Ninomiya Kazunari's "It" (More), June 2012
Transcription and translation by me. Please credit if using!
You can find the scan/translation index for this column here.
第４２回：母なる場所
42: Mother Place
「“普通の家族”ってものは、どこにあるんだろうね？」
"I wonder where a 'normal family' even exists."
５月はこどもの日と母の日がある。子どもの頃の家族との想い出は、もはや、おぼろげなのだと話す。
In May, there's Children's Day and Mother's Day. He talks about how childhood memories of his family are already hazy.
「家族で外出づることはほとんどなかったんだよね。オレ、外に出たくない子どもだったから（笑）、小さいころの写真も１０枚くらいしかない。親は共働きで、オレも中学生の時には、この世界で働いてた。ドラマの撮影があれば遅い時間に帰る生活だったから。家族で食卓を囲むことも日常じゃなかったしね。いわゆる普通じゃない、特殊な家庭環境だったんじゃないかなぁ。でも、不足を感じたこともない。家庭環境は生まれながらに与えられたものだから、よし悪しなんてないと思う。それを他人と比べるから、悩むんじゃないの？」
We didn't go out much as a family. Since I was the kind of kid who didn't want to go out (laugh), there are only about 10 photos of me from when I was little. Both my parents worked, and when I was in middle school, I entered this business. It was the kind of lifestyle where I'd come home late when I had drama filming. It wasn't an everyday thing for us to sit around the dinner table as a family either. You could say that it was an unusual, unique family environment. But I've never felt that it was insufficient. Your family environment is something given you're born and raised in, so I don't think there's such a thing as good or bad there. People only worry about it because they compare it to other people."
家族について話す言葉は、ドライに聞こえるけれど、そんなつもりはない。母の日は、ケーキや花をたずさえて実家へ帰ることも多い。
The words he uses to talk about his family sound indifferent, but that's not what he intends. He often goes home for Mother's Day, cake and flowers in hand.
「母親と仲がいいのか悪いのかは、わからないな。それもほかと比べられるものじゃないから。ただ、母親には、一生面倒見てもらうつもりでいるのは確か（笑）。出産は母親の意思でしょ。産んでくれたんだから、当然、最後まで守ってくれるだろうなと（笑）。それが母親ってものだし、“母性”ってやつだと思うから」
I don't know whether I'm close to my mom or not. I don't compare that to other people either. But what's definite is that I intend to have her take care of me for the rest of my life (laugh). My birth was my mother's will, after all. She gave birth to me, so of course she'll protect me till the end (laugh). I think that's what mothers are, and what 'motherhood' is."
ニノにとって“母性”とは、誰もが持ちえるものではないという。
Nino says that to him, 'motherhood' isn't something that everyone can have.
「オレの勝手に考える“母性”って、母親になった女性が自分の子ども抱くものであり、向けるもの。違うかもしれないけど、母になって初めてわき上がってくる本能なのかなと。だって、自分では母性本能が強いと思ってた女性が、実際に子どもを産んでみたら、面倒を見切れなくなる例もありうるでしょ。その逆もしかり。仕事ひとすじだった女性が、子どもを産んだら子煩悩になったりして・・・・・・。だから、独身の女の子が『私、母性が強いんだよね』ってアピールするのは、イマイチわからない。それは、単なる“世話好き”なんじゃないかって思うし、世話することで優位に立ちたいのかもって（笑）。男は、大人になっても母性を求め続けるマザコンだっていわれるけど、マザコンっていう言葉もしっくりこない。“母性”が好きなのは、男の一般的な特徴かもしれないけど、同じ母性を彼女に求めたりするかな？『母さんのみそ汁のほうがおいしいな』っていう男は、彼女に同じみそ汁を作ってほしいわけじゃなくて、彼女のみそ汁が好みじゃないだけかもしれない（笑）。それをマザコンのせいにするのは、単なる言い訳。男も女も、そういう“マザコン”みたいな安易な言葉で片づけちゃうから、根本的な問題が解決できないし、お互いのことがわからないままなんじゃないの？少なくともオレは、母性は母親にしか求めないし、いわゆるマザコンではないよ」
