Gakki, Musical Instruments (01)

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Japanes Musical Instruments
(Part 01)

.. .. .. .. The Drum (ko 鼓)


Daruma san sitting on a drum called Tsutsumi.
(tsuzumi)

First a General Introduction to Japanese Music

From the Virtual Museum of Japanese Arts

The earliest forms of music were drums and flute music accompanying the kagura shrine dances. From the 6th century on, music came from Korean and Chinese courts and monasteries and was performed at the Japanese court under the generic name gagaku (court music). The 8th-century court established a music bureau (gagakuryo) to be in charge of musical duties, both ritual and entertainment. The standard full-range gagaku ensemble has about 16 musicians on percussion, string, and reed instruments, the most distinctive being the free-reed mouth organ (sho), cyndrical oboe (hichiriki), the biwa lute, and the koto zither.

Meanwhile with the introduction of Buddhism to Japan in the 6th century, Buddhist rites and liturgical chants gave rise to the development of a great variety of bells, gongs, wooden clappers, plaques, percussion tubes, and rattles, many of which found their way also into kabuki music of the Edo period (1600-1868).

As Japan changed from a court to a military-dominated culture in the 12th century, theatrical genres of music started to develop. From this time Buddhist evangelists and chanters reciting long historical tales (notably the Heike monogatari) went around the country singing or chanting, accompanying themselves on the biwa lute, while noh became the official entertainment of the new warrior class. Its music was provided by hayashi (an ensemble of drums and flutes) plus chanters.


.. .. .. .. .. Gagaku Ensemble


From the 17th century, the shamisen (three-stringed plucked lute) came to the fore, providing the lively rhythm that dominated the sounds of the popular kabuki and bunraku theaters. In the bunraku puppet theater, a skilled chanter was accompanied by a shamisen, while in kabuki, shamisen solos or choruses were combined with flutes and drums and an eclectic assortment of folk and religious instruments.

Japanese musical instruments are dominated by plucked string, flute and percussion instruments. Among the string instruments, special mention must be made of the koto (13-stringed zither). Formerly part of the gagaku ensemble, the koto was developed as a solo instrument from the 17th century, having its repertoire considerably enhanced by the Ikuta school in the 17th century and the Yamada school in the 18th century. Their solo and chamber music are considered by most Japanese to be the "classical" music of Japan.

In percussion, the taiko nailed drum has taken off in popularity in recent years. Concerts of drum music provide popular entertainment at festivals and events, and drum groups such as Kodo have achieved spectacular success overseas. The end-blown bamboo flute, the shakuhachi, is another noteworthy solo instrument. It first developed under the influence of Zen priests, with new schools of performance growing up from the 16th to 19th centuries.

http://web-japan.org/museum/music/music.html
http://web-japan.org/museum/music/music01/music01.html

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Now let us look at the Drums used in Buddhist rituals.
I have written about them and other ritual instruments in my book on Buddhist Ritual Implements.
...dietrich-seckel.html

There are a variety of drums and gongs used in Buddhist ritual, we can only look at some of them here.

The Big Drum (taiko, oodaiko 大鼓、太鼓、大太鼓）


http://www5a.biglobe.ne.jp/~suwakou/sub6.htm

Origin: Drums have been used since olden times, maybe first as a means of communication between far away communities. In Buddhism, they are used in rituals and to mark the time. Sometimes the big drum has its own building, the Drum Pavillion (koroo 鼓楼).

Form: The body is like a cylinder, usually made from wood, seldom metal or bamboo. On both sides a piece of leather from an oxen (gyuuhi 牛皮) is streached and kept in place with wide bolts or with a string for smaller drums (shimedaiko 締太鼓). The leather part is hit on one or both sides with a drumstick (bachi　バチ). The body of the drum is usually placed on a wooden stand.


. taiko uri 太鼓売り vendor of drums .
in Edo, for the Inari festival

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source :　facebook

Unusually ornate Ō-daiko (大太鼓)
ca. 1873, attributed to Hayashi Kodenji (林小伝治, 1831–1915)
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

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Great Decoration-Drum (dadaiko 大太鼓 )



http://www.kousakusha.co.jp/RCMD1/rcmd_1.html

Highly decorated okedo-daiko style drum used for Gagaku and religious ceremonies. The drum is placed in a ornately carved frame, and are played with short, padded beaters. Dadaiko are usually around two meters in diameter, and are one of the oldest styles of taiko used in Japan, dating from at least the 7th century.

