鯉は緑の中にCarp within green

 緑色というのは、とても身近にある色彩と思うのだが、小さいころから、好きな色だった。苔の美しさに惹かれたり、花の葉の不思議な形態に見とれたりして、時間を過ごすことも多かった。生まれた家の近くの寺社の境内を走り回り、緑の中に、鮮やかなつるバラの花が咲いていたら、目を輝かせた記憶もよみがえる。緑というのは、周囲の空間に彩を与え、潤いをもたらすものだなあと思う。心理的な効果も、疲れた心や体を癒す健康的な働きがあるという。服も一時、緑色を好んで着たこともあったが、今は黒色が多くなってしまった。つまらない趣味の変化かもしれないが、色の好みは、成長とともに移ろうのかもしれない。

 だが、心の深奥に刻まれた記憶は、消し難く、ハッとたちまちにして心を揺さぶられることがある。実家が没落し、今は行くこともなくなった郷里の空気を一瞬にして呼び覚ますのは、街中の民家から届く金木犀の香りと緑の葉の中に咲く花だった。普段は目立つことなくある植物が、その盛りに来ると、今や遠くなった懐かしい祭りの季節が呼び覚まされ、なんとも言えない心持ちにさせる。
 焼き物が好きになって、久しいが、この色彩の好みがどこかにあって、緑釉の美しい器物を見ると、つい手に取ってしまうことがある。恋女房に先立たれ、独り身になった今は、家で料理を器に盛ることもほとんどなく、器は仕舞ったままだが、掌に乗る小さな鯉の焼き物は、そばに置いている。恋と鯉を言葉遊びにした訳ではないが、やはり、双方とも洒落たものだ。

 織部の鯉型の水滴は緑釉が美しく、すべてがこの色で覆われたものを総織部という。緑一色である。美濃地方で焼かれた桃山時代の陶器を代表する織部焼だが、小さなものであっても、その造作は勢いがあり、愛らしい。本焼きしたものに、釉薬をかけて低い温度で焼くと、発色を帯びる。模様は釘彫りでするのが特徴で、うろこも、そうやって装飾された。陶工の感覚の良さを感じるものの一つで、茶陶も良いけれど、愛着のある品だ。

 机上に置いてあっても、緑色の鯉は、澄んだ川面の水草の中を悠々と泳ぐ。緑陰の川辺に座り込んで、二人で水の流れをみて、たわいもない話をしながら過ごした記憶が浮かんでは消え、懐かしい日々や戻らない時間を思い起こさせてくれる。そんなものが、誰かの周りにも一つや二つはあるに違いない。

 鯉が大河の激流を泳ぎ切り、龍にまで出世するという登竜門にまで、たどり着くことも及ばない平凡な人生であるけれど、たわいもない掌の美に救われることもあるのも、また人生のひと時なのだ。

 

黒谷誠仁(くろたに・まさひと) 玄羅(げんら)

I suppose that green is one of the most familiar colours to us. It has been my favourite colour since childhood, too. I often spent time being drawn to the beauty of moss or being fascinated by the strange shape of flower leaves. I recall myself running around a temple precinct and finding with great excitement a rambling rose blooming vividly. I do feel that green is a colour that brightens up and enriches the surrounding space. It also seems to have an emotional effect as well as a healthy function to relax a tired mind and body. I wear black clothes more often nowadays, but I used to like to wear green clothes. It might have been just a change of interest, but I wonder if people’s interest in colours might change as they grow up.

Yet, the memories deeply engraved into the heart are hard to erase, and they periodically evoke my old feelings all of a sudden. It was the aroma of Kinmokusei (fragrant orange-coloured olive) coming from houses and flowers blooming within green leaves that, in an instant, brought back the air of hometown to which I no longer have a reason to return since my family’s downfall. When these discreet plants come to their peak, a faraway nostalgic festive season is evoked and it makes me feel sentimental.

I have long been an admirer of pottery. Yet, it seems that I still have a preference for colours – I am occasionally drawn into pottery with beautiful green glaze. I have lost my beloved wife and become widowed. Hence I very rarely use good bowls to serve food. They stay in the cupboard. However, I keep this little handheld ceramic ornament of a carp near me. I didn’t aim for a play on words between Koi (love) and Koi (carp), but both are lovely things.

This carp-shaped Oribe ware water-dropper has a beautiful green glaze. A ceramic item covered completely in this particular colour is called Sō Oribe (meaning total or complete Oribe). It is entirely green. Oribe ware is one of the most well-known pottery wares made in the Momoyama era in Mino Province. Even little ones hold a certain energy and charm. The colour emerges once some glaze is applied after a gloss firing, and fired again at low heat. The scales were engraved by a nail, which is a traditional technique to add patterns. Of course pottery wares for tea ceremonies are magical, but this charming ornament is one of those that tells us how good the pottery artist is.

Even though it is sitting on a desk, a green carp swims away comfortably within water grass on a clear river surface. A fond memory of my wife and I keeps appearing and disappearing – sitting on a river bank under a shadow of greenery and spending time watching a water stream and chatting. It brings me back to nostalgic days and times that never come back. I am sure that everyone keeps such an item nearby.

Unlike the carp’s Toryumon legend, in which a carp swam up a torrent of a great river and became a dragon, my life is a rather ordinary one. But it is also life that we have some moments when we are saved by a little piece of handheld beauty.

 

Masahito Kurotani, Director, genra

玄羅 genra

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076-255-0988

Website: http://genraart.com/

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