司馬遼太郎『殉死』論(文学編)

概要

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General Maresuke Nogi is one of the heroes of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. He won the battle of the Fortress of Lushun as commandor. But, the victory was dearly bought. A great many Japanese soldiers died on the attack on the Fortress Lushun. Ryotaro Shiba unfavorably criticized Nogi in his work of "The Junshi (Self-Immolation)." In in, Shiba said that the victory at the Fortress Lushun cost a great many lives, becase General Nogi had almost no military faculty and he was a self-satisfied idealist. Nogi immolated himself on the death of the Emperor Meiji. About this, Shiba said that Nogi was a person of self-absorption and the behavoir mainly reflected his fantastic character. Shiba was too hard on Nogi. He was not modest and fair. He should have diverted himself of preconceived notion. It is said that Nogi was a very sincere man. I think so, too. But, we have to appreciate the meaning of this sincerity. It had a concept of religion. Now, Shiba was a person who experienced World War II. During the war, he was an official of the Imperial Japanese Army. His severe criticism on Nogi may have some relations with that experience. Did Nogi take an objective view of the Japanese nation? To say in a strict sense of the word, it may be extremely difficult for us to be perfectly severe in real life.
1999-03-30