By chance, as you do, I found myself switching part-way through a BBC Four documentary, Fish! A Japanese Obsession. Four middle-class gentlemen were standing in a shallow river fishing for an 'uncatchable' fish by challenging its territory with a similar fish on a line. When the incumbent fish comes to see the intruder off, it gets caught in a trail of hooks. The fish cannot be baited by normal means as it feeds entirely on rock algae and you can't bait a hook with that. The fish, an ayu, is a delicacy not least, I expect, because the season for catching it is short. Following tradition, the men then sat gathered around a fire on the riverbank to cook and eat their ayu fresh, and chatted.
Asked what appealed to them about this activity, one man said it was like the cherry blossom: it flowers quickly and quickly dies, a transient grace, it appeals to the Japanese. A transient grace, I liked the sound of that...
I guess you did like the sound of that.... being as it is the name of your blog. Cherry blossoms and transient grace, I like the sound of this too, a bit like life, eh!
ReplyDeletethanks, Tammie Lee. a blog needs a name, you know that. and, yes, like life! - you know my mind. :o)
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