Travel of Isabella L. Bird in 1878, part 3 イザベラバードが見た明治初期の日本（3）

Comfortable stay in Nikko 日光での快適な日々

Letter 7 KANAYA’s NIKKO, June 15

 She stayed at Kanaya’s inn in Nikko. She was fully satisfied with its garden, the interiors and the Japanese style bedroom. The old hotel is opened as a museum now and we can see the room where Isabella stayed at. By the way, the owner established Kanaya Hotel later, which is the highest-grade hotel in Nikko now.

イザベラは宿泊した金谷家の庭、内装、寝室に大変満足している。

Her book in which Kanaya’s inn and family were written

金谷家のページ

                      Kanaya’s inn、金谷カッテージ・イン

Kanaya Hotel History House　金谷ホテル歴史館（日光）

Kanaya Hotel at 2010、今の金谷ホテル

Letter 8 KANAYA’s NIKKO, June 21

 She visited Nikko Toshougu Shrine which is one of the most popular tourist spots due to its beautiful wooden buildings. It was designated UNESCO world heritage. She was moved by the beauty. She never missed tourist attractions during her hard travel.

イザベラは東照宮の塔頭を巡り、美しさを讃えている。

Youmeimon gate of Nikko Toshougu Shrine in the Meiji period

明治時代の東照宮陽明門

http://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/762376/234、日本写真帖 国立国会図書館デジタルコレクションから

                                           Youmeimon gate now

Reference: Nikko museum and Nikko Toshogu 日光市歴史民俗資料館と東照宮

Letter 9 YASHIMAYA YUMOTO, NIKKOZAN MOUNTAINS, June 22

 She had an “experimental journey on horseback” to Yumoto sulphurous hot spring 15km away.

 The highway was connected from Edo to Nikko but the road condition was bad after the latter. She climbed to Yumoto by horse, but the practice was really harsh. She finally reached the inn and said, “The hard day’s journey ended in an exquisite yadoya (inn), beautiful within and without---“, meanwhile she continued “The place is full of people, and the four bathing-sheds were crowded.”, plus” There can be very little amusement.” 

 She found a boat and wrote “There is one covered boat for excursions on the lake, and a few geishas (girls) were playing the samisen (guitar).” I was moved by this fact, because Japanese visited the hot spring deep in the mountain and enjoyed music on the lake back then. That’s cool and blessed time.

 By the way, the color of Yumoto hot spring water is kind of white and it is one of my favorite hot springs. 

Yumoto and Yunoko Lake、明治時代の湯元と湯の湖

http://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/762376/234、日本写真帖から

Tea-house girl in Nikko Yumoto by Isabella

日光湯元の茶屋の娘のスケッチ

Fountainhead of Yumoto now、湯元源泉

Yumoto hot spring: http://www.nikkoyumoto.com/hotspring.shtml

イザベラは、日光以降の未踏の地の旅に備えて、馬を使った試験的な旅として、硫黄泉で有名な湯元温泉に登って行く。

旅を止めたくなるぐらい大変だったが、宿が良かった。良い宿があったのだ。そして、外人も好むそのような宿が、湯治している日本人で満室であったという。

湖上の屋形船を見かけたら、何人かの芸者が三味線を弾いていたという。イザベラ好みの静かな湯治場でも、少ないとはいえ芸者がいたのか、或いは、当時の日本人は三味線を弾ける人が多かったので、芸者ではなく、普通の人が余興として弾いたのか。車のない時代に山奥で豊かな時間を過ごしていた日本人が居たことが素晴らしい。

Contact with local people　地元の人たちとのふれあい

Letter 10 IRIMICHI入町, Nikko, June 23

 She visited a local school; she saw the class and children playing, for example, one child feigning sickness and another playing the doctor. 

 She also joined Kanaya family. The everyday life of Kanaya, who was the chief of the village, was described in detail. 

 “Breakfast follows, then domestic avocations, dinner at one, and sewing, gardening, and visiting till six, when they take the evening meal. Visitors usually arrive soon afterwards, and stay till eleven or twelve.” 

 Villagers gathered his house often until late at night, I don’t know why, but maybe the reason was that he was a chief or a foreign visitor stayed at his house. 

