"Japanese Culture"
Table of Contents
1. Mission for culture exchange
2. American typhoon daughter
1. Mission for culture exchange
Mission for culture exchange was faced to Japan everywhere in the world.
In order to spread Japanese culture abroad, the first report meeting by mission for culture exchange which the Agency for Cultural Affairs prepared from 2003 was held in Tokyo on the 11th of this month(March), and five persons, who finished activity among the 12 first members of the mission for culture exchange, told each experience. Mr. Kakusho Shoufukutei with abundant overseas experience, telling the "PAPETTO comic story" using the handmade doll, stayed for one month in Thailand and patroled 30 places including elementary schools and nursing institutions, etc. He says, "The posture which it is not going to make laugh but is enjoyed together was important and it had a new appreciation. "Mr. Baron Yoshimoto, a cartoonist, travelled various parts of Sweden, and taught the foundation of comics in the university or the school for adult education, and Mr. Yoichi Watanabe, a Japanese drum player, taught the Japanese drum group of a spot in Denver, the U.S.
Five persons also pointed out the difficulty of introducing Japanese culture to the foreign countries where cultural backgrounds differ from our country. Mrs. Chiyoko Tanaka, the film critic who showed in Jordan the documentary film of the Noh play superintended herself thought backward saying, "It was necessary great effort to explain Japanese gods and the art of a Noh mask to the monotheists Muslim by whom idol worship is forbidden by religion."
Mr. Naoyuki Miura, the music producer who has introduced Japanese music in the U.S., said, "If you forget Japanese traditional culture even if it is contemporary music, you cannot be internationalized." Introducing Japanese culture to overseas will surely lead also makers or performers to face Japanese history and culture.
(Source Nihon Keizai Shimbun 2004.3.22 [Culture traffic])
2. American typhoon daughter.
Miss Sarah Marie Cummings(35 years old), managing director of Masuichi Ichimura brewery and American "typhoon daughter", who revived the pride of brewer.
The close of liquor maker of sake is remarkable being pushed by beer, white distilled liquor, and foreign liquor. Brewery Masuichi founded 250 years ago in the Obuse town, Nagano prefecture, was a gradual decline to the malt factory of local common brand alcohol. The revival is the result of this American woman who joined the company ten years ago blowing a new trend. The nickname of this girl is a "typhoon daughter".
"Boss! Whether it is good if Japanese traditional culture may go out of use?"
She, who got interested in storing in the large wooden bucket which was being done before the half-century there, requested the resumption to the great chief sake brewer, Mr. Ryukichi Toyama(78), who has the experience in it.
The bucket made of stainless steel and enameled bucket, which is low leak and with little evaporation, became natural. But even if the treatment took time and effort, the large wooden bucket which brings the depth of the taste would come out of the special feature. Then, enthusiasm that the remarkable brand "Platinum" of before the war would be revived, has moved Mr. Toyama who was not sympathetic and it was begun from the autumn of 98 to use the large wooden bucket.
The craftsman of making wooden bucket couldn't found in that district but searched in Niigata. Although rice for making sake, "Kinmonnishiki", which have been planted in the North Shinano district had gone out of use, the distiller of Kanazawa-city has received by contract cultivation. She asked to get some of them.
Since the production was good, "platinum"(10,000 yen) contained in special case with 2000 limitation were sold out on 2000 years. Obtaining the goods which sell directly to a consumer, the yearly turnover of a brewing section changed to 200 million yen 3 times the former year, and escaped from the deficit.
<<<< >>>>
The president, Mr. Tsugio Ichimura(55), talks "Brewing was stopped if Miss Sarah were not. A long-established store tends to be mannerism. It being good a stranger stirring". Mr. Ichimura named her the "typhoon daughter". It was at that time when she was grasping a hammer and beginning to break the large room for craftsman stay on the second floor of a head office in order to remodel before comprehension in the company is obtained.
A "wind" was not only that time. She got a sake sommelier's qualification. When she knew that the president's ancestor was Hokusai Katsushika's patron, she planned and managed the international conference about Hokusai. She has opened the Japanese-style food restaurant "Club(a warehouse of Sake)" to the empty space of warehouse of Sake in Masuichi.
"Preservation meeting" was prepared in 2002 to revive storing in the large wooden bucket at many districts and about 30 distillers are challenging to do so now.
Another prewar-days brand "Sakuragawa" would be revived in Masuichi this year.
Mr. Ichimura appreciate her that "The pride to brewing was prevailed." <<<< >>>>
She studied Japanese in the university of Osaka. She subscribed as the volunteer of the Nagano Olympic Games preparation and visited Japan again on 1993 after graduated from the Pennsylvania State University of her hometown. When getting bored with work of an interpreter or translation, she was introduced Masuichi which also manages a chestnut confectionay Obusedou, she jumped in the company immediately. The culture of good old Japan which excites her was buried there. All of them are that Japanese people are going to leave. "Taking a lesson from the past" is her merit. Favorite language is two. If it is Japanese "If one do he will get.". It is "Don't quit" if it is English. If it is made the Kansai dialect of her speciality, it will be "Don't give up!"
Yasuo Murata, a menber of edit committee(Asahi Shimbun 2004.3.20 be on Saturday- business)
Return to Top Page
[Last Updated 5/31/2004]