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Buddha, gods and flowers in Shitara 花に埋もれた神仏、設楽の森で
The area of Shitara town in Aichi Pref is pretty large. But civilized area is limited. Only five or ten minutes drive leads us out the artificial space. Now we arrive at the border where we can find fusion of nature and old human culture.
Above is 'Enshu haguma', endangered species
Autumn has come around my house KappaTei, in Mitsuhashi
森林鉄道と、ある酒屋の物語 17（日本語&English）
A novel, of memorable liquor store and logging railroad 17
Kurijima River at typhoon 2018 2018年の台風時の栗島川
「ここにいては危険だ。少しでも高いところに逃げよう。津島神社が良い」 正之さんは言った。
車軸を流すがごとき大雨である。加えて、立っていられないほどの強風。そして停電。真っ暗闇の中、耳を聾するばかりの川の音がする。子供たち4人を抱えて、無事に神社までたどりつけるだろうか？ 我が家からわずか80mのところにあるのだが。
「行こう」という正之さん。「はい」と、覚悟を決めたように、ちか子さんが応える。
一家の命の危機であった。夫婦には二男二女の子供があった。「守らねば、守らねば。この子らを守らねば。伊藤家を守っていかなければ」ちか子さんは思った。
Masayuki-san said 'It's very dangerous to stay here. Let's get away to higher place as much as possible. Tsushima jinja shrine would be proper.'
It rained bitterly and wind blew so extremely. It kept everyone from standing firmly. Moreover the power had been down.
Chikako-san thought 'In the true darkness , are we able to take our four children to the shrine ? Even if it's only eighty meters.'
'Let us go.' Masayuki-san said.
'Oh yes, my hus' Chikako-san answered with determination.
The matter was life of whole family. Chikako-san and Masayuki-san had two sons and two daughters.
Chikako-san thought 'I must keep, I must keep their life, and blood of Ito family '
伊勢湾台風。昭和34年（1959）に東海地方を襲った日本史上最悪の台風である。最低気圧は894hPa、中心付近の最大風速は90m/sを記録した（アメリカ軍による観測値）。
6人はずぶぬれになりながら、這うようにして神社の石段を登り、社殿の軒下へと入った。神社のすぐ下に我が家があり、そのすぐ隣が栗島川であった。その川の方から、かすかに音が響いてくる。どどぉん、どどぉんという重低音で、それがだんだんと大きくなる。最初にその音に気付いたのは、まだ幼い次男だった。
「お母さん、あれは何の音」
「え？」
音は次第に大きくなる。そして数も増してくる。あちこちから響いてくる地底の巨人の足音。無数の巨人が行進をしているような、重たい響きだった。
「あれは…」
正之さんはそのあとの言葉を続けることができなかった。
川底の岩石が、大雨による水流に耐え切れず、重い腰を上げて転がり始めた音なのだ。転石は転石を呼び、川のいたるところで、大岩が動き始めているのだった。いくら山の中、川のほとりに住んでいても、生涯何度も経験しないような地響きだった。一家は押し黙って夜明けを待った。
「神様、お助けください」ちか子さんはそうつぶやいて社殿の軒を見上げた。
全国の犠牲者数5098名。甚大な被害の中で夜が明けた。
この時の状況を受け、栗島川に堤防が築かれ、今日の地形へとつながっている。
Isewan typhoon. The most notorious one which attacked Tokai district in Showa 34 (1959). The lowest air pressure was 894hPa, maximum wind speed around its center was 90m/s (measured by US forces).
Being soaked by rain the family climbed the stone steps at the shrine and arrived at under the shrin's roof. Their house was almost at the foot of the step. And beyond their house, we was able to see Kurijima river run. From the river the strange sounds came. At first they were faint. More and more they got loud and the number of them got many. Strange base sounds. Their second son noticed them first.
'Mammy, what is that ?'
'What? You say about what '
The sounds got loud more and more and got many. The sounds like giants' footsteps marching in the underground world.
