Sunday, February 28, 2021

2月27日(土曜日)2021
一昨年と昨年、多賀あさひやでの公演と講座に来てくれたクラウン・Rone&Gigiによる「アートトーク2021ーロシア演劇とクラウンの世界」と題するトークショーが先日東京で行われました。コロナ禍で通常の公演ができない中、ロシアに縁の深い人たちとのコラボ企画です。ショーの最初と最後のチェーホフの短編2作「コレクション」と「偏見を持たない女」の野崎美子さんによるリーディングとクラウンたちのパントマイムのうまさに圧倒されました。地方でこうした公演が観られるのはオンデマンドならではと感謝です。The other day a talk show was held at Tokyo by Clown Rone & Gigi who came to Taga for their performance and lecture the year before last year and last year. The title of the show was "Art-Talk 2021--Russian theatre and Clown world". Because of the coronavirus, they can not have regular performances but they had a collaborative performance of four members, including those who have a deep relation to Russia. I watched the performance by an on-demand service provision yesterday. I was overwhelmed by Yoshiko Nozaki's reading of two short stories by Anton Chekhov which were "Collection" and " Woman without prejudice" and Clown-mime by Rone & Gigi. They were so good! I appreciated the on-demand system to be able to watch such a wonderful performance at my home which is very far from Tokyo.





Monday, February 22, 2021

2月22日(月曜日)2021
 昨日紹介した豆人形の右奥、傘の下で何やら売っている人。気になってよ〜く見てみたら結構面白い。勝手に男の人だと思っていたのが実はおばあちゃんで、立っていると思っていたのが実は台の上できちんとお座りしてました。何を売ってるのかよく分からず写真に撮って拡大して見ると「…豆一せん」と書いてあります。台の上のものはほとんど取れていますが、おばあちゃんのそばに鳥が来てるのは、こぼれたお豆を食べにやってきているのか。芸が細かい!これは叔母からのものでなく家にあったもの。「一銭」という通貨からして明治〜昭和初期の他愛のないお土産用の人形でしょう。「豆売りのおばあちゃん」。長閑(のどか)な時代が感じられます。When I introduced tiny dolls yesterday, I was not paying much attention but after that I was interested in the doll which was selling something under the umbrella in the back right corner, so I looked more closely. At first I thought it was male seller, but it was an old woman, and I thought the seller was standing but she was sitting with her knees bent on the rack. Since I didn't know what she was selling, I took a photo and looked at the enlarged version. There is a little sign on the table and it says "one Sen ( about 50 cents? ) for... beans". There are very few items remaining on the table but two birds near the stand seem to have come to eat the beans. I like these detailed expressions. I found this tiny figurine at my house and not from my aunt. Guessing from the currency of "Sen", I believe it was from Meiji to early Showa (1870-1930), and it seems to be an ordinary souvenir figurine. " Old woman selling beans" makes me imagine peaceful times.














2月21日(日曜日)2021
今年も不揃いの古雛を飾っていますが、今回は豆人形を出してみました。どれも3〜5センチの小さな人形で決め込み人形は昔叔母の家に遊びに行った時にケースにたくさん入っていたのを「どれでもいいから持ってっていいよ」と言われもらったものです。器用な叔母が作ったものか他からもらったものか聞きそびれましたが、可愛らしいのでアメリカで飾っていたのを数年前にまた日本に持ち帰り今回のお目見えとなりました。亡くなって20年以上経つ父の妹。お世話になった叔母を偲びながらこの豆人形たちを眺めています。I displayed old Hina-dolls for the Girls Festival on March 3rd in which there are many missing dolls and parts. This year, I displayed several tiny dolls which are all 1 inch to 1.5 inch size as well. Some of them are from my aunt. When I visited her, I saw many tiny dolls in the glass case. She said to me that I could take some with me if I like, so I chose some. I didn't ask her whether she made them by herself or not. I brought them to Boston and displayed them at my house and a couple of years ago, I brought them back to Japan again.She passed away more than twenty years ago, and I am appreciating these lovely dolls as I think of her kindness to me.





