Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Brandy

　　One day in the golden week - Japan's consecutive holidays - while waiting for the prep of a bath, I took out a brandy from the rack. This brandy is a souvenir from Armenia. This country is not familiar to ordinary Japanese, but I'm interested in its history. When I was a high school student, I knew about Noah's ark. My high school was established by a Christian body. The place which the ark drifted to was said to be the hillside of Mt. Ararat. No matter if it's a fact or not, the Old Testament tells so, anyway. Mt. Ararat originally seems to have belonged to Armenia, but currently it's located in Turkish territory. I learned about the history associated with Armenia, Turkey and Azerbaijan. Let us assume that Mt. Fuji is occupied by some other country, and you'll realize the agony of Armenians. I wonder when the unrest of the Caucasian region will come to an end. I hope the area may become peaceful.
　　Now, the bath got filled with hot water. Shall I get in?

Excavation

　　I have my hair cut once a month at a specific barber's. I was surprised to see around the barber's today. The scene around was unbelievably changed. Lots of houses were removed as part of the redevelopment of the JR Matsuyama Station. I found some people there who didn't look ordinary construction workers doing something. Their work looked very delicate. Looking closely, they were excavating the soil. They were too focused to speak to. I'm looking forward to seeing the archaeological findings.

 

Silent Invasion

　　My friend gave me a book written in English, which is shown below. The title of this book is "Silent Invasion". Its Japanese edition has already been published and I was going to read it, but using this present as an opportunity, I decided to read this book. I'm reading "Into The Wild" now, and will read it after that book.
　　The first words which came into my eye immediately when I looked at the contents were "Dyeing Australia Red". If you know about this book for the first time, you would be able to imagine the content. Arrogance, totalitarianism, militarism, and infringement of human rights of China have long been criticized and now even pro-China countries like Germany and Australia came to change their attitude altogether.
　　I thumbed through its preface and the author wrote about the Australian torch relay associated with 2008 Beijing Olympics. There seemed to happen a disturbance or a riot caused by Chinese students. Apparently it's the same situation as Nagano city in central Japan. Mainstream medias in Japan concealed the incident and most Japanese don't know about it even now.
　　Around when I started writing this blog, I often picked up topics about politics and foreign affairs. It was to let ordinary people not only in Japan but across the globe know the facts. Now, however, they can reach the primary information by the development of the internet technology. The mainstream medias became unable to lie to people. It's wonderful.

(Vocabulary)
本の目次のページにはふつう単に contents と書く. なお, content と単数形にすれば本の「内容」になる
disturbance 騒ぎ, 暴動 , 騒動, 騒乱; （平静･正常な進行を）乱すこと

Japan's Obligation

　　I feel that I'm seeing the decline of the U.S. What should Japan do now? Japan has been trusting the U.S. notably in the field of national defence, but from now, should Japan defend by itself?
　　Japan is responsible for the birth of the Chinese Communist Party(CCP). Japan has saved this Frankenstein's monster at least three times. Japan fought Chiang Kai-Shek's Nationalist Party, which lead to the preservation of the CCP. After the 2nd World War, Japan gave China a huge amount of money for its development. When the CCP was excluded from the world due to the Tainanmen massacre in 1989, Japan forgave the CCP for the first time in the world.
　　It's not an exaggeration if I say that Japan is at least more than half responsible for the difficulty and agony of the people in East Turkistan, Tibet and Inner Mongolia. If the Biden Fraud Regime adopts its conciliatory policy against the CCP, Japan has to take on the task to keep a sharp watch on the CCP.
　　Lots of people have concern about Biden's physical condition. Judging from some of his speeches, he might suffer from senile dementia. The vice-president has completely different ideas from him. If you listen to her speech which was delivered in the preliminary election of the Democrats, you'll know she has leftist thinking.
　　I recalled the combination of FDR and Harry S. Truman, who dropped the first-ever atomic bomb.


