Furudawari's Explanation of Shikoku, the Four Beasts, and the Four-Faced Pyramid: At a Cairo Cafe (20,000 characters)

▼The Furudawari Series

Furudawari's Explanation of Shikoku, the Four Beasts, and the Four-Faced Pyramid: At a Cairo Cafe

v7.6

1. Setting: The 'Alf Layla wa Layla' (One Thousand and One Nights) Cafe in Cairo

At twilight, when the bustle of Cairo echoed like distant thunder, the sweet and dense scent of shisha hung heavy in the cafe's courtyard. Ukeuri took a sip of the espresso on the table and stared at Furudawari with a sharp gaze.

'Furudawari-san, I listened to your exegesis of the Bible and analysis of mythological structures up to the last session with great interest. However, there is one point of contention I simply cannot overlook. It concerns that bizarre urban legend surrounding Japan, specifically the topos (place) of Shikoku.'

Ukeuri lowered his eyes to the notebook in his hand and continued as if choosing his words carefully.

'The theory that Shikoku mimics the shape of a Sphinx or the four living creatures of the Bible. To be honest, while it is well-crafted as entertainment, it is somehow overly stimulating, and leaves a strange aftertaste after finishing it. How can it possibly be connected to your profound mythological considerations thus far?'

Furudawari raised his glass with a faint smile on his lips.

'A good question that strikes at the core, Ukeuri-kun. That is the central theme of today's discussion. Let me present the conclusion first. That urban legend, which seems overloaded with chemical seasonings, is not merely cheap reading material. The process of exploring the true nature of that strange aftertaste is itself an entrance that leads us to the highly nutritious ancient natural food known as human wisdom. Today, I shall grant you an invitation for that purpose.'

Furudawari inhaled deeply from the shisha and began to speak while slowly letting the purple smoke drift.

'First, let us begin with this rather unusual story. There is a hypothesis that the island of Shikoku in Japan, in its geopolitical shape, mimics the ancient Oriental mythical beast, the Sphinx, or the four living creatures (lion, ox, eagle, and man) that appear in the biblical Book of Revelation. This theory, which seems absurd at first glance, was proposed by the pre-war biblical scholar Masanori Takane. The logic developed in the booklet he published in 1952, "The Ancient Mystery of Mount Tsurugi in Shikoku: The Key to World Peace is Here," has a surprisingly bold and precise structure.'

'Takane first focuses on a passage from the "Kojiki," Japan's creation myth: "Iyo no Futana-shima, this island has one body and four faces." He did not interpret this ancient description as merely geographical. And, through spiritual inspiration, he directly linked this cryptic phrase about an island with "four faces" to the iconography of the four living creatures that guard the throne of God as depicted in Chapter 4 of the Bible's "Book of Revelation"—namely, the lion, the ox, the eagle, and the angel Cherubim with the face of a man. Furthermore, he did not stop at a mere coincidence of symbols, but claimed that the geographical shapes corresponding to the old province names of Shikoku (Awa, Sanuki, Iyo, and Tosa) morphologically match the silhouettes of these four creatures.'

'Usually, such discourse is dismissed with psychiatric terms like "pareidolia" or the "simulacra phenomenon." It is a cognitive bias where the human brain misidentifies meaningful patterns within random events. That is a rational interpretation, and in the "chamber" of modern society, it is considered the most moderate and politically correct "correct answer." But what if this were a massive grand design intentionally carved into the land by someone who was well-versed in the "topology of the mind" and the "evolutionary theory of human psychology" that we are about to discuss?'

'I want you to conduct a thought experiment,' Furudawari urged. 'Unfold a blank map of Shikoku, and move your perspective freely along the ancient national borders, which mostly overlap with modern prefectural borders.'

• 'First, look at Iyo (Ehime Prefecture) in the west. Consider the Sadamisaki Peninsula, the longest and most protruding in Japan, not as a nose, but as a "tail" that lashes like a whip. Place the starting point of your gaze in the west and the end point in the Ishizuchi Mountains in the east. How does the view transform? The folds of the complex and bizarre ria coastline facing the Uwa Sea become the muscles of a powerful "hind leg" kicking up the earth, and the terrain from Yawatahama to Ozu draws the line of a supple spine. What manifests there is a full-body view of a lion captured from the right side, with its tail in the west, roaring toward the mountains in the east.'

• 'Next, shift your perspective to Sanuki (Kagawa Prefecture) in the north. Consider the land mass around Sanuki City in the east as the hindquarters, and the Shonai Peninsula, which juts sharply to the west, as a "horn" or "head" piercing the heavens. The lines drawn in the plains of Marugame and Sakaide are the outlines of the forelegs treading upon the earth. At that moment, the energy of the terrain flows from east to west. Shifting the center of gravity from the torso in the east to the head in the west, it becomes a full-body view of an ox seen from the left side, standing heavily and facing west.'

• 'And finally, look down at Tosa (Kochi Prefecture) in the south. As if to govern the vast arc-shaped coastline, draw a "circle" in the center of the inland Shikoku Mountains and draw a straight line toward the Pacific Ocean. Then, that magnificent terrain with the wings of Cape Muroto and Cape Ashizuri spread wide, with the protrusion of the Kochi Plain embracing Urado Bay likened to a "face" and "beak," and the first-class Niyodo and Monobe rivers as the skeleton, becomes a full-body view of an eagle gliding through the sky as seen from below, its beak pointing toward the future in the south.'

• "Finally, let us examine Awa (Tokushima Prefecture) in the east. By drawing a 'circle' along the coast from Komatsushima to Anan, which faces the Kii Channel, and adding a straight line along the Yoshino River basin, we can see it. If we take the uplift of Naruto in the north as an 'eboshi' (court cap) on the head, the massive estuary of the Yoshino River as an eye socket, and the estuary of the Naka River as the mouth, a profile of an intelligent human looking toward the western interior—seen from the left—is completed, which is clearly distinct from the other three."

