The students of Women University of Tokyo was going to join a Camp for 2/3 weeks in a very beautiful place, Karuizawa Hills during summer. Prof. Naruse invited Rabindtanath to come and enjoy with them. He accepted the invitation gladly. Mrs Tomiko Oyada [Kora] was one among the students.
Print Edition
Friday, 05 August 2011
Rabindranath Tagore had many female devotees along with the huge number of male ones. Madam Tomi Kora of Japan was such a friend or devotee of Rabindranath. And it is shocking that no Bangla-language article has ever been written on her. From youthhood to her death she was very inclined to the poet. A similar example from the foreign lady devotees was a rarity. She discovered the poet as the polestar of human peace and unending source of life of her own. Tomi Kora was born on 1 July 1896 in the city of Takawa of the district of Toyama. Her family named her Tomi Wada. She was the first woman PhD degree holder of Psychology in Japan. Her personality helped her to be a professor of a women’s university, a pioneer leader of the movements for women’s liberation and international peace. She was elected a member of the Duet twice. Her character was a great combination of education, intelligence and merit. Seeing the future of her, Rabindranath wrote: ‘It is not a bower made white with the bunches of Jasmine./It is waves swinging with the turbulent foam.’
When Tomi Kora was a student of a women’s university, Rabindranath first came to Japan. It was in 1916. The news of Rabindranath’s arrival as the first Asian Nobel Laureate in 1913 spread through Japan as a grassfire. The unparallel recognition of Rabindranath for winning the Nobel created enormous tumult among the educated conscious Japanese. As a result his honour and receptions reached as high as the Fuji Mountain. Since Fuji is considered as a deity, an image of a god, Rabindranath also was able to create such an image which reached Tomi Wada, a girl of 20 then. She first heard of Rabindranath from her teacher Dr. Narusei Jinzo, the founder educationist of the first women’s university of Japan.
In the memoir of Tomi Kora she wrote: ‘Rabindranath reached Kobe of Japan on a ship named Tosamaru. He reached there with a heavy heart of losing her wife and two children.’ Tomi Kora’s senior fellow Tanikawa Tetsujo, a noted philosopher of Japan afterwards, gave a description of Rabindranath seen from the Tokyo rail station: ‘The saddened tall figure of Rabindranath robed in white looked like a god.’ The description made a deep impression on Tomi Kora’s mind. She herself heard the speeches of Rabindranath in which he criticised the westernized attitude of the Japanese as well as praised the sense of ecstasy of them. Very boldly he declared that he did not want to see the westernized Japan, denied to get into the cars even. So, Taikan Yokoyama who was given the responsibility to welcome the poet arranged a carriage drawn by horses from the station.
That time Rabindranath came to Japan Women’s University at Karuizawa of Nagano District to deliver a speech in response to the request of Prof Narusei. Rabindranath recited his own poems here in the green and calm garden. The recitation seemed to Tomi Kora somewhat like the bells of the temple which swings from up and down. The speech of the poet influenced Tomi hugely. On the other hand, the poet was overwhelmed with the foods cooked by the students there.
Tomi Kora has described her meeting with the poet at Karuizawa. She wrote: The poet got much emotional seeing the Mount Asama. His meditation among the hills in between the sunrise and sunset created much poetic feeling in him. Many short poems were written during those moments. Every morning when the poet would arrive for breakfast, he would recite the pearl-like Bangla poems into English. Tomi Kora has cited: ‘God has spent hundred years in blooming a flower in a nameless jungle plant, but sorrowfully there is not a single one to listen to that. I have to be loud for the whole human nation there. For one’s own sake we have to be aloud to retain our own prestige. The aimless bird waits at my window, and at last leaves away. The yellowish leaves of the autumn dances with sighs.
‘Many of the students were not able to understand English. As I was a student of English, I took the poems in my exercise book and later on, translated those to make my friends hear. I have preserved that book called Stray Birds with much care. The poems of Tagore are very simple and lucid, but as they spring out of nature they have multidimensional effects. The poet felt like meeting the cosmos when he visited Mount Asama. The meanings of the devotion of Tagore, his presentation, the relation he finds between the cosmos and the humans are not in my experience, but I consider them as something worthy to create movement in human soul. Tagore’s thought like “One’s thoughtfulness does not arise out of any intellectual exercise, rather it was achieved through the worship and yoga with my father, and through the consciousness lying in the nature” flashes before me with his calm face till date.’