 It was that time when she said “There can be very little amusement” there. In the early evening, they enjoyed Japanese chess, story-telling, and the samisen guitar. 

She disliked late evening, because “an agonizing performance, which they call singing begins, which sounds like very essence of heathenishness, and consists mainly in a prolonged vibrating “No”.” 

I guess slow Japanese traditional songs bored her. 

Moreover, people enjoyed drinking and making a racket; “Sake, or rice beer, is always passed round before the visitors leave, in little cups with the gods of luck at the bottom of them.”  They became noisier with time.

She wrote, “Sake, when heated, mounts readily to the head, and a single small cup excites the half-witted man-servant to some foolish musical performance.” 

She added, “I am sorry to write it, but his(performer) master and mistress take great pleasure in seeking him make a fool of himself, and Ito, who is from policy a total abstainer, goes into convulsions of laughter.”

Isabella was disgusted with the party, but I personally love such a crazy party. Until around 1980, I think people gathered and someone made funny performance including singing. 

However, karaoke took over the performances, and we do nothing during the party nowadays, just talking. We Japanese are becoming gentle or boring?

イザベラは学校を訪問し、授業やこどもたちのお医者さんごっこを見ている。また、金谷家で子供たちと過ごしているが、この記述は、イザベラが特別待遇なので、子供たちの本当の姿を見ているか、割り引いて考えないといけない。

彼女が見た金谷家の日々の暮らしは、朝食続いて、家の仕事を行い、1時に昼食(dinner)をとり、縫い物や庭仕事を終わらせ、夕食を6時にとる。その後、客がすぐに来て、11時か12時までいるという。村の長であったし、ちょっと、特殊な家だったと思う。外人が来ていたせいかも知れないし、イザベラが指摘しているようにアミューズメントが少なかったせいかも知れない。

しかし良く遊ぶ。早い時間は、将棋や物語、三味線で遊ぶ。ここでも、子供たちも習っている三味線が出て来る。

その後がイザベラには耐えがたく、私には楽しい、宴会となる。決まって謡いになるが、イザベラには、ただ、“の～”といっていだけだ、と酷評されている。そして、酒となる。底に福の神を書いた盃が回されるが、熱燗はすぐに回り、下男は何か、歌い踊り始めたようだ。イザベラは、金谷夫妻も、酒を飲まない主義の伊藤も、下男の馬鹿な真似を見てひきつるほど大笑いしているのに呆れ返っている。下男は芸達者であったのであろう。

イザベラには受けなかったが。手拍子を打ちながら、自分たちの芸で盛り上がるのは、1980年ぐらいまでだったように思う。宴会では、カラオケが主流になって、そのうち、話すだけになった。日本人は紳士的になったのか、退屈な人たちになったのか。

She wrote about fun with children; “I never saw people take so much delight in their offspring, carrying them about, or holding their hands in walking, watching and entering into their games, supplying them constantly with new toys, taking them to picnics and festivals, never being content to be without them, and treating other people’s children also with a suitable measure of affection and attention.” 

I’m not sure whether the delight staying with children is peculiar to Japan or not. I wonder Isabella belonged to a wealth class, so they didn’t have delight in bringing up their children probably. I have believed that the delight of cherishing children is a common sense around world.

子供と一緒に居る楽しみが語られる。抱き上げたり、一緒にゲームをしたり、祭りに連れて行ったり。よその子にも愛情を持って接する。ここは、イザベラの感覚と我々の違いがはっきり出ていて秀逸。Wikiにはイザベラは中流家庭に生まれたと書かれているが、メイドを使う人だったのか。子供を育てる、子供と一緒に居る楽しみは世界共通だと思うのだが。

Previous post (From Edo/Tokyo to Nikko):
Travel of Isabella L. Bird in 1878, part 2　イザベラバードが見た明治初期の日本（2）

Next post (Going into unbeaten tracks):

Travel of Isabella L. Bird in 1878, part 4　イザベラバードが見た明治初期の日本（4）

There are 12 articles about Isabella's travel in Japan. The first page:
 Travel of Isabella L. Bird in 1878, part 1　イザベラバードが見た明治初期の日本（1）
イザベラバードの旅は全12ページの記事です。最初の記事は上記のURLです。