 [1941], during the year the war began. The following year, on the final ship returning to Japan, Takada Ichitarō-san [高田市太郎さん] of The Mainichi Shimbun [毎日新聞] [newspaper] brought his remains back. A grave [墓] was built in Shōwa 17 (1942), and his remains were interred. His widow also passed away several years later and, according to her will, was buried beside her husband. Thus, the Mason couple rest together in Tama Cemetery [多摩墓地].