The Kokusai Monument

Nori Watanabe

Mr. Isaku Ozaki is proud of his grandfather Koyo, who was a famous novelist in the Meiji Period. But he knew very little about his great-grandfather Kokusai until ten years ago. Koyo was apparently ashamed of his father being a jester as well as a carver, so he told almost nothing about Kokusai, not only to his friends and acquaintances but even to his children as well. Koyo’s wife Kiku, born as a daughter of a medical doctor and raisd in a rigorous and disciplined family, also did not like her eccentric father-in-law. She looked after her grandson Isaku and other grandchildren after their father had passed away very young at the age of thirty-six. Mr. Ozaki says he does not remember that his grandmother even mentioned the name of Kokusai to him.

It was an article on Kokusai appeared in a monthly art magazine that dispelled the illusion held by Mr. Ozaki about his forefather. The article was Ozaki Koyo no Kakushi Chichi, Kokusai no Appare Jinsei (The Praiseworthy Life of Kokusai, Hidden Father of Koyo) by Yoichi Shimatani published in the May 2000 issue of Geijutsu Shincho. Since the article was published, Mr. Shimatani has frequently sent him information and documents related to Kokusai. Through these materials, Mr. Ozaki realized that Kokusai was better-known than Koyo in the West, and that his great-grandfather was a recognized master carver.

Earlier in spring of this year, a monument to Kokusai was erected in the grave of the Ozaki Family. It was an expression of the feeling of Mr. Ozaki, who wished to apologize to Kokusai for his past ignorance and to pay a tribute to the memory of his great-grandfather. The monument is in the shape of a pipecase with two typical signatures of Kokusai. On its back is an epitaph drafted by Mr. Shimatani, which can be roughly translated as follows:

Ozaki Kokusai (real name Sozo), known as the Red Robe Kokusai, was the real father of the great writer Ozaki Koyo. He was a master craftsman of ivory and stag antler carvings active from the end of Edo to the Meiji Periods. He was good at carving netsuke, combs and hairpins, and tea ceremony utensils. His innovatively modern, witty, free and easy carving style based on his distinguished skill was loved by men of refined tastes and connoisseurs. In recent years, Kokusai’s works have gained international acclaim among the art-lovers as masterpieces in the palm of one’s hand, and there are a number of collectors who look for his works passionately.

Family Tree of Ozaki Kokusai

Ozaki Kokusai (c.1835-1894) = Yo (1849-18720

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Ozaki Koyo (1867-1930 = KIKU (1873-1953)

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Ozaki Natsuhiko (1901-1936)

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Ozaki Isaku (1933-    )

Kokusai's monument stands by that of his celebrated writer son, Ozaki Toyo.

Yoichi Shimatani is accompanied by Nori Watanabe, Mrs Wakayama and Rosemary Bandini in the Aoyama cemetery.