😎白紙の弔辞 | Tamori's Message to Akatsuka-Sensei😎

　タモリさんの赤塚不二夫先生への白紙の弔辞。英語で全訳。
　以前、部分訳を投稿したことがありますが、今回は全訳してみました。随時、推敲を重ねていきたいと思っています。

原文はこちら(↓)

A message written with no letters : Tamori's last message to Akatsuka Fujio Sensei

  I heard on the second of August that you passed away. You have suffered from your disease for as long as six years and I've heard you were slightly recovering from it. I really felt sad to hear that you passed away. 

 It may safely be said that our generation was the first generation that was influenced by your works. 

 Our generation fervently accepted and appreciated your works and the peculiar characters that had never existed before. Our adolescence was all colored by Akatsuka Fujio. 

 Some years later after I knew about your works I left Kyushuu and went to Tokyo in order to become a comedian. When I was showing my performance at a small bar located in Kabuki-cho, you suddenly appeared in front of me. I still vividly remember the scene of your first appearance. 
  That is Akatsuka Fujio. That's Akatsuka looking at me. You appeared in the presence of me so suddenly that I could not even be surprised.  
  When I finished my performance, you came to me and said, " You are funny. You had better be a comedian. I strongly hope that you will show your performance in my TV program in the end of August. I hope that you will live in my residence because you may have no place to live in. 
 You made no small decision that would influence both your life and mine on the spot, which terribly surprised me. 

  Since then, we have begun to be in intimate terms with each other. In earlier days when we knew each other, we would get together at Hitomizushi in Shinjuku and we would often talk about this and that in a loud voice far into the night. You told me a lot about various themes such as comedies, movies, paintings and the like. I learned a lot from you. What you told me still remains in my heart as maxims and even now your words greatly help me in doing my work. 
  Akatsuka Sensei is very modest and kind. When we played board game, you would never win the game. You were very much afraid of winning it because you didn't want to disappoint others. I have never seen you winning a game. 

 Your kindness was based upon your strong belief. You looked up to all people. You were often betrayed because of your belief in others. There were times when you were seriouly damaged, losing a lot of money. But I have never heard you say you regret being betrayed and that you hate those who betrayed you. 
  I felt as if you had been my father. I felt as if you had been my older brother, and I also felt as if you had been a brother much younger than I was because your smile was as innocent as innocent could be. 

 Your life was all filled with gags. When Tako-chan passed away, you were laughing heartily, shedding big drops of tears. Just before his cremation, you hit him on the forehead and said " What a fool !! You are foolish enough to die an early death" and you began to cry again. 
You dispelled sadness by laughter. 

 Your belief is that you should positively accept every event and every existence as it is. This belief of yours leads us to escape from this world dominated by heaviness of words, and it lessens our heavy burden and breaks the context of time, making us feel the atmosphere surrounding us lighter. You successfully expressed your idea concisely.
 That is " This is good. " 

 Now I am thinking of various events and the scenes we experienced together. We have spent January 1st in Karuizawa some times. Another time we had a good time in Izu. We once visited a foreign country. Every time I was with you, I had a good time that I had never imagined before. The last place we visited together was Kyoto. We saw the fire of the five mountains in Kyoto. Never will I be able to forget your gentle smile for the rest of my life, for I felt as if your smile had meant all things we went through were good. 

 In this moment I feel that you are looking at me somewhere a bit higher than here with a smile, resting your chin in your hands and sitting like Dharma. 
  You must be telling me " Make people laugh by your speech if you are a comedian at all." You might think dying is nothing but a gag. Never have I dreamed the first speech in my life that I make in a funeral will be for you. 
  I have never told you "Thank you" although you helped me a lot. The reason for this is that I hate the atmosphere that makes me feel as if we were after all totally different from each other in saying thank you to you. I wanted to believe we were strongly tied and our relationship outweighs parentship. I've heard it said that you agreed with my opinion. But now, please allow me to express my thanks. 

Akatsuka Sensei, I don't know how to express my thanks. I am grateful and I owe you. Thank you very much. 

The seventh of August of  the 20th year of Heisei

Morita Kazuyoshi