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言うべきを 言わざるもまた 言わざるを
言うも道には かなわざりけり
iubeki o iwazarumo mata iwazaru o
iumo michiniwa kanawazarikeri
When you speak where you should not or
neglect to where you should, you lose the way
– Matsudaira Sadanobu (1759-1829)
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Maintaining good relations with others is difficult. Even among friends and peers, we try to achieve a comfortable social space through the use of politeness. While social rules and etiquette are shared by all people through all times, it has uniquely developed and contributed to Japanese culture.
For example, as an influence on language, subjects are often omitted in Japanese sentences. Without a clear subject, there can be ambiguity regarding who is speaking or acting. This lack of transparency can lead to issues of accountability when problems arise. On the other hand, it can make disagreements of opinion less jarring when they occur. In Japanese, euphemisms and indirect language are preferred to confrontational expressions as a way to maintain smooth interactions with others. Problems are often conveyed through intermediaries rather than directly by those affected. These go-betweens create social space that facilitates good relationships.
While there are many facets of speech or action we should correct, Japanese people often neglect to do so as they prioritize harmony more than correction or righteousness. Taken to its worst extreme, this can lead to a toleration of evil out of an obsession with achieving peace. Did this tendency develop from Japan's roots as an agrarian society, or from somewhere else? The pressure to be in sync with everyone else is a problem in itself in modern Japan.
Returning to our waka above, Matsudaira Sadanobu tried to clean up the crooked political and social order he was born into. At a time of political corruption and rampant bribery among officials, he aimed to establish a clean and well-regulated shogunate. He ultimately lost his position due to the antipathy of many samurai. While he was successful in restoring his own domain of Shirakawa to financial stability, he was not a popular figure due to the strict reforms he instituted and his austere character. It must have been difficult in the Edo period, when individualism was less prevalent and harmony was considered more important than it is today, for Matsudaira to hold to the view that you have to do what needs to be done, regardless of the consequences. In fact, a kyōka, or humorous/satirical type of haiku or song, popular during his lifetime states:
白河の清きに魚も住みかねて もとの濁りの田沼恋しき
Shirakawa no kiyoki ni sakana mo sumikanete moto no nigori no Tanuma koishiki
The song is a play on words. "Shirakawa" was the domain where Matsudaira ruled. If you look at the characters for the name "Shirakawa," they translate to "white river" and invoke images of purity.
"Tanuma" was the name of the minister who served prior to Matsudaira, Tanuma Okitsugu. He was known for being corrupt to the point of his son being assassinated in front of him by a disgruntled samurai. The characters for "Tanuma" can mean "muddy field" or something like a rice field, perhaps.
The poem translates to:
"Even fish can't live in the cleanliness of Shirakawa, longing for the muddiness of Tanuma."
The names of people and places in the song are remarkably well-suited for the situation, but perhaps a bit too on the nose. How must Matsudaira have felt hearing the people around him reciting the song? How frustrating it must have been for him to know that a wrong had to be addressed when everyone around him prioritized the status quo and harmony above all else. He acted with the courage to be unpopular, to be mocked despite his best efforts.
There is an aspect of beauty in the harmony, and the efforts towards its preservation, in Japan – but is it right to maintain harmony when change is required? Perhaps real harmony is possessing the ability to have open and frank discussion when opinions differ.