Saturday, February 20, 2021

2月18日(木曜日)2021
1月2月の寒さは味噌作りに最適の季節。皆さんと味噌作りをして4年目。この時期、敏満寺の渡辺糀店の忙しさは半端ではない様子。丁寧に手で麹菌をつけていく手法はそれだけ良い麹ができるとか。多賀産の大豆と合わせてできる味噌の美味しさを知って今年もたくさんの方が参加してくださいました。一晩水に浸けた大豆を前日は朝からストーブにかけて柔らかく煮ておき、当日は熱々の大豆をしっかりしたビニール袋二枚重ねの中に入れてできるだけ滑らかな状態まで潰していきます。機械があれば大したことはないこの作業、うちでは手や足を使って潰していくので結構な運動。大豆が潰せたら、先に混ぜておいた塩と麹を投入して更に混ぜ込みます。それをボールにして壺に投げ入れ空気が入らないようによくならします。最後は酒粕で蓋をしてラップ、更に塩袋を作って上に置き、冷暗所で8〜9ヶ月寝かせれば自家製味噌の完成というわけです。The cold of Jan, & Feb. in Japan is good for making Miso. It is the fourth year since we started to make Miso together. Maker of malt who runs their shop as a couple in Binmanji of my town is terribly busy making Kooji ( rice malt) because of many orders. Their method for producing rice malt is that they mix aspergillus oryzae into boiled rice by hand without using machines, which produces better malt. Many people participated in this Miso-making event because they know they can produce very good miso with rice malt and soybeans which are both produced in this region. The process of making miso is the following; Boil soybeans which are soaked in water overnight. The next day reheat and put them into doubled strong plastic bags, and smash until very smooth. (If you have a machine, it will not be hard to do this process, but it is hard to do with hands and feet.) Mix salt and rice malt beforehand and put them into the smashed boiled soybeans and mix well. Make balls with mixed soybeans and put them into the container. You should not make any space for air in it. In the end, cover with sake lees, place plastic wrap and put a salt bag on it. Keep the container in a cool and dark place for about eight to nine months.


1大豆煮開始

2材料

3作業場作り

4塩麹投入

5ボール

6ツボ投げ込み

7酒粕で蓋

8酒粕カバー









Friday, February 12, 2021

2月12日(金曜日)2021
 昨日は久々の散歩。建国記念日で大安、おまけにお天気にも恵まれて多賀大社は参拝するのに順番待ちの列ができていました。私は遠くからそっとお参りして森の中へ。霊仙(りょうぜん)は白く光を放って美しい!歩いていると風がゴウゴウと耳に当たります。それでも鳥たちの賑やかなさえずりが間近な春を教えてくれました。春の色を探してキョロキョロするも花には少し早く、見つけたのは和名「瑠璃唐草」(別名「星の瞳」とも言うそう)の小さな青紫と田んぼ傍の白梅。さて「きまぐれ市」の自動販売機にはトマトがたくさん入っていました。300円入れてお釣りの50円は中の袋に。つまり5個で250円。少し傷ありでしたが立派な真っ赤っカァのトマトに大満足!Yesterday, I went for a morning walk after a long time. It was a National Foundation Day and the luckiest day in the six-day Buddhist calendar. On top of that, the weather was perfect, so I saw many people visiting Taga shrine and making a line to pray at the shrine. I didn't join the line and went through the woods instead. Ryohzen mountain was white with snow and it was shining beautifully. While I was walking, a strong wind hit my ears making a sound, and even then I could hear many birds singing lively to let me know that spring will come soon. I tried to find colors of spring in the field. It is a bit early to find flowers but I could find tiny bluish purple of nemophila and white plum beside the rice field. Well, when I reached "Kimagure vegetable stand", I found many tomato packs in the vending machine. I put 300 yen into the machine, then 50 yen was stuck to the tomato pack. In short, it was 5 for 250 yen. Although there was slight damage to one of them, I was very happy to get those fresh red tomatoes.













2月11日(木曜日)2021
 30年以上前、私がまだ東京にいた時に数回会い当時は養護学校の先生でしたが、今は宮古島伊良部島で奥様とハーブ園をなさっている近角敏通さん。当時から穏やかで優しいお人柄の中にも確固たる信念を持った方との印象がありましたが、伊良部でハーブを育てながら豊かにお暮らしの様子が配信されたYoutubu動画でわかりました。因みに、近角さんの節分は「鬼はうち、福はうち」だそうです。Let me introduce Mr. Toshimichi Chikazumi whom I met a couple of times more than thirty years ago when I was still in Tokyo and at that time he was a teacher at a Special-needs School in Yokohama, and now he is running a herb plantation with his wife at Irabu in Miyakojima Island, Okinawa Prefecture. I had an impression that he was not only a calm and gentle personality but also had a strong conviction. Although his environment changed dramatically, it seems he hasn't changed a bit. He sent a video on Youtube in which he tells about herb, the products, welfare and his life in Irabu island.


