(531) Few infected people in Japan

ヨーロッパで、新聞記者が、感染症の専門医に聞きました。
In Europe, a newspaper reporter asked an infectious disease specialist.
記者「日本では感染者数が少ないようですが？」
The reporter: "It seems that there are few infected people in Japan?"
医者「いや日本の状況は、すでに断崖絶壁の一歩手前まで来ていますよ」
The doctor: "No, the situation in Japan is already one step before the cliff."
記者「それで我々は？」
The reporter: "So, what about us?"
医者「日本の一歩先をいっています！」
The doctor: "We are one step ahead of Japan!"

世界の日本人ジョーク集 令和編 (中公新書ラクレ, 720)

• 作者: 早坂 隆
• 出版社/メーカー: 中央公論新社
• 発売日: 2021/03/06
• メディア: 新書

The situation of the world is changing day by day. Vaccination is changing it better in several countries in Europe. Japan is still one step behind of them.

TIME: The Coronavirus Brief
Friday, April 23, 2021
Twice this week, India shattered the global record for COVID-19 diagnoses in a single day. The U.S. set that record with just over 300,000 cases in a day this past winter; India reported more than 332,000 diagnoses today alone.

Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:

(530) Emon Saburo

 
2021.04.18 Statue of Emon Saburo at Ishiteji Temple

The legend of Emon Saburo is written in a scroll handed down at Ishiteji temple as follows.

  Once upon a time, there lived a person in Ukeanagun-Ebara District (about 10 km south from this temple). He was called Emon Saburo. His family had been rich for generations. However, speaking of this person's personality, he was an outrageous villain who was greedy, misguided, devouring the treasure, scorning Shinto gods, and hated Buddha. But he couldn't escape the calamity he caused himself, and unexpectedly all Saburo's eight boys suddenly died.

  Children are dear and important to any parent. Even Emon Saburo, who was so strong, fell into grief, and immediately turned his wickedness. He abandoned his house and forgot about himself, and he didn't know how many times he went to the Shikoku 88-temple pilgrimage.

  In the year of 830 AD, Saburo was ill and was about to end at the foot of Shosanji Temple in the country of Ashu, today's Tokushima prefecture. At that time, mysteriously, Saint Kobo engraved the name Emon Saburo on a small stone (4.5 cm, about 2 inches) and gave it to his both hands.

  After a few years, he was born to a boy of Kono Yasutoshi and finally took over the house. He called himself Yasutaka and took control of this country, Iyo.

  When this person was born, he never opened his left hand after a few days. Therefore, a prayer was made at this temple. Then, the hand was opened promptly. The stone mentioned earlier was in the palm. That is, the stone is put in this temple. They say that the title of this temple was An'yoji, but since then it was renamed to Ishiteji, which means "rock-in-hand temple."

仏教パンフシリーズ６・逆打ち衛門三郎上下逆転みんないっしょ

• 作者: 加藤俊生
• 出版社/メーカー: 石手寺サマヤ出版
• 発売日: 2021/04/19
• メディア: パンフレット

石手寺に伝わる巻物に衛門三郎伝説はこう書かれている。
昔、当国受穴郡荏原（うけあなぐんえばら）の郷（ごう）に人あり。名を衛門三郎と云（い）いけり。其家代々富（とみ）さかう。然（しか）るに、この人の性（せい）たらく、慳貪邪見（けんどんじゃけん）にして、財寶（ざいほう）を貪（むさぼ）り悪逆無道（あくぎゃくむどう）、神を蔑（なみ）し仏を嫌う大悪人なり。然るに自らなす孼

（わざわい）は逃るべきに他なし、思わざりき八人の男子俄（にわ）かに皆悉（ことごと）く死に失せたり。夫（そ）れ子を思うは人の情けなれば、これほど強剛（きょうごう）の衛門三郎も頓（やが）て地に入る思いに堪（た）えず、即時に邪見を翻（ひるがえ）し家を捨て身を忘れ、四国巡禮幾度いう数をしれず、時に天長八辛亥年阿州焼山寺の麓（ふもと）に病んでその身まさに終らんとするにおよんで、不思議なる哉（かな）、弘法大師一寸五分の石に衛門三郎と名を刻みつけ両手に授け給（たま）う。それより幾許（いくばく）の年年月を経てか、河野息利（やすとし）の男子に生まれ来たり遂（つい）に家を継ぐ。息方（やすかた）と名乗り、この国を領（りょう）せり。この人誕生のとき日数を経るに左の手を開くことなし。茲（ここ）よって当山において祈願ありければ、頓（すみやか）に手を開かれしに件（くだん）の石掌（てのひら）の中にありけり。

即（すなわ）ちその石を当山に納む。寺号（じごう）を安養寺と申しけるを改め石手寺とぞ伝え侍（はべり）りき。

天長八年（辛亥）：西暦（ユリウス暦）８３０年
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(529) Abstinence from sake

  People have many kinds of wishes. Students pray for passing examinations. Young people pray for the fulfillment of romance. Fathers wish for family safety. Mothers pray for a safe and easy delivery.

  People also know how to make a wish. There are several ways. Close your eyes and silently ask for something to happen. This is an ordinal way of making a wish. Visiting temples and shrines might be a more powerful way to make a wish in Japan.

  "Cut off, TACHIMONO in Japanese" is another method of making a wish. You can make a wish by cutting off something that is important to you or something that you are obsessed with.

  Once there lived a man in Edo period. His favorite thing was drinking sake.

禁酒（江戸こばなし）

夜、ひとりで酒をのんでいるところに、友達がやってきました。

「お前、禁酒したんじゃないのか？」

「うん、願いごとがあって、一年間禁酒することにしたんだが、どうしてもがまんできないで、二年にのばした。昼間はやめて、夜はゆるしてもらうことにしたんだ」

それを聞いた友達が、

「そんなら、三年に伸ばして、昼も夜も飲めばいい」

子どもも、おとなも楽しめる 江戸こばなし(4) 江戸小ばなし

• 出版社/メーカー: フレーベル館
• 発売日: 2020/12/14
• メディア: Kindle版

子どもも、おとなも楽しめる　江戸こばなし（4）【電子書籍】[ 岡本和明 ]

• ショップ: 楽天Kobo電子書籍ストア
• 価格: 825 円

Abstinence from sake (a short funny story of Edo)

  When a man was drinking sake alone at night, his friend came and said,
"Hey, you stopped drinking sake, didn't you?"
"Yes, I made up my mind not to drink sake for one year, to make my wish come true. But I cannot live without sake, so I changed the period from one year to two years. Now I give up drinking sake in the daytime, but I can drink sake at night."
Then the friend said,
"If so, change the period to three years then you can drink sake day and night."
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