日本の責務

　アメリカの衰退が見えた今、日本は何をすべきか。支那大陸に中国共産党というフランケンシュタインの怪物を育てた責任の一端は日本にある。国民党と戦い、共産党を助けることに繋がった。戦後は莫大な経済援助をし、歴史的な大事件、天安門の大虐殺のあと、中国共産党が復活することを助けてしまった。近代で少なくとも３回、中国共産党を救っている。
　東トルキスタン（ウイグル）、チベット、モンゴルの人たち、いや世界中の人たちに塗炭の苦しみを与えることになった責任の半分くらいは日本にあると言っても言い過ぎには成るまい。日本はこれからアメリカに変わって中国共産党を監視する役目を負わねばならない。
　認知症が心配されるバイデン。極左のハリス副大統領。バイデンが退き、ハリスが大統領になる？晩年には意思の疎通が難しかったといわれるＦＤＲ＋Trumanの組合せと酷似している。日本に原爆を落とした連中だ。

After COVID-19

　　After the present virus crisis, I have lots of plans. Being trapped in Japan and under strict movement restriction, I'm slightly irritated. One of my plans is a cruising tour by the Diamond Princess in July. I'd like to visit Aomori prefecture, the northernmost prefecture in Honshu, to watch the "Nebuta-matsuri" festival, which is listed as one of the biggest summer festivals in Japan. Then the ship will head for Vladivostok, which used to be an important military port and other than Russians were prohibited from visiting there before.
　　I checked the cruising route of the Diamond Princess and immediately applied for the tour with my wife. We picked the lowest priced room. Those rooms are reserved fairly early. That's why we reserved the room early. The cruise will start in the end of July. I can't wait to walk on the streets of Vladivostok.
　　By the way, Vladivostok used to be included in Chinese territory until 1860. It is acceptable if the Chinese Communist Party insist on their control over Vladivostok now, but they don't whereas they insist on groundless territorial sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands. Is it because they are scared of Russia? Anyway, are there remains in Vladivostok showing Chinese sovereignty over the city until 1860.

 

ウイルスが消えたら

武漢ウイルス禍が終われば、、、と計画していることは多々有る。個人的には夏には終わるだろうと、そしてクルーズは比較的気楽に参加できるのではないかと期待している。実はもう７月のクルーズに申し込み済み。前々からみたかった青森県のねぶた祭、そしてロシアのウラジオストクまで回るクルーズ。ウラジオストクは少し前まで外国人は立ち入れなかった軍港の町。ルートを確認してすぐに一番安い部屋を申し込んだ。安い部屋から埋まっていくので。

ウラジオストクは本来なら支那が我が領土であると主張しても理解できる土地だが、ロシアが怖いのだろう、何も言わない。何の根拠もないのに我が国の尖閣諸島を自国の領土と言い張るのに。ウラジオストクにかつて支那の領土だったという痕跡はあるのだろうか。これからガイドブックを購入し勉強したいと思っている。

Imari

　　I visited Imari city. Needless to say, Imari is the town of porcelain and I visited its epicenter the "Okawachiyama" area. Even the ornament and rail of a bridge and the information board of the area were made of porcelain there. I dropped in at some potteries and saw their artworks in wonder. How did they make those pieces? My wife liked one of them, a small censer, and bought it. We both tasted coffee and tea with Imari ware in a coffee shop. I didn't have preliminary knowledge on Imari ware and the story of the owner was new and I learned much from him.

(Vocabulary)
censer 香炉
censor 〈本・映画・手紙など〉 を検閲する

伊万里市を訪ねた。伊万里といえば焼き物の町。その中でも特に窯の集まっている大川内山に立ち寄った。橋の装飾、欄干、町の案内板まで伊万里焼、、、(^_^;)
数件の窯元を訪ね、展示室を訪ねてその美しさに息を呑んだ。どうやってこれほどのものを作り上げるのだろうか。訪れた記念に小さな香炉を買った。そして、伊万里焼のコーヒーカップで出されたコーヒーで一服。伊万里焼について、たいした予備知識は持っていなかった。コーヒーを飲みながらその歴史を学んだ。

Whale Museum

　　After shopping at the morning market, we dropped in at an old folk house which had made a fortune by whaling. It's embarrassing to admit, I thought that Japan's whaling had been performed only on the Pacific coast like in Wakayama prefecture, which is still annoyed with the leftists from all over the world or activists of the Sea Shepherd. The Pacific side of Kochi prefecture is also well-known for its traditional whaling, but Yobuko is on the coast facing the Tsushima Channel, the opposite of the Pacific coast. Considering the occasional collision of whales against high-speed boats around Kyushu, the whale resources would have been abundant since long ago.
　　This old house was partially renovated to a museum of their family business of whaling. There was a variety of exhibits such as old whaling gears, documented records, lots of pictures, and whales' real bones. I learned that there had been surely a big whaling industry in Yobuko. Do you know about the International Whaling Commission - IWC? I wonder what on earth IWC has been for. After the withdrawal of Japan, which had conducted research whaling every year, the commission lost evidences or data on which they discuss about the whale resources. They don't investigate them by themselves. I believe that the purpose of the commission was to harass the nations which had the culture of whale eating. The IWC must be kind of a Whale Fan Club. They might think that banning Japan from eating whales leads to the promotion of their beef sales. The egoistic idea of non-whale-eating nations severed the line of passing down the culture and technique of whaling which was inherited in Japan for centuries long. While looking at the exhibits, I became angry at the continuing racial discrimination.

