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earth_colors) wrote2014-09-20 10:03 pm
earth_colors) wrote2014-09-20 10:03 pm
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Ginnikan Ep 7: Drama Notes
Ep. 7: "The Taste of Itokanten (Agar Strips)"
Episode Synopsis:
With a broken spirit, Matsukichi had come back to Ikawaya, unable to make a firmer agar. On the positive side, Ikawaya had gone back to wholesale trading after Hanbee had completed his first batch of his delicious agar. Matsukichi tried to move on but after a large fire broke out at Maho and Ohiro's area, Matsukichi became worried about her. He once again remembers his promise to her and decides to go back to the agar factory. He resolves to finally make a new kind of firmer agar. However, it came at a cost. This time, Wasuke did not permit Matsukichi to leave. But Matsukichi decides to leave anyway and so he is banished from Ikawaya. Two months have passed, and he is still nowhere near to being successful, and is on the point of physical breakdown. Then, on one snowy day...
Some time has passed and Matsukichi nervously arrives back to Ikawaya, bearing with him a new agar he had made from the production site...
Drama Notes:
Mushiyashinai. In Osaka dialect, it literally means "nourishing the insect/worm" with "mushi" meaning "insect/worm". It comes from "haranomushi", meaning "roundworm", "empty stomach" or "hunger", so a mushiyashinai is any food or snack that is meant to temporarily stave off hunger pangs. In this episode, Ikawaya named its kanten snack, "Mushiyashinai", which is a simple anmitsu (agar jelly, beans, and black syrup).
(info: kotobank) (pic: nhk)
The Making of Itokanten. "Ito" means "string". According to the tokyofoundation, there are still areas in Japan that make traditional or natural agar (as shown in this episode) and are of good quality and expensive (as opposed to the cheaper, industrial made ones that are available in the market). These are Ina-shi in Nagano Prefecture, which makes bokanten (stick or blocks of agar), and Yamaoka-cho in Gifu Prefecture, which produces itokanten. Making traditional itokanten starts out similar to the making of tokoroten (featured in the previous Drama Notes). When the "tokoroten" are pushed out through the tentsuku to form strips or strings, they are called "namaten" or "raw kanten". As soon it gets cold, shaved ice are sprinkled over the namaten in a step called "itedori" which "promotes freezing and yields quality kanten." The process is repeated 2-5 times "at 10-minute intervals until the strips are thoroughly and evenly frozen. The namaten are allowed to freeze by night and dry by day for five days to two weeks, depending on the weather conditions. They gradually lose moisture, until they turn into white kanten. Once they begin going white, the producers promote drying by inclining the reed mats toward the sun, a process called kagami. At the same time, the namaten strips are turned over. If snow falls on the undried namaten, it is gently swept off with a broom, and if rain falls after the namaten have dried, they are covered with tarp. The fully dried kanten strips are skillfully tied into large bundles. They are later screened for dryness, packed, and shipped out." For more info and pix on this, visit the tokyofoundation.
(pic: bridalgift)
Nagaya. Maho lives in the south side of the river, in a nagaya or wooden row houses or tenements. During the Edo period, nagaya were built to house artisans, laborers, etc. and their families. These were mostly single-story long structures, divided into sections that are rented monthly to residents. In a room, the kitchen was usually found in front, and there was also a place to take off your shoes. The rest of the room was divided into two at most which was shared by a family of 5 or more. Since the space was small, there was no room for too many belongings so the interiors were mostly bare and minimal. The narrow alley within the tenement had a shared toilet and a communal water pump. There was no bath and instead they go to public baths (since water is heated by fire, it's considered a fire hazard). The rent was collected by a person entrusted by the tenement owner. Rent for a month is said to be affordable. Most of the time, residents were out in the alley to chat, gossip, and socialize with each other. And because the walls were thin, residents tended to be close and had long-lasting familial relationships.
Fires of Osaka. The Osaka fires that occurred in this drama (and book) were based on real-life, notable fires that occurred during the Edo Period:
1746. In the fictional book: the family and business where Zenjiro stayed and worked as a young apprentice burned down in 1746. The fictional setting that was mentioned by the author was "Nambanba" in Osaka. In actual history: it was only Semba that was recorded to have suffered a fire during that year.
