８月とヒマワリ

＜　「ヒマワリ」　digital　2025-08-25　＞

歳を取るごとに思い出が重なり合っていくなかで、ぼんやり霞んでいくものと 時間に関係なく鮮明なまま残っているものがあります。その中で8月は 他の月や季節に比べてことさらいろいろなものが思い出になっています。街の所々に空襲で破壊された跡を見て育ったし、広島や長崎の原爆、それに続く敗戦をことあるごとに見聞きしてきたこともあり、わたしの8月の記憶は戦争と強くつながっているようです。

ヒマワリは比較的新しい記憶です。この季節、近所のあちこちでヒマワリが咲いているのを見かけます。太陽に向かって咲いているもの、そうでないものを数えたりするのはおもしろいです。ほぼ毎日のように眺めていても少しずつ変化しているのに気づきます。虫を誘っていた中心の管状花が徐々に種に変わってゆき、捻じれるように枯れていく姿はとても印象深いです。

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August and Sunflowers

As the years go by and memories pile up, some gradually fade into a haze, while others remain vivid regardless of the passage of time. Among them, August holds far more memories for me than other months or seasons. Growing up, I often saw traces of destruction left by air raids scattered around the city, and I repeatedly heard and saw things about the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, followed by Japan’s defeat. Perhaps that is why my memories of August are so deeply tied to the war.

Sunflowers, on the other hand, are relatively new in my memories. Around this season, I often see sunflowers blooming here and there in the neighborhood. It’s fun to count those facing the sun and those that are not. Even when I look at them almost every day, I keep discovering subtle changes. The tubular flowers in the center that once attracted insects gradually turn into seeds, and the way they wither, twisting as they dry up, feels profoundly impressive to me.        (with help of Chat-GPT)

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エアコンにどっぷり

＜　「小学校の記憶」　デジタル　2025-07-24　＞

アジサイと田んぼを描いてから1か月半、ときどき傍を通りますが稲の茎はしっかり成長して青々としています。もうすぐ穂が出て花をつけるでしょう。毎日見ていて気づかないことでも 1か月半では変化がはっきり見えます。

今年の夏も連日35℃前後の猛暑が続いています。子供の頃は35℃になるのはひと夏に数度しかなかったのが、このごろは日常茶飯事です。スイスでは氷河の崩落で谷の一村が壊滅しました。地球規模の温暖化は確実に進んでいるようです。皆が気づいていても毎日の生活は、おかしな話ですが、そのためには特段の変化はありません。たぶん変化の規模があまりにも大きいし、81億人もの人たちに影響が出るからだと思います。

そんなことを考える一方、エアコンで居心地よくした部屋で、むかし通った小学校を思い出しながらのスケッチです。校庭からよく見えた名古屋城の清州櫓（北西櫓）はいまも健在です。5年か6年生の頃に竣工した鉄筋コンクリートの校舎は、70年近く経った今でも使われているようです。

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Immersed in Air Conditioning

It’s been a month and a half since I painted the hydrangeas and rice fields. I sometimes pass by that spot, and the rice stalks have grown tall and lush. Before long, they’ll start to form ears and bloom. While daily changes often go unnoticed, a month and a half is enough time to clearly see the transformation of the rice fields.

This summer, too, has brought intense heat, with temperatures hovering around 35°C day after day. When I was a child, such temperatures would occur only a few times during the entire summer—but now, it’s become routine. In Switzerland, a village in a valley was destroyed by a collapsing glacier. Global warming seems to be steadily progressing. Even though we’re all aware of it, oddly enough, our daily lives continue with little change. Perhaps it’s because the scale of change is just too vast, and the lives of 8.1 billion people depend on the current way of living.

While thinking about this, I sat sketching in the comfort of an air-conditioned room, reminiscing about the school I attended in elementary years. The Kiyosu Turret (Northwest Turret) of Nagoya Castle, which was clearly visible from the schoolyard, still stands today. The reinforced concrete school building, completed when I was in the 5th or 6th grade, is apparently still in use nearly 70 years later.     (with help of ChatGPT)

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駅への近道で

＜　アジサイの咲くころ　油彩　F6　2025-06-13　＞

去年も今ごろアジサイを描きました。やはり梅雨空によく目立つ 大きな花と、鮮やかな色が目を惹くのだと思います。雨の中では一層美しく見えます。しかし去年は梅雨にあまり雨が降らず暑かったため、アジサイがあまり目立たなかったきがします。今年も梅雨入りしたばかりに晴れて30℃以上の日が続いたので、また去年のようになる気配です。

ときどき駅に出るのに近道を使います。途中 3枚ほどの田んぼがあります。6月半ばでしたがそばを通ると、田んぼには水が入り小型の田植え機もありました。3時間ぐらいしてそこをまた通ると、苗を植え終えた涼し気な田んぼに変わっていて、田植えがこんなに簡単に済んでしまうのかと驚きました。もちろん小さい田んぼだし、機械を使うのは分っていますが、私の中には昔ながらの手植えの風景の 記憶がまだ残っているみたいです。早乙女姿の代わりにアジサイが綺麗でした。

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On the shortcut to the station

Around this time last year, I also painted hydrangeas. I suppose it’s because their large blossoms and vivid colors stand out so well against the gloomy skies of the rainy season. They look especially beautiful in the rain. However, last year, the rainy season was unusually dry and hot, so the hydrangeas didn't seem to stand out as much. This year, too, although the rainy season has officially started, the weather has been sunny and over 30°C for several days in a row, and I have a feeling it may turn out like last year again.