https://www.karatsu-kankou.jp/history_and_culture/detail/224/HistoryAndCulture

朝市観光の後で捕鯨で財をなした旧家跡に立ち寄った。恥ずかしながら、捕鯨は太平洋側でのみ行われていた漁業だと思っていた。和歌山は今でも続いているし、そのため、世界中からやってくるシーシェパードなど、左翼の活動家に悩まされている。そして、高知県も有名。だが、佐賀県で捕鯨が行われていたとは知らなかった。考えて見れば九州周辺では今でもジェットフォイルと鯨の衝突が時に起こるのだから、鯨資源は豊富だったのだろう。

この古い家は一部改装され博物館となっていた。内部には古い漁具や捕鯨の歴史が紹介されていた。国際捕鯨委員会という組織があるが、一体何のための組織だったのだろうか。日本が脱退した後、資源調査さえ行われていないと聞く。単に自分たちは食べない鯨を食べる国々に対する嫌がらせだったのではないかと思う。まるで鯨ファンクラブだ。鯨食を禁止すれば日本へその代替として牛肉をたくさん売れるとでも思ったのか。欧米に文化の継承をたたれば捕鯨技術。展示物を見ながら未だに続く人種差別に腹が立ってきた。

Hado Cape and the Japan-Korea Tunnel

　　I was able to view the small islands and the Genkai-nada Sea in the distance from the Nagoya Castle Remains, but I went to the seacoast, Hado Cape additionally. Did Hideyoshi come there, the very end of Kyushu, and look toward the continent? It was only an undersea observatory that was man made in the scene from the tip of the cape. I was happy to know that I saw the same scene as in the era of Hideyoshi. How did Hideyoshi imagine the world over the sea?
　　The next visiting site was the controversial exploratory drilling spot for the Japan-Korea Tunnel. When I heard of the plan of tunnel-drilling between Japan and Korea for the first time, maybe 4-5 years ago, I assumed it to be fake news, but it actually existed near the Nagoya Castle Remains. Moreover the drilling site was in the midst of the positions of military commanders serving under Hideyoshi. I wonder who of the commanders imagined that the tunnel from there to the Korean Peninsula would be planned 400 years after their fight? Roughly overlooking the history of Japan, it was the times of restricted trade with China and Korea when Japan had spent really happy times. And so, I think that this tunnel is unnecessary and even inauspicious. To my delight, simply, this project seemed to be stranded.

波戸岬と日韓トンネル

名護屋城跡から遠くの島々を見渡せたのだが、地域の最北端に寄ってみた。波戸岬だ。秀吉もここから大陸の方角を眺めただろうか。周りに人工物は一つだけ。海中の様子を眺めることのできる海中塔だけだ。秀吉の時代と同じ景色を見ているのだと思うと嬉しくなった。海の向こうの様子を秀吉はどのように想像しただろうか。

次に訪れたのが日韓トンネルの調査が行われている場所。初めて聞いたときフェイクニュースだと思ったが、実際に存在していた。この場所は名護屋城跡のすぐそば、周りは秀吉配下の武将たちの陣地が密集していた場所。この武将たちの中で誰が、４００年後にこの地から朝鮮半島へ向けてトンネルが掘られるような計画が持ち上がるなどと想像したろうか。歴史を見れば、日本が平和だった時代は例外なく、大陸との交易に制限を掛けていた時代。なので、このようなトンネルは無用だと思う。ただ、嬉しいことにこの調査、活発に進んでいるような様子はなかった。

