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Events | Kawatana | Kendo | Guitar Wolf | Curry

nagazasshi

RevealedHirado

nagazasshi

Editor-in-chiefAndrew Massey

EditorsRosie Fordham

Katy Squicciarini

Layout and DesignLaurel Williams

Contributors

www.nagazasshi.com

Volume 7 Issue 2September/October 2014

Cover photo:Hirado Castle

By Remco Vrolijk

Copy EditorDoug Bonham

FoundersAndrew Morris

Matthew Nelson

TreasurerKarl Po

W ell, we’re finally getting past those dog days of sum-mer. And while September

is certainly sultry in its own right, it’s reassuring to know that cooler days are on their way. A lot of people cite autumn as their favorite season in Japan, and for good reason. Deliverance from the humidity aside, there are plenty of little things to be glad about. The leaves begin to change color and give a distinguished look to the mountainous landscape. The air acquires a slightly smoky, almost savory scent. The incessant, roaring drone of the summer cicadas is replaced by the bubbly, playful chirping of the suzumushi. Japanese autumn is truly a sensory treat.

In this issue, you’ll find lots to fill your fall with. Our feature is on the Hirado autumn festivals (p. 10) and you can also find out about some lesser-known local attractions (p. 4). We’re continuing our martial arts series with an article on kendo (p. 8), and we’re starting a new se-ries on famous people from Nagasaki (p. 16). All this, plus our brand new popular media section (p. 6)!

Speaking of brand new, most of the former Nagazasshi staff members have now left Nagasaki. As the new Editor-in-Chief, I carry their torch with a talented new staff and strive to put forward a magazine that is worthy of your time.

Happy reading!

Andrew Massey,Editor-in-chief

Alex AguirreDoug Bonham

Amy GiffordAndrew MasseyChris McLeod

Shiori MeadowsJohnny TastepeNiel Thompson

Katy SquicciariniRemco Vrolijk

Assistant EditorNiel Thompson

Luis Zapata

ContentsEvents

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My Two YenCheck out some staff recs for dramas and anime

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Nagasaki Notables: Guitar Wolf’s Seiji

Our series continues with its fourth installmentJapanese Martial Arts: Kendo

Learn about this Nagasaki-born rockstar

10Historic Hirado, Fantastic FirandoUncover the history and beauty of Hirado

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7Discover what Kawatana has to offer explorers

The Peacocks & Ruins of Kawatana

19Kanji of the Month

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16Questing for CurryFind out where to go to satisfy those curry cravings

Photo credits(counter-clockwise):

Yoshitomi’sJohnny Tastepe

Kendo shinaiflickr.com/tokyonatural

Peacockflickr.com/fr0stnachtSeiji from Guitar Wolf

flickr.com/jer1

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Events

Event of the MonthSasebo Yosakoi Festival

Oct 24 - 26Sasebo

For the 17th year in a row, Sasebo will be hostingKyushu’s largest yosakoi dance festival. Over 150 teams will be dancing on stages all over the city

for a chance at winning the grand prize.If you ever needed a reason to

visit Sasebo, this is it.

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nagazasshi | September/October 2014 5

Scarecrow FestivalSeptember 23, HasamiA collection of hilarious scarecrows, many of them based on popular/infamous celeb-rities and figures from the news, are put up for display in Kawatana. There is also a JR Walking event around this time, so you can see the scarecrows, tour Hasami and get some discounted pottery, all in one go.

LGBT Exhibition: Rainbow Messages from the Hirado Dutch Trading PostSeptember 14 - October 31, HiradoFeatures a LGBT photo exhibition on sexual and gender diversity, plus Koji Ki-noshita’s latest photography project about people from the LGBT community titled “So Many Colors Photo Session.” There will also be other panels and short video frag-ments about the history and the current situation of the LGBT community in the Netherlands, USA, Taiwan and Japan.

Nagasaki KunchiOctober 7 - 9, NagasakiThis is one of Nagasaki’s largest festival, with people coming from all over the coun-try to check it out. There are food stalls, pa-rades, cultural performances, and a number of others festivities popping up all over the place. Make sure to grab your Kunchi map and see the sights.

Hirado Kunchi/Autumn FestivalOctober 24 - 27 (Kunchi)October 25 - 26 (Autumn), HiradoThe streets of Hirado come alive with these two back-to-back events. Festivities are similar to that of Nagasaki Kunchi, but with a unique vibe that could only come from Hirado. Surely not one to be missed!

