祈りの言葉2010年／井島 政治

水俣病患者・遺族代表　「祈りの言葉」
Minamata Disease Patient and Bereaved Family Representative’s “Words of Prayer”

水俣病犠牲者慰霊式で患者・遺族を代表して祈りの誠を捧げる栄を頂き、感謝します。

I would like to express my gratitude for the honor of offering my sincere prayers on behalf of the patients and bereaved families at the memorial service for the victims of Minamata disease.

プープープー、貝の音が鳴り響き、漁村の一日の幕が切って落されます。手にかごを下げた網子が三三五五に集まって来ると、「はま」は大変にぎやかになります。決められた舟に分乗して、いわし漁の船団が、五丁艪・六丁艪を漕ぐ掛け声も勇ましく、出漁して行きます。やがて、銀鱗輝くピチピチした　いわしが陸揚げされると、にわかに陸が活気づきます。ザコ製造の始まりです。実は、私、ザコ製造納屋の三代目として、大正十四年に生を受けました。当然の事ながら、幼少のころよりザコにまみれて育ちました。その後、兵役に服した後、終戦に伴い、復員してみますと、元気だった父が原因不明の病で亡くなっていました。私は、悲しむ暇もなく、夢と希望を持つように努め、家業を継ぐ事にしました。作業は大変忙しく、腹が減ったら立ったままで、「常々かいもに、いわしのしや」と言われた様に、かいもに、釜揚げのいわしで、腹ごしらえをしました。夜遅くに作業が終わると皆、いわしのぶえんで茶漬けを食べ、　「アバチョヂョノイ」、「ソンナラダンダン」と挨拶して、人夫さんたちは帰って行きました。

A day in the fishing village begins with the pu-pu sound of shells.　 As the netters with their baskets in their hands gather in small groups, “hama”, the seaside, becomes very lively. A fleet of sardine fishermen split up into their assigned boats and leave the shore, rowing with a cheerful shout.  Soon, the silvery scaled sardines are landed and The land suddenly comes alive. This is the start of dried young sardine production. In fact, I was born in 1925 as the third generation of a dried young sardine manufacturing wholesaler. Naturally, I grew up covered in dried young sardines.　Later, I served in the war. And when I returned to Minamata after the war, I found that my father, who had been in good health, had died of an unknown disease. I had no time to grieve, but tried to have dreams and hopes, and decided to take over the family business. The work was very busy, and when we got hungry, we ate sweet potatoes and boiled sardines while standing. When the work was finished late in the evening, the laborers ate sardines and rice with tea poured on it, greeted each other with ”Abacho djionoi” and ”Sonnara dandan”, and went back to their own homes. 

しかし、事業は永くは続きませんでした。昭和二十五、六年になると、あんなに海の底から湧いていた　いわしも姿を見せなくなり、沿岸には半死半生の魚が打ち上げられ、犬猫は狂死し、カラスも空から姿を消しました。何かしら、天変地異が起こる兆しではないかと、大変心配致しました。やがて、漁村の住人にも影響が出始め、患者は、奇病、伝染病と誤解を受け、恐れられ、忌み嫌われながら、もがき苦しみ、狂死する人も多くなりました。あんなに豊かで恵みの海が、死の海、いや凶器を持った死の海に変貌してしまったのです。私も事業を断念せざるを得ませんでした。やがて、胎児性の水俣病患者も出始めました。海を追われた多くの漁民は、慣れない陸の仕事に大変苦労しました。しかし、安賃闘争が終わる頃には、陸の仕事も少なくなり、後ろ髪を引かれる思いで、家族に別れを告げ、出稼ぎに行く者が多くなりました。私もその中の一人でした。昭和四十八年当時、私は、住友建設の下請けで、玄海町と鎮西町の岬をつなぐ橋梁工事に従事していました。その頃、買い物帰りに、急に足がけいれんして動けなくなりました。そのことを知った、水俣地区から雇われていた　船長さんが、「わいも水俣病じゃが、申請せんか、おっどま、とっくにすませとっど。」と言いました。

