(541) Twenty months in Japan / Nanamagari

Twenty months in Japan (Published in 1901 by H. G. Hawkins)

Biography
Henry Gabriel Hawkins was born on October 5, 1866, in Choctaw County Alabama. In 1892 he became an English instructor in the Japanese Government Middle School at Matsuyama(松山尋常中学校), after which he wrote a booklet titled "Twenty Months in Japan."

Walking to the castle

･･････ You can see that the mountain originally had two peaks. We walk over this terrace, whose best service at present is to supply the ground for the keeper's little farm. There is a corner building where were kept the paraphernalia of worship. (9 天神櫓 Tenjin-yagura turret) Two more gates, and then the inner-most yard appears, surrounded by the central building, or castle proper. (8 三の門 Third gate ➜ 10 筋金門 Sujigane-mon gate ➜ inner-most yard) 


  The principal hall upon the ground floor (Cellar のことかな？) is where the occupants were to go and kill themselves in case of defeat, coming down by means of a rude elevator (明治時代は米蔵から一階への階段はついていなかったか？) from the halls above. You may ascend to those halls by a stairway in another part of the structure; (Entrance Hallのことかな？) and from the height reached you may look at the surrounding city, the sea, islands, fields, distant villages, and mountains.  There is the road to the sea, with seven abrupt turns (七曲りNanamagari) made it, so that the number of the enemy coming could be very well judged from the way they filled these parts of the road.

http://haisentn.blog41.fc2.com/blog-entry-59.html

昭和７年鉄道補入「松山北部」(1:25,000地形図)

現在
　　Kato Yashiakira, (嘉明 Yoshiakira) who had been general under Hideyoshi, the Napoleon of Japan, founded the castle about three hundred years ago. It was rebuilt forty-nine years ago, (1854年にrebuiltだから49年プラスで1903, Hawkinsは1892に在松山なので、ちょっと合わない？) and of the original wooden portion only the first great gateway remains. (筒井門 Tsusui-mon gateのことかな？)

  There is nothing fine in the structure; but considering the great quantities of granite1) used, the cost must have been a million dollars. It is not in service at all at present. Though a regiment2) of soldiers located here now have modernized barracks at the mountain base, the deserted condition of the castle, and the sight of piles of sharp swords and spears begging for purchasers as one passes in front of the numerous second-hand shops, make us believe that the world is going toward the fulfillment of Isaiah's words; "And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks, nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."3)

1) granite: 花崗岩、御影石
2) regiment: 連隊、 a millitary unit consisting usually of a number of battalions
3) Isaiah 2:4 New Living Translation:
The Lord will meditate between nations and will settle international disputes. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore.
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タグ：Twenty months in Japan

(540) Rakugo Jokes #1 - 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of65xAlvRm8
By Katsura Sunshine

Hello ladies and gentlemen. I'm a traditional Japanese Rakugo comic story teller, Katsura Sunshine. On my highest from Boardway needs the corona virus time, I think we need a few jokes about doctors.

#1 Dreams about pigs flying
Patient: Sensei.
Doctor: Hai, hai. What seems to be the problem?
P: Sensi. I keep having these dreams about pigs flying.
D: Mmm. Sounds like swine flu1).

Fair, Then partly Piggy / by Shiro Yadama / Translated by Keith Holeman

あしたぶたの日ぶたじかん 英語版

• 出版社/メーカー: 岩崎書店
• 発売日: 2021/08/10
• メディア: 単行本

1) Swine flu: "Swine flu" was the popular name for the virus which was responsible for a global flu outbreak (called a pandemic) in 2009 to 2010. It's a type of seasonal flu and is now included in the annual flu vaccine. The virus was first identified in Mexico in April 2009. It became known as swine flu because it's similar to flu viruses that affect pigs. It is also known as the H1N1 virus.

#2 Farting a lot
P: Sensei.
D: Hai, hai. What seems to be the trouble?
P: Ah... sensei, it seems I've been farting2) a lot recently.
D: Farting a lot, I see. How often?
P: Three or four times an hour, or sometimes as much as five.
D: 3 or 4 times and sometimes as much as 5. All rihgt, all right, just wait here for one minute please.
P: Sensei, what are you doing with a long stick with a hook on the end of it3)? Sensei, what are you going to do with it?
D: I'm going to open the window4).