The meeting with Rabindranath had long lasting impression on Tomi Kora. She wrote an article titling ‘Memoirs of Rabindranath at Karuizawa’ in the Kateishuho of the Women’s University. She admitted that it was Rabindranath from whom she leant to understand Okakura. She also recalled her moments of reading Okakura’s book with the ideology of ‘Asia is One’.
It was not easy for the Japanese to understand Rabindranath then. For her discipline being English language, Tomi Wada was able to get those. Narusei Jinzo, USA-educated Japanese and Prof. Nitobe Inazo, the writer of The Code of Samurai, were the key-persons of her learning the language that well. At that time Rabindranath drew this girl having western education to him. He realized it well that with the western education she had developed an exposition love for Eastern Civilization which needed to be nourished. For this reason he depended on her which was obvious during his later visits to Japan. In reality Tomi Wada wanted to be in line with patron of peace Rabindranath from his first visit to Japan. Rabindranath realized it well that the Japanese had no other alternative than going back to their own culture bouncing from the western one that they attained during the Meiji period (1858-1912). The ideologies of the east originated from the nature and peace which were about to drown in oblivion then. Rabindranath noticed quite well the love of the Japanese for their nature and work and he was influenced in the core of his heart. As a result, he was eager to visit Japan time and again which is not observed in the case of other countries. To speak true, Tomi Wada got the mission of peace and liberation whenever she came in contact of Rabindranath in his thoughts and philosophies. And thus the poet became an idol in his life. The examples of it are exhibited in her writings, translations of Rabindranath, her involvement in politics and movement for women’s empowerment. Gradually they two got entangled with each other.
Meeting Rabindranath, Tomi left for the Columbia University of the USA in 1918 after the completion of her studies in Japan. In the following year she met the poet in New York very unexpectedly. Afterwards they two began to exchange letters. In the same year Rabindranath paid a visit to China. Learning that, Madam Kora, in favour of Asahishumbun invited the poet to deliver speeches at different places. Rabindranath accepted the invitation and visited Japan in 1924 for the third time in the summer. On that visit he was accompanied by two historians from China, his three Indian devotees and two English priests totaling eight in number.
Madam Kora got a leave of one week to welcome the poet. On their meeting at Nagasaki seaport, both of them became much enthralled. She decided to arrange a trip of the poet in Japan. Moreover, she worked as the interpreter as well. On their trip to Unjan of Higa district, the poet got amazed. In a speech in Kobe the poet asserted: If the status of women is not ensured, the status of the whole country will be at a stake’. Madam Kora understood it well that the poet realized the true picture of the Japanese women. It is worth mentioning that Japan reached the peak of development because of the education of their womenfolk.
On this tour, Rabindranath became very eager to eat Indian mangoes. It was regular for him to have mangoes everyday in the season of this fruit. Madam Kora knew this, and so she colleted a good amount of mangoes. During this tour, the first speech was in Osaka, the seaport. He read out the long article ‘Eastern Civilization and the Objectives of Japan’. At that time the person who interpreted the lecture was Tomi Kora. She could recall the speech in which Rabindranath foretold the future of Japan which happened afterwards. After the departure of the poet for India, Madam Kora returned to her own job in Fukuoka. But she had to face many questions for her association with a poet who had been harshly criticized at that time for his criticism of the Japan policies. Many were eager to know the identity of the girl who could take the Nobel laureate poet as her companion.
Rabindranath visited Japan for the fourth time in 1929. That year Madam Tomi married a famous psychologist Takehisa Kora. On the way to Vancouver of Canada to attend a conference on education, Rabindranath decided to stay for some time in Japan. From Kobe he went to Yokohama.
Madam Kora organised a recitation programme on Bengali Poems in the auditorium of the Asahishumbun where Rabindranath read out his poem ‘O My Bird’ which was interpreted by Tomi herself. The huge audience present there was overwhelmed by his recitation.
The poet left for Canada after his tour and before leaving gave a poem to Madam Kora that reads ‘Before leaving I want to speak out of my desire, that I want to visit again here, and want to get the touch of the friendship from the Japanese hands’. But as his departure from Canada for the USA was defamed for some other reasons, he decided to return and sent a telegram to Madam Kora saying: ‘As a traveller I am tired of the sounds of the machines. Japan, the country of the rising sun, evaluates humans. I have decided to go there.’ It was the message that made the friends and devotees of Rabindranath including Madam Kora busy. ‘Philosophy of Leisure’ was one of the most important speeches that the poet was supposed to deliver in America. When the poet agreed to read that out, Madam Kora requested Asahishumbun to arrange a venue for that. The essay was to be finished in six installments, but the poet finished it in two. By then, his health began to deteriorate and he had to return to India. It was the last visit of Rabindranath to Japan. Madam Kora translated the essay and published it in a book named Yukan Tetsugaku.
