＜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) on X
(Reference) Original article in Japanese
・「炬燵猫」「虎落笛」「去年今年」「討入りの日」などの面白い季語
This time, I’d like to introduce some interesting winter seasonal words such as “kotatsu neko” (cat under a heated table), “mogaribue” (a type of whistle), “kozokotoshi” (last year and this year), “uchiiri no hi” (the day of the raid), and “tanbai” (searching for plum blossoms).
1. Kotatsu neko (cat under a heated table)
炬燵猫（こたつねこ）
In November 2020, Tomio Umezawa (born 1950) composed a haiku using “kotatsu cat” on the TV program “Prebat Haiku,” and it was selected for inclusion in the “Eternal Master Tomio Umezawa Haiku Collection.”
Cats are sensitive to the cold, and in winter, they often seek out warm places like the top of a kotatsu (heated table) and curl up, indulging in lazy sleep. After the war, this would likely be a home kotatsu, but before the war, when every home had a hearth, they would climb into the warm, ash-covered hearth after the fire was extinguished and sleep covered in ashes. It’s quite a humorous seasonal word.
Similar seasonal words include “kamado neko（「竈猫（かまどねこ）」）” (hearth cat), “hettsui neko（「へっつい猫」）” (hearth cat), “kajike neko（「かじけ猫」）” (shivering cat), and “haineko（「灰猫」）” (ash cat).
Example haiku are as follows:
– How many times have they played Othello? The cat in the kotatsu with its eyes half-closed (Tomio Umezawa)
– With its eyes half-open, the cat in the kotatsu is averse to people (Takashi Matsumoto)
– The cat by the hearth knows everything (Fūsei Tomiyasu)
– Unaware that the new bride is coming, the cat by the hearth (Suichikukyo Akaboshi)
・何度目の オセロ薄目の こたつ猫（梅沢富美男）
・薄目あけ 人嫌ひなり 炬燵猫（松本たかし）
・何もかも 知ってをるなり かまど猫（富安風生）
・新嫁の 来るとも知らず 竈猫（赤星水竹居）
2. Mogari-bue (Tiger’s Whistle)
虎落笛（もがりぶえ）
“Mogari-bue” refers to “the sharp, whistling sound of wind produced when a strong wind strikes a ‘tora-otoshi’ fence,” and “the howling wind blows across the bitterly cold night sky.”
“Mogari” refers to “a fence or wall made by interlocking bamboo poles and tying them together with rope.”
There are no “sub-seasonal words.”
Examples of haiku include the following:
* The sun is whiter than the moon, the tora-otoshi fence (Kawabata Bōsha)
* The lamplight flickers unabated, the tora-otoshi fence (Matsumoto Takashi)
* The tora-otoshi fence, the stars are so dry they seem to spill out (Takahashi Yukio)
* The tora-otoshi fence, one of the puppy’s ears stands up (Kurisu Hiroyoshi)
・日輪の 月より白し 虎落笛（川端茅舎）
・燈火の 揺れとどまらず 虎落笛（松本たかし）
・虎落笛 こぼるるばかり 星乾き（高橋行雄）
・虎落笛 仔犬の耳の 一つ立つ（栗栖浩譽）
3. Last year and this year
去年今年（こぞことし）
“Last year and this year” refers to “the exchange of last year and this year on New Year’s Eve.”
It has a similar meaning to “the passing year and the coming year,” which is heard when temple bells are rung in various regions after the end of the year-end Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Contest), and is a unique expression in haikai and haiku.
There are no “sub-seasonal words.”
Examples of haiku include the following:
* Last year and this year, like a piercing rod (Takahama Kyoshi)
* The first water of the year flows away, and last year and this year pass (Kaga Chiyojo)
* My busy wife has fallen asleep, last year and this year (Hino Sojo)
* With a faint pain in my heart, last year and this year (Ishida Hakyo)
・去年今年 貫く棒の 如きもの（高浜虚子）
・若水や 流るるうちに 去年ことし（加賀千代女）
・いそがしき 妻も眠りぬ 去年今年（日野草城）
・かすかにも 胸いたみつつ 去年今年（石田波郷）
4. The day of the raid (Uchiiri no Hi)
討入りの日（うちいりのひ）
“The day of the raid” refers to December 14th. It is also called “the day of the loyal retainers’ raid（「義士討入りの日」）.”
