Dear friends, How was New Year's Day? Did any trouble happen to your computer caused by Y2K problem? Fortunately my computer had no trouble. On the first day of the year which is called "ganjitsu", I got up before dawn and went out to see the rise of sun. It was cloudy but I could see the sunrise among the clouds for some time. And yesterday, January the 17th was the day when the disastrous strong earthquake shook Kobe and many people lost their lives. A lot of people including me must have prayed for the dead. Now this month we read about "setsubun" from "Japan - an illustrated Encyclopedia"(Kodansha). "Setsubun Traditional ceremony to dispel demons, now observed on 3 or 4 February. The practice of scattering beans(mamemaki) to drive away demons is one of a number of magical rites performed to ward off evil. The term "setsubun" originally referred to the eve of the first day of any of the 24 divisions of the solar year known as "setsu". Later it came to be applied more specifically to the last day of the "setsu" called "daikan"(great cold), which corresponded to the eve of "Risshun"(the first day of spring), the New Year's Day of the ancient solar calendar and the traditional beginning of spring. On "Setsubun", beans (usually soybeans) are scattered inside and outside the house or building to the common chant of "oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi"(Out with demons! In with good luck!). It is customary for family members to eat the same number of beans as their age." It has been warm here in Shikoku but the day after tomorrow(Jan.21st) is "daikan(great cold)" and anyway spring will come in two weeks according to the old calendar. "Setsubun" is Feb.3rd and "Risshun" is Feb.4th this year. Then, see you next month!

Dear friends, Yesterday (11th of Feb.) was a national holiday, Kenkoku Kinen no Hi or National Foundation Day, when the legendary first emperor JIMMU was said to have ascended the throne in 660 BC, though there has been an argument as to the validity of the dating. And the other day a friend of mine who is a Buddhist priest sent me a beatiful photo of plum blossoms, so today we'll read about "plum Japanese" from "Japan - an illustrated Encyclopedia"(Kodansha). "plum, Japanese (ume). Prunus mume. Also known as Japanese apricot. Deciduous tree of the family Rosaceae, grown as a garden and orchard plant in Japan and bearing deep and varied associations with traditional Japanese culture. Its fruits are smaller and less sweet than those of European plums(sumomo) or European apricots(anzu). The ume reaches a height of about 6 meters(20ft). The five-petaled blossoms appear in early spring before the leaves and give off a distinctive fragrance. Unripened, the fruit is used to make wine, vinegar, and pickled plums(UMEBOSHI). The original home of the ume was China. From reference in the 8th-century poetry collection, the MAN'YOSHU, its arrival in Japan can be placed before or during the Nara period(710-794), when it became a favorite theme in Japanese court poetry(WAKA). The first plants imported from China had single white blossoms(hakubai), but during the Heian period(794-1185) a red-blossomed variety(kobai) made its appearance. It was during the Edo period that the combined decorative motif known as SHOCHIKUBAI(pine,bamboo,plum) came into use in Japan for the celebration of auspicious occasions." According to the weather forecast, the blossoming time of plum is earlier than usual this year. I wonder if this is also due to the greenhouse effect. Ume ichirin ichirin hodo no atatakasa. This is a famous haiku by Ransetsu, which means that a plum blossom comes out in cold weather and that I can feel a sign of spring or the warmth in spring only a little from it. Then, see you next time in March!

Dear friends, How are you? I caught a cold and was in bed for three days(from 12th to 14th), but now OK. This is why I didn't write my letter until now. Yesterday it rained and was blowing strong wind but was a warm day. Today is not so and I went to the library and looked for "Japan - an illustrated Encyclopedia"(Kodansha). Unfortunately I couldn't find it where it used to be, so this time I'll read about "Kojiki(A Record of Ancient Matters)" using "A Reader's Guide to Japanese Literature". Kojiki(A Record of Ancient Matters) A Record of Ancient Matters, which is the usual translated title of the original Kojiki, was completed in A.D.712 and is considered to be the first literary work in the history of Japan. To define the book in this fashion, however, is to bring false, and more modern, preconceptions to what is actually a juxtaposition of myths, history, songs, legends, genealogies, and other disparate materials from which written history, and written literature, were later made. As a glimpse into the relative beginnings of a civilization, however, Ancient Matters is an invaluable resource which can fascinate a modern reader with its archaic power, at once bewildering and strangely familiar. I have read Kojiki several times in high school days. Stories of Amaterasu-ominokami, Susano-no-mikoto, Yamato-takeru-no-mikoto and so on, are rather interesting, I suppose. Inbe shrine in Tokusima is dedicated to Amenohiwasi-nokami with whom the legendary first emperor JIMMU went up to Yamato(Nara). This story is also written in Kojiki. Then see you next time!

Dear friends, How are you doing these days? Nothing unusual happened to me, but Mt.Usu in Hokkaido erupted and a lot of poeple are compelled to take refuge from it. The volcanologists say that it is the biginning of the volcanic activity. It would be very hard for the refugees, I suppose. By the way it is raining today and the cherry-blossoms began to scatter here in Shikoku. So this time I'll read about "cherry,flowering" from "Japan - an illustrated Encyclopedia"(Kodansha).(I could find this encyclpedia easily this time.) cherry,flowering The sakura(cherry) is mentioned frequently in Japanese literature, both ancient and modern; traditional Japanese values of purity and simplicity are thought to be reflected in the form and color of its blossoms. Since it flowers very briefly and then scatters, the cherry blossom has also become a symbol of the Japanese appreciation of ephemeral beauty. Cherry-blossoms-viewing parties (see HANAMI) were popular among the Japanese nobility in ancient times, and by the early 17th century the custom had spread to the common people. Picnicking and drinking sake with family, friends, and co-workers beneath flowering cherry trees remain a popular rite of springtime in contemporary Japan. Japanese sakura are said to have first been imported to the United States in 1862. In 1909 Tokyo presented Washington,DC, with a goodwill gift of over 2,000 sakura of 11 varieties. I didn't go for a picnic to see cherry-blossoms. But driving a car, I can see them here and there. And the Buddhist priest who has sent me photos before sent me a photo of cherry-blossoms which you can see above in this letter. Then see you next month!