Nagoya Castle Remains

　　I visited Nagoya Castle Remains without due preliminary knowledge on it and its magnitude amazed me. You might wonder, but this huge castle's remains aren't so well-known even among Japanese.
　　Most modern history textbook are edited by the anti-Japan schools and they tell us that the 16th century's leader of Japan, Hideyoshi Toyotomi, was an evil and ugly man. However, as far as I had learned by myself, he was a great man. I was taught that he planned to invade Korea and Nagoya Castle was the advanced base for it, but his action was natural if you see from the point of Japan's national security. More than 100 positions were built around the castle and you can still see some of their ruins. Seeing how enormous this ruin was, I assumed that Hidehoshi might have a plan to newly build a big city at this northernmost area of Kyushu.
　　I dropped in at a museum established as an annex and was surprised again at its exhibition including false information distorted by the anti-Japan perspective of history. I'd like to know who supervised this exhibition and asked about that at the front desk, but no one knew. I can point out more than 10 false items. For example, they say, rice cultivation was brought to Japan "from Korea". To tell the truth, this has been completely denied by recent archaeology. The panel on the wall read Kaboto(河姆渡) ruin near Shanghai and Itazuke ruin in Kyushu, which had perfectly destroyed old theories. Didn't the supervisor know about these important ruins? I'll show you some pictures shot at the Nagoya Castle Remains.

(Vocabulary)
position [C] (軍隊の) 陣地

名護屋城

ほとんど予備知識を持たず訪れた。そしてその規模に驚いた。これほどの城跡、もっと世に知らしめねばならないだろう。

１６世紀末の日本の指導者、秀吉を悪と教える現在の教科書。自分で調べて勉強した結果、よくぞこの時代にいてくれたものだと感謝しかない。偉人である。この城は朝鮮半島経由で明と戦うための前線基地。秀吉の邪心からの朝鮮侵略だと教えられるが、あれは日本の安全保障を考えれば当然の対応である。城跡の周囲には各地の大名の陣地が作られていた。その数、ざっと１００以上。大変な規模である。そのうち、大きな陣地の跡は今でも残っている。秀吉はここに巨大な都市を造ろうとしたのではないか。そんな気さえしてくるほどの規模の城跡だった。

併設されている歴史ミュージアムへ入ってみた。なんと、反日史観のオンパレードだった。半島系の学者が作ったのだろう。誰が監修しているのか知りたかったが、スタッフに尋ねてもわからなかった。例えば稲作は朝鮮半島から日本に伝わったなどと寝言が書かれていた。壁に掛かるパネルには河姆渡遺跡や板付遺跡が記入されているのにである。名護屋城跡周辺で撮った写真を何枚かＵＰする。

35 Years After The Crash Of A Jumbo Jet In Japan

　　35 years have passed since the last passenger plane crash in Japan. I was living in Osaka as a first-year resident at that time. I started my career in April and knocked myself out. My colleges and I were allowed to go downtown for a party on the day for the first time. Just before the opening, a message from the office was passed down by one of my colleges who arrived a little late. (Smartphones didn't even exist yet on the globe in those days.)
　　We were told not to drink alcoholic beverages. A fully-occupied jumbo jet bound for Osaka from Tokyo had gone missing several dozen minutes before, and if the plane was found near Osaka, we would be some help for its passengers, even though we were green. I remember what happened on the day just like yesterday. 35 years as a general surgeon looks a long time, but it passed in a flash. As far as my physical strength lasts, I'll persist with health care for the public.

(Vocabulary)
persist with sth ＜…＞をあくまでもやり続ける
Anna persisted with her studies in spite of financial problems. アンナは経済的な問題にもかかわらず，くじけずに学問を続けた．

8/12 ジャンボジェット機墜落から35年
　日本で起こった最後の旅客機事故から今日で３５年になる。当時、僕は大阪で一年目の研修医生活を送っていた。４月から勤務し、毎日毎日仕事に追われ、８月１２日、職場の仲間で初めて飲みに出た日、乾杯の直前、遅れてやって来た仲間から病院からの指示が伝えられた。(当時は携帯電話という便利なものは無かった。）
　アルコールを控えるようにと言う指示だった。東京から大阪に向かっていたジャンボジェットの消息が途絶えた。救援依頼がいつ来るかもわからない。その日のことを昨日のことのように覚えている。あれから３５年。長いようであっという間の医師人生だった。これからも体力の続く限り、社会に貢献していきたいと思っている。

Scar of The War and Engee Chicken

　　On the way back to the town, we found several scars of the war which we didn't notice on the way. Some were the caves for cannons, or ammunition dumps. I understood that this island has been very important as a hub of traffic and military actions.
　　We picked up the local food of Engee chicken, for lunch. We dropped in at a restaurant which put up several banners of Engee Chicken, but there was no customer other than us. A waiter said to us, "There are so many customers here in a usual year." This restaurant was also under the influence of the Wuhan virus.