'That is,,' Masayuki-san tried to answer but he could not continued his words.
Extreme rain caused extreme flow. And it pushed stones and rocks in the river. Eventually even huge stones could not keep themselves staying still. They started to move. Those rolling rocks collided other stones. Then these stones started to move and collided. It was tremendous chain reaction. Even a person who had lived mountain area for long years seldom see such a scene. It was fearful experience.
The family waited for dawn without any words. Chikako-san prayed in her mind 'Please help us, my god, the god of our village '. And she looked up the shrine's eaves.
5,098 people were killed by this disaster. The morning light came but with huge number of victims.
Because of this terrible typhoon the authorities made a embankment along Kurijima river. We can see it today, as a important part of Mitsuhashi's landscape.
堤防とかっぱ亭 embankment and Kappatei
波乱と平穏を繰り返しつつ、月日は飛ぶように流れていった。
ちか子さんは正之さんとの間に二男二女を設けた。男の子は水中眼鏡を手作りし、すぐ裏手を流れる栗島川で友達と一緒に銛打ちをして、魚を取って遊んだ。女の子たちはお絵描きに精を出し、台所や洗面所の壁にお姫様の絵を描いて楽しんでいた。男の子たちは、落書きよりもシールの方を好んだようだ。伊藤家の家の柱をよく見ると、マジックプリントと呼ばれたガムのおまけのシールがいくつか残っている。
Days and years had passed like an arrow. Their four children grew up soundly. Boys made swimming goggles by themselves and went to Kurijima river next to their house, to spear fishes with their friends. Girls loved drawing. They drew pictures of princess and ladies on the walls in the kitchen or washroom ! Boys preferred to affix seals which are small free gifts, when they bought chewing gum they can get them. Now we can find some anime hero's seals pasted on pillar in this house.
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森林鉄道と、ある酒屋の物語 16（日本語&English）
A novel, of memorable liquor store and logging railroad 16
ex-railroad line 森林鉄道軌道跡
ex-railroad line 森林鉄道軌道跡
bridge pier 橋脚
田峯森林鉄道鰻澤線は昭和6年(1931)から33年(1958)まで、段戸の御料林（戦後は国有林）の木材を伐り出すのに活躍したトロッコ列車だ。ガソリンエンジン駆動の機関車が、下流の竹桑田からたくさんのトロッコを連結して、当貝津川沿いの線路を遡上してくる。トロッコ一つには一人の人間が担当としてついている。いずれも屈強な男たちだ。終着の鰻澤では、山から下りてきた丸太が待っている。列車はここで連結を解かれ、たくさんの単体トロッコとなる。フォークリフトなどの便利な機械など夢の中でも見たことのない当時、担当の者たちは己の腕力のみで丸太をトロッコに積み込んだ。積み込める丸太の大きさによって、給料の歩合が決まる。木こりたちも必死であった。単体となったトロッコに荷を積むと、あとは自由落下で竹桑田までもどって行く。つまり、動力なしのブレーキコントロールだけで、竹桑田まで「落ちて」いくのだ。このブレーキシューは木製で、1回の下り行程で3つか4つほどがすり減ってなくなる。これを作っておくのも担当者の役目で、シューを取り換え取り換えしつつ、トロッコを操るのである。
The logging railroad Unagisawa-line was at work from Showa 6 (1931) until Showa 33(1958) to convey logs from the national forest in Dando. A locomotive driven by gasoline engine pulled many wagons called 'truck' . It departed from the station in downstream area and went up along the river. Each truck had one rider who is in charge of it. All of them were tough men. At the terminal station Unagisawa, Logs cut down in the deep mountain waited for them to arrive. Here train was separated into wagons. As the riders did't have such machines as fork lift each man lifted up those logs onto his wagon and load them only by his thick arms. Their wage was percentage pay. The more they transported wood the much money they were able to get. So they worked hard and hard. Then they got on his separated wagon heading to downstream. This time the wagon had no motive power. It was moved by free fall until downstream station. They controlled its moving by brake. To prepare the brake shoe was also their important job. It was made of wood. They made them and set them to the wagon. Three or four brake shoes would wear out per one descent travel.