10th Annual Chinatown Fall Lunar FestivalSeptember 5 - 9, NagasakiGreat food, one thousand lanterns, and everything moon-themed. Come experi-ence a taste of Nagasaki’s cultural past with this mid-autumn festival. Make sure to buy some dango and don’t forget to look up!

Nonnoko FestivalSeptember 19 - 21, IsahayaCome watch the Nonnoko Dance per-formed by around 6500 people parading through the streets of Isahaya! Truly a sight to be seen. The main event is on September 20th, but there will also be a small event the night before and more festivities on the 21st.

2014 Settlement FestivalSeptember 20 - 21, Nagasaki(Minamiyamate/Higashiyamate)Celebrate Nagasaki’s history of the foreign settlement around Glover Garden, Oura, and the surrounding area. There will be plenty of food, drink, and activities includ-ing a bazaar, bagpipe performances, dragon dance, and much more. The World Food Restaurant puts on a special menu (Indian vegetarian lunch on the 20th, food from Sri Lanka, Korea, France, Thailand and Para-guay on the 21st). They will also be holding a chess tournament from 10:00 - 17:00 on the 21st. 500 yen entry.

Doya Tanada FestivalSeptember 21, MatsuuraLiterally thousands of lanterns are set up along the ridges of the rice fields in Matsuura and are lit up in an enchantingly beautiful display. Lighting starts from 6pm.

5photo Luis Zapata

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Dramas

Hey guys! This is Katy with some drama recs! First, the Kimura Takuya vehicle Hero is coming back after ten years for its second season. Sporting a new female lead (Kitagawa Keiko), it is the story of

an ex-Yankee turned pros-ecutor who focuses on

the human aspect of each case, slowly trans-forming the lives of his

more business-oriented coworkers.

Next, the family drama All About My Siblings or Wakamonotachi is being produced to celebrate the 55th anniversary of Fuji TV, and the cast features today’s most popular film stars. Satoshi Tsumabuki, Eita, Hikari Mitsushima, Aoi Yu, and others come together in a slice of life drama about five siblings and their loved ones. Expect both laughter and tears as the family learns how to get along with one another.

September/October 2014 | nagazasshi

Wondering what’s hot in Japanese pop culture? The Naga-zasshi staff is here to give you some media recommendations!

My Two Yen...

Anime

Niel here. My anime recommendations for this issue are two classic shows that were recently rebooted for a new generation.

Dragonball Z (DBZ) was an immensely popular action cartoon in both Japan and America. Dragonball Kai (2009) is a kind of director’s cut, with over 100 or so episodes of filler removed. If you ever wanted to get into or re-watch DBZ but found the over 300 episode count

to be too daunting, then you might be interested in Kai.

Sailor Moon was another similarly popular action show. A new version, called Sailor Moon Crystal, began airing this year to commemorate the series’ 20th anniversary. This shorter and more accessible version has completely new animation and all new voice actors. That said, Kotono Mit-suishi is reprising her role as the protagonist, Usagi.

Image Credits: Hero Fuij Television Network, Inc., Wakamonotachi Fuij Television Network, Inc., Dragonball Kai Akira Toriyama and Toei Animation Co., Ltd., Sailor Moon Crystal Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation Co., Ltd.

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Kawatana, a little town nestled in between Sasebo and Omura, is best known as the home of

one of the most unique attractions in Nagasaki: a peacock park. Boasting a sizable stock of peacocks since the 1960s when an Indian ambas-sador gifted them to Japan, the peacock park has only grown in the decades following. It now hosts over forty peacocks which continue to awe the public.

However, if you’re looking for something less touristy, I would recommend the Kawatana ruins. Although a bit smaller, it is more accessible than Gunkanjima and offers a similar experience. When driving through Kawatana, turn down the small road marked by a “chicken sign” that

shouldn’t be too hard to spot. The road is innocuous, and you will pass by pictur-esque countryside houses and an inter-estingly placed sausage factory. Continue

on to a pier which will eventually lead you to the striking ruins.

Once used as a school for Japanese suicide submarine torpedoes during WWII, the buildings have long since been abandoned and left to nature. One building, acces-sible only by boat or swim-ming, stands alone in the

water. In another, you can find a tree growing proudly in the

center of a room, lending an air of melancholy and magic to this long

forgotten building. If you are a fan of his-tory, beautiful scenery, or photography, this place should not be missed!

Photo Credits: Kawatana ruins photos Doug Bonham, Peacock feather close-up flickr.com/58754750@N08

Katy Squicciarini lets us in on some cool sights in Kawatana.

