The "Kokkodesho"

When it comes to the "Kokkodesho" in Nagasaki, people usually think of that presentation which is performed in Kunchi festival by Kabashima-machi town people. But we have another "Kokkodesho" in Yagami-machi town, 5km east of central Nagasaki city. Last sunday, we had the assembly of people who preserve the traditional folk entertaiments in Nagasaki. There, I saw for the first time the "Kokkodesho" by Yagami-machi people.

The pamphlet of the assembly says it began in the mid-17th century, much older than that in Kabashima-machi town which is said to begin at the end of 18th century. I still don't know whether these two have something to do with each other, but in any case, the demonstration was so impressive and exciting that now I fully understand in Nagasaki we have many avid fans or even "stargazers" who follow the "Kokkodesho" members.

The construction ceremony

Today, we had the construction ceremony of the "Water-spurting whale" at the community center of Yorozuya-machi town.

A Shinto priest came to pray for the safe and successful completion of the whale model, which will present the dedicatory dance in 2006 Kunchi festival. The ceremony was conducted with due solemnity and reverence. They are wearing lively coats on whose back written two chinese characters "Yorozu-gumi (Yorozu Order)" with the red square logo in which a whale character is spurting water. As it is one of the most famous presentations in Kunchi festival, TV camera came to the ceremony.

From this very day on, our festival begins.

Megane-bashi bridge (Spectacles Bridge)

In Nagasaki city, we have an old stone arch bridge called Megane-bashi bridge (Spectacles Bridge). The name came from its reflection on water, forming a shape similar to a pair of spectacles. In order to avoid cofusion with other bridges of the same name, especially that in Isahaya city, north-east of Nagasaki city, we sometimes call it Nagasaki Megane-bashi bridge.

Documents say that it was first built in 1634 by the order of a Chinese Zen master Mokusu Nyojo (Mozi Ruding) who came to Nagasaki in 1632 and became the second abbot of Kofuku-ji temple. Although destroyed once by flood in 1644 and reconstructed again in 1645 by a certain Hirado Koumu, it remains the first stone arch bridge ever built in Japan (It is true that the Tennyo-bashi bridge in Okinawa was built in 1502, but Okinawa had been the independent Kingdom, Ryukyu, until it was formerly annexed to Japan as Okinawa prefecture in 1879). Influencing stone bridge construction in almost all other parts of Japan, Megane-bashi bridge was designated as the National Important Cultural Property in 1960.

Recently I had opportunity to study about the bridge and found a confusion regarding its scientific and technical origin. Many books, articles and dictionaries assert that the bridge was constructed using Chinese techniques, but some exoteric readings say that it was constructed using those techniques which were transmitted to Nagasaki by the hands of the Portuguese. The latter opinion originated from Yuzo Yamaguchi, Kyushu no ishibashi wo tazunete (Visiting the stone bridges in Kyushu), 3 vols, Isahaya, Showado, 1975-1976. It seems this opinion once spread widely and quickly, not only because Yamaguchi got a prize for his work but of its freshness and mysteriousness. Soon after, however, Ohta Seiroku rebutted Yamaguchi's opinion in his book, Megane-bashi/Seiyo kenchiku: Kyushu no katachi (Spectacles bridges and Western architectures: Forms in Kyushu), Fukuoka, Nishinihon shinbunsha, 1979, and I found Ohta's criticism is fairly justifiable and persuasive. Also in the same book, Ohta pointed out that the construction techniques used in Isahaya Megane-bashi bridge show strong similarity to those seen in the Chinese architecture book in the Song dynasty, Eizo-hoshiki (Yingzao fangshi), though the case of Nagasaki Megane-bashi bridge is yet to be scrutinized.

In sum, lacking a decisive proof at this stage, we have no choice but to assume that our Megane-bashi bridge was constructed using Chinese techniques transmitted from Mokusu Nyojo or the brains behind him. It is all puzzling but interesting!

Kunchi Kunchi Kunchi !

Yesterday, i got a phone call from Mr Garde, the treasurer of Kunchi committee of Yorozuya-machi town and is the one who kindly introduced me to the other members conducting all the activities about "Water-spurting whale".

He told me that i could come to their office whenever i have time to know their works, rituals and history. Next sunday they will have an important meeting to which i'll never fail to join. I'll talk about it later.

By the way, Mr Garde is running an Italian restaurant in Kajiya-machi town. My favorite is his "spaghetti garlic anchovy" and I do love it!

ps: to know more about Nagasaki Kunchi festival, just click the title above!

Festival em Nagasaki

Last night, on my way back home, I saw Uo-no-machi town people practicing dancing for Kunchi festival in this November. Uo-no-machi literally means "town of fish" where there was a fish market in old days. Their float is called "Kawa-bune (river boat)", an old fashion boat of 10m long in which sit several kids beating gongs, taken and spinned around by more than 10 adult men as a dedicatory dance to Suwa shrine. They all put traditional coats on whose back written "Uo (fish)".

