Ma refers to a Japanese aesthetic concept referring to negative space, pause, or intentional, shared silence.
In an age of relentless progression, stillness seems to be an act of resistance. This series explores Tama through its landscapes and the memories connected to them. It offers a new way of looking at familiar places. Our guide is Junichiro Ozawa, director of the Gyokudo Art Museum and chairman of Ozawa Sake Brewery, a man with deep knowledge and a lifetime of experience.
“Years ago, I had the privilege of attending a lecture on folklore within a traditional shukubo, a traditional temple lodging, perched atop Mount Mitake.
History reconstructs the past from evidence. Folklore works differently: it draws on oral tradition, which was passed down by word of mouth. It helps us imagine the faith and daily life of our ancestors through what was handed down, generation to generation.
There are many theories about the roots of the Japanese people. Among them, a large number are thought to have crossed the sea to arrive here. Not knowing the earth was round, the first land they saw was not a coastline but a mountain peak, glimpsed above the waves. It isn’t hard to imagine the joy of that moment. Drawn ashore as if led by the summit itself, they found a place to settle, and in that peak, they sensed a divine presence. They gave thanks and began to worship there. This was the beginning of mountain worship, said to be Japan’s oldest faith.
In those days, of course, there was no written language. There were only spoken sounds. People called a god, represented by a mountain, “sa.” Fujisa meant the god of Mount Fuji, and Mitakesa the god of Mount Mitake. Even today, mountains whose names end in “san” often have a shrine or small sanctuary at the summit. Many words beginning with the sound “sa” were associated with the gods. Saka was the path by which a god descended, while sakai marked the boundary between the divine and human worlds. Sakaki, with “ka” placed after “sa,” referred to a sacred tree. The drink offered to a god became sake, and the food served with it became sakana.
Centuries later, when writing finally arrived from the continent, characters were chosen for how these words sounded, not what they meant, and the thread connecting them back to the mountain, to “sa,” gradually came undone. For example, a god was said to sit in a sakura tree and watch the saotome, or rice-planting maidens, plant the sanae, or young rice seedlings. This is one of many examples of words beginning with “sa” that are associated with the gods.
Gods are created by people. Next time, I will share what I learned at Mount Mitake about the gods of Japan.”
Junichiro Ozawa, Director of the Gyokudo Art Museum and Chairman of Ozawa Sake Brewery
Born in Sawai, Ome City, Junichiro is the 22nd-generation head of Ozawa Sake Brewery, founded in 1702. He succeeded his father as president in 1992 and has served as chairman since 2018. The family’s mountain forests, carefully preserved for generations, nurture the pristine waters of the Tama River—the very source of their renowned sake. In addition to sake brewing, the Ozawa family is deeply committed to preserving the cultural and economic heritage of the region. He is also the great-grandson of the celebrated Gyokudo Kawai, a master of Nihonga, or traditional Japanese painting, and serves as director of the Gyokudo Art Museum, where he personally leads guided tours through the artist’s world.
About Ome
Once home to nearly 800 weavers and dyers, Ome flourished in its rich natural surroundings, cultivating a deep tradition of craftsmanship, sake brewing, and the arts. Much like indigo fabric that deepens with each layer of dye, the town’s cultural heritage has grown ever richer over time. At the heart of this legacy stands Yoshino Baigo, a massive treasured plum blossom grove where each spring, thousands of trees blanket the hillsides in delicate shades of pink and white. This grove was lovingly restored by the local community to symbolize enduring beauty and to renew and revive a spirit that lives on.
こちらの記事は英語で執筆されており、ブラウザの自動翻訳により氏名の漢字表記が正しく表示されないこと、不自然な日本語が表示されることがあるようです。お手数ですが、英語原文での閲覧をお試しください。