午夜剧场

Since April 2022, I have been appearing on Tokai Radio's "Denshichi-tei 100-Year History" (renamed "Shibusawa Eiichi Juku" in April 2023), and since July of the same year, on the FM Mie radio program "TOYOBO HISTORY." The purpose of both is to introduce the trajectory of modern industry to society at large, focusing on the involvement of modern figures such as Eiichi Shibusawa, Takeo Yamabe, and Denshichi Ito in the spinning industry.

This was my first challenge with a serialized radio program. I had to communicate with people outside the field of economic history using only my "voice." I couldn't use text, resumes, photos, or data. I had to discuss Japan's Industrial Revolution while introducing several entrepreneurs, including Eiichi Shibusawa. Although I prepared scripts in advance, unlike my usual lectures, the pace was not my own. This was a brand-new experience for me.

After the radio recordings, I am happy when the station staff say things like "I learned a lot" or "That was interesting." It makes me feel like I was able to be useful. However, what stays deep in my heart are the words that convey challenges. "There was some hesitation in your talk today. You probably still have several different answers within you, don't you?" These words hit me hard. It was because they were exactly right. On the Shinkansen back from Nagoya, I felt a bit down.

How should I convey modern history to listeners? I found the answer during a special program recording in Yokkaichi City, Mie Prefecture. When we visited the monument honoring Denshichi Ito, the female program navigator asked, "Professor Hashiguchi, what is written on this inscription?" At that moment, I set aside the script I had prepared and stared intently at the words of the inscription. "Mie Boseki," "Merger," "Meiji Restoration," "Eiichi Shibusawa." As I read those words, the feelings of those modern people—their desire to "make the region prosperous"—came through to me. Before I knew it, I was talking passionately about the aspirations and the path toward modernization.

Looking back, I don't think I had been sufficiently conscious of "what I wanted to broadcast" through this program until then. "What do I want to convey to society through my research in modern economic history?" That perspective was decisively lacking. I believe this realization has given new strength to my research.

For the next recording, I intend to speak about the "breath of the modern era" once again, putting my own feelings into it.