タイトル：

味噌すり小僧 (misosuri kozō)
miso-grinding young priest

=====================

味噌すり小僧（もしくはお化け）がテーマの独楽である。廣井先生によると群馬県または栃木県発祥の話で、味噌汁に使う味噌をすっていた片目、片脚の小坊主がいたのだという。この小坊主の話が後々一つ目、一本足のお化けの素になった。この独楽は一つ目小僧で、下の部分はすり鉢になっている。独楽が回ると、すり鉢ですり潰すような動きをする。

***

***

廣井道顕:　あぁ、あぁ。これは、ね。

廣井夫人：味噌すり。

廣井：味噌すり坊…小僧って。昔からあのう、味噌すり坊主という、いたんだよね。あのう、味噌を…

夫人：するやつ。

廣井：あのう、すり鉢でこう、すって…で、それを味噌汁だの、料理に使ってたんですけど。その時の味噌すり坊…小僧か…

夫人：坊主の格好を使った。

廣井：これはねあのう…　一つ目小僧っていう、また別に品物あるんですけど。うん、最初架空のものかなと思ってたって、実在の人、こういう恰好した人がいて、それがモデルで、一つ目小僧ができたんだって。で、あとから判ったんですけど。群馬だか、栃木にね、お寺で働いてた人なんだって。であのう、看板が出てるのね。一つ目小僧の、一本足で。であの片足、何か事故か何かで失くして、んで、やっぱり目が片っぽ、何か事故か何かにやられたんだね、目、片っぽ目が潰れていて。でお寺で仕事している人が。それがモデルみたいなのね。でこれは味噌すり坊主っていう、今で言えばゴマをするのと同じ意味なのな。あっ、と言っても分らないね。（laughs）要するに、何と説明したらいいんだ…

夫人：ちょうど味噌すってるように回るんだ。これがね、中で。

Title:

舌切り崔のおばあさん (shita kiri suzume no obaasan)
“the old woman who cut the sparrow’s tongue“

=====================

This top depicts the legend of “the old woman who cut the sparrow’s tongue” or “Tongue-cut Sparrow.” Although Hiroi-sensei’s description focuses on the old woman, the typical version of the tale includes both the woman and her husband. The old man, a woodcutter, was a kind and honest person, whereas his wife was arrogant and greedy. One day, the old man found an injured sparrow in the mountains while he worked, and brought it home to care for it. His wife was angry he would waste food on the bird. He continued to care for the sparrow. One day, the old man left it in the care of his wife while he went away for work. Without feeding it, she left the house to go fishing, and when she returned, found that it had eaten all of their starch while she was gone. Furious, she cut the bird’s tongue and sent it back into the wild.

When the old man returned to find the sparrow was gone, he went into the mountains, and with the help of other sparrows, found his friend. All of the sparrows celebrated by singing and dancing for him and brought him food. When he left, they offered him a large basket or a small basket to take with him, and the old man, being kind and practical, took the small basket that would be easy to carry. When he got home, he opened the basket to find it was full of a great amount of treasure. Seeing this treasure, the greedy old woman went back to the mountain to find the sparrow’s home, and demanded the large basket. She was instructed not to open it before she got home, but was too tempted by the treasure. When she opened it on the road, poisonous snakes and monsters popped out, and she was so startled she fell down and tumbled all the way down the mountain.

***

***

Hiroi Michiaki: This here, of course this is the old story of the sparrow with the cut tongue… This obake is… Ah. He’s hidden in here.

Mrs. Hiroi: Yeah.

Hiroi: I think there are three. Umm, the sparrow with the cut tongue is…

Mrs. Hiroi: There’s the old lady.

Hiroi: An old lady, um. She took some starch… In the past, you took things like cloth and put starch on it and stretched it out so that it didn’t get wrinkled. Because in the past there weren’t irons, you know. And because the sparrow ate all the starch on the stretched out wrinkled parts, this old woman cut out his tongue [as punishment], the sparrow’s tongue. Despite this, the sparrows invited the old woman to their home. And the woman who cut the sparrow’s tongue, umm, she neglected it, [but] it was in her debt, so when she went home, the [sparrows] said they’d give her a gift, and asked, “Which do you want, a large wicker basket or a small wicker basket?” and she was greedy, so she took the big one. And when she put the basket on her back and went [home], on the road obake (spirits/monsters) came out of it. The old woman was scared out of her wits and very disoriented. If you spin this, it rattles like this, and the obake spin around like this. And the old lady is terrified and looks like this. This is the tale of the sparrow with the cut tongue.