戦争の痕跡

行きに気がつかなかった戦争の痕跡が注意していると次々に見つかった。砲台跡だったり、弾薬庫だったり。この島は古来より確かに交通の要衝、軍事的にも重要な場所だったのだと実感した。
この日のお昼はインギー鶏を食べることにした。大々的に幟の出ている店に入ったが、閑散としていた。本来は人で賑わっているのだが、、、と店主。ここにも武漢ウイルスの影響が出ていた。

Former Japanese Navy Air Station and Masuda Tracking and Communication Station

　　We drove our car under the guide of the car navigation to Masuda Tracking and Communication Station and found a monument showing us that we were already in the area of the former air station. Viewing around, I knew the terrain was almost flat. The construction of the air station was apparently stopped by the defeat of the war, but the creation of land seemed to be completed. The area was covered with a vast grassy plain and if we didn't read the description, we'd not notice that we were in the area of the former air station. I wanted to visit some other places on the map, but we had other plans and went back to the town. The calligraphy on the monument was produced by Mr. Minoru Genda, who was a famous fighter pilot and also a member of the House of Representatives after the war.
　　The Masuda Tracking and Communication Station has an exhibition space for visitors, but it was closed to avoid three conditions that facilitate the transmission of infectious diseases; closed spaces, crowds, and close contact. We were really infuriated against the Wuhan virus.

(Vocabulary)
creation of land 　造成工事

九州海軍航空隊種子島基地史跡と増田宇宙通信所

ナビに従い増田宇宙通信所を目指して進むと基地跡を示す碑があった。なんのことはない、通信所自体が旧種子島基地にあった。周りを見た渡すと確かに平らになっている。滑走路建設は敗戦により中断したとのことだが、平らな土地の造成までは出来ていたようだ。一面草原になっており、説明がなければ滑走路だったとは気がつきにくい。看板にある説明を読んで、他の基地跡にもあちこち巡ってみたかったが、後の予定があるためここから引き返した。碑文の揮毫はあの源田實氏だった。

通信所は本来はその機能を説明した展示室があるのだが、武漢ウイルスのため休館中。本当に忌々しいウイルスだ。

Monument of Settlement

　　The construction of the air station started in 1942 and the inhabitants around the area were forcibly evacuated. Their houses, farms, vital wells and other important infrastructures were flattened. After the war, however, the former villagers came back to their original place and rebuilt their villages. This monument was built to praise their comebacks. I felt the hardships of people of 80 years ago.

入植記念碑

昭和17年に軍事基地の建設が決まり、古くから住んでいた住民は全て強制的に移住させられた。戦後、再び入植を開始し、今に至る歴史が看板に書かれていた。80年前の人々がどれほど辛い思いをして自らの郷土を維持してきたか、身にしみてわかった。

Brick Chimney

　　An old brick chimney abruptly emerged in front of us. I pulled over my car beside its signboard which read that this place was the dormitory and cooking place for the workers for the construction of the runway. The detailed structure of the dormitory didn't hand down to date, but even an amateur could detect the old-fashioned oven and the bathtub. The scar of the Bomber-29's attack apparently remained in the upper part of the chimney. After the war, a company from out of the island built a blast furnace there and produced cooking pans and other kitchen utensils from the wrecks (duralumin) of the military planes. I became eager to seek for the former air station and its runway, for there was no flat area around.

レンガの煙突

煙突と廃墟が残っていた。戦争中、急遽種子島基地が作られた。この場所は集められ基地で働く人々のための宿舎、調理場の跡だという。詳しい構造は伝えられていないが、素人目にも風呂とかまどは確認できる。煙突上部にはＢ29による爆撃の跡が残っているらしい。戦後、米軍により建物は破壊されたとある。戦後は島外からやって来た業者により、溶鉱炉が設置され、飛行機の残骸(ジュラルミン)などを材料として鍋やしゃもじが作られていたらしい。案内板を読み、どこに基地があったのか、今でも確認できるのか、探したい気持ちになった。

