イベントの計画 Sense of timing

railroad

今年の新春書藝展に出品させていただきました。

今年は新幹線開業50周年の年なので、昨年の準備の段階から鉄道唱歌を一番ずつ書くように割り当てがありました。何かのイベントを計画する人は、このように時機を読む感覚が大切なのだと教わりました。

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I was allowed to exhibit my works at an annual exhibition of my teacher’s school.

As the year 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the Shinkansen bullet train (in Japanese), one verse of a school song of railways written in Meiji Period (1868-1912: the reign of the Emperor Mitsuhito) was allotted to each student in the preparatory stage last year. Thus, our teacher taught us a sense of timing is essential in setting up an event.

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明るい陽 Delightful sunlight

1.10

気温は低いです。しかも、時雨れてもいます。けれども、陽が射すと世の中がぱっと明るくなり、春に向かっているなと実感します。

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It is surely cold, on top of that, we have intermittent light showers. However, I have actual sensation of approaching spring when the sun shines and everything suddenly lights up.

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今週の双子座 Pleasant breeze

1.9

石井ゆかりさんによる5日からの週の双子座のためのコメントから引用します。

爽やかな風というと、ちょっと秋っぽいですが、いつもながら彼女の文章を読むと、気分がうきうきします。

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Here is a quotation from Ms. Yukari Ishii’s (in Japanese) comment from the astrological point of view for the Geminis for the week starting on January 5, which roughly goes something like:

From this week onward, pleasant loving breeze will be blowing in the world of the Geminis. A number of “places you would like to visit” will occur to you, sailing with this tailwind.

Her metaphor of “pleasant breeze” makes her whole passage sounds a little autumnish. Still, as usual, her words give me a sense of excitement.

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苺大福 Traditional Japanese sweet with a little twist

1.8 1,8

近所のスーパーに行ったら、入り口近くでいきなり「苺大福を作りませんか?」というポップと大福餅と苺が並べてあるのが目につきました。更には、ただの大福餅に十字に切れ目を入れて苺が一つ押し込んである見本もいくつかありました。

単純な私は、そこですぐに大福餅と苺をかごに入れました。

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When I went grocery shopping at a nearby supermarket, at the entrance, I noticed a small piece of in-store advertisement saying “Why don’t make Ichigo (strawberry) Daifuku yourself?” And with it, daifukumochi and strawberries were sold side by side, and some samples of homemade-looking Ichigo (strawberry) Daifuku as well, that is, a daifukumochi with a cross-shaped cut and a strawberry crammed in it.

As a simple person, I put a packet of daifukumochi and a packet of strawberries in my basket right then and there.

Red but a little/

Sour are/

Strawberries/

Translation and calligraphy by Tomoko

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本当の由来 Origin of a custom

17 1.7

七草粥の由来と言えば、お正月のご馳走で疲れた胃腸を休ませるために、野菜を摂るようにするのだ、という説が出回っていますが、本来は、「須弥山の南にいるある鳥は八千年もの長生きをする。この鳥は春の初め毎に七種類の草を食べて、それでそんなにも長生きなのだ」という七草草紙にある神話のようなお話が謂れだという話も聞きます。確かに、多くの人たちがまだ貧しかった時代にお正月とはいえ飽食なんて考えられないから、この俗説にはあまり説得力が感じられません。

この記事のカテゴリを「その他」だけでなくて、「湧書会」も選んでいるのは、このことを前回のお稽古のときに習ったからです。良い先生に出逢うというのは、本当にありがたいことです。彼女に師事していなければ、私はずっとこの薄っぺらな俗説だけを信じ込んでいたと思います。

また、この話は、親孝行の勧めを説いたものだそうです。

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In Japan, we have had a custom of eating rice porridge with seven kinds of spring herbs on January 7. And the most widely believed theory about its origin is that it is to ease your fatigued stomach from the New Year’s feasting by taking in vegetables.

However, in an old fairy-tale book about 600 years ago has a story that goes:

a bird living somewhere south of Mount Meru enjoys 8,000 years of longevity. It collects and eats seven kinds of grasses in early spring every year, which enables it to live for so long.

And there is another theory that a real origin of the custom stems from the above story. To be sure, it is unlikely that people got food satiation even from the New Year’s meals in old times when most people were still very poor. The popular theory people now often talk about doesn’t sound quite persuasive.

The reason I chose “Yushokai” as well as “Others” as categories for this article is I learned this story about a bird with a long life in the last practice session I attended.   It is such a blessing to have a good teacher. Without her teachings I would continue believing only the superficial myth just as many people do nowadays.

Additionally, the story’s moral is to encourage people to be filial to their parents.

The first photo shows a packet of seven spring herbs I got at a nearby supermarket.

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まだまだ残っているので Lingering snow

1.6 1,6

4日ほど前にどっさり降った雪がまだ日の当たらない場所などには残っていますので、冬とか雪とかをテーマにした詩を書きました。

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Because some of the great snowfall about four days ago stayed in places where little sunlight reaches, I chose a poem about things such as winter season and snow as a material.

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蟹座の満月 Full Moon in Cancer

1.5

月は蟹座の支配星なので、強力な満月だそうです。

いずれにしましても、私は双子座なので、石井ゆかりさんによるこの満月の双子座への暗示を書きました。

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As the moon is ruler to the Cancer, this full moon is said to be very powerful.

Anyway, since I am a Gemini, I wrote some hints from this full moon according to Ms. Yukari Ishii (in Japanese), which roughly goes:

You may get something good as a result of your dreams fulfilled.

Your economic conditions maybe turning up as a result of your efforts paid off.

Both items are good for me!

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とにかく、雪が Here and there in town

14 1.4

この2〜3日、ちょっと珍しいぐらいの積雪で、あちらこちらに雪だるまが立っていました。

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For these a couple of days, we have had a substantial snowfall and I saw snowmen built here and there.

Snowman/

Left alone/

After being made up/

Translation and calligraphy by Tomoko

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雪だ! Snowfall at the beginning of the year

13 1.3

新年早々、まさかの大雪でした。

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We unexpectedly had a heavy snowfall at the beginning of the New Year.

Fruits of Nandina/

Color of vermilion/

Of complete honesty/

Translation and calligraphy by Tomoko

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