Enduring Not to Give an Account of Oneself : A Practice in Ethics and Religion by a Victim of Minamata Disease(<Special Issue>Religion and Ethics)

Abstract

The inhabitants on the coast of the Shiranui Sea had sustained unfathomable suffering, which have continued until today even though five decades has passed since Minamata disease was officially recognized. Many people, including some supporters as well as individuals affected by the disease, have faced a severe ethical failure in their surroundings. We are convinced that there is naturally much to be learned from some of their written works, where their invaluable thoughts have been cultivated through the experience of this difficulty. We shall make it clear that a novel practice, on the basis of a subtle balance between ethics and religion, has been developed under the influence of the peculiar environment brought about by the incident. Such a peculiarity can be attributed to the essential lack of accounts of themselves by the people who have been confronted with ethical failure. For evidence, we will consider the ethical consciousness shared by the members of the "Circle of Hongan," a loosely bound organization of interested victims. In particular, we will find thought-provoking discourse by a main member of the organization in his written works.