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梅雨空は、光も柔らかで雨と雲の境目も曖昧に見えます。距離感が掴めない白い空はどこまでも続きます。光は穏やかでも、近い景色は鮮明で美しい。木々の緑は艶やかで梅雨曇り特有の風情を感じます。しかしこの時季の緩やかさは、梅雨が明けるまでのもの。分厚い梅雨雲の向こう側には、すでにジリジリとした太陽が夏の日差しを準備していることでしょう。

梅雨が明ければ、忽ちに夏の盛りを迎えます。野山の木々も夏越しにそなえるように緑をより深くし、花々も陽に輝きいっそう勢いをましています。

そんな中にも枯れていく植物があります。「夏枯草(かこそう)」の異名も持つ靫草(うつぼぐさ)という植物です。冬至の頃に芽を出し、夏至の頃にひっそりと枯れていきます。

昔は暑さをしのぐ術も多くはなく、夏を無事に乗り越えるにも祈り願いました。夏を越すこともなく枯れていく靫草の姿を見て「夏枯草」と名付けたところに、古の人々が自然に心を寄せる様子が伝わってきます。

いそのかみ　ふるきみやこの　ほととぎす
こえばかりこそ　むかしなりけれ
（古今和歌集　素性法師）

「昔の都である石上で鳴くほととぎすの声だけが昔のままだ。」つまりは、こう読み解ける。「人の世がうつり変わるなか、ほととぎすの声だけが変わらない」

日本料理も世とともに変わっていくなか、この歌に触れ「新しきものから何を取り入れ、古きものの何を守るのか」しみじみと考えさせられます。

お料理は、鱧や鯒、冬瓜、玉蜀黍など夏の材料を使い、新しき姿をした古きもの、古き衣をまとった新しきものをご用意いたします。

During the rainy season, the light softens, and the boundary between rain and cloud seems to blur. The white sky stretches endlessly, making distance difficult to perceive. Though the sunlight is gentle, the landscape nearby appears vivid and beautiful. The foliage glistens with rich color, evoking the unique atmosphere of Japan’s rainy season.

Yet this gentle mood lasts only until the rains have passed. Beyond the thick clouds, the summer sun is already preparing its intense heat. Once the rainy season ends, midsummer arrives almost at once. Trees deepen their shades of green as if preparing to endure the long summer ahead, while flowers shine brightly in the sun, growing ever more vigorous.

Amid such abundance, however, there are plants that quietly wither away. One such plant is Utsubogusa (Prunella vulgaris), also known by the poetic name Kakosō—“the summer-withering herb.” It sprouts around the winter solstice and quietly fades away around the summer solstice.

In earlier times, people had few means of escaping the summer heat and often prayed simply to endure the season safely. Seeing this herb wither before summer had truly begun, they named it “the summer-withering herb.” The name itself reveals how closely our ancestors observed nature and how deeply they empathized with its cycles.

Isonokami Furuki Miyako no Hototogisu
Koe bakari koso Mukashi nari kere
— Sosei Hōshi, Kokin Wakashū

The poem may be read as saying: “Though the world of people changes with time, the Hototogisu’s song alone remains unchanged.”

Japanese cuisine, too, continues to evolve with the times. Whenever I encounter this poem, it invites quiet reflection: What should we embrace from the new, and what should we preserve from the old? It is a question that resonates deeply and remains ever relevant.

Our menu features summer ingredients such as pike conger, flathead, winter melon, and sweet corn, offering old things in new forms and new things dressed in old attire.

*Summer Solstice/ Slight Heat: The traditional East Asian calendars divide a year into 24 solar terms. “Summer Solstice” is the 10th solar term and starts on June 21th. “Slight Heat” is the 11th solar term and starts on July 7th.