Yamadera～Tendou (2)

Hello everyone!!

Sorry for not posting on Facebook lately, but it’s not because I’m busy or anything like that!! It’s just that there’s nothing to post XD Tamaki san is busy shooting the NHK Drama and of course going for Hikyo trips!! But no official news or photos to share with everyone (^_^; I know you miss him as much as I do ^^ But let’s keep waiting, and supporting him in our own way ♡

OK! Let’s go back to Tendou

and see what’s waiting for Tamaki san in this town!

One of the famous products in Tendou (Best in Japan)

is the Shogi (Japanese style chess) pieces.

They are made of wood and by the hands of the skilled craftsmen in Tendou.

Wherever you go in this town,

you can find these signs with the shape of the shogi pieces!

Even on top of a Postbox!!

Tamaki san is going to meet

one of those famous craftsmen in Tendou,

who makes the shogi pieces in his workshop, at home!

He finds the house and gets inside the garden…

then he notices that the name board,

and even the stones used on the ground have the

same shape as the shogi pieces!!

As expected!!

He folds his umbrella and then says: “Excuse me!”

and waits for someone to come to the entrance…

A lady opens the door…

ahahahahahaha!!

Her reaction is adorable!

As soon as she opens the door and hears him say

“Hello!”

She becomes shocked and steps back! XD

Then she greets him back by bowing,

and Tamaki san explains to her why they are here.

The lady is still shocked but she gives him a bright smile

and after thanking for coming all this way,

invites him to get inside.

Tamaki san enters the house and he is

guided to where “Kunii san”

(who makes the shogi pieces) is working.

He has been doing this job for 65 years!!

Tamaki san gets inside his room and greets him.

Then after sitting beside him by his desk,

Tamaki san asks the master why the shogi pieces

are made in this shape.

Kunii san explains that the origin of shogi is chaturanga,

 which actually comes from India!

Then the game was brought to China from India,

and then went to Korea and Japan.

There is also this idea that shogi was

brought to Japan directly from India.

But no one knows the real story!

Kunii san also says that the pieces used in China

are round-shaped,

different from the shape used in Japan.

Tamaki san is curious and asks the master since when

the shape of the pieces has turned into what it is now…

Kunii san says that the current shape is a pentagonal shape

and the reason is probably

the way they use it to move forward,

and attack the enemy.

Then Tamaki san says that

he actually saw some posters of “Ningen Shogi”

in the town…

Kunii san confirms that there is an event in April

and says that they have had this ningen shogi in Tendou for 50 years!!

It’s an old tradition…

The history of making the shogi pieaces,

 actually goes back to the Edo era,

when playing shogi was becoming more and more popular!

Hmmm now that he has come all the way here,

Tamaki san is going to take the challenge…

and make a piece by himself!! XD

Kunii san first teaches him how to move the knife

on the wooden pieces…

And then it’s his turn XD

He stands up and takes off his Jacket!

Then sits down where Kunii san works…

Kunii san tells him to hold the knife diagonally,

push it with his thumb

and cut the wood!!

He follows the instructions…

But it’s tougher than that…

the sharp blade jumps off once…

and Kunii san tells him to be more careful or

he will cut his own finger >__<

With more concentration…

he goes for it once more…

He can do it this time but the cut is not deep…

“It’s very hard as expected!!” 

he says… but Kunii san says that this is the

softest type of wood he uses XD

He uses more pressure and repeats the same process…

but it’s still quite difficult to cut it deep ^^

But that’s how it should be, Kunii san says!!

He is doing it for the first time in his life…

Then Kunii san explains for us that it normally

takes a person at least 10 years to become good at this…

They have to keep doing it over and over!

After a whole month, they can finally cut one simple word!

And after two years…

they will get tired of it and give it up!!!

hahahahahaha!! They both laugh XD

Of course not everyone gives up!

Tamaki san is doing it alright…

he is totally lost in it again…

Seems like he has forgotten about us

and the filming staff XD

Kunii san says that Tamaki san is doing great

as it is his first time!!

Tamaki san laughs and denies it by shaking his head…

“In general,

people who do this for the first time,

would break the knife after a few minutes!!”

Kunii san says!

hehehehehe!

Tamaki san laughs and says that

they were probably just too strong!

Fianlly Tamaki san finishes carving on the shogi pieace,

and he says that it didn’t turn out bad in the end XD

Kunii san agrees and says that it’s gonna be alright!

The kanji of Tama (玉) form Tamaki (玉木)!

Then Kunii san uses some ink

and paints on it with a brush.

When the paint is dried,

he will remove the paper…

and…

This is how it looked like in the end!!

Let’s be honest…

For a first timer… This is really good XD

Kunii san praised him as well ^^

Well done!! ♡

☆

Another thing Tendou can be proud of,

is the Hiroshige Museum!

Hiroshige is an ukiyo-e artist,

famous all over the world for his beautiful prints!

Tamaki san is going to pay a visit to the museum.

