Despite the recent hot weather, Higanbana have bloomed in full bloom in time for the coming of the equinox. It is a very punctual flower. Higanbana bloom in fields and gardens all over Japan, not as much as cherry blossoms, but they are still a common sight during this time of year. A few Higanbana in a wide field or garden may go unnoticed, but when they bloom in large clusters, they transform the surrounding landscape. The peaceful countryside scenery is transformed into a colorful autumn scene. It is a scene that makes you feel the leaving summer and the coming autumn. Each person carries their own thoughts and feelings when they see it. In the far distance, there are cumulus clouds lingering, a remnant of summer, but above, thin brushstroke clouds float in the blue sky. A red dragonfly crossed over Higanbana where a swallowtail butterfly was perched.

こんなに真夏日が続くので彼岸花の開花も遅れるのかなと思いきや、彼岸の入りにはすっかり咲き揃いました。誠に律儀な花です。広々とした野山に咲く彼岸花、街中の植え込みに咲く彼岸花、桜ほどではありませんが、この時期、日本の至る所に彼岸花が咲いています。広い田や畑に一二本咲いても周りの景色に呑み込まれて、全く目立ちませんが、それが何十本も群れ咲くと、あたりの景色も一変します。静かな田園風景が華やかな秋景色に変わります。行く夏と秋の訪れを実感させる景色です。見る人それぞれに、それぞれの思いをはこびます。空のずっと向こうには夏の名残の入道雲が低く並んでいますが、頭上の青空には刷毛雲が薄く漂っています。アゲハ蝶の止まる彼岸花の上を赤とんぼがスーッと横切っていきました。

Nirvana is a state of leaving the world in which the fire of desire is extinguished, the human being is liberated from the instincts, and the mind is at peace. I still don’t want to leave the world, but when I am buried in the cosmos like this, I feel like I am close to nirvana. The origin of the word “cosmos” comes from the Greek word “Kosmos, Cosmos”, which means “order”. It is the same as calling the universe where stars are arranged beautifully. It is often said that it came to be called cosmos because the petals are arranged neatly, but it is not only that, but I think that it came to be called cosmos because I found a neat order like the stars in the night sky, even though it looks chaotic at first glance. That’s why I can be in a state of nirvana.

涅槃とは煩悩の火が消え、人間が持っている本能から解放され、心の安らぎを得た状態で現世を離れることです。現世を離れるのはまだまだ嫌ですが、こうしてコスモスの中に埋もれていると、涅槃に近い心境にはなります。コスモスの語源は、ギリシャ語の「秩序」という意味の 「Kosmos, Cosmos」に由来します。 星がきれいにそろう宇宙のことをcosmosと呼ぶのも同じです。花びらが整然と並ぶからcosmosと呼ぶようになったとよく言われるのですが、それだけではなく、こうして畑一面に広がって一見無秩序に見えますが、夜空の星々の様に整然とした秩序を見出したから、cosmosと呼ぶ様になったのだとも思います。だから涅槃の心境になれるのです。

As usual, the garden is still in the midst of a hot summer day. Momiji-aoi have bloomed, with their five red petals looking like five-spring propellers or screws. Koushokki is another name for Momiji-aoi and is often used in haiku due to its number of syllables. Momiji-aoi are perennials that grow wild in eastern North America, Georgia, and Florida. They can grow over 2 meters tall. The leaves are palmately deeply divided, like maple leaves, and the large flowers, which are about 15 centimeters in diameter, resemble the flowers of the hollyhock. Each flower blooms for a single day before dying, but new flowers continue to open. The flower language of “gentleness” is thought to be derived from the large, moist, deep red flowers, which have a generous and simple atmosphere. In English, scarlet rose mallows are also called “Texas star hibiscus.”

