７月７日（火曜日）２０２６

　７月に入り、これから本格的な夏の始まりです。
さて、今回は夏を超えて秋のイベントのお知らせです。

私ども多賀あさひやでは今年もドイツから一時帰国の布谷史人さんを迎えてマリンバコンサートをいたします。
昨年、TV番組「グッと！地球便」で紹介されてから、布谷さんのマリンバを聴きたいという方が増えて多賀コンサートにも
数人お申し込みがありました。嬉しいかぎりです。

　布谷さんのマリンバを古民家で聴くという他にはない企画です。世界のマリンバ業界を牽引する布谷史人さんの丁寧に語られる音楽の世界を素晴らしいテクニックとともにどうぞご堪能ください。チケットのお申し込みはFB、taga.asahiya@gmail.comまたは0749-48-0186まで。

It's July and the real summer has begun.
Now, I would like to announce the event at my place which will be held this autumn.

We will invite a marimbist, Mr. Nunoya, who will return to Japan temporarily from Germany and have a marimba concert at Taga Asahiya this year too. Last January, Mr Nunoya was introduced on the TV program "Global Messenger" and I received a request for the tickets of his concert at my place from a viewer of that TV program.

It's a very valuable concert that presents the audience the opportunity to listen closer to his playing at the Japanese traditional house because usually Mr. Nunoya has his concert at the music hall in Japan. I hope you will enjoy Mr. Nunoya's marimba. He is a top marimba artist in the world and people praise the music which he creates as well as his wonderful skill. I am proud of having his concert at my place.

Please contact to get the ticket to taga.asahiya@gmail.com or 0749-48-0186.

６月２９（月曜日）２０２６

　朝から陽が差して洗濯日和。仕事も一段落ついて買い物に出る前に一息ついていると、ピンポーンと玄関でチャイムの音。出てみると、彦根のNさんがお連れのMさんとご一緒でした。手には赤い実のついた枝をお持ちで「はい、ヤマモモ」と手渡してくださいました。お二人はカフェが定休日であることをご存知なかったようでしたが、せっかくだからとカフェを開けて中に入っていただきました。

　ヤマモモは初めて見る枝で、小さな赤い実がたくさんついて何とも可愛らしく嬉しくなります。Nさんに勧められて赤い実を口に入れてみると甘酸っぱい味が口の中いっぱいに広がりました。早速、壺に入れて床の間に飾りました。地味な書の掛け軸の床の間にヤマモモの朱色が心を弾ませてくれます。

　ネットで調べると、ヤマモモはヤマモモ科の常緑高木で、赤い実に比べて花は茶色で目立つ色ではないようです。カウンターにお座りになったNさんとMさんのお二人はもっぱらヤマモモで作る果実酒の話で盛り上がっていました。

It was a beautiful day and when I was taking break after finishing my daily work, someone pressed the doorbell. It was Mr. N and Mrs.M from Hikone. Mr. N brought branches which I had never seen before. He told me it was "Yamamomo (Japanese Bayberry). Although they didn't know that it was a regular closing day of my cafe, I opened the entrance and let them in and served coffee for them.

There were two branches and each one had many red berries. They looked so cute. Mr. N said I should eat one, so I did. It was sweet and sour. I put the branches into a vase and placed it in the alcove of the guest room. The red berries are a beautiful accent to the modest calligraphy behind.

According to the net information, the flowers of the Yamamomo are brownish and don't stand out. Two people, Mr. N and Mrs.M were talking at the counter seats about how to make fruit wine from these berries.
It also seems to taste good.