"The 'motherhood' that I've personally come to is when when a woman who's become a mother holds her own child and is fit for it. I'm probably wrong, but I think it's that instinct that wells up when a person becomes a mother. And see, there are cases when a woman who thinks she has strong maternal instincts actually has a child and can't take care of it completely, right? And then there's the opposite, when a woman who's devoted to her job gives birth to a child and becomes indulgent...... So I don't really understand single women who try to show off by saying, 'I'm strongly maternalistic.' I think that maybe they just like taking care of people, and they want to be prominent in caretaking (laugh). Men who even as adults continue to wish for motherhood are said to have Oedipus complexes, but I don't understand that word either. Liking motherhood might be a typical trait for men, but are they really asking for the same kind of motherhood from their girlfriends? Men who say, 'My mother's miso soup is better,' aren't expecting their girlfriends to make the same miso soup. Maybe they just don't like their girlfriends' miso soup (laugh). Blaming that on an Oedipus complex is just an excuse. Men and women both put it in that simple category of an 'Oedipus complex', but the fundamental problem can't be resolved that way, and the two of them are left still not understanding each other. Well, at the very least, I only ask for motherhood from my mother, and I don't have a so-called Oedipus complex."
それでも男の人は、彼女には母親に求めるように甘えたいし、自分を理解してほしいし、応援してほしいと願うものじゃないの？
But even then, don't men ask for things of their girlfriends like they ask of their mothers -- to be spoiled, to be understood, to have their support?
「そういう男の気持ちはわかるよ。でもオレは、そんな簡単に甘えたいとは思えない。甘えることも応援してもらうことも、同じことを自分がナチュラルにしてあげたいと思える女性じゃないと、こっちも求めちゃダメだろうって思うから。それに、自分がしてほしいと願ってたことを、全部してあげたいと思える女性にめぐりあった時はもう、相手に何かをしてほしいとは思わなくなると思う」
I understand men who feel that way. But I can't want to be spoiled that easily. Being spoiled, having support, if it's a woman who doesn't naturally want to offer that, you can't just ask that of her, I think. Besides, if you find a woman who wants to everything you want her to do for you, I think you'll stop wanting her to do anything."
無償の愛を求め続けている人も、自らの中にそれを感じた時、すでに満ち足りていることに気づくのだと。
He says that even for people searching for a love that asks for nothing in return, as soon as they feel that within themselves, they'll suddenly realize that they feel satisfied.
自分のために結婚しても安心できる家庭は生まれない
Even if I want to get married for myself, it won't create a home where I can have peace of mind.
「結婚して家庭をつくりたいか？と聞かれれば、いつかはね、って答えるよ。でも、まだリアルじゃない。正直、そこについて真剣に考えたり、将来を思い描いたことがないんだよね。結婚ってさ、たぶん、寂しいからするってこともあるでしょ。ひとりで生きるのは不安だから、安全な場所が欲しくて、みんな家族をつくろうとするのかなって。気持ちはわかるけど、“結婚”や“家族”をつくることを目標に生きていると、結局、自分本位なものになっちゃいそうで・・・・・・。自分のためだけに家族を求めても、家族のために生きられなければ、その家庭は心から安心できる場所になりえないのかもね」
"When I'm asked, 'Do you want to get married and have a family?' I answer, 'Someday.' But I don't really think that yet. Honestly, I've never seriously thought about that or mapped out my future. I think you probably get married because on some level you feel lonely. Living your life by yourself makes you uneasy, and you want a place you can feel safe, so everyone builds families. I understand those feelings, but if you're living with just 'marriage' and 'family' as your final goal, in the end, it seems like you're being selfish...... If you only make a family for your own sake, if you aren't able to live for your family, that home won't become a place where you can truly have peace of mind.
