Published
in 1998
Kyoji
Watanabe、渡辺京二
人の楽しみの発見度：Excellent ★★★
The civilization around two hundred
years ago is described based on the diaries of around
one hundred westerners who stayed in Japan mainly in the 19th century.
The author says it was a lovely but lost Japanese civilization which he
names “Edo (old name of Tokyo) - Bunmei (civilization)”.
I extracted the fun of Japanese people from
the book. We can understand how people spent a fun time such as a quality time together
with their family, recreation in nature and trips.
This book goes through more than ten
printings, and English version is published. You can read it in Kindle.
Arnold Genthe took the photo above in 1908 https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/agc/item/2018719484/resource/
幕末･明治に来日した約百名の欧米人の書物から、著者が捉えた、愛すべき、かつ、失われた江戸文明が体系的に書かれています。版を重ねる人気作で英語版もあります。その中から、日本人の楽しみをピックアップしました。家族と、自然と、社寺参詣などとともに日々を楽しんでいた様子が良く分かります。
Innocent pastime of cheerful Japanese、陽気な日本人の無邪気な遊び
Chapter 2 “Cheerful Japanese” is started
with the next sentence; every westerner who visited Japan in the mid-19th
century had the first impression which was that Japanese were satisfied and
happy. Japanese were lively and they laughed a lot. They were satisfied with
everyday life.
「19世紀中葉、日本の地を初めて踏んだ欧米人が最初に抱いたのは、他の点はどうであろうと、この国民はたしかに満足しており幸福であるという印象だった」と第二章「陽気な人々」が始まっています。日本人は、陽気でよく笑っていました。日々の暮らしに満足していたのです。
Adults flew kites and played spinning tops with children. Even adults enjoyed harmless game such as a modified “Rock, scissor, paper” called Kitsune (fox) – Ken (fist). Actually, games with
geisha girls are very simple. It was strange for foreigners that people enjoyed
such a primitive game.
Kaikaro teahouse 懐華楼 @ Kanazawa、金沢
Reference (movie): Smiles of Japanese
people in one hundred years ago、100年前の日本人の笑顔：https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uzDccEOn70
凧揚げのように、子どもと大人が同じ遊びをするし、大人も狐拳のような無邪気な遊びをして喜んでいました。確かに、大人の遊びである芸者遊びも、無邪気と言えば無邪気な遊びです。外国人には、良くこんなもので、こんなことで遊べるなあと不思議に思えることでした。
Fun of children、子どもの楽しみ
It is described in
“Children’s paradise (chapter 10)”.
Mothers held babies like kangaroos do, or
kept them on the back. The physical contact would relieve children. Foreigners
eyed it, and they wrote as follows. Japanese children were pampered.
They got used to be treated well and they were rarely spanked by adults.
https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/agc/item/2018719941/resource/ (part/部分)
「子どもの楽園」（第十章）から書き抜きます。
まず、幼児はカンガルーのように、母親に抱かれたり、おんぶされたりしていました。また、多くの子どもが幼児をおんぶしているのが外国人の目を惹きました。（私は、「おんぶ」に相当する英単語がないことも気になっています。）スキンシップです。
子どもは甘やかされており、大事にされることに慣れていて、叩かれることはほとんどなかったと書かれています。
Some wrote that there were many toy shops. Many farmers, who were returning to their houses from a city, had toys. Parents and children enjoyed playing with same toys. It is the same even now.
Children played Hagoita (badminton), spinning tops, flying kites and riding on Take-uma (bamboo poles). Many toys were made by themselves. I think that playing outside was a very good custom.
Nakagawa ship checkpoint museum 中川船番所資料館
日本にはおもちゃ屋が多く、町から家へ急ぐ農夫の多くがおもちゃを持っていたと記録されています。親は子で遊ぶし、子も親と遊ぶ時間を楽しんだのだと思います。これは、今も続いていますね。
町中では、子どもたちが羽子板、独楽、凧、竹馬などで遊んでいました。外で遊ぶのがいいですし、手作りのおもちゃもたくさんありました。
Fun of women、女性の楽しみ
It is described in “Women’s aspects
(chapter 9)”.
They wrote Japanese women were classy,
charming, conservative and averagely pretty. Especially, young women were
attractive. But, in their 30’s, they got more wrinkles and they became
unattractive. I cannot believe it because they keep beauty even in the middle
age now. Thanks to skin care technology?
https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/agc/item/2018719636/resource/
日本人女性は、品格と愛嬌があり、質素、かつ、平均的に可愛らしいという評価をいただいています。特に娘達は魅力的で、「ムスメ」は英語にもフランス語にもなりました。今では想像しにくいですが、女性は三十代になると皺が多くなり、魅力がダウン。お歯黒はとても嫌いだったそうです。
When women were single, they lived freely. However, after marriage, they were strictly trained the new family’s manners by
the mother-in-law. Their lives changed after their son got married! The
daughter in law did all housework but the women controlled the family, more
over they could go out freely to theaters, shrines, temples and so on.