2) fart: to expel intestinal gas from the anus

Illustrated by 丑蟻さん
3) a long stick with a hook on the end of it: window  opening pole

4) window: sash window is a window that has two frames fixed one above the other that open by being up and down

#3 Short term memory loss
P: Sensei.
D: Hai, hai. What seems to be the trouble?
P: Recently, I've been suffering from short term memory loss5).
D: How long has it been happening?
P: How long has it been happening??
5) Short-term memory loss: In general, this involves forgetting recent things. This can lead to:
・asking the same questions repeatedly

・forgetting where you just put something
・forgetting recent events
・forgetting something you saw or read recently
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タグ：落語

(539) 赤心報國 Serve the country with heart

赤心報國

2021.03.16 Matsuyama Castle 1F

  赤心報國 is  pronounced 'sekishin houkoku' in Japanese, but this phrase is Chinese, Chìxīn bàoguó . Google translator translates this into English and Japanese as follows.

Serve the country with heart
心を込めて国に奉仕する

  The writing "Sekishin houkoku", is by the 13th and 14th Matsuyama feudal lords, and expressed their penitence. They were confined to Joshin-ji Temple. They did the bloodless surrender of Matsuyama castle to the lord of Tosa fief in 1868.

松平勝成　Matsudaira Katsushige, from Wikipedia (1832～1912)

What happened to the lord of Matsuyama fief, Sadaaki?

松平定昭　Matsudaira Sadaaki (1845～1872) from http://cul-spo.or.jp/matsu_bunkyo/contents/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/41.pdf　
連載＜まつやま　人・彩時記＞⑲
　慶応4年1月、将軍慶喜を擁した会津、桑名の両親藩兵が将軍の入京を阻（はば）む薩摩、長州の両藩兵と鳥羽伏見で交戦したが、このとき会津、桑名の親藩から疎外されていた松山藩は、前線には加わらず専（もっぱ）ら後方整備にあたっていたから薩摩、長州＝官軍に対して直接敵対行動をとったわけではなかった。
　しかし、会津、桑名など親幕府派諸藩とともに朝敵とみなされ、追討されることになった。松山藩に対しては、四国鎮撫官軍の先鋒として土佐藩兵がやってきた。これに対して勝成、定昭はじめ藩士一同恭順の意を表したので官軍による松山開城は、平穏のうちに行われた。

  In 1867, Matsudaira Sadaaki became Matsuyama castle lord at twenty-two, and was assigned as the youngest councilor serving to the shogun. He submitted his resignation to shogun immediately, but it was not accepted. But one month later, the shogun returned power to the emperor. Then his resignation was finally accepted. The next year, in 1868, the former shogun asked for his support in the battle of Toba-Fushimi, but the imperial side prevailed. Sadaaki was involved in the battle of Toba-Fushimi. This battle opened the Boshin war between former shogun Yoshinobu's side and the imperial side. Sadaaki was regarded as an enemy who rebelled against the imperial court for following former shogun Yoshinobu in the battle of Toba-Fushimi. The imperial court ordered the lord of Tosa fief to attack and beat the Matsuyama fief. Sadaaki the lord of Matsuyama expressed his willingness to obey the orders of the imperial court. Sadaaki returned the feudal lord to Katsushige the former feudal lord. Then, Sadaaki and Katsushige were confined to Joshin-ji Temple. They successfully did bloodless surrender. The soldiers of the Tosa domain who entered Matsuyama gentlemanly behaved. So, the surrender of Matsuyama Castle was peaceful.

まんがでわかる日本史より

マンガでわかる 日本史 (池田書店のマンガでわかるシリーズ)

• 出版社/メーカー: 池田書店
• 発売日: 2012/12/21
• メディア: 単行本

In January of 1868 the battle of Toba-Fushimi
In March of 1868 the bloodless surrender of Edo castle
In August of 1868 Aizu castle siege
In May of 1869 Boshin war was ended
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