To my mother and my late father with my heartfelt appreciation for the wonderful childhood memories they provided me. —SB
To all of the children in both Japan and the U.S. who have shown me the true meaning of cross-cultural understanding. —WM
Published by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd., with editorial offices at 364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, Vermont 05759 U.S.A. and at 61 Tai Seng Avenue #02-12, Singapore 534167.
Copyright © 2010 by Setsu Broderick
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Broderick, Setsu.
Japanese traditions : rice cakes, cherry blossoms, and matsuri : a year
of seasonal Japanese festivities / text by Setsu Broderick & Willamarie
Moore ; illustrations by Setsu Broderick.
p. cm.
ISBN: 978-1-4629-0634-5 (ebook)
1. Festivals--Japan. 2. Japan--Social life and customs. 3. Rites and
ceremonies--Japan. I. Moore, Willamarie. II. Title.
GT4884.A2B76 2010
394.26952--dc22
2009032927
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This book is a look back at when I was growing up in the Japanese countryside about 50 years ago. I invite you to visit my beautiful country village with me and share some of the happy times of my childhood through these words and paintings.
Each of the large paintings represents a month of the year. Look carefully at each painting, there’s a lot to see. There will probably be a few things that you won’t recognize and might wonder about. For that reason, my friend Willamarie and I have included some additional information on the pages that follow each month. Also, at the end of the book, we’ve included an activity called Let’s Look More Closely! for you to find and think about what’s happening in the paintings.
Psst, I’ll tell you my secret. I used to be one of them, a little country kitten. “MEOW!”
— Setsu
Contents
