The petals of sasanqua flowers are piled up on the ground in the last night’s storm.  Every petal is alive.  It may be because it feel the warmth of the earth.  The earth is also gorgeous with its color.  It looks like a sasanqua flower in full bloom that has bloomed on the ground again.  There are many things that make me think just by looking at such a landscape.  The ecosystem of plants, all things in a state of flux, what gets up must come down, etc.  The seasons come around, and when the sasanqua flowers are gone, it’s already spring.

山茶花の花びらが昨晩の小嵐で地面に降り積もっています。どの花びらも生き生きしています。大地の温もりを感じているからかもしれません。大地も彩りを添えてもらって華やかです。再び地面に咲いた満開の山茶花の様です。こうした風景を見るだけでも考えさせられることは多くあります。植物の生態系のこと、生々流転のこと、盛者必衰のこと等々。季節は巡り、山茶花の花もなくなるともう春です。

Tondoyaki is a fire festival of the little New Year (about January 15 by the lunar calendar).  Officially, it’s called Sagicho, but I didn’t know until recently.  It seems that there are various names such as Dondo-yaki, Saito-yaki, etc. depending on the region.  Generally, the event is held on January 14th or 15th, and in Kyushu, it is often held on the 6th or 7th.  Bamboo is used as the main material, and it is assembled into columns, cones, squares, etc., and the central bamboo material is attached with decorations and lucky charms equivalent to coins, and they were baked with decoration.  It is believed that it  is the origin of the Shinto ritual that welcomes the god of good fortune of the year, Toshitoku-jin, and is the custom of the Izumo area.

とんど焼きとは、小正月の火祭のことです。正式には左義長と言うらしいですが、つい最近まで知りませんでした。地方地方によって、どんど焼きとかさいと焼き等、様々な呼び方があるようです。 一般には1月14日か15日に行う行事で、 九州では6日か7日に行うところが多い様です。 竹を主材料に，円柱状，あるいは円錐形，方形などに組み，中心の竹材に，御幣に相当する飾りや縁起物を付け，それに前年のお札や，4日か7日に取り払った門松や正月飾と一緒に焼きます。その年の福徳を司る神である歳徳神を送り迎えする神事で出雲方面の風習が発祥であろうと考えられています。

When I was a kid, my mother’s parents’ house had a Goemon bath.  Robai(Japanese allspice) was planted near the bathroom, and it was in full bloom by this time of winter.  At dusk, it was very impressive to see the Robai in the sunset while the smoke in the bathroom drifts, and I can still see the scene.  Ryunosuke Akutagawa sings “The length of the branches that can see Robai through the snow”, but I feel like I understand it. Robai is about a month earlier than plum blossoms and begins to bloom when it is really cold.  In the murderous winter scenery, the flowers and scent are much more noticeable than plum blossoms, but no Tanka poet or Haiku poet has sung Robai before that, including Basho.  This is because Japanese allspice came into Japan in the late Edo period.  It is also called “Karaume” or “Nanjingume”, and is called “Winter sweet” in English.  It’s the perfect name for Japanese allspice, which gives off a sweet scent in the cold winter.

子供の頃、母の実家には五右衛門風呂がありました。その風呂場のそばに蝋梅が植わっていて、冬の今頃には満開になっていました。夕暮れ時、風呂場の煙が漂うなか、夕日を浴びた蝋梅が透けて見えるのがとても印象的で、今でもその光景が目に浮かんできます。芥川龍之介が「蝋梅や　雪うち透す　枝のたけ」と歌っていますが、分かる様な気がします。蝋梅は梅よりも1か月ほど早く、本当に極寒の頃から咲き始めます。殺風景な冬景色のなか、花も香りも梅よりかなり目立ちますが、芭蕉を始め、それ以前に蝋梅を歌った歌人や俳人は誰もいません。なぜなら、蝋梅が日本に入って来たのは江戸時代後期だったからです。「唐梅(カラウメ)」とか「南京梅(ナンキンウメ)」とも呼ばれ、英名では”Winter sweet”と呼ばれています。寒い冬に甘い香りを放つ蝋梅にぴったりの名前ですね。