Wednesday, February 10, 2021

2月9日(火曜日)2021
 買い物の帰りに信号待ちしていて目に入った看板が興味深いものでした。「ダーツ・カラオケ」の下に「鍵付き防音 完全個室」。カラオケ店なので防音 個室というのはわかるとして「鍵付き」である必要があるのかと不思議に思って、その下を見たら「シャワー無料・タオル使い放題」とありました。ああそうかシャワー室だから鍵付きなのかと納得したものの、それなら防音である必要はないのにと疑問再出。何とも意味深げな看板です。On my way back home while I was waiting for the change of the traffic signal, a commercial sign came into my view and I was interested in it. It is written "Dart-throwing / KARAOKE" and below it " Soundproof private room with lock". I understand "soundproof private room" is because it is a KARAOKE facility but I thought it doesn't need to be locked. Then I saw further below the sign which said " No charge for shower ・use towels as many as you want". Oh, the lock is needed for the shower room! But, if so, I wonder why it is necessary to be soundproof? I am puzzled by this sign.





Friday, February 5, 2021

2月3日(水曜日)2021

 多賀大社で先日「厄神斎」を頂いた時に福豆もついてきたので、節分の昨夜は久しぶりにうちで豆まきをしました。

 子供の時は母が大豆を炒って炒り豆を作り升に入れてそれを兄が各部屋を回って「福は内、福は内、鬼は外!」と言いながら最後の「鬼は外!」のところで豆をパラパラと部屋の中で庭や外に向かって投げていたのを思い出します。四人のどの兄がこのセリフを言っていたか確かな記憶はないけれど、多分ひょうきん者の一番下の兄ではなかったかと。愉快な年中行事を久方ぶりに一人でやってみました。その後は歳の数より一つ多くの炒り豆を家族で食べていたので今回も再現。自分の豆の数が一気に増えたのが何ともおかしく祖母が一桁の数だけ食べていたのを思い出し私もそのように。

 一夜明けた今朝は小学校の読み聞かせ。節分に因んで鬼の登場する「おにろく」の紙芝居を選びました。こっちは結構悦にいって鬼のセリフを言っていたのですが、鬼が分かるはずがないと思っていた名前を大工が最後に言い当てて負かすところで、子供達に「じゃあ、皆んなで一緒に鬼の名前言ってみて!お・に・ろ.....」と誘ったのですが「.........」。センセーが一人「く!」。あれっ?またしても沈没。まだまだ修行不足デス。

When I bought Yaku-jin-sai (see Jan. 21 blog) at Taga taisha, roasted dry soybeans came with it, so I just followed the traditional Japanese custom, MAME-MAKI (throwing parched beans for getting rid of bad luck and welcoming good luck) .

When I was a child, my mother made roasted dry soybeans and put them into a square wooden container. My brother went to each room with it and said "Fortune in fortune in, and evils out!". When he said "Evils out", he threw some soybeans toward the outside from the corner of the room. This was fun to do and I did it at my house last night after a long time. I also ate the roasted soybeans. People eat one more than the number of their age. 

The next day, I went to the elementary school for storytelling. I chose a picture-story-show where an ogre appears in a Japanese folktale and the ogre is not a bad one. I enjoyed reading especially the ogre's lines and I was expecting the kids to also enjoy the story. In the end, it seemed that the children didn't enjoy it that much. Well, I will challenge myself to read maybe in another way for them next time.







Tuesday, February 2, 2021

2月1日(月曜日)2021

 自ら考案した小型燃料精製機を搭載したVasco-5(BDF車)の車検のために今年も山田周生さんが岩手から来滋、そして多賀あさひやでお話会を二回開いていただきました。テーマを決めずに自由に話していただきたいとこちらの希望を伝えておいたので顔ぶれを見て、また観客の反応を見てパソコンに入った多くの資料や写真を選びながら話しを進めていかれるのはいつもながら見事です。2時間に及ぶ二回の講演は微妙に内容に違いがあり、それらをまとめるのは至難の業で私にはとてもできませんが、途轍もない経験を重ねて東日本大震災のあと被災地で復興支援をしつつ持続化エネルギーの暮らしに工夫と挑戦をしている山田さんのメッセージは「地球存続の分岐点と言われる2030年を前に私たちは選択次第で豊かに幸福に生きることができる」というものでした。

