Twenty-six years ago, the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake struck today, killing nearly 6,500 precious lives.  We pray for the souls.  On the day when the memory of that time revives vividly, the fruit that seems to be a cherry blossom is spreading in the blue sky.  Eventually, when this fruit also falls, it sprouts and young leaves spread in the sky.  I feel impermanence and hope in the life that lasts forever. Now,   the “The Tale of the Heike” tells us the proverb that “Great talent shows itself early in childhood”, and this proverb has been passed down to this day, but “Sendan” here means “Ofuchi”.  There is almost no scent that can be said on the Ofuchi.  Sendan originally refers to Byakudan(sandalwood), which is not found in Japan, so Sendan is not found in Japan either.  The illusion that the author of The Tale of the Heike thought that the Ofuchi that resembled Sendan was mistaken for Sendan and that the Sendan had a nice scent has been passed down to this day as the saying “Great talent shows itself early in childhood”.  That’s right.

26年前の今日、阪神淡路大震災が起こり6500人近くの尊い命が犠牲になりました。ご冥福をお祈りいたします。その時の記憶が鮮明に甦る日、栴檀が桜の花かと見紛える様な実を青空に広げています。やがてこの実も落ちると新芽を出し若葉が空に広がります。永遠に続く命の営みに無常を感じ、また希望も感じます。「栴檀は双葉より芳しとこそ見えたれ」と諸行無常の物語「平家物語」にあり、この諺が今日まで伝わっていますが、ここで言う「栴檀」は「おふち」のことで、おふちにはほとんど語られる様な匂いはありません。栴檀は元々白檀のことを指し、白檀は日本にはないから、栴檀も日本にはないわけです。栴檀に似たおふちを栴檀に取り違え、その栴檀にはいい香りがあると言う言い伝えを平家物語の作者が思い込んだ錯覚が、「栴檀は双葉より芳し」と言う諺になって今日まで伝わっているわけですね。