How Women’s Education Should Be — From the Standpoint of Mori Wasa-sensei [森わさ先生], a Seeker of the Way [求道者として],
 |
| Mori Wasa-sensei [森わさ先生] |
Mori-sensei was born in 1868 (Keiō 4) in Ōmachi Village [大町村], Tsuna District [津名郡], Hyōgo Prefecture. Widowed at an early age, she devoted herself to women’s education and moral cultivation. Around 1907 she became associated with Imaoka-sensei who was then minister of Hyōgo [Congregational] Church [兵庫教会], and it was though him that she absorbed the spirit of free-religion [自由宗教 jiyū shūkyō]. It was also thanks to Imaoka-sensei that she met Nishida Tenkō [西田天香], founder of Ittōen [一燈園], and adopted in her school not only the ethic of humble service (cleaning and prayer as moral/spiritual training) and the practice of Okada-style Seiza [静座] (Quiet Sitting meditation), but also a her own expression of free-religion. Her educational ideals emphasised spiritual discipline, self-reliance, and social usefulness, seeking to nurture in women “inner strength.” She continued active teaching and guidance into her old age, dying in 1953 (Shōwa 28) aged 85. Kōbe Gakuin continues to commemorate her legacy through the Mori Wasa Prize [森わさ賞].
Thinking about Mori-sensei again this morning, I went back to the informative pages about her on Kōbe Gakuin’s website and translated the section (on page 6-7) that refers directly to Imaoka Shin’ichirō, and I reproduce that here for those interested:
How Women’s Education Should Be — From the Standpoint of a Seeker of the Way [求道者として]
In the work of a teacher [教師], there is no such thing as completion or perfection. The children taught at school graduate one after another and go on to walk their respective paths in life. Among them, there must surely have been former pupils who, like Wasa, lost their husbands while still young and fell into painful circumstances. Each time Wasa saw such conditions among her former students, she must have asked herself how education ought to be, in order to give pupils the strength to overcome the rough waves of life. She probably thought deeply about this through her own experiences. Moreover, having experienced the impermanence of life [人生の無常] in her own real life, it seems that she was led thereby toward a religious quest [宗教的な探求]. To deepen her thought, Wasa began visiting people at Christian churches [キリスト教会], Buddhist temples [寺院], and spiritual mentors [精神の先達者].
The first door she knocked upon was that of a Christian church [キリスト教会]. This was around 1907 (Meiji 40), when she began to attend the Hyōgo Church [兵庫教会], whose minister [牧師] at that time was Imaoka Shin’ichirō [今岡信一良]. Although Imaoka was a Christian minister [キリスト教の牧師], he was one who held that the aim of all religions is the same, and who preached a “free religion” [自由宗教] unconstrained by any particular sect. Wasa, seeking neither worldly blessings [現世利益] by relying on gods or buddhas, nor mental tranquillity through self-affirmation [自己肯定], found that Imaoka’s thought resonated deeply with her. Even after Imaoka left Kōbe, their friendship continued, and when Wasa founded her own academy [学園], he became her adviser. Furthermore, it was Imaoka who later introduced Nishida Tenkō [西田天香], founder of Ittōen [一燈園] in Yamashina, Kyōto, to Wasa. Nishida was one who, with a mind free of self-interest [無心の心], continued a mendicant life [托鉢生活] devoted to selfless service; Wasa too visited Ittōen, and even in her school she practised the discipline [修行] of bowing in reverence and cleaning the toilets.
Seiza [静座] (Quiet Sitting meditation) held an important place within Mori Wasa’s educational practice, and it was also Imaoka who introduced to her the Okada-style Seiza Meditation Method [岡田式静座法], which at that time drew the attention of many. For four to five years beginning from 1907 (Meiji 40), Wasa continued her spiritual quest [精神的な求道] and deepened her reflections. The introspection and inner depth that she attained through this became something that, in later years, would be brought to life in her educational work.
Comments