From time to time, I take a shortcut to the station. Along the way, there are about three rice fields. It was mid-June when I passed by and saw that the fields had been filled with water, and a small rice-planting machine was there. About a few hours later, when I passed the same spot again, I was surprised to see that the rice plantings had already been completed and the fields had transformed into refreshing paddies. I was amazed at how quickly rice planting could be completed. Of course, I know these are small fields and that machines are used now. It seems I still carry memories of the old-fashioned scenes of hand-planting. Instead of young women planting in traditional "saotome" attire, it was the hydrangeas that stood beautifully this time.   (with help of ChatGTP)

いい夏が来て欲しい

＜　野蒜海岸にて　デジタル　2024/08/06　＞

去年の夏のスケッチです。仙台に出かけた時はたいてい立寄ることにしている、奥松島と呼ばれるところにある野蒜海岸です。小高い丘に登ると、西には点在する松島の島々、東には海越しに石巻の街が遠望できます。訪れたのは震災後2度目でした。高い防潮堤が延々と続き辺りも整備されて、かつてあった背の高い松原はなくなっていました。復興工事の騒音は去って、波静かな海から強い風が防潮堤を吹き抜けていました。

イスラエルのガザ市民への攻撃は続いています。この3日間で500人が死亡したとニュースで聞きました。食料も入らず ガザを人の住めない土地にしようとしているみたいです。また、ウクライナ、ロシアの停戦は少しも進んでいないようです。それだけでなく 一般市民への攻撃は絶え間なく続いているようです。持てる側が戦争を有利に終わらせようと、破壊と死者を増やしているように見えます。　 (05/19)

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Expecting a good summer to come

This is a sketch from last summer. It depicts Nobiru Beach, located in an area called Oku-Matsushima, a place I almost always visit whenever I go to Sendai. When you climb a small hill there, you can see the scattered islands of Matsushima to the west, and in the distance to the east, the city of Ishinomaki beyond the sea. It was my second visit since the earthquake and tsunami disaster. A tall seawall now stretches endlessly along the coast, and the area has been redeveloped. The tall pine groves that once stood there are gone. The noise of the reconstruction work has faded, and a strong wind now blows through the seawall from the calm sea.

The attacks on civilians in Gaza by Israel continue. I heard on the news that 500 people have died in the past three days. With food supplies blocked, it seems as if they are trying to make Gaza an uninhabitable land. Meanwhile, the ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia appears to be making no progress. Not only that, but attacks on civilians seem to be continuing without pause. It looks as though those with power are trying to end the war to their advantage by escalating destruction and increasing the number of deaths.  ( 05/19  with help of ChatGTP)

期待はできるの？

＜　早川の夕桜　油彩　F6　2025-04-07　＞

以前は田んぼだったところが、いつごろからか草やススキが生える原っぱになって、田植え前の田起こしや代搔きの光景が見れなくなりました。農家の高齢化や後継ぎ不足の影響なのかもしれません。季節の風情が少しづつ減っていますが、ついこの前まで近くの川沿いの桜が綺麗に咲いて、いつもより1週間も長く楽しめました。

前年が不作だったわけではないのに、この1年で日本人の主食、コメの値段は倍以上になってしまいました。初め、新米が出回るようになれば価格は落ち着くと国は説明していましたが、 実際には反対でした。続いて、備蓄米を放出して流通量を増やしましたがやはり値段の上昇は続きました。最近になって、備蓄米を毎月放出することと卸売業者に行き届きやすくするよう策を変更しました。

放出米の入札価格は公表されていないし、円滑に流通するかどうかまだ分かりません。そのため値下がりを期待しようがなく、ただ「下がるまでじっと待て」と言われているみたいです。効果が出るのかそれとも茶番劇で終わるのか、結果はまだ先になりそうです。 

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Can I expect a price down? 

The area that used to be a rice field has, at some point, turned into a meadow where grass and pampas grass grow. The once-familiar sights of plowing and puddling the fields before rice planting are no longer seen. This may be due to the aging population of farmers and the lack of successors. The seasonal atmosphere is gradually fading, but just recently, the cherry blossoms along the nearby river bloomed beautifully, and I was able to enjoy them for about a week longer than usual.

Even though last year's harvest wasn't a poor one, the price of rice—Japan's staple food—has more than doubled over the past year. At first, the government explained that prices would stabilize once the new rice entered the market, but the opposite happened. They then released stockpiled rice to increase supply, but prices continued to rise. More recently, the government changed its policy to release stockpiled rice on a monthly basis and to improve accessibility for wholesalers.

However, since the bid prices for the released rice haven't been disclosed, it's still unclear whether distribution will go smoothly. As a result, there's no solid reason to expect a price drop, and it feels as though we’re simply being told to “wait patiently until prices go down.” Whether this approach will prove effective or turn out to be just an empty gesture remains to be seen.