Mellow-Denshokan Site English version - ????? - Database for Things - [ E. Manners & customs & songs etc. ] https://www2.mellow-club.org/densho_en/modules/d3forum/index.php?forum_id=6 Fri, 10 Apr 2026 04:29:53 +0900 http://backend.userland.com/rss/ We learnt HYAKUNIN-ISSHU while working in the fields ( by Awanokami) https://www2.mellow-club.org/densho_en/modules/d3forum/index.php?post_id=178 https://www2.mellow-club.org/densho_en/modules/d3forum/index.php?post_id=178 We learnt HYAKUNIN-ISSHU "The Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets while working in the fieldsIn Showa 19 (1944), our family moved to our hometown of AWA (the old name of southern Chiba prefecture) for safety.In order to survive, we exchanged our familys ... Sun, 07 Aug 2005 15:27:38 +0900 Database for Things E. Manners & customs & songs etc.
In Showa 19 (1944), our family moved to our hometown of AWA (the old name of southern Chiba prefecture) for safety.
In order to survive, we exchanged our familys clothing for food, but when that was finished, there was no other way except to cultivate a small piece of land so as to obtain a little food.
As a city boy who had played on the pavements and not used to country life just until the day before, working in the fields was hard.
Particularly, at rice-planting season even children were needed as the work force.
At first, it felt unpleasant just going into the rice fields.
Soon, my lower body started hurting.

One day, my mother suddenly began to recite one of the HYAKUNIN-ISSHUs poems in the fields.
Then, we followed in a loud voice, and afterwards she explained its meaning.
Gradually, we began to get absorbed in these poems and almost forgot our aching bodies.
Local passers-by on the footpath between the rice fields looked at us dubiously.

My mother told us various stories associated with HYAKUNIN-ISSHU; like the discord between two typical Heian-period aristocratic poetesses,　MURASAKI SHIKIBU and SEISHO NAGON and the legend of the poetess ONONO-KOMACHI (famous for her beauty) .　We eagerly listened to her until sunset.

We looked forward to the coming of New Year's, as at that time, in the holidays, there were home parties and we could enjoy playing the HYAKUNIN-ISSHU game with our family and relatives.

The HYAKUNIN-ISSHU game was very difficult for us, because if you wanted to participate, you needed to learn all the hundred poems by heart.
In addition to that, there are poems which often look similar, so you have to be careful not to make mistakes.

Everyone in my family had a favorite poem.
I still remember some of them.

As my mother was born in Tokyo, she was brought up indulgently and might not have got along with the villagers and rural life.
For diversion, she recited the HYAKUNIN-ISSHU poems in the rice fields under people's cold glances.
I became sad when I considered such feelings my mother had.
Anyhow, my mother was accepted by the local people and spent the rest of her life there without ever returning to Tokyo.

Nowadays, for me HYAKUNIN-ISSHU is material for Japanese calligraphy and never to be used in a game.

-----------------------------------------------------------

What is HYAKUNIN-ISSHU　

An anthology of Japanese couplets of 31 syllables, compiled by FUJIWARA TEIKA（1162-1241）(one of the Heian-period poets). He chose The Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets, among which were writings of Emperors, aristocrats and several Buddhist priests.
The themes of the poetry are mainly about birds and flowers and love, and these are very elegant.　

How to play the HYAKUNIN-ISSHU game

It is a kind of card game.
There are two kinds of cards for each poem.
One for the reciter (YOMIFUDA), on which the complete poem is written, together with the poet's portrait.
The other is for the player (TORIFUDA), on which only the last part of the poem is written.
And these cards are placed on the tatami separately and not piled together.

Then the reciter recites a poem one by one with characteristic portamento.
Players have to look for that particular card and pick it up as quickly as possible, as the one who can pick up the most, is the winner. This means that the players need to learn all the poems by heart.










Awanokami

]]> Re: A school's in-season farming vacation ( by Hamu) https://www2.mellow-club.org/densho_en/modules/d3forum/index.php?post_id=175 https://www2.mellow-club.org/densho_en/modules/d3forum/index.php?post_id=175 I remember that there were farming in-season vacations when I was in elementary school.Since my family business was not farming, I would help my classmates farm. I did what I could as a child, but it seemed that I was after all almost playing.When they h ... Sat, 30 Jul 2005 12:52:29 +0900 Database for Things E. Manners & customs & songs etc.
Since my family business was not farming, I would help my classmates farm. I did what I could as a child, but it seemed that I was after all almost playing.

When they hung the bundles of rice on the rack to dry, I helped by carrying them.

I recall with nostalgia that in those days, there were horses in the farmhouse.

