nntsuzu/KFTT huggingface dataset:
English: It originally referred to the hairstyle of letting hair down naturally, but the 'motoyui-gake-suihatsu,' a hairstyle of tying hair at shoulder length with an emotoyui (motoyui, or paper string for tying hair, for decoration) and hair below with mizuhiki (decorative Japanese cord made from twisted paper) at equal distance, is also sometimes called 'osuberakashi.'
Japanese: 本来は自然のままに髪を垂らした姿を言うが、肩の辺りで髪を絵元結で結んでその先を等間隔に水引で束ねていく「元結掛け垂髪」も「おすべらかし」と呼ばれることがある。
English: At a coming of age ceremony or a ceremony at the Imperial Court, women pull their fringes up and form the motodori (hair tied up on the top of the head) with a comb in the motodori, a reminiscence of the custom during the Nara period in which people tied their hair.
Japanese: 成人式や宮中の儀式の際には奈良時代の結髪の風習の名残で、前髪を上げて髻を作り櫛などをさす。
English: Today, the hairstyle of motoyui-gake-suihatsu (forming the motodori) which increases the volume of the hair with a form or kamoji (hairpiece used when tying hair) inserted is generally called 'osuberakashi.'
Japanese: 現在では髻を作った元結掛け垂髪を型やかもじなどを入れてボリュームアップしたものを「おすべらかし」と呼ぶのが普通である。
English: Women in the Imperial family have the osuberakashi hairstyle as formal attire in addition to wearing juni-hitoe (twelve-layered ceremonial kimono) when attending traditional ceremonies; furthermore, even ordinary women sometimes wear juni-hitoe and have the hairstyle at wedding ceremonies.
Japanese: 女性皇族が伝統的な儀式に参列する際に十二単と共に礼服とするほか、一般女性でも結婚式の際にやはり十二単と共にこの髪型にすることがある。
English: They placed their hair in a spiral shape in shallow, wide lacquered containers near the pillows when sleeping.
Japanese: 眠るときは枕元に置いた浅く広い漆塗りの箱にとぐろを巻くようにして入れておく。
English: People avoided taking a bath on imibi (days considered to be unlucky), and so women wrapped their hair around the pillows with fragrance added as a deodorizer on those days when they were unable to wash their hair.
Japanese: 入浴は忌日を避けて行われていたため、髪が洗えない日などは臭い消しに香を入れた枕に髪を巻きつけていた。
English: Waiting maids in the Imperial Court even had a two-day holiday called 'washing hair holidays' because it took long time for them to dry their hair after taking a bath.
Japanese: 風呂に入っても乾かすのにかなりの時間がかかるため宮中の女房たちには二日間の「洗髪休暇」があったほどであった。
English: They cut off only the ends of their hair without trimming no matter how annoying and how long and untidy their hair grew to be.
Japanese: そのためどれほど鬱陶しくても、髪が伸びて不揃いになっても、切らずに髪の先だけを削いでいた。
English: Their hair had been shaved until they turned to two to three years old; after the ceremony of Kamioki (a ritual held when children start growing their hair), they were allowed to grow their hair.
Japanese: 彼女たちは二、三歳ごろまでは髪を全て剃りあげていて、「髪置きの儀」から髪を伸ばし始める。
English: When they got to a certain age (sixteen in the early modern period and younger in the Jodai, or the era around the Nara period), girls had a kichijitsu (days considered to be lucky) chosen and their hair trimmed at the ceremony of Binsogi (a ceremony to celebrate girls' coming of age by trimming their hair), which corresponds to the present-day coming of age ceremony.
Japanese: 一定の年齢になったところで吉日を選び（近世では十六歳、上代ではもっと早い）現代の成人式に当たる「鬢削ぎ」で髪の先をそろえる。
English: Their fathers or brothers usually took the role to trim their hair while chanting 'Chihiro, chihiro' (meaning very long); in some cases, however, a fiance trimmed his future bride's hair as Hikaru Genji did Lady Murasaki's hair.
Japanese: 普通「千尋、千尋」と唱えながら髪を削いでやるのは父か兄の役目だが、紫の上と光源氏のように婚約者が手ずから明日の花嫁の髪を整える場合もあった。
English: After the ceremony, women were allowed to trim part of their hair over the forehead or the cheeks or at shoulder length as they wished.