"Is this merely a probabilistic coincidence?" Furtawari pressed on. "What kind of human, in what era, and with what authority could have constructed such a magnificent geoglyph? The feat of intentionally demarcating national borders and designing a massive talisman at the national level exceeds the authority of mere local powerful clans. It would have been impossible unless it were a group of nameless 'geo-mystics' who, during the dawn of the Yamato Imperial Court, when the Japanese state was still in a realm where myth and politics were undifferentiated, accepted oracles, deciphered feng shui, and controlled the spiritual balance of the entire archipelago. Of course, there is currently no primary historical source or archaeological evidence to support this 'geo-mystic' hypothesis, and what I am stating here is merely my own abduction (hypothetical thought experiment) based on Takane's ideas and an introduction to ancient symbology."

"Perhaps they fixed the four sacred beasts, which symbolize the four layers that constitute the human soul (body, mind, intellect, and spirit), using the barrier of national borders to seal the 'Gate to the Underworld' of this country. And if we assume they possessed such wisdom and executive power, then the bold hypothesis that 'the Ark of the Covenant is buried in Mount Tsurugi, the spiritual center of Shikoku,' which Masanori Takane ultimately concluded in his book, can be read as a thought experiment with internal consistency as a 'story of ancient symbols,' even though it lacks historical backing."

2. The Sphinx's Riddle and the Universal "Tetrad"

"In other words, the outlandish idea that Shikoku equals four living creatures is not an isolated singularity?" Ukeguri asked.

"That is correct," Furtawari nodded. "In the deep structure of human mythology and symbolic systems, the number 'four' persistently recurs as a universal algorithm for indicating the structure of human existence."

"In Greek mythology, the Sphinx asked, 'What is the creature that walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening?' and the answer was 'man.' This riddle itself suggests that the existence of a human is a complex composed of multiple phases. Going back further, the 'Lamassu,' the winged human-headed beast of Assyria considered the prototype of the Sphinx, was a guardian deity with a human head, eagle wings, and the body of a bull or lion. This itself can be interpreted symbolically as a precursor to the four-creature motif."

"This motif is inherited in the Judeo-Christian tradition as the angelic iconography known as 'Cherubim.' The four creatures depicted in the 'Book of Ezekiel' and the 'Book of Revelation' as guardians of the throne have the faces of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. In the ancient Solomon's Temple of Israel, two pillars called 'Jachin' and 'Boaz' stood before the gate, and it is said that the four-creature motifs, such as Cherubim, lions, and oxen, were carved into the decorations of the massive water tanks and pedestals placed nearby. This image of the 'four creatures guarding the gate' spread to the Far East via the Silk Road. The Chinese stone lions, the Okinawan Shisa, and the Komainu that guard Japanese shrines and temples—these can all be positioned in the same lineage in a broad sense, as distant descendants of the complex sacred beast motif of the 'lion statue guarding the gate' that originated in the ancient Orient."

"This structure of 'four' is not limited to the realms of myth and religion. It is embedded as a blueprint of the collective unconscious even in the stories we have been familiar with since childhood."

"In the Japanese 'Momotaro,' Momotaro (human/integrator) is joined by three types of followers—a dog (loyalty/body), a monkey (wit/mind), and a pheasant (spirituality/intellect)—to form a four-in-one hero unit. 'Journey to the West' is similar, with a four-part composition led by Tripitaka (spirit/guide), Sun Wukong (instinct/body), Zhu Bajie (desire/emotion), and Sha Wujing (reason/intellect), all converging toward a single goal through difficult travels. In 'The Wizard of Oz,' the structure is even more explicitly visualized. The story of Dorothy (the seat of the soul) longing to return home, traveling with the Scarecrow who wants a brain (intellect), the Tin Woodman who wants a heart (emotion), and the Lion who wants courage (body/will), is truly the alchemical process of the soul, re-integrating the four dissociated aspects of the self."

"In other words, what these symbol groups suggest is a universal anthropological thesis that a human being is not a single entity, but a complex of four different functions: body, mind, intellect, and the spirit (or transcendent self) that governs them," Ukeguri confirmed while writing his interpretation in his notebook.

3. Anatomy of the Mind — Proposing the Four-Sided Pyramid Model

"Well said," Furtawari nodded with satisfaction. "To understand this universal structure of 'four' more systematically and structuralistically, this paper proposes the 'Four-Sided Pyramid Model' as an 'anatomy of the mind.' This is a topological diagram for capturing the overall picture of human growth and evolution in a three-dimensional and dynamic way."

"This model is composed of two orthogonal axes."

• "First, the vertical axis (growth hierarchy). This shows the process by which human consciousness evolves from an undifferentiated infantile state to a higher level through maturity and integration. Using the analogy of biological metamorphosis, it is divided into three major phases—'caterpillar → pupa → butterfly'—and further segmented into seven detailed layers."

  1. First seven-year group (infancy)

  2. Second seven-year group (school age)

  3. Third seven-year group (adolescence)

  4. Working adult

  5. Fifth-level leader

  6. Master

  7. Assistant instructor

• "Next, the horizontal axis (basic type). This corresponds to the four sides of the pyramid and represents the four basic typologies that indicate where humans place their center of gravity for energy."

  1. Physical type aspect (the path of training the body): Places physical sensation, instinctual impulses, and behaviorism at the core of world perception.

  2. Heart type aspect (the path of purifying emotions): Places emotion, empathy, and interpersonal relationships at the core of world perception.

  3. Head type aspect (the path of honing intellect): Places intellect, logic, and analytical thinking at the core of world perception.

