This postcard shows Nunobiki Waterfall, (布引の滝 Nunobiki no Taki) is a set of waterfalls near downtown Kobe, Japan, with an important significance in Japanese literature and Japanese art. In Japan, Nunobiki is considered one of the greatest "divine falls" together with Kegon Falls and Nachi Falls.
Nunobiki waterfalls comprises four separate falls: Ontaki [the one pictured here], Mentaki, Tsutsumigadaki, and Meotodaki.
A well-known section of the Tales of Ise (Ise monogatari) describes a trip taken by a minor official and his guests to Nunobiki Falls. They begin a poetry-writing contest, to which one of the guests, a commander of the guards, contributes:
Which, I wonder, is higher-
This waterfall or the fall of my tears
As I wait in vain,
Hoping today or tomorrow
To rise in the world.
The minor official offers his own composition:
It looks as though someone
Must be unstringing
Those clear cascading gems.
Alas! My sleeves are too narrow
To hold them all.
This card has a post stamp dated 25th October 1923, 11:45pm, however the handwritten date is 25th September 1923. It was written by a father to his daughters and it reads: 'H.M.S. Despatch, Kobe, Japan 25/09/23 Dear Sonny, I hope you will keep these nice post cards & not make them dirty or lose them. Perhaps you can put them in mummy's album. Lots of love from Daddy'.
Well, I can safely say Sonny kept them in pristine condition! Her Daddy would be very happy!
No comments:
Post a Comment