【おむすび】 Pronunciation:omusubi おむすび Meaning:rice ball Hello☺ It is also called "onigiri" , but the triangular shaped one is especially called "omusubi" . There are various theories. The origin of the word "omusubi" is said to mean to “tie” together. In the Kojiki（Records of Ancient Matters), there was a god who gave birth to all things, and some people believe that the word originated from the name of this god. There is also a theory that rice was made in the shape of a mountain to get power from the god. The triangular shape of the rice imitates the shape of the mountain where the god is believed to dwell. And it is said that by eating omusubi, the god of the mountain and the person eating the rice were connected, and the people were trying to obtain the power of the god. There are also various theories as to the origin of the word “onigiri”, from which the word "grasp(nigi-ru)" is derived. Some people believe that it was called "oni（鬼）-giri（斬り）" meaning "demon slayer," to ward off evil. In any case, since it is made by hand, the love and prayer for the safety is put into the hands of the person making it. It quickly replaces energy, is filling, and energizing. The photo is of my lunch. It is getting hotter, please take good care of yourself with nutrition. Have a good day！ 🍙☺🍙 #japanesecalligraphy #shodo #shinei #omusubi #musubi #onigiri

【美しき　花火に思ふ　あはれさよ】真栄 Meaning: The beautiful fireworks made me notice the sense of “mono no ahareも ののあはれ” in me by Shin Ei（Haiku of my own composition） (※もののあはれ is a deep sentiment or a sense of impermanent melancholy that is inspired by what we see and hear from time to time.） Good morning from Japan. Last night, I went to a fireworks display for the first time in four years. The fireworks were really beautiful and I was so moved by their beauty that I cried. Since I was a child, I have loved fireworks because they are so beautiful. However, I felt something sad in the beauty of them. (In fact, many fireworks displays in Japan are held in the summer, and many of them are filled with prayers and memorial services for the repose of souls. Fireworks festivals in Japan are said to have originated in 1733, during the reign of Shogun Yoshimune Tokugawa. In response to the famine of the time, he held a festival to pray for the repose of the souls of the dead and the eradication of epidemics,) When I see cherry blossoms, I feel transience in beauty. When I see the sunset over Mt. Fuji, I feel fear in the midst of beauty. Within the positive emotion of beauty, there is the negative emotion of sadness, I feel a little sadness in the midst of beauty. This complex mix of emotions may be the delicate subtlety of "mono no ahareもののあはれ" that the Japanese have long passed on in their culture and art. Certainly, there is a sense of mono no ahare within me. Perhaps it is because I was born and raised in Japan and grew up feeling it in various parts of my daily life. It is a very important seed of my sense of beauty, and I want to nurture it carefully. I also want to connect these sensations and nuances by putting them into words and creating works of art. Yesterday's fireworks display was a great success, as it was the first time in four years. It was a great turnout. I felt the pain of the pandemic, and I was also able to hear the frustration of the pyrotechnicians who have been working on the fireworks for the past 4 years, so I cried. It is also the time of Obon (an event to remember and offer memorial services to ancestors and the deceased), I reaffirmed my gratitude to my ancestors and to the fact that I am alive today thankfully. Recently, the mornings and evenings have become a little cooler, and I am gradually feeling signs of autumn. I love autumn and look forward to it very much. Let's relax from the fatigue of summer and welcome the beautiful autumn days. Thanks for reading. Have a wonderful rest of your summer days. Shin Ei #japanesecalligraphy #shodo #shinei #mononoaware #mononoahare

【ともし火の島かくれゆくすずみ舟】（正岡子規） Translation A lighted summer boat is hiding in the shadow of the island. （Shiki Masaoka） Hello☺ Here is a haiku（japanese song 5-7-5） by Masaoka Shiki, a poet of the Meiji era. I felt 2 opposing beauties in this haiku. One is movement and stillness. The other is light and darkness. The contrast between the stillness of the sea, the night sky, and the island scene, and the movement of the summer boat and its lights, is striking. The boat is in lively movement with everyone drinking and talking, but when you go on deck, the night sky is still and if there are fireworks going off, it is movement in the stillness. I can also imagine the beauty of the contrast of the brightness of the lights of the summer boat in black darkness. Shiki Masaoka was sickly and spent many years on his bed, so he might had been looking at the sea from his sickbed. This would give me a sense of the stillness of Shiki's own bed and the movement of life. I think this haiku is wonderful because it is simple but profound and brings various scenes to my mind. It is very hot in Tokyo. Please take care of yourself and enjoy the summer. Shin Ei #japanesecalligraphy #shodo #shinei #haiku #summer