では、今のニノにとっての“安心できる場所”はどこにあるの？とたずねると、意外な答えが返ってきた。
Then for Nino now, where can he find peace of mind? When we asked him that, he gave us an unexpected answer.
「自分ちのベッドの中（笑）。何が起きてもおかしくない世界に生きているのに、そこではひとりで裸になって眠れるって、絶対的な安心感があるわけでしょ。一般的には安心できるのは家族とか母親のそばって答えるのが、理想郷なんだろうけどね。オレは、誰かに求めるよりも、自分の世界に安心を感じるなぁ」
"In my own bed (laugh). We're living in a world where anything can happen, but there I can lay myself bare and sleep. Isn't that the ultimate peace of mind? Typically people answer that they find peace of mind with their family or next to their mothers, but that's probably Utopia. For me, more than asking it of other people, I feel peace of mind in my own world."
+
Kazunari Ninomiya
１９８３年６月１７日、東京都生まれ。現在、映画『プラチナデータ』（来年公開予定）を撮影中のニノ。共演の豊川悦司さんの印象をたずねろと、「まだ、ほとんど絡みのシーンがないんだよね」と、心なしか寂しそう。毎日、ほぼひとりで逃走しているシーンの撮影をしているらしく、「アクションシーンも多いけど、運動神経のいい役柄じゃないから。いかにも“キメました”みたいなアクションじゃない、普通のヤツが偶然できた、みたいなアクションにするのが難しくて、面白いよ」
Born on June 17, 1983 in Tokyo. Nino is currently shooting the movie Platinum Data (set to release next year). When we ask him what his impression of his costar Toyokawa Etsushi-san is, he says, "We still haven't had many scenes together," seemingly lonely. Every day, it seems he's shooting scenes where he's mostly by himself just running. "There are a lot of action scenes, too, but it's not an athletic role. It's really not action where you be like, 'I nailed it.' Doing action where just a regular guy happens to be able to do something is difficult and interesting."
You can find the scan/translation index for this column here.
第４２回：母なる場所
42: Mother Place
「“普通の家族”ってものは、どこにあるんだろうね？」
"I wonder where a 'normal family' even exists."
５月はこどもの日と母の日がある。子どもの頃の家族との想い出は、もはや、おぼろげなのだと話す。
In May, there's Children's Day and Mother's Day. He talks about how childhood memories of his family are already hazy.
「家族で外出づることはほとんどなかったんだよね。オレ、外に出たくない子どもだったから（笑）、小さいころの写真も１０枚くらいしかない。親は共働きで、オレも中学生の時には、この世界で働いてた。ドラマの撮影があれば遅い時間に帰る生活だったから。家族で食卓を囲むことも日常じゃなかったしね。いわゆる普通じゃない、特殊な家庭環境だったんじゃないかなぁ。でも、不足を感じたこともない。家庭環境は生まれながらに与えられたものだから、よし悪しなんてないと思う。それを他人と比べるから、悩むんじゃないの？」
We didn't go out much as a family. Since I was the kind of kid who didn't want to go out (laugh), there are only about 10 photos of me from when I was little. Both my parents worked, and when I was in middle school, I entered this business. It was the kind of lifestyle where I'd come home late when I had drama filming. It wasn't an everyday thing for us to sit around the dinner table as a family either. You could say that it was an unusual, unique family environment. But I've never felt that it was insufficient. Your family environment is something given you're born and raised in, so I don't think there's such a thing as good or bad there. People only worry about it because they compare it to other people."
家族について話す言葉は、ドライに聞こえるけれど、そんなつもりはない。母の日は、ケーキや花をたずさえて実家へ帰ることも多い。
The words he uses to talk about his family sound indifferent, but that's not what he intends. He often goes home for Mother's Day, cake and flowers in hand.
