Last Monday, my dad and me embarked on a journey back to Japan for, as many as you all know, the filming of Channel News Asia’s “The Road Home”. It’s a 5 episode documentary featuring Singaporeans tracing their roots back to several asian countries namely China, India, Indonesia, Thailand and for yours truly, Japan.
I must say none of this would have been possible without the heads up given to me by my good friend Bang. I wasn’t really keen on it at first because I thought it would have been a hassle (for some reason) but I’m glad I did it. I always knew I had an interesting past but my dad was never the sort who treasured his roots. He wasn’t a big fan of Japanese culture anyway. To him, he’s Japanese and that’s it. He’s more interested in German philosophy and seafood fried rice than tea ceremonies. His general disinterest, coupled with the fact that frequent trips back to Japan are almost impossible due to monetary constraints have hampered my attempts at finding out more about my ancestral roots and the culture that makes up half of me. Until now.
The focus of my episode was to follow my discovery of my warrior class ancestors. They were samurai during the Tokugawa era. I wanted to find out who they were, what significance they held and how they contributed to the bustling county of Mito some two to three hundred years back. Also I wanted to find out more about the family sword which had been passed down through generations. Like how fucking cool lah. Lastly, since my uncle and myself are judoka, we were to have a sparring match to sort of emphasize the family bond and stuff.
I can’t even begin to put in words the feeling I had throughout. I found out that the sword was actually forged by an Ichige from 8 generations back. He was personally appointed as an official sword smith by Tokugawa in Mito. That would make the blade I had in my hands about 200 years old. The curator offered to remove the blade from its hilt where we could see if it was really an Ichige who made it but alas it was too tight and wouldn’t budge. Maybe the time hasn’t come for me to know just yet but I am convinced, and so is my uncle who did the research, that it is ours.
We went to this place called Kodokan Samurai Museum where I learnt so much about who the samurai were in real life, how they weren’t just fighting machines so well versed in martial combat but also gentlemen who worked and studied to make themselves better citizens in life. They devoted their lives to the service of the shogun and to the society they lived in. I learnt of how they suffered when there were no wars to fight and how they lost themselves to an eventual rule of a government that was ungrateful of all that they had contributed to society. But still they live on, their codes of honour as well as their respectable ways of life are seen in many aspects of modern Japan. Bushido is very much a part of me as well. I mean we know of samurai as these cool warriors being romanticized by the mass media in general, but how many people can claim to know them or better yet have warrior blood running through their veins? I’m just so blessed and fortunate to be able to say so. It’s crazy. It’s surreal. It’s just out of this world.
The opportunity for me to spar with my uncle was fantastic. He was a judoka back in his high school days and is the same grade as I am now except he hadn’t practiced the art in ages. He even lost his original uniform and had to find another one. It was so heartening and encouraging to know how he approves of and supports my efforts at learning Judo. My dad said that my uncle’s so proud of me. : ) We took it slow, the fight… I didn’t wanna break any of his bones you see. And as if adding icing on the already cavity causing cake, the 7th grade black belt sensei there, Mr Iijima told my dad (not that I’m bragging) that by Japanese standards I should be a black belt already and encouraged me to get it soon, and that under a good coach I could be a very strong player! ARGHHHHHH. I wanted to cry…and almost did when he gave me a set of his personal Judo uniform as a gift. FUCK! Think the next time I go back there I’ll train there…for sure man. God. It’s like a dream come true. The sad truth is in Singapore it’s so hard to spend a lot of time on sports and thus I can only pray I can live up to my uncle’s and Iijima sensei’s expectations.
Anyway, I reckon I’ll regard Japan as my “motherland” from now on. I mean don’t get me wrong, I’d die for Singapore should the need arise but all this time in my life I had to struggle to know myself, to know who I am and my identity finally I suppose has been found, in Japan. I decided I’m gonna live a better life now, and be a better man in honour of my past, my samurai ancestors. Perhaps you could call it a rebirth. What my future holds for me I’m not sure, but a new page has definitely been turned, a new chapter begun. With my graduation and eventual employment I want to really live my live to the fullest. Cheesy line? Well too bad. It’s true.
Thank you to Bang. Thank you to the director David Suen and Moving Visuals Co. Thanks to the crazy crew there, Jane, Steffen and Tani san, without whom the filming would not have gone through. Thank you to the tour organizer Nishiguchi san. Thank you to Iijima sensei for such hospitality and generosity. And of course thank you to my friends, family and my boo Andrea who have been so supportive of me.
Some of the people on the list might never read this blog but I love you all.
