Fortune

Katsuhiko Sugihara

Film Critic, Associate Professor at Mejiro University Faculty of Media Studies, 1987 Letters

If I had to choose one unforgettable French film director, it would be none other than Agnès Varda. I believe I had the opportunity to speak with her three times. More than the content of her stories, it is her mannerisms that remain etched in my memory. Her frank, outspoken way of talking, of course, but more so her code of conduct... that is what one should emulate.

Among her works is "Le Bonheur" (Happiness) (1965). It depicts a family that seems the very picture of happiness. In the midst of this, the husband finds a mistress. The wife accepts the existence of the mistress, but is then blindsided by a sudden conclusion...

"I am also on the side of those who look"—these are words Agnès Varda left in a certain film. Words spoken proudly against a world that follows male principles. If the side that looks changes, the world should look different. But at the same time, she questions how we look. At one point in "Le Bonheur," the image repeats for just a brief moment. That moment, which looks like a mechanical error, remains as a scab (kahi). As if it continues to seek those who see it and those who feel it.

Takatomi Sasaki

President and Representative Director of Otafuku Sauce Co., Ltd., 1992 Commerce

"It would be nice if we could sell happiness"—In 1922, the founder and his wife established "Sasaki Shoten" in Yokogawa-cho, Hiroshima City, to wholesale soy sauce and retail sake, wishing not just to sell products, but to make people happy through experiences provided by those products. In 1938, they began producing brewed vinegar and named the brand "Otafuku Su." The name was an inspiration, embodying the wish for a smiling face that represents beauty of the heart.

In 1945, the factory was completely destroyed by the atomic bombing. The following year, they resumed vinegar brewing, and Okonomi Sauce was born in 1952. At the time, Worcestershire sauce was used for okonomiyaki, but after hearing from shop owners that the sauce would run off or was too spicy, they developed a thickened sauce that suited okonomiyaki. The attitude of thinking and acting on what brings happiness to customers remains unchanged today.

In 1952, Otafuku Zousu Co., Ltd. was established. Later, the sauce became more popular, and the company name was changed to Otafuku Sauce Co., Ltd. in 1975. Today, as the core of the Otafuku Group with seven production bases in Japan and overseas, the company continues its journey with the mission of delivering the small happiness of gathering around the dining table to the entire world.

Hosho Nishibu

Chief Priest of Yagoto-san Kosho-ji Temple, 2015 Letters (Correspondence)

Events such as the "Setsubun Festival" and "Bean-Throwing" are held grandly at temples and shrines across the country. At Kosho-ji in Nagoya, where I serve as the chief priest, we also hold the "Setsubun Yakuyoke Kito-e" (Exorcism Prayer Service).

Now, when it comes to what Setsubun actually is, it gets a bit complicated. One might think it is a term on the calendar, but that does not seem to be the case; on the calendar, it is listed as the day before Risshun (the first day of spring). In other words, Setsubun is a word based on Risshun and does not seem to be a formal calendar term itself.

In the "Nihon Ryoiki" (Record of Miraculous Events in Japan), there is a story of an ogre messenger sent to this world by order of King Enma. On the day of Setsubun, the ogre was treated to dumplings hung on holly at the entrance of a house he visited. Feeling humbled, the ogre could not bring himself to take the master of the house to the afterlife and left with a word of thanks, but instead took a person with the same name from the neighboring village to King Enma. The tales of the Ryoiki continue in this manner.

It is thought that "Setsubun" came to be used to refer to the day before Risshun after the adoption of the Gregorian calendar. Regardless, the fact that Setsubun has become so popular throughout Japan is perhaps the fruit of the efforts of temples and shrines in various regions. Please do visit temples and shrines in various places during Setsubun.

Toru Hirai

Part-time Lecturer at Keio University, 1997 Master of Letters, 2001 Doctor of Letters

About 2,200 years ago, during the transition from the Jomon to the Yayoi period, the legend of Xu Fu (also written as Jofutsu), who is said to have come to Japan by order of Qin Shi Huang, has stirred the imagination of many people since ancient times, along with the legend of Yamatai-koku.

Xu Fu's birthplace, the land of Qi (the area of the Shandong Peninsula), faced the sea and was a den of sorcerers who had mastered the arts of the divine immortals at that time. For the First Emperor, whose lifelong wish was eternal youth and immortality, the sea he saw for the first time must have been a terrifying sight that evoked images of death. Xu Fu appeared at just the right time, set sail saying he would find the three divine mountains of Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou to obtain the elixir of life, disappeared into the distance, and never returned.

The legend of Xu Fu's eastward journey is widely distributed across 200 locations from Aomori to Kagoshima, and in Shingu, Wakayama, graves and monuments built during the Edo period still exist. "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter" features the "Jeweled Branch of Penglai," and Xu Fu's name appears in "The Diary of Lady Murasaki." In related areas, as part of town revitalization efforts, research groups and museums have been established, and since the turn of this century, films, restaurants, and even Japanese sweets bearing Xu Fu's name have been created. The romance of ancient times is still alive and well today.