Wenceslao de Moraes

In Tokushima City of Shikoku Island there was a Portuguese who reported things Japanese to his native country periodically. The name was W.D.Moraes,

diplomat,captain ,writer.

In those days Japan was mysterious and strange to Westerns. In Japan, especially in Shikoku Island there were few Portuguese in the era of Meiji(1868-1912). Japanese children were scared of Westerns.

Sometimes Moraes was thrown pebbles by naughty children there. In spite of their mischief he did not mind them. As years went on his human nature came to be understood by not only adults but also children.

After returning to Lisbon temporarily he went to Amoy again. After that he did not step on the land of Portugal.

Before the outbreak of the Japan-Chinese War (1894-1895) Moraese came to Japan to procure cannons for Portugal. Before long he was charmed by the national character of Japan and fell in love with a young girl whose birthplace was Tokushima City in Shikoku Island.

In October in 1910, Portugal, Kingdom of Portugal was collapsed and became the Republic of Portugal. He who had been in charge of consulate in Kobe resigned from the job.

Moraes and a girl named Yone married and lived a happy life at first but the beautiful wife was feeble by birth and was sick in bed during the latter half of their marriage life. Though Moraes devoted himself to look after her. Yone died of heart attack in 1912.

In 1913 he resolved to remarry Yone's niece, Koharu and moved to Tokushima City. After three years there, Moraese's new wife, Koharu also died.

It was his only consolation for Moraes to send his reports to Portugal and to pay a visit to the graves of Yone and Koharu on the way of walking.

He wrote twenty books about things of Japanesein his life time. In those days Portugal had the third many colonies in the world. He did not support the colonial policy of Portugal. For example, he advocated that Macao should be China as soon as possible. He was sometimes suspected as a spy during World War Ⅰ but he continued to write what he thought beautiful about the tradition ,customs and way of life of Japanese people. He was fond of leading a simple life and also thought such a life ideal. He was afraid that beautiful surroundings would be destroyed by Western civilization in the future. In the olden time, there were priests and poets who considered simple life the best way of life in this world. One of them was Priest Saigyou whose way of life Moraes admired and followed his principle.

There were two people who contributed to let the existence of Moraes know to general public. One was Tomizou Hanano translator and professor. If Hanano had not translated Moraes's works into Japanese, those of Moraes might have been slow to be known to Japanese people. Hanano asked Moraes some questions before Moraes' s death.

The other was Jituo Hata who wrote Moraes's elaborate autobiography by investigating Moraes's real life and works for a long time. When Hata was a small child, it happened that he saw the Portuguese.

Though the town people who had not seen any foreigner were scared of Moraes at first, they found that he was kind and gentle.

Moraes continued to write about Japan and Japanese people till his death

In 1929 Moraes was found dead alone in a Japanese small house. There stand three tombs of Moraes, Yone and Koharu in the cemetery of Choonji temple in Tokushima Island.

Now on July 1 annually, memory service for Moraes is held in Tokushima City where is well known for Awaodori(the Awa dancing). Awa stands for the old name of Tokushima .It is a kind of Bon festival consoling the spirit of the dead at late summer throughout Japan

A great number of people visit to enjoy dancing and watching the unique dancing on the street from the all parts of Japan.

When the event is watched on TV every summer, I recall Moraes who loved Japan and Japanese deeply.