Aug. 14th, 2014 12:17 am
Ginnikan Ep 4: Drama Notes
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earth_colorsEp. 4: "The Wandering Heart"
Episode Synopsis: Ikawaya's sales have increased due largely to Kahei's "Chilled Amber", a dish he created using Ikawaya's agar. This dish became so popular that clients, old and new are buying more of Ikawaya's agar. However, just when things are starting to look up, tragedy strikes again as a big fire destroys part of Osaka, particularly the area where Mahonoya is located. Matsukichi is devastated. He tries to search for Maho and Kahei after the fire but they are nowhere to be found amid the devastation. Head clerk Zenjiro tries to encourage everyone in Ikawaya to move on and work harder than before. However, the still mourning Matsukichi resents his words and lashes out, "Is agar more important to you than human lives!?"...
Drama Notes:
Business virtues of an Edo Period Merchant (2 of 3): Chie-saikaku. In the subs, I translated this as "resourcefulness". "Chie-saikaku means something like clever planning, care for detail, shrewdness. It started at a time when original ideas, cleverness and innovations, made a merchant successful. But as time went on, the eralier 'shrewdness makes profit' turned into a more conservative 'capital makes profit'. Thus chie-saikaku assumed the role of meticulous care for detail, caution, and of course hard work and energy to replace with sweat what could not be got by brilliance." - The Development of Japanese Business: 1600-1973, p. 40
Gyogi minarai. Osaki says she has come to Tenma to learn about etiquette, cooking, and housework, or in other words, things needed to know to be a good housewife, and in order to attract a good husband. This is called "gyogi minarai." Another term is "oyashiki boko" (apprenticeship at a mansion). Women from both upper and lower status families benefit from this training. Girls from farms and countryside look forward to leaving their life of poverty to apprentice at a mansion while rich daughters also receive training from their servants. Training could include baby-sitting, kitchen work, and attending to the master and his wife. According to Takie Sugiyama Lebra, Japanese Women: Constraint and Fulfillment, p. 63: "Training in gyogi (manners) was supposed to be acquired through waiting on the master, his wife, and their guests, mostly their behavior as well as the manners of a senior maid. Hence this kind of working-learning was called gyogi-minarai, minarai literally meaning "look and learn." Some minarai servants had exposure to bridal training in tea ceremony, flower arrangement, calligraphy, and other arts, but this too was mainly through minarai (...) from the way the daughters of the house were tutored in these arts..." 
Komainu. These are statue pairs of "lion-dogs" guarding the entrance or the (inner shrine) of a Shinto shrine. They are also meant to ward off evil spirits.
The Great Fire of Kyoto. In this episode, this fire brought down the agar production site in Fushimi. In real life, this fire happened in Tenmei 8 (1788). The fire is said to have started at a vacant house east of the Kamo river (above pic: just, click-image-new-tab to enlarge it, the start of fire is encircled in red) but strong winds coming from the east helped it to "jump over the river", spreading to the west, and engulfing most of the entire city in flames. The Imperial Palace at that time was based in Kyoto, and was destroyed in the fire as well as the Hongan-ji (temple) and the Nijo Castle. "A fire in the city, which began at 3 o'clock in the morning of March 6 (Tenmei 8, 29th day of the 1st month), continued to burn uncontrolled until March 8 (Tenmei 8, 1st day of the 2nd month); and embers smoldered until they were extinguished by heavy rain on March 11 (Tenmei 8, 4th day of the 2nd month). The emperor and his court fled the fire, and the Imperial Palace was destroyed. No other re-construction was permitted until a new palace was completed." It is said that 80 per cent of the city was destroyed.
BTW, regarding the fires in Osaka, I will discuss it in future drama notes.
(info: wiki, ja.wiki) (pic: city.kyoto)
Fushimi. It is "one of the eleven wards in the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture." Fushimi is known for its clean, good-quality spring water (above pic) coming from Momoyama Hills, and ideal for sake-brewing. That is why it became Kyoto's center for sake production. Incidentally, Fushimi is the birthplace of agar or kanten. Kanten was invented in Fushimi, Kyoto by innkeeper Tarozaemon. Above pic is a sight-seeing boat along Fushimi Horikawa Canal.
(info: wiki, tokyofoundation) (pic: mituo)
Speaking ill of someone... While waiting for Osato, Zenjiro said this idiom, "Yobu yori soshire" [呼ぶより謗れ], which literally means "Rather than call someone, speak ill of him..." If you need to see that person quick, say something bad about him so will appear right away. Another idiom is "Uwasa o sureba kage [うわさをすれば影], which translates to "Gossip (about someone) and (his) shadow (will appear)." It is similar to the phrase, "Speak of the devil and he doth appear".