War-related Site Tour

　　I assumed that the Tanegashima Space Center was the only space-related facility on the island before visiting the island, but that was not the case. Tanegashima Island has several facilities for space exploration. The rocket launch is very eye-catching, but it is supported by other departments handling its design, assembly, fuel and supply, the control of the rocket in and after the launch, and so on. Mainly in the south of the island looking at various signposts, I knew that those facilities were dotted around southern Tanegashima Island.
　　A number of facilities are usually open to the public but all of them were closed during the prevalence of the Wuhan virus. However, I was going to visit the Masuda Space Communications Center, because it was located between our hotel and the airport, though I knew its exhibition room and guided tour was closed. Guess what, I came across sites or ruins related to the last war one after another on the way to the center. I wondered why those sites didn't appear on the map.
　　A signpost caught my eye, which read War Room ruin. There seemed to have existed the Tanegashima Air Station of the Japanese Imperial Navy about 80 years ago. I understood the historical fact seeing a string of historic sites which came up one after another. The first one was the former War Room, whose pictures are below. I've seen another war room in the former Uzurano Air Station (link). As far as I can judge from the pictures, both war rooms were alike.

(Vocabulary)
dot 《通例受け身形で》 …に点在する
Small farms dot the landscape. その風景には小さな農家が点在している．
be dotted with something ＜…＞が点在している
The hills are dotted with trees. 丘には木々が点在している．
be dotted around/about something ＜場所＞のあちこちに散らばっている

鶉野飛行場 
https://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2016/11/uzurano-air-station.html

戦跡巡り

種子島には何カ所も宇宙開発関連の施設がある。種子島宇宙センターだけだと考えていたが、打ち上げだけの話ではなく、設計開発、製造、燃料管理、打ち上げ時、打ち上げ後の管理などいろいろな役割分担がある。実は旅行前にはそんなことさえ知らなかった。

今回の旅では宇宙関連のそれら施設見学は全て閉鎖。武漢ウイルスのためである。しかし宿から空港までの途中にある増田宇宙通信所へは寄ってみようと思った。展示室が閉鎖されていることはわかっていたが、その周辺を見るだけでも良いかなと。ところが途中、とんでもない場所を次々と見つけた。少しずつ紹介しようと思う。これらの施設のほとんどが地図に載っていないことが不思議だ。

通信所への途中、道路脇にあった案内板が目に留まった。種子島に海軍航空隊種子島基地があったようだ。次々と現れる戦跡をみてわかったことだが、来島前にはまったく知らなかった。最初に見つけたのが作戦室。同じような構造の作戦室を鶉野飛行場でも見つけた。このときは施設の関係者がたまたまやって来て中に入ることが出来たのだが、写真で見る限り種子島の作戦室も同じような感じだ。

An Old Folk House

　　I came across a signboard of an old historic folk house on the way to our hotel. It was getting dark, but I traced the signboards on the narrow path and got to the house. There was no one, even a caretaker. He/she might not think that someone would come in such a time slot. The house was open to the public. Looking at various folk arts that were actually used for living, I recalled the lives of those days. Their lives would have been inconvenient, though inconvenient lives are not always unhappy.
　　I read a few records about the relationship and communication between the locals and those who were saved from wrecked ships in 16th and 18th centuries. I can perfectly declare that the locals were absolutely kind and I thought that such a characteristic of the locals would never be produced by unhappy lives.
　　We were going to visit some other places tomorrow which we didn't visit yet. Then we were supposed to return our car at the airport and leave the island. The hotel served us local dishes on the last night on the island. Everything was new to us.
　　To tell the truth, I thought that we had already visited all the popular spots at that time, but I happened to find very important sites on the next day. This trip memo will still continue for some time.

(Vocabulary)
caretaker (家・土地などの) 管理人

古市家住宅という看板を見つけたので立ち寄った。種子島の伝統的な家屋できれいに保存されていた。夕方だったためか、観光客など来ないと思ったか、管理人はいなかった。今から100年も前のこの島での生活を想った。さぞかし不便だったろうなあと。宿では最後の夕食。島の名物をいろいろと出してもらった。

Kadokura Cape

　　A European ship was stranded on the rugged coast of Kadokura Cape in 1543 where we visited next. The crew members seemed to set foot on the island just beneath where we were. The guns were brought to Japan at that time by Portuguese who were on board. Consequently, the guns changed Japan's history dramatically. I wanted to stop by the place that triggered the transformation of Japanese society. There were no artificial structures by the surf and the crew of the wrecked ship would have seen the same coastline. They apparently stayed on the island for about a half year and had a good relationship with the locals.
　　It is said that a crew member had fired a gun to scare the inhabitants when they started to gather around the coast, and this fact made this cape noted as the site where the gun was first used in Japan. There were two memorials. One was built by the local government, and the other was by the Portuguese Navy.

