Aoso-san　(Aoso-yama）

Aoso-san (799 meters) is an independent old bipyramid volcano on the eastern side of the Zao Mountain Range, southeast of the central Togatta Onsen district. It has several peaks, including the Akera peak to the west is 10 m higher than elsewhere on Aoso-san.

It is said that in the Nara and Heian periods, the mountain was called Okatta, and was worshipped to calm the eruption of Zao’s Katta-dake Ridge. Aoso Shrine was built on the summit of the mountain in the late Edo period (1603-1868), and religious mountaineering by ascetic practitioners was popular by the end of the Edo period.

Kattamine Shrine, which is now in Togatta Onsen and on the top of Katta-dake was said to be once on Aoso-san. Yakushi-do Temple still stands about third of the way up the mountain, protected by local villagers.

Many Jomon period remains are found on the foothills of this mountain, especially on the eastern foothills. Kitaharao pioneer’s resettlement district is on the western foothills of Aoso-san.

There are published poems about Aoso-san. The artists found during the 2-week residency at the Zao-machi Public Library:

• Aoso no Yama by Endo Tadashi from his collection Shima Aoki Chizu (Hiiragi Shobo, 2016)
• Aoso-san by Yasobe Tokio from his collection Yukuefumei no Kajintachi (Shigaku-sha, 1991)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At Yakushido

A cicada caught

in a yellow spider web

shall I set it free?

• Martin Edmond

 

薬師堂にて

黄色のクモの巣に

蝉がひっかかっている

自由にさせようか

• マーティン・エドモンド　（訳・マユ）

 

＊＊＊

 

青麻山

飄々と

暗闇に潜む

獣たち

今宵も始まる

愉快な祭祀

-永井京花

 

Aoso-san

Aloof, transcending

And lurking in the darkness

The beasts, once again

Tonight, another joyful

Ritual festivities

-Nagai Kyoka  (trans. Mayu)

 

＊＊＊

 

Dream of Aoso-san

 

On the night I arrived, I dreamed of Aoso-san

towering under the indigo sky.

From the direction of Sirius,

a falling star descended to its summit,

hovered, and landed without a sound.

Cedar trees began to sway,

beeches rustled and magnolias clapped

uneven beats to a strange tune,

high in pitch of a slender flute,

low in sound of secret singing:

 

I am

since the beginning of beginnings.

Longer than anyone remembers,

when my name was Okatta-dake

and even before, when my name was

never uttered.

I endure the burden of pylons

to light, warm and cool,

and cutting of trees, and planting of trees

for shrines and temples

built, worshiped, and moved.

Since the beginning of beginnings.

I am.

 

In the morning I wrote a poem

and asked the fallen star to take me to the temple.

Deep in the woods of Aoso-san

protected by families since antiquity,

a thin man with big ears guided me

up moss-covered step stones

to Yakushi-do, medicine teachers’ temple.

 

The slash line was at her edge.

Hands together, I speak my dream.

 

• Mayu

 

 

青麻山の夢

 

到着した晩、藍色の空の下に

そびえ立つ青麻山の夢を見た。

シリウスの方角から

流れ星が山頂に降りて、

漂い、音もなく着地した。

杉の木が揺れ始め、

ブナはざわめき、モクレンは拍子を

不規則に打ち鳴らし、奇妙な曲を奏でる

細い笛のような甲高い音色

秘密のささやきのような低い歌声：

 

おらほの

昔の昔から

誰も覚えとらん昔っから、

おがった山と呼ばれたころから

その前もおらが名前を

誰も云わねかったころから、

灯り、あっため、涼んで

鉄塔の重荷に耐えて

木、切ったり、木、植えたり、

神社や寺の柱に

なったり、祀られたり、移ったり

昔の昔から

おらはここにいる。

 

朝、青麻山の詩を詠んだ。

降る星に寺に連れたいと頼んだ。

青い森の奥深く

古くから守ってきた家の

耳の大きな痩せた男が

案内をしてくれた。

苔に覆われた踏み石を登り

薬師堂へと。

 

そこは切り裂き線の縁ぎわだった。

手を合わせ、夢を伝えると誓った。

 

• マユ

 

＊＊＊

 

Haiku

for Mayu

Utamakura:

the pillow of snow on top

of Aoso-san

• Martin Edmond

 

マユのための句

歌枕：

雪の敷妙

青麻山

• マーティン・エドモンド　（訳・マユ）