 |
|
|
がまの油売り |
 |
|
|
江戸時代の代表的な物売りといえば、がまの油売り。お祭りの縁日で威勢よくお客さんに声をかけます。「がまの油はきり傷に効く」というのが売り込みで、まずは刀を出して、その刀で紙を切り、刀の切れ味のよさを示します。そしてその刀で自分の腕を切る。実は刀には紅が塗ってあるのですが、そこはまた手品師のように、血のにじんだ腕の切り傷が一瞬にしてがまの油で治るパフォーマンスをします。そのがまの油売りのテンポのいい口上です。
てまえ持ちいだしたるは、四六のがまだ。四六、五六はどこでわかる。前足の指が四本、あと足の指が六本、これを名づけて四六のがま。このがまの棲めるところは、これよりはるーか北にあたる、筑波山のふもとにて、おんばこというつる草を食らう。このがまのとれるのは、五月に八月に十月、これを名づけて五八十は四六のがまだ、お立ちあい。このがまの油をとるには、四方に鏡を立て、下に金網をしき、そのなかにがまを追いこむ。がまは、おのれのすがたが鏡にうつるのをみておのれとおどろき、たらーり、たらーりと油汗をながす。これを下の金網にてすきとり、柳の小枝をもって、三七二十一日のあいだ、とろーり、とろりと煮つめたるがこのがまの油だ。 |
|
|
|
| A toad's grease vendor |
A typical street vendor in the Edo period was a toad's grease vendor. He hailed to passers-by high-spiritedly at a fair. "A toad's grease is good for a cut," was his sales message. First of all, he pulled out a katana, cut a paper by the sword, and showed the callers how sharp the blade was. Then he cut his own arm by the sword. Of course he had painted a lipstick on the blade, but he performed like a magician, and the callers thought that his bloodstained wound was healed in an instant by the toad's grease. Below is the saying of the toad's grease vendor, talked in a quick tempo.
" What I have in my hand is a four-six toad. How do you recognize a four-six toad or a five-six toad? The fingers of its forefoot are four, and the toes of the hind leg are six. So here it named a four-six toad. This toad lives in a far far away to the North, in the foot of Tsukuba Mountain, and eats dewy grass named Onbako. You can catch thsi toad in May, August and October, so you can call it a May-August-October-toad, walk up! Walk up! To take the grease of this toad, you have to stand mirrows on all sides, and spread a wire netting underneath, then drive the toad in. The toad surprised at the sight of itself reflecting in the mirrows, and its grease sweat falls drop by drop. You can catch this sweat under the wire netting, and boil down this thick grease with a twig of willow for a longtime of twenty-one days, and this is how this toad's grease was made. |
|
|
|
