今年2月25日，一位日本中年盲人捧著一大束白玫瑰走進位于杭州小營巷的著名畫家顧生岳的住宅，在顧先生夫人蔣格非的遺像前深深地三鞠躬，虔誠地將那束白凈圣潔的玫瑰花獻給逝者的在天之靈。

春雨霏霏，天人同悲。盲人兩眶盈淚，泣高誼忽難通，哀緣情而來宅，一段與逝者和工筆名畫《紅衣少女》相關(guān)的感人往事在腦海里一幕幕地閃現(xiàn)出來……

千里有緣

這位名叫菅野芳亙的中年盲人，原是目光炯炯、神采飛揚的日本教師，赫赫有名的少林拳師。1985年4月，33歲的菅野突然雙目失明，在迷惘與絕望中掙扎了一段時日，菅野毅然決定飛到自己一直仰慕的中國尋找治療奇跡。

湖南中醫(yī)學(xué)院附屬醫(yī)院的中醫(yī)療程漫長，菅野以聆聽日本作家井上靖的錄音小說《敦煌》排解寂寞。燦爛輝煌的敦煌文化、神奇美妙的神話故事、美麗動人的飛天形象，滋潤著菅野孤寂落寞的心田，燃烈了他早就萌生的求索中國傳統(tǒng)文化的火苗。

幸運之神向他走來，中醫(yī)藥讓他重新看到了模糊卻是真切的世界，久違了的書籍像老友一樣回到眼前。一天，翻譯送來一本中國美術(shù)院校高考指南畫冊，首頁赫然出現(xiàn)一幅藝術(shù)造詣高超的工筆畫《紅衣少女》。菅野眼前一亮：啊，這美麗動人的維吾爾族少女，不就是在傾聽錄音小說《敦煌》的過程中反復(fù)浮現(xiàn)在腦海里的飛天形象嗎?他欣喜若狂，傾心向往：如能得到這幅杰作，將是終生最大的幸福。

可是，畫冊上隱去了所有畫家的姓名。菅野懇請翻譯查找《紅衣少女》的作者，然而，中國畫家成千上萬，人海茫茫，在十幾億人口中尋找無異于大海撈針。不想后來天從人愿，翻譯費盡周折，終于查覓到了《紅衣少女》的作者：浙江美術(shù)學(xué)院(現(xiàn)中國美術(shù)學(xué)院)國畫系主任、浙江畫院副院長顧生岳教授。

日思夜想、寢食無味的菅野懷著忐忑不安的心情給顧教授寫了一封厚厚的求畫信，他用好幾張信紙談了一個日本半盲人對中國傳統(tǒng)文化的摯愛，對《紅衣少女》的深切藝術(shù)理解和對它近乎熱戀的傾倒心情，并委婉地訴說了對它的渴望獲得之情。

收到菅野的長函，顧生岳當即交給夫人蔣格非閱讀。夫婦倆是美術(shù)學(xué)院的同學(xué)，丈夫生性內(nèi)向而才氣橫溢，妻子美麗大方優(yōu)雅熱情，兩人相濡以沫幾十年，始終心心相印，靈犀互通。兩顆善良的心都為菅野的不幸遭遇而揪心，都被菅野對中國文化的鐘愛和對藝術(shù)的癡迷而震撼。

可是，《紅衣少女》是顧生岳的精心之作，是夫婦倆擁有的掌上明珠，他們拒絕過權(quán)勢者的欲求，謝絕過多位藏家的高價索購。然而，這位日本青年的精神十分難能可貴，他并未因突遭不幸而沉淪，又對中國文化如此熱愛，對《紅衣少女》的藝術(shù)理解如此深刻，能忍心撲滅這位半盲人的希望嗎?

經(jīng)過幾天的思想斗爭，夫婦倆最終決定忍痛割愛，將《紅衣少女》親自送往長沙，無償贈予這位藝術(shù)知音。

不料，行前顧生岳因要務(wù)不能脫身，只好讓蔣格非只身前往，把夫婦倆的深情厚誼帶到了菅野的病房。

千里友誼一畫牽。菅野展開夢寐以求的《紅衣少女》畫卷，只見一位維吾爾族少女脂腮玉顏，容華綽約，蛾眉雙翠羽，明眸發(fā)清光，頭披輕紗，身著紅衣，外罩玄色背心，渾身透出青春氣息。啊，就是她!菅野如獲至寶，喜極而泣：“太感謝了!太珍貴了!”