「母親と仲がいいのか悪いのかは、わからないな。それもほかと比べられるものじゃないから。ただ、母親には、一生面倒見てもらうつもりでいるのは確か（笑）。出産は母親の意思でしょ。産んでくれたんだから、当然、最後まで守ってくれるだろうなと（笑）。それが母親ってものだし、“母性”ってやつだと思うから」
I don't know whether I'm close to my mom or not. I don't compare that to other people either. But what's definite is that I intend to have her take care of me for the rest of my life (laugh). My birth was my mother's will, after all. She gave birth to me, so of course she'll protect me till the end (laugh). I think that's what mothers are, and what 'motherhood' is."
ニノにとって“母性”とは、誰もが持ちえるものではないという。
Nino says that to him, 'motherhood' isn't something that everyone can have.
「オレの勝手に考える“母性”って、母親になった女性が自分の子ども抱くものであり、向けるもの。違うかもしれないけど、母になって初めてわき上がってくる本能なのかなと。だって、自分では母性本能が強いと思ってた女性が、実際に子どもを産んでみたら、面倒を見切れなくなる例もありうるでしょ。その逆もしかり。仕事ひとすじだった女性が、子どもを産んだら子煩悩になったりして・・・・・・。だから、独身の女の子が『私、母性が強いんだよね』ってアピールするのは、イマイチわからない。それは、単なる“世話好き”なんじゃないかって思うし、世話することで優位に立ちたいのかもって（笑）。男は、大人になっても母性を求め続けるマザコンだっていわれるけど、マザコンっていう言葉もしっくりこない。“母性”が好きなのは、男の一般的な特徴かもしれないけど、同じ母性を彼女に求めたりするかな？『母さんのみそ汁のほうがおいしいな』っていう男は、彼女に同じみそ汁を作ってほしいわけじゃなくて、彼女のみそ汁が好みじゃないだけかもしれない（笑）。それをマザコンのせいにするのは、単なる言い訳。男も女も、そういう“マザコン”みたいな安易な言葉で片づけちゃうから、根本的な問題が解決できないし、お互いのことがわからないままなんじゃないの？少なくともオレは、母性は母親にしか求めないし、いわゆるマザコンではないよ」
"The 'motherhood' that I've personally come to is when when a woman who's become a mother holds her own child and is fit for it. I'm probably wrong, but I think it's that instinct that wells up when a person becomes a mother. And see, there are cases when a woman who thinks she has strong maternal instincts actually has a child and can't take care of it completely, right? And then there's the opposite, when a woman who's devoted to her job gives birth to a child and becomes indulgent...... So I don't really understand single women who try to show off by saying, 'I'm strongly maternalistic.' I think that maybe they just like taking care of people, and they want to be prominent in caretaking (laugh). Men who even as adults continue to wish for motherhood are said to have Oedipus complexes, but I don't understand that word either. Liking motherhood might be a typical trait for men, but are they really asking for the same kind of motherhood from their girlfriends? Men who say, 'My mother's miso soup is better,' aren't expecting their girlfriends to make the same miso soup. Maybe they just don't like their girlfriends' miso soup (laugh). Blaming that on an Oedipus complex is just an excuse. Men and women both put it in that simple category of an 'Oedipus complex', but the fundamental problem can't be resolved that way, and the two of them are left still not understanding each other. Well, at the very least, I only ask for motherhood from my mother, and I don't have a so-called Oedipus complex."
それでも男の人は、彼女には母親に求めるように甘えたいし、自分を理解してほしいし、応援してほしいと願うものじゃないの？
But even then, don't men ask for things of their girlfriends like they ask of their mothers -- to be spoiled, to be understood, to have their support?
