Shadowings Part 21

_Firstly_ (or "Number One"),--

The first s.h.i.+p, filled up with fish, squeezes her way through the river-mouth, with a great shouting.[103]

[103] _o-yagoe._ The chorus-cry or chant of sailors, pulling all together, is called yagoe.

_O this s.h.i.+p of great fis.h.i.+ng!_[104]

[104] _Tai-ryo bune_, lit.:--"great-fis.h.i.+ng," or "great-catching-s.h.i.+p." The adjective refers to the fis.h.i.+ng, not to the s.h.i.+p. The real meaning of the refrain is, "this-most-successful-in-fis.h.i.+ng of s.h.i.+ps."

_Secondly_,--

From the offing of Futaba even to the Togawa,[105] the s.h.i.+ps, fast following, press in, with a great shouting.

_O this s.h.i.+p of great fis.h.i.+ng!_

[105] Perhaps the reference is to a village at the mouth of the river Togawa,--not far from Chos.h.i.+ on the Tonegawa. The two rivers are united by a ca.n.a.l.

But the text leaves it uncertain whether river or village is meant.

_Thirdly_,--

When, all together, we hoist our signal-flags, see how fast the cargo-boats come hurrying!

_O this s.h.i.+p of great fis.h.i.+ng!_

_Fourthly_,--

Night and day though the boiling be, there is still too much to boil--oh, the heaps of _iwas.h.i.+_ from the three s.h.i.+ps together!

_O this s.h.i.+p of great fis.h.i.+ng!_

_Fifthly_,--

Whenever you go to look at the place where the dried fish are kept,[106] never do you find any room,--not even a crevice.

_O this s.h.i.+p of great fis.h.i.+ng!_

[106] _Hos.h.i.+ka-ba_: lit., "the hos.h.i.+ka-place" or "hos.h.i.+ka-room." "Hos.h.i.+ka" is the name given to dried fish prepared for use as fertilizer.

_Sixthly_,--

From six to six o'clock is cleaning and was.h.i.+ng: the great cutting and the small cutting are more than can be done.

_O this s.h.i.+p of great fis.h.i.+ng!_

_Seventhly_,--

All up and down the famous river Tonegawa we send our loads of oil and fertilizer.

_O this s.h.i.+p of great fis.h.i.+ng!_

_Eighthly_,--

All the young folk, drawing the _Yatai-bune_,[107] with ten thousand rejoicings, visit the shrine of the G.o.d.

_O this s.h.i.+p of great fis.h.i.+ng!_

[107] _Yatai_ is the name given to the ornamental cars drawn with ropes in a religious procession.

_Yatai-bune_ here seems to mean either the model of a boat mounted upon such a car, or a real boat so displayed in a religious procession. I have seen real boats mounted upon festival-cars in a religious procession at Mionoseki.

_Ninthly_,--

Augustly protecting all this coast, the Deity of the river-mouth shows to us his divine favor.

_O this s.h.i.+p of great fis.h.i.+ng!_

A stranger example of this mnemonic arrangement is furnished by a children's song, composed at least a hundred years ago. Little girls of Yedo used to sing it while playing ball. You can see the same ball-game being played by girls to-day, in almost any quiet street of Tokyo. The ball is kept bounding in a nearly perpendicular line by skilful taps of the hand delivered in time to the measure of a song; and a good player should be able to sing the song through without missing a stroke. If she misses, she must yield the ball to another player.[108] There are many pretty "ball-play songs;" but this old-fas.h.i.+oned and long-forgotten one is a moral curiosity:--

[108] This is the more common form of the game; but there are many other forms. Sometimes two girls play at once with the same ball--striking it alternately as it bounds.

_Hitotsu to ya:_--

Hito wa ko na hito to iu; On wo s.h.i.+raneba ko naraji.

_Futatsu to ya:_--

Fuji yori takaki chichi no on; Tsune-ni omoute wasure-naji.

_Mitsu to ya:_--

Mizu-umi kaette asas.h.i.+ to wa, Haha no on zo ya omou-bes.h.i.+.

_Yotsu to ya:_--

Yos.h.i.+ya mazus.h.i.+ku kurasu tomo, Sugu-naru michi wo maguru-moji.

_Itsutsu to ya:_--

Itsumo kokoro no kawaranu wo, Makoto no hito to omou-bes.h.i.+.

_Mutsu to ya:_--

Munas.h.i.+ku tsukihi wo kuras.h.i.+-naba, Nochi no nageki to s.h.i.+rinu-bes.h.i.+.

_Nanatsu to ya:_--

Nasaki wa hito no tame narode, Waga mi no tame to omou-bes.h.i.+.

_Yatsu to ya:_--