A long time ago, I traveled to Edo to meet the famous writer, Santo Kyoden, and ask for a calligraphy piece. We became good friends and I would often go visit him. One time, we were talking about snow, when his younger brother Kyozan said:
“On New Year’s Eve, my friends and I stayed at a brothel on our way home from the plum tree festival. When we left in the morning it started to rain, but it only lasted for a little while. We then went to Nihon-zutsumi and passed a few willows lined up along the bank of the river, and they had rain drops that froze into icicles of about 5 or 6 centimeters. The morning sun shone brilliantly on the icicles, and I was compelled to write a poem right there on the spot. I was very lucky to have witnessed such a sight, because the rain was both cold and short enough for nature to create it".
Kyozan talked about his icicle experience as if it was something rare and strange. Indeed, it must be rare for people from warm regions like Edo, but where I come from it's nothing worth noting. I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself.
○ Let's talk about the icicles where I come from. In the early spring, it’s common to see icicles lined up on the eaves of roofs. The length varies, with longer ones at around 2 meters long with a base of about 60 centimeters thick. The windows look like they are completely covered in crystal. However, it's not uncommon for people in my region to be familiar with the scene from a young age, and no one tries to write songs about icicles. Rather, they are knocked down with a wooden mallet every morning to let the light come through.
The concave part of the roof is called the “Dagi” in the language of the village. Snowmelt from the roof accumulates in the “Dagi” during the spring, so these icicles are larger than the eaves themselves. If they grow without obstruction, they can reach up to 6 meters long. If left alone, they will gradually get thicker and bigger, and when you want to break it, you will need to hit it with all your might. The children gather and pick up the fallen 1-2 meter icicles, and then walk around and play on their sleds. Icicles are not unusual at my house. The icicles at the shrines and temples are larger still, but the icicles in the mountains remain incomparable.