On Natsume Sōseki's Meian 明暗(Light and Darkness)

(Light and

Darkness)

NISHITANI KEIJI

I

twice since then. This novel,I believe, is Soseki’s best work in thatit is the most developedof his oeuvre and treats the themes that he had explored in

his previous works ina more nuanced and detailed way. Of course, since the novelwas nevercompleted, it ends more by raisingquestionsthan by offering

conclusions. Today, I wishto think aboutwhat these basic questionsin Meian are. I must first state, however, that, because I have not read studies on Soseki,

myreading ofthework is solely mypersonalinterpretation.

These fundamentalthemes of Meian emerge moreorless in the first eight sections. Asyou might already know, the problem begins with thesurgery on

hemorrhoids thatone of the protagonists, Tsuda, undergoes. Tsuda andhis wife, Onobu, are mostlikelythe protagonists inthis novel andtheir relation­ ship its central problem. Related to and intertwinedwith this are various other

relationships that surround it.During Tsuda’s hospitalization, the doctortells him:

* This article first appeared as “Natsume soseki kenkyu” 31 @ in Volume 6 of

Gakusei no dokusho in 1966. This translation is from:

Nishitani Keiji, “Natsume soseki meian ni tsuite” H @ SffiEjW t UT, Shukyd to hishitkyo

“It’s just that itwon’t do merely to clean theopening as I have been

doing. The flesh wouldnever join that way, so there’s nothing left to do butchange themethod I’ve been using and performa basic

operation without delay.”

“What exactly do you mean by‘a basic operation’?”

“An incision. To make an incision and bring thefistula and intestine

together. Then the two sides which are now separated should be cured once and for all.”1

This passage deals symbolically with the maintheme of this novel. Here, a basicoperation, the need to make an incision, and natural healing processes play a central role. If itis tubercular, the lesion will gradually grow deeper

and will not heal even if the opening istreated. However, when Tsuda asks the doctor, “I wouldn’t happen to be tubercular, would I?” the doctor re­

sponds, “No, you’re not.”2 This means that, if he undergoes theoperation to

treat the root cause, his hemorrhoids will trulyheal. In sum, the first chapter discussesthe nature of Tsuda’sillness.

Section Two depicts Tsuda’s various thoughts on the notion ofchange, which is first brought up when he muses overhow he began to feelpainfrom the hemorrhoids outof the blue on the way back from cherry blossomviewing. Tsuda starts thinking that one would neverknow whenor how one’s own

body would undergoa change. Notonly that, one doesnot even know what kindof changes are occurringin one’s bodyright atthis very moment. This

realization frightenshim,but he continues onwithhis musingand comesto realize that onewould neverknow when and how changestakeplace in the spiritual world either. Then, it occursto him that he has actually witnessed

sucha moment. Needless to say,here, he is referring tohis relationship with Kiyoko, theproblem underlying the main theme of thenovel.

Why did she marry him? Undoubtedly becauseshe wantedto. But stillshe certainlyshouldn’t have. And why did / many thewoman

I did? Again undoubtedly because I wanted to. And yet earlier I hadn’twanted to.3

1 Natsume Soseki, Light and Darkness, trans, by V. H. Viglielmo. New York: Perigee, 1971,

pp. 1-2. All quotes, unless otherwise noted, are from this translation. The names of the two female characters are rendered as O-Nobu and O-Hide in this, but I have written their names as Ohide and Onobu in the main text of this essay, based on a more recent convention. [Translator’s Note]

2 Ibid., p. 2. 3 Ibid., p. 4.

Rightbefore thispassage, Tsuda recalls what his friend saidabout coincidence

(guzen

“That’s whywe often saysomething’s a coincidence, but what

we call a coincidence, according to Poincare’stheory, issimply the

termwe use when thecauses are socomplex we can’t discover them

easily.For example,for Napoleon to be bom, thecombinationof a

certainspecialegg and spermatozoon wasnecessary, butwhen we

try to think abit furtherabout what conditions were necessary for such a combination to take place, we can hardlyimagine them.”

He could not overlook what his friend had said or consider it merely a new fragment of knowledge. Hesoughtinstead to apply itexactlyto his owncase.Ashe did so, he could imaginesomedark,

mysterious forcepushing him to the left when he had to go right, and pulling himback when hehad to advance.Andyet hehad never before felt that he had been restrained in his actions by anyone. He did not doubt that everything he had said and done had been ofhis

own free will.4

After this, the aforementioned passage in whichTsuda wonders why Kiyoko married another man follows. Whatis portrayed here isTsuda’svague recog­

nition of the problematic relationship between one’s free will andthe dark,

mysterious force—orput anotherway, the power of fate that lurks behind one’s “will” (ishi The tension between these two forces is the central, philosophical themeof this novel.Of course, I amspeaking conceptually here,

and in terms of the actualcontent ofthenovel, this theme is depicted through different human relations inwhich thereis a gap between reality andwhat ought to have been—be it that between Tsuda andKiyokoor between Tsuda andOnobu. Reality, of course,is a product of one’s own free will.Inthecase

of Kiyoko, she had married anotherman forno other reasonthan her own desireto do so. However, it wasnot as ifshe hadhad no other choice.In the case of Tsuda, he hadmarried Onobu certainlybasedon his own decision.

Yet, he had never felt the desire to marry her. As these examples indicate, thereis an area of uncertaintyin theserelationships, created by akind of dual­ ity. For instance, he had thought he would marry Kiyoko but he did not.