  4. Key (philosophy) type aspect (the path of integration): The path of meta-cognition that dialectically integrates the above three types, operates them flexibly according to the situation, and continues to question the structure of the world itself.

"Reinforcing the validity of this model is Rudolf Steiner's Anthroposophy. Steiner defined humans not merely as material beings, but as a four-layered structure: the physical body, the etheric body (life body), the astral body (emotion/soul), and the ego (spirit). This shows a startling correlation with the four types we propose. It can be said that the physical type corresponds to the physical and etheric bodies, the heart type to the astral body, the head type to the rational aspect of the ego, and the key (philosophy) type to the function of the 'spiritual ego' itself, which governs all of these and moves toward higher self-realization."

"However, please do not misunderstand," Furuta-wari added. "I brought up Steiner's model here only because it currently has the structure closest to our discussion; I am by no means saying his model is the finished form. Regarding this, I also maintain the position of a scientific improvement model. This is because I myself have not received any revelations or enlightenment. This is not a matter of faith, but a proposal as a verifiable model."

"This four-faced pyramid model is the 'map of the spirit' that we are about to explore."

4. The Caterpillar Forest — The Stage of Intake and Dependency

"Now, let us first analyze the 'caterpillar' stage, which forms the lowest layer of the pyramid, the broadest base. This stage can be broadly divided into three groups that precisely correspond to the seven-year cycle theory proposed by Steiner's Anthroposophy."

• " First seven-year group (0-7 years old: equivalent to early childhood): This is the phase of 'imitation' and physical formation. Individuals at this stage imitate their surrounding environment and caregivers with their entire bodies, without value judgments of good or evil. Their will is directed toward the construction of the body, and they exist within an unconscious trust that the world is fundamentally 'good'."

• " Second seven-year group (7-14 years old: equivalent to school age): This is the phase of emotion and authority. The astral body awakens, and one begins to perceive the world through aesthetic criteria of 'beautiful or ugly.' Through emotional rapport (trust), they internalize the discourse of 'authority' worthy of respect and form a moral order. The principle of action that dominates this period is an extremely reductionist dualism of rewarding good and punishing evil. The world is clearly divided into 'justice' and 'evil,' and belonging to the side of 'justice' becomes the ontological security and motivation for action."

"Then why do 'villains' appear as an essential element in every myth and religion?" Uke-uri cut in sharply.

"A keen observation," Furuta-wari replied. "At the caterpillar stage, more than a good role model, a representation of a 'villain' that is clear, has low cognitive load, and can be an object of hatred is indispensable. It is because of Judas's betrayal that Jesus's unconditional love (agape) stands out. It is because of Satan's temptation that God's righteousness is tested. It is because of Devadatta's rebellion that the depth of the Buddha's compassion is proven. A villain is a contrast enhancer to sharpen the contours of good, and a primitive ignition device that drives the caterpillar to act."

• " Third seven-year group (14-21 years old: equivalent to adolescence): This is the phase of thought and ideals. The ego awakens and attempts to view the world objectively through independent 'thought.' They try to judge 'truth or falsehood' with their own reason and pursue 'ideals' with a high degree of abstraction. And the 'dreams' or 'goals' held by people at this stage are what we call 'ambitions.' However, if one analyzes their reality coldly, they are merely projections of desire lacking concrete execution power. Structurally, it is isomorphic to 'praying to win the lottery.' It is a mode of thinking that ignores the law of causality between effort and results and delegates life to the probabilistic contingency of miracles. This 'lottery ticket called ambition' is rampant in modern society. Desires such as 'Can't I earn passive income if I become an influencer?' or 'Can't I strike it rich by investing in financial products?' are nothing more than modern lottery tickets wrapped in sophisticated rhetoric like 'self-investment' or 'asset management'."

"What underlies these caterpillar stages is a dependence on a 'cushion' (buffer) to defend the ego. It is an inflated self-esteem, a justification to avoid cognitive dissonance, and an idealism based on the denial of reality. This cushion blocks them from the world as it is—that is, the 'real' governed by absurd and cold causality."

5. The Pupa's Cocoon — The Stage of Conflict and Specialization

"The era of the protected caterpillar ends, and humans released into the wilderness of society inevitably transition to the 'pupa' stage. This is a place of existential anguish, a purgatory where an endless struggle with oneself and others unfolds."

5-1. Working adults: The cage of competition and logic, or the historical necessity of 'excluding metaphysics'
"When you enter the stratum of working adults, the resolution of the world becomes complex all at once. The simple and clear drama of rewarding good and punishing evil, like in student days, comes to an end. In a modern society that claims to be democratic and equal, condemning a specific individual as 'absolute evil' is no longer permissible from the perspective of political correctness. However, the conflict itself that drives humans to act does not disappear. Appearing as a substitute for the villain are new opposing terms such as 'competitors,' 'arch-rivals,' or the glorified 'worthy opponents.' The struggle of absolute good and evil transforms into a 'zero-sum game' of competing for relative superiority."

"And the dynamics of this game are not limited to professional life. Try to recall. General entertainment as a working adult, for example, watching sports. Why can we be so enthusiastic? It is because there exists an axis of conflict where we can enjoy a proxy war from a safe zone: the supported team versus the opposing team. The fact that people are swayed by the medal race at the Olympics, or that people are buried in gambling called public sports, is because in their deep psychology, this fundamental driving force of the pupa era—the 'outcome of victory or defeat'—is operating."

"However, there is a fatal trap here. There is a cognitive bias where one fails in this paradigm shift and projects simple adolescent-level villain images onto real objects of conflict. This is the very pathological structure of addiction discussed in the fields of clinical psychology and psychiatry."