６月９日（火曜日）２０２６
　雨にはならなかったものの、肌寒い不安定な今日のお天気でした。

　豊郷町のN様から、珍しいトケイソウと可愛らしい紫陽花をいただきました。トケイソウというのは３つに分かれた雄シベが時計の針に似ているところから名前がついたようですが、英語ではpassion flower (キリストの受難(passion)の花）というそうです。雄しべはキリストを貼りつけにした釘、糸のように広がる副花冠は茨の冠、１０数枚の花びらは弟子たち、ツルは鞭にたとえられているとのこと。花言葉は信仰（聖なる愛）。花は一日花で朝開花して日暮れとともにしぼんでしまうようです。

　細長い花瓶に挿して、高い台に乗せたら、ツルが垂れ下がり素敵に飾ることができました。茶道や華道の先生でもいらっしゃるN様は、お庭に咲くこうした花々を時々お持ちくださり、何も知らない私に色々教えてくださいます。

Although it wan't rainy day, it wa a bit cold and unstable day.

I received branches of passionflower and hydrangea from Ms. N who is living in Toyosato town. Passionflower's Japanese name is "Tokei-so (clock flower) and it is because three stamens look like clock hands,but it is flower of the Passion of Christ in English, and three stamens are likened to nails of the Cross, corona which looks like a crown of thorns, petals are apostle and vine is like a wip. The flower language is "faith". It is one day flower which opens in the morning and closes at sunset.

Since it has a long vine, I put it in a long vase on an elevated stand, then it looked very nice. Ms. N who is a master of both ikebana (flower arrangement) and Tea. She often kindly brings these flowers from her garden and I am so happy to learn about them.

６月６日（土曜日）２０２６
　朝のもんぜん市で土付らっきょうが出ていたので購入しました。カフェの合間に甘酢漬けの作業開始。

先ず、らっきょうの土を水で綺麗に落として、両端を切り取り、更に何回も水洗い。塩を揉み込んでしばらく放置。その間に保存容器を煮沸消毒し、分量の砂糖を水で溶かして冷ます。鷹の爪を輪切りにし、分量の酢も用意。この間、台所中らっきょうの匂いでいっぱいだったので、カフェのお客様の反応が心配で聞くと、全然気にならないとのことで一安心。塩揉みしたらっきょうを水洗いしてから熱湯の中へ数秒入れ、冷ました後に保存容器に入れ、鷹の爪と甘酢も入れて完成。

　らっきょうの甘酢漬けは定番のカレーライスのお供になる他に、私はコールスローを作る時にピクルスの代わりにらっきょうを刻んで入れます。らっきょうは腸内環境の改善や血液をサラサラにする効果があると言われています。子供の時は好んで食べませんでしたが、歳とともにこうした保存食を自分で作って食べられるのは嬉しく思います。

I found an unwashed Japanese pickled scallions at the local morning market, so I bought them for making homemade sweet and sour pickles.

 
Washing pickled scallions first, I cut both ends of each of them and washed them again and again. Rubbed them with salt and left for a while. I also disinfected the container in boiling water. Dissolved sugar with water and cooled it down. After washing pickled scallions again, put them into hot water for a second. Then put all of them into the container with hot pepper and vinegar. I need to wait a month at least to eat.

I like sweet and sour pickled scallions. People say they improve gut health and make blood thinner. I didn't like to eat them when I was a child but I like them now and I am glad to make homemade ones by myself.

６月５日（金曜日）２０２６
　私の曽祖父は澤田久蔵(1854-1899)といい、明治5年(1872)に学制が発布されて明治７年に多賀小学校ができてから、校長を約１１年間務めていました。当時は多賀のほかに、敏満寺や久徳にも小学校があり、その後統合されて今の多賀小学校になりました。（「多賀小学校百年のあゆみ」より）敏満寺小学校の初代校長は久蔵の兄の澤田醇一でした。醇一、久蔵共に彦根の寺子屋で学んだのちに師範学校を経て教職についたようです。家には久蔵氏が使っていたと思われる書物や書いた物が残っており、明治の人々の教養レベルの高さに驚きます。