Ultimately, this dilemmapoints to coincidence asexplicated byPoincare— the extreme complexity that transcends human understanding. This is the conclusion that Tsuda reaches during histrain ride on the wayback from the

hospital. In conceptualterms,what is beingaddressed here isa question con­ cerning freedom, will,and intention, which aredirectly countered bythedark,

mysterious force. I think we can call such a force “destiny”(unmei and

in fact,this wordis used in this work.

I believe thatMeian canbedivided roughly into two parts.Thefirst begins with the doctor’s diagnosis of Tsuda’s condition and his hospitalization.

During hisweeklong stay in the hospital, various events take place. He is released at theend of thishecticweekandhere,the first part concludes.Then

the secondpart, which centers on Tsuda’s relationship withKiyoko, unfolds

when he goes to a hot spring to visit her. Atthe beginning of this part, the

phrase “the flame ofdestiny”(unmeinoshukka appears.Also, in

the scene in which Tsuda travels to theinnarethe words “fate”(shukumei fg

and“destiny.” Tsuda and Kiyoko were supposedto have married, but sud­

denly,she had had a change ofheart and married another man. YetTsuda con­

tinues topursue Kiyoko single-mindedly even after her marriage.

Hehad never once forgotten her in the almost one year that had

elapsed since they had parted. Indeed even as he was being jolted in a horse-cart along a night road in that wayhe was undoubtedly pursuingherimage intently. Earlier,the driver, apparently fearing that it was getting late, had wantonly and frequently cracked his

whip against the buttocks ofthe gaunt horse, even though Tsuda

had wishedthat he would stop doing so. Wasnot Tsuda, in pursuing theimage of that lostwoman, ifhis trueintent be frankly described,

very like thisgaunthorse? But if the pathetic animal in front of him, breathingheavily through its nostrils, wasactuallyTsuda himself, whothen was the onewho was applying thecruel whip?5

Mrs. Yoshikawa, who urged Tsudato visit Kiyoko, may have instigated such a metaphorical lashing of him, yet sheis not the one who isactually hitting

him. It could bethatTsuda himselfis applying the whip, butthis is notvery clear. What is certain, however, is that there is something that is crackingthe

whip todrive on thegaunt horse.This relates back to thebeginningof the first

part—ultimately, Tsuda comes to believe that hehas no other choice but to

followandreachthe flame ofdestiny.

Such aconviction shows thata dramatictransformationhastaken placein

Tsuda betweenthe twoparts. What unites them, however, isthe dark, mys­

terious forcecalleddestiny,whichpulls an individual regardlessof his or her

willand drives him or her (or the person)on tosomeplacewhether he or she

likes it or not. Meian isconcernedwiththe tension between this force and free will—thetension that manifests itself in thenovel asa problem between men

andwomen. Whatis at stake here is “authenticity”(shinjitsu in human

relations. This work is concerned with true love(hontono aijd * Loftin) between a man and a woman ora relationship between them based on love. However, more generally speaking, this question concerningrelations be­

tween men and women encompasses not only that of a married couple but

also that between an older brother and his sister or that between friends.

Relationships between parentsand children, husband and wife,siblings, and friends are allbasic forms of humanrelations,andall of these entail difficul­

ties arising from truly intimate interactions between human beings, which raise the questionof authenticity.

Authenticity in humanrelations concerns faith (shin It), the question of

which is brought up much later inthe novel when alook in Kiyoko’s eyes

reminds Tsuda of the past.

“Ah, thosewere the eyes!”

Past scenes, repeated anynumber of timesbetween them,came

distinctly to his mind. Kiyoko had at that timebelieved in this one

man named Tsuda. Therefore, she had looked up to him for all knowledge. She had sought from himthe resolution of alldoubt.

She had seemed to take up the future which she herself did not

understand, andhad cast it upon him. Thus, even thoughher eyes had moved they had been at rest. As theyhad asked himfor some­ thing they had had the brightness of faith and peace.6

An authentic humanrelationshipconsists of faith, and howthis comes into being ismore difficult to understand than it actuallyappears. The pursuit of such understanding,I believe,is thecentral theme of Meian.

In the passage above,faith isequated with peace. Indeed, it is only when there is faith that one can feel reassured in a relationship, and the notionof reassurancealso appears frequently in thisnovel. For example,when Onobu wishes to depend onher husband or wants to do so in the true sense of the

word, she is hoping for reassurance. Itis onlywhenanxiety is removed and calm arrivesthat onecan truly feel reassured. One mustbe without worries

in order to be calm, and this is why Kiyoko’s eyes appeared tranquil even whenthey were moving. In other words,the trust she had in Tsuda manifested itself throughthetranquility of her eyes,which inturnarosefromthe feeling of this reassurance. Inthe past, she had had faith in Tsuda, but she had had a

changeof heart—herein lies the problem. She had believedhim completely, had sought allof her knowledge from him, andhadrelied on himtosolveall of her problems. She had castthe future shehad notunderstood upon him.

Shehaddepended on Tsuda because he was supposedto be an intelligent and

wise man. And he had been offering her solutions as she had expected, but

after a while, Kiyoko suddenly slipped away. That she escaped means that

she had ceased to trust him. Something in her had become dissatisfied with

what Tsuda could offer her.

