What were the fun things for Japanese more than 100 years ago? 昔の人々の楽しみとは? （2nd ed., two of three/第二版その２）

Contents

1．Fun of working、五つの楽しみ（Part1）

2．Four foundations in order to have a fun & full life、人生を楽しむために必要な４つの土台（Part2）…this article/本記事

3．Just enjoy today without spending (but with pals)、そこにある「時」を楽しむ生き方（Part3）

 

1． Ordinary people even in the old times enjoyed daily life、日々を楽しんでいた江戸・明治時代の人たち

There were not useful goods such as a car, were not convenient services such as internet. However, they enjoyed life.

I can mention that there are four crucial foundations for them and for us to enjoy life; they are shown in the figure below.

不便でモノやサービスも少なかった江戸時代・明治時代でしたが、農民や漁民たちは日々の暮らしを楽しんでいました。しかし、人生を楽しむための上の図の4つの土台が必要だと考えます。

 

We have to stay healthy at first and have to get basic necessities of life (food, clothing and shelter/ or money to get them).  We need to have them, no matter what: even under the government support.

Simultaneously, we need living environment and peace. Those two are not gained only by individual effort. International organizations and government have to take an important role.

　まず、最低限の衣食住（あるいはそのために必要なお金）と健康を手に入れる必要があります。これは社会の支援を受けてでも何とかせねばなりません。
　一方、環境と平和は個人の努力だけでは如何ともしがたく、国際機関や政府にリードしてもらわねばなりません。

 

2． Keeping healthy and getting basic necessities、健康と最低限の衣食住の確保

Talking about health, people in the old times (pre-modern era) were in a terrible condition. Not only infant mortality rate but also mother’s one was high.People just prayed during childbirth.

They also did during epidemic and natural disaster including famine. Therefore, many people died or became disabled.

Contrarily, we are happy to be able to get longevity due to technology of medical care and disaster prevention; even euthanasia is performed nowadays.

On the other hand, talking about getting basic necessities, they surpassed us. They were actually poorer than us, however, they could live a self-sufficient life. In addition, they could get food in mountain during famine or war time; they could find food there like primitive people. Modern Japanese are vulnerable to stable food supply because we rely on import; our food self-sufficiency rate was only 38% in 2023.

Food security and money for basic necessities are crucial for us; we Japanese are vulnerable.

健康面では江戸・明治時代の人たちは悲惨でした。新生児どころか出産時の母親も死亡率が高く、伝染病が流行っても、飢饉を含めて天災が起こっても、祈るばかりで多くの死者や障害者を出してしまいました。現代では医療や防災が発達し、私たちは長寿を謳歌するどころか、安楽死が話題になるほどです。ありがたいことですね。

他方、最低限の衣食住の確保については、当時の人たちに軍配が上がります。私たちと比べると粗衣粗食ですが、自給自足の能力をもっていました。しかも飢饉のときは山へ入って縄文人スタイル（狩猟採集生活）で生き延びる、といった最後の一手もありました。私たちのように、外国からの供給に支えられているわけではなかったのです。
　私たちには衣食住のためのお金が必要ですし、食品を買い付けられる経済安全保障が必要であり、脆弱なのです。江戸時代の3500万人は、輸入なしで食べていたのですが･･･。

Village outside Yokohama, Japan（1890-1930）、横浜郊外の農家（https://www.loc.gov/item/2001705668/）

 

3． Importance of environment、環境の尊さ　ーサステイナブルでミニマリストだけど楽しんでいた人たちー

 People in the old times were minimalist and environmentalist.

 They had to rely on the blessings of nature. There was no choice except for living as environmentalist.

 Moreover, there were almost no goods and no services by today's measure. They had to live as minimalist. The characteristic of there lifestyles is thought below;

(1) Self-sufficient life – without buying goods

They got food by producing or bartering, made clothes, and planted trees for houses (Chestnut tree was useful as building material and food).

They bought goods only they couldn’t make easily: salt, oil, iron product, ceramics and so on. They also bought accessory such as tortoise-shell comb; they used it over generations.

(2) Perfect reuse and recycle, because they knew environment was irreplaceable

 The typical example was rice-straw. After harvesting and recovering rice grains, the straw (byproduct) was weaved and was used as rice-bag, shoes, coats, mat and so on. After damaging, those were finally returned to soil as fertilizer; it is done even until now. All organic material went to soil, or was burned in advance.

 Surprisingly enough, pillars of a burned house were reused as material of a small bridge. They couldn’t think of throwing away.

(3) Using natural material near at hand

 Not only lumber but also cotton and bamboo (material of everyday goods) were planted near their village. There were no trucks, so they couldn’t bring material from the other area; it was an ideal supply chain from the environmental-friendly view, as a result.

In order to keep their sustainable supply chain, they needed forest where plants grew; they maintained it well.

