Pine

Takashi Yamaguchi

Writer, Journalist • 1973 Economics

It was the spring of 1962 when Fujio Akatsuka received a request for a manuscript from the editorial department of Weekly Shonen Sunday. Akatsuka was 26 years old and still a newcomer. The serialization was set for four installments. His longest run until then had been two, so he was determined, thinking, "It's only four times anyway, I'm going to go all out."

The protagonists were sextuplets. Led by Osomatsu, followed by Todomatsu, Choromatsu, Jyushimatsu... all six had "matsu" (pine) in their names. It was a slapstick comedy featuring mischievous sextuplets rather than just twins. This was the birth of "Osomatsu-kun," which Akatsuka declared to be "Japan's first gag manga."

The novelty of sextuplets, the eccentricity of the ideas, and the good pacing were a hit. Instead of four installments, the series recorded a long run of seven years until the spring of 1969.

Riding the momentum, Akatsuka released a string of hits like "Himitsu no Akko-chan," "Moretsu Ataro," and "Tensai Bakabon," solidifying his status as a gag manga artist. In 2015, the anime "Osomatsu-san," featuring the grown-up characters of "Osomatsu-kun," became popular.

"Osomatsu" did not turn out to be "osomatsu" (shabby) at all; it grew into a great tree.

Hiroyuki Uenishi

Chairman of Mita Handball Club • 1980 Commerce

Pine resin is famous for its use as a non-slip agent in baseball rosin bags, ballet shoes, and for string instrument bows, but it has actually been used in handball for a long time as well. Even today, athletes competing in the Olympics and World Championships use it, so there is no doubt that its effectiveness is significant.

A handball for men at the high school level and above is about 19 cm in diameter, a size that can be held in one hand, but since it gets slippery with sweat during practice and matches, pine resin is used. The pine resin used in handball is golden and feels like thick, "drippy" honey. The key is to apply just a little bit, mainly to the index and middle fingers of the throwing hand.

During my active years, we practiced outdoors using saliva on our hands. We only used pine resin during matches in gymnasiums where its use was permitted. Because the ball wouldn't slip, I have fond memories of pine resin allowing me to enjoy the illusion that I had become a better player. After a match, my hands would be pitch black with dried, discolored resin. It wouldn't come off with soap, but for some reason discovered by someone, applying Salomethyl makes them clean in an instant—the reason for which remains unknown.

Yuzuru Miyanami

President of Matsubaya Co., Ltd. • 1994 Law

The predecessor of Matsubaya was a miso shop called "Tenmaya" that had continued since the Edo period. Matsutake mushrooms, which we began handling by chance due to a shipping error, are now our shop's name. We were founded in Akasaka, Tokyo, in May 1976, and thanks to everyone, it has been nearly 50 years. Matsutake, as the name suggests, are mushrooms that grow at the base of pine (matsu) trees. Fifty years might be just a blink of an eye to a pine tree, which is considered a symbol of eternal youth and longevity.

Speaking of pine, there is a poem in the Hyakunin Isshu: "Though we part, if I hear that you pine (matsu) like the pines on the peak of Mount Inaba, I shall return to you at once" (Chunagon Yukihira). While it is a poem lamenting a parting due to a job transfer, it is also said to be a charm used to wish for the return of people or animals who have gone away.

Two years have already passed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. From the perspective of a pine tree, it may be just the duration of a single breath, but for us humans, it has been a long time. While the town of Akasaka has yet to fully regain its former bustle, like the pine tree that keeps its green leaves even in winter, I am "waiting" (matsu) for the day when everyone can enjoy matsutake mushrooms with peace of mind, and I offer this charm here.

Kota Sumiyoshi

Director of Otono Co., Ltd. • 2015 Environment and Information Studies

Are you familiar with "Miho no Matsubara" located in Shimizu Ward, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture? It is one of Japan's three greatest pine groves and a scenic spot registered as a World Heritage site in 2013 as a component of Mount Fuji. With approximately 30,000 pine trees growing along a 7km coastline, the landscape created by the green of the pine forest, the white waves, the blue of the sea, and Mount Fuji is a "one-of-a-kind" existence in Japan.

In addition to "looking and enjoying" the scenery, it is a cultural site called an "object of faith and source of art," as it has captured the hearts of Japanese people who have worshipped Mount Fuji since ancient times and has been expressed in Utagawa Hiroshige's ukiyo-e prints and numerous paintings and waka poems (it was actually registered as a World Heritage site as a "Cultural Heritage" rather than a "Natural Heritage").

On the other hand, it is also a space that coexists with daily life, serving as a playground for local students and a running course for marathon races and sports clubs; for me, it was a "playground" when I was little. Why not visit Miho no Matsubara, which has many faces as a "scenic spot," a "source of art," and a "playground"?