As I said previously, to trust means to be at peace and to feel at ease. In

Meian, the concept of peace (Aez'wa is conveyed through thenotion of the ordinary (Tzez *£). The narrative on the ordinary reaches its peak when Tsuda’ssister (Ohide) visitshimduring his hospital stayandhasanargument

withhim. Whatis at stake hereis the trustbetweensiblings. Hissister demands that Tsuda fulfill his role as anolderbrother,while he expects her to act like

a proper younger sister, but both ofthem have difficulties fulfilling these

expectations. Inthemidst of this argument, Onobucomes intothe room, and

after his sister leaves, Tsudaand Onobu feel asthoughthey area “truly mar­

riedcouple,” as it were.This is the scene in whichthe concept of the ordinary

appears.

“Itseemsthat it won’t do any good.” “Really? What doyoumean?”

“It seems that no matter how much I askFather he won’tsend us

any moremoney.”

Tsuda’s way of speaking was strangely filled with sincerity. From being filled with rancour towards O-Hide he had suddenly become direct and straightforward towards O-Nobu. Moreover,he himself was completely unaware of this development. This unaf­

fected mannerof his made O-Nobu happy, and she answered in a warm tone as if to console him. Even her manner of speaking

showed that she had becomeher normalself withoutrealizingit. “Evenso, it doesn’tmatter. We’ll manage somehow.”7

Thathe had becomestraightforward without recognizing the fact points to the notions of“innocence” (mushin M'L') and “naturalness” (shizen §^).8 In­ deed, Soseki uses such words frequently.

8 In Nishitani’s sense, shizen suggests both “nature” and “naturalness.” However, in a Jodoshinshu context, jinen is used to denote the latter concept. [Editor’s Note]

9 Light and Darkness, p. 190. 10 Ibid., p. 137.

It is around this time thatthe secretbetweenTsuda and Onobu—the prob­

lem concerning Kiyoko—becomes evident. Although it is not clear at this

point which woman is involved,whatisrevealed is that thereis some kind of secret. Ohide tells Tsuda, “While you’re caring so muchforO-Nobu there’s

still someone else you’re concerned about.”9Uponoverhearing this comment,

Onobu feels as if shehas no other choice but to enterthe room. Depictedhere

isa very tensescene.Her suspicion that her husband mayhavebeen keeping a secret fromher is confirmed. Unsettling feelings caused by this doubthad

been straining her relationship with Tsuda. But when itbecomes certain that a secret in fact doesexist, she returns to her ordinary self—even in the words she uses—andthetone of her voicebecomes warm. Inthis way, the ordinar­

iness of peace is conveyed through the straightforward husbandandher ordi­

naryself.

It is not easy to have full trust in one another. Meian exploresways to reach

this ideal statethroughthe notion ofordinarinessorusualness(heizei¥-4)— concepts which are very Eastern. This paradigm indicates, to some extent, that the truth lies in theordinary.Needless to say, the characterwa —mean­ ing harmony— as found in thekanji compound “peace”(heiwa Wn),is the same one asusedinanother compound “harmony” (wagd ftl#), which also appears in the novel. Onobu’s uncle tells Onobuin thescene inwhich he gives her money,

“O-Nobu, when there’s a yin-yangdiscord, this is the most effec­ tive medicine. In most cases, if youjust takeone dose, it quickly restores youto health.”

As she looked up ather uncle, who was standing, she resisted weakly: “But we’re not a case of yin-yangdiscord. We’re reallyin

complete harmony, I tell you.”10

The balancebetween yin andyang refers to harmony asfound in a marital

orpeace points to a tranquil statein which there are no disturbances; this is theharmoniousness that is linked totrust. It is only atthepoint of suchtran­ quilitythatauthenticity in human relationsis achieved.

Now, this work attempts to addresshow trust comes into being on two dimensions—in fact,these two levels apply to all human relations. One of

them deals with general societal standards. In the case of a couple, for in­ stance, one can judge, basedon suchgeneral standards, whether it is com­ patible or whether its family is stable and peaceful. In other words, it is possible to address the question of trustand peace in human relationships

through these conventional terms. What Tsudaand Onobu areseeking in their relationship isbased onsuch standards for the most part.

Returning to the opening scenes of Meian, Tsuda goes back and forth in hismind on the problem concerning destiny andfreewill,andby the time he gets off the train and returns home, he feels lost. After this, an interaction

between Onobu and himself is depicted. Theformer senses somekind of cold­

ness from her husband, with his words’ being sarcastic. Tsuda, too, isfearful

ofhis wife’s attitude. The word “coldness”appears repeatedlyin this scene as both ofthem sense it from theother. The depictions point insistently to this tension—neitherresponds to theother, she keeps lookingdown and does not

look backat herhusband, and he opens the slidingdoors without saying a

word. All of these—thecoldness,the silence, and her notlookingback—hint at gaps in marital orevenhuman relations.

Then money becomes necessary for Tsuda’s hospitalization. He tries to acquireit from his father, while Onobu attempts to secure it fromher uncle.

Here, money plays a central role. Both Tsuda and Onobu use words like “vanity” (me JRL^) and“appearances” (taimen 1$®). He is afraidthathis wife might look down onhis family for its unwillingness to lend itto them.Onobu,

on the other hand, is worried that people mightthink that they arepoor if they

borrow money.Upuntilthis point, others had thoughtshewas lucky tohave married well and that her life hadno difficulties or worries. Tsuda had bought

her a ring, too. Therefore, she insists that she cannot borrowmoneyafter pre­

tending that she was leading a fairly comfortable and fulfilled life. Here, Soseki describes the situationas having to do withkeeping up appearances

or allowing vanity to get in theway. There are ordinary social expectations that a wifewould have ofherhusband and viceversa, as there are forabrother, a sister, a parent, or a child, and a certain discontent arises when these expec­

tations are not met. Onobu’s dissatisfaction stems from the fact that her husband is standoffish and does not reciprocate her kindness. Tsuda,too, is

dissatisfied, thoughin a differentsense. In this way, they are bothmired in

vanity and appearances. What is beingproblematized here is a relationship

betweenpeople who are caught up in conceits, ego, and pride. One might argue that theseelements composethe positions of the “self” (ga ffe). Here,

each individual is placing the self atthecenter, andinfact, such egocentricity

constitutes one dimension of humanrelations.