Japanese: この儀式を過ぎた後は各人の好みによって、額や頬の辺り、肩の辺りで髪の一部をそろえることも出来た。
English: Women trimmed their hair, not because they liked to move easily, but because they simply wanted to add glamour to their appearance with their waving hair.
Japanese: ただし、これは活動しやすくする為ではなくて単に揺れる髪で容姿に華やかさを添える為のものである。
English: When busy, unsophisticated waiting maids quickly tucked the hair trimmed at shoulder length behind the ears, a hairstyle called 'mimihasami.'
Japanese: 嗜みのない女房などは忙しいときはさっさと肩で削いだ髪を「耳挟み」といって耳に掛けてしまう。
English: They were despised for their bad manners, however, if they had the 'mimihasami' hairstyle too often.
Japanese: ただしあまり頻繁に「耳挟み」をしていると行儀が悪いとされて嫌がられた。
English: Women with thin hair or elderly women improved the appearance of their hair by attaching natural hairpieces called 'kamoji.'
Japanese: また、髪の薄い人や、歳を取った人などは「かもじ」と呼ばれる入れ毛をして体裁を整える。
English: Elderly women used their own hair that had fallen out naturally and been collected by them when they were young, but women born with thin hair used someone's hair.
Japanese: 老女の場合は若いうちに自然に抜け落ちた髪を取っておいて用にあてるが、生まれ付いて髪の薄い人の場合は他人の髪を使っていた。
English: When they became nuns after their husband's death, for example, women had haircuts called amasogi which was to cut at shoulder length their fine, long hair they had had for a long time.
Japanese: こうして見事に伸ばした髪も、夫に死別するなどして出家した時には「尼削ぎ」といって、すべて肩の辺りで切り揃えてしまう。
English: They subsequently lived a quiet life without glamorous dresses or feasts, surrounded by their children and grandchildren.
Japanese: その後は子や孫に囲まれて、華やかな衣装や宴とは無縁の静かな一生を送ることとなる。
English: The story about Sahobime who escaped from strong samurai by being clad in a dress rotten by alcohol and wearing a wig after shaving her head might be a legend; however, women indeed had difficulty in running away and fighting back when grabbed by the hair as shown in the scene in the Battle of Dannoura that women who tried to commit suicide by drowning were captured by their hair's being entangled with a rake and were held captive.
Japanese: 酒で腐った衣をまとい、髪を剃り上げて鬘にすることで屈強の武士から逃れたサホビメの物語は伝説だとしても、壇ノ浦の戦いの際、入水した女性達が長い髪を熊手で絡め取られて捕虜となった様に、髪を捕まえられると逃走や抵抗が難しくなってしまう。
English: In the Kamakura period, women such as waiting maids had a hairstyle called mijira-suberakashi in which their hair was at up to waist length and was tied back in a ponytail.
Japanese: 鎌倉時代には短垂髪といって、せいぜい腰の辺りまで垂らした髪を一つにまとめておく髪型が侍女などに行われるようになった。
English: Additionally, ordinary women who made their living such as familiar peddlers of the Katsurame (female peddlers in Kyoto from Katsura) and the Oharame (female peddlers in Kyoto from Ohara) tied their hair in a few bunches, wrapped them around their heads and covered the heads with tenugui (hand towel).
Japanese: 更に身近な桂女や大原女といった、自ら立ち働く庶民の女性達は、髪を何ヶ所かに分けて括って頭の周りに巻きつけてから手ぬぐいを被った。
English: In the Azuchi-Momoyama period, the custom of tying hair was revived among yujo (courtesan), and accordingly, suihatsu (long flowing hair) became obsolete except among high-ranking females or shrine maidens at shrines.
Japanese: 安土桃山時代ともなると遊女などから結髪の慣習が復活し、高位の女性や神社の巫女を除いて垂髪は廃れてしまう。
English: Jozonendo is the annual cycle used by the brewing industry that ranges from July 1 each year to June 30 of the following year.
Japanese: 醸造年度（じょうぞうねんど）とは、醸造業界・酒造業界における一年の区切り方で、毎年の7月1日から翌年の6月30日までをいう。
English: It is also called Shuzonendo (sake brewing year) or simply seizonendo (production year).
Japanese: 酒造年度（しゅぞうねんど）、または単に製造年度（せいぞうねんど）ともいう。
English: It is abbreviated as 'BY' since it is called Brewing Year (Brewery Year) in English.
