The song of Isaiahイザヤの詩 


Isaiah's Song

Watanabe Sadao made this series about The Song of Isaiah in the 1950s, presumably before 1957. As in all his early works the prints were made with black ink on washi. The series gives us some insight into the way Watanabe read and visualized the poetic Song of Isaiah. By the way, it is not just the text of Isaiah 35, 6-10, but also a Japanese hymn/chant that closely follows the text of the verses and ends with a doxology. The series testifies of a close reading of these verses, and the designs show a very personal reflection on these texts. Without the hiragana it would be difficult to recognize the designs as reflections on Isaiah’s song, so that’s probably why Watanabe added the verses. The series is concluded with a benediction, as in the hymn/chant, in a set of two prints. That concluding benediction is a strong indication that the hymn/chant was Watanabe's main inspiration for this series.


Standlee lantern slide collection

Most images in this series that are shown on this page are from the lantern slide collection of Earle and Mary Walker Standlee (Austin Seminary Archives in Austin, Texas, USA). Earle (1895-1988) and Mary Standlee (1906-1985) were in Japan from 1953 to 1957. During the three years in Japan Mary Walker Standlee, with a Japanese collaborator, wrote The Great Pulse (Rutland, VT, Tuttle, 1959), a short monograph on the history of medicine, midwifery and obstetrics in Japan. She also had contact with Watanabe Sadao in that period.


A Talent for God

Mary Standlee wrote an article about Watanabes art: A Talent For God. Presbyterian Survey 47, no. 9 (September 1957): 22-25. An image of the Isaiah print “The thirsty land springs of water” illustrated the article.

She wrote: “Watanabe-san asserts stoutly that his work is not symbolic, that it is purely his spiritual reaction to favorite Biblical themes, and that it defies analysis.” About the Isaiah prints she wrote: “The harmony of man with nature is shown by indirection, and gruesome visual stimuli are avoided, such as desolate swamps or arid deserts. Further, the balance of figures is, especially in the Isaiah series, often more important to the artist than the subject. He uses birds, flowers, and trees to tell the story rather than to supplement it. In the Isaiah series the familiar bamboo, of mystical significance as well as practical value in the folk life of Japan, is used freely.”


The prints and their texts

The size of the sheets is approx. 16 x 13 inches or 40 x 32 cms. The size of the printed area is approx. 32 x 11 inches or 32 x 27 cms. 

The verses of Isaiah 35, 6-10, on the prints are in hiragana.  The hiragana is written in the historical kana orthography (旧仮名遣), the official way of writing before 1946. The hiragana below the images is 'as read' on the prints.

The full text of the verses of Isaiah 35 and the text of the hymn are at the end of this page. The Japanese text is taken from the Japanese Living Bible and the English text from the New King James version.


Acknowledgements

For reading the hiragana on the prints and her support:  Watanabe Junko 渡辺 順子, Tokyo.

For the images: Austin Seminary Archives, Stitt Library, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Austin, Texas, USA 

