探りたい！ 長寿の秘訣 どこにある

　台風が過ぎ去り、日本列島を大陸の空気が覆い、今朝の気温は２0℃と本格的な秋に向かってます。写真のように、小さな蛾がコスモスの花にとまり、最後の力を絞って栄養を摂ってます。小さな生き物も、私たち人間も生命の尊さに違いはありません。

　先日は敬老の日でしたが、昭和３８年に全国で１５３人だった１００歳以上の人は令和４年で９万人を超えました。１００歳を超える人の生き方はどこに違いがあるのでしょう。

　実は、１００歳を超えても上毛新聞「ひろば」に投稿され、度々、文章が掲載されてた隣町・阿久津の滝沢三四吉さんを訪ねた私は、直接彼から話を伺う機会が二回ありました。

　その印象は、自分を見てくれてる人がいて独りぼっちではないという「幸福感に満ちてる様子」でした。また、誠実性と意志が強いように感じられ、話し好きでにこにこしてユーモアがありました。その証拠に、庭には数字で表した長寿の碑が彼によって建てられてます。息子さんはすでに亡くなりましたが、そのお嫁さんが診てくれてます。

　私は倉賀野の柿沼ですと言ったら、偶然にも、私の亡き母と山名の学校で同級生であることも教えてくださり本当に驚きました。彼は近年、天に召されました。

　なお、彼の生まれた年は明治３４年で、名前まで語呂合わせになってます。

【ユーモアの滝沢三四吉さんが生前に建てた碑は現存してます。碑の内容は、年取れば日増しに皺に白髪と、見難くなれど我は苦にせん。】

Dear my friend abroad

  The typhoon No.14 has passed, and the Japanese archipelago is covered with continental air, and the temperature this morning is 20 degrees Celsius, the season is heading towards real autumn. As you can see in the photo, a small moth perches on a cosmos flower and sucking the nectar with her last strength. There is no difference in the preciousness of life between small creatures and us humans.

  The other day was Respect for the Aged Day. In 1963, there were 153 people of centenarians nationwide, but in 2022, the number exceeded 90,000 in Japan. Where is the different way of life for centenarians?

  In fact, I visited Mr. Miyokichi Takizawa in the neighboring town named Akutsu, whose articles were often published in Jomo Shimbun's Hiroba even after he turned 100 years old. I had two opportunities to speak directly with him.

  My impression by meeting him was that he was "filled with happiness" that he was not alone because of someone watching over him. He also seemed sincere and strong-willed. He was talkative with smiling, and had a good sense of humor. As proof of that, there is a monument to longevity expressed in numbers in his garden. His son has passed away before, but his son's wife is taking care of him.

  When I told him that I was Kakinuma from Kuragano-town, I was really surprised that he was my late mother's classmate at the elementary school in Yamana. Mr. Takizawa passed away recently.

  The monument erected by humorist Mr. Miyokichi Takizawa during his lifetime still exists. In addition, the year he was born is Meiji 34, therefore even his name is a pun.

  The content of the monument is that I get older, the more wrincles and gray hairs increase, the more ugly to see, but I don't mind.

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