Every day was filled with enjoyment. The burden after the marriage was done to
achieve enjoyable life later, Alice M. Bacon who stayed in Japan in the late 19th
century wrote. I got it.
https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/agc/item/2018719561/resource/
娘時代は自由に行動できましたが、結婚すると嫁ぎ先の家風を姑に厳しく仕込まれました。でも、子どもが嫁を取ると、家事は嫁で実権は自分、その上、外出は自由で、芝居見物、社寺参詣など、毎日が娯しみに満ちていたそうです。「結婚生活前半の苦労は、この自由と安楽のためだったのである」（アリス･ベーコン/アメリカ人、明治時代）と書かれています。なるほどねえ。
An elderly widow or an unmarried woman
lived with their brothers’ family and had peaceful and serene days. They had
helped housework and had taken care of family members well, so they deserved to
the good care. It was a desirable self-help social security system, I think.
On the other hand, women in the farming
village were necessary workforce, so their position was high and they lived
more freely. In addition, there were many women who drank or smoked both in the
city and rural area.
また、寡婦になった女性や未婚の女性は、兄弟や甥の家に身を寄せましたが、平和と安息の老後が訪れました。家事をこなし、家族の面倒を良く見ていたので、家族から大切にされたのです。自助と呼べる良い社会保障だと思います。
なお、農村では、女性が農作業に欠かせないので、その地位が高く自由でした。また、町でも農村でも、飲酒や喫煙を楽しむ女性が多くいました。
Fun in the field、自然の中での楽しみ
It is written in the chapter 11 “Landscape
and cosmos”. Foreigners liked wooden houses with thatched roofs and hedges.
They also like the landscape of mountains and fields. Those are called “Sato
(villages) Yama (mountains)” which are woodlands near the residential area. Those are
not wild nature but villagers maintain them well in order to gather firewood or
foods such as mushrooms; those are forests to support human lives. The author
calls it the cosmos made by the civilization.
Michinoku Folklore Village、みちのく民俗村
「風景とコスモス」（第十一章）の中に書かれています。
外国人には、日本の山野の美しさ、茅葺き屋根や生け垣が人気でした。もちろん、彼らが見たのは人が手を入れた里山の美しさです。著者の言う「文明が構築したコスモス」のひとつとです。
Berg wrote as follows. The best pastime
for Japanese citizens were to spend a free and easy time in nature with
their family or friends under the good weather. They went to the shrine grounds
or graveyards. They also went to teahouses in beautiful nature. Elder people
chatted cheerfully. Young people enjoyed their time together; they played fishing or archery
games. Young women also liked those games.
https://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/1301977
幕末に来日したベルクは、「日本市民の最大の楽しみは、天気の良い祭日に妻子や親友と一緒に自然の中でのびのび過ごすことである。 墓地や神社の境内や、美しい自然の中にある茶店にも行く。 老人たちは愉快に談笑し、若い者は仲間同士で遊んだり、釣りをしたり、小さな弓で的を射たりする。 釣りや弓は若い女性にも好まれている遊びである」と書き残しました。
In the Western countries, nobles spent
pastime in the countryside. It is written that ordinary westerners didn’t go to
the rural area for recreation so much. Btw, not only decent picnics but also
revels in Asukayama (hill), Tokyo are written.
Regardless of rank, Japanese people like picnics. In fact, Japanese farmers had a custom to
go to mountains for recreation before the agricultural season.
Reference; Myhome town, Ibaraki -Customs- (Part1)
I reckon the hobby to make poems have
enhanced to admire the beauty of nature. Or Japanese admire it, so creating poems
have been popular among Japanese (It's not matter). Siebold who came to Japan
in the early 19th century wrote; loving flowers and making poems
were not separated like wheels of a cart.