Therefore,in addition to the nature of Tsuda’s and Onobu’s relationship, whothey are asindividuals mustbe addressed. AlthoughI do not think his

character is discussed in detail at the beginning of the novel, Onobu’s is

depictedvery clearly.

Since O-Nobuhad avery fair complexion, her well-formed eye­

browsstood out even more clearly. She also made a habit of twitch­ ing them. Unfortunately her eyes were too narrow, and her one-fold eyelids were rather uninteresting. But the pupils flashing within them were the deepest black, and therefore sheusedthem to very good advantage. Occasionally she even adopted an expression

which might almost have been called despotic. At times Tsuda could

not help being captivatedby the gleamfromthose smalleyes,but

at other times, for no reason at all, he was suddenly repelled by it. When he casually raised his head and looked at her,hefelt a kind of weird power dwellingmomentarily in her eyes. It was astrange brilliance, utterly out of keepingwiththe tender words she had just been using. His mind, in attempting to frame an answer to her

words, was somewhatconfused bythis glance. Then she suddenly

smiled, showing her beautiful teeth. As she did so, the expression in hereyesdisappearedwithouta trace.11

Here, two sides of Onobu are depicted—one that uses sweet words with beau­

tiful smiles, while the otherdisplays a mysterious power. The conceptof the

smile appears again when Kiyoko’s is discussed, but Onobu’s in this sceneis

thaton a superficial leveljust asher sweet words are. When Onobu smiles,

the mysterious look inher eyes disappearswithout a trace, but it resurfaces at certainmomentswithoutwarning. In otherwords, she possesses twoper­ sonalities, whichsheherself is unable tocontrol, and she strugglesas aresult ofthis in herrelationshipwith Tsuda. Ibelieve thather jet-black eyes and

theirmysteriousness indicate thatsheis a very passionate woman.

At the beginning ofthe novel, Onobuisplaced at thevery center. Of course,

Tsuda isas well, but in termsof whatisbeing depicted, she is more so. I think

that the author’s true interesthere lies in portraying Onobu. Sosekihadde­ picted characters that nurtured secretpassions ofvariouskinds prior to writ­ ing Meian, and this novel, too,isdriven by a passion—andthis time, it is in

Onobu. On a superficial level,this passionis manifestedinthe ways I have

already mentioned, showing that Onobu is a very vain woman who values

keepingup appearances. She is egotistical and proud, and is confident that

she is ableto attract her husbandthrough her cleverness; therefore shepas­

sionatelypursues his affections. At the end, she mentions herdesire to feel

secure in the relationship and to depend onher husband. In other words,she

wants totrustinhim. She wants to be ableto believe in him. Interms of the

notion of love, shespeaksof perfect or unconditional love. There are many scenes in which she talks aboutlove,butto bring up oneexample,Onobu tells

Tsugiko,thedaughter ofher uncle, Okamoto,that she is able to make aperson love her through herowncapacityto love. What is being discussed here is

actuallythe notion of passionor determination. In fact, the latter word does

appearseveraltimes. For instance,thebeginningofSection Eighty states, “A

strong determination filled O-Nobu’s entirebody. When she awokethe fol­ lowing morning, there was nothing further removed fromherthantimidity.”12

For Onobu, loveis equated with herown willpower.

12 Ibid., p. 143. 13 Ibid., p. 130.

Tsugiko thinks that allis well between Tsuda andOnobu and that he loves her. The latter, in turn, encouragesher to think so. With this backdrop, the following conversation takesplacebetween the twowomen:

“The reasonI’m happy is simply this: if s justthat I was able to choose myhusband myself. It’s because Ididn’tmany on the ad­

vice of others. Do you understand?”

Tsugiko lookedrather forlorn.

“Then a person like me doesn’t have any hope at all ofbeing happy, does she?”

O-Nobu had tosay something.But she could not speak immedi­

ately. Finally words began to pour forthfrom her involuntarilyin an excited and urgenttone: “Oh, but you do, youdo! Byjustloving someone and makinghim love you. Ifonly you do that,you have

Choosing a marriage partner onone’s own, as Tsudaand Onobu have done, is

a modem practice. [Itmust be rememberedthat this is taking place in the late

nineteenth century.]As mentioned before, marryingaperson whom one wants

to marrymeans that thismarriage partner is chosen from among many other can­

didates. Tsuda chose Onobu,and vice versa. As aresult, many believe that they

areblessed, and they,too, believe that they are indeed happy. In the novel, many discussions revolvearound how theygot married. In onesuch instance, which takes place atthe homeofTsuda’s uncle, Fujii,Tsuda’s aunt, whomarried into

the family notbasedon love but through an old-fashioned arrangedmarriage,

speaksof the resolve shehad when shefirstarrivedthere. She asksTsuda,

“Yoshio, tell me, whatkind ofattitude did you have whenyou

got married?”

