- Friar John
- Aug 3, 2007
-
Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night
Have my old feet stumbled at graves!
|
Kasuga Saemon
arujeisa@gmail.com
Bio: Kasuga Saemon was born in Nagasaki in 1850, to a somewhat well-off samurai administrator. Taught from a young age by the best tutors, both Jesuit and Japanese, Kasuga took in the literary traditions of two worlds, and his boyhood was filled with images of Aeneas and the Heike. With his ascension to young manhood, he took more readily to his martial practices, especially the nitenichi style of Miyamoto Musashi's disciples. He tried very hard to fit the mold of the poet-swordsman, and some of his compositions found some small appeal outside of his acquaintances. With the outset of the Boshin War, Kasuga readily joined the Shogunate forces, but the losses in the war and the retreat to Ezo shook him deeply. After some years of solitude in his home, he met and was baptized by Monsignor Osouf, Vicar Apostolic of Northern Japan. His conversion has brought new life to his pen, and it remains to be seen what he will do now.
Friar John fucked around with this message at 05:21 on Feb 7, 2014
|
#
¿
Feb 7, 2014 01:52
|
|
- Adbot
-
ADBOT LOVES YOU
|
|
|
#
¿
May 22, 2025 14:20
|
|
- Friar John
- Aug 3, 2007
-
Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night
Have my old feet stumbled at graves!
|
Kasuga Saemon (S)
quote:Viderunt oculi mei salutare Tuum
Oh Holy Father Pius, Ninth of that name, whose office and authority as Pontifex Maximus is renowned throughout all the world as the height and summit of honor, service, and respect, I Kasuga Saemon, a lowly servant only lately come into the vineyard of the Lord as a laborer, do write this petition and supplication with only humility in my heart, presuming nothing and trusting only in the wisdom of the Holy Spirit who so breathes His Graces through you and all the Church. In recent years this land of Nippon, and this country of Ezochi especially, has seen the greatest exertions in the name of Christ. Taking to heart the example of faith shown by the saintly martyrs of Nagasaki, many Yamato and Ainu have set aside the darkness of heathenry, and accepted baptism in nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti.
It is because of this great success that I write to you, on no man's behalf but only on my own volition, to beseech Your Holiness to raise Your son Osouf to be the bishop of our land. He has become a father to us: he guides all his charges with a firm but merciful hand; ever ready to refute the lies of the heathens, he does not drive the unconverted away with unseemly pride, but welcomes whoever has a willing heart. I have seen believers and pagans alike speak of the virtues he possesses, and I have seen them myself. Under the guiding hand of Your Vicar Apostolic, Monsignor Osouf, charity has increased, the flame of faith has been set in the hearts of untold multitudes, and every day God is glorified in the prayers of religious and lay people. Thus I humbly beg Your Holiness to place, not Diokleia, but Ezochi as Your son's bishopric.
With the utmost humility and docility, in complete fidelity to the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church
Kasuga Saemon - 春日 左衛門
|
|
#
¿
Feb 7, 2014 02:54
|
|
- Friar John
- Aug 3, 2007
-
Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night
Have my old feet stumbled at graves!
|
Kasuga Saemon (S)
Excerpt from "Kasuga Saemon's Collected Letters pt. 2", Barker & Sons, San Francisco 1917 posted:
Brother Takahiro, I can only extend my most heartfelt congratulations at the news of your vows, and raise up my voice in praise of God! Now that you've embarked on this path, you have entered into the noblest service of the Church, who cannot proceed without the constant prayers and petitions sent up by priests and monks. Let no man call your path ignoble or cowardly! Now that you have made your vows the Devil will most assuredly seek your destruction with ever more fervor, for he hates those whom God loves. Every day you will face battles more tremendous than Sekigahara, and without God no one could ever hope to emerge victorious. But I know you, and God will not turn away those who fly to the Cross for aid. Though I am presently unable to leave Hakodate, know that you are ever in my prayers, and I hope soon to see you and your confreres in Wakkanai.