Japanese: 英語でBrewingYear(BreweryYear)ということから「BY」と略される。
English: For example, the year from July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007 is the 18th year of Heisei Era and labeled as 'BY18' or '18BY.'
Japanese: たとえば2006年7月1日から2007年6月30日は、2006年が平成18年であることから「BY18」または「18BY」と記される。
English: Terms such as kusu (well-cured sake) or vintage sake are not defined, and all sake that were brewed beyond the Jozonendo are called 'kusu' in brewery lingo.
Japanese: 古酒や大古酒といった語の定義は統一されていないようであるが、蔵人言葉では醸造年度を越したものはすべて「古酒」と呼ぶ。
English: Aosei Sencha Seiho was one of the revolutionary changes made in the Japanese tea industry.
Japanese: 青製煎茶製法（あおせいせんちゃせいほう）とは、日本の茶業における大きな変革のひとつ。
English: Tea that was brought and cultivated in Japan during the Heian Period was made from the new (or old) leaves picked in spring and heat treated by steaming or boiling before being dried in sunlight in 'hoiro' (the structure is different from modern one).
Japanese: 日本にもたらされ、平安時代には国内で栽培されるようになったであろう茶は、春に摘み取った新芽（または古葉）を蒸すか、ゆでるかして加熱処理し、その後「ほいろ」（現在のものとは構造がちがう）や日光にて乾燥させて仕上げる。
English: The 'rubbing' process began to be incorporated prior to the drying process in modern years and the quality gradually improved.
Japanese: 近世になると乾燥させる前に「揉む」工程が入るようになり、徐々に品質も向上していったと思われる。
English: Such sencha made using a revised method was created with green leaves and was called 'blue made' to distinguish it from previous ones (called 'black made').
Japanese: そのようにして製法が改良された煎茶は完成品の茶葉も青く（緑）仕上がり、それまでのもの（「黒製」ともよばれる）に対して「青製」と呼ばれた。
English: The introduction of 'Aosei Sencha Seiho' process started to be revealed in documents of that period and indicated the shift from maccha (powdered green tea) to sencha at the end of the Edo Period as one of the goals reached in the search for high quality tea.
Japanese: こうした「青製煎茶」の登場の過程は当時の資料から明らかになってきており、江戸時代後期の抹茶から煎茶への流行の推移と、より高品質な商品を求める需要から茶の品質が向上していく中でのひとつの到達点であるといえる。
English: The tea industry centering around Uji believes that this method was developed by Soen NAGATANI.
Japanese: なお、宇治を中心とする茶業界ではこの製法を永谷宗円が発明したものであると信じられている。
English: The 'Kogai' (Traditional Hairpin accessory) is decorative hairdressing implement used for lifting hair into a bun shape.
Japanese: 笄(こうがい；「髪掻き」の転訛)とは、髪を掻き揚げて髷を形作る装飾的な結髪用具。
English: In Japan, it was referred to as one of the 'three essential items' that were accessories to a traditional Japanese (short) sword and, was often carried along with a sword.
Japanese: 日本では、「三所物」と呼ばれる日本刀（脇差）の付属品のひとつで、刀と一緒に持ち歩く場合も多い。
English: To make combing easy, the combs generally had two long prongs which reached the scalp much like a rod (or prongs in a clover leaf configuration).
Japanese: 髪を掻き揚げやすいように頭部から長細い二本の足が出た形をしているか（頭部はイチョウの葉型が一般的）棒形が普通。
English: Kogai hairpins in a rod like configuration were called 'bo-kogai' (rod hairpins) of which the best quality units were made of the shin bone of a crane and therefore, due to the supposed ability to ward off headache were also preferred by individuals with refined taste.
Japanese: 棒形のものは「棒笄」と呼ばれ、最高級品は鶴の脛の骨で作ったもので、頭痛のまじないにもなると好事家などに好まれたという。
English: A wide array of raw materials were used: tortoiseshell, metal, wood, ivory, hoof (cow and horse) etc.
Japanese: 鼈甲製、金属製、木製、象牙製、牛や馬のひづめなど素材は多岐にわたる。
English: Above all else, mother of pearl, metallic lacquers and engraved hairpins etc given as gifts were extremely expensive.
Japanese: 中でも、螺鈿や蒔絵や彫金、彫刻などを施したものは非常に高価であった。
English: Japanese traditional hairstyles cannot do without the 'Kushi' (comb), the 'Kanzashi' (ornate hairpin accessory) and the 'Kogai' (hairpin) and, amongst these three items, the Kogai hairpin proudly follows on from the historical origins of the comb.