The Peacocks& Ruinsof Kawatana

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The word Kendo, or “The Way of the Sword,” probably conjures up im-ages of armored samurai in battle

or sandal-clad ronin clashing swords in a moonlit bamboo grove. This perception of samurai, katana, and Japanese sword fighting techniques has been heavily in-fluenced by ancient legends spread by samurai themselves, and by media from Kurosawa films to anime, manga, and video games. Natu-rally, modern kendo is much more grounded in reality, though the old philosophies still persist alongside modern sporting conventions.

Kendo traces its roots to kenjutsu tech-niques developed on the battlefield. The

kata performed to this day are modified from practices intended for warriors. The bamboo sword (shinai) and armor (bougu) were introduced by Naganuma Shirōzaemon Kunisato during the Shotoku Era (1711–1715). Modern Kendo is organ-

ized primarily by the All Japan Kendo Federation, which was formed in 1952 after the ban on martial arts was lifted by post-WWII occupying forces.

For those looking to take up the sword today, it may be best to forget everything you think you know about sword fighting. Practice can generally be divided into 3 categories: kihon (funda-mentals), kata (the previously mentioned combat practices), and jigeiko (sparring

Samurai-in-training Chris McLeod gives us the low-down on Kendo.

Form, stance, and fol-low through, in other words the way you strike your opponent, are far more important than where you actually hit them.

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losing official matches. I haven’t won a sin-gle match yet, but my sensei all tell me I’m doing fine because it’s more important to focus on self-improvement. In fact, kendo starts from losing. Practicing with more ex-perienced people shows us our own short comings and areas for improvement as well as reminding the more experienced that we were all weak once, and we continue training in recognition of that weakness. That idea applies to a lot of areas in life, but nothing drives the point home quite like getting repeatedly and easily struck over the head with a bamboo sword.

matches). In Kendo matches, points can only be scored by striking the head (men), right wrist (kote), or either side of the torso (dou). However, form, stance, and follow through, in other words the way you strike your opponent, are far more important than where you actually hit them. All of these elements come into play during kihon practice, particularly when doing kiri-kaeshi, an exercise performed at the be-ginning of every practice. Sword strikes are performed from the left hand, with the left shoulder responsible for raising and lower-ing the shinai. The wrists are used to flick the shinai forward at the end of the strike, and the right hand is mostly used to guide and stabilize the shinai. During jigeiko, the goal is to read your opponent’s intentions and react using all of the elements learned during kihon practice.

The ranking system in kendo differs somewhat from other martial arts in that there are no belts or outward in-dicators of a kendo practitioner’s rank. After obtaining 1st kyu, practitioners are ranked from Shodan (1st dan) to Hachidan (8th dan). Shodan can be ob-tained starting from age 13, and years of practice are required in incremen-tally increasing intervals before moving up to the next rank (Shodan followed by 1 year of practice, Nidan followed by 2 years of practice, etc.).

After practicing for almost two years and achieving Shodan rank, I feel pretty comfortable saying that kendo is as much a life-long project as it is a competitive sport. One of the most important things my sensei taught me is that kendo isn’t about winning or

Check back next issue for a peek into adifferent Japanese marital art.

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The island currently known as Hirado has had many names in the past. Various theories speculate about

its origin, but it most likely came from the range of pointy mountains that were important landmarks on ancient sea faring routes. Some of the oldest archeological discoveries on mainland Japan are from this area, which suggests that since the days of old, this was the entry point to the Japanese archipelago for people crossing over from China or the Korean Peninsula.

Hirado was used as the last port of call for the Japanese missions to China from the 8th to 12th century. People like Kukai (aka

Kobo Daishi, father of Japanese culture) left from the now barren beaches in the north only to return later with new schools of Buddhist thought. The first esoteric ritu-als of Zen Buddhism were held here and the first tea plants used specifically for tea brewing were planted here.

In 1550, Chinese traders brought the Portuguese to the castle town since the largest Chinese maritime trading and pirate network at the time was based in Hirado. The Portuguese called it Firando and they set up the first base for trade with Europe in Japan. They didn’t just bring goods from far away places but also Christianity, which

September/October 2014 | nagazasshi

Remco Vrolijk gives readersan in-depth guide on the historical sights of Hirado and why autumn is truly the best time to visit.

Historic Hirado, Fantastic Firando!

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photos Remco Vrolijk

silver was mined in Japan at the time and most of it was shipped through this little castle town. The free international trade

in Hirado was not to last, as operations were eventually moved in 1641 to Nagasaki’s De-jima, a well controlled man-made island which was originally constructed for the Por-tuguese.

Today, many remnants of Hirado’s rich history can still be seen and in fact autumn, with its clear skies, is an optimal time to

quickly caught on. After a few trading dis-putes the Portuguese moved further south to Nagasaki but in 1609 the Dutch set up a trading post in Firando, with the English follow-ing suit in 1613.

