SFZC Art Catalog

Being careful with fire

Paula Pietranera

ARTIST: Shunryu Suzuki

TITLE: Being careful with fire / Beware the fire

火の用心: Hi no yōjin

YEAR: —

SIZE:

MEDIUM / MATERIAL: Calligraphy. Ink on paper

ACQUISITION: Donated by Hideko Oga (See note)

APPRAISAL DATE & VALUE:

LOCATION: CC300 – Central Abbot’s quarters

Description

“This calligraphy was given by Shunryu Suzuki to Grahame Petchey and donated to the SFZC by his ex-wife, Hideko Oga” (from cuke.com)

火の用心: During the winter, members of a chōnaikai, the local neighbourhood association, walk through the streets carrying small wooden sticks which they smack together periodically to draw the attention of the local residents.  Thus sonically alerted, residents then hear the volunteers chant ‘Hi no yōjin‘ (beware of fire).  This friendly reminder comes usually in the winter and at dinner time, so that cooks standing over their stoves making hot meals are reminded to take care that oil doesn’t catch fire.  Winter evenings are also targeted because this is when most residents have their heating on, and many Japanese families still use free standing kerosene heaters that need to be filled and monitored.  Wintertime is thus the prime season for fire prevention, and Japanese urban communities have a longstanding history of communal work to prevent residential fires in their closely knit communities.

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