However, our family business did not last long. Around 1950, the sardines that used to spring from the bottom of the sea stopped appearing. Instead, half-dead fish were washed up on the shore. Dogs and cats died madly. Crows also disappeared from the sky. People in Minamata were very worried that this was a sign of some kind of natural disaster. Soon, the inhabitants of the fishing village began to be affected. Patients were misunderstood, feared and abhorred as having contracted strange and contagious diseases, while more and more people struggled and died madly. Our rich and blessed sea had been transformed into a deadly sea, or rather, a deadly sea with a deadly weapon.　I had no choice but to give up my business. Eventually, fetal cases of Minamata disease began to appear. Many of the fishermen who were forced to leave the sea had a hard time finding work on land. However, by the time the struggle against fixed wages was over, work on the land was scarce. So, many of them were reluctant to say goodbye to their families and go to work as migrant workers. I was one of them, too. In 1973, I was working as a subcontractor for Sumitomo Construction Co., Ltd. on a bridge construction project connecting the capes of Genkai Town and Chinzai Town. On my way home from shopping, I suddenly got cramps in my legs and could not move. When the captain of the boat, who was hired from Minamata area, heard about this, he said, “I have Minamata disease too, but I have already applied for patient certification. Why don’t you do the same?” 

早速、家に帰って家族に相談致しました。　高校生の娘、中学生・小学生の　二人の息子がおりましたが、「伝染病でもなければ、奇病でもないんでしょう。私たちのことは心配しないで、自分の体のことを考えたら。」と言ってくれました。私は、子どもの結婚の事、将来の事を考えましたが、勇気を出して、申請に踏み切りました。疫学調査、内科、眼科、耳鼻咽喉科の検診を受け、くしくも三十五年前の本日、すなわち昭和四十八年　五月一日に、鹿児島県知事より、認定通知を受けました。その時、私は複雑な気持ちで一杯でした。多量の魚やザコを地域に提供していた自分は、ある意味、加害者でもあったと思っていたのですが、被害者にもなってしまったのです。

I immediately went home to consult with my family.　I had a daughter in high school and two sons in junior high and elementary school. They said, “It’s not a contagious disease, nor is it a strange disease. Don’t worry about us, just think about your own health.” Though  I had a slight fear what if my patient certification should y children’s marriage or any other thing in their future. I gathered up my courage and decided to apply for certification. After I underwent an epidemiological survey, internal medicine, ophthalmology, and otorhinolaryngology examinations, I was finally notified by the governor of Kagoshima Prefecture that I was certified as a patient of Minamata disease. That was thirty-five years ago today, on May 1, 1973. At that time, I was filled with mixed feelings. I thought that I had been a perpetrator in a sense, as I had provided the community with a large amount of fish and dried sardines. Now that I had also become a victim. 

水俣病には、肥後・薩摩の国境もなければ、水俣市と出水市との境もなく、広く地域全体を巻き込み、大規模な公害となりました。このような中、健康を侵され、偏見・差別・中傷を受け、苦しみ、水俣病の犠牲となられました、多くの御霊よ、皆さんの犠牲は決して無駄ではありません。これから、世界中で起こる環境問題への対策の中で、永遠に生かされていくことでありましょう。残された私たちは、命ある限り、協力して、地域の再生と振興に一層、力を尽くす事で、二度とこのような悲劇を繰り返さない事を固くお誓い申し上げ、祈りの言葉と致します。犠牲となられた皆様、安らかにお眠りください。

Minamata disease had no borders separating Minamata City and Izumi City, and affected the entire region, resulting in large-scale pollution. In the midst of all this, many souls have suffered from prejudice, discrimination, and slander, and have become victims of Minamata disease. Your sacrifice will not be in vain. The lessons you have left behind will forever be used in dealing with environmental problems around the world.  As long as there is life left in us, we will work together to revitalize and promote the region. I firmly promise that we will never repeat such a tragedy again. May all the victims of this tragedy rest in peace.

平成二十年五月一日

May 1, 2010

水俣病患者・遺族代表　井島政治

Ijima Seiji,

Representative of Minamata Disease Patients and Bereaved Families

水俣病資料館ウェブサイトより
Reference Minamata City Minamata Disease Museum Website
翻訳 水俣インパクト  translated by minamata impact