There are two styles of Dadaiko, and they are always played in pairs. The Leftside (Saho) Dadaiko and the Rightside (Uho) Dadaiko.
The Saho Dadaiko has green colored body, a futatsu-domoe 二つ巴 is lacquered on the head, and the stand has images of a phoenix surmounted by a sun carved on it.
The Uho Dadaiko had a red colored body, has a mitsu-domoe 三つ巴lacquered on the head, and the stand has Chinese dragons surmounted by a moon carved on it.
http://www.kumidaiko.com/modules.php?name=Encyclopedia&op=content&tid=22

The top of the drum is often decorated with a flaming pattern (kaen daiko　火焔大鼓) . They are placed as a pair on the altar elevation. Around the drum itself there can be another flame decoration (kaenbuchi　火焔縁). On the top decoration (higata 日形）we find a sun (nichirin日輪)　on the left and a moon (gachirin月輪) on the left drum.

This drum is about 150 cm long and has a diameter of 127 cm. The great decoration drum of the temple Shin Tennoo-Ji in Oosaka (picture above) has a diameter of 248 cm.

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Sutra-Drum
(kyoogiri daiko 経切太鼓、kyoodaiko 経太鼓)



This drum is used when reciting the suras to keep the rythm. It is usually very lavishly decorated, a form of the big drum. The wooden body is sometimes also covered with brocade. Even the metal bolts are decorated.

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Drum for Repentance Ceremonies
(senpoo daiko 懺法太鼓)


http://www.cna.ne.jp/~syazi/estimate/daima/dgeho.htm

This drum is used by many Buddhist sects during special ceremonies of repentance. The sutras are recited with quite a speed and this drum keeps the rythm. The people can remember past sins and repent them while chanting the sutras.

This drum is rather narrow and can be held in one hand. The diameter is usually about 30 - 36 cm. Both sidesare usually covered with religious ornaments in beautiful colors.

Look at this one too:
http://www5e.biglobe.ne.jp/~e-kaori/image/sennpou.8.jpg

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Drum for reciting Amida prayers
(nenbutsu daiko 念仏太鼓)


http://www.miyamoto-unosuke.co.jp/taiko5.htm

The Amida sects have special chants to pray, Namu Amida Butsu (南無阿弥陀佛), and use this drum to keep the rythm.
It is quite a big one on a shelf and is hit from both sides with sticks. Smaller drums used for prayer dancing ceremonies are held in front of the breast whilst dancing.

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Drum in form of a Chinese fan
(uchiwadaiko 団扇太鼓)



This drum is used when chanting a special prayer at the Nichiren Sect, the Daimoku 題目. So this drum is also called Daimoku Daiko　題目太鼓. The form resembles a Chinese hand fan, hece the name.

The circular frame is made from wood or bamboo and covered with a piece of leather. The prayer "namu myoohoo rengekyoo", a prayer to the Lotus Sutra, is usually written on the leather. One side has a grip and the drum is beaten with a small wooden stick.

Another form has two sides and a handle in the middle
(ryoomenn etsuki daiko 両面柄付太鼓).





full moon night -
the sound of prayer drums
from the Nichiren temple

. Gabi Greve, October 2011 .



How like the full moon
the white round Nichiren drum
or a hand mirror?

Patrick Duffey
JOJ - Facebook Friend





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A great site for drums, many illustrations are taken from here:
http://www.suwakougei.com/
http://www.y-m-t.co.jp/wadaiko/okadaya/


Shimedaiko
http://www5a.biglobe.ne.jp/~suwakou/sub7.htm

Drumsticks from various materials, like wood of the cedar (hinoki) , maple (kaede) or oak (kashi).
http://www5a.biglobe.ne.jp/~suwakou/sub8.htm


In Akita, there is The Great Drum Museum (Oodaiko no yakata 『大太鼓の館』) in Takanosu Town and a big Drum Festival. I visited the museum once, it is very impressive with many drums from all over the world. The big ones you see on this picture are played by men sitting on top of it, hitting with long drumsticks.
The museum has many drums which you can play yourself.


http://tonami55.hp.infoseek.co.jp/eki-takanosu.htm

http://www.akita-nairiku.com/intro/01-13.html
http://itp.ne.jp/contents/kankonavi/akita/matsuri/aki_mat12.html


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.. .. .. .. .. Some useful links

No Play : AYA NO TSUZUMI (THE DAMASK DRUM)
ATTRIBUTED TO SEAMI, BUT PERHAPS EARLIER.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/shi/npj/npj23.htm


History of Percussion Instruments
http://www.taiko-center.co.jp/english/history_of_taiko.html

Asian Drums
http://www.tctv.ne.jp/members/taikokan/tenji_asia.htm


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The Daruma san on the top picture is sitting on a drum called
tsuzumi (鼓）.