“Well, Icertainly didn’t do it ina jokingmanner. I’m not very

happybeing considered merely a trivial person,even ifImay appear ratherlighthearted attimes.”

“Of course you were serious. Yes, I’m sure you were, but still thereare various degreesof seriousness.”14

In this conversation, Tsuda’s aunt is asking him whether or not he was truly serious in marrying Onobu, although Tsuda claims that he married her

because he liked her. Later, the issue of integrity is brought up as well.

Generally, it is believed that this new formof marriage inwhichonechooses

a partner on hisor her own, based onlove,leads to a genuineromantic rela­ tionship. Yet, such an assumption is quite superficial. Despite this general

assumption, Tsuda’s auntcriticizes him forhisseeming lackofsincerity or

seriousness, indicating that there are various problems even at this level. Onobupassionately seeks Tsuda’s affections, but his basic character pre­

vents hisreciprocating. Unlike Onobu, who isvery passionate, Tsudais a con­ fident, intellectual smartaleck. Onobu, too, is self-centeredand strong-willed, but the differenceis that his vanity stems from hisintellect—he is a cultured intellectual, who,for example, tries to read a book on economicsin German. Indeed, he values education greatly; not only does he derivehisconfidence from hisown education,buthe also likesto display it. Such ishis character. Also, later in the novel, he is described asa handsome man who is proud of his smooth skin. In the scene in the second part ofthe novel in which he becomes lost inthe hallwayof the inn, he is described as follows:

He was quite a handsome man, with regular features and a com­ plexionthat was so smooth as to seem almost wasted on a man. Havingalwaysbeen rather self-assured of his goodlooks,he could remember only having his assurance confirmed by every encounter

witha mirror.15

15 Ibid., p. 346.

16 This passage has been rendered into English by the translator of this article herself. It is taken from: Meian, in Soseki Zenshu, vol. 11, Tokyo: Iwanami shoten, 1994, p. 297. Viglielmo translates this as: “Since this was precisely the most difficult point for him to understand him­ self, he could not very well expect O-Nobu to understand it” (.Light and Darkness, p. 293).

17 Light and Darkness, p. 297.

Others speak ill of him and claim that he will not be satisfiedunless every singlewoman falls inlovewith him. Tsuda isan intellectual—ora calculat­ ing man, ifwe were toputthesame in a negative term—whois also proud of his attractiveness. At the bottomof sucha characteris a secret that he does not want to reveal to Onobu. Herein lies Tsuda’s fundamental problem. If he

did nothavethis secret, he would be considered justanotherconfident per­ sonamongmany others of this kind. However, he had thewoman whom he

lovedescapefrom himfor areason that remains unknown to him. This is a secret from his past that hauntshim.

Tsuda keeps thefact that he is unable to forgetKiyoko a secret, building aninsurmountable wall between himself and Onobu, which neither ofthem isable to break down. The word “barrier” (sekisho isused to describe this. It is stated,“Thiswasthe most importantbarrier; therefore, he could not

letOnobu pass it nomatterwhat.”16 Initially, Onobudoes notknow ofthis “barrier.” However, as she tries to forge an authentic relationship with Tsuda—or to put it differently, as she seeks to bring the relationship to the

pointwhere they can truly loveeach other—she becomesawareof it.The pas­

sionwith which she seeks such a relationshipis referredto asperfect or uncon­ ditional love.Related to this passion in thenovel is the notion ofdeath,which impliesthatit would be betterto diethan tofail toachieve perfect or genuine

love, based on reciprocity.

Theword “courage” also appears inMeian. For instance,there is a scene

in which TsudatellsOnobu, whoinsists that she is willing to meet Kobayashi in order to drive himaway, “You’re quite courageous underneaththatwom­ anly exterior of yours, aren’t you?”17 Then, in the scene in which Onobu

becomes aware of Tsuda1 s secretbutisyet to findoutwhat exactly it is, the followingconversation takes place.

“That’s allright. Butyou just watch one of these days.”

Hewas slightly surprised as he retorted, “ What do you want me

towatch?”

“It doesn’tmatter, butjustwatchone of thesedays.”

“All right, I will, butwhat in the world are you going to do?”

“Well, I can’t sayuntil theproblemactually arises.”

“Doesn’tthefactyou can’tsay really mean that you don’tknow

yourself?”

“Yes, I supposeso.”

“Somehow it all seems ridiculous. It’s thevaguestkind of pre­ dictionimaginable.”

“Nevertheless I’m sayingthis prediction willsoon come true so you justwatch.”

He gave adisapproving sniff. Conversely her attitude gradually became more serious.

“Imean it. I don’t know why but latelyI’ve always been think­ ing about it. I’m certain the time will some daycome when I’ll for once have to show all the courage Ihave inside me.”

“‘Some day’? ‘Foronce’? That’s why I say it’s a kind offan­ tasy.”

“No, I don’t meansome day yearsfrom now or once in my life­ time.I mean soon. Imean once some day in the near future.”

“You’rejustmaking it worse. I assure you Iwon’t be too happy

on that day in the near future when you show me this reckless

courage ofyours.”

“No, it’s for you, I tell you. Haven’t I beensaying that all along?

I’d show courage foryou.”18

Hecallsher prediction a fantasy, characterizeshercourage asreckless, and

does not take her seriously,telling her it is not becoming for a woman to be socourageous. Onobu replies that she needs to beso, for her husband’s sake. Here, her passion is seeking genuine love,and in the process, leaves the super­

ficial realmfor one which is much deeper. Whatbecomes a problem forher

passion in this pursuit isthedoubt thatshehas in her relationshipwith Tsuda.