Japanese: 日本髪に欠かせない「櫛」「簪」「笄」の三点セットのうち、笄は櫛に継ぐ由来の古さを誇る。
English: Similar in shape, Kogai hairpins are often confused with Kanzashi ornamental hairpins; however, their respective roots hail from different quarters.
Japanese: 形状が良く似ているため簪と混同されることも多いが、ルーツはまったく別系統。
English: Because Kogai hairpins are worn in the base of hairdos, only one is used and, sometimes dispensed with entirely depending on the hairdo.
Japanese: 笄は結髪の根に挿すもので、一本しか使わず、髪型によっては省かれることもある。
English: Originally, Kogai hairpins were a practical item used to secure the topknot of a hairdo however, with the onset of more complex hairstyles in the late Edo period their usefulness diminished and, became much like an ornamental accessory.
Japanese: 本来は髷の根を固定する実用的な道具であったが、江戸後期の複雑な結髪になると用途は後退し、ほぼ装飾品と同じとなる。
English: Such hairpins are known as 'nakaware-kogai' which could be disassembled into two parts.
Japanese: その現れが「中割れ笄」という笄で、中心でふたつに分解できるようになっていた。
English: After a hairdo was almost made up, a hairpin was inserted into the complete hairdo simply as an ornament.
Japanese: 結髪を八分がた作り終えてから仕上げに挿すための、完全な装飾品である。
English: Dictionaries of the Edo period differentiated between Kogai hairpins and Kanzashi ornamental hairpins: 'Kanzashi ornamental hairpins' were also used for removing wax from the ears and, those not used for that purpose were 'Kogai hairpins.'
Japanese: 江戸時代の辞典には「先が耳かきのものを簪、そうでないのは笄」と区別してある。
English: Enteki (the long-distance shooting) is one of the kyudo (Japanese art of archery) events established by the Rules of All Nippon Kyudo Federation.
Japanese: 遠的（えんてき）は、全日本弓道連盟弓道競技規則によって定められた、弓道競技種目の一種。
English: The shooting range is 90m, 70m, 60m or 50m, but currently a range of 60m is most widely used and the majority of kyudo dojo (training hall) for enteki is designed at the range of 60m.
Japanese: 射距離は90m,70m,60m,50mの4種あるが、現在では60mが一般的であり、ほとんどの遠的用弓道場は60mで設計されている。
English: In today's National Sports Festival, there are two types of kyudo games, tekichu-sei kinteki (the regular close-ranged shooting) and tokuten-sei enteki (60m).
Japanese: 現在の国民体育大会弓道競技は、的中制近的競技と、得点制遠的競技(60m)の二種から成る。
English: Kinteki (the regular close-ranged shooting) is one of the kyudo (Japanese art of archery) events established by the Rules of All Nippon Kyudo Federation.
Japanese: 近的（きんてき）は、全日本弓道連盟弓道競技規則によって定められた、弓道競技種目の一種。
English: In today's National Sports Festival, there are two types of kyudo games, tekichu-sei kinteki and tokuten-sei enteki (the shooting for long distance on 60m).
Japanese: 現在の国民体育大会弓道競技は、的中制近的競技と、得点制遠的競技(60m)の二種から成る。
English: The karawa hairstyle was a hairstyle favored by prostitutes during the Azuchi Momoyama period in the port towns of Hyogo and Sakai City in the vicinity of Kyoto.
Japanese: 唐輪（からわ）とは、安土桃山時代ごろ兵庫や堺市などの上方の港町の遊女に好まれた女髷。
English: The forelocks were parted right in the middle and plaits of hair gathered above the head into two to four loops.
Japanese: 前髪を真ん中で分けたのち髷は髪を頭上で纏め上げて二つから四つの輪を作った。
English: Matsuribayashi' (festival music) is music that is performed at festival time and forms a particular genre of musical accompaniment.
Japanese: 祭囃子（まつりばやし）は祭の際に演奏される音楽で、邦楽のジャンルの一つ。
English: However, elements of musical performances associated with Kabuki, Noh and Shinto are not included within this classification.
Japanese: しかし、ここでは歌舞伎や能、神楽などの舞台芸術に付随する音楽的要素としての「囃子」を含まない。
English: Matsuribayashi is a general term that refers to music associated with festivals and as such, its development is closely linked with festivals of various regions in Japan.
