Iizuka reached Silver Jubilee

Amidst the Iizuka Silver Jubilee entertainment - sing alongs, vocal duo, and flute play, some members made this incredible, impromptu yet previously scheduled FaceTime computer connection in English from 8500 kilometers away.  Mama Mia!  it’s Copenhagen calling Iizuka.  A young man talking to Iizuka members on the computer was a Vietnamese engineer, who upon graduation from Kyushu Tech, Iizuka Campus, started working in Denmark a few years ago.  It was the highlight of the party!

Kyushu was new to me 25 years ago and I owe the name “Chikuho” (collective name of cities, once flourished coal basin in central Fukuoka Prefecture such as Iizuka, Tagawa, Nogata) to Rob Duncan, a Canadian Toastmaster (TM hereafter) whom I called on in Winnipeg after I attended the TM Chicago Conference in 1999.

All I knew about him then was he spent some years at Aso Hospital, Iizuka  teaching English to hospital doctors and nurses, and in 1993 started Iizuka TM Club during his stay, 4-1/2 years ahead of Kitakyushu TM Club, which Albert Moe, retired Boeing TM and I, also retired and a returnee from the U.S., co-founded.  My curiosity was how Iizuka, far smaller city than Kitakyushu, could launch a club so easily with speed and success.  My visit gave me a glimpse of his passion and personality, and in addition, the  indigenous motivational temperament of Iizukans.  

Chikuho has an old history, like Yamato (ancient Japan). Troops exploited Chikuho rivers as its Kyushu outpost to send reinforcements to help Kingdom of Baekje in Korea.  In 1700, when the Dutch trading post was set up in Nagasaki, Iizuka (including Uchino, now incorporated into Iizuka) served two traveling stations between Nagasaki and Kokura (Kitakyushu) and further to Edo (Tokyo) through Tokaido.   Coal had been rumored since Tokugawa Shogunate, but it was right after the Meiji Restoration that Chikuho became a coal mine mecca.  Numerous tycoons were born, like Aso, Yasukawa, and Kaijima.

The Aso Hospital Rob Duncan worked for is an off-shoot of the Aso enterprise. In its heyday, Chikuho produced half the nation’s demands, and supplied Yawata Iron & Steel Mill in Kitakyushu since 1901, using the same rivers to transport coal.  As in the Yazoo Delta field horror invented Mississippi blues, the “tanko bushi” (coal miners folk song/dance) hit Chikuho and beyond around 1930.  “The towering chimney should choke/smother moon, heave ho”.

The golden age didn’t last long. It’s negative legacy haunted Chikuho soon and Iizuka population declined 40%.  Iizuka, with the help of coal tycoons, tried their absolute best to get on a roll and bounce back.  Necessity had spoken. Today we see their fruits in high tech institutions such as 1) Kyushu Institute of Technology whose main campus is Kitakyushu; 2) Kindai University, molecular engineering institute and biological & environmental chemistry departments. whose main campus is in Osaka. These campuses boast 5000 students and faculties combined.  The above mentioned Aso Hospital reports over 300 doctors and 2500 employees. Aso Hospital is associated with University Pittsburgh Medical Center and Maryland Anderson Cancer Center.  A civilian initiative called Iizuka International Friendship has enabled young exchange students to go to Sunnyvale, California every year, encouraging study of English. Iizuka had a sense of urgency far better than Kitakyushu.

This year Iizuka TM club celebrated its 25th Anniversary and I was invited by  Pres. Hiroshi Nishiyama, ACG & CL.  I’m glad to return to Iizuka, expecting to see the now verdant slag heaps I missed for years.  Meanwhile I contacted Rob and Naoki Tsukamura (ex-Toto engineer, Kitakyushu and one of the founding members).  It was Tsukamura who introduced me to Duncan, as the blazing fire whose departure was regretted by all with tears. Both men complied and I read their messages for them.  Below, however, I’m citing Founder Duncan’s message.

