Ryokyu Endo's Post from September 2011: 3 Live shows !!!

（DAY１）

2011/09/13

For a while I had an idea about giving volunteer Shiatsu in the Touhoku area and also giving some live performances with the Sangha band, Lamani. And this plan manifested in a very interesting way. Let me explain: Firstly, Lamani registered to perform at Teizen-ji Jazz festival in Sendai City  http://www.j-streetjazz.com/, and also at Dou-Gen-In in Ishino-maki city, through a friend of mine, Clive.  A journalist from the UK, Clive lives in Tokyo, and came for one of our live shows at Earth Garden, in Yoyogi,Tokyo.   He was so excited at the show, that he helped set up live performances for us in the Touhoku disaster areas.

Photo of Clive

Another live show we decided to do was at a live house in Karakuwa Town, which is where GUC has been supporting people in shelters since March 2011, sending washing machines, refrigerators, fresh vegetables and other things.  It is the place with which we have Go-En (An invisible connection, a karmic connection—in Buddhist terms). 

So here it was: our wish suddenly materialized into three live shows at three different places!

It took 12 hours for the band members to get here from Kyoto.  Next day, it took us 3 and a-half hours to get to Kesen-numa city, and we did volunteer Shiatsu all day long. It was great that everyone in the band could give volunteer Shiatsu treatments; how great it was….. But it was an intensive schedule.

We gave Shiatsu treatments till night had fallen, and then performed at the live house.  Then we moved to Ishino-maki city late into the night, and played again in the afternoon next day, finally going to Sendai with  lightning speed again.

We had decided, prior to the shows, that, if we all went together, we would not be able to have as much time for volunteer Shiatsu, so, we decided that I would just go to Ishino-maki alone first. This way, I ended up at a temporary residence in Ishino-maki, with people who were evacuated to a temple called Do-Gen-In following the tsunami and earthquake. I treated a few people including elderly people that the afternoon. They were happy, like the one who couldn’t bend his knee before the shiatsu treatment. By the way, Do- Gen-In is not that huge, but at some time, there were 400 people staying there! I wondered how it was possible!. It must have been intense. However, now, all of them had moved to temporary residences. Unfortunatel,y Ishino-maki city is still not recovered fully from the huge damage they experienced.

（２）

2011/09/14

 After Ishinomaki, all six band members, left toward Karakuwa town, spread into 2 teams, and gave Shiatsu treatments for the whole day at 2 locations. A leader of one of the residences kindly suggested to us to take a break sometimes, but we actually couldn’t take any.  Below is a picture of a girl who goes to kindergarten there.  She had asked for a treatment for her dislocated joint.  Her name is Kokoro (meaning  ‘heart’). After the treatment, I told her to take it easy for a few days, but right away she started enjoying riding her bike, saying, “I’m Cured !”

Miss. Kokoro after treatment showing her leg

（３）

2011/09/16

On the 3^rd day, we did volunteer Shiatsu till the sun went down, and then a performance at a live house.

The young 17 year old boy sitting in a wheel chair in front, is called Yuta. He is the son of the owner of the live house, and he is a strict critic for performers here, but it turned out we passed his test. The place rocked, and we were asked for an encore!

As a matter of fact, I don’t really know what is going on around me when I am playing music. I guess because I concentrate so deeply to my inner self, just like a Nembutsu practitioner who is really ‘into his wishes and prayers’. 

We took off after performing and supper to Ishino-maki city, arrived at this hotel around 11:30pm. Most of Ishino-maki’s hotel have not yet recovered fully since the disaster, and the hotel we stayed in was no exception, as the bathrooms didn’t work. We had to go to a park nearby to use the bathrooms there, but having a bed and roof is better than no bed and roof, so we couldn’t complain!

（４）

2011/09/17

I called Mr. Onozaki, the head priest of Dou-Gen-In Temple, in Ishino-maki city. Do-gen-In used to be a shelter and there were 400 refugees staying there at one point. Today, Sep/11, exactly 6 months after the disaster, there was a special ceremony at the Temple.  Mr. Onozaki asked me to do a memorial performance before the ceremony.

I had heard about this Temple as it is well known through the mass media. The whole event and ceremony was broadcasted on National TV. We first started to set up in the morning, and began to play with an indescribable heartrending feeling. I could feel the music was penetrating to people’s hearts. There apparently were some elderly people who could not hold back their tears. After performing, an organization from Taiwan that was delivering their fundraised money to the area asked me for a meeting, and they told me the performance was excellent and they asked us to play again when they organized another memorial ceremony for the whole Touhoku area.

