(30) Japanese banquets and etiquette, the Japanese koto, and the song "Rainbow"

Miyazaki July 27, 1926
To Director Costa Luigi and the entire Valsalice community

Dear Father Costa and all the members,

I owe you all a debt for my late reply. I've been waiting until now for those saintly seminarians to write to me. I can't wait any longer. Yes... it's their loss. They never write to me at all. How dare they? Well, I'll write to you.

As Father Costa said, you're not used to being apart yet. A month, forty days, is no big deal for you. Eventually, we'll get a radio!

① Happy Feast of Our Lady Help of Christians and the Feast of the Heart of Jesus. And for the Piova School trip too...! Oh, it's best not to think about that! I'm very sensitive (no laughing matter!), but I'm not homesick yet. It's 3:00 PM on July 25th, 1926. The temperature is 36 degrees, and the cicadas are busy doing their thing. A cool breeze blows in through the window every now and then...but when I think of the Piova mountains, I feel very nostalgic. (...)
②

Imagine me the other day, invited to dinner at the home of Miyazaki's richest and most famous doctor. I was punctual! The usual etiquette! I took off my shoes at the entrance, changed into slippers, put the slippers down again, and did the usual bow (kneeling and bowing three times) - my first greeting!

　At 8pm, ice cold water was served. What a delicious aperitif!

　When a family member enters the room, it's time for another bow and a deep sigh, just like savoring wine!
　The more sighs, the better. But the bowing is fun. The more you bow, the more you bow back and forth.

　Finally, it was time to eat. I'm quite good at eating. First, we were told to sit at the table. There were six of us in total: two French priests, myself, the doctor's wife, and their two children (the doctor had a meeting and arrived last). The wife, without even eating, served alongside her daughters and fanned the guests with a traditional fan (what an honor!). It seems that women do not sit with men at meals. Luckily, the table was only about 30cm high, so I could stretch my legs out under it, which made things a little more comfortable.

　Next, a gold-rimmed, lacquered square tray is brought out, with a bowl with a brown lid on the left corner. What's inside? It's a secret! Especially for me, since it's my first time eating authentic Japanese food! Next to it is a small plate (similar to a coffee tray) with seashells (excellent abalone. Father Tonelli would want one for his collecting!) and thinly sliced cooked shellfish. On an even smaller plate is a sauce for dipping the cooked shellfish. Next to that is another plate with boiled fish and the sauce for it. And on another plate is sashimi and the sauce for it. On yet another plate is pumpkin (the pumpkin here is very fibrous!) and the sauce for it. And on another plate is deliciously roasted carp and the sauce. Finally, there are the famous chopsticks, wrapped in paper.

　I was told I should try them all, just to be safe. I opened the bowl, picked up my chopsticks (for the first time), and felt around in the soup. I found a piece of fish floating in the soup along with a few vegetables. I manipulated my chopsticks (try it, it's fun!) and slurped (a sign of deliciousness), and ate the fish bite by bite, until it was empty.　

　I then looked over the plate, and if I had followed my appetite, I would have finished it all in four bites. But I decided to be polite and dignified, and behave properly. The lady praised me for my skill with chopsticks. (As an aside, when you come to Japan, beware of flattery. You should always think the opposite! Here, centuries ago, we followed the advice of St. Francis de Sales: "If someone compliments you, they are either trying to deceive you, or have already deceived you.") (...)Along the way, a rice container was brought in, served in a white bowl, and a bowl of eel was placed nearby. This is a sacred dish, a favorite of the Japanese. It's simply boiled, with no seasoning. I love it too. Using my chopsticks, I brought a lump of rice and the fish together into my mouth and swallowed it. I also had a second helping of rice. So, bread...it's nowhere to be found.

　The lady said that she would pour hot tea over the remaining rice and make it into ochazuke, which would clean the bowl and ensure that not a single grain of rice was left behind.

　After the meal, we were served half a melon as fruit (Japanese melons are a little bigger than Italian zuccotti [small pumpkins]), which we ate with a coffee spoon.

　For drinks, we were served beer (which they know Europeans love) and wine in small glasses for liqueurs.

　I really miss the soup and polenta from Piova's school trip!

　Finally, the owner, who loves art, returned and showed us some beautiful watercolor sketches. When I said I'd like to see the koto (a very popular instrument among Japanese people), he brought one over and his daughter played it for me. The koto is an empty box about 1.6 to 1.8 meters long and 20 centimeters wide, with 13 strings stretched on top like a sonometer. To adjust the pitch, you place your feet at various distances under the strings (tuning takes quite a bit of time!), and then pluck the strings with your fingers or special nails to play just the melody. The sound it makes is similar to our guitar, and everyone is thrilled to hear it.

　I returned home at 11:20 p.m. It would be a great blessing for the church if we could make these good non-Christians our friends and allies. Please pray for us.

　That's enough for today! Be satisfied with this, or you'll need many books. You are certainly wonderful people, but our duty to the people here is even greater. And even though Japanese is difficult, it is still better than yours.

Listen to the following song, and my Franco, try playing it if you can.
[Translator's note: The letter contains the sheet music for the song. It is kept in the Cimatti Museum, number 370 in Italian and number 635 in Japanese.]

Rainbow
1

Oh! Oh! There's a rainbow. Looking down at the forest and hills,
Its arch stretches from the rice fields across the horizon to the clouds in the sky.
Who built this rainbow bridge?
2 Now! Now! The rainbow is beautiful. Red, yellow, green, and purple...
Seven colors lined up, one stroke across the silk of the sky.
Who painted the Rainbow Bridge?
3 Well! Well! Rainbows are interesting. They appear briefly in a sunny spot in the rain,
as if they are on some business above the clouds connecting the distant heavens and earth.
Who will cross the Rainbow Bridge?
4 Oh! Oh! The rainbow is disappearing.
The vivid colors gradually fade, and the hill is no longer visible.
Who is making the Rainbow Bridge disappear?

　If you meditate on these words carefully, the phenomenon of a rainbow will often appear before your very eyes. Furthermore, if you analyze the words, you will also be able to see the soul of the Japanese people. They are unmoving, calm, and do not reveal even a little of what is in their hearts, yet they think and ask questions. Unfortunately, however, they cannot find the answers without God.

　Oh, brothers, I don't even know what I'm saying... but I don't want you to think that I'm just talking nicely. The kind words of Xavier, who called the Japanese people "the joy of his soul," echo in my heart.

　I embrace each and every one of you, and may Jesus sanctify everyone, everyone, everyone, and especially me.

Your Father V. Cimatti