　我家が昔からの日本の伝統に縛られているわけでは全くない。宗教的慣習も、両親の仏前への朝夕の供奉と墓参以外はおこなわない。つまり完全に家族的な行事・慣習である。それではなぜ15日粥だの冬至粥（あるいは冬至南瓜）だのと行うかといえば、季節を楽しむためである。
　そうした日本の年中行事は、おそらく本来的には季節を楽しむためであっただろう。そして、春の若菜摘みや、七草粥にしろ小豆粥や冬至南瓜にしろ、食の栄養学的な理にかなっていた。冬の間に摂取できなかったヴィタミン不足を補い、また塩分過多で高めになっていたであろう血圧に対して、小豆含有のリコピンの作用が期待できたかもしれない。

　いずれも現代栄養学の成果でわかってきたことだが、『本草綱目』（明の李時珍：1518-1593：著）を繙けば驚きをもって分るように、経験知によるとだけでは説明つかないほどの、広範囲かつ多種類の個々の植物についての医学的知識が、古人にはあったのである。（註：経験知か否か、すなわち古代中国伝説時代の帝とされる神農とは何ぞやという問題に関して、東洋思想史等の分野で学術的議論がある。）
　江戸時代、医家では皇漢医道、すなわち日本と中国の医学の祖として大己貴（おおあなむち）・少彦名（すくなひこな）の二神、および神農黄帝を祭った。冬至には御事始（おことはじめ）と称して各家々において芋、牛蒡、大根、こんにゃく、小豆などを実として味噌汁に煮て、「御事汁」と称えて食した。しかし、明治時代には江戸時代の医方は廃れ、それとともに御事始の御事汁を食す習慣もなくなった。
　「御事汁」の実が食物繊維質の含有率が高い食材であることは、留意すべきかもしれない。一応，指摘しておく。
　ついでに付記するが、斉藤和季著『植物はなぜ薬を作るのか』（文春新書、2017年）が、一般書としておもしろい。

　まあ、私はそんな七面倒な蘊蓄は御免被り、先に述べたように季節を楽しむため、私が料理して家族を楽しませるため。そして、季節や風物を描かない画家である私自身の、自然に対する感覚を失わないようにしたいという、利己的な目的もあるのである。

　　十五日過ぎて冬至の小豆粥　　青穹（山田維史）

　　寒肥を鉢に埋けおり日脚伸ぶ　

　　少年の遊び疲れて日脚伸ぶ

January 22nd is the end of winter on the calendar.
The daytime will be longer after today. However, it
will be a few days later that the daytime will actually
extend. However, in our tradition, I cooked ( Azuki-
gayu (red bean porridge). January 15th is also a
Japanese practice of cooking redo beans porridge,
which is called Jugonihigayu (15th porridge), but
red bean sweet soup
with rice cake "mochi" ) on the 14th, one day earlier.

Our family is not bound by the traditional Japa-
nese tradition at all. Old religious practices are not
practiced except for the morning and evening
offerings to the Buddhist altars of the parents and

pletely family event / coustom. Then, the reason
why the 15th porridge is Tojigayu (the winter
porridge) or Tojikabocyha (the winter pumpkin
poridge) is to enjoy the season.
Suh an annual event in Japan was probably
originally to enjoy the seasons. And whether it
gathered young herbs in the field inthe spring,
and cooked porridge of seven herbes, red
bean porridge, or pumpkin porridge in the
winter, it made sense for the nutrition of
food. It may have been possible to expect
the effect of azuki-containing lycopene on
blood pressure, which would have been
elevated due to excwssive salt and suppple-
mented the vitamin deficiency that could not
be ingested during the winter.

All of these have been learned from the
results of modern nutrition, but as you can
see wirh surprise when you read "Honzo-
komoku" (author; Li Shizhen 1518-1593,
Ming dynasty), it cannot be explained by
experience alone. The ancient had a wide
range of medical knowledge about indi-
vidual plants of many varieties. (Note :
There is an academic debate in fields
such as the history of Eastern thought
regarding whether or not ir is emprical
knowledge, rhat is what is Shennong.)

During the Edo period, doctors
worshiped he Japan-Han (China) Medical
School, that is, the two gods Oanamuchi
and Sukunahikona, and the Shennong
Huan Emperor as the ancestors of
Japanese and Chinese medicine.
At the end of the winter, potatoes,
burdock roots, radishes, konjac, and
red beans were boiled in miso soup
and ate under the name of "Okoto
soup". However, in the Meiji era, the
houses of doctor of the Edo period
was abolished, and at the same time,
the custom of eating the "Okoto soup"
was lost.
It may be noted that the ingredients
of " Okoto soup" is a foodstuff with a
high content of dietary fiber. For the
time being, I woud like to point out.
Incidentally, Kazuki Saito's "Why
Plants Make Medicine" (Bunshun-
shinsho, 2017) is interesting as a
general book.

Well, I don't have to worry about
such things, and as I mentioned
ealier, to eajoy the seasons and to
entertain my family by cooking. And
I also have a selfish purpose to keep
my sense of nature as a painter who
does not draw seasons and natural
features.

【Haiku】

Jugonihi sugite toji no azukigayu

Red beans porridge
at the end of winter
after 15th January

Mahibito wo imaya ososhi to hiashi nobu

The person I had expected
Now it's too late,
The days have grown longer

Kan-goe wo hachi ni ike pri hiashi nobu

The fertilizer of winter season
is buried in a planter,
The days have grown longer

Shonen no asobi tsukare te hiashi nobu

The boy
was tired of playing,
The days have grown longer

Tadami Yamada

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