Excerpt from "The Way is Long: The Story of Kasuga Saemon", St. Paul Press, Paris 1899 posted:
Hakodate, though on the sea, can be bitterly cold in January. Thus it was that Saemon, making his way through the crowds of Ezo's capitol, saw a poor and piteous figure, a man with only the most threadbare clothes and without any blanket, under a thin layer of snow. Looking around him, he saw that no one else saw the freezing man, and they passed by the scene with the utmost indifference. It was not that they hated him, but so many of the crowd, being as yet untouched by the light of God, were incapable of seeing the misery and pain that existed right under them. Quickly shaking the man to make sure he was still alive, Saemon took him on his back and, like a deer, raced through the streets of Hakodate to his home, where he immediately worked to warm the man up. Laying the man on his own bed, and wrapping him in his own clothes, Saemon spent the night feeding lukewarm soup to the man. As the dawn arrived, he wondered how many others were out there, and had no warm place to stay. This drove him...
|
|
#
¿
Feb 8, 2014 03:20
|
|
- Friar John
- Aug 3, 2007
-
Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night
Have my old feet stumbled at graves!
|
Kasuga Saemon (S)
Kasuga Saemon's Reply posted:
To the Honorable Hijikata Toshizō,
I was humbled and honored by your recent letter, Hijikata, and when I read it I took to my desk and swiftly began this small work. In all things, the Gospels, those accounts of the life and miracles of Our Lord, are the most noble, strong, and uplifting works of our faith. Though according to my housekeeper I do my best to do without rest, with the time at my hands I have been able to translate one of our books into our language: the Gospel of John. John was a faithful friend to Our Lord, and his account is the seat of the utmost loyalty and love for his Master. His style is also of the greatest refinement, and few writers I have read approach his ability to succinctly and beautifully explain the truth. I can only hope my own meager hand does little damage to the tapestry I have been handed!
In all things your Brother,
Kasuga Saemon The attached translation, Latin/Japanese posted:
1:1 太初に言あり、言は神と偕にあり、言は神なりき。
1:2 この言は太初に神とともに在り、
1:3 萬の物これに由りて成り、成りたる物に一つとして之によらで成りたるはなし。
1:4 之に生命あり、この生命は人の光なりき。
1:5 光は暗黒に照る、而して暗黒は之を悟らざりき。
[The work continues until the end of the Gospel]
Letter to Thomas Blakiston, Horace Capron, Erwin Belz & Jules Brunet posted:
Honorable Sirs,
With the greatest respect I pen these lines to you, sirs. The good you have done for our people here in Ezo is without compare, and every day I hear men speak your praises. You are each and all men of refinement, strength of mind, and courtesy, and we as a country are lucky to have you as friends. I write this letter with a simple request - knowing that you are men of wide circles, I wonder if you might help me in getting in touch with the writing-houses of your countries. I have in mind some small works, and have begun work on them, and I believe that they might enrich not just the literature of Japan, but also bring to the West a new language and way of approaching poetry. If you might reply to me, I would be honored.
Your Brother,
Kasuga Saemon Friar John fucked around with this message at 05:21 on Feb 9, 2014
|
|
#
¿
Feb 9, 2014 04:05
|
|
- Friar John
- Aug 3, 2007
-
Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night
Have my old feet stumbled at graves!
