The Day I Was Moved by Emi Tani's "Mission"

Actress Emi Tani.

I first learned about Ms. Tani in the "Back Alley" (Rojiura) on note.

"Back Alley" is a place where anyone can freely express themselves and create. There is only one rule here:
just add the tag #WhatAreYouTalkingAbout.

I have always imagined that among the over 1,000 people who play in the "Back Alley" (known as Rojiura-ers), there are many amazing people hiding, but I never expected a real actress to be among them!

I remember being very surprised when I first learned about Ms. Tani.

Ms. Tani even contributed a piece to the e-book released by 99 Rojiura-ers.

The release date was May 24th of last year (Konishi Day), which, coincidentally, was also Ms. Tani's birthday. I feel a sense of destiny. 🥺

I actually met Ms. Tani at the e-book launch party held in Shibuya.

While radiating the aura of a true actress, Ms. Tani was smiling and friendly the entire time.
I will never forget how she fed me a piece of fried chicken, saying, "You have to eat properly," when I was too flustered by the day's proceedings to even eat a proper meal. 🥹

After that, she performed her own stage play titled "What Are You Talking About" (and upon re-reading the newspaper, I realized it was supported by Rikuzentakata City. Amazing!), and she has been promoting "What Are You Talking About" to the outside world more than anyone else.

As many Rojiura-ers probably know, it was also Ms. Tani who made the radio debut of Konishi Kinoko, the guide of the "Back Alley," a reality.

So, while Ms. Tani has a standout presence in the "Back Alley," besides being an actress, she also has a side as a "Misuzu Kaneko researcher."

Rather than me telling you about Ms. Tani's encounter with Misuzu Kaneko, please take a look at this article.

Since Ms. Tani holds a fan party every year on April 11th, which is Misuzu Kaneko's birthday, I decided to participate this year as well. Konishi-san and Ellie, also known as Mosquito Eri, are joining me.

And then, it suddenly occurred to me.

I knew that Ms. Tani was trying to write a biography of Misuzu Kaneko, but I realized I only knew about the thoughts leading up to that on a superficial level.

I felt that meeting her just like that wouldn't be right. It felt like it would be disrespectful.

So, I decided to read all of Ms. Tani's notes from the very beginning (yikes).

The first post was from August 2022.
There were 159 articles in total.
Yeah, I can make it in time by the 11th.
Alright, let's read.

Having made that decision, I spent the last two days catching up on all of Ms. Tani's articles.

What I felt strongly was her passion and tenacity.
And the two characters for 'mission' came to mind.

Her doubts regarding the reason for Misuzu Kaneko's suicide. The fact that the reason for her death is attributed to her husband's responsibility, turning it into a mere sentimental story.


The points where what has been passed down to posterity as Misuzu Kaneko's work differs from the manuscripts she actually left behind.

The fact that historical fiction is being spread and accepted as if it were the truth.

To restore these distorted facts to their true form, Ms. Tani has continued to conduct her own investigations and pursue the truth.

Honestly, after reading this far, I thought to myself,
"Could I do as much as she has?"

I kept reading Tani-san's article while harboring that question, but now that I've finished it, I feel like I understand a little bit.

That is her "mission." (Tani-san, I apologize if I'm wrong.)

Tani-san wrote that she didn't necessarily love Misuzu Kaneko's poems from the very beginning.

Even so, as she recited Misuzu's poems for over 20 years, chasing after her life and facing it head-on, I imagine she began to empathize with her rock-and-roll way of living and felt a sense of "I get you."
And then, witnessing the "words"—the most important thing for a poet—being treated with such disregard, she must have felt anger and sorrow, thinking, "If I don't do this, who will?"

I believe that is her "mission."

In Japanese, the word for mission is written with characters that mean "to use one's life."

I truly felt that Tani-san is using her life to ensure Misuzu's voice is preserved.

While reading Tani-san's article, I found myself tearing up many times.

Perhaps that is the power of Misuzu Kaneko's words.

Or perhaps it was the tears that came to my eyes because of Emi Tani's heart, which believes in that power.

In any case, when you see someone so dedicated to pushing forward with their life for something other than themselves, you cannot help but be moved.

I think it's cool.

I want to be someone who lives with a theme and an unwavering core like that. I felt that strongly.

It has been about two years since Emi Tani began working on creating a biography of Misuzu Kaneko.

Publication through the publisher originally planned did not come to fruition, so she is now crowdfunding to self-publish it.

With the help of many people, she is just a little bit away from her goal.

I don't think there are many chances to read a book with so much soul poured into it.

If this text has moved your heart even a little,
I would be happy if you could turn that feeling into support.

camp-fire.jp

女優・谷英美が金子みすゞの『本当』を綴る伝記を出版したい　　　

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• ¥ 1,003,000
• 104 人
• 終了しました

達成率: 133%

Thank you for your support.

And to you, Tani-san.

I was moved to tears after reading your article.
I'm not sure I'll be able to keep from crying when we meet next, but I am grateful that we were able to cross paths, and I am looking forward to your performance as well.☺️
Please let me continue to support you as a fan.

I'm glad I was able to learn about this properly.

(Postscript)

The morning after I wrote this article, I heard that the goal had been reached. Thank you to everyone who contributed.✨️