The flag parade (by Rifurei)

The memory of my lower grade of primary school.

It was in 1920(Taishou year 9) when I was the 2nd grade of primary school. It was the flag parade for the traffic safety campaign. Waving small paper flags of Hinomaru, we did the parade by singing 'traffic safety song'. [we walk left side of the road--- right side is very dangerous collide with something]

Traffic vehicles at that time were daihachiguruma[large two wheel luggage carriage], nibasha[luggage cart pulled by horse], jinrikisha[man-pulling cart], and three wheel bicycle for commercial use[bicycle carrying the luggage equipped a rack in the front with two wheels and one wheel in the back]. The bicycle for home use was only belonging to rich people.

The second flag parade was when I was the third grade of primary school?, at fifty years anniversary for the educational system(started on 1872)? The song we were singing was, [in the house no one who do not learn and in the village no children who do not learn. already 50years now past after the educational system started]. We were singing without knowing what this song actually means. But I remember very clearly the words of the song.

But now by recollecting to sing that song, very strong emotion hits my heart. Around that time, we children were all wearing short Japanese kimono: kongasuri(a dark blue kimono with pattern of splashes on) with their knee fully exposed and also wearing geta (Japanese wooden footgear) or zori(sandals made of straw and covered with cloth).

By thinking back for that time, my heart is filled with deep emotion.

Rifurei