相変わらず真夏日が続く庭に、モミジアオイ(紅葉葵)が真っ赤な五弁の花を咲かせました。まるで５枚バネのプロペラかスクリューの様です。紅蜀葵(コウショッキ)はモミジアオイの別名で、音の数の関係で俳句にはよく使われます。モミジアオイは北アメリカ東部、ジョージア、フロリダなどに野生する多年草で、２m以上に成長します。葉が掌状に深く裂けてモミジの葉の様で、直径十五センはある大きな花が葵の花に似ていることからモミジアオイの名が着きました。一つ一つの花は一日咲いたらその日には枯れてしまう一日花ですが、次から次に花を開きます。花言葉の「温和」は、大きくてしっとりした深紅の花が鷹揚で朴訥とした雰囲気にちなむと思われます。英語では「Scarlet rose mallow（緋色のバラのようなアオイ）」や「Texas star hibiscus（テキサスの星のようなハイビスカス）」などと呼ばれます。

Yesterday (September 16) and today (September 17) are the Danjiri Festivals in Kishiwada, Osaka. I used to go to the festival often when I lived in Kishiwada, but now I live a little far away and don’t have the energy to go, so I mostly watch the live broadcast on YouTube. The thing that surprised me the most when I moved to Kishiwada was the strong feelings that the residents have for the Danjiri. In July and August, you can hear the sounds of the flutes and drums of the ohayashi music from the Danjiri sheds day and night. There are nightly gatherings at the community center nearby. I had a middle school student who was good at sumo, and in spite of invitation by local high schools known for their strong sumo wrestling, he turned them down because he couldn’t do Danjiri. It’s true even if you watch it in person, but even if you watch it on Youtube, the enthusiasm that comes through is extraordinary. The Kishiwada Danjiri Festival is a major autumn event with a history of over 300 years. It is a major event that brings together people from the community to carry around a Danjiri that costs over 100 million yen each. It is also a major event that arouses a sense of community that is being lost.

昨日(9/16)と今日(9/17)は大阪岸和田市のだんじり祭りです。岸和田市に住んでいる頃はよく見物に行ったものですが、今は少し離れた所に住んでいますし、行くだけの元気もありませんので、もっぱらYoutubeのライブでの見物です。岸和田市に移り住んだ時に一番驚いたのは、住民のだんじりに掛ける思いの強さです。7、8月ともなれば、朝晩、だんじり小屋からお囃子の笛や太鼓の音が聞こえてきます。近くの公民館には毎晩灯が灯っていて寄り合いがあります。教えていた中学生に相撲の強い子がいて、地方の相撲の強豪校からお誘いがきても、だんじりができないからと断った子もいました。直に見ていてもそうですが、Youtubeを見ていても、伝わってくる熱気は只者ではありません。300年の歴史があり、一台一億円以上もするだんじりを地域ごとに持ち、地域の人達が総出で駆け巡る岸和田のだんじりは初秋の一大風物詩であり、失われつつある地域の連帯感を呼び起こす一大イベントでもあります。

Although the summer heat is still lingering, I can now faintly feel the approach of autumn in the mornings and evenings. When the night falls and the noise of the city subsides, I can hear the faint chirping of Suzumushi (a bell-ringing cricket) in the distance. By this time, I often hear the chirping of Kohrogi (a cricket), but I rarely hear the chirping of Suzumushi. It is a rare occurrence, regardless of whether someone’s pet Suzumushi escaped or was released.
When I think of Suzumushi, I am reminded of a passage from the essay “The Sound of Insects” by Lafcadio Hearn (Koizumi Yakumo), who came to Japan in the Meiji period. He wrote, “We Westerners have something to learn from the Japanese, who can fill their hearts with all sorts of gentle and delicate fantasies at the mere sound of  Suzumushi.”
Indeed, it is said that for most non-Japanese people, all sounds other than human voices, including the chirping of insects, the singing of birds, the rustling of trees, the sound of waves, and the sound of wind, are nothing more than noise. There are many interesting studies on this topic. One common point is that Japanese people perceive many sounds other than human voices in the language brain, the left brain, while non-Japanese people perceive and process them in the right brain. It is also said that this is due to the fact that Japanese, with the exception of “n”, is composed entirely of vowels, while other languages have many consonants.

