著者

橋内 武

出版者

桃山学院大学総合研究所

雑誌

人間文化研究 = Journal of Humanities Research,St.Andrew's University (ISSN:21889031)

巻号頁・発行日

no.14, pp.25-85, 2021-03-16

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After a struggle against revising the Leprosy Prevention Law(らい予防法)of 1953, a high school for young patients was founded at Aiseien Sanatorium, Nagashima Island, Setouchi City, Okayama Prefecture in September,1955. The school was named Niirada Branch, Oku High School(邑久高校新良田教室). It was officially managed by the Okayama educational authorities, staffed by the local teachers, and financially supported by the JapaneseGovernment.Students from all over Japan entered the school, boarding at Aiseien, andattending classes four periods a day for four years. Each class had up to 30students, with enrollment steadily declining. The high school branch closedin March, 1987, with a total of 307 graduates over 32 years. Now there remains a school monument at the site.Because the Leprosy Prevention Law regarded Hansen's disease patientsas the source of a 'terrible infectious disease', sanatorium authorities disinfected the patients' body and personal effects on their arrival at the lonesomeisland colony. The law enforced its isolation policy not only by sending themto the remote sanatorium but also by discriminating against them within thepremises, dividing the patient quarter from the non-patient quarter. The highschool classrooms were in the patient quarter.Most school teachers actually had a strong prejudice and discriminatedagainst the patient students. Being afraid of Hansen's disease infection, theteachers wore 'prevention gowns' to go to the classrooms. They taught their subjects always on the platform without coming down to the student level.There was clearly physical and psychological distance between teachers andstudents.On the other hand, the patient students were not allowed to enter theteachers' room in the non-patient quarter. In order to meet an individualteacher, a student had to ring the bell at the entrance several times likeMorse code. Then the teacher came out of their room to converse with thestudent. This was thought to be a form of prejudice and discriminationagainst such students. Thus they asked the head teacher to change the system. There were several debates between both camps. The bell system waseventually abandoned in 1973 so that the students could enter the teachers'space for consultation.Based on the above story, a movie entitled 'Listen to the Bell Ringing'(「ベルの音が聞こえる」)was made by a group of Okayama citizens underthe direction of YAMAMOTO Mamoru(山本守). They were all amateur actors who either auditioned or volunteered. After over a year of filming, theycompleted the production, and began showing the movie in Setouchi City inthe winter of 2020. The film is now expected to be shown at several leprosysanatoria and educational institutions all over Japan so as to enlighten thepeople about the basic human rights regarding prejudice and discriminationagainst the Hansen's disease patients and their families.