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Understanding the spirit of “Gambatte” with former
Ontario Cabinet Minister David Tsubouchi
XI CHEN
Contributor
racism and bullying at school to “go back and
punch someone in the nose.” A youthful David,
while small in stature, did as he was told but
was beaten up for standing up to his bully. The
senior Mr. Tsubouchi then told him to “go back
and punch someone in the nose.” This cycle of
abuse and retaliation continued for two weeks
until a battle-ready David finally drew blood.
The bullying stopped and a lesson in perseverance was taught and learned.
On Monday September 30, the Distinguished
Speakers Series (DSSOC) and the Asian Law
Students of Osgoode (ALSO) invited Mr. David
Tsubouchi, a former Ontario cabinet minister
and Osgoode alumnus, to the school to speak
about his fascinating life experiences and his
recently published memoir. Over the course of
two hours, Mr. Tsubouchi shared stories from
both his personal past and the more distant
memories of his parents and grandpar ents.
Although the narrative spanned half a century,
his message was loud and clear: adversity, big
and small, must be combated with perseverance. For him, this means with the spirit of
Gambatte, a Japanese word meaning to do one’s
best in life.
The need to persevere through adversity is of
course a universal truth. To live a successful
life is to do so with determination and resolve.
However, the true value of Mr. Tsubouchi’s
message lives in what is lost in translation.
Although Mr.Tsubouchi was never a teacher
by trade, 25 years of political experience built
upon a successful career in law has made him a
natural storyteller. His words flowed as easily
in conversation as they did when he read from
his memoir. And with his words, he took us to
World War II: what we know to be the Japanese Internment, and what that meant for him
- the days when his family lost everything. Mr.
Tsubouchi told us of his grandmother’s futile
attempts to free his grandfather from a mental
DAVID TSUBOUCHI
institution, where he lived out the rest of his
days after being transferred from a Prisoner
of War (POW) camp. Mr. Tsubouchi’s grandfather was not mentally insane or ever convicted of any crimes. Nevertheless, he died far
from home, without his loved ones or the rights
owed to him as a Canadian citizen. Mr. Tsubouchi reminded us that his story is not unique. A
generation of Japanese-Canadians endured the
trials of the Internment and the next generation
had to endure the aftermath.
Mr. Tsubouchi spoke of his father as his hero.
He referred to an episode in which the senior
Mr. Tsubouchi coached a young David facing
The nuance in Mr. Tsubouchi’s message lives
in the connection between these two stories.
Perseverance as defined by Mr. Tsubouchi’s
memories cannot simply be captured by “never
giving up” or “reaching for the stars.” Instead,
Gambatte is a culturalized understanding of
the world. It is the experience of three generations of Japanese-Canadians distilled into an
unyielding spirit against overwhelming odds.
This is why Mr. Tsubouchi began his story
with his grandparents. Because the genesis of
this maverick of Canadian politics, this champion of unpopular causes, and consummate
moral man, is inextricably tied to the JapaneseCanadians who came before him. He reminds
us that his story is not unique, but it is precisely the link between the collective memory
that shaped him and his personal worldview
that makes Gambatte so powerful. In his
memoir, Mr. Tsubouchi pays respect to those
who gave Gambatte meaning by continuing to
urge us to live extraordinary lives with incredible strength, humility, and with the desire to
always do one’s best.
Call for submissions for Osgoode’s first Research Symposium for JD students
SARA HANSON
Contributor
In law school, we are often focused on just getting through each semester. We pour our energies into our summaries and cramming for
exams, only to forget everything we learned the
moment the exam is over. The same mentality
often drives us through the paper writing process. In first year, 1Ls scramble to finish their
perspective option papers so they have time to
study. The upper year writing requirement is
yet another dreaded task for 2Ls and 3Ls who
are struggling to balance their course load or
stay interested in their work.
However, academic research is not a burden
for all students, and for those who previously
studied liberal arts, it can be a welcome escape
the obiter dicta
from the norm of 100% finals. Every year our
peers produce dozens of innovative papers on
developing areas of law. Once in a while a student may be encouraged by a professor to seek
publication, but for the most part, these papers
largely go unread once they have been graded.
papers, or any paper or case comment you submitted for an upper-year seminar or intensive
program. We also welcome submissions in a
non-traditional medium such as a video or any
other format that communicates what your
research is about.
Well folks, it’s time to go into those hard drives
and retrieve the papers that you never thought
would see the light of your computer screen
again. The Distinguished Speakers Series
Organizing Committee (DSSOC) is planning
Osgoode’s first ever research symposium for
JD students on February 12, 2014. The Symposium will be an opportunity for you to share the
research you are proud of with your colleagues.
You can submit first year perspective option
Please send your submissions to dssoc.
[email protected] by October 31, 2013.
Selections will be made by a student committee,
overseen by LLM students, and will be based
on the quality and originality of the research.
Students who are chosen to participate in the
symposium will be able to request funding to
assist with displaying their research. We look
forward to receiving your submissions.
tuesday - october 15 - 2013