A LOT OF TAROT

A Lot of tarot

Code No. : 4-7765-1130-4 → current ISBN 978-4776511304
Composition : 22 sheets
Author and Creator : RITA-JAY
Publishing : Nihonbungakukan co,ltd.
Publication date : September 1, 2006

• A postcard book of picture postcards depicting the Major Arcana of the tarot.

This book is a postcard book of picture postcards with the motif of Tarot's Major Arcana. Perhaps because drawn as pictures sent to others, all of pictures of the back of those postcards have a very joyful impression with bright colors used a lot of primary colors and a contemporary and pop touch. A stamp mark, the creator name and the book name are printed on the front side, and the number, name, and concise message of each picture are written at the bottom, too. All those messages are spoken by the main character of each picture cheerful, but have a content with irony casually. Of course their contents are accorded to the meaning of each card, so if you know the tarot, you will find those ironies more interesting.

The "DEATH" in such a postcard book has a picture of a skeleton playing a scythe-shaped stringed instrument surrounded by dismembered corpses. The skeleton as the death god, corpses and around them are painted based on yellow, the background is painted based on red, and they have a bright and cheerful impression, not a sad and dark impression. Also, the message on the front side of the card says "although I treat your lives lightly, thereby you throw away your body and make your soul lighter, so it's okay, right?", in addition to that, a man and a woman who became corpeses are laughing, so I feel this picture is even too carefree and cheerful further.

What kind of situation would the creator have drawn to convince us that such a cheerful and even happy picture is a picture of "Death" or "Death God"? I'm going to think about that.

To die with a smile is, in a sense, an ideal death, probably. Perhaps it is the end of a person who is satisfied when looking back on his own way of life, such as having accomplished something or having a mediocre but sufficiently happy life. In addition, it's also essential that he is ready to do and prepared in advance just enough before dying, rather than being unreasonably killed by someone or something, I think.

That's just my imagination. But, I think that may be pretty close to the scene the creator envisioned and tried to express as "ideal death" at the time of drawing. That's because the creator is the person who wrote the above message. He who is like that would be able to put a lot of irony and witticism into this picture, not draw his ideal death as it is. At least I feel that way.

Next, I'm going to think about what can be said "the death god" in the situation of that "ideal death".

I guess it's the passage of time. No matter how a healthy person who is even in the best environment cannot prevent aging. No matter who we are, our body will eventually weaken and we will reach the end of our life. This is the same in things and events. Even solid buildings will eventually decay or weather. Even the latest technology and theory will be overwritten by the backward ones that exceed them, and will be no longer needed to people eventually. Thinking like this, you will be able to feel "the passage of time" is "the death god" that brings death to all things equally, won't you?

Below, I will write additional things that I would like to say at this chance.
I hope "the death gods" other than "the passage of time" disappear from the human society around the world. May we be able to build a society where people can help each other, without anyone killing anyone. May all the nations be one in which no one threatens the lives of others at the command of someone else. May everyone be able to sleep with peace of mind and to be awakened with hope and joy, in everyday. I sincerely wish and pray for these.

＊＊＊ in Japanese ＊＊＊

A LOT OF TAROT

コード：4-7765-1130-4 → 現在のISBN 978-4776511304
構　成：22枚
著　作：リタ・ジェイ
出　版：日本文学館
発行日：2006年9月1日

• タロットの大アルカナを描いた絵ハガキのポストカードブックです

DEATH　死神

　この本はタロットの大アルカナをモチーフにした絵ハガキのポストカードブックです。他人に送るものとして制作されたからでしょう、裏面の絵は原色を多用した明るい色使いと現代的でポップなタッチとで、非常に明るく楽しげな印象のものばかりです。表面には切手マークと作家名と書籍名が印刷されており、そして最下部には各絵の番号と名称、メッセージも簡潔に記されています。メッセージはどれも、各絵のメインモチーフが陽気に語る、だけどさり気なく皮肉を混ぜ込んだ内容となっています。もちろん各カードの意味に沿ったものなので、タロットを知っていれば皮肉がより面白く感じられます。
　そんなポストカードブックの「DEATH」には、バラバラ死体に囲まれて大鎌型の弦楽器を奏でる骸骨が描かれています。死神である骸骨と死体とその周辺は黄色、背景は赤色をベースに描かれていて、悲壮な暗さではなく明るく陽気な印象があります。また、表側のメッセージには「おれはおまえらの命を気軽に扱ってるけどな、おまえらは肉を捨てて身軽になれるからいいだろ、な。」とあり、死体となった男女が笑っていることと併せてみると、この絵がさらにお気楽で陽気すぎるように感じられます。
　こんな陽気で幸福感すら漂う「死」あるいは「死神」の絵は、どんな状況ならば成立するのでしょう？
　「笑って死ねる」というのは、ある意味、理想的な死でしょう。何かをやり遂げたとか、平凡ながら充分に幸福な人生だったとか、自らの生き様を振り返った時に満足できる人が迎える最期なのではないでしょうか。加えて、誰かもしくは何かによって理不尽に命を奪われるのではなく、自分の死に対してあらかじめ過不足なく覚悟や準備もできていたという要素も欠かせないと思います。
　これは、私が想像したことにすぎません。しかし、作家が制作時に「理想の死」として思い描き、表現しようとした場面にかなり近いのではないかと思います。なぜなら、作家は上記のようなメッセージを書く人物なのです、幸福に満ちた最期をそのまま描かずに、皮肉と洒落をたっぷり混ぜ込むことでしょう。少なくとも私はそう感じました。
　この「理想の死」における「死神」と呼ぶべき存在は、何でしょう？
　私は「時の流れ」だと考えます。どんなに環境に恵まれた健康な人でも、老化は防げません。いずれは肉体が衰え、寿命が尽きる時を迎えます。これは物事についても同様に言えます。堅固な建造物もいずれ朽ちたり風化します。最新の技術や理論も、いずれそれらを超える後進のものに上書きされるなどして、必要とする人々が減っていく時がきます。このように考えると、「時の流れ」は万物に平等に死をもたらす「死神」だと感じられるでしょう。
　蛇足ながら、私は人間社会から「時の流れ」以外の「死神」が消えることを願います。人が人を殺めることなく、助け合える社会が築かれますように。誰もが何者かの命令で他人の生活を脅かすことのない国々ばかりになりますように。誰もが安心して眠り、希望や喜びとともに目覚められる日々を送れますように。心からそう願い、祈ります。