「栃餅の何でもを書いてええよ。ただ、私の名前を出さんでええわ」。匿名のおばちゃんは微笑みながら言った。雨の日の雲を追い出せるような笑顔で。

22歳の時に都会から川上村に嫁いできたおばちゃんは、毎日毎日数十年をかけて、山の上から下まで経木の材料を背負う仕事をした。おばちゃんは76歳になってからでも、その素敵な笑顔で村の山を登っている。「山登りが好きやねん。あんじょう趣味になってな、怖くない。熊に出遭ったことはなくて、鹿はあっちに行き、あっちに行き！　マムシに遭ったら、石を探して、ぶつけて殺す」。

毎年の秋に、おばちゃんは川上村の山奥まで栃の実を拾いに行く。「あこに栃があったら、どうしても行きたい」と目を輝かせながら言った。「風が強かったら、なっとる実がポタポタと落ちる」。おばちゃんはそういう日を狙いながら、何回も拾いに行く。そして後の数か月の灰汁抜き作業を生き生きと話すおばちゃんに、僕の好奇心はそそられた。実を水に浸けてから、日当たりのよいところで２か月間乾かす。次に、実をお湯に浸けてまた乾かす。実の皮を割るために「押し木」という道具を使う。押し木の板の間に挟んで、皮を割ってきれいに剥く。皮の中から黄色い実が出てくる。「とった黄色いやつに、ぽたぽたとお湯と灰を通す」とおばちゃんは早口で説明した。最後に、残った黄色の実が粉になるまでひく。

栃餅を作りたい人はおばちゃんから粉を買い、砂糖と混ぜ、栃餅を作るが、自分で粉を作る人が少なくなった。「欲しい人おりますね、やっぱり。『栃餅やわ、そら珍しいわ』と言うおばあさんは買いますね。でも、栃餅、みんな作らへんな」。自分で栃の実を集め、灰汁抜きをして、粉にする作業は確かに手間がかかる。しかし、このおばちゃんと同じように山をよいよいと歩き、作業の各段階に熱心にこだわるのはとても楽しそうだ。なぜならば、おばちゃん自身にとっては楽しいからだ。僕は毎年栃餅を食べるけど、おばちゃんの話を聞きながら、栃餅が「欲しい」人から「作る」人になりたくなった。「苦みを取るのが一番難しい。最初の２、３回、おいしく作れへんかも」とおばちゃんは優しく言ってくれた。

今年も栃の実がなり、奥の山にポタポタと落ちる。おばちゃんもその素敵な笑顔で栃の実を拾いに行く。「木をよく知っとるから、９月ごろ、一緒に行こう。車に乗せてね」とおばちゃんは僕を誘った。自分の手で拾った実が栃餅になるまで時間と手間がかかると分かってはいても、僕はなんだか楽しみにしている。

Vol.10  “If There Are Horse Chestnuts, I Need to Get’em”　

   “Write anything you want about horse chestnut mochi. But, you don’t need to write my name.” That is what the anonymous older woman said as she smiled. It was a smile that would drive away any clouds on a rainy day. 

   Having moved to Kawakami Village from the city when she was 22, this woman worked for decades carrying wood shavings from the top of the mountain to the bottom everyday. Even after turning 76, she still climbs the mountains of the village with that beautiful smile. “I like mountain climbing. It’s become a hobby, it’s not scary at all. I’ve never run into any bears, and deers just run away and away! If I run into any vipers, I look for a rock, and smash it and kill it.”

   Every autumn, this woman goes deep into the mountains of Kawakami Village to gather horse chestnuts. “If there are horse chestnuts, I need to get’em,” she said with a twinkle in her eyes. “When it’s windy, all of the ripe chestnuts come trickling down.” The woman goes to gather chestnuts many times a year, aiming for those windy days. Arousing my curiosity, she colorfully spoke of the months of work removing the natural bitterness that followed. After soaking the horse chestnuts in water, she dries them in a sunny spot for two months. Next, she soaks them in boiling water and dries them once again. To crack the horse chestnut, she uses a tool called an oshiki. She cracks the nut between the boards of the oshiki and peels the skin clean off. A yellow chestnut comes out from inside. “Take the yellow part, and run it drop-drop-drop through the hot water and ash,” she quickly explained. Finally, she grinds the remaining yellow nuts until they turn into a powder.

   People who want to make horse chestnut mochi buy the powder from this woman, mix it with sugar, and make the mochi, but there are few people who make the powder themselves. “A lot of people want the powder, as you might expect. The kind of older woman who says, ‘Oh, it’s horse chestnut mochi, that’s quite rare.’ But, no one makes the powder themselves.” The work of gathering the horse chestnuts, removing the bitterness, and turning it into powder requires a lot of effort. However, the way this woman treks up the mountains and enthusiastically dwells on every step of the work looks like fun. It is because, for her, it actually is fun. I eat horse chestnut mochi every year, but while listening to her talk, I found myself wanting to go from someone who just “wants” horse chestnut mochi to someone who “makes” it. “Removing the bitterness is the hardest part. It won’t be delicious the first two or three times you make it,” she kindly told me.

   Once again this year, the horse chestnuts will ripen and trickle down onto the deep mountains. This woman too will go to collect them with that beautiful smile. “I know all of the trees pretty well, so around September, let’s go together. Give me a ride, eh,” she invited me. Even as I know that turning horse chestnuts I collected myself into mochi will take some time and effort, I am somehow looking forward to it.