There are more than 200 varieties of Boke(quince), such as vermilion scarlet quince, pure white quince, and chintz quince, which is a mixture of red and white.  It was Soseki Natsume who explained the quince accurately. He says it in the next passage of “Kusamakura”
《Quince is an interesting flower.  The branches are stubborn and never bent.  If you say that it is straight, it is not straight at all.  However, the straight short branch collides with the straight short branch at a certain angle, and the whole is completed while holding it at an angle.  There, red or white flowers that do not get the point bloom quietly.  It can even flicker soft leaves. If you evaluate the quince, it will be the flower that realized the most the stupidity among the flowers. There are people in the world who say that they keep too their honesty to a fault. When this person is reborn in the afterlife, he will surely become a quince.  I also want to be a quince.  》

木瓜(ボケ)には、朱紅色の緋木瓜(ヒボケ)、純白の白木瓜(シラボケ)、また紅と白とが混じった更紗木瓜(サラサボケ)など、200を越える品種があります。木瓜を語るなら漱石です。『草枕』の次の一節に言い尽くせています。
《木瓜は面白い花である。枝は頑固で、かつて曲った事がない。そんなら真直かと云うと、けっして真直でもない。ただ真直な短かい枝に、真直な短かい枝が、ある角度で衝突して、斜に構えつつ全体が出来上っている。そこへ、紅だか白だか要領を得ぬ花が安閑と咲く。柔らかい葉さえちらちら着ける。評して見ると木瓜は花のうちで、愚かにして悟ったものであろう。世間には拙を守ると云う人がある。この人が来世に生れ変るときっと木瓜になる。余も木瓜になりたい。》

In Kansai, it is crowded with “Ebessan(Ebisu)” for these three days.  “Ebisu” is a festival that enshrines Ebisu, the god of fishing, the god of prosperous business, and the god of fertility of five grains.  It is held every year from January 9th for 3 days, 9th is called “Yoi-Ebisu”, 10th is called “Hon-Ebisu”, and 11th is called “Nokori-Huku(Remaining Fortune)”.  Nishinomiya Shrine (Hyogo Prefecture), Imamiya Ebisu Shrine (Osaka Prefecture), and Kyoto Ebisu Shrine (Kyoto Prefecture), which are called Japan’s three major Ebisu shrines, are visited by about 900,000 people for three days, but in 2021, the number of people decreased by 80% to about 200,000.  Each shrine would have been enthusiastic about this year, but what will happen as the Omicron stock gains momentum?  I am worried about the sales of Fukuzasa and Kumade which are decorated with lucky charms at the tips of the branches.

関西ではこの三日間「えべっさん」で賑わいます。「えべっさん」とは十日戎のことで、漁業の神、商売繁盛の神、五穀豊穣の神として有名な「七福神」の戎(恵比寿)様を祀るお祭りです。毎年1月9日から3日間行われ、9日を宵戎(よいえびす)、10日を本戎(ほんえびす)、11日を残り福といいます。日本三大えびす神社と呼ばれる、西宮神社(兵庫県)、今宮戎神社(大阪府)、京都ゑびす神社(京都府)には、例年、3日間で約90万人が訪れますが、2021年は8割減の約20万人でした。今年こそはと各神社も意気込んだでしょうが、オミクロン株が勢いをます中、どうなることやら。枝先に縁起物を飾った福笹や熊手の売れ行きが気掛かりです。

Murouji Temple is also called “Women’s Koyasan ” because it allowed women to visit, although Koyasan has closed to women since ancient times. Murouji has continued to heal the visiting women over time, in solidarity with the women. This Murouji Temple is located 60km to the east and 110m to the north of Hase-dera.  In other words, Murouji Temple and Hasedera Temple are on the line of 34 degrees 32 minutes north latitude, which is almost perfect.  This was broadcast on NHK TV in 1980 as “The Road of the Sun” and caused a sensation. It introduced a mysterious fact that many ancient ruins and historical shrines are lined up on the line from Awaji Island (Isekuruma Shrine) in the west to Ise (Kamishima) in the east at 34 degrees 32 minutes north latitude, centering on the Hashihaka Kofun in Nara prefecture.  The sun worship led by the shrine maiden, represented by the mysterious queen Himiko, is still beautifully inherited by the Hinomaru in the form that most clearly symbolizes Japan in the world.