蔣格非被菅野對此畫的獨到見解和對藝術(shù)的癡迷深受感染，當晚激動地打電話把這難忘的一幕報告了丈夫。顧生岳也極為感動，當即決定將《紅衣少女》的姐妹作《白衣少女》一并贈給這位藝術(shù)知音。三日后，蔣格非返杭取畫，然后取道長沙，把《白衣少女》鄭重交到菅野手中。

顧生岳、蔣格非的慷慨與無私胸懷，感動得菅野熱淚滾滾。蔣格非像給自己的孩子拭淚一樣，用紙巾輕輕擦去菅野臉上的淚珠。

相見時難

自從在畫冊上邂逅《紅衣少女》之后，菅野就一直渴望見到這藝術(shù)珍品的作者顧生岳教授?？墒顷庡e陽差，他們錯失了一次又一次相逢的機會。

頭一次，1988年5月，顧生岳正要與夫人攜畫共赴長沙，卻因一項緊急公務(wù)而取消行程，讓夫人蔣格非代勞前往；數(shù)日后，顧生岳打算親自去奉送《白衣少女》，又因公務(wù)突來而讓夫人再度獨行，翹首盼望一晤恩人的菅野又一次愿望落空；1992年秋，正在美國探親的顧生岳獲悉菅野將去內(nèi)蒙古大學(xué)考察，然后到杭州與顧生岳謀面。顧生岳不顧初來乍到，立即啟程飛回杭州，不料菅野突因眼疾惡化而住院，相見的事再次失之交臂；1994年秋，菅野為報答恩人，籌劃在日本廣島為顧先生舉辦個人畫展，幾經(jīng)奔走，萬事俱備，連七日的行程都已排妥，卻因顧生岳疝氣手術(shù)，第四次錯失了相會的機緣。

幸好，上蒼終究會眷顧友善的人們。1997年4月15日，已經(jīng)是日中綜合交流事業(yè)研究所所長的菅野芳亙，通過日本三洋公司在中國美術(shù)學(xué)院工業(yè)設(shè)計與陶瓷系舉辦了一次“產(chǎn)品設(shè)計大獎賽”，他作為三洋公司的特邀代表專程飛到杭州頒獎。十年等待，十年期盼，十年的夢求即將變成現(xiàn)實。

坐落在美麗的西子湖畔的賓館，鮮花盛開，芳香醉人。身著西裝的顧生岳和夫人蔣格非急切地等待著日本知音的到來。

菅野更是心潮起伏，在人們的引領(lǐng)下，他扔掉手中的白手杖，張開雙臂，渾身顫抖著朝顧先生夫婦的方向撲了過去：“顧先生，您好!夫人，您好!”

一向沉穩(wěn)的顧生岳也心旌激蕩：“菅野先生，我是顧生岳，我們終于見面了!”

三雙溫熱的手緊緊握在一起，排遣著十年的苦等與期盼，兩行熱淚從菅野失明的雙目中流淌下來。

倍受鼓舞

《紅衣少女》和《白衣少女》像兩位光明使者，引導(dǎo)和鼓舞著雙目失明的菅野始終保持與不幸抗爭的雄心。他在給顧生岳夫婦的信中深情寫道：“我雖然完全喪失了視力，但兩幅杰作的美麗形象卻始終清晰地浮現(xiàn)在我的眼前，它們成了我一家的珍貴寶物，給了我生活下去的勇氣和力量?！?/p>

菅野曾因雙目突然失明而絕望，甚至一度萌生跳樓的念頭。而現(xiàn)在，他說：“不可思議地邂逅《紅衣少女》，讓我感受到人的本質(zhì)竟是如此美好。只要一息尚存，就要以自己的意志駕馭自己的生命?！?/p>

從此，菅野更加熱心地從事日中的交流活動，不但在日中綜合交流事業(yè)研究所任職，還在大專學(xué)校講學(xué)，介紹有關(guān)中國的各種知識和成就。他積極參加各種救助活動和體育項目，挑戰(zhàn)滑雪、高爾夫球，并獲得殘疾人奧運會游泳金牌。

他依靠聽力和電腦，在鍵盤上完成了《大地和白手杖》《美國在亞洲的經(jīng)濟策略》等著作，并在2003年寫出了十多萬字的自傳體紀實小說《紅衣少女》。此書曾以新聞報道的形式刊登在《朝日新聞》《讀賣新聞》《每日新聞》等各大報紙上，引起了讀者強烈的反響和廣泛的共鳴。2005年4月，《紅衣少女》一書的中文版首發(fā)式在北京舉行，正在中央美術(shù)學(xué)院舉辦“顧生岳速寫展”的顧生岳特地前去祝賀。

知音重逢，格外激動。菅野說：“您和貴夫人的博大胸懷和慷慨饋贈，讓我一直沉浸在友誼的海洋中，我要通過這本書把您和夫人的高風(fēng)亮節(jié)告訴世人!”顧生岳說：“我們的友誼從一張畫開始，但它所具有的意義遠遠超過了一張畫的價值。我們的友誼必將和中日兩國人民的友誼一樣亙古而常青?！?/p>

臨別前，菅野一再感謝顧夫人蔣格非不時寄去藥用菊花和枸杞子，祝愿抱病在身的顧夫人早日康復(fù)。然而，天不假年，2005年11月3日，病魔無情地阻絕了蔣格非的人生旅程。

水天相隔的菅野驚聞噩耗，十分悲慟，因而專程扶杖捧花，前來祭奠幾度送畫到病房的蔣格非女士。他默誦著蔣格非說過的許多友善話語，浮想著有如飛天一般的蔣格非的音容笑貌，反復(fù)祈禱：“安息吧，夫人!我們雖然已經(jīng)天人相隔，但凝結(jié)在《紅衣少女》的深厚友誼將與日月同在!”

