November:
Jobs during off-season for farmers
On the 4th, a noble woman who worked for the daimyo lord of Mito passed through this area. It was noticed to the master three days before. Farmers would have been summoned and cleaned the road. They were also required to repair the bank in the village, so the master sent 5 people for 3 day-work on the 17th.
By the way, there were a lot of internal wars in the 16th century. At that time, it is said that lords started wars after the harvest season. They summoned farmers as foot soldiers, and fought with neighboring lords. The farm production was the most important in their society, so I can say war lords conducted various operations only in an off-season for farmers which included wars. It would not have been peaceful days for farmers.
Visitors came to their village in this season. Oshis came from Kashima and Mt.Fuji in November. Oshi was a priest and a travel agent who invited people to their shrines and prepared accommodation and so on. In December, Oshis came from Oyama and Ise too. Those were popular shrines which people visited especially in Edo period.
A woman called “biku-ni” came to this village too. “Biku” means a monk and “ni” means a woman. She was stayed at the ryo which was the accommodation in the village shrine. What was the “biku-ni”? It was written in the “Life in Edo” that they were originally nun, they traveled around Japan and some of them prostituted.
Setting aside “biku-ni”, the master finished sending his rice to his load as a tax on the 24th this year. I am sure that he relieved and felt very happy, because there was also a poor harvest season in Edo period which caused famine. Phot of the “biku-ni” in Edo period
http://z-shibuya.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2010/09/post-d85e.html
・１１月（農閑期の仕事）
4日に「水戸大奥御女中様通行」、3日前に前触れがあった。農民は街道の掃除などをしたのだろう。土手普請の要請もあり、17日から3日間、5人を出している。戦国武将は刈取りが終わってから農民を足軽として動員して、戦を始めたという。農民の食糧生産は最重要視され、農民に時間ができたとき、すなわち農閑期が、戦争やレジャーの時期となっていたのだろう。言い換えると、支配階級は、農民というか食糧に気を遣い、農作が一段落した後、ことを起こしていたと思う。戦争も含めて。
それはさておき、この月は、鹿嶋と富士山から御師が来ている。御師は神社への参拝を勧誘し、宿などの手配をする祈祷師兼旅行代理人だ。12月には、大山、伊勢からも御師が来ている。このような中、居候比丘尼という者が村に来ており、寮へ案内している。寮は、寺院の寄宿舎のことだと思われるが、この寮は10月中旬に大工を呼んで修繕している。居候比丘尼とは何者だろうか。比丘尼はもともと尼僧だが、各地を巡る比丘尼がいて、やがて売春行為もするようになったと江戸生活事典には書かれている。
それもさておき、御年貢米は、24日に収め終えた。嬉しいひとときである。
（江戸時代の比丘尼の写真）
http://z-shibuya.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2010/09/post-d85e.html
December: Otoki’s marriage
Otoki was the name of a lady who lived in the Yoshino’s house. The matchmaker and his wife came to Yoshino’s house at 3pm on the 17th. Otoki went to the groom's house in the evening. The master would have got back late at night. The wife of Shibaya who was a relative visited the master with money as a gift on the 20th. On the 25th, Zenzo visited Yoshino with a salted salmon which was very precious at that time. They would have celebrated Otaki’s marriage and enjoyed the parties.
Otoki visited Yoshino for the New Year’s greeting, and stayed for four nights. It was a Japanese custom that women got back to the parents’ houses in the middle of January and August.
I guess wedding ceremonies would have been held in the off-season for farmers mainly. Nowadays wedding ceremonies are held in spring or autumn mainly because it is not chilly nor hot. There were no description about the wedding party, I wanna know it!
Illustration of the wedding days in old Japan
http://www.misawa-world.com/loca_wasoujitaku/mukasinokekkonsiki.html
・１２月（その1：おときの入嫁）
17日、3時頃、媒酌人夫妻が来て、「夕方次三郎方へ縁女おとき入嫁」とある。意外と遅い時間だ。主は、深夜に戻ってきたようだ。20日に芝弥の妻が祝儀を持って来訪、25日には善蔵が鮭塩引き一尺持参とある。楽しいお祝いだろう。おとき（登幾）は年明け、15日に母を送りに来て年礼をした後、吉野家に4泊している。いわゆる、小正月、女正月だと思う。婚礼は農閑期が多いのだろうか。宴席の仔細は不明だが、知りたいなあ。
December: Settling the debt
It was customary for Japanese to settle their debt until the end of the year. Many transactions were written in the diary. It was conducted until the 29th.
In this month, the master’s father sent a messenger from Edo and asked the master to send money to him. The master replied that he could not send money to his father. The master would have been disgusted by his father. His father got back to Yoshino’s house on the 17th; it was the day when Otoki went to the groom's house. His father might have regretted, because he did not have a long term travel to Edo after this affair.
On the 27th, they made mochi or rice cakes to offer the gods on the New Year’s day. They had been waiting for the New Year’s day. The New Year god would come to their house on the New Year’s day.
Making rice cakes event; Mochi-tsuki (YouTube)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUeykHyUak0
Mochi rice cake
・１２月（その2：暮れの精算）
お金の精算や証文のやり取りの記載が多い。師走に精算するのは日本の慣習だ。証文のやり取りは29日まで続く。
このような中、出府中の父から飛脚が来て、「金子相渡候」と書状にあったが、「出来がたく旨」返書を飛脚に渡し帰した。父の振る舞いにあきれていたのだろうか。おときが入嫁した17日の夜に父は戻っている。父は懲りたようで、以降、長期の出府はなくなる。
27日に餅つきを行い、新年を迎える。「新年を迎える」、を英語にするのが難しい。歳神様を迎える、と訳すると我々の感覚に合っているかもしれない。ただ、1月1日という時間を待っているわけでないと気付いた。
On the 4th, a noble woman who worked for the daimyo lord of Mito passed through this area. It was noticed to the master three days before. Farmers would have been summoned and cleaned the road. They were also required to repair the bank in the village, so the master sent 5 people for 3 day-work on the 17th.