古来から女性が立ち入れなかった高野山に対し、女性の参詣が許されていたため「女人高野」とも呼ばれる室生寺。時を超え、時に合わせて女性とともに今に息づき、訪れる女性たちを癒し続けてきました。この室生寺、長谷寺から真東に60km、真北に110mの位置にあります。つまり室生寺と長谷寺はほぼピッタリ北緯３４度３２分の線上にあるわけです。これを『太陽の道』として、1980年にNHKテレビで放映され、センセーションを巻き起こしました。奈良の箸墓古墳を中心として、西は淡路島(伊勢久留麻神社)から東は伊勢（神島）までの北緯３４度３２分の線上に 古代遺跡や由緒ある神社が数多く立ち並んでいるという不思議な事実が紹介されたわけです。謎の女王卑弥呼を代表とする日の巫女に導かれた太陽崇拝が、今も世界で最も端的に日本を象徴する形で、美しく日の丸に受け継がれています。

Kawazu cherry blossoms, which are famous for their early blooming, have begun to bloom.  Kawazu cherry tree is a hybrid of Oshima cherry and Kanhi cherry, and is a hybrid crossed with Kanhi cherry again.  It is a cherry blossom with a large flower derived from Prunus speciosa and early blooming with the color of purple-red petals derived from Prunus campanulata. Somei Yoshino, the most major cherry blossom in Japan, is in full bloom from early March (Kyushu) to late April (Hokkaido), while Kawazu cherry blossoms are in full bloom from January to March.  Kawazu cherry blossoms were discovered by chance in 1955 among the weeds along the Kawazu River flowing through Kawazu Town on the Izu Peninsula, and after being raised seedlings, they began to bloom in 1966 and were named “Kawazuzakura” in 1974. ..  Today, there are about 850 cherry blossom trees along the Kawazu River, and from now on until the end of February, a total of more than 8,000 Kawazu cherry trees will be in full bloom in Kawazu Town.

早咲きで有名な河津桜が咲き始めました。河津桜はオオシマザクラとカンヒザクラの雑種にさらにカンヒザクラが交雑した種であり、オオシマザクラ由来の大輪の花と、カンヒザクラ由来の紫紅の花弁の色と早咲きが大きな特徴です。日本でもっともメジャーな桜、ソメイヨシノが例年3月上旬(九州)～4月下旬(北海道)に見頃を迎えるのに対し、河津桜は1月～3月に見頃を迎えます。河津桜は1955年に伊豆半島の河津町を流れる河津川沿いの雑草の中で偶然発見され、育苗されて1966年から開花し始め、1974年に「カワヅザクラ(河津桜)」と命名されました。今では、河津川沿いに約850本もの桜並木があり、これから２月いっぱいまで河津町内の合計8000本以上もの河津桜が咲き乱れます。

1500 years ago, the Manyo poet Akahito Yamabe composed Waka about the seven herbs of spring, saying, “I made a mark to pick Wakana from tomorrow, but it’s still snowing yesterday and today”. It seems that heavy snow has hit all over Japan.  There is a difference in the calendar between now and the past, so it may not be the same time, but there is something that is reminiscent of the times. Every January 7th, the custom of eating Nanakusa porridge in the first festival of the year, “Jinjitsu no Sekku”, is to eat the young shoots of Nanakusa and take in the vitality of the plant, so that you can live without any illness. It contains a wish to be able to do it. Jinjitsu means a day when people are cherished, and is one of Go-Sekku(the five seasonal festivals) such as the Joshi  (March 3rd), the Tango (May 5th), the Shichiseki(Tanabata, July 7th) and the Choyo(September 9th) which was introduced from China.  Nanakusa is a Japanese herb, and it is eaten as a porridge that does not burden the gastrointestinal tract, so it is a good food for the recovery of the gastrointestinal tract when New Year’s fatigue begins.