「そういう男の気持ちはわかるよ。でもオレは、そんな簡単に甘えたいとは思えない。甘えることも応援してもらうことも、同じことを自分がナチュラルにしてあげたいと思える女性じゃないと、こっちも求めちゃダメだろうって思うから。それに、自分がしてほしいと願ってたことを、全部してあげたいと思える女性にめぐりあった時はもう、相手に何かをしてほしいとは思わなくなると思う」
I understand men who feel that way. But I can't want to be spoiled that easily. Being spoiled, having support, if it's a woman who doesn't naturally want to offer that, you can't just ask that of her, I think. Besides, if you find a woman who wants to everything you want her to do for you, I think you'll stop wanting her to do anything."
無償の愛を求め続けている人も、自らの中にそれを感じた時、すでに満ち足りていることに気づくのだと。
He says that even for people searching for a love that asks for nothing in return, as soon as they feel that within themselves, they'll suddenly realize that they feel satisfied.
自分のために結婚しても安心できる家庭は生まれない
Even if I want to get married for myself, it won't create a home where I can have peace of mind.
「結婚して家庭をつくりたいか？と聞かれれば、いつかはね、って答えるよ。でも、まだリアルじゃない。正直、そこについて真剣に考えたり、将来を思い描いたことがないんだよね。結婚ってさ、たぶん、寂しいからするってこともあるでしょ。ひとりで生きるのは不安だから、安全な場所が欲しくて、みんな家族をつくろうとするのかなって。気持ちはわかるけど、“結婚”や“家族”をつくることを目標に生きていると、結局、自分本位なものになっちゃいそうで・・・・・・。自分のためだけに家族を求めても、家族のために生きられなければ、その家庭は心から安心できる場所になりえないのかもね」
"When I'm asked, 'Do you want to get married and have a family?' I answer, 'Someday.' But I don't really think that yet. Honestly, I've never seriously thought about that or mapped out my future. I think you probably get married because on some level you feel lonely. Living your life by yourself makes you uneasy, and you want a place you can feel safe, so everyone builds families. I understand those feelings, but if you're living with just 'marriage' and 'family' as your final goal, in the end, it seems like you're being selfish...... If you only make a family for your own sake, if you aren't able to live for your family, that home won't become a place where you can truly have peace of mind.
では、今のニノにとっての“安心できる場所”はどこにあるの？とたずねると、意外な答えが返ってきた。
Then for Nino now, where can he find peace of mind? When we asked him that, he gave us an unexpected answer.
「自分ちのベッドの中（笑）。何が起きてもおかしくない世界に生きているのに、そこではひとりで裸になって眠れるって、絶対的な安心感があるわけでしょ。一般的には安心できるのは家族とか母親のそばって答えるのが、理想郷なんだろうけどね。オレは、誰かに求めるよりも、自分の世界に安心を感じるなぁ」
"In my own bed (laugh). We're living in a world where anything can happen, but there I can lay myself bare and sleep. Isn't that the ultimate peace of mind? Typically people answer that they find peace of mind with their family or next to their mothers, but that's probably Utopia. For me, more than asking it of other people, I feel peace of mind in my own world."
+
Kazunari Ninomiya
１９８３年６月１７日、東京都生まれ。現在、映画『プラチナデータ』（来年公開予定）を撮影中のニノ。共演の豊川悦司さんの印象をたずねろと、「まだ、ほとんど絡みのシーンがないんだよね」と、心なしか寂しそう。毎日、ほぼひとりで逃走しているシーンの撮影をしているらしく、「アクションシーンも多いけど、運動神経のいい役柄じゃないから。いかにも“キメました”みたいなアクションじゃない、普通のヤツが偶然できた、みたいなアクションにするのが難しくて、面白いよ」
Born on June 17, 1983 in Tokyo. Nino is currently shooting the movie Platinum Data (set to release next year). When we ask him what his impression of his costar Toyokawa Etsushi-san is, he says, "We still haven't had many scenes together," seemingly lonely. Every day, it seems he's shooting scenes where he's mostly by himself just running. "There are a lot of action scenes, too, but it's not an athletic role. It's really not action where you be like, 'I nailed it.' Doing action where just a regular guy happens to be able to do something is difficult and interesting."