What's Tohoku in Japan_3?

[kokeshi description]

• artisan : Tsunekichi Abe
• type : traditional Zao
• tall : 15cm(6inch)
• max width : 8cm(3inch)

Isabella Bird's View of Tohoku

Isabella Lucy Bird says in her author,"Unbeaten Tracks in Japan"(below *notes marked by me),

The plain of Yonezawa(*town in Tohoku),with the prosperous town of Yonezawa in the south,and the frequented watering-place of Akayu(*spa spot in Tohoku) in the north,is a perfect garden of Eden,"tilled with a pencil instead of a plough,"growing in rich profusion rice,cotton,maize,tobacco,hemp,indigo,beans,egg-plants,walnuts,melons,cucumbers,persimmons,apricots,pomegranates;a smiling and plenteous land,an Asiatic Arcadia,...(LETTER XVIII)

Of-course,she doesn't blindly praise them.She also write much about the situation of poor peasants or wretched places "every daimiyo'(*local lord) town that I have seen has an air of decay"(LETTER XIX).But,

Shinjo(*town in Tohoku) has a large trade in rice, silk,and hemp,and ought not to be as poor as it looks(LETTER XIX)

I can see rugged people of the day in Tohoku in it.And when I read this book,"the scales fell from my eyes" - "the scales" for me was my "pre-existing bias" - the bias of "poor and pitiable Tohoku".Surely "tilled with a pencil instead of a plough",but this was common landscape in other regions in Japan as well.She described some shops provided "villainous forgeries of European eatables and drinkables" in Tohoku,but it even gave me a surprise - they had some knowledge about European food or drink even in rustic Tohoku- although "they would be hurtful enough" - although I also agree to this.

I think her view is relatively objective because she didn't need to have the same "scales" just as we have.So I conclude - "Tohoku was poor,but it was as poor as the other regions".

Then,why they suffered from starving later? - there are many analysis by authorities,but roughly speaking,"the government didn't put a priority on 'welfare' in the broad sense of the term -  including improvement of regional gap or adjustment of industrial structure" - although it is another matter whether such policy was feasible or not at that time.

True Intent of My Boss

"Poor Tohoku" - the reason why I talked about it is not simply because of complaint about unfair treatment - most modern people in Tohoku even seem lack of concern -,but rather because of "defogger" - which enables us to see it clearly and even to offer new insight into it.In that sense,Isabella Bird'book expanded my knowledge about old Tohoku - such as the custom of 'Touji',hot spring cure or aspect of old Japanese inns - first of all,she visited many places where I haven't visited yet! 

Anyway,there was a sequel to my boss's joke.After our wedding ceremony,I asked him -he got much drunk - "was your joke a little risky,wasn't it?"

He replied,"Sure,but that was the result of consideration.I often hear some Aizu people still dislike Yamaguchi people.If I had kept my mouth shut about my hometown,and they had been told from the others about it,what would have happened?" I said,"I don't know".


he acted as if he fell himself to the ground."they might have bawled at me 'you,coward!'and cut me with katana,Japanese sword" - apart from his drunk clowning,he made consideration accordingly.And he added,"cause...Aizu was the region of 'Bushido' - yes,Aizu was famous for its strict Bushido,the precept of samurai,warrior.

I said,"hmm,I see.But if they had raged about your joke,what would you have done?"
He said to me with a grin "you already said,'I commit Seppuku!'.Maybe they would accept it because you-and-me is subordinate-boss relationship.And Bushido values 'loyalty to master'".

He already prepared his risk-hedge! - too regretfully,I should have said another precept of Bushido to him.

"But Bushido also says,'if your master is stupid and unreasonable,you should rectify him'".