明日からは　若菜つまむと　標（し）めし野に　きのふもけふも　雪は降りつつ（明日から若菜摘みをしようと印をつけたのに、昨日も今日も雪が降り続いています）

今から1500年前、万葉歌人の山部赤人が春の七草を歌った歌です。今、東京を始め全国各地では大雪に見舞われているようです。暦の違いがありますから同じ時期の光景ではないでしょうが時代を越えて彷彿とさせられるものがあります。毎年1月7日、一年の最初の節句である「人日(じんじつ)の節句」に七草粥を食べる風習には、七草の若芽を食べて植物がもつ生命力を取り入れ、無病息災でいられるようにという願いが込められています。人日とは、人を大切に思う日という意味で、上巳(じょうし、3月3日）、端午(たんご、5月5日）七夕(しちせき、 7月7日)、重用(ちょうよう、 9月9日）と共に「五節句」と言われ、中国から伝わった行事です。七草はいわば日本のハーブ、そのハーブを胃腸に負担がかからないおかゆで食べようというのですから、正月疲れが出はじめた胃腸の回復にはちょうどよい食べ物なんですね。

January 5th is the Shokan (the first half of the coldest season (January 6–19)).  It’s also called the Kan-no-iri.  In the lunar calendar, the year was divided into twenty-four, and words representing the seasons were applied to each from the Risshun(the first day of spring) to the Daikan(the greatest cold day).  The Shokan is the 23rd solar term, the winter solstice after the Toji(the winter solstice), and before the Daikan, which is the time when the full-scale winter cold comes.  It is also the time when the stars in the night sky shine beautifully in the clear winter air.  During this time, we will also give a midwinter greeting. However, recently, it has become common to receive news of rape blossoms in full bloom, rather than the midwinter greeting.  This year’s Daikan is on the 20th, and the end of the Daikan is called “Kan-no-ake(the end of the cold)”, and after the last solstice, the Daikan, the first solstice, Risshun, comes around.

1月５日は小寒。寒の入りとも言います。太陰暦では一年を二十四分割し、立春から大寒まで、それぞれに季節を表す言葉を当てました。小寒とは23番目の節気で、小寒の前は冬至、後は大寒で、本格的な冬の寒さが訪れる時期です。冬の澄み切った空気の中、夜空の星が美しく輝く時期でもあります。この間に寒中見舞いも出します。しかし最近は、寒中見舞いどころか、菜の花満開の便りが届くのが普通になりました。今年の大寒は20日で、大寒が終わることを「寒の明け（かんのあけ）」と言い、最後の節気である大寒が過ぎると、1番目の節気である立春が巡ってきます。

Shigisan Chogosonshiji Temple is located on the hillside of Mt. Shigi at an altitude of 437m in Heguri Town, Nara Prefecture, on the prefectural border with Osaka.  More than 1400 years ago, Prince Shotoku visited Shigisan Temple to pray for victory over Mononobe no Moriya, a tough abandoned Buddha sect.  At this time, the time when the principal deity, Bishamon-Ten appeared in front of Prince Shotoku was “the year of the tiger, the day of the tiger, the time of the tiger”, so the tradition of a temple closely related to the tiger was born.  This year is the year of the tiger.  In the precincts, the giant tiger papier mache “The World’s No. 1 Fukutora” and  the “National Treasure, Shigisan Engi Emaki,” which is said to have the roots of “manga,” is on display, and many people have been visiting since New Year’s Day, praying that this is the year to have Corona subdued.

大阪との県境、奈良県平群町の標高437mの信貴山中腹に信貴山朝護孫子寺があります。今から1400余年前、聖徳太子は、強硬な廃仏派である物部守屋を討伐せんと戦勝祈願の為に信貴山に詣でます。この時、聖徳太子の前に本尊の毘沙門天王が現れた時刻が「寅の年、寅の日、寅の刻」だったということから寅とゆかりの深い寺と言う伝承が生まれました。今年は寅年。境内には巨大なトラの張り子「世界一の福寅」や「マンガ」のルーツと言われる「国宝、信貴山縁起絵巻」が展示され、今年こそコロナを討伐してもらおうと、元日から多くの人達が訪れています。