Author finds
common thread
in ‘Ryoma’
Ryoma--Life of a Renaissance Samurai:
By Romulus Hillsborough (Ridgeback Press), $40
Power with balance
By Nadine Kam
Features Editor
Star-BulletinWHAT could an American man born and raised in Los Angeles in the latter half of the 20th century have in common with a 19th century samurai?
On the surface, not much, so Romulus Hillsborough's (nom de plume for jeff Cohen) fascination with Ryoma Sakamoto is something that took the author by surprise.
"He lived 150 years before I was born, so the fact that I could identify with him amazed me," said Hillsborough.
"What we have most in common is a longing for freedom. He lived in a very repressive society in which he was looked upon as a lower samurai, trash. His rejection of that society, his desire to start Japan's first international corporation, was the way he would express that freedom.
"He was just a far-sighted guy. His life was short but it was very colorful, very intense."
Hillsborough was majoring in English at Cal State Northridge when he moved to Japan to devote more time to karate, his part-time passion.
Along with finding instructors in the shoto-kan style of karate, Hillsborough studied the language and history of Japan for three years and became fascinated by the period that led to the Meiji ("enlightened rule") Restoration of 1867, that brought an end to feudalism.
It was a time when the West discovered the isolated nation, and threat of colonization exacerbated power struggles between the emperor in Kyoto and the shogunate, the military feudal government led by the House of Tokugawa in Edo (now Tokyo). Both factions feared the other would cave in to Western demands.
Of the cast of lords, generals and warriors plotting Japan's future, Hillsborough was
most fascinated by Ryoma, and spent 16 years researching his life and writing an exhaustive, if somewhat unwieldy, 600-page book that gives a fictionalized account of Ryoma's life.
At first threatened by the 1853 arrival of Commodore Matthew Perry's ships in Edo Bay, Ryoma "had technology and business acumen and realized that Japan had to modernize very quickly," Hillsborough said.
Although Ryoma's ambition was to trade with the West, Hillsborough said, "He had to keep it to himself because the Japanese were staunch xenophobes."
Ryoma was eventually able to help found a naval school, as well as the Kaientai, or Naval Auxiliary Force for transporting arms and goods to different parts of the country. The Kaientai, considered Japan's first international corporation, was the forerunner of Mitsubishi.
Along the way, Ryoma also formulated a plan for a centralized government for Japan-based democratic ideals, such as the founding of two legislative houses and recognizing that everyone -- feudal lords, court nobles and common people -- should be able to participate in that government.
Hillsborough said he found himself becoming a better person while working on the book.
"I have a lot of shortcomings. (Ryoma's) character and the things he did were often in the back of my mind as I lived my daily life. He had a lot of qualities and talents I try to emulate. He was morally and physically courageous. That's probably one of the reasons he got killed."
Ryoma was assassinated at age 33 by Tokugawa police forces shortly after the shogun abdicated power to the emperor.
Hillsborough has often expressed the desire to live during Ryoma's times, drawing laughter from friends. "They tell me you would have gotten killed right away, or you would have been a poor slob."
Life wasn't a picnic then, he said, nor is it one now, although modern menaces are less direct than a sword blade.
"Something about the high technology culture rubs me the wrong way, but without it, I couldn't work," Hillsborough said. "I depend on my computer for my writing. But it's this fast-paced, materialistic society that bothers me.
"President Bush used to talk about a kinder, gentler nation. I wish it would happen.
"I would like to hear what someone like Ryoma would have to say about society today. In Japan, the Asahi Shinbun did a survey of corporate managers, asking who they would like to have right now to guide them through Japan's financial crisis. And Ryoma was one of the top choices. He was a visionary."
Trying to speak objectively about his work, Hillsborough said, "I think a problem with most writers is that they try to deify their subject. Maybe I did that, but I think Ryoma is deserving of praise."
LIFE OF RYOMA
More information about the Meiji era as related to Hawaii will be presented in a talk tomorrow at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii, room 102. Meiji era/Hawaii connection
In "Kokoro -- Children of the Meiji Era," Dr. Greg Gubler, author of "Samurai in Western Clothing," will talk about values imparted to Japanese citizens who migrated to foreign lands, and the resulting differences between Americans of Japanese ancestry and those born in Japan.
The talk is part of the JCCH's "Multi-Media Expo Series"promoting entertainment and learning about the Japanese culture.
The talk is free for JCCH members and $2 for nonmembers. For more information, call the center at 945-7633, or visit its web site at http://www.jcch.com.
Ronin led by code of honor
By Nadine Kam
Star-BulletinContemporary leaders may, after all, have a lot to learn from samurai and their renegade cousins, the ronin, according to the leadership training and consulting program "Power with Balance," offered by Allied Ronin.
"The ronin didn't have a leader, but lived by principle or bushido, their own code of honor, says Allied Ronin associate Baron Mizusawa. "The rest of us seem to forget the important things. What is important is your bushido which is your guide to ethics, integrity, keeping your word. A lot of times, we break our word with our own children."
Developed and conducted by Allied Ronin founder and president Lance Giroux, the "Power with Balance" seminar, Mizusawa said, helps individuals to take charge in business and their personal lives.
The three-day seminar involves learning the program's "Five Step Leadership Path" and playing "The Samurai Game," created in the mid-'70s by George Leonard. Teams of "samurai" perform simple tasks such as standing on one leg. Mizusawa said, "As soon as you doubt yourself, you'll fail."
A lot of the game-playing involves rediscovering what it means to be a child. Mizusawa said everyone has the potential to be a leader and every child possesses the necessary qualities.
"Every child is loving, forgiving, they're inquisitive and they're risk takers. You watch a child learning to walk and he'll get up even though he falls down over and over.
"As we get older, we get gun shy. I think we remember the things that didn't serve us, the bad experiences, so we start holding back and don't take the steps necessary to go forward."
Mizusawa said that many people wrongly believe that authority equals leadership. "A lot of the people who run corporations find they are more authoritarian, telling people to follow them instead of getting people to want to follow them."
It is possible for someone to get ahead even with an objectionable agenda.
"(Adolph) Hitler had his own code. We don't have to agree with it, but you can still learn from him because he was a leader," Mizusawa said.
"When you live by your own principles and create your own code, you become a ronin, and you don't have to follow someone like Hitler."
LEARN TO LEAD
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