Sushi & Samurai

October 21, 2007 | Filed Under Japan 

The accents of Japan are shaped by its geography. The trade routes with China and Formosa formed the accents of Okinawa and the Ryukyus. In the north the harsh snows of winter produced the characteristic lock-jawed, glotteral sounds of Tohoku and Sendai; you learn to keep your mouth closed when the winds rip from the Siberian mainland. The impenetrability of the accent increases with the depth of the snowfall.

Straw overboots for use in the snow, Zuigenji temple

In Matsushima it takes three attempts before I realize the itamae-san, the sushi chef, is asking me where I am from. His hands deftly pare slabs of fish, dash them with wasabi and squeeze them atop warm blocks of vinegared rice. The autumn sky is clear and a cool breeze blows over the pine-topped islands of the bay after which Matsushima is named. Tourists roam the area in mean gangs to see the autumn colours, and business is good at the sushi bar.

Business was also good for the samurai clans in the middle ages as the country tottered and split, rival governments springing up like the so many bamboo shoots. Taxes and tributes flowed not to the Emperor but to clan coffers, financing the rebuilding of family castles and shrines, as well as wars aimed at burning the castles and shrines of rivals. The temple complex of Zuigenji was restored, and in return shed its affiliation with esoteric Tendai Buddhism and adopted the harsh, military discipline of Rinzai Zen.

“I’m 78 this year, but I’m as strong as a bull!”

The itamae-san tries his luck with the two young girls at the end of the counter. They all laugh, and he opens his mouth wide. Gold gleams from lower jaw, while his top set consists of just one tooth each side.

“Yaa, menkoi!”*

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*Menkoi - cute, north-Japan dialect. Kawaii in standard Tokyo dialect.

 

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