Asahidake
]]> A school's in-season farming vacation ( by Hamu) https://www2.mellow-club.org/densho_en/modules/d3forum/index.php?post_id=174 https://www2.mellow-club.org/densho_en/modules/d3forum/index.php?post_id=174 When I was a schoolchild (Showa 23-32; 1948-57), there were special agricultural in-season vacations in southern Okayama Prefecture, in June and November every year, which lasted 3 or 4 days at a time. I think that this kind of vacation was carried out th ... Sat, 30 Jul 2005 12:47:16 +0900 Database for Things E. Manners & customs & songs etc.
I think that this kind of vacation was carried out throughout the whole country, even if there was some difference in time depending on the region.
In my hometown of Setouchi (Okayama prefecture), June is the rice-planting season　and November is harvest time.

In those days, most agricultural work was carried out manually, particularly rice planting and harvesting which required a lot of help.
Therefore, schools were closed, and children returned home as the labor force.

At that time, children were part of the respectable task force, who supported agriculture as their family business.

When I became a high school student, the system changed and these agricultural in-season vacations were not carried out automatically throughout the whole school, but given only on request.

Maybe you cant imagine but, at that time, in a school in a farming village, there were farming in-season vacations twice a year in addition to long spring, summer and winter vacations.

I don't know when this system started or how long it continued.
Probably, it was necessary at that time, because agricultural work fully depended on human power.

Hamu

]]> Fighting top game (by Kolorado) https://www2.mellow-club.org/densho_en/modules/d3forum/index.php?post_id=117 https://www2.mellow-club.org/densho_en/modules/d3forum/index.php?post_id=117 When I was a 8-12 years old boy, our most exiting game was a fighting top game.To join the game, he had to have an armored top that had an iron ring outside of the wooden body. The best ring was of ball bearing. Its massive, solid and brighting feeling ... Mon, 18 Jul 2005 10:44:35 +0900 Database for Things E. Manners & customs & songs etc. When I was a 8-12 years old boy, our most exiting game was a fighting top game.

To join the game, he had to have an armored top that had an iron ring outside of the wooden body. The best ring was of ball bearing. Its massive, solid and brighting feeling was wonderful. In addition, when sparring at the other top, it gave out many sparks. I used to heat up my iron ring by bath boiler, because the top with bearing was not sold in any toy shop.

I can still recall the exiting scene in which the heated iron ring hit the wooden body of the top with smoke.
The fighting top game started by deciding an order of spinning by JANKEN (to be explained later). The worst loser (A) in JANKEN had to spin his top at first. Next loser (B) could spin his top in aiming at As top to hit it. If Bs top could keep to spin longer than As one, A will be the worst loser in the next turn. If not, B will become the worst loser in the next turn. During spin competition, B could spar his top against As top by use of his string which is also used for spinning his top. Then the third loser could spin his top in aiming at surviving top and so on.

Usually the game went on like that, but if any guy failed to spin his top, he would be the first player in the next turn and a penalty SUEGOMA was given to him. SUEGOMA means that any player could aim at convicts top that is fixed on the ground. The convict used to turn his back to his top and cover his ears during the execution.

JANKEN is a Japanese game using three shapes of hand. Players must expose their hand at the same time with one of the specified shape as follows;
closed hand = stone,
2 fingers open hand = scissors
and
full open hand = paper.

Stone wins to scissors because it can break scissors,
scissors wins to paper because scissors can cut paper
and
paper wins to stone because it can wrap stone.

















Kolorado

]]> Re: Kamishibai after the War https://www2.mellow-club.org/densho_en/modules/d3forum/index.php?post_id=88 https://www2.mellow-club.org/densho_en/modules/d3forum/index.php?post_id=88 Dear Anmitsuhime, good day,By the Korean war in 1950, Japanese economy developed intensively and the shortage of manpower appeared. After around 1950 the kamishibai business rapidly decreased.One big reason for this was the television. Around 1952 1953 t ... Sat, 16 Jul 2005 11:23:01 +0900 Database for Things E. Manners & customs & songs etc. Dear Anmitsuhime, good day,

By the Korean war in 1950, Japanese economy developed intensively and the shortage of manpower appeared. After around 1950 the kamishibai business rapidly decreased.

One big reason for this was the television. Around 1952 1953 there were not so lots of television at home. But on the street we could watch big town televisions during the broadcasting time and there were lot of people gathered
in front of town televisions. Especially on pro-wrestling [famous wrestler Rikidozan]'s broad casting time, number of grownup people and also children as well came to in front of televisions to support him.

Afterward in 1959 the Royal marriage was taken place. Around that time, black and white televisions of 14 inchs were pervaded to ordinary homes. So it is not necessary for children to see kamishibai on the street but they could see interesting programs in their home's room.

In that way kamishibai's fate naturally had gone to historical one.