まだまだ真夏日が続く中、朝晩に秋の訪れをわずかに感じる様になりました。夜の帳が下りて、街中の騒音も治った頃、遠くから微かにスズムシの鳴く声が聞こえてきます。この頃になるとコオロギの鳴く声はよく耳にするのですが、スズムシの鳴く声は滅多に聞いたことがありません。誰かが、飼っているスズムシが逃げ出したのか、逃したのか、いずれにしろ、珍しい事です。
スズムシで思い出しましたが、明治時代に日本にやって来たラフカディオ・ハーン（小泉八雲）が、随筆「虫の声」にこう書いています。「われわれ西洋人はほんの一匹の蟋蟀（こおろぎ）の鳴き声を聞いただけで、心の中にありったけの優しく繊細な空想をあふれさせることができる日本の人々に、何かを学ばねばならないのだ」と。
確かに、日本人以外のほとんどの民族には、虫の声はもちろん、鳥の鳴き声、木々のざわめき、波の音、風の音など等、人の声以外の音は全て雑音でしかないそうです。これに関する興味深い研究はいっぱいあります。共通点は、日本人は、人の声以外の多くの音を言語脳、つまり左脳で捉えますが、日本人以外の民族は右脳で捉え、処理すると言う点です。「ん」以外は全て母音で構成される日本語と、子音が多い他言語にその原因があるとも言われています。

After an 18-year hiatus, the Hanshin Tigers’ league championship has set off a celebration in the Kansai region since last night. And speaking of festivities, in Kishiwada, the Danjiri Festival will be held on the 16th and 17th. Osaka boasts two major rivers, the Yodo River and the Yamato River, and each region has its own distinct character. The areas north of the Yodo River, the area between the Yodo River and the Yamato River, and the area south of the Yamato River each have different regional characteristics. While North Kawachi, which includes much of the urbanized areas west of Osaka City, differs from the regions south of the Yamato River, both Central and South Kawachi, aside from Sakai City, lack major cities and have retained a strong Osaka flavor until recently. Tigers fans are spread throughout the entire Keihanshin region, but south of the Yamato River, nearly everyone is a Tigers fan. The symbol of this is the Kishiwada Danjiri Festival, which is so spectacular that it was nicknamed the Rampage Danjiri Festival. This year’s Danjiri Festival, coinciding with the Hanshin Tigers’ championship win after 18 years and the relief from the COVID-19 pandemic, promises to be a spectacle.

18年振りに阪神タイガースがリーグ優勝したということで昨夜から関西では大騒ぎです。時折しも、岸和田ではだんじり祭りが16日、17日に開催されます。大阪には淀川と大和川の二大河川がありますが、淀川以北の地域、淀川と大和川に挟まれた地域、大和川以南の地域では、それぞれ違った地域性があります。淀川以南は古くから河内と言われ、北河内、中河内、南河内と区分されてきました。北河内は西に大阪市を初め都市化された地域が大部分ですが、大和川以南の中河内、南河内は堺市以外には大都市もなく、最近まで大阪気質を色濃く残した地域です。タイガースファンも、京阪神全体に広がっていますが、大和川以南はほぼ全員がタイガースファンといった具合です。その象徴が岸和田のだんじり祭りで、暴れだんじりの異名があったほどの豪壮なだんじり祭りです。18年振りの阪神タイガース優勝とコロナ禍からの解放が重なった今年のだんじり祭りは見ものです。

Black pearls, rubies, and agates studded in a black evening gown; Black Pearl, exuding such an atmosphere, is undoubtedly a chili pepper. The black leaves bear purple flowers, and eventually, the fruit transitions from purple to dark purple, then to the natural red of chili peppers. The leaves start as young, tender green shoots, gradually transforming into beautiful black leaves. The distinctive feature of Black Pearl is its ability to undergo a diverse range of transformations. Black Pearl received a gold award in the 2006 All-America Selections (National Garden Bureau) competition. While there are many horticultural plants with dark-colored leaves, they are not commonly found in the natural world. This is because many dark-leaved varieties have been carefully selected and stabilized over a long period of time. Among plants with dark-colored leaves, Black Pearl boasts the darkest leaves. Plants generate their own nutrients through photosynthesis, a process heavily reliant on sunlight. However, not all types and amounts of sunlight are equally suitable for photosynthesis, where an enzyme called Rubisco efficiently catalyzes carbon dioxide fixation. This is where leaf color comes into play. While green leaves are common, red leaves and completely black leaves, like those of Black Pearl, are also capable of carrying out photosynthesis by selecting the appropriate sunlight that suits their leaves.