1777. In the fictional book: the fire occurred in Tenma, Osaka on the 19th day of the last month of the lunar year of Anei 6 (Converted to today's calendar, it was January 17, 1778). It destroyed around 5000 houses. In actual history: the fire that happened on that date is said to have started from the second floor of a tea house, and reached until Yodogawa coast. The Tenmangu was also burned down (in the drama/book, Wasuke later on, was supposed to donate ginnikan for the shrine's rebuilding but exchanged it for Matsukichi instead)
1783. In the fictional book: it is known as the Great Fire of 1783. The fire that killed Maho's father and grandfather occurred on the same month and date as the 1777 fire, and it started at a fish shop/market in Uchihirano, Osaka. In actual history: based on Osaka city's records, there were 2 (out of 3) fires that occurred in that particular month: on the 11th, a fire broke out in the fish market of Tenma; and on the 23rd, a fire began at a rice shop in Uchihirano.
1791. In the fictional book: it is known as "Kansei Era's Great Fire of the South". It occurred on the early morning of the 10th day of the 10th month of Kansei 3 (1791). Maho and her adoptive mother who lives on the south of the river were also affected by this fire. In actual history: on this date (November 5, 1791 in today's calendar), what occurred was the "Great Fire of Horie-Shimanouchi" which started at 4 am in a place formerly called Fushimiya, located at the southern part of today's Nishi Ward, destroying 87 towns or 13,000 houses.
1792. In the fictional book: 8 months later, this time, it was "Kansei Era's Great Fire of the North". Ikawaya got a close call from a huge fire near their area. In actual history: this was known as the "The Great Fire of Senba" which happened on May 6 (today's calendar: July 4). It destroyed the area between Tenma and Northern Senba, razing down more than 10,000 houses, and lasted for 2 days. The Tenjin Shrine was again destroyed at this time. Trivia: It was called the "Soyome Fire" or "Street walker fire" because of an unfounded rumor that the fire was caused by a disgruntled prostitute who committed arson due to a quarrel with a customer.
(info: ja.wiki, city.osaka.lg.jp, osaka.jp., bosaijoho) (pic: pinterest)
Ginnikan Episode Index: (link)
Episode Synopsis:
With a broken spirit, Matsukichi had come back to Ikawaya, unable to make a firmer agar. On the positive side, Ikawaya had gone back to wholesale trading after Hanbee had completed his first batch of his delicious agar. Matsukichi tried to move on but after a large fire broke out at Maho and Ohiro's area, Matsukichi became worried about her. He once again remembers his promise to her and decides to go back to the agar factory. He resolves to finally make a new kind of firmer agar. However, it came at a cost. This time, Wasuke did not permit Matsukichi to leave. But Matsukichi decides to leave anyway and so he is banished from Ikawaya. Two months have passed, and he is still nowhere near to being successful, and is on the point of physical breakdown. Then, on one snowy day...
Some time has passed and Matsukichi nervously arrives back to Ikawaya, bearing with him a new agar he had made from the production site...
Drama Notes:
Mushiyashinai. In Osaka dialect, it literally means "nourishing the insect/worm" with "mushi" meaning "insect/worm". It comes from "haranomushi", meaning "roundworm", "empty stomach" or "hunger", so a mushiyashinai is any food or snack that is meant to temporarily stave off hunger pangs. In this episode, Ikawaya named its kanten snack, "Mushiyashinai", which is a simple anmitsu (agar jelly, beans, and black syrup).