Chikakosan’s place
ちか子さんは、店番をしつつこれらの音を聞くのが好きだった。ガソリンエンジンの音、軌間762mmの軌道と輪のこすれあう音、ブレーキシューのすり減っていく悲鳴のような音。伊藤屋酒店のカウンターに座っていると、南からエンジンの音が近づいてくる。線路は、伊藤屋の近所の営林署官舎のあたりで東に大きくカーブを切っている。カーブを切り、しばらく栗島川に沿って遡上するのだ。伊藤屋から見れば森の奥に遠ざかっていく形になるので、音がだんだんと小さくなっていく。と、がたんがたんと橋で渡河する音が聞こえる。栗島川を渡った線路は、またこの川に沿って下ってくるので、伊藤屋に近づいてくることになる。そして、木の間がくれに列車の姿をみることもできる。森林鉄道の音は、ちか子さんにとって日々の楽しみの一つであった。
Chikako-san loved to hear the sounds of logging railroad in her liquor store. The sound of gasoline engine, the friction rub given off by rails and wheels, the sound like scream from brake shoes, and so on. Behind the counter she heard engine sound getting closer . It came from the south , that is, from downstream area. The rail turned to the east near her shop. So the sound became more distant and more faint. But soon it turned back to her place. In the depth of forest the rail went across the river by wooden bridge, and turned its direction to the west, toward her shop. And in the shade of trees on the cliff she was able to catch sight of train turning the direction again. This time it went to the north, heading deep mountain area. As it went, then the sounds got faint again.
The sounds of logging railroad was her great amusement in her daily life.
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森林鉄道と、ある酒屋の物語 14,15（日本語&English）
A novel, of memorable liquor store and logging railroad 14,15
当貝津川。森林鉄道はこの川に沿って北上した Tougaitsu River. Logging railroad went up north along this river
森林鉄道のトンネル A tunnel for the logging railroad
三都橋の津島神社 子供たちはこの石段のすぐ下の小道を通って通学した
Tsushima jinja shrine with stone step in Mitsuhashi. Every morning children went to school through the road which is at the foot of this stone step.
14
それから数日後のことである。
伊藤家の座敷で、大きな座卓をはさんでちか子さんと差し向いに座っているのは、正之さんであった。
当惑と緊張の空気が、部屋の中に満ちている。いや、緊張しているのは正之さんの側だけだったかもしれない。耳たぶまで真っ赤にし、額に汗を浮かべている正之さんを、年上のゆとりであろうか、ちか子さんはさりげなく眺めていた。手拭いを出して額の汗を拭く正之さん。と、きっと顔を上げ背筋を伸ばして、意を決したように、長い長い沈黙を破る。
「ちか子さん」
「はい」
「僕と、夫婦（めおと）になってください。」
ほんのわずかの沈黙。そして
「よろしいんですか」
「もちろんです。いったい何を…」
「五つも年上なんですよ」
「にいさんが、忠利さんがあなたをめとられたとき、正直、うらやましいなと思いました。あぁ、なんときれいなんだと。なんてきれいなお嫁さんなんだろうと。だから、結婚を、と」
正之さんは、自分の返答がまったく脈絡を失っていることに気づいていないようだった。ただ、その情熱はちか子さんの胸に十分届いた。
ややあって、
「はい。一緒にこの家を盛り立ててまいりましょう」
そして3年の月日が二人の仲を日々温めて過ぎていった。時は昭和23年を迎える。
It was few days later that we were able to find two persons sitting in Japanese reception room of Ito family's house.
Masayuki-san and Chikako-san sat face to face at the big low table on tatami. The room was filled with a tense atmosphere. Especialy Masayuki-san, being under huge tense, he was abashed and sweated bitterly . As for Chikako-san, due to being elder than Masayuki-san, she was able to afford to observe his behaivor. Masayuki-san took Japanese towel and wiped sweat on his forehead. Then he determined and straightened himself. He broke long silence in the room.
