Since the end of the Heian period, the Yamashina family has inherited the "Yamashina School of Emondo," a family profession in Kyoto that is responsible for the tailoring and wearing of court attire for the nobility. Tokichika Yamashina, the young head of the family, who is in his 30th generation since the founder, will unravel the occasional events that have taken place at the Imperial Court and in the society of the nobility, as well as the culture that has been handed down through the ages, along with costumes and ancient documents remaining in the Yamashina family.

Cultural roles such as waka poetry, kemari, and gagaku were passed down on a family-by-family basis as "kasoku."

The Yamashina family, to which I was born, has a long history dating back to the late Heian period as one of the noble families serving the Imperial Court. It can be said that the noble family served closely with the emperors of each era and continued to observe history from a fixed point in Kyoto while dealing with the ever-changing military governments.

After the Meiji period, some of the noble families, including our own, chose to look after the Kyoto Imperial Palace rather than moving to Tokyo. The noble families have many different roles, but I think one important thing is that they inherited cultural roles, known as kasoku, on a family-by-family basis and took on these roles professionally.

The family occupation of ours is dressing and tutoring (clothing), and I am the 30th generation of such a family. The other noble families served the Imperial Court by training as the heads of their respective schools of waka poetry, kemari, gagaku, etc., while also taking on disciples. In this respect, we are quite different from the way aristocrats were in other countries.

In recent years, as environmental issues have become a hot topic around the world, the idea of ​​managing things from a long-term perspective is being advocated, asking whether we, modern people, can be good ancestors in the eyes of future generations. The noble families have had a very long lifespan on a global scale. I have begun to think that their existence may provide some insight into how they have maintained and passed on their culture and families over their unbroken history.

From now on, I will be writing about various events and happenings that have taken place at the Imperial Court every month, as well as about matters related to the culture of the nobility, along with my thoughts on them. I will also be introducing photographs of costumes and ancient documents that have been preserved and passed down in our family.

Diaries written by successive heads of the Yamashina family for over 500 years

Well, when talking about the history of our family, the first thing we need to mention is the diaries written by the successive heads of the family. Diaries from successive generations, from the Muromachi period to the early Meiji period, have been preserved for over 500 years. In addition, diaries from the early Edo period have been printed and published, so thankfully we can follow in the footsteps of our ancestors relatively easily.

It was not unusual for nobles to write diaries; it was almost a daily routine, but it seems unusual for so many handwritten diaries to have been handed down from previous generations, as in our family. These records were kept as family heirlooms for future generations to refer to. In times of war, there were even incidents where records were intentionally burned to cause damage to the nobles' homes, which shows how important the legitimacy of records was to the nobles.

The fact that a 1000-year-old aristocrat's diary still exists is one of the world's most amazing things.

By the way, the historical drama "To You, Shining" that was a hot topic last year attracted attention as a work that depicted the real situation of the Heian dynasty, which was not seen in the past, with Murasaki Shikibu and Fujiwara no Michinaga, who lived about 1,000 years ago, as its main characters. If you think about it, it is amazing that Murasaki Shikibu Diary and Mido Kanpakuki, written by Murasaki Shikibu and Fujiwara no Michinaga, can still be read today.

Even if a famous historical figure is featured, it is extremely rare that so many diaries written by the protagonist and those around him remain. In the sense that it is possible to piece together a story based on the personalities and historical facts that emerge from the records, the Heian period, a rather distant time period, may have a resolution that is not possible in other time periods.

An incident that occurred on a spring day, recorded in the diary of the 13th head of the Yamashina family during the Sengoku period.

In this series, I will occasionally look at my ancestors' diaries and get a glimpse of what things were like in the past.

The diary does not only cover matters at the Imperial Court, but also includes trivial matters of daily life. As this article is being read in February of the lunar calendar (March of the Gregorian calendar), we would like to introduce below an excerpt from an article written in February from the diary of the 13th head of our family, Tokitsugu (1507-1579), during the Warring States period, "Tokitsugu-kyo-ki" (Important Cultural Property).

Entry for February 2, 1569 (Eiroku 12)

``Three cuts of self-prohibited whales, communion, obscene, and Taojiji, etc.''

I received three pieces of whale meat from the Imperial Court. It was a great blessing, but on my way home, a black kite stole one of them.

"There is no doubt that a whale was a valuable animal at the time, but the book also frankly records the whale being kidnapped by a black kite. Even now, I can't help but think of black kites attacking people eating at the Kamo River, and it makes me think that this is a common occurrence in the world. I think that even though this is a record of a person from long ago, it feels quite familiar to you.

On the same day, he records that he went to Yoshida, Higashiyama with Kamiizumi Nobutsuna (written as Ogo Musashinokami in the diary), who is said to be the founder of the Yagyu Shinkage-ryu school of swordsmanship, and that stones were transported and stacked from various places in preparation for the construction of Nijo Castle by Ashikaga Yoshiaki, the last shogun of the Muromachi shogunate.

In this way, by following a day in the life of a nobleman, we can learn about his interactions with various people and events that took place in the capital, transcending time and space. This was a period in Japanese history when nobles rarely took center stage, but by diligently leaving behind records like these, they have become fundamental sources for the writing of history.

Manners and etiquette are the thoughts of ancient people who were connected to nature

Changing the subject a little, I have been planning courses on court culture since 2018 due to a connection I have had the opportunity to do.

Looking back, the first lecture I ever took was about Tanabata and was held on July 20th of the lunar calendar (which at the time was around August XNUMXth of the Gregorian calendar).

While the event itself is widely known in modern Japanese society, I think many people have questions such as why people make wishes on this day, and why it takes place during the rainy season when the Milky Way is not visible.

By celebrating Tanabata according to the old calendar (solar-lunar calendar), we can see that the phases of the moon are deeply connected to the event. I myself looked up at the night sky after the lecture and was able to vividly realize that the half moon on the seventh day (waxing crescent moon) was likened to the boat that transported Orihime and Hikoboshi, who were separated by the Milky Way.

When I was able to vaguely understand the connection with this magnificent nature and how the feelings of the people entrusted to it were embodied in a single gesture or ritual, I felt breathed into what I had previously thought I understood only superficially, and what had been passed down in an empty form.

The core of Japanese culture is told through the numerous events and customs passed down from the Imperial Court to the samurai class and the general public.

This is only a small example, but there remain many events and customs that were originally passed down from the Imperial Court to the samurai and common people. I believe that looking at the events that the Emperor and the nobles in Kyoto have nurtured and passed down over many years allows us to reconsider the core of Japanese culture and trace its origins and essence.

However, the current Kyoto Imperial Palace no longer holds the annual events that were held up until the Edo period, and instead disseminates culture that originated in the Imperial Court, and there are not many opportunities to experience the real thing.

As descendants living in the present day, we cannot help but consciously ask ourselves how much of the culture that our ancestors have handed down to us that we are able to absorb.

While being aware of this, I believe that by introducing the costumes and ancient documents that have been preserved and passed down in our family, we can capture at least some of the culture that has been handed down by our ancestors and pass it on to the next generation.

We look forward to your continued support next month and beyond.