Combined with the Chi-nese and Korean trad-ers, it became a truly international trading port. Many Japanese such as ronin (master-less samurai) were employed by the Dutch and English trading companies and left for South East Asia. One third of the world’s

This was the entry point to the Japanese archipelago for peo-ple crossing over from China or the Korean Peninsula.

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Historic Hirado, Fantastic Firando!

visit this area of Nagasaki. A good place to start exploring Hirado would of course be the little castle town itself.

Hirado Castle is a concrete reconstruc-tion with only a few original parts remaining, but it houses one of Japan’s oldest swords and provides great views over the town and the Hirado straight. In the castle park you’ll find Kameoka Shrine where Hirado’s principal deities are enshrined. Every year, the Hirado Okunchi festival starts here with a parade and features Kagura dances, which last for almost the entirety of the following day.

The town itself is home to the beautiful Matsura Historical Museum, the old headquarters of the Matsura family who had ruled over the Hirado Domain (which included Sasebo) since ancient times. As it is one of the oldest trace-able family lines in Japan, the museum houses a very concise and valuable col-lection of both Japanese and Western items. It is also the oldest museum in the Prefecture.

At the entrance of the harbor you can find a careful reconstruction of Japan’s first full-fledged Western style building, originally built in 1639. The museum tells more of the history of international trade.

On the other side of town with its red pagoda sits Saikyo-ji temple, the sight of Kukai’s first esoteric Buddhist fire ritual. From here you can follow the lovely Olle walking trail all the way up

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to Kawachi Pass. Whether you walk or drive, the wide hilly grasslands have 360 degree views over the northern part of Hirado and on a very clear autumn day, it is possible to see all the way to Iki and even Tsushima.

A visit to Hirado would not be com-plete without a nice trip to the beach. Neshiko village, right in the middle of Hirado Island, has a beautiful bay with a series of great beaches. This area, together with Ikitsuki Island, was the most Christian area in Hirado and after the prohibition of Christi-anity, many people were martyred here. Those sights became sacred for the Hidden Christians who formed a hybrid religion while trying to conceal their faith. The scenic area between Neshiko and Ikitsuki Island is now a protected cultural landscape and is the only one on the list of sights for Naga-saki’s UNESCO World Heritage bid.

If you have any more time to spend in Hirado, go for a drive along Sunset Road in Ikitsuki, climb sacred Mount Shijiki for magnificent views, or take the ferry to Oshima island where you can slip back in time 150 years while visiting the beautifully preserved Kon-oura village. Since autumn is the best season for sunsets don’t forget to go to Tainohana Park to finish the day with a spectacular sight of the sun setting over Hirado and the Goto islands in the distance!

For more information visit: www.city.hirado.nagasaki.jp/english8

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This “disclaimer,” which can be read on the labels placed half-jokingly over new copies of their

1999 album Jet Generation, says every-thing you need to know about Japanese power trio Guitar Wolf. If their lo-fi, heavily distorted, garage punk sound doesn’t leave your speakers buzzing, you’re clearly not playing it loud enough.

This is a band that took Spinal Tap’s advice to heart and always makes sure to crank it to eleven. Proudly claiming the title of “Japanese Greatest ‘JET’ Rock ‘N’ Roll Band” on their website, Guitar Wolf has been blowing out amps and tear-ing up stages since they first formed in 1987.

Andrew Massey tells us about Nagasaki native Seiji and the band Guitar Wolf.

Nagasaki Notables:

“Warning, this is the loudest album ever recorded. Playing at normal volume may cause irreparable damage to stereo equipment. Use at your own risk.”

Guitar Wolf’sSeiji

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Band frontman Seiji (aka Guitar Wolf) is a Nagasaki native and was interested in playing guitar as early as middle school. Not much else is known about his early life, though it’s rumored that he was captain of his high school kendo club. After graduating, Seiji left Kyushu and traveled to Tokyo, eventu-ally landing in Harajuku. It was here that he met bassist, Billy. The two became friends and began playing music to-gether. After some convincing, the two bagged a drummer in the form of Narita, a co-worker from Seiji’s part time job at a vintage clothing store. The three adopted Ramones-esque stage names, becom-ing the entities known today as Guitar Wolf, Bass Wolf, and Drum Wolf.