She senses that there is some hiddensecret about which sheknowsnothing and that he is gradually changing from the person shethought he was at the

beginning oftheir marriage. It could be that he actually is changing, but it could also be that different sides of himthatwerepreviously unimown to her

are beginning to surface. I believe itisboth. What is important here, however,

is that, as Tsuda changes, Onobu’s suspicion that he might have a secret

grows. Then comes the scene inwhich shelearns of the secret while he is in

the hospital. Eavesdropping on theconversation between Tsuda andhis sister,

she learns that there is someone else that her husband cherishes. In other

words, her doubt is confirmed. This scene links together the various rela­

tionships in the novel in thatit brings the relationshipbetween the siblings into a conjugal one. From Ohide’sperspective, Tsuda seems toplace more importance on hiswifethan on either his sister or their parents. This belief

ultimately shatters their relationship as siblings. She states,

“I’mmerely sayingthe things as theyappearto me; it isn’t that I

want you to act in a certain way. That timehasalready passed. To

tellthetruth,that state ofthings ended today. Actually, itended just

this minute. It ended, and you weren’t even aware of it. There’s nothing for me to dobutresignmyself to [innen] . . .”19

19 Ibid., p. 202.

20 Nishitani equates the words unmei and innen to refer to “destiny.” However, the latter term should be translated as karma-cause and effect-a Buddhist concept. [Editor’s Note]

Withthissaid, Ohide abandons her relationshipwithTsuda asa sibling. The term innen SB20 thatisused inthis passage is quite old and is associatedwith

the notion of destiny and, morespecifically inthis case,with various problems presented in the novel. Ohide, here,is accepting the failure of herrelation­ ship with Tsuda as a matterof innen.In contrast with this is the marital rela­

tionship betweenTsuda and Onobu, whichimproves temporarily. Whenshe presents Tsuda the moneythat was given to her by her uncle, the couple’s

relationship briefly displays its tranquil side. In other words, a harmonious

relationship that transcendsvanity and appearances emerges between them.

Then the friendship between Kobayashi and Tsuda enters the picture.

Onobu’s doubt is triggeredwhen Kobayashi impliesthat Tsuda hasasecret.

That is,the latter’ssecret surfaces through his friendshipwithKobayashiand the relationship between Ohide and Onobu. In other words, the relationship

between the two men, and that between the siblings are intertwined with a marital one. Onobu becomes aware of Tsuda’s secretthroughher interactions with Kobayashi andOhide, and her suspicion isultimatelyconfirmed when she eavesdrops on Tsuda’s conversation with Ohide in the hospital. The topic of this conversation was money—Ohide had broughtit for Tsuda’s hospital

stay, and Tsuda and Ohide argue whether he should accept itor not. “Yoshio, why don’t youaccept whatI’ve brought without mak­

ing a fuss?”

“Fuss or no fuss, andwhether I acceptit or notisnot theproblem.

You haven’t offered it to me yet, have you?”

“I can’t offer it to youbecause you haven’t said you’ll accept it.” “As I look at it, I haven’t accepted itbecause youhaven’t offered it.”

“But if youdon’t actas though you wantto accept it that’smost unpleasant to me.”

“Well, what should we dothen?”21

21 Light and Darkness, pp. 195-6. 22 Ibid., pp. 197-8.

Then the conversationcontinues:

“What in the world do I have to do to please you—I’m sure I don’tknow. Wouldn’t it be better if you just explained more clearly

what condition you attach to my accepting it?”

“I’m not setting up any condition at all. If youjustaccept it gra­

ciously, that’s all I ask. In short, if you accept itin a brotherly way, that’s all I require. And if you’d only once tell Fatheryou’re sin­ cerelysorry, therewouldn’t be any problem.”22

Tsudaisrepulsed by whathe sees asOhide’s patronizing attitude, though she

denies this. This gap in theirperceptions stems from sisterly and brotherly expectations. Atthe end, she gives up and bursts out that Tsuda is thinking only of himself. Ofcourse, on the surface, they are still siblings, but on a

deeper, truly human level, or in termsofauthenticrelationships between sib­

lings, theirrelationshiphasbroken down.

Thefriendship between Tsuda and Kobayashi also finally fallsapart. Inthe

scene in which Tsuda seesKobayashi in order to handhimmoney before the

despise you.”23 With this, their friendship collapses, despite the fact that

Tsuda is giving Kobayashi aportionof the money which Onobu had acquired from heruncleandwhich greatlyaffected Tsuda’s relationships with his sister and his wife earlier inthehospital. Tsuda’sfriendshipwith Kobayashi breaks down atthemost basic level in themidstofanegotiationconcerning finance. In other words,moneyis at workagain when Tsuda tells Kobayashi that he will not be seeinghim off andleaves him without turningback. The latter, in

turn, hands the moneyto a youngpainterin a dramatic way. Indeed, money is at workthroughout all these relationships. Inthe marriage,moneyenters

the picture when Tsuda andOnobudiscuss howthey should secure itfor his

hospital stay. Their relationship settles for themost partwhen Onobu receives the money from her uncle and presents it toTsuda, whileittriggers the col­

