2013.10.14
The Seishin School Crest｜Kate Bowes｜英文エッセイ32
英語英文学科
英語英文学科 リレーエッセイ 外国（語）の話
【第32回】 2013年11月
The Seishin School Crest
Kate Bowes
Recently, sitting at a ceremony, I glanced at my program and my attention was caught by the emblem for the Notre Dame School Family in Japan. Emblems are generally small and perhaps because we see them often, we don't often look at them very carefully. Many Japanese mon are instantly recognisable but Western style emblems might not be so familiar to you.
When I look closely at our emblem I can see clues to some of our university's local and global roots. Perhaps you already know that our university was established by some brave American sisters in the early 20th century, working with Japanese people in Okayama? Our emblem is a kind of map even deeper into our history. In it you can see connections with Europe, especially France. You can also see strong connections with Christian culture, and especially to our great woman of power: Mary, the mother of Jesus. Seishin schools have deep connections to both France and the east coast of the United States, because this is where many of the extended family of St. Julie Billiart continue to live and work. Of course, the family is actually spread all over the world! In every continent you can find Sisters of Notre Dame!
I want to introduce to you, in this essay, to the way these images connect to our university's identity.
【第32回】 2013年11月
The Seishin School Crest
Kate Bowes
Recently, sitting at a ceremony, I glanced at my program and my attention was caught by the emblem for the Notre Dame School Family in Japan. Emblems are generally small and perhaps because we see them often, we don't often look at them very carefully. Many Japanese mon are instantly recognisable but Western style emblems might not be so familiar to you.
When I look closely at our emblem I can see clues to some of our university's local and global roots. Perhaps you already know that our university was established by some brave American sisters in the early 20th century, working with Japanese people in Okayama? Our emblem is a kind of map even deeper into our history. In it you can see connections with Europe, especially France. You can also see strong connections with Christian culture, and especially to our great woman of power: Mary, the mother of Jesus. Seishin schools have deep connections to both France and the east coast of the United States, because this is where many of the extended family of St. Julie Billiart continue to live and work. Of course, the family is actually spread all over the world! In every continent you can find Sisters of Notre Dame!
I want to introduce to you, in this essay, to the way these images connect to our university's identity.
The emblem design is contained in a circle. A circle can symbolise a family. Around the outermost edge is written, in Japanese characters, our university's name: Notre Dame Seishin Women's University, and the year 1949 which is when the university opened. If you have some experience with foreign languages you may realize that the name is a combination of French and Japanese (though I have written it in English!) It's very cosmopolitan, don't you think? Of course, the Japanese words you can understand, so I'll explain the French words. Notre Dame means "Our Lady" in English. This is the French name people sometimes use for the mother of Jesus. She is our role model for life especially because of her strong, loving, wise and soft heart.
As your eyes move from the edge toward the centre, at the next level you will see some lines that might remind you of flower petals or maybe stained glass designs. In some really old churches you can see special stained glass windows called 'rose windows' [look at the picture; also, open the link]. Roses are flowers that are closely connected with Mary, so naturally you can see them in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. If you ever travel to France and see the south rose window in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, at the very centre, you will see exactly the same design we have on our emblem.
The next layer looks as though it is lying on top of the rose window design; it is called a shield. At the bottom tip of the shield is a snow-capped Mount Fuji, an old symbol of Japan. I like to have the mountain in this position; climbing the mountain means you are growing up and able to understand more, by reading books, and then at the top there are three small pictures in a line at the top of the shield. In the middle there is a star and on each side of the star there is a kind of lily. In French this flower is called the fleur-de-lis. It is a symbol of purity. You can see this design in many Western emblems. It was used by the kings of France once upon a time. The five-pointed star in the centre is known as the Stella Maris, which is Latin and means 'Star of the Sea'. I think it is a nice symbol for us to use in Japan because we are an island nation and have an old and powerful history with the sea. This name is one of the oldest names for the Mother of Jesus because in old times when people were lost and needed to find their way, they often used the stars. You can understand, I'm sure, how your own mother can help you to find the way when you feel lost. Mary, both as Mother and as Stella Maris, can help us.
The next layer looks as though it is lying on top of the rose window design; it is called a shield. At the bottom tip of the shield is a snow-capped Mount Fuji, an old symbol of Japan. I like to have the mountain in this position; climbing the mountain means you are growing up and able to understand more, by reading books, and then at the top there are three small pictures in a line at the top of the shield. In the middle there is a star and on each side of the star there is a kind of lily. In French this flower is called the fleur-de-lis. It is a symbol of purity. You can see this design in many Western emblems. It was used by the kings of France once upon a time. The five-pointed star in the centre is known as the Stella Maris, which is Latin and means 'Star of the Sea'. I think it is a nice symbol for us to use in Japan because we are an island nation and have an old and powerful history with the sea. This name is one of the oldest names for the Mother of Jesus because in old times when people were lost and needed to find their way, they often used the stars. You can understand, I'm sure, how your own mother can help you to find the way when you feel lost. Mary, both as Mother and as Stella Maris, can help us.
In the centre of the shield, and of our life at the university, there is an open book with the ideograms 'Sei' + 'Shin' written side by side. Of course, to develop your mind and heart, you need words and you need books. There is a lovely, mysterious story of an angel visiting Mary while she was reading, to tell her that God had chosen her to be the Mother of Jesus. Look at any picture of this event that Christians call the Annunciation and you will always, always see a book in the picture. Reading is a precious skill where we can open ourselves to new worlds and experiences. We see that there is spiritual power in taking time to concentrate, to relax and enjoy stories because we can contact something true in quiet places and we can change our minds and grow ourselves in such an atmosphere.
I hope that you have enjoyed my short essay explaining our University emblem. If you pay attention to small everyday things, you are sure to be rewarded with new discoveries!
・英語英文学科
I hope that you have enjoyed my short essay explaining our University emblem. If you pay attention to small everyday things, you are sure to be rewarded with new discoveries!
・英語英文学科
