＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49）さん / X
<Updated January 22, 2024> The “Udono Reed Field Burning” has been confirmed for February 2024 (Reiwa 6).
In 2024 (Reiwa 6), the “Udono Reed Field Burning” will be held on Sunday, February 18, from 9:00 AM to approximately noon. (Backup days in case of rain: February 25 and March 10).)
In addition, the “Udono Reed Field Preservation Society Kanmaki Executive Committee” and Takatsuki City have announced that “to prevent accidents, we kindly ask that you refrain from viewing the event on-site.”
<Updated January 31, 2023> The “Udono Reed Field Burning” has been confirmed for February 2023.
In 2023, the “Udono Reed Field Burning” will be held on Sunday, February 19, from 9:00 AM to approximately noon. (Backup days in case of rain: February 26 and March 12.)
In addition, the “Udono Reed Field Preservation Society Kanmaki Executive Association” and Takatsuki City have announced that “in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we kindly ask that you refrain from viewing the event on-site.”
<Added January 20, 2022> The Udono Reed Field Burning has been confirmed for February 2022 (Reiwa 4).
The Udono Reed Field Burning will be held on Sunday, February 13, 2022, from 9:00 AM to approximately noon. (Backup days in case of rain: February 20, February 27, and March 13.)
In addition, the Udono Reed Field Preservation Association Kanmaki Executive Committee and Takatsuki City have announced that in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, viewing on-site is requested to be refrained from.
<Added December 23, 2020> The February 2021 event has been canceled.
Unfortunately, the February 2021 event has been canceled due to the spread of COVID-19.
1. What is the “Udono Reed Field Burning”?(「鵜殿（うどの）のヨシ原焼き」)
The “Udono Reed Field Burning” is an open burning event held every year on a Sunday from mid- to late February for the purposes of “preserving the reed fields,” “eliminating harmful weeds and insects, and preventing accidental fires.” Revived in 1975, this annual event in Takatsuki City has become a symbol of Takatsuki’s early spring.
Because it is a rare event, it attracts many history and photography enthusiasts from far and wide every year.
Date and Time: Sunday, February 16, 2020, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM (Postponed to February 23 in case of rain)
Location: Yodogawa Riverbank in Doucyo (southeast of the AEON Takatsuki store)
Access: Take the Takatsuki City Bus from JR Takatsuki Station South or Hankyu Takatsukishi Station to Doucyo (approximately 20 minutes). Get off at Doucyo and walk for 5 minutes.
(Note) There is no parking available, so please use public transportation, bicycle, or walk.
Contact: Takatsuki City Tourism and City Sales Division, Public Relations Department (TEL: 072-674-7830)
It’s close to my house, so I’ve cycled there many times to see it.
Fires are set in several locations, one after the other, which spread like wildfire and connect to one another, eventually bursting into huge crimson flames. Occasionally, huge flames are accompanied by whirlwinds. Gazing at it, mesmerized, I feel a sense of meditation. I sometimes get the illusion that this is how people in ancient times felt when they saw fire.
2. What is the “Udono Reed Field”?
The “Udono Reed Field” refers to the reed habitat on the right bank of the Yodo River, stretching from Udono to Kanmaki in the southern part of Takatsuki City. It’s 2.5 km long, 400 m wide, and has a total area of 75 hectares (the equivalent of 18 Koshien stadiums).
It has also been selected as one of the “100 Best Green Landscapes of Osaka” and “100 Best Landscapes to Enjoy Nature in the Kansai Region.”
The reeds that grow in this area have been sung by many poets since ancient times.
“On the Naniwa River, the reeds grow so long that for one night, I must give my all and long for you.” (Kogamon’in Betto)
「難波江の 蘆のかりねの 一夜ゆへ 身をつくしてや 恋わたるべき」（皇嘉門院別当）
“On Naniwa Lagoon, even in the short gaps of the reeds, I wish we could pass this life without meeting each other.” (Ise)
「難波潟（なにわがた） 短き蘆（あし）の ふしの間（ま）も 逢はでこの世を 過ぐしてよとや」（伊勢）
This is also mentioned in the “Tosa Nikki,” a diary entry for February 9th, which chronicles Ki no Tsurayuki’s return by boat from Tosa to Kyoto.
Regarding “Nagisa no In” (present-day Nagisamoto-cho, Hirakata City), he writes, “As we sailed upstream, we passed by a place called Nagisa no In. Thinking back to the past, this In was a fascinating place. On the nearby hills, there were pine trees. In the garden, plum blossoms were in full bloom. People here said, ‘This place was once famous. It was here that the late Prince Koretaka, accompanied by his companion, recited the poem, ‘The cherry blossoms, extinct in this world, blooming in full bloom, make the spring spirit peaceful.'” After stating this, he goes on to record his stay at Udono that day. “Tonight, we stayed at a place called Udono. ”
Udono reeds are also essential for the reeds of the hichiriki, a gagaku instrument. Even Edo-period classical music books state that “Udono reeds are the best.” Since the Meiji period, the Imperial Household Agency’s Music Department has been using only Udono reeds for its hichiriki instruments.
Incidentally, Junichiro Tanizaki’s novel “Ashigari” (Reed Cutting) is set in Udono.
Incidentally, Otsuka 3-chome, where the Yodo River levee collapsed (Yodogawa Otsuka Break) in 1917 (Taisho 6) due to heavy rains from a typhoon, is located further southwest from the Udono reed fields.
3. “The Burning of Mount Wakakusa in Nara”(奈良の若草山の山焼き)
The burning of Mount Wakakusa in Nara may have a different origin from the burning of the reed beds in Udono. The burning of Mount Wakakusa, held annually on the fourth Saturday of January, is said to have originated from a border dispute between Todaiji Temple and Kofukuji Temple. While the origin of the burning of Mount Wakakusa is said to be the memorial to the Uguisuzuka mound at the summit, it also serves the purpose of pest control and disaster prevention.
4. May wildfires never burn out, and spring breezes blow again.(野火不焼尽 春風吹又生)
When I built my new house 16 years ago, I purchased a painting of horsetails from an antique shop in Kyoto as a hanging scroll to hang in early spring. The painting features an inscription by a former high priest of Daitokuji Temple that reads, “May wildfires never burn out, and spring breezes blow again.” It’s a hanging scroll reminiscent of the burning of the reed beds in Udono.
This is a passage taken from a Chinese poem by Bai Juyi (772-846) entitled “Composing the Ancient Grass to Send Off Farewell.”
The original text is a five-character regulated verse that goes, “Leaving the grass on the plain, one year it withers and flourishes, wildfires burn it down but it never runs out, spring breeze blows and it sprouts again.”
『離離原上草 一歳一枯榮 野火焼不盡 春風吹又生』
読み下し文は『離離（りり）たり原上（げんじょう）の草 一歳（いっさい）一（ひと）たび枯栄（こえい）す 野火（やか）焼けども尽きず 春風（しゅんぷう）吹いて又生（しょう）ず』です。
According to the Zen Word Dictionary, supervised by Iriya Yoshitaka and edited by Koga Hidehiko, “…wildfires cannot eradicate it, but when the spring breeze blows, it sprouts again. The tenacity of such weeds is likened to the endless desires and delusions.”