Returning from Japan, Rabindranath got engaged in his China tour, but it is sure that they two had frequent correspondences. Her visit to India in 1935 was a milestone in their relationship. She has written about her meeting with Rabindranath: ‘The poet was very happy to see me. ...He arranged the best guestroom for me too and deployed his grand daughter Nandita to look after me. Nandita has been at Santiniketan since its inception. We spent many nights in gossiping. The very intelligent girl, Nandita, died some months back after much physical suffering. ...’
This was the last meeting of Rabindranath and Tomi Kora. Afterwards Japan got involved in the Second World War. In 1947 India won freedom. In the same year Madam Kora was elected a member of the Duet, the legislative assembly of Japan. The new Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru organised ‘World Peace Conference’ and invited Madam Kora there. She attended the conference in March in 1949. This visit reminded her all the memories with Rabindranath Tagore. Visiting Santiniketan after 14 years stirred her very much.
A group of intellectuals of Japan considered the ideologies of Rabindranath the most important to revive the national enthusiasm. So they decided to celebrate the birth centenary of Rabindranath with grandeur. The Rabindra devotees began taking preparation in 1958. Madam Kora was one of the pioneer activists of the celebration. She worked as the director of Tagore memorial Association founded in 1960. She wrote many articles on the poet, translated many write-ups among which ‘The New moon’ is most noteworthy. As an expression of her deep love and respect to the poet she renamed her house Manazuru of Kanagaua district after the poet’s name in 1959. A bust of the poet was founded in 1981 at Mount Asama of Karuizawa where she met the poet for the first time.
From 1916 to 1992 she had been writing on Rabindranath along with many other related issues. The Japanese essays she wrote may take such English translations: Resembling Rabindranath; Poet Rabindranath and the Japanese Famous Artist Taikan; Rabindranath and His Arrival in Japan; The Relics Left the Sage Poet Rabindranath; Rabindranath Tagore and Japan; Memories of Gurudev Rabindranath; Rabindranath and Okakura Tensin; Receiving Rabindranath’s Team; Memoirs of Rabindranath Tagore; The First Tour of Rabindranath to Japan; My Love to the Tagore family; The Story of Founding Rabindranath’s Bust; The Sage Poet Rabindranath and Karuizawa; The Non-Violence World of Rabindranath; Attitude of the Sage Poet Rabindranath towards Womenfolk etc. Moreover, her other writings on India and Bengal take references of Rabindranath very frequently.
Rabindranath’s this very devotee-till-death died in 1993 at the age of 96.
Translated into English by Subrata Kumar Das When Tomi Kora was a student of a women’s university, Rabindranath first came to Japan. It was in 1916. The news of Rabindranath’s arrival as the first Asian Nobel Laureate in 1913 spread through Japan as a grassfire. The unparallel recognition of Rabindranath for winning the Nobel created enormous tumult among the educated conscious Japanese. As a result his honour and receptions reached as high as the Fuji Mountain. Since Fuji is considered as a deity, an image of a god, Rabindranath also was able to create such an image which reached Tomi Wada, a girl of 20 then. She first heard of Rabindranath from her teacher Dr. Narusei Jinzo, the founder educationist of the first women’s university of Japan.
In the memoir of Tomi Kora she wrote: ‘Rabindranath reached Kobe of Japan on a ship named Tosamaru. He reached there with a heavy heart of losing her wife and two children.’ Tomi Kora’s senior fellow Tanikawa Tetsujo, a noted philosopher of Japan afterwards, gave a description of Rabindranath seen from the Tokyo rail station: ‘The saddened tall figure of Rabindranath robed in white looked like a god.’ The description made a deep impression on Tomi Kora’s mind. She herself heard the speeches of Rabindranath in which he criticised the westernized attitude of the Japanese as well as praised the sense of ecstasy of them. Very boldly he declared that he did not want to see the westernized Japan, denied to get into the cars even. So, Taikan Yokoyama who was given the responsibility to welcome the poet arranged a carriage drawn by horses from the station.