(info: jlogos, wiki)
The Merchant House spotlight: Banto, or Head Clerk. "At the age of thirty or over, the tedai could become banto; if the House was large there could be several banto of whom one was shihainin (chief manager). (...) If business conditions permitted, a banto was granted the right to establish his own business, a bekke (independent House); but even after that he owed loyalty to his former House and had to pay his regular respects, and if he failed herein his right of bekke could be recalled." - The Development of Japanese Business: 1600-1973, p. 39. [Up next: Dan-san, or Head of the House]
Ginnikan's episode index: (link)
Episode Synopsis: Ikawaya's sales have increased due largely to Kahei's "Chilled Amber", a dish he created using Ikawaya's agar. This dish became so popular that clients, old and new are buying more of Ikawaya's agar. However, just when things are starting to look up, tragedy strikes again as a big fire destroys part of Osaka, particularly the area where Mahonoya is located. Matsukichi is devastated. He tries to search for Maho and Kahei after the fire but they are nowhere to be found amid the devastation. Head clerk Zenjiro tries to encourage everyone in Ikawaya to move on and work harder than before. However, the still mourning Matsukichi resents his words and lashes out, "Is agar more important to you than human lives!?"...
Drama Notes:
Business virtues of an Edo Period Merchant (2 of 3): Chie-saikaku. In the subs, I translated this as "resourcefulness". "Chie-saikaku means something like clever planning, care for detail, shrewdness. It started at a time when original ideas, cleverness and innovations, made a merchant successful. But as time went on, the eralier 'shrewdness makes profit' turned into a more conservative 'capital makes profit'. Thus chie-saikaku assumed the role of meticulous care for detail, caution, and of course hard work and energy to replace with sweat what could not be got by brilliance." - The Development of Japanese Business: 1600-1973, p. 40
Gyogi minarai. Osaki says she has come to Tenma to learn about etiquette, cooking, and housework, or in other words, things needed to know to be a good housewife, and in order to attract a good husband. This is called "gyogi minarai." Another term is "oyashiki boko" (apprenticeship at a mansion). Women from both upper and lower status families benefit from this training. Girls from farms and countryside look forward to leaving their life of poverty to apprentice at a mansion while rich daughters also receive training from their servants. Training could include baby-sitting, kitchen work, and attending to the master and his wife. According to Takie Sugiyama Lebra, Japanese Women: Constraint and Fulfillment, p. 63: "Training in gyogi (manners) was supposed to be acquired through waiting on the master, his wife, and their guests, mostly their behavior as well as the manners of a senior maid. Hence this kind of working-learning was called gyogi-minarai, minarai literally meaning "look and learn." Some minarai servants had exposure to bridal training in tea ceremony, flower arrangement, calligraphy, and other arts, but this too was mainly through minarai (...) from the way the daughters of the house were tutored in these arts..."
Komainu. These are statue pairs of "lion-dogs" guarding the entrance or the (inner shrine) of a Shinto shrine. They are also meant to ward off evil spirits.
The Great Fire of Kyoto. In this episode, this fire brought down the agar production site in Fushimi. In real life, this fire happened in Tenmei 8 (1788). The fire is said to have started at a vacant house east of the Kamo river (above pic: just, click-image-new-tab to enlarge it, the start of fire is encircled in red) but strong winds coming from the east helped it to "jump over the river", spreading to the west, and engulfing most of the entire city in flames. The Imperial Palace at that time was based in Kyoto, and was destroyed in the fire as well as the Hongan-ji (temple) and the Nijo Castle. "A fire in the city, which began at 3 o'clock in the morning of March 6 (Tenmei 8, 29th day of the 1st month), continued to burn uncontrolled until March 8 (Tenmei 8, 1st day of the 2nd month); and embers smoldered until they were extinguished by heavy rain on March 11 (Tenmei 8, 4th day of the 2nd month). The emperor and his court fled the fire, and the Imperial Palace was destroyed. No other re-construction was permitted until a new palace was completed." It is said that 80 per cent of the city was destroyed.
BTW, regarding the fires in Osaka, I will discuss it in future drama notes.
(info: wiki, ja.wiki) (pic: city.kyoto)
Fushimi. It is "one of the eleven wards in the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture." Fushimi is known for its clean, good-quality spring water (above pic) coming from Momoyama Hills, and ideal for sake-brewing. That is why it became Kyoto's center for sake production. Incidentally, Fushimi is the birthplace of agar or kanten. Kanten was invented in Fushimi, Kyoto by innkeeper Tarozaemon. Above pic is a sight-seeing boat along Fushimi Horikawa Canal.
(info: wiki, tokyofoundation) (pic: mituo)
Speaking ill of someone... While waiting for Osato, Zenjiro said this idiom, "Yobu yori soshire" [呼ぶより謗れ], which literally means "Rather than call someone, speak ill of him..." If you need to see that person quick, say something bad about him so will appear right away. Another idiom is "Uwasa o sureba kage [うわさをすれば影], which translates to "Gossip (about someone) and (his) shadow (will appear)." It is similar to the phrase, "Speak of the devil and he doth appear".
(info: jlogos, wiki)
The Merchant House spotlight: Banto, or Head Clerk. "At the age of thirty or over, the tedai could become banto; if the House was large there could be several banto of whom one was shihainin (chief manager). (...) If business conditions permitted, a banto was granted the right to establish his own business, a bekke (independent House); but even after that he owed loyalty to his former House and had to pay his regular respects, and if he failed herein his right of bekke could be recalled." - The Development of Japanese Business: 1600-1973, p. 39. [Up next: Dan-san, or Head of the House]
Ginnikan's episode index: (link)
