今日は祭りだそうだ。むずかしい。私にとって祭りひとつとってもむずかしい。父は百姓の貧乏育ち、昔から祭りに小遣いの一つでもあれば楽しかったのかもしれないが、貧乏人には祭りが嫌いだったらしい。私も父の転勤で幼少期は転校続きだった。地元の子供達に馴染むことに乗り遅れたその遅れを取り戻す実力もなく、地元の祭りは苦痛でしかなかった。母はテキ屋のものが嫌いで、何かを欲しがれば、倍ぐらいの嫌悪で跳ね返された。そのおかげで私の中の祭りは歪みに歪んでいる。これは覆せない。対して義理の両親は商売家系だ。神様との繋がりを大切にし、祭りも大切にされている。妻の子供の頃は普段許されないわがままも、祭りの日は無礼講で、いろいろと買ってもらったらしい。そんな妻は特段好まなくても祭りに馴染む。そんな普通の人が私は羨ましい。人々が普通に楽しむことを、楽しいと感じそこに馴染むことが羨ましい。そんな私が子供たちにできることは、嫌悪の気持ちを伝えないようにそっと離れることだとおもった。子供達が祭りを楽しんでいることを聞くとうれしい。それでいいと思う。みんなが楽しんでいるならいいと思う。
遊び稽古
１体操
２杖になれる
３ ２５の杖
４相半身片手取り一教裏
５相半身片手取り入身投げ
本稽古
１合気体操
２足捌き
３受け身
４正面打ち外回転投げストレッチ
５正面打ち二教表裏
６正面打ち入身投げ
７正面打ち一教返しから呼吸投げ
８正面打ち外回転投げ表
９正面打ち三教表裏
１０多人数取り正面打ち天地投げ
少しくらい話題をしてしまった気がするが、そんな両親を私は恨んでいない。小学校時代アメリカ滞在したときは毎日が薔薇色のように遊んでもらい、わがまま放題をさせてもらった（そのおかげで極めて甘えん坊の私という人格が出来上がったわけだが）。しかしみんなが楽しければいい。別に祭りが嫌だったんじゃない、あの時の私はみんなが楽しそうな顔をして欲しかっただけだったんだと、今は気づいている。
Today is the day of the local festival.
Even something as simple as a festival feels complicated to me.
My father grew up in poverty as the son of a farming family. Perhaps festivals would have been enjoyable if he had even a little spending money, but for him they were not happy occasions. He disliked them. As for me, my father’s job transfers meant that I spent much of my childhood changing schools. I was always a little late in becoming part of the local community, and I never had the social skills to make up that distance. Local festivals often felt uncomfortable rather than enjoyable.
My mother disliked festival stalls and vendors. Whenever I wanted something, the request was often met with an even stronger rejection. Because of that, my feelings about festivals became twisted and complicated. That part of my past cannot be changed.
My in-laws, on the other hand, come from a family of merchants. They value their connection to local traditions and to the gods honored through festivals. For my wife, festival days were special occasions. Rules that normally existed were relaxed, and she was allowed treats and small luxuries that would not have been permitted on ordinary days. As a result, she fits naturally into festival culture, even without making any special effort.
I envy that.
I envy people who can simply enjoy what everyone else enjoys, who can feel at home in those moments without thinking too much about them.
As I grew older, I realized that the best thing I could do for my own children was not to pass my discomfort on to them. If they enjoy festivals, that is enough. Hearing them talk about having fun makes me happy. That is how it should be.
Warm-up Practice
- Exercises
- Becoming familiar with the jo
- The 25 Jo Kata
- Aihanmi katate-dori ikkyo ura
- Aihanmi katate-dori irimi-nage
Main Practice
- Aiki exercises
- Footwork
- Ukemi
- Shomen-uchi soto-kaiten-nage stretch
- Shomen-uchi nikyo omote and ura
- Shomen-uchi irimi-nage
- Kokyu-nage from ikkyo-gaeshi against shomen-uchi
- Shomen-uchi soto-kaiten-nage omote
- Shomen-uchi sankyo omote and ura
- Multiple-attacker shomen-uchi tenchi-nage
Perhaps I have spoken more about myself than usual today, but I do not resent my parents.
When we lived in the United States during my elementary school years, they gave me tremendous freedom. Every day felt exciting and full of adventure. They let me play, explore, and indulge my whims. Perhaps that is also why I grew into such a spoiled and dependent child.
So I do not blame them.
What I understand now is that it was never really the festival itself that I disliked.
What I wanted, more than anything, was to see people smiling.
I wanted everyone around me to be happy.
And when I hear that my children are enjoying themselves at a festival, I realize that perhaps that feeling has never changed.
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