This small handheld drum is shaped like an hourglass. The smaller version (kotsuzumi) is held on the right shoulder and the player alters the tone by squeezing the laces. The bigger version (otsuzumi) is held on the left thigh.
Like all other traditional arts in Japan, there are several schools of tsuzumi, which is used for Noo (Noh) and Kabuki performances.

能と歌舞伎につかわれている小鼓、大鼓。
This instrument was introduced from China during the Nara period.
http://www.japan-zone.com/culture/instrument.shtml

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rin 錀 - 鈴 "singing bowl" for prayers and rituals

常に打つ錀なりながら秋の風
tsune ni utsu rin narinagara aki no kaze

the familiar sound
of the singing bowl changed
by autumn wind
Tr. Chris Drake


. WKD : Comment by Chris Drake .


. WKD : Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 in Edo .

. suzu　鈴 small bell for prayers .

. Himalayan Singing Bowls .

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Mokugyo, the Fish Gong 木魚 and some haiku

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. Ondeko 鬼太鼓 (おんでこ) Demon's Drums
The wild drummers from Sado Island and kigo


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H A I K U

kigo for the New Year

uchizome 打初 (うちぞめ) first hitting (the drum)
..... hatsutsuzumi 初鼓（はつつづみ）
..... tsuzumi hajime 鼓始（つづみはじめ）
hatsuookawa 初大鼓（はつおおかわ）"first big leather"
..... hatsudaiko 初太鼓（はつだいこ）first drum

. ponpachi ポンパチ / 初鼓 paper amulet of a drum .
Kagoshima

. SAIJIKI - THE NEW YEAR

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kigo for late spring



. Furukawa no okoshi daiko 古川の起し太鼓
"wake-up drums from Furukawa" 　


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Rituelle Instrumente Deutscher Text

. . . . . TEXT
Buddhistische Kultgegenstände Japans

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. Biwa 琵琶 lute .

. shooko 鉦鼓 prayer gong .


. Flute (fue) .
yokobue, hichiriki, ryuteki . . .


. Fue 笛 Flute playing Daruma 　

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. Damaru drum, damru . India and Tibet

. Music and Haiku .


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Bicycle called Daruma

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A Bicycle called Daruma だるま自転車



The Dharma - The name for the Ordinary style bicycle of Japan

By Yukio Ootsu

The Dharma bicycle is generally considered the Ordinary style of bicycle in Japan.
The adoption of this name originated because it resembles in the form that laid. Dharma. It is, needless to say, the highly reputed monk who prepared the foundation of Chinese Zen sect. He was born in India and reached China by sea route in the year 470. He studied in the Mount Songshan Shao-ling temple.
The figure called Dharma shows the form how he meditated. After that, people believed that this figure make a happy charm. The Japanese feel familiarity to this Dharma, and sign of exceptional good luck.


This is a quote from a wonderful extensive page about the history of the Bicylce in Japan. With many pictures.
http://www.eva.hi-ho.ne.jp/ordinary/ordinary/

Safekeep Copy:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DarumaArchives-002/message/58

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Let us read a little more from this essay.

Introduction
Documented information on high wheel bicycles in Japan is extremely scarce. It is quite incomplete and seems quite impossible to prove when the first ordinary appeared in Japan. However it is my life long plan and desire to find out the record. Here are my reports of discoveries at the time being.

Few undated photographs of high wheelers show a proud Japanese participation in the high wheel bicycle era. Actual examples of these bicycles that exist in Japanese museums and a few private collections show a history of both import and domestic blacksmith shop production. The early Ordinaries produced by Japanese blacksmiths locally are apparently at the same step with the world trend of the 1880's.You can tell it form early woodblock prints.
Judging from the information with dates, one can conclude that the high wheel period in Japan had a span of a decade from 1885 to 1895.

