Yoshie Doi

　Participants murmured things like, “I’ve never had such delicious food before,” and “The air is so refreshing that They think there’s a god here,” and they had been keeping for second helpings of rice, saying with “It’s delicious, it’s delicious.”

　We have held the Okudosan Summit for the fifth time, and everyone who participated enjoyed it. This time, to commemorate the completion of the Yamazaki house’s Okudosan restoration work, Junji Miyaoku (Okudosan Futureshu), who was in charge of the restoration, gave a lecture using photos and videos. As head plasterer, he is in charge of restoring national treasures and important cultural properties. He is also a person who travels around the country repairing works. Details of the restoration work at Yamazaki house Okudosan will be posted on the Kyo-Suzume website.

　This year’s new rice was due to the intense heat of summer, so we used last year’s rice instead of new rice. This rice is grown in rice fields with clean water and air. For the burning ceremony, I had received ropes from the Gion Festival Yamahoko and Ofunehoko, so I used them. The rice cooker, Mr. Hanbei, added a little more water since the rice was not new, and while cooking, he listened to the sound with a fire blower and adjusted the heat many times.

　Nowadays, people are living a life where they don’t have to look at the fire due to IH and all electric appliances. Children who don’t see fire are afraid of fire. If we live far away from fire, we may no longer understand the true meaning of fire.

　I covered the dashimaki, yuzu miso, Narazuke, salted kelp, and pickled plums with a cloth, but the cotton absorbs the smell of soot, so I washed it by scrubbing it several times with detergent and baking soda. People who used Okudosan must have found it difficult to wash their clothes.

　It is said that when raw materials rot, they are boiled over fire and enter the realm of culture from the realm of nature. Since humans started using fire, the capacity of the human brain has grown to over 1000 ml. It is said that humans, who could only eat raw foods, became rich in nutrients and their brains developed even further by being able to cook and bake them.

　I think we can’t come up with a way to teach the importance of fire and its true meaning in school education. Next year, we are planning to form an “Okudo-san Children’s Group.” Children who are interested in Okudosan. Please come and see us.

The end of document

Translated by Masami Otani

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