先日、映画『天外者（てんがらもん）』を観た。
五代友厚の生涯を描いた映画だ。私の出身地、鹿児島の人だ。幕末の鹿児島は本当にこんな感じだったのだろうかと思いながら観た。
島津斉彬という人に会ってみたいと思った。明治の立役者のバックに必ずと言っていいほど、この人の存在が出てくる。五代友厚もそうだ。斉彬の先見の明が凄すぎて実在したのかと思ってしまう。
さて話を五代友厚に戻す。映画に登場する五代友厚から学んだものは、「覚悟」だ。
周りからどう思われようと、嫌われようと、自身が成し遂げたいものへ突き進む覚悟だ。幾度と危険な目に遭っていた。同じ鹿児島の武士からも命を狙われていた。
しかし、そんな嫌われ者だった五代友厚の葬儀が印象的だった。大阪商工会議所初代会頭の五代友厚の葬儀には、彼の功績が敬意を表され、一般市民約5,000 人ほどの参列があったらしい。慕われなければこんな数の参列者は葬儀には来ないだろう。
嫌われても、疎まれても、未来を見据えて行動した人でなければ無理だろう。やはり最期は、行動だ。何のための、誰のための行動か？それに人は尽きる。
The other day, I watched the movie “Tengaramon”. It is a film about the life of Tomoyasu Godai. He was from Kagoshima, my hometown. I watched the movie while wondering if Kagoshima at the end of the Edo period was really like this. I wanted to meet Shimazu Nariakira. His presence is always mentioned in the background of the leading figures of the Meiji era. The same goes for Tomonori Godai. The foresight of Saibira was so great that I wondered if he actually existed. Let me return to the story of Tomotoshi Godai. What I learned from the movie’s Tomotoshi Godai was “determination. No matter what people think of him, no matter how much they dislike him, he was determined to go for what he wanted to accomplish. He had been in danger many times. He had been in danger many times, and his life had been threatened by the samurai of Kagoshima. However, I was impressed by the funeral of such a hated man, Tomonori Godai. It is said that about 5,000 ordinary citizens attended the funeral of Tomonori Godai, the first president of the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, to pay tribute to his achievements. Such a large number of people would not have come to the funeral if he was not well-liked. Even if he was disliked or neglected, it would be impossible unless he acted with an eye on the future. After all, action is the last thing. For what and for whom is the action? That’s what people are all about.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
