The Independent Film Show "Songs of Entoko" at Kyoto Kyoiku Bunka Center, September 12, 2020 (Session 1)

The documentary film show "Songs of Entoko - Endo Shigeru, Bedridden Poet" was held by NPO Kokopelli121 at Kyoto Kyoiku Bunka Center on September 12th, 2020.
Due to the circumstances under the COVID-19, the plan was once in doubt to be carried out, but we finally succeeded in realizing the event through the collective action of you all.
Thank you very much to everyone for coming.

After the film, the director Ise Shinichi on the stage and Mr. Endo Shigeru in his room in Tokyo had a talk via Zoom. Professor Washida Kiyokazu, who was among the audience also joined, which made a splendid lineup.
We are delighted to put up the transcript of the talk here.
(honorific titles omitted)

After-Film Talk Session
by Film Director Ise Shinichi, Mr. Endo Shigeru
and Professor Washida Kiyokazu

(After the show of the documentary film "Songs of Entoko")

MC: Thank you for sitting for so long, everyone. Now, Director Ise, who made this film and Mr. Endo Shigeru will give us a brief talk via Zoom.

But before that, I would like to share some happy news with you. This film "Songs of Entoko" won the Mainichi Film Award for the best documentary film last year. Congratulations!
(Applause)

MC: Mr. Ise, would you please come up on stage?

(Mr. Ise appears on stage. Applause)

MC: Flowers have been prepared to congratulate you on this joyous occasion. All of you involved, please come to the stage. We have Professor Washida Kiyokazu among them. He has known the director for 20 years and had a special link with him and his film work ever since. That is why he is congratulating the director on this memorable award today. Please go ahead.

( Prof. Washida, Mr. Mizutani, Mr. Hamamura, and the children handed the flowers to the director.)

Ise: Thank you.

Washida: Congratulations!
(Applause)

MC: Congratulations, Mr. Ise!

Ise: Thank you very much. This is my first time receiving flowers from kids (laugh). Prof. Washida said "It's like a bouquet for a Buddhist altar," so I will put this on the altar when I get home.

MC: Now that everything seems ready, let's welcome Mr. Endo on the screen.

(The Zoom screen shows Mr. Endo and Entoko members.)

MC: Down the bottom at right are Mr. Endo and his team.

Sugawara: Can you hear me?

MC: Yes, we can. OK, Mr. Ise and Prof. Washida, could you please start the talk with the microphones?

Endo (words transmitted via Kusakabe): Hello.

Ise: Let's see, Endo, Mr. Taniguchi, Mr. Sugawara, and Mr. Kusakabe over there? Is that right?

Team Entoko: Yes.

Ise: They are the care workers who appeared in the film and Endo Shigeru, the featured one. This is Professor Washida.

Washida: Hello.

Endo: Hello.

Taniguchi: Can you hear me?

Washida: Yes, we can hear you well. I've seen you, Mr. Endo, 50 or 60 times, but this is your first time to see me (laugh). Yeah. It's really nice to meet you.

Ise: Well, Prof. Washida saw another film which also featured Mr. Endo, titled "Entoko" 20 years ago. It impressed him a great deal, and that's how the relationship between Prof. Washida and me began. I also heard that the leader of Kokopelli, Mr. Osami, who organized this film festival felt a great empathy with the film, and that led him to start his current activities. The movie "Entoko" has had such powerful influence on many people (laugh).
(To Endo) You said you had something you would definitely like to say today. Can you bring it up now?

Endo: Well, it's not a word from my side, but in fact some questions about the film.

Ise: Nothing difficult to answer?

Endo: No. May I?

Ise: Sure.

Endo: Well, you put my tanka poems here and there in the film. What is the purpose of that? This is my first question.

Ise: Oh, the reason why I placed your tankas in the film? I think it was 5 or 6 years ago when I read or heard your tankas for the first time. Surely not such a long time ago, because at the time of the previous film "Entoko", you were not really a tanka poet. So, then, I thought that Endo must make tankas out of the same feeling as mine for my making movies.
I also felt your tankas showed the fact that you and your young helpers obviously keep misunderstanding each other stupendously rather than understanding. I found it wonderful. I guess that's what Mr. Taniguchi said about "standing beside". I mean, it's not that we are "getting along well together" or that we "understand each other well", but despite every misunderstanding which often occurs, you are always beside each other, exchanging words closely from mouth to ear, and you actually are linked that way. That moved me... I thought like, "Oh, I like it. Tanka will tell the story of Endo and his care workers." I really think so, seriously.

Endo was two years senior to me in college, majoring in Japanese literature. He was a totally literary man. And he still is.
By contrast, the young guys standing beside him are not literary types at all, but more of the conversational world. They do not fit into the classical literature. Endo on the other hand, does not understand their modern conversations. I truly sympathized with the fact that you are able to connect with each other while clashing.
Prof. Washida, could you share with us some of your impressions of the film?

