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

  Political situation was unrest . Choushu - han (Yamaguchi prefecture) bombed foreign ships at Shimonoseki strait, western Japan. On the other hand, British fleet attacked Satuma- han (Kagoshima prefecture, western Japan). It increased villagers’ burden which were Sukegou *  and lord’s requests for money. Even though, villagers continued festivals and kou (religious group) meetings, however I couldn’t feel peaceful atmosphere as it used to be . * Sukegou : It was the system for keeping the traffic and logistics of kaidou (highway). In the case of shortage of carriers and horses of the post town, neighboring villages (Sukegou) dispatched workers and horses. “Suke” means helping or supporting, “gou” means villages. Yoshino’s village was designated “Sukegou” of Kogane post town on Mito- kaidou . 　 5 月に長州藩が下関で外国船を砲撃し、攘夷が行われました。 7 月は昨年の生麦事件の報復で薩英戦争が起こりました。 世の中の乱れは、助郷の増加、御屋敷からの資金要求の形で、吉野家にも影響しました 。村人達は祭りや講を続けていますが、 かつてのような、のどかな感じがしません 。   January 、 1 月 The year...

  Intercalary August 、閏 8 月   On the 11 th , Shigesaburou and his wife moved to Shigezou’s house. Yoshino was invited for a drink and a meal. Shigezou probably took care of the old couple. It was neighbor’s support . According to the record 1300 years ago, if an old person lost all family members, he/she lived in a neighbor’s house in this area. It was a traditional supporting system. If we rely on government support, we have to pay more tax. I believe neighbor’s support is a good way; it also strengthens the local community. 　 11 日、重三郎さんの夫婦が、繁蔵の家へ引っ越しました。「重三郎は当分隠宅にいるつもり」と書かれています。主は、酒に招かれました。これは、 老人ホームの役割を村人が果たしていたのだと思います 。互助ですね。近隣の松戸でも、律令時代から親戚ではない老人と同居している記録があります。公助がなかったのでしょうけど、互助で対応できれば、税金を安くできて良いと思います。地域の繋がりも強くなります。   September 、 9 月   September is a festival season . Yoshino’s family invited relatives to their village festival; they also visited festivals in the neighboring villages. They harvested rice simultaneously, and they finished it on the 27...

 The shogunate permitted westerners to stay at five port towns such as Yokohama three years ago. Foreigners moved freely in a limited area, but some were attacked by samurai.   Cholera and measles went around in the summer. Yoshino’s village didn’t suffer from cholera in a pandemic of 1858, however villages were damaged in that year.   The shogunate was broken down five years later; the society was unstable and the traffic of samurai became busy. “Rude” and “violence” were mentioned even in this farmer’s diary. Entertaining foreigners 、外国人遊興之図（部分） https://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/1310509?tocOpened=1 　 4 年前に横浜等を開港していますが、攘夷というか外国人の襲撃事件が続きました。 8 月に生麦事件、 12 月に高杉晋作らの英公使館の焼き討ちが起きています。その上、夏にはコレラと麻疹（はしか）が流行しました。安政コレラの影響は受けなかった村ですが、この年は被害を受けました。また、世情が不安定になっているのか、「不埒（ふらち）」「狼藉」という文言も目立ってきました。   January 、 1 月   On the New Year’s Day, Yoshino was summoned to Sukegou meeting. However, no village could dispatch carriers and horses to the past town. Of co...

I’ll highlight Yoshino’s mother in that year, who liked going out so much. She went out not only for herself but also for her family. この年は、出かけ好きの主の母の外出も注目しています。母が良い役割を果たしています。 Arnold Genthe “Travel views of Japan and Korea” (1908) https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/agc/item/2018719473/resource/   May 、 5 月   On the 13 th , hikyaku messenger brough a letter saying that Yoshino was ordered to go to Edo (old name of Tokyo) because his son was suffering from a serious illness . He left early in the next morning. He returned on the 18 th , and wrote that Eiji became better. It’s good. I knew that his son “Aisuke” changed the name to “Eiji” and worked at Edo. The employer didn’t take care of him; what a heartless person. Next month, Yoshino sent a talisman to Eiji. I totally understand how the father was feeling. 　 13 日、江戸から飛脚が来ました。「英次」と改名した愛輔さん（主の子）が 大病なので、すぐに出府するよう 書かれてました。主は翌朝出発し、 18 日に帰宅しました。「英次、少々、快候由」と書かれています。回復したようです。英次さんは江戸にいたのですね。しかし、奉公先は病気の世話をせず、冷たいものです...