Mosaics and Muses
Welcome to the Teruru Utanoki Kobo E-mail Magazine! Vol. 13
March 3, 2022 Issue
Hello.
This is Noriko Takara from Teruru Utanoki Kobo.
Today is the first day of the second month of the lunar calendar, a new moon.
March is the graduation season, a time when we look forward to new beginnings.
To everyone who has placed an order,
I apologize for the delay in delivering your instruments.
We are working on production every day
so that the completed instruments can begin their journey to you, so please wait a little longer.
This time, I would like to talk about "Mosaics and Muses (Goddesses)."
When we hear the word "mosaic," we think of decorative patterns
made from small pieces of tile,
but the etymology is "Musa" (Muse),
the nine goddesses of beauty from Greek mythology.
By the way,
Music -> an offering to the Muses
Museum -> a place where the Muses gather
These also share the same etymology of "Musa."
Born to Zeus as their father and Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory, as their mother, they each possessed different talents
and were said to preside over the arts.
Calliope (epic poetry), Clio (history), Euterpe (instrumental music),
Thalia (comedy), Melpomene (tragedy), Terpsichore (dance),
Erato (love poetry), Polyhymnia (hymns), Urania (astronomy).
Among them, Terpsichore and Erato are both
depicted holding a lyre.
A mosaic dedicated to the goddess of beauty, Musa,
created by fitting together small pieces of pottery,
is similar to the way instruments are made.
The process of shaping and assembling each part
to form something larger
reminds me of the wisdom and ingenuity
that people in ancient times used to create things.
When the material is glass, it develops into stained glass,
with wood, it becomes wood inlay,
and with seashells, it develops into mother-of-pearl inlay.
Regardless of East or West,
when people try to offer something,
it is not about something grand,
but the accumulation of truly small things.
Even if you cannot see the whole picture while you are making it,
I feel that mosaics teach us that
if you keep creating without giving up,
a beautiful pattern will emerge as a whole.
There are many difficult things happening right now, such as the world situation and the COVID-19 pandemic,
but even in the midst of that,
I would like to continue accumulating small prayers.
*Thank you for subscribing to the Teruru Utanoki Kobo E-mail Magazine again this time.
May today be a good day for you as well.
We are an instrument-making workshop in Uruma City, Okinawa Prefecture.
Since 2002, using carefully selected Okinawan wood,
we have been delivering handmade instruments, including lyres and harps,
crafted with heart.
~Instruments where wood sings poetry~ Click here for information on Teruru Utanoki Kobo
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Editor's Note: During my walk this morning, my husband and I talked about "why it is wrong to speak ill of others." Criticizing others is a foolish act of trying to polish someone else's soul, which you can never polish yourself; I feel that focusing on polishing one's own soul through awareness leads to the joy of living. It might be a quick and good method. My grandmother's favorite saying was "Look at others' behavior and correct your own." I am feeling the depth of these words even more these days. (Noriko)