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久々に都会からは離れ、冬の兆しも感じられる山の中にいました。北広島町、そこは島根県との県境に位置する山深い静かな集落です。そこで山里の食材を活かした料理で定評のある三巨匠によるシンポジウムが開かれました。

三巨匠とも４０〜５０年のキャリアをお持ちで、語られる山の恵み、実りのお話、美味しさのお話は素晴らしく聴きいってしまいました。その中でも驚かされたことがありました。「今、山は人の手が入らなくなって荒れてしまった。」と。つまり文明が発達したことで、人は山を利用する必要がなくなり山に入らなくなった。そして山が荒廃してしまった。

なるほど、思い出されることがありました。以前、山に居を構えた知人がいました。家の周りには鬱蒼とした木立が並んでいた。知人は数年かけて周りの立木の下枝を落とし、下草を整理しました。すると適度に日が差しこみ、木々の足元に風が通るようになりました。すると植生が変わりそれまで彼は「この辺りは何も採れるものはない」と言っていたのに、山菜や野草が出るようになりました。

昔に比べて山菜や茸が少なくなっています。また近年、山里で熊による被害が増えています。山だけでなく、海にも、陸にも気がかりなことは多くあります。今一度、身の回りを見つめて自然と寄り添い、共に生きることを考え直すときなのかもしれません。

After a long while, I left the city behind and found myself deep in the mountains, where the first hints of winter could already be felt. The place was Kitahiroshima— a quiet village nestled along the border of Hiroshima and Shimane Prefectures. There, a symposium was held, led by three culinary masters renowned for their cuisine that celebrates the gifts of the mountain countryside.

Each of them has devoted four to five decades to their craft. Their stories of the mountain’s blessings, of its bounty, of the true nature of deliciousness itself—were all deeply moving. But among their words, one thing struck me most:

“These days, the mountains are growing wild and untended. People no longer go into them.”

With the advance of civilization, we no longer rely on the mountains as we once did—and so, nature that once flourished through human touch has begun to fall into neglect.

That reminded me of an acquaintance who once built a home in the hills. Around his house, the forest was thick and overgrown. Over several years, he carefully pruned the lower branches and cleared the underbrush. Gradually, sunlight began to filter through, and breezes found their way along the forest floor. Before long, the vegetation changed. Though he had once said, “Nothing edible grows around here,” wild herbs and mountain vegetables began to appear again.

Compared to the past, there are fewer wild vegetables and mushrooms now. In recent years, the number of bear encounters in rural villages has increased. Not only the mountains—but the seas, the fields, and even the air—bear signs of imbalance.

Perhaps it is time once again to look closely at the world around us, to remember how to live with nature, rather than merely alongside it.

*Ritto: The traditional East Asian calendars divide a year into 24 solar terms. “Start of Winter (Ritto)” is the 19th solar term and at November 7th. Light Snow/ Heavy Snow: The traditional East Asian calendars divide a year into 24 solar terms. “Light snow” is the 20th solar term and starts from 22 November.  “Heavy Snow” is the 21st solar term and starts from 7 December.