Japanese traditional culture ~45~Hina matsuri

  February 3rd is "Hina matsuri.".
It is the day for girls. Some people have some figures
decorated with Japanese traditional clothes.
  People put those figures on a shelf.
Their clothes are so colorful.
  People do that girls grow healthily.

  I am planning to decorate the Hina Ningyou (we call those fitures
Hina Ningyou) I will attach some photos a few days later.

Japanese food ~37~ Oshiruko

One of the Japanese foods we eat at the beginning of year is Oshiruko.

You put "Mochi"(sticky stuff made of glutinous rice) on the Azuki soup.

Azuki is sweet.

In this season, (at the beginning of the year) people eat mochi.
There are some kinds of dishes with mochi. Mochi has a lot of calories.
So, many people get weight in this season.

Japanese lifestyle ~72~ Shin nenn kai

  There was a New Year party yesterday. 11 people who are living in my
neighbor gathered and talked at a bar. It was not so big party.
  That party is held to know each other for neighbors. In my hometown,
some groups are organized according to the area where people live.
Yesterday's party was for the group 6 and group 14.
 Probably, there are more than 35 people in all. But the participants were
11 people.
  The party began with introducing each other. We don't know neighbors well.
I  haven't had any chances to talk people in my neighbors.

  We talked about the differences of dialects in Japan. This is one of the
nice topics when we talk with somebody who we don't know very well.
We talked about the difference of Japanese between Western area, such as
Osaka, Kyoto and Eastern area like Tokyo.
  There is a kindergarten in my neighbor. That is private kindergarten.
The teachers of that kindergarten are foreign people. And they speak
English. It is a kindergarten in which children learn English in such a
surroundings.

 I noticed that the kindergarten doesn't have a good reputation in
the neighbors. They said children  are picked up by their parent's
luxury car. Someone said, children should learn Japanese spirit first
of all. But it seemed some people want to learn English if they have a chance.
  I was told if I feel like starting an English school at my neighbor.
My wife is planning to start teaching piano in the near future.
Maybe starting an private school is one of the ways to make my living.

  I just wrote a gossip of my neighborhood.

My work ~16~ "The sound of dusts" ~5~

I finished translating. 

5

“Is he still alive?”

“After his death, a natural disaster has been occurring frequently. I’ve heard that there was a huge earthquake in the capital last year. It is said thousands of”people died at that time. And the western region has been attacked with epidemic recently. It is said that all of those things were caused by Antoku’s spirit.”

“I’ve heard the young emperor died a sad death.”

“The name of “Antoku” is given to repose his soul.”

The room has been getting dark. They heard some crows were cawing.

“It has been hundred years after the battle of Dannoura. But his soul hasn’t been reposed yet?”

“People say, not yet. But, I feel something strange…”

“Strange?”

 Suanaga noticed that Jougen intended to say something.

“Would you tell me that?”

“If person’s spirit has not rested in peace, I could communicate with the spirit. I tried to communicate with Antoku’s spirit because I have to relieve the soul. But I could not. I couldn’t sense his spirit at all.”

Suenaga didn’t know exactly what Jougen said.

“This means, my ability was lost　or… his spirit has already rested in peace.”

“What do you think of that?”

“His spirit is not here.”

“But, people say Antoku’s spirit has brought evil.”

“That’s just rumor.”

“Is it..?”

“In this chaotic period, there are lots of people who are trying to upset the government. If the government expends tremendous money to build some temples to relieve Antoku’s spirit, the finance of the government would become unstable for sure. Someone would be seeking for the chance. And he would rise to action to upset the government. There are so many such people. The situation has changed in recent years. The rumor was made by those people.”

 Jougen sat up straight and said.

“There must be some people who have such plan in this house. They would not hesitate to murder his host. Please watch out…”

 Jougen stood up and took a step back…

 Jougen left Suenaga’s house. Suenaga’s attendant lead Jougen to the temple near Suenaga’s house. It is said Suenaga became suspicious and fell into it and became half mad after a while.