Japanese: 祭囃子は祭に付随する音楽を総称したもので、各地域にあるそれぞれの祭に密着して発展してきたものである。
English: For that reason, it does not refer an identical nation-wide repertoire or use of instruments, nor is it possible to trace its roots back to one sole source.
Japanese: そのため、日本全国で同じ曲や楽器構成を指すのではなく、一つの起源に遡ることができるものでもない。
English: Repertoire is not limited to lively pieces that are evocative of children's songs 'village fairs.'
Japanese: 童謡「村祭り」などでイメージされるような賑やかな雰囲気の曲であるとは限らない。
English: In some regions the performance style of playing Japanese 'taiko' drums from both sides is included as part of Matsuribayashi.
Japanese: 太鼓の奏法である複式複打法を用いる演奏形態（組太鼓形式）を祭囃子と呼ぶ地域もある。
English: The word Matsuribayashi has come to refer to an extremely diverse range of musical compositions.
Japanese: 「祭囃子」という言葉であらわされる中にも非常に多種多様な楽曲が存在している。
English: As opposed to other forms of traditional Japanese music, performers of Matsuribayashi are in many cases members of the general public drawn from parishioners and supporters of the temple or shrine hosting the festival.
Japanese: 他の邦楽との違いとして祭囃子の奏者は祭りを主催する神社や寺社の氏子や檀家である一般人の場合が多い。
English: Professionals are common in many branches of traditional Japanese music and some also participate in Matsuribayashi performances; however, there are few professional performers who limit themselves to Matsuribayashi.
Japanese: 他の邦楽にはプロ奏者が存在し、そういった奏者が祭囃子を担当することもあるが、祭囃子に限ってのプロ奏者というのは数が少ない。
English: Much as there are no professionals amongst the ranks of individuals who carry Mikoshi (portable shrines) at festivals or those who pull festival floats, parishioners and supporters practice for festivals and in many cases limit perform only to those festivals.
Japanese: 神輿の担ぎ手や山車の引き手にプロがいないのと同じように、氏子や檀家が祭りのために練習をし、祭りのときのみ演奏されてきたものが多いためである。
English: Even amongst these, three types of instrument are prevalent: the flute (high and medium pitched transverse bamboo flutes, Noh flutes etc), traditional drums (mid-range 'Taiko' drums keeping beat as well as other large drums, fan drums and carried drums etc), and gongs, (made of metal, percussion instruments with a high register).
Japanese: その中でも笛（篠笛・能管・龍笛など）、和太鼓（中音の打楽器を担当する締太鼓や、低音の打楽器を担当する大太鼓や大胴、そのほか大拍子、団扇太鼓、担ぎ太鼓など）、鉦（摺鉦・当たり鉦、高音の打楽器を担当する）の3種が多い。
English: Furthermore, in cases when Noh chanting is an element and incorporated along with Kiyari (workman's work chants) (Tekomai (float leading dance)), shouts of encouragement are sometimes included in proceedings.
Japanese: また謡が入る場合や木遣り(手古舞)と合わさる場合、掛け声が入る場合もある。
English: Matsuribayashi is designed to be performed with festival events and as such, the shape of performances and performers' costumes can vary depending on the nature of the event.
Japanese: 祭囃子は祭の行事に伴って演奏されるため、行事の形態により演奏形態や服装も異なる。
English: Performers often wear gaudy traditional Japanese 'happi' coats when performing.
Japanese: 演奏するときには半天(半纏、袢纏、法被)など派手な和服を着ることが多い。
English: It is noted as having originated in Kamakura (in the Kanto region of Japan) and Ise; however, neither explanation stands up to definite scrutiny.
Japanese: 関東地方では鎌倉起源説、伊勢起源説があるが、どちらの説も確定のための検証はされていない。
English: Kyudojos come in "kintekijo" (dojo for the regular close-range shooting) and "entekijo" (dojo for the long-distance shooting) types and they are designed with safety in mind because yumiya (bow and arrow) is used there.
Japanese: 近的場と遠的場の2種類あり、弓矢を扱う関係上、安全に配慮した設計がなされている。
English: It is covered with turf for the purpose of guarding a fallen arrow and so on, but in some cases, gravel, dirt or artificial turf is used.
Japanese: 途中に落ちた矢を保護するなどのために芝が敷かれるが、砂利、土、人工芝を用いることがある。
English: Yatorimichi (a road to take up an arrow): A road provided at the side of the yamichi, and a person who goes to the matoba to take up an arrow passes it.