' Chikako-san '
' Yes ' she replyed.
' Will you,, Will you marry me ? '
after moment of silence, Chikako-san asked
' Do you think I'm appropriate to your wife ? '
' Yes, of course. What do you mean ? What do you worry about ? '
' I'm five years older than you '
' I loved your late husband Tadatoshi-san like my brother. But honestly speaking when you got married with him I envied him a bit. How beautiful bride you were ! How beautiful! How happy I would have been if I had got married with you, I imagined.'
Masayuki-san asserted earnestly .
He was too eager to keep calm. He got beside himself with his passion. And it hit Chikako-san's heart.
' All right. Let's make this family prosper together'
And three years had passed with love and trust.
It became Showa23(1948).
残された看板から、伊藤屋が様々なものを売っていたことが分かる。たばこ、みそ、塩、そして画面右端を見るとミルキーの巨大な缶！
Sign boards left in the shop space tell us that many kinds of stuff had been for sale here, such as miso, cigarette, salt and candy
15
昭和23年。沿岸部の都市は戦争の被害からいまだ復旧していなかった。その一方で、山間部の村々にはいち早く活気が戻っていたのだった。
小学生たちの登校の波が引くと、ほどなく、南の方から列車のやってくる音が聞こえてくる。ガソリンエンジン車に牽かれた森林鉄道のトロッコだ。田峯方面からやってくるこの木材運搬用列車は、田口線田峯駅に向かっていま歩いている正之さんと、どこかですれ違っているはずだ。
「国鉄の社員と酒屋の切り盛り。ちょっと見ない取り合わせだわ。でも、きっと、きっと大丈夫。ですよね、正之さん」
そうつぶやいたちか子さんは、店の中に戻り、赤子を負うたままカウンターの内側に陣取った。
旧伊藤屋（現かっぱ亭）には「新城税務署酒類販売免許店」という監察札が残されており、その裏面には「免許 昭和二十三年五月一日 伊藤ちか子」とある。伊藤屋あらため「伊藤屋酒店」である。このとき、ちか子さんは24歳。母となり、酒屋の若女将となった年であった。
Showa 23 (1948). Cities in coastal area had not recovered from the damages of war yet. On the other hands villages in mountain area were vibrant.
Passing by Tsushima jinja shrine Torii gate, a throng of children had gone toward their elementary school. And then Chikako-san heard a sound that logging railroad train gave off. The train, that was driven by gasoline engine, was consist of many small wagons called 'truck' . This train came from Damine station to convey wood from deep mountains. Chikako-san's husband Masayuki-san was on his way to Damine station then. He had to go to Damine on foot and get on another private train there to go to his workplace. He was an employee of Japan National Railway. It was a hugest company in Japan at that time. Chikako-san talked to herself ' I manage a liquor store and my hus is emploee of big company. It's a funny combining. But it'll go well, it will go well. Don't you think so ? , my hus Masayuki-san' Then carrying her baby on her back Chikako-san entered the house and took up her position behind the counter.
The license board written ' A shop having permission to sell liquor' is left in ex-Ito-ya store (now Kappatei). And on the back side of it there is a description, that is, ' license given in May 1st Showa 23, Ito Chikako'. Ito-ya store was opened as a grocery store by her parents-in-law. It was around the end of Meiji era. And then Chikako-san added selling SAKE to miscellaneous goods. It was Showa 23 (1948). This year she was 24 years old, gave birth to her baby, became mother and became a proprietress of liquor store.
酒類販売の監察札（現物）
The actual thing of license board given to Chikako-san
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View from my garden, Mitsuhashi
sunset, yesterday
sunrise in misty morning, today
森林鉄道と、ある酒屋の物語 12（日本語&English）
A novel, of memorable liquor store and logging railroad 12
Photo: 津島神社 Tsushima jinjya shrine
Photo: 参道を行く参候祭りの行列。かつてこの道は商店街でした。街路灯の明かりの形が、商店街だった往時をしのばせます。画面左に見える家が旧伊藤屋酒店（現 かっぱ亭）/ A procession of The Sanzoro Matsuri festival.Once this road was a shopping district. The shape of the street lamps reminds us those days. A house you can see the left side in this photo is ex-Itoya liquor store (now Kappatei).