黒真珠、ルビー、メノウを散りばめた黒い夜会服、そんな雰囲気を持つブラックパールはれっきとした唐辛子です。黒葉に紫の花が咲き、やがてその実は紫から黒紫、そして唐辛子本来の赤へ変化します。葉は新芽の時は若葉色、そして緑色に変化し、徐々に美しい黒葉になります。実に多彩な変化をするのがブラックパールの特徴です。ブラックパールは2006年のオールアメリカセレクションズ（全米草花品種審査協会）で金賞を受賞した品種です。ダークカラーの葉を持つものは、園芸植物にはたくさんありますが、自然界にはあまり多くは見られません。それは、ダークリーフの多くが今まで長い時間をかけて選別され、固定化してきたものだからです。ブラックパールはそんなダークカラーの葉を持つ植物の中でも最も黒い葉を持っています。植物は光合成をすることによって自主栄養を作り出します。その時に重要なのは太陽光ですが、この太陽光を無限に取り入れてよいものではなく、光合成において二酸化炭素固定を触媒するRubisco（ルビスコ）という酵素が効率よく働く太陽光の種類と量が大切なわけです。それが葉の色によって違うわけで、緑色が一般的ですが、赤い葉やブラックパールのように真っ黒い葉も、その葉に適した太陽光を選択して光合成をおこなっています。

Following along the mountain stream for a short distance from the nearby village, you’ll find the Shuukaidou (Hardy Begonia) thriving, covering the rocky outcrops with its lush growth. Amidst its large, vibrant green leaves, you’ll notice tiny flowers scattered and blooming. True to its name, it exudes a charming and distinctly autumnal allure. Retaining a wild charm and evoking a Japanese aesthetic, it is a mysterious flower. Despite often being thought of as native to Japan due to its semi-wild presence throughout the country, the Shuukaidou is actually an introduced species that arrived from China in the early Edo period. It earned the name ‘Hardy Begonia’ because it bears flowers similar to those of the Rose family’s KaiDou (Begonia) in the autumn. Its flowering season ranges from late July to mid-October, and it comes in white and pink varieties, known for their sparkling, glistening quality when touched by sunlight. It produces numerous small flowers, about 3cm in size, on stems that emerge from the leaves’ base. There are both male and female flowers, with the conspicuous yellow ovaries of the female flowers catching the eye. In English, it is referred to as ‘Hardy Begonia’ due to its cold-hardiness, and it is also known by the name ‘Elephant ear,’ highlighting its large leaves.

近くの集落から谷川に沿って少し進むと、シュウカイドウ(秋海棠)が岩肌を覆う様に生い茂っています。大きな緑濃い葉に比べて余りにも小さな花が散らばって咲いています。その名の通り、いかにも秋を思わせる楚々とした風情が魅力です。野趣感を残していて、和の趣を感じさせる不思議な花です。シュウカイドウは、日本の各地で半野生化していることから、日本原産と思われがちですが、江戸時代の初め頃に中国から渡来した帰化植物です。バラ科のカイドウ(海棠）に似た花を秋に咲かせていることから、秋海棠との名がつきました。開花期は７月下旬〜10月中旬頃で、花色は白、ピンクがあり、日が差すとキラキラと光るラメのような質感が特徴的です。葉のわきから花茎を伸ばし、３cm前後の小さな花を多数咲かせます。雄花と雌花があり、雌花の黄色い子房が目立ちます。英語では「Hardy begonia（耐寒性のあるベゴニア）」と呼ばれます。また、大きな葉に注目したElephant earという呼び名もあります。

