I regret I had almost forgotten about this one, which I wrote to raise awareness in myself when I realized I finally had become the only one in my house.
.
いよいよこの家に残されたたった人間になったと思ったときに、自分自身の自覚を促すために書いたはずなのに、殆ど忘れ去っていました。
.
<To the homepage of this website>
During the Obon period, usually in mid-August, it is believed that the ancestral spirits come back to their family. Today I bought some offerings to the ancestors including sweets, fruits and vegetables. I heard a story that goes fruits of a plant called “Chinese lanterns” should serve to guide the deceased to their house safely.
.
今日はお盆のお供えの用意をしました。鬼灯はご先祖さまが迷子にならずに帰れるように提灯の役をすると聞きました。
.
O, Chinese lanterns/
Ready to welcome dad and mom/
Brand new tatami mats/
Calligraphy and translation by Chio
<To the homepage of this website>
While I was trying to tidy up my house, I found this old folding fan of festive kind, which my teacher gave to us his students to commemorate his eighty-eighth birthday. Now I am remembering that he and his wife used to give us his students commemorative gifts on happy occasions; and after various events they always invited all his students to a party at a good restaurant to reward our services.
.
家を片付けていると、このお祝いの扇子が出てきました。先生がご自分の米寿のお祝いに皆に配ってくださったものです。今思い出すのは、先生と奥さまは何かのお祝いのときにはいつもお弟子に記念のお品をくださったし、何かのイベントの後には必ずいい料亭でご苦労さん会を催して、お弟子たちを招待してくださったということです。
.
<To the homepage of this website>
“First cool breeze in fall blows” is a seasonal phrase for this time of year. Today it is quite windy because of the typhoons but we don’t feel this kind of pleasantly cool wind.
.
この時期の七十二候の名称です。今日は台風の影響でかなり強い風が吹いていますが、涼風とは言い難いのです。
.
<To the homepage of this website>
I practiced copying my teacher’s work. This time, I tried very hard to copy each letter, however, I changed the arrangement. “Something of beauty is an everlasting delight.”
.
先生のお作品の臨書をしました。今回は一つ一つの字は写そうと頑張りましたが、レイアウトは変えました。
.
<To the homepage of this website>
Just as this haiku says the clouds in the fall sky are often attractive when flowing away and transforming.
.
この句にあるように、秋の空にある雲は、流れていったり形が変わっていったりするのが面白くて心が惹かれるものです。
.
Autumn begins/
Interesting is how the clouds/
Move and change shapes/
Calligraphy and translation by Chio
<To the homepage of this website>
“Sometimes a massive rainfall occurs” is the seasonal phrase for this week or so. We have heavy rainfalls at times for sure around this time of year. However, the scale of “heavy” seems to have changed comparing when I was growing up.
.
「大雨時行」。この時期の七十二候の名称がこれです。ときどき大雨が降るということのようで、確かにその通りですが、大雨の規模が昔とは違ってきている気がします。
.
<To the homepage of this website>
As it is so hot, I searched for words that will give you cool feelings and found this one. Apparently, it means the mountain stream water continues flowing in until the colorless water looks indigo. The phrase is supposed to produce a cool, refreshing note in this severe heat.
.
暑くて仕方がないので、何かしら涼しげな言葉がないかしらと探しました。谷川の水が満ち満ちて、無色の水が藍のようだ、という意味で、この暑い時期に涼しい思いを届けようとするものらしいです。
.
<To the homepage of this website>
It is so hot that it is almost impossible to wonder when the happy times of life are or think of enjoying refreshing evening breeze. Because of this weather, however, I thought the haiku should be all the more pleasant to my feeling.
.
とにかく、暑くて、暑くて、人生の幸福な時期も夕涼みもあまり考えられませんが、だからこそ、心持ちの良くなる句だと思いました。
.
When are the happiest days in life/
Summer evening breeze/
Calligraphy and translation by Chio
.
<To the homepage of this website>
This is my gift to the Polish couple who were so kind to me and took very good care of me on the occasion of a calligraphy exhibition held in Poznan, Poland in November 2017. The left has “blessing” because I learned it was the meaning of the wife’s name. The right has a haiku, the husband’s favorite one by the famous haiku poet, Matsuo Basho (松尾芭蕉). And here, I would like to add some remarks that I wrote the letter for autumn “秋” in an unusual manner, that is, putting the left part and the right part reversed, which is no mistake but another variation of the letter. I just like the letter this way. There is far more flexibility about the Chinese characters than people usually expect.
.
2017年11月ポーランド国ポズナニ市開催の書展で大変お世話になったご夫妻にちなんだ言葉と芭蕉の句を書きました。左側は奥さまのお名前の意味の『祝福』です。松尾芭蕉の俳句の方は、ご主人のお好きなものと聞きました。そしてここでの『秋』の字は、偏と旁を反対の位置に置く形にしました。これは決して間違いではなく、この字にはこういう形もあるということで、私はこの字姿が好きです。漢字は、実は一般に思われているよりも自由度が高いのです。
.
<To the homepage of this website>