 And some people say Jougen was hired by someone who was planning to betray Suenaga. But such story may be rumor.

 Nobody knows when Suenaga died. And there are not any records to tell about his death. The only certain thing is that, in this age, people used to live in the world like they walk in the dark place where there were a lot of dusts.

Fin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is a movie in which some Japanese musicians are playing.
My friend recorded this movie at the festival.
We can't see Biwa here. Biwa has some strings. So it is like the
Koto(you can see at the left side on this movie) But shape is totally different. 
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?
v=10202821715365494&set=vb.1279421400&type=2&theater

Japanese traditional culture ~44~ SevenNanakusa-gayu (rice porridge with the seven herbs of spring)

It is January 7th　today.
We have a tradition to eat Nanakusa-gayu (rice porridge with the seven herbs of spring)
in the morning on January 7th.
I learned that the history goes back to Heian period.(more than 1000 years ago)
People eat Nanakusa-gayu in the hope of healthy life in the whole year.
Nana means "7". 
There are seven herbs.(Seri, Nazuna, Hakobera, Hotokenoza, Gogyou 
Suzuna, Suzushiro) I remembered these seven herbs after I become adult.
Each region in Japan has each tradition. 

Thanks for reading.
https://www.facebook.com/SeeMyJapan

My work 15 ~The sound of dust 4~

I went to a shrine, Nukisaki shrine.

It was so crowded. So I went to the other shrine instead of praying here.

The next story 

Suenaga started to talk　in a low voice.

“I’ve been suffering from a nightmare recently. It’s almost all night. Last night, I dreamed that my neck was shot with an arrow. I was sleeping in the wasteland where nobody is.”

“That must be hard.”

“And also, I dreamed that the ships I was commanding suffered shipwreck while I was going ahead through the ocean. It was because of huge windstorm.”

“Tragedy on the ocean… I often hear of the people who have been suffering from the nightmare which is connected with water.”

“Oh, I’m not the only one.”

“Exactly. ”

Suenaga looked confused.

“It’s strange. What do you think about that?”

“I think these phenomenon are connected with the fall of the Heike”

“You’re talking about the battle of Dannoura.”

“Yes, it was the final battle of Heike-Genji wars. It was awful incident. That chapter requires us a lot of concentration.”

“It would be the ending scene.  I’ve heard that a little child, the grandson of the highest authority Tairano Kiyomori dies at that scene. His ship was wrecked at the battle of Dannoura.”

“Yes, he was only 8 years old then. It is said that he was matured and sensible like adult.”

 Jougen said calmly.

“But what’s the connection of the nightmare?”

“The child was given the name, Antoku as an emperor. It is said he has been still alive as vengeful spirits.”

To be continued

My work 14~The sound of dust ３~

  ~3~

“Great.”

Suenaga’s body was trembling.

“Mr.Jougen, I would like to ask something.”

“What’s that?”

“I’ve heard you can communicate with something in a spiritual world.”

“Certainly. Almost all Biwa minstrel can see a spiritual world.”

“You can see?”

“It’s just metaphor. We are blind, so, actually, we can’t see.”

“So, what do you  mean?”

“Everyone who’s not blind perceives the world from the eyes. Probably, he would judge everything with the help of things from eyes.”

Suenaga thought he wouldn’t be able to imagine the would ordinary people see.

“I was given the ability to communicate with something in a spiritual world in exchange for eyesight. As the ordinary people rely on things from eyes, I decide everything by sensing a spiritual world.”

 Suenaga felt nervous because his words were odd. He didn’t know how to answer. After a few moments, Jougen opened his mouth.

“Do you have a bad conscience about your ancestors?”

 Suenaga felt relieved because Jougen told what it is hard to say.

“Yes, I haven’t told anyone about this thing…”

“If you would like to keep secret, please put your mind at ease. I’ll never tell to others. This kind of situation often happens. If Biwa minstrel tell to others, we would lose our trusts. And then we wouldn’t manage to live.”

Suenaga started his confession…  

To be continued.