The lady who works in the museum,

lets him know that they have 1500 pieces of his work

being kept here in the museum…

And every month they choose around 70 of them,

and hold exhibitions with different themes.

Tamaki san is amazed by the number of the

paintings they have here!

Then he goes to the exhibition hall,

and starts looking at the prints.

The theme of the exhibition right now is

“the Stylish Edo”

For example

the pattern of the kimmono she is wearing ↓

is ichimatsu pattern.

The reason why they started calling it as it is,

is how a kabuki actor called “Sanogawa Ichimatsu”

used to wear it quite often,

and made it become a popular pattern in Edo.

It is said that the Ukiyo-e made by Hiroshige

had a deep influence on many artists in Europe,

such as Vincent Van Gogh or Claude Monet!

Tamaki san keeps looking at the prints

and then stops in front of one of them

while reading the title “Yoshiwara and the matsuke”

Actually there was a connection between

Tendou and Hiroshige in the past!

Back then, Tendou han who was a feudal domain

working here in Tendou,

have had some financial issues and many debts to repay!

He was in good relations with the famous Hiroshige,

so he asked him to make original paintings,

so that he can pay his debts by giving them all

as a replacement of money.

Tamaki san then gets close to a showcase

where the most famous work of Hiroshige,

a print from the series “53 Stations of the Tōkaidō”

is being kept!

The blue color used in his works

has always been an important characteristic point!

Tamaki san also admires the beautiful shades of blue,

and the lady says that the color is called “Hiroshige Blue”.

Tamaki san says that Japan is an island,

and it’s surrounded by water all around it.

So maybe they used to think of “Blue” as

an important color back then.

Hiroshige, just used to take a very normal moment

and turn it into such a powerful and unique piece of art!

(I am a big fan of Hiroshige as well!!) XD

☆

Another thing you can enjoy in Yamagata

is the fresh fruits!!

Keeping that in mind,

let’s see where Tamaki san is now heading to…

Walking on the road…

he visits a Fruit orchard where

a young boy is playing with an adult man in the ground yard.

He says hello and they greet him back…

The boy is amazed by the large group of people

following Tamaki san XD

Then the owner of the orchard (Moritani san)

greets him from inside the building.

He comes out and Tamaki san asks him what he was doing.

Meanwhile, his son (The young boy) runs toward him and

sticks to his leg XD

Moritani san starts explaining about a type of

Bee called mamekobachi and how he was

doing the preparations for their nest…

But somehow… I don’t think Tamaki san was really

paying attention to his explanation…

Because right after he Moritani san finishes,

Tamaki san says: “You are tall!!” 

ahahahahahaha!! speaking his heart again!

Both father and son laugh!!

Then the boy says: “He is taller than what you have expected, right?”

And Tamaki san says that he is much taller than that XD

Then here Moritani san tells his son to say Hello and

Tamaki san of course greets him back ^^

Then asks Moritani san how tall he actually is and

he says 190cm!!

Tamaki san says that he looks taller than that but

Moritani san says that if they stand beside each other

he will see that they are not that different!

hahahahahaha!

They do that and well… Tamaki san looks tiny ♥

And says once more: “You’re huge!!”

hehehehehe!!

Now sorry… let’s get back to the cherry mameko bee talk XD

Moritani san explains that he prepares these sticks,

put them all in a box,

and the bee will use them as their nest

and lay eggs in them.

a man-made nest for bees!!

During the summer, they harvest cherries and Nashi.

And in winter they have tasty apples.

Here in this orchard, they have a traditional

way of enjoying the sweetness of the apples!

The lady (Whom I think is Moritani san’s mother)

has prepared some apples for Tamaki san.

She opens the lid of the rice cooker (!!) and

Tamaki san takes a look inside!

“Great smell!!” says with a happy tone in his voice!!

The recipe is easier than you can imagine!!

Just peel the apples, and cut them!

Then put them inside some salt water for a while and

after that, all you have to do is putting them inside the

rice-cooker and push the start button!

So they all sit at the table and start eating!

Itadakimasu!!

But while Tamaki san is smelling the apple,

as he always does before eating XD

The young boy who has already eaten a piece

says that it was too hot!! hehehehehe!!

So Tamaki san blows on it for a few seconds before

putting the apple in his mouth. XD

He is an expert in eating hot food anyway >__<

He really likes the taste and says that it’s really sweet!

Then he notices that the boy’s plate is empty and says:
“You ate them all in no time!!”

hehehehe he laughs and then his father

puts some more in his plate for him.

(I made this at home after watching this episode

and they taste AWESOME! Highly recommended!!) XD

☆

Tamaki san gets back on the road and heads to his

next destination…

Reading the huge sign from outside, it says

“stuff as much compost as you can in one bag for 200 yen”!

Tamaki san is wondering how big that bag is…

and I’m wondering

what is he planning to do with compost to begin with XD

hehehe… anyway!

He enters the huge building and after

greeting the staff and asking for permission to get in…

The manager comes to him and after looking toward him…

As you might have guessed,

… a huge number of cows eating food!!