|
Kasuga Saemon (S)
Letter to Friar Takahiro, O.E.S.A., "Kasuga Saemon's Collected Letters pt. 2", Barker & Sons, San Francisco 1917 posted:
Ah friend, it was a true pleasure to see you and your confreres for Candlemas - the singing I heard from you and yours must surely have rivaled that of the angels themselves! I write this in my small bungalow (the Home has taken up the main building, a state my housekeeper finds utterly unconscionable, and she claims the room I'm in now will do nothing but let the wind give me chills), and I want to relate a small episode that occurred recently. Apparently, my recent return to the stage of the public eye has given the parents of marriageable young women ideas in their heads, and so hardly a week goes by without receiving a card from a marriage-maker, asking if I could "oh so graciously" or "oh so honorably" meet with a certain woman and her parents. As my father and mother have long since passed from this vale of tears, it falls to me to say yes or no to these meetings. Usually I say no, but not this time - perhaps it was just a strange intuition or the prompting of an angel (and who can tell the difference between those?). On the day of the meeting, I met the parents, and (somewhat self-consciously putting on a display) showed them my home - a small room, barely big enough to fit me laying down, filled mostly with washi and half-opened books, lit by one lamp that sputtered due to the constant draught. A state of affairs which I am perfectly content with, but I would not wish to thrust upon someone else.
Well the parents, though Christian, were somewhat off-put by the realization that yes, I did in fact give my home up. The interview between us was friendly though, I spoke in all honesty, and they did as well. In my mind I think I expected them to set their girl outside in the garden and have her play the shamisen, to try and convince me of her delicate and perceptive nature, but when they finally called for her (a girl by the name of Hiroko), she did not respond. Somewhat miffed at that, her parents asked me to have patience, for she was still young (about 17) and prone to flights of fancy. I waved it off, saying that I understood the type, as I have had my own moments like that. We went into the Home, and what should we see but Hiroko aiding the nurses with a man with tuberculosis, her fine dress rolled up to allow her to help as she could! The sight did not endear her to her parents, but ah! my heart was struck by the sight! I fear that unplanned, she might have touched me more readily than any previous woman I've met! Letter to Miko Hakurei X, ibid. posted:
Sister! Your letter from the 4th has been a wonderful and heartening read! I am always brightened upon hearing the news of another baptism for Our Lord. Further, I am most humbled by your writing to me for advice. You say that your father, the shrine's priest, has not seen the light of Our Lord, and you are unsure how you can continue your duties now that you know the shrine is not to gods, but to false idols. I shall start with the latter.
God has placed you where you are for a special purpose - to show all men that His grace is everywhere, even where they think he would not be. I ask that you stay at your home, but respectfully decline in making offerings to idols. If you must make offerings, make them to Our Lord Jesus. If a pilgrim seeks your blessing, bless him or her in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Be charitable to all you meet, and everyday give prayers of thanks to God for having given you so many blessings. You worry that if you are surrounded by idols, how will you stay firm in faith? I tell you this - Be not afraid! God will give you each and every day the strength needed for each days travails. But he does not give a lifetime of graces in a day! If your worries for tomorrow threaten to overwhelm your faith, remember His words to us: Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.[Mt 6:34] Thinking on this, I know you will persevere.
As to the former, your father has raised a fine and intelligent daughter, if your letter is any indication, and for that he should be commended! You say he has not professed Jesus as Lord, so be it! God works in His own time, not ours. Always remember that when God gave His laws to the Jews, He decreed that they, and all men in addition, honor their father and their mother. He did not say, "honor your parents if they be Jew or Christian"! Always honor him, and love him as I'm sure you always have. Let your faith burn in your heart, so that you might love your father even more than before! With God's grace, such love might touch him and convince him more surely than any learned disputation I might bring to bear.
Your Brother in Christ,
Kasuga Saemon
|
|
#
¿
Feb 13, 2014 04:11
|
|
- Friar John
- Aug 3, 2007
-
Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night
Have my old feet stumbled at graves!
|
Kasuga Saemon (S)
Extract from the Prefatory Chapter of "An Introduction to the Poetry of Nippon, its Forms, Themes, and Masters" posted:
"Our native poetry springs from the heart of man as its seed, producing the countless leaves of language. Multitudinous are the affairs of men in this world—what their minds think, what their eyes see, what their ears hear they must find words to express. Listening to the nightingale singing amid the blossoms of spring, or to the murmur of frogs among the marshes in autumn, we know that every living thing plays its part in the mingled music of Nature."