Further information may be discovered by bicycle historians of the other parts of the world. It may come, for example, in the form of an old invoice from London, or, San Francisco showing the shipment of an ordinary to Japan. It may say in a ship's cargo manifest. Other sources like export and customs documents from the West could easily help pinpoint date of early high wheel shipments to Japan. These, along with many other documented materials could help significantly to my search.


Ordinary Style Bicycles Still in Existence.



In March of 1978, the Meiji bicycle exhibition was held in the bicycle culture center located in Tokyo, Akasaka. The fine display of bicycles exhibited here, were from all over Japan. Even rare bicycles that there was not previously available for viewing were on display. 13 ordinaries were displayed, area backgrounds and places of production were discussed.
. eva.hi-ho.ne.jp/ordinary/


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There was another link describing this Daruma Bicycle.

- quote -
Around this time, the diameter of bicycle front wheels started to get gradually larger and larger. The reason for this was the larger the front wheel, the farther the bicycle travels with each wheel revolution, thereby producing higher speeds. Another name for this model was a penny-farthing because it resembled the English penny and farthing (one-quarter pence) placed next to each other. Ordinary bicycles had straight handlebars and wooden rims and spokes.
In Japan, they were called "Daruma jitensha" or "ichirinsha."
This new form of bicycle required advanced riding technique.

.cycle-info.bpaj.or.jp

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- quote -
The penny-farthing, also known as a high wheel, high wheeler and ordinary, is a type of bicycle with a large front wheel and a much smaller rear wheel. It was popular after the boneshaker until the development of the safety bicycle in the 1880s. It was the first machine to be called a "bicycle".



Although the name "penny-farthing" is now the most common, it was probably not used until the machines were nearly outdated; the first recorded print reference is from 1891 in Bicycling News. It comes from the British penny and farthing coins, one much larger than the other, so that the side view resembles a penny leading a farthing. For most of their reign, they were simply known as "bicycles". In the late 1890s, the name "ordinary" began to be used, to distinguish them from the emerging safety bicycles; this term and "hi-wheel" (and variants) are preferred by many modern enthusiasts.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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だるま自転車
オーディナリー（ordinary）グランピーだるま自転車ともよばれる。前輪を後輪より大きくすることでスピードを上げようとした。前輪が1,5メートトルや最大2,5メートルのものもあった。
http://www.fm-cycle.co.jp/link3.html
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Geta Sandals

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- - - zori straw sandals, see below
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Geta, Wooden Sandals, Clogs, 下駄
setta 雪駄 leather-soled sandals
Straw sandals, see below.


source : www.gendaiya.co.jp/minigeta.htm

These nice little Mini-Geta have a Daruma as Decoration !
They are made from Kamakura-Bori, a kind of Laquer Art.

Look at them from the side here:
. Daruma Photo Album .

Read my full story about Kamakura Laquer Ware (kamakurabori)
. . . Kamakurabori 鎌倉彫　. . .




source :　facebook

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Geta from Matsunaga Town,
Fukuyama City





©松永下駄工房 Matsunaga Geta Kobo
〒729-0104
広島県福山市松永町5-16-11



. Hita geta　日田下駄 geta wooden sandals from Hita .
Hita 日田市, Oita Kyushu

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Now let us take a look at the wooden clogs of Japan, the GETA.

だるま下駄パリの第４区にそのお店はあります。


There is a store in Paris in the 4th arrondissement, called DARUMA and selling geta!
http://www.maruara.com/mall/yume005.html

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Geta with only one "tooth" to balance on
一本歯の下駄


http://www.rakuten.co.jp/asakusa1393/485015/485061/#475757

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The mountain goblins, TENGU, also use huge geta to run around in the mountains. At some temples and shrines, you find offerings of huge geta from people with aching legs in quest for help.



These are from Hakone, Myoojin-ga-take 明神ヶ岳 道了尊和合下駄
http://hitosh.hp.infoseek.co.jp/yamakan/hakone/myouzingatake.html

On this link you can see the same geta in heavy snow and much more about this shrine.
http://www22.tok2.com/home2/shida/05rep/05227-162.jpg
http://www22.tok2.com/home2/shida/05rep/05227-myou.html

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. Daiyūzan 大雄山 Daiyuzan 最乗寺 Saijo-Ji .

