電子書籍

A Life as If Invited: Reflections on Faith, Resistance, and the Mystery of Being Human (English Edition)

(著) 椎名修

作品詳細

[About the Book]



—Perhaps human beings go on living, guided by something voiceless and unseen—



Born and raised in Narita, Chiba—“the garden of Fudō Myōō”—the author quietly reflects on the path he has walked and the inner transformations he has undergone in this autobiographical work.



In the spring of his sixteenth year, he opposed the U.S. military presence in Okinawa and the revision of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, joining an anti-war rally in Hibiya Park. In his thirties, after entering a railway company and becoming an executive member of the labor union, he tackled issues such as death from overwork, striving to reform the awareness of both management and workers. In his forties, driven by a desire to capture the landscapes of his hometown and to photograph ancient temples of Shimōsa, he began a photographic project titled “Pilgrimage to Ancient Temples of My Homeland” using a large-format camera. From there, connections expanded into photo exhibitions and online galleries through his website.



While tracing the trajectory of a life shaped by anti-war activism, labor movements, and photography, this book also invites readers into broader and more universal reflections—on society, the nature of human existence, and the relationship between spiritual history and the divine.



[Author Biography]

Osamu Shiina



1952 (Shōwa 27): Born in Narita

1969–1980 (Shōwa 44–55): Engaged in the Okinawa, Anti-Security Treaty, and Sanrizuka struggles

1980–1996 (Shōwa 55–Heisei 8): Active in labor union movements, working on karōshi (death by overwork) recognition cases

From 1995 (Heisei 7): Began photographing for “Hometown Ancient Temple Pilgrimage”, holding a number of exhibitions

1999 (Heisei 11): Published the essay collection “Eight Years of Multi-Eye” (Ronso Publishing)

2010–2018 (Heisei 22–30): Active as a vocalist; in 2013 (Heisei 25), formed the music group Hotto Kanadeiru

2012 (Heisei 24): Launched the website Furusato Kodera Junrei (古寺巡礼.jp)

From 2016 (Heisei 28): Served as Executive Committee Chair for Kōzunomori Fukkō Shien Week (Reconstruction event in Narita) “Gather and Connect!! Tōhoku–Narita” and Reconstruction Support Music Festival: “Hikari no Tobira(Doorway of Light)”

2017 (Heisei 29): Renamed the Naritasan section of kodera-junrei.jp to “Fudō Myōō no Niwa” (The Garden of Acala)

2018 (Heisei 30): Published “The History of ‘God’ Considered from the Birth of Humanity” (Bungeisha Publishing)

2019 (Reiwa 1): Released the e-book “The Path to God: A History of the Growth of Abstract Concepts” (22nd Century Art Publishing)

2021 (Reiwa 3): Released the English and POD editions internationally on Amazon (U.S., U.K., Canada, France, Germany)