Thus were the words of Ki no Tsurayuki, one of the great masters of poetry in the land of Nippon, and the compiler of one of the first great collections of poetry from our past, the Kokin Wakashuu. But his words are applicable not only to the poetry of my country, but to the poetry of man. In what nation is there not an impulse to put our various languages to the service of nobility, beauty, and music? Whether through the martial vigor of Homer, the wings of Milton, the perceptive eye of Basho, or the longing heart of Dante, to the competent and unknown poet studying his craft, all men seek to place the experiences of a life into a realm that defies mere human mortality.
If the impulse is the same, the forms and particulars of how that urge is transformed from a nameless cloud that fills vision and tightens the stomach into a piece that is remembered and recited change from people to people, and even from age to age. So there is profit to be made in studying the poetry of diverse times and places, to see what is great and survived the tests of time and distance. It is to that end I, Kasuga Saemon, a lover of words, have produced this little book for my brothers outside Japan. I believe that great poetry, no matter its origin, can speak to the hearts of all men, that when we read a master of the art, we do not judge the work, but the work judges us and our character... Friar John fucked around with this message at 06:05 on Feb 14, 2014
|
|
#
¿
Feb 14, 2014 04:53
|
|
- Friar John
- Aug 3, 2007
-
Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night
Have my old feet stumbled at graves!
|
Kasuga Saemon (S)
Excerpt from "On the Uses and Methods of Translation" posted:
It is not easy to translate from one language to another, and certain types of writing can lose all intensity and strength if translated badly. What then is the man of multiple languages to do? How should he approach this task?
First, he must have an intimate knowledge not only of his mother tongue, but that of the piece to be translated. Unless he can credibly and without shame compose in both, he should not attempt to transform one tongue into another. Second, he must hold in his mind not only the material form of the piece to be translated: that is, its meter, or particular syntax, or emphasis placed on certain words, but also the reason the piece was written in the first place: the general or historical form, who was the audience, what was the environment the piece was written in, how did the author's contemporaries touch upon the same subject, and how was the author working in that environment in contrast?
Why must these be known? I shall take my nation as an example. In the Yamato tongue, the haiku can only contain so many words which, due to the nature of our language, is generally a small number. In English however, a mere shifting of the poetic form produces works that are comparably much longer, and fail to capture the true spirit of haiku, the capture of a single contrast or distinction. Thus, the man hoping to translate Issa into English cannot merely transfer his language into English syllables of 5-7-5, but must find a material form that captures the general form of Issa's piece. Thus if a Yamato man wishes to translate Hamlet into Japanese, he must find a form in Japanese that captures the lyrical and metrical regularity of English iambic pentameter...
|
|
#
¿
Feb 14, 2014 06:53
|
|
- Friar John
- Aug 3, 2007
-
Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night
Have my old feet stumbled at graves!
|
Kasuga Saemon (S)
Excerpt from "On the Uses and Methods of Translation" posted:
We have demonstrated the multifaceted ways a translation of a text, by the very fact of changing the language and by no fault of the translator, may shift meaning, lay bare obscurities, darken obvious points, and so on. Because of this, there can be no perfect translation from the hand of men. All translators must bear this burden, to juggle the various responsibilities he is beholden to: fidelity to the text, fidelity to the meaning of the author, the desire to avoid obvious barbarisms of language, and so on. A translator who takes the first goal may fail in the second, because the exact language of the author is an idiom that bears no meaning in the translator's language, or the third, but producing a work that sounds either childish or senile. Because of that, all translators must welcome their fellow craftsmen, for one may illuminate a part of a work that another obscured to allow something else to take the lead. A Facsimile of Kasuga Saemon's holograph copy of "The Way is Long", Barker & Sons, San Francisco 1934 posted:
The frontispiece of the work - a simple drawing of the cross with "天地, Tenchi" or "Heaven and Earth"
Kasuga Saemon's calligraphy of "平安" or "Peace" along with his signature.