　大雄山最乗寺 の天狗の下駄 Saijo-Ji
And the Tengu 道了大権現 Doryo Daigongen.
... Followers have donated metal geta sandals in his honor (as tengu usually wear geta). Some of them are gigantic, and it is said that if a pregnant woman walks under the largest pair, she will have an easy delivery.



I used to visit there often and step on these large geta.


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During many Tengu festivals, these one-tooth geta are still used today.



Look at more pictures of a Tengu Festival in Shimokita.
http://wandering-wind.jp/archives/2005/0130123204.php

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Here is a museum about footwear in Japan.
日本はきもの博物館
They feature the biggest geta of Japan.



実はこれ「ゲタリンピック」という地元のお祭りで使われるんです。（縄を付けてこれをみんなで引っ張るんです）

Look at Japnese straw sandals and tabi too.
http://www.kimono-taizen.com/watch/epsd_12.htm

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Recently tengu geta have become more popular for previously unknown effects. They are now used for training in martial arts, for rehabilitation training, for training in mountain climbing, and are used often for teaching in school.
TENGU
This is a goblin from Japanese legend. It has a red face and a long nose. With his supernatural power he can fly freely high up in the sky. He lives high in mountain recesses. His hand has a feather fan that can make a strong gale wind, and his feet have “Ipponba-geta (one-tooth-geta)".
- source : www.karankoron.com -

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An orchester of cats in front of the Huge Geta of Daikannon-Temple at Sakakibara Onsen.



猫のオーケストラ！それも巨大下駄の前で楽器を弾いているのだ。
「大観音寺」
http://toshi686-web.hp.infoseek.co.jp/tyousa/daikannon/


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Look at great pictures of a fire festival in honour of Kurama Tengu.
Thanks to Wada san!
鞍馬の火祭り Kurama no Hi-Matsuri
http://wadaphoto.jp/japan/kurama2.htm


Here is my story about Tengu and Daruma
http://darumasan.blogspot.com/2004/11/tengu-and-daruma.html


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. tsurushibina, tsurushi bina つるし雛 / 吊るし雛 small hanging hina dolls .


CLICK for more photos!

Made with the wish that the child will soon learn to walk and have healthy legs all its life.

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. getaya 下駄屋 craftsman making Geta in Edo .
geta haireya, ha-ireya　下駄歯入れ屋 Geta repairman
with Senryu
getaya no kanban 下駄屋の看板 shop sign of a Geta store
geta shinmichi 下駄新道 Geta New Road in Kanda
Legends about Geta

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. yookai, yōkai 妖怪 Yokai monsters – ABC-List .

bakezoori 化け草履 Bakezori, Yokai sandals, Sandal Yokai


from Hyakki Yagyō Emaki

The Bakezōri is described as a wandering sandal with two arms and two legs, but only one eye.
A kind of tsukumogami 付喪神.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !



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. . . . . . . . HAIKU

Day of the Geta, July 7.
This would be a lovely KIGO for Summer.

. . . . .

humanity kigo for mid-summer



tageta, ta-geta 田下駄 (たげた) geta for the fields
..... ooashi 大足（おおあし）"big feet"
shirofumigeta 代踏み下駄（しろふみげた）
geta to step into the rice paddies
mizugeta 水下駄（みずげた） "water geta"
to step into the wet rice fields

They were made of wood, with a larger bottom part to walk easier in the slippery mud fields. They were used when planting rice by hand in the wet paddies.

. Rice planting and related KIGO


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雪の朝二の字二の字の下駄の跡
yuki no asa ni no ji ni no ji no geta no ato

snowy morning -
footprints of wooden sandals
two lines, two lines again

Den Sutejo (1633-1698)
(Tr. Gabi Greve)



The first part of the kanji compound, 　二の字, the 二　 looks like two lines in the snow.


source : ameblo.jp/ykearth


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cold winter day -
the back and front of
human nature

GETA by Gabi Greve




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Oku no Hosomichi - - - Station 7 - Kurobane 黒羽 - - -
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .


夏山に足駄を拝む首途かな
natsuyama ni ashida o ogamau kadode kana

in the summer mountains
praying before the clogs:
setting off
Tr. Barnhill

An earlier version:

natsuyama ya kadode ni ogamu taka-ashida

summer mountains--
at departure praying
to the high clogs
Tr. Barnhill

Ad G. Blankestjin notes:
After Basho's timely visit to Unganji, the rains kept falling for several days. From the 6th to the 8th, he was not able to leave Choboji's house. On the 9th, however, he decided to go out in the rain and was taken to Komyoji, a shugendo temple in the fields on the east side of the town. This temple was famous for its Gyoja Hall, a hall dedicated to En no Gyoja, the legendary founder of the ascetic mountain Buddhism.

The 'ashida' mentioned in the poem (here translated as clogs) are a special kind of high geta, worn by those monks when practicing austerities. To make walking difficult, these geta had only one support instead of the normal two. The temple probably housed a statue of En no Gyoja wearing such high clogs.

Basho prays in front of them, wishing for strong feet and legs himself at the start of his long journey. Unfortunately, Komyoji was destroyed at the beginning of the Meiji period. The haiku stone stands forlorn in the high grass.
(Basho haiku stone)
(C) Ad G. Blankestjin

off the beaten path--
a prayer to the high clogs
standing in tall grass

Larry Bole, USA, April 2008




夏の夜や木魂に明る下駄の音
natsu no yo ya kodama ni akuru geta no oto





ashinaka　足半 "half foot" straw sandals

草履の尻折りて帰らん山桜　
zoori no shiri orite kaeran yama-zakura

I fold the straw sandals
into half and walk home -
mountain cherry blossoms
Tr. Gabi Greve

Written in 延宝7年, Basho age 36.

Walking in the rain of spring, Basho considers to fold (oru) his straw sandals, because otherwise they would splash the mud of the road on his robes.
To fold the sandals or use smaller ones anyway (ashinaka　足半) was quite common in these days.
And maybe break (oru) a branch of the mountain cherries , since they will soon be damaged by the rain anyway.
A typical poem of the Danrin haikai school. It shows Basho in high spirits even when walking in the spring rain.



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下駄の痕残る渚や誓子の忌
geta no ato nokoru nagisa ya Seishi no ki

the imprints of geta
are still visible on the beach -
memorial day of Seishi

Kobayashi Seiha 小林青波

Yamaguchi Seishi 山口誓子



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Straw sandals, zoori, zôri 草履
one of the many necessities for a traveler in the Edo period.
waraji　草鞋　わらじ straw sandals (for travellers)
warazoori 藁草履 straw sandals
take no kawa zoori 竹の皮草履 sandals from bamboo skin
gonzoo ごんぞう / 権蔵 gonzo straw sandals
zunbe ずんべ straw sandals

zoori were used for the everyday work in a farming home. They had only a part to slip between the big toe and second toe for keeping in place.
waraji were used for work in the forest and by travellers.
They had a special back part to hold on to the foot when walking a lot or walking on forest slopes. The heel part had a rope to bind around the ankle.




zoori were made by all farmers, and many were made in the winter months, to be used in busy times. There were also peddlers for zoori in Edo (zooriya　草履屋), who sold their ware to travellers.

zooriya is also the name for a shop that sells sandals. Nowadays they are made of various materials.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

. Edo no shokunin 江戸の職人 Edo craftsmen .

source : edoichiba zouri
zoori shokunin 草履職人 craftsmen making sandals


. Recycling and Reuse in Edo - リサイクル .


. waraji no omamori　わらじお守り　straw sandal amulets .
for strong legs


how to wear WARAJI
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uwazoori 上草履 indoor sandals




初雪や今おろしたる上草り
hatsu yuki ya ima oroshitaru uwazoori

first snow --
I just put on new
indoor sandals

This hokku is from the tenth lunar month (November) of 1819, the year evoked in Issa's Year of My Life. Indoor sandals in farm villages were generally woven from rushes, straw, old cloth, the outer sheathing of bamboos, and similar materials and were used for walking in areas inside a house that had board floors rather than straw floor matting, in much the way slippers are worn in contemporary Japan. In the previous hokku in Issa's diary he writes of an indoor sandal (or sandals) that has fallen off the low porch under the eaves of his house while the first snow falls.
In the present hokku, Issa, perhaps standing on the same low wooden porch running under the eaves of his house, seems to be struck by a feeling of simultaneity, since he has put on a fresh new pair of indoor sandals -- because his old ones were wet? -- just as the first snow of the winter is falling outside. Does he sense the freshness of the new snow with his feet?