 

An old wood-cutter in the forest around Lake Yumoto, Japan（1904）、木を切ってきたおじいさん（https://www.loc.gov/item/2020637861/）

 

当時の人たちは、自然が許す範囲で生きていました。サステイナブルな暮らししかできなかったのです。
　しかも、モノやサービスは少なく、結果的にミニマリストでした。彼ら彼女らの暮らし方の特長は、次の3つだと考えています。

①モノを買わない自給自足生活
　食べ物は、作るか獲るか物々交換で手に入れます。服も作り、家も山から木材を切り出して建て、修繕をしました。里山には果樹だけでなく建築用の木も植えたのです（栗はどちらにも使えますね）。
　買ったのは、塩や油、鍬の先のような鉄製品、陶器など簡単には自作できないものです。余裕があると漆の椀やべっ甲の装飾品も買いましたが、子孫代々大切に使いました。

②モノを捨てずにリサイクル・リユースする生活
　稲わらは袋（俵など）、衣服（蓑など）、敷物などとして使用され、傷んでくると土に戻し肥料にします。他のものも同じく土に戻します。天然素材ですから。焼いて灰にしてから土に戻す場合もあります。稲わらを土に戻すのは今も同じですね。
　私が驚いたのは、家が焼けたあとの木材を橋として再利用したこと。捨てるという発想がないのですね。

③身近にある天然素材を使う生活
　建材にする木だけでなく、服を作る綿（綿が育たない寒冷地では藤蔓などの植物）、食器などの日用品になる竹も育てました。トラックがないので遠くから資材を運ぶことはたいへんなのです。そして、使いおわると土に戻します。
　サステイナブルですが、資材を育てる里山は必要で、大切に手入れしました。

 

4． Irreplaceable peace -people didn’t enjoy life in the end of Edo period (internal war time) 、平和の尊さ　ー楽しめなかった幕末の人たちー

A war completely destroys everyday life. A government announces they have a war in order to protect its country. However, they only protect their land, not people. I know how important it is to protect land especially in Europe. If not, the other ethnic group settles there.

On the other hand, Japan has luckily no experience to be occupied by an invasion. But, Japan started war both externally and internally; it put in people, material and money as much as possible.

I consider people in the old times (pre-modern era) were easy-going. BUT, their personality changed when a war began; they were involved! People near a battlefield went to mountain in order to take refuge. Some farmers were summoned, and were worked as laborer. I’m sorry for them.

A village head in Chiba wrote in his diary that villagers were summoned and worked as carrier 43 times a year during the rebellion in 1864; they were summoned just 8 times two years ago. A drunken villager stormed into his house to complain; it never happened before. They got irritated, lost their temper and never enjoyed life.

Apart from the trouble, the wife and children of the village head went to spectate the troop led by a powerful warlord which returned Edo from the battle field. People back then also liked seeing famous people.
 Unfortunately, the warlord delayed; the wife went again three days later. Ordinary people were not so weak to lose hope and enjoyment of their life even in a wartime. They were mentally strong and optimistic, I think.

戦争は人々の日常生活をめちゃくちゃにします。国を守るといいますが、国土を守るだけで国民は犠牲になります。ヨーロッパでは国土を守らないと別の民族が住みついてしまう、といった歴史があり、大きな犠牲を払ってでも戦ってきました。日本人は国土から追い出された経験はありませんが、内外で戦いを起こし、ヒト・モノ・カネを注ぎ込めるだけ注ぎ込んできました。

私にはお気楽だったと思える江戸・明治時代の人たちも、戦いがはじまると人格を変えられるほど、どっぷりと巻き込まれてしまいました。戦場近くに住む人たちは山に入り難を避けますが、徴集された農民もいて、人夫として戦場へ行きました。迷惑なことです。
　千葉県流山市の名主の日記には、幕末の天狗党の乱で村人たちが年間43回も運搬業務に駆り出されたと記載されています（２年前は８回）。酔っ払った村人が名主に怒鳴り込んでくるなど人々の不満が溜まり、村の空気がトゲトゲしくなりました。戦争が起こると私たちの心はすさんでしまい、人生を楽しむどころではありません。
　と、思いきや、名主の妻は追討軍の新発田藩主（10万石）が江戸へ戻る時、子どもを連れて〝ご通行見物〟に行っています。当時の人たちは、貴人の行列を見るのが好きなのです。しかし、その日は予定変更で行列は通らず、３日後あらためて出かけました。沈んでいるだけではない庶民の強さです。

 

Summary、まとめ

In my opinion, four integral parts to enjoy life are to stay healthy, to secure basic necessities (food and so on), to live in a sustainable environment and to do in a peaceful world.

Most of us would have a fun and happy life with those four parts.

人生を楽しむためには、自分が健康であること、自給自足でも社会の援助を受けてでも衣食住をまかなえることが、まず必要です。そして生業を営める環境と平和が維持されていることが必要ですね。

これらがあれば、たいていの人は楽しく幸せに人生を送れるはずです。

 

 

Previous post (part1 of this article): What were the fun things for Japanese more than 100 years ago?　昔の人々の楽しみとは?

Next post (part3 of this article): What were the fun things for Japanese more than 100 years ago?　昔の人々の楽しみとは? (coming soon)