The first poem of the collection, though without the translations into English and French of the published versions. The explanatory paragraph informs that as Kasuga was traveling to Wakkanai to meet a friend (The friar Takahiro, who is mentioned in a few other poems of the collection), he took a moment to rest, and heard nearby the sound of laborers working on a new timber factory.
はるいちばん・つかさのこえて・つちのおと
Haruichiban/ tsukasa no koete/ tsuchi no oto
The first spring storm--
Over the hill,
The sound of hammers
Kasuga's one poem about the circumstances of his conversion, which occurred in the middle of winter. His one word explanation of the poem is "変換, henkan" - "conversion".
さむいとや・わたしといっしょに・しんめいのき
The cold road--
With me,
The tree of Life Excerpt from "On the Christian in Japan" posted:
I was asked, by a Frenchman and Christian who I am acquainted with, how can Christianity live in such a culture as that in Japan? How does the Japanese man find the truth of Jesus Christ? With no disrespect towards him, for he is a man of high learning and with a broad heart, one might just as well ask, how might a pagan Roman be converted? or a Frankish barbarian? or even a gentleman of today in London, Paris, or New York? All of these are places and times far removed from the days of the Apostles, and yet in all of them God finds ways to convert men and women to Him. In all times and in all places, the impetus of conversion comes from God Himself, the only difference is how men search for it, react to it, and spread the love of God.
In my country, it is the care Christians show to all men, regardless of station or birth, faction or clan, that convinces many of the Church's truth. By treating men and women as they are - as fellow sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, all of us needful of the mercy of Christ - this touches the hearts of men. When God works through us, and we say "Let it be" to His will, we allow ourselves to be true lights in the darkness, lights of mercy in the darkness of sin and death. Friar John fucked around with this message at 02:45 on Feb 15, 2014
|
|
#
¿
Feb 15, 2014 02:30
|
|
- Friar John
- Aug 3, 2007
-
Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night
Have my old feet stumbled at graves!
|
[An anonymous signboard put up near the meeting-house of the Council of Ecumenical Translators]
"They [the CET] do not follow Shinto [神道, way of the gods], but shinto [新道, the way of novelty]! Bastards!"
|
|
#
¿
Feb 15, 2014 02:49
|
|
- Friar John
- Aug 3, 2007
-
Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night
Have my old feet stumbled at graves!
|
Kasuga Saemon (S)
Lecture on Miyamoto Musashi's Go Rin no Sho, given in the dojo of the Three Streams in Hakodate posted:
"To write this book I did not use the law of Buddha or the teachings of Confucius, neither old war chronicles nor books on martial tactics. I take up my brush to explain the true spirit of this Ichi school as it is mirrored in the Way of Heaven and Kannon." The Way is independent of the teachings of any one earthly master, including master Miyamoto. It proceeds, however, most truly from the Heavenly Master, who contains all things. Thus, we must not merely ape the actions of the master, but cultivate those virtues of character that allowed him to do what he did. If we reflect the Heavens, we most truly begin to follow the Way.
"Strategy is the craft of the warrior. Commanders must enact the craft, and troopers should know this Way. There is no warrior in the world today who really understands the Way of strategy." Thus the master wrote in his day, and it is true in ours as well. No warrior, not even the master or his disciples, truly comprehends the entire Way of strategy. Then why does the master speak of it, if it is always with us? Because we forget. We think, foolishly, that if we learn a secret technique, or train our hands for 1000 days, or follow without error the proscriptions of the past masters, then we will master the Way, as if it were as easy as a key fitting into a lock. It isn't! Many in the master's day thought that if they followed the styles of the famous swordsmen, they would be duelists without compare, but the master showed them the error of their thoughts, even before he had found the Way. The master brings this to our attention to remind us of this most basic point - the Way must be approached with open eyes and a clear heart. Only then can you begin to learn.