By the way, there were a lot of internal wars in the 16th century. At that time, it is said that lords started wars after the harvest season. They summoned farmers as foot soldiers, and fought with neighboring lords. The farm production was the most important in their society, so I can say war lords conducted various operations only in an off-season for farmers which included wars. It would not have been peaceful days for farmers.
 |
Rice fields at the harvest season in Saitama prefecture
|
Visitors came to their village in this season. Oshis came from Kashima and Mt.Fuji in November. Oshi was a priest and a travel agent who invited people to their shrines and prepared accommodation and so on. In December, Oshis came from Oyama and Ise too. Those were popular shrines which people visited especially in Edo period.
A woman called “biku-ni” came to this village too. “Biku” means a monk and “ni” means a woman. She was stayed at the ryo which was the accommodation in the village shrine. What was the “biku-ni”? It was written in the “Life in Edo” that they were originally nun, they traveled around Japan and some of them prostituted.
http://z-shibuya.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2010/09/post-d85e.html
・１１月（農閑期の仕事）
4日に「水戸大奥御女中様通行」、3日前に前触れがあった。農民は街道の掃除などをしたのだろう。土手普請の要請もあり、17日から3日間、5人を出している。戦国武将は刈取りが終わってから農民を足軽として動員して、戦を始めたという。農民の食糧生産は最重要視され、農民に時間ができたとき、すなわち農閑期が、戦争やレジャーの時期となっていたのだろう。言い換えると、支配階級は、農民というか食糧に気を遣い、農作が一段落した後、ことを起こしていたと思う。戦争も含めて。
それはさておき、この月は、鹿嶋と富士山から御師が来ている。御師は神社への参拝を勧誘し、宿などの手配をする祈祷師兼旅行代理人だ。12月には、大山、伊勢からも御師が来ている。このような中、居候比丘尼という者が村に来ており、寮へ案内している。寮は、寺院の寄宿舎のことだと思われるが、この寮は10月中旬に大工を呼んで修繕している。居候比丘尼とは何者だろうか。比丘尼はもともと尼僧だが、各地を巡る比丘尼がいて、やがて売春行為もするようになったと江戸生活事典には書かれている。
それもさておき、御年貢米は、24日に収め終えた。嬉しいひとときである。
（江戸時代の比丘尼の写真）
http://z-shibuya.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2010/09/post-d85e.html
December: Otoki’s marriage
Otoki was the name of a lady who lived in the Yoshino’s house. The matchmaker and his wife came to Yoshino’s house at 3pm on the 17th. Otoki went to the groom's house in the evening. The master would have got back late at night. The wife of Shibaya who was a relative visited the master with money as a gift on the 20th. On the 25th, Zenzo visited Yoshino with a salted salmon which was very precious at that time. They would have celebrated Otaki’s marriage and enjoyed the parties.
Otoki visited Yoshino for the New Year’s greeting, and stayed for four nights. It was a Japanese custom that women got back to the parents’ houses in the middle of January and August.
I guess wedding ceremonies would have been held in the off-season for farmers mainly. Nowadays wedding ceremonies are held in spring or autumn mainly because it is not chilly nor hot. There were no description about the wedding party, I wanna know it!
 |
Japanese style wedding, photo by Naha
足成 http://www.ashinari.com/2009/09/28-028370.php?category=45 |
http://www.misawa-world.com/loca_wasoujitaku/mukasinokekkonsiki.html
・１２月（その1：おときの入嫁）
17日、3時頃、媒酌人夫妻が来て、「夕方次三郎方へ縁女おとき入嫁」とある。意外と遅い時間だ。主は、深夜に戻ってきたようだ。20日に芝弥の妻が祝儀を持って来訪、25日には善蔵が鮭塩引き一尺持参とある。楽しいお祝いだろう。おとき（登幾）は年明け、15日に母を送りに来て年礼をした後、吉野家に4泊している。いわゆる、小正月、女正月だと思う。婚礼は農閑期が多いのだろうか。宴席の仔細は不明だが、知りたいなあ。
December: Settling the debt
It was customary for Japanese to settle their debt until the end of the year. Many transactions were written in the diary. It was conducted until the 29th.
In this month, the master’s father sent a messenger from Edo and asked the master to send money to him. The master replied that he could not send money to his father. The master would have been disgusted by his father. His father got back to Yoshino’s house on the 17th; it was the day when Otoki went to the groom's house. His father might have regretted, because he did not have a long term travel to Edo after this affair.
On the 27th, they made mochi or rice cakes to offer the gods on the New Year’s day. They had been waiting for the New Year’s day. The New Year god would come to their house on the New Year’s day.
Making rice cakes event; Mochi-tsuki (YouTube)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUeykHyUak0
Mochi rice cake
・１２月（その2：暮れの精算）
お金の精算や証文のやり取りの記載が多い。師走に精算するのは日本の慣習だ。証文のやり取りは29日まで続く。
このような中、出府中の父から飛脚が来て、「金子相渡候」と書状にあったが、「出来がたく旨」返書を飛脚に渡し帰した。父の振る舞いにあきれていたのだろうか。おときが入嫁した17日の夜に父は戻っている。父は懲りたようで、以降、長期の出府はなくなる。
27日に餅つきを行い、新年を迎える。「新年を迎える」、を英語にするのが難しい。歳神様を迎える、と訳すると我々の感覚に合っているかもしれない。ただ、1月1日という時間を待っているわけでないと気付いた。
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