　さて、私が多賀の実家に帰って色々整理している中に古い書ばかりの掛け軸があり、見ると最後に「一茶O︎OO︎」と書いてありました。えっ？と思ってネットで調べてみると、小林一茶作と言われる勧農詞であることが分かりました。農業の大切さや勤勉さを説く内容で、当時、道徳心を養う教材としても用いられたとのこと。久蔵氏はこれを学校のどこかに掛けて子供達に教えたと思われます。当時は小林一茶作と信じられていましたが、後に原作者は宮下正岑（まさみね）であることが判明しました。

　いずれにしても珍しいものなので、眠らせておくのは惜しいと思いましたが、掛け軸の下はボロボロで、書の部分もシミがついて、とても掛けられる状態ではありませんでした。修理にはお金もかかるし、結局そのままにしておいたのですが、昨年、野洲で京表具の仕事をしている辻芳弘さんが横田順さんの墨画展に来られたので、掛け軸を見せて、思い切って修理をお願いしました。そして先日それを仕上げて持ってきてくださいました。シミも綺麗に取れて見事な掛け軸として復活しました。

　ネットでは文字起こしはされていますが、現代語訳がないので、私には詳しい内容はわかりません。けれども、美しい文字の流れはいつまでも見ていたい程素晴らしいです。しばらく、我が家の床の間に掛けてありますので、興味のある方は是非見にいらしてください。

My great grandfather is Kyuuzoh Sawada (1854-1899) and he served as principal for 11 years in Taga Primary School since the Meiji government promulgated the school system in 1872. At first, there were three schools in neighboring areas and later they were integrated as Taga Primary School. Junichi Sawada was the first principal in Binmanji Primary School which was one of three and he was the elder brother of Kyuuzoh S., and they both had an education at Terakoya (temple school) and teacher's school after that. Kyuuzoh left several books and papers in my house. I could understand how he was a highly educated person by those books and writings. People in the Meiji era were putting so much effort into learning History, Chinese poetry, Math, etc. They were really amazing.

Well, when I returned my native home ten years ago and cleaned up things which were in the house, I found an old hanging scroll. I saw the name "Issa ....." which is very famous as a Japanese poet in the Edo period. Looking up on the internet, it is "Encouragement of Agriculture" by Kobayashi Issa. It seemed that educators used it as an educational material for developing a sense of morality at that time. People believed that it was Issa's work but actually it was proved later that a different person, Miyashita Masamine, worked for it.

In any case, I thought it was a very interesting and valuable scroll, but I just put it away for years because it was old and ruined the lower part. Last year, Mr. Tsuji, who is a mounting specialist, came to me so I decided to ask him to fix it. He finished the work and brought it to me a couple of days ago. The cloth frame was renewed and many spots disappeared. It appeared totally beautifully.

It was written in beautiful classical cursive Japanese, but unfortunately I can read only a few words.
Even though I understand partially, I am still happy to watch such a beautiful scroll.

５月２８日（木曜日）２０２６
　運転免許証更新のために高齢者講習を受けに彦根自動車学校へ行きました。実は免許証を持ってはいるものの、この１０年間日本で車を運転したことがありません。ボストンでは運転していますが、今年は手術後であったことと大雪のために車に乗ることはありませんでした。それで、ほぼ１年間、私はアメリカでも運転からは遠ざかっていました。

　アメリカでは年齢に関係なく事務的な手続きだけで更新は済みますが、日本では７０歳以上は高齢者講座、７５歳を超えると認知症テストを受けなければなりません。私はどちらも何とか無事に終わりましたが、今回は更に視力検査と運転実技にパスしなければなりません。日本で運転したことのない私にとってはハラハラもの。ブレーキとアクセルは右？左？エンジンスタートはブレーキを踏み込んでからだったっけ？など不安になり、急いで出かける前にネットでチェック。

　幸い、試験管が優しい方で、車の中で現在の運転頻度を聞かれた時に日本で運転していないと伝えると、珍しがって世間話をするなどリラックスした雰囲気で色々な指示を出してくださったのですが、最初は右折の方向指示は上手に出せたのですが、その後２度も間違って左のレバーを操作してワイパーが動き出し慌てました。（アメリカでは左側に方向指示レバーがついています。）右側走行に慣れているので右折の時に注意したのは勿論です。終わって試験管の方から「クセのないいい運転」と褒められたのは気分よかったですが、疲れがどっと出ました。