Japanese: 矢取り道矢道の脇には矢取り道が設けられ、的場に矢を取りに行く者はここを通る。
English: Azuchi: A sand wall to receive an arrow, at which the mato is set up with a kogushi (or gogushi) stick.
Japanese: 安土的を侯串（こうぐし、またはごうぐし）で刺し立て、矢を受け止める為の土盛り。
English: River sand, mountain sand and sawn wood are mixed reasonably and heaped up to give a slope of about 50 degrees (Incidentally, sand and so on containing salt is not preferred because it causes rust of the arrow).
Japanese: 川砂や山砂、大鋸屑を適度に混ぜ合わせ、50度〜前後の傾斜が付くように盛る(因みに、塩分を含む砂等は矢が錆びる原因となるため好まれない)。
English: It serves as a cushion to guard an arrow against deforming when a flying arrow misses a mato.
Japanese: 射られた矢が的から外れた場合、安土がクッションの役割を果たし矢が変形したりする事の無いようにする。
English: When an arrow hits the mato, azuchi also serves in the same way as noted above because most arrows which hit the mato penetrate it and stick in the azuchi.
Japanese: 的に的中した場合も殆どの場合的を貫通し安土に刺さっている為、外れた場合と同じような役割を果たす。
English: It is used by a person who does kanteki (to check if an arrow hits the mato) to stay during a competition, and also used for storage of tools for maintaining the mato or the azuchi.
Japanese: 競技の際に看的をする者が詰めたり、的や安土を整備するための道具を収納したりする。
English: A floodlight or some kind of illuminator: It is used at night to light up the yamichi and the matoba to make a mato and an arrow easier to recognize.
Japanese: 投光器夜間になんらかの照明器具によって矢道や的場を照らし、的や矢をわかり易くする。
English: If a flying arrow goes in a different direction from the mato, there is a risk of causing a serious accident due to its considerable energy.
Japanese: 撃たれた矢は強大なエネルギーを持っているため、的以外の方向へ飛ぶと重大な事故につながる危険性がある。
English: Therefore, safety equipment including the following is generally installed in the kyudojo.
Japanese: そのために、安全に対する以下の設備が、一般に弓道場では行われている。
English: Arrow protection net' is installed to prevent an arrow from flying out of the iba, and 'acrylic board' and 'tempered glass' are installed for a kantekijo with window.
Japanese: 矢が射場外に飛び出るのを防ぐために「防矢ネット」が設置されたり、窓がある看的所には「アクリル板」や「強化ガラス」が設置されたりしている。
English: Hiiragi-iwashi is a holly sprig with a baked sardine's head, and Japanese people have a time-honored custom of putting Hiiragi-iwashi at their door on Setsubun (the traditional end of winter) to ward off evil spirits.
Japanese: 柊鰯（ひいらぎいわし）とは、節分に、魔除けとしてヒイラギの小枝と焼いたイワシの頭を門口に挿したものをいい、柊鰯を挿すのは古くからの日本の習慣である。
English: They say that prickles of holly leaves prevent Oni (ogre) from entering through the door by piercing Oni's eyes, and that the smell of sardine chases Oni away (on the contrary, another explanation is that the smell of sardine invites Oni to approach and then prickles of holly leaves pierce Oni's eyes).
Japanese: 柊の葉の棘が鬼の目を刺すので門口から鬼が入れず、また鰯の臭いで鬼が近寄らないと言う（逆に、鰯の臭いで鬼を誘い、柊の葉の棘が鬼の目をさすとも説明される）。
English: According to Tosa Nikki (Tosa Diary), in the Heian period, a holly spring and a head of 'Nayoshi' (striped mullet) were on Shimenawa (sacred rice-straw rope) which was displayed above the door on New Year's Holidays.
Japanese: 平安時代には、正月の門口に飾った注連縄（しめなわ）に、柊の枝と「なよし」（ボラ）の頭を刺していたことが、土佐日記の中に出ている。
English: Even today Shimenawa with a holly sprig is sold at Ise-jingu Shrine on New Year's Holidays.
Japanese: 現在でも、伊勢神宮で正月に売っている注連縄には、柊の小枝が挿してある。
English: It seems that this custom was also widespread in the Edo period, because it can be seen in Ukiyoe (Japanese woodblock print) and Kibyoshi (illustrated book of popular fiction whose cover is yellow).
