A New Beginning / ある門出の話 - Learn Japanese with Yuko

振り仮名付き和訳は英文の下にございます / The Japanese translation is below the English text and is fully furigana’d.

A New Beginning

Contents

As a youth, he was a gangster
“I don’t want to waste my time here”
A new beginninga

The Japanese translation

***************************

“Finally passed the exam in the seventh year! An ex-gangster has a new beginning as a judiciary scrivener”
Tokyo Shimbun, January 21, 2020

In November 2018, Ryuuichi Koomura in Okayama, 47, passed the exam to be certified as a judicial scrivener. It was his seventh attempt. The exam is difficult and less than four percent of the examinees pass it each year. He had begun studying for it when he was in prison; he wanted to have a new beginning.

1. As a youth, he was a gangster

“How would you like working for us as a yakuza?”

When he was in his early twenties, a man approached him at a snack bar:

The man was recruiting members of a lower-level organization of Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan’s largest designated criminal group. Mr. Koomura accepted the invitation and worked there sometimes answering phone calls in their office and sometimes positioned as a body guard of the big boss and things like that. Due to his duties there, he went to jail three times.

After leaving the group, he opened a restaurant in Osaka. However, the business failed and he returned to Okayama penniless. Then he was arrested again for obstructing the police in the performance of their duties.

2. “I don’t want to waste my time in here”

It was the winter of 2010. Imprisoned for the fourth time, this time in Hiroshima, he reflected on himself. He was about to be forty, and he wanted to use the time there meaningfully, and for a purpose.

What could he do? His last academic background was junior high school (usually completed at age fifteen). After some research, he found that certification for the judicial scrivener was offered to anyone who passed the exam regardless of age, academic background, and even if the examinee had a criminal record. So he decided to study to be a judicial scrivener. It will be a new beginning in his life.

For that purpose, he chose to be in a solitary cell and brought discreetly some prepared letter paper. He had copied by hand in very fine writing the necessary articles of laws he needed to memorize. Then he hid them by pasting them on the back of the calendar on the wall. How did he had an access to glue? He used boiled rice in his meals. Thus he memorized everything.

Even when he had to be in the community cell, he memorized and answered questions in the workbook while doing penal labor.

After they released him the next year, he continued studying hard, sometimes even twelve hours a day. Family and friends kept telling him negative things about the results, but in 2012, he passed the exam for the administrative scrivener in his first attempt.

He gained confidence and kept taking the judicial scrivener exam each year. Some laws were particularly difficult as he hadn’t been familiar with them, but he didn’t lose faith in his effort. Finally, the people around him began to cheer for him.

3. A New Beginning

An image of an ex-gangster who wanted to have a new beginning — Mr. Koomura in front of his renovated office, Tokyo Shimbun, January 21, 2020

Now his new life has begun. He is incorporated and has hired new staff for his office. Representing a new beginning, his renovated office shows shiny marble-like tiles on the front wall.

“Mine is a job to protect people’s rights, so I have to gain more knowledge.”

He keeps studying even now.

“I want to make use of my experiences and be a dependable judicial scrivener.”

[End of the English Post]

ある門かど出での話はなし

「挑ちょう戦７回せんななかいで合格ごうかく元組員もとくみあいいん、司し法書ほうしょ士しとして新あらたな出しゅっ発ぱつ」
東とう京きょう新聞しんぶん2020にせんにじゅう年ねん1いち月がつ21にじゅういち日にちより

岡山おかやま市しの甲村こうむら柳りゅう市いちさん（47）は2018にせんじゅうはち年ねん11月じゅういちがつ、七回ななかい目めの受験じゅけんで司し法書ほうしょ士し試し験けんに合格ごうかくした。例年れいねんの合格率ごうかくりつが4パーセントを切きる難関なんかん。元組員もとくみあいいんの甲村こうむらさんが勉べん強きょうを始はじめたのは服役ふくえき中ちゅうだった。

1. 二に十じゅう代前半だいぜんはんでヤクザに

「ヤクザ、してみいひんか（してみないか）」

二に十じゅう代前半だいぜんはんの甲村こうむらさんに、スナックで男おとこが声こえをかけてきた。

男おとこは指し定暴ていぼう力りょく団山口組だんやまぐちぐみの下か部ぶ組そ織しきの組員くみいんとなる人間にんげんを探さがしていた。甲村こうむらさんは誘さそいに応おうじ、電でん話わ番ばんや組くみ長ちょうのボディーガードなどを経験けいけんし、刑けい務む所しょに三回服役さんかいふくえきした。

組くみを抜ぬけた後あとは、大阪おおさかで飲いん食しょく店てんを経営けいえいしたがうまくいかず、お金かねを使つかい果はたたして岡山おかやまに戻もどった。その後ご、公こう務む執行妨害しっこうぼうがい事じ件けんを起おこし、再さい度ど服役ふくえきした。

2.「この時じ間かんを無む駄だにしたくない」

四よん回かい目めの服役ふくえきは広島刑ひろしまけい務む所しょ。40歳よんじゅっさいを目前もくぜんにした2010年にせんじゅうねんの冬ふゆだった。甲村こうむらさんは自じ分ぶんを見みつめ直なおし、刑けい期きを意い義ぎのある時じ間かんにしたい、目的もくてきを持もって過すごしたいと考かんがえた。

自じ分ぶんに何なにができるだろうか。最さい終しゅう学がく歴れきは中ちゅう学卒がくそつ（普ふ通つう15歳じゅうごさいで修しゅう了りょう）。司し法書ほうしょ士しなら試し験けんを通とおれば、年齢ねんれい、学歴がくれき、前ぜん科かの有う無むにかかわらずなれると知しり、司し法書ほうしょ士しになろうと決きめた。これが新あらたな出しゅっ発ぱつとなるように。

そのために、自みずから希き望ぼうして独居房どっきょぼうに入り、こっそりと数枚すうまいの便箋びんせんを持もち込こんだ。便箋びんせんには暗あん記きすべき民法みんぽうの条じょう文ぶんを小ちいさな文も字じでびっしり書かき込こんである。それをご飯粒はんつぶで壁かべのカレンダーの裏うらに貼はり付つけて隠かくし、一いち字じ一いっ句く暗あん記きした。

雑居房ざっきょぼうにいなければならない時ときも、刑けい務む作さ業ぎょうのかたわら、暗あん記きし、問題もんだい集しゅうを解といた。

翌年よくねんに出しゅっ所しょしてから、多おおい日ひは一日いちにちに12じゅうに時じ間勉かんべん強きょうした。家か族ぞくや友人ゆうじんから「受うかる訳わけがない」と言いわれ続つづけたが、2012年にせんじゅうにねんに行ぎょう政書せいしょ士しに一発いっぱつで合格ごうかくした。甲村こうむらさんは自じ信しんをつけ、司し法書ほうしょ士し試し験けんを受うけ続つづけた。馴な染じみのなかった法律ほうりつには苦く労ろうしたが、信念しんねんを曲まげなかった。やがて周まわりから応援おうえんされるように。