Seeing off pilgrims to Ise (January, 1804) 、伊勢参りの村人が出発（享和 4 年 1 月） Line to Ise Shrine on New Year's Day; the most popular pilgrimage destination 1804 A Russian envoy arrived in Nagasaki, seeking trade. This marked the beginning of serious approaches from the modernized West towards Japan, which had adopted a policy of national isolation. The era name was changed in February. This is also recorded in this diary. The new era name was Bunka. This marked the beginning of what would later be known as the Bunka-Bunsei era. In the Bunka-Bunsei era, the common people's culture of Edo became refined , like senryu (short humorous poems). However, the shogunate imposed strict censorship, restricting the publication of illustrated satire picture books and detaining writers. January On New Year's Day, Hyōemon, who wrote this diary, visited the local shrine (guardian deity). On the 2 nd , despite it be...
Life in the year end and Annual horse capturing event (November and December, 1802) 、野馬捕りと年の暮れ（享和 2 年 11 、 12 月） November, 1802 Hyōemon (a village head who wrote this diary) departed for Edo (old name of Tokyo where his lord lived) on the 4 th and returned home on the 15 th . He stayed in Edo for 12 days. 16 th , the village headmen of 55 villages gathered for the meeting regarding the sukegō (providing labor for post-towns ) of Kogane-juku; “ juku ” means a post-town. His purpose for going to Edo was the sukegō issue, but there was no prospect of a resolution. No village wanted to work for sukegō job. Sukegō was a system; when a post-town lacked sufficient horses and porters, surrounding villages were required to provide them. The wages were low. Hyōemon's village was designated as a sukegō village for Kogane-juku on the Mito Highway from Edo to Mito. Btw, Edo, where he stayed for 12 days, was a paradise of entertainment even then ( Life i...