"Congratulations on your 25th Anniversary, Iizuka Toastmasters. That's wonderful!! I recall the Charter Presentation for Iizuka Toastmasters at Cosmos Common on October 16th, 1993. Toastmasters Tadokoro and Oishi, Members of Fukuoka Club, gave us official guidance during the charter process.

Mr. Akiyoshi was the first President of Iizuka Toastmasters Club. I served as Toastmaster of the Evening at the Charter Meeting. The Charter Presentation was done by TM Evans, our area Gov. from Kadena, Okinawa. Interestingly, Mr. Evans had met Dr. Ralph Smedley, who established the world's first Toastmasters Club in California in the year 1924. I was honored to attend the 10th Anniversary of Iizuka Toastmasters in 2003. And now it is 2018. Where did the time go?

Recently, I fell and broke my hip. Since my hip has been fused for over thirty years, it is difficult to receive standard hip repair surgery. Therefore, I have a long wait for natural bone growth. During my recuperation, it is nice to know that Iizuka Toastmasters has reached the 25 year milestone.

Thanks to all who have participated in the Iizuka Toastmasters experience. I would like to make special mention of members who have been with Iizuka Toastmasters since the early years. I admire your patience, persistence and positive attitude.

I remember visiting long-time member TM Hirata at his Hokka Hokka Bento shop and discussing Toastmasters. During our conversations, I recall enjoying Unagi barbecued eel bento!  Fond memories ... Natsukashii.

I would like to close with a little story.  In Iizuka, I used to visit a bonsai shop on Shin Iizuka Eki Dori (street). The beautiful little bonsai were very interesting to me. I recall the shop owner collecting moss (koke) where it grew near the streets. He used the green moss with bonsai displays.

Moss makes me think of lichen, L-I-C-H-E-N (pronounced like - en).  Lichen is similar to moss. And the word lichen brings to mind a quote from the English writer John Ruskin, who lived from 1819 to 1900. Coincidentally, this quotation comes from "Essays by John Ruskin...", published by Charles Scribner's and Sons in 1918 -- exactly one hundred years ago!

'...among the mountains the silver lichens rest, star-like, on the stone; and the gathering orange stain upon the edge of yonder western peak reflects the sunsets of a thousand years.'

Lichen makes me think of longevity. Now, I reflect on the longevity of Iizuka Toastmasters -- a quarter of a century. 25 years of memories. Arigato. Thanks for the memories."

Den-emon Itoh, a Chikuho Hero

Iizuka, Tagawa, and Nogata are the three major cities inside Chikuho, which once thrived as coal mining zones with heaps of slag. They produced a number of coal tycoon families, including Aso, Kaijima, Yaskawa, Itoh, etc.

The Onga River runs through Chikuho. It once carried coal-filled barges out to Kitakyushu, a blue collar town with giant steel mills, and fed the entire town. With the shutdown of the coal mines in the ‘60s, the cities of Chikuho were thrust into a pitiful plight for survival.

Iizuka aggressively wooed the information technology industry, inviting research and educational institutions; developed 50 hectare (370 acres) of leisure and recreational parks; and promoted local sightseeing. One of them was a traditional theatrical venture. The traditional wooden theater, Kaho Theater, built in 1921 had mats rather than seats to sit in - perhaps the last of its kind found in Japan. This theater was underwater when Onga River flooded a few years ago. They refurbished it all with help from citizen volunteers. Iizuka is trying to maintain it for continuous shows.

Another heavily promoted local attraction was the palatial home of coal tycoon Den-emon Itoh (see the photo above). The history of this home is mixed with romance and scandal. The site is 7,570 square meters in size (2,300 tsubo, or about 2 acres) and the building itself has an area of 1,020 square meters (300 tsubo or 11,000 square feet).

The highlights of the tour are the three western rooms of the house: a drawing room, a study, and a dining room. The drawing room boasts a Victorian and Art Nouveau style usually seen in the opulent mansions of the Meiji / Taisho era, and has a mantle fireplace made of Italian marble. There are wide crossbeams on the ceiling, diamond-design stained glass in the upper windows, and a chandelier. Built-in benches nestle in one corner - a novel concept at the time. The dining room is of modest size, accommodating a dozen guests at most, and overlooks a garden and atrium.

