Miyuki Nakajima "Ito (Thread)"

I first encountered this song five years ago.
It was at a farewell party for the nursery school principal and teachers who were retiring as the school transitioned from a nursery school to a certified center for early childhood education and care. The event also served as a farewell to the nursery school itself.

A "karaoke" screen was projected onto a large screen, and everyone in attendance sang along.
The seven-year journey at the nursery school was truly a time where all the staff had been spinning "threads" together.
There were meetings and partings, but I think everyone who attended felt it was a warm time.

Wonderful music shakes people's emotions and becomes something that brings history and life to mind.
It supports people and also becomes a "cheer".

This song became a huge hit, and since then, many artists have covered it.
Each artist's originality resonates in my heart.

And last year, a movie titled exactly "Ito" was made, starring Masaki Suda and Nana Komatsu.
It is a work created by letting inspiration take flight from the "song" that existed first.
That is precisely why Miyuki Nakajima's voice made the movie so rich, warm, and poignant.

Before the movie was released, the "music video" images contained no voices or sounds from the performers, only Miyuki Nakajima's singing voice, but I felt a shiver in my body and my interest in the movie grew, making me want to see it.
I don't know the details of the content. But I feel it was the best promotional material.
It made me feel that "songs have power."
And I believe that "music is a wonderful culture that, at times, supports people and cries with them, at other times gives people a cheer, and at other times makes them feel happy.".

Life is a repetition of many meetings and partings, but even if the result is a parting, perhaps it is true that "people call it 'shiawase' (fortune/happiness) to meet the threads they are meant to meet."
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Why is it written as 'shiawase' (仕合せ - meaning 'to combine/coincide') instead of 'shiawase' (幸せ - meaning 'happiness')?
There was an article that taught me that thought.
http://www.chadeau.com/17061301

When you hear the word "shiawase," which version of "shiawase" comes to mind?
Many people will likely think of "happiness" (幸せ).
However, even if you look up 'shiawase' in a dictionary, the notation for just 'happiness' does not appear.
When you look up 'shiawase' in the Daijirin dictionary, it says:
Shiawase [仕合わせ・幸せ・仕合せ・倖せ]
1. Good fortune. Luck. Happiness.
2. Chance. Fate.
Many people will think of 'shiawase' as the good fortune or happiness found in definition 1.
When you look up that 'happiness' (幸福) in the Daijirin, it says: 'A state of being free from inconvenience or dissatisfaction, and feeling content in one's heart.'
People feel 'shiawase' (happiness) when their hearts are full.
I feel 'shiawase' when I eat a delicious meal until I am full.
You, too, may feel 'shiawase' in various situations.
However, was this 'shiawase' of mine, being full, achieved by my own power alone?
There were ingredients, there were people who transported them, there were people who cooked them, and there was a place to provide them.
Many other things overlapped, and that is why I am able to feel 'shiawase' now.
This 'shiawase' is something that can never be achieved by one person alone.
As another meaning of 'shiawase,' it says:
Chance. Fate.
Originally, the word 'shiawase' did not express a feeling of happiness, but was a word that expressed its formation.
'Shi (to do/serve) + awaseru (to combine)' means that things are formed by various things overlapping. It was 'shiawase' including everything, both good and bad. At some point, only happiness came to be recognized as 'shiawase,' and the original meaning of 'shiawase' (coincidence/fate) became harder to see.
When something happens, I tend to think it is by my own power alone.
However, everything is thanks to others. I want to walk through my days feeling many 'shiawase' (coincidences/fates), while cherishing the original meaning of 'shiawase'.
(Quoted from the URL above)

Capturing that meaning, Miyuki Nakajima must have intentionally chosen the kanji '仕合せ' (shiawase).

The other day, at a "funeral" job, "Ito" was played.
It was when the whole family was putting flowers into the "coffin."
It must have been the deceased's favorite song.
Perhaps the family had been singing it together.
While putting in the flowers, the family was calling the name of the deceased and saying their final goodbyes.
Each person must have spent that time feeling the love from that person.
And it was a departure loved by everyone who participated.
It was a warm ceremony.

I was participating in that place for work, but when I was handing out flowers to everyone, I couldn't help but cry and cry.

After the funeral, I found "Ito" on YouTube. Every time I listen to it, tears overflow.
And, once again, I thought of each member of my family connected to me.

My mother is now 87 years old.
Parting with my mother will probably not be too far off.
I want her to go to heaven feeling happy, having made many memories while carefully spinning the remaining days. I want to continue to interact with her in a way that I won't regret until the last day.

My children are still chasing their dreams, working hard to live in Tokyo and Tochigi respectively.
When I heard this "Ito," I thought that next time, I really want my children to meet the "threads they are meant to meet" and become "shiawase" (fortunate).

My younger brother... the brother who greatly changed my life.
My brother has also experienced divorce, but I sincerely pray that he will be happy in his life from now on.

And my husband, who supports me.
I think my meeting with my husband is a "shiawase" (fate) for me.

It is "one song" that makes me think I must cherish each other... 💛

#MiyukiNakajima
#"Ito"
#PowerOfMusic
#MeetingsAndPartings
#Shiawase
#Happiness
#Family