"According to the classical definition, addiction is composed of three elements: loss of control, progressive pathology, and the deprivation of free will indicated by the etymology 'enslavement.' Psychiatrist Toshihiko Matsumoto redefined this phenomenon not as a mere pursuit of the pleasure principle, but as 'self-medication' to survive unbearable pain, and a desperate adaptation strategy. To escape the 'unbearable pain' of a reality that is complex, strange, and ambiguous faced as a working adult, one defines a competitor as an 'evil empire destroying the market' and condemns a department that raises objections as the 'cancer of the organization.' This is a defense mechanism that chooses 'lesser pain' by replacing the uncontrollable pain of reality with a simple and controllable hostility called good-evil dualism."

"Furthermore, as psychiatrist Naoto Muranaka pointed out in 'Addiction to Scolding,' this addiction is deeply rooted in the dynamics of interpersonal relationships. The act of denouncing and scolding an 'enemy' stimulates the brain's reward system through the temporary 'sense of omnipotence' gained by controlling others. This dopaminergic pleasure becomes habitual, and the original purpose is replaced by 'obtaining the pleasure of proving one's own righteousness.' This is a serious relational addiction that becomes a hotbed for harassment in the workplace."

"And the theory that the factors leading to such pathology lie more in environmental factors than in individual qualities is influential. Dr. Bruce Alexander's 'Rat Park' experiment is known as an experiment that strongly supported the view of addiction as a 'disease of isolation.' It showed that while rats easily form drug addictions in isolated, closed environments, they show no interest in drugs in environments rich in social bonds."

"So, what is the prescription for this 'disease of isolation'?" Furuta Wari continued. "What Mr. Matsumoto and his colleagues advocate is not condemnation or exclusion. It is a pragmatic approach called 'harm reduction.' This is an extremely pragmatic strategy that does not force the 'immediate cessation of addictive behavior,' but rather aims first to minimize the actual harm caused by that behavior. It is not about 'discarding' the addicted, but about the work of building the first small 'bridge' for them to reconnect with society."

"Ultimately, this addiction to primitive hostility hinders the transition to a more appropriate cushion of mature reality perception, freezing the subject's growth at the early pupal stage. The path to saving them lies not in condemnation, but in the entire society redesigning the lonely cages in which they are imprisoned into 'Rat Parks' with rich connectivity."

"And, as a primary weapon to overcome such emotional conflict structures and truly establish a competitive advantage, logical thinking takes the lead. Objective analysis, reproducible strategies, and persuasive presentations. These are essential skills in a business ecosystem where survival is impossible through emotional arguments alone. At the same time, logic becomes a mental 'armor' to defend oneself from the turbulence of emotions like jealousy and anxiety."

"However, this armor eventually transforms into a 'cage.' The filter of logic evaluates only quantifiable indicators, excluding invisible elements, intuition, trust, nascent ideas with low social proof, and visions that fall short of facts from the discussion table. This 'cage of logic,' or what Max Weber called the 'iron cage,' is the primary reason why many organizations and individuals face a depletion of innovation and reach a stagnation phase in their growth curves."

"There also exists an extremely sophisticated antithesis to this deadlock," Furuta Wari said, raising his voice. "For example, the experimental project called 'Mixed Education' proposed by philosopher Kazunori Tomano. This can be called an ambitious attempt to implement Husserl's phenomenological attitude change into the educational system."

"The core idea behind them is 'mutual recognition of freedom.' The telos (purpose) of education is for all children to acquire the freedom to 'live as they wish to live.' However, that freedom is established only on the condition that the freedom of others is also recognized. To achieve this, they introduce the 'fusion of individualization and collaboration in learning.' They sublate (Aufheben) 'individualization,' which is optimized for each individual's interests and progress, and 'collaboration,' where heterogeneous others loosely connect. There, regardless of attributes or ability differences, everyone is respected as an equal subject. It is truly the emergence of an ideal democratic space that practices Husserlian epoché (suspension of judgment) and guarantees intersubjectivity."

"But," Furuta Wari paused here, a look of deep contemplation on his face. "No matter how precisely designed a system is, an invisible 'God' lurks within its operational structure. The problem is that we, in the modern age, are using this powerful tool called 'epoché' based on a certain premise. That premise is the implicit dogma that 'it is possible to solve all problems by thoroughly excluding the metaphysical realm and relying only on the phenomenal world—that is, the world observable by the five senses and verifiable through dialogue.'"

"Ukeuri-kun, have you ever considered the origin of this paradigm? Its source dates back to German idealism, particularly Kant, who defined the limits of pure reason and demarcated the unknowable realm. And from the 19th to the 20th century, that trend became decisive. Darwin reduced the mystery of life to the algorithm of natural selection, Marx reduced the driving force of history to materialistic class struggle, and Freud reduced the abyss of the spirit to the dynamics of the unconscious. And Nietzsche finally declared that 'God is dead.' In their respective domains, they banished metaphysical transcendence from the world and established an immanent, planar worldview completed only by humans and matter. However," Furuta Wari presented a paradoxical perspective. "Condemning them simply as 'materialists who denied God' might be too superficial an understanding. As an abduction, it is also possible to infer this: perhaps they were tricksters bearing historical necessity who intentionally brought about an 'age of suffering' for humanity to walk autonomously, by dismantling the old, rigid, and hollowed-out belief system (treasure chest) once and for all. What I am stating here is not an attempt to historically prove their actual intentions, but merely my own narrative abduction—a fictional reinterpretation of 'if that were the case, the world would look like this.'"

"At any rate, as a consequence, many modern people have come to believe in a new secular religion: 'infinite trust in dialogical reason.' But in reality, there are those who refuse to even sit at that table of dialogue, or those who cannot understand the ontological meaning of the table. Their principles of action are impossible to decipher with the protocols of physical dialogue. When faced with the singularity that is them, this beautiful system ceases to function well."

