Glimpses of Japan Local - in JEnglish

  When You Hear " Sesshu " Most people probably think of vaccine shots, right?  (sounds similar in Japanese) Even the older generation might think the same.  　 But back in the day, I used to hear old folks tell children stories, tales from the past... ・・・　 One story goes like this: a young monk who loved to paint so much that he couldn't focus on his training. Eventually, he was tied to the pillars of the main hall with ropes. Some time later, the head monk entered the hall to check on him, only to find mice scurrying around. Worried that the boy might get bitten, he took a closer look and realized those mice were actually drawings of mice, tears and all, painstakingly painted by the young monk...　 ・・・ In another version, it's said that those mice chewed through the ropes to rescue the young monk... That young monk grew up to become  Sesshu . Although I'm not well-versed in Japanese history, let alone classical art and culture, I find myself drawn to places associ...

  It's been more than 60 years now. Back in the day, there was a late-night radio program where they had a reading time. I used to get drawn into the skilful storytelling of the readers, imagining my own visuals while listening to the stories they narrated one after another. Among the memorable stories, there was one known as "The Samurai of the Skies," about  Saburou Sakai , who was called the Zero Fighter Ace. I used to listen to his stories based on his real experiences with excitement. Once, he got injured in an aerial battle, and without any medical attention, he had to return. His bleeding was severe, and he risked dying or losing consciousness. So, he decided to put the wounded part above his heart and continued flying upside down for a long time. He barely made it back. That was the story. Since then, whenever I see aerobatic flying at airshows like the one in Perth or the  Ashiya  Air Base Air Festival, I'm reminded of that scene from "The Samurai of the...