タイトル：

舌切り崔のおばあさん (shita kiri suzume no obaasan)
“the old woman who cut the sparrow’s tongue“

=====================

『舌切り雀のおばあさん』または『舌切り雀』のお話が題材の独楽である。廣井先生の説明では、おばあさんに関することが主であったが、典型的なストーリーでは、おばあさんとその夫の両方が登場する。木こりのおじいさんは、優しく正直な人柄であるのに対して、妻のおばあさんは横暴で欲深い。ある日、おじいさんが山で仕事をしている際に傷ついた雀を見つけ、手当てをしてやるために家へと連れて帰る。おばあさんは雀のために食べ物を無駄にすると腹を立てた。それでもおじいさんは雀を介抱してやった。ある時、おじいさんは仕事のため、雀をおばあさんに預けて出かけた。エサをやらずに魚釣りに出かけた おばあさんが家に戻ると、雀が糊をすべて食べてしまっていた。怒った おばあさんは雀の舌を切り家から追い出した。

仕事から戻り雀がいなくなっていることを知ると、おじいさんは山へ入って行った、そして他の雀たちの助けを借り、可愛がっていた雀を探し出す。雀たちはご馳走をふるまい、歌や踊りでお じいさんを歓迎した。おじいさんが帰る際に、お土産に大きなつづらか小さなつづら、どちらか選んで持って行くように雀たちに言われた。優しい おじいさんは運び易さも考えて、小さなつづらを持って帰ることにした。家に着いて、つづらを開けてみると中にはたくさんの宝物が詰まっていた。それを見た欲深いおばあさんは山に戻り、雀のお宿を探し出すと、大きなつづらをよこすよう言った。家に着く前につづらを開けてはいけないと言われていたが、宝が見たくて仕方がなかった。道中でつづらを開けてしまうと、中から飛び出してきたのは毒蛇やお化けだったので、おばあさんはビックリしてひっくり返り、山から転げ落ちてしまった。

***

***

廣井道顕:　これがねやっぱり昔話の舌切り雀の…あれこのお化け、あぁ、こっちに隠れてっか。

廣井夫人：　うん。

廣井：三つあるはずなんだよな。あのう、舌切り雀が…

夫人：おばあさん。

廣井：おばあさんが、あのう、糊を、昔は、反物なんかを糊をつけてこうピンと張って、こうなんていうの、しわにならないように。昔アイロンつうのないからね。それでこう、しわ伸ばしてたところに、その糊を雀が食べたために、あの、このおばあさんが舌を切ってしまったのね、雀の。で、ところがその…雀たちがこの、逆におばあさんを雀のお宿へ招待するわけ。ほんで、あのう雀の舌を切れたのは、あのう、ほうっておいて、色々お世話になりましたから、帰りにお土産をあげますって言って、大きな葛篭（つづら）と小さな葛篭、どっちがいいがいいですかって、言ったら、その、欲張りだから、大きいの、もらって、それで、しょって行ったら途中でこのお化けが出てきて。で、おばあさんが腰をぬかして、大慌た、慌てして。こう回すと、これがこうガタガタガタガタってなってね、お化けがこう、こういう風に回るんだよね。で、おばあさんが腰ぬかしてこんなになってるように見えるのね。で、昔話の舌切り雀で。

Title:

竹にすずめ (take ni suzume)
“sparrow in bamboo”

=====================

This top depicts a sparrow and bamboo stalk. According to Hiroi-sensei, sparrows are said to make their homes in bamboo groves.

***

***

Hiroi Michiaki: This is… ah. This is also a sparrow in the bamboo. This is the sparrow and this is the bamboo. When you wrap the string around this part it spins about.

タイトル:

竹にすずめ (take ni suzume)
“sparrow in bamboo”

=====================

竹に雀を表現した独楽である。廣井先生のお話では、雀はよく竹林に巣を作ると言われている。

***

***

廣井道顕:　これが…あぁ。これも竹に雀だ。これが雀でこれ竹ね。で、これ糸巻いて回すとフラフラ回る。

Title:

つるかめと女男茶わん(tsurukame to meoto chawan)
“crane and turtle his and hers teacups”

=====================

This set of tops is “his and hers” teacups, meant as a good omen for spousal relations. The design features flowers and butterflies on the outside and images of cranes and turtles on the inside, both symbols of longevity. Small tops are hidden inside the cups. In one cup, there is a pair of tops representing okame and hyottoko, male and female characters of Japanese lore. Their plain features are meant to reflect good luck for everyday people in spousal relations.

**okame and hyottoko are popular themes for masks in Japan, often seen in traditional kyogen or dengaku performances and festivals. Okame is an plain-faced woman, and hyottoko an ordinary man, often featured with his lips puckered to the side and eyes different sizes.

***

***

Hiroi Michiaki: This one is…

Mrs. Hiroi: There are tops hidden in the teacups.