Chris Drake

. Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 in Edo .

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大草履ひたりひたり村時雨
oo zoori hitari-hitari mura shigure

big straw sandals
pitter-patter...
hard winter rain

This haiku has an irregular middle phrase of six, not the usual seven, syllables: hitari-hitari. In the previous year (1823), Issa writes a similar haiku:

dooshin boo ya zoori hita-hita mura shigure

Priest Doshin's straw sandals pitter-patter...
hard winter rain

In both haiku the expression, mura shigure, signifies winter rain that passes through strongly and incessantly; Kogo dai jiten (Shogakukan 1983) 110; 1603.

Kobayashi Issa
Tr. Lanoue



門々の下駄の泥より春立ちぬ
かどかどのげたのどろよりはるたちぬ
kado kado no geta no doro yori haru tachinu

geta at the gate

. geta at the gate ...


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. Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村 in Edo .


夏川を越す嬉しさよ手に草履
natsukawa o kosu ureshisa yo te ni zôri

so happy
to cross this summer river -
sandals in my hand

Tr. Gabi Greve / Joy and Haiku



花を踏みし草履も見えて朝寝哉
hana o fumishi zoori mo miete asane kana

after treading on cherry petals
I can even see her straw sandals
sleeping late in the morning . . .

Maybe after an encounter with a lady ?

- - - - - or

after treading on cherry petals
I can even see my straw sandals
sleeping late in the morning . . .

Maybe he spent the night somewhere in Kyoto and is now waking up not in his own bed . . .

. asane 朝寝 (あさね) sleeping late in the morning .
kigo for all spring


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New Year comes!
Daruma's worn sandals
replaced

Chibi


Look at the BIG SANDALS here !

Daruma carrying one sandal


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kamizoori, kami zoori 紙草履 / 紙ぞうり Kamizori
sandals made from paper

They were made from strong, waterproof Washi paper.
Once they are torn, they could be used in the garden as fertilizer.




とぶ蝶に追抜れけり紙草履
tobu choo ni oi-nukare keri kami zôri

a flitting butterfly
outstrips me...
paper sandals
Tr. David Lanoue

. Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 .
Cultural keywords and kigo used by Issa


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setta 雪駄 leather-soled sandals for men
some come with a tatami cushion


CLICK for more photos !


- quote -
'setta' is one of the Japanese traditional sandals.
Japanese people were sandals called ''zori'' or ''setta'' until western-style shoes spread after the Meiji era. Of course, samurai, too. These Japanese sandal has created a beautiful Japanese-style posture and walking form by sandwiching the string called ''hanao'（鼻緒） between toes. Those posture and how to walk bring the influence that is good for the budo and martial arts including fencing (kenjitsu) and jujustu of Japan.
''Setta'' is said that Sen no Rikyū who is famous for tea ceremony devised it. The upper part is made of a rattan and bamboo, and leather is used for the bottom and it is characterized by thinner than ''zori''.
- source with photos : Osami Kitazono / facebook


setta naoshi 雪駄直し　repairing setta sandals



Since setta were rather expensive in Edo, they would be repaired many times and never just thrown away. There were many repairmen in Edo, Kyoto, Osaka and other big cities.
Some walked around from house to house, others sat by a busy roadside and waited for customers.
In Edo they called dei dei　でいでい, deei deei でえい、でえい, (local dialect for teire, te-ire 手入れ to repair)
in Kyoto and Osaka it was naoshi naoshi　はおしなおし.
Therefore the setta sandals were also called deidei in Edo.

. - - - Welcome to Edo　江戸 ! .


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Snow-Clogged Geta
Suzuki Harunobu 鈴木春信 (1725-1770)

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pokkuri ポックリ wooden sandals for ladies
especially for young geisha in Kyoto


source and more photos :　Klara Field



CLICK for more photos !

- and as an amulet for beautiful legs from
香取神社 Katori Jinja

健康美脚のお守り
okobo おこぼ okobo pokkuri for maiko


source :　pooch.exblog.jp



CLICK for more photos !

koppori こっぽり amulets to prevent evil for Maiko girls


- - - - - Not to mix with
. pokkuri 　ぽっくり　amulets for a sudden death, "drop dead" .


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. 幸福地蔵 Jizo for Good Luck .
He is the only Jizo wearing straw sandals in Japan.


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