Den-emon Itoh was born in 1860, during the time of Lord Naosuke Ii, the Chief Minister of the Tokugawa Shogunate who was assassinated 7 years prior to the Meiji Restoration. Den-roku, Den-emon's father was a boatman and fish peddler. While traversing Chikuho, peddling his fish, Denroku may well have spotted traces of gleaming coal that had surfaced from beneath the ground. Later on, his keen eye for glittering coal may have contributed much to the success of his business ventures with his son Den-emon.

Father and son started their coal venture together and had the good fortune to hit the jackpot, a high quality coal lode. Den-emon's business expanded to include machinery, a foundry, a power company and banking operations. At one time Kobukuro Works, the main electric machine plant, had over a thousand employees, plus a vocational school. He also endowed a county girl’s school as a service to the community.

Den-emon lost his father in 1899 and his wife Haruko in 1910. He served as a congressman from 1903 to 1908. His accomplishments include the enactment of the Mining Industry Law, and the completion of flood control and irrigation projects along 60 kilometers of the Onga River. You can observe these works today as you drive along the river banks.

Eventually a marriage proposal came to Den-emon from among the peerage, based on political convenience. The son of Count Yanagiwara wanted to run for the House of Peers, which is now the Upper House. He needed campaign funds, and sought money from Den-emon in exchange for marriage with his sister Akiko, cousin to the Emperor Taisho. Akiko was reputed to be one of the three great beauties from the Taisho days, and had been married to a Viscount's son, but was now divorced and back at the home of the Count. Because her mother was a geisha, Akiko had not been treated with much respect.

Den-emon must have been stunned by the marriage proposal from the peerage and the opportunity to wed the fairest of the fair. To welcome his bride to Chikuho, Den-emon rebuilt his house to accommodate her with every luxury. When Akiko moved in, she was assigned to the newly added 2nd floor suite. Her quarters overlooked an enormous rock garden with an arching stone bridge and a man-made hill topped with a gazebo. The elaborate wedding lasted for three full days. Den-emon was 50 and his bride was 25. The house, now encroached upon by the surrounding neighborhood, probably had quite view of the Onga River back in 1911.

Although Den-emon allowed Akiko to live her own life, she found the Chikuho dialect and traditions unbearable, and she retreated to a fantasy world where she sang plaintive poems that sprang from her unsatisfied heart. However, Den-emon lavishly provided Akiko with a second and a third house, equally gorgeous, in Fukuoka and Oita, and even a fourth home in Tokyo. These residences became literary salons run by Akiko. To top it off, Den-emon helped Akiko publish many of her poems.

One day, Akiko met Ryusuke Miyazaki, a young graduate of Tokyo University, who majored in law. He was a magazine editor who had come to interview her. When Akiko and Ryusuke fell in love, their romance startled the entire country because Akiko declared separation on paper, similar to Ibsen's character Nora in "A Doll's House". This public declaration appears to have been a scheme devised by Ryusuke's friends as a last resort to escape conviction for the crime of adultery. According to Mariko Hayashi, the author of Akiko's biography (see Note 2 below), the declaration was not in Akiko's original handwriting.

Den-emon could have punished Akiko for adultery, but he did not. He calmed his angry followers and let the issue drop. Akiko was not financially well off in her life with Ryusuke, and Den-emon offered help from time to time. People wondered if Den-emon was an unusually generous elder, or simply a cuckold and a damn fool.

The following children's song is said to have been written in reference to Akiko, but the allusion to Akiko is no longer generally recognized today.

"Why tears? The bride born in purple. She is clad in the world's best gold brocade kimono with a silk sash belt."

Notes:
1. Den-emon's house was opened to the public on April 28, 2007. During the first year, there were reportedly 250,000 visitors.

2. Akiko suffered from cataracts in 1961, and lost her sight in both eyes. Under Ryusuke's tender care, she continued to sing poems until her death in 1967, according to her biography "Byakuren Ren-Ren" (1994) by Mariko Hayashi.