"The warrior is different in that studying the Way of strategy is based on overcoming men. By victory gained in crossing swords with individuals, or enjoining battle with large numbers, we can attain power and fame for ourselves or our lord. This is the virtue of strategy." The Way is the Way of victory! Not only in duels, but in battles, not just with swords, but with all the tools at the disposal of the strategist, from horses to spears, from hidden stratagems to the gathering of supplies. The Way is not about your own aggrandizement, but about the defeat of your opponent! Always keep that in mind.
"In olden times strategy was listed among the Ten Abilities and Seven Arts as a beneficial practice. It was certainly an art but as a beneficial practice it was not limited to sword-fencing. The true value of sword-fencing cannot be seen within the confines of sword-fencing technique." There are men who live in our day, who teach as if the sword were the measure of the Way. These sword-idolaters teach falsely! They do not teach the Way of Victory, but their false way is the way of defeat! The sword, noble and beautiful as it is, is not the measure of the Way, but the Way is the measure of the sword! If the sword cannot bring you victory, put it aside! The sword is a tool to help us follow the Way, it is not our master. If a peasant's hoe should fail to break a clod, does he continue to attack it ineffectually? No, he gets an ox to pull it out of his field. If one tool cannot help you reach your goal, find the tool that can! Our master did the same - without a sword, he carved his oar into his weapon. You must cultivate that spirit, and never let yourselves be drawn into defeat because you would not put aside a tool that did not work.
"It is difficult to realize the true Way just through sword-fencing. Know the smallest things and the biggest things, the shallowest things and the deepest things." The samurai must have a broad soul. He must be able to move from the heights of philosophy to the dirt of battle. In cultivating that character, he must be humble, for with vanity comes blindness, and with blindness comes defeat...
|
|
#
¿
Feb 16, 2014 03:21
|
|
- Friar John
- Aug 3, 2007
-
Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night
Have my old feet stumbled at graves!
|
Kasuga Saemon
Speech to Interested Citizens On the Election posted:
Brothers, I am honored to be asked to speak to you about our elections. However, I hope to move beyond mere issues of policy and electioneering, for taxation is beyond my competence, and speak about the fundamental issues that face us all as citizens.
Legislators, you are faced with great and burdensome duties. You must find, through all the fog of politics, those measures that will well and truly aid the common good - not your egos, or favoring a particular faction - but help the entirety of our country. We are faced by many troubles - few people, a rich interior, and hungry eyes that would pounce on us should we falter. You must put aside old and failed vanities and, like the true Strategist, see the world with a clear and unbiased eye, such as the Preacher [the writer of Ecclesiastes] had. Who are our friends? Our enemies? Which of those enemies might we make into friends with effort? A man cannot defeat the world alone, but if he has brothers, he might face a great number and still succeed.
Citizens, you too must be conscious of the responsibilities given to you. You cannot shirk the duty of voting if you be samurai, and if you be ko, or peasant, or merchant, you must be brothers with your towns, your cities, your legislators. We are brothers to each other, and you have a responsibility to crucify your selfishness, your egotism, and envy, so that you too might advance the common good surely. You must vote in accord with virtue and with the faith of Christ burning in your heart, but St. Paul told us to honor and obey the authorities, and he spoke of the idolatrous Romans, who martyred him and so many of the glorious martyrs. Should we do any less?
|
|
#
¿
Feb 18, 2014 06:06
|
|
- Friar John
- Aug 3, 2007
-
Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night
Have my old feet stumbled at graves!
|
Kasuga Saemon
Letter to Friar Takahiro posted:
My heart is heavy, my friend, too heavy, for it reminds me of the darkness I dwelt in before seeing the light of Christ. Masako, though unbaptized, was a woman of high virtue, and her loss looms large. Even now men squabble and babble at each other to find and blame the culprit, but I cannot enter that fray. I thank God for my survival, but more fervently I pray to Him that her soul might reach Heaven.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 20, 2014 04:36
|
|
- Friar John
- Aug 3, 2007
-
Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night
Have my old feet stumbled at graves!