Sakura cherry blossom viewing in Asukayama. 江戸名所道戯尽 飛鳥山の花見 https://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/1308266
田園で一日を過ごすのは、西洋では貴族の遊びであり、庶民の楽しみではありませんでしたから、外国人の目にとまりました。でも、上品なピクニックだけではなく、飛鳥山では酔漢が大暴れしていたことも書かれています。
農耕のシーズン前には山遊びがあったし、貴賤を問わず日本人はピクニックが大好きです。
Reference; わがまち茨木 -風習編- その１
庶民が自然を愛でるのは、思うに、俳句の影響かも知れません。或いは、自然を愛でるので俳句が流行ったのか。どちらでもいいのですが、「花好きと詩は日本において分離できぬ車の両輪である」（ジーボルト、19世紀初頭）を評されました。
As a side note, gardening skills were at
the top level in the world. It was a same skill to create Bonsai potted plants.
ところで、江戸期の花卉園芸文化が盛んで、世界のトップクラスだったようです。盆栽の文化です。
Fun of the faith and the festival、信仰と祭の楽しみ
Faith and Festival is written in the
chapter 13.
In general, foreigners recognized that
Japanese were not interested in religions, but believed superstitions such
as a talisman and choosing a lucky day or a direction.
Japanese people drank sake (alcohol) in a
temple between the praying. Children competed to clamber up to the ceiling by a
rope in a shrine, but adults didn’t stop it. Those were entertainments for
Japanese, although foreigners grimaced.
Werner watched a festival of Konpira Shrine
in Nagasaki in 1861 and praised it; peaceful, delightful, refreshing, and it
was a poetry. People flew thousands of kites on the plateau and families ate
lunch. He left a different comment. (Chapter 14)
Children played in a shrine ground、Nakagawa ship checkpoint museum 江東区中川船番所資料館）
「信仰と祭」（第十三章）の章があります。
日本人は宗教そのものには無関心だが、迷信（御札などの貼り付け、日柄、方位）は非常に広く普及している、というのが外国人の一般的な見方でした。
お寺でお勤めとお勤めの間に酒を飲む、子どもが神社の鈴の綱をよじ登って天井に触るのを競い合うが大人は止めない、ということなどに、キリスト教徒である外国人は驚きました。日本人にとっては楽しみですね。
長崎の金比羅様の祭礼行事では、山頂の台地で、何千という凧があげられ、家族連れが弁当を広げていました。ここには詩がある、平和、底抜けの歓喜、爽やかな安らぎの光景が展開されていた、と好意的に受け止められています。（ヴェルナー、1861年）（第十四章）。
Pilgrimage:
there was a severe journey which people walked 47 km a day. Despite of the hard
schedule, old women enjoyed chatting, and mingling with villagers on
their way. At Nerima (suburb of Tokyo at that time), villagers offered pickled
radishes and vegetables. On the other hand, old women gave them seaweed rolls
and sushi from their lunch boxes which delighted villagers. They spent a fun
time together.
巡礼について。一日十二里を歩く強行軍の「八十八カ所お大師さん参り」で、老女は仲間とのおしゃべり、行く先々の人々との交歓を楽しんだそうです。練馬では、村人が沢庵と野菜を出してくれる一方、老女らは弁当を開いて、海苔巻きや五目寿司を出し、村中で大喜びしました。ふれあいを楽しんでいました。
Foreigners thought visitors to temple or
shrine were mainly women and children and men didn’t worship, especially men in
the upper classes were atheists. I don't agree, because old diaries showed me
that wealthy male farmers worshipped Buddhism and had a deep connection with
monks.
Reference: Yoshino’s daily life 25, December in 1851 嘉永4年12月
ところで、参詣者は女性と子どもが多くて、男性は信じていないし、上層階級は無神論者だというのが外国人の見立てです。しかし、千葉や神奈川の上層農民の日記などからは、男女に関係なく信心をし檀那寺との関係が深いことが分かります。
Some foreigners found the religious
nature of Japanese. They watched the people who prostrated
themselves before the sunrise at the top of Mt. Fuji. They observed the people
who built Higashi-Honganji-Temple voluntarily. They encountered the decent
women who prayed and offered incent sticks to the roadside small shrine
(Hokora).
Hokora of Jizo (Buddhist guardian deity of children and travelers) near my house
日本人の信仰心を見つけた人もいます。富士山頂で平伏してご来光を拝む人達、東本願寺の再建に携わる信者達、道端の祠に線香を上げる上品な婦人達などを見た外国人です。
Saint Nicholas, who introduced the Eastern Orthodox Church to Japan, mentioned that vivid religious feelings were found in worships of Inari God and Jizo. He said the worship encouraged people.
Religions in Japan were not just an entertainment, but it was something that people relied on.