Last week we also had the Chinese Urabon festival (Ullambana, Yulanpenhui) in Soufuku-ji temple, one of the Chinese temples in Nagasaki. At that time, the temple was decorated with a lot of lanterns and people enjoyed "Shishimai" (lion dance). Exotico e fantastico, isn't it?

Another report about the origin of KENKON BENSETSU

Among the products of Jesuits' scientific influence in "the Christian century" Japan (1549-1650), a Japanese treatise called Kenkon bensetsu (A Discussion on the Heaven and the Earth with Critical Commentaries) deserves a special attention. The book consists of an original text and indented annotations by a commentator. The preface, which bears the name of the commentator Mukai Genshou (1609-1677), a Medico-Confucian in Nagasaki, explains that the original text was a Japanese translation, from some Western astronomical book, by the apostate Jesuit Christovao Ferreira (1580-1650).

According to Genshou's preface written around 1650's, the formation of Kenkon bensetsu is as follows. Ferreira had been engaged in missionary activities in Japan since 1609 before he was caught in Nagasaki in 1633. He became an apostate and naturalized, taking a new Japanese name Sawano Chuuan. He was ordered by Inoue Chikugonokami, Inspector General against the Pagans, to translate into Japanese a Western astronomy book, which had been confiscated from a Christian father caught in 1643. Chuuan (Ferreira) wrote the text of the translation in the Roman alphabet, because he could not write Japanese well, though he was able to speak and read Japanese. A Nagasaki interpreter Nishi Kichibei converted the text into Japanese. And then, Gensho made critical comments on the Western cosmological ideas put forward by Chuuan.

However, we have another report about Kenkon bensetsu's origin, which is quite different from Genshou's explanation. The report was made by Ro Sousetsu (1675-1729), a Nagasaki interpreter of Chinese language, in his private letter to Watanabe Gunzou at the beginning of 18th century. Since Sousetsu's account is seldom known to non-Japanese readers, here I translate the text into English. You can see the original Japanese text in Ryuji HIRAOKA and Kayoko Hibi "The Sokuryou-higen (Private Letters on Surveying) edited by Hosoi Koutaku", Kagakushi Kenkyuu (Journal of History of Science, Japan) 43, 2004, p.96.

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In Nagasaki, we have a book of 2 volumes which is called Kana tenmon shou (An extract on astronomy written in kana). Also entitled Sangoku unki tsuuyou shou (A substantial extract on yun-qi theory of 3 countries), it gives a highly reasonable explanation about astronomy. This book was made when a doctor called Asano Choutaku came from Edo [to Nagasaki] and made an agent of foreign origin (Nanban no metsuke) Sawano Chuuan write about Western astronomical learning. At that time, a buddhist monk Shougin, the chief priest of Kougenji temple, dictated (Hitsuyaku) what Chuuan told, since Chuuan, although well versed in reading Japanese language, could not write its characters. This is why the book is also called Kougenji tenmonsho (An astronomy book of Kougenji temple). I suppose the original autograph by Shougin must have been preserved at Yoshimura Gouemon's place. Since Gouemon's grandfather was a servant of Suetsugu Heizou, Shogin's autograph was submitted also to Heizou. It is that book which has been passed down to nowadays. Moreover, we have a book of 4 volumes called Kenkon bensetsu which cites this book of 2 volumes in due order and disproofs them. This book was edited by Mukai Genshou, a father of Mukai Gensei of our time. Genshou later went to Kyoto to be a celebrated doctor. But his criticism about astronomical topics [in Kenkon bensetsu] also includes those which are dubious.
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Just moved! -- encounter with Kunchi festival people

Recently, i've moved to this city where i've been longing to live, Nagasaki!

Early in this morning, I met some local people who relate to "Nagasaki Kunchi", a traditional festival which is held at the beginning of November every year. Although i'm just new here, one of my friend in Tokyo, who is originally from Nagasaki, were kind enough to make chance to see them.

In Kunchi festival, they make a special presentation called "Kujirano shiofuki" (Water-spurting whale) every 7 years as the members of Yorozuya-machi town. They told me the next year will be the year and they will construct a life size fake of a whale which actually spurts out water and perfom a dedicatory dance to Suwa Shinto Shrine. Since I have been really interested in the history and culture of Kunchi festival, I asked them to let me see how they will construct the float and to take some part in their activity.

Actually, i once saw a beautiful painting of the whale model in Nakanoshima library, Osaka. Said to be drawn at the beginning of 19th century, it depicts the over-all spectacle of Kunchi festival and in the middle of the first volume we can see a huge whale-model tugged by contemporary Yorozuya-machi men. The painting was just eye-opening and unforgettable, but ive never imagined that i would see the people who still preserve the tradition nowadays and i myself would join it, GOSH!


In the picture, you can see a newly made pedestal wheel on which the whale-model will be mounted. The former one became too old for use, since it has been used for almost hundred years.