徳利は1900年代初期「多賀あさひや」のもの
雪にはなりませんでしたが、冷え込みの厳しい１日でした。夜は一段と寒さが増し外は軽く氷点下を超えたでしょう。昼間に座敷に席をお取りになったお客様が「換気が効いていますね」とおっしゃったので「いえ、隙間風なんです、古い家ですから」と申し訳なく応えました。今のご時世ではちょうどいいのかも。
去年、むべをくださったY.Nさんが、今日は獅子柚子をお持ちくださいました。「大きいのではありませんが…」とおっしゃっていましたが、カウンターに飾るにはちょうどいい大きさです。そばにある徳利は1900年代初期に、曽祖母や祖母が一時土産物屋をしていた時に延命酒を入れて売っていたものと思われます。お客様がどこかの骨董屋で手に入れて収集していらしたものをわざわざうちのためにお持ちくださった徳利です。
かつて多賀大社に参拝に来られた方がお土産に延命酒を買って帰られた徳利がその後どこかの骨董屋に並び、それが巡り巡って元の所に戻ってきたという訳です。「多賀あさひや」と書いたものは今はこの一点だけ。なおさら貴重な徳利です。
Although it didn’t snow, today was an extremely cold day. It probably easily got down below 0℃. A customer who visited during the day and took their seat in the Japanese room said ” Air ventilation is working well, isn’t it?”, and I said ” Cold air is coming through windows, because it is an old house,” feeling sorry. In a way, it might be appropriate (for preventing coronavirus) these days. Today, Ms. Y.N, who gave me Mube last year (see blog on Nov.7 2020) , brought Citrus maxima. She said that it was not a big one, but it is a perfect size to display on the counter of the cafe. The small sake bottle beside it is from the time when my great grandmother and grandmother were running souvenir/liquor shop for years early 1900s and they were selling Enmeishu (lit,life extension sake) in this container. About three years ago a customer came to my cafe to give the container to me saying it was probably ours because the name of Taga Asahiya was on it. I guess in the old days, a person who visited Taga-Taisha (shrine) bought Enmeishu at my great grandmother’s (or grandmother’s) store for his/her souvenir and later the container traveled to an antique shop for some reason, and took a place on the shelf in the shop. It was bought by the collector and stayed at his house and finally brought to the original place. I was very surprised by the container’s story. Several same size containers were left in my house but this is the only one which has the name on, so it is a very special and precious container.
2021/01/08