Japanese: 江戸時代にもこの風習は普及していたらしく、浮世絵や、黄表紙などに現れている。
English: In Nara City, Nara Prefecture many families still follow this tradition and Hiiragi-iwashi is quite a common sight, but in Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture you seldom see Hiiragi-iwashi.
Japanese: 奈良県奈良市内では、多くの家々がこの風習を今でも受け継いでいて、ごく普通に柊鰯が見られるが、京都府京都市内では見かけない。
English: This custom is not widespread any longer but can be still seen throughout the Kanto region and in Fukushima Prefecture.
Japanese: 福島県から関東一円にかけて、数多くはないが、今でもこの風習が見られるとされる（）。
English: In the area near Tokyo, Mamegara (a soybean sprig after removing seeds) is added to holly and a sardine's head.
Japanese: 東京付近では、柊と鰯の頭にさらに豆柄（まめがら。種子を取り去った大豆の枝。）が加わる。
English: Although it is not certain when Japanese people began to make liquor from rice, but it seems to be after rice cropping, especially wet-rice cultivation, had been established and its stable harvesting had become possible.
Japanese: 日本列島に住む人々がいつ頃から米を原料とした酒を造るようになったのかは定かではないが、稲作、とりわけ水稲の耕作が定着し、安定して米が収穫できるようになってからのことであるのは確かと思われる。
English: In overseas countries, some people say that sake originated from the rice wine which was made around the Yangtze River in China, where rice cropping was begun around 4800 B.C., and exported to Japan.
Japanese: 日本国外には、中国大陸長江流域に紀元前4800年ごろ稲作が始まり、ここで造られた米酒が日本に輸出されたのが日本酒の起源とする説もある。
English: However, this theory has various contradictions although it was the oldest possible origin, so is hardly supported in Japan.
Japanese: しかしながら、年代的にもっとも前に位置するとは云え、さまざまな点で無理があり、日本国内ではほとんど支持されていない。
English: The oldest record of liquor in Japan is described in the section of Japan in Encounters with Eastern Barbarians of "Sanguo Zhi" (History of the Three Kingdoms) (so-called Gishi wajin den) which was written in the third century.
Japanese: 日本に酒が存在することを示す最古の記録は、3世紀に成立した『三国志』東夷伝倭人条（いわゆる魏志倭人伝）の記述に見られる。
English: This book describes Japanese were 'fond of the drink' and also had a custom for mourners to 'sing, dance and drink' at funeral services.
Japanese: 同書は倭人のことを「人性嗜酒（さけをたしなむ）」と評しており、喪に当たっては弔問客が「歌舞飲酒」をする風習があることも述べている。
English: However, this can not indicate what materials were used for that liquor or how it was brewed.
Japanese: ただ、この酒が具体的に何を原料とし、またどのような方法で醸造したものなのかまでは、この記述からうかがい知ることはできない。
English: Incidentally, this description of a close relationship between liquor and religion in "Sanguo Zhi" provides one of the reasons why sake brewing began as a task of miko (a shrine maiden).
Japanese: ちなみに、酒と宗教が深く関わっていたことを示すこの『三国志』の記述は、酒造りが巫女（みこ）の仕事として始まったことをうかがわせる一つの根拠となっている。
English: In "Nihonshoki" (Chronicles of Japan) there is a description that Susanoo no mikoto (a male deity) had Yashio ori no sake, which is liquor brewed eight times, brewed in order to defeat Yamata no Orochi (a big snake with eight heads).
Japanese: 『日本書紀』には、須佐之男命（素佐男尊とも。すさのおのみこと）が八岐大蛇（やまたのおろち）を退治するために八塩折之酒（やしおおりのさけ）という八度にわたって醸す酒というものを造らせる記述がある。
English: Some questions such as what kind of liquor it was actually and whether it was similar to later kijoshu (special sweet sake) which was brewed several times is still not clear.
Japanese: じっさいの酒質がどのようなものであったか、重複して醸すという点でのちの貴醸酒に通じるものがあるのか、などの疑問点がいまだ解明されていない。
English: In Japan, a brewing pit which was used for sake brewing in China was discovered from a pit dwelling house in the Jomon period, around 1000 B.C.
Japanese: 日本では、紀元前1000年前後の縄文時代竪穴から、中国では酒造りに用いられていた酒坑（しゅこう）が発見されている。