【いただきます】 Pronunciation:itadaki ma su Meaning:Japanese greeting to say before a meal Hello☺ Recently, on my way home from my morning walk, I have been buying and eating vegetables from a nearby field. So I have been active and energetic during this rainy season☺ In Japan, before eating, we greet each other with this word by clasping our hands together. The origin of the word is a humble expression for "to receive“. Itadakimasu is a expression of gratitude for the food, the person who made it, and the environment in which the food is grown. Recently, I have been purchasing vegetables from nearby farms, so I can concretely picture the farmers who grow the vegetables and the fields where the vegetables are grown. The shape may be not so good, but they are filled with nutrients, rough and wild, and every day I feel as if the cells in my body are being revitalized. I myself have always had a hard time facing food. As a child, I was affected by my inability to have a healthy relationship with my mother, who provided me with food. So I had a difficulty or aversion to facing food. For many years, I honestly did not know what exactly it meant “to love myself”. Over the past few years, I have become more solid in my core self by reevaluating my diet and facing myself while cooking for myself. I realized that taking in the proper nutrition for myself is about “loving myself”. If I do not love ourselves, I will not be able to maintain a good distance from others and society. When I look at a field, I see vegetables growing next to each other at an appropriate distance, and then they interact with each other. I feel that since human beings are part of nature, they must be based on the same principles of life. I learn important things from the fields and vegetables every day. It is true that what is important is nearby. I have come to love this expression of gratitude. Now, it is time for lunch. Today I will have rice, natto and miso soup with summer vegetables, plus one more dish to make now. Have a good meal everyone and have a wonderful week☺ Shin Ei #shinei #japanesecalligraphy #shodo

【紫陽花の応援うけて前進む】（真栄） Translation✿❀ The support of the hydrangea have me moving forward（Shin Ei） Hello from Japan. Here is a haiku of my own composition. (I recently joined a haiku study group at the Basho Memorial Museum to learn how to write my own haiku.) June is the rainy season and I am not in good shape every year, but in the gray air I walk to the station along the riverside path. The beautifully colored hydrangeas give my heavy mind and body a rest, and cheer me up to go forward. The beauty of the hydrangea is like a lantern in the darkness, or a water station in a marathon. Every year the hydrangea blooms and cheers me up with its mere presence. This year's rainy season seems to be over. Thanks to the support of the hydrangea's presence I managed to get through this year. Hot summer is coming, please take good care of yourselves! Have a good summer!

【八百万の神】 Pronunciation:ya o yorozu no kami/やおよろずのかみ Meaning:All the deities Hello from Japan. It is very humid and very hot in Tokyo! Since ancient times, the Japanese have believed that gods reside in all phenomena and all things in the world, for example, the sun, the moon, the wind, the rice, the bathroom in the house and so on. And there is a custom of worshipping a myriad of such gods. In my profession, I often think about the meaning and etymology of words. In that time, I feel that this idea that God dwells in all things flows. For example, I think the following Japanese is very much influenced. いただきます（itadakimasu)・ごちそうさま(gochisousama)　mean the greetings for eating. We show respect and appreciation for the ingredients and the people who made it by saying these words. おかげさま（okagesama) means “Thanksfully.” When something goes well for us, we express and thank something for making it work. お天道様がみている（oten tou sama ga miteiru) means “ God is always watching, so don't do bad things, do good deeds!”　 This word will discipline us to do the right thing even when no one is watching. もったいない(mottainai) mean to regret the state of things that are not fully utilizing their value and are being wasted. It indicates the idea of taking good care of things. I think the idea that everything has life, that there is a God, and that we should be thankful for them is beautiful. It is very fun and interesting to think about the meaning and etymology of each Japanese word. I want to mark time carefully with gratitude for being kept alive by them today. There is learning in every moment of every day. Thankyou for reading! I hope you all have a wonderful time!

Pronunciation:hi gu ra shi ひぐらし Meaning: evening cicada (Tanna japonensis) Translation: 日 sun 暮 set Also known as "かなかな” kana kana" because of its clear, bell-like call. It chirps at dawn or dusk in summer. Their voices are beautiful, lovely, and a little sad. When I hear their voices, I feel grateful that I have made it through the summer. It is a seasonal word for autumn. Have a wonderful autumn! #shodo #japanesecalligraphy #shinei #art #japan

【生かされて 桔梗咲く日の 誕生日】（真栄） Translation I have been kept alive until now and welcomed my birthday on the day the bellflower blooms. (Haiku, calligraphy and sumi-e by Shin Ei） Hello from Japan. It was my birthday the other day. Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday. Around my birthday, bellflowers bloom. Compared to roses and lilies, they are not gorgeous and simple, but they have a dignified beauty. It is my favorite flower. Yesterday, on my birthday, I went to visit a shrine in the morning and found bellflowers quietly blooming by the roadside. I thought it was a small way to celebrate my birthday. It was so beautiful and made me so happy that I made this scene into a hanging scroll of haiku, calligraphy, and sumi-e ink painting. I have been able to live up to this point is not by only my own efforts, I owe it to the people and environment that have been involved in my life. I am strongly aware that I have been kept alive by the people who have related to me, education, culture, knowledge, and technology from ancisters. I feel that my birthday is a day not only to celebrate the joy that my life has lasted this long, but also to be grateful for all that has kept me. My birthday is a day to thank everything that has kept me alive and to express my gratitude to those to whom I can. My customers, students, and followers are also very important to me, Thank you for everything. Like the bellflowers, I want to live a life of dignity, core beauty, and integrity It is supposed to be 37 degrees today in Tokyo. It's the beginning of summer. Take care of yourself and have a good summer! Shin Ei #japanesecalligraphy #shodo #shinei #birthday #haiku