花筏に鯉

花筏 Hanaikada

by 草花

From time to time, I write haiku and tanka by fits and starts.
If you try to express your feelings, such as landscapes, timbres, and scenes with just a few words, your imagination will expand. Then, it feels as if the terms have colors and sounds.

I often undertake design and writing as well as cook. So maybe I’m unconsciously training so that creative words always come to my mind.

Nowadays, I don’t have the opportunity to use classical Japanese expressions in everyday life. At the very least, I would like to use blogs as a place for public expression to train in polite Japanese.

the water is called “花筏 Hanaikada”.
Hanaikada is often used as a beautiful word, but it doesn’t seem to be that old word. The old Ryukyu kominka where I used to live had a pond in the garden. As a result, the flower raft of the cherry tree was naturally formed. I will introduce some of my haiku and tanka about this.

Haiku is like a camera of words that captures the moment of a scene in short phrases. So if an objective landscape, sound, or scene comes to your mind, that’s fine. Tanka is a little descriptive, so I hope it conveys my subjective feelings at the time.

苔水に はしる鯉の音 花筏

There is no public water supply in Kominka, and I lived on the spring water of the mountains. There was a pond in my garden, beautiful freshwater raised moss, and there were some carps.
There is a large cherry tree near the pond, and the water surface is filled with cherry blossoms during the season. The carp are swimming vigorously there, making a sound.
Are the carps also enjoying flowers?

今はただ 苔生しにけり わが庵は 桜花もそよぐ うりずんの風

Time has passed, and now my house is covered with moss.
When I move my eyes, the flowers on the surface of the water were swaying in the pleasant spring breeze.
Both my house and I have passed the years, but the circle of seasons is beautiful.

苔筵 青き若夏 風そよぐ 鯉はうるはし 見つつ偲はゆ

The old house where I once lived. Moss is growing all over this area now.
The fresh green is lush, and the early summer wind breeze.
Looking at the harmonious carps naturally reminds me of the days I spent here.

はなおう

Ouchi

by 草花 
ひろがりて雲もむらさき花樗
- 古賀まり子

In Yanbaru, which is in the early summer, you can see the sendan-flowers falling in the wind. Sendan is called “Afuchi” in the old language, and it is also written in “Manyoshu”, the oldest anthology of waka poems.

It doesn’t feel gorgeous from a distance, but the flowers that flicker in the refreshing breeze are beautiful. There is some sendan in my garden. When the flowers bloom look like lilac clouds. If you look up close, you will notice that many small flowers are in full bloom. On a quiet night, there is a faint, deep scent that gives you a mysterious appearance.

The flower language of Sendan is “a disagreement”.

It is said that knowing each other is communication itself, but unexpectedly the views pass each other, and sometimes they collide.　
In such a case, listen to the opinions, convey the views, and develop further. We will understand each other’s ideas and integrate them into higher-quality conclusions.

Japanese is interesting, and “a place where you meet unexpectedly” is called “逢地 ouchi”. Two people who walked from different places meet at the top of the pass. It is a word that imitates the situation. There is also a town called “相知 Ouchi” in Saga prefecture in Kyushu, which is derived from “the place where rivers meet”. The meaning of “相知” is to know each other. The rivers will also merge, and the momentum will increase. The Matsuura River, which is located downstream, has Historically, it has nurtured the culture of Karatsu City.

ひろがりて雲もむらさき…

待宵草

liberty, capricious

by 草花

Mountain people around the shop have increased Ryukyu Tukimisou in my garden.

It is commonly called Hiruzaki-tukimisou. Okinawa’s people call the flowers that color the wasteland of Okinawa in pale red plum color “Ryukyu Tukimisou” and love the flowers that bloom every year in this season. Hiruzaki-tukimisou is a kind of Oenothera stricta, so it is different from the original Evening primrose. Evening primrose blooms from evening to night, it is called a lazy maiden who sleeps until dusk. The pretty flower that resembles the Evening primrose is called “Yoi-machi-gusa” by Yumeji Takehisa, and the people living in Okinawa call it “Ryukyu Tukimisou”. The name is freedom and capricious. The tasteful and humorous aliases are entertaining.

Now, the time for Yanbaru’s Ome to hit the market. I made large ume plums with plum wine and made Crunchy pickled plums with small ume. I have quit the inn I used to run, but I have a room where my friends can stay. There is also space for tents in my yard, and everyone can enjoy a simple camp. Someday, we all want to have fun together, as if we forget about the world.