(Vocabulary)
by the surf 　波打ち際に










門倉岬

１５４３年この場所へ一隻の船が漂着した。この崖下にヨーロッパからの船が漂着したという。乗り組んでいたポルトガル人により日本へ鉄砲がもたらされ、この銃は日本の歴史を変えた。その歴史的な場所へ一度立ち寄ってみたかった。海岸線には人工物がなく、当時のままの姿をとどめていることから漂着した乗組員たちも同じ風景を見たのだろう。乗組員たちは半年間この島に滞在し、友好的な関係を築いたという。

住民を脅すために乗組員の一人が発砲したと伝えられる。従ってこの場所は日本で初めて銃が撃たれた場所になる。この歴史の事実を記念する記念碑が地元自治体と、ポルトガル海軍により記念碑が建てられていた。

Maenohama Beach Park and Monument for Drumeltan

　　I found a monument for a cargo ship of Drumeltan's distress at Maenohama Beach Park. There apparently were lots of accidents on the southern sea of Tanegashima Island since long ago. In particular, in early spring and the typhoon season (summer to autumn), lots of ships had been washed ashore on the island. It was not guns only that had been brought by the sea accidents, though most people in Japan think the arrival of guns to Japan as a rare case.
　　According to the description, Drumeltan, which was a British trading sailboat, was involved in a heavy storm on the way from Shanghai to Hong Kong in April in 1894 and was washed ashore on Maenohama Beach. Its 29 crew members were rescued by local residents. The residents devotedly took care of them until they left the island. The British Navy vessels arrived at the island in May and repaired Drumeltan, which was towed to Nagasaki Port in August.
　　The crew finally resulted in spending 4 months on the island. On parting, the crew and the residents said a fond farewell to each other and the crew gave the residents something to show their gratitude. One of them was several chickens which were kept in the ship. Their original birthplace was not known, but they are now called Engee chicken and one of the specialties of the island.As you can imagine, "Engee" comes from "English".
　　Six of the British Navy vessels arrived at the port of the island as early as the next month of the accident. Considering the communication levels of those days, their arrival was extraordinarily early! I wondered about its rapidity and I recalled the Japanese-Sino War which broke out in July in the same year. The Drumeltan was taken to Nagasaki in the midst of the war and even in the battlefield. The navy vessels might have been on a reconnaissance mission to investigate the national power of Japan. The social condition on the mainland was getting worse those days and it was just before the Boxer Rebellion. Then the relationship between Japan and the U.K. ascended to the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. The wreck of the Drumeltan happened in these times. I'll eat Engee chicken tonight recalling those times.

(Vocabulary)
in distress 〈船・航空機などが〉 遭難した
distress signal 遭難信号
say a fond farewell 別れを惜しむ
reconnaissance 偵察
The Boxer Rebellion 義和団事件
the Anglo-Japanese Alliance 日英同盟












前之浜海浜公園　ドラムエルタン号遭難

前之浜海浜公園に立ち寄ったら、また遭難した船の記念碑があった。調べてみると種子島南方海上は昔から海難事故が多く特に春先や夏から秋の台風期には多くの難破船が種子島に漂着している。漂着したのは鉄砲だけでは無かったのだ。

碑文によると、ドラメルタン号は上海から香港に向う途中暴風に遭い明治二十七年四月、前の浜に漂着した乗組員二十九名のイギリス貿易帆船。地区の住民は乗組員を救助し、彼らが島を離れるまで家を提供するなど献身的に面倒をみたという。翌月東洋艦隊の軍艦がやってきて船の修復を行い、8月16日、ドラメルタン号は長崎へ廻航された。

乗組員たちからは離島の際には別れを惜しんでいろいろな記念品が贈られたという。その中に船で飼育していたニワトリがあった。原産地は不明ながら、イギリスのニワトリということで今ではインギー鶏と呼ばれる島の名産品だ。

