Great Construction

A Fact That Cannot Be Taken Lightly (Hikari 27)

     The results of the United States Championships of Aquatics this year were truly unexpected. Who would have thought that Japan was so strong and that the difference between the American and Japanese swimmers would be so conspicuous. The magnificent Hironoshin Furuhashi set an astonishing record last year, so many were expecting great things from him, but it could not be thought that the results would be so good. That is because until now the U.S. has held on to the world’s swimming championship title.
     Those in American swimming circles attribute this victory to the punishing training routine of the Japanese, and they are said to be astonished at the long continuous training schedule of eight hours. I would like to give our interpretation of the situation.
     The true reason for this victory is the difference in physical vitality of the athletes of each nation. This statement may sound curious, because everyone has thought that the Americans excelled in physical vitality, but who would have guessed the fact that cannot but be faced is that, as can be seen from the results of this swimming competition, the physical vitality of the Japanese is superior. It is probably necessary to explain why this is so. The reason has to do with diet. The Americans diet consists of varieties of meat compared to the fact that that of Japanese is primarily vegetables. A meat diet builds up external vitality, but internally weakens the body. That the Americans excel in the events of shorter distances while the Japanese do better in the long-distance competitions means that Japanese endurance is stronger as there is less shortness of breath. This point is well illustrated in the following article.
     Carried in the 20 August issue of the Mainichi Shinbun newspaper. (Reported by telephone from Los Angeles)
     “The foreign swimmers fly out ahead at first, but after 100 meters, the slackening of their pace is obvious to all. Their form is good, and swimmers like Blum and Jones do superbly in the first 50 and 100 meters, but after the 200-meter mark, they fall apart. This difference stems from a lack of practice, I believe. In the 800-meter relay, Maruyama and Murayama were in particularly good form, and Hamaguchi also flew with confidence. In spite of having just won in the 400-meter competition, Furuhashi recorded an astonishing 1 minute 4 seconds in the first half and 1 minute 3 seconds in the second half, the main reason, I believe, for the establishment of this world record.”
     There is no mistake that the reason for this success is training, but the reason Furuhashi was able to put in the long hours training was due to the strength of his physical vitality. In this regard are the following points.
     First, the experience of a foreign mountaineer. For a week before starting the ascent of a mountain, he says he eats only a vegetarian diet. In a previous book I wrote that the reason Japanese farmers were able to labor so much was due to their primarily vegetarian diet. I had written that if they primarily ate meat, they would not be able to endure as long. I also wrote that the long lives of vegetarians was a fact and that the famous English writer, Bernard Shaw, this year ninety-three years old, is hale and hearty because of a vegetarian diet. The long lives of Zen priests is also for this reason. As shown by the Zen priest Tosu Koshiyama who passed away several decades ago at the age of 112, it is said that he was vigorous right up to the time of his death.
     These various examples demonstrate the benefits of a vegetarian diet to human health. The reader can probably appreciate how mistaken it is these days that a meat diet is thought to be better.

Hikari, Issue 27, September 17, 1949
translated by cynndd