Seiichi Naruse

Seiichi Naruse
成瀬 正一

Seiichi Naruse
Born (1892-04-26)26 April 1892
Shiba-Shirokane, Tokyo, Japan
Died 13 April 1936(1936-04-13) (aged 43)
Japan
Occupation Writer, French-literary Researcher
Genre short stories, travel stories

Seiichi Naruse (成瀬 正一 Naruse Seiichi, April 26, 1892 - April 13, 1936) was a Japanese writer and a researcher of French literature in Japan. He was a professor at Kyushu University. He was known as the first Japanese to have a deep interaction with Romain Rolland and Claude Monet.[1]

Early life and education

Seiichi Naruse was born as the first son of Viscount Seikyo Naruse on April 26, 1892 in Shiba-Shirokane, Japan. His father, Seikyo Naruse was a president of “The 15 Bank” and was also managing some other banks and companies. Thus he grew up in a wealthy environment with his brothers (Seiji Naruse, Shunsuke Naruse etc), and graduated “Azabu Junior-High School” and “First Higher School (jp:第一高等学校 (旧制))”. Then he studied at Faculty of Letters in Tokyo Imperial University (now University of Tokyo).
He learned English at Junior-high school, German at High school, and French by a private teacher “Hana Yamata” (younger sister of Kiku Yamata). Using these languages, he studied overseas thereafter as described herein below. [2]

Overseas study (United States)

After he graduated Tokyo Imperial University, he moved to study at Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in Columbia University. He departed Japan on August 3, and arrived to New York City on August 23 in 1916.
Until the beginning of the classes, he spent an entire month going around art museums and theaters in NYC. He entered Columbia Graduate School on September 20, however unfortunately he wasn’t satisfied with the lectures there, and left the school. Although he moved to Boston for studying at Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in Harvard University in September 1917, he wasn’t satisfied there too. Instead, he devoted himself to write a travel stories about Florida and Canada. Also he went look at a famous paintings at the time in many art museums; This experience was fully exploited for the collection of Western Art in Japan (now in National Museum of Western Art) as described below.

Overseas study (Europe)

In March 1918, Naruse finally got parent’s permission for traveling Europe. His purpose in Europe was to visit Romain Rolland staying in Velleneuve, Switzerland at the time.
Although Europe was in World War I this time, he departed NYC on March 22, 1918, and arrived to Paris facing airstrikes. He stayed in Paris two and a half month and evacuate to Lyon waiting for Switzerland-visa. On July 12, he got visa and moved to Geneva on 13. Staying at Beau Rivage, he contacted Romain Rolland by letter there, and then Sei-ichi finally faced to his yearning Romain Rolland at Velleneuve on 20 July. For about three-weeks they together talked about Literature, Goethe, Democracy, Humanity, War and Peace everyday, and they were impressed each other.
After that, Sei-ichi returned to Paris, through stopping in Bern to visit Hermann Hesse, and experienced the end of the World War I there. Until his departure for Japan in January 1919, he studied French culture and went diligently around art museums and palaces.

Overseas study(French (second stay): - February,1925)

From February 1921, Naruse had an opportunity to staying in French again with his wife for research of French literature. Sei-ich’s younger sister Tatsuko accompanied them for studying in Sacred Heart High School in London. They stayed several weeks in London together and then Sei-ich and his wife arrived to Paris in the beginning of April. His younger brother, Shunsuke Naruse worked in Paris as Diplomat, so Sei-ichi often visited Embassy of Japan there.
He studied French literature, especially in 19th, for example Victor Hugo, François-René de Chateaubriand, Alfred de Vigny, Alphonse de Lamartine, Alfred de Musset, Théophile Gautier, Gustave Flaubert, Honoré de Balzac, Émile Zola, and Guy de Maupassant. He entered in the salon, and exposed himself in also painting, sculpture, and music in Paris.
In this period, he engaged to help collecting western arts for Kōjirō Matsukata, and these collection is now exhibited in National Museum of Western Art. He also contact a friendship with Claude Monet at this time.
Finally he went back to Japan in February 1925. [3]

Literary career

Although Naruse succeeded as a French-literary Researcher later, he authored short stories and travel stories in his early life. From 1914 to 1917, he and his friends (Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, Kan Kikuchi, Masao Kume and Yuzuru Matsuoka) published "Sihn-shichou (jp:新思潮)" actively.