We took off again, to the next place, Sendai. We had another performance. People from the Temple saw us off with a song from a famous Japanese singer. I mentioned that we feel sorry for not attending the ceremony, and then they told us kindly our performance was good enough for that.   I had a little worry whether we can be on time for next performance, but it went well also, and we felt people were happy with the performance.

We had some comments like “I’ve never heard songs like this!” and “Somehow it <the music> penetrates into my heart”.  It was many hard days and nights, but I really think it was right to continue this way and also if we, as a band of a Pure Land Temple can transmit Buddha’s wishes through our performances, it would be so much appreciated.

Reports from June ~ October 2011…..

Kesen-numa now: June ~ October 2011…..

I would like to inform everyone of our on-going support to Kesen-numa Elementary and Secondary School shelters.

<June 2011>

After 3 months, the food condition of both schools shelters ws still not good enough, with a constant lack of vegetables. A welfare commissioner, Ms. Ono who had evacuated to Kesen-numa Secondary School shelter told me most of the food we had was stuffed bread, and/or instant food and only occasionally could have boiled radish and carrots from the beginning of May. “Until Tao Sangha began supporting here, we’ve never seen a whole tomato…. “

I also asked other people, and everyone expressed wanting to have some vegetables. So, GUC decided to send some vegetables regularly.

We were struggling to find a vege-supplier, but finally found ‘Tsukiji Sanchoku farm”, a whole seller in Tokyo Tsukiji market, and they thankfully promised us to not make any profits for this event.

That was the beginning.

The first delivery arrived, and everybody, included volunteers from all over the country helped to make 200 salads. We couldn’t use the kitchen, therefore we made them outside, in a little field in front of school building. It was hot, and salads easily get damaged, so, they were moving to the shade under the trees, and the whole process took about 3 hours. “ It was only a small portion for each person, but everyone was really grateful, and so happy to have even that.”--- comment from somebody staying in the shelter.

<August 2011>

We sent 2^nd, 3^rd deliveries, but the city complained to Ms. Ono, saying “ Making salads outside is not safe and you are taking a chance to get food poisoning.  Are you going to take responsibility if that happens? “ It was an unpredictable action from city.

Ms. Ono had tears in her eyes, but we had to stop sending the vegetables, because no one could take responsibility.  However, we could send root vegetables, and Ms.Ono shared them with everyone in the school shelter.  Another obstacle we were faced with was that of course, there was no cooking equipment available at the school.   Well, when some people with relatives in temporary homes would go there to take a bath, they would take some vegetables with them and cooked them there. In this way, the vegetables were shared with people in temporary homes as well as the shelters.

<September>

There were 500 people living in this school shelter at the peak period. Now, the number is down to two digits. Ms.Ono also decided to move to a temporary home finally even though she was not really happy about the decision. She said that she had to make a compromise, because those homes are built in an isolated area (especially hers is built in a valley), and some people even refuse to move there. The city asked her to move in because she‘s never been lucky in the draw so far. She had refused many times till now, but her health has been failing, ---she lost 25lb---, and finally she felt it maybe better to move there.

<October>

It has been a month since Ms. Ono moved into a temporary home, an area with another 56 people living there. It is a very isolated area.  For example, the nearest bus stop is a 20 minute walk away, and the road is too narrow, so she thinks no snow remover will be able to get in. So, she is negotiating with the city to have some snow removal supplies.

While visiting every home in the area door to door, she also realized that the majority of the people there are elderly.
She noticed the increase of depression and dementia among those elderly living alone. No wonder! They lost everything that meant anything to them, and with no hope for their future, they just spend day after day in this shelter, alone….

Then she was inspired by something. Her parents used to be tailors, and Ms. Ono can sew very well because she used to help her parents. And, she started to teach “patch work” using old Kimono to those elderly people in the area. It was from her ultimate wish that those people could regain a hope to live.

GUC also wishes her wish comes true, and asked to all of our members to donate any old Kimono, and then we sent them.

Also, she humbly asked us when I called her,“ If you don’t mind, please send one… maybe 3 sewing machines. Sorry for always asking, “ she said.

                                                                                                               Report : Shin Hasegawa