Washida: I think Mr. Endo is a mentor to the core. Even though he can't go to school, is bedridden, and needs help to do all kinds of things, he continues to teach, support people, and push them forward. He has been doing that sort of work all his life.
More than 20 years ago, when I first saw the previous movie, I also had a chance to read a daily-report notebook by Entoko staff, in which I found two opposite perspectives. What they would usually write in that notebook was not only the daily reports which needed to be shared but also the things they felt during the day, even resentment against Mr. Endo. They in fact wrote whatever they wanted to put out! (laugh) In that notebook, there were two comments which came from the polar opposites.
One wrote like this, "Mr. Endo listened to me, waiting for each word I uttered. He lent his ear to my stories which would make other people treat me lightly or with mockery. This compassion of his made me happy."
Then another one wrote, "I'm actually glad you have a speech impediment." I was perplexed when I first read it, like "What?!". Then I went reading the following sentence; "Because of it, I try to listen to every word from you with all my might." That is what he still keeps trying.
In other words, the first one was "happy to be listened to" and another was "happy to be able to listen." What he meant was "I was encouraged by the discovery that I also had the ability to listen to others sincerely with interest."
Once those who needed to be listened to and supported join Mr. Endo's team, they would turn themselves on their heads and shift to "trying to listen ". And they do it for all they are worth. I think this is the greatest aspect of this school.

Ise: That was a while after you had written the book "The Power of Listening." I was so moved by the book and wrote to you, it was like a love letter (laugh).
Today, just before this show, we talked about your new book, the title is... well... bare skin...

Washida: No, no, not bare skin, bare hands.

Ise: It is "The Behavior with Bare Hands", not "bare skin." (laugh) It's a new, beautiful book by Mr. Washida, published in paperback. We were saying that it was as if the book had predicted today's situation (of the COVID-19) and implied a certain message for this age.

I myself made "Songs of Entoko" last year. But watching this film or having people watch it under the current circumstances is quite a thing. I feel as if the filmmaker had anticipated the present situations. That's not the case at all, though (laugh).
In a sense, all of us are hurt and inevitably ponder many problems amid this pandemic. I feel that this movie was born to motivate people to think what "standing beside each other" means, instead of one being beside the other; as I mentioned earlier in this conversation. To be honest, I can't help admiring this movie, even though it is my own work (laugh).

Movies, books, and music might be trying to send us messages for the future, or the time we are going to live. Of course, only the good works.
By the way, what was that song by Mr.Taniguchi, a punk rocker? You sang it in the film.

Taniguchi: "Song to realize the society of togetherness."

Ise: (laugh) That's also, probably, a song about the future, right?

MC: I'm afraid the closing time is approaching. I heard that Mr. Endo and the others will sing "The united people will never be defeated" at the end. Are you ready to start?

Taniguchi: Yes.

MC: OK, the floor is yours!
(Mr. Endo and his team sing )

Taniguchi: Thank you very much!

MC: Thank you very much, Mr. Endo and the team.
(Applause)

MC: We miss the time with Mr. Endo and the others, but now, we'd like to move on to the next. Thank you very much, Mr.Ise and Professor Washida, for a splendid time of precious talk.

Ise/Washida: Thank you very much.
(Applause)

MC: OK, then, we’d say Goodbye, Mr. Endo and you all.
(Applause)

Perfomance of "The united people will never be defeated" and "Entoko-bushi" by ‘NAI!’

MC: Now we welcome the band ‘NAI!’ on the stage. They will play this song, "The united people will never be defeated" as well. Are you ready?

Konishi: Hi, everyone. We are ‘NAI!’
(Applause)

Konishi: Thank you all for coming today. We are now doing "The united people will never be defeated", which is the theme song of this movie "Songs of Entoko"
(Preparing)

Konishi: Well, seems ready. Now, we are rolling!

El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido,
El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido,
El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido,
El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido.
(Play)

Konishi: Thank you again, everyone, thank you, thank you for coming over to this event today.
Now, it’s time to unleash all we truly feel from the bottom of our heart!
First, it’s my go! Raise our pay! Give us a seasonal bonus, Kokopelli!

 Now you know how to do it? OK, let’s go. OK! OK! Come on, violin! Violin, OK!
(Play)

(Finishes playing)
Konishi: Thank you.
(Applause)

Konishi: Thank you, Endo-san. I myself was once in the team of ‘Entoko’ with them for more than a year. So today’s event reminds me of the beautiful days back then. Our next and last song ‘ Entoko-bushi (bushi: tune, rhythm)’ is for you, Endo-san. OK, let’s go, ‘ Entoko-bushi’!
(Play)

Konishi: Thank you very much. Well, hope each of you will have a wonderful, wonderful, super-wonderful day! Good-bye, We are ‘NAI!’
(Applause)

MC: Thank you, all of ‘NAI!’, for a really awesome performance.