He was highly influence by Natsume Sōseki, and Romain Rolland. He visited Sōseki in July 1916 first time, and exchanged letters during his overseas study. Also he exchanged many letters with Rolland, and translated some of his works to Japanese.

Now his travel stories in United States and Europa are regarded as important written material, describing the atmosphere during World War I and post-World War I period.

Selected Literary Works

French-Japanese Translational Works

French-literary Researcher

On October 1 (1925), Seiichi Naruse started working as an associate professor at Faculty of Letters in Kyushu Imperial University (now Kyushu University). His research was focused on the Romanticism in French literature. He was soon promoted as a professor, in May (1926), and taught in Kyushu Imperial University for his entire life. He produced french-literary researchers; for example Yukio Ohtsuka (jp:大塚幸男). [4]

Interaction between Romain

Although Naruse and Romain Rolland were 26 years apart in age, they were in deep relationship in a long-term.

At first Naruse met novel Jean-Christophe by Rolland in 1914, and was very impressed to it. Then he wrote a letter using French, which he has just learned, to tell Rolland his great sympathy.

Rolland, who 49 years old at that time, was deported from French because of his antiwar protest. In such a difficult situation, Rolland was greatly moved by the letter from a pure young in far eastern country, as he wrote his journal. [5] Thereafter, they had a deep relationship spirituality and ideologically beyond generations, races, languages by many letters through Sei-ichi’s overseas study in U.S. As Rolland was encouraged by Sei-ichi’s letter, Rolland gave Naruse emotional supports in his stay in U.S.

Finally they got to see each other at Velleneuve in 1918. This meeting was strengthen their sympathy not only about a literature, but also a social science, including a pacifism. They spent time together over 2 weeks, and both Sei-ichi and Rolland recorded about this wonderful moments in ”Journal des années de guerre” (Rolland), Three-weeks with Rolland” and “One summer afternoon” (Sei-ichi).

They kept this relationship throughout their life.

Relationship with Claude Monet

Naruse and Claude Monet first met in 1921 at Giverny, when he was supporting Kōjirō Matsukata in collecting Western Art, although he has liked paintings of Monet during his first stay in Europa. Then he liked the town of Giverny as well as a personality of Monet, and he began to visit Monet so often with his wife.

His watercolor painting, drawing Monet and Mitsuko (Naruse’s daughter) are exhibited in Musée Marmottan Monet.[6] This painting was stolen once with Impression, Sunrise in 1985 but recovered in 1990. [7]

Personal life

Sei-ichi Naruse married Fukuko Kawasaki (November 9, 1898 - September 13, 1982), who was a daughter of Baron Yoshitarō Kawasaki (son-in-low of Baron Shōzō Kawasaki; founder of Kawasaki Zaibatsu (now Kawasaki Heavy Industries, K Line, etc)), on February 5, 1919. They had four children.

Family

See also

References

  1. ↑ ”Concise’ Japanese Blue Book, Sansho-do, December 1993
  2. ↑ Biography "Sei-ichi Naruse (1)", Y. Sekiguchi, Bunkyo University, 2006
  3. ↑ Biography "Sei-ichi Naruse (2)", Y. Sekiguchi, Bunkyo University, 2006
  4. ↑ ”Biography-Sei-ichi Naruse’ Yasuyoshi Sekiguchi, Japan Editors School, August 1994 (ISBN 4-88888-220-7)
  5. ↑ ”Journal des années de guerre” (1914-1919), Romain Rolland, Éditions Albin Michel, 1952
  6. ↑ ”A picture”, Mitsuko Murakami, 1991
  7. ↑ 9 Impressionist Paintings Recovered in Corsica”, The New York Times, December 7, 1990

Bibliography

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