People including foreign visitors shower sweet tea to the small Buddhist statue @ Sensouji, Asakusa of Tokyo、浅草寺花まつり
ロシア正教のニコライは、地蔵や稲荷の信仰を「宗教感情が生き生きとしている」と書いています。誕生祭で甘茶を仏像にかける姿にも共感し、迷信や行楽ではなくて、生き生きとした魂を人々に与えていると評しています。信仰であり、楽しみですね。
Fun of sex、性の楽しみ
The title of the chapter 8 is “Ratai (nude)
to (and) sei (sex)”. Foreigners were surprised with naked people in public,
such as mixed bathing and cleaning themselves beside the road. The author
mentions that it is not a rude behavior because they didn’t seduce. Btw,
European people take nude-sunbathing. They might change their mind.
You can find a half-naked woman in center、中央の女性にご注目 https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/agc/item/2018719458/resource/
「裸体と性」（第八章）の中に書かれています。混浴や道端の行水など、人前で裸体を見せることに外国人は驚きました。セックスアピールではないので、無作法ではないという感覚だったと、著者はいいます。でも、今のヨーロッパ人は日光浴で裸になりますよね。時代が変わったのかも。
Erotic pictures, which is called "Shun
(spring) ga (picture)", were not hidden; those were depicted on the toys,
folding fans and everywhere, so children also looked at them. An UK military
officer who came to Japan in 1860 advised to take care of selecting souvenirs
because some of them had such pictures.
そして、性をオープンに楽しみました。
春画は、玩具、扇子、砂絵などどこにでも描かれており、子どもも見ていました。1860年に来日した英国将校は、春画が描かれていることがあるので、お土産には気をつけなければならないと綴っています。
性器崇拝にも外国人は驚きました。鎌倉鶴岡八幡宮の境内の女陰石には新婚夫婦、娘、子どももやってきてお祈りをしました。
People didn’t hide going to a house of
prostitution. It didn't matter if you went out from
the place even in the day time, because it was same as exiting from a café; a
European mentioned it in 1885 at Shinagawa, Tokyo. I am surprised with the
topic of the French warship which moored at Mihara port in Hiroshima.
Prostitutes got on the ship at 1:30 PM, they battled with soldiers until
evening on the deck. Both of them were crazy, I cannot believe it.
It is written people were generous with
sex, instead of keeping elegant love like Westerners. I know people enjoyed
sex after summer festivals in some places. The behavioral pattern was much
different from how it is now. Are we Westernized?
The model of the house、妓楼の模型、Shitamachi Museum 下町風俗資料館(at the last of the article、記事の最後）
娼家もオープンで、昼間にそこから出てきてもコーヒー店から出てくるのと同じでほとんど問題にならない、と書き残されています（1826年の品川）。驚いたのは、1885年の三原（広島）で、午後一時半に停泊したフランスの軍艦に、商売女が乗り込んで砲列の間などで、「夕方まで戦いをいどむ」とあります。ほんまかいな。乗せる方も乗せる方です。
西洋の「高貴な意味における愛」とは異なり、性に関する「のどかな開放感」がみなぎっていたそうです。確かに、盆踊りや祭で自由なセックスを楽しんだのですから、今とは随分違います。
Fun of working、労働と楽しみ
Many foreigners mentioned that Japanese sang while working. Mauss watched a piling work in Yokohama and wrote that 90%
of the working time was for singing. Workers also sang while rowing a boat. They
seemed not to work hard.
On the other hand, Westerners saw many people work without rest in the factories of their countries after the Industrial Revolution. Japanese premodern workers seemed new to foreigners.
https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/agc/item/2018719608/resource/
日本の労働者は歌を歌いながら仕事をするという記録がたくさん有ります。横浜で杭打ち作業を見たモースは、「9割の時間は歌うことに使われている」と呆れていました。よいとまけの唄ですね。舟を漕ぐ人もしかり。あくせくと働いていないようです。
産業革命が終わった欧米で、工場で休みなく働く労働者の苦役を見ている彼らには、前近代の日本の労働者は新鮮に映りました。
Foreigners recorded the fun in those
days. The pleasure was irrelevant for Japanese, but it was fresh to foreigners. That was a lost Edo Civilization. People enjoyed ordinary and
modest things such as playing with children or picnics.
It was just an enjoyment before the
modernization. However, their life styles gave good
advices to the modern people who are not eager to pursue the material wealth or
who enjoy free times.
https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/agc/item/2018719570/resource/
当時の日本人には気づかない＝当たり前で記録されなかった楽しみを、外国人の著作で知ることができます。失われた江戸文明です。さりげないことを皆で楽しんでいます。
確かに、近代化前の楽しみ方ではありますが、物質的な豊かさを追い求めていない人、時間に追われていない人の参考になりそうです。
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