Amaryllis is usually thought of as a flower that blooms in spring, but until recently, even gardeners and florists used to refer to flowers of the hippeastrum family, which are a different variety from the original amaryllis, as amaryllis. So it’s confusing. To distinguish the true amaryllis from the Hippeastrum variety, it came to be called ‘Honma Amaryllis.’ Unlike many species commonly referred to as amaryllis (belonging to the Hippeastrum genus) that produce both leaves and flowers simultaneously, the Honma Amaryllis (belonging to the Amaryllis genus) lacks leaves above ground during its flowering period, resembling the way Higanbana flowers bloom.
While the commonly known amaryllis is native to Central and South America, the Honma Amaryllis originates from South Africa and is also known as the Belladonna Lily. ‘Belladonna’ means ‘beautiful lady’ in Italian. It was introduced to Japan towards the end of the Meiji era. Its flowering season spans from midsummer to early autumn, with flower stems extending from the bulb to produce around 10 or more blossoms at their tips. The flower stems can reach heights of 50cm to 70cm. The flowers are trumpet-shaped with wide openings, similar to lilies, and come in delicate shades of pink, white, and red.
Similar to the Higanbana, the leaves of the Honma Amaryllis wither before summer, and in the autumn, only the flowers appear and bloom. Although they are less numerous than Higanbana, their elegant appearance adds a unique touch of beauty to the autumn scenery, distinct from the Higanbana, enhancing the colors of the season.

通常、アマリリスと言うと、春に咲く花とイメージされがちですが、本来のアマリリスとは別品種のヒッペアストラム族の花を、少し前までは、園芸家や花屋までもがアマリリスと言っていたので混乱します。そこで、ヒッペアストラム族のアマリリスと区別するために、本来のアマリリスをホンマアマリリスと呼ぶ様になりました。一般に言うアマリリス(ヒッペアストルム属)の多くの種が花と一緒に葉も展開させるのに対し、ホンアマリリス(アマリリス属)は開花時にはヒガンバナのように地上部に葉がありません。通称のアマリリスが中南米が原産地であるのに対して、ホンマアマリリスは南アフリカ原産で、別名ベラドンナ・リリーといいます。ベラドンナとはイタリア語で「美しい淑女」と言う意味です。日本には明治の末に入ってきました。開花期は真夏から初秋で、球根から花茎をにゅっと伸ばしてその先端に10輪前後の花を咲かせます。花茎は高さ50cm～70cmにもなります。花は筒状で先端が大きく開き、ユリに似ていて、色は淡いピンクや白、紅色があります。彼岸花と同様、夏の前に葉が枯れ、秋には花だけが現れ咲きます。彼岸花に比べて数も少なく目立ちませんが、気品のある花姿は、彼岸花とはまた違った意味で、秋の景色に彩りを添えます。

I remembered this while looking at the “Manjushage” flowers, but there’s a haiku by Kitahara Hakushu that goes, “On the kaya tree, With kaya nuts now hanging, Loneliness descends,” which means the loneliness felt when kaya nuts grow on a kaya tree, signaling the arrival of winter. Kaya is an evergreen coniferous tree that can grow up to 20 meters tall, with a trunk circumference of up to 3 meters. It blooms with flowers in spring, around April to May, and its fruit forms in September to October of the following year. The fruit is wrapped in thick green skin, and when you peel it, you find sticky reddish-brown seeds. You can’t eat them as they are, so after removing the bitterness in various ways and roasting them, you get nuts with a flavor reminiscent of a mixture of chestnuts and walnuts.
A long time ago, when I went to Nozawa Onsen, I remembered that I was using the hot spring water to remove the scum from the kaya nuts that I had placed in a net. Furthermore, kaya has been used since the Jomon period not only for food but also for lamp oil and anthelminthic. Its wood is excellent for carving Buddhist statues, making top-quality Shogi boards, and Go boards.

「曼珠沙華(ひがんばな)」で思い出しましたが、北原白秋の俳句に「榧の木に榧の実のつくさびしさよ」と言う句があります。榧の木に榧の実がついてもう冬が来ると感じるさびしさよ、と言う意味の句です。榧は常緑針葉樹の高木で、樹高は20mにも達し、幹回りは３mにもなります。春の４〜５月に花を咲かせ、実は翌年の9 〜10月にできます。実は緑色の厚い皮に包まれていて、皮を剥くとねばねばの赤褐色の種がでます。このまま食べることはできないので、様々の方法でアク抜きをして炒ると、栗と胡桃が混ざった様な味のナッツができあがります。昔、野沢温泉に行った時、湧き湯で網に入れた榧の実のアク抜きをしていた事を思い出しました。また、榧は、縄文の昔から、食用だけでなく、灯油や虫下しにも使われましたし、木は材質としても優れ、仏像彫刻や、最高級の棋盤や碁盤にも使われます。