lapseof Tsuda’s relationship with Ohide. Then, when a portionof thismoney

entersTsuda’sfriendship with Kobayashi,this relationshipfalls apart. In other words,in this novel, relationships are intertwined and eventually transformed one after another throughmoney, so moving the entire narrative forward and toward the secret that is graduallyrevealed asit progresses. The second part ofMeianunravels asthis secret at the core ofthe marital relationshipgradu­ ally becomes apparent. Again, this fundamental problem has to do withthe

authenticity ofhuman relations,or whatthis novel termsfaith or peace. In this way, problems on the superficial level, such as those involving

finance, are inevitably linkedto issues at a deeper one. And in this novel, problems on the latter level involvewhatOnobu calls perfector unconditional

love.This love, in turn, is related to death, as I havementioned before, in that she is willing to do anything to achieve such love, and to the courage that

allows her to tell Tsuda to “justwatch oneof these days.” For him, however, the fundamental problem has to dowith the lack of clarityin hisrelationship

withKiyoko. His desire to achieve this shapes the core—or the inner dimen­ sion—of his perspective.Atthebeginning of the second part of thenovel, by pursuing Kiyoko, Tsuda startssensing some element of destiny. As his rela­

tionshipwith her has not been revealed to Onobu,he triestokeep his wife in

thedark as much as possible. Yetthoughheattempts todo this, Onobu, in her pursuitof genuinelove, tries to seek complete clarity. Hereinliessome kind of mysterious force or destiny. Inotherwords, ina part of the human will—

or at the depth ofthe human psyche, to use contemporary terminology— another strong force is at work. Here, the problemconcerning “nature” (shizen

§$$) comes to thefore, and although thisconceptis difficulttodefine, I think thatMeianusesit intwodifferent ways.

One way in which it is used relatesto the notion of punishment. The con­

nectionmay seem odd, butthe term “nature” is sometimes seen in thesense of heaven {ten which is actually used in the novel. From Onobu’s per­

spective, herpassionate sidemay appear asbeingdriven by her ownwill.Yet

in the novel, it is also referred to as her nature, which, in turn, is shattered

mercilessly by a largernature that confronts it. Ononelevel, Onobu’s passion

islinked to vanity orappearances, and in this sense, it is self-centered. How­ ever, this selfish passion is draggedaroundbythis largernature, which is at

work inside of her and appears as a force that eventually destroys her self­

centered passion. Destiny, from theperspectiveof theego, is a negativeforce

in that it destroys and punishes the self.

Anotherway in whichthe concept of nature is used in Meian is in thesense

of complete transcendence of will, which enables one to reach, for the first

time, thestate of repose and relief. In thispeaceful state, oneforgets the self or rather is not conscious of it. Here, the positionof one’s ego gives way to

that of innocence—thetransformation of which oneremains unaware. Such innocence is manifested in Kiyoko, whois closetonature {shizen-rashii §

5UD)and lacksaffectation. As I haveargued above, inMeian, the concept of “nature”is used inboth apositive andnegativesense. When one decides

to do something because one wantsto—for instance,marrying because one wants to marry, one ischoosing within one’sownpower asmuch asthe sit­ uation permits. Inthe novel, others criticizeTsuda and Onobu forexpecting too much. Tsuda’s aunt, for instance, tells him, “Yoshio, I think you’re much

too extravagant.”24 Onobu, too, is told that it is unreasonableto expect that

she be the only one whom her husband loves. In other words, they were so particular in selecting their partnersthat others are left with the impression

that their demands are excessive. Such a will to choose—or freedom—does

not last, however. The pursuit offreedom and happiness, oreven freedom itself, leads to dissatisfaction and gives rise to the sense that one is not ful­ filled despite having married freely. From the depthof such dissatisfaction appears the dark, mysterious force—destiny,if you will—that takes hold of oneself. Inthecase ofTsuda, thisbecomesevident while traveling toKiyoko’s place. When he muses over whyhe is going there, he realizes that he isbeing

driven by destiny. He still feels unfulfilled and dissatisfied ona fundamental

level,despitethe fact thathe has been pursuing happinessby making choices within whatmight even be deemed excessivepersonal freedom. The same is

true ofOnobu.

At the core of this discrepancy are two levels of human relations—onethat consists of those that can be definedin terms of general societal terms, and the other thatisdeeper and goes beyond suchgeneralizations. Authenticity inhuman relationships must be soughton the latter level; this iswhere gen­ uine trust has to be pursued and where fundamental doubts need to becleared up. Although it is impossible to tell what is going to happento Tsuda and Onobu at the end sincethe novel was never completed,ifwe could adopt a formalist perspective, itwouldmake sensefor her to becomeinnocent like

Kiyoko. Being self-centeredand strong-willed, Onobu tries to make Tsuda love her by lovinghim first. Inother words, her love is driven by aconscious will, which manifests itself in the techniques she employs in her pursuitof his affections.

As he turned the comerand enteredthenarrowlane, Tsuda rec­ ognizedhis wife O-Nobustandinginfront of their gate. She was looking his way,but assoon as his shadow emergedfrom the cor­ ner she turned to facestraight ahead. Shethen placed her delicate white hands on herforehead as if shading her eyes, and appeared to be lookingup atsomething.She did notchange her position until Tsuda had comevery close to her.

“Well, what are you lookingat?”

As soon as O-Nobu heard his voice, sheturned to him in great surprise.

“Oh, youstartled me!—But I’mglad you’reback.”

