Latest newsletter: Ashi (Reed)
April 21, 2017Here is a Tanka, complied by Ise, compiled in the episode of Koi
(romance) in volume 11 in Shin Kokin Wakashu.
"Naniwagata Mijikaki ashino Fushinomamo awade konoyowo Sugusiteyotoya"
Interpretation: Do not tell me that I have to live without seeing you
even for a very short time like the shortness that a reed's joint
which newly came into bud in Naniwa tideland.
In the first period of "Guyu" in 72 pentads in East Asia calendars, it
says that it is the time of reed sprouting. When the weather becomes
warm, the reed would sprout at the waterfront and start growing
towards the summer. Although reeds used to be widely used in Japanese
living such as "Misu (a curtain made by reed and bamboo, used among
nobles)", thatching roofs and papyrus boats, we rarely see any of
these apart from reed blinds today. However, it is still popular as
a seasonal item. People must be attracted by its irreplaceable
practicality and appearance.
Read the full article:
Rustling in Japan's original landscape "Ashi (Reed)"
Translation by: Hitomi Kochi, reviewed by Chan Yee Ting
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