According to Japanese zodiac, this year 2021 is the year of OX.
We talked about Kitano Tenmangu shrine in Kyoto which is well known shrine as the God of learning on the last article.
On the other hand, this shrine is well known as the shrine where we can see a lot of statue of OX.
Look at this!
Perfect composition of OX and Plum blossoms!
This one is the other ox with flowers of early spring.
Why do we see a lot of statue of ox in the Kitano Tenmangu shrine?
There are several anecdotes; Sugawarano Michizane who is enshrined here was born in the year of OX, or Sugawarano Michizane passed away on the day and month of OX...
However, you can see all OX are sitting on the ground with their legs bent.
This is key exactly why we can see a lot of OX there.
On the verge of death, Sugawarano Michizane left the testament;
"After I was dead, the body should be brought by OX not human, and the place that the OX stop to walk should be my tomb."
After his death, one OX began to bring the remains with the cart. He continues to walk to walk.
But, suddenly He stopped to walk and sat down with his legs bent and did not move anymore.
The place that the OX sat down is actual Dazaifu Tenmangu in Fukuoka prefecture of Kyushu, south-west area of Japan.
People built the tomb there and enshrine the spirits of Sugawarano Michizane in praying the peace in the world.
So, we can see a lot of statues of OX sitting on the ground in Kitano Tenmangu shrine in Kyoto and we love and respect them so much as the messenger of Sugawarano Michizane.
If I see these ox well, I remember an important thing "Shiyui" which means thinking one thins deeply even though our daily life is so busy.
Today, I thought deeply (Shiyui) about Bamboo chopsticks.
As you know, chopsticks are inevitable for our eating habits in Japan.
Sometimes, we need to think well about the casual thins like this to discover something important in our life.
■Bamboo chopsticks are another joint of our fingers?
The chopsticks made from bamboo...
If you have already been to Japan, you might have to see them somewhere in Japanese restaurant.
You might discover a lot of charm on the bamboo chopsticks which is different from wooden chopsticks.
The features of bamboo chopsticks are;
*light and easy to hold
*easy to bend, so not broken
*not slip when you hold
（Photo, seeing the chopsticks over the head??)
And, the design is simple and elegant.
This attractive bamboo chopsticks are used for the "Chakaiseki " which is the special cuisine for the meals before tea ceremony.
"Chakaiseki" is simple style of meals "Ichiju Sansai" (one soup and three side dishes) which means the foods only to warm your stomach.
As you know, there is a lot of delicate rules for tea ceremony, so when we pick up a food for invited guests, we have to take care so much. This is why, bamboo chopsticks are used for the Chakaiseki. Bamboo chopsticks are so practical for the sophisticated and delicate traditional ceremony.
When we talk about bamboo chopsticks themselves, there are a lot of design used of several kinds of bamboo materials.
・Joint of bamboo
In Japan the joint of bamboo is used for one of the design. We call "Takebushi" for the joint of bamboo.
On the design of "Nakabushi", we can see the joint of bamboo on a little above of middle, and you can see the trace of cutting of joint on the "Tomefushi" design.
As the joint of bamboo is so beautiful, we can use for several designs.
・Type of bamboo
Shirotake: White bamboo, the color of green bamboo will change to light beige. We call it as white bamboo(Shirotake).
Aotake: Green bamboo
Monchiku: Cloudy -spot bamboo, a kind of fungus remains on the bamboo becomes beautiful spot pattern
Susutake: We explain below.
We recommend you the octagonal chopsticks of Susutake made in Nagaoka kyo, the west of Kyoto city, seeling on our online store.
Susutake is a kind of bamboo got sooty over the fire of hearth an these bamboos are used for the roof or ceiling of traditional Japanese house. This kind of bamboo naturally got sooty is so difficult to find, but it would be so beautiful even though the bamboo got sooty artificially.
The surface is a little bit shiny and we recommend you as your stylish collection of chopsticks.
Anyway, every kind of bamboo chopsticks are so light and easy to use and you may feel good when you touch.
The fiber of bamboo runs lengthwise, even though the tip of chopsticks is so thin, it will not broken easily and hold strength.
You can enjoy it for a long time.
The bamboo chopsticks that you can use easily for a long time and can catch a delicate food easily should become another joint of your fingers without fail.
The chopsticks seems so simple but you have to discover comfortable ones if you are looking for the good chopsticks which might become your another joint of fingers.
If you are interested in, please visit our products page of chopsticks from here.
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#my own chopsticks