|
Kasuga Saemon (S)
Letter to the President posted:
Honorable Sir,
Though it pains me to wade into the ceaseless currents of politics, whose mighty and tempestuous waters can overwhelm even the man of strongest character, I must ask that you reconsider your nomination of Matsudaira Sadaaki to the position of Army Minister. I do not challenge your prerogatives regarding the sacking of your ministers, but your nominee is a man who has gleefully admitted to being the mastermind behind a riot that left almost 20 people dead. I beg of you, find someone, anyone other than Sadaaki. Letter to Concerned Citizens posted:
Brothers, there is turmoil in our land: that, all men can see. Storms of civil discord rage, and threats of violence and destruction lurk on the horizon. I put my ear to the ground, and I hear the trembling fury of an earthquake brewing in the depths of the earth. What are we to do?
First, we must lift our eyes to Heaven, to God, who is King of all His creation, and pray that His will might be done, and not ours. Nations must be chastised for their sins just as individuals, and we will ourselves as a country be so stricken if we do not cling to His cross and reject all of Satan's lies.
But we have an earthly duty as well. Our country is a Republic, whose constitution is founded on that great land of liberty. We must not forsake it! We are Christians first, but we are citizens of an earthly state as well, and we have duties to it as well! We must not take recourse to the sword should we find the course of politics is not to our choosing! Do you not have faith in the sovereignty of God over all things, including history? Do not put your swords up to your fellow citizens! Put them at your true enemy, they who would try to crush the Church out, the heathens of the south! Letter to Supreme Court Chief Justice Takenaka Shigetaka posted:
Teach me the law, your Honor, for I have no learning in this field.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 20, 2014 07:24
|
|
- Friar John
- Aug 3, 2007
-
Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night
Have my old feet stumbled at graves!
|
Kasuga Saemon (S)
Letter to Hijikata Toshizō posted:
Thank you for your recent letter, Toshizo, it is most appreciated. I see Friar Takahiro has been sending you his drafts for the translation of City of God - it is a fine work so far, and I will be glad to see it completed. But you are very correct - some men are called to the cloister, but those who aren't must not be afraid to be called upon to work for the common good. Should this proposed investigatory committee be passed, I shall see you in the halls of the capital as a fellow public servant. Though I must confess, I am unsure why I was nominated, seeing as I was almost killed there as well.
As always,
Your Friend,
Kasuga Saemon
|
|
#
¿
Feb 20, 2014 23:18
|
|
- Friar John
- Aug 3, 2007
-
Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night
Have my old feet stumbled at graves!
|
Kasuga Saemon
Letter to Friar Takahiro posted:
...Yes, I have been quite distracted by my duties at the academy, I must admit. But I must disagree with your analysis -- our predicament is hard, but our cause is right, for it is the cause of freedom. People ask me if I am afraid of death, and I tell them each and all the same thing: I am already dead, for in my baptism I died, and now Christ lives in me! That death, be it the death of the body or the death of fame that so terrifies the samurai that they slay themselves to escape it, has no dominion over me. Christ is our King, and He reigns over all the cosmos. He shall take my life when He wills it, for it has always been His.
I must cut this short, however -- I must prepare the officers. If Meiji should try to land on our shores, they shall find it a hard landing indeed.
