Athlete Brains: Dai Tamesue's "Fluid Pacing" vol.23

A serial interview column where Mr. Dai Tamesue freely discusses "things on his mind right now." The only set theme is "What is autonomy? What is tolerance?" Mr. Tamesue shares his thoughts on various "things on his mind" in response to the mysterious "interviewer's" unexpected prompts. Well then. What kind of stories will emerge this time...? Stay tuned.

──The editorial team set this oddball theme: "What is transparency?" This will be the final installment.

Tamesue: Thank you for having me.

──Last time, you discussed "transparency" from a perspective very characteristic of you, focusing on physical movement. For this final installment, we'd like you to explore "transparency" from the angle of spirituality, specifically the unique spirituality of the Japanese people. How does that sound?

Tamesue: As usual, you're throwing me a curveball (laughs). Speaking of spirituality, there's the "Shikinen Sengū" at Ise Shrine, right?

──The ritual where the shrine is relocated every 20 years...

Tamesue: Exactly. My foreign friends find that utterly baffling. They ask two things: Why would Japan, a global technological powerhouse since ancient times, build structures using wood that's bound to rot? And why go to the trouble of rebuilding them? Plus, they say, "Japanese people love new cars, right?"

──Ise Shrine and cars. That's a curious comparison.

Tamematsu: What struck me then was that Japanese people value a "purified state." The opposite of "impurity," I suppose. When you shed everything—your ego, your past—you're filled with a certain kind of happiness.

──New Year's temple visits are like that too, right? Oh, and Japanese people's love of baths is similar.

Tametsu: To take an extreme example, I think samurai ritual suicide (seppuku) is similar. Selflessness, perhaps? A state where even hopes and desires are discarded, leaving the mind utterly clear. Of course, there were various circumstances involved, like protecting the family line.

──But that spirituality, or DNA that values "transparency," definitely remains. Otherwise, you can't explain why the Akō rōnin are still beloved today.

Tamura: To that aspect of the heart, "transparency" is added. Transparency, in other words, means "few contradictions." If that's the case, regardless of whether it's good or bad, it meshes well with totalitarianism.

──I see. I hadn't realized the theme of "transparency" could lead to that conclusion.

Tamura: Increased "transparency" itself isn't inherently bad. But when "control" or "punishment" enters the picture, society as a whole instantly becomes tense. Both the student movements and wartime demanded "purity of motive" intensely.

──I see, I see. Companies are the same, aren't they? "Open corporate culture" or "highly transparent management" are things that are not only perfectly fine but should be welcomed. But the moment you're told, "To achieve this, you must do this, and you must not do that," it suddenly feels stifling.

Tamesue: I'm no political expert, and I don't feel the need to support or oppose any particular -ism. But I do think that the higher the transparency, the easier it becomes to express things in numbers and analyze them with machines. Take AI (artificial intelligence), for example. From AI's perspective, the more massive amounts of analyzable data it has, the happier it is. That delicate human touch, that "just right" balance we ask for, is incredibly difficult to quantify.

──I see. When setting the theme of "transparency" this time, what suddenly came to mind was a kyōka poem from the Edo period. The verse goes: "In Shirakawa's clear waters, even fish find it hard to dwell; they long for the murkiness of Tanuma." It's a satire mocking Matsudaira Sadanobu, who hailed from the Shirakawa domain and enforced strict discipline through the Kansei Reforms after Tanuma Okitsugu—known for his corrupt politics—fell from power. I suppose I'm more of a Tanuma supporter myself (laugh).

Tametsu: I suppose we shouldn't get too fixated on just raising transparency metrics. What's truly important isn't always quantifiable.

──Hearing that from you, Tamesue-san, who pursued fractions of a second during your active career, somehow makes me happy.

Tamesue: People don't live just for numbers (laughs). An acquaintance once complimented me, saying, "Tamesue-san, you can chat reasonably well with anyone. That's your strength, isn't it?" I consider that the highest praise. Isn't that "reasonably well" part just perfect?

──Exactly. And it's precisely because you're that kind of person, Tamesue-san, that you've been able to "get along reasonably well" with this series. Looking forward to the next interview as well (laughs).

Tamesue: Likewise (laughs).

(Interviewer: Web Dentsu Inc. Editorial Department)

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From Hibi, Athlete Brains Production Team

While increased transparency itself is good, adding control and punishment suddenly makes it stifling. An open corporate culture and transparent management seem like absolute good. But in reality, they aren't. Athletes have the power to bring unexpected insights to things we take for granted. That charming "pretty well" conclusion was spot-on—that sense of "pretty well" is truly exquisite. It is precisely because it is "just right" that one can unleash their full potential in every domain. When told to "create innovation," people tend to tense up. To generate such new combinations of wisdom (innovation), athletes surprisingly value being "just right." Couldn't this be an "interesting move"?

Athlete Brains Production Team Dentsu Inc. / Akinori Hibi (3CRP) · Genta Arahori (Late Bureau)

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Athlete Brains, led by Dai Tamesue.
For details on this team that connects the knowledge cultivated by athletes to solving challenges in the world (businesses and society), click here.