Shinchan
]]> Re: Kamishibai after the War https://www2.mellow-club.org/densho_en/modules/d3forum/index.php?post_id=87 https://www2.mellow-club.org/densho_en/modules/d3forum/index.php?post_id=87 Dear Shinchan, good day,It is a nice lovely photograph you have had.Did [kamishibai] still exist until around 1955? In my memory, I enjoyed kamishibai around 1950 to 1951.I was eagerly awaiting the time for kamishibai coming. And when hearing the sound of ... Sat, 16 Jul 2005 11:15:19 +0900 Database for Things E. Manners & customs & songs etc. Dear Shinchan, good day,

It is a nice lovely photograph you have had.
Did [kamishibai] still exist until around 1955? In my memory, I enjoyed kamishibai around 1950 to 1951.

I was eagerly awaiting the time for kamishibai coming. And when hearing the sound of hard wooden clappers I rushed to the place on the street.

I remember the fee for the kamishibai was 5 yen. Having pasted white millet jelly on the chopstick, I enjoyed the story with stirring emotions. Looking back from now, I notice that kamisibai man's way of presentation was very much trained and studied. The imitation of voices and so on were properly fitted for the children's feeling.

The other day (in April 2005) I had a chance to see the[kamishibai] performance done by volunteer people at the Tokyo Koganei Park. But to my regret I could not feel such a happy and nice feeling in my younger days.

Anmitsuhime
]]> Re: Kamishibai after the War (2) https://www2.mellow-club.org/densho_en/modules/d3forum/index.php?post_id=86 https://www2.mellow-club.org/densho_en/modules/d3forum/index.php?post_id=86 Dear Karei, good evening,The time I myself enjoyed kamisibai was around 1939 to 1940. At that time, a fee for kamishibai was only 10 sen.At that time some sort of the prize contest was there. That was called [katanuki]. We could expect to get a big rice c ... Sat, 16 Jul 2005 11:12:12 +0900 Database for Things E. Manners & customs & songs etc. Dear Karei, good evening,

The time I myself enjoyed kamisibai was around 1939 to 1940. At that time, a fee for kamishibai was only 10 sen.
At that time some sort of the prize contest was there. That was called [katanuki]. We could expect to get a big rice cracker when succeeded. But it was rather difficult to get that prize. Of course we could get candy as a regret prize.

Shinchan

]]> Re: Kamishibai after the War (2) https://www2.mellow-club.org/densho_en/modules/d3forum/index.php?post_id=85 https://www2.mellow-club.org/densho_en/modules/d3forum/index.php?post_id=85 Dear Shinchan, good day.A nice photograph is in your hand. It was taken by yourself?It is a very nicely taken photograph.I myself saw Kamishibai. It was the time when I returnedfrom evacuation and lived in Moriguchi-city, Osaka. So it is probably from 194 ... Sat, 16 Jul 2005 11:09:16 +0900 Database for Things E. Manners & customs & songs etc. Dear Shinchan, good day.

A nice photograph is in your hand. It was taken by yourself?
It is a very nicely taken photograph.

I myself saw Kamishibai. It was the time when I returned
from evacuation and lived in Moriguchi-city, Osaka. So it is probably from 1948 to 1949.

When a kamishibai man came, I returned to my home to get 5 yen? I am not sure how many pictures were there in one program. Anyway I had been looking into the program with my heart beating. A story telling always came to an end at the top of our excitement and he said the story would continue to the next performance.

A kamishibai men were selling millet jelly. We believed the millet jelly could be increased by stirring up with half-split chopsticks. After the kamisibai finished, we children usually did such a plaything .

Karei
]]> Re: Kamishibai after the War (2) https://www2.mellow-club.org/densho_en/modules/d3forum/index.php?post_id=49 https://www2.mellow-club.org/densho_en/modules/d3forum/index.php?post_id=49 Dear Ragora, Good morning,35 children were seen on this photograph. Among the children on the back raw, almost half of them were free loaders. I believe.This kamishibai man as you saw in the photograph of kamishibai-1, was playing accordion to draw childr ... Tue, 12 Jul 2005 22:55:05 +0900 Database for Things E. Manners & customs & songs etc.
35 children were seen on this photograph. Among the children on the back raw, almost half of them were free loaders. I believe.

This kamishibai man as you saw in the photograph of kamishibai-1, was playing accordion to draw children.
I am sure that he was playing a song of Red Apple.