あれのにみつはわきて

For waters shall break forth in the wilderness

イザヤ/Isaiah 35, 6

さはくにかわもなかれむ


Streams in the desert


イザヤ/Isaiah 35, 6

うるほひなきちはみつのみなもととかはらむ

The burning sand shall become a pool

イザヤ/Isaiah 35, 7a 

やけたるすなちはいけとなりて

The thirsty ground springs of water

イザヤ/Isaiah 35, 7b 

のいぬのふしたるすみかすらも

The haunt of jackals shall become a swamp

イザヤ/Isaiah 35, 7c 

よしあしのしけりあふところとなるらむ

The grass shall become reeds and rushes

イザヤ/Isaiah 35,7d 

かしこにおほちありて

And a highway shall be there

イザヤ/Isaiah 35, 8a 

そのみちはきよきみちとよはれむ

And it shall be called the Holy Way

イザヤ/Isaiah 35, 8b 

けかれたるものはこゝをすくるにたえ

The unclean shall not pass over it

イザヤ/Isaiah 35, 8c 

これをあゆむものはおろかなりともまよふことあらし


And fools shall not err therein

イザヤ/Isaiah 35, 8d 

かしこにししもをらす

No lion shall be there

イザヤ/Isaiah 35, 9a 

あらきけものもそのみちにのほることあらし

Nor shall any ravenous beast come upon it

イザヤ/Isaiah 35, 9b 

そこにてわさはひにあふことあらす

They shall not be found there

イザヤ/Isaiah 35, 9c 

たゝあかなはれたるものゝみそこをあゆまむ

But the redeemed shall walk therein

イザヤ/Isaiah 35, 9d 

エホハにあかなひすくはれしものは

And the ransomed of the Lord

イザヤ/Isaiah 35, 10a 

うたうたひつゝシオンにかへりきたらむ

Shall return and come to Zion with singing

イザヤ/Isaiah 35, 10a 

うたうたひつゝシオンにかへりきたらむ

Come to Zion with singing

イザヤ/Isaiah 35, 10b 

そのみにとこしへのよろこひをまとはむ

And everlasting joy upon their heads

イザヤ/Isaiah 35, 10c 

たのしみとよろこひとにみちて

They shall obtain joy and gladness

イザヤ/Isaiah 35, 10d 

かなしみとなけきとはあとをかくさむ

And sorrow and sighing shall flee away

  イザヤ/Isaiah 35, 10e 

せんのうのかみに すくひぬしに なくさめぬしに

Almighty God, the Savior, and the Comforter 

むかしなからのみいつ ときはかきはにあれや

The glory be on him everlasting 

イザヤ書35 


6 荒野には泉がわき、砂漠には川が流れます。



7 乾いた地は池となり、

日照りのために地割れした所から水がわき上がります。

荒野の山犬の住みかは、葦やいぐさの茂みになります。



8 かつては荒野だった所に主要道が通ります。

それは「聖なる道」と呼ばれ、

心の汚れた者は通れません。

神が共に歩むので、

どんなに愚かと言われる人でも道に迷いません。



9 道にライオンが潜んでいることもなく、

危険な目に会うこともありません。

罪を赦された者だけが、そこを通ります。



10 彼らは喜び歌いながら、

この道を通ってシオンへ帰るのです。

悲しみもため息もみな過去のものとなります。

あるのは、喜びと楽しみだけです。


Isaiah 35


6. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,

And streams in the desert.

 

7. The parched ground shall become a pool,

And the thirsty land springs of water;

In the habitation of jackals, where each lay,

There shall be grass with reeds and rushes.

 

8. A highway shall be there, and a road,

And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.

The unclean shall not pass over it,

But it shall be for others.

Whoever walks the road, although a fool,

Shall not go astray.

 

9. No lion shall be there,

Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it;

It shall not be found there.

But the redeemed shall walk there.

 

10. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,

And come to Zion with singing,

With everlasting joy on their heads.

They shall obtain joy and gladness,

And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Hymn/chant 585


讃美歌(Hymns) Published by 日本基督教団出版局

(The Board of Publications, The United Church of Christ in Japan) in 1954.


The texts on the prints are from the 1931 edition (hymn/chant 585).


1. あれの に みず は わきて

   さばく に かわ も ながれん.

   やけたる すなち はいけ となりて

   うるおい なき ち はみず の みなもと と かわらん.

 

2. のいぬ の ふしたる すみか すら も

   あし よし の しげり あう ところ と なるらん

   かしこ に おおじ ありて

   その みち はきよき みち と よばれん.

 

3. けがれたる もの はここをすぐる に たえず

   これをあゆむ もの は, おろか なり とも まよう こと--あらじ

   かしこ に しし も おらず

   あらき けもの も その みち に, のぼる こと あらじ.

 

4. そこ にて わざわい に あう ことあらず

   ただ あがなわれた もの のみ, そこを あゆまん

   しゅ に あがない すくわれし もの は

   うたい つつ しおん に かえり きたらん.

 

5. うたい つつ しおん に かえり きたらん

   その み に とこしえ の よろこび を まとわん

   たのしみ と よろこび と に みちて

   かなしみ と なげき と は, あとを かくさん.

 

   ぜんのう の かみ に

   すくいぬし に, なぐさめぬし に

   むかし ながら の みいつ

   とわ に たえせず あれや.