A Little Encouragement

Few people can say they’ve lived as long as Toyo Shibata [柴田トヨ]. At 99, she has seen two world wars, four emperors and 81 prime ministers. Over the span of such a long life, one would hope to acquire valuable wisdom about the world and how to be happy.

Ms. Shibata has. She is the author of a bestselling anthology of poetry published early last year with the title “くじけないで,” or “Don’t Be Frustrated” [though I would translate it as more like "Hang in There"] — it’s sold 1.5 million copies so far. Shibata took up poetry after back pain prevented her from continuing Japanese traditional dance at age 92. Her works come mostly from meditation that she does in bed. The poems aren’t like the haiku that I’ve posted on this blog before; it’s much more free-form and reads more like a soliloquy. Here is a video of her reading her poetry. This is less for conveying the depth of meaning and more for showing that she’s teeny and 99.

My translation [and interpretation]:

Really, to call it unhappiness

Don’t sigh

Sunlight and zephyrs don’t play favorites.

Dreams are seen equally, you know.

The last lines are particularly introspective. She writes:

Though there were hardships in my life, I’m glad I went on living.

You should too, without getting frustrated.

A lot of her poems have that tone of encouragement, with regards to love, dreams, future and self-confidence. She says that she still has hopes and dreams as her 100th birthday approaches, and famously confessed to falling in love with one of her visiting doctors. This notion of being open with yourself and finding more comfort in who you are could be just what Japan needs.

Poetry anthologies rarely sell over 10,000 copies in Japan, so hitting the 1.5 million mark makes this a grand slam. This could possibly be attributed to the message found in the book. Japan leads the developed world in depression and suicide rates; it’s evident that a large part of the populace has a problem. Shibata’s poems have become a manifesto for self-acceptance, and at 108 pages and for only ￥952 [~$11.50], it isn’t hard to see why it’s gotten around so fast.

I’m hoping to grab a copy of くじけないで when I get the chance, and I think I’ll enjoy it as much as everyone else seems to be. Later on this year, Shibata will be publishing another anthology of poems before her 100th birthday in June. Though she hasn’t spoken much about what it will be about, I bet it will reveal further that after a century of living, it turns out that it just isn’t worth it to get too caught up in the rat race. Be happy.

This post has gotten a lot of hits, which makes me think that people outside of Japan are clamoring for more information on Toyo Shibata. Check back here on From Tokyo to the World for updates — I’ll be following the news!

REMIX