前立腺癌 PROSTATE CANCER

　前立腺癌の検査入院をした。結果は癌ではなかった。良かった。癌であったら一体どういう気持ちになるのだろう。
　４０歳ぐらいの時、ある胃腸科の医者が私のバリューム検査の結果を見て「癌かもしれない」と言ったことがあった。病院を出て、足が地面にきちんとつかないで、ふわふわ歩き、いつも見ている景色がまるで違ったように見えた。別の病院で精密検査をしてもらったら、癌ではなかった。「ほんとですか。癌ではないのですか」と何度も確認した覚えがある。
　元同僚の先生や短編講座の同人が前立腺癌にかかっているが、特にこれと言った治療はしていないのに、元気だ。年を取ると癌の進行が遅くなるらしい。
７４歳になるが、今更じたばたしてもしょうがないのかもしれない。

無量壽寺のかきつばた IRISES VIEWING AT MURYOJYU TEMPLE

無量壽寺のかきつばた

 

女房と知立市にある無量壽寺に行って、かきつばたを見てきた。満開だとラジオで聞いて出かけたのだが、満開は満開でもかきつばたの数が少なく、寺の４つの池の内、三つではまばらにしか咲いていなかった。一つの池だけ密集して咲いていており、紫色の花が鮮やかでしばし見とれた。来て良かったと思った。
かきつばたを世話している人に聞くと、１０年前の極暑でやられて以来、本数が減ってしまい、毎年新しいかきつばたを植えているのだがうまく花を咲かせてくれない。また寒さにも弱く、寒暖に敏感で、今のような有様になったという事であった。女房は３０年ぐらい前に来たことがあって、ぎっしり群生して美しかったそうだ。かきつばたを見に来た人たちも残念がっていた。

IRISES VIEWING AT MURYOJI TEMPLE

I went to Muryojyu Temple in Chiryu to see Irises with my wife today. Yesterday’s radio news had said that the irises were in full bloom. It was right; they were in full bloom all right, but the number of the Irises was so small that I was disappointed. I had expected to see thickly growing Irises. Out of the four Iris ponds surrounding the temple, only one had Irises growing clustered. The purple flowers were so vivid that I looked at them for a long time. I felt it was worth visiting the temple.
According to one of the caretakers of the flowers, the extraordinary summer heat ten years ago damaged most of the Irises. Since then they have been planting young Irises, but they do not grow well. On top of it, Irises are weak against the cold. They are sensitive to the climate.
My wife had visited the temple about 30 years before, and the Irises then were growing densely and beautifully.
The other visitors looked disappointed, too.

石田師範ご逝去 JODO MASTER ISHIDA PASSED AWAY

　石田師範ご逝去

 

 最近こんなショックを受けたことがない。古武道杖道の石田師範が亡くなられた。享年６８であった。
　私は４８歳から師範の下で今日７４歳まで杖道を稽古してきた。最近は御病気（がん）のため、道場には御姿を現されなかったが、稽古をするたびに杖の持ち方、腰の使い方などいろいろ質問が出て、病院に行って質問しようと思っていた矢先であった。
　この２６年間、私は何を習っていたのだろう。もっとしっかり稽古をして、もっとしっかり訊くべきことを訊いておくべきであった。返す返すも残念でならない。
　石田先生のご冥福を祈るばかりだ。

MASTER ISHIDA PASSED AWAY

I have never been as shocked as this. Master Ishida of the Japanese martial arts of Jo passed away at the age of 68.

I started to learn Jo from him at the age of 48. I am 74 years old. So, I have been practicing Jo for 26 years. During the past few years he rarely came to the practice hall because he was suffering from prostate cancer. The more I practiced Jo, the more questions I had. Actually speaking, just a few days ago, I was thinking of visiting his hospital and ask him such basic questions like how to hold the jo stick; how to move your hips; and how to bend your legs.

   I do not know what I have been learning. I should have learned much more from him. I should have asked many more questions of him, but no more. I am sorry about that.

   May Master Ishida rest in peace.

備えあれば憂いなし BE PREPARED AND HAVE NO REGRET

Be Prepared and Have No Regrets

　　I was walking along a freezing cold road at about one o’clock in February. I was heading for a convenience store to buy A4 size paper.
　　About 15 minutes before that, I had been printing my short story. I had to print more than 250 pages, but unfortunately the paper had run out after about 50 pages. I had to hand in my printed short story at 10 o’clock the next morning.
　　I wore my overcoat and went out of my house in the snow. After a 15 minute walk, I reached the convenience store. Luckily they sold a pack of A4 size paper, but it contained only 100 sheets. I asked the shop owner to sell the paper in the copying machine installed in the shop, but he refused. So I had to walk to another convenience store 20 minutes away. It was around 1:30 at night. I walked step by step holding my umbrella tightly.
　　Consequently, I bought two packs of A4 paper and came back home about two o’clock in the morning. Then I began to print my short story. It took another hour to print all the pages.
　　I learned the real meaning of “Be prepared and have no regrets.”