Is what appears in front of his eyes!!

Tamaki san is amazed by their number!

And asks the manager (Yano san) how many cows they have

here and he says 450!! Too many O_O

Then he adds that they are all the Japanese Black Cows!

(Expensive but very delicious type of cow meat!!)

As Tamaki san is tending to get in and walk in the

corridor-like area,

he says: “They are all looking this way!”

I think the cows have noticed the presence

of a handsome man!  XD

But no that was a joke… Yano san says that they are

always expecting food from us! So they keep looking and

waiting for you to feed them XD

While walking, they talk about how delicate and sensitive

cows can be. And how they look forward to

the food they receive everyday.

Yano san says that being in such a tiny space all day long,

of course the best thing they enjoy everyday

is the delicious food. So if one of them refuses to eat,

they can immediately tell that there is something wrong!

Then they get closer to one of them who is being brushed

by the factory staff.

Yano san says that this also makes them feel really good!

And Tamaki san says that it should!

Reaching the itchy places they cannot reach by themselves ^^

Then as they get closer, Tamaki san asks if he can touch the cow

and Yano san says it’s OK!

So he reaches to his forehead and starts patting him.

The cow is scared at first but

as soon as he starts patting him softly

he becomes calm ^^

Then Tamaki san sits there on his knees

and keeps patting him while asking: “Feels good?”

(o´艸`)♥

Yano san is watching them and says that the cow

has already gotten used to him and is being very nice XD

Tamaki san laughs and Yano san starts patting the cow too!

Yano san says that they raise the cows here with a lot of care,

so that people can comment about how tasty the meat is!

hmmm it must be a complicated kind of feeling…

But that’s how life goes on!

☆

Now Tamaki san’s final destination…

He gets inside Yano san’s car and they head home!

He actually invited Tamaki san to his own house,

so that he can try the meat products of their company!

They get inside and everyone sits around the kotatsu…

and here comes the meat!!!

Tamaki san is obviously happy XD

He tries to keep calm and says: “This is amazing!”

Then asks Yano san which part of the body it is.

And he answers: “This is Rib eye steak.”

 (*・∀・*)

Yano san puts a few slices on the cooking plate,

and Tamaki san follows the meat with his happy eyes ♥

Then he asks the Yano family if meat

plays an important role in their cooking ingredients,

and of course Yano san says yes!!

Then Yano san asks him: “How about you, Tamaki san?”

hehehehe!!

And he says: “I’m a meat‐eating person as well!… if you

leave me by myself…”

(I think he wanted to say that he would eat only meat!)

Yano san and his family laugh and then Yano san says

that he couldn’t come here and say he is a fish-lover!

hahaha!

But Tamaki san says that it’s not like that,

and he eats meat most of the time!!! (100% true!!)

The meat is ready!!

Yano san puts one piece in Tamaki san’s plate

and asks him to eat it with salt and nothing else!

Based on what he said last time in Urabandai,

I think he would have done that

even if he wasn’t told by Yano san ^^

Just watching the way he cut the meat easily with his teeth,

makes it clear for you how soft the it is!

He doesn’t say anything special,

but the way he says “It’s VERY delicious!” 

is all Yano san needed to hear!

Then Tamaki san asks Yano san’s son

where he is living right now…

And he says that he is a university student and lives in Tokyo!

Then Tamaki san asks him about when he

feels like eating something like this in Tokyo…

And obviously he says that it’s not something

he can easily eat there…

“Because it’s so expensive there!!”

Tamaki san says as he can totally

understand what he is talking about!

Now he knows the real value of the tasty meat

he can have back home!

He also says that he has had meat since he was small,

and also watched the process of the production

and how they prepare the meat with care and love.

Walking around Yamadera and Tendou today,

Tamaki san talks about all the tasty things he had today…

“… Actually I had a lot to eat today!!

And now having meat as the last!! 

I don’t think there are many places in Japan

being overflown by this many different types of food!

And meeting everyone who are raising or producing

their products and have complete confidence in them…

And when I was in Yamadera,

I could also have the chance to visit a place 

where you can find

the roots of the old history of Japan in it…

It was a journey full of many new discoveries I can say!”

Another journey with Tamaki Hiroshi has come to an end!

I always want to go to all the places he is visiting,

wonder if you feel the same way was well ^^

And of course Tamaki Hiroshi’s best shot!

Next…

This time, Tamaki san goes to

Kumejima in Okinawa prefecture !!

Many delicious things to try out!

Encounters!!

And trying some crazy stuff as well XD

Thank you for reading the report

and please stay with me from now on!!

( ´・ω・｀)ﾉ~ﾊﾞｲﾊﾞｲ

(End of part 2)

☆☆☆

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玉木宏の秘境ふれあい紀行

is being aired on BS Asahi,

Every Thursday at 23:00

Please visit the official pages here:

Official Homepage: http://www.bs-asahi.co.jp/tamaki-hiroshi/
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