Have you heard of the name Suzuki Bokushi? He is the man
who wrote a seven-volume book called "Hokuetsu Seppu" (Hokuetsu Seppu), which details life in snow country and snow itself during the Edo period, and transmitted it to Edo. To the eyes of the people of the time, the book appeared like another world, and became extremely popular.
Over time, the video that would become the modern Hokuetsu Seppu was born, strongly influenced by Suzuki Makino's will and work
This video
conveys the richness of living in a snowy country and what it's like.
Suzuki Makino was born and raised in Shiozawa, Minamiuonuma City, Niigata Prefecture, a town known for its heavy snowfall.
The town is surrounded by mountains on all sides and has poor transportation access from Edo, so he never visits it during the heavy snowfall in winter.
The people of Edo had no idea what life was like in Hokuetsu in the winter
"Hokuetsu Seppu" was created over a period of 30 years, with the desire to let people know about life in a snowy country. However,
"in the world of Hokuetsu Seppu that Makino depicted, snow was not something to play with, but something that made people's lives difficult."
The modern version of Hokuetsu Seppu focuses on four skiers and snowboarders, who portray snow as a natural blessing that enriches their lives
Someone who works as a chef and climbs the mountain before the sun rises in the early morning to ski. Someone who
works as a snow groomer driver at a ski resort and enjoys skiing.
who goes out for night skiing every night after finishing their work as a ski resort patrol. Someone who works
as a mountain guide and conveys the charm of the mountains to people, but who also doesn't forget to enjoy themselves.
Each character living in a snowy country is sustained by snow and lives in harmony with it.
There is no image of snow as something "difficult and troublesome to coexist with" as depicted by Suzuki Makino.
Times have changed, and snow has become something to be used and enjoyed. And the story conveys how happy it is to have that enjoyment become a part of one's life.
I hope that this way of life will spread to many people once again through Shin Hokuetsu Seppu
"Tomorrow, their daily lives will begin again with a snowy landscape."
Presented by:Minamiuonuma City Marketing ORG.
Producer: Takuzo Nagai
Director/Film/Edit:Right Up INC.(Yuta Watanabe/Ryota “Papas”Takemoto)
Narrator: Neil Hartmann
Lodge Chef: Mikio Kobayashi
Ski Patol: Hokuto Sato
Cat Operator: Mitsuo Higuchi
Special Thanks: Maiko Snow Resort / Muikamachi Hakkaisan Ski Resort / Suzuki Makino Memorial Museum
※Video quotes are in ""