A Night Dream of Soseki Natsume
The following is one of night dreams Soseki Natsume (1867-1916), one of the greatest Japanese authors, reported in his work:
I was a warrior of ancient times. But I was captured by enemies. Then I was forced to sit with my legs crossed before a big bonfire in a dark valley. A tall general of enemies stood before me and looked down into my face reflecting the red fire, asking if I would live or die. In those days, whenever a warrior was captured, he was asked if he would live or die. To answer "Live" meant to surrender; to answer "Die" meant not to surrender. Accordingly, I answered "Die" with my arms folded in the vest over my chest. So, the general started to draw a sword. Yet, I pulled out my right hand from the vest to hold it on the head, opening the hand like a leaf of a maple. It meant "Wait."
The general returned his sword to the scabbard. So, I said that I had to see my woman before being put to the sword. He answered that he would wait till a cook crowed for the morning.
My woman sprang on a white horse saddle-less, putting spurs to the horse with her spindle-legs, speeding it up, and galloping across the field and forests along mountains. They ran toward the direction where the night sky reflected the bonfire. As fast as the sound of horse hoofs, she was approaching in the dark and tense space flying behind, but the bonfire was still far.
The woman and horse fast rushed to an uphill. Then, suddenly a cook crowed in the roadside darkness aiming at her. She pulled the reins so hard. The horse stuck his forelegs into a rock. The next moment the cook crowed again. She loosened the reins involuntarily. The horse plunged forward. Down over the rock was a deep pool of a rapid.
It was amanojaku or the demon of perversity that imitated the cook.
So, amanojaku is now my unforgivable enemy as long as the trace of the hoofs of the horse remains on the rock.Soseki Natsume laid foundation of modern Japanese literature in the late 19th century and the early 20th century. Through his works, Japanese literature went successfully through modernization and a kind of Westernization. The Japanese written language itself was influenced by his works. After Soseki Natsume, it was no more literature of the samurai era.
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In 2010, the rate of students who could find jobs after graduation from universities or colleges was:
JAPAN - 90%
China - 70%
USA - 24.4%
UK - 15%
This is a result of the lost decade of Japan American and British economists and journalists laughed at so much.
The point at issue is that they are now praising China's economics success so much while China has no intention to help the EU and America economically and financially.
China succeeded in accumulating dollars simply providing cheap labor forces for Japanese and American businesses. But, the number of the Chinese workers working at lower labor costs is not ordinary, since it is 700 million. This is the core of the Chinese economic success.
So, it is as though the whole world is dreaming a bad dream.
Act 12:1 Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.
Act 12:2 And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
Act 12:3 And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)
Act 12:4 And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.
Act 12:5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.