Fun of Good Old Japanese - 江戸・明治に学ぶ　楽しむ生き方

A year spent without major issue (September to December, 1807) 、この年もつつがなく （文化４年９～ 12 月） 千葉県流山市にいた名主の日記から、その頃の楽しみを拾い出した連載記事です（日本語は後半に）   Rice fields just before harvest、稲刈り直前の田んぼ（松本市）   September It was a season of rice harvest and the local festivals as usual. 9 th , the festival in Hyōemon’s village, who kept this diary, was hold. Seven relatives arrived the day before and stayed , and two more came on the day itself. His son Fusajirō and others also set off to attend festivals in Ōmuro and Kashiwa, staying overnight for the occasion.   However, Hyōemon was so busy . He was occupied day after day with meetings regarding the sukegō duties (compulsory transportation work) demanded by the Sōka post-town , as well as dealing with a dispute of relatives in Shibasaki. Reading about it, I cannot help but feel sympathy for him; he was going out to consult others or receiving visitors who came to seek his counsel.     October 19 th , the ric...

Various affairs during the busy farming season (May to August, 1807)、 農繁期のさまざまな出来事（文化４年５～８月） 千葉県流山市にいた名主の日記から、その頃の楽しみを拾い出した連載記事です（日本語は後半に）   Mr. Watanuki’s residence at present、元野馬奉行 綿貫家屋敷 May 9 th , Hyōemon—the author of this diary—paid a visit to Mr. Watanuki Natsuemon. Mr. Watanuki was a prominent figure who managed Koganemaki, a horse pasture belonging to the Shogunate (Bakufu) . It is said that his surname "Watanuki" (literally "cotton-less") was derived from the tradition that his ancestor wore garments without cotton padding during a cold season. But they had not been poor of course. The purpose of Hyōemon's visit was to request him a delay in the payment for cedar trees that had been felled by Sōemon (likely a kumigashira , village official). Hyōemon managed to have the payment deadline extended to the 20 th . However, Sōemon was unable to pay, so a further extension was needed. Despite the unpleasant request for Mr. Watanuki, his respon...

Childbirth of the married daughter (March and April 1807) 、嫁いだ娘の出産 （文化４年 3 ・ 4 月） 千葉県流山市にいた名主の日記から、その頃の楽しみを拾い出した連載記事です（日本語は後半に）   Seigen-ji Temple、清源寺（写真はGoogleストリートビューから。近々、撮影に行きます）   March 8 th , children went to the memorial service for the "Thousand Buddhist statues" at Hiregasaki. 11 th , Hyōemon—the author of this diary— received back the garments he had lent to the daughter of the Shiba-Nishi family. Those were silk textiles (luxurious items) , certainly not hemp or cotton. A white rinzu ( 白綸子 ), a pale yellow chirimen ( 浅黄ちりめん ), a Hon-Hachijō ( 本八丈 ) kimonos and obi belts were included. I wonder they were used for what purpose. 白綸子地松竹梅鶴亀模様打掛-Outer Robe (Uchikake) with Mount Hōrai (Metropolitan Museum of Art)   20 th , Hyōemon traveled to Seigen-ji Temple in Ushigome, Edo (old name of Tokyo), to attend the third memorial service for the retired lord , Mr. Inagaki. Seigen-ji still stands today; it was founded in 1627 by Inagaki Zenuem...

Frequent gatherings and pilgrimages during the agricultural off-season (January and February, 1807) 、集まりと巡礼が多かった農閑期 （文化４年 1 ・２月） 千葉県流山市にいた名主の日記から、その頃の楽しみを拾い出した連載記事です（日本語は後半に） Michinoku Folklore Village、みちのく民俗村（岩手県北上市） https://fun-old-japan.blogspot.com/2021/08/michinoku-folklore-village-kitakami.html   1807 Conflicts with Russia were ongoing in Hokkaido . The Shogunate (Bakufu) ordered the domains ( han ) of the Tohoku region to take up defensive positions. In August, Japanese ships were burned. While those accidents might seem unrelated to a village near Edo (old name of Tokyo), it actually had a significant impact. As troops marched northward , villages were called upon by the Soka post-town to provide labor including horses for transport ; dozens of meetings regarding matters such as contract fees were held. Hyōemon, the village headman (and author of this diary), was forced to work for handling these negotiations.   I'm sorry for him while reading thi...