Current location:Planet Perspective news portal > opinions
VOX POPULI: ‘Dandara’ puns still entertain amid destroyed shops of Wajima
Planet Perspective news portal2024-05-21 17:09:07【opinions】6People have gathered around
Introduction“Dandara” is a wordplay pun based on the 17-syllable haiku format, with its seven-syllable part repr
“Dandara” is a wordplay pun based on the 17-syllable haiku format, with its seven-syllable part represented by two expressions or phrases that are homonymous but have completely different meanings when written.
Here is an example, penned by Umeko Morioka: “Aishiteru/ watashitoiteyo watashitoiteyo/ seikyuusho.”
The first five-syllable word ("aishiteru") translates as “I love you.”
The last five-syllable word ("seikyuusho") denotes a bill or an invoice.
Sandwiched between them are two seven-syllable homonyms ("watashitoiteyo"), the first of which translates as, “Please stay with me” and the second as, “Please hand it (to someone).”
The scene initially visualized by the reader of this “poem” is that of a man being seduced by an alluring woman.
But in the second half, a piece of paper is all the hapless man is left with.
This drastic turn of events is quite clever and funny.
Dandara is said to have a history spanning nearly 300 years, according to Isao Kimura, the author of “Fushigina Nihongo Dandara” (Dandara, intriguing Japanese).
In the past, Ishikawa Prefecture’s famed Wajima lacquerware craftsmen embraced dandara as their “workplace literature” and ensured the preservation of this tradition.
When I visited Wajima last month, I noticed posters bearing dandara pun poetry in front of many destroyed shops around the city.
They must have been posted for a while, put up for the enjoyment of tourists exploring the city on foot.
There was this piece by Nobuo Sakamoto: “Noto Jishin/yokishinakatta yokishinakatta/asaichi-de.” (The Noto Earthquake/ I did not anticipate it/ I bought a good item/ At the morning market.)
The central part of Wajima was jolted in 2007 by a powerful earthquake with an intensity of upper 6 on the Japanese seismic scale of 7, and eventually recovered from the damage.
Nobody could have imagined that another devastating earthquake would turn the city center into burnt-out ruins on the first day of 2024.
Eight weeks have elapsed since then.
Thirty percent of the city’s water service is finally back and flowing, according to the Ishikawa Prefecture edition of The Asahi Shimbun on Feb. 21.
I have nothing but the deepest respect for people from all over the nation who are supporting the post-disaster reconstruction work.
But the road ahead is still long and arduous.
To speed reconstruction by reducing the commuting time for workers between Kanazawa and Wajima, the prefectural government is planning to build accommodations for them on construction sites.
I cannot wait for the cities and towns of Ishikawa to regain their vibrance.
Here is Koji Takama’s dandara about the prefecture in early summer: “Kanko wa/ Noto, Kanazawa de/ nodokana sawa de/ Hototogisu.” (Sightseeing/ In Noto and Kanazawa/ At a peaceful marsh/ A Japanese cuckoo."
--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 22
* *
*Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
Address of this article:http://kazakhstan.cezaryphotography.com/news-09b099989.html
Very good!(8686)
Related articles
- Cruise worker 'murders newborn son on board ship': Shocked co
- US and Philippine forces launch combat drills in the disputed South China Sea
- Cher, Ozzy Osbourne among 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees
- WADA stands by decision to clear Chinese swimmers for Tokyo Olympics citing contaminated samples
- Ship that caused Baltimore bridge collapse has been refloated
- Stock market today: Asian shares shrug off Wall St blues as China leaves lending rate unchanged
- Oil consumption back to 2019 levels
- Dick Van Dyke earns Daytime Emmy nomination at 98
- Student fatally shot, suspect detained at Georgia's Kennesaw State University
- How Phish is using the Las Vegas Sphere's technology
Popular articles
Recommended
Storms damage homes in Oklahoma and Kansas. But in Houston, most power is restored
Glimpses of Beijing through windows and doorways
China's new high
DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Police have a duty to defend Jewish rights
Baby Reindeer's real
Five rockets are fired from Iraq towards US military base in Syria
Kenyan president confirms military chief's death in plane crash
Tesla's new mega factory project in Shanghai to start construction
Links
- Feilding teacher underfed children, locked them in sleep room as punishment
- Chinese troops deployed in 'significant numbers' amid border tensions with India
- Wellington youth public transport fares to rise after government cuts funding
- US, Canada, Indigenous Groups Have Proposal to Address Cross
- Hong Kong: Trump says USA to revoke special status over China treaty 'violation'
- Roberto Cavalli: Italian fashion designer dies aged 83
- US, Canada, Indigenous Groups Have Proposal to Address Cross
- Donald Trump disqualified from Maine ballot in US presidential primary
- Weather expected to worsen in NSW, Queensland
- Planes collide at Heathrow, no one hurt