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A New Encounter

MACHIDERA, Ayaka (Ishikawa National College of Technology)

Koreyakono ikumo kaerumo wakareteha shirumo shiranumo Ausakano seki.

I like this poem best among Hyakunin Isshu. Hyakunin Isshu is a classical Japanese anthology of one hundred Japanese poems by one hundred poets. This poem means that people who know each other, and people who do not, encounter and part at Ausaka. The expression “Ausaka” has a double meaning. On one hand, “Ausaka” is a name of a place. On the other hand, “Au” in Japanese means “to encounter”, and “Saka” is a slope. The phrase “Au-saka” expresses an encounter on the slope. “Ausaka” and “Au-saka” sound very similar. All the poems have a very deep meaning. Every encounter with people or things, is a treasure in life. What I am going to talk about is one of my encounters.

Do you know what Kyogi Karuta is? Wearing a Hakama or Kimono, sitting straight on Tatami mats, and facing an opponent, a player stares at the playing cards. You may imagine that Karuta is a graceful and cultural game, but it isn't. Kyogi Karuta is like a sport — a hotly-contested game. As soon as the first letter of a poem is said, the player starts looking for the matching card. When she finds it, she slaps it with lightning speed. Therefore, the players have to build explosive muscle power. Some of the better teams do weight training. In addition, since all of the 50 cards set out on the Tatami mats must be memorized, it also needs brain power! After one game I get all sweaty, my hair is in a mess and my head is swimming. I want to rest, but in 10 minutes, the game starts again. The whole game lasts 90 minutes. Though I played table tennis at junior high school, to be honest, Kyogi Karuta is harder. But despite all the challenges, I can't give up playing Kyogi Karuta, because I like the tense atmosphere and I feel happy when I succeed in taking a card.

The comic book Chihayafuru first allowed me to encounter Kyogi Karuta. Since I loved the main character, I bought all the volumes. Since men and women of all ages can participate in the game Kyogi Karuta, I was able to meet many people. As shown in this comic book, when I go to tournaments throughout Japan, I can watch the game played by people who then become my role models. Because I am still at a lower level, I am impressed when I watch a game at a higher level. Good players strain their ears to catch any sound. Young people are not always better even though they are physically stronger than older people. I'm sure that's because all of the experiences in their lives make them very skillful and powerful. Not only technique, but also a strong mind and body are indispensable for Kyogi Karuta. These skills cannot be learned at school. Having encountered Kyogi Karuta and other players, I can now appreciate the ancient culture and the poems. Kyogi Karuta is a good way to develop a strong mind and body.

The last topic I'd like to talk about is an encounter with my “new” self. I'm trying to learn a new skill which goes in a different direction from what I am doing now. I want to become a reciter. All the players in the competition try to take a card at the same time when a reciter starts chanting the poem. Each reciter has an individual style. Their rhythms, intervals, tones, and volumes have a big influence on the game. As a player, I have sometimes had difficulty hearing the reciter. I always think, “I can do better.” So I have started to practice chanting Hyakunin Isshu. When we cannot find a reciter, we cannot play Kyogi Karuta. If somebody here today ever plays Kyogi Karuta when I am a reciter, I would be happy.

From playing Kyogi Karuta, I gained communication skills, a positive attitude, and strength to tackle new things. I want to say thank you to Kyogi Karuta for giving me these various encounters, and I hope to have many more encounters in the future. If after listening to my speech you want to try Kyogi Karuta, let's play together at a national conference. But it'll be difficult to beat me. I won't go easy on you.