背に負うた赤子がむずかったので、ちか子さんは追想の夢から我に返った。店先を渡る風が、秋の深まりを告げている。昭和23年10月。生後半年のこの子は、正之さんとちか子さんの長男である。ちか子さんは赤子をあやしながら、店の前の道の掃き掃除に取り掛かる。「伊藤屋酒店」という真新しい看板の下の三和土は、特に念入りに掃き清める。手に思わず力が入るのだ。
ぼつぼつと、小学生たちの登校時刻になってくる。一人二人、四人五人、そしてわらわらと、怒涛の如く、大勢の小学生が店の前を通っていく。毎朝の光景である。ここは小さいながらも、津島神社門前の商店街だ。南からこの道を通り抜け、神社を横手に見ながら栗島川を渡っていけば、ほどなく三都橋小学校である。また、小高い所にある営林署の官舎からの小道も、伊藤屋の前で商店街に合流している。官舎の家の子供らも、ここで通学の列に加わるのだ。ほんの10分か15分ほど、伊藤屋の前の道は小学生でごった返す。毎朝の光景である。
「いとやさん、酒屋始めるのけ？」「おらにも一杯、飲ましてくりょ」
生意気なことを言いながら、通り過ぎていく。が、その言葉に間違いはなく、大人になったのち、この子らの大半は「いとや」の常連になるのであった。
Photo: 旧三都橋小学校（現 交流センター）ex-Mitsuhashi elementary school
Photo:現在のかっぱ亭（旧伊藤屋酒店）。今も昔も、お酒を飲むところです。
Today’s Kappatei ( ex-Itoya liquor store). The place to drink with fun, in those days and also today
Fretful cry of her baby, whom Chikako-san carried on her back, awaken her from daydream of reminiscence. A Wind that blew around the storefront told a deepening of autumn. It was October of Showa 23 (1948). This baby, at the age of six months, was an eldest son between Chikako-san and Masayuki-san, her second husband. Dandling the baby on her back, Chikako-san began to sweep and clean the road in front of her liquor store. She cleaned around her store earnestly, especially the concrete floor under the sign 'Ito-ya liquor store' . The new hope toward the future made her vivid.
It was getting to be the time for children to go to school. One two, four five,and many. Like a flood, many children pass the road before Ito-ya liquor store. Though this street was short and narrow but it was a shopping district in front of Tsushima jinjya shrine. And another path from Forest Service's official residence, where some families lived, joined this road here. For a while in the morning, maybe 10 or 15 minutes, the street was crowded with children going to Mitsuhashi elementary school. They each said something impertinent, like this
'Itoya-san, you open liquor store ?'
'Can I have a cup of SAKE ?'
But as they said, later, when they grew up, they became good custmers of Itoya liquor store.
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Would you like Oden ? おでん、どうでしょう？ 参候祭りにおいでのフォロワーやfriendsのみなさん
参候祭り Sanzoro Matsuri festival
poster
This Nov.9th our village Mitsuhashi is going to hold Sanzoro Matsuri festival. My wife and I live near the festival site (Tsushima jinjya shrine). When you visit there please look for the poster above. That is my house. There I'll offer you Oden for free. Please eat Oden and enjoy the festival.
more info for Sanzoro Matsuri festival is here
今月の9日は私たちの集落三都橋で参候祭りがあります。観覧においでの方は、上記の手書きポスターを探してみてください。我が家の戸口に張り出しておきます。おでん、食べてってください。フェイスブックやタンブラーでいつも私の記事をお読みいただいている皆さんに、ささやかながらのご返報です。おでんを食べて、祭りを楽しんでいってください。
参候祭りについての詳細はこちら