“The raid” refers to the incident on the night of December 14, 1702 (Genroku 15), when 46 former Ako samurai, led by Oishi Kuranosuke, stormed the residence of Kira Yoshinaka in Matsuzaka-cho, Honjo, Edo, beheaded him, and avenged the death of their former lord, Asano Takumi-no-kami Naganori.
While it is famously known as “Chushingura（「忠臣蔵」）” through plays, films, and the NHK historical drama “Ako Rōshi,” its popularity seems to have declined recently.
“Seasonal words” associated with this event include “raid（「討入り」）,” “Gishi-e (gathering of loyal retainers)（「義士会」）,” and “Kira memorial day（「吉良忌」）.”
Incidentally, there is a spring seasonal word called “Gishi-sai” (義士祭), which refers to an event held at Sengaku-ji Temple in Takanawa, Edo, from April 1st to April 7th. It is a lively event, including the unveiling of Marishiten, the personal Buddha image of Oishi Yoshio.
Furthermore, “Oishi-ki” (大石忌) refers to the fourth day of the second month of the lunar calendar, the anniversary of Oishi Kuranosuke’s death. A memorial service is held at Sengaku-ji Temple in Takanawa on that day.
Also, “Oishi-ki” refers to the memorial service held at Ichiriki（「一力（いちりき）」）, a restaurant in Gion, Kyoto’s geisha district, which Oishi frequently visited, on the 20th day of the third month of the lunar calendar. Both are spring seasonal words.
Examples of haiku include the following:
* Pine trees and the moon; it was the day of the loyal retainers’ raid. (Atsushi Azumi)
* The gathering of the loyal retainers; one or two lanterns offered from Gion. (Tamio Oshima)
* On the day of the raid, a small fire broke out in the downtown area. (Syugyo Takaba)
* The gathering of the loyal retainers; the water poured silently from the ladle. (Yoshiko Ohno)
・松に月 義士討入りの 日なりけり（安住敦）
・義士会や 献灯一二 祇園より（大島民郎）
・討入りの 日や下町に 小火（ぼや）騒ぎ（鷹羽狩行）
・義士会や 音なくそそぐ 柄杓（ひしゃく）の湯（大野好子）
5. Searching for Plum Blossoms
探梅（たんばい）
“Tanbai” refers to “entering the mountains and fields in search of early-blooming plum blossoms while winter is still upon us, eagerly awaiting spring.” It cherishes the spirit of searching for signs of spring amidst the barren earth.
The image of searching for a single plum blossom in the still-chilly mountains and fields resembles a spiritual journey of pursuing the true meaning of life.
“Sub-seasonal words” include “Ume saguru（「梅探る」）” (searching for plum blossoms), “Tanbai-ko（「探梅行」）” (plum blossom search), “Haru no tayori（「春の便り」）” (spring message), and “Syunshin（「春信」）” (spring letter).
Example haiku include:
* Searching for the scent / Plum blossoms / Storehouse / By the eaves (Matsuo Basho)
* Approaching / Searching for a flower vase / Plum blossoms / Camellia (Matsuo Basho)
* Searching for plum blossoms on the mountain behind the Great Buddha (Hasegawa Kai)
* A plum blossom seeker peers in / The well is old (Maeda Fura)
・香を探る 梅に蔵見る 軒端哉（松尾芭蕉）
・打ち寄りて 花入探れ 梅椿（松尾芭蕉）
・大仏の うしろの山の 梅探る（長谷川櫂）
・探梅の 人が覗きて 井は古りぬ（前田普羅）