"People on the system side do not view those 'incapable of dialogue' as mere glitches. Rather, they interpret it as, 'They, too, are beings with the potential for dialogue, and our quality and quantity of engagement are insufficient,' and will try to engage even more sincerely. That is an extremely noble and stoic ethical attitude. However, they are unconscious of the fact that behind that attitude, 'sitting at the table of dialogue' functions as an absolute condition for participation. In other words, those who 'do not believe in the possibility of dialogue' or 'those who seek to destroy the very ideal of mutual recognition of freedom' are placed 'outside' this beautiful world of 'inclusion.' They are not condemned as devils. However, they are fixed at a lower ontological status by unconscious paternalism as 'pitiful subjects to whom enlightenment has not yet reached.'"

"And, in reality, these 'people incapable of dialogue' continue to exist firmly 'inside' the same space-time. This is the aporia (an insoluble problem). In response to this, the attitude they adopt is very similar to that of a scientist facing the flaws in their own theory. 'Our intervention may not produce immediate results. However, it is in continuing this gradual effort toward dialogue that the significance of humanism lies.' At first glance, it looks like a patient and sincere attitude. But if you deconstruct its substance, it can be said that they are averting their eyes from the 'insolubility here and now' through a faith in the future that 'it will definitely be solvable someday.' They are trapped in an infinite loop of repeating that beautiful rhetoric of effort forever. And they are unconsciously excluding the meta-level question of whether that loop structure itself is the problem."

"They are people who sincerely place their hope in the future of humanity based on observable statistical data. That attitude is worthy of respect. However, the problem is that this 'hope' does not guarantee the complete eradication of the 'existential anxiety' deep within them. Statistics are a useful tool, but they are merely an extrapolation from past trends. As you know, no one can resolve the unknowability of the future. True peace of mind is not something that can be obtained through data. This is the providence of this universe, similar to the law of increasing entropy."

"They are trying to maintain mental balance by substituting that 'elusive true peace of mind' with the hope of an 'upward trend' shown by data. But in their deep psychology, they always harbor a fundamental 'anxiety' that that hope might collapse due to a Black Swan (an unexpected event). Instead of confronting that anxiety itself, they try to erase the shadows by increasing the intensity of the light of hope, saying, 'We need more accurate data' and 'We need more density in dialogue.'"

"As a result, they never realize a certain common paradox themselves. It is the ironic fact that the 'absurdity of the world' thrust upon them by the 'people incapable of dialogue' they are facing, and their own 'ineradicable anxiety,' actually stem from the same root: the loss of metaphysical grounding. Perhaps they are fated to keep averting their eyes from the true nature of that serene 'anxiety' created by their own system," Furuta Wari exhaled a long stream of hookah smoke and followed the path of the purple smoke with his eyes. "Although," he added, "even if you subtract the negative aspects of those existential anxieties, their social achievements should not be underestimated. Since those who utilize statistical evidence and logic will undoubtedly continue to output results such as a certain improvement in QOL and the expansion of social capital within majority society."

5-2. The Beginning of the Path: The Level 5 Leader
"At the end of this pupal agony, some individuals implement an entirely new principle of action. These are the ones standing at the 'beginning of the path.' They can first be defined as 'pragmatists who have discarded illusions.' The source of their toughness lies in the fact that they do not hold onto self-deceptive delusions called 'ambition.'"

"Their evaluation function is only one: 'Does it work or not?' Value criteria such as good and evil, right and wrong, and beauty and ugliness are all relativized before this absolute utility. They know well how full of biases and self-deception human psychology is. Therefore, they do not place naive trust. However, for the 'useful' purpose of maximizing social capital, they perfectly perform the behavior of trust."

"Their only commandment is 'intellectual honesty toward oneself.' And their only prayer is 'thorough preparation.' They do not rely on accidental luck, but act believing only in causality. Their overwhelming executive power is generated from the 'outside-in' vector of acting first and learning from the feedback. While ordinary people struggle to protect the fictional asset called 'pride,' they see through the fact that pride is a substanceless phantom arising from comparison with others. Therefore, they are not trapped by the sunk cost of 'discarding' pride. Because they know it is 'nothing' from the beginning, the coefficient of friction in their actions is zero."

"The actions of these 'pragmatists who have discarded illusions' might sometimes appear Machiavellian and ruthless. However, that may be because they are following a broader objective function that exceeds the understanding of ordinary people. They might be hypocrites by definition, but their social output sometimes even functions as if they were imitating the compassion of a saint."

"There exists a group worth mentioning even within this category. Here, let us borrow the concept proposed by management scholar Jim Collins in his book 'Good to Great' and call the archetype of this stage a 'Level 5 Leader.'"

"According to Collins, the leaders who drove the leap to great companies possessed a common and ambivalent quality. It is a dialectical integration of seemingly contradictory qualities: 'personal humility' and 'indomitable will as a professional.'"

• “Personal humility: They are quiet and lack a desire for self-aggrandizement. When successful, they look out the 'window' to attribute success to external factors and the team; when they fail, they look in the 'mirror' and take personal responsibility. Their ambition is directed toward self-transcendent objects like the organization or mission, not toward the expansion of their ego.”

• “Strong will as a professional: They possess a fanatical tenacity, refusing to yield to any difficulty in order to produce outstanding results. They do not hesitate to make even ruthless, surgical decisions to achieve their goals.”

“Of course, not every collection of 'executors who have abandoned illusions' perfectly matches the 'Level 5' defined by Collins. However, they are at least a subset of that, and an extremely rare existence. The unique combination they demonstrate—the 'humility to look in the mirror' by not privatizing success and not fleeing from failure, and the 'indomitable will' that allows no compromise regarding results—is the greatest proof that they are beings liberated from the ultimate illusions of narcissistic omnipotence and the approval of others. In this thesis, I will collectively refer to people at this stage as 'Level 5 Leaders' with respect.”

