I first met KAJIMURA at 1970 and he taught me the Korean in the small class of foreign language. Text was SONG Jihak’s “Chosono Immun” published by Daigaku Shorin. It was one of a few books for beginners of Korean at late 1960s in Japan. Korean texts were published a few, so we could usually see only 2 or 3 kinds at a large bookshop. I was age 21 and KAJIMURA was 30s.
Class was opened in the forth period and the room was dim-lit in late autumn season. In the same room, I was also taught Russian from CHINO Eiichi and MURAVIJOVA Natary. I have good memories of learning foreign languages in that tiny room.
KAJIMURA was a high school teacher in those days and also teaching Korean history and language in several universities. Rightfully he ought to become the special professor of national institute but he abandoned all the right to pioneer the new frontier of Korea, for which East Asia researchers seemed to be less important.
I remembered his words that Korean grammar was once explained by using Russian grammar which was far apart from Korean and its family of language. He said the words with smiling. “Such times surely exist in short period.” I felt that the times had been changing rapidly before ours, nobody believes that Russian and Korean are family languages.
He wore the round glasses and no neck-tie. Jacket was old and shoulders were always down a little for his thin shape. When I was absent from my schedule in winter season, he wrote me a letter. I wrote a reply immediately saying that Korean language was precious for me and I decided to keep learning the language all my life. What I wrote there was true till now.
He also invited me to his home. But I could not depend too much to him. But now I regret that I had not received his favour. Later when he became the professor of a university, I would go to his study room at once. But at that time I also did not go because I thought that this time I was always able to visit him. He incessantly wrote the papers. A lot of researchers respected his sincere attitude of studying.
I did not meet him in those days. And I suddenly heard his death. He died from disease in 1989. He taught me the Korean and further more sincerity of living style to the world.
Note 30 July 2019 In Kojien, one of the standard dictionaries in Japan, KAJIMURA Hideki is written as the following.
KAJIMURA Hideki 1935-1989 Researcher of Korean history. Born in Tokyo. Professor of Kanagawa university. The leading figure of research of Korean history after World War 2 in Japan. (Translated by TANAKA from Japanese edition)
TANAKA Akio We were always sitting at the right end of the classroom, where the seats were near the entrance from the corridor, so classmates entered the room with rattling noises. But we liked the seats rather satisfying. We were G class of the third year of the high school, which class was all hoped to go universities of the mathematical or science fields.
The seats were free to sit but almost determined by the personalities. Serious were sitting at the comparatively before widows sites. The seats were silent and easy to concentrate. We were also serious to the learning but liked the most bad seats that could not concentrate by the various noises for entering and out-going.
KANEKO Yutaka and I first met at this class and became best friend. He probably hoped to go to chemistry and I was physics. He was very good at mathematics and I was ordinary at math. I sometimes asked him how to solve the hard quests of math. At that time he smiled to me and said, " there's any little paper? The problem can be written enough by such a little space."
Over the our seats, frequently flew to the end of the class where the trash can was set always filled with the calculate-papers for math and writing of English. The members of the class all were eager to solve math quests for preparing to entrance examinations to the universities. At the result they threw the used papers over us to the can. So around the can, the scraps were littered with. I was never tidy but I was the nearest one to the can, so I sometimes went to trash dump to clean the can.
After we graduated the high school, he studied chemistry as planned at university. But I selected language study, not physics. I also liked philosophical or linguistic fields for their long historical heritages. What I returned to the field related with physics was already over the year 30s. My research object was narrowed to language universals using mathematical writing or physical approach.
After half a century, he died by disease in his researching way. I have learnt same theme on language using maths way not solving any quest from 1920s' Linguistic Circle of Prague. I dream that over my head still now vain calculate-papers are being thrown to the can behind us. If I ask him to help me for solving, he will say to me wanting tiny paper to write the answer concisely with his dear smiling as ever.
Tokyo 22 May 2013 Text written 20 April 2014 Reference added 8 August 2014 Reference added 13 June 2022 Text partly revised Sekinan Research Field of Language
