Public Spark

Over the last couple of weeks I wrote a brief bio of Master Kineya Kichisaburo, his performances, important lessons I learned, and his excellent craftsmanship. Today I will focus on my fondest memories and share a side of him not linked to his music.

• The wonderful Chef and Host

  He loved having company over to talk and have tea/ snacks especially after practice. Every Saturday I would go for my lessons and he and his wife would always have something ready for me. Sometimes it would be the mitarashi dango (three mochi dumplings served on a skewer with sweet soysauce) as pictured below.
  
  Other times it would be senbei (Japanese crackers made from rice)
  
  One time, he even presented his own creation called Nori (Seaweed) Toast. It was amazing. Apparently, he had made a debut with this food item in Japan making that small restaurant quite popular. He made a sauce out of mustard and soysauce and put it on the toast with Nori. It sounds like a weird combination, but it actually tastes really good.

  New Years was an even bigger celebration. He would have a number of people over and serve the traditional foods. He and his wife would cook the traditional osechi ryori just as my dad does. I would also get a otoshidama (new years tradition to give pocket money to children in envelopes pictured below).
  

• Mr. Souvenir Man

  My teacher loved to travel. One of the most frequent places that he visited was of course his home country Japan. He would visit relatives and friends and enjoy the onsens (hotsprings). One thing he always did was bring me back souvenirs. He always knew what to pick. He would bring back cute pens, knicknacks, things I have never seen before. He would have stories to go along with his adventures as well.

• The Skillful Gardener

  He had a green thumb. His garden was always flourishing with flowers, delicious vegetables and fruits. One of the things we liked to do was to go to his backyard and pick out fresh vegetables/fruits. He grew peaches, grapes, persimmons, tomatoes and more. He even had a fuji no hana (wisteria tree as pictured below). He gave us a seed and we have two trees growing in our yard. Every time I see it, I am reminded of him.
  

• Dog Lover

  He was a definite dog lover. When other students had dogs, he would encourage them to bring it over. He would happily play with the dogs. He also had a Daschund Dog named Kuri (literally means chestnut). He said he named it due to the coloration.

• Penny collector

  My teacher had a love for the cigarettes (which unfortunately shortened his life) and the Johnny Walker Red Label whiskey. He used to save the Johnny Walker bottle to collect his pennies. It was a piece of artwork when he would put all of the pennies in there. I believe it came out to at least $30 worth of pennies.

  Below he is at my birthday party with the Johnny Walker Red Label next to him. That is his party favor.
  

• A Grandfather

  My mom said that since he and his wife did not have children of their own, they often treated me like their granddaughter. I felt their love and care. My mom’s father passed away young and my dad’s father who lived in Japan died before I got to know him. My teacher was like a grandfather to me. I miss him dearly, but in sharing my stories about him, I know that he will live on.