5-3. The Master: The Pinnacle of the Individual and the Risk of Falling into Darkness
“Those who have maximized their executive power as Level 5 Leaders eventually reach the realm of the 'Master.' They are those who have integrated all the abilities and experiences they have acquired up to that point and have also gained constant access to the 'flow state (the zone).' Judgments that were previously made through conscious computational processing are completely automated in the Master, and they become one with the act itself.”

“At this stage, they acquire an 'invisible power.' It is a power that touches the arche (source) of the world, manifesting as 'benevolence' in some contexts, and as 'virtue' or 'beauty' in others. And 'a Master knows a Master.' They can identify beings with the same frequency through resonance and engage in true 'emergent collaboration' that transcends ego and interests.”

“However,” Furtawari lowered his voice, taking on a cautionary tone. “They are not yet 'butterflies.' They are the most dangerous, final-stage pupae. This is because the risk of 'falling to the dark side' still remains for them. Think about it. They have mastered the game of personal responsibility and causality, and have achieved almost everything that can be accomplished through external effort. What they decisively lack in that final step toward becoming a holy person is **'the transformation of motivation.'** It would not be strange if the driving force that had pushed them until then was a desire for revenge or a thirst for god-like omnipotence. But if, with everything else in place, that final motivation were to turn into pure love or compassion, he could become a Master Instructor.”

“What is most necessary for that transformation is to touch a certain secret teaching: **'Everything is a gift.'** It is the humility to accept the smallness of the self from a cosmic perspective, and the feeling that one's existence is being sustained by something greater. All power and talent are not things one created, but merely gifts one has received. Only by realizing this truth is the final transformation possible. Conversely, if one rejects this truth until the very end and continues to believe that everything is due to one's own power, the cushion that protected them will rot away completely, they will begin to lie even to themselves, and their growth will stop entirely in a place where no one can reach them. This is the true nature of falling into darkness. And, frighteningly, this can even happen to a Master Instructor on rare occasions. However, many of the 'self-proclaimed gurus' that flood the world are not at the high stages described here. In many cases, they are merely caught in a structure where they have no choice but to cling to the story of being 'special' in order to escape their own isolation, anxiety, and unresolved problems. This is often reinforced within codependent relationships with those around them.”

6. The Flight of the Butterfly — The Stage of Integration and Creation

“When a Master shatters the final shell of attachment to their own talent, they finally emerge as a butterfly. That is the 'Master Instructor' who stands at the pinnacle of the pyramid.”

6-1. Master Instructor: One Who Sciences the Gift
“The Master Instructor objectively analyzes the phenomenon of 'entering the zone' that Masters performed intuitively and unconsciously, and elucidates its reasons and mechanisms. They are not geniuses who use gifts, but geniuses who 'science' the gift. Through this, they establish a reproducible, universal educational method that is not just a personal 'charm.'”

6-2. Forming a New Group
“Just as the role of a butterfly is to carry pollen from flower to flower and create a new ecosystem, the final role of the Master Instructor is the 'formation of a new group.' They raise diverse types of disciples to the Master level and establish a community where they collaborate. It is a group that becomes a prototype for a new era, connected not by competition, but by shared values. Just as a famous nun founded a global organization and spread her 'minimalism philosophy,' the Master Instructor implements their philosophy into society.”

6-3. The Dual Structure of Esotericism and Tradition
“However, for this new group to survive, a defense mechanism is needed to prevent the 'degradation' of the teachings. That is 'esotericism,' which ultimately takes the form of 'transmission to a single successor.' This is an effective means of maintaining the purity of the teachings, but at the same time, it carries the danger of making the group closed, authoritarian, and rigid.”

“Here, the dual structure of 'tradition' becomes clear. A true Master Instructor can distinguish between the 'surface tradition (the ark)' that grows old with time and the universal 'deep tradition (the key)' that should be passed down across eras. Some Master Instructors dedicate their lives to protecting the old 'ark' itself. Others take only the 'key' from the old 'ark' and build a new 'ark' that fits the modern age. Through the complementary work of both, the wisdom of humanity is passed on to the future.”

7. Part 3: The Four Paths and the Anatomical Chart of the Heart

“Ukeuri-kun, the four sides of the pyramid we proposed are not just a classification. Each corresponds to one of the four different 'paths' that have existed since ancient times for human growth,” Furtawari began to speak.

“In certain lineages of thought, the path of human growth is classified into three specialized paths according to the center of gravity of their energy. And it is taught that there is a special path that integrates them. This is the true identity of the four sides of our pyramid.”

• “The first path, the path of training the body (the physical type side): This is a path that forges an iron-like will through a constant struggle with the body. Its roots can be traced back to physical training methods such as those in ancient Persia. They acquire astonishing body control abilities, but as a trade-off, the development of the heart and intellect is often delayed.”

• “The second path, the path of purifying emotions (the heart type side): This is a path that aims for inner unity through the power of religious emotions such as faith and devotion. Its prototype is the monastery where faith is deepened through prayer, as seen in ancient Egyptian and Jewish traditions. They gain the power of deep love and empathy, but practical physical ability and intellectual analytical power can sometimes be neglected.”

• “The third path, the path of polishing the intellect (the head type side): This is a path that seeks to realize the truth of the world through the power of knowledge and the mind. It takes precise religious logic, such as the Vedanta philosophy of India, as its norm. They grasp profound wisdom, but they lose their connection to the body and emotions, and there is a danger of becoming cold bystanders.”

“These three paths are all great, but they create biases because they are specialized. In the modern age, it is rare for these three paths to exist in a pure form, and it may be a situation where they influence each other, and one cannot definitively say which religion belongs to which path. However, the important role of these three traditional paths is to preserve the **treasure chests (the secrets of body, emotion, and intellect)** as the 'Ark of Time' across the ages. For that, a mechanism is needed so that the essence is never lost, no matter when in history it is falsified, degraded, or imitated by fakes.”

