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Otafuku • Joy of Japan
Otafuku • Joy of Japan
Amy Sylvester Katoh
Photography by Yutaka Sato
TUTTLE PUBLISHING
Boston • Rutland, Vermont • Tokyo
For Ruby Momo,
Okame reincarnate.
Published by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd, with editorial offices at 61 Tai Seng Avenue #02-12, Singapore 534167 and 364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, Vermont 05759 U.S.A.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
© 2005 by Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd
LCC Card No. 2005920739
ISBN: 978-1-4629-1388-6 (ebook)
Distributed by:
Japan: Tuttle Publishing
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Contents
寿ぎ | Celebrating
Celebrating Life
This book is about celebrating life, celebrating the everyday ceremonies of life—the quiet miracle of the sun’s rising in the morning, its more spectacular setting, the new beginnings, new chances we are blessed with each day.
The opening of the shoji/curtains to greet the day; the first good morning; the first cup of tea, coffee, the first knee bend or stretch, a ritual sweep of the kitchen, reading the newspaper, watering the plants—the myriad moments that are part of the daily litany of life.
Think of them. They are a source of wonder, a reason for gratitude.
This book is about the little things that make our days flow. Our teacups, our towels, our toothbrushes, our dreams. Our families, our dogs, cats, bikes, our husbands, wives, friends, gardens, teachers, bus drivers, grocers, our itches, our pains.
This book seeks to honor the unsung everyday events of life and celebrate how they give our life shape and direction. While Otafuku smiles.
100 Faces of Otafuku
Life in Japan has taught me—among many other things—to believe in good fortune and bad and to see the wisdom in age-old beliefs that some call superstitions. I take Lady Luck seriously now and treat her with respect. When I first came to Tokyo in 1962, however, I was a cynical young thing in charge of my own destiny, thank you. So it was disconcerting to find myself in a world where traditional ways and beliefs were still largely intact.
In those days, I often encountered the image of a chubby lady in the entrances of houses, in corners of rooms, on packages, and on fortune papers at Shinto shrines. I was told that her name was Otafuku or Okame. Other than laughing at her silly face and noticing that she came in a host of shapes and attitudes—charming, coquettish, vulgar, cutesy, and downright ugly—I paid her little attention.
But as my years in Japan sped past, I began to see that there was more to the ancient rituals than meets the eye. Japan’s native system of belief, with its devotion to gods and spirits and ancient ritual, gave order to the course of daily life. Forces of evil were quelled by regular