Shinchan

]]> Re: Kamishibai after the War (2) https://www2.mellow-club.org/densho_en/modules/d3forum/index.php?post_id=48 https://www2.mellow-club.org/densho_en/modules/d3forum/index.php?post_id=48 Dear Shinchan, It is a nice lovely photograph.For the first time I saw the kamishibai in 1945 just after my repatriation from Korea. The place of my first experience was Yawata, Ichikawa-city, Chibapref..We children all gathered at the place on the stree ... Tue, 12 Jul 2005 22:52:07 +0900 Database for Things E. Manners & customs & songs etc.
It is a nice lovely photograph.
For the first time I saw the kamishibai in 1945 just after my repatriation from Korea. The place of my first experience was Yawata, Ichikawa-city, Chibapref..

We children all gathered at the place on the street when we heard the sound kachi kachi of hard wooden clappers.
Programs were action dramas such as [Golden Bat] and also mother's story with calling tears, and the other one. Totally three programs were common.

Two kamishibai men a day were coming. As I was rather poor, I could not buy any candy. A kamishibai man said to me, "You are always a free loader." I was rather uneasy at that time.

Ragora
]]> Re: Kamishibai after the War (2) https://www2.mellow-club.org/densho_en/modules/d3forum/index.php?post_id=47 https://www2.mellow-club.org/densho_en/modules/d3forum/index.php?post_id=47 Marchan, good evening,You well found the badge of head of class on the chest of the girl. I understand that you have had such an experience of attaching such a badge in your younger days.Kamishibais program was inspected by GHQ(General Head Quarters)from ... Tue, 12 Jul 2005 22:49:16 +0900 Database for Things E. Manners & customs & songs etc.
You well found the badge of head of class on the chest of the girl. I understand that you have had such an experience of attaching such a badge in your younger days.

Kamishibais program was inspected by GHQ(General Head Quarters)from 1945 to 1950. That inspection was lifted in 1951.

A famous program before the War [Golden Bat] was revived and broadly welcomed.
The current place where this photo was taken is the Hirano honmachi area, Hirano-ku, Osaka-city.
Historically Hirano was not suffered from the war disaster in the Osaka summer battle or winter battle just before the Tokugawa era. And also Hirano did not suffer from the air raid of the second world war.

In old times the Hirano area was called Hirano village. The village was surrounded by ponds and moats. Outside the village there were rivers rice fields and some other fields. Now there is only one pond left and most of the rest of land are now house land.

The underground is now passing near by. No one now hardly believes that the village was surrounded by ponds and rice fields.

There exist a lot of temples and old houses in the central area of Hirano. There are still historical old towns even now.
The photograph was taken around five years after the War.
We can understand the reason why childrens dresses are a little bit in good order.

Thank you very much.

Shinchan
]]> Re: Kamishibai after the War (2) https://www2.mellow-club.org/densho_en/modules/d3forum/index.php?post_id=46 https://www2.mellow-club.org/densho_en/modules/d3forum/index.php?post_id=46 Dear ShinchanThank you for your writing. Quote:The costumes or dresses of these children were in good order considering the day after the War.Yes they were properly dressed. And the wooden fence on the back of photo is recently not in use.I wonder if the ... Tue, 12 Jul 2005 22:41:46 +0900 Database for Things E. Manners & customs & songs etc.
Thank you for your writing.
Quote:
The costumes or dresses of these children were in good order considering the day after the War.
Yes they were properly dressed.
And the wooden fence on the back of photo is recently not in use.

I wonder if the girl on front put on the badge of head of class.

Marchan
]]> Kamishibai after the War (2) https://www2.mellow-club.org/densho_en/modules/d3forum/index.php?post_id=45 https://www2.mellow-club.org/densho_en/modules/d3forum/index.php?post_id=45 How do you feel the sincerity of the childrens face? Fee for kamishibai was only 5 yen. Candies, vinegar seaweed or dried cuttlefish were given to children. They were enjoying the show with hearing the accordion music played by the player. Programs were ... Tue, 12 Jul 2005 22:38:41 +0900 Database for Things E. Manners & customs & songs etc. How do you feel the sincerity of the childrens face? Fee for kamishibai was only 5 yen. Candies, vinegar seaweed or dried cuttlefish were given to children.

They were enjoying the show with hearing the accordion music played by the player. Programs were mainly stories of adventure and so on.

The costumes or dresses of these children were in good order considering the days after the War.

Shinchan

]]> Kamishibai(Japanese picture-card show) after World War II (by Shinchan) https://www2.mellow-club.org/densho_en/modules/d3forum/index.php?post_id=32 https://www2.mellow-club.org/densho_en/modules/d3forum/index.php?post_id=32 When there was almost nothing after World War II, one of the pleasures of the children was to watch the "Kamishibai" (a Japanese picture-card show). It visited the children every week and they enjoyed watching Kamishibai very much. The most favorite for t ... Sun, 10 Jul 2005 17:27:50 +0900 Database for Things E. Manners & customs & songs etc.
This picture was taken by the Konica camera I bought for the first time in 1950 (Showa year 25).

Shinchan

]]>