Many forgotten things appear one after another when cleaning the whole house. I hope the paper weight on the left side will help you imagine their size, or how small these scrolls are. I used ready-made scrolls to be displayed on the table.
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家中の掃除をしていると、忘れていたものが次々と出てきます。左側に置いている文鎮をもとにして、その小ささを想像してください。仕立て済みの巻子に書きました。
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Today marks the vernal equinox day, and I read somewhere that visiting Chikubushima Island on this day would bring you lots of good fortune. And so, I paid a formal visit to the island and the shrines located there.
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今日は春分の日ですが、今日竹生島に行くと縁起がいいと何かで読みましたので、その島のいくつもの神社にお詣りして来ました。
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Great lake in springtime/
Little waves/
Come near the gigantic boat/
Calligraphy and translation by Chio
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Balmy day of spring.
Pleasant spring wind.
Spring color.
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I drew out again the models my first calligraphy teacher gave me when I was a child. Now, I realize how seriously he tried to show us, children practicing calligraphy, should learn the basics. In those days, it never occurred to me.
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子供の頃に先生からいただいたお手本をまた見直してみました。こうして見ると、先生が子供にもよく解るように心を砕いてくださっていたことがよく分かります。当時は全く分かりませんでした。
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A very long and good friend of mine sent me four brand-new brushes she found while she was tidying up her place, saying she doesn’t have any plans to use them. I thought for a while which one I should use to express my thanks to her. But I just couldn’t choose one, so I used all four to write “gratitude”.
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旧い友人が、お家を片付けていた時に見つけたけれども、使う予定もないからと真新しい筆を4本送ってくれました。どれを使って感謝の気持ちを表そうかしらと考えましたが選べないので全部を使って書きました。「感謝」と。
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The photo shows some gifts I received yesterday as the White Day presents. These cute, little, appetizing things easily fill my heart with joy.
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昨日受け取ったホワイトデーの贈り物です。可愛いくて美味しそうなものがいっぱいで心楽しくなります。
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Confectioneries are also ready to be/
Served/
Pleasant evening/
Calligraphy and translation by Chio
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The second seasonal phrase for March is “First peach blossoms smile”. Smile or laugh 笑here is bloom; the expression “flower smiles” means “flower blossoms”. Now, that is definitely my favorite depiction.
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3月二つ目の七十二候の名称は、「桃始笑」。「笑」はこの場合「咲」で、「花が咲く」ことを「花が笑う」という私の大好きな表現です。
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Because fifty flowers in one vase looked too tight just as I thought, I rearranged them into four bowls together with the letter 「華」 “flower”.
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ガーベラ50本を一つの花瓶に入れておくのは、やはり窮屈そうだったので、分けてみました。「華」の字と一緒に。
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The photos show an event relating to the traditional Dolls Festival that lasted one week until last Friday. I find something of this sort very heartwarming, and I think they did a very good job about the event. However, it must be really difficult and challenging to pass on tradition and culture supported by long history. As a matter of fact, I am afraid this style of displaying dolls using stands was not very popular in Kyoto. Still, I think it valuable to convey cultural spirits.
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写真は先週の金曜日までの一週間開かれていた雛祭り関連のイベントです。こうしたものを見ると心が温かくなります。いい展示をしてくださったと思うからです。けれども、伝統を伝えるのは容易くありません。実際、京都ではこのような段飾りは主流ではなかったのではないかと思います。それでも、長い伝統や文化を伝えようとするのは意義深いことと思います。
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Beautiful time/
Runs/
Before the tiered dolls stand/
Calligraphy and translation by Chio
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