Hiroi: This, um…

Mrs. Hiroi: It’s a good relationship.

Hiroi: They’re “his and hers” teacups, and cranes and turtles, is it? The lid here becomes a top, and here the cranes and turtles, which are good omens in Japan for, err, what is it- symbols of longevity? A crane is a thousand years, and a turtle ten thousand. They’re an auspicious combination for longevity.  And here is… this is probably okame and hyottoko.** (see above)

Mrs. Hiroi: Yeah.

Hiroi: Yeah, it’s okame and hyottoko.

Mrs. Hiroi: Hyottoko goes in one of the cups.

Hiroi: Mmm. It’s here [in the picture] but you can’t see the face, so. It’s okame and hyottoko. This is for good spousal relations so it’s okame and hyottoko. They’re not necessarily very handsome-looking.

Title:

お酒のみホテイ (osakenomi hotei)
“sake-drinking Hotei (god of luck)”

=====================

This top depicts Hotei, one of the Seven Lucky Gods from Chinese folklore. In the West, he is known as the Laughing Buddha, and is often depicted as a cheerful fat bald man. Often shown entertaining others, here he is depicted drunk. The base in which the top is spun is shaped like a sake cup, and when the Hotei top finishes spinning, it looks like he has drunkenly fallen over.

***

***

Hiroi Michiaki: Ah. This is the drunken Hotei (god of luck).

Mrs. Hiroi: Yeah.

Everyone: (laughs)

Mrs. Hiroi: The drunken Hotei is intoxicated.

Hiroi: This is the god of luck Hotei from the Seven Lucky Gods. He’s drunk, and if you spin him, he staggers about inside of a sake cup. And in the end he flops and falls over.

タイトル:

お酒のみホテイ (osakenomi hotei)
“sake-drinking Hotei (god of luck)”

=====================

この独楽は中国の七福神の一人、布袋を模した独楽である。布袋は西洋では笑い仏として知られており、朗らかで太っている禿げ頭の男として頻繁に表現される。よく人をもてなしている姿で表現されるが、ここでは酔っぱらっている姿である。独楽を回す台となる部分はさかずきの形になっており、独楽が回り終わるときに、布袋が酔っぱらって倒れこんでしまったかのように見える。

***

***

廣井道顕:：あぁ。これは酔っ払い布袋か。

廣井夫人：そう。

みな：(laughs)

夫人：酔っ払い布袋さんが酔っ払っている。

廣井:：これは七福神の中の、あの布袋さんっていう福の神なんですけど。それが酔っ払って、あの、さかずきの中で、回すとこうフラフラフラフラしてね。最後にこうなるとドテッて倒れる。

Title:

すね犬 (sune inu)
“sulking dog”

=====================

This top depicts a sulking dog. The dog is sulking because he is bearing the burdens of the world, represented by the paintings on the underside of the top. Though they are not pictured here, the images are of tengu** and okame**, which likely have reproductive or sexual connotations. The head and tail of the dog can be removed and combined to form a top.

**Tengu are creatures from Japanese folklore that are considered a kind of kami (god/spirit) or yōkai (supernatural being). Often said to be troublesome, their long noses symbolize sexuality and fertility.

**okame is a popular theme for masks in Japan, often seen in traditional kyogen or dengaku performances and festivals. Okame is an plain-faced woman, featured together here with the tengu probably as symbols of reproduction.

***

***

Hiroi Michiaki: Hmm.

Mrs. Hiroi: That’s a puppy.

Janell Landis: Hehehe.

Hiroi: This one is difficult to explain, isn’t it?

Mrs. Hiroi: Mm… Because the bottom, on the bottom there’s also a painting.

Hiroi: How should I explain this. Umm…. how to explain it… Anyway, when you remove this–

Mrs. Hiroi: Yeah, you can take all of it apart.

Hiroi: The head and this part become a top.

Mrs. Hiroi: The head.

Hiroi: And here, on the bottom, there’s a painting. A tengu and okame** are painted… Ahh…. and, in other words the worries of the world are expressed here. And the sulking dog is thoroughly troubled.

**okame is a popular theme for masks in Japan, often seen in traditional kyogen or dengaku performances and festivals. Okame is an plain-faced woman, featured together here with the tengu probably as symbols of reproduction.

Mrs. Hiroi: Yeah.

Hiroi: He’s very worried.

Janell Landis: (laughs)

Hiroi: And in the case of Japan, this kind of thing is a good omen. Umm… for the prosperity of your family, for example. Lots of things. It’s a very good omen. Explaining it is a little… yeah, it’s a little hard. (laughs) In other words it’s a top that expresses the suffering of the world..