"Isn't that mechanism exactly what myth and symbol are?" Furtawari proposed his hypothesis. "For example, no matter how much the story of Noah's Ark degrades, without the central symbols of the 'Ark' and the 'Flood,' it would no longer be that story. Or consider symbols embedded in numbers, such as one God, the Trinity, four living creatures, or seven days. Even if the details of a story are lost, these are extremely likely to be preserved as its structure. Perhaps the treasure chest is hidden within these non-degrading symbols."

"Then, what about the fourth side?" Ukauka asked.

"That is precisely the fourth path, the key (philosophical) type side" Furtawari replied. "Why is it that only this path does not become traditionalized? To understand its essence, one must first know the fact that for those in the caterpillar or chrysalis stages, there is no truly universal language. Due to the side effects of the cushions they wear, the meanings of words are constantly distorted. Misunderstandings occur daily where, depending on the type, the same word is used with completely different meanings, and different words are used with similar meanings."

"Therefore, the essence of this fourth path is not to speak in a universal language. It is the opposite. Their job is to re-translate the universal language (key), which is immutable across ages, into each language of each era. To do this, they must constantly update language without clinging to specific forms. In other words, the very fact of 'not becoming traditionalized' is the only rule (tradition) that this path must protect. This path is the path of protecting and inheriting the 'key' that has the potential to open all paths simultaneously."

"And why were four sides prepared in the first place? It is because the cushion/defense mechanisms of all humanity are more easily saved by these three traditional paths. People classified into the three center-of-gravity types—body, heart, and head—receive support to grow from caterpillar to chrysalis by following the tradition best suited to them. And as they are gradually liberated from their cushions, the gates to other paths open, and they realize the necessity of unlocking the treasures hidden in their own path and others. This fourth path is prepared for those people."

"In the modern era, this fourth path appears dominant, treated as the most 'scientific.' As a result, one could say the other three traditional paths are facing a kind of 'age of suffering.' However, as a further leap, one might even analogize that this age of suffering itself could be part of a grand plan beyond our understanding."

8. Part 4: Anatomy of the Heart — 28-Layer Simulation

"Now, Ukauka-kun. Through our discussion so far, the overall picture of our four-sided pyramid model has become visible. Our model consists of a total of seven layers: three groups for the caterpillar stage, three for the chrysalis stage, and one for the butterfly stage. There are four types in each of these seven layers. A simple multiplication gives 7 layers × 4 types, which is 28 types."

Ukauka nodded. "I see, 28 types, is it?"

"That's right. What our anatomy of the heart shows is at least 28 different growth stages and types that exist in this world. We can all find our current location somewhere in these 28 squares. Let's simulate the aspects of each layer now."

8-1. Body Type Side (The Path of Training the Physical Body)

• Caterpillar (1st–3rd Seven-Year Period): Develop physical abilities through imitation, become absorbed in games and sports with rules, and form an identity through challenging physical limits. Learn things through physical experience rather than logic.

• Working Professional: Field-oriented. Has the ability to take action and produces results by moving hands and feet. Craftsmen, athletes, sales, etc. Dislikes abstract discussion; their catchphrase is "Let's just try it first."

• Level 5 Leader: A genius at reading the atmosphere of the field. Leads the team by taking the initiative and acting as a role model. Trusts their own skin-sense and field information more than data.

• Master: Physical movement reaches the level of art. Martial artists, top athletes, etc. Enters a "zone" where the body derives the optimal solution without going through thought.

• Assistant Instructor: Understands and can verbalize the universal principles behind physical movement. Identifies the physical habits of each disciple and provides the optimal teaching method.

8-2. Heart Type Side (The Path of Purifying Emotions)

• Caterpillar (1st–3rd Seven-Year Period): Sensitive to the emotions of others and easily empathizes. Attracted to art and music, and strongly moved by stories of good and evil. Values a sense of unity with peers above all else.

• Working Professional: Communication ability is their weapon. Good at being a team mood-maker or capturing the hearts of customers. Counselors, teachers, service industry, etc. Prioritizes "people's feelings" over logic.

• Level 5 Leader: Devotes themselves to being the unsung hero. Does not engage in flashy self-assertion, but deeply empathizes with the emotions of each team member, solidifying the organization from within by creating an environment where they can perform at their best. Does not harbor the illusion of standing at the front.

• Master: Can freely control the waves of one's own and others' emotions without being swept away by them. Filled with deep compassion, one can heal people just by being present.

• Assistant Instructor: Completely understands the mechanism of human emotions. Can identify a disciple's emotional wounds and blocks, and present a concrete process to release them.

8-3. The Head-Type Facet (The Path of Polishing Intellect)

• Caterpillar (1st to 3rd seven-year period): Asks many "why?" questions and wants to know how things work. Enjoys reading and learning, and is skilled at understanding complex rules and systems. Shows strength in logical games.

• Working Professional: Analytical power and logical thinking are weapons. Demonstrates strength in strategy formulation and problem-solving. Researchers, engineers, consultants, etc. Frequently uses the word "because," and views emotional arguments as irrational.

• Level 5 Leader: Can structurally understand complex situations and draw up long-term strategies. Makes ruthlessly rational decisions based on objective data.

• Master: Knows the limits of logic and uses intuition and logic in an integrated way. Gains "flashes of insight" that reveal the essence of things from seemingly unrelated information.

• Assistant Instructor: Creates the very "patterns" of thought. Can construct complex truths into simple, beautiful theoretical systems and present them in a way that others can understand.