Friendship

The Girl in Red Fosters Friendship

By Fu Tongxian

The friendship that Professor Gu Shengyue and his wife Jiang Gefei made with Yoshinbuo Sugano can originally trace back to April， 1985 when Sugano， a 33-year-old Japanese teacher and kongfu master， lost his eyesight. After a time of despair and confusion， Sugano decided to come to China in quest of a miraculous therapy. It would be a journey to discover friendship and find courage to live.

He was hospitalized in a hospital affiliated to Hunan TCM College， receiving traditional Chinese medicine treatment. During these days， he comforted himself with an audio book entitled Dunhuang by Inoue Yasushi (1907-1991)， a Japanese writer who authored many novels on Chinese subjects.

After a period of treatment， he was able to see again， though his eyesight was getting better though still dim. He began to read. One day， his interpreter brought him an album of paintings designed for students to pass entrance examinations of arts academies. The painting on the first page instantly caught Sugano’s eyes. Created in a style of meticulous realism， The Girl in Red looked very vivid. Wasn’t the Uigur girl a character in the novel he had been listening to so many times? He yearned for it. What if he could own the painting? He asked the interpreter to find out who the painter was， for the album did not reveal any names. After much trouble， Sugano was able to learn that the artist was professor Gu Shengyue， then director of the Chinese Painting Department of Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts (today’s China Academy of Fine Arts) located in Hangzhou， Zhejiang.

Sugano wrote a long letter to the professor， talking about his passion for Chinese culture and his ardent appreciation of the painting， and politely expressing his desire for having the painting.

After receiving and reading the letter， Professor Gu handed it to his wife. They sympathized with young Sugano for his adversity and were both touched by his passion for Chinese culture in general and for this painting in particular. Yet， The Girl in Red was Gu’s most important masterpiece. The couple treasured it as if the girl in the painting had really been their daughter. They had said no to some dignitaries who asked for it as a gift. They had said no to some collectors who offered to pay a fortune for it. Now would they give it away to a foreigner they had never met before? After a few days of hesitation and consideration， the couple decided to say yes.

As Professor Gu was not able to disengage himself from work， he asked his wife to fly to Changsha and present the painting to Sugano. When Jiang Gefei appeared at Sugano’s ward and presented the painting， he burst into tears! Ograve;How grateful I am! How precious the painting is!Oacute;

Jiang was deeply touched. That night， she phoned her husband from Changsha， telling him about the unforgettable scene in the ward. Gu was deeply touched too. He decided there and then that he would give Sugano another painting named The Girl in White he painted in pair with The Girl in Red. Three days later， Jiang Gefei was back in Hangzhou and pretty soon she went to Changsha again and gave the second painting to Sugano. Touched by the couple’s generosity and friendship， Sugano wept. Jiang brushed the tears away lightly with a piece of tissue from the face of the young man.

Sugano had wanted to meet Professor Gu in person since he first saw the painting. But it was not until ten years had passed before the two finally met.

Gu’s wife visited Sugano twice in Changsha in 1988， bringing him the two paintings. Gu wanted to go and visit Sugano on both occasions but had to cancel the trips at the last minute because of some urgent businesses. In 1992， Gu was visiting with his relatives in USA when he learned that Sugano would visit Hangzhou after a short stay at a university in Inner Mongolia. Gu cut short his visit and flew back to Hangzhou to wait for Sugano. However， Sugano was not able to come to Hangzhou because he was hospitalized again for his deteriorating eyesight. In 1994， they had another opportunity to meet， but again they missed it. During this time， Sugano had totally lost his eyesight. It was not until 1998 that Sugano had an opportunity to come to Hangzhou and meet Gu and Jiang. Sanyo Corporation sponsored a design competition at the Porcelain Department at the China Academy of Fine Arts. Sugano was invited as a VIP guest to attend the award-issuing ceremony. When the couple and Sugano finally met， their hands were warmly and tightly held together.

The two paintings have been like angels guiding Sugano to navigate in a world of total darkness. Using his ears and a computer， he has finished writing some books and academic papers. And in 2003， he published an autobiographical novel entitled The Girl in Red. It was serialized in Japan’s major newspapers and received warm responses from readers.

In April 2005， the Chinese version of the book was published in Beijing. When the releasing ceremony was held in Beijing， Professor Gu went out of his way to attend it while he was holding a solo exhibition of his sketches at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing.

They were overjoyed to see each other. They said their personal friendship started with a painting， but the friendship was more valuable than the painting itself. Sugano asked Gu to say thanks to Jiang for the herbal medicines she had sent to him over years and wished her fast recovery from illness.

Sugano has been active in cultural exchanges between China and Japan. He works at a research institute for China-Japan relations. He frequently gives lectures at colleges and universities on China and its achievements. And he works as a relief worker and takes active part in sports. He is able to ski and play golf. He was a gold medalist at a swimming competition at Paralympics Games.

Gu’s wife Jiang Gefei passed away on November 3， 2005. Sugano made a special trip to Hangzhou to attend the memorial ceremony.

(Translated by David)