That time Rabindranath came to Japan Women’s University at Karuizawa of Nagano District to deliver a speech in response to the request of Prof Narusei. Rabindranath recited his own poems here in the green and calm garden. The recitation seemed to Tomi Kora somewhat like the bells of the temple which swings from up and down. The speech of the poet influenced Tomi hugely. On the other hand, the poet was overwhelmed with the foods cooked by the students there.
Tomi Kora has described her meeting with the poet at Karuizawa. She wrote: The poet got much emotional seeing the Mount Asama. His meditation among the hills in between the sunrise and sunset created much poetic feeling in him. Many short poems were written during those moments. Every morning when the poet would arrive for breakfast, he would recite the pearl-like Bangla poems into English. Tomi Kora has cited: ‘God has spent hundred years in blooming a flower in a nameless jungle plant, but sorrowfully there is not a single one to listen to that. I have to be loud for the whole human nation there. For one’s own sake we have to be aloud to retain our own prestige. The aimless bird waits at my window, and at last leaves away. The yellowish leaves of the autumn dances with sighs.
‘Many of the students were not able to understand English. As I was a student of English, I took the poems in my exercise book and later on, translated those to make my friends hear. I have preserved that book called Stray Birds with much care. The poems of Tagore are very simple and lucid, but as they spring out of nature they have multidimensional effects. The poet felt like meeting the cosmos when he visited Mount Asama. The meanings of the devotion of Tagore, his presentation, the relation he finds between the cosmos and the humans are not in my experience, but I consider them as something worthy to create movement in human soul. Tagore’s thought like “One’s thoughtfulness does not arise out of any intellectual exercise, rather it was achieved through the worship and yoga with my father, and through the consciousness lying in the nature” flashes before me with his calm face till date.’
The meeting with Rabindranath had long lasting impression on Tomi Kora. She wrote an article titling ‘Memoirs of Rabindranath at Karuizawa’ in the Kateishuho of the Women’s University. She admitted that it was Rabindranath from whom she leant to understand Okakura. She also recalled her moments of reading Okakura’s book with the ideology of ‘Asia is One’.
It was not easy for the Japanese to understand Rabindranath then. For her discipline being English language, Tomi Wada was able to get those. Narusei Jinzo, USA-educated Japanese and Prof. Nitobe Inazo, the writer of The Code of Samurai, were the key-persons of her learning the language that well. At that time Rabindranath drew this girl having western education to him. He realized it well that with the western education she had developed an exposition love for Eastern Civilization which needed to be nourished. For this reason he depended on her which was obvious during his later visits to Japan. In reality Tomi Wada wanted to be in line with patron of peace Rabindranath from his first visit to Japan. Rabindranath realized it well that the Japanese had no other alternative than going back to their own culture bouncing from the western one that they attained during the Meiji period (1858-1912). The ideologies of the east originated from the nature and peace which were about to drown in oblivion then. Rabindranath noticed quite well the love of the Japanese for their nature and work and he was influenced in the core of his heart. As a result, he was eager to visit Japan time and again which is not observed in the case of other countries. To speak true, Tomi Wada got the mission of peace and liberation whenever she came in contact of Rabindranath in his thoughts and philosophies. And thus the poet became an idol in his life. The examples of it are exhibited in her writings, translations of Rabindranath, her involvement in politics and movement for women’s empowerment. Gradually they two got entangled with each other.
Meeting Rabindranath, Tomi left for the Columbia University of the USA in 1918 after the completion of her studies in Japan. In the following year she met the poet in New York very unexpectedly. Afterwards they two began to exchange letters. In the same year Rabindranath paid a visit to China. Learning that, Madam Kora, in favour of Asahishumbun invited the poet to deliver speeches at different places. Rabindranath accepted the invitation and visited Japan in 1924 for the third time in the summer. On that visit he was accompanied by two historians from China, his three Indian devotees and two English priests totaling eight in number.
Madam Kora got a leave of one week to welcome the poet. On their meeting at Nagasaki seaport, both of them became much enthralled. She decided to arrange a trip of the poet in Japan. Moreover, she worked as the interpreter as well. On their trip to Unjan of Higa district, the poet got amazed. In a speech in Kobe the poet asserted: If the status of women is not ensured, the status of the whole country will be at a stake’. Madam Kora understood it well that the poet realized the true picture of the Japanese women. It is worth mentioning that Japan reached the peak of development because of the education of their womenfolk.
