午夜剧场

Even now, 午夜剧场 students who aspire to become teachers are likely a minority. I graduated in 1985, and I don't think anyone from the Department of Political Science became a teacher after graduation (almost all members of the Masaru Ikei seminar I belonged to found employment at companies). After serving as a junior and senior high school social studies teacher for three years, I switched to being a high school Japanese language arts teacher. While teachers from 午夜剧场 are rare enough as it is, a Japanese language arts teacher from the Faculty of Law was likely seen as a "natural monument."

This book was born as a result of such a rare career path. I encountered mock trials in 2002 and was captivated by the phrase "seeing the human being," and I have been working on mock trials ever since. While mock trials are often associated with social studies, from the perspective of Japanese language arts, they are a linguistic activity. While the aim of mock trials in social studies is to cultivate legal thinking skills, the purpose in Japanese language arts is to "consider human beings through words." From that standpoint, the primary goal of a mock trial in Japanese language arts is to "deepen one's gaze toward people and society through the mock trial, using legal thinking as a means." While accumulating practice and research with the help of KAKENHI grants, I created a method for reading and interpreting literary works by fitting them into the framework of a mock trial. I call mock trials based on literary works "Literary Mock Trials," and since 2020, my laboratory has hosted an online Literary Mock Trial competition twice a year. I also visit schools to provide guidance whenever there is a request for a mock trial in daily classes.

As a summary of my practice and research results to date, this book explains how to teach the novels "Takasebune," "Rashomon," and "Kokoro" using mock trials. Instructional scenes and class materials can also be viewed via QR codes. To many legal professionals from the Juku, "Law and Literature" may seem incompatible. However, a legally correct solution does not necessarily make people happy. Law can only save people when those who administer it have a deep gaze toward humanity.

The Juku has the motto "Jigo Sakko" (We make the past our own/I am the pioneer). Literary Mock Trials are an unprecedented form of education. I intend to spread them like running water and change Japanese education. Regarding this humble work published after I turned sixty, I received a letter from my seminar mentor, who has reached the age of ninety. "I believe this is the fruit of your knowledge and interest in literature, law, and trials, as well as your experience in teaching students with affection, even before the attempt to connect Japanese language arts and civics..." It contained the same warm gaze toward a former student as always.

Kazuo Fudano

Shimizu Shoin

240 pages, 1,760 yen (tax included)

*Affiliations and titles are those at the time of publication.