The band’s style may not be particularly new or fresh, but this in no way dimin-ishes their appeal. Fully clad in black leather with motorcycle jackets and dark wraparound sunglasses, Guitar Wolf’s image pays homage to rock leg-ends like The Ramones and Link Wray. Their sound is, in a word, intense. They do everything with the zeal of a Sid Vicious on speed, but still manage to maintain an air of comic relief. This is evident in a number of their music videos, like the b-list sci-fi inspired one for Jet Generation. It’s clear that they don’t take themselves too seriously, but they are always serious about play-ing solid sets and giving the fans what they deserve.

Guitar Wolf has been through some big changes in their twenty-seven years on the scene. Narita left the band early on in their career and was replaced by Toru as Drum Wolf. In 2005, bassist Billy died of a fatal heart attack at the age of 38.

Still, Guitar Wolf persevered and recruited new bassist U.G. to fill Billy’s sizable boots. Despite all these challenges, they remain ac-tive to this day

and still tour regularly both domestically and abroad. Their commitment to rock-ing out and playing great music makes Guitar Wolf one of the most tenacious bands to ever emerge from Japan, or anywhere else. LET’S ROCK ‘N’ ROLL!

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“ If their lo-fi, heavily dis-torted, garage punk sound doesn’t leave your speakers buzzing, you’re clearly not playing it loud enough

Nagasaki Notables:

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Nestled in the southwestern reach-es of the Sea of Japan lies the small, unassuming rock known

as Iki Island. Here, you can find a number restaurants serving the freshest seafood – fresh as in, “I just caught your sashimi this morning.” One such restaurant is Yoshito-mi’s, a small, family owned establishment in the eastern town of Ashibe. The seafood is amazingly delicious and the sashimi meal set is highly recommended, but what really makes this restaurant stand out is the Friday night curry. Yoshitomi-san used to serve in the Japan Maritime Self-

Defense

Force and would make curry for the crew. He brought his curry recipe with him when he returned to his parent’s restaurant. Only serving it on Fridays, Yoshitomi-san feeds customers from his once-a-week batch, and once the curry is gone, it’s another agonizing week until the next fix.

The restaurant is a slender, two-story building that stands out among the ad-jacent one-story buildings. A purple sign displaying the family name and “Welcome” greets you immediately before entering. Almost completely filling the walls are sketches of various fish they’ve caught and

served. It’s a narrow restaurant with only about eight tables, but big enough to

accommodate nearly everyone who walks in. Friday curry has been

a tradition among Iki locals for many years, a tradition that

even the local English teach-ers are compelled to uphold. Coming in small, regular,

Curry rice is one of the most popular dishes in Japan, and we were eager to know where Nagasaki’s best plate of curry could be found. The Nagazasshi has settled on the following two. First, Johnny Tastepe lets us in on one of Iki’s best kept secrets. Then, Alex Aguirre tells us the real reason why people visit Saikai.

photos Johnny Tastepe

Questing for...

Yoshitomi’s Friday Night Curry312 Ashibeura, Ashibecho,Iki-shi, Nagasaki-ken 〒811-5301( TEL 0920-45-1379

Curry?

curry and vegetable curry, there are more unconventional combinations such as beef tongue curry and seafood curry. Woody Life also serves a variety of comfort foods such as stew, doria, and pizza. While salads aren’t usually a draw for curry restaurants,

the greens here are not to be overlooked. These super-fresh salads bring an uplifting feel to the other-wise heavy meals served here by adding a little variety to the menu, both in terms of aesthetics and nutrition. If you somehow

have room for dessert, there’s also a selec-tion of handmade sweets you can pick up on your way out.

Woody Life stands out as a hidden gem of Saikai. The experience is not one to be missed and you will most certainly be back for more.

Tucked away in Seihi, on the eastern coast of Saikai, lies the legend-ary curry house Woody Life. The

restaurant’s architecture is reminiscent of a log cabin nestled in the woods, com-plete with trinkets, tchotchkes and tiny knickknacks lining the shelves. While Woody Life’s homey atmos-phere may make the customer feel at ease, it’s the cuisine that keeps their cozy little waiting area constantly packed. The main attraction is the Japanese style curry and the portions, which are enough to fill up the hungriest of diners. The flavor is mild with a sweet aftertaste, making for a rustic and hearty meal.

Along with your tradi-tional pork katsu

Woody Life21-7 Seihicho, YagiharagoSaikai-shi, Nagasaki-ken 〒851-3423( TEL 0959-28-0920

medium, or large plates, the curry rice can be modified to include tonkatsu, scrambled eggs, and/or cheese. Pepper in some ginger and onions, and you have yourself a fantastic Iki-style dish. If you want to run into the local ALTs, your best bet would be to go around 7pm on Fridays!

photos Shiori Meadows

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