東洋艦隊が翌月には到着したというが、当時の通信環境を考えると驚異的に早い。訝しく思っていたのだが、この年の７月に日清戦争が勃発している。その最中に長崎へ回航。東洋艦隊は本国から派遣されたのではなく、元々この辺りにいたのだろう。日本の国力確認のための情報収集かな。この後、支那大陸では義和団事件があり、日英同盟へと繋がっていく、、、、今夜はインギー鶏を食べながら、当時の社会情勢に思いを馳せよう。

Tanegashima Akagome Museum and Homan Shrine

　　The next site we stopped by was Tanegashima Akagome Museum and Homan Shrine. "Akagome" means literally red rice. This type of rice, red rice, has long been planted on Tanegashima Island, and is thought to be related to Javanica rice. The traditional rice in Japan is Japonica rice. Taking it into consideration that Javanica rice is widely cultivated from the central part of Java to its eastern islands, red rice is considered as precious evidence to testify the ancient communication between the island and the far southern areas such as present Indonesia. I didn't know at all about this red rice and learnt lots of things about the island's history in this museum.
　　Homan Shrine was located near the museum and it seemed to have been treasured by local people since long ago, but the time of construction was unknown. The traditional ritual on red rice has been conducted there. The shrine honored Tamayorihime, who was the mother of Jin-mu, the 1st Ten-noh, what you call, Japan's Emperor. FYI, the present Ten-noh is the 126th one.
　　Homan Pond, adjacent to the shrine, was thought to be a part of the sea in ancient times. An old way of hunting for ducks and some legends concerning the pond were handed down to us. I wondered that such a mysterious place existed on Tanegashima Island as it is called the closest island to space thanks to the Tanegashima Space Center.

P.S. We ate red rice in our inn on this or the next day. Its taste was so-so, but our usual rice was far better.

(Vocabulary)
Japonica rice　ジャポニカ米
Javanica rice　ジャバニカ米

たねがしま赤米館と宝満神社

日本の基本的な栽培種はジャポニカ米だが、種子島には古来より赤米と呼ばれる米が栽培されていて、これはジャバニカに近いと考えられている。ジャバニカは中部ジャワから東の島嶼域に広く栽培されている米であることから、南方からの文化伝播を考える上で重要な資料だと考えられている。この資料館でそんなことを学んだ。

近くに宝満神社がある。古くから親しまれてきたが、その成立年代は定かではない。祭神は玉依姫命でここでは赤米の神事が執り行われている。神社の隣にある宝満の池、元は海だったと考えられていて、古来からの鴨猟や伝説が伝わっている。日本最大のロケット発射場を持ち、宇宙に一番近い島と言われる種子島だが、意外にもこんな神秘的な場所があったとは。参考までに玉依姫とは初代天皇である神武天皇の母にあたる。ちなみに現天皇は第１２６代である。

National Historic Landmark, Hirota Site

　　I toured Hirota Site Museum and then walked around Hirota Site, which was the considerable magnitude of a graveyard site, while recalling lives in ancient times. I knew that this tiny island had developed as a relay station between the southern area and Japan and admired the fact that the intensive investigation into the history and culture about the ancient Tanegashima Island had developed. In the entrance hall of the museum we got together a noisy flock of schoolkids led by a teacher. It seemed to be a part of their school work. It was lucky and useful to be able to listen to their teacher's story along with schoolkids. The behaviour of them with small backpacks and water bottles reminded us of our daughters' childhood. I felt something nostalgic.
　　The graveyard site was located on a hill on the waterfront and ancient people should have seen a magnificent view from there. However, who could have imagined the big building related to the rocket launching at the tip of the cape in those days?

(Vocabulary)
site (昔，重要なことが起こった) 跡（地）, 遺跡
relay station 中継局、中継地











国史跡　広田遺跡

広田遺跡ミュージアム、広田遺跡を見て回り、縄文の時代から、この地が交易の中継地として発展してきた様子がよくわかった。小さな町なのに調査・研究が進んでいることに驚く。
ミュージアムでフィールドワークの小学生の一団と一緒になった。賑やかで微笑ましい。娘たちの小さい頃を思い出した。
海に面した丘に大勢の遺骨が発見されたという。快晴で心地よい風の吹く中、墓地をしばらく散歩する。縄文の時代、どんな暮らしだったのだろうかと過去に思いを馳せる。まさかこの地にロケット発射場が設けられるとは想像だにしていなかったろうなあ。