昨年山に入って大木を倒し、丸太にしてトラックで運ぶ作業の中から学んだことも話してくださいました。山田さんの言葉が印象に残ります。切った木の年輪を見ると何世代もかかって生きてきた木であることがわかり、その命をいただいた木を切る時の自分にくる衝撃が強く命がけの覚悟が要ると。しっかりした木を育てるには世話が必要。放っておいては山ばかりでなく海にも悪影響。ここで私はメーテルリンクの「青い鳥」の一場面「森の国」が蘇ってきました。森に住む様々な動物や木々は人間から受けてきた恐ろしい「しうち」に怒りをぶつけます。そして森に迷い込んで捕まったチルチルとミチルを裁判にかけるのです。実は山田さんが、生まれる前を覚えている子供達の「中間性記憶」を話された時に「青い鳥」の「未来の国」を思い出しましたが、この森のシーンも山田さんの言葉と重ねながらメーテルリンクの的確な指摘に納得したのです。

山も海も森もある日本に住む私たちは恵まれています。しかし世界は温暖化が進み、食糧危機などその速度は加速しています。放っておけば危機的状況は自明です。そうなる前に私たちは様々な所が発しているメッセージに気づくことが大切と世界を自分の目で見てきた山田さんは語ります。

私たちは生まれた時にすでに冒険の扉を開けていて、目の前の扉は自分にしか開けられないこと、魂が喜ぶ通りに生きることなど、自身の体験を通して語る言葉は説得力があります。それぞれが自分らしく生きることと私たちの暮らしを持続可能なものにすること、そのどちらもの扉を開けるのは私たち自身であること。「自分が足を踏み出すところに道はできる」この言葉は何度聞いても新鮮で勇気がでます。山田周生さん、ありがとうございました!
 
Mr. Shusei Yamada came to Shiga from Iwate this year again for the inspection of his Biodiesel fuel car (Vasco-5) which has a small biodiesel fuel plant devised by himself. We had two of his talk events at my cafe. As I requested him to talk freely without any particular theme, he gave a speech depending on the member of the participants and their reaction, taking out his data and photos chosen from his computer. I always admired his wonderful presentations. I cannot summarize his two hour speech because of my lack of ability, but I will try to do my best. Mr. Shusei Yamada has had many incredible experiences. After the Great East Japan Earthquake, he helped reconstruction of the disaster area. He also took on the challenge and devised ways of living with SDGs (sustainable Development Goals). His message is that we could live rich and happy lives depending on the choice of our lifestyle before 2030 when people say that it will be the turning point of whether the earth will survive or not.

He also talked about an experience last year where he went to the mountain to cut big trees and made logs to carry by a truck. There were some impressive lines he said. When he saw the annual rings after cutting the tree, he realized that it lived many years and generations. He said that he needed his determination at the risk of his life to cut the tree because he knows he will receive a very strong impact from the tree which has precious life in it. In order to raise excellent trees, we need to take care of them. If we don't, not only mountains will get rough but also the sea will get worse. At this point, a scene of "the Forest" from The Blue Bird written by Maurice Maeterlinck (1862-1949) came up in my mind. Old trees of various kinds and animals are all very angry about what human beings have done to them without any consideration and they accuse Tyltyl and Mytyl who were captured in the forest. I also remembered the scene of " The Kingdom of the Future" from The Blue Bird when Mr. Yamada talked about the children who have memories before they are born which is called The memory in the womb.

We are living in Japan which is blessed with mountains, sea and forest. However, global warming and the food crisis are progressing rapidly. If we leave the problem alone, it is obvious that we will face a crisis soon. Mr. Yamada said that we need to be aware of the messages which are being sent silently in various places.

Mr. Yamada continued that we already opened the Adventure Door when we were born and only ourselves can open the door of our life. We should live to make our soul satisfied. These words shared by Mr. Yamada as a result of his amazing experiences are very powerful and persuasive. We are the only ones who can open the door to living our true authentic selves and making our lives sustainable. He says that where you make a step forward is where the road ahead will reveal itself. I like this phrase. It makes me feel refreshed and encouraged. Mr, Shusei Yamada, Thank you so much!