Yukio Naruse's "Reference Books Here and There" (4) "Kanji and the Japanese" (Toshio Takashima, Bunshun Shinsho)

(Written in 2004)
Lately, I have been feeling this particularly strongly: aren't modern Japanese people—or rather, Japanese people of any era, for that matter—fundamentally misunderstanding what kanji are? Or, to use Mr. Takashima's phrasing, they are probably "taking them for granted."

For example, I myself used to think that while I understood kanji were originally Chinese characters, I still felt they were somehow Japanese characters as well. However, Toshio Takashima, a scholar of Chinese literature, makes us realize in this book, "Kanji and the Japanese," that this is merely an assumption. In other words, he shows us that kanji are Chinese characters and words, not Japanese ones, and that for the Japanese language, they are a foreign language, just as English is.

Takashima says the following in this book:

"Some people think that because the Japanese received kanji from China over a thousand years ago, they were blessed, meaning it was a fortunate thing for the Japanese language, but that is also a mistake. It was an unfortunate thing" ("Kanji and the Japanese," p. 27).

Why? First, because it halted the healthy development of the Japanese language. Second, because while kanji are ideal characters for the Chinese language, for the Japanese language, which has completely different characteristics, they are nothing more than inconvenient and restrictive clothing that does not fit, and this has caused immense difficulty and confusion that continues even now, over a thousand years later.

Then why did the Japanese adopt such inconvenient characters? Takashima says it is because there were no other options at the time. And Takashima continues:

"If the alphabet had arrived at the same time as kanji, the Japanese would have adopted the alphabet without a second thought." (Ibid., p. 28).

However, regardless, Japan accepted kanji. And over a thousand years have passed. Furthermore, during the "Meiji Restoration," we even created a vast number of new kanji compounds to accept Western concepts. Now that it has come to this, there is no path forward other than to use them as skillfully as possible. There is no turning back. In conclusion, Takashima says:

"So, can the Japanese language change into a healthy form? I believe that is impossible, because Japanese is a language that has matured while remaining deformed. If one were to force it to become a completely normal body (that is, if one were to abolish kanji entirely—Naruse's note), the Japanese language would become extremely infantile. If one were to try to make it normal to some extent, it would become infantile to that degree. (Omitted) Kanji are a troublesome burden for the Japanese language. Moreover, they are a burden that has adhered to the body. Since they do not fit the constitution of the Japanese language to begin with, they never feel quite right. However, if this burden were to be excised, the Japanese language would become infantile. If things go poorly, it would die. This burden that has adhered to the body has done much harm to the Japanese language, but it is also certain that the Japanese language cannot get by without it. It is a toxic relationship. (Omitted) My view is that there is no way for the Japanese language to survive other than to continue living while remaining deformed." (Ibid., pp. 243-246).

I encountered this book only a few years ago (Note: at the time of the 2004 original publication), but since then, my view of the Japanese language has changed significantly. Or perhaps I should say my view of Japanese culture itself has changed. For instance, the fact that I innocently believed that Japan and China were close because they were in the same "Kanji Cultural Sphere" now seems like a complete lie.

There has also been a major change for me as a translator. First, I have become extremely sensitive to how I use kanji. When I suddenly notice, I find I am using far fewer kanji. This is likely because I have come to believe that the correct way to use kanji is to avoid using them except where they are the only way to express something. I realize daily that I must sincerely and directly engage with these foreign characters—a troublesome burden for the Japanese language, yet one without which it cannot function. I feel as though I have gained a slightly deeper understanding of what the Japanese language is.

I have introduced several books so far. They are truly masterpieces that are well-known to the public. However, if I were asked to choose just one reference book for English-to-Japanese translators, I would choose this "Kanji and the Japanese" without hesitation.

If you read this book, and if you have any aspirations to be an English-to-Japanese translator, you should understand that you must not end up just doing the work of mapping Western concepts one-to-one to new kanji compounds and connecting them with particles, as the scholars of the Meiji era did (there was no other way at the time). This is because, even if kanji are ideal characters for the Chinese language, for the Japanese language, they are nothing more than "inconvenient and restrictive clothing that does not fit."

Certainly, the benefits of kanji for the Japanese language are great. However, their side effects are also great. Certainly, the Japanese language cannot live without kanji. But that does not mean we should entrust everything to kanji. That is wanting to become a "little Chinese person." Just as many Japanese people today want to become "little Americans."

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