５月３０日（木曜日）２０２４　６月２日（日）のお能の会が近づきました。
「能？知らないなぁ」という方も楽しめる内容です。
【一部】
・"能"という舞台芸能について
・修羅能（しゅらのう）とは？
　勝修羅（かちしゅら）と負修羅（まけしゅら）とは？
・平家物語や源平盛衰記などを基にした「屋島」「敦盛」を通して能を知る
　＿二曲を比較しながら、その演劇性・音楽性を探る
　＿「屋島」と「敦盛」の謡本の一部を読み、謡ってみる
　＿囃子方（笛・小鼓・大鼓）による実践と解説

【二部】　鑑賞
＿＿　舞・型・囃子・謡　＿＿
　「屋島」と「敦盛」

お席はあと少しですがまだあります！（0749-48-0186)



Noh event is coming soon. It is a very interesting program even if you are not familiar with noh.

【Part 1】

* About Japanese performing art "Noh".

* What is Shura Noh?
    -About Kachi-Shura (winning general of a war) and Make-Shura (losing general of a war).
    -More about Noh through two programs, Yashima and Atsumori which are based on The Heike Story             and Genpei Seisuiki.

    - Compare these two programs and know the theatrical and the dramatical difference.
    - Read each part of the text and sing them together.
    - Explanation and introduction of each musical instrument.

【Part 2】

* Appreciation of the two Noh, Yashima and Atsumori.

-- Noh dance, body form, musical instruments, and chant ------

We have a few more seats left. Call 0749-48-0186.

５月１０日（金曜日）２０２４　
　カフェで提供している白玉ぜんざいに付けて出す細切り塩昆布が切れそうなので、彦根の佃煮などを売っている店に寄ってみたところ、前回あった場所に目指すものはなく、店の人に聞くと今は置いていないとのこと。「ふ◯っ︎◯」という袋はスーパーにもあるけど、少しランクが上のものを買いたかったので、仕方なく他の食品店に入って若い店員さんに「塩昆布ありますか？」と聞くと「？？...」。もう一度同じ質問をすると「何に使うものですか？」と、どうも「シオコブ」が何か分かっていない様子。それで「お茶漬けにしたり、ぜんざいに付けたりとか....」と言うと、奥に行ってすぐ戻ってきて在庫が分かるアプリで調べて、置いていないことが判明。
　結局、家に帰ってネットで注文したのですが、店頭から消えていたことも、若い店員さんが塩昆布を知らなかったことも時代の流れなのか、ちょっとした驚きでした。

In our cafe, we serve a sweet red bean soup with sticky rice dumplings and it comes with SHIO-KONBU (shredded salted kelp) on the small dish. Since the kelp is coming short, I went to the store in Hikone where I always buy it. However, I couldn't find it on the shelf. The shopkeeper said that they didn't keep it in the store anymore. Then I went to another store. I asked the young female shopkeeper if they had SHIO-KONBU. She seemed not to understand my question, so I repeated the question again. Then she asked me what it is used for. I said it comes with Ochaduke (a bowl of rice soaked in green tea) or with Zenzai (a sweet red bean soup). She went to the rear of the store and after coming back to me, she checked it on her mobile and said to me that the store didn't have it.

In the end, I ordered it on the internet at home. It was too bad that I couldn't get it in the local store and the young shopkeeper didn't know what SHIO-KONBU was.

５月８日（水曜日）２０２４
　大型連休はそれなりに賑わっていた絵馬通りも連休が終わって再びひっそりした街並みに戻りました。気温も低めで初夏に行きつ戻りつという感じです。
　一方、駅前のもんぜん市では、季節のイキイキした野菜や花々が並んでいます。今回はわらびを買ってきました。筍、ふき、わらびなど初夏ならではの野菜ですが、どれもアク抜きが必要。今回のわらびにはアク抜き用の灰が袋に入って添えられていました。レジの方に教えてもらったように、鍋に蕨を並べ、灰をかけ、そこに熱湯を注ぎ、数時間放置。それから、水でよく洗って、新たに水につけて冷蔵庫で保存。今日はわらびの卵とじを作ってみました。
　昔は特に考えもなく食べていた山菜ですが、少し粘りのあるサクっとしたわらびをあらためて味わい深くいただきました。


    During the long holidays from the end of April to May, we had many tourists walking on the street toward Taga Taisha, but after the holidays the street got quiet again. It's rather cold these days as if we are still in winter.

    At the local morning market, I see many fresh seasonal vegetables and flowers. Among them, I bought a bunch of Warabi (bracken). Takenoko (bamboo shoot), Fuki (butterbur) and Warabi are all spring vegetables which one needs to remove the foam of before cooking individually. This time, a pack of ash was attached to the Warabi for that, so I followed the suggestion of the woman at the register on how to remove foam.

    First, I put them in the pan. Next, pour the ash on them. Third, pour very hot water there and leave for several hours. Fourth, wash them thoroughly with water. Then, I cooked with egg.

    When I was a child, I ate them without thinking about anything, but I enjoyed the texture of these wild vegetables this time.

５月２日（木曜日）２０２４　
　５月に入り、はたと端午の節句が近いことを思い出しました。樟脳（しょうのう）を入れて片付けたのがついこの間。「えっ〜もう？！」と正直取り出すのが面倒で今年は止めようかとの思いが頭をよぎるも気を取り直して武者人形を床の間に飾りました。　
　我が家のイケメン大将たちに出てきてもらうとやっぱり清々しい気持ちになります。掛け軸の日本画は平井東庵(1860-?)のコロコロの犬？とわらび。滋賀で生まれ西陣の織物卸商の平井家に入った実業家で画や茶道に精通していたとのこと。　
　大型連休もほぼ真ん中。遠く関東や大阪からの方も多賀大社にいらっしゃっています。

    It turned to May and I suddenly remembered that the Boy's Festival is coming shortly. It seems like only a few months ago that I put warrior's dolls in the cases and kept them in the outhouse after the Boy's Festival last year. Actually I felt it would be a hassle to retrieve and display them again for now, but I changed the mood by collecting myself and displaying them in the guest room.

    They are so nice and I feel very good looking at these dolls. The Japanese painting of the hanging scroll is by Hirai Tohan.

    It is in the middle of the Long Holidays and I have customers who stop by my cafe after visiting Taga Taisha. I am a bit surprised that many of them are from the Tokyo and Osaka area which are a long way to Taga.