On this tour, Rabindranath became very eager to eat Indian mangoes. It was regular for him to have mangoes everyday in the season of this fruit. Madam Kora knew this, and so she colleted a good amount of mangoes. During this tour, the first speech was in Osaka, the seaport. He read out the long article ‘Eastern Civilization and the Objectives of Japan’. At that time the person who interpreted the lecture was Tomi Kora. She could recall the speech in which Rabindranath foretold the future of Japan which happened afterwards. After the departure of the poet for India, Madam Kora returned to her own job in Fukuoka. But she had to face many questions for her association with a poet who had been harshly criticized at that time for his criticism of the Japan policies. Many were eager to know the identity of the girl who could take the Nobel laureate poet as her companion.
Rabindranath visited Japan for the fourth time in 1929. That year Madam Tomi married a famous psychologist Takehisa Kora. On the way to Vancouver of Canada to attend a conference on education, Rabindranath decided to stay for some time in Japan. From Kobe he went to Yokohama.
Madam Kora organised a recitation programme on Bengali Poems in the auditorium of the Asahishumbun where Rabindranath read out his poem ‘O My Bird’ which was interpreted by Tomi herself. The huge audience present there was overwhelmed by his recitation.
The poet left for Canada after his tour and before leaving gave a poem to Madam Kora that reads ‘Before leaving I want to speak out of my desire, that I want to visit again here, and want to get the touch of the friendship from the Japanese hands’. But as his departure from Canada for the USA was defamed for some other reasons, he decided to return and sent a telegram to Madam Kora saying: ‘As a traveller I am tired of the sounds of the machines. Japan, the country of the rising sun, evaluates humans. I have decided to go there.’ It was the message that made the friends and devotees of Rabindranath including Madam Kora busy. ‘Philosophy of Leisure’ was one of the most important speeches that the poet was supposed to deliver in America. When the poet agreed to read that out, Madam Kora requested Asahishumbun to arrange a venue for that. The essay was to be finished in six installments, but the poet finished it in two. By then, his health began to deteriorate and he had to return to India. It was the last visit of Rabindranath to Japan. Madam Kora translated the essay and published it in a book named Yukan Tetsugaku.
Returning from Japan, Rabindranath got engaged in his China tour, but it is sure that they two had frequent correspondences. Her visit to India in 1935 was a milestone in their relationship. She has written about her meeting with Rabindranath: ‘The poet was very happy to see me. ...He arranged the best guestroom for me too and deployed his grand daughter Nandita to look after me. Nandita has been at Santiniketan since its inception. We spent many nights in gossiping. The very intelligent girl, Nandita, died some months back after much physical suffering. ...’
This was the last meeting of Rabindranath and Tomi Kora. Afterwards Japan got involved in the Second World War. In 1947 India won freedom. In the same year Madam Kora was elected a member of the Duet, the legislative assembly of Japan. The new Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru organised ‘World Peace Conference’ and invited Madam Kora there. She attended the conference in March in 1949. This visit reminded her all the memories with Rabindranath Tagore. Visiting Santiniketan after 14 years stirred her very much.
A group of intellectuals of Japan considered the ideologies of Rabindranath the most important to revive the national enthusiasm. So they decided to celebrate the birth centenary of Rabindranath with grandeur. The Rabindra devotees began taking preparation in 1958. Madam Kora was one of the pioneer activists of the celebration. She worked as the director of Tagore memorial Association founded in 1960. She wrote many articles on the poet, translated many write-ups among which ‘The New moon’ is most noteworthy. As an expression of her deep love and respect to the poet she renamed her house Manazuru of Kanagaua district after the poet’s name in 1959. A bust of the poet was founded in 1981 at Mount Asama of Karuizawa where she met the poet for the first time.
From 1916 to 1992 she had been writing on Rabindranath along with many other related issues. The Japanese essays she wrote may take such English translations: Resembling Rabindranath; Poet Rabindranath and the Japanese Famous Artist Taikan; Rabindranath and His Arrival in Japan; The Relics Left the Sage Poet Rabindranath; Rabindranath Tagore and Japan; Memories of Gurudev Rabindranath; Rabindranath and Okakura Tensin; Receiving Rabindranath’s Team; Memoirs of Rabindranath Tagore; The First Tour of Rabindranath to Japan; My Love to the Tagore family; The Story of Founding Rabindranath’s Bust; The Sage Poet Rabindranath and Karuizawa; The Non-Violence World of Rabindranath; Attitude of the Sage Poet Rabindranath towards Womenfolk etc. Moreover, her other writings on India and Bengal take references of Rabindranath very frequently.
Rabindranath’s this very devotee-till-death died in 1993 at the age of 96.