It is the time to renew my driver's license and I need to take a special lecture for drivers who are over 75 years old, so I went to Hikone Driving School. Actually I got a Japanese driver's license ten years ago, but I haven't driven a car in Japan since then because I don't have a space to park a car and I don't need it very much in my daily life. Although I usually drive a car in Boston, when I was there this February, I didn't drive because it was just after the surgery and I was afraid of going out in the snow.

The renewal system is different between the US and Japan. It is much simpler in the US, but we have to take a lecture for the people when we are over 70, and we need to take a Cognitive Function Test on top of that. I passed both of them, but I was very nervous about the practical driving test. I needed to remind myself of the position of the accelerator pedal and brake pedal and other things before the test.

Fortunately my examiner was generous and he asked me how often I am driving. I said that I hadn't driven at all in Japan although I drive in the US. Then, he was curious about me and talked in a relaxed atmosphere and continued to give several instructions. I was relieved of my anxiety but I used the left lever instead of the right lever which was a direction indicator when I turned right or left. In the US, they are opposite. I was panicked to see the wiper suddenly move at the corner of the road while I intended to put the direction signal. I was very careful to run on the left side which should be in Japan. My examiner said that my driving was very good when the test was over and I was glad but at the same time I was very exhausted.

５月２１日（木曜日）２０２６
　気になっていて果たしていなかった実家の墓地掃除とお参りを今日こそはと昨日の門前市で花を買って、夜のうちに父が裏に植えておいてくれた下草を合わせて何組かの御供え花を作っておきました。今朝はモタモタしていたら日は既に昇って結構な日差しになっていました。

　子供の頃は裏道を上がって赤坂山の墓地に行っていましたが、もうずいぶん前から皆さん別の道を車で上がるので、裏道は殆ど行く人がなくなりました。荒れた道は私も怖いので自動車道を自転車で上がっています。しばらくお墓に行けなかったのは私の股関節の痛みがあったからで、手術後ずいぶん回復してはいるものの不安でした。それでも自宅の裏庭の伸び放題の雑草を見ながらもう待てない、早く掃除に行かなければと本日決行した次第です。

　電動アシストのギアを１にして何とか上まで上り切りました。雑草は思ったほどではなく有り難かったですが、それでも持っていった「しまむら」の大きいビニール袋がいっぱいになるまで草取りをしました。供養の花と燈と線香で墓参ができほっとしています。周りは墓じまいをしているところが多く、我が実家もそんな話が出ています。寂しいことですが、私もいつまでお世話できるか自信がないので受け入れるしかないと思っています。

There was a thing which I had been wanting and hadn't done yet, that was going and cleaning my parents and ancestor's grave. But I could do it a few days ago. I bought flowers for an offering at the local market the previous day and prepared a divided bunch of flowers.
When I left home, the sun had already risen high up.

There are two ways to go up to the graveyard where it stays on top of a lower mountain called "Akasaka-yama". One is the way near my house and we used to use it with my family and many others when I was a child but many people do not use it nowadays because it is narrow and became run-down and they go up to the grave on another, wider, well-maintained way by their car. I also don't like to walk the narrow one alone now. However, I hadn't gone up to the grave for a long time because I had a problem with my hip joint and didn't have the confidence to go up the slope even after the surgery. Since I was very worried about the condition of the grave where weeds must be growing, I decided to go there and clean.

I could go up the hill by my battery-assisted bicycle and I was relieved because it was not that terrible with weeds. Cleaning the grave of my family for a couple of hours, I offered flowers and prayed. Many people are closing their family graves these days because younger generations are living in different places and they tend not to visit their graves anymore. It is also our family's problem.