Your friend,
Kasuga Saemon
|
|
#
¿
Mar 9, 2014 21:07
|
|
- Friar John
- Aug 3, 2007
-
Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night
Have my old feet stumbled at graves!
|
Kasuga Saemon
Speech to the Sailors posted:
Brothers! I come here to you so that you may hear the truth! You have been deceived! Your admiral, who was once my friend, has abandoned our republic in cowardice and shame. You need not do the same! He lied to you, as he lied to me! Right now your country needs you, for she cannot defend herself without you. Will you truly abandon her in her hour of need? No! I know you men, I know you are men of God. God forgives the repentant, as do I! Come back to us, your brothers and sisters who guard this republic, and join arms again in comradery, that we might hold off the tyrants of Meiji from snuffing out the light of liberty! I will see to it that you are absolved, and that this shameful escapade might be put behind us for all time. Join with me, men! For Christ and Ezo!
|
|
#
¿
Mar 19, 2014 02:37
|
|
- Friar John
- Aug 3, 2007
-
Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night
Have my old feet stumbled at graves!
|
Kasuga Saemon (S)
Letter to President Enomoto posted:
Sir, enclosed here is my proposed plan for the defense of our Republic. I trust it will meet your approval. We are, all of us, prepared to do our duty for the Republic, sir. On the Future of Ezo posted:
Men! Soldiers! My Brothers!
We are at a turning point for our Republic. Across the sea our former brothers now raise their arms to bring us back into their state. The Shogun is accused of the most base treachery and lawlessness. All around it seems the ship of state is beset by terrible swells of danger. I wish to speak of my own thoughts on our course, and perhaps it may help you all as well. In this I speak not as your commander, but as a fellow citizen.
When the Boshin War began I was only a young man, raised on tales of glory and honor from the Sengoku Jidai, unwilling to see the Bakufu which had governed Japan in the Emperor's name overthrown by upstart daimyo. Well, in the war I was nearly killed by a bullet to my lung, and in the aftermath I was almost dead, lost in despair. "How could we have been defeated?" "What was the battle even for?" Those were the questions I asked myself, and in that long dark night I came near to ending my life over the lack of an answer.
But now, at the edge of our hope, I believe there is an answer I can give to all of you, who may question how I did.
In this land of Ezo, we have created something new and good in the history of these islands. Almost in spite of ourselves we have made steps, however falteringly, towards a true republic, where men meet each other as brothers and citizens, and not as serfs and slaves on one end and masters on the other. This state of ours is on the cusp of greatness, and I shall not see its potential snuffed out by slavemasters from Tokyo.
This Ezo, it is not the property of the Shogun's court, nor of the self-proclaimed Emperor. It is ours! I may not have been born here, but it has become my home, and I would rather die than see it defiled! Those islands that bow the knee to Tokyo, they have a past. But we, in this great and vast land, have a future! Let Tokyo rule its own lands, but we shall rule ourselves in virtue and faith, and join that vast commonwealth of nations that peoples history.
I do not fight for the past, for the past is a trap. We must learn from it, its triumphs just as much as its failures, but we can never recreate it. I fight for you, in front of me, and those who cannot defend themselves. I fight so that we may one day reach that future where, under the Divine Father, we may all greet each other as brothers. Therefore I ask of you, fight with me, with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul! The Divine strengthens the righteous, and our cause is righteous indeed!
|
|
#
¿
Apr 3, 2014 02:15
|
|
- Friar John
- Aug 3, 2007
-
Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night
Have my old feet stumbled at graves!
|
Kasuga Saemon (S)
Letter to Hijikata Toshizo posted:
Brother, I hope you're doing well with your shinsengumi! I myself am still having trouble walking, but the doctors say I should be back on my feet in the next few weeks, though I will almost certainly be required to use a cane from now on. Think of it, a man in the prime of his life with a walking cane! I'll make quite the dashing figure in town, I'm sure!
I suppose I shouldn't joke, better men than I did not make it out of those battles with such light injuries as I. But God granted us victory, a victory that I will do my best to take advantage of. We've re-won our independence, but we must use it as best we can.
Anyway, after I am set free by my doctor's, I hope to try and regain some of my strength by training, and I would be honored if you came by the dojo again!
Your friend,
Kasuga Saemon
|
|
#
¿
Apr 15, 2014 00:42
|
|
- Adbot
-
ADBOT LOVES YOU
|
|
|
#
¿
May 22, 2025 14:20
|
|
#
¿
Feb 7, 2014 01:52