8-4. The Key (Philosophy) Type Facet (The Path of Integration)

• Caterpillar (1st to 3rd seven-year period): Awakens early to fundamental questions like "why?". Doubts existing rules and common sense, and tends to stand out from those around. Uses body, mind, and head in a balanced way, but also tends to be a jack-of-all-trades.

• Working Professional: Does not stay in a specific field of expertise, but thinks about things by crossing multiple domains. Takes a bird's-eye view of the entire system and plays a translator-like role connecting different departments and people.

• Level 5 Leader: Freely switches between body, mind, and head leadership depending on the situation. Faces the contradictions and problems of the organization head-on and constantly questions essential transformation.

• Master: Explores universal truths that transcend eras and cultures. One's own way of life itself becomes a philosophical inquiry.

• Assistant Instructor: Reviving the wisdom (keys) of the past in modern language (building a new ark). Responsible for engaging in dialogue with the assistant instructors of the other three faces of the pyramid and extracting the universality of their teachings.

9. Conclusion: The Age of the Soul and the Resolve to Walk the Path

"However," Furtawari continued, "this is where the most important and most cruel warning for using this map begins. It is that the hierarchy on this map and a person's 'appearance' do not necessarily match."

"What do you mean?"

"We humans are, in many cases, prone to remaining at the caterpillar stage. It is not at all rare to see 'adults' who are physically mature and hold respectable social positions, yet at their spiritual stage, they still perceive the world through a dualism of good and evil, judging easily identifiable opponents as evil—a 'middle school level' mindset. Conversely, there are those who, despite being physically young, have discarded illusions early on and are walking the path with cold, decisive execution, placing them at the 'Level Five Leader' stage. Growth in appearance does not guarantee growth in substance. While there is some correlation, there is a certain number of people who have not reached the stage appropriate for their age or status. And how to discern that discrepancy, that is the true value of this anatomical chart."

"Then, how do you discern that discrepancy? According to an old teaching, it can be identified by the excessive **'unnecessary enthusiasm'** that inevitably seeps out from a person's words and behavior. Why is such enthusiasm born? According to one theory, it is because the structure of the heart has not yet caught up to that hierarchy. What you might call the 'organ of the heart' for properly controlling and directing inner energy is still unformed. Therefore, the powerful energy generated within the body is misused in directions it was never meant to go, leaking out as heat. And whether that person truly possesses a vessel worthy of that hierarchy is something that gradually becomes visible after spending a certain amount of time together and continuing to observe their words and actions. However, do not misunderstand. This is strictly a standard for identifying those at the pupa stage, who are Level Five Leaders or higher. It is natural for those in the caterpillar forest to be immature, so there is no point in judging them by this standard."

Furtawari drank the karkade down to the last drop. He began to speak quietly, as if savoring the lingering resonance of the long discussion.

"The world we live in is, in its appearance, 'a world full of caterpillars wrapped in cushions.' Cushions of delusion to protect themselves from the harshness of truth. Faced with this reality, the great assistant instructors in human history reached the same conclusion. The New Testament speaks of spiritual maturity using the metaphor of milk for infants and solid food for adults. The Buddha taught that 'expedient means' are necessary for sentient beings. And a certain mystic philosopher stated that in a world composed of lies, truth can only be conveyed through lies. They all knew that 'truth is a kind of luxury item.'"

"The 'anatomical chart of the heart' presented in this story is also an 'expedient means.' However, it is not meant to keep the reader in a cushion forever. Quite the opposite. This map is for coldly recognizing one's current location and becoming aware of the true nature of the cushion one is wearing."

"Ekiho Miyazaki, who once served as the 78th abbot of Eiheiji Temple, continued to shovel snow himself even after turning 100, and practiced zazen every single morning without fail for 93 years, starting from the age of 11. When asked in an interview what he thought about during zazen, he replied, 'I don't think about anything,' and 'Don't indulge in delusions.' He showed that the teaching of Zen Master Dogen is that all of daily life is practice, and that it is simply about continuing to execute the obvious, such as 'it is natural to line up your slippers.' The teaching passed down as his famous words, 'I am a fake, but if I keep being a fake for a long time, I will eventually become the real thing,' is perhaps the one and only greatest secret to starting to walk the path. Those who try to be 'the real thing' by speaking of lofty motives cannot move a single step. Only those who admit to being 'fakes' with impure motives, and yet continue to act silently, earn the qualification to walk the path that leads to 'the real thing.'"

"The ordinary person tries to change the substance first. The Level Five Leader changes their actions first. And they have no interest in the substance. Ironically, Confucius said that this unadorned, rugged appearance (sincerity and simplicity) is closest to 'Ren' (benevolence), the highest virtue. 'Clever words and a flattering appearance are rarely associated with benevolence.' There is little 'Ren' in modern people who are skilled at arguing and fluctuate in mood based on their follower counts."

"When one is prepared to take the first step as a fake, casting off one's cushion with this anatomical chart in hand, one stands at the 'beginning of the path' for the first time. It is a place dominated by loneliness and cold realism. However, only from there does the true journey of growth toward becoming a master, and then an assistant instructor, begin. I hope this story serves as a modest 'key' to that long, yet fruitful journey."

Ukekuri stared blankly at the pyramid diagram he had scribbled in his notebook. It no longer seemed like a mere memo, but a map showing his own current location and the endless path he was to follow from now on.

Furtawari emptied his glass with satisfaction, took a paper napkin from the table, and began to sketch something with his pen. A mysterious pattern that looked like the intricate back alleys of Cairo, and also like an ancient star chart. He slid it toward Ukekuri and winked mischievously.

Having paid the bill, Furtawari headed toward the exit of the shop, as if melting into the darkness of the night. Before Ukekuri could say anything, he turned back one last time and said quietly.

"Well, this is just the ramblings of two drunk Japanese men at a cafe in Cairo, after all."

(The End)

#ILoveSFNovels #CreativeWriting #Symbolism