Asshespoke,she brought together allthe brilliancehereyes pos­

sessed and castthe full forceofit on him.25 Then there is another scene:

With muchthe same mental attitude Tsuda walked to the gate of hishome. He was aboutto put hishand on the lattice door of the

entrance, but before he could open it, the interior sliding-door

opened swiftly, andthe figure of O-Nobu appeared infront of him

before he was aware of it. Somewhat surprised, he looked at her lightly made-up face, in profile.26

26 Ibid., p. 21.

27 Influenced by Freud, the German surrealist painter Max Ernst (1891-1976) explored the unconscious mind in his art. While saying this, Nishitani does not clarify who this “Ernst” actually is and does not mention anything about the unconscious either. [Translator’s Note]

In bothofthe above episodes, Onobu attemptsto etch herexistence onto the mind of Tsuda by using an element of surpriseas a technique. Whilesheis simply doing her best to be loved, her attempts involve willful manipulation. Tsuda knowsthatOnobu is trying to do this, so in order not to be tricked, he consciously rebels against her andacts as if he is not interested. The fact that

he feels attracted toher at the sametime ashe is repelled shows that her pas­ sionate lovehas become willful.Such nature ofherlove, inturn, is associated

with her self-centered character, which is the source of both the mysterious

powerand the brilliance of her eyes. If the self-centeredness of herpassion breaks down—in other words,if she becomesinnocentlikeKiyoko, and con­

sequentlymore “natural”in a sense—TsudaandOnobuwill beableto build a genuine relationship. In thisscenario, however, Tsuda, too, must change. In

order for him tobe as devotedas Onobu is, hemust ridhimself of, and tran­ scend, his vanity, pride, and the intellect-based self-centeredness. It is by

changing in thisway and by returning to the “natural” statethat their prob­ lem is going to be resolved.I think the novelforeshadows thattheirrelation­

ship is heading in such adirection. Whatis being demonstratedhere is the concept that is generally termed “leaving oneself while entrusting in great

nature” {sokuten kyoshi

In Meian, specific human beings named Tsuda and Onobu and various

other people around themcome together.Or to putit in a more abstractway,

a relationship between siblings andthat betweenfriendsbecome intertwined

witha marriage, all of which, in turn, get entangled through monetary prob­ lems and so drive the narrative forward asa unifiedwhole. Atthebasis of the

relationship between Tsuda andOnobu is the former’s secret, whose effects areapparent evenon the superficial level. This secret graduallycomes tolight,

creating a schism ofsorts. For Tsuda, hisrelationship withKiyoko is very

muchlike Max Ernst’s concept of the unconscious.27 That this relationship

emerges as a part ofTsuda’s destiny, which he single-mindedly pursues,indi­ cates that hisrelationship with Onobu has collapsed. Also, as Istatedearlier,

his relationship with his sisterand his friendship withKobayashifall apart as

well.The underlyingproblem in the noveliscompletelyrevealed at this point, and the secondpart of thenovel was supposed to continue to address it but unfortunatelywas never completed. The structure of Meianis veryeffective, and its theme is well explored. As a literary work, Ithink it comparesvery favorably even with works of great Western authorsin its pursuit ofthe basis of human relations.

For instance, Soren Kierkegaard dealt extensively with a similar problem, by focusing onhis own life and exploring romantic relationships—and by

extension, human relations—using his relationship withhisfiancee, Regine Olsen, as a starting-point. For him, the concepts of integrity and trustserve asa lens intohuman relations,which is apparentin hisearlier works, suchas

Repetition, Fear and Trembling, andEither/Or. While Kierkegaard argues

that genuine human relations,based on trust, needto arisefrom the positions

oftrue existence ina religious sense, Soseki believes these emerge naturally from astate that transcends will, intellect, andotherego-centered elements. As long as oneplacesthe self at the center, all relationships, such as between

friends,siblings or romantic associations, eventually fall apart and fail to last. Various problems are tied to theissues of will and nature. Arthur Schopenhauer

andFriedrich Nietzschealso argued that these concepts arefundamental. The latter believed that naturehasthe “will to power” and argued that, ifa dream could serve tocalm the will ofnature, representing Apollo, then nature’s“will

to power” would be Dionysus. For Nietzsche, thisis atthebasis of all human beings. His view thatnature has the“will to power” differssignificantlyfrom the way in which Soseki sees nature and will. Their views of dreams also diverge. In Meian, thenotion ofdreams appears toward the end, in the scene

in whichTsuda associates himself and those aroundhim to a dream.

Although there are significantdifferences in how various notions areused

in their individualconceptualizations, bothNietzscheand Kierkegaard share an interest with Soseki in their inquiries intohumanrelations—an underly­ ing theme of Soseki’s works. There is a common thread running through their

conceptualizationsin thattheyallattempt tograsp what constitutes authentic humanrelations. Soseki’s ideas are very Eastern, butyet his focusis not that

far off from whatthe other two thinkerswere pursuing. Such a convergence

is inevitable so long as one is human. How, therefore, do human relations become genuine? What does it meanfor a relationship to be harmonious?And

to wheredo relationships lead us? These questionsinevitablyarisein anyrela­ tionship—be it one between a couple, siblings, or friends. InMeian, Soseki

grappleswiththe problemof where human relations are headed, through cap­ turing the whole gambit of these byweaving together the various relation­

shipsthataffect one another. This, I believe, is thegist ofMeian.

(Translated by ManabeMayumi)

REFERENCES

Natsume Soseki. 1994. Meian 91 B=. In vol. 11 of Soseki Zenshu Tokyo: Iwanami shoten.

---. Light and Darkness {Meian). 1971. Translated by Valdo. H. Viglielmo, New York: Perigee.