The Zen Diary (土を喰らう十二ヵ月)

Ryssyun (Beginning of Spring) Traditional New Year's Start

Mr. Tsutomu.

Mr. Tsutomu.

Mr. Tsutomu, what are you doing?

Oh, Machiko.

Are you cold?

Come warm up by the hearth.

I'll be there soon.

Feeling warmer now?

Yes.

Delicious.

It's time to eat.

I prepared plenty from last year.

Such a splendid man...

I won't argue with that.

About the manuscript?

Keep it down.

Have some tea.

Impossible.

You're not in a hurry today?

Will you have some sake?

Yes, warm sake.

As usual for you, right?

Here you go.

Together with him, please.

Thank you.

What are you doing?

Peeling the skins off the potatoes.

I learned that as an apprentice.

Really?

Can't wait.

It's warming up.

Delicious.

Every time I come, it feels different.

I let it marinate a bit too long.

I prefer it well-marinated.

All the leftovers from the end of the year are gone now.

Now I'll put in fresh ones.

Is that so?

What a pity.

You've had enough potatoes.

Take these.

Oh, careful, it's hot.

Don't rush.

Delicious!

Especially with the skin on.

I won't argue with that.

But if you peel them completely it's like throwing away part of the taste

That's a wise translation.

Delicious.

And indeed,

you're a lover of good food.

Here you go.

Thank you.

And the aroma is delightful.

The soil?

Does it smell like soil?

About the manuscript?

No.

Alright.

Have a drink.

The deadline is approaching.

Maybe the potatoes will save me?

Potatoes may be potatoes, but work is work.

Harsh, isn't it?

It won't do.

At least give me the title.

The editor will be furious.

Here, please.

GIFTS OF THE EARTH 12 MONTHS

KEITSU (AWAKENING OF PUPAE) Creatures emerge from under the ground in the land of Sinsyu.

My life among the Shinshu Mountains

In the village of Suga, I caught the attention

of the editor of a women's magazine,

and she decided to publish a series of articles about life in the mountains.

Since the age of nine, I had been learning to prepare vegetarian food at a Zen temple.

They asked me to write about it.

Amateur cook, self-taught gardener.

When I ran away from the temple at the age of 13,

I didn't know where life would take me,

but I was determined to apply the knowledge I had gained.

In the spiritual book "Dogen's Teaching" by Zen master Dogen,

the temple cooks responsible for the kitchen

must do everything by hand,

from washing the rice to preparing vegetables for meals.

One must carefully examine the future meal

and handle it with attention to every detail.

There is no room for laziness even for a moment.

One should not be inattentive,

noticing one thing while overlooking another.

During the preparation of food,

an ordinary gaze is not appropriate.

A virtuous person does not alter their thoughts or manipulate

their words according to the people.

Absolutely not.

Ouch, it's hot!

In the Zen temple where I lived,

they used to say, "Consult the fields when selecting dishes for the table."

To make the most of an empty kitchen is a form of "purification,

"and the kitchen should

be linked together with the field.

Consulting only the fields means

"eating seasonal food,"

in other words, nourishing oneself with the gifts of the earth.

I absorbed this wisdom without sermons.

Cleaning spinach roots is incredibly challenging.

As an apprentice, I once cut and discarded the bothersome roots.

The head priest, who noticed it, showed no irritation

and said, "Should we throw away the most delicious part?"

And picked them up.

Sansho, sorry. It got burnt.

Here.

I'll humbly accept it.

SAMEI (PURITY AND CLARITY) Plants are blooming.

The water from melting snow burns with coldness,

passing through the thickness of rubber, causing pain to the skin of my feet.

Amidst the squelching sounds of the soil, I move forward

and suddenly freeze, struck

by the sight of a meadowsweet clearing amongst the aquatic grass.

This meadowsweet

respectfully awaits me in the same place as last year.

The snowdrifts have melted away.

There is no happier time for me than when everywhere at once

buds burst open and grasses rise.

Ostrich ferns near water bodies,

Ostrich ferns near water bodies,

golden eagles basking in the sunlight,

near my dwelling is a festive ceremony, where the earth sings after its winter slumber.

Hello.

You've gathered quite a lot...

Is it time for Aralia shoots?

Exactly. Sensei, you know everything.

Hiking in the mountains refreshes wonderfully.

It delights and brings back to life.

We should fix the shed.

Thank you for your help.

My hiking mentor

is also the neighborhood carpenter.

I learned everything about

gathering plants from him.

I have a deep love for construction work.

The sounds of carpentry soothe and calm.

Perhaps because my father was a carpenter.

What are you doing?

I'm roasting the Aralia shoots.

I learned this dish from my father.

The way my father did it. Please try.

It's hot.

Delicious.

I've never tasted it like this before.

In the mountains, my father

only brought rice with miso and went to work.

To have lunch, he would gather plants, roast, and eat them.

Well,

that's the wisdom of the poor.

People in ancient times knew the art of hospitality.

The traveling poet Saigyo-hoshi wrote:

"Oh, let me die

under the shade of cherry blossoms! Leaving this world

on a spring night's moon light."

As he wished, he passed away on a full moon night

under the blossoming cherry tree,

seemingly experiencing bliss.

RIKKA (EARLY SUMMER) Iris baths ward off evil spirits.

Living in a mountain hut,

plow the field,

tidying up the house.

The word "living" means "moving with the whole body,"

and I've experienced it firsthand.

With the arrival of each season,

new fieldwork awaits.

An active life engages your body.

Engaging the body brings hunger.

And with hunger comes even tastier food!

My wife's mother, Yaeko, is eccentric.

She doesn't get along with her son and daughter-in-law

and lives in complete solitude, tending to her fields.

Sanse, wait for me here.

Chie-san

It's Tsutomu.

Come in.

How was the field?

I weeded it early in the morning.

Have you eaten yet?

No, not yet.

Yaeko passed away prematurely

and you're weak.

I'll humbly accept it.

I'll humbly accept it.

You eat the whole appetizer.

And you, Chie-san?

As for me... I'll pass.

No need.

As long as there's Japanese pepper, I don't need anything else.

Sansho.

It looks delicious.

May I have a little too?

This food isn't for such important people like you.

Yaeko also

loved sansho pepper.