(info: kotobank) (pic: nhk)
The Making of Itokanten. "Ito" means "string". According to the tokyofoundation, there are still areas in Japan that make traditional or natural agar (as shown in this episode) and are of good quality and expensive (as opposed to the cheaper, industrial made ones that are available in the market). These are Ina-shi in Nagano Prefecture, which makes bokanten (stick or blocks of agar), and Yamaoka-cho in Gifu Prefecture, which produces itokanten. Making traditional itokanten starts out similar to the making of tokoroten (featured in the previous Drama Notes). When the "tokoroten" are pushed out through the tentsuku to form strips or strings, they are called "namaten" or "raw kanten". As soon it gets cold, shaved ice are sprinkled over the namaten in a step called "itedori" which "promotes freezing and yields quality kanten." The process is repeated 2-5 times "at 10-minute intervals until the strips are thoroughly and evenly frozen. The namaten are allowed to freeze by night and dry by day for five days to two weeks, depending on the weather conditions. They gradually lose moisture, until they turn into white kanten. Once they begin going white, the producers promote drying by inclining the reed mats toward the sun, a process called kagami. At the same time, the namaten strips are turned over. If snow falls on the undried namaten, it is gently swept off with a broom, and if rain falls after the namaten have dried, they are covered with tarp. The fully dried kanten strips are skillfully tied into large bundles. They are later screened for dryness, packed, and shipped out." For more info and pix on this, visit the tokyofoundation.
(pic: bridalgift)
Nagaya. Maho lives in the south side of the river, in a nagaya or wooden row houses or tenements. During the Edo period, nagaya were built to house artisans, laborers, etc. and their families. These were mostly single-story long structures, divided into sections that are rented monthly to residents. In a room, the kitchen was usually found in front, and there was also a place to take off your shoes. The rest of the room was divided into two at most which was shared by a family of 5 or more. Since the space was small, there was no room for too many belongings so the interiors were mostly bare and minimal. The narrow alley within the tenement had a shared toilet and a communal water pump. There was no bath and instead they go to public baths (since water is heated by fire, it's considered a fire hazard). The rent was collected by a person entrusted by the tenement owner. Rent for a month is said to be affordable. Most of the time, residents were out in the alley to chat, gossip, and socialize with each other. And because the walls were thin, residents tended to be close and had long-lasting familial relationships.
Fires of Osaka. The Osaka fires that occurred in this drama (and book) were based on real-life, notable fires that occurred during the Edo Period:
1746. In the fictional book: the family and business where Zenjiro stayed and worked as a young apprentice burned down in 1746. The fictional setting that was mentioned by the author was "Nambanba" in Osaka. In actual history: it was only Semba that was recorded to have suffered a fire during that year.
1777. In the fictional book: the fire occurred in Tenma, Osaka on the 19th day of the last month of the lunar year of Anei 6 (Converted to today's calendar, it was January 17, 1778). It destroyed around 5000 houses. In actual history: the fire that happened on that date is said to have started from the second floor of a tea house, and reached until Yodogawa coast. The Tenmangu was also burned down (in the drama/book, Wasuke later on, was supposed to donate ginnikan for the shrine's rebuilding but exchanged it for Matsukichi instead)
1783. In the fictional book: it is known as the Great Fire of 1783. The fire that killed Maho's father and grandfather occurred on the same month and date as the 1777 fire, and it started at a fish shop/market in Uchihirano, Osaka. In actual history: based on Osaka city's records, there were 2 (out of 3) fires that occurred in that particular month: on the 11th, a fire broke out in the fish market of Tenma; and on the 23rd, a fire began at a rice shop in Uchihirano.
1791. In the fictional book: it is known as "Kansei Era's Great Fire of the South". It occurred on the early morning of the 10th day of the 10th month of Kansei 3 (1791). Maho and her adoptive mother who lives on the south of the river were also affected by this fire. In actual history: on this date (November 5, 1791 in today's calendar), what occurred was the "Great Fire of Horie-Shimanouchi" which started at 4 am in a place formerly called Fushimiya, located at the southern part of today's Nishi Ward, destroying 87 towns or 13,000 houses.
1792. In the fictional book: 8 months later, this time, it was "Kansei Era's Great Fire of the North". Ikawaya got a close call from a huge fire near their area. In actual history: this was known as the "The Great Fire of Senba" which happened on May 6 (today's calendar: July 4). It destroyed the area between Tenma and Northern Senba, razing down more than 10,000 houses, and lasted for 2 days. The Tenjin Shrine was again destroyed at this time. Trivia: It was called the "Soyome Fire" or "Street walker fire" because of an unfounded rumor that the fire was caused by a disgruntled prostitute who committed arson due to a quarrel with a customer.
(info: ja.wiki, city.osaka.lg.jp, osaka.jp., bosaijoho) (pic: pinterest)
Ginnikan Episode Index: (link)